Reviews of the Bosch

So Ralph Bakshi’s film ended on a quick semi-resolution, but the ring was not destroyed and the journey not over. Somebody needed to finish the job. So Rankin/Bass hastily took up the task of adapting The Return of the King in 1980. However this wasn’t just a transition of artist and style, but also format. Bakshi’s movie had been a feature film, but Rankin/Bass was going the route of their Hobbit and doing it as a TV special, meaning it would be much shorter, cheaper, and more condensed. Also, since Rankin/Bass had nothing to do with Bakshi’s film, they picked up the story, but as a sequel to their Hobbit ; making for a very weird presentation that follows up essentially where The Lord of the Rings left off, but without acknowledging its specific continuity and darker tone. It’d be like if Jackson quit after The Two Towers  and the story was picked up by Wes Anderson as a sequel to Leonard Nimoy’s “Ballad of Bilbo Baggins”. As you may be able to guess from all this, The Ret...

Disney really loves cultural appropriation. And that’s not necessarily a bad thing. Since the 90’s they’ve been portraying all sorts of cultures on screen to varying results. Some have worked like Moana and even Lilo & Stitch , others have failed like Pocahontas  and Brave , and some have just wound up in the middle like Mulan and The Princess and the Frog . But there is good intention behind these attempts regardless, and Disney and Pixar should continue to explore the world for new storytelling avenues, especially is they follow more in the footsteps of Coco . Coco  is Lee Unkrich’s first movie for Pixar since Toy Story 3 and its’ the studios’ last original movie until at least 2020. Surrounded by Finding Dory  and Cars 3  on one side, and The Incredibles 2  and Toy Story 4  on the other, Coco  is one wholly unique gem from Pixar, and it certainly sets an example for why there should be more. The film is about Miguel Rivera, a 12 year ol...

When talking about The Big Sleep , people usually associate it with Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall, if not director Howard Hawks or the original novelist Raymond Chandler. But how many mention that the great William Faulkner is credited with the screenplay? In fairness, Faulkner wrote a number of Hollywood movies, particularly for Hawks and including To Have and Have Not , the previous Bogart-Bacall vehicle; and he shares credit on this movies’ screenplay with Leigh Bracket (of Empire Strikes Back  fame) and Jules Furthman. But it’s nonetheless intriguing to say the least, to see the author of As I Lay Dying named here as screenplay writer -kind of like seeing Aldous Huxley’s name attached to Pride and Prejudice . It’s a curious thing then that the strongest element of The Big Sleep  isn’t its’ script. It’s very well-written of course (in spite of an incoherent story, but we’ll get to that), with smart, sharp dialogue, but Faulkner’s efforts here are rather eclipsed ...

After the surprise dose in quality of Wonder Woman , DC’s Cinematic Universe is back to normal with Justice League . Justice League  is a severely disappointing movie in a film universe without a great track record to begin with. But in a way, it hurts more than Batman v. Superman  or Suicide Squad , despite being overall better than both, because it’s the big team up movie of the DC characters; and the Justice League in title alone has a great degree of dignity to it. By all accounts it’s a more interesting team than the Avengers at Marvel, yet ultimately its’ movie isn’t a fraction as engrossing as theirs. With Earth in a climate of fear following the death of Superman (Henry Cavill), an ancient villain called Steppenwolf (Ciaran Hinds) returns to Earth with an army to conquer. Aware of this threat, Bruce Wayne (Ben Affleck) goes about assembling a team to combat him. With Wonder Woman (Gal Gadot), he recruits the Atlantean Aquaman (Jason Momoa), a young man with su...

No one asked for this. Sure Cars  had its fanbase, but after the disaster of Cars 2 , why would Pixar continue this franchise? Okay, I know the marketing gold mine is the main reason but I like to pretend Pixar has more integrity than that. Luckily as of now, there’s no plans for an abysmal fourth movie, so hopefully this is the last we have to suffer. John Lasseter’s heart may not even be in it anymore as this is the first one he didn’t direct, instead handing duties off to a first-timer, Brian Fee. So let’s just get this over with and retaining some hope for Coco , it’s time to look at Cars 3 . Given this franchise’s aversion to original stories, Cars 3  does the has-been trying to prove himself routine. Lightning McQueen is not a young racer anymore and as most of his contemporaries are retiring, new racers are coming to take the limelight. After a bad crash on the track, Lightning does some soul searching, realizing he doesn’t want to be forced into retirement lik...

Murder on the Orient Express  is not a remake! Some are calling it that because of the popular 1974 film starring a cast of greats including Ingrid Bergman, Lauren Bacall, John Gielguld, Anthony Perkins, Sean Connery, Vanessa Redgrave, and Albert Finney as Poirot; but this is a story that’s been adapted numerous times in both film and television. It’s one of Agatha Christie’s most enduring stories and for good reason. Kenneth Branagh’s not only the latest to adapt this book, but he also has the task of reviving the murder mystery genre, and Agatha Christie stories in particular, for a new audience. And with this movie he does, though probably only for the right new audience. Hercule Poirot (Branagh) is the self-proclaimed greatest detective in the world on his way back to London from Istanbul via the Orient Express. He’s surrounded by a collection of unusual strangers, including one who comes to him fearing for his life and asking for protection. The following day, as an a...

When it was announced Pixar was going to be going ahead with a bunch of sequels to their popular properties, Finding Dory  was the one I was dreading the most. A completely unnecessary sequel to one of my favourite Pixar movies focussed on a character I liked, but could very easily be misused and rendered annoying, did not instil a lot of confidence. Luckily, Andrew Stanton came back to direct, which I’m sure is the main reason why Finding Dory , while not as good as the original, is easily the best non- Toy Story  Pixar sequel. Taking place roughly a year after the first movie, Dory is now living with Marlin and Nemo. However when she remembers her parents and how she was lost from them as a child, she, with the two clownfish, sets off on a quest to find them, slowly gaining back some long forgotten memories along the way. Once they reach the Marine Life Institute and are separated, Dory enlists the help of a grumpy octopus called Hank to help find the exhibit her pare...

The 1973 “Battle of the Sexes” was a major moment in the history of womens’ sports. A highly publicized tennis match pitting veteran Bobby Riggs against talented up-and-comer Billie Jean King, it’s a story that’s long been waiting to be made into a movie. It’s Little Miss Sunshine  directors Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris finally bringing it to the big screen and, through great casting and commitment, make it one of the best sports movies I’ve seen in years. The film tracks the lead-up to the titular match, starting when King (Emma Stone) leads a troupe of female tennis players in quitting a tournament and starting their own tour in protest of payment discrimination. Meanwhile Riggs (Steve Carrell), retired from the sport, is a gambling addict in a troubled marriage. Eventually, he proposes the idea to challenge King, play up a false chauvinism, and make it a show. As this is happening, both players struggle with their personal lives, particularly King in trying to hide h...