TV and Movies Blog
My thoughts and feelings on the TV and movies I watch.
Invincible
Without spoiling anything, Invincible knocks all pre-existing expectations of a wholesome coming-of-age superhero tale completely out of the window in as little as one episode. From there, you're taken on a journey that meshes a classic kids cartoon art style and atmosphere with a tonally juxtaposed narrative to create an animated experience that is hard to compare to. Robert Kirkman's unique story telling takes centre stage here as you're introduced to dozens of well thought out and interesting characters taking on their own challenges with narratives that interweave in new and interesting ways every episode. Invincible is one of those shows that is hard to do justice with merely a review. Take it upon yourself to give it a go and I can almost guarantee you won't be disappointed.
Sicario
Sicario is not a fun movie, focusing on an issue where no one truly wins. It’s a slow burn intertwined with moments of high tension that portrays a graphic and gritty atmosphere from beginning to end. I did think some moments lingered on too long, with dead air that often stuck around a fair while after I felt it should’ve moved on. I enjoyed the story for the most part, but (without spoiling too much) felt as though the revenge plot line towards to end was a bit rushed and a tad out of the blue. Overall a fairly compelling experience if you’re okay with a slower approach to action that prioritises tension over consistent action.
The Outpost
My main praise of The Outpost is how immersive it is consistently. Over the two hour run time you’re never taken out of what’s going on through a mixture of some stellar acting, realistically written dialogue and action that actually shows you what’s going on. Shaky camera shots are minimal and when the tension rises you’re presented it via some pretty great camera work. I did think there were some pacing issues occasionally, and a few cuts that felt rather spontaneous, but overall The Outpost was, for me, an interesting and engaging movie for the majority of its run time. I’d definitely recommend it, especially for those who enjoy war movies that adopt a more realistic tone.
Brightburn
Taking the old formulas of super heroes we love and completely twisting them around is such a cool idea to me. Brightburn was definitely a shorter experience than it could’ve been and didn’t do too much in terms of developing its characters and fleshing them out more, but for the most part is holds up as a fun flick. The tension in some of the scenes was really enticing, even if most of the movie was fairly predictable. Overall I’d love to see movies take this approach to pre established comic book origins.
The Falcon and the Winter Soldier
I’ve really appreciated what the shows Marvel has put out so far have done for their main characters. Selling Sam as the new Cap was something I didn’t expect they could do so well in just 6 episodes but I’m totally here for it. Also loved that they didn’t shy away from the heavy racial themes and allowed them to take centre stage. Excited to see what’s next for these characters.
Nobody
Nobody came out of nowhere and punched me in the face with a blessed soundtrack, incredibly well choreographed action and Bob Odenkirk kicking way more arse than I knew he was capable of. The funnest 90 minutes I’ve had in a while.