Operation Fortune Ruse De Guerre: The Incredibly Eccentric World Of International Espionage

Summary

Guy Ritchie teams up with Jason Statham yet again, this time to tell a spy story.

I had been looking forward to this film for so long, but with the delays I was beginning to question if I was ever going to see this film and now that I have I can say it was mostly worth the wait.

The main thing I enjoyed about this film was its sense of humour. This film can and does at times have an incredibly eccentric sense of humour, some of the lines of dialogue feel like improv on top of improv but in a good way. The spy story being told is strange enough that the fact that Statham’s character needs a private plane and certain vintages of wine to calm down seem to fit within this world well.

Moreover, the supporting cast are excellent. Hugh Grant, Josh Hartnett, Cary Elwes, Bugzy Malone and Aubrey Plaza each have their moment to shine and come together to really make this film something special. I would say the character I liked the most was Plaza’s Fidel mainly because she had a lot of the funniest lines and was the most entertaining to watch.

My two issues with the film, which admittedly are each fairly small, are that having Ukrainians be the baddy in the current climate is a bad look, they should have changed that in reshoots, and also that the pacing of the film is atrocious, it feels like it is on for double its runtime and though most of the time is fun to watch I still wouldn’t want to watch 4 hours of it.

Overall, fun but with terrible pacing.

4/5

Pros.

Plaza

Statham

The eccentricity

It is fun

Cons.

Framing Ukrainians as the villain in the current year is a bad look

The pace

If you enjoyed this review, then please head over to my Patreon to support me, I offer personalized shoutouts, the ability for you to pick what I review next and full access to my Patreon exclusive game reviews. Check it out!

https://www.patreon.com/AnotherMillennialReviewer

Godfather Part III: The Odd One Out

Written by Luke Barnes

Summary

Michael Corleone, played by Al Pacino, dies.

Many people have a real sour taste in their mouths when it comes to this film and to an extent that is understandable as this is definitely the worst film of the trilogy, however, I also think it isn’t terrible and in some ways I actually liked the film.

Let’s get my most controversial opinion on the film right out of the way now, I thought Sofia Coppola was good in this and I liked her romance with Andy Garcia’s character. I thought they had good chemistry together and I was hit emotionally somewhat as her character died.

However, I think the issue with Coppola’s character and Garcia’s is that they are underdeveloped. They could have done with having been introduced in the second film maybe as an epilogue, as it stands we don’t feel like we know them very much at all. This is especially troubling as Michael hands over the family to Garcia’s character, this should be a big moment but instead feels rushed and underwhelming.

I also thought though the international Vatican murder plot had a few interesting moments, the film gets bogged down far too much in this idea of Michael seeking forgiveness and redemption. In many senses the heavy religiosity of this film only serves to slow it down, which in turn creates pacing issues. This is the only one of the trilogy that I found to be dragging on, which is saying something as I think it is shorter than the others.

Overall, not terrible by any means but certainly not in the same league as the other films that came before it.

3.5/5

Pros.

Garcia

A few interesting twists and turns

It is nice to see Michael’s story wrapped up

Coppola

Cons.

Pacing issues

Underdeveloped characters

https://www.patreon.com/AnotherMillennialReviewer

The Oscars 2023: The Good, The Bad And The Misguided

Written by Luke Barnes

I want to use this piece to talk about this year’s Oscars and the winners and losers from it, as well as some of the online responses to the results and how the latter reflects the messy and unpleasant current state of film discourse in the current year.

Straight off the bat I want to say Angela Bassett wasn’t robbed, her performance in Wakanda Forever was fine and the film itself was aggressively mediocre. With the current declining quality of MCU films they really shouldn’t be nominated for Oscars as they simply aren’t worthy of it, and probably only get the nominations because Disney get all the voters some really nice gifts and own the telecast. The response to Jaime Lee Curtis winning over Bassett was equally toxic. Many people only took to verbally abusing the actor and calling her and the Oscars racist because there preferred winner didn’t win, not only does that dilute the term incredibly, it also highlights where the discourse is at these days when it comes to cinema, it something happens that you don’t like then the people have to be ists and phobes because God forbid you can’t have your way. I don’t want to be the person ranting about kids today, but people need to realise that they can’t tantrum something into being and abusing a good actor because you don’t like that she won over someone else just makes you look bad. For what it is worth I didn’t think she should have won for the film she did and would have probably given it to Kerry Condon myself, but it was clearly a lifetime achievement award for Curtis and that is okay, the Oscars does that kind of thing.

Outside of the Best Supporting Actress drama I quite liked the results, I am glad Everything Everywhere All At Once got a lot of love, though I do think that maybe it is becoming a little overhyped and I thought it was nothing short of amazing that Brendan Fraser could comeback after all the horrible things that have happened to him over the years and win Best Actor, it truly was an inspiring moment and one that I doubt anyone could not find moving.

My one complaint on the way out would be that The Banshees Of Inisherin didn’t win at all, as I thought it deserved at least some Oscars love, but ah well.

If you enjoyed this piece, then please head over to my Patreon to support me, I offer personalized shoutouts, customised film recommendations to suit your personality and tastes, the ability for you to pick what I review next and full access to my Patreon exclusive game reviews. Check it out!

https://www.patreon.com/AnotherMillennialReviewer

The Old Way: Cage Goes Guns Blazing

Written by Luke Barnes

Summary

Nicolas Cage breaks into the western.

Honestly, I would say that Cage has already been in a western before, with Ghost Rider, there are a lot of western elements to that film when you next watch it you will see what I mean, but I suppose in a classic sense then yes this is the actors first foray into the genre.

I think if this film had come out a few decades ago it would have been better received, when in contemporary times you are having excellent westerns like Hostiles and The Harder They Fall something like this comes out and just seems a bit lacking. Yes, Nicolas Cage as ever jazzes up a turd and his performance is certainly a highlight of the film, perhaps the only one, however the rest of it is so average and boring that it is hard not to want to turn it off.

The real failing of this film is just how afraid it is to try and do something new rather than telling the same sort of story we have seen time and again. It was so predictable and boring that I was struggling to keep my eyes open whilst watching it.

Overall, I get what Cage was trying to do but this was a swing and a miss.

1/5

Pros.

Cage is as charming as ever

Cons.

It is predictable

It is generic

It goes out of its way to stop itself from being original in anyway

It has horrible pacing

https://www.patreon.com/AnotherMillennialReviewer

The Mandalorian: The Mines Of Mandalore

Written by Luke Barnes

Summary

The Mandalorian, played by Pedro Pascal, returns to Mandalore.

I would say that this is a slight step back from the first episode, there were two things that I particularly didn’t like about this episode, but don’t get me wrong this was a good episode. The first was how easily Din was K.O in the mines by the monster and how he didn’t even try and get out of the cage, and the second was the incredibly long and drawn out opening scene with Din trying to find a new droid, this should have been cut down.

With the bad stuff out of the way let’s get into what really worked in this episode. The best part of this episode I would say was seeing more of Bo-Katan, played by Katee Sackoff, not only did she have a fantastic action scene, but this episode dived further into her backstory and expanded on her a bit more as a character. I think her and Din have an interesting dynamic and represent two very different ideas of what it means to be a Mandalorian so it would be nice to see that further flushed out in later episodes. For what it is worth I hope the show keeps them together for a while.

A close second to that is the arc that Grogu gets in this episode, not only being as cute as ever, but also demonstrating his further developed force powers and resourcefulness when he is on his own. I also liked his and Bo-Katan’s interactions I thought she gave some great responses to his gibberish.

Finally, I think it can’t be overstated how cool it is to see Din and co back on Mandalore. Exploring the planet in its wrecked state is interesting, and I hope there is more to it then just him needing to have a wash to regain his standing in the community.

Overall, a good episode made all the stronger by Sackoff.

4/5

Pros.

The Mandalorian on Mandalore

Grogu

Bo-Katan and her character growth

Seeing and exploring Mandalore

Cons.

The needlessly drawn out opening

The plot contrivances with Din being captured

https://www.patreon.com/AnotherMillennialReviewer

Missing: Pretty Good Product Placement For TaskRabbit

Written by Luke Barnes

Summary

A teen, played by Storm Reid, must try and find her mum, played by Nia Long, after she goes missing in Columbia.

I will admit this film was a lot better than I was expecting it to be. Based on the trailers I thought this film was going to be incredibly generic, and whilst that is partially true, I found myself caring about the character’s journey and invested in the twists and turns of the plot which was a nice surprise. There are some good edge of your seat moments here, mainly centred around a pretty genius bit of misdirection.

However, the film isn’t perfect and ultimately you will have seen many of these sorts of films before, it can’t escape its generic structure. Moreover, once you know the twist it is highly unlikely that this film will stand up to rewatches as it won’t be anywhere near as good. Widely I think the thing that harms this film is the fact that its format, screenlife as it has become known, films which all take place on someone’s computer or mobile devices, feels like a fad from the middle of the last decade which no longer holds the same novel nature it once did, it now feels tired.

Reid’s performance as well is nothing to write home about and actually comes across as fairly two dimensional at times. She is only a short into her career actor so I won’t be too hard but her emoting and dramatic delivery could really use some more.

Overall, better than it has any right to be, but still hamstrung by its format and overly familiar narrative.

3.5/5

Pros.

The twists and turns

Maintaining good tension

The pacing

It is certainly very watchable

Cons.

Reid

It is overly familiar

Screenlife really is a played out gimmick

https://www.patreon.com/AnotherMillennialReviewer

The Last Of Us: When We Are In Need

Written by Luke Barnes

Summary

Ellie, played by Bella Ramsey, is kidnapped by a group of cannibals, and a recovering Joel, played by Pedro Pascal, must fight to try and save her.

I think this may have been the best episode of the season yet. The emotion in the final ten minutes of the episode is so powerful that you can’t help but be effected. Whether it is the scene of Ellie hacking apart the leader of the cannibals and the look into her soul we get during that scene, or the moment where she meets up with Joel again and he finally accepts her as his daughter. Truly it is incredibly powerful.

I thought the character work within this episode was great, both of the characters go to some really dark places but it is interesting to see them hit that edge and to consider their reactions to the darkness within the show. It is through this that the morality and the complexities of the world are better realised and played with. Once again the performances from both Ramsey and Pascal are fantastic.

Overall, perhaps the best episode yet.

4.5/5

Pros.

Pascal

Ramsey

The emotional journey of the episode

The dark places the characters go to

The ending

Cons.

There are some light pacing issues especially around the first act of the episode that really do slow it down

https://www.patreon.com/AnotherMillennialReviewer

Star Wars The Bad Batch: The Outpost

Written by Luke Barnes

Summary

Crosshair finally turns on the Empire.

Just when I think the Bad Batch can’t get any better, we get an episode like this. This may be one of the best episodes of the season so far, it is dark, deep and complex just as the show should be. It breaks away from the family friendly trappings of a lot of Disney + Star Wars and asks some real questions about war and morality.

In many senses this is an incredibly depressing half hour of television, but it needs to be. I think in terms of Crosshair’s journey and how the show is trying to show the horrors of the Empire and its mistreatment of Clones this episode needed to go to the places it did. I think the emotional journey this episode goes on is intense and the ending is far from happy, but not only did I not mind that in fact I quite liked it.

I think the worst thing the show could do right now would be have next week’s episode go back to Hunter and Omega and just forget about Crosshair for a few more weeks. We need the resolution to his story and to see what happens when a clone stands up to the Empire.

Overall, though it is depressing at times this episode of The Bad Batch was everything I have been wanting out of the show for a while now.

4.5/5

Pros.

The darkness

The character growth

The moral questions it asks

The emotions

The ending and the tease of what is to come

Cons.

It is incredibly depressing so get something happy ready to watch after this

https://www.patreon.com/AnotherMillennialReviewer

Batman and Robin: The Bat Suit Always Did Need Nipples

Written by Luke Barnes

Summary

The film that put nipples on the bat suit

Many people would tell you that this is the worst Batman film, and whilst it certainly isn’t good I don’t know if I would call it the worst, maybe I have softened on it with time, but I do think there is some campy charm to this film that after the decade + of overly serious Batman we have had I wouldn’t mind seeing again.

The performances admittedly are a mixed bag, with some being good, Uma Thurman as Poison Ivy, some passable, George Clooney as Batman and Alicia Silverstone as Batgirl, and some being terrible Chris O’ Donnell as Robin. Arnold Schwarzenegger as Mr Freeze has a special place in my heart as he is almost symbolic of the cocaine fuelled madness, which I imagine was the entire films production. His ice puns are a particular highlight.

I do think that this is one of the those films that reaches the point of being so bad it is good, and think if you view it as a love letter to the Adam West Batman series of yore then there is a lot this film gets right. However, if the only Batman for you is the incredibly dark brooding one then yes you probably won’t like this film.

Overall, not a good Batman film but certainly one that exists within the so bad it is good range.

2/5

Pros.

The ice puns

The campy silliness

Cons.

Some of the performances are woeful

It is one for way too long

It is mind-numbingly stupid

https://www.patreon.com/AnotherMillennialReviewer

The Studio Vs Fan War

Written by Luke Barnes

I want to use this piece to talk about the idea of studios and franchise masters being at war with the fans, and the relationship between fans, properties and those that run them.

Both sides are quick to draw first blood, fans will say that they have been harassed and called names by studios for not liking changes to IP, and studios will say that there shows/films have been the subject of trolls and abuse with the cast and crew suffering as a result. Both insist that the other can’t be right and that they are totally in the right. However, this simply isn’t possible.

Like with many things in life a compromise solution seems to be the most likely outcome, and by that I mean both sides have points that are true about the other and both have hurt and continue to hurt the other in a lasting war of attrition that only serves to ruin once beloved franchises. Can fans be toxic? Oh boy yes. I have seen first hand the way some people get bent out of shape over changes to IP, sometimes this comes from a purist argument other times from a more prejudiced place, however fans seem to believe that they have a right to be able to control what happens in IP’s they like and to be able to have their way. Whilst this is true to an extent in that people can vote with their wallets and have films flop if no one turns up, this is all the power fans have and sometimes they have to accept that these mega franchises are going to go in ways they don’t like and that they can’t stop it. That doesn’t give them the right to then harass, bully and intimidate people as that is surely the wrong way to go about it. If you don’t like the look of a film don’t watch it.

On the otherside of this divide, studios should be careful to change things that so many people love and only do so when it is in service of telling a good story that can stand on its own, it just makes sense from a business standpoint to keep giving the fans what they want. Moreover, demonising groups of people because they don’t like the direction your franchise is going is never the way, yes sometimes they are trolls, but more often then not they are just fans that are complaining that doesn’t make them a bigot or an ist, labelling people as such just comes across as antagonist and only serves to push people further and further away from your brand and divides the fanbase further, and you need all the viewers you can get. As is often the case it is the best practice to ignore the trolls and not give them the attention they want from you, if the companies didn’t respond to the review bombing then likely they would stop as people get bored and accept that these studios aren’t going to change. Another aspect to consider on this front is that often when studios seem to know that they have screwed up with a project rather than eat crow they instead prepare a narrative of trolls and abuse around their show to try and justify and hide the bad review score and viewing ratings. Fairly often these trolls happen to vote down badly produce/written series that would have failed on their own right, and I find that very convenient. I think the narrative that your show or film is getting bad reviews because of trolls and racists is a much more favourable narrative to you made a bad film/ show and that is why it is so often trotted out.

Ultimately, neither side will back down, the divides in a lot of these communities are too deeply entrenched. However, one thing I will say is that if these studios were smart they would back off and try and mend fences, not just because by not responding to the trolls they will likely go away but also because all that happens when you attack the fans is that you push even more people away from your property which then eats into profits. It is worth remembering that no show/film has an unlimited audience and you can put most if not all of your potential audience off. Sadly the main takeaway from this piece is that film discourse, especially around franchise films is really at an all time low.

https://www.patreon.com/AnotherMillennialReviewer