JT'S FILM REVIEW! - 'Everything Everywhere All at Once'

Okay, how do I begin to describe "Everything Everywhere All at Once"? It's a black comedy sci-fi fantasy time traveling multiverse film and even that doesn't begin to describe the anarchy found within. The movie opens with Michelle Yeoh's Evelyn Wang, a down on her luck laundromat owner with a sensitive husband Waymond Wang (Ke Huy Quan) and a misunderstood daughter ironically named Joy (Stephanie Hsu) that has to also deal with a tax auditor named Deirdre (Jamie Lee Curtis).

While at the IRS building meeting with Deirdre, Waymond suddenly becomes possessed by a completely different person. This person is actually Waymond from another Universe and he has come to warn her that there is a terrible entity making its way throughout the Multiverse. In the Alphaverse that this Waymond comes from, it turns out that Alpha Evelyn is the one who discovered how to jump to the various Universes and now Evelyn in the present Universe may be the only one who can stop this evil from destroying everything... everywhere... all at once.

Now, this is simply the best way that I could sum up the movie without giving too much away. It's a movie that simply has to be experienced to be believed. This is a movie that most studios would have probably turned away but this is A24 here and they definitely don't mind taking chances on movies that are quite bizarre.

The movie is mainly a showcase for Yeoh who gets to show off an incredible range as an actor. Of course, she also gets to show off her killer choreography that made her an action icon in the 1990s. With all of the wacky things that happen in this movie (and there are plenty of wacky things that happen), the true heart of the story surrounds Evelyn and her family so Yeoh has a lot of emotional weight to carry on her shoulders in addition to all the action.

Thankfully, though, she doesn't have to carry the weight of the story alone. As I mentioned before, at the heart of this otherworldly story is a family. Quan is an actor who had largely retired after his child acting days in films such as "The Goonies" and "Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom". I really wish he hadn't retired because he is absolutely phenomenal as Waymond.

He is a big part of the heart of this movie and he also has great chemistry with Yeoh. Together, they both gave award worthy performances. In the primary Universe of the movie, Quan gives Waymond the sensitivity and unabashed kindness that makes you root for him. Waymond from the Alphaverse is a genuine badass though he doesn't give up that kindness that defines the character.

Then there is Curtis as the droll IRS auditor Deirdre. She is a great supporting actress in this movie and both a genuine threat and genuinely funny when the script calls for it. You can tell that Curtis is having a great time playing a character that she's not used to playing and she nails it.

With all the chaos that ensues in this movie, it could have easily gone way over-the-top and been way too confusing for the average viewer. Thankfully, the filmmakers avoid falling completely off the cliff and manage to tie together everything that they present to the audience.

At the end of the day, what we have here is a rather unique film that stands on its own with a solid message about family relationships and a broader look at themes such as the meaning of life, particularly nihilism. It is a slam bang film that has the true heart of an art film. "Everything Everywhere" is also a movie that shows just how talented Yeoh is as an actress and it was great that Quan also returned and I truly hope that this leads to more roles for the actor so that his talents are never wasted again.

5/5 Stars

REVIEW! - 'The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent'

Here is a movie that has no business actually working yet it does. For anyone who doesn't know, "The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent" sees Nicholas Cage playing Nick Cage, a fictionalized version of himself. In the movie, Cage is trying to find his next big hit and his career has always taken priority over his family life.

His ex-wife Olivia (Sharon Horgan) can't stand his self-absorbed ego and his daughter Addy (Lily Sheen) feels that he just wants to turn her into another version of him. Meanwhile, his agent Richard Fink (Neil Patrick Harris) is trying to get Cage whatever work he can get him. This includes a $1 million offer to head to an island in order to be a guest of honor at the birthday party for Javi Gutierrez (Pedro Pascal).

While Cage initially heads out to the island reluctantly, the two characters quickly bond over their love of movies. Unfortunately, two CIA officers tell Cage that Javi might be a dangerous arms dealer that has just kidnapped the daughter of the president in Javi's country. Cage now finds himself trying to figure out if Javi has any dark secrets and whether or not he can find the kidnapped girl.

The movie sounds utterly absurd and that's because it is, yet somehow this strange plot works. Whether Cage is accidentally poisoning himself or he's going on an LSD trip with Javi, you find yourself laughing most of the way through the movie. The first thing to note is that the movie never makes fun of Nicholas Cage.

His version of Nick Cage may be a parody of the real man, but none of it comes off as mean and we're definitely laughing with Cage rather than laughing at Cage. If anything, the movie is a well done celebration of Cage's eclectic career and I found that after watching the movie, I kind of wanted to have a Nick Cage marathon.

Another thing that helps this movie is that the performances are top notch all around. Another standout performance beyond Cage is Pascal as Javi. His chemistry with Cage as they have several wild misadventures and touching scenes is undeniable. If their relationship didn't work, then the whole movie would have fallen apart and Pascal's performance is another reminder of why he is one of my favorite actors these days.

The movie has several funny moments, but it also has some genuinely fun action while it reminds us just how awesome Cage is as an actor. With a career that has gone on as long as Cage's has, he's definitely had his ups and his downs. Along with this film and "Pig" from last year, Cage is definitely having an upswing in his later career that I hope continues if this clever action/comedy has anything to say about it.

5/5 Stars

THE GEEKLY RETRO REVIEW - 'Street Fighter' (1994)

Back in the 1990s, Hollywood had an idea to take video game properties, observe only the bare bones of what those games were about, and make something in live action that no one really wanted. In 1993, "Super Mario Bros: The Movie" came out barely resembling the brightly colored games they were based on and it was completely panned by critics. It was the start of a curse where video game adaptations usually didn't turn out good aside from a few notable exceptions.

A year after "Super Mario Bros.", two video game adaptations came out. The first one, "Double Dragon", was somehow worse than "Super Mario Bros." and was quickly forgotten. The second film in 1994 was "Street Fighter", a film very loosely based on "Street Fighter II", a fighting game that was not only popular but was also the first fighting game that brought the genre into the mainstream for gamers.

The story for the movie seems to suggest that writer and director Steven E. de Souza (of "Die Hard" fame) had only played the game a few times, saw the basic story, and just ran with it in a completely different direction. In the movie, Jean-Claude Van Damme plays Guile, a special forces operative that is trying to take down General M. Bison, a madman bent on taking over the world through the control of the fictional nation, Shadaloo. Guild must enlist the aide of a group of allies to complete his mission of taking down M. Bison once and for all.

Now, to be clear off the bat, "Street Fighter" is not a good film. It's bad and there is no getting around that. However, unlike both "Double Dragon" and "Super Mario Bros.", there is a weird sort of charm to the movie. While it may be bad, it is immensely watchable for reasons I can't fully explain. Perhaps, it falls under that infamous category, "It's so bad, it's good."

The movie could also be helped by Raul Julia as Bison. This would, sadly, by Julia's final performance but he seems to relish the role of Bison. In this absurd film, Julia knows that the movie is campy and runs with it, playing Bison with a sense of the sinister but also with a dark sense of humor.

The rest of the cast also isn't that bad. Van Damme, an action star at the height of his powers at the time, also seems to be having fun with the material. In addition to him, Ming-Na Wen, an actress that would later go on to gain wide span fan admiration for her role in "Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.", does a pretty good job as Chun-Li, a character that is seeking revenge against M. Bison.

Beyond the decent performances, though, you can tell that this movie was made on a budget. Hollywood may have wanted to adapt video games at the time, but they definitely didn't want to put much money on that bet. The sets look cheap, certain actors (*cough* Kylie Minogue *cough*) are horribly miscast, and for a film called "Street Fighter", there's not much street fighting goin on.

The fact is that the film's campy nature along with various other flaws will mean that the movie is not for everyone. Yet, if there are fans of cheesy B movies that are only below average adaptations of their video game source material, then this movie may provide the campy, over-the-top fun that you've been looking for.

2 1/2 Stars

THE ANIMATED BATMAN ADVENTURES #9 - 'Batman: The Dark Knight Returns' (2012)

After adapting "Batman: Year One" into an animated film, it was only proper that DC and Warner Animation would tackle one of the biggest (if not THE biggest) Batman stories ever told. Frank Miller wrote "The Dark Knight Returns" in 1986 as an attempt to tell the "final" Batman story. It became one of the most influential comic book stories of all time, having influenced darker storytelling at both DC Comics and Marvel.

The story introduces us to a 55-year-old Bruce Wayne that has been retired over the past ten years. He's had an unspecified falling out with Dick Grayson and he lost Jason Todd, a moment that is suggested to have made Bruce retire in the first place. In this alternate version of the 1980s, crime has run rampant since the disappearance of the Batman and there are even more gangs out on the streets, none more dangerous than the Mutants.

Commissioner Gordon is on the brink of retirement but still wants to take down the Mutants before he finally has to be put out to pasture. He is aware that Bruce, still a daredevil who seems to be searching for a good way to die, was the Batman and they've maintained a friendship since Wayne's retirement.

Soon, though, the runaway crime and a gnawing voice in the back of his head urges Bruce to don the cape and cowl yet again. Once he returns, some of his older friends want to play as well, including a seemingly healed and rehabilitated Harvey Dent and a certain Clown Prince of Crime that has been in a catatonic state since the disappearance of his "darling."

The movie stays largely true to the source material thanks to how they adapted it. The film was originally released in two parts to accommodate for the budget. Eventually, Warner Bros. combined the two parts into one larger film and this is how I would recommend that you watch the movie.

In the movie, it was great to see a Batman that was still a bonafide badass but showing his age. During one scene, he is tracking down a gang of thieves and they hear creaking above them. One of the thieves notes that back in the day, Batman never made any noise, revealing that the Batman is not as sharp as he used to be... but that doesn't necessarily make him any less dangerous as he is able to use his still sharp mind to accommodate for any loss of physical strength.

The movie is also great at capturing that alternate '80s reality where Reagan is still the president and there were a lot of concerns about his actions and his relations with the Soviet Union at the time. The trap here would have been to try and force this movie into a more modern setting where it might not have worked as well, but thankfully the movie avoids that trap.

The animation is pretty spectacular as well and you feel every punch and kick during the film's various fight scenes. More importantly, it comes as close to capturing Miller's art style from the comics as we were ever gonna get. I felt like I was watching the comic book story come to life and that's the best compliment that I could give to the artstyle.

The voice acting, for the most part, is pretty spectacular. David Selby could have been a little bit better as Gordon and I feel he was trying a little too hard to make Gordon sound old, but it's not terrible. The best voice actor is Peter Weller as Bruce Wayne/Batman. I was a little hesitant when they first announced his casting back in the day because I just didn't know how it would come off.

Thankfully, he has all the force, quiet wisdom, and menace that the voice needs at various points in the movie. Weller does a great job and is probably only second to Kevin Conroy as my favorite actor to have ever voiced the character. Michael Emerson also does a pretty solid job as the Joker and while no one will ever top Mark Hamill in this department, Emerson gives a decidedly quiet and creepy performance that perfectly contrasts with all the chaos he proceeds to deal out.

Ultimately, this is a fantastic adaptation of Miller's classic story. It is still one of my favorite animated films featuring the Dark Knight and I recommend it for everyone who claims that they are a fan of the Bat!

5/5 STARS

THE ANIMATED BATMAN ADVENTURES #8 - 'Batman: Year One' (2011)

"Batman: Year One" adapts one of Batman's greatest storylines from the comic books, originally written by Frank Miller in 1987. The movie, like the comic book, tells an elongated version of Batman's origin story, particularly how he got started as the Caped Crusader. It is also an origin story for James Gordon, the police lieutenant that will eventually go on to be Gotham PD's commissioner.

In the movie, Bruce Wayne has officially returned from his trips abroad. Gordon has arrived after something in Chicago forced him to move with his pregnant wife, Barbara. When Batman finally appears, it is Gordon's job to take him down. The only problem is that Batman is taking down the bad guys, including the corrupt cops that also give Gordon a tough time through the story.

The best thing that I can say about this movie is that it is a true adaptation of the story it comes from. Almost beat for beat, this is the story ripped straight from the pages of the comics. In other words, all the exciting action and the intriguing story of how Bruce becomes Batman is featured in this movie.

The biggest problem with the movie is that... well... it's a solid adaptation of the comic book storyline. What I mean by this is that the comic has the liberty to jump around a bit with its storyline. It doesn't have to fill in the gaps as much as a film might need to. This movie runs at a brisk 64 minutes and some of the scenes could have benefitted from a few little additions that could have better connected some of the scenes. It's not a major problem, but it is there and additional connective tissue could have helped here and there with this adaptation.

One highlight of the movie is the voice acting. In this regard, I'm mostly talking about Bryan Cranston being cast as the troubled Gordon. Cranston is one of best actors currently working and his voice gives Gordon the weight the character deserves. He's quite fantastic as are most of the other voice actors in the movie.

The weakest voice actor, though, is surprisingly Ben McKenzie as Bruce Wayne/Batman. He's kind of bland when he narrates as Bruce Wayne and his Batman is nowhere near as intimidating as he needs to be. If McKenzie's name sounds familiar, he would go on later to play James Gordon in the show "Gotham". Don't get me wrong, his voice acting could have been a lot worse and he ultimately passes thanks to the fact that the film focuses more on Cranston's narration as Gordon, but McKenzie's voice just could have been a lot better.

Despite a few criticisms, though, this is a pretty stellar and faithful adaptation of Miller's masterful origin story for the Dark Knight. The animation and the strength of the story is more than enough to make this a worthy addition to Batman's animated legacy!

4/5 STARS

THE ANIMATED BATMAN #7 - 'Superman/Batman: Apocalypse' (2010)

Wow, after enjoying "Superman/Batman: Public Enemies", I was surprised by how much I was disappointed by "Superman/Batman: Apocalypse", the standalone sequel to the first film. In this movie, a Kryptonian craft crash lands into Gotham Harbor. Batman goes in to investigate only to find a female very similar to Superman.

The woman is Kara Zor-El, Superman's cousin who was also sent to Earth when Krypton was about explode. Batman doesn't trust this new arrival while Superman automatically trusts her because she is his family. Meanwhile, Darkseid is out there somewhere planning an attack on Earth and, somehow, Kara is the key to his domination.

Batman's fears about Kara are not totally without merit as Kara has been having visions of a dark future. Still, his goal is to keep her locked up. Superman wants to show her the world and all the wonderful things within it.

The movie is called "Apocalypse", but the truth is that it should have retained the title of the original comic book storyline that it is derived from, "The Supergirl from Krypton". Supergirl's arrival on Earth and figuring out her visions is the main driving force while Darkseid's story is mostly in the background and only comes to the forefront in order to be an obstacle for our heroes later on.

There are moments where the movie almost picks itself up. An army of Doomsdays shows up in Themiscyra but this turns out to be a dud. Wonder Woman joins the fight against Darkseid, but she too is ultimately wasted it seems.

Yes, the animation is good and the voice performances (featuring Kevin Conroy, Tim Daly, and Summer Glau) are rock solid. However, they are all failed by a very generic and rather forgettable story. The action also doesn't feel as memorable as the set pieces featured in "Public Enemies" which is yet another disappointment.

Ultimately, I don't have much more to say about this film. It wasn't the worst thing that I've ever seen, but it may have been something even worse than simply being bad... it's forgettable.

2/5 STARS

THE ANIMATED BATMAN #6 - 'Batman: Under the Red Hood' (2010)

"Batman: Under the Red Hood" attempts to jam quite a bit of storytelling into its roughly 70 minute runtime. Thankfully, it's pretty damn successful at this mission. In the movie, the Joker has kidnapped Jason Todd, the second person to become Robin. After savagely beating Robin with a crowbar, the Joker leaves Jason to be blown up just before Batman can get to him.

Fast forward to the present day and there is a new player in Gotham. A mysterious figure called the Red Hood is taking over the criminal underworld from Black Mask. He also seems to have a pretty obvious connection to Batman. It is up to the Dark Knight to figure out who this man is and what his connection is to Bruce Wayne.

Of course, anyone who is a fan of Batman already knows who the Red Hood is, but I like that the movie makes itself work for anyone new to the storyline that may not have read the comic books. The movie combines several storylines into one including "A Death in the Family", "The Killing Joke", and the original Red Hood storyline in the comic books.

The first strength of the movie is the voice acting. Bruce Greenwood, Jensen Ackles, and Neil Patrick Harris do fantastic jobs as Batman, Red Hood, and Nightwing, respectfully. The voice acting does lead to my one surprising disappointment. John DiMaggio, an extremely talented and dependable voice actor, comes off as a very average Joker. He's definitely no Mark Hamill and I was surprised by just how bland his performance was.

That aside, the story is amazing. Again, I'm surprised by how much the filmmakers were able cram into this movie. They make the various plot threads work and they all build towards a pretty emotional ending.

The action is another highlight, especially the confrontations between Batman and the Red Hood. They are very well done and pack an emotional punch that also matches the emotional story being told. Sure, they can't get away with showing as much blood as they probably wanted to, but I'll forgive that since the lack of blood is necessary to gain a PG-13 rating for an animated film.

Ultimately, this is one of Batman's better animated outings. The animation, the story, and the voice acting (for the most part) make this a stellar Batman adventure that anyone can enjoy!

5/5 STARS