Dauntless: The Battle of Midway (2019) review

 

Dauntless: The Battle of Midway was directed by Mike Phillips who also did the 2012 movie Fortress which I very much enjoyed, so I was interested to see his version of the Midway story

I've been a bit bummed seeing negative reviews for this film, a lot of them dismissed it based solely on the effects or dubbed it a rip-off of the Roland Emmerich movie.

I don't find the "rip-off" claim fair, they are both movies about the same battle but focus on different elements. Emmerich's film is about the prelude to the battle and the pilots during the battle. Dauntless focuses on the post-battle tensions and the crews that didn't make it back to their carriers. Saying this movie ripped off Emmerich is like saying Saving Private Ryan is a rip off of The Longest Day because both movies have the D-Day landings.

As for the effects, I'll take a CGI model that looks like a WWII ship over using a modern day ship as a stand in any day. They do some pretty sweet tricks here and there are a few bits of the Dauntless bombers flying around that actually look pretty damn awesome.

Watching the making of features on YouTube, the filmmakers made sure they were being as accurate as possible. It's much better than Pearl Harbor having the Japanese launch off nuclear powered Aircraft Carriers for the attack sequences.

They even used the director's porch as a stand in for a carrier deck, I was pretty amazed. I wouldn't have thought that was what that was they did until I watched the making of. It's pretty slick.

The actors do a pretty nice job here, Judd Nelson actually makes for a pretty great portrayal of Raymond Spruance, he really captures the emotion of a man who wants to win the battle but is just emotionally broken by the costs. Whereas C Thomas Howell as Miles Browning is just a heartless bastard.

Jade Wiley was a stand out as Norman Vandivier, it must've been hell to float in the water with sun-burnt make up being applied but Wiley does it well. He has a good screen chemistry with John Enick who plays his tail gunner Lee Keaney.

Dauntless is a pretty sweet little WWII movie, I was glad I watched it. I really hope Mike Philips and his crew can make another film. They really care about having accurate details and I really dig that. This and Fortress are a real treat for war film buffs.

Definitely see Dauntless, it's a very good movie.

Capone (2020) review

 

I despised this movie when I first watched it, I remember defending it from critics when the trailer launched. I defended it when people mentioned Josh Trank's Fant4stic film and stood by that a dark drama about Capone's final days could be interesting and watchable.

Then I sat down and watched it, I ended up feeling ashamed of myself for defending it. I expected a thriller Capone's last exploits before his death instead I got a movie where he daydreams and shits himself constantly. I told everyone I knew not to bother renting it, I was pretty goddamn mad at how bad this was, I knew even if it wasn't that great I would get some pretty entertaining moments with Hardy instead I was greeted with him shitting himself twice.

However after seeing numerous people on Reddit defending the film, I decided to take a risk and re-watch the film...spending another $6 but this time I went in knowing what to expect and actually give it a second chance.

Weirdly, I think I enjoyed the movie more on a second viewing. The movie has some truly bizarre visuals and absolutely out there performances but I found things that I actually kinda enjoyed about it on the second watch....minus the pooping pants in an interview sequence.

One slight problem I have is there is no real conflict or story until the last 40 minutes or so, the majority just Capone hanging around his mansion with his health and mental state slowly getting worse. It's not even until around the third act that some officers show up to investigate where Capone has hidden a large sum of money, but then that plot element is done with after five or so minutes. 

However what saves the movie is Tom Hardy is clearly going all in for this performance, he is chewing on the scenery like mad but his performances was one my favourite things both times. He captures the descent into madness with brilliance. I remember feeling that seeing Hardy do this was embarrassing, but compared to Adrien Brody cracking penis jokes in Inappropriate Comedy or Al Pacino chasing Adam Sandler in drag.....this is nothing. The moments where Capone pisses himself or poops himself are certainly not my idea of film watching entertainment but at the same time I strangely kind of see where Trank was going, most people may think of Capone as a sadistic criminal to the very end instead of the broken man he was physically and mentally 

My favourite scene in the entire movie was when Capone goes into his basement and enters a dreamlike sequence where he's back in his glory days, hanging out with his associates, spending time in clubs and relaxing with women and then executing a man who tried to rat on him. It's easily the most atmospheric and chilling part of the entire film, I do wish more of the film including how his past has clearly given him PTSD and driven him to a mental wreck. Seeing the transition from his "glory days" to his final days in poor health is an interesting idea, I don't think we'll get Capone II with Tom Hardy returning, but since Unbroken got a sequel....who knows.

The supporting cast are also good, Linda Cardellini is good as Capone's wife but her character motives are a bit vague, does she actually love her husband despite his horrible past or is she just staying with him hoping to inherit the money when he passes? 

I like Josh Trank as a director, Chronicle was a strong film with sympathetic characters and I think I'm one of three people on the planet who like Fantastic Four (it had some cool visuals okay?). I think he has some cool style to his films and he can get a good performance out of people, I just hope his Twitter behaviour from a long time ago doesn't become his entire legacy. He has some great moments as a director.

Capone is a bloody weird film, but it has grown on me. I hated it for being totally bizarre but in the end, it was how out there and just batshit parts of this movie are that may me come back and give it a second shot. I'm glad I did, because I enjoyed it way more on a second watch

The Last of Us Part II (2020) SPOILERS WITHIN

 

To say this game has been polarizing is a understatement, I can't remember the last time I saw a divide over a piece of media this strong. The game has had a sea of controversies surrounding it and I decided I would provide my own thoughts and views on it. I will break this post down into sections....also before you proceed.

                    THIS POST WILL CONTAIN SPOILERS!!!!

For a change of pace, I will adress some of the most frequent complaints and discussions about the game and give my two cents here:

Abby is an unlikeable character and deserved to die at the end

What Abby does is horrific, but at the same time I could see what the developers were doing and I didn't mind it. I was sad as hell about seeing Joel get killed off, but at the same time I get Abby's motives and would feel the same if in her shoes. I do think we should've spent a bit more time with her and her father, Jerry. Her character took time to grow on me, but in the end I did grow to like her character and get invested in her story.

Now for the ending, if Abby rode off in to the sunset with no consequences, then that would be dumb but think about it. All her friends got killed because of her revenge quest, one of whom referred to her as a shitty person before being killed, she gets captured and tortured for months and forever has to live with PTSD knowing her actions will always haunt her. Abby lives, but with a lot of dread. 

Will she be haunted in Part III?.....we can only guess

The game panders to SJWs

I didn't see this at all. Ellie and Dina being a couple didn't feel like Lesbian propaganda being shoved down my throat, the themes with Lev transitioning were not "pandering". I just didn't feel this aspect of the game, I didn't find it as bad as some of the negative reviews made it out to be.

Joel died because of the idiot ball trope

I didn't want Joel to die, nobody did but I must rebuttal the claims his death was out of character with a few points. He slipped up and made a mistake in panic, we've all done such things in our lives. Also he just assumed Abby was a lone wanderer, in Part 1 when he runs over the man begging for help...he knew that a dangerous group was around. Abby was wandering around the outskirts of his town, so he thought she was a just passer-by who needed help....obviously a mistake that impacts the story.

The Last of Us Part II may not have story elements that were praised, but I enjoyed the game for taking risks and further developing the story and characters. I did not just want a carbon copy of Part 1, I wanted to see the story go on and the characters grow further.

I will admit, I found Mel and Owen hard to get attached to since I saw them get killed just minutes ago, but I still found them to be well written and they had enough going on to where they felt like fully developed characters. 

I never felt bored at any point, but it definitely felt like the game dragged on in certain places, I felt super fatigued by the time Ellie arrives in Santa Barbara towards the climax. Also I get the messaged was meant to be "revenge can consume you" but the final duel did nothing for me. It was graphic and brutal but it needed more "big bang" moments to grab you. Just my two cents

In conclusion, The Last of Us Part II is a good game in my books. It has a few faults, but overall I applaud the game for taking risks and actually further exploring things and not just playing it safe.