In The Great Wall, William (Matt Damon) and Tovar (Pedro Pascal) are the last survivors of a group of mercenaries, posing as traders. They have come to China in search of black powder weapons. William and Tovar stumble across the Wall and its guardians as they try to escape bandits and nomads. Taken prisoner, they soon realize that there is a far greater threat in the form of an alien creature called the Tao Tei.
William must choose between throwing his lot in with Commander Lin Mae (Tian Jing) and the Chinese soldiers against the Tao Tei, or escaping with a man named Bollard (William Dafoe), Tovar and a load of black powder weapons that would make them rich in the west.
What I liked
The movie is visually lush. The Chinese troops are color coded and the masses of troops moving along the wall help give a sense of scale. The movie was filmed in China and takes advantage of its location. The Great Wall itself is full of surprises as the Nameless Order has been fighting or preparing to fight the Tao Tei for centuries.
I liked that The Great Wall was made by a Chinese director with a mostly Chinese cast. While there was some controversy over casting Matt Damon, the movie mostly manages to avoid becoming a White Savior film. Although William is almost preternaturally talented with his bow, it’s clearly Lin who is in charge. Also, while there may be some attraction between Lin and William, there’s no romance subplot shoehorned in.
What I didn’t like
For a movie about action and spectacle, at times the CG could be a little shaky. One spot in particular looked truly bad. But for the most part the alien Tao Tei seem believable and the fight sequences are exciting.
Plenty of ink has already been spilled on Matt Damon’s questionable accent, but I barely noticed it. Not much back story is given on Tovar and William’s relationship, but clearly they’ve been through a lot together.
The plot itself is fairly thin and there aren’t many surprises along the way. It clearly follows a general Action Movie guidebook. There are plenty of plot holes if you go looking for them, but I found the movie enjoyable nonetheless.
Final Thoughts
The Great Wall isn’t going to be some industry-defining film. It’s solidly middle of the road, and, in my opinion, better than I thought it might be. I saw it in 3D, and I didn’t feel like it was a waste of money. The movie is spectacle and not a bad use of a Saturday afternoon.
The Great Wall was released February 17, 2017. Directed by Yimou Zhang, the movie stars Matt Damon, Pedro Pascal and Tian Jiang.
Have you seen The Great Wall? What did you think? Leave a comment below!
NECA Shows Superman & Batman Taking On Predator & Alien!
DC Comics and the horror genre come together to showcase the craziest battle ever! Toy company NECA unleashed these beautiful 7″ Scale figures at Toy Fair ’17. Place your bets now for who you think wins this insane matchup.
This collection of figures is based on 2007 comic from DC and Dark Horse. The 2-issue mini series featured the four iconic characters fighting in an incredibly fun read. While Batman vs Predator and Superman vs Aliens already happened, this was the team up and one of the only times you see a Xenomorph and Predator working together.
One of my favorites in the collection is the terrifying Joker/Alien mashup! Also, the armored suit Batman in this toy is such an awesome upgrade of the ‘Batman v Superman‘ suit.
According to Toyark.com, these NECA figures will see a Q3 2017 release.
Let me know what you think of this collaboration in the comments below!
Based on the title of this article, I can hear you all already:
“You were born in 1993?”
Yep.
“So you’re, what, 24?”
23, actually.
“Oh. Isn’t that a little young to be writing about movies?”
Yeah, maybe, but before you go pinching my cheeks and calling me a “whippersnapper” who’s too young to know anything about anything, know that I fully acknowledge my age. This list is entirely my opinion, hence why they’re my “favorite” films.
There are better movies than the ones I’m going to write about here. The Fugitive and Schindler’s List, for example, are two of the most critically acclaimed films of the decade. And though I love both of them, I felt that they would be the top two choices for most people when they conceived of a list like this. So I left them out.
The movies that are here are the ones which have had the most significant impact on my life, especially since I saw most of them in my formative years. With that out of the way, let’s get to it, shall we?
5. Mrs. Doubtfire
Okay, okay; I know what’s coming. “You didn’t put Schindler’s List on here, but you included Mrs. Doubtfire? What the hell is wrong with you?” And to that, I say, just hear me out, okay?
As with many other films on this list, I saw this when I was a kid. My appreciation for it didn’t go much deeper than thinking it was funny to see a guy in drag, pretending to be an old lady. Later, when I got older, I saw it on TV one day, and dismissed it as trash I had liked when I was younger, because I was a dumb kid. Whatever.
Then Robin Williams committed suicide.
It came on TV again last summer, and I watched it again. I cried through the entire movie. And, even more importantly, the loss of Williams, whose death felt to me like the loss of a family member, actually enabled me to better appreciate the brilliance of the man. His comedic timing was impeccable, but he was also a great dramatic actor, and he brings a lot of gravity to an otherwise goofy movie. His performance alone justifies the placement of Mrs. Doubtfire on this list. The sequel which had been in the works probably would have been terrible, but it’s tragic that I’ll never get to judge that for myself.
4. Jurassic Park
I’m a big Michael Crichton fan, and I think Jurassic Park is his best novel. (I am 100% willing to fight anyone who disagrees.) As such, this movie and I have a complicated relationship; I love Spielberg’s work, because I’d have to be an idiot not to, but as great as this movie is, I always felt like it was more interested in the spectacle of the dinosaurs than what they were intended to mean. Crichton’s novel is a cerebral examination of the consequences of chaos theory when man tries to play God. Spielberg’s movie is about a bunch people running away from a T-Rex, and later some Velociraptors.
Don’t get me wrong, the movie is awesome. There are few scarier scenes in movie history for me than the sequence with Tim and Lex trying to hide from the raptors in the kitchen. The use of reflections, the sound design with the clattering silverware and echoic screeching, the claustrophobia of the camera work in the tight little spaces between the counters… All of it is stunning.
I just think the film could have been even better if Spielberg had tried to pull more of that meaning from the text and put it in front of the camera.
3.The Nightmare Before Christmas
This entire movie could make it on this list solely because of its opening number. I will never forget watching this for the first time as a kid, the camera crawling through a graveyard as the silhouettes of monsters dance across the tombstones, singing that instantly distinct melody. The voices are almost off-key but not quite, they’re goofy but somehow also scary. The whole thing made my skin crawl.
All of which is to say nothing of the line “I am the who when you call ‘who’s there’?” I’ll be out walking my dog at night sometimes, or alone in my room in the dark, and that line will pop into my head. After all these years, it still gives me chills. As far as I’m concerned, the movie earned its place on this list with that one sentence.
Tim Burton’s strange masterpiece hasn’t aged beautifully, I’ll admit it, but the way the story manages to maintain that line between silliness and terror is seldom pulled off correctly elsewhere. And those movies which do pull it off, like Laika Entertainment’s incredible Coraline, wear their Nightmare DNA on their sleeves.
2. True Romance
One of the big takeaways from this film is that Quentin Tarantino’s dialogue sounds better when Tarantino himself is directing the movie. Nonetheless, it’s a testament to the guy’s writing that even when he isn’t behind the camera, his strange pop culture references and meandering soliloquies still work, for the most part. I say this as a Tarantino fan who loves Deathproof, so your mileage may vary, but ultimately I think True Romance is a good showcase for Tarantino’s storytelling and it’s probably my favorite outing from director (and little brother to Ridley) Tony Scott.
The finale in particular is where this movie really shines for me. There’s an almost Shakespearean way in which the pieces are assembled, with so many different moving parts converging on the suite at the Ambassador Hotel. This is one of the hallmarks of Tarantino’s work; a few different groups of people with conflicting interests are placed in the same contained space. They’re all armed to the teeth, eyeing each other closely, waiting for somebody else to make the first move. Tarantino assembles them like a man filling a room with a bunch of different types of explosives. Then he spills a little gasoline in the middle, and drops a match. This happens in literally almost every Tarantino film, but it doesn’t always does it work as well as it does here. The ensuing chaos is enthralling.
1. Army of Darkness
Yes, it’s an odd pick for number one. But it’s also one of the most insanely creative, bizarre movies I’ve ever seen, and I cannot help but respect that. To watch Army of Darkness, or anything else from the Evil Dead series (including the excellent Ash vs. Evil Dead on Starz), is to look directly into someone’s uncompromising creative vision. When Sam Raimi works on this series, he gets to do exactly what Sam Raimi wants. Which, in this case, is an Arthurian, medievalist tale interrupted by Ash Williams, complete with chainsaw limb and boomstick, to fight skeletons, decomposing pterodactyls, and himself.
The last part is less profound than it sounds, of course, which is part of the brilliance of the series. Ash is not a genius. He’s not a great leader. He’s not articulate or funny on purpose. He’s barely even competent. He’s a middle-of-the-road slacker who happens to be really good at killing… whatever a Deadite is supposed to be. Somehow this makes him more compelling, and more relatable. I go back and forth on whether I prefer this film to Evil Dead II, but either way, for me, Sam Raimi’s beautiful, strange, absurdist masterpiece, which you can’t explain to anyone who hasn’t seen it without sounding like a crazy person, is easily my favorite movie of 1993.
Logan hits theaters in just under two weeks, and the review embargo has been lifted.
The film currently holds an amazing 96 percent on Rotten Tomatoes, with 57 total reviews so far. With this in mind, what praises are the critics giving Hugh Jackman’s last outing as Wolverine? Well, to start, check out all the Monkeys Fighting Robots reviews here, here, and here. After you’ve read our thoughts, check out some excerpts from Rotten Tomatoes’ top critics.
Sheri Linden, The Hollywood Reporter:
“Seamlessly melding Marvel mythology with Western mythology, James Mangold has crafted an affectingly stripped-down standalone feature, one that draws its strength from Hugh Jackman’s nuanced turn as a reluctant, all but dissipated hero.”
Brian Truitt, USA Today:
“Easily the best Wolverine outing, Logan is The Dark Knight of the mutant-filled X-franchise, a gripping film that transcends the comic-book genre by saying something important …”
Stephanie Zacharek, TIME Magazine:
“The grim side of human nature is all over James Mangold’s Logan. But that doesn’t necessarily make it a good movie.”
Stephen Whitty, Newark Star-Ledger:
“Well done, Mr. Jackman, and Godspeed Wolverine. We’re sorry to say goodbye to our bare-knuckled friend – but you’ve both earned the rest.”
Roger Moore, Movie Nation:
“Not a great film, but a movie with a noble, weary and tragic performance at its center. There is but one Wolverine.”
Chris Nashawaty, Entertainment Weekly:
It’s both the most violent film in the series and the most sentimental one. When it’s not showering you in blood, it’s trying to make you spill tears.
Are you looking forward to Logan? Leave us your thoughts in the comments below.
“In the near future, a weary Logan cares for an ailing Professor X in a hide out on the Mexican border. But Logan’s attempts to hide from the world and his legacy are up-ended when a young mutant arrives, being pursued by dark forces.”
Logan stars Hugh Jackman as Wolverine/ Logan, Patrick Stewart as Charles Xavier, Dafnee Keen as Laura Kinney/X-23, Boyd Holbrook as Donald Pierce, Doris Morgado as Maria, Richard E. Grant as Dr. Zander Rice, Stephen Merchant as Caliban, Elizabeth Rodriguez as Gabriela, and others. The film hits theaters on March 3.
A debate online since Star Wars: The Last Jedi was revealed as Episode VIII‘s official title has been revolving around if the title is refering to one Jedi, as in Luke, or multiple, as in Luke and Rey.
Now, according to the Star Wars Twitter accounts from France, Germany, Spain, and Brazil, we know the title is referencing multiple Jedi.
The first word uttered in Logan – after some background chatter – is “f**k.”
With that one word, audiences know exactly what they’re getting into. They’re getting into a superhero film that’s unlike anything they’ve seen before. A superhero film that pushes the boundaries of the genre. Logan utilizes its R rating far better than Deadpool, and it does the gritty, deep story angle better than Batman v Superman (and that’s true even if you loved that film).
As a standalone film, Logan is near flawless across the board. The story has true depth and pathos, and actually evokes something in its audience instead of being for pure entertainment. James Mangold’s direction pushes a neo-Western vibe and it fits perfectly. Logan is finally the “cowboy” that fans know him to be. And finally, the performances are almost all outstanding. Hugh Jackman and Patrick Stewart give maybe their best performances as Logan and Professor X respectively, and franchise newcomers like Stephen Merchant and Boyd Holbrook somehow match that bar of excellence. However, Dafne Keen steals the show as Laura/X-23. Child actors are under enough scrutiny to start with, but to have a role with such little dialogue and still knock it out of the park is first class.
So film fans will love Logan, hands down. But how will comic book fans feel? Does the movie live up to its source material? Does it stay true to the stories that many have grown up reading? The short answer is “yes and no…but mostly yes.”
This movie is not Old Man Logan. In fact, it’s no Wolverine story that’s been seen in the comics before (at least that I know of). That being said, it’s still extremely loyal to its source material. Maybe not in terms of plot, but in things that matter, like character and theme. Everything that fans love about Wolverine, and about X-23 for that matter, is present in Logan. (Although the story does take a small liberty with Laura that’s ultimately negligible and doesn’t really effect who she is inside).
Logan’s tortured existence, his guilt, and his feelings of unworthiness make up the bedrock of the film. He’s no hero, at least not in his own mind. He’s a weapon, and not even by choice. He is what “they” made him to be, and he struggles with that thought on a daily basis, just as he does in the comics. And the script doesn’t just scratch the surface like previous X-Men movies have done; it goes deep and really explores Logan’s inner demons.
The Bottom Line:
When you look at lists ranking the “Best Comic Book Movies of All Time” from now on, Logan will be on most of them. It’s the superhero movie that fans have been clamoring for, and not just in terms of depth and storytelling, but also in loyalty to its characters.
In celebration of the return of Samurai Jack to television it’s time to look back at to the previous seasons of the acclaimed show. Each week leading up to the premiere on March 11th, Monkeys Fighting Robots will drop a season by season review. First up the season which started it all and introduced us to the legendary samurai warrior and his eternal nemesis known as Aku.
Story
The series was originally aired with the first three episodes combined into one mini movie. It showcases Jack’s long road from being a boy who peacefully lived when it was stolen away by the reappearance of the shape-shifting warrior known as a coup. Having plans in place for such an event those who are loyal to Jack’s family and begin a long process of training him to become the warrior who will be able to defeat Aku. When is finally ready and proceeded to face off at the end of the very first episode things unfortunately did not go the way of the Samurai.
Instead Aku sends Jack into the future one where a Aku has become the law of the entire world and even opened the Earth up to aliens and all manner of different technology and magical beings. On top of helping to get to introduce the character, his goals and objects, the audience is also treated to some very memorable episodes in the first season. It’s a bit too much to go by the every episode individually instead we will look at the three best to come out of each season.
The best three in the first season could easily go to mini movie which introduces the plot. Still there are three others who also deserve a bit of praise. The first is Jack and The Three Blind Archers which starts with a bang, shows the depths of Jack’s strategic mind, and finishes off with some nail biting action as Jack takes down three mystically empowered archers. Next up, Jack and the Scotsman, which introduces one of the few other recurring characters in the series, the machine gun legged Scotsman. Watching these two interact is nothing short of hilarity. Finally, Jack and The Lava Monster, where Jack finds himself facing off against an unstoppable monster but soon finds there is more to the creature than meets the eye.
Art
Despite being over 15 years old, the show’s animation has aged very well. A testament to the hand drawn animation style and the detail work which went into it. The style finds a way to convey intense action and violence without padding the impact. This is achieved by having the majority of Jacks enemies be robots which are perfectly acceptable for him to destroy without upsetting the censors.
Music
The music for this series is still memorable to this day. The main theme was created by Will Adams (who most people will know more as Will.i.am) and his fellow Black Eyed Peas member George Pajo Jr. Despite the repetition of the opening song and closing song you never get tired of hearing it.
Meanwhile the background music was created by James L. Viable, known for creating music for a lot of Cartoon Network series such Powerpuff girls and Foster’s Home for Imaginary Friends. He finds different ways to put in very moving and emotional instrumental themes through the different episodes. The music helps to compliment the scenes and helps to elevate the rush of action.
Conclusion
Creator Genndy Tartakovsky crafted a series brimming with action and a few bits of references to pop culture here and there which is still praised by fans today. This series is fantastic and stands up the test of time. At least for the first season. Tune in next week and see if the second season was just as good.
What are some of your favorite memories from Samurai Jack season one? Leave a comment below and let us know.
During a press set visit, Chris Pratt was asked about how the Infinity Stone impacted Star-Lord in the first Guardians of the Galaxy movie.
“It plays a certain role. His interaction with the Infinity Stone in the first movie becomes – there’s a thread there that gets pulled in the second movie, like you get to know a little bit more. But yeah, that wasn’t an unimportant aspect of who he is.”
What could the “thread” he’s talking about be? Do you think Star-Lord’s ability to grab the stone will have a big impact in this summer’s sequel? Comment below!
“Set to the backdrop of ‘Awesome Mixtape #2,’ Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 continues the team’s adventures as they traverse the outer reaches of the cosmos. The Guardians must fight to keep their newfound family together as they unravel the mysteries of Peter Quill’s true parentage. Old foes become new allies and fan-favorite characters from the classic comics will come to our heroes’ aid as the Marvel cinematic universe continues to expand.”
Guardians Vol. 2 stars Chris Pratt as Star-Lord/Peter Quill, Zoe Saldana as Gamora, Bradley Cooper as the voice of Rocket Raccoon, Vin Diesel as the voice of Groot, Michael Rooker as Yondu, Kurt Russel as Ego The Living Planet, Karen Gillian as Nebula, Dave Bautista as Drax, Pom Klementieff as Mantis, Sean Gunn as Kraglin, and Sylvester Stallone in a currently unknown role. The film is directed by James Gunn.
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 hits theaters on May 5.
It seems as if Terrence Malick has been working on Song to Song, his new drama starring Ryan Gosling, Rooney Mara, Natalie Portman and Michael Fassbender, for the past half decade.
Pictures of the trio popped up in Austin several years ago, maybe somewhere around the time Malick released the lackluster To The Wonder. Since then he’s released the (also lackluster) Knight of Cups. But Song to Song looks like it might have something. Check out the trailer:
There’s no synopsis for this, other than “Two intersecting love triangles. Obsession and betrayal set against the music scene in Austin, Texas.” And there probably won’t be much more than that, this is Terry Malick we’re talking about. But id does have a pretty terrific poster to accompany this trailer:
It’s promising to see that Song to Song may actually have a narrative in place. There is a story in this trailer which seems clear cut and easy to follow, a step back from the edge for Malick. His last few films, since he toyed with obtuse storytelling in Tree of Life – which was truly special – have sort of drifted into self parody with their loose camera shots and mumbling actors. People look lost in those movies, not emotional wrought.
I also love the inclusion of Del Shannon’s “Runaway” as the overarching theme. Count me in.
Jones voiced the beloved character in the original 1994 animated classic.
Glover will also portray a young Lando Calrissian in the Han Solo anthology film. Last December, Jones reprised his role as Darth Vader in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story.
Most recently, Favreau brought The Jungle Book to life last year. The director plans to use the same technology for The Lion King.
The adaptation will feature songs from the original, including “Circle of Life” and “Hakuna Matata.”
Jeff Nathanson is writing the script.
The Lion King joins other live-action retellings such as Cinderella, Maleficent and Alice in Wonderland.
Disney’s upcoming Beauty and the Beast remake hits theaters March 17.
