Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017)

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017) Trailer

This is definitely what I mean by "movies and music are inseparable"!

Without the music, the movie would not be as enjoyable as it is. I watched Guardians of the Galaxy (2014) in the cinema a few years ago. The Dolby effects in the cinema made it awesome. Then I re-watched the movie before Vol. 2 came out. The sound effect on TV at home is no match for what I experienced in the cinema. Therefore, I chose to watch Vol. 2 in the cinema.

The movie starts with a galactic fight scene. The background music Mr Blue Sky by Electric Light Orchestra is a blast. It is featured in Doctor Who Series 2 Episode 10 Love & Monsters. That's the song that draws me into the Doctor Who Universe! Once you are related to the song, you will enjoy much more of the movie.

Here's a list of the songs in the movie:

Mr Blue Sky
Performed by Electric Light Orchestra

Lake Shore Drive
Performed by Aliotta Haynes Jeremiah

The Chain
Performed by Fleetwood Mac

Un Deye Gon Hayd (The Unloved Song)
Performed by Jimmy Urine

Bring It On Home to Me
Written and Performed by Sam Cooke

Southern Nights
Performed by Glen Campbell

My Sweet Lord
Written and Performed by George Harrison

Brandy (You're a Fine Girl)
Performed by Looking Glass

Come A Little Bit Closer
Performed by Jay and the Americans

Wham Bam Shang-A-Lang
Performed by Silver

Surrender
Performed by Cheap Trick

Father and Son
Written and Performed by Cat Stevens

Guardians Inferno
Written by James Gunn and Tyler Bates
Performed by The Sneepers ft. David Hasselhoff

Flash Light
Performed by Parliament

The premise of the story is that the Guardians of the Galaxy has to escape from the "golden tribe" after Rocket has stolen the energy bar (not something you can eat but can generate power for spaceship). At an accident, Peter Quill meets his long-lost father, Ego the Living Planet, for the first time.

The plot is average because it is pretty straight forward, with predictable plots and ending of Ego. But I didn't expect what happened to Yondu.

The characters scored the highest because after the first movie, we know much more about who the Guardians of the Galaxy are. It tells us why Nebula is always picking a fight with Gamora. It's because Thanos used to compare Nebula with Gamora. And Gamora has to keep on winning over Nebula to stay alive. But each time Nebula loses, Thanos would remove part of her body into mechanical parts. That's why Nebula hates Gamora and even Thanos.

It is special for Karen Gillan to play such a masculine and tough character. She used to be the pretty and sexy girl in Doctor Who, Selfie and We'll Take Manhattan (2012). And I think it's interesting for Zoe Saldana to be green in Guardians of the Galaxy while blue in Avatar (2009). Chris Pratt used to play the fat and annoying friend who steals James McAvoy's girlfriend in Wanted (2008). Now he has elevated to another level to be the hero / hot guy with six-pack. And most female falls for Baby Groot. They find him cute.

The dialogue is not memorable. Most of the funny punches are given by Drax on Mantis. But it's not that funny. All the funny scenes are already revealed in the trailer. So I didn't laugh out loud much. The only punch I laughed about is the one on David Hasselhoff. Nobody else in the cinema laughed because the audience don't even know who he is.

 

Ratings:

Premise: Good
Plot: Average
Characters: Excellent
Dialogue: Average

Recommendation: Recommended

Alice Through the Looking Glass (2016)

Alice Through the Looking Glass (2016) Trailer

This the squeal of Alice in the Wonderland (2010). I thought it's another Tim Burton film, but it isn't. He is only the producer.

The premise is about Alice saving Mad Hatter by interfering time. Surprisingly, time is a person, and is played by Sacha Baron Cohen.

Alice steals Time's Chronosphere (By the way, there are two types of time: cairos and chronos. And chronos is earth time.) and escapes by time-travelling. However, messing up with time will lead to the destruction of the universe.

When I hear Time says, "imbecile!" I think of Poirot the detective because it is his mantra.

The movie touches several themes, namely meaning of life, sisterhood, and girl power.

In the end of the movie, Alice said, "I used to believe that time was a thief. I am stealing everything I love. But...now I understand that you give, always before removing. And every day is a gift. Every hour, every minute, every second...He used to say that the only thing worth doing..." Time replied, " It is what you do for others." Alice is sad that her father passed away, but she now experiences catharsis as she understands that it only matters how she lives her life.

The movie talks about sisterhood when Mirana reconciles with Iracebeth. And when Alice and her mother rejects the offer of trading their ship with Hamish, the antagonist, it shows that women can also live well without getting married. These themes are meaningful yet too on-the-nose.

The use of color and costume is brilliant in the movie. For example, when the color of Mad Hatter's hair fades away, it indicates that life is draining out of him.

Recommendation: recommended
Premise: good
Plot: good
Characters: good
Dialogue: average

Doctor Strange (2016)

Doctor Strange Trailer

This is another Marvel hero movie. I find the plot a strong sense of deja vu. Since Doctor Strange first appeared in 1963 and I have never read his comics, I'm not sure if the TV and movies that came after it copied its concept or if it is the other way round.

I really like the visual effects of the movie. The time vortex that Doctor Strange travels resembles that of 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) and Doctor Who's opening. The visual effects of bending streets and buildings look a lot like that of Inception (2010). The time loop concept is similar to a recent movie By Tim Burton, Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children (2016), and Doctor Who Series 9 Episode 11 Heaven Sent, which Doctor is killed and reborn time after time. The out-of-body experience (OBE) by Doctor Strange is very interesting. He even uses it to pretend to sleep while his spirit study spells in the secret books. If near-death experience (NDE) is a vertical movement (up to heaven), OBE would be a horizontal movement on earth.

Is the story anchored in the 2010's? If so, the production set of Hong Kong is not very authentic. It's not the modern Hong Kong but more like Hong Kong in the 90's or Macau.

On the appearance, Doctor Strange is the missing brother of Iron Man, who shares the same beard; and Superman, who shares the same red cloak. Benedict Cumberbatch admits that Doctor Strange and Sherlock Holmes, the two characters that he plays, are both smart and arrogant.

Kaecillius is a smart student that went down a wrong path, though he believes himself in doing the right thing. Isn't that similar to Lord Voldemort in Harry Potter? A brilliant student from the same academy of the protagonist who becomes the villain.

I think it's always the two sides of a story. Who is the real saviour? Is Kaecillius killing people for the greater good? Is it righteous to do so? Hitler also believed that he did the right thing but he harmed many people on the way.

On the other hand, who empowers Doctor Strange to judge? How would you know if the people killed by Doctor Strange really deserve it? Who can monitor if he would not abuse his powers? (almost the same questions raised by Captain America: Civil War (2016), The Dark Knight (2008), and Watchmen (2009) (Who watches Watchmen?))

This can lead into a further discussion on what is evil. Who is the bad guy? In Suicide Squad (2016), the story is told from the "bad guys" point of view. Audience sympathizes the Suicide Squad but thinks that Amanda Waller, the government official, is actually the evil. In Doctor Strange, Dormammu is the clear source of evil. However, in the real world, not everything is crystal clear as good vs. bad, as in the movies. There are just many selfish human beings who think they are doing the right thing but hurting people on their way.

The dialogue is funny, especially that of Doctor Strange. For example, when Kaecillius asks Doctor Strange what doctor he is, he replies, "It' strange." Kaecillius replies, "Maybe, who am I to judge?" LOL. Doctor Who usually has this kind of dialogue. "Who are you?" "I'm the doctor." "Doctor Who?" "Just the Doctor".

Recommendation: recommended
Premise: average
Plot: average
Characters: average
Dialogue: execellent

Sully (2016)

Sully Trailer

Sully is about the pilot Chesley Sullenberger who crash landed the flight on Hudson River. Luckily, none of the 155 passengers die. Afterwards, the NTSB investigates the accident and determines if there is any human error.

The story reminds me of Flight (2012), starring Denzel Washington, which is also about a plane crash. But in Flight, the pilot is guilty as he drinks.

I think Tom Hanks has successfully capture the spirit of Sullenberger. He shows us that he cares for the safety of the passengers, making sure that everyone has evacuated. His concern is counting the number of passengers to make sure that no one is missing. When the NTSB investigates, he starts to doubt himself if he has made the correct decision. But the more he thinks about what has happened, he is more certain that he has made the right choice. 

The non-linear editing of the movie is brilliant. You don't feel awkward when the movie jumps back and forth from Sully's memory of the accident to the present.

I like the wit of Sully, e.g. "Everything is unprecedented until it happens for the first time", "You are looking for human error then make it human."

This is an uplifting hero movie.

Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children (2016)

Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children Trailer

This is a spooky, almost horror movie, as the old photos in the opening credits give me chills. When I sees the children with the masks, I think of 20th Century Boys (2008).

The premise of the story is that Miss Peregrine runs a "school" for peculiar children. The protagonist Jake's grandparent was part of the orphanage. And he told stories about the school to Jake when he was small. Jake would not believe until he finally meets Miss Peregrine and the children. Sounds a lot like Tim Burton's another movie called Big Fish (2003), where the dad tells tall tales and they turn out to be true.

The plot is average as the story is built up slowly but the ending ends too abruptly. I expect to see more of how Jake goes back to 1945.

Some think that the peculiar children are just like students in Xavier's School in X-men. I remember some people said that Elsa in Frozen is about outcast too. Elsa has special abilities that other people are afraid of her. 

Eva Green played Miss Peregrine. Her make-up is awesome. She plays a similar Gothic spooky character called Vanessa Ives in Penny Dreadful.

Jake is a boring character as he does not do much in the movie. He miss the bow all the time. I somehow think this British actor looks and sounds like Ewan McGregor.

Enoch's playing-with-the-dead toys resembles the scary Baby Face toy in Toy Story (1995).

The many birds in the movie reminds me of The Birds (1963), which is a horror movie, by Alfred Hitchcock.

On the other hand, "the hollows" makes me think of the movie title: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows, which is also a fantasy genre movie.

The gas masks worn by the characters remind me of Doctor Who Series 1 Episode 9 The Empty Child, where the story is also located in the U.K. during World War II. The episode is very scary as well.

Never has a movie that can be linked to so many other movies. Yet I still find the premise, plot and character interesting.

In my opinion, one of the message the movie wants to bring out is: is living forever is good?

By the way, I love the trailer song New World Coming by Dísa very much. It's the trailer song that attracts me to the cinema. Bravo to the trailer! But I'm surprised (not the first time though) that the trailer song is not in the movie!

Recommendation: Recommended

Premise: Excellent

Plot: Average

Characters: Excellent

Dialogue: Good

Zootopia (2016)

Zootopia Trailer
 
I think Zootopia is an animation for adults. It's a mix of Godfather series Lethal Weapon series and Die Hard series, with underground chase and train crashing, but the characters are rabbits, foxes and lions.

The life of Zootopia resembles real life, for the cops are "ZPD", mirroring "NYPD" or "LAPD", etc. The officer in DMV speaks very slowly.

The message I get from the animation is to do good.

I like the plot that the nice person is actually the bad person, and the high rank officer is actually the one who manipulates the dark forces. Just like real life. So I say Zootopia is for adults.

A Brief Comment on Marvel Cinematic Universe vs. DC Comics

Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) has already launched phase three. Up to this day, Marvel has produced Iron Man (2008), The Incredible Hulk (2008), Iron Man 2 (2010), Thor (2011), Captain America: The First Avenger (2011), Marvel's The Avengers (2012), Iron Man 3 (2013), Thor: The Dark World (2013), Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014), Guardians of the Galaxy (2014), Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015), Ant-Man (2015), Captain America: Civil War (2016). It has been eight years since we first watch Iron Man (2008). The audience has grown to know much more about the Marvel characters and the dynamics between the Avengers.

As X-men, Fantastic Four, and Deadpool, etc. movie rights are sold to Fox and Spiderman is sold to Sony, these movies are excluded in the MCU. Sometimes people wonder why they re-make Fantastic Four and Spiderman (from Tobey Maguire to Andrew Garfield to Tom Holland) every few years. It's because the studios bought the rights and they need to re-make the movie before the rights expire.

After watching X-men: Days of Future Past (2014), it's jaw-dropping that they wiped out the previous X-men stories' history (which many main characters died) and they will re-write X-men in a clean slate.

It's interesting that there are characters who appear in different universe. The first one is Quicksilver in X-men and MCU. They are played by different actors, but both actors, namely Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Evan Peters, starred in Kick-Ass (2010). The second one is Deadpool. Ryan Reynolds appeared in X-men Origins: Wolverine (2009) as no-mouth Wade Wilson. He returns to Deadpool (2016) as Wade Wilson again.

Visual Guide to Marvel Character Movie Rights
 

DC Comics has produced a lot of Batman and Superman movies, namely, Superman (1978), Superman II (1980), Superman III (1983), Superman IV (1987), Batman (1989), Batman Returns (1992), Batman Forever (1995), Batman & Robin (1997), Batman Begins (2005), Superman Returns (2006), The Dark Knight (2008), The Dark Knight Rises (2012), Man of Steel (2013), Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016), Suicide Squad (2016).

The Christopher Nolan's Batman series is no doubt a classic. However, the recent two DC movies (Batman V Superman and Suicide Squad) were a flop. Mostly because they tried to squeeze too much characters and stories into one movie.  There is not enough screen time to develop character arc for characters like the Flash, Aquaman, the Joker, Enchantress, Captain Boomerang, Katana, etc. You see, MCU has at least one movie featuring a single character before they group them into Avengers. So the audience know much more about the characters before they see them in a group.

I actually enjoyed Suicide Squad as I think it is playful and the music matches the plot brilliantly. The make-up and costume are perfect. We just want to know more about the characters, where they come from, what are their intensions, etc. However, if they do not have any character arcs, they're just flat and boring.

The Intouchables (2011)

The Intouchables Trailer

This is a French movie about the unlikely friendship developed between a millionaire and an unemployed young man who becomes his caregiver.

It reminds me of Driving Miss Daisy (1989) which is also about the unlikely friendship between an old lady and his driver. Both movies juxtapose the conflict between the protagonists' different social classes.

It is always cathartic to watch movies which the uptight character has a character arc, and becomes more open and liberal to people from a different background; while the lower-social-class character slowly earns the respect from other people.

The Butterfly Effect (2004)

***Spoilers Alert***

This is another time-travelling / altering fate story. Evan Treborn one day realizes that he has the ability to go back in time by reading his teenage journals. He travels back in time to moments which he has memory blackouts. He uses the opportunity to try to save his childhood sweetheart from a tragic life. But each time he changes the past, he finds that the future is changed into something that he doesn't like. For example, he ends up in a prison or he loses his leg. Finally, in the director's cut, Evan chooses to commit suicide inside his mother's womb because he thinks that the best thing for his childhood sweetheart and the world is that he was not born.

This is a radical plot. In Doraemon's time travelling, things usually gets better but not worse. But in this story, the more travelling to the past, the worse is the future. That sucks. Evan's mother reveals that she has several miscarriages. It hints to Evan that his elder brothers and sisters also committed suicide. It is a horrible conclusion that the non-existence of the protagonist is the resolution. This is a really dark story.