Movie Review: Jackass: Best and Last

 

Michael's Movie Grade: B

Crude, juvenile, stupid and a heck of a lot of fun. 

The last film for these lovable overgrown frat boys is a mixture of footage from the previous movies as well as the TV show and new stunts filmed for this movie. These stunts both old and new appeal perfectly to the immature middle schoolers in all of us. Some of them are so crazy, we wonder how these guys could have possibly lived through the last 26 years. Others are full of pure gross out humor that works because these guys are so dedicated to the bits that it is hard not to get caught up in their immaturity. The best bits are often a delightful mixture of pure gross out comedy and dangerous stunts. There are also some practical jokes on others as they go out. I admit I find these less funny or entertaining than the dangerous or gross-out bits. However, the theater was laughing very hard along with these practical jokes, so I am in the minority there. 

However, what really makes this movie and this franchise as a whole work is the loveable people performing these stunts. Often times the banter between them is funnier than the stunts themselves. We have really grown to love and care about these guys over the course of these five movies and the TV series that began it all. It is almost sad to say goodbye to these people who have grown to feel like friends to us. They themselves actually get pretty emotional about this themselves. In-between the old clips and the new stunts are scenes with them reminiscing about the last 26 years. There is a real sweetness to these scenes where we see just how much these guys love and care about each other. One doesn't expect to feel touched watching a movie where a guy sits in a porta potty which is flung into the air by a giant slingshot and finds himself covered in crap, but here we are. It is hard for a movie where a good portion of it is simply a clip show to stand out. However, these scenes give it a bit of a unique feel. 

A strong ending to this franchise. 

     

Movie Review: Supergirl

 

Michael's Movie Grade: B+

An excellent superhero adventure. 

The film's story (based on Supergirl's comic book story, Woman of Tomorrow) may not offer anything particularly new or groundbreaking for the superhero genre. However, this does not stop the story from being very well told. The heart of this story rests heavily in the title character. In many ways she is very different from her cousin Superman. She is much more cynical and hides her pain behind a lot of partying and an outwardly apathetic demeanor. Yet none of this can hide that like her cousin, she is deep down a very good person. When it comes to doing the right thing, she can't help herself. It is hard not to love a character like this. Her outward demeanor makes her come off as very cool, while her good heart makes her easily to care about emotionally. The scenes dealing with her backstory are very well done. These emotionally effective scenes make us fully understand why this character is the way she is. Also endearing this character to us is Milly Alcock's fantastic performance (she brings a real charisma to this character) as well as her relationship with the young girl (played by Eve Ridley) she goes on this journey with. How Kara (Supergirl's real name) cares for this young girl really captures the heart of this character. She may get annoyed or exasperated with the young girl and even loses her temper at times. However, when push comes to shove Kara always has the girl's back. 

As well as a great lead character, this movie also features some very good comedy and action scenes. The comedy is often very funny, while (unlike some recent superhero movies) never distracting from the drama or the characters' arcs. This is because all of the humor flows naturally from the story and characters. Jason Momoa as Lobo gets many of the film's greatest laughs. The action scenes are fantastic. They are very exciting and well-paced. The use of rock music on the soundtrack is also a great asset as it perfectly fits the main character and the tone of the movie. 

What keeps this movie from getting a higher grade is the villain. This is a very bland, generic and forgettable villain with nothing to make him stand out from so many similar movie villains.

A delight for superhero fans.   

All-New Super Friends Hour: Rampage (1977)

 

This is the final segment of the final episode of The All-New Super Friends Hour, unlike most other Super Friends formats, this one had hour long episodes that were made up of various shorter cartoons. The first segment would be an adventure staring two members (or three in some cases as Batman and Robin would often team with another Super Friend) of the Super Friends. The second would be a morality play staring the Wonder Twins. The third would be a typical half hour Super Friends adventure. The fourth and last segment would feature one of the main Super Friends (or two in the case of Batman and Robin) teaming up with a special DC Comics guest. 

In this cartoon Superman and Green Lantern team up to save the day when a wild elephant is loose in India.  

This is a fun cartoon. Superman and Green Lantern have to save the day without harming the elephants making saving the day feel like a real challenge. The elephants have a great design, and the background art of India is very eye pleasing. The climatic action scene is done quite well. There is some of that very corny superhero dialogue that I love. While there may not be anything new here there is still enough to enjoy. 

Yoshi and the Mysterious Book (2026)

 

A delightfully charming video game. 

After having been around for decades, it is amazing that the Mario franchise can still do something new. Yet this new Yoshi spin-off game is something completely new. I have never played a platformer that has felt like this before. Rather than your typical straightforward platforming stages, this is a game that encourages you to explore these levels and the learn about the creatures in them. The premise is that you are helping an anthropomorphic encyclopedia learn all it can about various creatures in its pages. Each creature has its own stage and the point of each of these stages is to learn all you can about these creatures. As someone who simply loves exploring the world around him, a video game that encourages you to explore the video game world in the same way is automatically appealing to me. To simply move at your own pace as you move around this world creates a very charming and relaxing game to play. I found this game a perfect way to unwind after a workday myself. The game even lets you use your own creativity giving you the opportunity to name the creatures you meet. 

It of course helps that the world you explore is delightful. The artwork is fantastic and many of the environments and creatures are very creative and fun.   

With its often very easy difficulty, this game is heavily aimed at younger Nintendo players. I have no problem with this and feel this is a perfect game to make for kids. After all it is always a wonderful idea to encourage creativity, exploration and curiosity when making something aimed at kids. Heck even most grown-ups could use more of each of these. 

The only problem I have with this game is with the mixture of often very easy difficulty and its short length, you finish the game, before you know it. 

A delight for kids and kids at heart. 

Video Link: Disney's MOST REVISITED Fairy Tale - West of Neverland

 

Video Link: The BEST Order to Watch the Universal Monster Movies - Universally Me

 

Movie Review: Young Washington

 

Michael's Movie Grade: B+

An excellent historical biopic. 

Coming out of seeing this movie in the theater, I heard a couple having a conversation, where one party said that he wants to read and learn more about George Washington. Whatever flaws you might find with this movie, I cannot find a better recommendation than that. When a historical biopic makes you want to learn more about the actual historical figure than it does its job very well. 

To me the most appealing thing about this film is the story that it decides to tell. The story here takes place pre-revolutionary war and pre-presidency. This is just the type of story that I love to hear about famous historical figures. Today too many biopics simply tell the stories that we have heard many times. By focusing on a story about George Washington that much of the movie going audience has never heard of, this film feels fresher and more intriguing than most current biopics. It of course helps that the story is well told here. The casting is fantastic. There are some big-name stars in the cast including Andy Serkis, Ben Kingsly and Kelsey Grammer. However young William Franklyn-Miller steals the show from all of them in the title role. He is fantastic and charismatic here and you fully buy him as a great leader. The way the character is written is also excellent. This movie makes it hard not to root for and identify with him. The latter is not something that is often seen with depictions of George Washington, but it is something that is the very heart of this film. What we see here is not the larger-than-life historical figure but a man who learns from his mistakes and becomes a great leader because of them. This is much more important and emotionally resonate than simply showing him after he matured and become the man we hear about today. 

This movie does have too many moments that can simply come off as corny. This type of clichéd corniness feels out of place in a film that is supposed to be a depiction of real historical events. Much of the dialogue is sadly the same cliché corny dialogue that appears in too many biopics these days. This is especially bad in the scenes that acknowledge the racial inequalities and prejudices that sadly play a part in the history of an otherwise great nation. As much as I love my country, these should be acknowledged and addressed in any part of our history as ugly as they can be. However, the writing of these scenes is quite bad with too many forced lines of dialogue that simply take one out of the movie. 

Despite some poor dialogue, this movie is an excellent cinematic portrait of this major historical figure.