Black Widow – Review: Scarlett Johansson Finally Gets Her Own Marvel Cinematic Universe Movie
Quick thoughts: – B – Black Widow is a fun MCU film that should’ve given Scarlett Johansson more to do. I enjoyed the action and performances, but it makes you realize how wasted Johansson has been since 2010.
Directed by Cate Shortland (Berlin Syndrome, Lore) and written by Eric Pearson (Godzilla vs. Kong, Thor: Ragnarok), Black Widow focuses on what Natasha Romanoff (Johansson) got up to between Captain America: Civil War and Avengers: Infinity War. The 24th Marvel Cinematic Universe film feels like Ant-Man met Captain America: Winter Soldier, and spawned a cheeky (and serious) action yarn that reminds the viewer of wasted opportunities and exciting future storylines. The biggest issue with Black Widow is how it sidelines Johansson, and focuses a lot of attention on supporting characters like Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh – excellent as always), Alexei Shostakov (David Harbour – having a blast), and Melina Vostokoff (Rachel Weisz – always great). The three characters are all solid, but they give Johansson little to do, and, sadly, it’s reminiscent of her treatment since 2010’s Iron Man 2. It’s easy to understand why Marvel would want to introduce new players after Avengers: Endgame, but they come at the expense of finally giving Black Widow something meaningful to do.
The film focuses on what happens when Natasha sets her sights on killing the bland MCU-esque villain Dreykov (Ray Winstone – slimy as always), the man who brought her into the Russian Red Room program and turned her into an unstoppable killing machine. To kill Dreykov, she teams up with her “sister” Yelena, a former Black Widow operative who has defected after receiving an antidote that allows her to escape the mind control of Dreykov (it’s more complicated than that). The duo eventually team up with their scientist “mother” Melina, and their “dad” Alexei (we learn more about them during the film’s opening flashbacks scenes), a former Russian super soldier and total maniac who also has beef with Dreykov. From there, things explode, people fight, and thrilling things are set up for the future.
Black Widow features massive stakes for its characters, but relatively small stakes when it comes to the world exploding. This is refreshing as we are treated to motorcycle chases, kitchen fights, and bridge brawls that don’t feature large purple purple beings punching large green giants into nothingness. Black Widow has always been the most interesting Avenger because she isn’t a super soldier or a god, and instead relies on stealth, craft and smarts to survive. Her presence has always been welcome because she can be killed, which makes everything more human and relatable (her fight with the Winter Soldier in Captain America: Winter Soldier is so good). The problem in Black Widow, is that her relatively serious presence (she is a former assassin who turned good, and has many issues), is met with comedy from Yelena and Alexei, who are never really serious. Thus, the tone of the film feels a bit all over the place as we are treated to serious issues, then a gag involving a crashing helicopter. The jokes land, and they are truly funny, but they feel out of place with Natasha around, which then takes the focus away from her.
In the end, Black Widow is a lot of fun, but it makes you wish it would have focused more on the title character. If you are looking for a fun action film, Black Widow will hit the spot. If you are looking for a film that gives Johansson’s 11 years of MCU dedication their due, you might not be pleased.
Final Thoughts: I can’t wait to watch it again, but I wish it could’ve given Johansson a Thor: Ragnarok or Iron Man-esque movie to thrive in.
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Deep Blue Sea – The Podcast – Episode 51: Beefcake Montages, Living Jet Skis, and R.E.M.
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Jay and Mark are joined by Zanandi (@ZaNandi on Twitter) to discuss the third chapter on the Deep Blue Sea 3 Blu-ray. In this episode, they discuss living jet skis, intense death stares, and scuba conversations. Enjoy!
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The Movies, Films and Flix Podcast – Episode 372: The World’s End, Elbow Drops, and Pub Crawls
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Mark is joined by Pete and Justin (of the Rambling Ramblers Podcast) to discuss the 2013 film The World’s End. Directed by Edgar Wright, and starring Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, and Rosamund Pike, the film focuses on a pub crawl that goes horribly awry. In this episode, they talk about unnecessary elbow drops, failed pub crawls, and the Pauly Shore Cinematic Universe (PSCU).
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MY CALL: For real, if you took a werewolf movie and sanitized it to barely being rated R for the Hallmark Channel, this would be it. Perhaps they only aired it after 10pm so they wouldn’t have to edit it for TV. Just to be clear, I despise this movie. MORE MOVIES LIKE Skinwalkers: Well, for more and much better werewolf blood-feuding try Underworld (2003) and sequels. Blood Quantum (2019) likewise brings Native American heritage into the horror genre.
A Navajo bloodline that some call a gift, and others call a curse, has created a divide between two warring sides. And like Ultraviolet (2006) or Underworld: Awakening (2011), a coming-of-age child is the key to everything. But unlike Ultraviolet (2006) or Underworld: Awakening (2011), I never want to see Skinwalkers again.
Your lycanthropic cast of goodies and baddies: Jonas (Elias Koteas; Fallen, Let Me In, The Fourth Kind, The Haunting in Connecticut), Rachel (Rhona Mitra; Underworld: Rise of the Lycans, Doomsday, Skylines, Hard Target 2, Hollow Man), Nana (Barbara Gordon; Cube 2, The Silence), Katherine (Sarah Carter; Falling Skies, Final Destination 2, Wishmaster 3), Doak (Lyriq Bent; Saw II-IV), and Adam (Shawn Roberts; Resident Evil: The Final Chapter, Land of the Dead) are all protecting Timothy (Matthew Knight; The Grudge 2-3) from Varek (Jason Behr; The Grudge), Zo (Kim Coates; Sons of Anarchy, Innocent Blood, Fantasy Island, Resident Evil: Afterlife), Sonja (Natassia Malthe; Lake Placid, Disturbing Behavior).
From the opening scenes, the quality of the dialogue and acting harbingers something akin to a ScyFy Channel movie-of-the-week with a tossed-together script and minimal preparation. But this movie’s overall vibe is actually less ScyFy channel and, truly as weird as it sounds, more like a Hallmark Channel movie with werewolves and a very soft R-rating. It feels like a family movie… but with strangely tame gun fights in the streets of a quaint little town on a nice sunny day, and a pack of werewolf bikers that want to kill a young boy before the Red Moon.
This whole Red Moon prophecy regarding Tim’s 13th birthday is explained in devastatingly blatant expository dialogue, complete with the most phoned-in CGI werewolf transformation scenes I’ve seen after the year 2000. The werewolves are thankfully done with practical effects, and they aren’t exactly terrible even if closer to human-form than I’d prefer. The weakness of the werewolves is in the execution of their action scenes… wire stunt jumps, cheap action B-movie gags, randomly throwing people when it would make way more sense and be easier to just gash their guts open with their claws. There’s even a werewolf feeding scene split-montaged with a very sweaty, mostly human-form werewolf sex scene. The effort behind the filmmaking feels very color-by-numbers; this is essentially a Walmart generic brand Underworld (2003) without the vampires or anything remotely as cool as leather wardrobing or machine guns.
An attempted assassination followed by a gunfight in a hospital may sound like a good time to anyone who saw Blade (1998), but not in this movie. It’s a bore. And dear lord, when the film attempts a tense dramatic hostage standoff scene… I just… I just can’t. I don’t care about anything that happens in this stupid movie.
Director James Isaac (Jason X, Pig Hunt) has made some entertaining movies—but this is certainly not one of them. The finale is an extra-long werewolf versus werewolf fight scene. And somehow, there’s not an exciting moment to be found. Hard pass on this movie. HARD PASS!
MORE WEREWOLF MOVIES: The best werewolf movies would have to be An American Werewolf in London (1981; semi-humorous), Silver Bullet (1985), Ginger Snaps (2000; metaphoric), Dog Soldiers (2002; unconventional) and The Howling (1981; serious).
If you want another utterly ridiculous werewolf movie, then move on to Howling II: Your Sister is a Werewolf (1985), Howling 3: The Marsupials (1987) and Wolfcop (2014).
And for more stylish werewolf movies The Company of Wolves (1984), Meridian (1990), Cursed (2005; cliché-loaded and contemporary), Ginger Snaps 2: Unleashed (2004), Wolf (1994), Wer (2013), The Wolfman (2010), An American Werewolf in Paris (1997), Late Phases (2014), Howl (2015), Raw (2016), Good Manners (2017; aka, As Boas Maneiras) and the Underworld movies (2003, 2006, 2009, 2012) are also worth a watch.
We could consider that Waxwork (1988), Trick ‘r Treat (2007), Van Helsing (2004), Monster Squad (1987) and many others also feature werewolves, but not to such centerpiece extent that I’d call them “werewolf movies.”
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You can listen to Deep Blue Sea – The Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spreaker, Spotify, Tunein, Podcast Addict, Amazon, Google Podcasts, and everywhere else you listen to podcasts. Also, make sure to like our Facebook page!
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Jay and Mark are joined by Megan Hofmeyer to discuss the second chapter on the Deep Blue Sea 3 Blu-ray. In this episode, they discuss pitchers of water, movie doctors, and watching the Twilight movies in Italy. Enjoy!
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Quick Thoughts – Werewolves Within is a delight. If you are looking for a charming horror comedy that’s loaded with warmth, humor, and mystery. Also, based on its current Tomatometer scores, it’s the highest rated video game adaptation ever made..
Directed by Josh Ruben (check out his film Scare Me on Shudder), and written by Mishna Wolff, Werewolves Within focuses on a murder mystery in a small town named Beaverfield. Normally, murder mysteries are scary eough, however, throw in some werwolves and insane townsfolk, and you have a wild night full of murder, explosions and axe-throwing. The charm of Werewolves Within is how it blends optimism with cynicism to create a horror comedy that walks a legitimate tonal tightrope. In another director’s hands, the characters could’ve come across as caricatures, however, Ruben, and the fine cast he assembled manage to create charming weirdos.
The film focuses on several brutal murders in a tiny town that is on the border of a large national park that is being threatened by the potential installation of an oil pipeline. The local weirdos are split on the pipeline, as it will destroy the forest, but bring in a lot of money for the struggling locals. Several disturbances bring in park ranger Finn (Sam Richardson), an extremely kind man who says things like “jeez louise” and “goodness gracious,” Sam is staying at the Beaverfield lodge, and he meets Cecily (Milana Vayntrub) the town’s mail person. The two form a quick bond, and she gives him a tour around the town, and introduces him to the Beaverfield locals, who will all come together at the lodge when a massive storm hits, and the power in the town goes out. From there, chaos ensues as bloody attacks fuel paranoia and comedic violence which lead to some fun revelations.
Werewolves Within is a unique entry to the werewolf genre as it plays like an Agatha Christie novel, met a horror comedy that featured werewolves, and spawned a charming hybrid. Ruben grew up near where the movie was filmed, and you can tell he loved crafting it based on his childhood experiences, and love of Arachnophobia, Jaws, Hot Fuzz, and the Coen Brothers. It’s an interesting blend of horror and comedy, and the script by Wolff manages to juggle multiple plotlines, and give every actor moments to shine. You see a lot of Ruben’s film Scare Me in this film, as horror tropes are flipped on their heads, and characters aren’t what they seem at first glance. Also, the cinematography by Matt Wise is crisp and clean, and knows when to give characters room to breathe with wide shots, and when to lean into paranoia with close ups. The overall package is unique and fun, and it would be great to see it be appreciated by the horror community.
Final thoughts: Werewolves Within will put a smile on your face, as it brings something new to the werewolf genre and features memorable characters.
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The Movies, Films and Flix Podcast: Episode 371: Underworld, Bill Nighy, and Epic Headlocks
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Mark and David Cross (of the Award Wieners Movie Review Podcast) discuss the 2003 film Underworld. Directed by Len Wiseman, and starring Kate Beckinsale, Michael Sheen, Scott Speedman, and Bill Nighy, the movie focuses on a centuries old battle between surly werewolves and snotty vampires. In this episode, they talk about superhero landings, lounging vampires, and Billy Nighy putting a vampire/werewolf hybrid in a headlock. Enjoy!
If you are a fan of the podcast, make sure to send in some random listener questions (we love random questions). We thank you for listening, and hope you enjoy the episode!
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John’s Horror Corner: Two Evil Eyes (1990), a gnarly two-story horror anthology based on stories by Edgar Allan Poe.
MY CALL: With only two stories to tell and no connective tissue between them, if you want a great horror anthology this may not be it. However, if you are a fan of gory Italian stylings and Edgar Allan Poe’s The Black Cat then this is most definitely for you! MORE HORROR ANTHOLOGIES: Dead of Night (1945), Black Sabbath (1963), Tales from the Crypt (1972), The Vault of Horror (1973), The Uncanny (1977), Screams of a Winter Night (1979), Creepshow (1982), Twilight Zone: The Movie (1983), Stephen King’s Cat’s Eye (1985), Deadtime Stories (1986), Creepshow 2 (1987), From a Whisper to a Scream (1987; aka The Offspring), After Midnight (1989), Tales from the Crypt Season 1 (1989), Tales from the Darkside: The Movie (1990), Grimm Prairie Tales (1990), The Willies (1990), Necronomicon: Book of the Dead (1993), Hellraiser: Bloodline (1996), Campfire Tales (1997), Dark Tales of Japan (2004), 3 Extremes (2004), Creepshow 3 (2006), Trick ‘r Treat (2007), Chillerama (2011), Little Deaths (2011), V/H/S (2012), The Theater Bizarre (2012), The ABCs of Death (2013), V/H/S 2 (2013), All Hallows’ Eve (2013), The Profane Exhibit (2013), The ABCs of Death 2 (2014), V/H/S Viral (2014), Southbound (2015), Tales of Halloween (2015), A Christmas Horror Story (2015), The ABCs of Death 2.5 (2016), Holidays (2016), Terrified (2017; aka Aterrados, a pseudo-anthology), Oats Studios, Vol. 1 (2017), Ghost Stories (2017), XX (2017), All the Creatures Were Stirring (2018), The Field Guide to Evil (2018), Shudder’s series Creepshow (2019-2020), Scare Package (2019), The Mortuary Collection (2019) and Xenophobia (2019).
Based on stories by Edgar Allan Poe, this gnarly little two-story “anthology” presented by legendary horror directors has two unlinked stories that play out like a mini double feature. So if you were hoping for one story leading into another or some manner of rich, storytelling interstitial tissue to link the fates of the two stories’ characters, you’ll find none of that here. There is no wraparound story. This is simply two well-made half-feature length films…
The Facts in the Case of Mr. Valdemar
This has all the makings of a daytime soap opera. Barbeau plays the much younger wife of an ailing wealthy man whose will is brought into question by those who suspect she only ever married for his money. Meanwhile, her adulterous lover (and concierge doctor to her husband) finds he can no longer trust her either. Things get interesting when Mr. Valdemar dies before they can squander his wealth. He dies, but he continues to call to her from the dead, and this slowly drives Jessica mad.
No shock that he’d be handling the zombie-ish installment of this double feature, director George A. Romero (Monkey Shines, Dawn of the Dead, Knightriders, Creepshow) delivers something that feels very much like an episode from Tales from the Crypt (1989-1996). It’s perfectly enjoyable, but not something I’d ever feel the desire to revisit; a nice single serving anthology segment.
The Black Cat
Poe’s tale of The Black Cat has been told on film several times and already twice by Italian filmmakers: The Black Cat (1981; Gatto nero), The Black Cat (1989) and Tales from the Darkside: The Movie (1990). For this third Italian iteration, director Dario Argento (Inferno, Phenomena, Suspiria, Mother of Tears) takes a considerably meaner and more edgy approach.
At the crime scene of a woman sliced in half like something out of a Saw movie, we meet a photographer (Harvey Keitel) who is called to cover the most macabre murders. He is one day visited by a stray black cat that his girlfriend brings into their home. As his girlfriend becomes increasing fond of the animal, he increasingly loathes it. Making him ever more jealous, he enjoys antagonizing the cat and he makes photographic art of its death. When he tries to kill the animal, his girlfriend intervenes and he kills her and plasters her into the wall.
The finale here is a sight I’ve recalled clearly in my mind since I first saw it 30 years ago: a litter of hairless, monstrous kittens eating the rotting cadaver of a woman, with portions of her face and midsection altogether missing from their feeding. Despite not being the greatest film, this VERY gory scene packed some serious impact.
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With so many interesting anthologies out there, this would be recommended more for its inclusion of two major masters of horror and, very specifically, a great telling of The Black Cat which I consider only to be bested by Tales from the Darkside: The Movie (1990). So if you were on the fence, there’s your reason to watch this.
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The Movies, Films and Flix Podcast – Episode 370 – Brightburn, Lawnmowers, and Evil Children
You can download or stream the pod on Apple Podcasts, Tune In, Podbean, or Spreaker (or wherever you listen to podcasts…..we’re almost everywhere).
If you get a chance please make sure to review, rate and share. You are awesome!
Mark and Lisa (@LisaPas220 on Twitter) discuss the 2019 film Brightburn. Directed by David Yarovesky, and starring Elizabeth Banks, David Denman, and Jackson A. Dunn, the film focuses on what happens when a space baby becomes a maniac preteen. In this episode, they discuss supervillains, blood explosions, and James Gunn produced movies. Enjoy!
If you are a fan of the podcast, make sure to send in some random listener questions (we love random questions). We thank you for listening, and hope you enjoy the episode!
You can download the pod on Apple Podcasts, Tune In, Podbean, or Spreaker.
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The Sparks Brothers: An Excellent and Entertaining Documentary From Director Edgar Wright
Quick thoughts – A – The Sparks Brothers is my favorite film/doc of 2021 so far. The 135-minute running time flies by, and it would be great to see Edgar Wright tackle more music documentaries.
The Sparks Brothers is an extremely fun documentary about Ron and Russell Mael, two brothers who over the last 50 years have been “successful, underrated, hugely influential, and criminally overlooked all at the same time.” Directed by Edgar Wright (Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz, Baby Driver), a man who absolutely loves music, and infuses his films with eclectic mixes of pop, punk, funk and every other genre, the documentary will make many people fans of Sparks (AKA the favorite band of your favorite band). The Sparks Brothers features recognizable talking heads like Jack Antinoff, Jane Wiedlin, Beck, Neil Gaiman and Flea, talking about the history of Ron and Russell’s band Sparks, who formed in 1967 under the name Urban Renewal Project, and moved on to become Halfnelson (1968), and eventually Sparks.
Ron and Russell are wildly charming, and they make for perfect interviewees because they seem to be up for everything. There are skits, jokes, and interestingly framed moments by cinematographer Jake Polonsky (Senna, Blackmirror) that required good humor from Ron and Russull. The two brothers are likable, talented and wholly unique, which is part of the reason why Sparks never become a worldwide phenomena. Their sensibilities are slightly off-center (but still brilliant), as they embrace humor, unique looks, and experimentation with their music. The two haven’t stopped creating since 1967, and since they’ve never had any wild memoirs, or drug meltdowns covered by the media, they’ve stayed under the radar of mainstream audiences, and instead, built a loyal following around the world who love the 25 studio albums they’ve released.
The documentary does an excellent job of showcasing their massive discography (and wonderful album covers), and tracing their journeys around the world where they’ve found success in places like Germany, Sweden, Australia, Canada, and Los Angeles. While watching, it’s slightly annoying that they’ve gone under the radar for so long, but it’s also amazing that they keep creating, and are beloved in the industry. Some of the interviewees actually break down in tears while talking about Ron and Russell, because they seem like such nice people who worked incredibly hard, and are nice to their bandmates and fans (which seems rare in the industry). It would be really cool to see this documentary build their reputation, and help them finally get a #1 album in the United States and abroad.
Final thoughts: Watch The Sparks Brothers. You will love it.
Movies, Films & Flix 