Phaneron

This movie is incredible. I've only ever been a casual fan of this franchise. The first film, despite having good action, felt very by-the-numbers to me. Each subsequent film got progressively better, and the films' mythology became more engrossing. Still, I never walked away from the second or third movies completely wowed.

This movie changed that. Going in, I was a little concerned that the near 3-hour runtime would become threadbare, as other films in recent years with similar runtimes have done (The Batman, It: Chapter 2, Midsommar, etc.) I'm happy to say, that wasn't the case here. The film's runtime is padded by lengthy action scenes, of which there are over a half-dozen. These scenes are so well-done that despite going on for 10 minutes or longer, they left me wanting more.

I can't recommend this film enough to fans of the genre. And if you were just a casual fan of the series going in like I was, it may just blow your mind.

Phaneron ★

As Batman films go, I found this one to be very second-rate.

Everything about this film - from the cast, plot, action scenes, character portrayals, score, etc. - have been done better in other Batman films.

Batman comes across as bored, as he meanders from scene to scene. The film tries to emulate the Christopher Nolan films of putting Batman in a realistic setting, but the result is far inferior.

The Riddler, who is the main antagonist, certainly started out menacing, but by the end of the film, he came across more as a wimpy momma's boy. Not to mention his outfit in this film looks like a green garbage bag with glasses. I mean, Jim Carrey's Riddler from Batman Forever was goofy, but he was at least entertaining.

The score was extremely repetitive and nowhere near as great as previous scores by Danny Elfman and Hans Zimmer.

There was also no reason for this film to be 3 hours long. Some films can get away with having such a long run time if there is enough going on, but this film's paper-thin plot doesn't even come close to justifying such a bloated length.

As much as I like to give DC credit for trying different things, I also have to rake them over the coals for rehashing the same crap over and over. What follows is a spoiler, so you have been warned. The film's closing scenes introduce another version of the Joker. This is now the fourth iteration of the character in film since 2008, and the third since 2016. Can they seriously not try adapting other Batman villains to film, such as Hush? Batman is widely regarded as having the greatest rogues gallery in all of comics, so it's not like the choices are slim pickings.

Phaneron ★

A significant improvement over the first film. The humorous, almost buddy cop dynamic between Eddie and Venom carries the film. The movie also has the best use of an F-word in a PG-13 film since X-Men: First Class.

The film's biggest drawbacks are its short runtime and lack of development over Cletus Kasady and Carnage. The movie could have benefited from an additional 20 minutes devoted entirely to giving more interaction between Kasady and Carnage and more of Carnage's killing spree.

Phaneron ★

This is exactly what the first movie should have been. Equal parts humor and character depth, whereas the first film had flat attempts at comedy and no heart.

The action scenes are very entertaining, with the opening action scene in particular being an absolute riot. Special mention to John Cena as Peacemaker, who steals the show, and he and Idris Elba's Bloodsport play off each other very well.

Phaneron ★

I couldn't even get halfway through this show before giving up. The humor is like those unfunny SNL sketches that go on forever.

The only enjoyment I got out of this was trying to find Marvel Easter eggs in the episodes that I watched.

Phaneron ★

This was actually the last movie I saw in theaters before the whole Covid shutdown. It's certainly not as enjoyable as the TV series, and the main story left much to be desired.

However, the film still gave me quite a few laughs. Sal's crazy eyes while talking to fellow attendees at a Jaden Smith event, as well as his encounter with a tiger in his hotel room were hilarious. And Q's seminar presentation featuring a fake adult film starring his parents had me laughing so hard that I cried.

I would recommend this film to anyone that watches the TV series, and I strongly suggest watching the TV series for anyone who has never seen it.

Phaneron ★

I really wanted to like this movie. The trailers weren't that great, which I know in general aren't a definitive indicator of how good or bad a movie will end up being, but in my case, I'm usually good at predicting how much I will enjoy a movie based on its trailers.

First things first, Joaquin Phoenix does a wonderful job in the lead role, and he deserved the Best Actor Oscar he was awarded for it. That being said, the story surrounding him and the other characters in the film just aren't that interesting, and much of the plot is extremely derivative of earlier Scorsese films. One of the things that made Heath Ledger's Joker such an engrossing character was the mystery behind his motivations. We knew nothing about his past, and what he did reveal about himself to other characters would be contradicted by something else he would tell another character later in the film.

The sequence of events that lead to the Joker in this film becoming famous are completely contrived. If the movie was set in the modern day, the idea of a standup comedian bombing on open mic night being filmed and going viral and leading to an appearance on a popular late night talk show would be believable, but given the movie's early 1980's setting, I didn't buy it.

The fact that they also decided to shoehorn in the murder of Bruce Wayne's parents had me rolling my eyes. Just how often do they think moviegoers need to see the crux of Batman's origin?

I even gave this movie a second chance a little more than a year after originally seeing it, and I ended up liking the film even less. I would give it 2.5/5. I'll be generous and round it up here to 3/5 for Phoenix's performance, as well as for the film introducing me to the Jackson C. Frank song "My Name Is Carnival."

Phaneron ★

This movie felt half-baked. The opening scene was really strong, but from there on out, it felt simultaneously rushed and dragged.

The much talked about Mortal Kombat tournament never actually happens, and the impromptu fight scenes, complete with the highly anticipated faithful fatalities, don't occur until the movie is almost over, and most of them don't last very long.

Hopefully if a sequel gets made, they will stick with what worked in the film and vastly improve on its many flaws.

Phaneron ★

This is a vast improvement over the theatrical version. It was nice to see characters like Cyborg and Flash get more lines and development, and much of the cringey humor and awful CGI are now gone.

However, the movie still suffers from trying to set up future storylines that in all likelihood will never come to fruition. Deathstroke's vendetta against Batman is given no context, and it is only made even more murky by the scene with the Joker.

Maybe these scenes make sense to hardcore DC fans, but to a casual viewer like myself, they are a little confusing.

There's also no good reason for this film to be 4 hours long. I'm not opposed to movies with long runtimes if the story justifies it, but in the case of this version of the film, the runtime is padded by excessive amounts of slow motion shots (which Zack Snyder uses as a crutch) and unnecessary moments, such as the scene where a few village women sing a song in tribute to Aquaman while one of them sniffs his sweater.

Phaneron ★

It's not a groundbreaking sitcom by any means, but the characters are all likeable and have great chemistry, and the show excels when it leans into comedy of errors.

Phaneron ★

I was late to the party on this one. I would see a few episodes here and there, but didn't start watching from the beginning until mid-2019 and finished all episodes about a year later. I don't think I've ever watched a show that has had me laughing so hard that I'm in tears. Sure, several shows I grew up with like The Simpsons, Home Improvement, Boy Meets World, and Seinfeld had their share of gut-busters, but not on the level of this show. It's crass and unapologetically offensive, and I love it for it.

Phaneron ★

I was skeptical to watch this. When it was first announced, I thought it was going to be a new adaptation of the original graphic novel, with an episodic format that would allow it to cover everything that the 2009 film wasn't able to.

Then I heard it was taking place in modern times and thought it was going to be an adaptation of the graphic novel that was trying to do its own thing, which really put me off. The trailers didn't help either, because they didn't look that interesting.

I decided to leave all my preconceptions at the door and watch it, and was surprised to find out that it is actually a sequel to the graphic novel, and it is actually pretty engrossing.

The cast is pretty solid, with both new and returning characters being portrayed in interesting ways, and just like the graphic novel, there are a few surprises along the way.

Phaneron ★

This movie was an uninteresting dud. The plot and villains are generic. None of the characters are particularly interesting (though Margot Robbie and Ewan McGregor give entertaining performances), with the character of the Huntress feeling like she was just randomly inserted into the movie. Perhaps the biggest sin the movie commits is its jarring use of fourth wall breaking flashbacks, which come across that the film is trying to capture the vibe of the Deadpool movies.

Phaneron ★

Very disappointing sequel. The first film was equal parts scary and fun. This one just drags on for far too long. A lot of scenes could have been easily cut shorter without sacrificing any of the story, and some of the film's humor felt forced and too campy in contrast to the humor from the first film. The way in which the Losers Club defeats Pennywise at the end is also ridiculous and feels like a cop-out, especially when you consider the two movies combined spent around 5 hours building up to it.

Phaneron ★

This is the best DCEU movie to date. The film has a fun adventure vibe. Jason Momoa has a lot of charisma, and you can tell he really enjoys the role. The supporting cast is great and well selected (Willem Dafoe and Dolph Lundgren in the same movie? Who would have ever thought that would happen?).

Phaneron ★

This movie is just a complete mess. The premise is rather idiotic, in which a government agent assembles a response team to handle potential Superman-level threats. The problem being the team she assembles would have zero chance at stopping Superman or any threat similar to his power level. That is unless you consider a girl with a baseball bat, a guy that is good at climbing buildings, a guy who can skillfully throw boomerangs, and a man with extremely scaly skin as people that can give Superman a run for his money.

The film's dialogue is rather clunky, with the introduction of the character Katana being a pretty egregious example.

The actions scenes are rather unremarkable, and Jared Leto's Joker is pretty much useless and wasted.

Phaneron ★

The action scenes are well done, and it's nice to see Linda Hamilton returning to the franchise. Arnold Schwarzenegger's T-800 even has a pretty interesting off-screen character arc that honestly would have made for a more fascinating movie.

Ultimately though, this movie falls flat for recycling the same story beats as the other films in the franchise, in which a Terminator is sent back in time to kill a human that will eventually become a savior of the future human race and another Terminator is sent back to protect that human.

Perhaps one day James Cameron will return to the fold as both screenwriter and director and give us a film that at least lives up to the legacy of the franchise established by the first two films.

Phaneron ★

It's not a game-changer by any means, but like its predecessor, it's a lot of fun and the cast has great chemistry.

Phaneron ★

There's not much in the way of narrative, so it's a little slow going, but it really picks up about midway through with some tense scenes. There's plenty of humor throughout and Brad Pitt absolutely steals the show.

Phaneron ★

Despite its subject being one of the most despicable politicians and all-around human beings in American history (and the world for that matter), the film itself is engrossing and consistently funny.

Phaneron ★