Fish and Cherries Productions

The Amazing Spider-Man 2 is a mixed bag of varying qualities. On the one hand, it continued the previous movie’s tradition of giving Spider-Man the humor that the previous film series was sorely lacking, some of the music (particularly Electro’s theme) is quite cool, and the stuff between Peter and Gwen really feels genuine at times. On the other hand, the script has a lot of shortcomings, there was a little too much going on to feel complete, the villains’ motivations (save for Harry Osborn) are really weak, and the reveal of Richard Parker’s secret that the trailers have hyped up so much was a real letdown. On top of that, the more I think about it, the more I realize that the movie doesn’t do a good job of portraying foreigners, as the Russian Rhino and the German Dr. Kafka turn in laughably cartoonish performances that would probably tick me off were I a native of any of those countries. If you were wondering if there was a stinger after the credits, there is… for the upcoming X-Men movie, which makes its placement here absolutely baffling. Despite some really good stuff here and there, I wouldn’t go see it again. The best adaptation of Spider-Man to date was Greg Weisman’s Spectacular Spider-Man and this movie doesn’t even come close to capturing its brilliance. It is worth noting, however, that the series was canceled before its time to allow this movie franchise to exist, so take some time to mull on that for a bit.

The Grand Budapest Hotel is a wonderfully quirky experience that left me smiling. Apart from the witty humor and dialogue, a big part of the charm is that the film keeps reminding you that it’s a story. A few of the backdrops are clearly beautiful paintings, a bit of the narration acts like the non-dialogue text of a book, a lot of the colors are so vibrant that no one would dare use them in any real establishment, and the film’s aspect ratio changes depending on when the scene takes place. The atmosphere and humor itself are delightfully quirky and there are even some dark comedy moments that never feel out of place or mean-spirited. The only nitpick I have is that none of the actors, whose characters hail from Europe or the Middle East, even attempt an accent and it’s a little distracting at times. However, the end result is a great film which brings an air of class and poetry that has been sorely missing from cinema lately.

Noah took me by complete surprise and wound up being better and more engaging than I was expecting, though not without its problems. I dare say that it’s one of the better biblical films to come out in modern cinema. This comes from the fact that, rather than shoving faith or biases down people’s throats like other films, this takes advantage of its biblical roots and makes the setting truly epic. The miracles are awe-inspiring, the wrath of God (referred to in the movie only as “The Creator”) is terrifying, and it even draws on its Old Testament roots by having fallen angels wander the earth in the form of rock monsters and small forms of what I can only be described as magic happening every day. Actually, as a bible movie, it actually comes off as very subversive, as a narration about the creation of everything in six days is juxtaposed against the Big Bang and the scientific formation of the Earth and landmasses with a huge implication that evolution actually happened. But the biggest shocker is when this movie turns around in the third act and takes an outright swipe at blind faith and claiming to follow the message of God when you don’t understand the true message! (Gee, that sound familiar, doesn’t it?) Like I said, though, it has its share of faults too. The movie has a bit of heavy-handedness by having all the wicked ones eat meat, some of the dialogue can be stilted coupled with some melodramatic acting, certain plot points can be predicted a mile away, the women in the film don’t get a lot of agency, and there are some standard plot holes that come with most early bible stories present (if Adam and Eve only had sons, who did they marry and where did they come from). It’s for these reasons that I don’t know if I see this becoming a biblical classic for the ages like Ben-Hur or even Monty Python’s Life of Brian, but I can definitely say that it’s worth watching. It definitely doesn’t deserve to be brushed aside for just being a Bible film and I would actually recommend it to religious and non-religious equally. And if you find yourself getting offended by this movie, then I would suggest that you take a step back and make sure you’re really understanding the plan.

Captain America: The Winter Soldier is a thrilling action movie and a great addition to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The thing I’m discovering is that each of the mini franchises in the MCU corners a certain niche that they excel at and the Captain America series’ niche is drama and heartbreak. Apart from some very strong 9/11 parallels that this movie touches upon, the characters of the Winter Soldier and Falcon are welcome additions to the world and there is a very strong theme of control vs. rogue elements running through multiple layers of the story. If I had to pick something to complain about, it’s that I found the shaky cam a bit distracting during some of the fight scenes and some of the male gaze scenes on Natasha were a little blatant. However, for the last one, you could argue that they were from Steve’s perspective and that there was an equal amount of female gaze shots present. Besides, both are minor nitpicks in what is arguably the second best film in the franchise and an absolute must-see.

Muppets Most Wanted is by no means a bad film, but it has its share of serious flaws. Apart from parts of the plot feeling very contrived and the Muppets feeling out of focus for the first half of their own movie, the tone is really dark for a Muppet movies, the parts where they move via strings or special effects dip into the uncanny valley, and quite a few of the jokes towards the Interpol officer feel very mean-spirited. However, quite a few of the positive notes are really good. The songs stand out, especially the Interrogation Song, the fourth wall jokes are spot on, there were some really clever moments in the humor and the writing, and the stuff where the Muppets play an important role is pretty engaging. On the whole, though, I feel a little let down, especially since the previous movie was so good and uplifting. It’s worth a watch, but I’d give it a matinee or a rental.

Okay, so after sitting on this piece for a little bit, my opinion on the movie has softened quite a bit. This is mainly because the good parts of the movie have stayed with me and stand out in my memory really vividly. I still think it’s a bit dark for a Muppet movie, but the good stuff was still good fun.

Waitress can definitely be described as a good movie, but that doesn’t get across how uncomfortable the experience is. Throughout the movie, you’re taken on an emotional roller coaster of a woman dealing with a pregnancy from an abusive husband. You’re made to feel all of those emotions that she does and not all of those are pretty. One big plus for this feature is that all of the characters, especially the male ones, are three-dimensional. However, three-dimensional doesn’t necessarily mean they’re likable, especially in the case of the husband Earl, who has an incredibly disturbed psyche. However, the ending is incredibly sweet and will make all the bitterness before completely worth it and is satisfying to boot. If you have emotional triggers linked to abuse or adultery, approach this movie with caution. But if you do watch it, and most of you should, then have some pie on standby because this movie will definitely make you crave pie.

The Muppets is a movie that’s very odd for me to talk about, since I really liked it and yet still found it incredibly cheesy. And that was probably the whole point. Also, Chris Cooper raps. There exists a page on TV Tropes called Sweet Dreams Fuel for works that will put people in a good mood and make them feel great inside, which describes this movie perfectly. The sets and costumes are bright, colorful, and inviting, the entire cast plays well off of each other, and the villain, played by Chris Cooper, is cheesy and over the top while still being effectual. And he raps. There’s two ways to look at this movie. The first is as the anti-Ted; both have a human and a stuffed being living together in a state of arrested development that perturbs the human’s lady love, but not only is it a lot less raunchy and cynical than Ted, but in this case, it’s more of the stuffed guy’s journey that acts as the pivotal point for their relationship to work. Another is as a meta commentary of the Muppet phenomenon as a whole; in the modern day of the movie (as well as real life), the Muppets have fallen out of favor in the public eye and they have to put on a performance to try and win back the crowd and see if they can get enough money to keep their name alive. Taken out of context, that could easily describe the stakes of the movie itself. In which Chris Cooper raps. Apart from that, I don’t know what else to say. It’s the Muppets. It’s got songs, it’s got really witty humor, it’s got celebrity guests like you wouldn’t believe, it’s got everything that put the Muppets on the map in the first place. And it’s got Chris Cooper rapping. So after all is said and done, especially after the reprise of The Rainbow Connection brought actual tears to my eyes (something very few movies have achieved), I can’t give anything but a glowing recommendation.

Seriously, though, why did Chris Cooper rap? And why did I not know that I needed that in my life until now?

SPOILER WARNING

Man of Steel was complete garbage and one of the most joyless experiences I’ve ever experienced in the theater. It goes against everything that the Superman character stands for and doesn’t even have the intelligence to realize that it isn’t an intelligent redesign. Almost everything is wrong with this film, from the script to the washed out pallet to its failed attempts at being “mature” to the fact that Superman, the ultimate hero of our time, saves no one and actually causes more destruction than the villains. The fact that Superman actually kills General Zod doesn’t help either, not only because it’s a betrayal of the character, but because there were any number of ways that he could have solved that problem, like flying away or sending him back to the Phantom Zone earlier. Hell, the entire movie runs an idiot plot because Zod could have just made the new Krypton on Mars or Venus and never would have had to fight anyone. And Jonathan Kent, Superman’s moral center growing up, suggesting that it might be acceptable to let a bus full of children die when he could have done something about it? If I may drop the pretense of professionalism for a bit…

FFFFFUUUUUUUUUUUUUCCCKK
YOOOOOOOOOOOUUUUUUUUU!!!!!!!!!!

There is nothing to be gained from watching this cinematic stillbirth except the growing realization that you wasted good money and hours of your time. This has officially set my new standard for bad movies. It’s drab, it’s depressing, it’s downright worthless. And do you want to know what the real kicker is? I never knew how much I cared about Superman until I saw him butchered on the big screen.

Saving Mr. Banks is a very moving piece that nearly brought me to tears. I have no doubt that several aspects of the story are romanticized as is expected of Disney’s films that are based on true stories, but that did not stop it from hitting a lot of the right notes. The cast is brilliant, especially Emma Thompson as P.L. Travers and Tom Hanks as Walt Disney, but I personally give credit to Jason Schwartzman and B.J. Novak as the Sherman brothers, which is a fun little cameo for anyone who knows enough Disney history. Whether the film is Oscar-worthy or not is up for debate, but any film that tugs at your heartstrings this much is definitely worth a recommendation.

Frozen is not only an enjoyable movie to sit through, but an amazing one to appreciate afterwards, which is surprising given the horrendous advertisements for it. This movie manages to completely subvert the Disney Princess formula that we have all come to expect, setting the standard for future generations. The animation is the best and most subtle I have ever seen, the songs are great and memorable, and the dialogue is sharp and witty. The only slight downside is that the comic relief feels a little out of place at times, but even then, there is still enough wit to them to still be enjoyable. I would honestly recommend this to everyone: fans of Disney, people who are sick of the Disney Princess formula, people who have never seen a Disney movie before. If it does not win best animated film at the Oscars, I will be very, very surprised.

EDIT: CALLED IT!