The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent

 

Nicolas Cage is back, not that he went anywhere, in the new film The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent.  I don’t feel I can say much about this one without spoiling the fun, so I’ll keep it short and sweet.

The more familiar you are with Cage’s work specifically and pop culture in general, the more over-the-top and joyful the ride.  Not as familiar or a big fan?  No worries, you’re still in for a treat.  TUWoMT  Is laugh-out-loud funny. Downright ridiculous at times. Sweet and endearing. Highly entertaining. Watching Cage do “his thang” in this one is a joy to behold.   

Not for nothing having Pedro Pascal in the mix kicks things up a level.  Pascal is more than capable of going toe to toe with Cage, more than holds his own in every scene and the two of them together create the dynamic duo that I didn’t know I needed and left me wanting more. Their chemistry is fire.

Tiffany Haddish, Ike Barinholtz, and Neil Patrick Harris make notable appearances but it’s Cage/Pascal that drive this one all the way.  As such, the beginning of the movie is a little slow but once Pascal enters the picture the story hits the gas and doesn’t let up.

The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent is one of those films that I enjoyed from the jump but will no doubt enjoy even more the longer I sit with it (and with repeated viewings).

The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent is a solid 8.

Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore

After three and a half years, behind the scenes drama and controversy, recasting and speculation the Wizarding World returns to the big screen in the third installment of the Fantastic Beasts franchise. As a self-proclaimed Potterhead I scored my ticket first day of sell and jumped at the chance to see this one early. 

I’ll make this one short.

Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore contains all the high production value to be expected of these films.  The CGI, costumes, set decorations, cinematography, SFX work all stunning.  The films’ score soars and contains all the nostalgia of the original films.  Solid performances from favorite actors/characters as well as new ones. Locales return and connect the stories, and the setups from the first two films are resolved.  

Great, right?  Uh, not quite.

FBSoD is one of those odd films that on paper and at first blush should be thoroughly engaging, entertaining, and forgive the pun, a magical 2-hour 22-minute epic ride.   However, sadly I found that not to be the case.  With so many things going for it FBSoD somehow fails to deliver a movie worthy of the sum of its parts.  

All the elements are there, yet I found the film boring and far from exciting to the point of nearly drifting off a few times.  I got fidgety waiting for the film to kick into high gear and it never did.

There are bits and pieces that pay/play well but the gaps between are noticeable.  The overall narrative is messy and jumbled, needing more laser focus.  The film feels less like a fantastical wizarding adventure and more like a political wizarding campaign.

Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore is like one of those meals you have at a restaurant that looks amazing, sates your hunger, yet leaves you far from satisfied.  

Definitely needs more oregano.

While not the film I wished for or that we deserve, Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore still has its charm and definitely builds upon our knowledge of the Wizarding World.  Overall, it’s not great, but it’s far from a failure either.  

Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore gets a 5. 

Sonic the Hedgehog 2

 

Admittedly Sonic the Hedgehog 2 is a bit of an outlier for me given my non-gamer status.  Yes, I have a vague awareness of the game/character but that’s about it.  So, why did I feel a need to go to the theater to see this film?  

When 2020's original Sonic the Hedgehog was being promoted, I did some major eye rolling to outright scoffing on why it was being made as well as why folks were up in arms about the character’s original first look.  The movie dropped, people seemed to like it, but pfft, whatever.  Then a couple months back I had one of those nights when I was looking for something to watch and just wasn’t in the mood for anything I already had in various queues.  Completely dissatisfied with my options when I ran across StH and possessing zero knowledge of what was in store, I decided what the heck and watched the “stupid looking movie”.  Yep, I was drawn in, surprisingly, and thoroughly entertained by the film and was left wanting more.  Hence my interest in seeing the sequel on the big screen this time around.

First, I enjoyed the heck out of this film.  It’s 2 hours and 2 minutes of pure fun, heart, and entertainment.  The soundtrack alone is enough to make you happy (yep, seat dancing alert).  But, that’s not even the best part.  Sonic the Hedgehog 2 is bigger, louder, sillier, more heartwarming, and more engaging than the original.  A gem of a sequel that does the rare trick of giving you all the things you loved in the original, expands and improves on them and delivers an even better movie going experience.

With that being said, the second thing you need to know, S2 picks up right where the first film ends and continues the story, so you really need to see the first movie to have a clue on what’s going on.

Third, the return of all the key cast members is a delight and really grounds the continuation of the story.  Natasha Rothwell’s Rachel slays me once again, hard.  And Lee Majdoub’s sycophant Agent Stone best brown noser ever.  Of course, Jim Carrey’s over-the-top Robotnik is a blast. James Marsden’s Tom and Tika Sumpter’s Maddie are as adorable, loving, patient, and understanding as ever. Shout out to Shemar Moore cause damn, it's Shemar Moore.

While the humans are great, S2 places the spotlight squarely on the CGI game characters this go round.  Sonic is still Sonic. New cast/characters of Knuckles (Idris Elba) and Tails (Colleen O’Shaughnessey) are a great addition and kick things up a notch or two in this adventurous, goofy tale of friendship, family fleshing the story out and going deeper and a bit darker. 

Sonic the Hedgehog 2 is action packed fun and entertainment from start to finish.  If the audience I saw it with is any indication it slaps hard with kids and adults, gamers and non-gamers alike.  A family film that the entire family will actually enjoy.  And why not enjoy it on the big screen? Definitely worth a trip to the theater.  As always, a warning, don’t bolt right away and miss the credit scene, it had kids literally screaming with excitement. Definitely a film to watch again and again.

I’ve gotta give Sonic the Hedgehog 2 props.  

It’s a 9.5 from this non-gamer. 

  

Morbius

After countless delays and pushed back premiere dates, Morbius has finally hit the big screen, sadly without much interest or fanfare.  Even worse, without many favorable reviews from critics.  I was having second thoughts about going, but I had purchased my ticket a few weeks back.  After all, for me an opportunity to take in a new Marvel film in the theater isn’t something to bypass lightly.  Not really knowing what I was in for, I grabbed my movie bag and venture to my favorite theater to see what’s what.

Other than the few trailers I’d seen beforehand, I went into Morbius cold, never having read any of the comics and being completely unfamiliar with the character. I can’t say anything about how the film holds up to “canon” as a result.  I can say that Morbius the film is a straight up origins film and for my time and money a fairly solid one at that.  I’ve definitely seen much worse.

While there’s no deep dive into the character of Michael Morbius but we’re given enough info (though some of it’s vague) as to who he is, his motivations, and the type of person he is to make the film work.  Morbius is heavily CGI, most of it well executed and effective, there is some overuse as well that becomes campy, but again nothing that’s a detriment to the overall film viewing experience.  The same holds true with the prosthetics as well, particularly in the case of Matt Smith’s Milo (there a couple of scenes that made me laugh-out-loud when I shouldn’t have).  

Morbius is stunningly atmospheric and has plenty of good action, nice touches of humor, and humanity.  A strong cast does there best and gives it there all to their credit.  Due to the runtime of an hour fort-four minutes the character development is limited but leaves enough of an impression to want to see where they go next. The ending is also anticlimactic as a result as well. Quite abrupt to say the least.

Predictability/formulaic is also present, yet the film remains interesting and entertaining nonetheless.  It’s also clear that given the subject/plot that an R-Rated film would’ve been a better choice for this one than going the PG-13 route.  Tempering the blood and violence to get the more kid friendly rating definitely impacted the handling of the film and toning it down didn’t do anyone any favors.

From my viewpoint, Morbius isn’t the greatest but it most certainly isn’t the worse either.  I was intrigued, never bored, an entertained the entire film.  Yes, there are questions I have and holes that I want filled but I’m glad I went and saw it on the big screen.  I most certainly want to see what’s next for the characters/franchise as well. Do you NEED to see this one at the theater?  No, waiting for a home viewing will probably work just as well.  But, if you WANT to see it on the big screen, I say go for it.  It’s a fun little popcorn flick that doesn’t deserve the haterade being thrown at it in my opinion.  

Morbius gets a 7 from me.  

Oh, don’t bolt right away, you get a couple of credit scenes.