Reviews

Viewed on Hulu.

Based upon the now long running TV series, this film adaptation sees a sinkhole opening up in front of the Belcher's family burger joint, crippling their business just in time for them to pay off their bank loan debt, and even embroiling them in a cold case murder mystery.

It ultimately feels like a longer, better animated, episode of the TV series, so how you'll feel about it depends on how well you like the show. It's not my favorite animated comedy, but it usually gets a few chuckles out of me & the movie hits the same beats.

Viewed on Disney+.

In this X-Men Pre/Sequel, mutants are nearly extinct after being hunted down by highly adaptive killer robots called Sentinels. Their only hope for survival is to send Wolverine back in time (in a manner of speaking) to the 1970s in hopes that he can get Professor X & Magneto to team up & put the project on ice before it can get off the ground.

Pretty solid. It was fun to see the cast of the original X-Men trilogy again (even if most of the film stays in the past), though I can't say I liked it as much as "First Class". I really enjoyed how that film worked the geopolitical landscape of the time into the narrative (particularly the Cuban Missile Crisis), and although this film tried similar with the end of the Vietnam War, I don't think it was as successful/effective. Still an enjoyable enough movie though.

Viewed on Tubi.

OVA miniseries that follows Aika Sumeragi, a high school student whom has recently acquired her salvager's license (she can pilot a sub), and as such is invited by her school's "Adventure Club" to go on an expedition to a mysterious set of co-ordinates that were left in a message hidden in the butterfly tattoo of another student whom is amnesiac regarding her past (I'm not making this stuff up).

At it's core this could have been a pretty fun setup for a sort of lighthearted "Indiana Jones" like fare, but it gets really "out there" way too fast with way too short a run time (only 3, short, episodes), that it's hard to care about any of it by the time it's over. Granted, I'll give it effort for at least realizing it's silly & doesn't take itself too seriously (during the numerous gunfights it's mentioned that they're only using tranq rounds & no one is dying), and hey if you're here for the cheesecake fan service it delivers (It's nearly omnipresent, even if oftentimes OTT & ridiculous).

Animation is fine. Not the most accomplished out there, but the action has relatively good flow to it & I really enjoyed the design & look of the sub (too bad we didn't get more action inside of it). My biggest complaint (that really shouldn't be levelled against the show itself) is that it's clearly the SD version of an HD show on Tubi (granted, this is probably more on the rights holder uploading a DVD copy rather than a Blu-Ray).

Viewed on Funimation.

Anime series that follows pop idol Sakura Hagiwara whom decides she's going to beat Pro Wrestlers at their own game after her idol group, Sweet Diva, is humiliated during a cross promotional event with the wrestling gym Berserk.

In terms of narrative I actually think it's paced pretty well for the first half, it takes her that long to finally get a win and it shows her genuinely struggle to actually make this work. However, one that happens it has just a bit too much going on. She almost immediately gets the attention of the world champion, she gets a protege (in a storyline that doesn't really go anywhere), and becomes embroiled in a conflict with a mysterious figure assaulting the other wrestlers of her group. I will say they do end it in a reasonably satisfying manner.

Animation wise, it's okay. It's clearly a show centered around the cheesecake fan service, and such shows usually don't have much of a budget & it shows. I've seen better, but I've also seen worse (in terms of the cheesecake itself, while the wrestling action provides ample opportunity to show close ups of certain features, the show provides surprisingly little in terms of actual nudity, maybe 3 scenes at most). I will say they make effective use of submission holds to actually have to animate very little while keeping the matches relatively interesting (I joke, but it seems 50% of the show is someone in a Boston Crab, lol).

Viewed on Retro Crush.

An OVA miniseries (6 episodes) that follows a futuristic bounty hunter named Iria whom gets embroiled in a conspiracy involving a suspicious mega corporation & a nearly indestructible hostile alien lifeform called "Zeiram", after being sent out on a mission to rescue the crew of a ship that has sent out a distress signal.

It clearly owes it's core concept to "Alien", however it does enough of it's own to justify it's existence. The conflict between Iria & Zeiram becomes personal in a way that it's inspiration wasn't, and Zeiram itself has an eye catching design (a theme that carries over to the series as a whole, it mixes sci-fi grandeur with traditional Japanese/Asian aesthetic influences much like other sci-fi anime of the time like "Tenchi Muyo!" & "Outlaw Star"). Not the best thing ever, but I liked it more than I had imaged I would going in.

Viewed on Tubi.

Based on a true story, it recalls the events of how the crew of an English trade ship instigated a mutiny after experiencing a veritable paradise in Tahiti and the demands of their increasingly overbearing captain.

It's much more of a slow burn than I typically watch (different thematically as well), and much more of a character drama, but it was a nice change of pace & I enjoyed my time with it. However I have no idea how this landed a straight PG rating, even given the more lax attitude of the time, given that I don't think I've ever seen so many boobs in a film (though that's certainly not a bad thing).

Viewed at the cinema in 3D.

As someone who really likes deep space sci-fi, I actually really enjoyed this. The narrative centering around the personal effects of near light speed travel (a theme I've only ever seen tackled in Gunbuster before) was quite well done, the aesthetic design of all the tech & ships was really cool (really great 3D movie btw, especially the flying & space scenes, as well as the big wide shots of the colony), and I thought the big twist surrounding the big bad was an inspired choice (if a bit controversial from what I've seen). On the negative side I could maybe see it being a bit slow for those with really young kids as while it does have some humor, it's more contemplative & straight faced than I'd have imagined going in, but this isn't an aspect that affected my personal viewing experience.

However, this probably had no reason to be a "Buzz Lightyear" movie. Outside of an opening blurb mentioning it as "Andy's favorite movie of 1995" & a couple of catch phrases here & there, it has absolutely nothing to do with Toy Story. They don't even try to make it feel like a 90's sci-fi film (an Armageddon parody would have been a fun direction to take it in now that I think of it), so it's not really believable in that context either. This again wasn't a big deal to me personally (which I'm sure you can tell based on my score), but if you're going into it as a Toy Story fan, that's probably the wrong mindset to go in with, for better or worse.

Viewed at the Cinema in 3D.

When Owen & Claire's adopted daughter (the cloned girl from the last film) gets kidnapped by poachers (along with the pup of Blue, the raptor Owen shares a bond with), and Ellie & Alan Grant (from the original film) investigate a budding ecological disaster, both groups go on an adventure that'll lead them to the doorstep of BioSyn (a "totally not shady at all" genetics corporation claiming to be creating a nature reserve for the benefit of the world's now wild dino population).

It's not really an adventure film ABOUT dinosaurs as much as it is an adventure film in a world that happens to have (lots of) dinosaurs, which may certainly sound a bit disappointing going in (and I get it), but if you set your expectations right this is still a fun movie. Sure, it seems to be bothered more with callbacks to the original film than it does in really pushing things forward (and doesn't make quite enough sense in some areas, like how a few dozen dinos let loose on the west coast, in the last film, are suddenly endemic the world over after only a few years), but if you're in a few more hours of hectic dino action (which I felt was elevated by the use of 3D) it's still a fun ride.

Viewed on Blu-Ray.

American everyman Clark Griswold takes his family on a cross country road trip to famed theme park Wally World (a fictitious take on Disneyland), and everything that can go wrong does go wrong.

I always thought this film was just perfect at riding the line between goofy zaniness & relatable adventure. While things never went as wrong for us as the Griswolds, this film always makes me feel nostalgic for the family road trips my family used to take when I was younger, and at this point this is really a comfort food film for me & I watch it once a year at some point in the summer (really has a classic Americana vibe about it at this point). Just not a 10 as I've gotten older I don't find certain humor surrounding Aunt Edna to be as funny as I did when I was younger (I'm sure you'll know what I'm talking about if you've seen it).

Viewed on Hulu.

As the header indicates, I'm specifically giving my thoughts on the 3rd season (with shows like this where each season is independent, they really need to have some way of splitting up the listing here).

Anyway, it's a dramatization of the events leading up to & during the Clinton Impeachment scandal in the 90's. Maybe it's because I tend to usually watch (comparatively) low brow stuff like superhero, Star Wars, & anime shows, but I thought the quality of this was absolutely exemplary. It really gave a humanizing look to everyone involved (well, some of the conservative figures were presented with a bit of mustache twirling, but that's to be expected), was acted beautifully, & was generally engrossing.

Viewed on Tubi.

After it's dropped off it's transport, a young mechanic stumbles upon an experimental military mech & manages to get stuck in the thing. Of course he has his priorities, and sets out to meet up with his girlfriend before she leaves to study abroad, with the government/military getting in his way in an attempt to reclaim the machine (which gets dangerous when a trigger happy Vietnam vet, bored of the post war peace, defies orders & sets out to destroy the mech to boost his own ego).

It has it's moments, with some fun action, a few humorous situations, and the short 40-something minute runtime keeps things at a brisk pace (that, and it really dedicated some immaculate attention to detail to the mech's mechanical elements in a way I'm not sure I've seen elsewhere, especially in modern anime). That said, it's short runtime also means it's never able to get enough depth to be anything more than a potentially amusing distraction, and it's in desperate need of a remaster (it's clearly still in SD, maybe not updated since it's original VHS release, and it shows).

Viewed on HiDive.

Series that follows the exploits of "Black Label", a band of vigilantes who "treat societies ills" by taking out criminals who are beyond the reach of the law (corrupt politicians, Yakuza bosses, etc.). During the daytime they save lives working at Mochizuki Hospital (or attend the affiliated Mochizuki high school, being an anime & all). It's centered on Arashi Mikami, a young man who is the sole survivor of an unsolved terrorist bombing who was saved by the head of the hospital.

Really good action packed stuff, and and every member of our vigilante group (outside of Arashi & the hospital head, Mochizuki) is a ridiculously well endowed bombshell, so it has that going for it if that's your thing. Story is pretty interesting as each main cast member has some sort of troubled past & was saved by director Mochizuki at some point & has a real desire to clean up the city. Really the only issue is that it's only one season long and at this point probably won't be getting a continuation, but it does have (a still ongoing) manga adaptation that you can check out to hopefully see the series to it's conclusion.

Viewed on Pluto TV.

70's reversion of the seminal classic monster movie. Certainly not bad, but perhaps a bit disappointing given that Jaws, Star Wars, & Alien were just around the corner & would cement the idea of the modern blockbuster. This feels close in spots, but still very "B movie" in others, like it just wasn't quite ready for the leap.

On the plus side, re-contextualizing the expedition around a search for oil was a smart move to connect it to the topical issues of the era, being the 70's they seemed to enjoy pushing how much of Dwan's (the heroine) skin as possible while maintaining a "PG" rating, and things finally seemed to pick up once they get to New York. However, I think the middle of the movie is perhaps a bit too slow, and as mentioned before the effects weren't quite up to snuff.

Viewed on Disney+.

I don't know if it's just because it's the only X-Men film I had seen in the theatre, but I've always really liked this one, no matter how many times I watch it.

Soft Reboot/Prequel of the earlier X-Men trilogy that follows Charles Xavier (Professor X) & Eric (Magneto) in their beginnings, how they started the X-Men, and what ultimately led them to fallout with each other. Out of all the "prequel" films I think this is the one that best ties in the historical drama of the time (the climax during the Cuban Missile Crisis is exhilarating stuff, and I enjoyed watching Eric hunt down Nazi's earlier in the film as well).

Viewed on FreeVee.

In this gritty spin off of the X Men franchise, in a near future where mutants are nearly extinct, an aging & weakened Wolverine must come out of hiding in order to ensure the safety of a young mutant girl with a familiar set of abilities.

The action is plentiful, visceral, brutal, & grounded (well, about as grounded as a superhero movie can be) in a way that sets it apart from it's contemporaries, while the narrative does it's best to feel personal in a way the previous two standalone Wolverine films couldn't quite live up to. I wouldn't say it's my favorite film in the franchise (maybe not even my favorite Wolverine film), but it's definitely a unique take that's worth checking out.

Viewed on Hulu

Set in an alternate version of the 1980's where superheroes exist (and thus certain historic events unfolded differently) and the government has recently passed a ban on their activity, the small crop of heroes left must decide whether or not to break it after it's revealed that someone is murdering former heroes one by one in a conspiracy that may lead to nuclear war.

It's dark, gritty, and very much a slow burn kind of watch that feels like the antithesis to the rock a minute family films that most superhero movies have been in the past decade. The lore & characters are deep & interesting, with my only issue being that it might be perhaps a bit too much for the runtime of a movie. It's by no means confusing if you're paying attention (it really is admirable how well it's held together), but it feels like the movie really only touches the surface of what this world provides.

Viewed on Tubi.

Chevy Chase & Dan Akroyd play a couple of bumbling low level government employees who are fast tracked to be super spies, unaware that their real mission is to really take attention away from the real spies (i.e. They're extremely expendable). Of course, as things often go in these kinds of movies, the success of the mission ultimately ends up in the hands of our not so capable protagonists.

Not quite a classic on the level of a Vacation or Ghostbusters (it kinda feels like a more gag reliant take on Stripes, IMO), but it holds enough chuckles to be worth a Saturday morning.

Viewed at the cinema (in 3D)

I want to preface this by saying that while there certainly is a discussion to be had around the merits of tying a film('s narrative) to a preceding tv miniseries, a review is ultimately a reflection of the viewer's experience, and as someone who had already watched said miniseries, this aspect didn't interfere with my enjoyment of the film.

So yeah, on to the film itself, and I have to say I quite enjoyed it. I personally liked the fact that a certain "reveal" came as early as it did that way we could get to the nitty gritty of the adventure without bloating it with a bunch of exposition, and it was a pretty fun time with quite a few entertaining encounters. Sure, it could have been more, especially in the cameo department, but what is here was still pretty fun, and I'm looking forward to what kind of developments this will lead too.

Also, while I'm not going to harp on about it, I did see it in 3D, which is a format that the film's style of special effects really plays well with & is elevated by, IMO. Maybe I'll deduct a point for the 2D version, but we'll see how it holds up when it hits streaming.

While I don't have a personal connection to the original film, it was a bit before my time even if I have seen it once or twice over the years, I quite enjoyed this one.

On the ground you can feel the palpable tension between the egos of the various pilots, there are some touching call backs to the original film, and these segments are just the right length to feel effective while not dragging down the pace of the film. If I had any sort of "complaint" it's that as someone who doesn't have any particular nostalgia for the original film, some of this stuff probably didn't hit me as hard as it does for others.

However the main draw of the film is the action in the air, and here it certainly doesn't disappoint either. It's energetic, exciting, and the climax is full of edge of your seat tension that's worth seeing on the big screen. It feels like they've commited an Ace Combat game to film, which is really impressive given all the practical stunt work that's on display.

Caught this on Pluto TV over the weekend.

Focuses on a female high school student (Terry) whom decides to go undercover as a boy at a different school as she believes that the only reason her journalism assignment didn't win a competition was because she's a girl, and things would be easier to achieve as a boy.

The main premise is soon sidelined outside of some lip service at the end of the movie (and it doesn't even bother to explain how she gets away with swapping schools for a week) so it can spend it's time exploring the various romantic mishaps & misunderstandings the situation invites. It's full of the typical 80's teen movie cliches, but it's just the right kind of comfort food if you go into it with the right kind of expectations/mood. I kinda like how it pushes the boundaries of what you can show in a PG-13 movie (by modern standards), which is one reason I enjoy checking out these old movies (though keep in mind some elements of it would probably prove contentious with more modern movie goers, such as Bud, Terry's perpetually horny younger brother, who definitely wouldn't fly today).

Recently rewatched this (going through all the X-Men related films, for better or worse), and found myself enjoying it more than I remembered.

I think I may have been slightly (unnecessarily) confused about the two different factions within the Yashida family my first go 'round, and by digesting it more coherently this time I was able to appreciate it more. Pretty good action sequences throughout too, with one of the standouts IMO being the fight on top of the bullet train.

For full disclosure, I watched the extended cut (Blu-Ray) & have never read the comic story it's based on.

Viewed on: Amazon Prime Video.

Set during the 1800's it follows a pair of children who are the only survivors of a shipwreck, and have to navigate the struggles of growing up & falling in love on a (mostly) un-inhabited island.

I remember liking this one as a young teen (probably due to all the nudity), but going back to it now it's an incredibly dull film. It's honestly at it's best during the beginning when they still have Paddy (an adult who briefly survived with them and taught them the basics of survival), a salty old sailor that injects some much needed personality into the proceedings and goes downhill from there, which is a shame as there are some themes they could have explored more thoroughly to make it more exciting (such as the native tribe they skirt around for the film's runtime).

Viewed on: Disney+.

Fearing that his teenage son Max is pulling away from him, Goofy decides to bring him along on a cross country fishing trip, a family tradition of sorts. Max however has different ideas for their destination & intends on upending the itinerary in a wild haired scheme to try and salvage a fledgeling relationship with the girl he likes, which will only further strain the bond between father & son. Will the parent/child bond survive the ordeal?

It's not a masterpiece by any definition, but it's a fun watch (especially in an era where Disney doesn't seem to do much with their legacy characters anymore) & as someone who's own family used to take cross country fishing trips as a kid it really resonated with me in a way that probably elevated it beyond it's objective qualities. A good way to spend a lazy afternoon kind of film.