Star Wars: The Rise Of Skywalker (2019) - Movie Review

Well, so much for thinking that Joker would be the most contentious cinematic release of 2019. Sure, the reactions to this one haven’t been nearly as alarmist, but for a film at the centre of one of the largest-waged fan wars of the last decade… is it just me or is no-one vibing with this? People who saw Last Jedi as a healthy direction for the franchise aren’t happy with it, people who thought Last Jedi was a betrayal of the series aren’t happy with it, and looking at the critical response, it is currently the second-worst reviewed entry in the series, only 3% higher than The Phantom Menace.

Add to that how fucking exhausting the discourse has been around this entire series, and quite frankly, I was dreading having to watch this. And in fairness, I can definitely see where its detractors are coming from… but I can also see why there’s quite a bit to like about it as well.

Child's Play (2019) - Movie Review

As I’m sure is the case for most people who have seen this film, I was mainly looking forward to it because it has Mark Hamill in it. For someone so insanely talented at voice-acting, it still feels like he’s going unappreciated for his work, and he’s pretty much the only person I could see filling Brad Dourif’s shoes as everyone’s favourite psychotic toy. However, while he is definitely a good fit for Chucky as one would expect, he’s been thrown a bit of a curveball because this isn’t the Chucky you might remember.

Star Wars: The Last Jedi (2017) - Movie Review

The plot: After a costly battle against the First Order, General Leia Organa (Carrie Fisher) tries to evacuate the Resistance fighters and get some distance between them and the First Order ships. In order to get away, former Stormtrooper Finn (John Boyega) and Resistance maintenance worker Rose (Kelly Marie Tran) have to go to a nearby planet to find someone capable of getting past a Star Destroyer's defences. Meanwhile, Rey (Daisy Ridley) has found Jedi Master Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) to teach her the ways of the Force. However, it seems that Luke’s past still haunts him and there’s only one thing he wants done in regards to the Jedi: He wants them to end.

Batman: The Killing Joke (2016) - Movie Review

Yep, it’s a Caped Crusader double-feature today as I look at yet another animated film about Batman. However, rather than being connected to the nostalgia of the 60’s, this is instead connected to the nostalgia of the 90’s with a production by Bruce Timm. The number of comic book fans that owe their entire childhoods to Timm is staggering, given he’s the man largely responsible for the modern DC animated universe starting with Batman: The Animated Series, considered by some to be the definitive depiction of the Batman universe. Not only that, this is an adaptation of a certified classic Batman story originally penned by Alan Moore, the man who also gave us the source material for Watchmen and V For Vendetta. Once again, we have an iteration with high hopes behind the scenes. But how does this compare to what we’ve already seen this year? How does it compare as a superhero film in its own right?

Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015) - Movie Review

Of any film that I’ve seen this year, along with the few that are still scheduled for the rest of the month, this is easily the one I was looking forward to the least. Partly because, all year, this film has been built up like a cinematic Second Coming and the advertising for it has been beyond obnoxious, both officially and through word-of-mouth. But also partly because I fall right in the middle in terms of my opinion on the Star Wars films.

I don’t love the original films: They’re still (mostly) good and Empire has definitely earned its place in sci-fi canon, but I don’t see them being quite as good as the rest of the world does. However, I also don’t hate the prequels: They definitely have their issues but, in terms of action and even some of the more dramatic moments, these all have their good points that have been widely ignored by history. Hell, as much hate that has been thrown at Jar-Jar Binks over the years, I still maintain that C-3PO is far more irritating and, as a racial stereotype, he pales in comparison to the wise old sage with squinty eyes that speaks in broken English that the world seems to kindly disregard. With all this in mind, I’m not exactly the best person to be seeing this movie; if I wasn’t obligated to watch everything that shows at my local, I probably would have just ignored this entirely. However, since I wouldn’t be doing my job with looking at easily the biggest release of the year, here I am.

Kingsman: The Secret Service (2015) - Movie Review

'Mark Millar' and 'movie adaptation' have a very odd relationship with each other: While the films adapted from his work are mostly good, they take a lot of liberties with the source material. Kick-Ass, through its re-writing of Big Daddy's character, completely shifted the tone of the film and made it a lot less bleak which actually worked to the film’s benefit. Wanted, save for the main character’s abilities and backstory, has pretty much nothing else to do with the original book, a definite shame given its initial premise. Since Millar and director Matthew Vaughn struck gold before with Kick-Ass, it would make sense that he would also bring his book The Secret Service to the big screen. It doesn’t hurt that Vaughn was co-plotter on the original book as well.