Joker Goes All In And Delivers As Being A True Cinematic Triumph.

   
      One of the most anticipated movies of the 2019 fall season has arrived (As well as one of the seasons first serious Oscar contenders) with Todd Philips Joker starring Academy Award Winner Joaquin Phoenix, taking on the iconic role of The Joker (Previously played by Cesar Romero, Jack Nicholson, voiced by Mark Hamill, Heath Ledger in a posthumous Oscar performance, and Jared Leto), and delivering his own interpretation of the character that stands on its own apart from the others. With Joker, expectations were set high with it having to live up to the legacy of the previous interpretations of the character performance wise, while delivering an origin story that does the character justice in the eyes of the audience. For Joaquin Phoenix, the challenge he faced during production was delivering a performance that could stand on its own as a different take on the iconic character, while matching the level of awe that Heath Ledger brought to the screen with 2008's The Dark Knight. For Todd Philips, the task set for him was giving Phoenix direction that would allow him to utilize his method training as an actor to maximum potential, while going in a more artsy and realistic direction with the film. Philips had to deliver an origin story to the audience that can be believed in terms of Joker going from a lonely yet troubled wannabe comedian to becoming the twisted psychopathic and murderous clown, that audiences know him as. The end result is a film that not only meets every expectation placed upon it, but exceeds them while taking the comic book genre in a direction that gives it an art house feel while making the story more personal, haunting, intense, exciting, and raw. Joker is a force of a film that achieves what it sets out to do while showing audiences that the comic book genre can extend further than just popcorn entertainment, but can make one think about the characters as well as what the film is trying to say. With Joker, Joaquin Phoenix goes all in and delivers a killer performance, that stands on its own apart from the work of previous actors playing the role, and is certain to hand him an Oscar nomination this award season with a possible win.

      Joker's story centers around the character of Arthur Fleck with the film showing the disregard that society has towards him as he struggles to achieve a career as being a stand-up comedian while working as a clown on the side to make ends meat. When secrets regarding his past are unearthed, Arthur's world begins to crumble around him pushing him closer to the persona of the Joker as he begins to influence others to wreck havoc on Gotham. Whereas The Dark Knight presented Heath Ledger's Joker as being an absolute figure within the plot of that film with no backstory, Joker takes the bold and risky opportunity to give the character a past and transformation by showing Phoenix's Joker as a regular person, who just wants to do the right thing in the beginning but slowly gets pushed towards the brink of insanity before finally snapping. What Joker does so well is showing the progression of Arthur's character as he descends further into madness with audiences trying to pin point the exact moment his character snaps and hits the point of no return when transforming fully into the Joker. Joker is not only a smart and cleverly written origin story, it tackles themes that are relevant in today's world such as the topic of mental illness with Arthur's characters transformation, class distinctions with poverty stricken citizens of Gotham protesting against the rich, particularly Thomas Wayne's character in the film, abandonment with Fleck's character being rejected by society for the most part and essentially being a loner outside of looking after his mother, child abuse and welfare with devastating revelations revealed later about Fleck, the uncovering of secrets, and ultimately discovering the truth regarding Fleck's childhood. Much like Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight, Joker tackles serious and mature themes which places the audience in the story, making them question what they would do in that situation or how they would react to a character such as Arthur Fleck taking over society while encouraging violence and chaos. The message that the film leaves the viewer when the credits roll, is one that says both mental illness and desperation can lead to bizarre and crazy acts. Director Todd Philips meets the weight of Joaquin Phoenix's performance head on with a story that's dark, disturbing, heartbreaking, haunting, yet feels relevant and eye-opening with its scary parallels towards today's society and how those with mental illnesses are treated and essentially brushed aside. Joker is a film that succeeds in nearly every aspect of entertaining and thrilling its audience, while crafting a beautiful and breathtaking piece of cinema that has something to say on the topic of mental illness, and exploring what makes someone like Arthur Fleck become someone as twisted and dangerous as the Joker. The amazing thing about how the film is pulled off by both the actors and team behind it, is how it can almost be looked at as a deep psychological thriller rather than a comic book movie, which it only has ties to due to the characters it portrays.

      The key to the films success besides its strong script, stellar direction, and relevant themes is the phenomenal acting performances from its cast with Joaquin Phoenix being a worthy successor to carry the legacy of the Joker from where Heath Ledger left the role (Sorry Jared Leto). Phoenix is the heart and soul of the film as he delivers both a commanding and masterful performance as Fleck, making his transformation into the Joker natural, believable, and chilling. It takes an actor with great discipline, skills, determination, and a fearless tone to them in order to pull off playing the part of Joker and Phoenix meets all those standards while still managing to surprise the audience. Though no one can match the force of nature Heath Ledger brought with his portrayal of Joker, Joaquin takes the role in a different direction that makes it effective in a similar fashion while being great in its own way. Dare one says that he's the second best live-action Joker ever put on film behind Ledger's Joker and ahead of Jack Nicholson's and Jared Leto's. Whereas Joaquin is the show, Robert Deniro shines in his supporting role as Murray Franklin, local Gotham talk show host and comedian Arthur most admires who takes an interest in Fleck's unusual antics and tries to cast a spotlight on him until he oversteps his boundaries. Deniro's casting as the talk show host is perfect and serves as a homage to the role he played in The King Of Comedy, one of the old 70's Martin Scorsese films that Todd Philips drew inspiration from in making of Joker. Francis Conroy shines as Arthur's mom Penny Fleck with her character playing a minimal yet pivotal role in Arthur's transformation. Brett Cullen does well playing Thomas Wayne with his character being more developed in this film compared to previous Batman live-action adaptations. The most interesting thing about the way Thomas Wayne is portrayed in this tale, is how different this version of the character is from the other interpretations which were vague. Whereas the other versions made him out to be saintly and a hard working businessman, who tries to make Gotham a better place, Joker shows him to be a rich and powerful billionaire attempting to ascend to power through people's misery as he markets himself as being the last hope for Gotham. Cullen portrays Thomas Wayne as a right-wing style business tycoon, who feels he knows whats best for Gotham and wants to help make the lower class citizens lives better despite his character appearing to be far removed from the harsh realities that plague the streets of Gotham. This version of Thomas Wayne is more believable as it shows him as being a rich opportunist, whose using people's misery and struggle with poverty to garner more power and stature. His character has an interesting new twist added to the story with how he's connected to Arthur. Zazie Beetz has a small role as the single mother in the same apartment complex as Arthur who shares a mutual attraction to him, and does a good job showing her characters compassion towards Fleck as well as her fear in regards to his character transforming into the Joker. Other small yet notable performances are Shea Whigham as Detective Burke and Bill Camp as Detective Garrity (One can't help but feel their characters are homages to young detectives Commission Gordon and Harvey Bullock from Fox's TV show Gotham). One of the films key elements that was always going to determine whether the film becomes successful or not was its casting choices and with the cast of Joker, everyone is top notch and brings their A game to their roles with Joaquin Pheonix's performance being the heart and soul of the film.

      The films directing and writing by Todd Philips and co-writer Scott Silver, are the strongest works of any film this year and matches the incredible performance of Phoenix as the Joker. With Heath Ledger, his interpretation of The Joker was so strong not just because of his incredible acting skills, but also the masterful direction and scriptwriting he received from Christopher Nolan and his brother Jonathan Nolan. Whereas The Dark Knight played on themes regarding terrorism, anarchy, upsetting the established order, creating chaos, and showing that when pushed, people can do the most unexpected things and ultimately be corrupted, Philips and Silver take the character of Joker and give him an origin story that has something to say about society as a whole as well as exposing the realization that everyone deep down is crazy in their own way with the world not being as normal as it makes itself out to be. The most remarkable achievement about the way the story is presented is how little of a comic book film it feels like as it almost fully crosses genre lines and becomes more of a twisted psychological character-driven piece like American Psycho rather than a comic book film. Joker works as being a dark tale, that can almost pass as a non-comic book film because of the realism that's brought to the screen. What's also shocking is the amount of empathy that audiences have for Arthur as his descent to becoming the Joker is not a pleasant experience. The downfall of Fleck gives audiences a feeling similar to watching Darren Aronofsky's Requiem For A Dream, where the film leaves you not only blown away but disturbed that one witnesses a transformation that's traumatic and soul-crushing. One of the films best scenes is a scene involving Arthur visiting Wayne Manor and encountering young Bruce Wayne and Alfred, that moment is brilliant because of the foreshadowing of what's to come while showing that both Batman and Joker's destinies are intertwined, echoing the famous line from The Dark Knight where Heath Ledger's Joker tells Batman "I think you and I are destined to do this forever." The writing and directing of Joker are both remarkable in terms of how they can transport audiences into the mind of the Joker and essentially be placed in his shoes. Audiences are also left questioning what set of events are real and what's an illusion in Fleck's head, drawing another reference to American Psycho in terms of what's reality and what isn't. For the first time on film, a Joker's origin story is fully explored giving audiences the full scope of what makes this character so effective as an antagonist while making them understand and strangely enough, sympathize with his path towards getting there.

      On a technical note, Joker impresses with how little CGI it uses and how its able to stand out as a comic book movie by strictly focusing on its story through amazing acting, directing, and writing. In addition to those making the film so memorable is the cinematography which is stunning and perfect. The films art-set decoration and costume design work brilliantly in terms of giving the story an atmosphere that's bleak and fits the mindset of this character. When watching the movie, one feels that Arthur Fleck's character is truly from the rough side of Gotham, making audiences understand why so many of Gotham's citizens in poverty would react the way they do to Fleck's characters actions (The subway scene for example which echos a similar scene in Jodie Foster's The Brave One) and protest the wealthy that run the city such as Billionaire Thomas Wayne. The films editing makes the story move steadily never feeling like its boring nor moving too slow, it flows just right allowing for Fleck's downfall from being a reasonably decent human being into someone as psychotic as the joker being not only believable but totally convincing. If anything, the audience wishes they had more running time given to them so they can spend more time in this world and get a further development of Joaquin's character and the Gotham he's surrounded by. The make-up for the character is effective with the films score by Hildur Guonadottir leaving a thunderous and commanding presence with the film. The score is powerful in a way that gives the audience chills and often makes them uncomfortable as it adds to the suspense and unpredictability surrounding the character of Arthur, while giving audiences the idea that something bad is about to happen much like Hans Zimmer's score in The Dark Knight. Much has been said about the films violence with reports of people storming out of theaters due to the films graphic content being too excessive to watch. The films violence and gore aspect is worth mentioning as the film does possess moments of sadistic brutality, but it never crosses the line to where a person feels the need to walk out of the theater before the end of the film. There is no other way to dispute that claim other than to suggest its nothing but pure exaggeration. The violence earns the film a hard R rating, but the controversy surrounding the films graphic moments make it sound far worse than whats actually on the screen. The scenes where there are graphic violence are spread out throughout the film and serve to show the shocking nature of Fleck's characters transformation. With the films technical categories being masterfully done with the performances, writing and directing, it further drives home the realization that Joker is not just one of the best movies of the year, but is also proof that today's Cinema can still produce storytelling that's brilliant, masterful, hard-hitting, and further pushes the boundaries of what a comic book movie can be. The film is destined to receive Oscar nominations as well as potential wins for Best Picture, Best Actor for Joaquin Phoenix, Best Director, Best Screenplay, Best Score, Best Cinematography, Best Make-up, Best Art-set Decoration, and Best Costume Design.

     There is no other way to put it other than to simply say that Todd Philips and Joaquin Phoenix's Joker is a masterpiece. Not only the best film of 2019 thus far but one of the finest comic book movies ever made that dares to go beyond its genre. Making this film and casting the Joker was always going to be an extremely risky gamble because of the inevitable comparison that whoever playing the part would get in being compared to Heath Ledger's performance. Make no mistake, what Ledger did with his part was amazing and will never be duplicated again, Joaquin Phoenix proves to be the successor that audiences and fans of the Joker have been waiting for to carry on the torch in regards to the Joker's legacy. He never tops Ledger's performance but he isn't far off either from reaching the same level of greatness. The way that Phoenix plays the part is similar to Ledgers in terms of the amount of dedication and passion he puts into the role. The audience can literally feel his sweat and blood being poured into this character with the end being the payoff with Phoenix's performance hitting its peak with Arthur fully being transformed into the Joker. With the exception of The Dark Knight trilogy and Logan, Joker is one of the rare comic book movies that dares to step outside of its genre for the most part and bring both its character and story to a whole new level of storytelling making it feel like a true work of art. The film is a personal journey for audiences from start to finish as they empathize, fear, detest, and ultimately understand the character of Joker more  now than before, because they see with this story that he wasn't always "The Crown Prince Of Crime", he was simply a loner who wanted to make people laugh in the beginning and feel important. The fact that the filmmakers went out of their way to humanize Joker, is a move that pays off in the most satisfying ways. Joker serves as being a disturbing and ultimately haunting morality tale for audiences in regards to showing how a good person can become bad if pushed around enough or if people who suffer from mental illness can do something traumatic if they don't get the support they need. Joker is a rare gem of a movie that's fearless in regards to what it wants to show and sticks to its convictions in delivering its themes and ultimate message to the audience, while showing that there can be other great Joker stories to tell post The Dark Knight era. Those who watch the film can agree that if Ledger was able to see the work that Joaquin Phoenix and Todd Philips are laying out for the character, he would approve and smile at the risks being taken with the payoff being an exceptional character study. Joker is the best film of 2019 hands down thus far, and reminds audiences that comic book films can still maintain the maturity and serious tone of Nolan's The Dark Knight trilogy and Logan, while continuing to experiment with further stepping outside of its genre. If one wasn't told that Joker was based off a comic book character, they would never question it because of how realistic and well-executed the film is. This feels like a story that Stanley Kubrick would bring to the big screen had it been made decades prior as the film reeks of his style of filmmaking along with Martin Scorsese, who shares a producing credit on the film. The story feels like a throwback to 70's cinema with parallels to A Clockwork Orange, Death Wish, The King Of Comedy, and Taxi Driver. Joker is a film shows there's still hope for Cinema to be bold and brave in regards to producing raw storytelling, that doesn't rely on CGI and explosions but acting, directing, and storytelling which can still reign tall over everything else. It's a film that's both highly entertaining and masterfully told, but also carries with it a disturbing reflection of our own society and how divided we are in terms of social stature, which if left unchecked, can put us on the path to giving us a real version of Arthur Fleck. Joker is not the film that audiences deserve but its the one that's needed as it stands as being a true cinematic triumph in every sense of the word.

Final Verdict: For Batman fans and fans of Joker, this film is a must see as it's not just a great comic book film, it's an experience that all comic book fans and lovers of film should rightfully endure.

  

Hustlers Is An Entertaining Female-Led Heist Film With Oscar Caliber Performances From Jennifer Lopez And Constance Wu

      Heist films represent a hot genre in Cinema as it's basically the one category of films, that filmmakers can turn to for both financial and critical success. Although there are many different forms of heist films presented, it's the storylines as well as the way they are handled which make them distinct. With Hustlers, the heist drama takes a different approach than the typical bank robbery making it appealing to audiences. Based on the New York magazine's 2015 article titled "The Hustlers at Scores" by Jessica Pressler which is centered around true events, the film focuses it's plot around a crew of former strip club dancers showing them group together to make money off their Wall Street clients. Hustlers unlike most heist films, presents a unique take on the genre while delivering an approach that's flashy, funny, dramatic, eye-opening, and boasts career best performances from Jennifer Lopez (Whose certain to get an Oscar nomination for this film) and Constance Wu. Hustlers delivers one of the first serious Oscar contenders for the 2019 fall movie season thus far.

      Hustlers plot focuses on several former strip club employees, who are determined to make it on their own terms by profiting off their wealthy Wall Street clients. Their plans however, end up getting derailed with the 2008 recession making ready cash becoming less abundant. The dancers decide to take the next step by drugging their unsuspecting clients and taking advantage of them, often leaving them with nothing in most cases. Two movies come to mind when viewing Hustlers, the first is Martin Scorsesse's The Wolf Of Wall Street and the second is the 2015 drama titled The Big Short. Whereas those movies were male-dominated and dealt with the rise and fall of slick yet unsuccessful heist schemes, Hustlers is the female companion piece to those films that's entertaining, engaging, empowering, shocking, insightful, and powerful to watch at times. The performances of Jennifer Lopez and Constance Wu are key here as the film focuses on their friendship turned partnership, with them making their way to the top in their professions before being thrown off course by the 2008 recession leaving them struggling to find their footing afterwards. The films success at being entertaining rests mainly on their shoulders as they make the story work with the journalist (Played by Julia Stiles) piecing together the full story of the two dancers journey and experience through interviewing Constance Wu's character Destiny. The films story is essentially broken up into several different parts with the beginning of the film showing the meeting and partnership of the girls, the second part showing their separation and struggle to adapt to the changes in the environment post recession era, and the third part being them reconnecting and planning a new strategy of making money by taking advantage of their clients with the final part of the film showing the repercussions of committing such crimes. What the film does well is explore the lifestyle of being an exotic dancer and giving answers to questions the audience may have such as why the main characters go back to it after the recession (Constance Wu's character for example). Both the story and subject matter are handled by the filmmakers in a way that's both respectful and entertaining while holding the audiences interest with the performances elevating the film.

      As far as acting performances go, this film belongs to Jennifer Lopez and Constance Wu, both of whom are not only terrific here but are sure to receive much recognition this awards season. Lopez is stunning here carving out a career defining performance, that's hands down her finest acting work next to her work in Selena. Lopez does a brilliant job playing stripper Ramona, utilizing both her charisma as an actress while using her physical acting skills to play the part to near perfection. It's not a wonder why she's already generated much talk regarding her performance and will continue to do so this awards season. She fits the role perfectly and gives her all in playing such a slick, manipulative, and ultimately appealing character. Constance Wu does an equally great job playing Stripper Destiny who partners with Ramona in their profession to make the most profit. Wu delivers a heartwarming and and beautiful performance with both actresses showcasing great chemistry together when they're on the big screen. One can easily say that the film wouldn't be the hit that it's become without them in the main roles. Wu's character emphasizes more of the lifestyle of a young girl struggling to make ends meat as an exotic dancer as well as showing the struggle to leave that profession behind and evolve with her ultimately getting pulled back in. Julia Stiles does well playing the compassionate journalist Elizabeth with her chatacter interviewing Destiny to get the full story on her and Ramona's experience, while developing an understanding of the whole scope of the story as well as the reasoning for why the pair committed the crime they ultimately did. The rest of the supporting cast deliver strong performances with the minimal roles they have such as Cardi B as Diamond, Keke Palmer in a hilarious part as Mercedes, and Lili Reinhart shining as Annabelle. It was always going to come down to the casting choices that would either make or break the film and here, the cast as a whole does a terrific job with the heart of the film coming from the performances of Lopez and Wu. They both work great together and keep the audience engaged with the rest of the film by becoming invested in their friendship/partnership.

      In terms of directing, Lorene Scafaria takes what could've easily ended up being a bland and plain biographical story and adds flare to it, making it an entertaining, mesmerizing, and ultimately an eye-opening experience. Scafaria doesn't waste no time in drawing the audience into the story with her showing Wu's character in the beginning, being taken in by the pro- dancer Ramona, who ends up showing her the ropes. The film carries with it both a goofy, slapstick tone, that can shift from being funny to dramatic without a moments notice. The dramatic moments within the story carry some of the more memorable moments in the film, particularly the moments where Jennifer Lopez character Ramona tries to justify the crews actions by mentioning that the Wall Street clients they take advantage of have ripped off other people for their own benefit and use their clients money to court strippers with many cases being them going behind their families backs. Another powerful moment in the story is Destiny's character on the phone with one of the clients she took advantage of with her realizing the moral weight of what they've done when the person declares they have nothing left for them or their family, leaving Destiny's character with no response other than both shock and guilt until being coached by Ramona to turn cold. Scafaria gives the film a good balance of fun and entertainment, while showing the harsh realities of the crime the girls committed as well as their own realization of it. The directing is flashy with strong cinematography showing the girls approaching the camera during certain scenes in slow-motion with the rest of the movie carrying with it a visual flare, that helps draw the audience into the story. The films directing brilliantly matches the stellar performances, that Scafaria manages to get out of her cast. While her directing won't win any major awards, its effective and noteworthy in regards to bringing an interesting story to the big screen.

     The films scriptwriting by Lorene Scafaria is well-written with the film being female-centered with male characters having minimal roles, particularly the Wall Street clients that end up being hustled by the main characters. This film plays out as a female-empowered vehicle placing women front and center in this unique heist tale. The film covers themes such as survival, hustling, Wall Street, single parenting, stigmas, revenge, greed, power, corruption, playing by the rules, and facing the consequences of ones actions. The film explores those themes in-depth showing the exotic dancers struggle to make ends meat as well as Destiny's attempt to move past stripping during the aftermath of the 2008 recession. Through the character of Destiny, the audience witnesses the struggle her character conveys as she struggles to survive as a single mother along with making an attempt to pursue a different kind of career while facing the stigma of being an exotic dancer. Despite her character unquestionably breaking the law along with Ramona and the other female dancers, her motives and reasonings for going back into the game of hustling are explored with Destiny's character often feeling like a representation of the average female exotic dancer trying to put food on the table minus the shady elements. The film shows the manipulation that Ramona's character has over the other girls as she reminds the others that even though they're doing things that could be considered breaking the law, the clients they steal from are worse people as they steal from the people their supposed to be representing on Wall Street. The script delivers an interesting play on morality which begs the audience to question whether Lopez's character is justified in what she says, or carry the feeling that two wrongs don't make it right regardless of the scenario. The script does a solid job showing the greed and corruption that the crew falls trap to in regards to wanting to make more money the longer they get away with it. Like all heist films, the main characters are shown starting from the bottom, rising to the top, and ultimately experiencing their downfall as the consequences and moral lesson of their actions kick in. The films ultimate message, which is evidenced by both the main female characters in the film as well as the Wall Street clients that end up getting robbed, says that everybody hustles one way or another in some form.

      One of the most noble aspects of Hustlers is that it never feels as if it's trying to condemn the actions of the exotic dancing crew nor paint them as terrible people. The film basically shows their career, lifestyle, and scheme to make money (And a clever scheme it was given how far the girls got before they were eventually brought down) while leaving the judgment up to the audience to decide whether Ramona and Destiny were terrible people for what they did or just girls that made a bad choice in an effort to make it in an era that was hit hard economically. The film clearly shows that the girls realize the mistake they made and accept their eventual punishments, though also shows the hustle that members of the crew make in regards to making deals with the authorities to serve less time by turning in the other person. The films underlining theme that everyone pulls a hustle is driven home from start to finish. The characters of Destiny and Ramona share a dynamic that screams comparisons to Leonardo DiCaprio and Jonah Hill in Working Of Wall Street with both sets of characters pulling a hustle with Lopez and Wu serving as female counterparts in their own tale.

      Is Hustlers a perfect film? No, there's moments where the story drags at certain points or feels repetitive, but for the most part it accomplishes what it set out to do, which is to entertain while giving audiences a glimpse into a profession, that's easily stigmatized and written off without a second thought​. Perhaps it was that covering that the main characters benefitted from in order to pull off their twisted yet genius clever scheme. Hustlers is fun, entertaining, and showcases great performances from it's main cast. The film despite having moments where it feels repetitive, never feels boring with the story keeping the audience engaged and the visual style of the film bringing it's story to life. For fans of Jennifer Lopez, Constance Wu, and those who simply want to see a different yet still engaging crime story, Hustlers is worth watching and hopefully represents a career revival for Jennifer Lopez, while furthering Constance Wu's status as a promising strong actress in Hollywood.

Final Verdict: A must see for Jennifer Lopez fans, Constance Wu fans, and fans of heist films in general.

Rambo: Last Blood Is A Disappointing Finale And Unworthy Sequel That Betrays The Franchise

      When one thinks of long-lasting action movie franchises, the Rambo franchise is one that immediately comes to mind as its legacy spans a total of 37 years on film. Beginning in 1982 and spawning a total of four films, the Rambo franchise is one that stood as being one of the dominant action movie franchise of the 1980's, and was later rebooted with his gritty fourth sequel made in 2008 titled Rambo. The series peaked early in regards to quality with the first film. First Blood was not only thrilling but introduced a new type of action hero to audiences named John Rambo, an ex-Vietnam veteran with Stallone easily delivering his strongest acting performance next to Rocky. The franchise peaked in terms of popularity with Rambo: First Blood Part ll with the sequel being bigger than the first film at the box office though being less strong in terms of quality. Despite it's faults, it further cemented Rambo as being a force to be reckoned with as the definitive action hero in 1980's Reagan era. The Rambo story arc reached its temporary conclusion with 1987's Rambo lll, which ended up being the least strongest entry in the series thus far, putting the iconic action movie franchise to bed for 21 years until Stallone revived it with the much improved and violent 4th installment in the series. The fourth film succeeded in taking the character out of the 80's era and placing him in today's political climate, while adding a darker and grittier tone that not only matches the first film, but also showcased excessive violence which extended beyond what the franchise previously showed up until that point. With the release of Last Blood, Stallone takes the series one step further with the story now being focused on Rambo's family members as well as those who wish to do harm on them, particularly his niece. While designed to be more of a personal take on the legendary character in a style similar to Logan, Rambo: Last Blood feels like a bold experiment that unfortunately goes terribly wrong. The film ultimately feels like a betrayal of the franchise as a whole with the movie having little to almost nothing to do with the previous films.

      The plot for Rambo: Last Blood centers around an older John Rambo (Played by Sylvester Stallone) returning to the only place he can call home, a family ranch in Arizona. He uses his time there to not only train the horses on the ranch but also to control his PTSD from his past experiences in combat. His peace away from War and violence is short-lived when he's forced into combating Mexican sex traffickers, who end kidnap his adoptive niece (Played by Yvette Monreal). The main problem with the synopsis for the fifth (And hopefully last) installment in the Rambo series, is that the story feels less like a Rambo movie and more like a copy and paste version of Taken with Sylvester Stallone in the main role instead of Liam Neeson. Last Blood as a whole feels off from what the franchise has represented up until this point with the sequel exploring a side of Rambo, that was never revealed before nor mentioned in any of the previous movies, ultimately making it feel awkward that so much emphasis is placed upon his family. Gone from the story is the anti-authority and anti-war message of the classic original with the new film delivering a message that says people don't really change even if they grow old. In the context of the films message, the story itself works but in regards to the rest of the series, Last Blood simply doesn't fit with the others and feels like it belongs in a different action movie series. The character of Rambo in this one feels off compared to the way he was presented in the previous films, particularly 2008's movie. Audiences don't particularly get the feeling that he's fighting to control his PTSD in this one as it's rarely emphasized in the story, and his character feels much weaker in this film compared to the strength he demonstrated in Rambo IV (The real Rambo wouldn't allow a group of cartels to beat the living crap out of him and carve his face in an effort to get his niece back. He would've been calculated about it, had a backup plan, and had the situation examined using his old War experiences). It feels with Last Blood, Stallone was trying to craft his own Logan-style exit for the character though it goes against the message of what the rest of the series represents, which has always placed a heavy emphasis on the harsh realities of war. The series which has gone from being a story revolving around one man's struggle to leave the War behind him, has been boiled down to a generic Taken style action movie that would work much better if it was in a different franchise

      As far as the films acting performances go, Sylvester Stallone once again delivers a strong and commanding performance as John Rambo. His performance is easily his strongest work in the series next to First Blood, despite his character not exactly feeling like he's struggling to control his PTSD in this one. Part of what made the character of Rambo so thrilling in the previous movies, was that the audience knew John was smarter than the bad guys he was going up against and couldn't help but laugh on the inside knowing that they didn't realize who they were dealing with. With Last Blood, the audience never really gets that feeling with him even when he goes for his revenge. Stallone brings to the screen a more human side of John Rambo, that isn't an unlikable portrayal but doesn't feel like the Rambo audiences rooted for when he was trying to escape from the control of an cruel police chief and his deputies. While Stallone's work here won't win him any Academy Awards (He was snubbed of an Oscar nomination for the original film, especially with the performance he gave in that films stunning final scene), he likely ends his arc of playing Rambo with both class and dignity regardless of how the audience feels about the story. The rest of the cast delivers solid performances, though they don't hold the screen the same way Stallone carries the film with his character. Yvette Monreal shines as John's niece Gabriela, despite her character feeling poorly written making her come across as being the clueless yet generic teenager, who often foolishly get themselves into trouble. She succeeds though in making the audience somewhat care about her character when she gets taken by the cartels. Paz Vega does well playing Carmen Delgado, a mysterious woman revealed to be a journalist tracking the sex trafficking ring, that's being run by the local Mexican cartel. Vega ends up becoming an ally to Rambo, helping him seek revenge on those who took his niece. Sergio-Peris-Mencheta delivers an effective performance as the films main antagonist along with Oscar Jaenada, though audiences will find it extremely hard to believe that these characters serve as a threat to someone like John Rambo considering the past enemies he faced. Adriana Barraza shines in her performance as Maria Beltran, long-time employee of the Rambo family farm. The cast as a whole delivers strong performances overall while doing their best to compensate for the awkward storyline being passed as a Rambo movie.

      In terms of directing duties, Adrian Grunberg takes over the directorial reigns from Sylvester Stallone after the fourth film helming what's essentially meant to be the final chapter in the John Rambo saga. Grunberg directs a more concentrated and character-driven story, that would make for a solid entry in the Taken franchise. The film is shorter than its previous entries yet moves at a slower-pace (Mainly due to the films off beat story), lacking the well-staged action sequences of its predecessor along with the tension built up with the audience waiting in anticipation for the character of Rambo to strike against his opponent. Not only does the films storyline feel off for the series, but so does its style and setting. Last Blood comes across as feeling more like a Western film than the jungle feel/War-torn locations the previous films had. The film retains the grit and gore of Rambo IV, though sprinkles both throughout the film to enhance the shock value of the violence. In terms of the films tone, Grunberg directs a film that is downright brutal from start to finish with Rambo experiencing loss and grief right from the start with the films intense opening sequence, that's followed by elements showing sex-trafficking, torture, murder, forced drug-addiction, and revenge. It's not a question of whether Adrian Grunberg was the right person to helm a Rambo film (Clearly he is), the main issue with the film appears to be the script. Despite the film not truly feeling like a Rambo film on a visual style, Last Blood for the most part is a well-shot action film with decent performances and strong cinematography.

     The films screenplay by Matthew Cirulnick and Sylvester Stallone with a story written by Dan Gordon, feels uninspired and out of place with the rest of the series. The film feels like a rip-off of 2008's Taken mixed with a touch of Home Alone with Rambo's character setting up traps around his farm during his climactic face-off with the cartel gang. The film as a whole feels rushed with Rambo never truly feeling like he's combating his PTSD nor finding his peace at the end. The side characters all feel like generic tropes for the most part, that only serve to move the story forward rather than breathing life of their own. The villains aren't really convincing either as being among the truest baddies in the series. The end scene with Rambo feels like a cop out in a way neither fully closing the door on the series but not leaving it wide open either. The writers wrote the ending of this story to go either way depending on the films success, though if this is what Stallone and the creative team have in store for the future of the Rambo franchise, its probably for the best that John's story ends here. The film is so rushed that major subplots in the film come and go without the audience feeling much emotion towards them, particularly a big twist midway into the film that's meant to send Rambo off the edge once again. The plot for Last Blood feels like a desperate attempt to continue the series as well as being a misguided attempt to end the franchise on an epic note with Rambo's version of Logan. Gone from the series are all the cartoonish violence as well as the lessons of War the other Rambo films delivered with what's presented here is a plot that the creator of Rambo, David Morrell, calls unapologetically "messy" and ultimately expressed embarrassment to be associated with the new film as it detours from everything the series built up prior. Looking at the end result of Last Blood, one can see exactly why and doesn't blame him.

      Rambo: Last Blood is not the ending the Rambo franchise deserves and ultimately feels out of place for both the series and the character as a whole. Stallone stated that the movie was designed to show that Rambo had finally found his peace after all those years on the battlefield. Watching the film however, one doesn't get that impression here as all his character experiences is more loss, tragedy, and moments that would give him more PTSD. This isn't the Rambo that audiences cared about in First Blood nor the action hero that audiences fantasized about with the sequels. The Rambo in this film feels much different than what fans have been accustomed to, and has lost both the thrill and unpredictability regarding his character. For a franchise that has both captivated and thrilled audiences for over three decades, both the series and fans deserve a much better sound off for such a legendary character. Rambo: Last Blood isn't horrible but it's no Rocky Balboa in terms of delivering a grand slam finish to it's characters arc. It falls in the category of being a large disappointment, that ends the Rambo series with a whimper. One hopes that this is the final installment in the Rambo series as the franchise has lost the message the previous films carried regarding War and recovery.

Final Verdict: If you're a fan of the Rambo series, skip this one as it will leave you hugely disappointed with how they potentially end the series.

IT Chapter Two Thrills But Doesn't Float As High As The First Chapter

      

      The fall 2019 movie season kicks off with the release of the much anticipated sequel to the 2017 box office smash IT with IT Chapter Two. Arriving in theaters exactly two years after the release of the first part, Chapter Two picks up 27 years after the original film with the first Losers Club group all grown up and reunited once again to defeat the evil demonic clown Pennywise once and for all. The first IT was a surprise to audiences not just with how big of a box office success it became (It was the most successful horror film of all time until the release of Chapter Two, which just crossed a billion dollars worldwide), but how strong it was in quality. It took the first chunk of Stephen King's bestselling novel and brought it to the big screen with passion, dedication, and authenticity. The first IT also arrived in theaters during the height of Netflix's Stranger Things craze, which helped propel the film to insane box office heights. While the first IT film wasn't exactly scary, it was every bit as creepy and effective in terms of executing its story making audiences dread the two year wait for the release of Chapter Two. Now that the sequel to IT has arrived, audiences can now see the completion of the two part arc that concludes the Pennywise story (Unless Warner Brothers gets greedy and tries to conjure an idea for a third film). IT Chapter Two doesn't reach the heights of its predecessor as it feels overlong and lacks some of the heart that made the first film a special occasion with audiences, but it remains a strong second chapter that stands on its own while remaining intense and creepy.

      The storyline for IT Chapter Two takes place 27 years after the events of the previous film with a series of violent acts occurring within the small town the Losers Club grew up in. One of the members of the club (Played by Isaiah Mustafa) hears of the news and remembers the series of murders that happened when he was younger along with remembering the clown Pennywise. He reaches out to the rest of the Losers Club, all who moved away and forgot about the past events though still get chills when seeing his name appear on their contacts. The group ultimately reunites and begins planning on how to track down and stop the murderous clown Pennywise for good. Whereas the first IT showed the formation of the Losers Club and their first defeat of Pennywise, the sequel shows the club as adults reconnecting along with remembering the past with flashbacks of the younger versions of each member looking back while being stalked by Pennywise. Chapter Two carries with it a running time of 169-minutes, that often feels far too long for the story with the films pacing coming off as feeling uneven, particularly the films middle section which deals with the memories. The film feels like its two movies merged into one with the old Losers Club trying to figure out a way to kill Pennywise with the young group reappearing through flashbacks with scenes never seen before in the first film. One wonders how the film would've flowed if the middle section of the movie was trimmed down to focus more on the adult version of the Losers Club noticing the return of Pennywise and coming together to stop him. What made the original a stronger film was how spontaneous it came across as feeling both in terms of the young child actors knocking it out of the park as well as storytelling. There was also a certain level of innocence and vulnerability to seeing the young kids being terrorized by the evil clown as well as heart when seeing their friendships unite. As hard as the adult Losers Club tries (They do pretty damn good), they don't hold the same kind of magic that the child Losers Club possessed.

      In terms of acting performances, the adult cast does a very good job of trying to match their younger counterparts from Chapter One, though the group chemistry as a whole isn't quite as strong. James McAvoy does very good playing Bill with him nailing the characters studder and sharing chemistry with older Beverly played terrifically by Jessica Chastain. As good of a casting choice Chastain was in the role of older Beverly (She's no stranger to the horror genre as she starred in 2012's Mama), one wonders what it would've looked like had Amy Adams played the part instead as she bears a closer resemblance to the younger Beverly. Bill Hader does a very good job playing the adult Richie with his casting feeling spot on to his younger counterpart. The character comes with some of the best one liners in the film even utilizing the F bomb in the same vein as young Richie. Isaiah Mustafa delivers a strong performance as Mike, the member of the Losers Club who stayed behind while the others moved away and ultimately is the only one who remembers the events of the first film while being the key figure in bringing the group back together. Mustafa does a believable job coming across as being obsessive, fanatical, and desperate to get his group of friends back together again to save not just the town but themselves from a dark fate. Jay Ryan does a great job playing Ben, the former obese kid in the group, whose now all muscles and still holding a crush on Beverly, who remains clueless for the most part of Ben's feelings. James Ransone and Andy Bean are solid as Losers Club members Eddie and Stanley with Ransone stealing the show at times along with Hader. Despite the performances of the adult Losers Club being strong and convincing overall, it is the phenomenal performance of Bill Skarsgard as Pennywise that is key and comes across as being totally creepy, manipulative, deceptive, and ultimately convincing. One cannot imagine anyone else stepping into the shoes of Tim Curry other than Skarsgard, he delivers a worthy performance that lives up to the legacy Curry left behind with the 1990 miniseries. The young Losers Club actors once again prove they are the perfect choices for their parts with Jaeden Martell, Wyatt Oleff, Jack Dylan Grazer, Finn Wolfhard, Sophia Lillis, Chosen Jacobs, and Jeremy Ray Taylor delivering awesome performances. Audiences as well as fans of the first film will truly miss the presence of the young Losers Club as they shared unique chemistry, often times better than the adult group. The casting of the adult Loser Club was always going to be one of the key aspects to the success of the sequel and here the casting is largely successful for the most part with just about everyone fitting nicely into their roles.

      As far as the films directing and writing goes, Andy Muschietti returns to the directors chair after his strong directing job on the previous film with the first movies writer Gary Dauberman also reprising his screenwriting duties. Once again, Muschietti proves to be effective with setting up dark and creepy atmospheres, while pushing the films gore to the brink. Some of the films key sequences such as the restaurant scare, Beverly's big sequence with the elderly lady, the mirror scene with Bill, Pennywise and the kid, the basement turned vomit scene, the bathroom stall scene, and the films climactic battle with the giant spider version of Pennywise are all extremely well-executed, exciting, and ultimately gross to watch at times. While these scenes are fantastic to watch, the films pacing can be a slow burn process to get to those moments. Muschietti and Dauberman go to extreme lengths to make the second movie bigger than the first one in almost every aspect, though the sequel doesn't feel as tight as the first film. The energy that Muschietti brought to the first film is still present with the films opening scene being though doesn't top the opening scene from the first movie with Pennywise and Georgie. The main issue with the opening of the sequel is despite it being an effective opener to the story, it serves little relevance to the rest of the movie as the beating of the gay couple doesn't connect with the story of the Losers Club other than Pennywise appearing at the end of the scene. What would've been more creepier is showing Pennywise's control over the town during the scene such as showing the beating of the two young men with people in the town noticing and choosing not to intervene. One doesn't doubt that Muschietti was excited to tell this story along with Dauberman, one wishes that they had more restraint in keeping the story more centered around the adult Losers Club with less flashbacks involving the adults remembering the past in order to make the film move less of a slow burner.

     In regards to the films main execution, the movie itself feels like one terrifying dream that not only comes true but is executed very well. The performances from the cast, both young and old are very good (The young Losers Club group is some of the best kids group ensemble casting in years). The CGI monsters look pretty good, even Pennywise's true form which has received much criticism in the films third act. The films climax has a strong build up, but is ultimately let down by the way Pennywise is defeated, making it come across as feeling anticlimactic. The films humerous bits work for the most part, particularly with the characters Richie and Eddie. One of the strongest compliments the sequel gets is how emotionally connected the audience feels with the Losers Club. The audience witnesses each characters darkest fears along with the memories that haunted them for 27 years as well as the hopeless feeling that they can't beat Pennywise. When the group comes together to face Pennywise once and for all, the audience see's the young kids in adult form coming together once again to defeat an evil force. The films opening scenes where the audience sees the older group in their respective stages in life as they're summoned by Mike to return to the town they all grew up in together, is a treat to see as each actor sells the idea that they are this older version of the kid from the previous film now grown up and had nearly forgotten about their disturbing past.

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      Overall IT Chapter Two is not a perfect film by any means (The film drags in the middle portion and can be extremely slow at certain points, the climax comes across as feeling anticlimactic and tacked on, and Pennywise's true form may disappoint some fans of the story who will automatically prefer Tim Curry's Pennywise's true form from the miniseries), but it's still a worthy second chapter to the IT storyline and brings the arc of Pennywise to a fitting and reasonably satisfactory conclusion. This is a film that could've been told with a two hour running time instead of nearly a full three. Not much happened within the first hour other than seeing the whole group get together again and acting shocked at finding out Pennywise is back. The jump scares are effective though feel somewhat fewer than the amount the first film delivered with both movies sharing the same issue that while they are extremely creepy and disturbing to watch at times, neither film is truly scary. The creatures that appear do their job for the most part in grossing out the audience while being laughable at times with the awkward forms they reveal themselves as (Stephen King has a nice cameo as well in the film). The vomit scene, though funny, has a weird tonal shift where it goes from being a genuinely creepy scene to downright hilarious and goofy with the use of Rock music followed by Eddie's reaction to the situation. Upon watching both movies back to back, one wonders if splitting the story into two parts with the kids story being told first followed by the adults hurt the stories overall pacing as the second film clearly struggles in regards to juggling both subplots back to back. Perhaps it would've been effective if the movie was made into an HBO style miniseries, where it was allowed to remain as one large story that was bookended. Regardless of its faults, IT Chapter Two has much to offer in terms of creeping out its audience and pleasing fans of the 1990 miniseries as well as Stephen King's book. One cannot help but admire how high the filmmakers were aiming for the stars in regards to telling both sides of the IT storyline. As high as they reach, they just can't quite capture the charm and magic of the first film, which ended on a note that was moving seeing the kids take a pledge with each others blood that they would return as adults one day and kill Pennywise once and for all. There's just something about the first one that gives it a special feeling that the sequel, as good as it is despite its issues, can't quite touch.

Final Verdict: If you loved IT Chapter One, you will find Chapter Two enjoyable though agree its not as good of a film.