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We’ve Got Directors For Our Batmen!

Ben Affleck’s troubled “The Batman” has found a director, Matt Reeves.  Reeves is known for the new Planet of the Apes films as well as the Cloverfield  movies.  He also co-created the TV series Felicity, though I am guessing that is not what got him the job.  Reeves will take over directing duty as well as producing the film, and he will co-write the script with Affleck.  Reeves is a talented director, so this is good news.

Meanwhile Warner Brothers was so impressed with Lego Batman, that they are offering the director of that movie, Chis McKay, the job of bringing to life Batman’s most well known ward Dick Grayson.  Grayson was the original Robin who struck out on his own to become Nightwing.  Making a Nightwing movie makes sense because if Affleck decides to stop being Batman, Nightwing is more than up to the task of filling his role in the Justice League.

Hopefully with these talented directors on board the Bat-Family will once again be on the top of the Superhero scene.  If not, there are plenty of Bat-Family members left to choose from.

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For Honor Seems Like A Good Game For Other People…

For Honor recently came out, but before that I played around with the open beta, and I decided that it wasn’t for me.  That is not to say it isn’t good, because it seems like it is, it is just for other people.  For Honor is a mix of a fighting game and an action game with a focus on 2v1 combat.  It is an interesting concept, but the way the controls work along with the counter/block/attack system means that you will have to put a lot of time in to get good and stay good.  That is a problem for me.  I barely have time to play games I like, let alone devote myself to being okay at a Dark Souls/Soulcaliber mashup.

All that being the case, I’m happy Ubisoft made this game.  It is different, and games that are different need to be made to keep pushing the industry forward.  All games are based on other games, so if someone sees what For Honor is doing and tweaks it a little, there may be a game for me down the line, and to be fair For Honor borrowed more than a little from other games like Chivalry.  If you are out there looking for a game where you can show your skill and ability, For Honor just might be for you, and I hope you enjoy it.  Though you will not see me playing it any time soon.

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I Finished Trollhunters, And It Does Get Better!

In my earlier review I had started Trollhunters and after I got about halfway through it I was not sure it was right for me.  I pushed through after some urging from my friends and family, and I am happy to report that the second half does get much better.  The ending is particularly strong.  It is still not my favorite show out there, but I am now looking forward to the upcoming second season which will still feature Anton Yelchin’s voice.

I think if I was in the target demo for this show I would like it even more than I do, but as it is now, it is a fun show.  The first season has some filler episodes to get the count up to 26, but the second season will only have 13, so maybe that will help it out.  Plus the cliff hanger at the end of season one was pretty major, so it should be pretty fast paced.  Netflix continues to add to its great collection of shows.

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Shmee Takes A Trip To La La Land!

A musical about people trying to make it big in show business is not a new idea, but one more grounded in reality, showing how hard it can be, is.  Live action musicals are a rarity these days.  We get one a year, if we are lucky, to go with the random western to keep their respective genres alive, and much like modern westerns, musicals only succeed if they find new ground to cover, so it was smart of Damien Chazelle to put a fresh twist on the ‘making it big’ theme for La La Land.

Mia (Emma Stone) and Sebastian (Ryan Gosling) keep running in to each other as they chase their dreams around Los Angeles.  Mia wants to be an actress but keeps getting turned down at auditions, and Sebastian wants to open a Jazz club but is struggling to find people who are even interested in Jazz let alone want to open a club with him.  While they don’t hit it off at first, they soon end up in whirlwind romance.

It is easy to be slightly ambivalent to the plight of attractive people in L.A., but the story is engaging, and the music is good.  The fact that neither of the leads are singers or dancers helps this movie keep its more grounded feel.  You will want them to succeed in the end, and not just professionally, but personally as well.  Gosling and Stone are what make this film.  Their performances keep this film going.  They play it just right.  They are never too defeated, and they are never too overly optimistic.  They are determined people going about their work and falling in love.

The music is wonderful.  Much like Jazz, the film does a good job of changing the theme song City of Stars every time you hear it to fit the mood of the scene it is in, and all the other songs are very good too.  Without good music it is hard to have a good musical, so the song writing department definitely held up their end of the production.

La La Land is a good movie, and in an era that is starved for good musicals, that is enough to make it successful and easy to recommend.  I don’t know if it would be my pick for the Best Picture Oscar, but still worth seeing.  Between La La Land and Whiplash, Damien Chazelle is making quite the name for himself.

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Shmee Checks Out Capter 2 Of John Wick!

Following the success of John Wick, it was not surprising that Summit Entertainment quickly followed it up with a sequel, the aptly titled John Wick: Chapter 2.  If you were not a fan of John Wick‘s slickly choreographed over the top violence, there is nothing for you in John Wick: Chapter 2, but if you loved it, like you should, John Wick: Chapter 2 offers more of everything the first movie had.

There is no point talking about the plot.  If you have seen the first one, John Wick: Chapter 2 picks up directly after it.  Pretty much since he killed people in John Wick 1, he will have to kill even more people in John Wick: Chapter 2.  We learn a little more about the crazy world that John Wick takes place in, but this movie is all about the action scenes, and they are glorious.

John Wick 1 is known for its amazing nightclub shootout, and that is about it.  I mean in the end of the first movie, John Wick has a long fist fight with a senior citizen, but that nightclub shootout was amazing.  John Wick: Chapter 2 however, will be known for several sequences.  It is amazing what a little extra cash will do, and just like John Wick 1, the camera doesn’t cut away and it holds steady, so you can take it all in.  The John Wick franchise is setting the bar for every other action movie that comes after it.

This is the signature role that we have been waiting for Keanu Reeves to have.  We knew he had great action chops, but he kept starring in bad movie after bad movie, but the John Wick series is perfect for him.  He gets to be the stoic hardened action hero he was meant to play.  If he is never in another movie ever again, he will be remembered fondly for his John Wick movies.

If you love action movies, or even just like them, do yourself a favor and watch John Wick: Chapter 2.  If you haven’t seen John Wick 1, see that first, but then quickly watch John Wick: Chapter 2.  I had a blast watching this movie, and I think you will too!