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Skylines (2020)
A good little action sci-fi for what it's worth.
For a low-budget, practically independent, finalized and edited during quarantine, this movie it is what it is: confident and with heart.
They have a decent cast and sfx that looks way above what the money could have supplied them with. The story is a little out of focus in some parts but it follows through just fine in the end for our hero (Lindsey Morgan). There are a few scenes of questionable CGI but for a movie that is mostly practical effects and alien suits, it's very obvious where the budget went to keep it from looking too cheap. Not everything is perfect.
The characters are fun and the actors clearly enjoyed their roles. It's nice to see B-Movie action stars and familiar faces brought together for this flick.
Obviously it won't be for everyone who is looking for a giant epic third installment compared to other movie sagas. Might be out of place for those who haven't seen the previous movie, but the beginning does give you an introduction.
The Nutcracker and the Four Realms (2018)
No seriously, was Matthew Macfadyen the original nutcracker?
This movie was weirdly not for children in my opinion, considering there's a lot of fantasy violence, but...
Going in, it's a very "Alice Through the Looking Glass" situation with the reveal that Clara's mother was the "original Clara" (not sure if she was named after or had her name changed after her mother passed away?) that ruled one of the Four Realms as their queen until her departed and passing away of in the real world.
I thought this was going to be a complete re-telling of the original ballet acts until there was that sort-of reveal. I GENUINELY enjoyed the world-building that went into this new level of weird and at some parts it was actually quite horrifying (in regards to the tin soldiers and their dead, dead, dead-dead-dead eyes as they walked about). I really enjoyed the kingdom divide as represented in the original as very unique and distinguished locations, and the character design is lovely and fun.
Looking at who wrote (and especially directed) this kind of gives you a look into how and why the movie's structure, world-building, and overall tone is the way it is. The movie takes itself seriously in a LOT of places but begins to ease up on those reigns as you are further introduced to the whimsical aspects.
The whole movie I was going "Macfadyen's character is sort of just there, wouldn't it be strange is he was a nutcracker taken from the realm?" as stated that they can leave but their fate was uncertain. He "becomes human" in the end of the ballet (which apparently in THIS movie-verse wasn't a "dream sequence" but a temporary realm jump). However, the question remained LITERALLY up until the VERY END OF THE MOVIE where Clara's father hears the music box and reflects on it as some forgotten, but comforting tune he and their mother once danced to. The WHOLE movie he was weirdly insignificant until that last minute of the POSSIBLE implication that he is more to the story.
Call it a theory but it's the only way I can justify those otherwise pointless scenes.
Mary Poppins Returns (2018)
Endearing, but not original.
Okay maybe you can't call a rehash of an old Disney movie "original" anyway especially what they're doing with movies now, but it was strange to take the original into consideration while this movie's story was going on. Made me ask more questions than feel like any were being answered - but maybe that's been the point of Mary Poppins all along.
First off, regarding the movie as a whole, the musical segments were grating to me, especially having Lin-Manuel Miranda only allowed to do "his thing" in the "Can You Imagine That?" number which was honestly the best part of the movie. They basically tried to do the original plot with a second generation of characters but they got a few things backwards (like the children knowing about the "wolf" before having known anything about who ran the bank or was in charge of the story's plot device).
The ending perplexed me the most, and I hate using that term. They go through all this trouble of trying to stop a clock from hitting midnight (or ten or something, whatever) for none of that to even matter to the story - only to have Dick Van Dyke as some random character waltz in and have their loan forgiven and everything's fine again.
I love the theory involved with this that Mary, along with the chimney sweeps, are sorts of demonic creatures that all known one another in the underground and respect/listen to Mary as their devoted leader. When Lin's character implied that he had known the children and their parents when they were young (with NO implication that he was ever young but had always been this chimney sweep) made me go "Huh? What? Is he just immortal?" before I realized what they were trying to tell me.
A bit of a mess in some parts but looking this from the POV of a child watching it, I can see them enjoying it. Fans of the first one may enjoy the nostalgia of remembering the old days but the novelty wore off quick.
Beyond Skyline (2017)
If you're into it, you're into it.
I won't lie when I said I clicked on this originally because of Frank Grillo.
It's definitely not a "typical" alien invasion movie and takes some liberties with some ideas of its own (especially as a sequel to something not everyone enjoyed originally), while still having some cliche elements and a few cheesy lines. I stayed and liked it for the fight choreography (the martial arts in general) even though that sort of was a big break between it and its genre listing. To me, it's a sequel, and it's very clear that the cast and crew had a ton of fun making it, so it holds a certain charm to it as B-movies can.
Portals (2019)
Fun for how it came about.
Knowing the background for how this movie got made gives it a few passes in the mistakes and writing department for me. First of all, this isn't some A-list mainstream media movie, it's a small distribution and could (and should) be treated as a B-movie horror flick. Considering the segments were finished at different times and then sewn together once another writer was brought in, there ARE a few bumpy parts and editing slips that kinda made me go "oh, whoops" but I wasn't there to judge a movie as some Avengers film anyway.
Overall I enjoyed it, and that's probably because I went in knowing what to MOSTLY expect from the writers and directors involved and what they have made in the past. Each little segment has its own feel to it and, again, while not being perfect in editing or acting, still had something to offer. It definitely had potential to be something bigger or greater but for what came out of it as a final project is still a fun little watch in my opinion.