Film: Nomadland

GENRE: Drama
RATING: R for some nudity
RUNTIME: 1 hour and 47 minutes
PLATFORM: Hulu
STARRING: Frances McDormand (Fargo, Three Billboards . . .)
David Strathairn (Good Night and Good Luck, The Firm)
DIRECTOR: Chloe Zhao (The Rider, upcoming Eternals)
WRITER: Zhao (Songs My Brothers Taught Me, The Rider)
PLOT: A woman lives a van-dwelling life travelling west.

FULL DISCLOSURE: Only watched this for Oscar reasons.    

STORY STUFF: I was pretty bored. It’s an interesting lifestyle but not one I would even attempt to try. Just felt bad for everyone living out of their vans; they seem fine with it but I didn’t. The story is just a slice of life, not much of a climax or significant character growth. Maybe there was but I didn’t see it.  

ACTING STUFF: McDormand is an amazing actress. Despite the slow moving plot, I found her compelling to watch as she interacts with others, takes odd jobs, and works on her van. I also like the calming presence of Strahairn. Apparently, most of the other actors were just van people playing themselves; they seemed authentic enough. I guess that’s a credit to Zhao for getting good stuff out of them. She’ll probably win the Oscar for directing this.     

ARTISTIC STUFF: There are some beautiful shots of the dusty roads and endless skies. This film did seem more like a documentary though. I guess that adds to the realism of it. The music was pretty good at times too but there was nothing here to write home about.

VERDICT: Two stars out of five
SEE IT IF: You want to watch all the Oscar best picture noms
UPCOMING REVIEW: More Oscar films

Film: Zack Snyder's Justice League

GENRE: Action
RATING: R for language and violence
RUNTIME: 4 hours and 2 minutes (yes, you read that right)
PLATFORM: HBO Max
STARRING: Ben Affleck (Daredevil, Good Will Hunting, Argo)
Gal Gadot (Wonder Woman); Ray Fisher (True Detective)
DIRECTOR: Zack Snyder (Watchmen, 300, Man of Steel)
WRITER: Chris Terrio (Argo, Batman v Superman)
PLOT: Bruce Wayne tries to recruit a team of heroes to take on an approaching threat.

FULL DISCLOSURE: Love Marvel over DC at this point.    

STORY STUFF: I’m a big fan of Joss Whedon’s work (his recent accusations of on-set behaviour notwithstanding) and it seems almost sacrilege to say but I preferred Snyder’s cut better. I do think the four hour running time is preposterous and unnecessary but the story makes a lot more sense. The villain’s endgame is a lot clearer this time around although he still comes across as a Thanos wannabe with his big chin. Snyder also thankfully takes out the random family that needed to be rescued from the ‘abandoned’ site of the final battle. The Whedon –penned quips are deleted making for a much more somber pic. But at least this looked a lot less messy than the DC 2017 hack job. Oh, and I think the thirty-minute epilogue was testing my patience despite having Joker in it.

ACTING STUFF: The chemistry of the heroes is just okay this time around. I liked the quippy banter last time, though the hitting on Wonder Woman stuff is thankfully gone. Gadot is awesome. Affleck’s okay. Miller is still fun. I know a lot has been said about Whedon side-lining Ray Fisher’s Cyborg story for a variety of reasons. While his storyline made the plot make more sense, I didn’t find Fisher to be that great of an actor. He was pretty blah. Maybe, just maybe, Whedon saw this too and left some of his scenes on the cutting room floor because he just wasn’t as good an actor as the rest of the cast. Just a theory.   

ARTISTIC STUFF: A bunch of the four hours consists of overly-long establishing shots. The cinematography is nice and all but trim it down. I liked a bunch of the action sequences and again it made more sense this time around. I liked the rockin’ soundtrack of the last film, this one has been recut with an all new orchestral score. It was just okay.  

VERDICT: Three and half stars out of five
SEE IT IF: You have a lot of time to kill and want to compare films
UPCOMING REVIEW: Oscar films

Film: The Last Blockbuster

 

GENRE: Documentary
RATING: Not Rated
RUNTIME: 1 hour and 26 minutes
PLATFORM: Netflix
STARRING: Sandi Harding (newcomer); Kevin Smith (Clerks)
Jamie Kennedy (Scream); Doug Benson (Lego Batman Movie)
DIRECTOR: Taylor Morden (Pick It Up! – Ska in the ‘90s)
WRITER: Zeke Kamm (The Weird Al Show, Dexter’s Laboratory)
PLOT: There’s only one Blockbuster video store left in Bend, Oregon. Will they survive?

FULL DISCLOSURE: I used to work at Blockbuster.   

STORY STUFF: As stated in my disclosure, I used to work at Blockbuster. Other than teaching, it was my favourite job. I loved recommending films, stocking shelves and even rewinding tapes (hated calling about late fees though). I was actually named Employee of the Month a few months into my tenure. This documentary is just full of nostalgia. There’s a bunch of interviews with lower-than-Dancing-with-the-Stars-level celebrities who reminisce on their previous employment with the once popular franchise. Luckily, the doc also gives a few answers, especially what happened and is it Netflix’s fault?

ACTING STUFF: It’s interviews so not much to say here. Kevin Smith is a little puffed up as usual. Doug Benson gets annoying at times.

ARTISTIC STUFF: There are some fun graphics here and there. I really enjoyed the packaging of their film in a beat up Blockbuster case. It is the same reason I bought the Blockbuster movie game that is similarly packaged. I’m a sucker for clever presentation.

VERDICT: Four stars out of five
SEE IT IF: You remember making it a Blockbuster night.  
UPCOMING REVIEW: Zack Snyder’s Justice League

Film: Coming 2 America

 

GENRE: Comedy
RATING: PG-13 for sexual content, language and drug content
RUNTIME: 1 hour and 50 minutes
PLATFORM: Amazon Prime
STARRING: Eddie Murphy (Nutty Professor, Shrek, Beverly Hills Cop)
Arsenio Hall (Coming to America); Jermaine Fowler (Sorry to Bother You)
DIRECTOR: Craig Brewer (Dolemite Is My Name, Hustle & Flow)
WRITERS: Barry Blaustein & David Sheffield (Coming to America),
Kenya Barris (Black-ish)
PLOT: Prince Akeem finds out he has a son in New York that he must bring home to become the heir to the throne.

FULL DISCLOSURE: I love the original; it’s my favourite Murphy film.   

STORY STUFF: I surprisingly found myself enjoying the plot of this sequel. Sure, there are a number of odd things that are shoe-horned in for nostalgic reasons but I was okay with that. I loved revisiting some of the great characters from the original. The plot could use some trimming as the son storyline takes a little long. I want more of Murphy, less of Fowler. Overall, I would say the story was pretty decent. Definitely not as funny as the original though.

ACTING STUFF: I love that the whole cast came back for this. Murphy and Hall age well. I still get a kick out of their barber characters, even Murphy in white face. All the supporting characters also get a chance to relive their glory years. For new characters, I loved Colin Jost’s casting. Fowler is pretty good as the heir apparent. I was disappointed with SNL alums Leslie Jones and Tracey Morgan. I wanted to like them more but found their roles too over the top. However, speaking of over the top, Wesley Snipes (Blade, Demolition Man) kills it as General Izzi. The dance in his step as he makes his entrances are fantastic. You can tell he was having a lot of fun. In fact, you could tell that the entire cast enjoyed putting this film together. It’s nice to see (especially when hearing about toxic sets lately).   

ARTISTIC STUFF: The make-up and costumes are incredible. Costumes are designed by Ruth E Carter who also did Black Panther. Another phenomenal job. Murphy and Hall’s make-up as multiple characters continues to shine as well. The sets and choreography are also top notch. Great production value all around.

VERDICT: Four stars out of five
SEE IT IF: You enjoyed the original. Otherwise, it won’t be as fun.  
UPCOMING REVIEW: The Last Blockbuster