Review: Scoob!

I, like many people grew up with the Scooby-Doo and the TV series that began all the way back in 1969.

I remember the two live-action films that weren't good on the whole. But they certainly contained enough charm of the TV series to give them a guilty pleasure vibe.

A 2020 release of a new one surprised me. But after hearing this to be the beginning of a Hanna Barbera cinematic universe had me somewhat excited. I could see the potential. But I could picture it failing as miserably as Universal Studios' Dark Universe.

Sadly, it seemed to more like the latter. While the animation style was a pleasing introduction, there were moments within the story especially at the very beginning that had me confused trying to work out what time period. Certain pieces of technology that I noticed conflicted with others that I could see on screen. Plus, a lot of the content the trailer suggested the story it was going for we only saw in the opening scene.

After that, it looked as if we were going to have another bog-standard Scooby-Doo adventure. Then came the moment that I feared, and that is world building. While it was nice seeing characters from other Hanna Barbera creations, it just seemed that the film-makers don't own feel confident with its own property of Scooby-Doo. It's a safe and entertaining formula. But instead, we get an unnecessary convoluted story that is also structured in a way that expects the audience to know its characters and it never capitalises on the fresh start its been given to introduce this property to a new audience.

The writing and gags is pretty basic, even by the standards of its very young target audience. It has moments that can please fans of all ages. But it didn't feel enough for me to give it a pass.
There is one particular gag that uses a pop culture reference that felt about 16 years too late of it being relevant.
I also noticed some topical references thrown in rather than making it smart and maybe giving the tone of the film a benefitial edge. All of that just came across as the film-makers lookign desperate to appeal to today's kids.

While I did mention before about it being a problem. It was also great seeing some of the additional characters from some of my favourite Hanna Barbera shows as a kid. Plus, there is also a nice little Easter Egg in there for the hardcore fans that I noticed.
Also, I loved the use of the old school Looney Tunes style sound effects.

The voice acting was pretty solid. I would check out the entire cast list. It's more impressive then you might imagine. Frank Welker and Will Forte were good in the main roles and portrayed their characters as you would expect to act. Mark Wahlberg's performance was so good that I actually thought it was Ryan Reynolds the whole time.

So while I admired it's vision. It's execution quite have me giving it a pass. I remain interested to see where Warner Animation go with their next Hanna Barbera installment as well as seeing their ultimate vision for their cinematic universe. If it does well enough financially, it can still win me over in the long term.

I can't see this working well with fans of the traditional show as it does seem to lack that Scooby-Doo magic, mystery and intrigue that now makes me appreciate the 2002 version a lot more now. Instead, it went for the superhero angle that every other mainstream kids film is trying to do just for the sake of being typical. Doing that just makes it more forgettable and lost in a now endlessly growing pile of mediocre imitations. Plus, the modern references it used at times didn't feel right with the characters involved.

I thought it was ok and was mildly intriguing on the attempt of building a universe. But I just feel this could have been much better and make it feel more like a standalone Scooby-Doo film whilst also introducing us to a potential Hanna Barbera universe.

Rating: 6/10

Review: Capone

I had mixed feelings going into this one. I knew this wasn't getting that much buzz and the chosen story felt similar to the disappointing 2017 drama Churchill.

But this did have Tom Hardy in the leading role, who I am huge fan of. It also has Josh Trank as director, who I feel is becoming one of the unluckiest directors at the moment. The way studio executives treated his vision of Fantastic Four never gave us his vision of the beloved superhero group.

So despite hearing very little positive vibes, I felt I needed to give this a chance and see if I could be in the minority.

The story is definitely not one that most people would want or expect. But it managed to grow on me rather well and I felt engaged with the central character. Trank and his team managed to show at an interesting point in his life that you would never see in any other gangster films.
It's style and tone was winning me over, and it even made me not see the problems in a way that would detract my overall enjoyment.

Tom Hardy I felt was up and down in his performances. I felt some bits worked well with the tone. But other parts felt a bit over-the-top when it didn't need to be. He's really going for it. But sometimes, a bit of subtlety would have gone a long way in certain scenes.
Linda Cardellini and Matt Dillon has some nice supporting moments with Hardy on screen.

Its biggest positives are certainly its general production and look of the film. It's good to look at, the colour palette is pleasing and the style for the most part worked for me.

Sadly, it does have its negatives and there's enough for me to understand the sniffy reviews. There were scenes that felt out of place with the tone, some of the pacing felt inconsistent and as mentioned before, the choice of story is not much of a crowd-pleaser.

But while it has it's problems, this is most definitely an unconventional take on the gangster genre that I found to be engaging enough for me to be a passable and solid watch.
It gives Al Capone some humanity in this film. Its sees him at his most vulnerable and it is at a point of his life where you would naturally reflect on your past achievements.

Some set-pieces were solid in its execution. But others didn't quite work for me, including one interrogation scene that some may see to be the most unintentionally funniest moment in film this year. I can see many people not enjoying this, purely on the viewer expecting to see Capone in his prime. If you want to see that type of film, I would recommend the 1932 version of Scarface, Al Capone from 1959, The St. Valentine's Day Massacre or The Untouchables.

Like with all of his films, I always admire Trank's approach and vision to his projects. The finished project wasn't quite all there for me. But there are redeeming qualities that for me just about made it a worthwhile watch. Did I make to the minority? Not quite. But I'm certainly trying to open the door.

Rating: 7/10

Review: Bad Education

Without any knowledge of this until the initial buzz from its release on American TV channel HBO, I went into this as cold as you could get.

I think if it wasn't for the situation we are currently in, I don't think I would have discovered this.

But as we are in this predicament, it managed to check out a fascinating true story that made to be a very entertaining piece of work.

The first act really hooks you in and that is thanks a lot to Hugh Jackman's performance. He does a great job in the leading role and really dominates the screen. While he reels you in with his natural charisma, he pulls the rug from underneath you and see this disguised layer of sliminess that keeps you engaged.
But there was also a human side that was portrayed that you can sympathise with. While I don't know if that's how the actual person he is portrayed was like, it certainly helped the film. He makes you question whether he is a bad person, or if he just did a bad thing.

The film moved along nicely as you can see characters starting to fall apart as the revelations emerge and the final act gives you a satisfying conclusion to our central character.

As well as Jackman, the performances on the whole were all pretty good. Alison Janney had solid chemistry with Jackman and had shining moments in the first half especially. Ray Romano was as good as you would expect him to be.
Alex Wolff continues to show his natural talent. It might be a much smaller then his ones in Hereditary and the two latest Jumanji features. But he made great support with breakthrough youngster Geraldine Viswanathan. Her nuanced execution made her more engaging then you might expect and I would be interested where her future goes after this positive performance.

With it being distributed by HBO, the production is of course tip-top and the general look of it was very pleasant for the eyes.

From the same director of the very cool 'Thoroughbreds', I can certainly that magic touch in this. It is also interesting to know that the writer was a student at the school during the time of the incident. So it feels like we're getting a first hand account with a few of the expected added elements of drama to enhance the story.

So while I don't think there is enough great aspects to it, everything about is most enjoyable solid and very enjoyable.

The performances are good and the story is very well told with a lot of themes that really make you think twice about the central character. With it being based on a true story, it naturally just made the content on screen even more startling, and if like me you didn't know the story, then I would just go straight into watching this and read about the true events afterwards.

I hope this is the first of many films that struggled to get a cinematic release, get put out on a streaming service and be found and liked by many during this situation.

Rating: 7/10

My Top 10: Films Starring Clint Eastwood

As an actor, Clint Eastwood has become one of the biggest icons of the Western genre and it is in these films that introduced us to the man we now know. Many thanks to Sergio Leone for giving Eastwood his breakthrough.
Since then, Eastwood has been part more memorable Westerns along with thrilling action features and powerful award-winning dramas.

Now seen more of a director these days, the now 90 year-old should never be forgotten for giving such terrific performances that contributed some all-time favourites for many people.

Out of his 54 films, I have seen 37 of them so far. I will rank all of the ones that I have seen, and then give a short review for each of my top 10:

37) Firefox
36) True Crime
35) Every Which Way But Loose
34) The Dead Pool
33) Coogan's Bluff
32) Space Cowboys
31) The Mule
30) Sudden Impact
29) Joe Kidd
28) Blood Work
27) The Gauntlet
26) Bronco Billy
25) Heartbreak Ridge
24) Absolute Power
23) The Enforcer
22) Hang 'Em High
21) In The Line Of Fire
20) Two Mules For Sister Sara

19) Thunderbolt And Lightfoot
18) Magnum Force
17) Pale Rider
16) Play Misty For Me

15) Paint Your Wagon
14) Unforgiven
13) High Plains Drifter
12) Where Eagles Dare
11) The Bridges Of Madison County

10) A Perfect World - A thrilling drama that sees a kidnapped boy slowly strike a friendship with his captor.

While that is happening, the law is after them. Lead by Clint Eastwood who plays a Texas ranger.

Everyone does a great job in giving us a storing feature that Eastwood also directed.

9) The Outlaw Josey Wales - The first of four Westerns on the list has Eastwood star and direct a story about a farmer seeking revenge after soldiers killed his family.

Set during the American Civil War, this is a well constructed feature with strong characters, great action and all-round satisfying watch.

This is seen by many as the best of Eastwood's early work as director.

8) Kelly's Heroes - A fun war adventure-comedy that sees Eastwood lead a high-calibre cast of American soldiers moving across enemy lines to steal Nazi treasure.

A great combination of multiple genres and the almost the 2hrs 30mins duration fly by.

This is certainly a film that is hard to dislike.

7) Escape From Alcatraz - A very effective thriller based on the true escape story from the iconic San Francisco prison island.

This is a wonderfully told drama that has been a big favourite ever since its 1979 release.

Whether you know the story or not, the film adaptation still has you gripped.

6) Dirty Harry - Set during the rise of gritty crime dramas, this may be the best of that era.

When a psychotic killer is terrorizing the streets of San Francisco, a tough and tenacious policeman is assigned to track him down.

It's quotes continue to run through pop culture today and even it may seem similar to similar films of today. But this one certainly inspired them.

5) Million Dollar Baby - A moving sports drama that really ups the ante in the drama aspect.

It sees Hilary Swank play a determined woman looking to become a professional boxer. Eastwood alongside Morgan Freeman play Swank's trainers.

Winner of the Best Picture Academy Award, you can see why it took the plaudits.

4) Gran Torino - Seen by many as Eastwood's last all-time classic as both actor and director. It sees Clint play a Korean War veteran take a teenage neighbor under his wing whilst also standing up to a local gang.

It has excellent storytelling and universal themes that will never leave us.

3) For A Few Dollars More - The second chapter in Sergio Leone's Dollars trilogy sees Eastwood back as 'The Man With No Name'.

It sees two bounty hunters teaming up to track an outlaw.

Sadly, it doesn't get the credit it deserves compared to its other two installments. It's easily as brilliant and compelling and it does everything people enjoy about spaghetti Westerns.

2) A Fistful Of Dollars - The one that made Eastwood a worldwide star.
This also the beginning of the golden era of this sub-genre.

It sees a nameless gunfighter arrive in a town divided by two rival families, and looking to benefit from this feud.

This film is important in many ways and is also a fantastic watch from both a storytelling and style perspective.

1) The Good, The Bad And The Ugly - Seen by many as one of the greatest films of all-time and it's easy to see why.

This near 3hr epic sees two men begin an uneasy alliance tracking buried gold whilst a third man in also in pursuit.

Its sweeping backdrop, memorable set pieces and vintage spaghetti western style makes this an absolute blast.