Sheep Movie Review: Joker (2019)

Joker (2019)
Oct 3, 2019
Directed By: Todd Phillips
Written By: Todd Phillips, Scott Silver
Cast: Joaquin Phoenix, Robert De Niro, Zazie Beetz, Bill Camp, Frances Conroy, Brett Cullen

Rating: R (for strong bloody violence, disturbing behavior, language, and brief sexual images)

Genre: Action & Adventure, Drama, Mystery & Suspense

Runtime: 122 minutes
Studio: Warner Bros. Pictures

"Joker" centers around the iconic arch nemesis and is an original, standalone fictional story not seen before on the big screen. Phillips' exploration of Arthur Fleck, who is indelibly portrayed by Joaquin Phoenix, is of a man struggling to find his way in Gotham's fractured society. A clown-for-hire by day, he aspires to be a stand-up comic at night...but finds the joke always seems to be on him. Caught in a cyclical existence between apathy and cruelty, Arthur makes one bad decision that brings about a chain reaction of escalating events in this gritty character study.

Wow...there is so much to unpack with this movie. But let's get this out of the way...I loved it. It is dark and brutal and sad but it is one of the best villain character developments I've seen on the screen. The writers and directors got this one right. It was so believable, which is why it is disturbing. My emotions were everywhere. The more I think about it, the more I like it.

It does move slow, but it has to in the beginning. Once the Joker accepts his fate things get exciting and violent. I liked how they tied in Bruce Wayne's fate and the reason why the Joker laughs like he does.

Joker is a dark movie but from a storytelling point of view, it is brilliant.

5 "Send in the clowns" Sheep

SharonS

Sheep Movie Review: Godzilla: King of the Monsters (2019)

Godzilla: King of the Monsters (2019)

May 31, 2019
Directed By: Michael Dougherty
Written By: Michael Dougherty, Zach Shields
Cast: Vera Farmiga, Ken Watanabe, Sally Hawkins, Kyle Chandler, Millie Bobby Brown, Bradley Whitford
Rating: PG-13 (for sequences of monster action violence and destruction, and for some language)
Genre: Action & Adventure, Science Fiction & Fantasy
Studio: Warner Bros. Pictures

The new story follows the heroic efforts of the crypto-zoological agency Monarch as its members face off against a battery of god-sized monsters, including the mighty Godzilla, who collides with Mothra, Rodan, and his ultimate nemesis, the three-headed King Ghidorah. When these ancient super-species - thought to be mere myths - rise again, they all vie for supremacy, leaving humanity's very existence hanging in the balance.
Went to see Godzilla: King of the Monsters with my husband. I had pretty high expectations based on the trailer. But overall I was disappointed. It is pretty much a bunch of action scenes lined up with nothing between them. I didn't feel like there was a story other than Godzilla fights King Ghidorah (three-headed monster) and the people run around and dodge them. Plus there are 17 of these Titans but we only see maybe six of them...

The movie picks up a few years after the events of the 2014 Godzilla movie. And you need to stay till the end of the credits for a scene that hints at the next movie (yes, they are making another) coming out March 2020...King Kong vs Godzilla.

This is the kind of movie made for the big screen but is it worth the big screen price? Meh. Sometimes monsters and big special effects can offset the lack of storytelling, but Godzilla: King of the Monsters straddles that line.

Should you see it? Check out some other reviews or wait for it to go to DVD.

My husband gives it 3 1/2 Sheep

I give it 3 "Are you a good Titan or a bad Titan?" Sheep

SharonS

Sheep Movie Review: Aquaman (2018)

Aquaman (2018)

Dec 21, 2018

Rating: PG-13 (for sequences of sci-fi violence and action, and for some language)
Genre: Action & Adventure, Science Fiction & Fantasy
Directed By: James Wan
Written By: Will Beall, David Leslie Johnson-McGoldrick
Runtime: 143 minutes
Studio: Warner Bros. Pictures
Cast: Jason Momoa, Amber Heard, Nicole Kidman, Willem Dafoe, Patrick Wilson, Dolph Lundgren

From Warner Bros. Pictures and director, James Wan comes an action-packed adventure that spans the vast, visually breathtaking underwater world of the seven seas, "Aquaman," starring Jason Momoa in the title role. The film reveals the origin story of half-human, half-Atlantean Arthur Curry and takes him on the journey of his lifetime--one that will not only force him to face who he really is but to discover if he is worthy of who he was born to be... a king.

Went to see Aquaman with my 17-year-old daughter. We are big superhero movie fans and we agreed Aquaman was a disappointment.

Where to start...the writing was awful. I don't know the canon Aquaman story from the comics; I grew up with the Superfriends cartoon Aquaman. In this version, Arthur Curry becomes King Arthur a la Camelot, right down to the pulling of the sword/trident from the stone/dead king. But I could have dealt with the cheesy storyline if the script had been better. The story was cliche and predictable.

The whole movie was overproduced and poorly edited. It was like they were more interested in creating sexy/badass gifs and freeze frames than a movie. One minute you are watching a fight scene and the next you are looking at Jason Mamoa (not that I don't like looking at him) posing in a photo shoot for an expensive cologne, then we go back to the action.

I might not be popular for this opinion, buuuuuut...a little Jason Mamoa in Justice League (2018) is good, but a whole movie...not so good.

My daughter likes to make video edits and she complained about the CGI lagging in places.

The action scenes had too much going on so it ended up looking like a big mess flashing across the screen.

I did like a few things about the movie. It was cool how everyone looked and moved underwater. I've always been a fan of Willem Dafoe, and Dolph Lundgren's acting was surprisingly good!

DC still can't catch that superhero magic like Marvel has.

Holly and I agreed on a generous 3 "Give Pacific Rim back their kaiju" Sheep

SharonS

Sheep Movie Review: Bleach (2018)

Bleach (2018)
Initial release: July 20, 2018 (Japan)
Netflix release: Sept 14
Director: Shinsuke Sato
Writers: Tite Kubo (manga), Daisuke Habara (screenplay)
Stars: Miyavi, Hana Sugisaki, Sôta Fukushi 
Distributed by: Warner Bros. Pictures
Adapted from: Bleach
Genres: Adventure fiction, Occult Fiction

Ichigo Kurosaki is a High School student, living in Karakura town. He is able to see ghosts, as well as hollows. Later, he meets up with Rukia Kuchiki, a Death God or Soul Reaper (Shinigami in Japanese). Later, he finds out that he himself is a Soul Reaper as well. Ichigo Kurosaki, now with the power of a Soul Reaper, is able to protect Karakura town from hollows.

For those who don't know, Bleach is a Shōnen manga (teenage boy demographic) written and illustrated by Tite Kubo that started in 2001. There are currently 696 chapters collected into 74 volumes. It is the ninth best-selling manga of all time.

Bleach is about Ichigo Kurosaki, a high schooler, who can see ghosts. His ability lets him see Rukia Kuchiki, a Soul Reaper (Grim Reaper, Shinigami). She gets wounded fighting a Hollow (vengeful spirit) and must transfer her Soul Reaper powers to Ichigo to save them both. This leaves him with powers he doesn't know how to use and her in a human body. The new live-action movie is about how this happens and the repercussions for Ichigo, Rukia and a couple of others drawn into the story.

Ichigo and Rukia

Before watching the live-action Bleach movie, I knew nothing about the manga. I've seen it around, it is pretty iconic in the manga world and the characters are popular with cosplayers. So I went into this with zero expectations, except to see some awesome fantasy action. I enjoy live-action adaptations of manga/anime and love the Japanese film-making style. It can be a hit or miss, but Tokyo Ghoul live-action blew me away. Avatar: The Last Airbender...WTF?

 Ichigo from the manga

Ichigo, Rukia, and others from the anime

Bleach didn't have the killer special effects like Tokyo Ghoul, but it made up for its lack of CGI budget by focusing on the emotional side of the story. The connections between the characters and with the moviegoer.

Ichigo as a Soul Reaper. Rukia as a Soul Reaper vs human form

I should mention the movie is in Japanese with subtitles. Some people don't like subtitles.

I enjoyed the movie. There is a balance between the humor and the darker moments. I had no problem picking up on the world building mythos. So if you aren't familiar with the manga, you will have no problem understanding what's going on. There are cool weapons and sword fights. My favorite is the spirit-weapon used by the Quincy (humans that fight Hollows), a magical bow.

4 "Zanpakutou-wielding " Sheep 

SharonS