Fair Warning: The following review contains minor spoilers for Mindhunter Season 2.

Nearly two years after the first season went live on Netflix; Mindhunter is back with another mind-boggling thrilling season.

Set in the late 1970s, Season 1 was one of the most rewarding slow burn thrillers we’ve watched and Mindhunter Season 2 continues to build up on that reputation but at the same time giving the series a whole new dimension with clever storytelling and improved structure.

The finale of Season 1 saw FBI Agent Holden Ford (Jonathan Groff) suffering from a severe panic attack after a “hugging” encounter with convicted murderer Edmund Kemper (Cameron Britton). Now, we realize that may not sound as terrifying as we hoped but we recommend watching the entire Season 1 and you’ll get a better perspective of what we’re referring to.

Season 2 starts off with the medical confirmation that Agent Ford indeed suffered severe panic attacks and had no choice but to have his partner Agent Bill Tench (Holt McCallany) fetch him in the hospital. The later part of the series is then set in the early 1980s mainly in the up and coming city of Atlanta, where a series of child murders involving black children in their early adolescent to their late teens, leaves the authorities in frenzy and much of the city in a state of panic.

For fans of the series, you’ll also be pleased to know that this new season has given the characters a much needed back story. The relationships of FBI Agent Tench and his wife Nancy Tench (Stacey Roca) are dug deeper. Another more notable is that the show’s in-house psychologist, Dr. Wendy Carr (Anna Torv), her relationship and sexuality was closely focused.

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The King of Slow Burn Thrillers

The whole plot of the season begins to get clearer after 2 or 3 episodes. Yes, Mindhunter is a slow burn thriller. And, we dare say it; Mindhunter might just as well be the King of Slow Burn Thrillers.

But unlike most slow burns, Mindhunter season 2 will not reward you with a major reveal or anything of the sort. Instead, it will keep you begging for more.

The greatest aspect of Mindhunter, however, lies in the details and also the lack of it. That does not make a lot of sense. But, if you pay close attention, the series gives out a lot of unimaginable details of a murder, oftentimes detailed by the killer himself, but it will not show you the entire visual of the crime and instead leaves it to your imagination to envision everything.

Twisted!

Quite Historic

Mindhunter is like the father of all the modern police procedural TV series. This show will really give you a lot of insights on how difficult it was to solve crimes back in those days and how criminal profiling basically came to existence. The limited technology and criminal database made a lot of things harder then. Heck, the term “serial killer” is not even socially accepted, even with the authorities.

The show is quite historic in the sense that it was actually based on true accounts of former agents on how the FBI’s Behavioral Science Unit was born. Much of the show is dramatized, we assume, still it’s rather informative.

Skip or Watch?

Mindhunter Season 2 is simply genius and binge-worthy television. So, yes, it is definitely a Watch! Watching all episodes in one go, preferably on a weekend, is recommended as this show is so detail oriented you can’t risk forgetting anything.

Mindhunter deals with absolutely mature and often unsettling subject matter. The murders and the racial implications may be too much for some. It would be best to tuck the kids in first before watching this.

Fun Fact: Mindhunter is based on the book “Mindhunter: Inside the FBI’s Elite Serial Crime Unit” by John E. Douglas and Mark Olshaker.

Here’s our rating for the Mindhunter Season 2. For more reviews, simply click this link.

Be sure to let us know your thoughts on the movie by leaving a comment and/or giving the film your own rating below.

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Theatrical poster for Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw. The poster art copyright is believed to belong to Universal Pictures.

Later additions Luke Hobbs (Dwayne Johnson) whose character first appeared in Fast Five 2011 and Deckard Shaw (Jason Statham) who was first introduced in Fast and Furious 6 2013 and was once the main villain in Furious 7 2015 reprise their roles in this spinoff of the widely successful “Fast and Furious” franchise from Universal Pictures.

Here’s what we think of the movie.

Chemistry

Lead characters Hobbs and Shaw are back and prove once again how great their chemistry is. We first saw both characters team up in Fate of the Furious 2017, trading punches and exchanging exaggerated insults like a grumpy old married couple. Fast and Furious Presents: Hobbs and Shaw continues to build on that “relationship” and makes these sarcasms funnier than ever. Expect the two to exchange more of those playful mockeries as they team up once again for another save-the-world mission less Toretto and company. Admittedly though, these banters get a little hyperbolic and at times contrived and unnecessary but knowing how these two overcome their differences was wildly amusing.

As if the chemistry between the two wasn’t enough, the great Idris Elba playing the big bad Brixton Lore aka “Black Superman” compliments both main protagonists Hobbs and Shaw really well.

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Different but…a little forced

The Fast and Furious franchise has indeed come a long way from carjacking and illegal racing in the streets of Los Angeles. The Hobbs and Shaw spinoff may have taken the franchise a little further.

It’s different but in a good way, for the most part.

If you became a fan of the franchise because of the fast cars and street racing action, you may not like this one. It’s still going to be an entertaining film, don’t get us wrong. Deadpool 2 Director David Leitch helmed this one and boy he threw quite a lot of Deadpool action in this film including the comedy. Leitch, a previous stuntman himself gave this one some really great stunts and cool scenes even without the fast cars.

Speaking of stunts, the action is incredibly precise in this film. It’s just entirely different action and nothing we’ve seen before in the franchise. Then again, this is where Leitch is at his best. Great job!

One thing that makes this spinoff close to the original F&F franchise is that this is still a story about family. Though you might not feel a lot of sentiment as for us some of the emotion felt a little forced.

By the way, you may want to stay until the end as the film features a post-credits scene that hints on the spinoff’s future.

Unexpected Cameos

We mentioned comedy, right? And this film does not lack comedy, at all. It’s got a lot of funny parts, actually, and for the most part it’s because of these cameos. Seriously, you are not going to believe who made their appearance in the film.

Here’s a hint. These guys worked previously with the director and some of the cast. There were a lot of actors who made a surprise attendance, so watch out for them. You’ll know them once you’ve seen them, don’t worry!

Hats off for Hattie Shaw

Now, let’s talk about the other Shaw. We’ve been introduced to 3 members of the Shaw family before this movie. First, Owen (Luke Evans) and Deckard (Jason Statham) both of whom made their first appearance in Fast and Furious 6 2013 and then their mother Queenie (Helen Mirren) who we then met in Fate of the Furious 2017.

Little did we know, there is another Shaw sibling in Hattie Shaw played by Vanessa Kirby. You may recognize her from another action franchise when she played the role of “White Widow” in 2018’s Mission: Impossible Fallout.

Hattie Shaw, an MI6 field agent, is every bit as bad-ass as her two brothers. No, she’s definitely more bad-ass. She is by no means a damsel in distress. Director David Leitch made that clear when she introduced the character in the coolest way possible. And, oh yeah, actress Vanessa Kirby is just on point!

We understand this might be too soon, but a Hattie Shaw spinoff would be something we’d love to see.

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Skip or Watch?

As we mentioned, fans of the original Fast and Furious franchise may not like this one a lot. But no, don’t skip! No way, definitely watch this one! Hobbs and Shaw may have strayed too far from the original Fast and Furious franchise but it certainly did not seem like a bad thing entirely.

Here’s our rating for the movie.

Be sure to let us know your thoughts on the movie by leaving a comment and/or giving the film your own rating.

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Kingdom: Ashin of the North, the spin off prequel to arguably the best zombie series in the planet right now, Kingdom, releases on Netflix. Will the movie spin off live up to the expectation set by the original series or will it be a misstep for the critically acclaimed zombie franchise?

Read on this review to find out.

Kingdom Takes Us Back

Blood has been spilled back in the period zombie universe of Kingdom. But more mysteries are still left in the open after that major cliffhanger headlined by one of Korea’s top actresses Jun Ji-hyun appearing for a brief but peculiar moment. Now, Kingdom: Ashin of the North tries to answer those by taking us back to where it all started.

Set perhaps a couple of decades before the events of Kingdom Seasons 1 and 2, Ashin played by Jun Ji-hyun finds a plant that is said to be able to resurrect the dead. This triggers a series of events which unfortunately led to the deadly zombie infestation that has happened in the main series Kingdom.

Don’t expect to see your favorite characters from the main series since they probably don’t even know about the events in this film. However, the magnificence of what made the Kingdom series such a hit is ever so present here. The storylines cleverly tie up to the main series like a string of delicately woven webs. Put simply, if you loved the original series, you are sure going to love this just as much.

The Real Villain?

There’s a reason why Jun Ji-hyun is widely considered as one of the best and most sought-after actresses in Korea. And her performance in Kingdom: Ashin of the North show us exactly why. Her finesse and on-point portrayal of the mysterious Ashin is probably one of her best if not her best performances to date.

And although her character mysteriously appeared at the end of Season 2 with a seemingly villainous aura, there is much more to her story. The movie prequel shows us who the real villains of the story are and it’s not who you might expect. Hint: It’s definitely not the zombies!

Is It Necessary?

Prequels much like sequels rarely hit the mark. There have only been a handful of prequels/sequels that either live up to or surpass their original material. In the case of Kingdom: Ashin of the North, it works, in some levels, sort of.

The viewers still get to see the gorgeous cinematography and flawless action choreography that made the Kingdom series such as a huge critical hit. But the importance of Ashin’s storyline remains to be seen. We briefly got to see her towards the end of the second season of Kingdom. And right there and then we all would like to find out what her story is about. Who is Ashin? What could possibly drive someone into this bloody path of destruction?

Kingdom: Ashin of the North answers exactly just that and then some. The origins of the resurrection plant and how it works exactly and how it eventually ended up into the hands of the emperor’s physician. The prequel movie tries to answer them all. So, in a sense, there is indeed some reason for this film’s existence. But there are still so much more questions to be answered in the Kingdom universe. Perhaps we’ll get to find out more once the third season drops.

Skip or Watch?

As far as prequels go, Kingdom: Ashin of the North is one of those rare successful ones. It still captures the strengths of its original material while answering most of the mysteries from the main series.

Jun Ji-hyun’s performance as the tormented Ashin keeps the fire burning brighter. Cinematography is still picture perfect and the storylines as intricate as ever.

With the prequel movie’s addition, Kingdom is sure to continue its successful run as we wait for the release of the third season.

VERDICT: WATCH!

Here is salida|etc’s rating for Kingdom: Ashin of the North.

Let us know what you think of the movie by giving it your own rating or commenting below.

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The biggest and most awaited movie of 2019 has finally made its way into our galaxy and we’re a little torn about it. Read our review of Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker to find out why.

Action-Packed

Director JJ Abrams (Star Wars: The Force Awakens) returns to helm the finale to this decades-long saga and right from the get-go, “TROS” takes you right into the action. No non-sense. From ground fights, desert fights, ocean fights, space battles, and of course, lightsaber battles, Abrams gives episode IX “lightspeed” pacing.

And for us, the pacing was a little too fast for its own good. It was hard to keep up and basically a lot to take in. The film moves so fast we see characters moving and key plot points changing in blinding speed (lightspeed, as we said). One minute, you wonder who that new character was or what that critical plot point was about, and before you get to know or understand anything you get another character introduced and a new plot point to process.

“Fan Service” Galore

A lot of unhappy fans criticized Star Wars: The Last Jedi and its director Rian Johnson (Knives Out) for not going the way fans would have hoped. Director JJ Abrams made sure that this does not happen to The Rise of Skywalker.

Fan service is the name of the game for Episode IX. Tons of cheesy callbacks from previous films, some surprise cameos, everything is there for Star Wars fans. The film basically gave everything that the fans wanted to the point where even if you spoil anything to fan, they won’t mind because that’s what they want to happen anyway. It sure feels like this film is too afraid of its fandom it lets them dictate everything to a point where they had to retcon and essentially ignore a lot of the major events in Episode VIII.

That’s too bad, considering, TLJ made way for a lot of opportunities to explore for Episode IX. On the bright side, there won’t be hordes of angry fans anymore contrary to all the (unnecessary) backlash that The Last Jedi received.

Guess it’s a win-win, after all.

Fitting Ending, But…

It’s been 42 years since the first Star Wars (1977) made its way into our galaxy. Episode IX has finally wrapped everything up. Well, for now, at least. Who know what will happen in the next few years? Franchises as lucrative such as this has a history of coming back (however unwanted), after all, but we’ll take Disney’s word for it, for now.

Episode IX had a lot of good stuff. Action is great and in fact, does not stop, like at all. Visual effects are pretty good. That ocean lightsaber fight scene is something that has not been seen in the previous films yet. Adam Driver (Kylo Ren) performed better than he should have.

Overall, Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker gives a fitting ending to this galaxy-encompassing saga, but it’s not without its faults. The pacing was just too fast. The stories did not really connect with the first two films in the trilogy (more so on the second film). New characters were introduced and ended up underused. Finn’s character is basically negligible. Overall, it just feels wrong.

Skip or Watch?

There’s a lot of stuff that happens in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. Twists, action, new characters, surprising cameos. Episode IX gives the fans what they want at the expense of sound story-telling. Moving at a crazy fast pace, you can barely keep up, this film is all about pleasing its fan base. And sadly, for us, it feels like it’s contented with just that. The decades long closure to the epic saga turns out to be not-so epic.

Still, for fans especially the hardcore ones, this is a must-watch. Otherwise, might as well skip it.

Here is our rating for the movie.

Was this Star Wars finale satisfying for you? Give it your own rating or comment below.

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Knives Out, the whodunit (murder mystery) film starring an ensemble cast which includes Daniel Craig, Chris Evans, and Ana de Armas among others is stabbing its way into theaters now.

Here’s what we think of the film.

Stellar Ensemble

There is a lot of good stuff in this film but let’s start with the cast. A stellar ensemble that includes James Bond actor Daniel Craig, Ana de Armas (Blade Runner 2049), Jamie Lee Curtis (Halloween), Christopher Plummer (All the Money in the World), Michael Shannon (The Shape of Water), Katherine Langford (13 Reasons Why), Toni Collette, Don Johnson, and Captain America himself Chris Evans.

All these big stars in one film? The scheduling alone must have been a nightmare!

Award-Worthy Performances

And of course, they didn’t disappoint. All were given enough moments to shine. The veterans especially Jamie Lee Curtis and Christopher Plummer were all brilliant in their roles. Don Johnson, Toni Collette, and even the young Katherine Langford gave out their best. Chris Evans in a not-so-good guy role is a little weird to see but he too gave justice to his character.

But perhaps, the most interesting of all were Daniel Craig’s portrayal of private detective Benoit Blanc and Ana de Armas’ Marta Cabrera. It was a little surprising for to see Craig in a different role other than James Bond, but he did one hell of a job here. His impression of the private detective might just be his best work yet.

And Ana de Armas, wow! We’re sure we’ll be seeing her name more often after her flawless acting in this film.

It shouldn’t come as a surprise if these two get an acting nod or two in the process. Well done, indeed!

Next-Level Writing and Direction

We’ve said our piece on the cast and they were awesome. But all those great performances would not have been possible without writer/director Rian Johnson’s next-level skills. Yup, the same writer/director of the heavily criticized (undeservingly so) Star Wars: The Last Jedi helms this murder mystery as well. And while The Last Jedi created a divide among fans, audiences will be unanimous that Knives Out is a masterpiece.

Fans of the writer/director will be delighted to see Rian Johnson in tip-top shape with Knives Out. The twists (or should we say non-twists) are fun to watch and watching all our favorite stars relishing their roles just adds compliments to how great of a job Johnson did on this.

Johnson’s uncanny ability to combine humor and murder and turn it into a masterful thrill ride is beyond amazing and wildly entertaining.

And we dare say it, this may just be Rian Johnson’s best feature film yet.

Skip or Watch?

Packed with a sound plot, amazing actors, incredible story-telling. Knives Out has just set the golden standard as to how modern murder mystery films should be done.

The whodunit mystery will get your detective skills working from end to finish, letting your brain work all while keeping your eyes glued to the screen looking for details that you cannot miss.

This film is a must-see for all movie lovers especially for all those who love a good mystery like we do.

To sum it all up: Genius!

Verdict: WATCH!

Here is our rating for the movie.

Let us know what you think of the movie by giving it your own rating or commenting below.

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“El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie” Film Review|Vince Gilligan returns to write and direct El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie in this neo-western crime film set directly after the events of the Breaking Bad series finale.

Picking up where it left off

Six years after the series finale, Breaking Bad fans get something to exult over with El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie. Aaron Paul returns as Jesse Pinkman along with series creator Vince Gilligan multi-tasking as writer, producer, and director.

As a recap, in the series finale, we saw Walter White aka Heisenberg (Bryan Cranston), the Chemistry teacher turned meth cook, outsmarting the neo-nazi gang that kept his former partner, Jesse Pinkman (Aaron Paul) captive and blackmailed him into cooking meth, by setting up a remote-controlled machine gun which essentially decimated everything in its path. Unfortunately for Walter, his weapon also managed to wound him fatally. Meanwhile, Jesse, after having been freed after the raucous, refuses to kill Walter (at his request) and sets off driving away in a El Camino car leaving Walter with no choice but to wait for his eventual demise.

Not to worry though because if you are watching through Netflix, a recap is shown before the movie. Better yet, watch Aaron Paul below hilariously recapping the entire series on Jimmy Kimmel live.

Yes, El Camino picks up directly where Breaking Bad ends.

Speaking about picking up things, El Camino picks up more than just where the story ended for Breaking Bad but also the entire spirit of the series. The crime, drama, and the thrill and anticipation that would surely get your pulses racing. And above all, in typical Breaking Bad fashion, El Camino is hilarious in the most inappropriate moments.

Worthy Addition to Breaking Bad’s Legacy

“Actions have consequences”, as the director puts it. El Camino manages to stay true to its Breaking Bad roots with clever, unique, and interweaving storytelling that will keep you on the edge of your seats all throughout. Though, this time, a lot of flashbacks are shown but ones that are necessary in order to take a deeper dive into Jesse Pinkman’s story during his long stint as captive/hostage meth cook.

Vince Gilligan basically risked his and his beloved series’ legacy. Breaking Bad ended in the best way possible, that’s a fact, and there are only two ways this film could go. Bad or Good.

Boy, we’d be so pissed if El Camino turned out bad. Thankfully, that was not the case. El Camino proved to be a worthy addition to Breaking Bad’s award-winning legacy along with the prequel series “Better Call Saul”.

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Aaron Paul sure did impress us in his return as Jesse Pinkman, effectively conveying the emotional whirlwind that happened to the character and his eventual maturity. Jesse Plemons also returns as Todd Alquist, in flashback scenes during Pinkman’s time as his captive.

Also, be on the lookout for familiar faces as some of the cast from the series makes some appearance worthy of some Breaking Bad nostalgia. Sadly, the late Robert Forster, who portrays Ed Galbraith, a vacuum salesman and new identity specialist, makes his final movie appearance in this film after having died of lung cancer on the day of the film’s release. May his soul rest in peace.

Skip or Watch?

El Camino is absolutely a must-watch. Even more so for fans of the “Breaking Bad” series.

El Camino is streaming on Netflix starting October 11, 2019 and is also shown in some theaters in the states.

Let us know what you think of the movie by giving it your own rating or commenting below.

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Forget the jungle! The second sequel to Jumanji (1995) and the follow up to the 2017 hit Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle is ready to up the stakes with Jumanji: The Next Level.

Here’s what we think of the newest film in the Jumanji film series.

Some New Cast, Same Fun?

After an unexpected success in 2017, Sony Entertainment Pictures brings the team back together for another adventure into the videogame world of Jumanji. Dwayne Johnson, Kevin Hart, Karen Gillan, and Jack Black all return to play their videogame characters.

Pretty much the entire cast returns along with their real-person versions Alex Wolff, Ser’Darius Blain, Madison Iseman, and Morgan Turner. Colin Hanks and his game avatar Nick Jonas also return for their roles.

This time, however, things get a little crazier and of course funnier with the addition of veteran actors Danny DeVito (Batman Returns) and Danny Glover (Lethal Weapon) added to the mix along with the lovable Awkwafina (Crazy Rich Asians, Ocean’s 8).

Switching Things Up

Director Jake Kasdan decided to switch things up (literally) as Dwayne Johnson’s Dr. Smolder Bravestone character is now inhabited by the cranky old persona of Danny DeVito. Karen Gillan, however, got to retain her character as Martha Kaply/Ruby Roundhouse. Kevin Hart’s impression of Danny Glover is also spot on as the latter now takes on the zoologist Mouse Finbar.

It’s still a little weird for us hearing Kevin Hart talk very slowly. Even as an old man, we just can’t imagine him doing so. Ha-ha!

The duo of Dwayne Johnson and Kevin Hart whom we last saw in Fast and Furious Presents: Hobbs and Shaw proves their chemistry once more.

Meanwhile, Jack Black impressed us the most with his spot-on portrayal of Ser’Darius Blain’s character Anthony “Fridge” Johnson. Don’t get us wrong. Everybody did well but Jack Black’s transformation was just flawless.

More Balanced

Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle gave us some of the best “laugh-out-loud” moments of 2017. The 2019 sequel, Jumanji: The Next Level literally takes the fun to another level. Although, we have to say, it took a little longer for this sequel to take off compared to its predecessor. But, when it did, our mouths never stopped laughing.

Perhaps the biggest reason for quite the slow moments is the fact that the film also took the storylines to the next level giving time for some much-needed base for its characters including the newcomers – something that the first sequel did not quite explore.

Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle was stupid fun while Jumanji: The Next Level tries to be a little more intelligent as it daringly explores friendship and all its frailty all while trying to keep its viewers entertained.

Stand Out

Karen Gillan stood out among others in the first sequel as Ruby Roundhouse and she is still as good in this iteration. But the biggest standout for us this time was Jack Black. As we mentioned, his character is now inhabited by an athletic youngster, a far-cry from the girl-y millennial that he played in 2017.

Skip or Watch

Jumanji: The Next Level tries to get the balance between storyline and fun. And it works, but not quite.

Its predecessor thrived in the box office despite facing off with Star Wars: The Last Jedi because of its unexpected entertainment value and some fans may find this sequel sub-par compared to it.

Still, for us, Jumanji: The Next Level beats out the former Jumanji by a little margin because of its better plot and storytelling.

Verdict: Watch and definitely, have some fun!

Oh, and don’t miss the mid-credits scene that hints on a possible sequel.

Here is our rating for the movie.

Let us know what you think of the movie by giving it your own rating or commenting below.

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The above poster is for the Joker film. The poster art copyright is believed to belong to the distributor of the film, the publisher of the film or the graphic artist.

Joker Film Review|The first R-rated film in the Batman franchise is finally out in Philippine theaters today. Read on our spoiler-free review to find out more about the movie.

A fresh, emotional, and darker take

Introduced in the film as Arthur Fleck, a struggling clown-by-day and stand-up-comedian by night, award winning actor Joaquin Phoenix (Gladiator, Her) embodies Batman’s longest rival and archnemesis, The Joker. Preparing for the role, Phoenix lost a lot of weight and looked incredibly gaunt. An incredible transformation to look more of the impoverished and mentally-ill character.

The Joker character was never an easy role to play. Jack Nicholson, Heath Ledger, and most recently Jared Leto could attest to that. Phoenix, however, redefines the Joker standard once again and delivers yet another Oscar-worthy performance. The first two acts of the film alone would give anyone some serious emotional punch which gives its viewers a stronger sense of empathy on one of the most misunderstood characters in comic book history.

Prepare yourselves for some horror and thrilling aspect as the dark psychological nature of the film will play with your mind. That scene in the crappy elevator would get your hair raising knowing full well what the Joker is capable of doing.

Oh, and when you watch this film, try to keep yourself from rooting for the Joker. That’s how incredible Phoenix’ characterization of the role is.

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The same and different

Director Todd Phillips, best known for writing and directing comedies including The Hangover trilogy and Borat, brings us a fresh and a much darker take on the DC villain not relying on any one comic book as a resource. And that may just be a slight turnoff for some of the comic book fans.

Familiar characters like a much younger Bruce Wayne and his parents are present in the movie, too. Also, the film is set in the fictional Gotham City, but in a time when the wealth gap in the city is apparent and causing a distaste and eventual uprising among the deprived.

Another character, Murray Franklin, played by one of Hollywood’s all-time great, Robert de Niro, was also introduced in the film and has never appeared in the comic books and is instead a homage to his character from The King of Comedy (1983). Boy, we hated de Niro’s character on this film a little and that’s a compliment on how he successfully personified his role.

So, yeah, to confuse you even more, the Joker character in this film is the same Joker that Batman is fighting against but it’s not the same Joker in the DC Extended Universe currently played by Jared Leto.

Got it? Don’t worry. Neither did we.

Controversy

The violence in this film is evident which is why the film is rated R-16 in the Philippines. It also caused quite a controversy in the US, with all the reports of gun violence in the country in recent years. Some are calling out the film for its depiction of violence citing that it may result into more gun-related violence in the US. Some theaters have even refused to screen the film for similar reason.

It also caused a stir when it was announced that a Joker stand-alone film is in the makes with Jared Leto who played Joker on Suicide Squad (2016) expressing his distaste of the move.

Nevertheless, “Joker” may have just set up DC Black in the right direction.

A work of Art

In an industry where comic book adaptation is sort of standardized by Marvel, this fresh but darker take on the DC comic book villain has more than managed to set itself apart. Leaning on superb cinematography, thrilling musical score, great acting, and incredible story-telling, Joker has set a new standard for comic book film adaptations.

Indeed, Joker is a work of art, but like most work of arts, it’s not for everyone.

Skip or Watch?

Joker is a must-watch for film buffs, but you may opt to skip if you are not into all the good stuff we mentioned above.

Joker is showing in Philippine theaters starting October 3, 2019. You may view the film’s trailer here.

Let us know what you think of the movie by commenting below or by giving the film your own rating.

As a side note, the Joker (2019) movie is not a spin-off or extension of the DC Extended Universe (DCEU), where Jared Leto currently plays the Joker character and is instead intended to launch DC Black, a series of DC-based stand-alone films.

Check out our other movie reviews in this page.

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Bad Boys For Life is here! The third installment in the Bad Boys franchise starring the duo of Will Smith and Martin Lawrence is back after 17 long years.

But is it worth the watch or is it just another feeble attempt to revive a once-successful franchise? Read our review to find out.

Bad Boys Ain’t Done…

Will Smith (Aladdin, Gemini Man) and Martin Lawrence (Blue Streak, Big Momma’s House) return to reprise their roles as Detectives Mike Lowrey and Marcus Burnett in this latest iteration of the action comedy Bad Boys series from Sony Pictures.

Now helmed by the directing duo of Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah famously known as Adil & Bilall, the franchise is looking for some revival after years long of stagnation.

Set 17 years after Bad Boys II (2003), Lawrence’s Burnett is in the twilight of his police career but after an assassination attempt on his buddy Smith’s Lowrey, the duo is forced to ride one last time.

Right there and then it’s obvious that the chemistry among the two leads did never dwindled, at all. They’re still bad! And with the help of some new faces including High School Musical star Vanessa Hudgens and young guns Charles Melton, Alexander Ludwig, and Paola Nuñez, we’re all set for a revival.

It’s been a long time coming, but the Bad Boys (and Girls) are here, and they are as bad as ever!

“Hasta El Fuego”

After two successful films, former director Michael Bay stepped down from the director’s chair and handed the reins over to Belgian/Moroccan duo Adil & Bilall, who by the way are massive Bad Boys fan themselves.

And it shows. Some shots in the film looked eerily similar to Michael Bay’s patented fast stylized visuals with lots of explosions. Adil & Bilall basically took all the best aspects from Bay’s versions and with the help of an R-13 rating added their own distinct fresh flavor on the film.

The result: Much like the line in the film, “Hasta El Fuego”, which does not really mean anything other than being a pretty cool catchphrase, the directors manage to break the film down but was able to make sense of the ruin by piecing everything back together perfectly.

The first two Bad Boys films were a distinct combination of action and comedy. Bad Boys For Life is no exception, but a better story line gives the film a new dimension. One that exceeds a lot of expectations. Honestly, I did not expect much from this film. I mean, I knew it was going to be fun, but I didn’t know it could be so much more than that. The movie “penetrates the soul with its heart” (or at least it tries to).

…And There’s More To Come

Will Smith and Martin Lawrence brought their A-game on this. Their acting was superb. And so did newcomer Jacob Scipio, in what can only be called a break out role as Lowrey’s charming and deadly assassin and arguably the most important character in the film.

This is by far the best among the three Bad Boys films and by the end of this one, you’ll want to see more.

Thankfully, there’s a lot of opportunities that Bad Boys For Life left open for its viewers with that mid-credits scene.

Skip or Watch?

It was quite unexpected but the Belgian/Moroccan directing duo of Adil & Bilall manages to make Bad Boys For Life still a Bad Boys movie and the so much more. The duo of Will Smith and Martin Lawrence is still one of the best buddy-cop duos of all time and with some fresh faces introduced, the Bad Boys and Girls could be in for another sequel.

VERDICT: WATCH!

Here is salida|etc’s rating for Bad Boys For Life.

Let us know what you think of the movie by giving it your own rating or commenting below.

Gemini Man Film Review|Visionary director Ang Lee (Crouching Tiger: Hidden Dragon, Life of Pi) tests the limit of filming technology yet again with his latest sci-fi action thriller, Gemini Man. Here’s what we think of it.

Will Smithsss

Will Smith fans, rejoice! This is probably the only film where you’ll get the most of Will Smith, literally!

Gemini Man’s premise as the trailer visibly teased is that Will Smith portrays dual roles. First, an aging government assassin named Henry Brogan, who gets betrayed by the very government he served and gets hunted by his younger clone version, also played by a digitally de-aged Will Smith.

Just watch the trailer below to see what we mean, its crazy!

Though you’ll definitely get a lot of Will Smith in this, there’s more and then less to it than that.

Good…just good!

Veteran actor, Clive Owen (King Arthur, Children of Men),also makes an appearance and proves he can be as good as any villain as can be. Mary Elizabeth Winstead (The Thing, A Good Day to Die Hard) and Benedict Wong (Doctor Strange, The Martian), rounds up the cast with roles that helped provide a lighter tone to the movie. Though we can’t help but think that they were just there to lighten up the mood and nothing more.

The story is good and that’s just it. It’s a good action movie but there’s nothing fancy or extra about it. It’s not necessarily something that we haven’t seen or heard before. It actually gave us some Bourne, Jack Reacher, The Equalizer feels. Boy, this plot is getting more and more common nowadays.

It’s just…good. And while that isn’t necessarily a bad thing, it certainly could have been better.

A New Trend in Filmmaking?

Academy Award winner, Ang Lee, directs this one and was shot and intended to be shown in a high frame rate (HFR) version. Unfortunately for us, we did not see it in the intended format. We’re not even sure if there are cinemas in the Philippines that will show it in its intended version.

Hmmn. This is probably the reason why some action sequences looked weird and fake even. It’s also possibly why Will Smith’s digitally restored character seemed a little awkward and unnatural to the eye.

Once again, we were not able to watch it in its intended HFR format. Maybe, just maybe, our experience would have been a lot better. Then again, Ang Lee is very positive about this format becoming the new norm in the very near future, so maybe we will be seeing more films in this format and this might take a while to getting used to.

Embed from Getty Images

The Frame Rate Thingy

Just to give you an idea about the frame rate thingy, this is the number of images shown per second commonly measured in frames per second (fps). The standard for cinema viewing is at 24fps, Gemini Man is intended to be at 120fps and that’s five times more images in a second. Higher frame rates makes images a lot crisper and transition smoother, helpful during gameplay to prevent lags. Most PC games nowadays run at 60fps. How it translates in movies is still debatable and Gemini Man may just be another miss for HFR advocates.

Skip or Watch?

We rate Gemini Man as somewhere in the middle, so watch if you are a fan of Will Smith and would like to be the one of the few people to join the HFR bandwagon. Skipping is fine, too, sure.

Gemini Man is showing in Philippine theaters starting October 9, 2019. You may view the film’s trailer here.

Let us know what you think of the movie by commenting below or by giving the film your own rating.

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