Tag: films

A Quiet Place Part II: A Detailed Review

Posted on by luigonword in Reviews

A Quiet Place Part II: A Sequel As Good As the First?

When success comes to a movie there’s always the question of whether or not a sequel will be made, and if there is one would it ever compare or surpass the first? Few films come to mind where sequels are better than the first, John Wick 2, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Transformers 2, Captain America: The Winter Soldier, The Dark Knight, etc.

A Quiet Place Part II definitely is one of those films that surpasses the first, of course it is in my honest opinion accompanied by others. With the first being a massive audience success and the ending leaving for a potential sequel, I was really happy to see the trailer come out in 2020. Still having John Krasinski as the director, we can see his skills improving to tell a story. Now the original family cast returns to play the part Emily Blunt playing Evelyn Bennett, Millicent Simmonds playing Regan Bennett, Noah Jupe playing Marcus Bennett. Adding to the amazing cast as a major character is Cillian Murphy playing Emmett a friend before the chaos now turned stranger.

Overview

A Quiet Place Part II brings out more than just horror elements, it brings out the intensity of action thrillers, and also includes elements of drama as Millicent’s character goes through a lot of self reflection, as she is the main protagonist for the film. Not to worry, there is still the intensity and horror elements that the first movie brought, and I’d even say it brought more having shown the first encounter these creatures had with humans and noise. It goes without saying but having great actors and actresses really brings the best not to mention John’s work as a director and his improvement shows throughout the film, you can even see the rundown for the first chase of the film on YouTube with Vanity Fair. All in all, this film was a great watch and I highly recommend people go check it if you haven’t already, and if you haven’t heard of the second one already out check out the trailer below!

Review

Now the first film left off with Millicent and Emily’s character figuring out a way to kill the creatures, after a mass of them came into their home leaving it burnt to the grown, not to mention the newborn baby walking in a world where noise gets you killed. Nonetheless everything is in a way figured out for the group, but having no home they must venture off into the world ultimately running into their old family friend, Emmett played by Cillian.

Here is where this film partly takes place, although we also get a glimpse of how the family lived before everything changed. Living in a small town and having a weekend baseball game with the little leagues sounds like a peaceful life, until it all comes crashing down and as we can see meteors flying through the sky, in which we figured are the creatures of today’s time.

Seeing this we can stop trying to imagine the chaos, in addition to me going through the incredible sequence I’ll let the director talk about it as he has done a breakdown with Vanity Fair on YouTube over this specific scene.

I also have to mention, he actively states that Millicent is the lead actress in this which is an incredible choice as it brings out a much more detailed story, and we can clearly see she is the protagonist as it’s her journey we begin to follow after the first few minutes, of course having Emily’s character deal with a B-story. Like the first she really wants to prove everyone wrong and help them even risking her own life to go to a possible island of safety, which had a broadcasting station in which turn could be used to broadcast her way to fighting the creatures.

She goes on on her own almost ending up killed as she still can’t actively hear, but gets saved by Emmett who was sent by Emily’s character in order to bring her back. The two fight each other as she wants to continue on and he just wants to bring her back so he can go “home”, reaching a point of agreement to go see her mission through.

The two character’s chemistry create an incredible dynamic duo, and Cillian being a great actor brings all the ropes to the film. His character development is clear and bright as day even reaching a point to put his life on the line for Millicent’s character and other people they end up meeting. Hiss choice of performance is great and I have to mention when first seeing the film I couldn’t recognize the talent with such a beard and wardrobe until my sister asked if it was Scarecrow from Batman Begins or Fischer from Inception.

Having him in the film was a great add on, and I honestly couldn’t see anyone else play the character. Not to mention, like before the chemistry of Millicent and him gave off the same dynamic as the two characters from the famous video game The Last of Us. For those that don’t know it follows the story of Joel and Ellie, two people who found each other in an apocalyptic world and now go on together surviving day by day, which I need to add aren’t related or are in a romantic view they’re just basically really good friends, just like how we see Cillian and Millicent’s characters turn by the end of the movie.

Overall A Quiet Place Part II does an amazing job at continuing the first film without losing any of the qualities. John Krasinski is doing a great job in his directorial work and if you’ve seen the Vanity Fair Breakdown video you can clearly see he is passionate about his work, even stating he was unsure whether he wanted to do a second film until he realizes he really does. It brings out the instinct to root for the little person and this case being Millicent, as she continues to show her acting chops, and as I stated before, hope to see her prove herself more in the industry obtaining more roles and hopefully gaining more major and lead character roles.

If you haven’t already seen this film I highly recommend the two films to anyone looking for a good double feature to watch. It brings out horror aspects, thriller and action sequences and just all around a good time. But as always don’t take it from me, go check out both films and let me know what you think, till next time, peace.

‘Annette’: It Sings Itself Into an Abyss

Posted on by Raúl Alejandro Mendoza in Reviews

The English language debut film of French director Leos Carax is ambitious but it just does too much to work that falls unbelievably flat.

CREDIT: UGC Distribution

It’s finally here after premiering at this year’s Cannes Film Festival where it received a standing ovation (even though that seems to be tradition at this point for most movies at Cannes). French director Leos Carax creates his first English language film with the help of Sparks duo Ron and Russel Mael. The film is shot by Caroline Champetier along with music created by Sparks themselves. The film received raving reviews at Cannes especially many praising the performances by our leads. One can definitely agree that there was some anticipation for this film especially for fans of Carax and his last film Holy Motors.

Annette stars Adam Driver as, Henry McHenry, a comedian on a steady downfall in his career and life and Marion Cotillard as Catherine Defrasnoux a successful and beautiful opera singer who fall in love, get married, and have their first child. It is after they have their child that they face a slew of problems ranging from bad communication to jealousy. The film also stars Simon Helberg and Devyn McDowell who show off an incredible range of performances in the film. The film is definitely heightened by the performances included along with their singing abilities.

Now, let’s get one thing covered before we get into what this movie is doing. Annette is bizarre, ambitious and at times both of these characteristics are what helps the film stand out, but it is also what makes the film stay convoluted. The film succeeds in getting its message across about power hungry jealous men who are not content with their life and career, so they must manipulate those around them to help keep their career alive. It is exactly who Henry is and who he realizes he became by the end of the film. The film also has some stunning cinematography that is elevated by some genius production design. Everything from the lighting setups to the set pieces really help create the atmosphere of the film.

After all that well you are probably asking, “well what did not work for you then?” Everything else basically from story to music to pacing just did not work. I am a firm believer that a musical should at least be good in the music department, and even though I am sure that the Sparks have made some good music the music in Annette was just uninteresting. It helped create its atmosphere but at times it felt very out of place within its story where it should be helping service the story. As mentioned before, Driver and Cotillard are magnificent performers but the music just does not work for the film to execute itself.

The story of Annette is interesting but because of its off pacing it just does not seem to ever capture more than it is grasping. The themes are far more interesting to digest than this convoluted story that just does not find its footing. A lot of that is to blame for a very dragged out second and third act that just keep going and going. If the film could have been shaved down 30 minutes I think it could have worked better but who knows when the pacing is only one part of multiple problems this film finds itself in. Now, you’re probably thinking that I just did not like this film at all? Well, I found it to be just fine because its ambition even though it is what limited it at times is what I think pushes it to be a good film. There is a lot of love and care within the film that just helps create this bizarre flick and because of that it is worthy of that praise. Even though there is a lot ground that can be improved Leos Carax does a good job of creating a very stylized film that only he can make.

Annette is available to stream on Amazon Prime Video.

The Nerd Corps #442: ‘Fantastic Mr. Fox’ Review

Posted on by The Nerd Corps in Podcasts

The nerds conclude their month of celebrating the films of Wes Anderson. They end the month with Wes Anderson’s stop motion film, Fantastic Mr. Fox! They discuss various things about the film and if this one was able to reach the top of their favorites of Anderson’s filmography. They also decide on International Film Month’s movies for next month’s theme! Listen and find out all about this fantastic goodness!

The Nerd Corps #441: ‘Raya and the Last Dragon’ Review

Posted on by The Nerd Corps in Podcasts

The nerds are joined by our good friend Timber to discuss the latest Disney animated film, Raya and the Last Dragon (2021). We discuss what we like and did not like about this film. Do these nerds like dragons? Do they enjoy this animated film? Click and find out what their thoughts are on this very important film!

Studio Ghibli Films: A Detailed Review

Posted on by luigonword in Reviews

Studio Ghibli: Anime for BEGINNERS

If you ever wanted to get your foot into the anime world while also watching beautiful animation, mixed with incredible music then you should check out Studio Ghibli’s work.

Studio Ghibli is a small japanese animation company in Koganei, Tokyo, with a number of 150 employees that create these incredible works. Founded in 1985 by Hayao Miyazaki, Toshio Suzuki, Isao Takahata and Yasuyoshi Tokuma, they brought mastered skills to the table and brought years to come of potential, which all paid off in 2003 when they won an Academy Awards for Best Animated Feature Film for Spirited Away, which we are commentating on as we speak for our patreon supporters. They have 22 films out since their first establishment and in this review I want to cover the most recent ones I’ve currently watched and liked, yet I imagine my pick is also the fan favorites.

Overview

With the first time ever, an american platform has 21 of the studio’s works online right now (August 2021) that platform being HBO Max, a greatly expanding service that’s gotten a slew of viewers since the 2020 pandemic started. You can go see all of them and let me know if you agree but these films have such a touch to them that brings a sense of warmth from a hand that is not there, honestly a feeling that touches your heart while going through a tough time. The animation is also accompanied by the incredible work of Joe Hisaishi, a conductor for the films and he does an incredible work at portraying these emotions with sound which is more than likely where this feeling that someone is touching my heart comes from. So far I’ve personally seen Spirited Away, Howl’s Moving Castle, Princess Mononoke, Ocean Waves, Ponyo, My Neighbor Totoro, and I am currently going to do a watch along with friends to see The Wind Rises. Honestly I feel speechless while writing this so at the very least I’ll link a video of the studios work below, if you’d at least like watch these as a “trailer” of sorts.

Review

Now I’m definitely going to be light on the writing as I want to encourage people to read this article without looking at it like they’re reading a book, like I’ve written other articles in the past. But at the very least I want to touch on 3 of the films from the studio including the award winning Spirited Away near the very end.

Princess Mononoke

As I noticed, a good hand full of Studio Ghibli’s work has strong women led protagonists with its share of secondary male protagonists. Princess Mononoke is no exemption with San as a young girl raised by wolves or as the movie portrays them as wolf gods and spirits of the forest. Although Ashitaka, a man from a village cursed after a hatred filled spirit attacks his village and now must go on to find a cure, is the one the story focuses on San is definitely the key and understanding to the story. Not to mention that a lot of the studio’s movies include some sort of topic that may not be talked about enough, in the case of this film deforestation, and human greed as its clear covered topic.

The way the studio portrays the animals as forest spirit guardians is not an unknown take but the way they aren’t just regular wolves, bores, gorillas, etc is mesmerizing. Not to mention the cute little spirit totems that just walk around looking like little creepy dolls but are actually harmless cinnamon rolls in the film are a great addition.

The way the plot and story mix with the incredible work of Joe Hisaishi create a palate so delectable that you’ll want to help the forest and the animals of the world, which we should be doing none the less with our current situation. San is a tough character that grew up watching humans, her own kind, destroy it for their unnecessary items and disassociated from them as never even being human. Which is good on her with all honesty, because we are a species that sometimes act more like animals than animals themselves.

Princess Mononoke is definitely in my number 1 spot from the 22 films released from the studio.

HOwl’s Moving Castle

Now I move on to my second pick and actually my second favorite film from the select 22 films, Howl’s Moving Castle.

In this film magic also runs rampant yet as the last one had human greed this one has war and a theme for pacifism, the stupidity of war and how growing old changes a person for the better with the female characters and protagonist having to deal with sudden gained age. This film has incredible imagery but by far I think it’s one of the films that uses Hisaishi’s talent to its fullest creating a beautiful piece of score.

The music creates a beautiful and elegant tone to what the themes and motives of the film are and I thinks its my personal favorite and reason to place this in the second spot. The story may be a classic trope of a man gaining confidence when the woman he meets becomes his growing romantic interest and the woman lead ends up saving him but it’s not a cliche that takes too much out of the film.

With that being said I must mention when I speak of the greatness this film’s soundtrack has, I’m not the only one who thought that Mr. Hisaishi did an outstanding job but the Tokyo Anime Awards and the Los Angeles Film Critics Association Award Music Prize thought so too as he won awards for the music made for this film. It’s just too good to not go on about and if you haven’t watched the film at least check out the soundtrack and score available in many places including Spotify.

Spirited Away

Now to the award winning Spirited Away, this film is probably what I first watched when getting into the Ghibli and anime world. It is a piece that takes up the interesting super-naturalistic views. I personally saw in this film the topic of human trafficking and the use of manual labor and contracts to hold them down. A story that follows Chihiro, a little girl that went to explore with her parents a tunnel that blocked their path to their new home. Her and her parents actually end up in the spirit world and her parents turn into pigs leaving Chihiro to find a way to save them ending up selling herself into labor work in a hot spring spa. Ultimately, it’s a journey filled with new courage, friends and just seeing an honest human being trying their best to save themselves and her loved ones while trying not to cause any problems for anyone else.

Aside from the great story and music this film includes incredible scenes some even looking hand painted with watercolor and other mediums. It’s not surprising to find out this film won an award of such caliber. I know Studio Ghibli and its works has gained awards throughout its lifespan but to obtain an Academy Award is outstanding and a thrill.

I won’t hide the idea and plausible fact that these American award ceremonies don’t always appreciate media made by the minority, but seeing films like this winning these awards brings hope to my directing career.

Spirited Away holds so much for its 2 hour runtime and feels like a play having different acts play out throughout its runtime. Not to forget the unforgettable creatures such as No Face, which is always a big thing for me with Ghibli’s films, they always have to have memorable characters that don’t necessarily bring a lot to the larger plots of the films.

“Ponyo” 2008

I also want to add another movie Ponyo simply for the fact that the main characters are just so well created having this cuddly and younger sibling energy.

All in all Studio Ghibli has a large selection of films that really meet anyone’s needs, and I’m sure you’ll find something you’ll like or I’ll eat my words. But you don’t have to take my word for it, honestly, just go check it out and let me know what you think, until next time peace.