ScottBang Reviews

Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022)

Such A Waste

[15 May 2022]

As a Marvel Man, I'm bummed. Without question a huge disappointment. I don't blame Sam Raimi. He did the best he could given the script or lack thereof. It's not that they WASTED the Illuminati or that expectations were too high. It's the fact that NO character had any arc whatsoever. The movie is the definition of shallow and soulless. Nothing or no one has any depth. Even shifting it in to a Scarlet Witch centric movie felt one dimensional and completely unsatisfying. The saving grace is the visuals and "trippy" fight scenes. Despite some truly awful special effects at times (when a film is 75 CGI, I guess some scenes can't merit enough budget) the visuals carry the load. Besides being heartless, the contrivances and flat out dumb plot turns also hurt a great deal. The one new character introduced (America Chavez) typifies everything wrong with this misfire. She is a plot device that registers as nothing but a shallow and ridiculous shadow of an actual character. Again, no character arc at all but her turn happens in moronic fashion because of one line of dialogue. Somewhere in all this there was a good movie. Shame that what actually hit the screen wasn't it.

Father Stu (2022)

SUPERB! An absolute home run. Out of the box inspiration.

[14 April 2022]

An absolute home run in terms of character study and storytelling. This is hard-nosed faith based done right. It's an amazing amalgam of old school grit and honest reflection. It will forever hold the record for cussing and f-bombs for this subject matter. And, that's a good thing. The entire first act is set up and not what was expected at all. Back when awards actually mattered, Mark Wahlberg would have been a serious Oscar contender for his performance in this film. He, honest to God, (literally) delivers a masterpiece performance. His weight gain alone showed his commitment to doing justice to this work. Fr. Stu was an amazing individual whose growth and gifts through suffering will forever inspire those who watch this movie with an open heart and mind. A forever immortal that I personally will never forget thanks to this film.

The Batman (2022)

Picked Over Trash

[8 March 2022]

The blind loyalists are out in full. This movie is low quality and, frankly, is quite dumb. Anyone saying otherwise is either a blind fan or likes the woke "white guy bad" messaging. Either way, ignore people with agendas.

Eternals (2021)

JUST AWFUL - Worst Movie of 2021

[9 November 2021]

One critic called this trash fire a "boring, unfocused disaster" and that just about perfectly sums it up.

The entire film and premise are insultingly bad. It's shallow, offers a truly brain-damaged script and is convoluted to the max. The insulting part is that Marvel inadvertently lays waste to the entire Marvel Universe through the insane implications of this film. It goes so far cosmic and over-the-top that it practically tries to nullify everything from Captain America to Tony Stark to the concepts of real world religion. It has grandiose ideas and is ambitious but has absolutely no idea on how to deliver on ANY concepts touched upon. The result is an almost three hour disjointed movie that manages to develop nothing and no one. Not one relationship actually registers and not one character stands tall.

Delusional fanboys may be trying to cover for it because of misplaced loyalty or else some want to excuse genuinely awful cinema because of "diversity" casting. Using that as a shield to try and protect or promote Marvel's worst concoction is just sad. Marvel Studios has seemingly lost their way but maybe true word of mouth and under-performing box office will snap someone back to their senses. Get Sersi back. Actually use Dane Whitman as the Black Knight. Flush EVERY other character from this putrid movie and move on to better things, Marvel.

Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (2021)

Silly and Poorly Written HUGE Step Down for Marvel

[8 September 2021]

For all intents and purposes this movie was your typical DC movie. And, for a MARVEL film that's every bit the insult it is intended to be. The over-the-top praise this effort has generated is either born from pure loyal slappies or people wishing to seem culturally progressive praising a ridiculously shallow cotton candy movie.

Every character is superficial and the lead has the charisma of wet bread. The story itself is basic and never gives the viewer a chance to connect with ANY character or even their motivations. The tone jumps everywhere as if the director was handed a jigsaw puzzle worth of scenes and asked to string them together to frame CGI madness. Honestly from the completely silly over-the-top opening bus brawl through the insane CGI third act dragon fight, I don't remember ever rolling my eyes so much at a Marvel Studios endeavor. Well, maybe the third act of Black Widow but that just makes me realize how far Phase Four has wandered away from what made the MCU great. There are some visually stunning scenes and an overall good idea at play but everything falls in to some sort of kiddy cartoon category where nothing has any consequence either physically or emotionally.

Once Upon a Time (2011–2018)

Got more and more woke until the cringe was AWFUL

[16 August 2021]

Seriously, started fun enough but it got more and more woke until the cringe was unbearable. By the final three seasons I wanted to puke. Watched this because my daughters begged me to but I wouldn't wish this wokeness on my worst enemy. The "jump the shark" moment for me was when the Brave girl went full feminazi and shot those three arrows with one shot thus forcing all men to kneel to her and saving her three useless MALE brothers. *groan*

Black Widow (2021)

GACK. Nowhere near as good as the character deserved.

[19 July 2021]

Nowhere near as good as the character deserved. Yet, this film was not the train wreck that I was expecting. For every wrong turn or poorly crafted element there seemed to be two positives. In other words, two steps forward and one step back. While that formula isn't the most pleasant journey, it gets you where you need to go. That's the definition of this movie at this late time... a satisfactory film that delivered Natasha's back story in a proficient manner. It's not completely soulless but leaning heavily in that direction. The action isn't noteworthy but it's not pathetic either.

The more you digest the film, the more middle of the road it gets as there are some things to like and some things to roll your eyes at and hate. The Taskmaster for instance is an absolutely pathetic villain. The main villain pulling the strings was a straight up "mustache twirling" evil guy for the sake of evil. He had all the depth of an Austin Powers villain or an over-the-top bad guy Liam Neeson would kill at the end of one of his movies. Another huge negative was that everything had to be spelled out as if the audience had the intellect of a small child. They left no dots to be connected at all, often telegraphing every turn. It was predictable to the point of nausea. Also, the "mother" character delivers another female antagonist in this phase of the MCU that commits horrible crimes and acts and never answers for them at all.

I did like the supporting cast of Yelana and the Red Guardian. It seems to me that they passed the Black Widow baton properly from one sister to another. I did enjoy the call backs to past films.

Overall, cutting it slack for what has come before might be its saving grace. Otherwise, it's completely middle of the road in every way. To say it delivers "see spot run" writing and below average direction is an understatement.

Chaos Walking (2021)

Complete BLAH ... shallow and dull

[3 May 2021]

Stories of production and shooting problems must have been absolutely true. This movie plays like one giant jigsaw puzzle with many many pieces missing. Every single scene feels rushed and incomplete. ALL character interaction feels shallow and forced. They even try the troupe of jamming a dog in to the story solely to kill said dog to try and generate some kind of emotion from the viewer. Daisy Ridley's character has the depth of a mud puddle. Yet, in this era they had to make sure she was never in any overt "distress" nor overtly treated as a romantic interest. Saying she has no emotional depth is an understatement but that is true of everyone so who knows what their intentions were? Tom Holland's character is equally shallow. Bad sci-fi meets cardboard cutouts equal one colossal waste of time.

It's not offensively bad but it is bad. I honestly can't think of any positives while watching the movie. Cheap awful CGI, no action, no intrigue, no messaging, no beauty, no quality performances, no joy, no laughs... just a lot of "blah".

Tenet (2020)

Just Awful.

[5 September 2020]

Man, is Nolan on a losing streak. Bad babbling efforts one after another. Put anyone else's name on his recent duds and release them shot for shot and they would have been trashed by the critics. This reminds me of M Night Shyamalan's skid down the drain. Kind of sad really...

Fatima (2020)

Wonderful Relevant True Story

[29 August 2020]

Great movie and again relevant for our times. Shows us that in the face of a pandemic, strife, suffering and socialism run amok that faith can conquer all. Whether is be 1917 or 2020, Our Lady STILL cares and draws us to salvation and her Son. Well constructed with a great cast...the child actors are honestly some of the best I have ever seen. So moving and so believable. Everyone involved should be proud of this movie.

Richard Jewell (2019)

Best Film of 2019

[4 January 2020]

Never saw "movie of the year" territory coming with this one but it delivered the best film that I saw in theatres in 2019. Gripping and emotional, it's truly an under the radar masterpiece crafted by Clint Eastwood. Honestly, every single performance should be nominated for an award. Rockwell may have stolen the show as the lawyer character but even the supporting cast was gold. The lead was amazing and Kathy Bates in the third act draws the tears as Richard's mother. Another remarkable factor is the themes and messaging. Misusing and abusing power from both law enforcement and the media hits home especially in this day and age. How journalism has lapsed in to its current state is wonderfully illustrated in this film. Overall, the movie is nearly flawless in its delivery.

Shazam! (2019)

stereotypically shallow

[6 April 2019]

It's a mellow yet shallow movie. Completely fine and even fun in parts, but nothing seemed to carry any weight at all. Not the Seven Deadly Sins CGI attacks and certainly not any character development. Nothing delivered any emotional resonance at all. It's like there were 10 different writers on the movie and each took a different scene. It's a comic book movie stew with no broth. Nothing brings it all together coherently. A scene finding good guy's mom is inserted just as awkwardly as a useless scene where the bad guy visits corporate bad dad.

It all played stereotypically shallow. Every character seemed like a shallow stereotype to me. Loving stereotype foster parents? Check. Gamer boy stereotype computer geek? Check. Cute stereotype hugger girl? Check. Stereotypical hot popular older sister? Check. Fat guy introvert stereotype? Check. Foster kid angry at the world stereotype? Check. And the villain is as one dimensional a stereotype as it gets. The actors did a fine job and there is potential here but overall, I was expecting better given the buzz and critic score.

Captain Marvel (2019)

Below Average and the WORST MCU Movie By Far (4/10)

[10 March 2019]

On my "Best Comic Book Movies of All-Time" list I place Captain Marvel at #36. Shows you the extent of its blandness. It's not offensively bad but it is annoyingly below average. Better than such things as X-Men Origins: Wolverine and Rise of the Silver Surfer but not by much. Captain Marvel being close to that quality is a stunning turn for the MCU and certainly the worst effort the studio has produced in their existence.

Captain Marvel is to Marvel Studios what the Vietnam War was to America. Controversial endeavor that the powers to be deemed necessary but overall detrimental. To quote Bill Murray's Stripes: "We've been kickin' ass for 200 years. We're 10 and 1." Well, Marvel Studios is now 20-1 but that's still a damn good win loss record! Still a fan of the MCU and hoping for a return to glory for the MCU with Endgame.

12 Strong (2018)

Exceptionalism is on display ... TRUE Heroes!

[19 January 2018]

Exceptionalism is on display all the way through this film that depicts the amazing efforts of true life heroes, soldiers and yes WARRIORS. The battle scenes are intense as well as captivating. They illicit true fear and emotion. Hemsworth and the cast do a great job. My only quibble comes from how the story was told. It's very procedural in its delivery. I wanted to learn more about these men as people and wanted to feel the rage of the era. Meaning, I wanted to feel/remember how the country was angry over the cowardly attacks of 9/11 and how everyone was willing to sacrifice anything to combat the dastardly attack and to make those responsible pay. I can't say the movie does a good job in either of those efforts. More set up was in order and more development of depth was needed to do these remarkable men justice. Yet, it's great to see this actual story receiving attention and the heroes being portrayed as such.

Molly's Game (2017)

Chastain save the day!

[11 January 2018]

Molly's Game- What starts out as a dry story about what appears to be a rather unlikable braggart turns out to be something more by the end of the film. I love money and I like poker but piecing it all together with repetitive narration frankly would have lost me as a viewer had it not been for Jessica Chastain. She eats up the screen and, not to go all "Wolf of Wall Street," but jargon and supposition goes down so much better looking at an amazing woman with spectacular cleavage. The final act and character arc really saves the movie. There are signs that things have been whitewashed and that Molly may not have been the noble soul that hits the screen yet it an intriguing tale and worth the watch.

Star Wars: Episode VIII - The Last Jedi (2017)

HUGE Misfire with Luke but the rest of the story was smart

[15 December 2017]

So many conflicting thoughts when trying to fully review what hits the screen. Did expectations play too large a part or were certain events really as anti-climatic as they feel??? While heady and interesting, there was a lack of emotional connection overall. At key times, in what should have been big plot turns things felt a bit hallow. Not to say it was all unfulfilling but a lot simply didn't pay off with as much impact as the characters deserved. (Luke's fate being chief among them) Overall, Luke's arc finished with him appearing to be a whinny crybaby and his actions since Kylo's defection seemed overblown and snivel-like in nature. Taking little of what Obi-Wan and Yoda taught him and ignoring lessons learned from the original trilogy. I simply didn't like how Luke was written in this film.

What I did love was that there were many plot angles that didn't go in the direction they were appearing to go. Cliches were broken quite a bit and I found that to be refreshingly smart. Heroes weren't always heroes and were actually wrong on multiple occasions. Like established in Force Awakens, this trilogy is mostly Rey's arc and that was the primary focus. Yet, there is a credibility issue when everything she is accomplishing comes with no training or teaching. She is a "superwoman" and is nearly infallible simply because she's a self made "tough chick". Maybe too much "SJW-ism" at play? With all the big gun characters used up from the original trilogy, it'll be interesting if not a bit disconcerting where they go from here. It honestly doesn't feel like the torch as been passed properly. The new generation doesn't connect with me on a passionate level. They are "OK" and is that enough going forward?

Wonder Woman (2017)

Thank You Marvel! Wonder Woman Copies Better Movies

[6 June 2017]

One thing that pure DC fans should be doing at this point is getting down on their kneed and thanking God that the WB finally learned their lesson and started flat out copying Marvel beat for beat. Without blatantly ripping off Captain America: The First Avenger and Thor (Thor: The Dark World) this Wonder Woman movie would be nothing. Without "borrowing" every element and "Marvelizing" the character, I'm betting all we'd have is another music video/Zack Snyder candy fart of a movie. So, instead of stoking the rivalry, DC fans should just say THANK YOU and move on. (Hoping that Justice League as copied Avengers) Overall, a pretty good movie BECAUSE the copied the MCU formula.

BTW- Gal Gadot is awesome. Casting also saved this effort. She's got ravishingly good looks, the perfect physique and a pure innocent charm and confidence the character needed and that the camera eats up.

The Martian (2015)

Castaway on Mars - very well done

[2 October 2015]

This movie is pretty much exactly as advertised and in this case that's a good thing. It truly is "Castaway on Mars" with the same emotional attachment but with a lot of science thrown in. The cast really delivered. The first act is quite slowly paced and comes across like watching someone solve a procedural math equation. Had the entire film been like that, it would have been a dull one note film. Instead, introducing strife and communications really added perfect texture to the film. I loved the brief religious references and the ending message. Keep working the problem diligently and when it's time you get to go home.

As with the movie Castaway, a deep concept and a wonder life lesson and message.

Kick-Ass 2 (2013)

Sad To Say, Not A Good Film At All

[16 August 2013]

The novelty and certainly the originality of the first film has indeed worn off. What's left is to pick up where the first film left off. Like the end of the first movie, this franchise still doesn't know what it wants to be. I have a feeling it's no longer a franchise. They even ended the film as if to say that we will see no more of this strange and shallow universe. The tone was messy and all over the place. One minute it's violent and the next minute it's trying to comment on teenage clichés. The movie doesn't thrill or entertain yet you want to see how it all plays out. Still, I consider this a rather poor effort. For all the hype, Jim Carrey's role was very brief. I think he was in three scenes total.

The Wolverine (2013)

GREAT FILM that delivers an austere, intense vibe!

[29 July 2013]

Mangold has nailed the character and the action, and Hugh Jackman brought the character to the next level like he deserved to do. He is finally part of a Wolverine movie that truly showcases the true character and the true coolness of that character. The Wolverine has a more subdued tone than any of Logan's past screen appearances. They did reflect on the books as Logan is grim and silent throughout the entire first half of Act One. The austere, intense vibe of the piece is reminiscent of the solemnity of the 1980s Chris Claremont/Frank Miller comic book storyline upon which the film is based. It's not a direct adaptation of course but it's very true to that classic storyline and tone.

What is it with great comic book movies and train scenes? Spider-Man 2 delivered an all-time comic book movie highlight and now The Wolverine may have done it one better! The entire movie is awesome but the train sequence may be the highlight of the year. Logan takes on a number of Yakuza inside a Japanese train car and, because of a plot turn, he's VERY vulnerable. With his life on the line, It's full on berserker rage that we all wanted to see! This is a perfectly realistic and wonderfully choreographed fight and the best gritty action in any X-realted film to date by far. They play with the claustrophobic space of the train car and that adds another unique element. When the action shifts to on top of the train car, it's as good if not better than what we saw in Spider-Man 2. I say better because the entire fight demands Logan use some thought in how he'll attack; it's not just slash, hack, slash. At super high speeds, it becomes a game of chess with the deadly Yakuza. As with the rest of the film, here the film delivers some excellent and fitting humor that never breaks the tension but is perfect and adds to the enjoyment. This is a terrific action scene and one terrific movie.

Iron Man Three (2013)

GREAT balance GREAT movie, it gets everything right!

[21 April 2013]

Iron Man 3 is BEYOND a typical summer movie. It's everything an entertaining movie should be, and much, much more. There's a serious subtext to the story and it leaps out of the very first moments of the film. The brilliant, hard-drinking, fast-talking, now traumatized superhero charms from opening scene until the last.

The movie gets everything right but maybe its number one strength is the fact that they cover new and exciting ground. Downey again brings a winning personality to play as Stark; he finds his pathos, too. Don Cheadle certainly has the acting chops to hang with Downey. Ben Kingsley's Mandarin is not what he seems and wonderful. No one, not even the villains are one dimensional characters. Guy Pearce is perfect in his role and, at the end, you can see why he was cast. Gwyneth Paltrow and Rebecca Hall certainly add sex appeal but beyond that they also deliver real performances and truly deep characters. This is Pepper Potts best film by far and is every bit the perfect match for Stark. The interaction and the relationships all work well and are truly a highlight of the entire movie. All the dialog is superb. You would expect nothing less from a Shane Black film. This ranks right up there if not surpasses Lethal Weapon and Kiss Kiss Bang Bang.

A lot of superhero comic book movies seem to share a problem in tone. Most films try to cope with wild concepts by emphasizing darkness, even over-emphasizing it. IM3 is somewhat dark but keeps in line with the wonderful tone already established for this character and universe. Again, this movie's creators mix everything so well. It leans towards dark but touches heavily on every other tone and emotion. Maybe it's the character or maybe it's because they had Downey's talents to play with but Downey's performance leads to more clever banter and genuinely real dialog than most other movies have ever delivered, regardless of genre. So much of the humor works because of this and all the dramatic beats really click. Downey's Stark is glib as ever but there's something bubbling under the surface that we haven't seen before. He never loses his likability and grows in to something more than what we've seen. That's true character turn and development in a summer film!!!! What's also rare for any popcorn movie is that every plot turn carries real emotional weight. This is what you get when you mix great acting talent with outstanding material. They make it shine and give you a remarkable summer movie. In terms of action, what we came to expect in Avengers is delivered here as well. Iron Man kicks butt again and again, he's not alone. The CG is perfect and the action is intense and very well done. That's no shocker.

What was a pleasant surprise was that Iron Man 3 is now officially in the running for best movie of the year, again regardless of genre.

Gothika (2003)

Absurd But Kind Of Interesting

[21 April 2013]

BIG SPOILERS: "Gothika" is a very strange movie to say the least. The supernatural plot itself seemed awfully convenient and even contrived when it needed to be. Why didn't the ghost just haunt and possess the rapist and have him kill Halle's husband and then kill himself? Why drag Halle into this? Raping and killing since they were 15 years old? How did this tubby Psycho land a beautiful and intelligent psychologist like Halle as a wife? Why didn't Penelope's character just tell her who the rapist was? Why all the cryptic games if the rapist was real and not a ghost? Why did the ghost of the dead victim cut up and beat the crap out of Halle if she wanted her help? The answer to all these questions is… because they had to in order to fit the plot. I hate movies that unfold in this manner. You can almost physically see where the screenwriter had good ideas but struggled to connect them into a coherent story. Instead of a complete and an intelligent story, we have to watch the adaptation of a sloppy script and are forced to put up with inconsistencies as the movie plays connect the dots. Still, Halle gives a good performance and, despite the absurdity, I found myself caught up in the movie. So, one star for each of those factors but nothing more.

No Country for Old Men (2007)

Offensively BAD

[21 November 2007]

I really really hate this film and I'm flabbergasted at the amount of alleged love for it. I still refuse to believe that some of these positive reviews here are legitimate. Still, maybe my expectations were skewed going in to it. I was expecting a "Walking Tall" meets "Fargo" movie, a quirky and intense tough guy crime drama that would leave me satisfied. This movie and especially its resolution are the least satisfying in recent memory.

I've read the elitist argument about deeper themes and beautiful cinematography but without a story to pull it all together, who cares? To me, a movie is primarily about character and story. Even great performances and direction can't save a bad concept or story. This story is ugly on paper and it's despicable on screen. Some of the spoilers have been disgusted here so, there's no need to rehash them. Needless to say, killing characters may haunt and disturb the viewer but it's cheap emotion that normal movie goers will resent. The piecemeal dialogue is also off putting. Every exchange seems to be a poor parody tribute to Pulp Fiction style of dialog. Tommy Lee Jones' character being the worst "witty" offender.

I guarantee you that word of mouth from average movie goers will be quite poor for this trash. The only good thing is that after, people will feel truly betrayed by the critical consensuses and praise for it. This will farther erode trust in opinions of the critics. Making critics even more useless is never a bad thing. When I see the TV commercials for Old Country and the quotes they use, I resent every word and every critic mentioned. After others waste time and effort with this movie, I won't be the only resentful one.

Terrible, terrible movie.

Superman Returns (2006)

A Cheesy Disappointment.

[28 June 2006]

The sense of disappointment most people felt watching Catwoman a while back is likely to deepen with this fifth installment in the Superman series, which now lands in theatres with a resounding artistic thud. After the fun and freshness of the original—which treated its fun, if rather silly, premise with a sort of tongue-in-cheek quality as well as considerable energy—this follow up proved far too bloated and self-important, suggesting that the writers/director took themselves much too seriously. Worse, they took that tongue-in-cheek original film too seriously. What's really sad is the fact that the movie borders on a parody of the original Superman without realizing it. DIRECT lines from the original movie are used. "Statistically, flying…" "You shouldn't smoke Miss Lane." "You know what my father said to me…Get out." This wasn't homage, it was a retread.

I guess you could live with the nostalgia if the cheese wasn't so very excessive AND it wasn't so very unoriginal AND most of the film wasn't so very dull. Everything screamed "cheesy comic book movie" right from the start. From the extremely fake CGI jumps of young Clark to the touch down of the plane inside of a baseball stadium to Lex's over-the-top ham job, it just reeked of cheese. I honestly can't name another film or even a remake that was this unoriginal. They didn't continue the story, they just rehashed it. All they did was replace nuclear warheads with stolen Krypotian crystals, switched out the bimbo eye candy with a conscience and added a love interest for Lois. During the rare action sequences, there was no sense of awe or danger. The scene that best illustrates this was the giant gun sequence. Forgetting the fact that there was no need for these criminals to erect a giant gun on the top of a building, what was the point? What hurts the character (and thus any director's efforts) is the fact that Superman is just too mighty. Watching high caliber bullets bounce off Superman is old hat. Watching a bullet bounce off his eyeball may be new but it creates an instant disconnect with the viewer. Ultimately, you have to wonder why Superman strains to lift half a yacht but can fling an island in to space with Kryptonite wedged in his side. The character is too uneven and this movie suffered for it.

Also, you have the ultimate Boy Scout wrestling with things that would qualify this movie as a chick flick. Honestly, besides a few flying sequences, where's the action and where's the drama? Superman Returns will probably make enough money to merit a sequel. I can only hope that they try to advance and humanize the character and for God sake hold the cheese in the next one.