Movie Time Catch-Up

I find I haven't blogged about my last three or four trips to the city.  Mainly, because, well, they're getting kind of repetitive.  "I went to HMV during it's dying days and it made me sad."  "I went to the Apple Store and I still can't afford an iPad and that made me sad."  "I went to the Disney Store and I can't afford any of the high end collectables and that made me sad."  About the only thing in the city that doesn't make me sad these days is going to the movies, so let's run down the last four I've seen and have neglected to blog about! 

First up, this past weekend, Power Rangers.

I can't believe how excited I'd been getting for Power Rangers.  I mean, I did love the original show back in the day.  It was so cheezy and delightful.  Ever since the first trailers, I'd been joking that I haven't seen Power Rangers taken this seriously since the fanfic I wrote in high school.

So imagine my delight that there is a scene that's ripped straight from the fanfic I wrote in high school. 

Man o man, it's kind of fun seeing Power Rangers being taken all gritty and serious.  Although, I am tiring of that washed-out colour scheme that we've seen in, well, ever DC film.  And sometimes it gets a little too serious.  I mean, they took that "teenagers with attitude" line from the original show's opening narration and ran with it.  These kids have got some pretty serious issues. 

And the problem with that is it takes far too long for our heroes to get going and suit up for the first time.  My fanfic back in the day dealt with stuff we never saw, like the training montages, explaining what exactly their powers are and how to use them, and all that.  But sadly, the first two acts are dedicated to that, and they don't morph until the start of the third act.

But out of all the Easter eggs, I love that the third act follows the same basic formula as a typical episode of the original show.

There's lots of good.  Man, Elizabeth Banks is such a delight as Rita Repulsa.  I wish we had more of her in the film.  With the drive on these days to make villains into sympathetic characters, we don't get a lot of...deliciously evil villains anymore.  Banks' Rita is deliciously evil. 

Long story short:  it's all talk talk talk and franchise set-up until an action-filled third act.  Much like the first Transformers film, my nostalgia for the property is making me love this cliche-filled superhero origin story a lot more than I should.

3 Nibs.  Full review on website.

A couple weeks ago, it was that time of year again.  Time to take some time off to burn off some unused vacation time from last year.  So of course, I went to a weekday matinee of Logan. 

Needless to say, going into Logan with a twinge of sadness.  Hugh Jackman has long said this is his swan song as Wolverine, and he definitely goes out on a high note.  We finally get the R-rated Wolverine we've wanted because, let's be honest, his most famous superpower is knives coming out of his hands and his go-to move is stabbing people.  So there's gratuitous head-stabbings and decapitations throughout. 

After 17 years, it's like Hugh Jackman has finally gotten grizzled enough to be Wolverine.  And we've never seen a Wolverine like this.  He's near the end.  He knows he doesn't have much time left.  He's moving a little slower.  His healing factor moves a little slower, leaving him with scars.  But he's still the best there is at what he does.

Along for the ride, for one last outing as Professor Charles Xavier, is Patrick Stewart.  Wolverine has been caring for him, as the Professor is starting to lose control of his powers in his old age.  However, it is he who encourages Wolverine to go on one last ride to get the silent Laura to safety. 

Laura, of course, is a young girl with powers just like Wolverine's, and protecting her is just enough to get Wolverine moving once again.

If I have a quibble, it has to be that our villain really doesn't make himself and his motivations known until the literal final minutes of the film.  Would have been nice to, you know, actually get to know the villain.

But it was a remarkable send off to everyone's favourite mutant, and I may have gotten a little misty-eyed at the end.  3.5 Nibs.  Full review on website.

Going back a little further than that, to the end of February, it was The Lego Batman Movie. 

We've been so, so ready for a light-hearted Batman movie, and The Lego Batman Movie delivers in spades.  The weird thing is, this is the first-ever Batman movie that really delves into the psychology of why Batman prefers to work alone.  It's fun watching as Batman slowly learns to open his heart and work with Robin, Batgirl, and Alfred. 

And dear God, when this movie comes out on Blu-Ray, I'm going to have to watch it frame-by-frame to get all the Batman in-jokes and references.  The director, Chris McKay, cut his teeth on Robot Chicken, and it shows, as that brand of humour runs throughout the entire film. "British robots.  Ask your nerd friends." 

It is so much fun, you guys.  3.5 Nibs.  Full review on the website. 

And we conclude this trip all the way back on Family Day, with A Dog's Purpose.

Yeah, I know, this isn't the typical kind of movie I go see.   Hell, it's the only one on this list that doesn't have a superhero in it.  But it was Family Day, and I was hanging out with sister and her family, so my nieces got to pick the movie.  And of course they picked the one with the cute puppies. 

It's a fairly typical "boy and his dog" kind of movie, but with this one, we get to see the dog get reincarnated and live again.  So it's several "boy and his dog" movies all rolled into one.  But the dogs are cute and the performances are pretty good, so it was fun for the whole family. 

Plus, in the lobby, I managed to win each of nieces a teddy bear in the claw machine!  I'm not some kind of claw machine pro...this one just let you keep going and going and going until you won something. 

But yeah.  A Dog's Purpose was cute.  3 Nibs.  Full review on the website.

So there ya go.  That's how I've been spending my free time over the past month.  And I'm still not done yet.  Man, March sure is crowded with blockbusters.  I still want to get out there and see Kong: Skull Island and Beauty and the Beast.  So I'll do my best to keep you updated going forward.