Justice League

The Justice Society of America popped up in the 1940s. They would be the first team of superheroes to appear in the world of comic books. 

There was no Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, Flash, Aquaman or Cyborg. They did not appear with the Justice League of America until 1960. They first battled Starro - a giant alien starfish. (Cyborg did not become part of the team until 2011 during a DC comics reboot.)

There is no giant alien starfish found in Justice League. The movie had an early Digital release on Feb.13. The Blu-ray, DVD, 4K Ultra HD and 3D packs, are on March 13. 

Justice League is part of the DC Extended Universe. This includes Man of Steel, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, Suicide Squad and Wonder Woman.

While Batman v Superman did slightly better at the worldwide box office of the DC movies, Wonder Woman received the higher marks among critics and audiences.   

LEAGUE

Justice League took in mixed reactions from viewers. It still managed $228 million in North America and $657 million worldwide. 

Zack Snyder returned to the director’s chair after Man of Steel and Batman v Superman - with some additional help from Joss Whedon. 

Superman (Henry Cavill) is missing in action. (If you are surprised what happens to Superman in this movie than you haven’t been paying attention to the previous movies.)     

Batman (Ben Affleck) feeling inspired, partners with Diana Prince (Gal Gadot.) They are aware of a new enemy named Steppenwolf (Ciarán Hinds) preparing to cause chaos. The two heroes set out to try and recruit a team before it is too late to save the world. Aquaman (Jason Momoa), The Flash (Exza Miller) and Cyborg (Ray Fisher) are those special recruits.   

VERDICT

Would I buy this film? Yes.

Is it the best superhero movie? No.

Was it an entertaining one? Yes - at least it was for me. 

I have seen all of the DC Extended Universe films. I am one of those people to say Wonder Woman is the best of the bunch. I would put Justice League in the second-place slot. 

Sure, there are plenty of sloppy/obvious visual effects. The running time is surprisingly brisk at 120 minutes (with credits.) And with such a good cast and supporting players, some are easily pushed to the background. 

Although, I think each hero of the Justice League has a moment to shine and standout.  

Yet, the action is cool and the tone is lighter than past movies. There are a few chuckles. I think The Flash - played by Miller - is the scene stealer out of everybody. He’s awkward and funny. There’s a running joke about brunch, which I found amusing. Gadot also continues strongly from Wonder Woman.

And there is heart in Justice League. If you look close enough.

As always, stick it out through the credits.

SPECIAL FEATURES OVERVIEW

The standard DVD does not have Superman scenes.

The Return of Superman (2 minutes, 4 seconds)

- These are two, brief, scenes featuring Superman. They didn’t add much to the story if they were included in the film. 

Road to Justice (14 minutes and 10 seconds)   

- This is just a tour of the history of Justice League from the comic books to the cartoons like Super Friends. It is interesting since my knowledge of the comic books is quite slim from battling Starro to The New 52 reboot.  

Heart of Justice (11 minutes, 52 seconds)

- This is another closer look at the DC’s Trinity - Superman, Wonder Woman and Batman and how they are in the film.

Technology of Justice League (8 minutes, 14 seconds)

- This discusses the mechanics of the film from The Flying Fox and Knightcrawler which is used by Batman. To talk about the material found in The Flash’s suit.  

The New Heroes (12 minutes, 24 seconds)

- Ray Fisher (Cyborg) talks the history of his character and also The Flash and Aquaman.

Steppenwolf the Conqueror (3 minutes, 3 seconds)

- A look at Steppenwolf’s origin in the comic book world and how he is like in the movie. 

Scene Studies (15 minutes, 16 seconds) 

- Mostly a behind-the-scenes reel of specific scenes. From revisiting the Amazons, Wonder Woman’s rescue, Heroes Park and the Tunnel Battle.

- Suit Up: The Look of the League (10 minutes, 21 seconds)  

Interesting in innovation and evolution of the costume design? Michael Wilkinson explores the process behind the work for superhero design. 

Warner Brothers Home Entertainment

Geostorm

There is just something about disaster movies. 

This disaster trend continues with Geostorm. There was an early Digital release on Jan. 16. The Blu-ray, DVD and 4K Ultra HD packs arrive on Jan. 23.

Sure, they can be silly, over-the-top, utterly far-fetched and cliché. Most of these films will never win top prizes at the Oscars - Titanic, of course, is one major exception.

Yet, people are watching.

Independence Day, The Day After Tomorrow, The Poseidon Adventure, Twister, Armageddon, Deep Impact, Earthquake, San Andreas and The Towering Inferno. 
The list is endless.

Disaster!: A Major Motion Picture Ride…Starring You, was an attraction at Universal Studios in Orlando. It closed in 2015. The finale included an earthquake in a subway station. (I enjoyed it.)

WORLD

Geostorm did not impress the critics. Many in North America did not care either. The film only made $33 million. The international audience was more curious, with $179 million coming in from foreign markets.

Delays in a release date, and re-shoots didn’t fare well for Geostorm. 
The film marked the directorial debut of Dean Devlin. The man who had a hand in movies like Independence Day, Godzilla (1998) and Stargate.

A series of natural disasters on Earth lead to a decision by many of the world leaders. A network of satellites - coined Dutch Boy - was created to control the world’s climate and keep everything safe. When problems arise, it becomes a race against the clock to save the world from a Geostorm.   

Jake (Gerard Butler), designed the network and expanded the space station to help keep operations running. He is tasked with his brother Max, (Jim Sturgess) to solve the network’s malfunction. Cheng, (Daniel Wu) is a supervisor in Hong Kong for Dutch Boy. He discovers there might be more to the system’s problems. 

Abbie Cornish is Secret Service agent Sarah Wilson, Alexandra Maria Lara plays Ute Fassbinder, an astronaut who runs the space station. Eugenio Derbez is crew member Hernandez. Andy Garcia shows up as U.S. President Andrew Palma with Ed Harris as Secretary of State Leonard Dekkom. Others in the cast include Zazie Beetz, Adepero Oduye, Amr Waked, and Robert Sheehan.     

VERDICT

Would I buy this film? Not right away.

Yes, Geostorm is silly, cliché and a little on the predictable side. Some of the visual effects are cheesy. There are characters who hardly do anything. Butler and Sturgess have the most material to work with. 

Actors like Garcia and Harris, only show up in a few scenes and have been in better roles.

But.

There is just something about disaster movies. 

Geostorm was surprisingly watchable. I even chuckled a couple times - in terms of a line - and I never felt bored.

Time wise at 109 minutes (with credits) things moved at a brisker pace than Blade Runner 2049. 

And yes, absolutely, Blade Runner 2049 feels more polished on the quality side. It also has better visual effects than Geostorm.   

Underneath the silliness, the cheesiness, and cliché, Geostorm does try to ask some serious questions. What do we do with our changing world? Weather and climate are related but are two very different issues. Also, what happens when good intentions are used for death and destruction?      

SPECIAL FEATURES OVERVIEW

The standard DVD only has the Search for Answers feature. If you are looking for in-depth bonus material, there are slim pickings on the Blu-Ray version as well.

Wreaking Havoc (6 minutes, 30 seconds)

- The visual effects work, research (yes, research) and the technology that was used in Geostorm. They got futurists to give their input on how a bigger International Space Station might look like. The visual effects team were well aware, how some destruction scenes were likely impossible in reality.

Search for Answers (4 minutes and 13 seconds)   

-  The idea of Geostorm was inspired by director Dean Devlin’s daughter. Why can’t climate change be stopped? Geostorm is very much a 'What if story?' What can be done? What would happen? And what could go wrong?

An International Event (5 minutes and 40 seconds)

- The cast consists of actors from all over the globe and they discuss the story. Like, Andy Garcia is the first Hispanic President. Daniel Wu is not defined as a stereotypical Chinese character and he is a genuine star in Hong Kong.

Warner Brothers Home Entertainment

IT: Horror Record 2017

You’ll float too.

IT brought the scares in 2017. IT also became the biggest (R-rated) horror movie of all time.

IT is out on Digital, Blu-ray, DVD and 4K Ultra HD (with High Dynamic Range).

Box Office Mojo statistics show the other top R-rated horror movies include  - The Exorcist (1973), Get Out (2017), The Blair Witch Project (1999) and The Conjuring (2013).

The box office for IT brought in about $327 million domestic, for a whopping worldwide gross slightly over 700 million.

Most people already know, IT is lifted from the pages of a book. The Stephen King bestselling novel was first published in 1986. Readers have a nice slim size of roughly 1,168 pages to go through. (Length noted from the reissue edition to coincide with the movie.)

The story made such an impression on readers. Rolling Stone asked them to vote in a poll to pick King's scariest and most page-turning books.

And IT took second place out of 10.

(Those same Rolling Stone readers, put The Stand first.)  

PAST

The New Line Cinema’s thriller is directed by Andy Muschietti. There's not much doubt of the movie's blockbuster status. Of course, it’s not even the first time the Losers’ Club and a killer clown named Pennywise, appeared onscreen.

A lot of Internet chatter seemed nostalgic for the 1990 mini-series, which aired on television. The two-night event brought in an estimated 30 million viewers, with many giving praise to actor Tim Curry, for his role as Pennywise.

I have not seen the television version, so I can’t compare to this movie. I have read the book. (It's been a long time now.)  The standout sequence that I can remember is Georgie meeting Pennywise, at the very beginning.

The action for the new movie is shifted to the late 1980s, while the book has events in the 1950s.

The main story is still there. Children begin to disappear in the town of Derry, Maine.  Bill (Jaeden Lieberher) becomes obsessed with finding out the truth, especially after what happened to his brother Georgie (Jackson Robert Scott.) Bill leads his friends into trouble, Ritchie (Finn Wolfhard), Eddie (Jack Dylan Grazer), and Stan (Wyatt Oleff). They soon cross paths with amateur historian Ben, (Jeremy Ray Taylor), Beverly (Sophia Lillis) and Mike (Chosen Jacobs,) as they all have encounters with Pennywise (Bill Skarsgård), and try to uncover the mystery.

At the same time, they try to deal with the anger of neighbourhood bully, Henry Bowers (Nicholas Hamilton), and his friends.

VERDICT

Would I buy this film? Yes.

I am a Stephen King fan. I read some of his books through school but one Christmas I received Under the Dome, and my bookshelf has slowly filled up since then.

Critics will say plenty of Stephen King adaptations are bad. (Dreamcatcher didn’t work for me.) IT easily goes on the good list.

The obvious questions now:

Was IT scary? Overall, no - at least, not for me. There were a couple of decent scares though.

Was IT creepy? Definitely.    

Was IT tense? Yes.  

Is IT the best Stephen King adaptation? Probably not. Although, I would watch the movie again.

I think what makes the film work, for me anyway, are the Losers. While Bill is the driving force of the adventure, many of the Losers get highlighted with little moments. Sure, they fight. They are crude, and the language is plenty foul. Yet, when things get tough and gruesome, they come across like real friends.

If clowns aren’t your thing, the scare factor might be different.    

SPECIAL FEATURES OVERVIEW

Filmwise, I would buy. If special features are taken into serious consideration, it might be best to play the waiting game. There is the next chapter coming, so more goodies could pop up later.

The special features do feel pretty short for such a hit movie.

Pennywise Lives! (16 minutes, 25 seconds)

- Revealing Bill Skarsgård behind the role of Pennywise. They discuss Bill’s audition and then his first meeting with the cast and crew. Found it an interesting and funny conversation, especially a few of the reaction stories.

The Losers' Club (15 minutes, 42 seconds)

- This feels more of a behind-the-scenes reel. It really depends on your interest in the cast. It focuses on the teenage actors and how filming went for them. (Example - The bullying scenes may be uncomfortable to watch but everybody got along.)

Author of Fear (13 minutes, 51 seconds)

- Stephen King discusses the common writer question…how the story of IT was formed. Bangor, Maine, actually gives many of those answers. And why he wrote about kids and (inevitable on the movie front) the adults.

Deleted Scenes (15 minutes, 18 seconds)

- Eleven deleted or extended scenes from the film. It’s easy to understand why most of them were cut. There is a gag scene which is the highlight of the bunch but won’t be spoiled here. There is also an alternate ending.   

Warner Brothers Home Entertainment

Dunkirk: Oscar Nominated

Congrats Dunkirk on the eight Oscar nominations! 

Dunkirk is one of the few summer movies to have a strong staying power in 2017.

The most impressive thing is it has nothing to with comic-book characters or the world of animation, or even a killer clown, lifted from the pages of a bestselling novel.

Like all films, there are detractors, but for many, it was no surprise that Dunkirk has already appeared on numerous ‘Top Movies of the Year’ lists. The Golden Globes nominated it for Best Drama, Best Director, and Best Original Score. The film will more than likely receive some recognition come Oscar time.

The box office brought in $188 million domestic. It really took off in foreign markets with a nice $337 million. 

Dunkirk saw a Digital release on Dec. 12 and the Blu-ray, DVD and 4K Ultra HD (with High Dynamic Range) packs will arrive on Dec. 19.

WAR

The Battle of Dunkirk is a true story, which took place in May/June 1940 during World War II. With hundreds of thousands of British and Allied Troops surrounded. Trapped on the beach in Dunkirk, France, they face an impossible situation of survival, as the enemy closes in.

Director Christopher Nolan tells the story in three sections from land, sea and air. If anyone familiar with his past films – Inception as one big example – Nolan likes to play with the concept of time.

The land segment featuring the likes of Fionn Whitehead, Harry Styles, Aneurin Barnard, James D’Arcy and Kenneth Branagh, as they all deal with events, over the course of a week. Mark Rylance, Tom Glynn-Carney, Barry Keoghan and Cillian Murphy spend time on sea for one day. In the air, in the cockpits of RAF Spitfires are pilots Tom Hardy and Jack Lowden, who only have an hour in the skies.

VERDICT

Blu-Ray and DVD have been around long enough that I’m not going to critique the picture and sound etc. of each. There are plenty of people, who have their own preferences at this stage of the game. Same to those, who much rather watch a movie on their computer or other electronic devices. 

Would I buy the film? Yes.

The Dark Knight trilogy made me pay attention to anything Christopher Nolan has done since. He utilizes a mixture of IMAX and shoots on 65mm film for this thriller.

Dunkirk is an under-told story, at least where I am anyway. I was not familiar with the story until the buzz for the movie was starting to build. 

There are suspense sequences and plenty of action. Nolan uses realism as much as possible over visual effects. And of course, like most Hollywood movies, tough critics can dock some points, since everything is not 100% historically accurate.  

I’ve also read Dunkirk: The History behind the Major Motion Picture by Joshua Levine. The historian was also a consultant on the film. The book tells a fuller story of the Dunkirk evacuation – codenamed Operation Dynamo, and also offers a behind-the-scenes look at the movie.

(The weather was actually rougher during filming than the actual event for those history nitpickers, as one example.)

If anything, I think this perspective beats any critic.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XwaJcZnR7us

SPECIAL FEATURES OVERVIEW

Blu-Ray has a separate disc for special features. Standard DVD also has them.

Creation:

-          Revisiting the Miracle (7 minutes, 49 seconds)

Nolan calls it one of the ‘greatest stories in human history.’ It expands on the history of Dunkirk and Nolan’s first jump in a movie about true events.

-          Dunkerque (5 minutes)

Discussing the decision to finally film in Dunkirk, France and the impression it had on production.

-          Expanding the Frame (3 minutes, 36 seconds)

The challenges of shooting in large format like IMAX.

-          The In-Camera Approach (5 minutes, 52 seconds)
Nolan's interest in filming practically. 

Land:

-          Rebuilding the Mole (5 minutes, 59 seconds)

The mole plays an integral part of the Dunkirk story.   

-          The Armor On the Beach (5 minutes, 18 seconds)

Talk of shooting the scenes which involve a multitude of soldiers waiting for rescue. The focus on real young actors, some who never been in a movie before.

-          Uniform Approach (5 minutes, 21 seconds)

Working on the wardrobe for a massive army.

Air:

-          Taking to the Air (12 minutes, 31 seconds)
The shooting techniques used to catch the aerial sequences on camera.

-          Inside the Cockpit (5 minutes, 59 seconds)
How they filmed the pilots.

Sea:

-          Assembling the Naval Fleet (3 minutes, 50 seconds)

The use of a real fleet of naval ships.

-          Launching the Moonstone (5 minutes, 55 seconds)

A closer look at Mr. Dawson’s (Mark Rylance) ship in the movie.

-          Taking to the Sea (13 minutes, 43 seconds)

A look at shooting the water sequences.

-          Sinking the Ships (7 minutes, 29 seconds)

What happens when the production went through those shots.

-          The Little Ships (5 minutes, 57 seconds)

The discussion of the real Dunkirk ships taking part in the real crossing in 1940 and some involved in the movie.

Conclusion:

-          Turing Up the Tension (7 minutes, 23 seconds)

The post-production techniques used to get the viewer’s heart racing.

-          Dunkirk Spirit (7 minutes, 55 seconds)

Cast and crew talk about the experience and memories of working on the movie and in Dunkirk, France.

Warner Brothers Home Entertainment 

The Lego Ninjago Movie

What happens when your father is Garmadon, an evil warlord?

Well, high school student Lloyd asks that very question, in The LEGO Ninjago Movie. It saw a Digital release on Dec. 12 and the Blu-ray, DVD and 4K Ultra HD packs will arrive on Dec. 19.

The original LEGO Movie hit screens in 2014. It landed in the Top 5 for biggest movies of the year – a $257 million domestic gross. How can anyone forget the particular earworm of a song, ‘Everything is Awesome.’  

The four movies to beat the world of LEGO were: American Sniper, The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1, Guardians of the Galaxy and Captain America: Winter Soldier.

Now, we have reached the third installment of this unlikely franchise, with the inclusion of The LEGO Batman Movie, which was released in early 2017.  Despite the surprising run of the movies, not even Batman ($175 million domestic) or Ninjago ($59 million) were able to pass the first film at the box office.

NINJAGO

The movie’s concept is from the animated television series of Lego Ninjago: Masters of Spinjitzu. It first premiered in 2011 and wrapped the latest season in July, 2017.

(I have never seen the show, so I can’t compare between the two.)

Ninjago City lives in constant fear of Garmadon (Justin Theroux), as his frequent takeover attacks lead to destructive battles with six young ninjas, led by Master Wu (Jackie Chan.) Among the group is the mysterious Green Ninja, who may just be Garmadon’s son Lloyd (Dave Franco.)

While Ninjago maintains the animation and emotional beats of what is expected of these LEGO movies, it also feels like the weakest story to date. Or perhaps, the style and formula are starting to become too familiar.

Either way, it’s not the best of the three films. I pick The LEGO Movie for the frontrunner, just because the story went in a direction, which surprised me.

Ninjago features a cool voice cast with the likes of Franco, Theroux, Fred Armisen and Abbi Jacobson and Olivia Munn, Kumail Nanjiani, Michael Peña, Zach Woods, and Chan. Yet really, beyond Franco, Chan, and Theroux, not many of the characters make a big memorable impact. I can’t even think of some of their names.

It could be because of Theroux, as Garmadon practically steals the movie. His origin story banter and discussing a particular injury were two of the standouts for this writer. The bridge battle between Garmadon and Master Wu was also a cool action sequence.     

The LEGO Ninjago Movie is directed by Charlie Bean, Paul Fisher and Bob Logan.

MY VERDICT

Would I buy the film?  No.

It will certainly be worth the watch to anyone who liked The LEGO Movie and/or The LEGO Batman Movie.

If you are someone who has not seen anything LEGO, Ninjago wouldn’t be the place to start.

The film has a rainy/snowy day quality to it though – almost a rental level selection. The movie is passable entertainment, but there are definitely better options to pick.

SPECIAL FEATURES OVERVIEW

Featurettes

-          Team Supreme: Building Ninjago (8 minutes, 19 seconds)

-          Rumble in the Bricks (5 minutes, 19 seconds)

-          Rebrick Contest Winners (4 minutes, 39 seconds)

Team Supreme is the usual behind-the-scenes glimpse with conversations on the visual effects to the voice actors.

Rumble in the Bricks is the one to grab my attention the most, because the Martial arts featured in the film, is choreographed and designed by Jackie Chan and his team.

Rebrick was the LEGO contest for stop motion films. It had the subject of ‘Ninja for a Day.’

Mini–Movies

-          Shark E Shark in Which Way to the Ocean – (2 minutes, 25 seconds)

-          Zane’s Stand Up Promo (2 minutes, 2 seconds)     

-          The Master: A LEGO Ninjago short (5 minutes, 18 seconds)

Shark E Shark gets the cuteness factor. Garmadon uses sharks as weapons, how would one of those sharks react?

LEGO Ninjago TV Series Sneak Peek (11 minutes, 14 seconds)

Music Videos

-          Oh, Hush! & Jeff Lewis Found My Place (3 minutes, 21 seconds)

-          Everybody Have a Ninja Day (1 minute, six seconds)

-          Warlord Ballad (1 minute, 10 seconds)

-          Rocktagon (1 minute, 19 seconds)

Deleted Scenes

-          Animated Bridge Test (1 minute, 33 seconds)

-          Baby Fight (2 minutes, 50 seconds)

-          The Dock (3 minutes, 16 seconds)

These so-called ‘deleted scenes’ were not actually cut from the movie. None of the scenes have any connection to the final product.

The bridge was to test the animation. The baby fight was an attempt at the action and done in the style of Jackie Chan. In fact, the sequence is also what inspired Chan to get involved in the movie.

The dock started as an initial concept for Ninjago, when time-travel featured into the story. There is no time-travel in the final product.

Gimme Some Outtakes! (4 minutes, 42 seconds)

Silly and fun, the outtakes really aren’t directly from the movie like the deleted scenes.

Promotional Materials (Roughly 18 minutes)

-          Behind the Bricks

-          Please Silence Your Cellphones

-          Please Put On Your 3D Glasses

-          LEGO Sets In Action

-          Ninjago Movie: Ninja Formation

-          Ninja Jokes with Jackie Chan

-          Kicks and Bricks: Making the LEGO Ninjago Movie

-          Back to School

-          Me and My Minifig

Commentary by director Charlie Bean and crew (1 hour, 41 minutes)

The standard DVD only includes the TV series sneak peek and deleted scenes.

Warner Brothers Home Entertainment