JUSTICE LEAGUE (2017)

Genre: Action / Adventure
Running Length: 2:01
Cast: Ben Affleck, Gal Gadot, Henry Cavill, Jason Momoa, Ray Fisher, Ezra Miller, Ciaran Hinds, Connie Nielsen, J.K. Simmons, Jeremy Irons, Diane Lane, Amy Adams, Joe Morton, Billy Crudup, Amber Heard
Director: Zack Snyder
Screenplay: Chris Terrio and Joss Whedon, based on a story by Zack Snyder and Chris Terrio

JUSTICE LEAGUE is a much better film than expected. I was expecting another CGI laden mindless carnage outing (which to be fair, it still has plenty of it) but surprisingly, it has heart. Well, it's much better than Avengers: Age of Ultron and even Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice.

What I really appreciated about this movie is the balance of action and the quieter moments between our superheroes. For those who are unaware, Justice League actually has two directors. Zack Snyder had to step aside due to a family tragedy and Joss Whedon stepped in to do some re-shoots. It almost seems that the grand action pieces and the signature visual flair was helmed by Snyder while the light-hearted moments were done by Whedon.

Hey, I'm not complaining because it somehow worked for me. And thankfully, there is flow and hardly any inconsistencies. As mentioned, it's the "slower" scenes that actually made the camaraderie between our heroes believable. And there are many of these and most of these moments have smart dialogue and is quite funny. And speaking of funny, I'm glad the filmmakers didn't do a course correction and amped-up the comedy because I actually do like the "dark" and seriousness of the DC movies, but all of it just lacked soul (except for Wonder Woman).

The "new" characters to the team namely Aquaman, The Flash and Cyborg could definitely have benefited if they had solo movies to explain their origins before this outing. One the film's best moment is when Wonder Woman reacted roughly to Batman when he mentioned her "dead boyfriend". That scene wouldn't have played out so powerfully if Wonder Woman didn't have a solo outing earlier this year.

Also, this movie has a very weak villain. Steppenwolf (a motion captured Ciaran Hinds) is not scary at all and is just another forgettable Big Bad Guy who wants to conquer the world. It seems the only reason he exists is to provide a catalyst to bring the Justice League together.

Lastly, I'm glad they brought back Danny Elfman to score the movie (replacing Hans Zimmer and Junkie XL). It's less bombastic and it goes back to basics drawing heavily from his own Batman (1989) theme as well as inserting hints of previous work of other composers. And I do very much dig Blues-rock guitarist Gary Clark Jr cover of the Beatles' Come Together. 

Overall, this film worked for me as I do like the characters. It's definitely a step in the right direction for the DC folks because I'm looking forward to see these superheroes on the big screen again, whether in their own films or as a team.

RATING: 7/10

BATMAN V SUPERMAN: DAWN OF JUSTICE

Genre: Action / Adventure
Running Length: 2:34
Cast: Ben Affleck, Henry Cavill,  Gal Gadot, Amy Adams, Jesse Eisenberg, Laurence Fishburne, Diane Lane, Jeremy Irons, Holly Hunter
Director: Zack Snyder
Screenplay: Chris Terrio and David S. Goyer

BATMAN V SUPERMAN wasn't bad. But it wasn't good either. It was just OK.

Snyder has always been a visual and cinematic director for me and this movie really crushes it in this department. It's a visual fest - it looks grim, apocalyptic and big. Even the action sequences are epic (actually, everything is turned up to 11 eg. the close up bullet shell slowly falling on to the ground. Wah...). But when it comes to character development, Snyder is unable to deliver. Both Batman and Superman ends up as avatars rather than fully developed characters.

Granted that the studio is rushing to push out Justice League but there were many missed opportunities in the movie to build these iconic characters. Instead, they chose to spend time on re-telling the origins of Batman (yet again) and dream sequences.

And the narrative is unnecessarily convoluted. Audiences expecting to experience a royal smack down would feel cheated. To be fair, the plot to establish the superheroes as rivals rather than buddies is flawed but interesting nevertheless.

There are two highlights for me. Ben Affleck as Batman and Gal Gadot's version of Wonder Woman. I would pay to watch Ben Affleck as the brutal detective in a standalone Batman. I thoroughly enjoyed his iteration of Batman and seeing him single handedly take down a group of henchman MMA style. And as for Wonder Woman, her entrance and the accompanying electric guitar riff  was just W.o.W. Yes, I would want to see her too in her own movie.

I definitely credit Snyder for being ambitious in his film. He wants us to see this film as more than a disposable popcorn flick by exploring "what if it happens in the real world" concerns - such as regulating the role of superheroes as protectors. But it's so poorly executed he should have just focused on the battle royale.

Rating: 6/10

INSIDE OUT (2015)

Genre: Animated
Running Length: 1:34
Cast: Amy Poehler, Phyllis Smith, Bill Hader, Lewis Black, Mindy Kaling, Richard Kind, Kaitlyn Dias, Diane Lane, Kyle MacLachlan
Director: Pete Docter & Ronaldo Del Carmen
Screenplay: Pete Docter, Meg LeFauve & Josh Cooley

INSIDE OUT is arguably one of the most original and complex animated movie ever produced by an American animated studio. And in terms of look and feel, this film actually resembles something out of a Studio Ghibli production (watch out for a scene which pays homage to My Neighbour Totoro). Looks like Pixar is back to form with their latest gamble as this film, just like any of their earlier productions, satisfies on multiple levels. It equally engages both adults and children - except for those under 6, judging by their restlessness in the cinema. Well, this is no Minions anyway.

Personally, I defined superior storytelling as the ability to easily connect with your audience with warm and sensitive language, speaking to them in human terms without sacrificing the reality and logic of the subject matter. And Inside Out fits right in there as it uses the personification of Emotions to explore themes of how an individual's personality is shaped and built on a foundation of memories.  Oh, it's not all serious and sad as it balances out perfectly with fun and joy.

If you've seen the movie trailer, you would have been introduced to the five Emotions character (Joy, Anger, Disgust, Fear and Sadness) in the setting of control room of sorts, living in the head of our protagonist. In actuality, the lion share of the narrative takes place outside of the control room where Joy and Sadness were accidentally ejected out far far away into another part of the brain and they need to quickly find their way back to restore balance. And thus, begins one of the most imaginative road trip ever where they meet different characters (eg. Bing Bong, our main character's one-time imaginary friend) and venture into different representations of our mind (dreams, subconsciousness etc).

From a visual perspective, it is beautifully rendered - it's colourful and vibrant. And the Emotions (and its perfect voice casting) have this shimmery and hand-drawn appearance to it which makes them very appealing. Perhaps it's because Joy reminds me of Tinker Bell.

Adult moviegoers will likely be moved by the bittersweet childhood memories the film will trigger. Indeed, in order to experience the completeness of life, we need a combination of emotions especially joy and sadness.

Rating: 8.5/10