Justice League (正義聯盟) is an 2017 film. The movie stars Ben Affleck, Henry Cavill, Amy Adams, Gal Gadot, Ezra Miller, Jason Momoa, Ray Fisher, Jeremy Irons, Diane Lane, and Connie Nielsen. This is the DCEU's version of the Justice League.
In the past, the earth was attacked by an alien force. The gods of earth banded together to fight off and imprison the attacker. The seals were given to protectors many millennia ago. Current events on earth awaken those forces. Bruce starts to see these events unfold and begins to put the team together. Along the way, they find out more about this force and must bring back Superman to help defeat the treat. Can they band together and work together to drive back the forces of evil?
I watched the movie 3 weekends after its release. I had read of all the bad reviews and many folks online saying the film was bad. With no expectations and thinking I would be disappointed, I went to the theater. But alas, I was entertained. Maybe it was due to the low expectations. Maybe the film was entertaining. Would I want to watch it again? Most definitely. I love comic books on screen. This one was not bad at all. I thought it was very entertaining.
I grew up on comics and the Justice League cartoon reruns. I have no memory of any of the comics or shows in detail. But I do remember them fondly as an experience. The movie was the same. Fun, good action, and the Justice League. I couldn't ask for anything more.
Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (蝙蝠俠對超人:正義曙光/蝙蝠侠大战超人:正义黎明) is an 2016 film. The movie stars Ben Affleck and Henry Cavill. The supporting cast include Amy Adams, Jesse Eisenberg, Diane Lane, Laurence Fishburne, Jeremy Irons, Holly Hunter, Kevin Costner, and Gal Gadot. There are cameo apperances from future Justine League heroes Ray Fisher, Jason Momoa and Ezra Miller as Cyborg, Aquaman, and The Flash, respectively. The movie is a sequel to 2013's Man Of Steel and the second film in the DC Extended Universe. Tao Okamoto plays Luthor's assistant as the lone prominent Asian cast member.
Bruce Wayne lands in Metropolis during the battle between Superman and Zod. Wayne Financials building is collateral damage and Wayne blames Superman. Fast forward 18 months, Wayne is operating in Gotham against criminals trying to find the owner of a dirty bomb. Superman rescue's Lois from armed men in Africa, but is blamed for the collateral damage. Leading to the US Government inviting him to an hearing. All the while, Batman is preparing to fight him and defeat him with the only know element to be able to harm Superman, kryptonite. Diane Prince enters the picture as an mysterious figure that seems to cross paths with Wayne a few times. Lex Luther is introduced and finds the kryptonite, but is rebuffed by the US Government when he wants to weaponize it. With Luther's power of influence, he gains access to the carcass of Zod eventually leading to the creation of Doomday for the final showdown.
The movie broke box office records for the Easter weekend and did brisk business on Monday and Tuesday. Lots of people have gone to see the movie. BUT the negativity still surrounds this film. There is a Sad Affleck meme, to the petition to oust Zack Snyder as the director of upcoming Justice League movies. Yet, it still made money, truck loads of it. If the critics were looking for racist Oscar material here, they didn't find it. What you get is slick $250 million dollar film that makes you eat your bucket of popcorn to the bottom. I personally really enjoyed the movie. Lots of story and lots of action. The movie ran for about 2 and half hours.
There were lots of questionable things in the movie, but that would be for spoiler fodder. Time will tell if the additional Justice League set up was a failure or not. Time will also tell if the decision to cast differently for movies and TV will hurt the DCEU or help it. Time will tell if this movie ends up being a classic.
Some personal thoughts. I liked Ben Affleck as Batman. The older Wayne was portrayed as a driven man that kicks butt, like in the comics. Gal as Wonder Woman seemed like a forced plot point, but eye candy isn't bad. Wonder Woman showed she's pretty powerful by going toe to toe with Doomsday. The whole cameras everywhere now makes it pretty hard to keep secret identities anymore. I am looking forward to Suicide Squad and Wonder Woman next year. Hope they do well to keep the DCEU going.
American Hustle (瞞天大佈局) is an 2013 film. The movie stars Christian Bale, Bradley Cooper, and Amy Adams. The supporting cast include Jeremy Renner, Jennifer Lawrence, and Robert De Niro. The movie had a nice run during the 2012 movie awards season.
Christian Bale and Amy Adams play a couple that are running scams in the New Jersey area during the late 1970s, Irving Rosenfeld and Sydney Prosser. Even though they were a couple, Irving was married to Rosalyn Rosenfeld, played by Jennifer Lawrence whom came to the marriage with a boy the Irving adopts and treats like his own son. Bradley Coopers character, Richard "Richie" DiMaso, is an FBI Agent that bust Irving and Sydney. In exchange for leniency, they help Richie bust dirty government officials. Enter Mayor Carmine Polito, played by Jeremy Renner. The set up a sting to bring him down and those he has connections to. Let the hustle begin!
This movie was a trip. The 1970s was only a decade away, but it was constantly on TV and movies during my childhood that I feel that I know it. Shows like Charles Angels, Three's Company, 6 Million Dollar Man, and Hulk got me really into era as a kid. These days, the 1970s are still looked back to fondly in the media. American Hustle does it the same, nostalgia at its core. But the story was the main driver.
The STORY was a trip. You better have your thinking cap on. There's a main storyline that intersects with many others ones. And the movie has flashback moments. Its no wonder that it did well at the box office. Its an excellent film due to the story, great acting, and period its set in.
Man of Steel (超人:鋼鐵英雄) is an 2013 film. The movie stars Henry Cavill and Amy Adams. Michael Shannon, Kevin Costner, Diane Lane, Laurence Fishburne, and Russell Crowe round out the supporting cast. The movie is produced in part by Christopher Nolan. The movie reboots the Superman franchise.
Krypton, on the way to imploding, send its last son into space. On Earth, we start with Clark Kent making his way up to the north pole and working his way. When he finally makes it there, the government is there with a discovery or aircraft deep below the ice. A reporting by the name of Lois Lane is also there. A no nonsense report that gets the story and the truth. Lane bumps into Clark and sees some of his powers as he's in search of his origin. Back in Metropolis, Lane writes a story of a Superman that is dismissed, but leaked out to the world. Kent returns home to explore his origins. However, some prisoners from Krypton find their way to earth and battle Kent for the earth.
How do you redo a story that almost every fan of sci-fi would know. A alien being with super powers rescues the earth. The Superman story is part of the fabric of American culture. Just like The Monkey King is in Zhong Guo. In this telling, the film makers went with realism and gut wrenching character development.
If your new to the supermen mythologies, you'll like this. It does break down Krypton, the sun giving Kent super powers, and Lois Lane. This time around, Lois Lane is no nonsense and very much a part of the fabric of the story. Not an after thought.
As much as the movie was well made. I didn't like it that much. I don't even think I'd stop to watch this a 2nd time if I was flipping through channels. Worth at least one watch.
The Fighter (燃燒鬥魂) is a 2010 film. The movie stars Mark Wahlberg and Christian Bale. The supporting cast includes Melissa Leo and Amy Adams. The movie is a based on the life story of "Irish" Micky Ward, a professional boxer.
The movie focuses on the boxing career of Micky Ward, played by Mark Wahlberg. Micky is a welterweight boxer and is training for an upcoming fight. You notice that there's a HBO crew following them around. The crew is there to shoot a documentary about Dicky Eklund, played by Christian Bale, Micky's brother. Micky's head trainer is Dicky and the manager is his mom, Alice played by Melissa Leo. They get to the fight to, but have to change plans and still fight to get the purse money. As the movie moves on, its the balance of family and professional career as a story that's presented. The story of Micky's relationship with Charlene is explored in regards to Micky and against his family.
The movie was an enjoyable watch. Embellished true stories seem to have that kind of effect on people. In the back of your mind, you're always thinking, this is true, it could have happened. I can see why a lot of people had this film in their top ten list from 2010. However, the movie was just ok for me. As the movie progress, I did not not feel an emotional attachment to Micky. Yes, he's trying to love his family and make ends meat. Yes, he trying to make good with his daughter and start fresh with Charlene. Yet, through it all, it was just a presentation of a story. The character development for Micky was very little and I was trying hard to connect. But the story started to get in the way. Dicky's descent into darkness was heart wrenching, but I was having a hard time caring. In all, a enjoyable movie that presented a nice embellished true story, but just didn't get me all that interested.
