Believe it or not, this movie kept avoiding me. I’ve heard about it ever since it came out, how great and funny it was. But for whatever reason, I have never seen it. Until a couple of days ago when I finally corrected that mistake. Let’s be honest, romantic comedies can be great, but most of them are not, as they fall into the same traps over and over again. For example, two beautiful people, who are clearly meant to be together, are fine for most of the film. Until there is a usually simple misunderstanding or a conflict, that in the real world would have been resolved within a five-minute conversation. And then, there is the big romantic finish, where everything gets cleared up again. Wash, rinse, repeat. That is why I was so pleasantly surprised with this film, as it did… none of those things.

My Big Fat Greek Wedding is first of all, really funny. The genius of this film is simple – you don’t have to be Greek (even though every word can be traced back to the Greek language, did you know that?) to spot some of your family members in this film. I am originally from the Czech Republic, and even I could weirdly relate to how certain family members were portrayed. Loud, well-meaning, but sometimes awkward, not comprehending what the meaning of “vegetarian” is. The movie had me on board from the very start is all I am saying, as I could understand where everybody was coming from. And what’s more, all the actors did such a great job, they felt like a family.

And that is because of the superb script, written by the main star of this film – Nia Vardalos. Yes, she didn’t direct this film, but you can tell this basically “directed itself”, as this is a movie where the script reigns supreme. Nia obviously took a huge chunk of inspiration from her real-life family. But she wrote the script so eloquently almost anybody can spot at least one of their family members on the screen. And that’s not that hard, given how big the movie family is. She somehow managed to do, what other writers go for, but often stumble on. The golden rule of writing is “write what you know.” But a lot of time, people tend to write about everything they know and not trying to adjust certain aspects of the story or characters to the outside world to make it more “universal”. That results in unique movies, which have their unique voice, yes. But since you can’t relate to the characters or situations the characters are in (because it’s the writer’s world, not yours), it doesn’t connect with you as much Whereas this film and screenplay did this perfectly, as from the title it might seem this is a “Greeks only movie”, but it’s anything but that.

Another thing I truly appreciated about this film is how it doesn’t fall into the same traps I have mentioned prior. There isn’t any pointless argument between our protagonists, no drama, that would be there just for the sake of it or to give the movie some “stakes”. No, quite the opposite, every time you think: “I see, this is the time where XYZ happens”, as seen in countless romantic comedies before this one, it never happens. For example – the movie sets up a couple of situations where John Corbett‘s character is teased about him going along with everything Nia’s family wants him to do. Any lesser movie would make this into a conflict, but not this one. He is mesmerized by her, and he understands how important her family/heritage is to Nia, so he goes with it, being a supportive partner. And that was so refreshing to see.

The movie also comments on the struggle of immigrants and their children (first generational Americans in this case) and how much the parents had to sacrifice to get where they are and to secure their children, to give them a better life. But again, this was done subtly. The movie isn’t “shouting it from a rooftop”. I have also liked how the film deals with the sense of identity. Acknowledging where you come from is important, but you also need to consider where you live. You can’t stay in your “bubble” forever, you need to experience new things, cultures etc. I can relate to that, as these are not things you would often find in romantic comedies.

Overall, My Big Fat Greek Wedding is a bit of a miracle in the moviemaking world. Notoriously, it’s one of the most successful movies of all time, when calculated for the budget/how much the movie made ratio (the budget was $5 million, and it went on to make almost $370 million globally). I couldn’t be happier it happened to this film. But don’t get it wrong, this wasn’t a coincidence. Part of me hopes that people back in 2002 recognized this movie might not be the best one ever made, but it was (and still is) sincere, funny, intelligent and avoids the stereotypical pitfalls of the genre. After all, many romantic comedies get nominated for the best original screenplay at the Oscars. And deservedly so. I put this movie on to relax, and have a good time and I got exactly that and much more. If I truly wanted, I could probably nit-pick a few things, but I can’t. For me, this is one of the best romantic comedies I have seen in a while. It also goes onto my list of top comedies to watch if I need to cheer up.

That’s all for this one! Did you see it? What did you think about it? Let me know!

Until next time,

Luke

I need to admit something – after everything I’ve heard about this movie, I was ready for one of those cheesy 80’s films that are not watchable today, where I will be bored for most of it. Boy, I was so wrong. This film has surprised me in several instances, where ultimately, I had a much better time than expected. Does it hold up today? Largely, no. But can you still have fun with this film? Absolutely. And the best part? Surprisingly, the pacing.

Where Flash Gordon might lose some points for the laughable CGI (that must have looked fake even during the movie premiere back in 1980), it immediately gains more points for how fast the story moves along. I believe we don’t spend even ten minutes on Earth before we go to space. The story kicks in almost instantly… who cares that it doesn’t make sense? That there is some arbitrary time limit before the Moon will fall apart…? Flash Gordon is a rarity because plenty of times, I struggle with pacing with these movies, as filmmakers “in the ye olde days” usually took their time establishing everything. Not in here though, it honestly felt like we were thrown in the middle of the action from the very start. That was something, I truly appreciated.

Also, I wasn’t prepared for how surprisingly sexy this movie is. For all the talk about how campy this film is, how dated it is etc., nobody ever mentioned the literal harem of women (that belongs to Max von Sydow‘s character, The Emperor Ming) that is “lead” by the stunning Ornella Muti. I have always known her to be a stunning woman, but I had never seen her when she was young (in here I believe she’s around 24 years old) and yeah, what a stunner. Speaking of stunning women, Melody Anderson isn’t too sore for the eyes either. Even though her character is just there to fall for our “all American hero”, Sam J. Jones. And talk about a perfect casting choice. If you asked someone: “How would the most stereotypical American guy from the 1980’s look like?” Sam J. Jones would have been THE prototype. Blond, athletic, patriotic, ready to die for Earth… what else do you want?

Who I also didn’t expect to show up here was Timothy Dalton. If somebody told me he got the role of James Bond based on how charismatic he was in this film, I would believe it. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t think Timothy has a lot to do in this film, but he oozes charisma and charm. And that can be said about most people in this movie. Don’t expect any great performances here. Even usually reliable Max von Sydow isn’t that great in this film, but I wouldn’t blame him or anybody else. You know the movie had some issues when the director Mike Hodges says, and I am paraphrasing here:

Flash Gordon might be the only improvised $27 million movie ever made.

Mike Hodges, source IMDb.com

But despite everything, despite the laughable CGI, questionable acting, and von Sydow playing a character called “The Emperor Ming” (again, we can’t judge a movie from 1980 by today’s standards), this movie is still fun to watch and honestly, it flies. I think this might be the best example of “the magic of movies” I’ve seen in some time. Because if somebody were to describe this movie to me, I would be willing to bet this wouldn’t work today. And yet, I had a good time with it. Because of pacing, charismatic cast, killer Queen soundtrack, as let’s face it, music by Queen could improve anything that’s just a fact. But mainly how the movie doesn’t take itself too seriously (at least I never got that impression). Yep, honestly, that surprised me too.

Overall, Flash Gordon is one of those films where it doesn’t matter how many things you might have heard about it because it demands to be seen. This movie is the epitome of “you’d have to be there”. Yes, everything is “slightly” all over the place. Mainly the CGI was out of date even when the movie was shooting, so imagine how laughable those effects look today. But there was this level of honesty, something, that said: “Hey, we know how this looks, but we are trying our best.” I can’t put my finger on what exactly made me feel this way, but that’s “the magic of movies” to me. Sometimes, a film shouldn’t work at all, and yet, despite everything, it kind of does. And what I mean by that it’s not a total disaster. I want to make it crystal clear Flash Gordon isn’t some “forgotten masterpiece”, no. But if you watch it expecting a bore-fest, you might be in for a surprise. At least I was.

That’s all for this one! Did you see it? What did you think about it? Let me know!

Until next time,

Luke

Before talking about this remake, let me make one thing clear. As with many animated Disney films, I was quite late to them. That includes the original Mulan (1998) which I have only seen for the first time in late 2018 if I remember correctly. So there was no bias against this remake, I had no emotional baggage. I wasn’t attached to the animated movie (even though I thought it was a delightful film). And I remember before the pandemic, seeing the trailers in the cinema for this remake and thinking to myself: “Damn, that looks pretty epic. This might turn out great!” It did not.

The main thing about Mulan and why this live-action remake doesn’t work at all is pretty simple – can you tell me, who is this film’s target audience? I will wait because I think that got lost in the shuffle. For kids, it’s too long, joyless and dry. For adults, it’s full of battles with no blood, there isn’t enough meat on the bones (story-wise), and for anyone in between, who loved and grew up on the animated movie, they removed Mushu and the songs people loved the most. That’s the main issue with this film, as it seems to be so all over the place. I am confused as to who should watch it, nothing makes sense, and God hates us.

There were two things the trailers weren’t lying about – the film definitely felt like an epic, it was shot beautifully and Liu Yifei was great as the titular character. I am really mad, that Disney had Donnie Yen at their disposal (certified bad-ass, and all-around great actor) and they wasted him on a role, where he didn’t get to do that much. Sure, there was one or two scenes where he showcased a bit, but come on…

That is something else – talk about cutting for the sake of cutting! People love to complain about Marvel or DC movies and their action sequences being cut to death, where you don’t know what is happening, but this movie took it to a next level. Do you know how they say you only notice editing when it’s bad editing? Yeah, they talked about this movie. Especially in the beginning of this film, for some CGI stunts, they had to cut about five times to make us “believe” Mulan did something amazing.

I think where Mulan ultimately failed for me was just how boring and joyless it felt. I understand trying to honour other culture’s legends, take the material more seriously, but that doesn’t mean you (or your audience) can’t have any fun with it. And no, I refuse to acknowledge the “match-maker” scenes at the beginning as humour because that was just painful to sit through. It was like watching a bad slapstick scene in a worse sitcom. I think the animated movie struck gold giving Mulan a sidekick because she is great and all, but by definition, her character is an honourable one, trying to prove a lot. And we need someone a bit light-hearted to balance it out. I am not saying they should have brought Eddie Murphy back (even though that would have been pretty great) nor am I saying the sidekick has to be a dragon again. But give her something, rather than some stereotypical guy, she will first hate than eventually fall in love with, during the “way longer than necessary training camp portion of the film”.

Out of all these live-action Disney movies we’ve had so far, this one is the worst, no doubts about that. The other ones at least tried something new, or if they didn’t, they knew who the target audience was. I need to repeat it (again), as I am still perplexed. Mulan seems to be a rare big-budget mainstream movie that feels like it was crafted so meticulously for “everybody” to enjoy the people behind it threw everything on the wall to make a movie that appeals to nobody. It comes across as a pretty soulless film, without any joy. I bet you if you look up the phrase “paint by numbers”, the poster for this film will appear, and right next to it, our good friend Clippy will pop out and ask: “It seems like you are looking up Mulan (2020) is that right? Also, why would you do that to yourself?”

Overall, Mulan is a weird one for me. I had little to no expectations for this film and yet, the movie still managed to fail me. It bored me to tears halfway through I was hoping for somebody to crack a semi-decent joke, to lighten up the mood. That also made me wonder, do all stories really need “a gritty, more truthful remake?” The answer is no. Some stories are better left the way they were. The only reason to watch this film is the decent camera work and the main protagonist, who did a great job. But brace yourself, as the runtime, that’s just under two hours, feels at least twice as that. And to think this movie’s budget was above 200 million dollars… How many original films we could have had, instead of remaking something, that didn’t need a remake?

That’s all for this one! Did you see it? What did you think about it? Let me know!

Until next time,

Luke

Do you know the feeling, when you are watching a film, you are really into it even though you know, that logically, it will fall apart the moment you start to dig deeper into it? But you don’t mind, because you are having fun? And then, the movie goes overboard and sets up an unnecessary sequel(s) because that’s how it’s done today and that pulls you out? That was my experience with Escape Room. I was really in the movie for most of it and then, the last 20 minutes happened, that made me… let’s say not as interested, as I was before.

As Sigmund Freud once said: “Let’s talk about it, shall we?” It’d be so easy to see a movie like this as “not as bloody/twisted copy of Saw franchise” and discredit it altogether. Even though to a certain point, you’d absolutely be right. This is nothing new the concept is clearly “Saw-like” it is just re-done for escape rooms that have become popular in the last five years or so. But honestly, I had more fun with this movie than with anything beyond Saw III (2006), and I am saying it as somebody who has seen all the Saw movies except the very new ones.

The main thing I liked about Escape Room was the overall concept, how each room was different (and later on in the movie we find out that wasn’t a coincidence) and how there wasn’t just one piece of the puzzle to solve. This whole movie is people looking to solve clues, so they can move to a different room, and yeah, stay alive. And honestly, for most of the film, I was all in. I was having a blast, I liked the fact they didn’t go over-the-top with blood/violence, that they have tried to do their own thing.

Also, the cast was a pleasant surprise as for me, consisted of mostly unknown actors who did a great job. The highlight was Taylor Russell, whose performance I have truly enjoyed. She was the most intriguing character out of all the people involved with “the game”, where she was smart, but still felt relatable and human. Honestly, she did a great job.

I can’t talk about this movie (or the issues I had with it) without going to spoilers, so before then, let me just reiterate, that Escape Room is a great movie for the first 80% of its length. If I end up watching Escape Room 2 (2021), it will only be because of my morbid curiosity, the fact I am a completionist, and also to see the character(s) who managed to survive the first movie and whether they will have a big impact on the second one. Anyway, here we go…

Beware, SPOILERS are coming!

As stated at the start of my review, I was enjoying the movie, until the last 20 minutes or so came along. The way this movie went, you know they will play the “there is a big, powerful society/company behind all of this” angle which didn’t surprise me. What surprised me, and not in a pleasant way, was everything that followed afterwards. You have one scene, where of course, nobody believes the two characters who survive. Also expected, but ok. Those two meet up six months after, where Taylor’s character manages to persuade Logan Miller‘s character to go with her to an unknown, unmarked building in the middle of New York (?) Then we have a scene of a plane crash, except, SYKE, it was all fake and we are seeing a preparation of a trap (?) for those two characters because of course, they (the big secret company) know the two survivors are about to fly to New York in two weeks. And there is a mysterious voice behind all of this, ordering his minions to make the plane trap harder… and that’s when I was supposed to be in, but I was out.

I understand everybody wants to have trilogies, or better yet, entire universes of movies. But what happened with starting with a solid base? The last 20 minutes of this film didn’t feel like anything else but a cheap setup aka “look what else we can do with this, as long as you give us your money”. And had you closed this properly, answered some questions (how come the big bad company managed to sweep all the evidence so swiftly? Who is actually behind this and why? I know there was a speech, that tried to justify what is happening and why, but who is behind the mysterious voice? Wouldn’t it be more dangerous to keep those two alive? If the company is truly that powerful, wouldn’t they just kill the survivors rather than risking anything?) and then, maybe give me a 5-minute tease for what’s potentially to come, and I wouldn’t complain at all.

This problem is not unique to just this film, I know. But it honestly bothers me how everyone in Hollywood feels the need to “tease us” with what’s there to come, but they fail to give us one full adventure. The way this film is structured it felt like it was a movie and almost a quarter of a new one. And that is the thing that made the very first Saw (2004) so great if we go back to it quickly. They gave us a movie with a beginning, middle, a great twist, and an end. Where you could tell there might be more, but even if there were no more Saw movies released ever again (imagine making more than six sequels, right?) you could still go back and re-watch the first one on its own. You can’t do that with this film.

Overall, Escape Room is a fun movie that knows how to utilize its concept to the fullest. It’s a film, full of different, interesting characters, and as it usually goes in movies like these, one evil company, that just wants to watch people suffer. Had it finished sooner, without that ending that wasn’t really an ending, more of “this is what can you expect in our next instalment(s)” it would have been one flawed yet fun movie to watch. As it is, it’s still fun to watch, just be ready to be taken out of the movie in the last 20 minutes.

That’s all for this one! Did you see it? What did you think about it? Let me know!

Until next time,

Luke

The moment I finished this film, I had plenty of thoughts, but overall, I knew I liked the movie. Then I went on to its IMDb profile to read the trivia, as I always do, and was stunned by its rating. I am not saying this is pure perfection by any means, but 5.5/10 seems awfully low. Yes, Mute has its problems, which I will address in just a second, but it also is an interesting premise done well with some great actors.

I might have the advantage of still not being too familiar with Alexander Skarsgård, so I wasn’t distracted by his past roles, as I still have to see his “big projects”, but I thought he was brilliant in this role. It’s always a testament to the actor’s ability to have them do a role with one major challenge/obstacle (in here, the challenge being his character couldn’t speak) and to see how they deal with it. And yes, in the first 10/15 minutes it felt weird for the main hero to be silent all the time, but you will get used to it, and a big part of it is Alexander’s performance and how expressive he is. I liked him in this role, I thought he had the physicality where needed, the tenderness in some other moments and most importantly, I believed him, he was mute his entire adult life.

Before explaining what I didn’t like, let me just give two more shootouts – one to Seyneb Saleh and the other to Paul Rudd. Let me start with Seyneb – since she’s a German actress, I’ve never seen her in anything before, but I thought she did the best she could with the little she had. You could tell from the few brief scenes everything about her character, how she cares about Alexander’s character, and yet, there was something else in her eyes, even before she said to him: “I need to tell you something.” I would 100% love to see her in some other movies.

Let’s talk about Paul Rudd. He stole this movie for me. It might be because I don’t think I have ever seen him play this character, but I liked the way he went about it. Even before I read the IMDb trivia, I immediately got reminded of the TV show M*A*S*H (1972 – 1983, even though most people might think of the original movie by the same name from 1970) and Hawkeye Pierce. But the main thing about his performance I adored until the very end of the movie, I wasn’t sure where he stands. His character to me is the closest we might have come to a complex villain in a while, where he isn’t this “evil dude twirling his moustache” because he’s got his moments, where he is genuinely good and likeable, but he also is evil. The more movies I watch, the more I love these grey characters, where they can be evil people, with some redeeming qualities, or vice versa, heroes, who are not 100% heroic all the time.

My biggest issue with this film might be a simple fact that it is trying to do too much. Respectively, the story isn’t that complex, but it feels like it is purposely told in such a complex way that you might get annoyed. I watched this film only a couple of days ago, and I can tell you I still remember liking it, but I would be lying if I told you I remember every single narrative decision/why it happened. It almost feels like Duncan Jones (someone, who I admire) is stuck in thinking “the more complex I make something, the better it will be.” No, that is not the reason we (or I) loved Moon (2009) or Source Code (2011). I love those films because they are great, straightforward movies with some big ideas, explored really well. Mute feels like Blade Runner (1982, my review here) inspired sci-fi, that wanted to be so different, it not only made its hero mute but decided to put a lot of filler into what could have been a really simple way of telling its story otherwise. And with no other reason.

That was a shame, as I have enjoyed the film, but even I found the longer it played, the less “in it” I was. And that pains me to say, as again, I love Duncan’s films, the way he thinks, and I still think, he is one of the most unique filmmakers we have today. I want him to succeed, and here, it felt like he was so close, yet, so far from his standard. For example, there is something I guess you could call a plot twist that serves almost no purpose other than to make our main character even more likeable…? I think I understood the message about “family” (but no the Fast & Furious one), but still, that reveal didn’t do much for me, I just said… “Ok…?”

Overall, Mute is a film I have enjoyed, despite its flaws. It feels like if Blade Runner had characters from M*A*S*H in it, where you don’t know, about the main villain, as you can see him from both sides, from being a total dick to standing up against bad people. I have enjoyed the performances and the general mood of the movie. I also thought the film could have been about 20 minutes shorter, leaner and more cut down because that would have improved it. If you are like me and have enjoyed Duncan’s movies so far, I would still give this a shot. Ignore the bad/low ratings, as Mute is not as bad as it might seem. I am looking forward to seeing what is next in store for Jones.

That’s all for this one! Did you see it? What did you think about it? Let me know!

Until next time,

Luke