(film review) - Transformers: Rise of the Beasts

You know what is really wild to me? This movie coming to an end and I was smiling from ear to ear gassed about what I had just watched (for context, to be gassed, is to be excited). I mean, I had watched the trailer and given the trailer high praise. As I said in my trailer review "...Michael Bay took my childhood cartoons and ruined them..." (I guess I was also referring to the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles films too, as he was a producer on them). Although Michael Bay was also a producer of the 2018's Bumblebee movie (It should have been called 'Transformers: Bumblebee'), I am guessing he did not meddle with that one because that movie was far better than the previous Transformers movies and it is quite possible, he learned from possibly poking his nose in where it did not belong for TMNT. The Bumblebee movie was really good and I was hoping for more...and it looks like we have got it, Transformers: Rise of the Beasts, and for me, it did not disappoint!

Noah, an ex-military electronics expert is trying to get by and support his family, but when he decides to take on a risky job for his friend Reek, Noah is catapulted into a world of robots in disguise who have learned of a planet-eating alien seeking to devour Earth. Noah must join the Autobots to help save the planet, even if it means joining up with the Maximals.

I will start with the negatives first. The Music. Do not get me wrong, the music was fantastic and there was a moment towards the end of the movie where a certain song came on and the scene was simply perfect. I was smiling so hard, enjoying the moment way too much for a Transformers movie. The special effects, in places; not great. This might be due to the budget Steven was given but in a couple of places, it seemed very 'green screen'. The nostalgia factor. Where this movie is set in the 90s I am not sure, if the movie came out in the 90s the film would have simply felt like it fit in with the times we are "currently in", but as I grew up through that time and we are currently out of that time, some 30 years ago, I felt that the 90s influence was somewhat heavy-handed. Not as heavy-handed as Captain Marvel, but I just felt like it was just a tad too much nostalgia for me. The Humans. Nobody cares about them. Nobody wants them in a Transformers movie. They get in the way, they do dumb things and for the most part, they are simply there to also help hold the audience's hand for exposition. On top of that, they are also there to help keep what would be a special effects-heavy movie, costs down, but for the most part, the humans were not terrible, they help bring a little humour and help ground the movie.

The positives, loads! The story was a simple one; bad guy coming to do bad things, so the relatable [human] good guy teams up with unknown [robotic] good guys to help stop the [robotic] bad guy from succeeding, nothing new right? But I will say, Steven handled the franchise with care. I never watched Beast Wars nor did I care for it, but seeing these animals looked absolutely great. The size of the Autobots and the size of the Maximals compared to humans is staggering. They all just looked great and very well realised. The Music, although sounding like a 90s best hip-hop hits album, was really good. The irony of going to the cinema to watch this movie on this occasion for me was, whilst a song from a band is currently playing in the movie, the very same band is currently at the same complex I am in and likely performing, had performed or due to perform the very same song I am currently listening to. Trippy. All the music pieces were a great fit, but I do think it was a little heavy-handed as a lot of the music was back-to-back-to-back. The fighting scenes. Whilst I ultimately did not get what I wanted (and I will not mention or allude to it due to spoilers), the fighting scenes were really good. The action was really good and the 3rd act was surprisingly good, especially when that particular song I mentioned earlier dropped. I think I was in the cinema by myself and I really should have cheered as loud as I could because the moment was simply great and I wouldn't have been disturbing anyone, but it was soo good. The humour' decent. While I will say, having Pete Davidson as Mirage was funny, I felt that maybe they could have made some of the lines uttered in the movie less cheesy, but I guess we need a little bit of cheese now and then. The voice acting. Pete Davidson; great. I was not aware he could do some brilliant voice acting and having Peter Cullen is always a bonus, but I had no idea, Ron Pearlman, Colman Domingo and Peter Dinklage were in this lending their talents.

In regards to the rest of the movie, there was a Lord of the Rings moment, visually anyway, when you see it, you will know and the acting was not superb, especially as it is a Transformers movie so I could not have expected anything less (how the movie and the characters were written), but Dominque Fishback is the anchor to this movie while Anthony Ramos was just ok to me. I felt Anthony's quieter scenes with Dean Scott Vazquez were better and written very well, whereas his other moments could have been fleshed out more. There is also a moment with Dominique which was really good too, but ultimately, I feel his character could have been written and acted out better. But other than that and some other moments that do not escape any Transformers movie, on the whole, a very good watch, especially if you leave any opinions of previous movies and the bad taste in your mouth from them, at the door before you sit and watch. Lastly, the mid-credits scene; interesting, very interesting. I wonder what Hasbro has in store, hopefully, something great than trying to build a universe and simply messing it up just because they are trying to build a universe as capable, vast and great as the MCU, like how DC and Universal have previously tried and failed trying to do so, although DC might actually be able to salvage what is left of that mess. If you can, go out and see this movie as it IS a lot better than the previous movies we have had before.

(trailer review) - Transformers: Rise of the Beasts

I believe I grew out of Transformers early when I was young. ThunderCats, BraveStarr and such, were always my bag. I mean a robot that turns into a car, plane, gun or ghetto blaster boom box with cassettes that turn into birds. It's great! But Michael Bay took my childhood cartoons and ruined them. I have said in the past on here that Michael IS a capable director, but he just does things in a way that is, just...visually boombastic and very unnecessary. I think I even made a comparison to Zack Snyder at some point, but Zack is ALL style and more substance than Bay. If you have not seen Bumblebee, the last Transformers movie, that was great. It was a really good film that did not rely on slow-mo and plants exploding taking out city blocks, it was just a really decent movie. Stephen Caple Jr., Coming off the back of Creed II, I will definitely say, is a capable director from the branches of Ryan Coogler, but dealing with a big-budget movie like this is interesting and a sight to behold. With that said, this trailer looks GREAT!!!

So, I was never into the animal transformers at all so I know completely nothing about it, but doesn't this movie look beautiful! The robot versions of animals look magnificent, the way they move and manoeuvre. What looks like a cheeter, the bird (maybe a hawk), they look great! Is that Mirage or another autobot? I am definitely acting like I know more names than Prime, Megatron and Galvatron...oh and Hot Rod. Ok, Starscream, Soundwave and Rachet. It will be interesting to actually watch this and hopefully bring the franchise back to how it should be...maybe more like Bumblebee. Oh...and please have a Cybertron moment or something remotely close to it because that Cybertron moment in Bumblebee was soo good.

(film review) - Judas and the Black Messiah

This guy can do no wrong!  To whom do I speak of?  Ryan? Lakeith? Daniel? At this rate, it is a matter of rephrasing that sentence to, these guys can do no wrong!  Although Ryan Coogler was not the director and he has been the director of such great, great movies like, Fruitvale Station, Creed, Black Panther and these are the ONLY 3 movies he has directed, Ryan was the producer of this movie so he helped to make it happen.  For only directing 3 short films then 3 major full-length films which have catapulted Ryan into the stratosphere to be approached and to sign a 5 year deal with Disney, speaks volumes even the deaf can hear.  3 for 3? Ryan is Talented!
Lakeith, such a talented actor! First noted to me by his role in the film 'Get Out' ALSO starring Daniel Kaluuya, such a well written movie, well acted movie and not only did it put Lakeith more on the map, but also gave him more opportunities to act in more roles as this guy IS simply great at his job.  Unfortunately where I hadn't seen Selma, Straight Outta Compton (although I heard 'the guy playing Snoop Doggy Dog is great'), his role in Purge: Anarchy didn't stick with me, but then again, nor did the film, but his role in Knives Out was great. Among an all-star cast, Lakeith held is own and well.
Daniel! Daniel stuck out to me from a TV series called Black Mirror.  His role in that show felt weird, but he was soo so good.  I recognised him as Black Death in Kick-Ass 2 but it was his work on 'Get Out' that people were asking who this guy was.  Daniel has been in great film after great film after great film.  Sicario, Black Panther, Widows (although not so great but he was great in it), Queen and Slim and now this, Daniel is becoming a household name securing his spot in Black Hollywood.  I'm guessing having said that, it goes without saying, this movie is a great watch...yes, of course it is!

Fred Hampton (Daniel Kaluuya) was a real life person who was the Chairman of the Chicago Black Panther Party.  In 1969, Fred Hampton was killed in his sleep in a secret Police raid in which a former head of security personnel for Fred, William O'Neal (Lakeith Stanfield), worked as an infiltrator and informant to FBI agent Roy Martin Mitchell.  This film is a biographical Drama of the last 3 years before Fred Hampton's Murder at the age of 21.
This movie explores the role of Fred Hampton in the Black Panther Party, his beliefs, his ideologies and what he wanted to do.  This film also explores the role of William O'Neal and his infiltration into the party, how he gained trust and ultimately had Fred Hampton killed.

As long as I have been alive, the Black Panther Party has ALWAYS been shown as a black militia.  My understanding has always been from what I had seen in pictures, videos and in film.  Black men and women standing in formation brandishing entirely black clothing with black berets and holding guns.  It was understood that the police did not like them and that they often caused trouble for the police.  I understood they were a type of group of people, a political party who were for black people fighting against the injustices of black people in those hard times, but I was never taught in school about what they did, how they did it or why.  Even if you wiki the Black Panther Party, it will tell you that they were Anti-fascism, Anti-imperialism, Anti-racism, Anti-capitalism and for African-American leftism, Black nationalism, Revolutionary socialism, Black pride & Gun rights (the last obviously for defence of self).

The acting is superb by both Lakeith and Daniel whilst Dominique Fishback supporting helped to ground the movie showing us the dynamics of life in that era, the politics and the love, passion and also the unselfish spirit of whom Fred was.  A scene seen in the trailer, Fred is giving a speech, and while he is giving this speech as powerful as it is, Dominique sheds a tear as you fully understand as to why she is caught up in her feelings.  Fred was a man for the people essentially by the people.  If you are able to read between the lines, Roy (Jesse Plemons), along with William were simply puppets to a bigger agenda.  Whilst one was simply doing his job, the other was doing for self.  The film also highlights the callous behaviours of J.Edgar Hoover and the FBI at this time.

This film is heavy emotionally, but manages to ease the weight of digestion with the narrative, dialogue and performances.  The performances were outstanding.  I found myself often saying over and over in my head and sometimes out aloud about Daniel's performance, 'He's soo good'.  They manage to get the point across without hitting you over the head with it, so well done Shaka King for the excellent Directing.  By the end of the movie, you will understand that not all members of the Black Panther Party were militant and there were other factions out there of whom were or seemed a lot worse.

Writing this review was difficult for me because, being black and having not lived in that era but understanding the ordeals black people had to go through at that time AND because black people are still suffering to this very day in 2021, it hurts my soul.  Granted, back then could be deemed more extreme, but I'm sure there is an argument to be made.  During a pandemic in 2020, Black and non-black people alike came together to support one another on Police Brutality, on George Floyd who was killed on camera in front of people in the street like a dog.  Breonna Taylor who was killed at her home in her sleep.  Soo much injustice and to think that Black people, even having endured all they have endured across generations, whilst nothing can be said about jews and anti-semitism, at least they can come together as a community for their people, Fred and countless others have tried and tried to band us together, Malcolm X, Martin Luther King just to name a few, but just like Fred, they are killed.  It's just upsetting.  The film doesn't weigh you down like I probably have, so go watch it, it's a great film!

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(film review) [STREAMING] - Project Power

As previously stated in my trailer review, "Just when I thought we may have had enough of superhero shows and such, this trailer reared it's head like "Hello there!" (only said in an Obi Wan voice)" and for the most part, that is EXACTLY what this film has done taking many people and fans alike aback, scratching their head wondering many things.  Super powers? Comic book? Jamie Foxx? Netflix?  But from what I know and working my way backwards, Netflix has a host of it's own shows which are pretty good, including films which includes some kind of super powers or enhanced individuals.  It is definitely a surprise seeing Jamie Foxx again since The Amazing Spider-Man 2 and for the most part, who knew he was filming anything other than Soul.  Nope, doesn't appear to be connected to any graphic novel, cartoon strip or comic book.  And well, why not have a movie about super powers? It's this era's hot commodity in which if done well, isn't something you can be bored with, you know?  Think 2012's Chronicle.  Think 2013's Prisoners.  Think...I should just let you know how it all went.

So, Project Power is about a young drug dealer named Robyn (Dominique Fishback) who gets caught up in Art Reilly's (Jamie Foxx) personal vendetta trying to find his missing daughter and a city cop Frank Shaver (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) who is trying to rid his city of a drug called Power, a drug which will "give" the user an unpredicted power limited to 5 minutes. 
Whilst Robyn has her own personal reasons as to why she is pushing these drugs, Art has his own reasons as to why he is after these drugs and at the same time, Frank, who is also using these drugs, is trying to stop the drugs from getting around the city leading to a cat and mouse chase for Power.  However, when they all eventually butt heads, each person is caught in some kind of power struggle.  I can't really go into much more detail due to spoilers, but that is about it.

The film unfortunately is quite generic, but at the same time is very enjoyable to watch.  It is funny, it is action-packed, it is smart, it is gory (to an extent), the fight scenes, dialogue and music are all great.  The pacing is good and the characters are also great.  Even the tone, although a little all over the place, lends itself to the movie as it is definitely a different type of "superhero" movie.  You could say quirky in places, but the execution, cinematography and some of the scenes are stylish and inviting whilst being fast-paced, energetic and in some places, erratic.  Imagine if this drug was on the streets where you come from and how things would go down, this film feels very much like that and feels very grounded from the dialogue and the things the characters say and the way they behave, but although being generic, I do feel they could have pushed the boat out a little and digged deeper into the world of the deep seedy underground and the different gangs all fighting for Power.  Although Art's story is told in small little flashbacks, not enough is done for Robyn as her background is surface level as well as Franks.  I loved Art as a character and Award winning Jamie Foxx kills it; very relentless and I liked what they did with Robyn and her abilities.  Dominique Fishback's portray was great but she could have been given more.  Joseph has been in excellent movies like The Dark Knight Rises and Inception, he is a great actor.  He did well in this movie but a little underused.  The villain is also generic with no real purpose really, other than the usual, but that does not take away from the movie.  In some cases, it is style over substance but with great acting from the trio, the movie is forgiven for its small short-comings and when it was finished, i didn't essentially feel like it was missing anything until i gave it some thought.

There are a few quotes in this movie that stand out as funny and a few scenes which were excellent, however, I just feel, although great, they could have done just that little bit more by maybe extending the film by 20 minutes of footage with Frank and Robyn's characters maybe.  One of my favourite scenes was near the end when Art is talking about a creature called the "Pistol Scrimp" which then leads into a funny moment in the following scene, but I can only imagine Google has had a number of people googling.  Another one of my favourite scenes involved a woman in a container and we have a view of what's going on outside of the container from inside the container, very stylish and I liked it.  Oh yeah, I hate the name Power for a drug.  Give it some letters and numbers or something, blimey!

I wonder if all the viewings in the next week or so could generate enough money to double the 85 million used to make the film to possible get Netflix to move onto a sequel.  It would be interesting if they do a sequel in another town with another protagonist but maybe put a different spin on it.

(trailer review) - Judas and the Black Messiah

I swear this has to be one of the most humble guys I've seen in acting who is just AMAZING at his craft.  Not to say that other actors are not amazing and/or humble, but I really do feel that Daniel brings a different kind of energy to his craftsmanship.
He was in Kick Ass 2, he was in a Black Mirror Episode, starred in Get Out WITH Lakeith Stanfield, in Black Panther DIRECTED by Ryan Coogler (who also produces this movie) and also in Queen and Slim, a film that made me cry and angry and his performance was also great in that.  he has been in other movies i haven't mentioned, but this trailer alone looks Award winning for this award nominated actor.

There's nothing much I can say in regards to this trailer as the trailer speaks volumes loud and clear, unless there will be some twists involved.  Fred Hampton is set up by close ally and/or friend due to his co-operation with the police who are trying to take Fred down.  I don't know the real life story along with countless others, so I'm totally unaware of how the story is meant to have gone but I'm sure it would be great to learn this story directed by Shaka King.  I've watched this trailer like 3-4 times now and it just get's more powerful with every watch.  I think, the movie being released now would be very poignant to what is happening in society right now and also brings me back to Umbrella Academy Season 2. 1963 and 1969 are only 6 years apart.

Directed by Shaka King and starring Daniel Kaluuya, Lakeith Stanfield, Jesse Plemons, Dominique Fishback, Ashton Sanders, Martin Sheen, Algee Smith, Lil Rel Howery, Jermaine Fowler, Darrell Britt-Gibson,

(trailer review) - Project Power

Just when I thought we may have had enough of superhero shows and such, this trailer reared it's head like "Hello there!".  I'm not sure if I'm actually tired of them to be honest, but from Raising Dion, to Umbrella Academy, The Boys, Doom Patrol, the ENTIRETY of the Berlanti Universe, Black Lightning, Flash, Supergirl and such, not to mention the films AND the Disney Plus MCU shows like Falcon and The Winter Soldier, WondaVison and Loki, I'll repeat, I thought we were exhausted, but this film helps us to understand why we may not and possibly, why we will continue to have more superhero shows.

From what I could tell, there is this pill which can give you powers that will only last for only 5 minutes, but the powers are unspecified and random. Jamie Foxx's character, he is trying to save his daughter, however, I am unsure if the people who have his daughter are the people who make and distribute the Power Drug or if he is on a quest to get the Power Drug to help save his daughter with the help of a young girl.  It seems more like the latter although it could be a mixture of both.  But with the addition of Joseph Gordon-Levitt, a Police Officer who wants to help him clean the streets up and get rid of this power drug, it seems this could be a rollercoaster ride of fun.  Netflix could be onto something here.  I'm interested, I'm also getting slight Limitless vibes too.

Directed by Ariel Schulman and Henry Joost and starring Jamie Foxx, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Dominique Fishback