Biggs' Zone

A Geek's Cogitations, Conjectures and other Cortical Experiences

Category: Movies Page 14 of 28

Movie Review: Wonder Woman 1984

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On January 4, 2021

In DC, Movies, Reviews

Wonder Woman 1984Wonder Woman 1984 IMDB Link

Directed By: Patty Jenkins
Starring: Gal Gadot, Kristin Wiig, Pedro Pascal

My Rating: [rating=4]

While this is my first movie review of 2021, I did not see this movie in 2021. In fact we watched this film on New Years Eve, so technically I saw this movie last year. However since it was a movie we watched in the evening, I did not have time to write up a review before 2020 ended. I think we were all ready for 2020 to be over.

The year is 1984 (obviously, by the title) and Diana is still going about her day covertly rescuing people and stopping crime. Although it’s been 40 years, she still laments the death of Steve Trevor and seems to accept the fact that she will always be alone. She befriends Barbara Minerva, a socially awkward archeologist and anthropologist who finds a particularly powerful artifact. An artifact that grants wishes, but at a terrible cost. Now she must stop The Cheetah and Max Lord from abusing the power of this “dream stone”. 

Biggs’ Review

I am really surprised to find so many low and harsh reviews of this movie. I’ll admit it isn’t as good as the first movie but I, honestly, didn’t think it was terrible. There isn’t as much action but Chris Pine provides sufficient comic relief. I really enjoyed Pedro Pascal’s (aka The Mandalorian) performance as Max Lord. Actually, if I’m being honest, Kristin Wiig is an excellent villain. I’m used to seeing her in more comedic roles (ex: Bridesmaids) so when she becomes full on Cheetah, she looks pretty damn badass.

My harshest criticism would probably be the end. The tactic Wonder Woman uses to “defeat” Max Lord is a little corny. Granted Wonder Woman’s whole philosophy is built on the power of truth (hence the “Lasso of Truth”) so it fits the character. Unfortunately human kind is not so willing to embrace truth so its difficult to believe that she can easily convince the world to “renounce their wishes”. I’m also not really sold on the way in which Max Lord “touches” millions of people via a satellite broadcast. I feel like that whole scenario wasn’t entirely thought out.

Initially I wanted to give this movie 3.5 stars but the addon only supports whole numbers. Since I would consider watching this movie again I decided to go ahead and bump it up to 4 stars. I think Patty Jenkins did the best she could with the script she was given. I’m excited to see what she does for the Rogue Squadron movie; hopefully she will have better screenplay writers.

What did you think of Wonder Woman 1984?

film_reel“The screen is a magic medium. It has such power that it can retain interest as it conveys emotions and moods that no other art form can hope to tackle.”
– Stanley Kubrick

 

Biggs’ Top 5 Christmas Movies

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On December 5, 2020

In Biggs Top 5, Movies

Top 5 Christmas MoviesIt’s not a secret among my friends and family that Christmas is my favorite holiday. I love everything about Christmas. Therefore it makes sense for December to be the Top 5 Christmas movies. To keep things simple I’m ignoring the controversial Christmas movies: Nightmare Before Christmas and Die Hard.

I do love the Die Hard movies and I enjoy the humor of calling it a Christmas movie but this isn’t the time or place to discuss its merits as such. Nightmare Before Christmas has already made an appearance on a Top 5 list. The following Christmas movies are the ones I watch every year during the Christmas season (some more than once). So without further ado:

  1. White Christmas – an iconic Christmas movie starring the iconic yuletide crooner.
  2. Scrooged – this is an awesome retelling of the classic A Christmas Carol story.
  3. Home Alone – nothing says Christmas like a John Hughes Christmas classic.
  4. National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation – another John Hughes Christmas classic.
  5. How the Grinch Stole Christmas (1966) – Hollywood should stop remaking this; they can never do better than Boris Karloff.

Honorable Mentions

It was difficult to pick the top 5, just as it has been for several of the other Top 5 lists during this year. There are so many great Christmas movies from It’s a Wonderful Life to the 5 listed above. Don’t get me wrong, It’s a Wonderful Life is a … wonderful movie (see what I did there) but these are the honorable mentions that didn’t quite make the top five.

A Christmas Story is also a classic but seems to be a love-it-or-hate-it kind of movie. I have relatives that love this movie and will watch it’s 24-hour marathon on TNT every year on Christmas. I also have relatives that wish they never heard of Jean Shepherd; personally I don’t mind the movie and I’ll typically watch it at least once every year. It helps, I suppose, that I also grew up in northern Indiana.

A Christmas Carol (1951) is my favorite of the traditional version of this movie. There are so many versions of this film that its difficult to find a good one. Granted the muppet version is awesome but I still have to go with this version that stars Alastair Sim as Ebenezer Scrooge. If you haven’t seen this version, I would highly recommend you do.

Merry Christmas!

I Have Spoken!

 

Biggs’ Top 5 Martial Arts Movies

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On November 5, 2020

In Biggs Top 5, Movies

Top 5 Martial Arts MoviesI know November is Thanksgiving month but there really aren’t that many Thanksgiving themed movies (other than A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving). Therefore I’m going in a completely different direction; my top 5 martial arts movies. Apparently “Martial Arts” is not a recognized movie genre. They primarily fall under the “action/adventure” and even “comedy” genres. I find that disappointing. I’m such a fan of martial arts films, perhaps because I used to be in Taekwondo (in another life).

You will find that my favorite actors in martial arts films are Jackie Chan and Jet Li. Although you cannot ignore the godfather of martial arts movies, Bruce Lee. There is also the immortal Chuck Norris (who has SIX different black belts), Steven Seagal, Chow Yun-Fat, and Michelle Yeoh (to name a few more gifted martial artists). But I digress.

Here’s the list:

  • The Legend of Drunken Master – “Monkey drink master’s wine!”, probably my all time favorite martial arts (and Jackie Chan) film
  • Enter the Dragon – the most iconic Bruce Lee and martial arts movie. ever.
  • Shanghai Noon – I love the surrealism of Indians encountering an adept martial artist
  • Kiss of the Dragon – perhaps my favorite Jet Li movie
  • Rush Hour – I love the chemistry between Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker

Honorable Mentions

I have three honorable mentions this month. It could be argued that Hard Boiled is more of an action movie than martial arts. Chow Yun-Fat is fun and this movie has one of the longest action sequences completed in a single take. Martial arts movies typically do not get a lot of media attention. However, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon is actually a fairly renown movie. It’s over-the-top use of mid-air martial arts is really well done and really gives credence to it’s fantasy themes. Finally, Romeo Must Die is another one of my favorite Jet Li films. In fact I almost chose this for the top 5 instead of Kiss of the Dragon. The legend of the “kiss of the dragon” in the film is what won me over (similar to the “five point palm exploding heart technique” in Kill Bill).

On a final note; one question some may ask is: subtitles or dubbed? It depends on the movie. Most of Jackie Chan’s movies I watch dubbed (he voice dubs himself). Movies such as Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon or Brotherhood of the Wolf I watch with subtitles because that is how it was in the theaters.

(See last month’s Top 5)

I Have Spoken!

HMDYK About Keira Knightley

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On October 15, 2020

In HMDYK, Movies, Star Wars

Until Rey came along women were really underrepresented in Star Wars. Be that as it may, the female characters it does have are strong, fierce, and amazing characters. I could have picked one of those women like Leia, Amidala, or Jyn Erso but I like focusing on the underdogs. Those actors and actresses who are in smaller roles deserve some attention. This is why we are going to look at an underrated female character. How much do you know about Keira Knightley?

So not only is she the first female but, at 35, she’s also the youngest actor I’ve written about. While she has a minor role in Star Wars, her repertoire is far from obscure. She’s most frequently known as Elizabeth Swann in the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise. However, before we get too far into her filmography let’s talk about her role in Star Wars; specifically The Phantom Menace.

“This is my decoy, my protection, my loyal bodyguard”

Keira Knightley played Sabé, the handmaiden who was also the Queen’s decoy. I remember feeling confused when I first saw the movie; I went in knowing that Natalie Portman was playing the queen. Then you see Padme for the first time and you know that is Natalie Portman so either she’s playing two characters or the rumors lied and she’s the handmaiden. Coincidentally that is exactly what George Lucas was hoping to accomplish.

Keira Knightley was selected to play the decoy because of her striking resemblance to Natalie Portman. In fact, there were times during filming when even their mothers couldn’t tell them apart. I have watched the movie dozens of times now and sometimes I still play the “Is that Natalie or Is that Keira” game. While the past 20 years have been kind to both of them, I don’t think they look as much alike anymore. Either way, we thank you Sabé for protecting our queen and I’m glad it was Cordé instead of you at the beginning of Attack of the Clones.

More Than Decoys and Pirates

Throughout her career, she has been ranked in at least 14 sexist/hottest/glamourous women lists, and rightfully so as she is very attractive. In 2006 she said she plans to live exclusively in London and won’t move to L.A. to further her career in American films. She is married (in 2013) with two kids.

She has nearly 60 acting credits to her name and has been in some fairly iconic roles (other than Pirates of the Caribbean). She’s been in The Nutcracker and she is an excellent Elizabeth Bennett in Pride & Prejudice. I also really enjoyed her role as Guinevere in King Arthur; in which she endured a seven-month training session in preparation for the film. She is also brilliant in The Imitation Game.

She’s also done a couple of TV-series you might recognize. She was Lara in Doctor Zhivago, Rose in Oliver Twist and Tinkerbell in a series entitled Neverland. Despite having been in Star Wars and TV-series like Oliver Twist, it wasn’t until 2002 that she made her breakthrough in Bend It Like Beckham.

Is there anything about Keira Knightley that you find interesting that I didn’t mention?

/MTFBWY

Confronting fear is the destiny of the Jedi.

Biggs’ Top 5 Halloween Movies

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On October 5, 2020

In Biggs Top 5, Movies

Since its the October Top 5 it only makes sense that we choose the Top 5 Halloween Movies. I’m not talking about the Michael Myers Halloween franchise films but Halloween themed movies. In fact, there won’t be any horror or slasher movies on this list; I’m not really into the that genre of movies. I’ll be honest, I’m not really into Halloween. I don’t do the Haunted House thing. I barely decorate. We hand out candy and go trick-or-treating and that’s enough for me. Be that as it may, these movies are films I enjoy watching around this time either because they are fun and/or iconic; and here they are (in no particular order).

Honorable Mentions

The honorable mentions are probably two of the most iconic Halloween characters. While there are many variations of these movies, these are my favorite versions. Bram Stroker’s Dracula with Gary Oldman as the iconic vampire is a great movie with a killer cast (no pun intended) and an awesome director. The second honorable mention is Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, directed by and starring Kenneth Branagh and Rober De Niro as “The Creature”. In fact this is probably one of my favorite Rober De Niro roles.

One more quick note about another movie that really isn’t even in my top ten but has been getting a lot of social media buzz lately. Hocus Pocus is a quirky fun film. In fact I do have fond Halloween memories of watching this movie on broadcast television as a kid. However its not really a “go to” Halloween film for me.

(See last month’s Top 5)

I Have Spoken!

 

HMDYK About Voice Dubbing in Star Wars

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On September 8, 2020

In HMDYK, Movies, Star Wars

My motivation behind these posts is to shine a light on some of the unsung, underrated and/or under appreciated actors in the Star Wars universe. I feel like, somewhere in the mire of sequel trilogy discontent, so-called fans were whining about voice dubbing. Actually it might be The Mandalorian. While Pedro Pascal is credited as playing the Mandalorian, he isn’t always the man in the costume. It’s really quite hilarious to be critical of voice dubbing in Star Wars. If you’ve seen a picture of James Earl Jones then you know damn well that man did not squeeze his husky ass into that Darth Vader costume. Then it was during my previous post about Denis Lawson that I thought more about voice dubbing. Perhaps, instead of focusing on one individual for this topic, we take a look at a couple of these voice talents.

First A Few Exclusions

I’m going to exclude James Earl Jones. If you didn’t know he was the voice of Darth Vader then you don’t really know much about Star Wars. If you don’t know who he is, then go educate yourself. I’d start with Field of Dreams, The Sandlot and Patriot Games. David Prowse was the man in the suit during the original series. I’m also going to exclude Pedro Pascal. While he is somewhat of a new comer to the Star Wars universe, the attention The Mandalorian is getting will make him as big of a house hold name as Mark Hamill and … James Earl Jones 🙂

Lastly, I’m also going to exclude the animated series. While the voice talents of those in The Clones Wars, Rebels and Star Wars Resistance definitely deserve their 15 minutes, that is outside the scope of this post. I want to specifically focus on voice dubbing in live action film.

David Ankrum/Wedge Antilles

David AnkrumI figure I might as well start with the one I’ve already mentioned in HMDYK About Denis Lawson. This guy is pretty much a nobody. He had bit roles for 5 years prior to Star Wars. His recurring bit roles continued all through the 80’s. In fact, while looking into his roles I learned that there was an attempt at a Bewitched spin-off series called Tabitha. It only lasted for one season.

David wasn’t completely forgotten about though. In 2016, 40 years after voice dubbing Wedge in Star Wars, he was called back to do it again for Rogue One. He even gets to utter the phrase “May the Force Be With You”.

Jason Wingreen/Boba Fett

Jason Wingreen

There were many men to don the Mandalorian armor of Boba Fett but Jeremy Bulloch did it first. However it was Jason Wingreen that gave us his voice in Empire Strikes Back. While I’m sure nobody has heard of this guy but he has quite an extensive career. I almost feel like I should have given him an entire HMDYK post. His first credit, based on IMDB, was in 1955 but his notable roles, to me, were Harry Snowden from All In The Family and Judge Arthur Beaumont in Matlock. Sadly, Jason Wingreen passed away in 2015 at 95 years old.

Peter Serafinowicz/Darth Maul

Pretty much everyone knows that Darth Maul was portrayed by martial artist and Wushu master Ray Park. However, if you’ve ever heard Ray Park speak you know that Maul did not have that distinctive cockney accent. That’s because the voice of Darth Maul was provided by Peter Serafinowicz. Depending on your movie IQ that name may not ring any bells however I’m sure his face does. In fact I probably could have written an entire post for him as well.

You might know him as The Tick or perhaps as the pretentious Denarian Saal in Guardians of the Galaxy. He’s had his own comedy sketch series named after himself and written by his brother James. He’s also popped up in a few other places such as Parks and Recreation, Doctor Who, and the IT Crowd. I’m actually a fairly big fan of his work.

That’s about all I could find. Lucas is pretty big on using voice dubbing to get the right sound. Everyone knows I’m a big advocate and supporter for the prequel trilogy but IF I had to nitpick I’d say Hayden Christensen’s dialog is a little cringe-worthy. However his facial expressions, especially in Revenge of the Sith, are great as Anakin becomes Vader. In typical Lucas fashion, he should have chosen a voice dubbing for Hayden. Perhaps even Matt Lanter; but I digress.

/MTFBWY

Confronting fear is the destiny of the Jedi.

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