Nerd-Out with Rob Lloyd, Jen Speirs & Sandro Falce

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Nerd-Out with Rob Lloyd, Jen Speirs & Sandro Falce Join Rob Lloyd and Sandro Falce as they catchup and discuss all the latest nerdy news, movies, TV sh

Join Rob Lloyd, Jen Speirs and Sandro Falce as they catch up and discuss all the latest nerdy news, movies, TV shows, and more.

Rob's review of Shazam! Fury of the Gods...
16/03/2023

Rob's review of Shazam! Fury of the Gods...

I was a huge fan of the original film. I loved the balance of 'Big' style humour, magic/comic book adventure, the darker, harsher, horror stings and a whole lot of heart. I have eagerly awaited this sequel...and I am happy to say I was not disappointed. Shazam! Fury of the Gods is more of what I lov...

Rob's review of Co***ne Bear...My ★★ review of Co***ne Bear on Letterboxd
23/02/2023

Rob's review of Co***ne Bear...

My ★★ review of Co***ne Bear on Letterboxd

Co***ne Bear is big, dumb, gory fun that is actually more knowingly hilarious than it deserves to be but we were all hoping it would be. Banks does a bold, confident job at directing here & brings out the best of her script & cast. She clearly draws on inspiration from George A Romero, Tony Scott an...

Rob's review of Knock at the Cabin...
03/02/2023

Rob's review of Knock at the Cabin...

I enjoyed this 'return to form?' for M. Night Shyamalan however not completely or utterly. Dave Bautista leads from the front with an incredibly calm, gentle, tortured, caring yet completely intimidating performance. It's actually an extraordinary performance where he does absolutely nothing threate...

Rob's review of M3gan.
12/01/2023

Rob's review of M3gan.

I had a blast with this movie. Yes...it's a well worn precise that we've seen many times before. Yes...it is utterly ridiculous. But what I think really works for M3gan is how self-aware the film is (much like it's titular character). Horror & comedy go hand in hand. The release of a scream & a laug...

11/01/2023

At the media screening of M3gan!

The hype is high for this...

Thanks to Universal Pictures

11/08/2022

Thanks to Universal Pictures (Australia) for the great media screening of NOPE last night!

[Rob's Belated Review of The Black Phone]My ★★★ review of The Black Phone on Letterboxd https://boxd.it/34ERtF
29/07/2022

[Rob's Belated Review of The Black Phone]

My ★★★ review of The Black Phone on Letterboxd https://boxd.it/34ERtF

This 1970s serial killer style thriller/horror is top quality. The supernatural trimmings are gracefully integrated into the story. Director Scott Derrickson is at home in this type of film and it's his best that I've seen so far. The young cast are outstanding, Mason Thames & Madeleine McGraw in pa...

11/07/2022

We had a terrific/terrifying time at the Melbourne launch of The Black Phone.

Movie released July 21st!

Thanks to Universal Pictures (Aus)

[Rob's Review of Downtown Abbey: A New Era]
26/04/2022

[Rob's Review of Downtown Abbey: A New Era]

And so we return again to the lives of the masters & servants of Downton Abbey for this second cinematic outing of the popular TV series. There is intrigue as a mystery from the Dowager Countess' past is revealed & a film crew comes to Downton. This is the lightest of light fare. There is not much i...

Rob & lovely Plus-One, Cassandra Hart are channelling their very best 1930s glamour at the Melbourne Launch Screening of...
26/04/2022

Rob & lovely Plus-One, Cassandra Hart are channelling their very best 1930s glamour at the Melbourne Launch Screening of Downton Abbey: A New Era.

Thanks so much Universal Pictures for throwing together an absolutely topping shindig.

[Rob's Review of Everything Everywhere All At Once]
26/04/2022

[Rob's Review of Everything Everywhere All At Once]

Bold. Inventive. Silly. Heartfelt. Everything, Everywhere, All At Once is clever but not as clever as it thinks it is. It is a glorious, loud, juvenile, epic mess of a film. I appreciated the massive leaps of logic & humour that it took. Ultimately this is a little family drama, done in the style of...

[Rob's Review of The Northman]An incredibly impressive achievement in filmmaking.The whole film is dripping in tension a...
20/04/2022

[Rob's Review of The Northman]

An incredibly impressive achievement in filmmaking.
The whole film is dripping in tension and an almost oppressive sense of grim dread.
It is a brutal, savage representation of human nature.
It is clear so much love, passion, research & detail has gone into this production.
Egger's is a filmmaker who makes every shot something engaging, unique & artistic, not for it's own sake but for the purpose of the narrative.
He brings out the best of his cast too.
Alexander Skarsgard is suitably imposing & intimidating, yet shows vulnerability & fleeting moments of sensitivity. His animalistic physicality is that of a pacing, stalking bear & it's fascinating to watch.
Anya Taylor-Joy is more than a match for Skarsgard. Her calm, steely resolve is brilliant to witness.
Nicole Kidman is sadly a let down here. The fact you can clearly tell she's had modern cosmetic treatment immediately takes you out of the 895 AD setting.
However nothing can stop The Northman grabbing hold of you & dragging you through the mud, snow & ice of long-ago Iceland.
This is a visceral blockbuster experience that must be seen on the big screen.
I can't say I loved this film but I really, really appreciated it.

[Rob's Review of Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore]*Warning. Contains Spoilers*Look…I’ve been invested in the ...
07/04/2022

[Rob's Review of Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore]

*Warning. Contains Spoilers*

Look…I’ve been invested in the ‘Wizarding World’ of Harry Potter for over twenty years now.

I remember the thrill of reading the books for the first time.

I remember the excitement of watching the films for the first time, then nit-picking over every little detail from the books that were omitted from the films.

I also remember the feeling of disappointment and anger when I discovered the views of JK Rowling didn’t match my views on acceptance and inclusivity.

You see…I have been so invested in the world, the characters, the history, the lore, that it’s impossible for me to separate the reality of this franchise from the fictional stories.

I’m in deep, and like it or not my opinion and (honestly) my love of the franchise HAS been tainted by the controversies and questionable actions of JK Rowling, Johnny Depp and most recently, Erza Miller.

On top of that, the whole Fantastic Beasts film series hasn’t had the most stable or consistent of track records.

I was actually a HUGE fan of the first film.

I really loved the cute, meandering tone of it.

I was delighted by the mostly self-contained structure of it, despite the ham-handed attempts to force in broader ‘world-building’ elements.

I forgave first time screen-writer JK Rowling’s clear lack of experience or discipline in the field of writing a screenplay because the beasts were just so darn fantastic and Newt was truly an incredible leading character. To have a male lead defined by his compassion and empathy, just as equally as his bravery and his anti-authoritative nature.

However then the second film came out and it was a complete disaster.

Gone was the cute self-contained story of little, awkward people becoming friends and saving magical creatures. What we got instead was, our lead characters pushed to the side of their own franchise. The focus shifted to the backstory of young Dumbledore, his relationship with the dark wizard Grindelwald and the rising tension/dissatisfaction within the wizarding world as the Muggle world moves inexorably towards a second world war.

Along the way Rowling further angered/bewildered her fans by contradicting her own continuity and lore. And if there’s one thing fans love to mull over endlessly is franchise continuity. I know this…because I’m one of them!

Really JK? Dumbledore is now teaching Defense Against the Dark Arts?

Really JK? McGonagall is now a teacher at Hogwarts during the 1930s? Making her close to the same age as Dumbledore?

Have you even read your own books???

So…it’s safe to say I was not going into this movie with high hopes, and truth be told I was not looking forward to it at all.

I was relieved to hear that Harry Potter films scribe, Steve Kloves returned to assist Rowling with the writing of this third Beasts film.

There is a clear improvement in the script's structure in The Secrets of Dumbledore.

However, it is still far too messy, too many characters are introduced and not many of them have a satisfying arc. Quite a bit of the plot and motivations don’t make sense and even though the script structure is tighter…it is still too ‘loosey-goosey’.

That being said there is a charm, delightful humour and real heart to this film that I really enjoyed and even admired.

I appreciated the globe-trotting elements of this story, so many new exotic locations!

I also adored the ‘band of misfits’ ensemble format of it all. I've always found the Potter-verse was all about celebrating the misfits and outcasts of society, it was great to see that so prominent here.

This is, however, really Dumbledore’s movie and Jude Law does a lovely job for the second time as Dumbledore. He’s no Richard Harris but he is head and shoulders above Michael (I didn’t read the books and it shows) Gambon.

There is one scene where Dumbledore confesses to Newt the truth about his family. That scene is lifted almost word-for-word from the final Harry Potter book. I was very happy to see it finally shared here as it was criminally omitted from the original films. Jude Law performed the scene wonderfully, showing the despair and pain behind Dumbledore’s grinning façade.

I particularly loved that after the unnecessary teasing and tip-toeing around the issue of Dumbledore’s relationship with Grindelwald in the last film, within the first five minutes of this one we have Jude look directly into Mads Mikkelsen’s gorgeous eyes and say he loves him. I understand why some of the fans would find that a gesture too little too late.

Overall I really embraced the lost love and sexual tension between Law and Mikkelsen, it really added a nice emotional weight to the film.

Mikkelsen is a welcome addition to this franchise, he is such an incredibly charismatic performer and inhabits every role he plays.

Eddie Redmayne is again fantastic as the ‘clearly on the spectrum’ Newt. Even though he does play second fiddle, I did appreciate his moments of beast interaction and the return of his companion Bowtruckle and Niffler. His relationship with his brother Theseus is developed, grown and strengthened from the previous film and I couldn’t get enough of it. I love the Scamander boys together.

Dan Folger is incredible as Jacob. He is a wonderful creation by Folger. So sincere. So self-assured. So clumsy. So loyal. So lovable. His chemistry with Alison Sudol is still as strong as ever.

One of my favourite characters in this world is Albus’ cranky older brother Aberforth. So it was a great thrill to see him present here, played masterfully by Richard Coyle.

Daily Show correspondent and confessed ‘Potter Head’ Jessica Williams is another one of the stand-out performances in this film, playing US Magical school (Illvermorny) professor Eulalie Hicks. Williams hits the ground running like she’s been in the franchise since Philosopher’s Stone.

The biggest misstep is the loss of Katherine Waterston’s Tina in this film. For whatever reason, her loss is felt in a big way, and if they do get to carry on with the franchise, Waterston needs to be front and centre.

I was satisfied with how the Credence story was handled. Truth be told I was never really a fan of the character anyway.

Overall though I’m a little more forgiving of this film and for the most part genuinely enjoyed myself...which surprises me.

There are more actual beasts in this one (not as many as the first film). The Niffler and Bowtruckle have an especially hilarious couple of moments in this. One new beast even turns out to play a huge part in the resolution of this film’s plot. So that’s nothing to be sniffed at.

I am not sure the series has the steam to complete the planned five film arc, and there is enough at the end to tie-up the loose ends to at least make it feel like an impromptu conclusion.

I’ll be interested to see how this film goes with the general public and whether they’ll be swayed/influenced by the drama behind the scenes; or whether they can just focus on the magic on display on the screen.

The Nerd-Out gang reunited to take part in the press screening of Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore last night...
31/03/2022

The Nerd-Out gang reunited to take part in the press screening of Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore last night!

Full review will be out next week!

[Rob's Review of Cyrano]There is A LOT going on in this latest adaptation of Edmond Rostand’s 1897 classic work Cyrano d...
23/02/2022

[Rob's Review of Cyrano]

There is A LOT going on in this latest adaptation of Edmond Rostand’s 1897 classic work Cyrano de Bergerac.

Not only has superstar Peter Dinklage taken on the title role to provide a clever twist on the original long-nosed protagonist and how he is looked upon by society because of his ‘physical appearance’. The film is also directed by Joe Wright (Atonement, Pride & Prejudice and Darkest Hour) who makes every shot in his movies an explosion to the senses. And to top it all off Cyrano is also a musical with original songs by US indie rock band The National.

See!? A lot.

The musical aspect of this production was kept on the DL during the early days of promoting this film. Only the final trailer, released some two weeks before last night’s preview screening, presented any hint of the musical numbers. I am intrigued by this marketing decision.

Anyway…the story of Cyrano is a part of popular culture and the basic premise is pretty much known by everyone whether you are familiar with the original text or not. It has been interpreted, adapted and parodied for well over a century.

Cyrano is in love with Roxanne. They are equals in intellect, creativity and wit but because he is physically different he believes she will never accept him as anything more than a friend. Roxanne is in love with the Christian who finds it difficult to express his feelings. So Cyrano agrees to be the beautiful words and voice to Christian’s beautiful features.

The tale of Cyrano, Roxanne and Christian in its original form is a very po-faced affair that takes itself very seriously. This is one of the many reasons why I have always struggled to connect with it.

Cyrano the film maintains this serious approach and thanks to the musical numbers add on another ten layers of seriousness. This is a risky move and will either drive audiences away or draw them in intently. More than likely it will do both in equal measure.

The whole thing reminds me a little of the Moulin Rouge craze that hit the world back in the early noughties. Both that film and Cyrano here take themselves SO freaking seriously. For some audiences this is a drawcard…for me it results in me keeping films like this at arm’s length.

Joe Wright is a director who knows how to make a film look like a work of art. The time and effort he and his team put into setting up long tracking shots or awe-inspiring establishing shots that drag an audience kicking and screaming into his worlds is always an impressive achievement to witness. What’s more spectacular is his work on period films, Wright has the uncanny knack of making History not a stuffy, text-book recreation but a living breathing beast. The opening scenes at the theatre are simply incredible.

Where Wright does stumble slightly though are the musical numbers, which are uneven at best. Some of the more lowkey pieces are handled well, however whenever he attempts to go grand and sweeping the numbers lose their way and are disjointed. He did much better with the frenetic energy and joyous anarchy of the social dances in Pride & Prejudice.

The songs specifically by The National are quite good, however only one or two stick in my mind afterwards. A Hamilton-like acapella wrap by Cyrano at the start was particularly enjoyable however I’m not sure if credit should go to The National or screenwriter Erica Schmidt.

The cast overall are fantastic and are doing some lovely stuff here. Dinklage is of course the stand-out, throwing himself whole-heartedly and completely into the titular role, with deep emotional range, lavish swordplay and belting out a tune as well. He’s not the strongest singer but his efforts aren’t embarrassing.

Haley Bennett as Roxanne is an excellent foil for Dinklage. Her wonderful singing voice is on full display and her portrayal of a young woman not wanting to be defined by the expectation society has on her is inspiring to see.

Kelvin Harrison Jr (great name) is a very good Christian, providing the character with a lot of warmth, heart and wide-eyed naivety.

It’s always great to see Ben Mendelsohn relish playing a baddie…however it would've been a smarter, more humane move not making him sing.

To be honest…and I didn’t want to open my review with this statement because I hate it when reviewers do, but…I am not the biggest fan of the Cyrano de Bergerac story. To quote Peter Griffin from Family Guy “It insists upon itself” I much prefer looser interpretations that have fun with the premise like the glorious 1980s hit Roxanne or the 1990s forgotten classic The Truth About Cats & Dogs I love those films. So this film was always going to have an uphill battle with me. That being said, I did want to go into this film with an open mind (and heart) and truth be told there is much to like in this new version and I highly recommend you going out and seeing it.

I can see hoards of audiences taking this film to their bosom and more power to them.

[Rob's Review of Dave (1993)]With the recent sad news of the passing of the great Ivan Reitman, I thought I would take t...
15/02/2022

[Rob's Review of Dave (1993)]

With the recent sad news of the passing of the great Ivan Reitman, I thought I would take this opportunity to talk about my favourite film of his...no not Ghostbusters, though that film changed my life...I am going to talk about a film that was a big success when it came out but seems to have sadly faded into the background of cinema history as time has gone by. I am going to talk about...

Dave.

This incredibly charming, surprisingly quirky masterpiece is clearly heavily influenced by the films of Frank Capra but has just the right balance of 'modern' (early nineties) sharp yet sincere demand for better from our politician leaders.

Kevin Kline and Sigourney Weaver have outstanding chemistry together and lead an out-of-this-world cast. I mean look at all those beauties down below: Frank Langella, Charles Gordin, Ben Kingsley, Ving Rhimes, Kevin Dunn, Stephen Root, Bonnie Hunt, Laura Linney...the list goes on and on.

There's an almost 'American Fable' tone to this whole film and I love it for it.

The story focuses on Kevin Kline's Dave standing in for the President who unable to continue due to an embarrassing health scare.

The spirit, humour, heart and message of this film is so pure but strong.

Reitman balances the seemingly disjointed tones of the script with an expert touch. He brings the best out of all his actors and wrings out every little laugh and yes tear out of the audience.

Dave is a beautiful film and a wonderful example of Ivan Reitman's skill as a comedy film director. There is so much in Dave that it just gets better and better the more you watch it.

Check it out and celebrate the work of Ivan Reitman.

[Rob's Review of Marry Me]From what I could tell from the trailer, on it’s surface Marry Me is an updated version of the...
11/02/2022

[Rob's Review of Marry Me]

From what I could tell from the trailer, on it’s surface Marry Me is an updated version of the Rom Com classic Notting Hill:

Average Joe with Superstar Jane.

But this time ‘round we’ve swapped Bookstore owner with Math Teacher and Hollywood Actor with Pop Star.

However, if you go a little deeper you will find a whole range of other, more successful Rom Coms being mined here for inspiration. From scenes and shots that reminded me of The Proposal, to the credits footage that is completely stolen from When Harry Met Sally. Yes…there is nothing new about Marry Me, that suggests Jennifer Lopez and Owen Wilson would make a good match.

A huge problem for me was that the film shies away from both actors ages…which is a disservice. Lean into it. Embrace it. Wilson is 53 and Lopez is 52. Lopez in particular looks amazing. That should be celebrated or at the very least normalised. I cringed a little when they alluded to the fact that Lopez character was late 30s/early 40s. Show us more stories of people in their 50s, 60s and beyond finding love.

Sadly the opening 20 minutes derails the whole film, and yes I get that that is setting up of the entire freaking premise of the film. However there isn’t enough groundwork done with our two lead characters at the start to show where they are with their lives and how their choices up to this point could even vaguely justify the absurdity of how they both accept the situation that they ‘get together’. It all seems a bit like the opening act is the formality and the makers just rush through it because they want to get to the Notting Hill/fish-out-of-water stuff and hope the audience don’t think too much about it.

This film’s major strength (yes it does have some strengths) is in its ‘grass roots’ narrative work, the stuff that really made Notting Hill such a standout.

In Notting Hill it’s those scenes of the superstar celebrity just hanging out and having dinner with the salt-of-the-earth, ‘common’ people. In Marry Me it’s Lopez’s Kat being a chaperone with Wilson’s Charlie at the school dance or Kat showing up and helping Charlie’s Math students prepare for their big competition with inspirational “I’m just like you” speeches and of course dance moves.

Look…I am always gonna be a softie for a Hollywood classroom scene. These were actually lovingly done and I could forgive the hockiness here because there were so many good intentions behind it.

Lopez and Wilson are charming screen presences, but their chemistry really shifts from scene to scene and it’s never consistent enough to make their budding romance completely believable. But it doesn’t help that any attempts to show them both ‘casual’ or ‘intimate’ looks so staged, prepared and awkward.

Wilson’s Charlie, the divorced single dad, Math Teacher is never presented with any shade. In many ways he’s too good to be realistic. He is always humble, passive, gracious, quirky-charming and never seems too overwhelmed, stressed, frustrated. He handles press conferences, red-carpet events and paparazzi attention in his stride. He never shows a sharper edge. He’s never really tested, he always backs out without needing to fight for what he wants. He never fails or makes a mistake. Charlie just seems to amble through life with a whole “It’s all good” attitude. Therefore, there is never any real tension or drama built or explored. Which is a shame because it really knocks the wind out of this film.

As for the rest of the cast:

John Bradley (best known as Sam from Game of Thrones) was a little out of place here, that being said, it’s great seeing him getting some big screen time.

Sarah Silverman was wonderful as always but I especially happy to see that she has been allowed her to show off just a smidge of her range here. Not just present her impressive snark.

Overall though there is a decent, ‘from-two-different-worlds ‘romantic comedy here, if only it could have forged it’s own way not rely on familiar gimmicks used by other, better films and actually find a better premise to have Kat and Charlie meet or at the very least lay the groundwork to make it the least bit plausible.

NEW SPECIAL!We're a little late this year but it's finally time for Sandro, Adam and Rhys to gather around the virtual t...
06/02/2022

NEW SPECIAL!

We're a little late this year but it's finally time for Sandro, Adam and Rhys to gather around the virtual table and chat about all their favourite (and least favourite) TV shows of 2021!

Listen now on your favorite podcast platform, or check it out from our website here:

https://anchor.fm/nerd-out-podcast/episodes/Nerd-Out-Presents-Best--Worst-TV-Shows-of-2021-with-Adam-J-Purcell--Rhys-Parton-e1dvaou

Join Rob Lloyd, Jen Speirs and Sandro Falce as they catch up and discuss all the latest nerdy news, movies, TV shows, and more.

04/01/2022

SANDRO'S WORST MOVIES OF 2021.
(This is my opinion. What are your worst movies of the year? Drop them in the comments!)

Runner-Ups:

Spiral: From the Book of Saw ... It was just bad?

Jungle Cruise ... Disney thinks this was a throwback to the first Pirates of the Caribbean movie. Instead, it feels more like they took the script for the cancelled 6th Pirates movie and changed all the character names. It's boring, tired, and painfully unoriginal.

Army of the Dead ... A heist movie taking place in a zombie-ridden Las Vegas sounded super fun. Unfortunately, this movie took itself too seriously and was way too long for a dumb zombie movie. It also looked awful. The un-focused, way-too-close-up style of cinematography didn't work for me at all. If you're going to create practical sets and have a bunch of zombie extras, maybe you should... I don't know... show them? And not blur them out? There were some fun heist-movie moments that I enjoyed a lot though, and the cast worked very well together.

#10 - Space Jam: A New Legacy
This entry into my list is brought to you by Warner Bros! Do you know that Warner Bros make stuff? Do you know that they own a bunch of IP? Well, they do! And they all have movies coming out soon! Watch them now, here at Warner Bros. (That's it. That's the entire movie.)

#9 - Escape Room: Tournament of Champions
The biggest mistake this movie made was carrying on the story from the 2019 film. Does anyone actually want to pay attention to the story and characters while watching their dumb PG-13 Saw ripoff? I certainly don't. Some of the sets were cool though.

#8 - The Unholy
Let me paint a picture: You're walking down a dimly lit corridor. You hear something behind you. You turn around. There's nothing there. You turn back to face the way you were coming from. Then a grey CG hand appears on your shoulder and a loud jumpscare noise plays. That's 90% of this movie.

#7 - Voyagers
The trailer for this looked cool! The editing was a bit messy but I was interested enough. Turns out the entire movie is edited just like a trailer. I can't remember anything else about this movie, I saw it in January.

#6 - Malcolm & Marie
Fake Deep: The Movie. Wow, this is an awful script. Maybe googling who writer-director Sam Levinson is while watching it was a bad idea. Seeing who wrote the words Zendaya is trying really hard to make work made this fall apart. At least the house they filmed this in looked nice? And Zendaya being 50% of the cast helped.

#5 - The Boss Baby: Family Business
I have nothing to say about this movie. I don't know why I watched it. They didn't even get Tobey Maguire back! Unbelievable.

#4 - Snake Eyes: G.I. Joe Origins
This is everything I dislike about modern melee-focused action movies: close-up, quick-cut fights. I'm sick of it. The Bourne trilogy is fine but it ruined action movies forever. The part when all the swords went through the truck window was fun though.

#3 - Earwig and the Witch
Miyazaki Jr's decision to focus on 3D CG animation instead of the classic hand-drawn style that Studio Ghibli is known for was a mistake. It removed the main reason people like these movies! To make matters worse, the animation was horrible. Probably the worst animation I've seen in a feature film since Shark Tale. And then, they decided to not even give the movie an ending! It's got a 1st act, maybe half of a 2nd act, and then it just ends!

#2: Venom - Let There Be Carnage
While I dislike the first Venom movie, at least it was trying to be a movie. This fails even that. It's so obviously a studio-made movie, there's 0 creativity to be found here. Well, maybe there's some to be found in the songs Little Simz and CZARFACE made for the soundtrack. That was cool. I liked those. Everything else about this was awful.

#1: Tom & Jerry
Mistake #1: Live-Action Tom & Jerry. This feels like the sort of movie a studio would consider making after seeing that 2007's Underdog was in development, but then promptly cancel after actually watching 2007's Underdog. Mistake #2: WHY IS THIS SET AT A WEDDING?! Who thought this would be a good idea?! If you're doing a Tom & Jerry movie, maybe make it about Tom & Jerry? Mistake #3: All the animals are animated. Now, we see people at the wedding eating beef. Earlier in the movie, we also saw cows. They were animated. The beef isn't animated though. This raises too many questions.

[Sandro’s Spoiler Free Re-Review of Marvel’s Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings.]There’s a really tight 90min act...
30/11/2021

[Sandro’s Spoiler Free Re-Review of Marvel’s Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings.]

There’s a really tight 90min action film in here, with the potential to be a 5-star martial arts superhero movie.

This film does so much right.

This has some of the best action the MCU has seen.

The cinematography, especially in the action, was very smooth and smart. The editing as well. I love long, single take fights and this had heaps of that.

The balance of humour was spot on.

It looked incredible, especially the final set-piece.

Some great teases to what’s coming up in future movies.

Unfortunately, a lot of the plot and character-based moments in the 2nd half drag it down for me.
Partly because the character arcs aren’t as interesting or fleshed out as they could’ve been…
Partly because the movie relies too heavily on using flashbacks to make you care about the story…
Partly because there’s a solid half-hour in the middle without an action sequence, which is what this movie does best.
Not saying the character are bad, just that they each get short, action movie character arcs, which is fine… except that they then stop the movie to focus on those character arcs for too long. All the acting is excellent though, can’t wait to see them all again.

Glad I rewatched it though, could just use a little bit of trimming. Not every blockbuster needs to be two hours!

28/10/2021

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