Source

• IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt21813994/

• Platform: AppleTV+

• Release: June 21, 2024

Source

Source

Plot Overview

Themes and Messages

Source

Source

Cast & Performances

Critical Reception

#skiptvads, #inleo, #hive, #fancydance, #ericatremblay, #lilygladstone, #isabelderoyolson, #sheawhigham, #audreywasilewski, #indigenous, #nativeamerican, #reservation, #senecacayuga, #missingwomen, #family, #culturalidentity, #justice, #cinematography, #screenplay, #authenticity, #representation, #storytelling, #drama, #powwow, #resilience, #independentfilm, #sundance, #apple, #movie, #officialtrailer, #trailer

Posted Using InLeo Alpha

Posted Using InLeo Alpha

In the industry of cinema few cultures have capture the imagination like the motorcycle clubs both on the small and big screen with many great movies and tv series, its the rugged aspect with individualism, rebellion and brotherhood gives birth to many great storytelling. Jeff Nichols' "The Bikeriders" (2023) is a great example of this, with a great cast and script brings the story of a motorcycle club on 1960s Midwestern, inspired by Danny Lyon's 1967 photo book the movies goes nose first into the lives of vandals group that evolve through time becoming a formidable gang.

The story centers around Kathy, a strong woman played by Jodie Comer, who becomes deeply involve with Benny, role played by the well known Austin Butler who has recently taken the industry by storm with the movie Dune: Part II and the TV series Masters of The Air. Benny is a member of the Vandals, a club led by the charismatic Jonny, role played by no other Tom Hardy who is also going to have a great year with Bikeriders and his last Venom movie. Down the line their bikers club transforms from a group of local outcasts into a dangerous underworld of violence and crime. The movie explores themes of loyalty, identity and the search of self with a chaotic rebellious culture as backdrop.

• IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt21454134/

• Platform: Theaters

• Release: June 21, 2024

The Making of the Movie

Proper and accurate representation of details.

Creating "The Bikeriders” could not be taken so slightly as they are entering the motorcycle club culture world wide, specially their roots, Nichols’ goal was to create a show that portrayed the bikers in a positive light but also explored the negative side of being a biker, its because of this that the movie realism is underlined, from the use of period bikes and the overall setup, the look and feel of the movie has to be right for this the movie was produced with the collaboration of Harley Davidson, seeking to establish the cultural relevance of the movie and association with the famous brand.

Nichols' Vision and Inspiration

Nichols took inspiration from Lyon’s work and incorporated them into the making of the film, took him years to write the script, thinking how to portray the two sides of the biker’s life, the glamorous and the violent. Although this is not the first time that the director has attempted to portray a realistic picture the effort was quite satisfying primarily because Hardy, Butler, and Comer gave their best to make the film’s characters believable as they have mention in a couple of interviews, the movie would not come down to fight scenes only but how much it gives the audience the sensation they watching and living inside a movie from the 1960s. Johnny the protagonist, can be described as a character with shades of both the anti hero and the anti villain; he is a compelling leader of the group yet he is not a completely moral character as he could also turn as violent as any other character on the movie. What is also interesting is the fact that Butler portrays his character Benny as a lone rider who is bound by his commitment to the club and his affection towards Kathy who is portrayed by Comer and who delivers an emotional performance given the nature of her husband’s profession, one day he could easily not come back to her.

Part of The Cast and Their Performances

The character Kathy is played by Jodie Comer who is a talented British actress, Kathy who is a strong willed woman who becomes involved with the Vandals motorcycle club, Jodie Comer is well known for her performance as the character Villanelle in the BBC America series ‘Killing Eve’ (2018-2022) where she won the British Academy Television Award and Primetime Emmy Award. This movie, this character and Comer’s ability to do various accents and her dedication to her roles has made her a great actress over the time, I mostly remember her for her role on "The Last Duel".

The young and talented Austin Butler who plays the role of Benny one of the members of the Vandals and who is torn between his love for the band and his family. Butler started his television acting career in 2007 with two shows, Zoey 101 and then The Carrie Diaries from 2013-2014. While Austin Butler gained recognition for his work in the TV series “13 Reasons Why,” it was his role of Elvis Presley in Baz Luhrmann’s “Elvis” (2022) that probably send him to the super start status winning a Golden Globe and BAFTA Award as well as an Oscar nomination for Best Actor. The change that Butler made in “Elvis” is prove of his dedication and talent to act out such roles that make him fit to act as Benny in The Bikeriders.

Tom Hardy plays the role of Johnny, the leader of the Vandals who is usually linked with strong and passionate scenes from what I can sense from the trailer. Hardy's career includes a wide range of roles from the violent Bane in Christopher Nolan's "The Dark Knight Rises" (2012) to the titular character in “Mad Max: Fury Road” (2015), he has also appeared in films like ‘Inception’ (2010), ‘The Revenant’ (2015) and ‘Venom’ (2018). As for the role of Johnny, Hardy is ideal for the part because, he can dive deep into his characters and in addition, he has a strong screen presence, anyone who is a cinema lover recognize Tom Hardy on a movie.

Themes and Messages

Exploring what it means to be masculine, who one is and where one belongs.

Many might not seen it this way but the movie focuses on the problem of toxic masculinity and its effect on people, the ride or die way, the highway style coming from both individuals and in groups, its here where the character of Johnny and Benny fit in although there is some contrast between them, they represent the different aspects of this theme specifically, problems of developing in a society that enforces certain rules that might turn them violent as a reaction to this rules becoming the dominant male image against the law. Another interesting theme of the movie is the theme of people wanting to belong somewhere, in this case the bike culture, he bikers club culture, I might be wrong but I think would also be the case of Kathy that despite knowing the risk of her husbands chosen profession she is willing to stay with him even though I'm sure she had other options to take, probably why critics and online comments have mention how she was able to make her character every emotional and human like to the point of bringing the audience closer to understanding her reasons and hardship of their lives.

What will make the difference on this movie is details to the timeline and the acting coming from super stars like Hardy and Butler with a great supporting cast including Mr. Norman Reedus mostly known for his role in The Walking Dead. There probably not much from the classic premise of a bikers club movie but its the story and emotions of the characters that could gain the recognition from the audience since to be honest this is a very basic setup that we have extensively seen on TV series like Mayans and Sons of Anarchy through their multiple seasons, episode after episode.

The Bikeriders mostly seem to be about a cycle of violence and power but it is also about identity and basic humand need to belong somewhere, that is the case of Benny when he says they would have to kill him first before he takes off his bikerclub jacket, its ride or die for him. The movie tries to address viewers with other more comprehensive social issues by describing the chracters and their expiriences.

The movie has been very welcome by critics and part of an audience that already had the expirience to watch it on multiple festival, sittin with very good scores onlines on websites like IMDB 7.5/10 and RottenTomatoes with an 84% of acceptance from the critics, does look like a great watch and I doubt it would be the opposite of what I watch so far on the trailers if not even better.

#skiptvads, #inleo, #hive, #bikeriders, #drama, #1960s, #motorcycle, #club, #vandals, #jeffnichols, #dannylyon, #kathy, #benny, #johnny, #jodiecomer, #austinbutler, #tomhardy, #loyalty, #identity, #belonging, #subculture, #violence, #crime, #camaraderie, #cinematography, #soundtrack, #authenticity, #movie, #officialtrailer, #trailer

Posted Using InLeo Alpha

The movie is based in a world that has almost been destroyed by environmental disasters not that much explain but you would assume its the obvious, humans ripping of and taking apart the planet, countries all over the world and taking extreme measures since human species is on the brink of extinction, there need to be a sacrifice that wont go in vane but also once taken the decision its show time. Humane (2024) is Caitlin Cronenberg directional debut, taking the audience into a world that is not much far from the current reality of present days but I doubt and hope we ever get to the curse of action governments were force to take this extreme measures due to overpopulation, a scenario where citizens are urged to "sing up" for a state supported assisted dying program in exchange for a large payment to their family who would remain alive, its the Thanos way just with a monetary reward.

During the movie details like numbers and how the rest of the world looks like are not given as some might think would happen, the movie is not really about the state of the planet and the rest of the population, all that becomes an assumption, the movie is more about how people can degenerate when threatened with the unknown, the director creates this close environment plot that makes the audience imagine whats going on out of the house where the drama goes down, I really enjoy that aspect, with all the ethical standards been violated and also showing the importance of life. The movie is about a wealthy and known family since the head of the family is a well known public figure who "sing up", the family is not perfect by any means, but something comes up that will change the reasons why he did it and latter on unchain an aftermath that involves the entire family with his wife going MIA the day they had to DIE since everything is coordinated, now the government came in to collect, they are short one body so they left it to the rest of the adults in the family, one has to go down.

• IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt16280912/

• Platform: Amazon

• Release: April 26, 2024

Just Enough of Horror and Social Commentary

From the very beginning of Humane (2024) the audience is introduce to an atmosphere of discomfort with a very disturbing family, multiple arguments, some with a lot of moral standards and the main topic at hand with their father decided to sing up to the program, basically turning him into a martyr, probably a way to solidify his legacy, but it was mostly a power move to cover up for some shady stuff he has done in the past. A good third of the movie is about how fucked up society is, basically at the verge of a breakdown but director Cronenberg did a good job at steering the ship before the movie became a lecture on this topics then starts to become more a mix with elements of horror and social commentary, giving the characters their own moral standards and reasons why any of the four children need or not to die, consider they are all adults,  one will do it for money, the other is selfish, other was ashamed of her father past and there was one in particular that they other three jump to because he has been the black sheep of the family for many years, the artist who is a drug addict (was) now clean but no one believe him.

The four are not locked up inside the house and have to decide who dies because the government is one body short and came in to collect another body besides their father since their step mother ran away. The movie does a perfect job at demonstrating what people are really capable of when they find themself against the wall, its easy taking decisions when its not your ass on the line, as the movie unfolds the real motives of the characters reveal, lie after lie falling apart and the audience get to see the worst of them, greed, selfishness and corruption; showing the audience how the potential of evil is almost limitless even on the best families.

Performances that Elevate the Scenes

The cast did a great in my opinion did a great job at bringing out the characters feelings, specially Jay Baruchel playing the role of Jared, one of the sons, an unscrupulous self centered man whose ethics were worthless, been on the government side in front of the camera pretending go be someone else influence by wealth and power but when it was his ass on the line he was a total different person making his character's problems and conflicts fascinating, if you are a fan of watching people in the movies suffer psychologically.

There was another character that really caught my attention that is Rachel, another of the four sons at the house that night, her role is played by Emily Hamsphire, a cold and calculating businesswoman who wont stop at nothing and for no one to get what she wants, she is the one who convince two of the four brothers to com plot against the black sheep of the family and make him the target, getting on their minds and giving them reasons and motives that were not theirs, it was her wanting to safe her ass since she got so much to live for and with the money their father has left them it would be now decided between three and not four of the children, money can buy souls and dignities.

The rest of the cast did a great job too, I don't find that any weak performance as from each and everyone of the characters you could feel their problems and emotions through the night event.

A Promising Start for a New Voice in Horror

Humane (2024) is not a perfect movie by any means but I think we starting to probably watch a trend growing, a new voice in the horror genre, probably already existed but now days in our society is very popular the psychological aspect of things, same goes for horror movies. Caitlin Cronenberg seem to know this, she has a set of skills, vision and ability to tell a story that is both disturbing and philosophical. During the scenes at the house when the four brothers are trying to kill each other there was always this thrill of when and who was going to attack who, waiting for the one who will jump from the back of behind the door to stab the other from the back, in the gore department there was none and I thought it would be the perfect scenario to bring up more of that physical horror aspect, but what really came out to light was the physiological aspect as how brothers betray each other for their own motives with none of them wanting to die but at certain point in time all of them wanting one of them to die.

In conclusion Humane (2024) is a movie that gave the audience motive to keep talking about it once it over, there are many things that were not explain leaving them to suspense, a powerful critique of the current human conditions we all live in our current society that also remind us the re precautions of our choices and how low we are capable of going when its time to choose between our own selfish preservation.

Caitlin Cronenberg directional debut was a success, even though the movie was not the greatest it was not a failure at all, a great one time watch type of movie, the ending was a bit weak and could have been better, as a viewer I was expecting a bit of revenge and payback. Director brought us a great blend of horror, social commentary and moral complexity, I can only imagine how her next projects will be once her skills as a director become more refine.

Not a movie for everyone, not a movie to watch expecting people cutting each others throats left and right. The movie was very close to what I was expecting to my movie preview, I would recommend it and give it a solid 7/10.

#skiptvads, #inleo, #hive, #directorialdebut, #thoughtprovoking, #humanitysdarkestimpulses, #environmentaldisasters, #humanspeciesextinction, #assisteddyingprogram, #monetaryreward, #ethicalstandards, #importanceoflife, #horrorandsocialcommentary, #moralstandards, #greed, #selfishness, #corruption, #psychologicalsuffering, #promisingstart, #horrorgenre, #socialcommentary, #moralcomplexity, #critiqueofsociety, #selfishpreservation, #slashersequences, #nauseatinggore, #crimesofthefuture, #bodyhorror

Posted Using InLeo Alpha

Alex Garland, English director and screenwriter, has directed a total of five films which is divided into one of the best films (in my opinion) based on a comic book, others where science fiction meets evolution, integration, religion and uses beautiful and uncomfortable images for the story about the imposition of a gender and in what may be the last time he directs a film, he uses war to demonstrate insensitivity in different aspects.

 Alex Garland, director y guionista inglés, ha dirigido un total de cinco films que se divide en uno de los mejores films (en mi opinión) basado en un cómic, otros en donde la ciencia-ficción se une con la evolución, integración, religión y usa imágenes hermosas e incómodas para el relato sobre la imposición de un género y en la que puede ser la última vez que dirige un film, usa la guerra para demostrar insensibilidad en diferentes aspectos.

"Civil War", a dystopian war thriller with elements of horror and a successful use of action, shows us the United States immersed in a Civil War, three sections battle against a main one led by the current president who predicts an imminent victory which makes it seem that this hard and bloody confrontation is near its end and that motivates the veteran photojournalist, "Lee Smith" and the journalist, "Joel" to interview the President, which lead them to make a long journey to the conflictive and totalitarian Washington DC.

"Civil War", thriller bélico, distópico, con elementos de terror y un acertado uso de la acción, nos muestra a los Estados Unidos sumergido en una Guerra Civil, tres secciones batallan contra una principal liderada por el actual presidente quien vaticina una inminente victoria lo cual hace ver que este duro y sangriento enfrentamiento está cerca a su fin y eso motiva a la veterana reportera gráfico, "Lee Smith" y al periodista, "Joel" a entrevistar al Presidente, lo que los llevan a hacer un largo viaje hacia el conflictivo y totalitario Washington DC.

This war film is told not from the point of view of the combatants, but of those who are in charge of collecting images that will be part of the story, those people who also risk their lives to shoot their cameras or take the phrases of those considered protagonists; It is not something original to focus a story on how journalists report a war, but it is fascinating from the fiction to see a nation take to the extreme its imposition and division which creates an armed uprising to "solve" their differences; that is primarily the appeal of the film directed and written by Garland, which tries to explore the fear and the consequences that can experience a country that becomes ungovernable.

The other interesting point of the film is the story of its protagonists, I mean the journalists who are focused on what they are, in doing the job of obtaining information either by the story or capturing images of those who are part of the war; they are not to be part of any side of the conflict, but to obtain and create a news, but it is not only that, as this film uses two characters at different stages of their lives to demonstrate some development in their stories; This is also excellent on the part of Garland who I can say respects the profession of the photojournalist, more than anything else that of the war photographer who uses the impact of the images they must obtain to demonstrate certain levels of insensitivity.

Este film bélico está relatado no desde el punto de vista de los combatientes, sino de quienes están encargados de recolectar imágenes que serán parte de la historia, esas personas que también arriesgan sus vidas por disparar sus cámaras o tomar las frases de los considerados protagonistas; justamente este no es algo original el enfocar una historia sobre cómo periodistas relatan una guerra, pero si es fascinante desde la ficción el ver una nación llevar al extremo su imposición y división lo cual crea un levantamiento armado para "solventar" sus diferencias; eso es primeramente lo atractivo del film dirigido y escrito por Garland, que trata de explorar el temor y las consecuencias que puede experimentar un país que se convierte en ingobernable.

El otro punto interesante del film es el relato de sus protagonistas, me refiero a los periodistas que están enfocados en lo que son, en realizar el trabajo de obtener información sea por el relato o la captura de imágenes de quienes son parte de la guerra; ellos no están para ser parte de algún bando del conflicto, sino el de obtener y crear una noticia, pero no es solamente eso, ya que en esta película se usa a dos personajes en etapas diferentes de sus vidas para demostrar cierto desarrollo en sus historias; esto también es excelente por parte de Garland que puedo decir que respeta la profesión de reportero gráfico, más que nada el de fotógrafo de guerra que usa el impacto de las imágenes que deben obtener para demostrar ciertos niveles de insensibilidad.

I really liked the acting of the four main characters, all different, but united by the motive of getting a story, of feeling the adrenaline of being part of the story and capturing it in images and stories, but I think more than anything, I think it all depends on how they perceive the situation they are experiencing and that's what deepens the story, makes it better and it's all due to the work of the actors. As I said before, the stories from the point of view of two characters is what captured my attention, they are "Lee" and "Jessie", played by Kirsten Dunst and Cailee Spaeny; in my opinion they are very similar and I can even say that it is like watching the encounter of a young version with another one from the present; each experience they share has a lot of symbolism, especially how it develops the way they experience the end of the war.

Me gustó mucho la actuación de los cuatro personajes principales, todos diferentes, pero unidos por el motivo de obtener una historia, de sentir la adrenalina de ser parte de la historia y capturarla en imágenes y relatos, pero creo que más que nada, creo que todo depende de como perciben la situación que están experimentando y eso es lo que profundiza la historia, la hace mejor y todo es debido al trabajo de los actores. Como dije anteriormente, los relatos desde el punto de vista de dos personajes es lo que captó mi atención, ellas son "Lee" y "Jessie", interpretados por Kirsten Dunst y Cailee Spaeny; en mi opinión son muy parecidas y hasta puedo decir que es como ver el encuentro de una versión joven con otra del presente; tiene mucho simbolismo cada vivencia que comparten, en especial como se va desarrollando la manera de como ellas experimentan el final de la guerra.

When I finished watching Civil War, I felt the need to read certain comments about the film and I could read one that was repeated which indicated that it should have had more action scenes and I think that if you see this movie and think that, then you do not grasp what is really the story which presents the necessary action scenes, as well as certain important scenes that gives us notion of how different people from their emotional state, In that we must point out the great work of Garland in the direction because it provides precise moments, beautiful images in a deadly chaos and remember that this story is from the point of view of photographers and therefore to point out the lack of action, I think it is wrong and more with the intensity of the final act which is a magnificent closure; with everything described above, I must say that this is one of the best films I have seen this year and I will surely see it again very soon.

Al terminar de ver Civil War, sentí la necesidad de leer ciertos comentarios sobre el film y pude leer uno que se repetía el cual indicaba que debió tener más escenas de acción y creo que si ven esta película y piensan eso, entonces no captan lo que es realmente la historia la cual presenta las escenas de acción necesarias, al igual que ciertas escenas importantes que nos da noción de como diferentes personas desde su estado emocional, mental están lidiando con una guerra, en eso hay que señalar el gran trabajo de Garland en la dirección porque provee momentos precisos, imágenes hermosas dentro de un caos mortal y es que recordemos que esta historia es desde el punto de vista de fotógrafos y por eso hacer un señalamiento de la falta de acción, creo que es errado y más con lo intenso del acto final el cual es un cierre magnífico; con todo lo antes descrito debo decir que está es una de las mejores películas que he visto en este año y que seguramente volveré a ver muy pronto.

Cover image edited in canva; the image was taken from the following source

Third Episode of The Acolyte drop and it left everyone with even more questions than before, but one thing is for sure the entire coven didn't die because of the explosion. The episode with title "Destiny" most likely refer to the twins get separated, one destine to the dark side of the Sith and the other to the bright side of the Jedi.

The episode starts with a scene when the twins were very little, sixteen years in the past at the planet Brenda when everything started for Osha and Mae, it is on this scene for the first time that the tone for their differences is set very clearly, Mae always powerful and dominant while Osha more passive and free spirit, there is a second aspect that really intrigue me and its how Mae basically prohibit Osha from separating from her, some type of obsession, would it be possible their connection is the only reason why Mae is so good at using The Force?

Destiny, gives a lot of backdrop story that I was expecting to know from the series regarding the Coven of Witches and Mother Aniseya but as a none STAR WARS hard core fan there are plenty of this that I don't know, at first glance a regular viewer like me gets the hole witches scenario and its fine but there are more questions when you start to wonder from who are they hiding? where is the twins father? why there are witches of all over the galaxy? what does the ritual means? so I had to consult the internet for this post to have some more context than my simple understanding of what I was watching, the episode features numerous references to the ancient Night Sisters and their “thread of destiny,” suggesting that the Nightsisters and the Force are connected in some way to the broader Star Wars mythology.

There is an initiation ceremony prepared for Osha and Mae to become official members of the coven to what Osha didn't want to and Mother Aniseya would not force her to, but there were others like Mother Koril who probably had a different agenda, always trying to push the girls and be more traditional and disciplinary with them.

• IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt13820376/

• Platform: Disney+

The Coven's Dark Practices

After finding out that the Coven of Witches can turn out to be an extension or variant of the Night Witches a dark cult that uses The Force for dark practices makes me question why they had the twins in first place like what is their purpose on the Coven, Mother Aniseya and her lover Mother Koril start to talk about how the Jedi would not like how the girls were created and a very popular thing on Star Wars is cloning so that's my first though, they also mention the twins are powerful and I would think they are since Aniseya use The Force to create them, all this practices are prohibit by The Republic and the Jedi specially on kids, not probably because they are kids but they would suspect that behind a group like this having and teaching kids the use of the Force most of the time is for sinister purpose. The Jedi do live on this concept that only they are the ones using The Force for the right reasons when in fact this is very manipulative move cult type, this is why they would let the Coven do their thing as adults but no children to avoid passing this sinister practices to younger generations, this is another reason I could think of why the Twins are so important for the Coven.

The Twins' Split Their Paths

During the ceremony we see the different sides of Mae and Osha, in the case of Mae she is all in follower of the coven traditions and their mother but in the case of Osha she doesn't want to stay on the planet for ever with them, she wants to go out and explore the galaxy thats the main reason when the Jedi arive she step front and wanted to go with them, wanted to be tested and latter on she tells her mother she wants to be a Jedi. Even though they are twins they do not behive like one and this is the nature of The Force, they were created using it so it comes with the same characteristics, one dark and another bright side, can't exist only one.

The Jedi Intervention

When the Jedi arrive to Brenda its not clear why they did, probably they got an alert from someone letting them know about the girls since I doubt there are radars monitoring the use of The Force, all four Sol, Indara, Torbin and Kelnecca, at the time Torbin been Indara's padawan basically following orders, Indara is clearly the one calling the shots as Sol and Kelnecca follow. Aside from what went down between the Twins of not wanting the same thing there is a fire caused by Mae where she was clearly in some kind of trance of obsession and latter on multiple explosions with the entire Coven wipe out. Remember how Torbin before taking his life mention he though they were doing the right thing? this force me to think that they killed the Coven, Indara, Torbin and Kelnecca but Sol was not part of it since he was the one who went looking for the Twins while the other Jedi took care of the Coven, the mission was clear and the circumstances would never change the ending.

The Tragedy Unfolds

Towards the end the episode kinda drive me mad with all the ambiguous incomplete scenes, director basically fucking with me like jejeje I know something you don't and wont let you watch like you are telling me that all that happen because Mae set a door on fire? reactor blowing up, all the witches dead the fortress they were living in basically turning apart. What were Indara, Torbin and Kelnacca were doing when all that went down? I'm on the camp that most likely while the twins were having an argument the Jedi had their own argument with the witches and someone decided to throw hands, or threads or light saber what ever their attack was, that probably why Torbin got a scar in the present day and before taking the poison tells Mae "I thought we were doing the right thing" because he was following Indara orders. There is this scene of tragedy in the air at the end of the episode, things should not get out of control and again probably why the three Jedi who had everything to do with are basically in exile if not in a corner of the galaxy like Indara in a cantina, Kelnacca isolated in a forest planet or Torbin who had 10 years without talking to anyone and meditating, on Episode 2 there is a scene where Sol told Jord, Mae was dead but with a certain doubt like he is hiding something, problem is he is basically lying his as because he does not know and he is only telling what probably Indara put on the report after their mission, he was not there when the Witches died and he only saw Mae fall but never really saw her dead body.

If the series is not as close to what OG Star Wars is at least its keeping the suspense alive, online reviews are basically trashing the series like its the worst TV series ever and to be honest if there is one thing the internet is good about is shitting on everybody else happiness. Are there things that are not related or as good as the traditional Star War movies, yes that totally true, there there a ton of empowering the women theme absolutely, the real question is "Is this TV series entertaining?" YES IT IS!!!

The story for sure is constantly interrupted and this might bother a certain type of audience but I'm the type of viewer who like to connect the dots and even be wrong about it or right, it doesn't matter to me, I have always thought that for something to be entertaining it has to generate a reaction, a felling that's either makes you mad or happy about it because it keeps my brain working, probably even enjoying what I'm watching.

The fight scenes have been very weak but I guess we will probably get one or two down the line, this action sequences are close to none so far except when Mae fights Sol and Indara and even then it was interrupted, its a suspense TV series not an action series and this is probably why people are so mad about it.

In my opinion if you are looking for an entertaining series with a good production, its not a Game of Thrones level but its a good one time watch, go watch The Acolyte.

Posted Using InLeo Alpha

This is a cross post of @soyunasantacruz/unknown-mentes-en-blanco-forgetting-who-you-are-can-turn-you-into-an-offender-review-and-thought-eng-spa-fjv by @soyunasantacruz.

The best classic action thriller I have seen this year.

Review | Reseña

☢️ Rated - Clasificación: PG-13 
🎭 Genre - Género: 
Thriller | Intrigue | Psychological thriller Kidnappings | Disappearances Unique setting 
😜 Original language - Idioma original: English
🎥 Director: Simon Brand

📅 Release date - Fecha de estreno: 2006
🎬 Running time - Duración: 80 min.
✍️ My score -  Mi puntaje: 10 to 10

Posted Using InLeo Alpha

He is not looking for destruction, he is looking for relief

No busca la destrucción, sino el alivio.

The action movie genre has been constantly changing and evolving for the past years, to be honest John Wick set the bar high for what was coming next even though part of the audience do not recognize it keeping the action genre the most popular one, with every story the audience is expecting a more intense story with constant action sequences one after another, however Trigger Warning (2024) is not all about pumping dopamine into your brain, set in the context of corruption and justice, this action movie directed by Mouly Surya, the acclaimed Indonesian filmmaker is not only an interesting action movie but also explores the theme of the female power.

Featuring Jessica Alba in the titular role of Parker, a professional Special Forces agent, the plot develops around her return to her home town to meet her family only to get informed of her father died recently, what was suppose to be a simple journey home gradually turns into a firefight with a gang of criminal that has seized control of the district. Parker now is looking for answers on the death of her father only to find herself in a world filled with corruption and violence that goes far beyond the ring.

The movie gets more interesting when Parker is introduced to Senator Ezekiel Swann, a fully fledged politician played by Anthony Michael Hall, the movie follows her as she turns to her former boyfriend and the current sheriff of the town, Jesse (Mark Webber) for answers to her suspicions. Jesse knows that she and Parker were once lovers but she tries to convince her to stop from pursuing her investigation for revenge on the gang that killed her father because it will only endanger her life; this does not seem to matter for her, not even causing a bump into her journey of vengeance and she continues with the investigations despite the threats from the gang.

• IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5834874/

• Platform: Netflix

• Release: June 21, 2024

Intense Action Sequences

While Parker fights for her survival at her hometown that is now infected and flooded with gang members, she at least is not alone she has Spider (Tone Bell), her covert ops partner and a computer hacker, and there is also Mike (Gabriel Basso), a local drug dealer who is part of the gang who some how join efforts to be some kinda of team, not the most coordinated but again at least she is not alone. They both join in the effort to investigate the death of her father and end up coming into contact with the corruption and brutality of not only the gang but other departments within the justice system.

The action scenes are raw and violent reminding a lot of the John Wick; again he is the one who set the bar that high and now everyone wants to go over it, due to its focus on revenge and fighting with firearms in tight spaces. Parker’s develop I would say very well her role as a Special Forces commando through her various fight sequences with her opponents and the various strategies that she uses to overcome them, he can see clips of this fight scenes on the trailer.

A Well Balance Cast

The direction of Surya is very impressive as a director that justifies the action with emotions all along during the movie that has been very interesting, but don't be confuse since the movie promise to be fully committed to the action thriller genre and the storyline by Otep Shamaya and the screenplay by John Brancato, Josh Olson and Halley Gross focus on a strong female character who fights against all the odds to save her family and what remains of her community.

Jake Weary as Elvis, a hot tempered brother that has full of hatred to Jesse and Harry played by Alejandro de Hoyos who is member of Jesse’s gang, this enhance the series as they emphasize the personal aspect of the series as well as the goal of Parker, from those who have seen more about this movie online has been mention to be a more well rounded movie by the support cast rather than fully depending on Parker's role.

Trigger Warning Themes and Topics

As the title suggests Trigger Warning is an action movie with many exciting scenes and moments of suspense, the movie also deals with social issues, such criticism points to the fact that the movie is centered on corruption as a social vice in small town in America where Swann is the perfect example and at its peak of the corrupt political leader whose actions have negative repercussions in society.

Another major theme is the justice and revenge presented in the movie more specifically the conflict between Parker to find the truth about her father’s death, the major theme explored in the movie and which is of particular significance to the contemporary society is the price that one has to pay for revenge and the extent to which most people will go to the limits in order to keep their family and love ones safe.

The Female Hero

In terms of messages the most obvious and compelling in the context of Trigger Warning as I have mentioned above is a message of a female her, women's power. The main character, the role of which goes to Jessica Alba, Parker is a manifestation of a strong and capable woman who takes her fate into her own hands. Alba is an able bodied female character who is resourceful intelligent and passionate, keeping her relevant to her position in the series.

The audiences and critics who had the opportunity to screen this movie have enjoyed the movie for a simple reason, a heroine who can fight and who is not just a fighter with the abilities but a woman with character, this makes sync with today’s society where there is increased demand for women’s portrayal in media that perfectly describe them as powerful.

There is a lot of expectations towards the release of this movie, in the same genre reminds me of another Netflix hit "Extraction" but this time around is Jessica Alba playing Parker who is going to safe the day, with a combination of spectacular stunts, dramatic storyline and a well balance cast it is expected that the movie will do more than well expecting a large amount of views on the streaming platform. I hope that the movie does not try to go over the top as it might want to stand out from the John Wick frame, there is no need for that, it must remain on a certain level of realism in pair with its themes of corruption and justice, at the same time with the very special heroine that is Parker, keep the feet on the ground.

I think the come back of Jessica Alba to the big screen with Trigger Warning has the opportunity to set a precedent for female action movies if things are done right or at least become a movie that the audience would like to watch for a second time with its powerful action scenes coupled with it's other intellectual themes

#skiptvads, #inleo, #hive, #triggerwarning, #action, #thriller, #jessicaalba, #parker, #specialforces, #commando, #corruption, #justice, #femaleempowerment, #moulysurya, #anthonymichaelhall, #markwebber, #tonebell, #jakeweary, #gabrielbasso, #netflix, #gang, #politician, #investigation, #revenge, #loyalty, #betrayal, #combat, #movie, #officialtrailer, #trailer

Posted Using InLeo Alpha

2024 has been a solid year for anything related Kaiju or as most people know it now days The Monsterverse, with Godzilla Minus One not been the exception, some might think that since the release of Ishiro Honda’s 1954 film Godzilla, the first movie of the kaiju subgenre, the giant monster has become a global icon and in the last decade there has not been a movie this close to what he originally created. Through the multiple movies Godzilla has faced many powerful enemies in 38 movies total, some of them include King Kong and a three headed dragon. The most recent addition to the series Godzilla Minus One directed by Takashi Yamazaki, offers a new approach to the series, the movie is based in Japan after the Second World War and portrays the psychological effect of the war, including PTSD and survivor’s guilt, this time around the movie is not just about the monster it’s about the human spirit and determination in the face of adversity through the war survivors with the main character Koichi Shikishima who was a Kamikaze pilot who did not fulfill his mission and after returning to Japan not only he had to suffer the shame of failure but now go through Godzilla attacking and on top take responsibilities he never ask for like a wife and child that at first was not even his, a very moving story that at times will make you forget that Godzilla is even there.

• IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt23289160/

• Platform: Netflix

• Release: January 2, 2024

A New Take on a Classic Monster Story

Different than what we are use to watch about this massive monster in more American style movies, Godzilla Minus One is special as it brings the original concept of Godzilla into the contemporary world, the movie begins in 1945 where Koichi Shikishima a young kamikaze pilot, crash lands on a small island to escape a fatal mission, actually ran away from it but is quickly discover by his fellow mechanics at the base he landed at. One nigh Godzilla comes out of the sea and destroys everything in his path, killing almost everyone at the base except for Koichi and a few other mechanics, at this point he had the chance to attack Godzilla from land with the machine guns on this plane but he was too terrified see what this massive monster could do so he stay frozen doing nothing for what the survivors blame him for not doing anything about it, Koichi was suppose to be a brave warrior and he is not. This traumatic event becomes the premise of Koichi’s story which is defined by shame and guilt of being alive when so many others died and he had the chance to change or at least try to chance the course of the story.

Most of the Monsterverse movies directly related to Godzilla are related to the discovery of other Titans and having Godzilla defend his territory, its not been recent when we have a Godzilla who sole purpose is to create chaos without reason making look the modern Godzilla almost like a humans pet. This movie portrayal a more classic Godzilla, its creator mention its a tribute to earlier movies, even though the monster is CGI its very similar in all aspects from shape, size, behavior to the original Godzilla movies, it would not be a surprise that many would consider its look very retro with certain more modern elements like his atomic breath which makes the deconstructions side look very cinematic and realistic once you are immerse into the scene.

Human Struggles Between Monster Chaos

Perhaps one of the strongest elements of Godzilla Minus One is the emphasis on the people involved, the emotional focus of the movie is Koichi’s arrival back in Tokyo which is almost in ruin and his meeting with Noriko, a woman who is taking care of an orphaned child, at first they are rivals but by the end of the film they form a sort of family. Put into perspective how do you overcome failing your country for not been able to fulfill your target as a Kamikaze Pilot to then go through a deadly attack from a massive monster to then arrive your home town that is almost destroy, no supplies, no roof over your head and been basically push into a family situation where now you have to put for on the table for two more; its a strong case of healing and redemption, Koichi might not be the warrior everyone thought he could but he is now taking responsibility for a family in times where things are very uncertain during a rebuild process. The movie might be consider the perfect mix of action and drama, in between Godzilla attacks there was a gap in between where things went from going horrendous for Koichi to then been almost at peak of happiness, the second time he met he had to overcome Godzilla attack again and its here where he finally step up and decided to truly make a difference putting his life at risk and been the pilot who directly attack Godzilla, setting a trap with the help of other brave ex military and shows how much he care for his country and love ones.

A Cinematic Experience

Visually the movie is spectacular, from how detail and reminiscent it is to the times describe in Japan, from the monster and landscape itself. The movie paints the perfect picture of chaos and destruction of post war in Japan, there are sea battles sequences at open sea as Godzilla chase Koichi a terrifying scene that gets the audience to the edge of the seat expecting the monster to catch up, its just excellent. Sound effects were side by side with the CGI on the movie making it effective and I can only imagine the sound of Godzilla roar specially in an IMAX setup theater where everything feels bigger, louder and more intense, making the movie feel as realistic and exciting as possible. Another aspect that I really enjoy is how through the movie the characters start to learn Godzilla behavior, powers that latter on become its vulnerability or at least that's what they thought, it almost look like a process of learning and experimenting with the monster at the same time, adding to the characters desperation and creativity to overcome this massive threat.

Godzilla Minus One is an excellent addition in the Godzilla series as it effectively combines the aspects that people enjoy with a contemporary story focused on the characters, not been your ordinary kaiju movie as it explores the  the characters emotions and struggles, not only from Godzilla attacks but from a simultaneously situation of Japan been at war, almost destroyed with its people having to go through the rebuild process.

Takashi Yamazaki has delivered a movie that pays homage to Godzilla while also offering a fresh and exciting take on the monster movie genre, the technical aspects of the movie such as cinematography, special effects and sound design are well though and enhance to give the audience a good view and feel. Ryunosuke Kamiki who plays Koichi does a great job at portraying the emotions of the characters and the viewer can feel the characters’ pain and joy, generating direct reactions and feelings from the audience, towards the end recognizing him as the hero of the movie.

It is a movie that not only provides entertainment but also makes the audience to think about the strength of the human spirit, how strong humans can be in the middle of adversity, whether you are a fan of Godzilla or not  this movie is a great addition to the series and provides a new perspective on the classic monster.

#skiptvads, #inleo, #hive, #godzilla, #kaiju, #monster, #japan, #postwar, #psychology, #ptsd, #survivor, #guilt, #cinematography, #specialeffects, #sounddesign, #action, #characters, #recovery, #resilience, #destruction, #tokyo, #war, #trauma, #family, #redemption, #struggle, #rebuild, #legacy

Posted Using InLeo Alpha