Air

With Air, Ben Affleck directs his fifth film and reunites with frequent collaborator and best friend Matt Damon in the story about how Nike came to work with a young Michael Jordan to help him start his basketball career and create the Air Jordans. Damon portrays Sonny Vaccaro, the Nike talent scout who learns about Jordan and must convince the CEO, played by Affleck, and everyone else, why the gamble of this little known player would help the company despite its low sales. The screenplay from newcomer Alex Convery is excellent, giving us well defined characters, writing with lots of great wit and drama, fresh dialogue that isn't too stereotypical for the biographical genre, and managing to be inspiring even if part of the story is about a corporation. While I've only seen two of his other directorial efforts, Affleck proves why being behind the camera is just as great for him as he is in front of it. He masters this story thanks to the rest of the cast, as he, Damon, Jason Bateman, Chris Tucker, and especially Viola Davis as Jordan's mother stealing the whole movie. Every single member of the cast pull off incredible performances, proving why actors make for incredible actors. If there's one aspect to this movie that doesn't work is when Michael and his family visit Nike to hear what they're offering and Affleck does anything he can to not show his face. It works at first but the more it goes on, the more ridiculous you can tell the staging and blocking really don't work, but it makes it really funny that they did. Air may not have intended to have been released to theaters and instead go straight to Amazon Prime, but I'm glad they made that decision. Over all: 100%

2023 top list so far:

1. Air

2. Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves

3. Creed III

4. John Wick: Chapter 4

5. Scream VI

6. M3GAN

7. Cocaine Bear

8. Knock at the Cabin

9. The Super Mario Bros. Movie

10. Renfield

11. Shazam! Fury of the Gods

12. Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania

Renfield

In his over 40 year career, Nicolas Cage has played very memorable characters, but one you wouldn't have expected from him is Dracula opposite Nicholas Hoult as the title character in Renfield. Somewhat of a sequel to the 1931 Dracula, this sees the two surviving into the present day as they take on vampire hunters. Staying in New Orleans, Renfield starts to realize that his relationship with his master is very abusive and tries to get out of his clutches. However that won't be easy due to Dracula needing him as well as a crime family whose business Renfield gets entangled with. With the help of a traffic cop, Rebecca, whose father was killed by the mob, they have to contend with the combined forces of their opposing enemies. The best part about this movie is the cast, with Cage fitting so perfectly as the legendary vampire, Hoult playing someone so helpless with so much sincerity that you feel and believe his attempt to get out of an abusive relationship, Awkwafina doing well with drama and comedy as Rebecca, and Shohreh Aghdashloo managing to be just as menacing as Cage. Ben Schwartz also appears as part of the mob family and both gives a fun performance, but also doesn't entirely fit due to how over the top he is and how he looks. With the story being thought up by Robert Kirkman, you do see it fit his usual work, and while Ryan Ridley does craft the script rather well with a unique take on the classic monster and his servant, having some really good jokes, and tying well together the recovery program themes, the story often meanders a bit. It's fun at first going from fun over the top vampire story to emotional support groups dealing with abuse and then dramatic police procedural, but after a while they don't blend as well as they hoped, similar in a way to what one expects from a Max Landis script. Chris McKay does prove he can craft these many different aspects together, however, thanks to over the top action scenes, huge amounts of bloody carnage mapping up the camp and gore, impressive use of makeup, and fun tone. Whether or not we'll get to see this cast reprise their roles in the future or not, Renfield, despite huge flaws in its writing, still did an incredible job owing much to the actors involved. Over all: 82%

2023 top list so far:

1. Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves

2. Creed III

3. John Wick: Chapter 4

4. Scream VI

5. M3GAN

6. Cocaine Bear

7. Knock at the Cabin

8. The Super Mario Bros. Movie

9. Renfield

10. Shazam! Fury of the Gods

11. Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania

The Super Mario Bros. Movie

After the initial failure of the original Super Mario Bros. film from 1993 made Nintendo very hesitant to let Hollywood take another crack at their most beloved video game character, Illumination surprisingly proved it could do a more accurate take on the franchise with The Super Mario Bros. Movie. Chris Pratt and Charlie Day portray the iconic Brooklyn-based plumbers as they struggle to start their own business. After an attempt to fix a water main leak, the two go through a warp pipe that separates them throughout the Mushroom Kingdom. Mario meets up with a Toad who takes him to Princess Peach so as to help him find his brother and get them home. Peach agrees to help so long as Mario aids her in defeating Bowser, who has captured Luigi and wants to use a Power Star to destroy the kingdom unless Peach marry him. With the use of power ups and getting help from the Kongs, Mario and Peach set out to defeat the King of the Koopas. So yeah, this is definitely way better than the original live action adaptation with Bob Hoskins and John Leguizamo. Illumination still had a tough task due not only their reputation with their filmography but the usual reception towards video game adaptations. Fortunately, while a bit far from perfect, this movie proves that there is staying power in both the studio and the medium, as well as Chris Pratt's casting. Pratt, while not seeming like the right choice to voice Mario, still gave it his all injecting both his own take and having some slight nuances towards previous portrayals. The rest of the cast also give strong vocal performances, with Day perfectly portraying a scared but kind Luigi, Anya Taylor-Joy as a kickass Peach, and Jack Black being hilarious as Bowser. While Illumination may have a reputation with its weak writing, one aspect that everyone agrees with their work is the incredible animation. This movie is no exception thanks to how colorful, fluid, and detailed it is but how it perfectly captures the look of the franchise. Something else that captures the spirit of the source material is the score Brian Tyler gives that is a mix of original and bits of the franchise's. The use of popular songs throughout does often feel highly out of place, but some of the song choices and where they're placed is rather fun. Now, the most divisive aspect to this film above anything else thus far is the writing from Matthew Fogel. It's not terrible, after all it does have the iconic characters we love and gives them huge personalities that helps them connect with the audience. The story itself is rather mundane and the writing doesn't give anything unique from either the franchise or similar stories, but it's told really well and manages to be entertaining. As expected with something as long lasting as the Mario franchise, there are numerous references and gags relating to them in this movie. A lot of them are fun and noteworthy, but often it feels like it's dependent on these references just to show fans they can be trusted, and it can be really distracting. There's a chance that if there are followups to The Super Mario Bros. Movie that they'll be improvements over this one, but let's give credit where it's due as while not perfect it still well made and a blast. Over all: 86%

2023 top list so far:

1. Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves

2. Creed III

3. John Wick: Chapter 4

4. Scream VI

5. M3GAN

6. Cocaine Bear

7. Knock at the Cabin

8. The Super Mario Bros. Movie

9. Shazam! Fury of the Gods

10. Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania

Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves

While I never had an interest in playing Dungeons & Dragons or any other tabletop role-playing game, the lore behind it was fascinating enough to get me to see Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves. Set in a fantasy world much like in the games, the film sees a party consisting of a bard, a barbarian, a paladin, a sorcerer, and a druid on a quest to defeat a necromantic witch. This film from start to finish is an absolute blast, taking its mythology seriously but also being highly comedic. Having directors Jonathan Goldstein and John Francis Daley, who cowrote alongside Michael Gilio, commit to their trademark over the top comedy certainly helps. The writing is great, giving each of the characters unique personalities and the story well told even if it's a very typical fantasy story. Though combining that with heist comedy tropes definitely gives it some unique leeway to its memorability. With any fantasy based film there is of course the numerous settings and locations that show off its diverse world, and thanks to the combination of practical and CG effects as well as Barry Peterson's cinematography, you get that in spades. Another aspect to make it such a memorable fantasy is the score, all thanks to Lorne Balfe who mixes the fantastical and comedic with fast paced and whimsical. Of course, what is a typical D&D quest without the actors behind the characters to finally flesh them out. Chris Pine, Michelle Rodriguez, Justice Smith, Sophia Lillis, and Rege-Jean Page are all excellent in not only the roles they play but capturing really great chemistry. You also have Hugh Grant as a rogue you initially start off liking until showing how his charm hides his true despicableness. Hopefully, even though this film didn't do so well at the box office, Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves it will lead to more adaptations from the same franchise and become a cult classic. Over all: 100%

2023 top list so far:

1. Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves

2. Creed III

3. John Wick: Chapter 4

4. Scream VI

5. M3GAN

6. Cocaine Bear

7. Knock at the Cabin

8. Shazam! Fury of the Gods

9. Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania

John Wick: Chapter 4

Keanu Reeves proves that age doesn't slow him down thanks to his incredible work with John Wick: Chapter 4. John Wick goes on a rampage of revenge throughout the world to fight for his freedom against the mysterious High Table and any and all assassins that are sent for him. Figuring out how to free himself from the underground crime society, Wick must either get help from or deal with old allies, high ranking members of the Table, and even his own family. You may think that being almost three hours, that this film would feel sluggish and have too much padding, but because of how fast many of the action and fight scenes are and the high octane energy never bores you, it definitely feels earned. Chad Stahelski, who has directed the entire franchise thus far, manages to craft such incredible and unique set pieces all this despite being the fourth entry. Of course that's not to say that all this movie has to offer is action scene after action scene, as Shay Atten and Michael Finch weed out such a great script with the expansion of the High Table mythology and continuing to make characters like Wick, Winston Scott and new characters like Caine and the Marquis so interesting. It helps that while the characters are wonderfully written, the performances from the cast like Reeves, Donnie Yen, and Ian McShane ensure that they make them worth watching. While there is incredible stunt work, fight scenes, and fun chase sequences, without the sharp cinematography of Dan Lausten, Nathan Orloff's exquisite editing, and incredible music from Tyler Bates and Joel J. Richard, it wouldn't be as memorable. If this is the last we see of John Wick, then John Wick: Chapter 4 is an incredible end, and if not then it'll be hard to try to top this. Over all: 100%

2023 top list so far:

1. Creed III

2. John Wick: Chapter 4

3. Scream VI

4. M3GAN

5. Cocaine Bear

6. Knock at the Cabin

7. Shazam! Fury of the Gods

8. Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania

Shazam! Fury of the Gods

The DCEU continues with Shazam! Fury of the Gods, the sequel to the 2019 DC superhero smash hit that stars Zachary Levi as the titular character, the original comic book character named Captain Marvel. This DCEU installment sees Billy Batson and his adopted siblings use their god based powers to take on the Daughters of Atlas. The three powerful beings seek to take the powers taken from their fallen families and spread out punishment towards the mortal world. While this still carries some of the energetic and over the top fun from the first movie, a lot of the writing does feel lacking. Unlike the last one, Billy stays in his superhero form far longer and thus Asher Angel only appears for at best ten minutes. The transitions between Billy and Shazam is also a bit spotty since their personalities don't match immediately, unlike the rest of the characters when they change. While it's obvious that the sequel was meant to have Black Adam, and changed due to Dwayne Johnson's control over the character, the writing does do a good job at making the Daughters work within the narrative and give very memorable performances thanks to Helen Mirren, Lucy Liu, and Rachel Zegler. David F. Sandberg's direction still has a good mixture of childlike wonder and surprisingly done horror elements. Add to that some very well done and creative action scenes that have good effects and editing thanks to Michel Aller. The highlight is of course the performances not just from the leads and villains but also the rest of the adopted family especially Jack Dylan Grazer, their own superhero personas, and Djimon Hounsou returning as the wizard. Sadly, Shazam! Fury of the Gods is not a very strong follow up, but it still manages to be very memorable and entertaining on its own right. Over all: 80%

2023 top list so far:

1. Creed III

2. Scream VI

3. M3GAN

4. Cocaine Bear

5. Knock at the Cabin

6. Shazam! Fury of the Gods

7. Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania