Venom (watched October 9, 2018)

This was easily in the top two of my most anticipated film releases of 2018. I was never an avid reader of the Marvel Universe’s comic book line; but, I often perused my older brother’s collection; and, I watched the X-Men cartoon series EVERY CHANCE I got. The notion of a generally good person being driven to shed his/her insecurities and instead tap into his/her darker, more selfish side instantly called to me as a result of my own experiences with bullying. (But, that’s a story for another day... and forum.) I also admit to being a HUGE fan of Tom Hardy’s and Michelle Williams’; so, when I found out that they would make up the film’s core protagonist couple I was absolutely beside myself with excitement.

That said, Venom started out on rocky footing for me. Firstly, Williams (in her role as Anne Weying) still looks like the new girl in town from Dawson’s Creek, lacking that bit of edginess that I usually ascribe to litigators. And seeing Hardy play the role of quiet activist by way of concerned news reporter (Eddie Brock) who takes issue with a lot of the city’s socio-political problems but not enough to do anything more than publish some news articles/interviews is a pill that’s hard to swallow. Hardy just does NOT LOOK LIKE an innocent, nerdy news reporter (ala Riz Ahmed’s own character in another great film by the name of "Nightcrawler" that is about news reporting and a great watch in and of itself). The character of Eddie takes issue with corruption in a manner that Tom Hardy looks like he would take to another level; but, for whatever reason, has not done so up until this point. It turns out, my incredulity fed right into the film's development. It takes the mutating parasite known as Venom to give Eddie that slight push towards more physical activism (not all too different from the “madness” that is constantly driving the Joker). We even get a rather entertaining and all too fleeting a glance at how Venom reacts with Anne. Once Brock begins to give into Venom's will, the film shoots STRAIGHT FOR THE MOON.

The venomous voice that emanates from Brock's infected persona lends itself to SEVERAL moments where the audience is literally laughing out loud; and, the eventual initial CGI reveal of Venom himself was so perfect for me because it is downright the COOLEST CGI iteration of a Marvel hero I have ever seen and STILL saves enough to have the audience BEGGING for more. The action/fight scenes are literally scattered with “holy shit” moments and there are two other “venomous” mini-storylines that make it so that Brock and his own inner battle with Venom is not the only such struggle occurring throughout the film. When Brock’s fully developed Venom is finally brought to life and unleashed, it is such a satisfying moment. The film actually pushes 2 and a half hours; but, it moves along well. Moreover, the post-credits scene, of which there is only one, literally left me and I know several others in the theatre absolutely ITCHING for the sequel. The stage has officially been set for Venom’s pairing with Spider-Man, who is certainly one of, if not, the most famous and beloved Marvel character.

All of this makes it a film you should watch AS SOON AS POSSIBLE, preferably in theaters. Venom gets 4 out of 5 reps from me, as it easily makes up for its somewhat slow beginning and sets us all up for what I hope is a number of sequels.

Did this film have enough bite for your liking?

Bad Times at the El Royale (watched October 11, 2018)

I went into this viewing with enough hype that I was expecting to have a good time. And, all in all- Bad Times at the El Royale is just that: a fun time to be had- especially if you invest more in its characters than its plot. The film wasted no time in grabbing my attention with a rather grandiose, multi-character introduction that, naturally, John Ham’s character Seymour Sullivan seems completely in the driver’s seat of. From there, the movie oscillates quite a bit from what some will experience as overly drawn-out background dialogues and the more captivating visual depictions thereof. Whenever I felt the plot get overly scattered or slowly developing, I anxiously and excitedly welcomed the jolt of action that inevitably followed.

Easily one of the more satisfying re-occurrences is the beautiful intermittent singing of Darlene Sweet (played by Cynthia Erivo), which the director, thankfully, orchestrates a number of times. The director also takes one cinematographic risk in particular that I believes pays big dividends from the audience's standpoint, which, for me, goes a long way to combat the more stagnant parts of the film. Each character is paid close and individual attention to throughout different parts of the movie; and, while the manner in which their paths come to overlap seems a bit contrived at times, I admit that the ending did a well enough job for me to overlook said instances. The movie is a FULL 2 hours and 21 minutes; so, for those of you with weak bladders and/or an affinity for sipping on something while you’re watching a movie, expect to need a bathroom break or two. And, for that reason, I can see how some people might and in certain instances probably should avoid seeing this movie in theatre.

I am of the mindset that Bad Times at the El Royale is a film you definitely should watch sooner rather than later, albeit, probably under whatever circumstances you would be best able to really focus and invest your time in the rather involved plot development. Bad Times at the El Royale gets 4 reps out of 5 from this guy!

How was your stay at the El Royale?

What's there to see?

Just check with E. Before deciding to cough up the time and/or money it takes to watch a feature-length film, have you ever wished you had a little more to go off of than the "synopsis" provided, but also a little less than the spoilers-filled "review" you inevitably get directed to by your google search? Well, you're in luck. I just became your favorite movie blogger to read when deciding what movies may or may not be worth your precious time (and pennies).

I am the self-proclaimed movie king. Hailing from and raised in Queens, New York, I was always an avid fan of horror/suspense/thriller movies and comedies (which I quickly learned often times included its fair share of "romantic comedies" and "chick flicks"). Having then spent my formative years in a multi-cultured educational setting (albeit within the parameters of central New Jersey), the scope of movie genres I watched inevitably grew to encompass documentaries, musicals and action films as well. But, a seemingly innate aversion of sci-fi movies stuck with me from childhood until years after graduating from college. In 2015, I could no longer escape the "Star Wars" craze and in order to be fully prepared to watch "Episode VII: The Force Awakens," I watched the original six movies in the order that they were released. Sci-fi movies are now firmly within the scope of films I watch; and, although I still have a number of classics to catch-up on (such as Independence Day), I now catch almost every theatrical release that comes out.

If I'm not at work or at the gym, chances are I'm hitting the pen while picking up some movie snacks and heading to my next movie viewing. I'm a very active member of AMC's A-List; and, I am often participating in a number of very early movie screenings thanks to some subscriptions and friends that I have in the right places. In mid-October, I decided I would start jotting down some post-viewing thoughts I had in order to best discuss a recent movie release with friends of mine who are always checking in with me to see what I thought about a particular film. But, why should my friends be the only ones who can check in with me? They shouldn't be.

That said, I started this blog to share my movie thoughts with ALL OF YOU. However, this blog, as I previously stated, is meant to function as a meeting of the minds that you can visit for a look into films that are either in theaters or were in theaters very recently- WITHOUT THE FEAR OF SPOILERS. I will convey what my favorite and least favorite themes/decisions/chances that a film took are in order to provide you with a closer look into what it is about without ruining any of the interesting plot twists or developments. I will also let you know how long a film actually is and how long it feels, while suggesting where I feel the best place to watch it is and under what timeline to best do so. Being that lifting 225 pounds on the flat bench press for five reps will always be a barometer for my own strength, I will rank each film from 0 to 5 reps- 5 reps being given to a film that I, MYSELF, felt was completely entertaining and captivating from beginning to end. While a film receiving 0 reps means I probably walked out of the theater, something I ever only did in junior high school after a futile attempt at watching the first film in the "Lord of the Rings" series. Please note that these ratings are more for you, as a reader, to get to know my personal likes and dislikes as it comes to movies. My rating should in no way be the deciding factor in whether or not you watch a film that I have watched. This is here for you to get a glimpse into the inner workings of a film and make your own decision as far as whether or not to watch a film based on that, as opposed to based on how satisfied I, personally, was with a film.

Please feel free and encouraged to leave your own opinions, comments, questions and any other insight that is in line with spreading positive movie viewing experiences. Good vibes ONLY. Enjoy, everyone!