Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie review

I used to read the Captain Underpants books all the time when I was younger. Admittedly, I didn't think that they would work as a film, but what did I know.

I have seen very few consistently funny comedies this year. Lego Batman was exactly what I wanted. Fist Fight was awful. Free Fire was more fun than funny (in a good way). Going in Style was enjoyable, but I wouldn't be able to tell you a single joke from it. Mindhorn was hilarious. Colossal wasn't trying to be really funny. Baywatch had its moments. The House had one really good joke, then the rest were subpar. Despicable Me 3 was disappointing. And The Big Sick was more of a drama made by comedians. That's two out of ten which I would recommend to someone wanting to laugh for 90 minutes or more. Luckily, Captain Underpants adds another film to the consistently funny list.

I really shouldn't be surprised that it's funny. I remember laughing at the books, and writer Nick Stoller has made funny films in the past. On the surface you may think that there is only toilet humour. But there is a lot of smart humour to do with the animation styles and how eight year olds see the world. George and Harold break the fourth wall throughout wit good quips that help keep the feel of the books alive in the film. The film never strays into a conventional structure, instead it has fun with the nature of the film and the jokes inside it.

Also, it has a better commentary on the American school system than Fist Fight. It's not too relevant, I just wanted to take another opportunity to diss Fist Fight.

In short: Captain Underpants is a very faithful adaptation that is one of the funniest films of the year.

Dunkirk review

What can I say about Dunkirk which hasn't already been said? I could say that it is great; but everyone else has said that. I could talk about the constant unending tension that is enforced by Hans Zimmer's loud, ticking score that has a presence throughout the whole film; but there's probably several video essays on that by now. I could compliment Tom Hardy on how he shows more emotion in his eyebrows than most actors can with their full body; but that line is probably cliché by now. I could talk about the amazing dogfight sequences, the rushes to escape sinking ships, and the rescue of those in sinking ships, or the rush to get off the beach; but everything that can be said about them has. I could say that this is THE film to see in IMAX; but everyone already knew that. I could talk about how the other established actors (Branagh, Murphy, Rylance) are all great; but that's a given.

I know what I'll do: I'll praise the new actors. Fionn Whitehead and Aneurin Barnard do really well at conveying emotion and character without saying much. Barry Keoghan and Tom Glynn-Carney manage to not be overshadowed by Mark Rylance and Cillian Murphy. Harry Style and the guy from The Force Awakens who says "Tell that to Kanjiklub" are pretty good too.

In short: You get the point.

The Big Sick review

The Big Sick is a dramatic comedy about an interracial couple whose relationship is tested when one of them is put into a coma.

I like Kumail Nanjiani in everything he's in. Even in something as awful as Fist Fight, I was able to forgive him as he needs to appear in mainstream comedies to help get financing for films like this. Of course, having Judd Apatow on to produce helps aswell.

I really enjoyed The Big Sick, it was funny, well written, moving, and, most importantly, not over the top. Some of the best scenes of the film are when Kumail (playing himself) is having dinner with his parents, who are trying to set him up with an arranged marriage. These scenes are reminiscent of the religious parent interactions in Aziz Ansari's excellent show Master of None. I didn't have a problem with the similarity as their experiences were different enough not to be the same.

For the majority of the film Zoe Kazan (as Kumail's girlfriend and future wife Emily) is in a coma. Before she is put under, co-writers and presented couple Nanjiani and Emily V. Gordon do a good job of making them a believable on screen couple. Credit must also be given to Michael Showalter's direction as helping make the relationship believable. As half the lead couple is in a coma for over an hour of the movie, Kumail has a lot of interactions with Emily's parents in the hospital waiting room and cafeteria. These range from Meet the Parents style awkward encounters, but without the moderator of the girlfriend, to full on comedic moments, one of which being a legitimately hilarious terrorism joke, to serious conversations about Emily's health and the relationships between her and Kumail, and between her parents.

There is one part of the film which stops me from loving it: Kumail's stand-up friends. They're played by Bo Burnham and Aidy Bryant and they just came off as annoying and obnoxious, and not in a good way. Their inclusion feels like Apatow saying he wants an Apatow improvisation part to the film, and Showalter saying OK because it's Judd Apatow and just lets them improvise for half an hour. In these parts the direction actually looks different and took me out of the film.

In short: The Big Sick is an extremely effective unconventional rom-com.

War for the Planet of the Apes review

War is the culmination of Caesar's uprising of intelligent apes.

Best of the trilogy. I don't care what it is, but give Andy Serkis some awards. Please! He has done so much for performance capture technology that he needs mainstream recognition for. And give some to the special effects guys too! There were moments when I had to remind myself I wasn't watching real intelligent apes. There is real emotion on their faces, and that is thanks to the actors. There is real fur on their skin, and that is thanks to the special effects guys.

OK, some actual review stuff. Not a conventional war movie, but still dark and gritty. Seriously, Serkis is the best. Bad Ape was welcome levity in the darkness. This will be controversial (if anyone is actually reading this), but War made me believe that Logan could mostly work with a 12a rating.

In short: A perfect conclusion to a perfect trilogy.

Spider-Man: Homecoming review

Alright, I'm very far behind (nearly 2 months), so most of these reviews will be short.

Spider-Man: Homecoming is the first Spider-Man film in the MCU, and finds Peter Parker (Tom Holland) juggling school life and becoming a better superhero.

Homecoming is fun to watch. It isn't a great film, it certainly has its problems, but it will pass the two hours well. Holland is wonderful as Parker/Spider-Man, and his interactions with his friend Ned, and Happy Hogan (who is in the film much more than Tony Stark) are very enjoyable. Michael Keaton's Vulture is also one of the better villains in recent superhero movies. There is a turning point which was actually unexpected, and works in building tension.

However, there are a few moments in the film that rather peeved me. These were mostly decisions made about characters, some of which were fan service by producers who don't know what fan service is, and the final shot in particular. If they had the confidence to go through with the dialogue, I wouldn't have been so irritated by it. Oh... and there's also too much villain setup.

In short: Spider-Man: Homecoming is a safe, enjoyable addition to the Marvel canon.

Despicable Me 3 review

Despicable Me 3 is the latest installment in the animated franchise, and introduces Gru's twin brother Dru, while also having villain Balthazar Bratt for Gru to deal with.

I like the other Despicable Me films, I can watch all three and enjoy them. That said, I was a bit disappointed in this latest film. There were funny parts, but just nowhere near the frequency or quality of the previous installments.

The villain is essential to this series of films. I found Bratt to be enjoyable in his antics, but everything about his character felt a little bit familiar to Mindhorn, which I wouldn't have been bothered by if Mindhorn hadn't been released as recently as May. Though so much if the film is dedicated to the Gru/Dru storyline, that Bratt is sidelined.

The minions role in the film is probably similar to the second movie. They do a very similar thing to the second: reducing the number of minions due to plot convenience. So occasionally the two minions with Gru will do something, and we also occasionally see the others in prison, becoming the most feared prisoners. While this was funny, the rest of the film was just a bit off.

In short: Despicable Me 3 is a disappointing addition to the franchise.

The House review

The House is a Will Ferrell, Amy Poehler comedy about a couple who start a casino with their friend, so that they can pay for their daughter's college tuition.

You know that small plot summary I gave you, that's almost all the film makers give us aswell. The first 15 minutes or so are setting up that premise, then it's mainly jokes, set pieces and improve scenes for the next hour. Then, for the last 15 minutes, there is some very rushed story wrapping up for lazily set up plot lines. Maybe halfway through the film is the funniest part of the film (which is apparently in the red band trailer), during which there is a reference to "the mob". After this it's not brought up again until a forced cameo about 15 minutes from the end. There is also a storyline to do with local council corruption and infidelity that is so infrequently seen, every time the film goes back to it (which isn't very often) I would think "Oh yeah, Nick Kroll is in this. And they're wasting Alison Tollman" who was great in season 1 of Fargo.

But I didn't care about most of that stuff because it made be laugh enough times. Though if the finger scene is in the trailer, you have seen the best part and there are no other jokes as good. It won't go down as a comedy classic but the second half was funny enough. The first half, however, had way too many jokes without punchlines. There's set up, but nothing else. It's almost as if the writers had not reached the lesson on punchlines in their course on writing jokes.

Oh, and Jason Mantzoukas is easily the best part.

In short: The House would probably be best viewed on a streaming site.

The Circle review

The Circle follows a woman as she starts to work at a tech giant, where she finds out that it may not be as perfect as it seems.

Dave Eggers' book, that this is based on, is really good. It was an easy read that brought up queations regarding technology and privacy in a non-cliche way. It is 491 pages long and the film is just under 2 hours long, so there will be details lost in the adaptation process. But I would have expected key details regarding plot, characters and what The Circle is to be kept in.

That's right, if I hadn't read the book, I don't think I would have known what The Circle is, what it does, who does what, and how it became as big as it is. I understand that exposition overloads are boring, but when the audience is left in the dark about the title company, I wouldn't mind an introductory video in a lift or something. It's this sort of disregard for important details that makes any reveal have little to no impact. For example, there is a reveal concerning a character's identity that would leave anyone who hasn't read the book asking "Who?" before mentally rewinding the film and realising the name was said once in passing.

But really though, what is The Circle? A place for TED talks? Customer service for a non-descript social network? Silicon Valley with a budget? A cult? Apparently The Circle has hundreds of millions of users, who all use a service we are never told about. They made everything so underdeveloped that nothing that happens has any stakes. When characters get offed, it's just kinda out of nowhere and has no impact.

I don't like to compare adaptations to their source material; but I'm going to have to here. The book features a woman named Mae that starts working at The Circle after leaving a job she hates. She uses technology but is not obsessed. As she works at The Circle, she starts to use technology and social media more, until it literally becomes part of her identity. As she becomes more ingrained in The Circle, she becomes more and more estranged from her family and friends, eventually resulting in death, overdoses and going off the grid. At the end of the novel she stares at her comatose friend, who is in this condition due to jealousy and isolation caused by Mae and their technology driven culture, and she ponders removing the final wall of privacy in life: making every thoughts public. The novel contains a lot of commentary on how privacy is being taken away as we become more connected. It's very well handled aswell. By the end of the novel Mae has become completely engrossed in The Circle's quest to connect everyone and to share everything. She doesn't get redemption for her decisions that caused pain to others, she gets rewarded and continues to climb social and professional ladders. The dark social commentary is what sets the book apart from the rest of the crowd.

In the film, all of that is lost. Instead they go for the Hollywood ending. Yes, her friend is still killed by her actions. But her relationship with her parents is not ruined, and her friend who overdoses in the book decides to go back to Scotland to clear her mind. Then Mae decides to take up the offer of the founder to take down the company from the inside (one of the most poorly handled plot threads I've ever seen in a film), and she makes everything about the two big bosses known to the public. She does this in an effort to create scandals and to get The Circle shut down or something like that. But where is the commentary in that? "Corporations are bad." Can you really not say more than that, the book says much more than that and does it in a more subtle manner. Did you have too many red dots focused on your chests while you were making the movie?

And somehow Dave Eggers was involved in the adaptation process.

In short: The Circle is a complete waste of potential (you had Tom Hanks).

Sorry if I started to get lost there at the end: I'm writing this way too late and I don't like editing before I post stuff(real smart), so I hope you enjoyed the potential rambling.