Borat Subsequent Moviefilm review

BORAT SUBSEQUENT MOVIEFILM: 

THIS SEQUEL IS “VERY NICE”! 

By Nico Beland

Movie Review: *** out of 4

AMAZON STUDIOS

Sacha Baron Cohen is back in Borat Subsequent Moviefilm

 

            Everyone’s favorite journalist and TV personality from Kazakhstan, Borat returns to America to cause more trouble and expose the repulsive and hilarious sides of American culture in Borat Subsequent Moviefilm: Delivery of Prodigious Bribe to American Regime for Make Benefit Once Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan, the unexpected sequel to the 2006 comedy smash hit, Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan. Borat was initially a character created by Sacha Baron Cohen (Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby, Bruno, The Dictator) for the TV series, Da Ali G Show which Cohen starred in as the titular character, that ran from 2000-2004 but it wasn’t until 2006 when Borat gained mainstream attention with the release of the first film directed by Seinfeld’s Larry Charles. 

            There have been comedies before that involved real people in front of the camera interacting with the characters such as the Jackass movies, but I’ll argue that Borat was the first of its kind to make a huge impact on not just films, but pop-culture in general with that style of humor. Now, fans of Da Ali G Show and newcomers were able to enjoy a slice of Borat’s craziness on the big screen…and boy, did they ever? 

The film was a huge hit with both critics and audiences, pulling in $262.6 million on an $18 million budget, and even earned Baron Cohen a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor-Musical or Comedy as well as a Best Adapted Screenplay Oscar nomination. Yeah, a movie where Sacha Baron Cohen and a fat guy fight each other naked in a hotel that spills out into a hallway, crowded elevator, and a packed convention ballroom was nominated for an Oscar. 

            Borat was a phenomenon and became a pop culture icon with many people still watching and quoting it to this very day and plenty of copycats (Remember Jackass Presents: Bad Grandpa? Yeah, me neither!). In fact, Sacha Baron Cohen tried to recreate the success of Borat with the 2009 film Bruno (Which was based on another Da Ali G Show character), but despite earning a relatively positive response from critics it didn’t quite bring in the box-office profits that the studio was hoping for, which led to Cohen starring in more mainstream films such as the polarizing but still very funny The Dictator in 2012 and the abysmal 2016 disaster The Brothers Grimsby. 

            Now, fourteen years after the release of the first film, we have Borat Subsequent Moviefilm which premiered on Amazon Prime Video and takes the 10 Cloverfield Lane route and announces its release only a month or two before it comes out. While I don’t think it’s quite on par with the first movie, Borat Subsequent Moviefilm is still an irreverent and outrageously funny movie that doesn’t go anywhere near political correctness and proves that Sacha Baron Cohen’s style of comedy isn’t going stale anytime soon. 

            The film follows Kazakh journalist and TV personality, Borat Sagdiyev (Baron Cohen) being released from prison for bringing shame to Kazakhstan after the release of his “Moviefilm” and return to America to carry out a secret mission to offer his daughter Tutar (Maria Bakalova-Gomorrah) as a bride to Vice President, Mike Pence in an attempt to redeem the nation. Just like in the previous film, Borat and Tutar go on a life-changing road trip across America, along the way they get into all kinds of trouble like participating in a father and daughter dance at a debutante ball that ultimately ends with menstrual blood, crashing CPAC disguised as Trump, and even quarantining with two Trump supporting men during the COVID-19 pandemic.  

            However, in spite of Kazakhstan’s “Interesting” rules and laws, Borat learns that maybe, just maybe Tutar among several other women are so much more than just objects you lock up in cages, and Tutar discovers that perhaps those sexist teachings by her father aren’t all that accurate. 

            Overall, Borat Subsequent Moviefilm is the comedy we need right now in these crazy times with Sacha Baron Cohen exposing the dark and repulsive sides of American culture with downright hilarious results. In an age where entertainment is overly P.C. it’s refreshing when a film comes along that pushes the censorship boundaries and fully embraces its R rating in the raunchiest and most over-the-top ways possible, Borat Subsequent Moviefilm is such a movie just like its 2006 predecessor. 

You name it, constant sex jokes, crude and irreverent comments, graphic nudity, the style of humor you would expect from Borat, and even an outrageous spoof of animated Disney films that had me laughing on the floor with Donald Trump portraying Prince Charming and grabbing Melania Trump’s (as a Cinderella or Sleeping Beauty-type Disney Princess)…well, you know. Without giving anything away, the eventual twist in this movie I also found extremely funny and clever. 

Crude jokes aside, this movie surprisingly also has a lot of heart, it’s basically a coming-of-age story tucked inside of a Borat movie, both Tutar and Borat go through arcs throughout the film and learn valuable lessons and make changes by the end. It’s not often for something or someone like Borat to make me verbally say “Awwwww!” but this movie somehow found a way. 

Borat Subsequent Moviefilm is my “Go-To” comedy for the time being because this along with the South Park Pandemic Special I just reviewed show that in these dark and crazy times sometimes we just need to laugh at all this shit. Sacha Baron Cohen continues to bring his wacky style of humor and meld it with relevant social commentary to which you just want to stand up and salute the Kazakhstan National Anthem (The Borat version of it). 

Please, go watch Borat Subsequent Moviefilm or I will be execute! 

South Park Pandemic Special review

SOUTH PARK PANDEMIC SPECIAL: 

HOUR-LONG SOUTH PARK EPISODE IS JUST WHAT THE WORLD NEEDS IN THIS DARK TIME! 

By Nico Beland

Episode Review: *** ½ out of 4

COMEDY CENTRAL (VIACOM/CBS)

Randy Marsh announcing a Pandemic Special in the hour-long South Park Pandemic Special

 

            Matt Stone and Trey Parker knock it out of the “Park” again (Pun intended) in the hour-long South Park Pandemic Special which aired on Comedy Central as well as MTV and MTV2 on September 30, 2020 and satirizes the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic in glorious South Park fashion. Ever since the pandemic started back in March, I was anticipating an episode of South Park that would depict it in a smart and funny way, and give people a good laugh during this unpleasant time, very much like what they did in the season 5 episode, Osama Bin Laden Has Farty Pants which premiered after 9/11 happened. 

            The fact that South Park has been on TV since 1997 and continues to stay relevant without ever getting stale is quite a testament to the power and importance of this show. With other animated shows like The Simpsons and Family Guy desperately trying to catch up but never quite hitting the mark the same way South Park does, I haven’t watched new Simpsons and Family Guy episodes since probably high school but will always tune in to the latest South Park season. 

            Given South Park’s ability to stay current for all these years, it was only a matter of time before the COVID-19 pandemic would show its ugly face in this quiet little mountain town. That’s where the South Park Pandemic Special comes in, a self-contained, hour-long special (A first for South Park) satirizing the pandemic among a few other current events and it’s just what we need right now. 

            The special very accurately depicts how people reacted to the pandemic and everyone has responded to it differently, some are able to follow the safety guidelines and practice social distancing no problem while others have difficulties coping with isolation and the inability to go outside and do the things you love. It doesn’t matter who you are as a person, chances are you can relate to at least one of the characters in this special. 

It gives you the opportunity to look at this unpleasant time in our history from a comedic perspective and get some good laughs out of the whole situation, lift some spirits if necessary, and give hope for the future. I mean, it certainly beats watching a laughably bad debate on par with a Tommy Wiseau movie that’s for sure.

            The episode follows the townspeople of South Park, Colorado trying their hardest to survive the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic with very mixed results. Butters is extremely bummed out about not being allowed to go to Build-A-Bear despite its reopening, his father Stephen is constantly going on rants about people wearing their face masks like “chin diapers”, Stan really wants his life to go back to normal, Kyle is Kyle, Kenny I don’t think has any speaking lines throughout the entire special, Stan’s dad Randy announces a Pandemic Special on his Tegridy Farms marijuana, and Cartman…is having the time of his life with no school and no annoying friends around him. 

            However, when news breaks out that school is starting again despite the pandemic, Cartman gets very upset (He even compares it to slavery) and does everything he can to prevent himself from going back to school, which is now being taught by the South Park Police Department (You can probably guess how well that goes!). Meanwhile, Randy realizes that maybe during that time he was in China with Mickey Mouse, he might have accidentally brought the coronavirus with him back to America after f*cking a bat and/or Pangolin and tries to cover up the evidence while also finding a cure for the virus…while Mr. President (Mr. Garrison, the former South Park Elementary teacher who was once a gay man, turned woman, turned lesbian, turned man again, turned President Trump) actively does nothing to stop the pandemic. 

            Overall, the South Park Pandemic Special showcases more of Parker and Stone’s talents and abilities to take these timely and relevant themes and make something funny out of it and give people a good laugh in these rough times while also making them think about the points they’re trying to get across. It’s a South Park episode that hits too close to home but in all the right ways and while I’m not sure if it’ll make as big an impact as the 9/11 episode, it should at least lift your spirits and put a smile on your face, it did for me. 

             I can literally sum up how I acted in the beginning of the pandemic with one word…Butters! Back in March, I had a very difficult time trying to accept the fact that I couldn’t do the things I love, but instead of Build-A-Bear it’s going to movie theaters, conventions, and hanging out with my friends. 

            There were times where I actually got so fed up with the isolation, new movies getting postponed, and upcoming conventions being cancelled that I was worried I was going to turn into a literal psychopath (and I don’t mean the movie watching kind!). So, seeing Butters in a similar phase not only did I find it hilarious but was also quite possibly the most therapeutic South Park episode I had ever watched, it really makes me want to write a fan letter to Parker and Stone saying how much the Pandemic Special really helped me during this time and it felt so satisfying to see exactly what I was initially going through in the beginning flawlessly being represented in the episode. 

            I don’t know what else to say, the South Park Pandemic Special gives exactly what it advertises, a hilarious look at the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic with a lot of laughs and goofy situations that only South Park can deliver without sugar-coating the dramatic and emotional moments. South Park fans are watching it and I’m sure plenty of non-South Park fans are watching it to see how they tackle this truly dreadful pandemic. 

            It’s something the world needs right now that only Matt Stone and Trey Parker could give us because in dark times like this it’s important to remember that sometimes we just need to laugh and that’s exactly what the South Park Pandemic Special reminds us to do. 

As I wrap this review up, I just want to say thank you to everyone who reads this and follows my blog in general, it’s been a long eight months with little to no movie theaters open and hardly any major theatrical releases (Aside from New Mutants and Tenet). I hope my reviews of streaming-service movies on Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Disney+, etc. and digital rental services are still providing you all some informative and entertaining reviews. 

You guys are the best and I hope you’re all staying safe and your spirits are fighting strong during these hard times. Fight on!  

Bill & Ted Face the Music review

BILL & TED FACE THE MUSIC: 

THIRD ADVENTURE IS TRULY “EXCELLENT”! 

By Nico Beland

Movie Review: *** out of 4

ORION PICTURES AND UNITED ARTISTS RELEASING (MGM)

Samara Weaving, Alex Winter, Keanu Reeves, Brigette Lundy-Paine, and a whole bunch of “Historical Dudes” on another “Excellent Adventure” through history in Bill & Ted Face the Music

 

            Everyone’s favorite dim-witted, time-traveling dudes are back in Bill & Ted Face the Music, the long-belated third installment of the Bill & Ted trilogy that began with the 1988 sci-fi comedy classic, Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure and continued with the bizarre Bill & Ted’s Bogus Journey in 1991. I actually revisited the first two films specifically for this review and they’re still very fun movies today that have a strong balance of goofy and clever humor, imagination, and two very charming leads that paved the way for other dumb comedic duos like Wayne and Garth from Wayne’s World, Beavis and Butt-Head, and Harry and Lloyd from Dumb and Dumber.  

            The best way I can describe the Bill & Ted movies is like Back to the Future meets Dumb and Dumber and about as funny and smart as those films as well. It’s easy to see why Bill & Ted is such a beloved movie among both kids and adults, with its unique blend of time travel science-fiction and silly humor, a colorful cast of characters, and even some heartwarming moments at times, it’s a comedy that stood the test of time, no pun intended. 

            Now, nearly 30 years since the release of Bill & Ted’s Bogus Journey we have Bill & Ted Face the Music with Keanu Reeves (Speed, The Matrix trilogy, John Wick trilogy) and Alex Winter (The Lost Boys, Freaked, In Search of Darkness) reprising their roles as Bill and Ted, Chris Matheson and Ed Solomon returning as writers (The latter also produces this movie), and in the director’s chair this time is Dean Parisot (Galaxy Quest, Fun with Dick and Jane(2005), RED 2) to give these two lovable doofuses a most “Excellent” and nostalgia-filled final adventure. While I wouldn’t call it their best or most “Excellent” adventure, it’s nevertheless an enjoyable blast from the past and a very funny movie. 

            The film follows Bill Preston (Winter) and Ted Logan (Reeves) who are now grown up and have daughters of their own, Thea (Samara Weaving-Home and Away, Ready or Not, Guns Akimbo) and Billie (Brigette Lundy-Paine-Atypical, Downsizing, Bombshell). However, their rock band The Wyld Stallyns failed to write the prophesied song that would unite the world resulting in Bill and Ted falling on hard times. 

            But when they are visited by a woman from the future named Kelly (Kristen Schaal-Bob’s Burgers, Gravity Falls, BoJack Horseman), the daughter of their old friend Rufus (Originally played by George Carlin in the earlier movies) who informs them that time and space are beginning to collapse and can only be stopped if they write the song that would save life as we know it. 

            Bill and Ted decide that instead of writing the song that would unite the world, they would just use the time traveling phone booth to go forward in time and steal the song from their future selves in a literal race against time to save the universe. Meanwhile, Thea and Billie embark on an adventure through time of their own to bring together a group of historical musicians consisting of Jimi Hendrix (DazMann Still), Louis Armstrong (Jeremiah Craft), Mozart (Daniel Dorr), Ling Lun (Sharon Gee), Kid Cudi (Played by himself), and a drum playing cave woman named Grom (Patty Anne Miller) and form a band to help their dads. 

            The film also stars Erinn Hayes (Childrens Hospital, Medical Police, It’s a Disaster) as Princess Elizabeth Logan, Jayma Mays (Red Eye, Heroes, Glee) as Princess Joanna Preston, Anthony Carrigan (Barry, The Forgotten (TV series), Gotham) as Dennis Caleb McCoy, William Sadler (Die Hard 2: Die Harder, The Green Mile, Iron Man 3) reprising his role from Bill & Ted’s Bogus Journey as the Grim Reaper, Hal Landon Jr. as Captain Jonathan Logan, Beck Bennett (Saturday Night Live, Brigsby Bear, The Angry Birds Movie 2) as Officer Deacon Logan, Amy Stoch (Dallas, High Incident, Murder, She Wrote) reprising her role from Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure and Bill & Ted’s Bogus Journey as Missy, Holland Taylor (The Truman Show, Legally Blonde, Two and a Half Men) as The Great Leader, and Jillian Bell (22 Jump Street, Goosebumps, Brittany Runs a Marathon) as Dr. Taylor Wood. 

            Overall, Bill & Ted Face the Music is a fun, light-hearted, laugh-yourself-silly throwback that is sure to put a smile on even the most cynical of movie watchers thanks to its likable characters and laugh-a-minute jokes. The performances by Keanu Reeves and Alex Winter are the highlight of the film, they still nail the characters of Bill and Ted and not once does their shtick ever get stale unlike other long-belated returns such as Arnold Schwarzenegger as the Terminator, Jim Carrey and Jeff Daniels as their Dumb and Dumber characters, or Sylvester Stallone as Rambo. 

            Bill and Ted may be in their fifties now but they’re still those lovable albeit dim-witted rapscallions we knew back in 1988 and 1991 and Reeves and Winter continue to bring their charisma to the characters. It’s also kind of funny to see Keanu Reeves return as Ted after previously portraying Neo in The Matrix and John Wick. 

            Most of the jokes hit bullseye with some of the best being every time Bill and Ted go further in time and encounter their future selves and how each version of them that they come across is awful. Top it off with Prison Bill and Ted and some damn good makeup that gives Gollum a run for his money and you got what I can best describe as a comedic marvel. 

            Another moment that also had me laughing hard was Thea and Billie’s subplot where they use a time machine to round up all the historical musicians for the band and just seeing them all interact with one another. It isn’t quite on par with the mall destroying scene from the first movie but the duet between Mozart and Jimi Hendrix is now officially the most epic thing ever put to film.

            I think the only real negative I have for this movie is that the ending feels extremely rushed and almost like the film just comes to an abrupt stop after Bill and Ted save the day. There isn’t much of a resolution or a proper sendoff for the characters that probably could have been improved by a quick rewrite, thankfully it doesn’t ruin the movie. 

            Bill & Ted Face the Music is a perfect example of a feel-good adventure comedy that has something for everyone. Time travel, goofy characters, silly humor, and a surprising amount of heart, my advice is to get yourself into that phone booth and let the laughs and adventure begin. 

Mulan review

MULAN:

BELOVED DISNEY ANIMATED FILM GETS AN EXHILARATING ALBEIT FLAWED UPDATE! 

By Nico Beland

Movie Review: *** out of 4

DISNEY

Liu Yifei as Mulan

 

            Let’s get down to business to discuss this film! Another Disney animated classic is brought to the screen in live-action in Mulan, the latest of Disney’s live-action remakes based on the 1998 film of the same name. The original film was a childhood favorite of mine and I have fond memories of seeing it in theaters as a five-year-old and being entranced by the epic scale of it and also of popping the movie in on VHS as well. 

            While I wouldn’t consider the original Mulan to be among one of the Disney greats like The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, or The Lion King, it’s still a very enjoyable movie even today. With its stunning and lively animation, a very likable and badass female empowerment protagonist, memorable characters, thrilling action sequences on an epic scale, and fun songs with I’ll Make a Man Out of You as the highlight of both the film and its soundtrack, despite not being a massive box-office success compared to other Disney films it’s easy to see why this movie has a die-hard and well deserved fanbase.

            Now, keeping in the tradition of the live-action Disney remakes it was only a matter of time before Mulan would be chosen to hopefully bring “Honor” to this hit-or-miss series of movies especially after last year’s Lion King remake despite being a financial success resulted in the “LADRS” (Live-Action Disney Remakes, LADR © Nico Beland, 2020) hitting rock bottom. Despite not fully enjoying some of the recent Disney remakes very much (I was not a fan of Aladdin (2019) and the less we speak of Lion King (2019), the better!), I remained optimistic and open-minded when Mulan was announced and it looked promising by the trailers and advertisements, not to mention the film is directed by Niki Caro (Whale Rider, North Country, McFarland, USA), who also directed the acclaimed and phenomenal Whale Rider. 

            This film takes a more action-adventure/drama approach that’s darker and more adult compared to the light-hearted, musical/comedy tone of the original and removes the comedic side characters like Mushu and the Cricket (Don’t get me wrong, they’re wonderful characters in the original film but given the more serious tone of this version they wouldn’t work here!), also it marks the first live-action Disney remake to earn a PG-13 rating so yeah…don’t expect any songs, silly hijinks and slapstick, men in drag, or Eddie Murphy voiced dragons here. 

            Mulan (2020) had a lot going for it and there are a lot of things to admire about it, but does it make up for the taint of some of the bad Disney remakes in recent years? Not really, but at least this one’s pretty good. I still prefer the animated original because of its energy and passion, but this new retelling of the Mulan story is a welcome companion for it while still remaining a solid, standalone movie on its own merits even if it has a few rusty spots in the armor as is usually the case with most of Disney’s remakes good and bad, but we’ll get to that soon. 

            The film follows Mulan (Liu Yifei-The Forbidden Kingdom, The Four trilogy, The Assassins), a young girl in China trying her hardest to bring honor to her family. However, when her father (Tzi Ma-Rush Hour 1 and 3, Arrival, The Farewell) is drafted into a war despite his frail health, Mulan takes matters into her own hands and takes in place by masquerading as a man. 

            Mulan’s skills will be tested every step of the way as she embarks on a literal and spiritual journey to become an honored warrior and fight to protect her nation and her family from the ruthless Not Shan Yu, Bori Khan (Jason Scott Lee-Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story, The Jungle Book (1994), Lilo & Stitch) and a powerful, shapeshifting witch (Gong Li-Eros, Memoirs of a Geisha, The Monkey King 2). 

            The film also stars Donnie Yen (Ip Man franchise, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, XXX: Return of Xander Cage) as Commander Tung, Yoson An (Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon: Sword of Destiny, The Meg, Dead Lucky) as Chen Honghui, Jet Li (Fearless, War, The Forbidden Kingdom) as the Emperor of China, Rosalind Chao (AfterMASH, Star Trek: The Next Generation/Deep Space Nine, The O.C.) as Hua Li, Ron Yuan (Sons of Anarchy, Prison Break, CSI: NY) as Sergeant Qiang, Jimmy Wong (Video Game High School, Feast of Fiction, John Dies at the End) as Ling, Chen Tang (The Jane Pendant, Brian Banks, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.) as Yao, Doua Moua (Gran Torino, Memoria, Iron Fist) as Chien-Po, Nelson Lee (Law & Order, Oz, Strip Search) as The Chancellor, and Cheng Pei-pei (Come Drink with Me, Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon, Legendary Amazons) as The Matchmaker. 

            Overall, Mulan (2020) may not be perfect but it’s easily one of the better live-action Disney remakes without a doubt that for the most part works as a faithful retelling of the animated film while also being a decent standalone movie as well. It doesn’t hammer the original into your head like a lot of their other remakes do but rather tell the well-known story in a new light and to that I commend the effort. 

            From a visual perspective, this movie is gorgeous and one of the best looking out of the Disney remakes, from the production design and special effects to the exhilarating action sequences, almost every scene feels epic and like it’s been shot on this grand scale, it really makes me wish movie theaters were open again in the area I live in, but I digress (I watched it on Disney+). 

            The film does pay homage to the 1998 movie at times either through dialogue that reference Honor to Us All and I’ll Make a Man Out of You, a cameo by Ming-Na Wen who originally voiced Mulan in the film, and both an English and Chinese cover of the song Reflection during the end credits and unlike something like the Lion King remake which was almost literally line for line from its animated predecessor, the callbacks to it are not distracting at all. 

            For the most part, I still prefer the original but if there is one thing the remake did a lot better was represent Chinese culture, it’s there in the 1998 film don’t get me wrong but not nearly as much as this. The architecture, the costumes, the fight sequences, and even references to the philosophy of fighting and chi. 

            Even though I thought this was a decent retelling overall, it does have some major problems that deem it inferior to the 1998 movie. Some that I personally had issue with are the lack of development for the side characters specifically the other soldiers, the villains are pretty weak, and one of my biggest complaints with most of Disney’s remakes, heavily watering down some of the best character moments from the originals (In this movie’s case, the scene where Mulan takes her father’s armor is severely botched in this version), but those are some (mostly) minor nitpicks to a perfectly serviceable remake. 

            If you’re a fan of the original movie or curious to see how this remake holds up, then you’ll probably enjoy this new adaptation of Mulan, even if it doesn’t quite live up to its animated predecessor. Sure, it’s flawed and has Disney’s thumbprints all over it, but I’ll gladly take this over the Aladdin, and Lion King remakes any day. 

Tenet review

TENET:

NOT ONE OF CHRISTOPHER NOLAN’S BEST, BUT STILL A VISUALLY DAZZLING AND INTELLIGENTLY CRAFTED ENTRY IN HIS FILMOGRAPHY! 

By Nico Beland

Movie Review: *** out of 4

WARNER BROS. PICTURES

John David Washington in Tenet

 

            Time travel gets even more chaotic than the Hulk’s explanation of it from Avengers: Endgame in Tenet, the latest film from director Christopher Nolan (The Dark Knight trilogy, Inception, Dunkirk) and the final film in his unintentional Infinity Stone hunt consisting of Mind (Memento), Space (Interstellar), Reality (Inception), Power (The Dark Knight trilogy), Soul (Insomnia), and now Time, sorry I couldn’t resist. Anyway, this was originally intended to be a Summer 2020 release but was delayed three times due to the COVID-19 pandemic, now it’s finally released in theaters, how does it hold up compared to some of Nolan’s other films? I like it…but I don’t think it’s one of his best movies. 

            As is normally the case with most of Nolan’s films, Tenet is a visually dazzling and intelligently crafted spectacle that’s filled to the brim with his signature tropes. You know the ones, non-linear storytelling, practical special effects in front of the camera, shooting on IMAX Film, exposition-heavy dialogue, the presence of Michael Caine, and a lot of thrilling, edge-of-your-seat action sequences, for better or for worse all of this is present in the film. 

            The film follows a mysterious Protagonist (John David Washington-Ballers, BlacKkKlansman, The Old Man & the Gun) who is armed with only one word “Tenet” and fighting for the survival of the entire world, journeys into a world of international espionage on a mission that will unfold into something beyond real time. The Protagonist and his handler Neil (Robert Pattinson-Good Time, The Lighthouse, The Batman) teams up with auctioneer Kat (Elizabeth Debicki-The Great Gatsby (2013), Guardians of the Galaxy: Vol. 2, Widows) and fixer Mahir (Himesh Patel-EastEnders, Yesterday, The Aeronauts) to do the unthinkable, manipulate the flow of time in order to prevent World War III and bring down a ruthless Russian oligarch (Kenneth Branagh-Hamlet (1996), Thor, Murder on the Orient Express (2017)/Death on the Nile). 

            The film also stars Michael Caine (The Dark Knight trilogy, Inception, Kingsman: The Secret Service) as Sir Michael Crosby, Aaron Taylor-Johnson (Kick-Ass 1 and 2, Godzilla (2014), Avengers: Age of Ultron) as Ives, Martin Donovan (Simple Men, Insomnia, Weeds) as Victor, Fiona Dourif (The Blacklist, Curse/Cult of Chucky, The Purge (TV series)) as Wheeler, Clémence Poésy (Harry Potter franchise, In Bruges, 127 Hours) as Laura, and Dimple Kapadia (Being Cyrus, Luck by Chance, Finding Fanny) as Priya. 

            Overall, Tenet is definitely the black sheep of Christopher Nolan’s films and will most likely require multiple viewings to fully get the picture. It’s arguably the most complex and non-linear of his work that probably won’t get the same amount of praise as something like Inception, The Dark Knight trilogy, or even Interstellar, this film pretty much makes those movies look like walks in the park by comparison, but for those willing to use their brains a little will find an exhilarating thrill ride wrapped around a thought-provoking mind puzzle of a film. 

            I’m not kidding about the “exhilarating thrill ride”, the action sequences in this movie are spectacular and very creative (Not quite Inception hallway fight or the car chase in The Dark Knight where the truck flips over, but still very exciting stuff), because this movie is about time travel, Nolan gets to play around with it a lot during these moments, from a plane crash scene that rocks the auditorium when watching it on IMAX had me on the edge of my seat to various fight scenes, car chases, and battles all done in reverse (Buildings reassembling themselves while blowing up, bullet-holes from a shot-up window that disappear after being shot by a gun, cars driving and crashing backwards, etc.) which I completely fell in love with, it’s a movie that warrants an IMAX viewing, if you’re watching it on a TV, smartphone, or tablet, guess what? You’re not seeing it at all! 

            It will exhilarate you and also make you scratch your head because as we all know Christopher Nolan loves a good mystery and keeping things from the audience so they can figure it out themselves, I just saw the movie today and I feel like there are certain details about this film that I may have missed. Much like Inception, it’s possible that Tenetwill start to make more sense after multiple viewings of it…which I will gladly do because I enjoyed this film. 

            The performances by the lead actors are great especially from John David Washington, Robert Pattinson, Elizabeth Debicki, and the highlight being Kenneth Branagh who goes full over-the-top crazy as the film’s villain. However, my biggest issue with this movie (and this is a common flaw for other Nolan movies) is that while the acting is legitimately good and the plot is conceptually fascinating, the character development kind of falls flat for me. 

            It isn’t lazy or bad, at this point the heavy exposition dumping in place of character development is also a standard of Nolan’s filmmaking, but to me the people in his movies don’t always talk like human beings and because many of the characters are very mysterious, the film doesn’t really give me much time to grow attached to them or care about what they’re fighting for. That’s basically why I think Batman (1989) has stronger character moments than The Dark Knight because they sound more natural and feel more alive (I love both movies, by the way!). 

            Tenet will give Christopher Nolan fans and film enthusiasts what they’re looking for, a thrilling, head-scratching puzzle with a lot of fascinating themes and concepts, a booming musical score by Creed and Black Panther’s Ludwig Göransson that eerily sounds like the music of frequent Nolan collaborator Hans Zimmer, and plenty of exhilarating action sequences. You may have to think harder compared to his other work to completely understand it, but that’s a small price to pay.

The New Mutants review

THE NEW MUTANTS: 

X-MEN THEMED HORROR MOVIE HAS AN INTERESTING PREMISE, BUT SADLY FAILS TO LIVE UP TO IT! 

By Nico Beland

Movie Review: ** out of 4

20^TH CENTURY STUDIOS AND MARVEL ENTERTAINMENT

Charlie Heaton, Henry Zaga, Blu Hunt, Maisie Williams, and Anya Taylor-Joy in The New Mutants

 

            The X-Men mutants show off their dark side in The New Mutants, the final installment of Fox’s X-Men franchise based on the Marvel Comics series of the same name, and the first to be released under the 20^th Century Studios label after Fox was acquired by Disney. The film is directed by Josh Boone (The Fault in Our Stars) and had quite an interesting production history to say the least. 

            Originally slated for an April 2018 release, the film was constantly delayed because of reshoots to make the movie scarier, avoiding competition with other X-Men movies like Deadpool 2 and Dark Phoenix, and Disney buying out 20^th Century Fox to name a few. Yeah, it was delayed so much to the point where it almost became hilarious, kind of like the Thief and the Cobbler of comic book movies. 

After one more delay due to the COVID-19 pandemic, The New Mutants finally saw the light of day with a theatrical release as promised. So, now that it’s been released, how does it hold up? Well, I’m sad to say that just like Dark Phoenix, the X-Men franchise has now officially ended on a whimper and because this is the final movie in this series before the characters are rebooted for the Marvel Cinematic Universe, there is no chance of recovery from this for the Fox X-Men franchise. 

Unlike the previous attempt at ending the X-Men series with last year’s Dark Phoenix where it was a dull, desperate, and passionless attempt at retconning the Phoenix plotline previously adapted in X-Men 3: The Last Stand, The New Mutants at least has an interesting concept that blends superhero and horror movie elements together revolving around a group of mutants trapped in a mysterious hospital that hides a dark secret. This isn’t a lazy, half-hearted retreat of what the previous X-Men movies already did (Which was the case for Dark Phoenix), despite being very unfamiliar with the New Mutants comics, this is a very original and fascinating sounding premise that could have taken the X-Men franchise to new heights…if done correctly. 

Unfortunately, it all boils down to execution and New Mutants certainly ain’t no Logan (Which was a PERFECTLY FINE ending to the franchise, by the way!), this is a sad example of a movie with a brilliant premise getting butchered in the cutting room floor and botched by an inconsistent tone, wasted potential, studio interferences, and the film being cut down to everyone’s favorite rating in cinema, PG-13 (Yep, it’s like Venom all over again!). 

The film follows a group of young mutants consisting of Rahne Sinclair (Maisie Williams-Game of Thrones, The Falling, Early Man), Illyana Rasputin (Anya Taylor-Joy-The Witch, Split/Glass, Emma (2020)), Samuel “Sam” Guthrie (Charlie Heaton-Stranger Things, As You Are, The Souvenir: Part II), and Roberto da Costa (Henry Zaga-Teen Wolf, Trinkets, The Stand) being held in an isolated hospital for psychiatric monitoring by Dr. Cecilia Reyes (Alice Braga-City of God, I Am Legend, Predators) who believes they are a danger to both themselves and society in general. When newcomer Dani (Blu Hunt-The Originals, Another Life) joins the other patients in the facility strange occurrences begin to take place that literally transform the entire hospital into a living nightmare. 

The patients are soon plagued by hallucinations and flashbacks from their dark pasts and their new mutant abilities and friendship will be put to the ultimate test as they fight to try and make it out alive. 

The film also stars Adam Beach (Smoke Signals, Flags of Our Fathers, Suicide Squad) as William Lonestar, Happy Anderson (The Knick, Mindhunter, Bird Box) as Reverend Craig, and Marilyn Manson himself as the voice of the Smile Men. 

Overall, I’m glad that The New Mutants was finally released after all the trouble it went through to get to the theater and to its credit it’s not the worst of the X-Men movies (I still consider Dark Phoenix to be the absolute worst), but this just feels like a movie with an amazing concept ruined in the editing department because it feels like a lot of key scenes are missing from the final film and little did I know, that was kind of the case. Remember the scene in the trailer with the faces coming out of the wall, Freddy Krueger style? Guess what, not in the movie! The scene that shows what happened in Illyana’s backstory where she killed 18 men? Not in the movie (She does mention it, but we never see it happen)! 

I swear, this film has the taint of Josh Trank’s Fantastic Four movie and while it’s nowhere near as big a train-wreck as that movie it feels like similar procedures were taken in the editing. Reducing this very adult, disturbing, and unique vision down to something it shouldn’t be, a generic, barebones, and at times dull horror/superhero movie hybrid that waters the violence and terror down to a PG-13 to get those kiddies into the movie theater seats, it tries so hard to appeal to a wide audience that it appeals to no one, I really hope a director’s cut of this movie exists somewhere. 

I’ll give the actors a lot of credit for trying their best to work with the material given to them and I can acknowledge that the acting is good for the most part. However, the characters and character development (or lack thereof) is what’s standing in the way. 

I’m not saying the X-Men characters are the most deep and complex characters in comic books and superhero movies, but they at least had unique personalities, a lot of charisma, and worked off of each other very well. Cannot say the same for these mutants because these ones are stock horror movie characters, we’ve seen a million times before and not in an ironic or fun way. 

You know the ones, we got the new kid, the nice girl, the nice boy, the mean girl, and the mean boy and while the film tries to give them all backstories and attempts to get the audience attached to them, their efforts fail to make up for the bland, charisma-free, New Mutants. Yeah, they may be mutants, but they got a long way to go if they want to live up to the original X-Men team. Hell, they’re barely X-Force material! 

The New Mutants is a slight improvement over Dark Phoenix and clocks in at a breezy 94 minutes, so it doesn’t quite feel like a huge waste of time, and there are some neat ideas explored. But for a movie with a very fascinating and potential-filled concept, this X-Men themed horror movie falls flat and I can only recommend it to those who are extremely curious. 

Phineas and Ferb: The Movie: Candace Against the Universe review

PHINEAS AND FERB: THE MOVIE: CANDACE AGAINST THE UNIVERSE: 

DISNEY+ MOVIE BASED ON BELOVED DISNEY CHANNEL ANIMATED SERIES HAS A LOT OF LAUGHS AND HEART! 

By Nico Beland

Movie Review: *** out of 4

DISNEY+

(From left to right) Dr. Heinz Doofenshmirtz, Super Super Big Doctor, Candace, Perry the Platypus/Agent P, Phineas, and Ferb in Phineas and Ferb: The Movie: Candace Against the Universe

 

            I know what we’re gonna do today, talk about a very funny Phineas and Ferb movie that premiered on Disney+ recently via this review. Disney’s lovable troublemaking brothers are back in Phineas and Ferb: The Movie: Candace Against the Universe, the new Disney+ film based on the beloved Disney Channel animated series and the second Phineas and Ferb movie overall after 2011’s Phineas and Ferb: The Movie: Across the 2^nd Dimension. 

            Aside from seeing a few episodes as well as the first movie, I did not watch that much Phineas and Ferb during its run on Disney Channel, I was more into Kim Possible, Gargoyles, Gravity Falls, and Recess when it came to animated Disney shows. However, from what I’ve seen it’s a very enjoyable and funny cartoon for both kids and adults with memorable characters, hilarious hijinks, catchy as heck songs and musical numbers (Gitchee Gitchee Goo, anyone?), and plenty of heart and nostalgia about childhood and how you spent your summer vacation, it’s definitely one of Disney Animation’s finest that even spawned crossovers with both the Marvel Animated Universe and Star Warsas well as the spin-off series Milo Murphy’s Law. 

            For those of you who have never seen or heard of Phineas and Ferb before, I’ll give you the basic gist of it. The show revolves around two young brothers trying to find the best ways to spend their summer vacation, they do the usual things kids normally do on their summer vacation like build a fully functional rollercoaster in their backyard, Fighting Treehouse Robots, form a rock band, surf in outer space, play badminton with a giant Platypult (Catapult that looks like their pet platypus Perry) to name a few and often getting the attention of their older sister Candace who constantly tries to “Bust Them” for whatever contraption they make for the day (Though it often shows that she cares for her brothers very deeply). Meanwhile in Plot B, their pet platypus Perry is actually a secret agent known as Agent P who frequently thwarts the evil yet strangely huggable Dr. Heinz Doofenshmirtz’ plans to take over the tri-state area (He pretty much makes Dr. Drakken from Kim Possible look like Thanos by comparison) often colliding with the main plot of Phineas and Ferb’s shenanigans. 

            The show ran from 2007 to 2015 as one of the longest running Disney Channel shows, so naturally a couple of movies were made. 

So, how does Candace Against the Universe hold up compared to the show and Across the 2^nd Dimension? It’s…Phineas and Ferb and it gives exactly that, all the imagination, heart, colorful characters, and silly humor that made the show a classic even if the story isn’t quite as interesting as Across the 2^nd Dimension. 

            After a failed attempt at busting Phineas (voiced by Vincent Martella-Final Fantasy XIII, Batman: Under the Red Hood, McFarland, USA) and Ferb (voiced by David Errigo Jr. replacing Thomas Sangster) goes horribly wrong, Phineas and Ferb’s sister Candace (voiced by Ashley Tisdale-High School Musical trilogy, Kim Possible (Season 4), Sharpay’s Fabulous Adventure) and Dr. Doofenshmirtz’ daughter Vanessa (voiced by Olivia Olson-Love Actually, Adventure Time, The Powerpuff Girls (2016)) are suddenly abducted by aliens from a far-off utopian planet free of pesky little brothers where Candace befriends their leader oddly named Super Super Big Doctor (voiced by Ali Wong-Ralph Breaks the Internet, Always Be My Maybe, Birds of Prey) and becomes their chosen one. Meanwhile, Phineas, Ferb, and their friends Isabella (voiced by Alyson Stoner-Mike’s Super Short Show, Step Up franchise, Camp Rock 1 and 2), Baljeet (voiced by Maulik Pancholy-30 Rock, Whitney, Sanjay and Craig), Buford (voiced by Bobby Gaylor-Roseanne, Hope & Faith), and Perry the Platypus/Agent P (voiced by Dee Bradley Baker-Space Jam, The Fairly OddParents, Codename: Kids Next Door) team up with Agent P’s arch nemesis Dr. Heinz Doofenshmirtz (voiced by co-creator Don Povenmire-The Simpsons, SpongeBob Squarepants, Milo Murphy’s Law) and use his “Galactic-Travel-Inator” to blast off into space and rescue Candace and Vanessa who soon realize this brotherless planet is not all as it seems. 

            The film also features the voices of Wayne Brady (Whose Line Is It Anyway?, The Wayne Brady Show, How I Met Your Mother) as Stapler-Fist, Thomas Middleditch (Silicon Valley, Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie, Zombieland: Double Tap) as Garnoz, Diedrich Bader (Office Space, Napoleon Dynamite, Veep) as Borthos, YouTube’s Thomas Sanders as Throat-Lobster, Caroline Rhea (Sabrina the Teenage Witch, The Biggest Loser, Sydney to the Max) as Linda (Mom), Richard O’Brien (The Rocky Horror Picture Show, Dark City, Ever After) as Lawrence (Dad), Mitchel Musso (Monster House, Hannah Montana, Life is Ruff) as Jeremy, Kelly Hu (The Scorpion King, X2: X-Men United, Arrow) as Stacy, co-creator Jeff “Swampy” Marsh (The Simpsons, Rocko’s Modern Life, Milo Murphy’s Law) as Major Monogram, Bill Farmer (Goofy) as Hermellivue, Sarah Hudson (Frontline, Project Runway) as Ernox, John Viener (Family Guy, Arrested Development, Ted 1 and 2) as Norm, Corey Burton (Return to Never Land, Star Wars: Clone Wars/The Clone Wars/Rebels, DC Animated Universe) as Farmer, John O’Hurley (Seinfeld, Family Feud, To Tell the Truth) as Roger Doofenshmirtz, “Weird Al” Yankovic (The Naked Gun trilogy, Batman VS Robin, Teen Titans Go! VS Teen Titans) as Shirt Cannon Guy, and Tiffany Haddish (Girls Trip, The Carmichael Show, The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part) as The Sound Someone Makes When They Explode From The Waist Up. 

            Overall, Phineas and Ferb: The Movie: Candace Against the Universe is imaginative and hilarious fun for the entire family especially if you have a family of Phineas and Ferb fans. Kids will be greeted by a colorful and silly adventure in space while those who grew up with the series will have a nostalgia-filled reunion with their favorite characters that was well worth the wait. 

            However, I don’t think you have to be super familiar with the show to enjoy this movie as was the case with Across the 2^nd Dimension, despite being a very casual viewer, there are plenty of moments in this film where I not only laughed but laughed hard. Most notably any scene related to Dr. Doofenshmirtz because the character cracks me up whenever he’s onscreen and this ingenious sequence where Phineas, Ferb, and the gang are traveling at light speed and they gradually change from fully-animated characters to sketches and storyboards on the wall, in my opinion the best joke in the entire movie. 

            The plot is very predictable and isn’t quite as creative or funny as the previous movie, if you’ve seen a movie or show with a premise like this then you know exactly what’s going to happen. Thankfully, the writing, humor, and characters more than make up for it. 

            Phineas and Ferb: The Movie: Candace Against the Universe is a fun adventure through space with a lot of laughs and heart, I mean it, I almost felt teary-eyed by the end. It doesn’t do anything game-changing for the show but if you’re a fan of the series or at least familiar with it then grab your Chicken-Replace-Inator (A device that replaces whatever it zaps with the nearest chicken), hop into your Galactic-Travel-Inator, and strap in for a joyful space romp that’s no Guardians of the Galaxy but it’s close enough.