Movie Review: DEVOTION...

Earlier today, I watched the Korean War biopic Devotion at AMC theaters.

This film is about two U.S. Navy pilots—an African American ensign named Jesse Brown (played by Jonathan Majors) and an Irish American lieutenant named Tom Hudner (portrayed by Glen Powell)—who became good friends during a Cold War conflict in Asia and amidst racial tensions in America.

Devotion is your standard war film; and the latest that depicts the immense bravery of African American aviators who served their country well during two major wars even though they faced intense discrimination at home. The previous flick that comes to mind is the 2012 movie Red Tails (starring Terrence Howard and Cuba Gooding Jr.)...which is about the Tuskegee pilots of World War II, and was the first film directed by George Lucas since 2005's Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith.

What makes Devotion unique are its unofficial ties to this year's top-grossing film, Top Gun: Maverick. On the one hand, you have Glen Powell—who played Hangman in the Joseph Kosinski-directed blockbuster—portraying a fighter pilot on the big screen for the second time in 2022. And on the other hand, the aerial coordinator for Maverick, Kevin LaRosa II, utilized his services and aircraft cameras for Devotion as well.

The similaries between Devotion and the Top Gun sequel begin and end at Glen Powell as well as spectacular and authentic aerial sequences. Devotion honors Ensign Jesse Brown...who fought valiantly in his Corsair until it was shot down in North Korea on December 4, 1950.

While the corpse of Ensign Brown remained inside his aircraft when U.S. Navy jets napalmed it (as well as the Corsair of Lieutenant Hudner, who intentionally crash-landed it near Brown's fighter plane before trying to save his life) so it won't fall into enemy hands, that didn't stop Hudner from trying to visit his friend's crash site in North Korea almost 63 years later...in July of 2013.

The story of Jesse Brown is quite remarkable. One interesting tidbit that was featured in Devotion is the fact that he met Elizabeth Taylor (portrayed by Serinda Swan in this movie) in France—and was invited by her to a Cannes casino even though French personnel initially wouldn't let him enter the establishment.

Despite meeting a beautiful and legendary star like Taylor, Brown remained devoted to his wife Daisy (played by Christina Jackson) and their young daughter Pam.

Devotion is a story about love, determination, loyalty and bravery. Brown and Hudner are both heroes...and this movie did a commendable job depicting this inspirational friendship on the big screen.

Rest in peace, Ensign Brown and Lieutenant Hudner (who passed away on November 13, 2017). Your brave exploits have fittingly been immortalized in cinema.

Movie Review - GLASS ONION: A KNIVES OUT MYSTERY...

"It's a dangerous thing to mistake speaking without thought for speaking the truth, don't you think?"
- Detective Benoit Blanc
A few hours ago, I celebrated Thanksgiving Eve by watching Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery at AMC theaters.

Needless to say, this murder-mystery comedy—once again directed by Rian Johnson—was just as good as the 2019 original film, Knives Out!

Just like Knives Out, Daniel Craig reprised his role as Benoit Blanc, the world's greatest detective, in Glass Onion. And joining Craig was yet another all-star cast...this time featuring Kate Hudson, Edward Norton, Kathryn Hahn, Jessica Henwick, Madelyn Cline, Leslie Odom Jr. and Dave Bautista.

According to a Google search, Ethan Hawke was apparently in Glass Onion as well, but I didn't recognize him in the movie. (I reckon he was among the people that Lionel, Leslie Odom Jr.'s character, was talking to during that video conferencing session in the opening scene.) Ram Bergman—who helped produce the Knives Out sequel with Rian Johnson—was hilarious in his brief cameo!

You'll notice that I left out Janelle Monáe above...and that's because I wanted to save the best for last! Just like Ana de Armas in the first Knives Out installment, Monáe was definitely the star of Glass Onion—(SPOILERS AHEAD) playing not one but two characters in the sequel: Andi Brand and her sister Helen.

Monáe did an excellent job differentiating between Andi and Helen in her performances; with Andi being the confident entrepreneur who would be at the center of the film's murder-mystery plot, and Helen being the uncertain but caring sibling who wanted to seek justice for Andi's fate in this movie.

Glass Onion was just as humorous and clever as Knives Out, with Daniel Craig clearly relishing the comedic role of Detective Blanc once again, after saying farewell to James Bond in last year's No Time to Die.

Glass Onion is one of the best films I've seen in 2022; it's too bad that this masterpiece will only be in theaters for the next few days before it begins streaming on Netflix later next month.

Watch Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery on the big screen as soon as possible! It's definitely worth the ticket price...

I give this Knives Out mystery two thumbs way up.

Movie Review: THE MENU...

Earlier today, I watched The Menu at AMC theaters. While I found the food preparation scenes very appetizing to watch, the message of this film was kind of vague (it was something about givers and takers) that I really don't know what genre to fit this movie in other than it was some type of thriller!

The plot of The Menu is about a food connoseiur named Tyler (played by Nicholas Hoult) and his not-so-easy-to-impress date Margot (portrayed by Anya Taylor-Joy) joining about a dozen other people on a boat trip to Hawthorne...a presumably exquisite restaurant, located on a private island, where they enjoyed a multi-course meal prepared by the cooks led by Chef Slowik (Ralph Fiennes).

Apparently, this isn't your average fine-dining restaurant—as Tyler, Margot and the other patrons weren't even served something as basic as bread. Instead, Hawthorne's menu offered a dish consisting of delicious chicken breast...right after the customers witnessed one of Chef Slowik's cooks pull out a gun and take his own life in front of their very eyes. And this was at the behest of Slowik himself.

In other words, The Menu is about how a group of unwitting patrons (well, one of the patrons knew what was going on) ate at a restaurant that was led by a celebrity chef who also happened to be a cult leader getting his dining staff to carry out his murderous bidding. And this was due to Chef Slowik seeking retribution for some type of injustice that each of the patrons (except one... I won't spoil the identity here) did to him in the past.

So The Menu is basically a revenge thriller. Gotcha!

If there was one thing that I really liked about this film, it's the scene where Chef Slowik prepares a cheeseburger for one of the patrons in The Menu's climax. Needless to say, it got me to order a cheeseburger combo at In-N-Out burger the very next day. Carry on!

Movie Review - BLACK PANTHER: WAKANDA FOREVER...

Earlier today, I watched the latest Marvel flick Black Panther: Wakanda Forever at AMC theaters.

Once again directed by Ryan Coogler, Wakanda Forever was just as action-packed as the Oscar-nominated 2018 film Black Panther...but far more emotional as it acknowledged the unfortunate real-life passing of Chadwick Boseman two years ago by dealing with the untimely off-screen death of King T'Challa early on in the movie.

Like the first Black Panther, Wakanda once again had a stellar cast in Letitia Wright (Shuri), Lupita Nyong'o (Nakia), Danai Gurira (Okoye), Winston Duke (M'Baku), Martin Freeman (Everett Ross) and Angela Bassett (Queen Ramonda). Joining this stellar group was Tenoch Huerta as Namor, the Feathered Serpent God, and Dominique Thorne as Riri Williams, a.k.a. the future Ironheart.

Despite the pre-release marketing for Wakanda Forever, I think it should've been common knowledge that Shuri—King T'Challa's sister—would become the next Black Panther. Which she did! However, I was hoping that Nakia would follow in her late boyfriend's steps instead, but that was not the case.

(I might also be a bit biased against Shuri due to Letitia Wright's pandemic-related controversy last year.)

Wakanda Forever did a great job humanizing Namor, the king of the underwater nation of Talokan, and rationalizing his motives for why he would seek war with the "surface world"...and Wakanda in particular. (If an alloy like Vibranium—which can't be discerned by metal detectors—existed in real life, that would have huge repercussions.) It will be interesting to see him appear in future Marvel flicks, as Black Panther will return.

Wakanda Forever also paved the way for Ironheart to be featured in her upcoming Disney+ series, which debuts online in late 2023.

So all-in-all, Wakanda Forever is the latest high-quality installment in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

And to top things off, the mid-credits scene in this movie showed how T'Challa will make his comeback in the future! The downside is, the story's timeline would need to jump ahead at least 15 years to make his return feasible... We can wait.

On This Day in 1997: Remembering STARSHIP TROOPERS...

It was 25 years ago today that I watched Paul Verhoeven's sci-fi cult classic Starship Troopers on the big screen.

It was also on this day that I received my actual driver's license in the mail (after passing my driving test almost three weeks before that) prior to heading to the theater.

The fact that I celebrated my newfound independence by immediately watching a movie at the multiplex set the tone for the next 25 years! I was a senior in high school when Starship Troopers was theatrically released nationwide.

One of the best aspects of Starship Troopers (apart from the amazing visual effects that made me excited for what was in store with the Star Wars prequels years later) was the awesome music score by the late Basil Poledouris! Here's the adrenaline-pumping piece Klendathu Drop from the soundtrack:

Movie Review: PREY FOR THE DEVIL...

Earlier today, I watched the horror flick Prey for the Devil at AMC theaters.

I had to put a lot of thought into deciding whether or not I should see this film...considering that for personal reasons, I continue to refuse to view the classic devil-walks-among-us horror movie, The Exorcist. (Traumatic childhood memories will do that to ya!) This is despite the fact I've watched all but one of the Paranormal Activity flicks, as well as all of The Conjuring films—including spinoffs like The Nun and Annabelle!

As for Prey for the Devil, it had its predictable moments of jumpscares and suspense. I would actually say that the recent horror movie Smile had more frightful scenes than this flick, which is directed by The Last Exorcism's Daniel Stamm.

Nevertheless, I think the reason why Prey for the Devil still touches a nerve for me is that I was raised Catholic. I wouldn't say I'm a devout Catholic considering the fact I haven't gone to church on a weekly basis since before the pandemic, but the story about Lucifer and demons still freak me out.

However, one amusing thing about Prey for the Devil is the main location of this movie: Which is the fictional St. Michael the Archangel School of Exorcism in Boston, Massachusetts. Schools of exorcism do exist in real life (as the Vatican really does teach courses about this sacramental rite), but only in a Hollywood flick can St. Michael be a high-tech, multistory compound that's something you would see in a Jason Bourne film, a James Bond movie or even an Avengers flick by Marvel Studios!

As for the cast, the performances were superb. Jacqueline Byers was stoic as Sister Ann, Colin Salmon was noble as Father Quinn, Christian Navarro was helpful as Father Dante and Posy Taylor did a great job portraying the possessed persona of Natalie.

Linda Blair would be proud of Taylor's performance! Even though I never watched The Exorcist...nor do I intend to in the future. Have a fun Halloween, everyone!

Movie Review: BLACK ADAM...

Earlier today, I watched the DC Extended Universe's (DCEU) newest flick, Black Adam, at AMC theaters. Needless to say, it was a very action-packed film!

Dwayne Johnson plays Teth-Adam, who—like Billy Batson (portrayed by Zachary Levi in the 2019 film Shazam! and next year's sequel, Shazam! Fury of the Gods, respectively) centuries later—is a superhero that was bestowed a plethora of god-like powers by wizards who considered him to be the "champion" humanity needed.

Unlike Billy Batson, however, Teth-Adam didn't start off as a superhero...but as an angry demigod who first sought revenge against the tyrannical king of Kahndaq during its ancient days, and then against anyone who basically pissed him off after he was awoken from his 5,000-year sleep in Kahndaq's present day.

Like the live-action Venom films by Sony Pictures and Marvel, Black Adam does a nice job of depicting Teth-Adam's brutality while also retaining the movie's PG-13 rating.

At one point early on in the flick, Adam nonchalantly flings a hapless mercenary into the air as if he was a baseball. In the subsequent shot, we see that the mercenary's arm—which Adam grabbed when he threw him—is still in one of the demigod's hands, severed and all!

There are lots of other great moments in Black Adam where Teth showed his badassery (most of them featuring his use of lightning against his enemies), but one thing I really liked about the movie is that the film made sure to remind the audience that it's part of the DCEU. It's clearly obvious Amanda Waller (once again aptly played by Viola Davis), who we first met in 2016's Suicide Squad, is the Nick Fury of the DC cinematic universe...only with less morals.

And let's not forget the Justice Society as well as other protagonists and antagonists who were introduced in Black Adam. Aldis Hodge was formidable as Hawkman, Pierce Brosnan was noble as Dr. Fate, Noah Centineo was hilarious as Atom Smasher, Sarah Shahi was headstrong as Adrianna Tomaz, Quintessa Swindell was very reliable as Cyclone, Bodhi Sabongui was idealistic as Adrianna's son Amon, Mohammed Amer was also hilarious as Adrianna's brother Karim, and Marwan Kenzari was dangerous as both Ishmael and Sabbac.

I'm not sure if I'd rank Black Adam among the top films of the DCEU (where 2017's Wonder Woman, Zack Snyder's Justice League cut and the first Shazam! reside), but I will say that it's definitely entertaining.

If you watch Black Adam, stay for the end credits! You won't be disappointed...and the DCEU has a bright future ahead of it considering what that cameo entails. Carry on.

On This Day in 2002: My Student Film Version of THE BROKEN TABLE Is Put on Celluloid...

It was 20 years ago today that my nine crew members from Cal State Long Beach and I met up at a classmate's house in Fullerton, CA, to shoot my student film version of The Broken Table (TBT)!

Unlike the remake of TBT that was shot over three days almost three years ago, this version only had one day to be filmed. In fact, I was only given four hours to shoot a two-minute film as the main assignment for my FEA 336 class in college! I finished in about two hours...though I could've used the rest of that time to film more coverage for The Broken Table.

The lack of coverage was one of the reasons why I would reshoot TBT over 17 years later. Another reason is TBT still being my favorite of four films that I shot at Cal State Long Beach during film school—due to it having a smooth production shoot and also the fact that my cast and crew on this project were very fun to work with!

I've included behind-the-scenes pics in this entry featuring highlights from the postproduction process for The Broken Table. Most filmmakers today use computer software such as Adobe Premiere, Avid, Final Cut Pro and Lightworks (which is what I employed on the 2019 version of TBT) to bring their works to life; my film teacher had us use old-school (very old-school) equipment such as a Steenbeck flatbed to edit our projects. Pretty gnarly!

And at the very bottom of this entry is a side-by-side comparision showing how the 2002 version of TBT is both similar and different to the project that I shot three years ago. A random bit of trivia: The same screwdriver was used in both films!

Quick Review: HALLOWEEN ENDS...

I watched the trilogy-ending horror flick Halloween Ends at AMC theaters today. I thought that it was trying to end the narrative arc of this trio of films while simultaneously opening the franchise to new flicks (featuring a new character behind the eerie William Shatner mask), but turns out that this movie went for the full closure. I liked it.

Jamie Lee Curtis is such a badass as Laurie Strode and Michael Myers will never cease to be a classic monstruous villain.

Will Blumhouse Productions, which is responsible for this Halloween trilogy, tackle Freddy Krueger and A Nightmare on Elm Street next? I never saw any of the Friday the 13th films.

Photos of the Day: Gettin' Up Close and Personal with the Darkstar from TOP GUN: MAVERICK!

Earlier today, I went to the Aerospace Valley Air Show at Edwards Air Force Base in Southern California...where I saw the full-size model used for the Darkstar hypersonic aircraft in Top Gun: Maverick!

The Darkstar looked much smaller in person than in the film itself (as with the case for a lot of things, and actors, in Hollywood), but it was just as sleek as the SR-71 Blackbird, the F-22 Raptor and the F-35 Lightning II also on display at the Mojave Desert-based event.

The stealth-like design of the Darkstar doesn't come as a surprise seeing as how the model, just like the three actual aircraft mentioned above, was also built by Lockheed. To be more specific, Darkstar was assembled by Lockheed's famed 'Skunk Works' division!

This is why the Skunk Works logo is visible on the vertical stabilizer of the Darkstar (as shown below) and even the joystick used by Maverick (Tom Cruise) inside the plane's cockpit if you watch the film again. Carry on!