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- Review count61
- Helpfulness votes11
- First reviewJuly 23, 2018
- Last reviewMay 26, 2023
- Featured reviews0
- Average rating4
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- First answerFebruary 18, 2020
- Last answerFebruary 18, 2020
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![Black Panther: Wakanda Forever [Wakanda] [SteelBook] [4K Ultra HD Blu-ray/Blu-ray] [Only @ Best Buy [2022]](https://pisces.bbystatic.com/prescaled/500/500/image2/BestBuy_US/images/products/304b2327-370a-41e7-956a-951dd4939472.png)
Customer Rating
4
A Living Eulogy
on May 26, 2023
Posted by: VandyPrice
Verified Purchase:Yes
Coogler and co. allow us to work through their grief with them in this sometimes overlong and sometimes overstuffed sequel. That said, the ambition and scale is impressive with Coogler extending the themes of the first film into a more complex gray area with Shuri and Namor.
The loss of Boseman is obviously felt, but how this feeds into Shuri’s journey and how this compares/contrasts with Namor’s arc enhances the grief and rage both are working through. The CGI is much better (mostly) and the sound, score, costumes, and performances are all at level 11.
Coogler weaves in larger MCU obligations more seamlessly than anyone else. Riri Williams didn’t have to be here, but Coogler makes it so we can’t imagine the film without her. If it drags, it drags in the middle, but despite the circumstances and demands Wakanda Forever remains cohesive.
All of that said, while this is not as contained a film as the first I do think it is a better one.
I talked BLACK PANTHER: WAKANDA FOREVER with journalist and film series curator Omaya Jones. Watch our full review here: youtu.be/kvJdc-FkzAE
Length of ownership: 107
Mobile Submission: False
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Customer Rating
4
Fun take on the Zombie Genre
on May 26, 2023
Posted by: VandyPrice
Verified Purchase:Yes
I've never been one to love the zombie genre and I certainly haven't yet bought into the recent zombie and vampire craze but Warm Bodies might have converted me. I was intrigued by this project from the beginning, by its director, its cast, and the way it was going to convey its story. Despite obviously cashing in on the recent rush of these films centering around the undead this one subverts the genre by allowing us a different perspective on the usual story of people running, hoping not to get bit by those already infected from their fellow human beings who've been transformed into the lifeless, soulless zombies that are not the enemy in Warm Bodies, but the protagonists. There is certainly no lack of invention here as that director, Jonathan Levine (The Wackness, 50/50) who allows the quaintly paced story to unfold with the right amount of smart quips and dialogue as well as strong character development that when the slightly cheesy, but inevitable conclusion does come around it doesn't feel quite as cheesy and inevitable as you imagined it might be when you first sat down for the film. This was the first movie of the year I was genuinely excited to see and though I had good to strong expectations for the film it still managed to meet almost all of them as I appreciated the films refreshing take on an extremely tired genre and the directors willingness to not let his film devolve into typical horror movie clichés, and even better, the romantic comedy conundrum of drawing on those romantic moments from overly familiar situations but instead lets his original take on the zombie tale influence an original tale of sweet love.
Length of ownership: 31
Mobile Submission: False
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Customer Rating
4
Fresh Insight from M. Night
on May 26, 2023
Posted by: VandyPrice
Verified Purchase:Yes
“What’s a God to a non-believer?”
M. Night Shyamalan is a writer and filmmaker who would seem to have no illusions about what his films are meant to say; what it is specifically that they’re contemplating and furthermore, how they’re going to explain themselves. Shyamalan is accustomed to as much at this point, right? Not only do his films have to exceed expectations, but they also have to subvert them with a shock.
It’s been nearly a decade since Shyamalan delivered a true, knockout of a twist (Split was more a reveal than it was a twist), but that hasn’t hampered said expectations for me personally anytime a new film from the director is announced. With Knock at the Cabin, there seems a more elusive nature thematically while being his strongest and most assured directorially. Obviously, I’m not upset with a film for remaining somewhat ambiguous and/or asking the audience to pull a certain amount of weight, but while I liked most of what this latest offering served up - there is more to like than not, to be clear - what was most frustrating was not that Shyamalan didn’t point me in a clear moral direction or that he didn’t hone in on certain themes more specifically, but more that none of it seemed to carry as much weight, emotionally, as the filmmaker intended.
When it comes to emotional gut punches it is again the visual motifs that speak louder than any dialogue and are also more impactful thematically. Dave Bautista and Ben Aldridge do most of the heavy lifting performance-wise as two men who have faced their fair share of intolerance and stereotyping and have both battled back against each to such a strong point of defiance that by the time they come face to face they’re working so hard to resist as much that they will never see eye to eye. The plotting and pacing depends on the way these two performers in particular pull us from one’s side to the others all while keeping the “what would you do?” conundrum at the heart of the film as a kind of ticking clock for the tension.
While invested in the compassion Bautista’s Leonard displays as he carries out the work of a merciless god and admiring Aldridge’s Andrew who refuses to give into these delusions of purpose it is in this, the implications Shyamalan makes by taking the story in the direction he does, that I found myself not only struggling to connect with the film, but to fully comprehend it. There is inherent tension, expert craftsmanship, and fine performances galore and yet, as the credits rolled, I found myself befuddled by the feeling that despite the seeming significance of the events I’d just witnessed they somehow also held no meaning.
I spoke with filmmaker/writer Al Topic at length about Knock at the Cabin. Watch our full review here: youtu.be/3rG13Sa7750
Length of ownership: 21
Mobile Submission: False
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Customer Rating
5
Best of the Creed Films
on May 26, 2023
Posted by: VandyPrice
Verified Purchase:Yes
Adonis has now outlived his father in every conceivable way and has, in many ways, fulfilled and surpassed Apollo’s own ambitions. Moving from the sins of the father to the ones of our youth, Creed III is absolution by fire with two insanely intense and intimidating performances at its heart. Michael B. Jordan is a DIRECTOR as this is not only the best film in the Creed series, but also features the best fights of the entire Rocky franchise. Jonathan Majors is breathtaking not only physically, but more importantly in how he plays every angle of Dame’s arc with a devious precision that goes out the window the second the bell rings and he bullishly advances toward his opponent. The way the mask drops in Majors’ performance is so menacing yet equally invigorating that the Shakespearean nature of it all can’t help but to deliver in spades when it comes to the final fight and every punch is made heavier by the weight of the pain and guilt behind them. It’s the rare film - especially these days - that I wish were just a little longer and had given Dame a little more screen time, but I was floored by the experience and walked out wanting to watch it again immediately.
Length of ownership: 7
Mobile Submission: False
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![Shazam! Fury of the Gods (Limited Edition Steelbook 4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray) [UHD] [4K Ultra HD Blu-ray]](https://pisces.bbystatic.com/prescaled/500/500/image2/BestBuy_US/images/products/bec28a59-7a6f-4075-b2a8-949e35ea57f5.jpg)
Shazam! Fury of the Gods (Limited Editi
Customer Rating
3
Not as Bas as You've Heard
on May 26, 2023
Posted by: VandyPrice
Verified Purchase:Yes
Like many super hero stories these days, Shazam! Fury of the Gods unfortunately deals in its soul being pure and full of heart while contrasted with a murky visual style heightened by hollow visual effects. This four year-later sequel isn’t as offensive as something like Thor: Love and Thunder in the effects department, but it is depressing gauging how much more enticing and satisfying something with as much charm as a David F. Sandberg film would be if its exterior matched its interior. I really enjoy Sandberg as a filmmaker and how he infuses every element of his films with that little something extra the film doesn’t necessarily need but signals the investment, inventiveness, and respect the man has for the craft of storytelling. Fury of the Gods balances everything it wants to do and all of its many, many characters impressively (that Chris Morgan really knows how to work an ensemble) with the trio of female antagonists being especially emblematic of a threat and arc that made their marks in children’s movies of the 90s - where bad guys made the stakes feel real even if there was zero doubt of where we’d end up. Many will undoubtedly argue the villains are a weak point of the film, but everything in this movie is an archetype and the Daughters of Atlas (and Zegler especially) is one that builds on as much in a successful fashion. Jack Dylan Grazer remains a huge highlight and I can’t wait to see where his career goes while Asher Angel really draws the short end of the stick here. Things like the Lair set and Steve the pen are genuinely great and so many of the bits land that it’s difficult to imagine anyone walking out of this movie too upset, but it is quite an exhaustive third act that will either wear folks down or get them amped for the possibility of Shazam remaining in the DCEU and personally, as long as Sandberg’s at the helm, I not only wouldn’t mind Shazam sticking around, but am optimistic at the thought.
Length of ownership: 7
Mobile Submission: False
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Customer Rating
4
Therapeutic Comics
on April 7, 2023
Posted by: VandyPrice
Verified Purchase:Yes
Coogler and co. allow us to work through their grief with them in this sometimes overlong and sometimes overstuffed sequel. That said, the ambition and scale is impressive with Coogler extending the themes of the first film into a more complex gray area with Shuri and Namor.
The loss of Boseman is obviously felt, but how this feeds into Shuri’s journey and how this compares/contrasts with Namor’s arc enhances the grief and rage both are working through. The CGI is much better (mostly) and the sound, score, costumes, and performances are all at level 11.
Coogler weaves in larger MCU obligations more seamlessly than anyone else. Riri Williams didn’t have to be here, but Coogler makes it so we can’t imagine the film without her. If it drags, it drags in the middle, but despite the circumstances and demands Wakanda Forever remains cohesive.
All of that said, while this is not as contained a film as the first I do think it is a better one.
Length of ownership: 58
Mobile Submission: False
I would recommend this to a friend!
Quality
5
Value
4
Ease of Use
5
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![Black Adam (Limited Edition Steelbook 4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray) [UHD] [4K Ultra HD Blu-ray]](https://pisces.bbystatic.com/prescaled/500/500/image2/BestBuy_US/images/products/7b3e6793-e3d3-47ee-8089-1ec20e9c9200.jpg)
Black Adam (Limited Edition Steelbook 4
Customer Rating
2
No Spark
on April 7, 2023
Posted by: VandyPrice
Verified Purchase:Yes
During a certain sequence I thought “that’s one of the gnarliest kills I’ve ever seen!” Shortly thereafter I thought, “this is exactly what I would have wanted from a live-action comic book movie as a kid!” Then it all devolved into bland CGI. Needless to say, a VERY mixed bag.
Length of ownership: 99
Mobile Submission: False
No, I would not recommend this to a friend.
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Customer Rating
4
This is the End
on April 7, 2023
Posted by: VandyPrice
Verified Purchase:Yes
The best film of this trilogy. Easily. It bathes in the sorrow of the violence of its predecessors. Exhuming the decades-long effects Michael has imposed on Haddonfield and making the tragedy of such the truly terrifying factor; what was despair becoming defiance.
Length of ownership: 106
Mobile Submission: False
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Customer Rating
4
A Successful Sequel
on April 7, 2023
Posted by: VandyPrice
Verified Purchase:Yes
Smith has used the conceit of making a movie for his own movies before, but Clerks III gets away with it not only as the next chapter in the lives of these characters but as the next chapter in Smith’s self-reflection and catharsis. While it does repeat some of the same Randall and Dante beats from the second film they’re different enough as they’re applied to a different stage in their lives and a vastly different set of circumstances considering the lives each of them has led up to this point. The types of discussions/arguments Randall and Dante have are going to be cyclical, especially when you see one another every day, and Randall is as condescending as ever without having enough shared experiences to really be critical of or even understand Dante’s grief, but this segues nicely into what I liked most about Clerks III as it finally gives Randall a reality check and while he in some ways comes out the other side even more arrogant he also finally realizes he’s played the role of spectator for the majority of his life.
Length of ownership: 124
Mobile Submission: False
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Customer Rating
3
Mediocre World
on April 7, 2023
Posted by: VandyPrice
Verified Purchase:Yes
While seemingly tailored to create a new theme park attraction, Strange World ultimately amounts to more than this while also being largely mediocre. The film obviously looks wonderful and the whole concept/premise of engineering an adventure film based on comics of the fifties is infinitely promising yet despite the cool world and character designs, the generational themes, and some genuinely affecting family dynamics that are immensely winning the film lands with more of a whimper than a triumph. The best way I can describe it is that I watched this all the way through with my children initially and have seen different bits and pieces of it since as I replayed it for the kids in hopes of catching what I might have otherwise missed in that initial viewing. Needless to say, I haven’t been able to nail down why this doesn’t ultimately feel like it works but still resonates in an impressive fashion. It’s like an empty calorie treat; satisfying in the moment, but with no real nutritional value and no lasting impact. Strange, indeed.
Length of ownership: 53
Mobile Submission: False
No, I would not recommend this to a friend.
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