Mulan
And why not? Movie is still better paced, and has better music than Frozen. There’s also no opportunistic male betrayal casually thrown in as a lever to pry apart siblings. The message of culture being important but also needing to evolve has never been more important.
Kingsman: The Secret Service
Mark Millar’s casual douchery is more subdued here than in WANTED, and there are no peanut-butter-craving rats in this, so: WIN. The observations on class and entitlement were my favorite bits. The action was epic, and very few plot steps were nonsensical. Nice to see Sam Jackson doing something quirky, to boot.
Taken 3
Should have been taken back and shot. The Brian Mills character has gone from a security consultant to a Special Forces veteran with a top secret record. No longer a clever and resourceful beast of his own history, he now uses his cellphone in a stolen police cruiser to “hack the LAPD” while being chased. Also, after handling stepdads in the best light in the original movie, why fall prey to the lamest of clichés about them now? It was nice seeing Brian’s team step up and risk everything to help him, and the LA setting was well handled; otherwise, though: bleh.`
This is Spinäl Tap
Sorry I can’t get the umlaut on the “n” like a true fan would manage. This movie is still perfect. Watching Tap go through its various eras, mocking each of the music of the time is just so glorious. I enjoyed every minute.
Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows
I fell asleep. In fairness, this was 1:30AM for me, and I was having a rough flight, but for a Guy Ritchie movie, it was somehow a slog. Their take on Moriarty was interesting, but it doesn’t explain why Sherlock doesn’t just wetwork the Professor during their initial meet-up when he states that Watson’s family is also a planned target. I know I’m arguing logic in a movie with Cossacks who parkour but, hey.
