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Reviews
She-Hulk: Attorney at Law (2022)
Mean spirited
It caught me off guard just how much this show leaned into insulting men in general. Jennifer came across as wildly obnoxious, which was only overshadowed by the male characters who were written to be so much worse. I wanted to overlook how the show purposefully made the male characters as awful and incompetent as possible, but it soon became too much to tolerate. My expectation for the show was to see Jennifer learn about her new powers, but instead I came away feeling like the show took every opportunity it could to insult someone or something to try and make her look better. In my opinion, this show was told in an oddly mean-spirited way that has left me less enthusiastic about anything that may come after it.
The Mandalorian: Chapter 19: The Convert (2023)
Good story, but with a bait and switch
Please allow me to preface this by saying that I loved this series, and my intention is to be constructive. I found the idea of an amnesty program for the empire to be deeply interesting, as it addresses the fallout of ROTJ. I also saw potential for setting up the events of the Rey trilogy. My only critique is that shifting focus away from Din Djarin and back again for this episode felt like a bait and switch. As an audience member, I came with the expectation that this episode of The Mandalorian was going to be about... well, the Mandalorian. While I look forward to what this might mean for future episodes, the way it was told in this case felt very out of place.
Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014)
One of the best Marvel movies yet
This movie still holds up as one of the better written, directed and acted films of the MCU. What I found refreshing about it was that it seemed to play more as a political thriller than a superhero movie. Steve Rogers is drawn into a world where he doesn't know who to trust, and even questions his own choices. He chooses to do what he thinks is right, even at the cost of disobeying orders. The fight scenes were raw and visceral, and felt grounded. Even the concept of Sam Wilson in a winged jetpack felt grounded in reality. What I wish more Marvel movies took away from this one, is to allow their main characters room to sruggle and sacrifice.
Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey (2023)
Over-hyped, not worth it
Somehow, reimagining Winnie the Pooh in a slasher movie still couldn't cover a 90 minute runtime. It was full of poorly framed visual effects that were sloppily edited with digital gore and a strangely awful treatment of women. The film was supposed to be about Christopher Robin's neglected relationships with his old friends, but he's barely in the movie. The film starts with a narrated animation giving exposition for the first few minutes, before showing Christopher Robin repeating the same information. Pooh and Piglet are the only friends in the movie. Pooh can control bees, and it's never explained why. Pooh can dismember people with a karate chop, but still carries around a kitchen knife. Pooh also sprints after his victims, or walks slowly like Michael Myers, the urgency of the situation is irrelevant. Christopher Robin has a wife, but she's killed almost immediately and never mentioned again. Less than 12 hours after watching his wife get murdered, Christopher Robin is pining for the final girl, who still gets killed anyway.
Long story short, there was no consistency to this movie whatsoever, and I don't know why I watched the whole thing. It actually left me feeling dirty for watching how they treated the female characters, and I regret the whole experience.
Knock at the Cabin (2023)
Some good, but not a lot of great
I didn't think this movie was particularly interesting. There was no real suspense to anything that happened, the stakes didn't really matter, and the characters were only compelled to do anything when the story needed them to. The protagonists were under no threat from the antagonists, and the ending felt contrived. The flashbacks did nothing for the story, and the sense of urgency was sucked out by the story stretching out over what seemed like days, developing in an arbitrary selection from the main antagonist. The exposition felt jarring and confusing by its connection to the story, and the film ended with so many critical questions left unanswered.
Overall, some of the performances were very good. That at least was the best part of the movie. Ultimately, the film didn't add up to much. If this was adapted from a book, then I hope the book is better.
The Legend of Zorro (2005)
Terrific action, with conflicting themes
Starting the movie with the main character getting a divorce was a confusing idea. Perhaps that was meant to ground the character or start the story at a point where the main characters would need to overcome something, but since most people associate Zorro with sensationalist action and romance, including a sudden and unceremonious divorce seems to undercut what most people would look for in a Zorro movie. The story also focuses on Alejandro trying to be a good father to Joaquin, and wrestling with the conflict of raising someone too much like his younger self. While that can make for a great story, it felt like Alejandro was making choices in that conflict simply because the script needed it to happen.
This movie still had everything people might expect in a Zorro movie. It just included a few other things they wouldn't.