The Toad's Burrow

    I'm finally glad to have watched Supergirl , not in the sense that I was super excited to see this film, but I like most other people was inundated with so much discourse surrounded by this film while it was coming out, about how it's the worst film of all time, so many stupid, pointless culture war talking points and how it had one of the worst superhero needle drops of all time. And to that I say, some good points were made, but some of them were overblown, and while this is a very, very underwhelming film, I would say it's far from franchise-altering and I don't think the DCU needed Supergirl  to do super well, even if I wanted it to do that. Let's talk about it.     I never actually wrote about Woman of Tomorrow  though I was debating it so it'll be fun to talk about both that comic, how it compares to this film, and what I liked about each. I will say, for all the crap this film got about it's horrendous needle drop at the end, and I do mean horren...

    It has been five+ years since I've last watched this film. Admittedly, for a film with as much cultural impact as it had, I only found out about it/watched it because it was mentioned in a  MoistCr1TiKaL video (yes I am willing to admit that even I listened to Mr. Fencesitter when I was a teenager). It was during COVID though, and I remember being thoroughly confused about it. But now, with a repaired attention span, and just general knowledge of what was supposed to happen, I was hoping that my perspective on it would change significantly since it was showing in one of my local movie theaters. Let's talk about it.     Plot-wise, I will say Akira  is a little confusing. Like I really did not remember much from my first viewing, because watching it for a second time I can say I understood it a significant amount more. Whether it be all of the layers between the rebels or the strong political undertones. The sort of symbolism/relationships between all of ...

      I was pleasantly surprised by this film? Honestly, I left it quite impressed with the film, while also recognizing that there's at least a little level of uneasiness that it gave me. Not in the sense that it was bad, but I knew quite well going in that this film was simply going to have almost all of the "rough" edges sanded off, and even calling what are quite serious allegations involving children rough does make me feel a little icky. Even still, this film was oddly entertaining, especially as someone who was only six when Jackson died, and so has very little recollection of who he was as a person, or any of these larger than life anecdotes that seemed too ridiculous to be true. Let's talk about it.     This may sound like sacrilege, this may sound like an insult, but this is kind of a great film to watch with your phone out. I don't mean in the sense that I'm not paying attention while watching the film, but more in the sense of those "Director ...

      I have officially watched Citizen Kane . I'll admit, I've been holding off all month trying not to watch this movie. Not because I have anything against it in particular, but it was released in 1941. Like there's simply no other way to put it but after a certain threshold the likelihood of me enjoying a particular piece of media just drops dramatically. Like if you told me to listen to an album earlier than maybe 1960 I think it starts to get dicey and the odds of me enjoying it are just much lower than you'd like. In that sense I think I have a pretty clear line of demarcation when it comes to older films. Just technologically, pacing wise and especially sonically with the dialogue quality I tend to just simply not care about it at all. But this film managed to defy it all. Let's talk about it.     Now, I'm going to get ahead of everything and say I don't think this movie is some all-time great in my eyes. It's a fine enough film for my modern sta...

      Ok fine. I'll be the first to admit it. I had absolutely no faith in this movie being good. Like at all. When I first saw this trailer in theaters I thought it was ridiculous. Why would such a famous actor like Hugh Jackman attach his name and star in such a ridiculous premise. A whodunnit but the main characters are actually sheep? Like really? I think it was the CGI animals that threw me off. So often are movies with CGI animals slapped on it so bad these days. I was simply too wary. Yet, now I come out a changed man, I see the vision. My sister even cried during this film, I don't think I was moved that well, but for a relatively short and compact film for everyone, it's unsuspectingly good. Let's talk about it.     The humour was, actually good? Like surprisingly decent? It's so easy for those made for everyone films to simply start doing the same old-tired gags of like fart jokes or butt jokes. I am thankful to report that there is none of that. No jo...

    This movie, is so, so bad. It's shameful really. I kid you not when I say this is a very, very sad attempt at a rom-com. It's not complete garbage, there are bits and pieces here and there that make you perk your eyebrow up and go "huh?" But by and large, this movie is just so, so, so, painfully bad. I don't even want to spend that much disparaging it, because while yes there's a lot to go through, you do eventually have to ask yourself, is it worth the time? My sister asked me to watch this film, and honestly I think we both regret it deeply. I mean I already had an inkling it was going to be bad. We had actually seen the trailer for this film in theaters, and I swear they had to spend half of the trailer explaining the bizarre premise of this film. Let's talk about it.     One of the main issues with this film is it's simultaneously too short, and also too long at the same time. Too short in the sense that this film is only 1 hour and 45 minutes,...

      When I last reviewed The Devil Wears Prada , I gave it a positive review, but dismissed it as unworthy of being some movie that deserved to be remembered and given a sequel 20 years later. Now that I've watched the sequel, I feel largely the same. Honestly? They hit many of the same beats of it's predecessor, it's more glamorous, the budget is clearly higher, yet the plot is messier. It still has the exact same issues as it's predecessor. Nothing has changed, I still feel just about the same about this sequel, which is just that If I cared more about fashion I'd care more about this film, but ultimately it's just fine? Let's talk about it.     When I say this movie hits many of the same beats as the past one, I mean in the sense that it ultimately feels like it's just trying to recreate the same ingredients from the last film. Sort of like a modernization. It's been twenty years, and Andy is still a scrappy, journalist looking for stability. Li...

      I have come back to officially write a review for The Devil Wears Prada , fully intent on watching the sequel later this week with my sister. semi-intrigued to see what it has to offer. It's not that I think the original is a bad film or anything, rather I just found it a fine film, one that's a little more flash than substance, and a film I didn't particularly thought needed a sequel. The Devil Wears Prada  is fairly simple, it's clearly meant to be at least in some part a love letter to fashion, while on the other hand a pretty clear cautionary tale about the dangers about how this industry will eventually chew you up and continue to destroy you like a parasite or leech until you leave it. And it works, but with a watch a second time around, I just don't really understand how it's became so revered. Let's talk about it.     The Devil Wears Prada  revolves around Andy, a fresh journalism grad who just so happens to land a gig at the very prestig...

      Wow, just wow. That's all I have to say to this film. For context, I was under the impression that I'd be watching some bright, cheery little film about the power of family and the human spirit as they embark on a road trip. I literally only put this movie on a list because I saw someone put this movie on a list of "feel-good movies." I mean how can you blame me, it looks like one of those films, from the bright yellow bus, to the hopeful Sufjan Stevens it starts out with, you don't really expect this film to get weird, but it does. And I don't hate it for that, but by the end my mouth was just agape at the twists and turns it took to get there. I mean this movie is called Little Miss Sunshine, you'd think it'd be a little happier too. Let's talk about it.     Don't get me wrong, I don't think the film is bad, but it's just nothing like I expected. First of all, I should have known something was wrong with this film when the ratin...

      Not all 50's are created equal you know? This may come off as a bit of a weird intro but I left this movie not thinking it was particularly good in any sense, but it was impressing, considering how it was financed, and the fact that it starred and was written by a Youtuber. Like, this movie certainly did not blow me away, but it gave me enough hope that maybe if Markiplier ever released another project, maybe I'd consider going to see it. It's most certainly an interesting and ambitious undertaking creatively there's no way around that. Even if you didn't like the film you have to admire someone's first real foray into the movie industry being a solo film where you're largely by yourself on a single set acting your heart out for two hours. So let's talk about it.     On one hand, the most interesting part of this film was that it's filmed entirely in a single location, that being the "iron lung" so to speak. Markiplier does an admirab...

      I promise I am not becoming a Keke Palmer fan who will review all of her films, but what I will say is that I did in fact go to the theaters with my sister to watch another Keke Palmer film, and I enjoyed it. It's messy, it's flawed, and frankly it's a pretty confusing film, but it was funny. That comedy was sort of the main tentpole that held up the very large tent that is the film I Love Boosters , which tries to do so, so much, admirably so I might add. Yet I found myself leaving the film feeling as if it tried to do too much, it tried to fit so much under it's tent, and as a result it almost cheapened the true message, the beauty that was meant to be at the center of it all. Let's talk about it.     I knew about this film when it came out, partially because of a fun movie auction activity I had done with friends, but I in fact did receive some minor promo of this film. Mainly someone posting a GIF from this movie, and a reddit post apparently from dire...

    Certainly a film of all time. That's not to just say I thought The Drama  was bad or anything. In fact, I knew about the big twist prior to watching this film (thanks Twitter) yet still came away pretty pleased with how they handled the premise. If you (thankfully) haven't been spoiled yet, the big reveal is that Emma (Zendaya's character), planned and almost executed a school shooting. The semantics of it all are frankly just there to make you feel better about whatever judgement or choice you've made on her character. I will say that the film does really make you think about this moral quandary, and tests the limit of the idea that everyone gets a second chance. So let's talk about it.     I do think that this film is best enjoyed with other people around you. No offense to those who prefer to watch movies alone, but this is pretty clearly one of those movies meant to challenge your current paradigm on morality, and see if it needs to, or wants to shift. T...

      It has been nearly six years since I first watched Another Round . I remember seeing the trailer as a high-schooler who had very limited interactions with alcohol, thinking the premise was novel, but not really coming in with any sort of experience with the subject matter. Of course I had some preconceived notions surrounding the subject matter, mainly that I wasn't particularly interested in it because alcohol didn't taste good, and that it had a tendency to bring out some negative tendencies in some people. Of course now, I'm not saying I'm a regular drinker, far from it, but my stance on drinking has changed pretty substantially, and I think I understand the film better now. I do appreciate that it basically took the concept of alcohol as this social lubricant to it's (very apparent) maximum. So let's talk about it.     Perhaps when I'm 40 I'll be able to revisit this film once again, and think about how boring I've become, because this film...

      Yes, I know. Why am I actually following through with my commitment to watching all of The Hangover  movies? I don't know, but sadly I am quite underwhelmed to say the least. This movie clearly understands at least a little bit what made the first one decent, if dated. It knows that it was fun the last time around to go backtracking around this city, finding out about all of these crazy, stupid they did the night before. Except this time, they're in Bangkok, and oooh it's so much more exotic. Except it's just all so much more contrived, and the end result is you laugh less, and then basically everything problematic about it just kind of screams in your face. Let's talk about it.     This film is trying to replicate a formula without putting in the work or dedication to what made it possible for viewers to feel even a little invested in the film. This time around it isn't Doug who is lost and potentially in danger, it's Teddy. And if you're like me ...

    I come into this review as someone who read Old Man Logan  which this movie is very, very loosely based on, having already watched this film once, and not being a particularly big fan of the Fox X-Men movies (not in the sense that I disliked them, just that I haven't watched them). Yet I have to admit, this is probably one of the best superhero movies out there, especially in the 21st century. Yes, it no doubt has it's flaws, I certainly have a couple of gripes with this film, but for the most part it's quite refreshing compared to the other superhero movies. It can try a little hard at times, but in my eyes that's better than not trying enough. Logan really does have some grit, and some emotional weight to it, which can sometimes be hard to come by in a superhero film, so let's talk about it.     I'll get my criticisms out of the way first, like I usually do, because I don't think I have many about this film, and once you realize the "magnitude...

      The Hangover is actually good? I can't believe I'm saying this. I mean I literally only remember this movie from seeing the trailers as a kid and being excited at the prospect of the fact that it showed boobies on my screen. I wish I was kidding but I was also just a young child looking at trailers on YouTube. So going into this movie I just had very little faith in it. Whether it be them immediately starting out with a slur, or the dated music (even if I thought Can't Tell Me Nothing by Kanye West did indeed fit quite well), I just had little faith this movie would have stood the test of time. But it did, and by the end I was even tempted to watch The Hangover Part II right after. So let's talk about it.     I think what stood out to me the most was the casting somehow? I mean the three main characters, Alan, Stu and Phil were such clear caricatures, but they worked? And by the end I oddly felt that their chemistry was quite enjoyable. Like on one hand, y...

    Look, the nicest way for me to put it was that I was quite skeptical of this film. While it's rating on Letterboxd was high, and it seemed to have high praise. I was largely going to watch this film simply because my sister asked me to come along with her, to which I happily obliged because unlike Dr. Ryland Grace (is his real name actually Ryland no one ever says it), I have immediately family and loved ones that I do not need to learn how to love. I mean just this morning I had seen Andy Weir come out with a statement that there is absolutely, positively nothing political in his work. Even though the movie does mention that part of the reason Dr. Grace needs to find a solution is that the human race will almost certainly not work together to ration enough food to "only" allow a quarter of the population to die in 30 years. And also, I did see quite a few people call it Marvel-slop, the runtime gave me pause for concern, and some others called it hope-slop. I am happ...