‘Atomic Blonde’ Movie Review

Buckle up, Friends! ‘Atomic Blonde‘ hits theaters this weekend and it hits hard!! Are you an action movie fan? You’ll love it. Do you enjoy films with a strong female lead? This is for you. Perhaps you can’t get enough of movies based on comics and graphic novels? Done! You love all things 80’s? Check! Perhaps you just enjoy spy movies with a bit of a twist at the end. Again… you’re covered. Of all of the summer releases so far this year (and we’ve had some doozies), ‘Atomic Blonde’, for my money, may be the best one yet! Set against the backdrop of Berlin during the final days of the Cold War, this highly stylized and masterfully shot film stars Charlize Theron as MI6 Agent Lorraine Broughton who is tasked to bring back the body of a fellow agent and complete his assignment by getting a microfilm that could tip the balance of world power.

Throughout the movie, there is the typical spy fare including double agents, car chases, dizzying fights, glamorous settings and action aplenty. James McAvoy is lovably despicable as the Berlin station chief who uses his position to further his own desires and goals. It’s always a delight to see Sofia Boutella on screen and she perfectly plays the still somewhat green French agent assigned to Berlin. The cast is rounded out by the always outstanding John Goodman as CIA liaison Emmett Kurzfeld, Eddie Marsan as Spyglass, Toby Jones as MI6 head Eric Gray and Roland Moller as KGB chief Aleksander Bremovych. Beautifully filmed by director David Leitch, ‘Atomic Blonde’ is a slick and stylized roundhouse kick to your senses. The soundtrack featuring such 80’s gems as “Voices Carry“, “Under Pressure“, “Der Kommissar” and “99 Luftballons” fit seamlessly into the action and help propel the film’s 1 hr 55 min run time along at an effortless pace. Speaking of effortless – Charlize Theron makes the incredibly choreographed and downright brutal fight scenes look like a perfectly practiced dance from which even Jason Bourne could learn a thing or two.

The casting of this movie couldn’t have been better and Charlize Theron demonstrates, yet again, how suited she is for playing the role of total badass. I can only imagine the delight from Antony Johnston and Sam Hart (who created the graphic novel “The Coldest City” on which the film is based) when it was announced that Charlize would be playing the lead role. As a fan of all things 80’s, the movie was a delight for me and I probably would have reviewed the film favorably just on those merits. The fact that it was breathtakingly beautiful, brilliantly acted and buoyantly fun means that I cannot, in good conscience, rate ‘Atomic Blonde’ anything less than a 9.5 with a half point taken off for some incredibly slight cliche tropes of the spy genre. If you are wanting to see some exciting thrills this weekend on the big screen, then ‘Atomic Blonde’ is just the woman for you!

 

 

 

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Legion M Celebrates Stan Lee

It was a whirlwind of a day! Stan Lee was honored during an Imprint Ceremony at The TCL Chinese Theatre in Hollywood amid a day of fanfare that concluded with an epic party at “The Tony Stark Mansion”high in the Hollywood Hills. Legion M, the world’s first ever fan-owned film company, put together the whole event which was also sponsored by The Nerdist, TCL, IMAX, Audible and many more. As an investor in Legion M, I was fortunate enough to be able to attend the day’s events and am able to tell you first hand what a truly amazing time was had by all in attendance. The event began at 10am with artist Rob Prior deftly crafting a custom art piece featuring Stan Lee’s face surrounded by images of Iron Man, Captain America, The Hulk and Spider-Man. Afterwards, the celebrities began to show up including (from L to R below) Todd McFarlane, Kevin Feige, Stan Lee, Kevin Smith, Chadwick Boseman and Clark Gregg. ‘Guardians Of The Galaxy‘ director James Gunn was also in attendance but did not speak at the ceremony.

Following the event, all in attendance were invited to a screening of ‘Spider-Man: Homecoming‘ on the giant IMAX screen at the TCL Chinese Theater. After that, it was time to clean up for the big party at “The Stark Mansion” up in the Hollywood Hills later that evening. The venue was gorgeous and was decked out with all sorts of Marvel-ous decor including a life size Iron Man statue, a giant poster of Stan Lee that was specially designed for the event, vintage comics under glass display cases, a TCL gaming lounge featuring a wide array of Marvel Comics themed video games and more. A few hours after the party got underway, the guest of honor made a fashionable entrance and then took to the stage to say a few words to the crowd of fans and celebrities who had come to celebrate his career and legacy.

There was live music, a tribute video featuring congratulations and well-wishes from the likes of Mark Hamill, Sir Ian McKellen, Benedict Cumberbatch, Tom Holland, Tom Hiddleston and many more. This was followed by a champagne toast, a huge Marvel themed cake, more art by the amazing Rob Prior and plenty of fun that lasted well in the wee hours of the morning. There were no strangers at this party. Everyone was glad to be there, very friendly and a good time was had by all. Did I mention the cosplay? Professional cosplayers were all over and each one of them brought their A-game to honor the man who invented the characters to whom their costumes paid homage. Some of the Marvel mainstays represented included Invisible Woman, Hercules, Black Panther, Phoenix and even Loki himself (who tried to eat the entire cake by himself). For more images and video from the Imprint Ceremony and the Hollywood Party, check out my YouTube page! (Feel free to subscribe while you’re there.)

It was a day that will always be remembered and a night that will be impossible to forget. Once in a great while, a man like Stan Lee comes along who is an inspiration to many, a champion of us all and a true icon to the world. He gave us thousands of larger than life characters and so many classic tales to entertain generations upon generations of readers. I listened to many people tell me what Stan Lee meant to them and how he and his work changed their lives in so many unique and special ways. That is why he is being honored. That is why he is being celebrated. His life wasn’t always easy, but his determination coupled with his imagination fueled the way for him to become the person who, at the age of 94, is recognized by a grateful public for leaving the world better and richer than it was before he came into it. His is a legacy that will stand the test of time and for me, personally, will always be seen as a super hero greater than any of the ones he created in his lifetime. So, from this fan: Thank you, Stan Lee, for teaching me how to be a better person, how to think big and how to never give up on your dreams. Excelsior!!!

 

 

Jodie Whittaker Is The 13th Doctor!

After much anticipation and rampant speculation on the big reveal of just who would be Peter Capaldi‘s replacement when he departs ‘Doctor Who‘ during the show’s upcoming Christmas Special this December, it was finally announced earlier today that the role of The Doctor would be taken over by accomplished actress Jodie Whittaker. You may have seen her in such series as ‘Broadchurch‘, ‘Black Mirror‘ and ‘The Smoke‘. Now she will be taking on her biggest role yet as the 13th Doctor in the longest running sci-fi series in history. The new show runner who will be coming aboard beginning with the upcoming Series 11, Chris Chibnall (who worked with Whittaker on ‘Broadchurch’), called her “our number one choice” and said her audition “blew us all away.” The reaction to the casting of a woman in the role has been met with both applause as well as anger with some fans even stating that they would no longer watch the show. Addressing the backlash, Erica Lear, the Doctor Who Appreciation Society‘s social secretary stated that it’s now the job of the new series to change the minds of people who are unhappy with this decision.

Whenever a new Doctor is announced, there are the typical tears from those who have grown accustomed to the current Doctor (I will personally admit to shedding a tear or two during 10th Doctor David Tennant‘s final episode.), but everyone who is a fan of the show has been through it now as many as 11 times now. Change is inevitable and change can be good. Whether or not people accept change is up to each individual person. Arguments can be made both ways and even those connected to the show admit a certain… trepidation regarding this latest regeneration. Sebastian J. Brook, who is Doctor Who Online‘s site editor, acknowledged this by saying: “I must admit, I’ve always been of the opinion that the Doctor is and should be a man. He has always identified as male in the series, and after 50+ years, it’s certainly going to take some getting used to, but I support the show and Jodie is a fantastic actress, so she gets my full support, too.” I myself wonder how much of this “backlash” in regard to Whittaker’s casting is less about gender and more to people just not liking change. After all, there was a lot of vitriol directed Daniel Craig’s way after it was announced that he would be taking over the role of James Bond back in 2005. Luckily, many in the Doctor Who community have been very supportive of the announcement with several previous Doctors taking the time to weigh in on the casting.

7th Doctor Sylvester McCoy took time to congratulate Jodie on her winning the coveted role of everyone’s favorite Time Lord (Time Lady?) and 6th Doctor Colin Baker also tweeted his approval by way of paraphrasing HIS Doctor’s first words upon regeneration. He then went on to tweet admonishment towards those fans of the show who threatened to no longer watch due to the casting of a female Doctor:

Several companions from throughout the show’s history have also expressed their support for Jodie Whittaker after the announcement was made. Tweets from Katy Manning (3rd Doctor’s companion Jo Grant), Louise Jameson (4th Doctor’s companion Leela), Janet Fielding & Nicola Bryant (5th Doctor’s companions Tegan & Peri, respectively) and Karen Gillan & Arthur Darvill (11th Doctor’s companions Amy & Rory) all show the support for this changing of the guard that many feel has been a long time coming.

Many fans, however, are not at all pleased with the result and tweets have ranged from displeasure to decisions to stop watching to just downright nasty. But again, as Colin Baker suggests: perhaps they were never true fans after all. To me, ‘Doctor Who‘ has always been about change and understanding. For my part, I am excited to see what dynamics and quirks Jodie Whittaker will bring to the character just as I am intrigued by the direction in which new show runner Chris Chibnall will take the stories. As long as the series stays true to it’s core of being an absurdly fun and outrageous sci-fi adventure show, then no one should truly have any reason to complain. Not that it will stop some people. But for those who insist that The Doctor MUST be a male, I would remind them of the words of the 7th Doctor when he said: “I’d hate to live my life by some boring old rulebook like you do.” Allons-y!!

 

‘Wish Upon’ Movie Review

A new horror movie hitting theaters this weekend is ‘Wish Upon‘ from the director of ‘Annabelle’ and starring Joey King as Clare Shannon who, as a young girl, saw her mother hang herself in the attic. Now, as a teenager living with her father (played by Ryan Phillippe), she has to deal with being an unpopular outsider besieged by the “cool kids” at her school. But all that changes when her father finds an unusual antique while out dumpster diving and brings it home to his daughter as an early birthday present. Soon, Joey begins realizing the object’s power to grant wishes only to later find out that each wish comes with a terrible price.

The premise itself sounds ominous and worthy of a good horror movie, but the execution of the plot is rather lacking. While the film has one or two truly gut-churning moments, the overall story never delivers any real scares and thus falls short of hitting the true “horror movie” benchmark. The acting is fine throughout the cast and Joey King solidly delivers her role as the girl who finally fits in and then, maddingly, is unable to relinquish her newfound status even when faced with the consequences of her actions. Ki Hong Lee also delights as the ersatz suitor who attempts to help Joey find out more about the mystery of the device’s origin and to keep her from becoming another victim of its frightening legacy. The ending of the film should leave most audience goers feeling satisfied by the outcome but the rather lackluster steps taken along the way to get there will probably make the total trip feel less than worthwhile.  On a scale of 1 to 10, I’m sad to say that ‘Wish Upon’ only receives a 5.5 from me, based mostly on poor execution of an otherwise solid idea.