'Straight Outta Compton' Might Turn Out Being as Groundbreaking as N.W.A.

Straight Outta Compton is the surprise movie of the year.  No one was expecting this movie to be this much well received.  I also like the movie, but probably not as much as the general acclaim that it’s currently receiving.

This movie is a biographical film about N.W.A., the revolutionary hip hop group that originated from Compton, California.  It chronicles events from how Ice Cube, Dr. Dre, Eazy-E, MC Ren, and DJ Yella formed the group in the 80’s up to Eazy-E’s death in the 1995, which covers the rise of N.W.A, their cultural impact, feuds, and personal struggles.

I enjoy some hip hop songs but I’m not particularly a fan of the genre.  I’m familiar with some hip hop history and culture, but I have to say that I’m not so knowledgeable about them.  I know who Ice Cube (because he has become an actor) and Dr. Dre (because Eminem, who I liked as a teenager, thinks highly of him) are, but I can’t remember having heard of Eazy-E and the others prior to this movie.  Thus, I find Straight Outta Compton a very fascinating and informative look on hip hop history and culture.  Most of the things that the movie presented are new to me.

But more than being a fascinating study, Straight Outta Compton really works well as a movie.  The production values are terrific, perfectly embodying where and when the movie is set on.  The direction is both energetic and polished, and the acting is quite engaging.  Many say that the actors’ portrayals of the N.W.A. members are spot on, but I wouldn’t really know – except for O’Shea Jackson, Jr. as Ice Cube – since I don’t know most of them, but I believe this is true.  I also enjoyed seeing Aldis Hodge (he plays MC Ren) on screen again; I really liked the guy as Alec Hardison in Leverage.

The movie also touches upon some relevant themes and social issues, which is interesting.  There are some insights that I have to nod in agreement, but I don’t really agree with much of the overall message of the movie – or N.W.A. for that matter.  The writing is probably being manipulative in sending its message, but I understand where it’s coming from.

Overall, I don’t think Straight Outta Compton is the potential classic that many think it is.  But I could be wrong.  Time might find that it’s as groundbreaking to biopics as N.W.A. is to hip hop music.  Either way, it definitely has enough interesting things going for it to make it one of 2015’s most important, must-watch films.  

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Strong Performances Help 'Southpaw' Overcome a Hackneyed Plot

Southpaw is a boxing drama starring Jake Gyllenhaal as Billy “The Great” Hope, the undefeated junior middleweight champion of the world.  With his loving wife (Rachel McAdams) by his side serving as his chief adviser, Billy enjoys a successful career, the love of his family, and a lavish lifestyle.  However, tragedy strikes when a brawl breaks out during a charity event and his wife is accidentally shot in the chaos.  Broken down, Billy begins to abuse alcohol and drugs, and his life spirals downwards as he loses his title, his money, his house, and – due to succumbing to a destructive lifestyle – the custody of his daughter (Oona Laurence) as well.  Hitting rock bottom, he finds an unlikely shot at redemption at the hands of gym owner Tick Willis (Forest Whitaker).  With Tick as his trainer, Billy begins his grueling journey back to the top.

Southpaw has an unoriginal plotline.  It’s a story that I've seen in different forms for countless times already.  And yet it’s not boring to watch this familiar story unfold again.  This can probably be attributed to the all-around riveting performances of the cast – especially from Jake Gyllenhaal, Forest Whitaker, and child actress Oona Laurence – who kept me absorbed on the narrative.  Gyllenhaal won’t get an Oscar for it, but his performance in this movie is another testament that he’s one of the most talented actors around today (seriously, he should had at least received an Oscar nomination for Nightcrawler).

In addition, the in-ring action is intense, gritty, and beautifully choreographed; the drama brings the feels and induces misty eyes; and the clichéd “riches to rags to riches” plot outline is actually executed in perfection.  Moreover, I’m sucker for well-done redemption stories, and Southpaw is a solid though unimaginative one.  So, yeah, despite the cheesy elements and narrative flaws, Southpaw has enough going for it to be considered an enjoyable and touching movie.

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'Magic Mike XXL' Offers the Same Stuff from the First Movie

The thing I liked about the first Magic Mike movie is that it wasn’t just an excuse to have a feature-length show of male sexy dances that women can go gaga for (as how it was being promoted).  It has that aspect, of course, but it’s more than that.  It surprisingly has dramatic depth, an actual well-thought plot, and great performances from the cast.  I love how Rotten Tomatoes worded its evaluation of the movie: “[it allows] audiences to have their beefcake and eat it too.”  That perfectly sums it up.

This 2015 sequel, though not as smart, has the same merits as its predecessor.  It has the sensual sequences that will please the ladies, but it also has a strong story and a sincere message (for the record, I don’t subscribe to most of the philosophy that the movie is preaching, but there are interesting lessons worth considering if they are taken away by themselves) to tell.

Three years after “Magic” Mike (Channing Tatum) leaves the stripper lifestyle, he finds himself missing the excitement of performing and hanging out with his Kings of Tampa mates.  Thus, when the guys drop by and inform him that they intend to end their stripping careers in a high note by participating in an annual stripper convention in Myrtle Beach, Mike goes on leave from his furniture business and decides to reunite with the Kings of Tampa crew for one last blow-out performance.

So it’s basically a road trip movie… but with a lot of stripping and dancing involve.  It has a couple of absurd narrative elements and coincidences, but if you can get over the ridiculousness of the idea of a stripper convention – I don’t know if that’s an actual thing in real life – then all other things fall into place of making Magic Mike XXL hold up as an adequately thoughtful piece of entertainment.

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Instead of ‘Minions’, It Would Have Been Infinitely Preferable to Have a ‘Despicable Me 3’

The immense popularity of the Minions from the Despicable Me movies led them to star in this spin-off movie.  The plot of Minions is basically a prequel – set years before they met and got employed by Gru.  The movie shows us the Minions’ passage through history as they seek to serve the baddest of the bad.  However, from a T-rex to Napoleon, they continuously fail in keeping a master.  The Minions, unable to accomplish the purpose of their existence, fall into depression.  In order to get the Minions out of their slump, a Minion named Kevin takes it upon himself to embark on a journey in search for the ultimate evil boss for his race to follow.  Bob and Stuart accompany Kevin, and the three of them eventually encounter the supervillainess Scarlet Overkill (voiced by Sandra Bullock – a phenomenal actress, but doesn’t have the energy and investment in voicing Scarlet), who they potentially see as the master mistress that will finally save the Minions.

The movie is hilarious.  That is a given, since we’re talking about the Minions after all – their slapstick contributed significantly on giving the fun and uproarious vibes of the Despicable Me movies.  The problem is the Minions are one-note characters that work best serving supporting roles in a thoughtful story centered on an actual developing character like Gru.  As supporting characters, the hilariousness that the Minions bring is at the right dosage and boosts the charm of a movie – just like in the Despicable Memovies.  On the other hand, a full length movie loaded with the Minions’ brainless, juvenile humor is just too much that it’s already borderline annoying.

Moreover, the Minions’ personality, though adorable, doesn’t have the facets that a thoughtful, heartfelt story can be anchored on.  Hence, Minions entertains, but is pretty stupid and shallow; it has no concrete moral or message; and the narrative is predictable – in fact, the trailers have already given away the first two-thirds of the plot.

Minions is a clear money-grab movie.  A big reason why it was made is to sell Minions merchandise.  And it succeeds at it.  For example, when McDonald’s had Minion toys in its Happy Meals, customers skyrocketed.  I witness this firsthand in the local McDonald’s chain.  I myself was compelled to get a couple of them for my toy collection.

Furthermore, Minions succeeds in making money as a movie itself.  It has grossed over a billion dollars and has become the third highest-grossing animated film of all time.  My fear is that due to its financial success, the producers will instead decide to make a Minionssequel instead of a Despicable Me 3, which I infinitely prefer.  I don’t want to hate the Minions as pop culture characters, but I feel that if more Minions movies are made, I would eventually grow to.

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‘San Andreas’ Is Solid in the Spectacle, Shaky in the Storyline

The premise of San Andreas is pretty simple: the shifting of the San Andreas Fault causes a massive, vicious earthquake across western USA, and Chief Ray Gaines (Dwayne “the Rock” Johnson), a search-and-rescue helicopter pilot for the Los Angeles Fire Department, has to fly amidst all the chaos and destruction to rescue his teenage daughter (unbelievably played by 29-year-old Alexandra Daddario) and estranged wife (Carla Gugino).

San Andreas has a good amount of action and excitement as a solid disaster movie.  But that’s all it is.  It doesn’t have much depth, originality, and surprise.  There’s some attempt to add a bit more drama unrelated to the disaster aspect, but the execution isn’t good enough to actually add something interesting.  The story is dumb and cheesy.

It’s also burdened with a couple of uninteresting or needless characters.  Good thing that Dwayne “the Rock” Johnson is headlining this, as he injects his magnetic personality into this movie.  So there’s at least one character – the Rock’s character, Ray Gaines – that I was able to easily root for (though I kind of hate that he has to abandon his duty as a LAFD rescuer so that he can go after his family); having him is somewhat enough to be kept invested on the narrative until the end.

San Andreas is not a great movie.  But nobody was expecting it to be one anyway.  It just needs to entertain as a standard popcorn flick.  And the spectacular visuals and the Rock – a charismatic, badass action hero – ensure that it does.

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LeBron Made Me Curious About 'Trainwreck', but It's John Cena That Surprised

Trainwreck is not the kind of movie I usually go see.  But I got intrigued of it because of LeBron James.  There were some praise being thrown regarding his performance, and it really got me curious.   I wanted to verify the hype.

The plot: after her reprobate father impressed on Amy Townsend (Amy Schumer) as a young girl that monogamy isn’t realistic, she lives her life as an adult boozing, partying, getting high, and sleeping around – unwilling to have a serious commitment.  However, an assignment from her editor sends Amy to interview and meet Aaron Conners (Bill Hader), a prolific doctor that treats the injuries of sports superstars.  Amy attempts to keep everything between them casual.  But as the two of them spend more time with each other, and grow liking each other more and more, Amy begins to consider if it’s time to leave her life of non-commitment behind and start cleaning up her act.

It’s a familiar rom-com premise.  But I actually found some freshness in it, too.  It does not have the smartest plot, but I found sprinkles of cleverness here and there, and the humor generally hits the mark.

I’ve never been a fan of Amy Schumer, but I was impressed of the fact that she wrote the script of this movie.  After watching Trainwreck, I’m still not a fan, but I gained some appreciation for her.

And as for what I thought of LeBron James, who plays himself in this movie and the best pal of Dr. Conners… well, he actually did a solid job – actually better than any of Shaq’s acting roles.  But he wasn’t really hilarious – “hilarious” was the emphatic adjective that some positive reactions were using to commend his performance – nor terrific to finally win me over to the idea that a Space Jam 2 starring him would be great.

John Cena, however, is the surprise.  I’m not a fan, but he is phenomenally hilarious in this movie.  Even counting the early days when he was still in his likable “Doctor of Thuganomics” persona, this guy has never been this funny and appealing.  Sure, the writing deserves a good amount of the credit of making Cena’s character hilarious, but his delivery also contributed considerably.

Like Ted 2, this movie has a good deal of cameos.  But unlike Ted 2, its cameos work well, and aren’t annoyingly gratuitous.  The scenes with Marv Albert and Amar’e Stoudemire are pretty funny.

Actually, come to think of it, Trainwreck’s ensemble – both cast members and cameos – generally did a fine job.  No one was terribly out of place in the movie.  And, worth noting that, once again, I had found Tilda Swinton unrecognizable and it surprised me that she was playing that character in the movie.

Trainwreck isn’t great, but I had fun with it.  It’s a solid rom-com movie that both lovers and haters of the genre will find entertaining and carrying a thoughtful message.

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'Inside Out' Rivals 'Toy Story' Movies As Pixar's Magnum Opus

If I will be writing now my list for best movies of the year, Inside Out will take the number one spot.  Of course, it is possible that I would still get to see a movie this year that I will deem better.  However, if I’m rating movies, I will give Inside Out a perfect score – an A+, or a 100%, or five stars out of five.  So it would take something so awesomely flawless to unseat Inside Out.  And looking at the movies left this year, I think Star Wars is the only potential contender.

Inside Out tells the story of 11-year-old Riley and the anthropomorphized emotions living in her head – Joy, Sadness, Fear, Disgust, and Anger.  Riley’s emotions do a fine job in keeping Riley’s life steady and happy… until Riley’s family moves from Minnesota to San Francisco.  With Riley struggling to adjust to her new life, it is up to Joy and the other emotions to guide her through this stressful, life-changing period.

It’s not the first time that a story used the concept of the human brain as a world or command center with personifications of emotions/neurons/cells/thoughts working inside it.  But Inside Out uses the concept in such a fresh, enjoyable, and vibrant manner that it has established itself as the best of such stories.  It presents some innocent but smart insights on human psychology, and succeeds in delightfully embodying some of its concepts in amusing fantasy models and metaphors.

Beautiful animation and a well-written, funny, and heartwarming story are things to be expected from a Pixar feature.   But Inside Out is truly special.  It is superior to most Pixar movies.  Up, Wall-E, and The Incredibles are all terrific timeless classics, but I really think Inside Out is better than them.  No other Pixar film since Toy Story 3 has the thoughtfulness, storytelling depth, and feels that Inside Out possesses.  The Toy Story movies are still my favorite Pixar films – these movies made much impact on me – but if somebody say that Inside Out is better, I won’t correct them.  Inside Out truly makes a strong case of being Pixar’s best.

Inside Out is brilliant and flawless.  The quality of this movie is comparable to the best of animated classics as it will effortlessly make its audiences laugh, cry, reflect, and feel warm and good inside.  And that makes the best kind of family entertainment.

Miscellaneous SPOILER-y musings:

• I also did love Lava, the touching short that run before Inside Out.  Really did a fine job of prepping the audience’s emotions and attention for Inside Out.
• An Inside Out short is coming later this year telling the story of Riley on her first date.  And I guess a full-length sequel is something eventual to happen.  Now, I’m curious what kind of storyline can surpass, or at least match, the perfectness of the first one.  Will it be better if Riley’s story continue after a significant time skip? In high school? Or even college? Will additional emotions be appearing in Riley’s later years?  (Though I doubt that, since it was seen that adults also have the same 5-emotion lineup as 11-year-old Riley.)  I really have no idea how Pixar can expand Inside Out further and offer something unique from the first one.  But I guess if anyone can do it, it’s those Pixar guys.  If it could be a sequel better than the original, then Inside Outcould be the next Toy Story property.
• A character, Bing Bong, Riley’s forgotten imaginary friend from her younger years, basically died in this movie.  A character death in a “G”-rated animated feature isn’t really something disturbing or impossible.  But I wasn’t expecting a character to die in this movie.  It was a shock, but the development added additional depth to the story.
• Later, a bunch of “imaginary boyfriends” – who declared that they “would die for Riley” – actually sacrificed their lives.    Again, not really too disturbing.  But this is just an indication that Inside Out has some subtly dark elements.  And, again, it adds additional depth.
• But the most interesting shocker was the implication that the whole ordeal had put Riley at risk of becoming a sociopath.  Exagerrated, but definitely improved the movie.
• This made me want a more mature story taking place in the Inside Out world to be made.  In the ending credits, we get fascinating and funny glimpses of what’s going on in the minds of different kinds of people as well as a dog and a cat.  Now, what’s more interesting is to Inside Out the mind of a person with a mental disorder, like schizophrenia or multiple personality disorder.  Very intriguing, eh?

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Part 1 of Live-Action Movie Dishonors ‘Attack on Titan’

Prior to watching this, I had already got warning from some sources that those who love the anime would likely hate this live-action movie.  This used to be a movie I was really excited of seeing; I was presuming that it was going to be, at the very least, as awesome as the essentially faithful Rurouni Kenshin live-action movies.  But because of the negative buzz, I already lowered my expectations so that the blow of disappointment will somewhat be softened.  Going into this movie, I felt I knew what I was going into.

But I found myself still taken aback by how different – and less – it is.  In an attempt to make itself fresh and distinctive from the anime, it took a lot of risky liberties.  In a way, I feel that I get where the producers are coming from, and appreciate a bit what was trying to be done.  By completely diverting from its source, surprising everyone – even the fans of the anime – became a possibility.

However, the Attack on Titan anime series is one of the greatest anime epics ever.  Everything about it is perfect (or close to perfection).  It knocked my socks off when I saw it for the first time, and it has been deeply venerated in my consciousness.  So I really find myself unable to see this live-action adaptation in a whole new perspective.  I can’t help but compare it to its source material, which is impeccable in my eyes.  Therefore, I’m generally underwhelmed and frustrated by almost all of the deviations, and, by this, was hindered of enjoying the movie as it is.

At some point while watching, I came to the conclusion that this live-action movie is an atrocity to the anime.  Not only does the live action not do justice to its source material, but it also gives the feeling that it has diluted and neutered the awesomeness found in the Attack on Titan anime.  All the unwelcomed departures from the source caused blandness and lack of depth in the storytelling; poor characterization and development of characters, leading to the difficulty of liking and rooting for them; and an overall sense of inferiority in quality.

Moreover, the live-action movie fails in being visually pleasing.  Compared to the exciting and gorgeous visuals of the anime, the live-action severely pales in comparison.  The visual effects, production value, and camera work only looked a step above a ScyFy made-for-TV movie production.  Most of the actions scenes are boring, and there is no beauty in its sets.

Waiting for the second season of the anime (delayed till next year), it’s much more rewarding to re-watch the first season for the nth time (I already did it twice, and I might do it one more time) than watching this live-action movie.  That said, I’m still on board for Part 2.  Hopefully, by that time, I would have got over my disappointment of not seeing a faithful adaptation and would have developed more tolerance for all its second-rate reinventions – or, more preferably, that the story would actually get better from its stubborn assertion to go as far from its anime source as it can (which I doubt).  Besides, the nerdy completist in me just requires seeing this through to the end. 

Miscellaneous SPOILER-Y musings:

• The most exciting sequence in the movie – when Eren finally transformed into a Titan and started beating the crap out of other Titans – came around the last five minutes of the movie.  So, yeah, the movie was boring at most parts.
• A human character judo threw a Titan.  I face palmed at the pure ridiculousness of the scene.
• I was satisfied by the depiction of Titans in live-action by actors in costume and makeup.  I find a sense of enjoyment of seeing them being as hilarious as they are terrifying.  On the other hand, the CGI Colossal Titan was plain garbage.
• The most badass Attack on Titan character, Levi, is not in this movie.  BUMMER!
• My biggest peeve is the post-apocalyptic industrialized setting (yep, more than not having Levi).  I think the anime’s medieval-like world that has developed many years after the appearance of the Titans is more interesting.
• I find the “death” of Mikasa twist nearly as unexpected as the anime’s brilliant “death” of Eren twist.  But at that point of Mikasa’s “death”, the narrative had already established how completely different the live-action movie is from the anime that the surprise did not bring as much dramatic impact as it should.  It would have been a welcome mindblowing surprise if that was the first deviation from the anime that the movie presented.
• Mikasa was introduced as this girly, weak character that I had no problem when she was killed off at the start.  That’s not the Mikasa I know anyway.  Even when it was revealed that she didn’t really die, and she reappeared later on now having the familiar badass, cold personality associated with the character, she still isn’t exactly the Mikasa we love in the anime.  It would have been actually more interesting if she remained dead.
• It’s hard to get invested on the annoying, inaccurately-portrayed, and poorly-written characters.  The Attack on Titan anime did a fine job of making you care for its characters that deaths really deliver emotional blows.  On the other hand, I was actually cheering the live-action Titans to devour the live-action characters most of the time.
• I hate the SS Nazi uniform of the Military Police.
• Is it just me or is there implication that the Titans are mutated humans that resulted from the mysterious nuclear/biological apocalyptic war of the past?  That’s actually legitimately intriguing, and the best thing that I can take from this awful movie.
• Let me put this one last thing on a tall pile of disappointments: the awesomely stirring Attack on Titan theme, “Guren No Yumiya”, isn’t used in the movie.  It could have been a huge redeeming factor.  I was really hoping that it would be the music during its ending credits.
• Seriously, when are we due to have another perfect live-action anime adaptation as Rurouni Kenshin?

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Brilliant Hungarian Drama 'White God' Makes the Case for an Oscar Category for Best Animal Acting

White God (Fehér isten in its native tongue) is technically a 2014 Hungarian film.  But for the rest of the world, this counts as a 2015 film.  Hence, it qualifies to be considered when I make my list of best movies at year end.  And it’s a solid contender for a spot.

The movie centers on a mutt named Hagen who is separated from his guardian, Lili, when her estranged father refuses to pay the excessive fine imposed on owning mixed-breed dogs.  Toughened and driven by his experience with human cruelty in his adventures through the streets, Hagen assembles and leads a pack of street mongrels in rising up against their human oppressors.  Meanwhile, Lili involves herself in a perilous search for Hagen.

White God is the kind of film that I enjoy watching one time and won’t likely re-watch.  It takes time to get invested on, and sometimes felt tedious to go through.  But all the effort really pays off in the end.  I found it pretty rewarding.  The story appeals to the emotion deeply and naturally provokes thought.  It really hit me with the feels.  Hard.

The thing about this movie that blew me away is the acting.  And I’m not really talking about the human actors.  The human actors did great, but what’s really remarkable is the acting of the dogs.  Not only were their physical performances astoundingly organic and precise, but infinitely more impressive was how these dogs convey legitimate emotions through the sounds they make, facial expression, and their body language.  Kudos to whoever the trainer/s is/are (that is, if no form of animal abuse was involved to bring this about).  Seeing these canines’ phenomenal performance is enough to make this movie something worth seeing.

It’s been a while since I found a pet-and-its-owner drama this beautiful and compelling, probably because the movie is not as simple as that – it’s also horror, social commentary, and more.  There’s a clear sense of freshness in its premise and delivery.  And even if you find its message pretentious or absurd, you will probably acknowledge – as I do – that White God is a profound, brilliantly-told modern fable, made very engaging by its cast of dogs.

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June to August 2015 Worship Services

Here are footage of some praise and worship songs sang during Joy Church's Sunday services from June to August.  Video credits: Ms. Sally Kim.  

Btw, to those who aren't aware and cares to know, I play the keyboard in Joy Church's band.  I'm situated in the back, so I don't get too much exposure in these videos.  I don't mind.

June 21...

July 12...

July 19...

August 2...

August 9...

August 16...

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Please Keep These 'Lego DC Comics' Direct-to-Video Movies Coming

In 2013, Lego Batman: The Movie – DC Superheroes Unite, a direct-to-video animated movie inspired by the Lego Batman game franchise, was released.  I extremely enjoyed it (it didn’t make my list for best 2013 movies for I saw it in 2014).  And I guess I’m not the only one pleased by it because Lego and DC decided to make more movies like this.  The short film Lego DC Comics: Batman Be-Leaguered (which I only saw earlier this year) premiered as a TV special in 2014.  And this 2015, two Lego DC Comicsdirect-to-video animated movies are released.

The first 2015 movie, Lego DC Comics Super Heroes: Justice League vs. Bizarro League, was released in February.  The second, Lego DC Comics Super Heroes: Justice League: Attack of the Legion of Doom, has just been recently released this month.  But I’ve seen them back-to-back recently.   That’s why this mini-review is for both.

In Lego DC Comics Super Heroes: Justice League vs. Bizarro League, Superman’s Justice League teams up with Bizarro’s Bizarro League to save both Earth and Bizarro World from Darkseid.  And in Lego DC Comics Super Heroes: Justice League: Attack of the Legion of Doom, the supervillains, tired of being constantly defeated by the Justice League, decide to form their own team – the Legion of Doom.  The plots of both movies are pretty uncomplicated that to give more elaborate synopses is unnecessary.

I like the second movie better, but both movies (as well as the previous Lego DC Comics films) possess similar attributes and nature; hence, the following evaluation applies to both.

The animation is wonderfully beautiful, and the voice work is impeccable.  The story is undemanding and light-hearted – these movies’ target audience are kids anyway – but it’s still appealing to adult sensibilities.  And, most importantly, the utilization and combination of Lego logic, parodies of DC Comics tropes, clever gags, non-annoying puns, and charming slapstick create a unique kind of hilarious, wholesome comedy that can’t be found anywhere else.

I hope that the Lego DC Comics franchise will be around for a while.  Even if there’s already that upcoming Lego Batman movie set for theatrical release, I hope the production of these brilliant direct-to-video animated movies won’t cease.  These Lego DC Comics movies are cartoon gems, and I don’t think I’ll get tired of them anytime soon.  

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Season 2 Downgrades 'True Detective'

The plot of True Detective season 2 centers on the investigation of the murder of Ben Caspere, the city manager of the fictional city of Vinci, by a task force made up of representatives of three different police departments.  The three main investigators of the case are Vinci Police Department detective Ray Velcoro (Colin Farrell), Sgt. Ani Bezzerides (Rachel McAdams) of the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office CID, and California Highway Patrol Officer Paul Woodrugh (Taylor Kitsch).  Also interested in the murder investigation is Vinci mobster Frank Semyon (Vince Vaughn) whose dream of legitimization is ruined because the late Caspere has lost his money.  But as they go deeper into the Caspere murder investigation, they also get to learn how deep the appalling tradition of corruption and depravity has rooted on the city of Vinci, antagonizing those in power.

So how did this tale compare to that of True Detective season 1?  Not so well, unfortunately.  I’m greatly disappointed and unimpressed overall.

Now, don’t get me wrong.  Season 2 isn’t necessarily disastrously bad.  It has a thoughtful and complex story.  It has fascinating messed-up characters.  The dialogue and acting are riveting.  The opening theme, camera shots, editing, and directing are gorgeously-done in general.  And it does have a couple of awesome moments – the ending of episode 2 made my jaw drop, the start of episode 3 is quirky fun, the gunfight in episode 4 is brilliantly executed, and Ani’s undercover job in episode 6 was a smart and horrifying sequence.  It has the things that made season 1 terrific.

However, the first season was a masterpiece.  And season 2, regardless if it’s good or bad, is a massive step-down of quality.  Everything about season 2 is less interesting.  And since it’s less interesting, it suffered from the slow-pace.  There were several times that I got bored.  It also doesn’t have the kind of magnetism season 1 has.  Right from that first scene in season 1, the show gripped me and never let go.  Season 2 doesn’t have that.  In fact, it took time before an episode rouse my interest (except for episode 3, the opening was perfect).

By its own, despite being actually a solid drama, I don’t think I would have bothered watching it.  But I really loved the first season, and this somewhat made me feel oblige to see this show through the end.  I was hoping that it would eventually blow me away once it wrapped up – but it didn’t.

Still, I won’t give up on True Detective yet.  I would still welcome a third season.  This show might still bounce back after all, and maybe – how I wish – even exceed season 1.  However, I’m no longer interested on following this show by watching a new episode as soon as it’s out.  I’ll let the season have its run first, then, depending on the buzz it will create, I will make my choice if I will binge-watch it or proceed to finally give up on True Detective.

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August 2015 Crusade & Evangelistic Concert

An evangelistic crusade was conducted last August 7 at Joy Church.  These were the first two songs of the opening praise and worship...

Then, the next night, August 8, an evangelistic concert was conducted at Barangay Rizal, Legazpi City.  These were two of the numbers we performed...

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'Shaun the Sheep' Is Yet Another Stop-Motion Animation Gem

“If it’s a stop-motion animated movie, then it must be good” is a presumption that have always held true to me through the years.  Yes, like traditional hand-drawn animation, stop-motion animation has a soft spot in my heart and appeals to my old-school sensibilities.  But it’s not only that.  I truly haven’t encountered a bad widely-released stop-motion animated feature before.  Of course, not all have the makings of a classic like The Nightmare Before Christmas or Coraline, but I found all of them to be fun, thoughtful, and very entertaining.  There’s the possibility that a bad stop-motion animated feature is out there, but I haven’t seen one yet.  You are welcome to point it out to me.

Shaun the Sheep – also known as Shaun the Sheep Movie – is, so far, the only stop-motion animated movie out this year (I also watched The Boxtrollsearlier this year, but that was a 2014 movie).  I haven’t seen the TV series of the same name that this movie is based on – a spin-off of another great stop-motion property, Wallace and Gromit – so I have no preconception, except for my usual presumption for the guaranteed good quality of stop-motion animated movies, before I watched this.  And I’m pleased to say that this movie further enforces that presumption.

Shaun the Sheep focuses on the titular Shaun who grows tired of the monotonous daily routines of being a sheep at Mossy Bottom Farm.  Conspiring with the other sheep, Shaun hatches a scheme that will give them a day off.  The plan goes smoothly, until a mishap sends the Farmer to the city and makes him lose his memory.  So Shaun, along with the other sheep of Mossy Bottom Farm and Bitzer the farmer’s dog, goes on a hilarious city adventure in search of the amnesiac Farmer.

As what was already stated earlier, Shaun the Sheep is a gem.  It is effortlessly pleasant, lovely, funny, and likable.  The animation is painstakingly detailed and beautiful.  Its kid-level slapstick humor is the kind that adults will also enjoy well.  The story lacks substance, but the dialogue-less narrative is brilliantly coherent and thorough in expressing both comedy and plot.

As of writing, Shaun the Sheep absurdly sits at 99% in Rotten Tomatoes, making it the best reviewed summer-season movie of 2015.  I personally don’t quite agree with the critics’ consensus – I think it’s overrated, considering that Inside Out, which, as implied by the general thought of the reviews it has received, is supposedly set to become the best animated film of the year (I haven’t seen it yet to know for sure), only has a 98% rating – but that’s still saying something about how good Shaun the Sheep is.  It’s a wonderful family-friendly animated movie, and (maybe until I finally get to see Inside Out) my most favorite animated movie of the year next to Justice League: Gods and Monsters.

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'Terminator Genisys' Wastes a Brilliant Reboot Concept

Terminator Genisys is the fifth installment of the Terminator franchise.  It was an attempt to drag the fallen franchise out of the muck.  Unfortunately, Genisys further dragged it deeper into it instead.

The plot of Genisys reboots the Terminatortimeline.  Just the same with the first movie, Kyle Reese is sent back in time by John Connor to ensure his existence by protecting his mother, Sarah Connor, from a Terminator that is sent back in time intending to assassinate her, as well as to make his conception possible (since, as everyone familiar with Terminator mythology knows, Kyle is actually John’s father).  However, in this new timeline, an enemy T-5000 has infiltrated the resistance.  And Kyle sees it attack John Connors while he’s about to be sent back in time.  Moreover in this new timeline, a reprogrammed T-800 – the good guy Terminator – has been sent back further back in time to protect a 9-year-old Sarah.  This Terminator, which Sarah has affectionately named “Pops”, serves as her father figure while growing up.  When the original bad guy T-800 arrives in 1984, an adult Sarah and “Pops” are ready for him and destroys him.  Meanwhile, a T-1000 is also sent back to 1984 by Skynet to kill Kyle Reese, but he’s rescued from it by Sarah and “Pops”, who has also prepared for it.  With the events of the prior movies now negated, the three of them – Sarah, Kyle, and “Pops” – now has a new objective: to prevent “Judgment Day” from happening in this altered timeline, now set on 2017 instead of 1997, which Skynet would bring about through an app named “Genisys.”  Unfortunately for them, the T-5000 that attacked John Connor has infected him at the cellular level, transforming him into a T-3000 Terminator.  John is then also sent back in time by Skynet to protect its own development from being sabotaged by Kyle and Sarah.  (In my opinion, John Connor as the villain would have been a cool plot twist if marketing didn’t spoil it.)

Terminator Genisys is not that awful as I thought it was going to be.  I think it’s fourth in quality among Terminator films (Salvation is still the worst, and I actually enjoyed Rise of the Machines).  Maybe because I was already prepped of its mediocrity that I didn’t have any big expectations about it to be disappointed about.  Hence, knowing what I’m getting into allowed me to actually find chunks of enjoyability in it.   And it does show some brief flashes of how it could have been a fresh and smart movie.  However, they’re exactly just that – flashes.  Nothing more.  It lacks the well-thought and cohesive narrative to make them concrete.

Genisys has a lot of stupid things going in its plot (for starters, the Genisys app isn’t that kind of app everyone will be excited about in real life).  Several things don’t hold up well.  Even if one doesn’t take time to think about them, these are pretty noticeable.  The convoluted story leaves an uncomfortable amount of dumb plot holes and problematic plot questions left unanswered (which, to be fair, might be revealed in a sequel).  And even if logical sense can be achieved if one would put an effort to sort the narrative out – which I doubt – the chore isn’t worth it for such story that I found unrewarding.

Maybe if one is able to turn his brain off and be capable to let these plot problems go, there’s some degree of satisfaction to be found in the story.  Unfortunately, I was unable to do such thing.  The story’s problems bugged me.  A lot. 

Besides, the Terminator franchise shouldn’t actually just be a series of dumb action movies.  It shouldn’t merely settle with brainless, passable fun.  The first two movies are deep science fiction masterpieces.  Being just purely “dumb but fun” isn’t good enough.

Heck, Genisys isn’t even interesting as an action movie.  The thing about the Transformer films is that, though they are generally awful movies, they do have eye-popping action going for them.  Genisys doesn’t even have that.  The action sequences are uninspired and badly shot.  Those who still remember the thrill given by the action sequences of Judgment Day will find the action in Genisys boring.

I sincerely hoped Terminator Genisys would have turned out to be good.  A revitalized Terminatorfranchise is something that would have been nice to be excited about.  The whole “alternate timeline” thing actually has the potential to be awesome – it was a brilliant reboot concept.  But the concept is wasted by using it on a film consisting of a problematic, messy, and flat story; terrible dialogue; unlikable characters (with the exception of the Terminator, who has his badass reputation to thank for this goodwill); unexciting visuals; and casting Jai Courtney in a big role.

I don’t really hate Genisys.  Again, seeing it this late helped for I wasn’t expecting much from it anyway due to what others have already said about it.  So I was entertained at least.  Nevertheless, it’s a forgettable movie that I will not deliberately seek to re-watch.

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Top 10 Crossovers

Crossovers happen when two (or more) characters or properties are joined together in one story or project.  And the best kinds are those you don’t expect to happen because they belong to different fictional universes and/or different companies; hence, when it does happen, it’s pretty mindblowing.

Here are my favorites...

Honorable Mention: JUSTICE LEAGUE/TRANSFORMERS

Before we start with the number 10 spot, I want to give an honorable mention to Phil Jimenez’s Justice League/Transformers crossover.  Unfortunately, this comic book project never went further than the two concept artworks above as DC turned down Jimenez’s pitch.  What a bummer.  It would have had Wonder Woman’s invisible jet becoming a Transformer, a Batman-themed Transformer, and – coolest of all – Optimus Prime wielding a Green Lantern ring.  It would have been epic.

10.) THE JIMMY TIMMY POWER HOUR

The Jimmy Timmy Power Hour is a TV special featuring a crossover between The Adventures of Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius and The Fairly OddParents.  Both are Nickelodeon shows, but a crossover happening between this two seemed unlikely because the two shows’ respective universes are too different.  One universe deals with science, and the other in magic.  Moreover, the two shows have different animation styles – Jimmy Neutron is computer-generated, and Fairly OddParents is hand-drawn.  But these distinctions wonderfully meshed in bringing about a charming narrative and visuals about Jimmy and Timmy switching places.

This is actually a trilogy now, but I only got to watch the first one.

9.) PHINEAS AND FERB: MISSION MARVEL

Phineas and Ferb, one of the best cartoons of the 21^st century so far, also had a crossover with Star Wars.  That was cool, too, but I liked the team up of these two boy geniuses with Spider-Man, Thor, Iron Man, and Hulk more.  It’s immensely fun; easily my most favorite two-part episode of the show.

8.) WHO FRAMED ROGER RABBIT?                     

They only made cameos, but it’s only in Who Framed Roger Rabbit? where we get to see Bugs Bunny and Mickey Mouse together on screen.  Various other classic cartoon characters from Disney and Warner Bros. and other companies also made appearances in this movie.  But seeing Bugs and Mickey was what blew me away back when I saw this movie for the first time.

7.) SUPER SMASH BROS.

I extremely like this game franchise.  I will not pretend that I enjoy playing this game franchise when I’ve never played any Super Smash Bros. game ever.  But I do enjoy watching Youtube videos of replays of other people playing it, especially in tournaments.  I love the premise of this fighting game, which features different characters and motifs from various video game franchises.  It’s a brilliant crossover concept.     

6.) DC VS. MARVEL COMICS and AMALGAM COMICS

 

One of my biggest regrets in life was losing my Marvel vs. DC “tex” (Filipino mini-cards) collection (along with my other “tex” collections).  I loved that crossover back then, and I still have fond memories of it. 

DC vs. Marvel Comics(alternatively known as Marvel Comics vs. DC) was a 90’s limited comic book series that involved duels between Marvel characters and DC characters, of which the winner was to be decided by fan votes.  In the aftermath of this story, a temporary universe was created – the Amalgam Universe – which had characters resulting from mergers between Marvel and DC characters.   My favorite Amalgam characters were Dark Claw (merger of Batman and Wolverine), Spider-Boy (Spider-Man and Superboy), Doctor Strangefate (Doctor Strange and Fate), Iron Lantern (Iron Man and Green Lantern), and Hyena (Sabretooth and the Joker).

Dark Claw vs. Hyena

5.) LEAGUE OF EXTRAORDINARY GENTLEMEN

I don’t think the lineup is perfect – I think Sherlock Holmes should have been part of it – but I think Alan Moore is a genius for thinking of this: a Victorian superhero team made up of classic Victorian literary characters.  That’s why it’s one of my most favorite superhero teams ever.

4.) LUPIN THE 3RD VS. DETECTIVE CONAN

This crossover came as a delightful surprise to me when I learned about it.  Having anime’s best detective and best thiefmatching wits seems just a product of fan fantasy.  But more than the inherent charm of being a dream matchup/teamup, the two Lupin the 3^rdvs. Detective Conan movies – the first one came out in 2009 and its sequel came out in 2013 – truly give justice, not only to the characters of Lupin and Conan, but to the tones and themes of the two anime properties.

3.) MARVEL VS. CAPCOM

Now, this is a fighting game that I got to play with.  I really loved this franchise as a kid.  I was kind of addicted to it.  It started with X-Men vs. Street Fighter.  Then, other Marvel characters joined the X-Men in Marvel vs. Street Fighter.  Then, other game characters from other Capcom games joined Street Fighter in Marvel vs. Capcom.  And, then, since the source of the pool of characters can’t be expanded anymore, a sequel with additional characters came out instead (Marvel vs. Capcom 2 is the last game of the franchise that I was able to play).  And then another sequel followed.  And then another.  If Super Smash Bros. had never existed, this franchise would have been the ultimate crossover fighting game. 

2.) BATMAN/SPIDER-MAN

 

Batman and Spider-Man are my top two most favorite comic book characters ever.  Thus, I was ecstatic when they crossed-over twice in the 90’s.  First was “Distorted Minds” – which had them teaming up against the Joker and Carnage – and then “New Age Dawning” – which had them teaming up against Ra’s al Ghul and the Kingpin.  Those two comics were really well-written and perfectly depicted how the two characters would have behaved if they existed in the same fictional universe and had to team up.

1.) JLA/AVENGERS

This is not only one of the greatest comic books I’ve ever read but is also the most epic crossover ever.  Kudos to Kurt Busiek (writer) and George Perez (artist) for rising up to the challenge of delivering a thoughtful and exciting story that is rightful for a crossover of this scale.  Not only is this limited series a perfect crossover story between the premier all-star superhero teams from DC and Marvel, but it has also taken upon itself to effectively analyze and contrast the DC and Marvel universes.  In fact, it’s actually as much of a crossover between the two universes (with plenty of cameos) as much as a mere crossover between the Justice League of America and the Avengers.  The convergence of the two universes – which resulted into awesome reality-bending sequences – is part of the central plot of the story.

This convergence is depicted in the cosmic plane as the living embodiments of the Marvel and DC Universes making love with each other.  This resulted to a conception of an "egg" that could hatch into a new "baby universe" someday.  Insane, but awesomely clever.

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'Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation' Feels Like a Perfect 007 Film

In my opinion, this fifth Mission: Impossible installment is the franchise’s best yet.  Seriously, this franchise ages as gracefully as its star, Tom Cruise (can you believe that he’s already in his 50’s!) – both only get better with age.

Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation sees the return of Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) and his IMF colleagues Benji Dunn (Simon Pegg), William Brandt (Jeremy Renner), and Luther Stickell (Ving Rhames; the only character that appeared in all five films aside from Ethan Hunt) as they go against “The Syndicate”, a secret terrorist organization made up of rogue highly-trained international spooks presumed to be dead by their governments.  Teaming up with Ethan and his team is the enigmatic British agent Ilsa Faust (Rebecca Ferguson), whose allegiance is wrapped in ambiguity.

Growing up, I’ve developed a deep fondness for the 007 films – yes, even the silly ones – that I’m restricted by sentimentality to have Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation as my most favorite spy movie ever.  However, the greatest compliment I can give this movie is it’s what I imagine an ideal 007 movie should be.  Really.  The plot, the opening sequence, the tech, the villain, the tone, the world-hopping, etc. – Rogue Nation has the vibes of a 007 movie.  Heck, Ilsa Faust seemed like the greatest Bond girl ever (more on her later).  The only thing missing is the womanizing, but that’s a facet of Bond that I don’t care too much for anyway.  If Rogue Nation is a 007 movie, it could even have been my most favorite one ever.

Rogue Nation has flawlessly melded the exciting elements of a “spy movie as an action film” and the intriguing elements of “spy movie as an espionage drama” to create a perfect spy movie experience.  It’s equally action-packed and cerebral; its dose of humor isn’t out of place, works very well, and doesn’t cheapen the tension.  The plot may seem as unlikely as that of a 007 movie, but it’s not too far-fetched to be dismissed as something stupidly unrealistic.  The narrative is enthralling from start to finish; I found no dull moment.  And I find (MILD SPOILERS) the way Ethan Hunt won against the main antagonist extremely, fist-pumping-ly satisfying.

The stunts and action sequences are insanely stunning.  Intense hand-to-hand combats, shootouts, parkour, car chases, etc. – this movie has them all.  The notable scene from the trailers in which Ethan Hunt is hanging outside a flying plane was truly just the tip of the iceberg.

All of the main cast members – Tom Cruise, Rebecca Ferguson, Simon Pegg, Jeremy Renner, Ving Rhames, Alec Baldwin, and Sean Harris – deliver great performances.  They really put a lot of personality into their characters – making all these characters fascinating.

But the most fascinating character in this movie is definitely Ilsa Faust.  Among this year’s movie female characters, she’s only next to Mad Max’s Imperator Furiosa in greatness.  There are plenty of badass female spy characters (greatest of which is, of course, Black Widow) out there already, but Faust is definitely among the top of them.  I love the fact that she’s not an ultra-competent fighter who overwhelms opponents with ease.  She kicks butts, but she also gets hit.  This vulnerability adds additional depth to the character (and also reminds me of Buffy Summers, my most favorite female character in fiction) as much as her struggles as a spook assigned with an impossible mission.  The Mission: Impossible franchise tend to replace female characters with each new movie, but I hope I’ll see more of Faust in future installments.

Spin-off, anyone?

Prior to Rogue Nation, I’ve already been enjoying the Mission: Impossible movies very much.  But it’s only with Rogue Nation that I could really say that I’ve finally become an invested fan of this franchise.  If I will redo my list for top 10 fictional spooks, Ethan Hunt will definitely be in it now.

I’m now excitedly looking forward to the next one (I admit that I was a bit indifferent for new installments before).  As long as Tom Cruise can remain dedicated to this franchise and succeeding directors will be consistent in keeping everything fresh and thrilling, I would love to see this go to Mission: Impossible 10 (and, again, I hope we’ll  get to see more of Ilsa Faust).                                                        

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'Sound! Euphonium' Is a Charming Concert Band Drama

Sound! Euphonium (also known as Hibike! Euphonium) is a 13-episode anime series that details the drama and development behind Kitauji High School’s concert band.  There are plenty of characters, but the story focuses on freshman Kumiko Oumae.  She has been playing the euphonium for seven years; however, she’s not necessarily masterful of playing the instrument nor dedicated to it.  But through the progress of the story, she gains new realizations and perspective on what it really means to belong and compete in a concert band.

At the start of the story, the Kitauji concert band is in subpar condition and has a lot of issues, much the dismay of Kumiko and the other freshmen members.  Some senior members – particularly the officers – have their hearts in the right places.  However, the culture of the club is that of laziness, apathy, and lack of focus.  Fortunately for the club, the new music teacher and club adviser, Noboru Taki, knows what buttons to push in order to motivate the members into improving themselves.  Through his strict but courteous and patient guidance, he pushes the Kitauji concert band into aiming for the Nationals competition.

Sound! Euphonium doesn’t necessarily have a lot of originality to offer.  But despite its familiar themes and tropes, it’s still pretty amiable.  The story gives a believable and engaging depiction of the emotions and conflicts happening among members of a high school concert band as they struggle towards the top.  Moreover, its fine animation helps keeping the storytelling appealing.

Having only 13 episodes makes Sound! Euphonium easy to binge-watch.  But, on the other hand, the small amount of total episodes also means that development for both its plot and its many characters is limited.  In fact, the prime fault I find in this anime is that, in my opinion, there wasn’t enough time to properly flesh out its many characters – hence, I never grew caring for any of its characters.

Another slight fault I find is that the musical pieces featured are not that interesting.  With the exception of Orpheus in the Underworld’s can-can sequence (which reminded me of how awesome that piece is) in the first episode, I wasn’t particularly drawn to any of the music (unlike with Kids on the Slope which made me immersed on its jazz music).  Still, the musical details and choices are good.  And I love how the music is beautifully synchronized with well-done animation.

As for the romance – since that’s to be expected from a high school story – well, it’s actually minimal.  Some stuff on high school “puppy love” and rejection have been touched upon, but it was pretty nigh irrelevant.  It’s also worth noting that there’s some seemingly Yuri tension (or I’m just being too malicious) between Kumiko and fellow freshman, Reina Kousaka.

Sound! Euphonium is not for everyone, but those who enjoy lovely anime visuals, music, ensembles, and slice-of-life high school drama are sure to like this.  Personally, this anime series isn’t something I’m particularly excited about, but it’s charming enough to warrant a recommendation from me (whatever that’s worth).

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