MovieWarfare

  I absolutely adored the first Knives Out which is why I was looking forward to the sequel Glass Onion. This doesn’t flip the whodunit genre on its head like the first one but it does tell a very entertaining whodunit film. When compared to the first Knives out, it starts very slowly and unfortunately doesn’t have as strong an ending either. It is also lacking in the creative editing and cinematography of the first film. Even though this film has the same editor and cinematographer as the first film. However, the cast is outstanding! They all did a great job playing over-the-top archetypes of rich people. I also thoroughly enjoyed the mystery itself, which constantly kept me guessing. While this tackles terrible rich people again, it does explore it differently. It shows how Miles Bron’s (Edward Norton) billionaire nature can have a grip on people and the mistrust it can cause. Likewise, it continues to have fun, witty dialogue and a great musical score that I loved...

  Strange World has stunning visuals with its otherworldly design and amazing animation. The world itself is very vibrant and the creature designs are lovable yet creepy. However, it doesn’t matter how good it looks if the story itself is mediocre. Unfortunately, Strange World has a bland and forgettable story that has a meaningful message with poor execution. It doesn’t help that the characters aren’t super memorable or even likeable at times. Ethan (the grandson) is such an annoying character who does dumb reckless things yet is never punished in any way for his choices. It’s ridiculous as other characters who are flawed, learn from it and grow to be better. Ethan never learns anything and is just rewarded for being an absolute nuisance! Kids might like this but it’s definitely not going to be remembered. What a let down…

  It’s dumb fun and that is perfectly fine. David Harbour “kills it” as Santa Clause!

The Fabelmans is a semi-autobiographical based on Steven Spielberg. Funny enough it is also directed by Steven Spielberg. I haven’t ever seen a biopic story that is also directed by the person the story is about. That interested me a lot but knowing it was about the legendary director Steven Spielberg is what made me want to watch it. Is the movie an overly self-indulgent semi-biopic, or does Steven continue to show why he is such a great director? The film is such an interesting piece as the characters themselves are fictional but based on real people. For example, the character that is meant to represent Spielberg is named Samuel “Sammy” Fabelman (Gabriel LaBelle). What I appreciate is that Steven doesn’t shy away from the flaws of the character representing him. Sammy is very passionate about filmmaking but he loves it so much that he puts it above his own family. His conflict is trying to pursue his passion while his family is tearing apart. On that note, there is a ...

  I remember watching “The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent (2022)” and the character played by Pedro Pascal says that Paddington 2 is one of the best films ever. He is right… It is rare to have a family movie as well written as this one. It is rare to have a family movie as beautifully directed as this one. It is rare to have a family movie as phenomenally acted as this one. It is rare to have a family movie as wonderfully crafted and designed as this one. It is rare to have a family movie as charming and meaningful as this one. Special shoutout to Hugh Grant’s eccentric performance and Brendan Gleeson for how he says “MARMALADE”. This film is an amazing sequel that can bring a tear to one’s eye, even to adults.

  Paddington is a classic children’s literature from the 50s. It also had an animation series in the late 70s. One issue when updating it for a modern audience is that it can lose a lot of its original identity. However, this isn’t the case with Paddington. Paddington is full of heart and magic thanks to the great CGI and design of Paddington. It feels like he is there interacting with the family. Paddington is also a lovely main character and his bond with the family is very sweet. Seeing him try to find a home is such a relevant theme for kids and adults. The colour and visuals are very vibrant but the director uses that to help tell the story too. The gags are genuinely funny, the message is endearing and there are wonderful performances from everyone. I especially enjoyed seeing Nicole Kidman as a villain. Overall, a very magical and charming movie for the whole family. Marmalade can get you out of every situation!

  In 2009, I watched Avatar, the $2 billion movie that used the papyrus font as its logo, in IMAX 3D. It was a wild experience as I have never seen such amazing CGI in a film. James Cameron, the director, then announced he was making 3-4 sequels to Avatar which was kind of baffling. 13 years later, we finally get a sequel. Was the sequel worth the wait? Firstly, the visuals of this movie are somehow even more amazing than the first film. The forest of Pandora looks more stunning than it did 13 years ago; the advance in technology is very evident. The scenes in the water look gorgeous and so real that it’s hard to believe it is CGI at times. One thing with the first movie was that it felt like live-action people were in a green screen room. Avatar: The Way of Water is mostly CGI with live-action blended in. We see live-action characters move in the same scene as CGI characters and interact with one another like living beings. It didn’t give that green-screen feeling, w...

  What interested me most about watching this film was that it was WWI, which we don’t see as much in films compared to WWII, and the fact it was from the German side instead. What stands out the most is the amazing production value. The set design, the costumes and the setpieces are all phenomenal. They perfectly portray the horrific, dirty and brutal nature of the war. The actors are all great in their roles as well. Felix Kammerer plays the main character, Paul Bäumer, and he gives a terrific performance in showing Paul’s gradual loss of idealism throughout the movie. The cinematography by James Friend is oddly beautiful with some gorgeous wide shots that contrast the closeup shots of the War with its grimness. The music score by Volker Bertelmann is quite odd as well with its sudden thumping horns but they work in elevating the tension by foreboding what’s coming. My only complaint is that the film is quite predictable. It goes through every trope you would expec...

  Black Adam is the 11th film in the DC cinematic universe. There is a weird trend of turning comic book villains into anti-heroes in their solo movies e.g. Venom and Morbius. I would’ve preferred having Black Adam be a villain in a Shazam movie before getting his own movie but here we are. It was promised that it will change the hierarchy of the DC universe but does it? The biggest enjoyment I got out of this movie was the action sequences. The most memorable sequence in the entire film is the fight between Black Adam and the Justice Society. It is choreographed well and visually entertaining. The other action sequences are never as good as that one and the director does overuse slow-mo to a ridiculous degree. Nevertheless, they are still fun to watch. On that note, I enjoyed the Justice Society in this movie. The way Dr Fate and Cyclone are animated is visually awesome. Their costumes are also great, I especially love the design of Dr Fate and Hawkman. I think the ...