Well, this is a ridiculous movie. It is about a group of adult men playing tag. That’s the movie. Really.

I expect most readers to think “wait, that’s absurd, that won’t be a good movie” and they would be…somewhat wrong. Technically, the movie is about tag but it’s so hilariously over-the-top most of the time that I couldn’t help but be entertained. I think this is a dumb movie made by smart people, and it shows; there are many one-liners that made me laugh, and the lengths to which characters go to tag each other are amazingly outlandish. Yet….for this reviewer, it works. Sometimes, a movie can be totally and utterly amalgamated by the acme of mad zeal, and it’s really enjoyable. I’m somewhat reminded here of one of my favorite action movies, being 2016’s Hardcore Henry. That’s a very stupid movie, but it’s made so well and filled with such ingenuity that it hardly matters. I’m focusing on this point so heavily because people ought to remember that a movie can be dumb and still be entertaining for its other aspects; a movie such as this is likely nigh impossible to make appear majestically intelligent anyway.

The actors are pretty good, in that they sell the characters’ enthusiasm for the game effectively. On that note, I have long believed that Ed Helms is one of the worst actors in existence. Everything I have seen with him is brought down by him. His film Cedar Rapids is one of the worst and most aggressively bland films I have ever seen. However, almost to my chagrin, he is competent here. His character is a crazy idiot and Ed Helms did that just fine. Most of the actors are good for who they are supposed to be, but their characters are purposefully very shallow. There’s a bare minimum of development and information for almost everyone, and that’s a small detriment. At the same time, Jeremy Renner, who, outside of last year’s phenomenal Wind River, is generally a bland actor, was oddly compelling here. He plays a man who ‘hasn’t been tagged in 30 years’ and he effectively shows us why this is true, both through his performance and his commitment to not being tagged.

The stunt choreography and effects are excellent. It seems almost unfair to state that Tag has genuinely great and fun action scenes. It’s better in this regard than most summer action flicks I’ve seen in some time. It’s a silly movie about childish adults, and it arguably doesn’t deserve this sort of attention, but this high quality is very welcome. It adds tremendously to the manic mood and style persistent throughout the film.

Also, the camerawork is pretty good here. The stunts and general positions of the characters are constantly in focus, and that is a pleasant surprise. Too often in comedy films, especially ones with some action, is there no interest in proper conveyance of the scenery and situation. Some of the visual gags are done purely through camera movements and reveals of traps and things. The cinematography is certainly not spectacular, but as with the stunt work, it did not need to be this effective. I believe in some ways the crew went above and beyond any expectations from a technical perspective, and that is noticeable.

On the other hand, the music is not good. I know this is subjective, as it is used when it should be, but the insertion of generic and overly loud rap songs during various scenes seemed poorly chosen. If there were insane opera music, or something out of a raucous carnival, or perhaps even a simple upbeat jingle, it would have fit the tone of the film more. I do not thin ‘grown men playing tag’ fits the tune or the themes of that music, and it was…jarring, at least. This might seem harsh, but it did not work for me in that regard.

Perhaps I am more entertained by cynical lunacy than most viewers, and I realize this film lacks much praise, but I happened to see this and I certainly do not regret it. I absolutely can’t deny that the story is pretty dumb, and the writing doesn’t always land, although plenty of jokes were awesome. Honestly, watching these people run around fervently trying to tag each other is more than satisfying. Basically, it isn’t a great movie, but this is probably just about as good as a movie like Tag could have been. For what it is, this is nice.

I’m putting this in the Wondrous category. It’s not high there, and it’s always nice when a comedy film really works for me. Rather, I do not generally enjoy many comedy movies, as I find them often overrun with toilet humor, terrible puns, and a general disinterest in wit. This one’s a bit different, and I appreciated that well enough. Go and see it if you want to laugh at weird shenanigans and strangely fantastic stunts. You will probably have a good time.

The review for Deadpool was the first I formally wrote here, and now, as it goes, there’s been a sequel.

Now, my main complaint for Deadpool 1 was that the story was mindless and overly simplistic. I am pleased to note that, for this sequel, they made sure to have an interesting and compelling story. It’s nothing mind-blowing, per se, but it’s far from mediocre. Josh Brolin’s turn as the time-traveling cyborg Cable is a sort of foil for Deadpool’s shenanigans, and Cable’s blasé attitude is almost a mockery of everything in Deadpool 1. Colossus seems to serve a similar role, but less directly. Anyway, the story is surprisingly multifaceted yet not especially convoluted; there is always plenty going on and a good roster of dissimilar characters. Zazie Beets as Domino stands out gloriously as she shows her strange luck-based abilities. There are some others whose very existence is a sort of spoiler, so I won’t put focus on them, but suffice to say Deadpool 2 is a movie chock full of amusing and weird people.

I suppose there’s a question that should be considered paramount for this kind of film; “is it funny?” Well, yes. Deadpool 2 is hilarious. Not every gag lands perfectly, but I found it consistently both engaging and funny. That’s very subjective, but there’s enough clever humor sprinkled throughout the run-time that I’d expect most to be similarly pleased. There are many, many cultural references, most of which are very modern. There was even a joke about the fact that Josh Brolin also played Thanos in the recent Infinity War. I was impressed at the ingenuity of the wit, and its breadth; some jokes were purely audio, or purely visual, or a strongly creative mixture. It is lovely to see such a variance in delivery for a new comedy film.

The camerawork is good albeit not spectacular. There are a few cool shots going up and around various structures, and it’s inventive enough to be interesting, but I was never blown away by any of it. Still, it’s better than most films I have seen recently, without a doubt.

I found the effects to be impeccable, especially during some of the action scenes. Cable has some very interesting technology, which he employs regularly, and the visuals accompanying the bizarre events were palpably effective. There isn’t much for me to say about them otherwise. The effects aren’t amazing, but they work pretty well for what the film needs.

The music is actually amazing. Several songs are used to tie into the film perfectly, often apparently existing just to be their own jokes. It is almost as if Deadpool himself broke the fourth wall to compose his own soundtrack, and this is really, incredibly fitting. I don’t even like most of the music stylistically, but I cannot deny the efficacy of this movie’s music.

This movie is Wondrous. It ranks higher than its predecessor, and I find that rare for sequels in general. Every aspect of this movie is pretty good. I would expect that the filmmakers noticed the issues with the first film, and strove to correct them. Most of the jokes land tremendously, and the characters are very likable. People don’t really need to see this promptly, but if you enjoyed the original, you will probably enjoy this plenty.

Here we have another film in the famous Marvel Cinematic Universe….yet it hardly comes across as such. Most Marvel movies seem to be boggled down by massive amounts of expository world-building and character development; while this is important, in a sense, it can also be stale. When I saw Doctor Strange in 2016, although I liked some of the comedy and it was a visual spectacle, I felt as if I had been there before, with films such as Iron Man, Thor, and Captain America. Even last year’s Spider-man: Homecoming (which is much better than Doctor Strange) suffers from this idea: establishment of the film’s universe. Many of these movies bring in a great many characters we’ve never seen before, kill some off to add some emotion (Black Panther probably has the worst example of this point), then shows an action-packed finale with the hero fighting the villain. Infinity War….seems to actively avoid these ideas, at least with respect to the protagonists.

Although I’m unsure as to proper rankings, I can say confidently that Civil War was my favorite Marvel film, mostly due to the villain’s understandable motivations and the general creativity of the writing. It’s a constantly engaging film, and, frankly, it established Black Panther as a noteworthy, intimidating, and congenial character more effectively than his solo film from 2018.  I used past tense there because Infinity War may have just replaced Civil War in that position.

Forgive me if I have appeared aimless thus far; Infinity War is a culmination of these past films, not so much in story beats (There’s very little reference to past events, save those from Civil War and Thor:Ragnarok) but in a sense of weight. When you’ve seen these characters for such a long time, through various films, there’s a significance to them. Although I don’t think all of the characters are well-written or particularly interesting, they still hold that weight with them.

So, onto the actual review, then…Infinity War is incredibly unique in its structure. I won’t spoil the events here, but the movie opens with great action showing the villain and his henchmen. On that note, I’ve seen many terrible films with a “big bad villain” and their “evil henchmen goons” (Remember Ghost Rider?) but Infinity War handles this trope beautifully. Thanos is intimidating and fascinatingly humanized, especially for a big, bulky, purple alien man. It’s almost unfair, in a way; A few years ago, I would never have expected a film to handle such an absurd character so….delicately. Thanos has understandable motivations, although he is certainly not agreeable. He’s not unequivocally villainous, and he exhibits a wide array of emotions over the course of the movie. It’s quite satisfying to see this type of character portrayed so wonderfully, with the help of Josh Brolin for his voice work. The effects team really brought that character to life impressively. I’d say most of the actors really give it their all, so to speak. There are a few scenes with Iron Man and Spiderman that have an incredible impact. Still, there are plenty of jokes, although they are surely more sparse than they would be in standard Marvel fare. I think they landed pretty effectively, with some minor exceptions.

The action is amazing considering how grand everything was. There are battles involving numerous characters, and still you could understand where each of them were relative to each other, and the locations regarding the surrounding landscape. The consistencies among bouts of chaos astounded me. The shot composition was effective in this sense, without becoming too frenetic to be comprehended, maintaining a sort of foundation. Although there weren’t many particularly notable camera techniques or shots in general, the efficacy with which the movie is presented is something I found prominent and enjoyable.

It’s a shame that the music is bland and boring. That’s all there is to it. Once again I found that the music is mostly comprised of loud, long, blaring sounds. It’s devoid of complexity and intrigue. You could switch the entire score with that of some other Marvel film, or one of many stereotypical action flicks of the past ten years, and hardly notice. I vaguely recall one scene in which the music was effective for the mood, but it still wasn’t anything special. I wouldn’t take an interest in listening to any of the music, and I’m not sure I could recognize any tracks if one were to play them for me, even so soon after watching the film. In contrast, look to films such as the recent Annihilation and Isle of Dogs, or perhaps one of my older favorites, There Will Be Blood. Such films have prominent and memorable tracks which evoke certain emotions and ideas, and while there’s much to praise in Infinity War, the soundtrack is not praiseworthy by any stretch.

I think the story is pleasant overall, with some nice twists and clever elements, but there were also a couple of events in the film that were simply unbelievable, despite the Marvel universe in which they are set. In this realm of absurdity, I would wager it’s difficult to cross that line, but they might have succeeded nonetheless. Admittedly, in the scope of the film, it’s a minor complaint, but readers who have seen the film might understand. Still, I’d argue that Infinity War has a very strong ending, and it’s far more unique than any other Marvel film to date.

This movie falls under Wondrous, surely. It’s probably the best Marvel movie as of now, although it does still have its flaws. I believe that nobody who hasn’t seen at least a few Marvel films should see it, as it would be a crazy mess of characters you don’t really know. However, if you’re a fan of this team of heroes they’ve built up for a decade, this is a solidly enjoyable outing for the series. I would happily watch this again, and I cannot honestly say that for many Marvel movies.

Water molecules are bent with an angle of roughly 105 degrees, connecting two hydrogen atoms and one oxygen atom. That is the Shape of Water.

Oh, right, this is a review of the movie, which is Guillermo Del Toro’s best work since Pan’s Labyrinth. Am I saying that too soon? Well, I shall dive deeper into the depths of this film in due time.

I want to make a quick note of the music being made up mostly of lovely piano tunes that evoke excitement and intrigue, and the film is otherwise sprinkled with perfectly chosen early 1900s jazz and swing, some of which is diegetic, being played on a record player. It is better than I could have expected.

Elisa, played by Sally Hawkins, is a fascinating character. She is mute, and she acts and emotes as a person conceivably would, yet there’s something special about the way she is portrayed here. I must commend Sally Hawkins, especially with regard to her interactions with other characters during tense scenes. I do not believe that emoting effectively without sound is a simple feat; plenty of actors manage a lesser job with all of their senses in constant use. Octavia Spencer is a delight, but admittedly she is effectively playing the same character she did in The Help (2011). That isn’t a fault, per se, but it reduces the impact of her performance and even her dialogue when it seems to have essentially been plucked from another excellent film. Doug Jones plays the Creature from the Black Lagoon, I mean….’Amphibian man’ (that’s how he’s credited). Said creature works almost as a counterpart to Elisa, both in their onscreen relationship and their character traits, including their shared lack of verbal communication.  I can’t say much more on that, but the costume/makeup design for him is impeccable. Michael Shannon is oddly fitting as Strickland, a morally bankrupt self-aggrandizing villain. He cares for little aside from furthering his career, and his sadism is apparently boundless. Strickland is actually not particularly noteworthy in his goals for the duration of the film; many side characters essentially share his views and perhaps his motivations, but his sheer madness coupled with a remarkable ingenuity elevate the character from that of a generic chaotic-evil Machiavellian to a wonderfully entertaining paradigm of various vices. Rounding out the cast is Richard Jenkins, who has continuously impressed me over the last few years (Go watch Bone Tomahawk, it is an incredible film and he is divine). He plays Giles, who is a close friend of Elisa’s. He is old and lonely and a bit troubled in general, but he also represents logic and reason in this bizarre film. Having a character generally stay grounded and relatable is certainly a boon in this case. There is also a compassionate scientist who is pivotal to the film, and he is fine, but not worth much more than a mention. Beyond these characters, there is unfortunately a plethora of side characters, most of whom fail to impress on any note. Several, especially Strickland’s boss, are almost impressively generic and bland. Rather, if the film focused on them instead, I believe it would be average at best in quality. Thankfully, there are only a few scenes without heavy focus on the main cast, which is comprised of mostly amazing performances.

Oh, the film is well-shot in terms of the proper conveyance of events, but it also seems surprisingly tame considering the material. I thought the cinematography was certainly competent, but there’s little innovation in that, if any.

At the surface level of The Shape of Water, it is about a woman’s struggle to find happiness and her place in the world. She does not attempt to socialize with anyone outside of her two friends. She is ostracized if not ignored by most of her coworkers. Yet, she is a complex and righteous character in a film well worth watching. There’s a brilliance to it. This movie has a story that is dissimilar to any I have ever seen, and that is a blessing by its own right. The bonus comes from the entertainment and creativity with which Del Toro approaches presenting his own absurd ideas.

With each new year comes a new Star Wars film. This one has stars and also some warfare. I hope that is not a spoiler.

So, The Last Jedi is an odd film among other Star Wars flicks. You see, this is the most closed-off film in the series, in terms of scope. There are very few locations, and much of it is set in space. Yet, in some ways, this is refreshing to a relatively mild fan of the franchise such as myself. I should note here that I have never adored the Star Wars films, and I do not believe they necessarily deserve high praise. Still, I do not mind seeing them when they release, especially considering the volume of my compatriots who would discuss a new entry’s merits or shortfalls.

I will dive into the effects and cinematography first; the film is visually breathtaking. That is to be expected, of course. There were some incredibly stunning moments, and the aforementioned focus on open space is executed quite effectively, albeit with some flaws. That is, although it’s a wonderful idea to have a film set primarily in space (unless that film is called Gravity) the film suffers somewhat from a lack of environmental diversity. The Last Jedi is quite a long movie, and I would argue that it drags toward the middle, having little to show that hasn’t been shown several times already. I could almost wager that this was a cost-saving decision, requiring few filming locations and a more simplistic set design. Regardless, this is noticeable, and any viewer expecting an array of strange planets and vibrant scenery may be disappointed. Despite this setback, The Last Jedi does well with its shot composition. There’s a particular scene toward the end of the film, in which all sound is cut out for an intense effect, and there’s a beautiful shot with stunning visual design. Also, there are a few scenes with Rey which have excellent camerawork showcasing a fairly unique area which was seen briefly in The Force Awakens.

The acting is mostly good. I am conflicted; Daisy Ridley and Adam Driver were splendid, as expected from them. Oscar Isaac had a fairly wooden and simple performance this time, as he was constantly angry and bitter throughout the film. He exhibited so little variability in countenance that I fear director Rian Johnson may have fooled us all with a CGI recreation of him from a single photograph. Poe Dameron was an intriguing and somewhat complex character in The Force Awakens, yet here he seems wasted and shoved aside. That’s probably more an issue of writing than acting, admittedly. Of course, that does not apply to Laura Dern. I appreciate her acting capability, but she is unconvincing as a rebellion general. Her character appears suddenly when it is necessary, and there are mentions of her past, but she acts as if she were reading from a script in which she plays a family matriarch, guiding whippersnappers along their journey. I do not believe her character was necessary in the film, but if she had treated it differently, I may have enjoyed her performance more. As some may wonder, considering the buzz this has been getting around the internet, I do not care about her hair. I do not think a character’s hair color is relevant to the movie’s quality. That would be pedantic.

The story has many incredible twists and a variety of remarkable situations. Frankly, this is actually a very surprising film. While I did find Force Awakens to be somewhat predictable, I had my expectations subverted persistently in this film. That is a testament to the difference between The Last Jedi and other Star Wars films; this movie will not go in any direction foreshadowed by the previous films, and I daresay it revels in mocking one’s predictions. A persistent reader of mine may glean a sense that I appreciate films which are able to consistently surprise me. There are touching and heartfelt scenes, and while the action scenes are few and far between, they are worthy of praise for their style and ingenuity. I suppose that I wanted a more grandiose presentation for the middle of a Star Wars trilogy. Still, I cannot fault the film much for its design in that aspect. The dialogue is witty although sometimes corny, but that is how I have always viewed Star Wars. Some of the jokes were strange, and while none will be as quotable as ‘scruffy-looking nerf-herder’, they mostly landed decently. The music is standard Star Wars fare; outside of the predictable opening crawl, there is not much to be said about it. There is nothing wrong with the sound, but I do not believe it was a significant step up from previous films, per se.

The main issue with this movie is the script. A striking amount of screen time is spent on dialogue-driven scenes that, while somewhat entertaining, serve little purpose and seem to pad the run-time. I would have appreciated a heavier focus on Luke Skywalker, Kylo Ren, and Rey; despite the length of The Last Jedi, precious little time is spent on what I would deem the best parts of the movie. Certain characters die suddenly in unexpected but disappointing ways. Overall, I believe the new characters could have been left out in favor of a tighter cast. I would argue that the original trilogy worked well in no small part due to the constant presence of its main trio, leading to excellent character development and recognizable story arcs. Despite my complaints, The Last Jedi is still pretty good. It is well worth seeing, especially for the impressive visual artistry.

This one sits as a Wondrous film. I enjoyed it more than the other Disney Star Wars movies, and my appreciation of certain scenes and effects outweighs my lamentations of the script and acting. Worth noting is The Last Jedi’s comparison to another 2017 sci-fi film I have reviewed here: Blade Runner 2049. If a viewer has a choice between seeing this or the new Blade Runner, I highly recommend the latter. Blade Runner 2049 somehow has less notoriety yet arguably does better what this film tried to accomplish in virtually every category.