AVENGERS: ENDGAME

Release Date: Malaysia, 24 Apr 2019

Genre: Action / Adventure

Running Length: 3:01

Cast: Robert Downey Jr., Jeremy Renner, Paul Rudd, Brie Larson, Bradley Cooper, Scarlett Johansson, Josh Brolin, Karen Gillan, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Hemsworth, Chris Evans, Don Cheadle

Director: Joe Russo, Anthony Russo 

Screenplay: Christopher Markus & Stephen McFeely 

WARNING: Eventhough this is a spoiler-free review, I would still recommend you to turn away if you've not watched Avengers: Endgame and especially the last movie Avengers: Infinity War as I'll be making references to the events that happened in Infinity War. If you want a full-on 100% spoiler-free experience, avoid any sort of reviews, commentaries and even crowded places. 

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Still here? Ok, you've been warned. 

AVENGERS: END GAME picks up almost immediately after the devastating events of Avengers: Infinity War. With whoever is left, the Avenger assemble once more in an attempt to undo Thanos' actions. 

"Whatever it takes"

The story structure to this film is clearly broken into 3 parts. 

1. The first one showcases whatever's left of our superheroes; all of them tries to move on with their lives but just can't.    
2. The second part focuses on our superheroes trying to undo what Thanos did.
3. The showdown. This part deals with the consequences of trying to undo what Thanos did.   

I like the first two parts because it feels like a drama. Our heroes are the most "human" here instead of the usual explosions and fights. I've not seen anything like this in any of the MCU movies. It's moving and affecting thanks to the performances of our ensemble cast, especially from the original Avengers.  

The usual signature random funny scenes are present here thanks to The Hulk, Thor, Ant-Man and Don Cheadle's War Machine but overall, the atmosphere of this movie is bleak.

I also like the approach that the filmmakers took for the middle section of the movie. Let's just say it feels like a "Best Of" episode but with a fresh take on it.  

"Why so serious?"

Did the filmmakers take any risk in this outing in comparison to the last one? Yes, they did. 

Although not as "shock-to-the-system" impactful as Infinity War, but this movie still carries an emotional punch to the gut. In fact, I was "punched" a few times. 

Overall, comparing the two latest Avengers movies, Infinity War has a stronger narrative and is more focused. The stakes felt really high. Endgame does a good job in mixing the quieter dramatic elements with big special effects sequences but there are some pacing issues here and there, and a few things to nitpick. Also, I had a lot of questions after the film but thankfully (don't click if you've not seen the movie!) I got most of the answers from this link. 

In conclusion, Avengers: Endgame is a super satisfying ending for me that has the right balance of closure and setup for future installments for some characters. 

RATING: 9/10 

(this "9" is a shade lower than the "9" I gave for Infinity War)

SICARIO: DAY OF THE SALDADO (Malaysia, 28 Jun 2018)

Genre: Thriller

Running Length: 2:02

Cast: Benicio Del Toro, Josh Brolin, Isabela Moner, Jeffrey Donovan, Catherine Keener, Matthew Modine, Elijah Rodriguez, David Castañeda  

Director: Stefano Sollima 

Screenplay: Taylor Sheridan

What's this movie about?

The cartels are smuggling terrorists across the US border. FBI agent Matt Graver (Josh Brolin) is ordered to assemble his team, including Alejandro (Benicio Del Toro) to instigate a cartel war to disrupt such operations. Of course, nothing goes right and very quickly, sh*t hits the fan. 

(SICARIO: DAY OF THE SOLDADO stands on its own. One does not require to have seen the first film Sicario, but by understanding the background of Graver and Alejandro it would help viewers to have a better appreciation for the series) 

Highlights!

• Expanding the Sicario universe. Rather than the lazy rinse and repeat approach to sequels, I like what returning writer Taylor Sheridan did here - exposing a whole other facet of the drug and human trafficking war among the cartels that wasn’t explored in the first. The first film felt small while this one seems much bigger.  
• The realistic violence. Eventhough the trailer markets this film as an action film, the violence here are not the same as that genre. No heroic slo-mo gun play. The 'action sequences' are so well crafted it makes you feel that you're right there and the violence is usually quick, brutal and efficient.  
• Same look and feel. Eventhough the original super trio (Director Denis Villeneuve, cinematographer Roger Deakins and composer Jóhann Jóhannsson - RIP) were not involved in this sequel, it still looks and feels the same. This movie maintains a lurking sense of dread with some unbearable moments of intensity.
• The performances of Josh Brolin and Benicio Del Toro. Both Brolin's 'do whatever-it-takes' character and Del Toro's character are more fleshed out this round. There's one scene where Del Toro's character used sign language to reveal a little bit of his background - that quiet moment was heartbreaking. 

Lowlights

• The ending bit. I would have preferred a bleak ending where redemption is not possible for certain characters.  
• The casting of Catherine Keener and Matthew Modine. Their performance is serviceable here but distracting. It would have been better to cast lesser known actors.

In summary

Eventhough DAY OF THE SOLDADO didn't deliver a gut-punch ending as what Sicario did, it’s a worthy follow-up delivered from the perspective of the ugly world of international politics and male aggression. 

RATING: 8.5/10

DEADPOOL 2 (Malaysia, 17 May 2018)

Genre: Action / Comedy
Running Length: 2:00
Cast: Ryan Reynolds, Josh Brolin, Julian Dennison, Zazie Beetz, Morena Baccarin, T.J. Miller,  Stefan Kapicic, Karan Soni, Leslie Uggams
Director: David Leitch
Screenplay: Rhett Reese & Paul Wernick & Ryan Reynolds

What's this movie about?

Mercenary Wade Wilson aka Deadpool, recruits a team of folks with supernatural abilities to protect a young mutant boy from a time-traveling cyborg, Cable. Sounds like Terminator, isn't it? 

Highlights!

• Not serious/serious approach. It doesn't take itself seriously, even when serious things happen especially the first and last 15 minutes of the movie. It delivers the seriousness and even tenderness of certain moments but in a funny Deadpool way. 
• The side characters. The middle act where Deadpool recruits a bunch of misfits and thereafter followed by parachute drop scene = highlight of the entire movie!
• The soundtrack. The intentionally mismatched use of songs for some scenes (eg. using a hopeful song during a bleak moment) really makes those moments memorable especially a super slo-mo scene.  

Lowlights

• Overly produced action scenes. Too long = boring
• Uneven comedy. Like most comedy movies, some will land and some won't. But there are some one-joke concept that keeps going it overstays its welcome. However, the movie redeems itself with its end-credit scenes (that's a particular one which had me in stitches!) 

In summary

I enjoyed DEADPOOL 2 much more than the first outing . I felt this one has got a more complete story, whereas the first one was just a series of gags and one-liners.

RATING: 7/10

AVENGERS: INFINITY WAR (Malaysia, 25 Apr 2018)

Genre: Action / Adventure
Running Length: 2:29
Cast:  Robert Downey Jr., Chris Hemsworth, Chris Evans, Josh Brolin, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Pratt, Scarlett Johansson, Benedict Cumberbatch, Zoe Saldana, Tom Holland, Chadwick Boseman, Bradley Cooper, Paul Bettany, Elizabeth Olsen, Don Cheadle, Karen Gillan, Tom Hiddleston, Anthony Mackie, Sebastian Stan, Benedict Wong, Pom Klementieff, Dave Bautista
Director: Joe Russo, Anthony Russo
Screenplay:Christopher Markus & Stephen McFeely

Passage taken from the Scriptures regarding the Rapture:

"Two men will be in the field; one will be taken and the other left. Two women will be grinding with a hand mill; one will be taken and the other left. Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come."  Matthew 24:40-42

Indeed AVENGERS: INFINITY WAR was a spiritual experience for me! It felt like watching Armageddon unfold in-front of me, where the conflicts and battles are of Godly proportions. And the lives of the human race and other beings in the universe are at stake as our heroes are running out of time to save them.

What's this movie about?

Earth's mightiest heroes and other heroes from the galaxy have to team-up to prevent Thanos (Josh Brolin) from acquiring five infinity stones; which, if united, will give him so much power he could wreck the entire universe with the snap of his fingers.

What I like about this movie?

• The wait (10 years in the making) was worth it! This overall film is just one big satisfying climax. 
• Thanos. A protagonist is only as good as the antagonist. To me, this is actually Thanos' movie. He is not your traditional big bad villain who's out for power and dominion as his higher calling for his madness is definitely debatable. He's like this tragic Shakespearean figure. He's way more complex than what we've seen in the trailers. Brolin's performance here is very memorable. 
• The danger is real. I was complaining that Captain America: Civil War had no consequences whatsoever. Despite the massive trashing and bashing, no one really died. But in this movie, there are major deaths right from the start (kinda reminds me of the animated motion picture Transformers opening scene) and it sets the tone for the entire movie. Whenever Thanos appears, you know sh t is going to happen.
• The continuity is excellent. All the superheroes from Thor to the Guardians of the Galaxy carried the same style they had embodied in their standalone movies. These characters just picked up smoothly where they left off. The Russo brothers deserve high praises to be able to juggle all the different characters in this mammoth of a movie while still maintaining their unique personalities. 
• The pairing choices. It's a brilliant decision by the filmmakers to put different characters in a few core groups and sending them off in their own mini missions before getting them all back together. The choice of which hero to pair with whom made a lot of difference. For example, the banter of the egos between Iron Man (Downey Jr) and Doctor Strange (Cumberbatch) was fun to watch. 
• The battle scenes. In most Hollywood movies, one can't really see the fight scenes with all the shaky and stylistic camera work. But in this movie, you can clearly see what's going on.
• Balance. There seems to be a good balance of almost everything; a solemn mood with fun bantering, loud mindless battle scenes with quieter dramatic moments. 
• The surprising ending. There was no evil "ha ha ha" gloating. Just like that, it was all over. 

What I didn't like?

• There isn't much actually except perhaps knowing that this is a comic book movie after all. I just hope the filmmakers don't undo much of the satisfying and ballsy ending of this film in the as-of-yet unnamed "Infinity War" sequel (2019).
• Okay maybe one more. I'm sure some audience who doesn't know much about the MCU (Marvel Cinematic Universe) movies could still follow what's going on but I think they will be bored out of their mind as half of the time, they would be wondering who's who. But this film was made for the fans or at least for movie goers like me who have been following the MCU movies. 

Despite being filmed simultaneously with the sequel, Avengers: Infinity War doesn’t feel like half a movie like Hunger Games or Harry Potter. Eventhough not much is resolved, it still feels like a complete movie. One thing’s for sure, I'm eagerly anticipating the sequel!

RATING: 9/10 

EVEREST (2015)

Genre: Adventure/Drama
Running Length: 2:01
Cast: Jason Clarke, Josh Brolin, John Hawkes, Jake Gyllenhaal, Emily Watson, Kiera Knightley, Michael Kelly, Naoko Mori, Sam Worthington
Director: Baltasar Kormakur
Screenplay: William Nicholson and Simon Beaufoy

"Mother Nature may be forgiving this year, or next year, but eventually she's going to come around and whack you." Geraldo Rivera 

 

Do not be tricked into thinking that EVEREST will leave you breathless with stunning visuals and edge-of-your-seat suspense. At least that's what the trailer attempts to communicate. This is no Cliffhanger action adventure movie. Yes, the visual of Mount Everest is majestic, but this movie is more of a man-versus-nature genre. The film reminds us again that mother nature doesn't care about heroism, kindness, friendship, your family or your pregnant wife. She doesn't play by the rules.

 

Based on a true story, this film chronologized a group of climbers' expedition to the mountain's summit in 1996. Of course, not everyone made it down safely. So if you've no prior background to what really happened (who made it, and who didn't), please leave it that way when you walk into the cinema. The emotional payout will be better. 

 

And speaking of that, this movie needs to be experienced on the big screen and not on TV or worse, a tablet/phone. As good as the top notch cast are (given that their characters are fairly one-dimensional), the true stars of the movie are the director of photography, the visual effects people and of course, the mountain ranges. Audience will certainly feel like they are right there, experiencing the somber tragedy of the mountain slowly becoming the executioner and tomb for certain climbers. Although I caught the movie on the normal 2-D version, I'm pretty sure the IMAX 3D version would be more immersive.

 

As one of the characters in the movie said, "The mountain will always have the last say". 

 

Rating: 8/10

SICARIO (2015)

Genre: Action/Drama
Running Length: 2:01
Cast: Emily Blunt, Josh Brolin, Benicio Del Toro, Daniel Kaluuya, Jon Bernthal, Victor Garber
Director: Denis Villeneuve
Screenplay: Taylor Sheridan

SICARIO is an intense take on the drug cartel. It is gripping and tension-filled. The violence is shockingly realistic but not gratuitous. (In Spanish, "sicario" means "hitman")

This movie tells a story of an idealistic by-the-book FBI agent (Blunt) who is recruited by a shady government operative led by an equally shadowy character (Brolin). Their ambitious mission is to take down a drug lord in Mexico. Blunt's character is brought into the plan for reasons she's unclear of. The audience is kept in the dark too as the plot slowly unveils its grand plan leading to a violent and brutal conclusion.

From a technical standpoint, I'm always intrigued with movies which are able to drum up an atmosphere of dread from get go. In this case, it's because of the perfect synergy of Villeneuve's impeccable direction, tight editing, superb cinematography and the bass-heavy score. There is an action sequence 1/3 into the movie which was so intense the guy sitting next to me in the cinema hall pulled his legs towards his chest.

In terms of performance, as good as Blunt is, the show belongs to Del Toro. He crushes it as a middle-aged merciless gunman. He steals every scene he's in. The rest of the supporting cast is equally solid. 

Although it has the thrills of an action flick, the heart of this film is actually a drama which takes place in a world of grey, where our protagonist is faced with difficult decisions which would compromise her moral values. I was hoping it would focus more on the latter like what Villeneuve's did in his last film Prisoners, but somehow the end results didn't give me a satisfying emotional punch in the gut. Nevertheless, Sicario stands apart as one of the best action drama movies I've seen.

Rating: 8.5/10