Re:tro Re:view - Blumhouse’s Fantasy Island!

The Fantasy Island movie pushes the oddness of the series into Blumhouse territory!  The original series ran from 1977 to 1984 created by Gene Levitt.  The two host characters were Mr. Roarke played by Ricardo Montalban and Herve Villachaize played his assistant Tatoo.  This film is directed and co-written by Jeff Wadlow.  He also directed the horror movie Truth or Dare (2018).  The writing team from Truth or Dare returns here with Jillian Jacobs and Christopher Roach.  There is a danger to television series adapted to film.  The tendency is to make the movie bombastic with movie production values, but lose the heart of what made the show.  Here we have the Blumhouse twist that works on the creepiness that was sometimes in the original series.  

It opens with a woman’s (Portia Doubleday) scream, she runs through a forest, we see lights from her pursuers, she reaches the house that looks like it is out of the Fantasy Island tv series.  She tries to hide in an office, a phone rings, and she answers saying she was abducted.  The voice (Michael Peña) knows that she is Mrs. Madison and says she is his guest.  Mrs. Madison is pulled back by the men in black sweaters and pants and taken away as we see Mr. Roarke’s desk.  We get the Fantasy Island title with a snake symbol.  It is day on a beach, a woman (Parisa Fitz-Henley) in a white dress, sees the plane, the seaplane from the series.  She rushes to the house to tell Mr. Roarke (Peña) about the plane and he picks up his ring which he was spinning on his desk.  Here we have an intro with the darkness that is behind the fantasy that will put us on guard. 

Then, we have Mr. Roarke deliver the classic line, “Smiles, everyone, smiles!”, but his workers are emotionless.  Out of the seaplane comes Melanie (Lucy Hale) in a red dress and black jacket.  Hale was in Truth or Dare.  Then, friends, J.D. (Ryan Hansen) in a blue shirt and Brax (Jimmy O. Yang) in a red shirt.  Hansen is part of Wadlow's executive produced series Ryan Hanson Solves Crimes on Television.  Yang was in the comedy Like a Boss (2020).  Lastly, is a young man, Patrick (Austin Stowell) and woman, Gwen (Maggie Q) who introduce themselves.  Stowell was in the Catch-22 (2019) mini-series.  Maggie Q was in the Designated Survivor series.  The woman, Julia, welcomes them to Fantasy Island and congratulates them on winning the contest.  A bearded man (Michael Rooker) watches them from the bushes.  Rooker was also in the film, Brightburn (2019).  Melanie takes out a photo of herself and a young man. 

Gwen asks Julia how the fantasies are accomplished, but she says she’s new and doesn’t know how he fulfills the fantasies.  Julia walks out and then gets a stunned look on her face before her nose starts to bleed.  She starts to walk over to Mr. Roarke’s house.  Gwen now in her beach wear hears the dripping water and sees watery footprints.  A skeletal figure startles her in the mirror.  This is the figure that moves through the fantasies.  The two party boys taunt Patrick about them being brothers, J.D.’s father married Brax’s mother.  They all wonder again how the fantasies are made when Mr. Roarke appears.  He gives the rules; one fantasy per guest and it has to be finished.  Melanie is amazed that Mr. Roarke doesn’t know how the fantasies end, he says, “Only the island knows.”  J.D. says they don’t have a room to which Mr. Roarke says their fantasy has already begun!  

Mr. Roarke leads them through the jungle to their fantasy of “having it all”; a party with swimming pool, a party crew, and fireworks.  It reminds me of the ship party in Crazy Rich Asians (2018).  J.D. gets some drinks from some bikini-clad women while Brax is led to a tent with men in bathing suits.  Mr. Roarke says that he will answer from any phone.  I remember the Twilight Zone, “A Nice Place to Visit”, where the host in a white suit, could be dialed anytime.  

A man in raggedy clothes walks leaving wet footprints, Brax looks up, and for a moment sees the burnt man.  Gwen is wakened by the creepy attendant to be taken to see Mr. Roarke.  He says her fantasy is a challenge, she wrote “a do over”, Gwen doesn’t want her business life.  She thinks about a raising a little girl with a man she knew named Allen.  She refused his proposal.  Mr. Roarke says that her fantasy is past the doors at the end of the hall.  Above them from the ceiling is some dripping, blood?  She wonders at the sound, but Mr. Roarke has her walk through the doors.  Gwen opens them to find a wine cellar.  She stunned that it is Maestro’s, the exact restaurant where Allen (Robbie Jones) proposed, who greets her.  Jones was Faddei in the Titans superhero series.  It has been five years.  She leaves to question Mr. Roarke who says this is for her not to have regret.  Day, at the house, Patrick meets with Melanie and he says he always wanted to enlist.  Melanie says she wants revenge on a childhood bully, Sloane, who poured a bucket of toilet water on her in the eighth grade.  Then, she had a counselor she named Dr. Torture.  Looks like we are going into Saw territory here.  

  

Mr. Roarke gives Melanie instructions to go to the lobby elevator and push the button which has the snake symbol.  It opens to a dark room, lights suddenly turn on, she is in some sort of control room and records her fantasy on her phone.  Melanie goes to the control panel and turns on the switch that lights up Sloane restrained in a chair.  This is the woman we saw at the beginning of the movie!  She thinks Sloane is a hologram.  Melanie tests one of the buttons, it electrocutes Sloane’s arm, Melanie loves it.  Then, toilet water is poured on her.  There is video of a bedroom and shows Sloane with a man whom Melanie says is not her husband.  The option of posting the video comes up.  Then, there is the video of the husband who says it has been two days.  We get the video of the woman, Sloane, being pulled away.  Melanie realizes that Sloane was kidnapped.  Mr. Roarke has taken Patrick out to a jungle and gives him his fatigues.  He changes into the fatigues, hears snapping twigs, and then Mason appears.  The soldiers show up along with Sullivan (Mike Vogel) who is Patrick's father.  The evil of the island looms over all of them and ties it into their pasts.  Fantasy Island is fair as a horror movie, there is some character and story, but it does get plot heavy. 

Three White Suits out of Five! 

#BlumhousesFantasyIsland, #JeffWadlow, #MichaelPena, #LucyHale, #RyanHansen, #JimmyOYang, #AustinStowell, #MaggieQ 

Strolling Through the (Theme) Park One Day: Shakespeare’s Globe!

Another threat of the coronavirus pandemic is the possible closure of Shakespeare’s Globe theater.  It is a theater that sustains itself through productions and its closure on March 18th has cut that funding.  The UK government through the Department of Digital, Culture, Media and Sport is working to keep the theater going and through public donations, but still faces possible closure.  Please visit https://www.shakespearesglobe.com/, there is a donation button at the top of the page, donate if you can.  The Globe Theatre, on the banks of the Thames river in London, was built in 1599.  It was burned down by fire in 1613.  A second theater was built and closed in 1642.  Now, the modern theater, Shakespeare’s Globe, opened in 1997.  It is of course an icon of acting, theater, and London.  I had the chance to visit Shakespeare’s Globe during a bus trip to the UK.  

Shakespeare's Globe Theatre, 2009, photo by the author.

There was an opportunity to check out London for one day and of course Shakespeare’s Globe was the chance of a lifetime.  This is from an English major and I performed scenes from Much Ado About Nothing in a Shakespeare class.  I have had the opportunity to see performances at the Original Renaissance Pleasure Faire, https://renfair.com/socal/, and the Globe Theatre in Los Angeles, https://www.globetheatre-la.com/, check them out and go to a performance for any local production.  This is the thing to keep in mind watching Shakespeare, it is not meant to be read, you don’t have to understand every word, you have to understand basically what is happening and what the character is feeling.  So this brings us to London, I read the map and plotting out my course, I took the Tube and emerged and was totally lost!  This was of course before Google Maps so I thought it was an easy stroll to the Thames, but actually the street wound through some stores.  This was after over an hour!  I ended up on a bridge across from the theater and finally seeing it. 

The stage of Shakespeare's Globe, 2009, photo by the author.

So I finally reached Shakespeare’s Globe, it looks like something out of that time with a thatched roof which is real.  There is sprinkler systems in case of fire.  I entered the theater and was readying for a tour.  There is an impressive suit of armor set near the window.  It was darkly lit with several rooms showing costumes and props.  There as a plaque that looks like it came from the 1613 Globe.  I saw a model of the classic Globe theatre.  Shakespeare’s Will had a display with some documentation.  Another display had some animal skulls and items like jars recovered from the banks of the Thames.  I wanted to take it all in, but started on the tour.  It eventually leads to the seats on the upper floors.  We were told about the productions including a modern one that was currently being staged.  It was great to see the perspective from the seats.  See the columns and elaborate mosaic of the stage roof.  I asked about school tours of the Globe.  The guide said that the students were more interested that an episode of Doctor Who, “The Shakespeare Code” (2007) was filmed there.  A very good episode, but I hope everyone has a chance to walk through or attend a production at Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre when things are open!  

#ShakespearesGlobe, #London, #Thames, #DoctorWho 

DC’s Stargirl, “Pilot”, Review!

This of course is DC’s Stargirl to separate it from the Disney+ movie.  It is written by Geoff Johns who created the character with Lee Moder in Stars and S.T.R.I.P.E. #0 (1999).  Two other actresses played Stargirl in Legends of Tomorrow (Sarah Grey) and Smallville (Britt Irwin).  There is some type font that reads about a Golden Age of Heroes that ended “Ten Years Ago”, we see the extreme closeup of a lightbulb that lights up.  Then, a car races under a Merry Christmas sign, it is Stripey, Pat Dugan (Luke Wilson) calling Star Man (Joel McHale) who tells him he is a sidekick.  Star Man and Stripey first appeared in Star Spangled Comics #1 (1941).  The car is called the Star-Rocket Racer built by Pat who is the Tony Stark of this universe.  He crashes through a gate to see a strange, green light blast from a house.  

The house is set on fire with green flames and Pat rushes out only to see a costume figure fall down.  This is Wildcat, who is wounded.  Pat runs into the chaos of the house as lightning bolts are thrown in the burning house.  Stripey, in his red striped shirt, sees a battle where Dr. Midnight is down.  A dark figure drags him back screaming.  Star Man faces off against two supervillains.  He is levitated by the villain, Brainwave (Christopher James Baker) and then a large spike is thrown that pierces Starman!  Pat removes the spike and takes Star Man to his car.  The supervillains, The Injustice Society,  emerge from the house and send Solomon Grundy after the car.  Pat activates jets to fly away from the bulky creature.  The battle has some cheap CG and it is choppy introducing characters in seconds.  

DC’s Stargirl - “Pilot” - BREC BASSINGER - Quantrell Colbert/The CW. 

The car crahes in a forest and Pat brings out Star Man who is dying.  He says the Justice Society is over and passes his Cosmic Staff to the next hero, not Pat.  At the house trying to celebrate Christmas is young Courtney who has a wrapped gift for her father.  Her mother, Barbara (Amy Smart) has to leave.  This shifts to the “Present Day”, with a house in the daytime, an American Action Movers truck pulls up.  We see photos of Courtney and her mother.  An older Courtney (Brec Bassinger) is packing up her belongings.  The car is towed to the house, young Mike (Trae Romano) and Pat are moving to Blue Valley, Nebraska.  Courtney is also not happy at the move.  

They drive into the small town and to their new home where Mike is excited at the size of the house. Pat goes to move a case.  The family walks to the town where they are greeted by the residents.  The parents are happy to see Ritchie’s Diner where they met.  Pat says he was in Nebraska “looking for something.”  Night, Courtney is trying to unpack, and looks out to the night sky.  We see stars light up in a constellation. The next day, Pat drives Courtney to Blue Valley High School, she has told there is no gymnastic class.  Then, takes her i.d. picture not smiling.  Pat meets Larry Kroc, who is called the Crusher.  Barbara is starting her new job at an office.  

Courtney is trying to find a place with her lunch tray.  She meets Beth (Anjelika Washington) and some other sullen teens.  Beth says it’s the losers table.  A jock, Henry King, Jr. (Jake Austin Walker) tries to bully a girl at the table, but Courtney stands up to him and pushes him away.  She is taken away by a principal who apparently wasn’t around until the end of the confrontation.  She is threatened by Cindy (Meg DeLacy).  At night, Mike likes his new school, he goes to play Fortnite at a friend’s house.  Courtney goes to the basement covered with cobwebs.  She sees a photo of Pat fishing and pulls it out to see a photo of the Justice Society.  Courtney continues to look through her stepfather’s personal items finding a photo of Stripey and Star Man and then a super suit.  The Cosmic Staff starts to glow in the box.  She opens the box and we have an origin in 25 minutes.  

DC’s Stargirl - “Pilot” - LUKE WILSON, BREC BASSINGER - Jace Downs/The CW. 

So it’s fine that Courtney goes through belongings of the stepfather she doesn’t like?  The staff pulls her upstairs.  A magical staff choses an average teen because she pushed one bully?  The staff has taken Courntey outside of the high school, she throws it into the air, to use it as a gymnastics kip bar.  Oh, the staff chose her because she knows gymnastics.  Then, it takes her into the air.  Pat brings a box to the basement and sees that the staff is missing.  The Cosmic Staff has taken her to the drive-in where the jocks are acting like jerks.  She sneaks over to their car with a handkerchief to hide her faceand uses her staff to deflate the tires.  

The staff knocks Henry King, Jr. down and blows up their car.  Could the mysterious girl be the only girl in school who stood up to them?  What is the need for superheroes if the supervillains have gone into hiding?  It seems like a peaceful world without superheroes.  Courtney returns home and faces off with Pat.  He takes back the staff.  She holds up a locket of her father and compares it to the JSA photo of Starman. Courtney tells Pat that her father was Sam Curtis.  Pat says Starman was Sylvester Pemberton.  Courtney goes to tell her mother who says her husband abandoned them.  Henry is talking to his father, Henry King Senior (Baker) about the staff in their wealthy estate with a secret door.  It has his costume as Brainwave.  A bully whose father is a supervillain is too expected.  I like the twist of comic book and show, Runaways, where fun kids are raised by supervillains.  

Courtney talks to Pat about his code name.  He explains that he was 20 when Sylvester was 15 and took the identity of the Star Spangled Kid.  Courtney says she will keep Pat’s secret if he doesn’t interfere with her superhero identity.  We get the pov wandering the house to find Courtney.  It is the Cosmic Staff which she shoves under her bed when her mother comes to talk to her.  Later, it is going to take her into the night sky.  Brainwave checks out the drive-in.  The staff takes her to a rooftop to practice as a superhero, she rides it flying through the streets.  I sense somewhere that the staff will take an image or voice of her father.  Courtney is thrown down by Blue Valley Tires and finds that she has to face Brainwave.  There is one more surprise.  Bassinger has some good gymnastic moves, she is fun as a superhero, but the teen part of her character is too cookie cutter.  The pilot needs to slow down and spend time with the characters.  I sense Stargirl does have potential as it is a personal project for Geoff Johns.  

Three Cosmic Staves out of Five! 

 #Stargirl, #BrecBassinger, #LukeWilson, #AmySmart

Community Virtual Table Read Review!

Community is one of the finest television comedies created by Dan Harmon who is currently working on the animated series, Rick and Morty.  The series ran for six seasons which part of the Abed prediction in season two’s “Paradigms of Human Memory” (2011) with only a movie left to fulfill it.  The show survived the loss of Harmon in season four, then, his return, and also cancellation to get the last season on Yahoo. Basically, the group of six students who end up in Greendale Community College are slices of ourselves, go through mishaps, but ultimately have unexpected, human conclusions.  The show featured executive producers Anthony and Joe Russo, who of course moved from Community to the MCU.  The show is streaming on Netflix which is the occasion to bring cast and crew to talk about the show on interviews like Ken Jeong and Joel McHale’s “The Darkest Timeline” podcast.   

The chosen episode, “Cooperative Polygraphy” (2014), is from season five written by Alex Rubens.  Sony Pictures TV streamed the special on it’s Community YouTube page.  The return of most of the cast members is to help COVID-19 charities including Frontline Foods and World Central Kitchen from chef José Andrés.  Check out their page at: wck.org/community. Dan Harmon acts as the host introducing the actors, it is great to see them, especially smiling happy to call from their homes.  Pedro Pascal, it is mentioned serveal times that he is from The Mandalorian, takes the part of Walter Goggins, Mr. Stone.  The cast claps for him and Harmon asks if he is a Baby Yoda, very funny.  Next, he introduces the writer of the theme song, “At Least It Was Here”,  Keith Slettedahl from The 88.  Jim Rash also fills in for Mara who was played by Lesley Tsina in the episode.  She had a funny deadpan delivery to all of the character responses.  

Harmon reads the script’s opening, we also have the crazy quilt of all of the actors on screen, he describes that Troy (Danny Glover) and Abed (Danny Pudi) entering wearing blue robes and cone hats (in the episode) of Pierce’s strange cult, Reformed Neo Buddhism.  Pierce is the character played by Chevy Chase.  Troy has brought in what looks like a purple lava lamp.  Troy and Abed are the fun loving boys, Troy wants to be a man, and Abed is the stoic observer.  They take off the robes and hats around their usual seats at the study group table.  Jeff (Joel McHale) says that the afternoon was weird.  Jeff is the charismatic leader, but self-absorbed.  Annie (Alison Brie) remarks about the beeping at the funeral, but Shirley (Yvette Nicole Brown) tries to be non-judgmental.  Annie is the hard working people pleaser.  Shirley is the kind, mother-type, who can get angry.  Then, Annie asks about Abed since he was spending some time by the casket.  The duo sings “Troy and Abed are in mourning”, the reference to their faux morning show, which annoys Jeff.  Annie is upset they sang it for the eulogy.  It’s playful, but funny.  

Annie is confused about the Energon Pod that contains Pierce, but really is the lava lamp.  Then, Chang (Ken Jeong) walks in asking about the funeral, and he says that they hated Pierce.  Chang is of course the wild man, just pure chaos.  The group protests, it is funny to see all of the reactions of the actors.  Chang is always blunt bringing up topics, but this is at the heart of the episode.  The study group says that they didn’t like Pierce when he was living, but respect him now.  Entering the room is Mr. Stone who is serious as the executor of Pierce’s will.   He is there to determine is anyone in the group murdered Pierce.  Gasps.  Mara and an assistant bring in the polygraph machine, in the episode it has a screen with all of the readings of the group, including Chang.  Troy is touching the Energon Pod and it starts venting steam so he tries to breathe it in!  Keith Slettedahl starts singing the theme song playing his guitar which is great with the actors dancing to it!  Harmon adds some lyrics to the song.  Then, Danny Glover jokes that he has to leave.  The polygraph wrist cuffs are attached to the group.  Mr. Stone asks questions to the first member, Britta (Gillian Jacobs), who answers Pierce’s creepy questions.  Britta is the crusader causing the group to groan at all of her remarks.  It's the best cast that loves the characters and the jokes.  

The funny one is Shirley asked if she is honest, “She thinks that’s true”, which makes her angry.  Another response has Britta upset, but Jeff tries to calm them down knowing that Pierce is manipulating them.  Troy says that he wanted to say his name was “Butts Carlton” which is true.  Glover gets some goofy lines.  Next, he gets a question about an escape plan for a zombie apocalypse with Abed.  Without the rest of the group. It is interesting to see the truth come out from all of the study group.  Chang’s first question has him walking out of the room.  The laughs of the cast is funny.  Abed gets questions and then answers about using Jeff’s Netflix account.  Annie is very funny trying to be innocent, but gets caught in her lies.  She is asked about overcharging the rent for Troy and Abed.  I’m not certain how Pierce would find out all of these secrets.  The group never trusted him.  This of course upsets Troy and Abed. Mr. Stone breaks up their arguments and says that if they go through the questioning, the group will get his last gifts from his $20 million estate.  There are of course secrets that test friendships in all of the study group.  I love Pascal cracking up at the end of the episode.  The interesting part of the episode that it is centered around death and brings Pierce into focus on what he added to the study group.     

Five Energon Pods out of Five! 

#CommunityTableRead, #DanHarmon, #JoelMcHale, #DannyGlover, #DannyPudi, #AlisonBrie, #YvetteNicoleBrown, #GillianJacobs, #KenJeong, #JimRash.  

Re:tro Re:view - Zeiram!

Zeiram is a Japanese sci fi film that features a woman warrior against a vicious alien with the help of her A.I. and two bumbling electricians!  I’m familiar with the sentai tradition mostly through Kamen Rider that eventually ended up as Power Rangers.  This film has part of that with a superheroine taking on a monstrous humanoid.  It also has some sci fi concepts like A.I., an alternate dimension, and sci fi weaponry.  Wrap all of that with some goofball comedy and some unique world building and you have Zeiram.  It is directed and co-written by Keita Amemiya who worked on Kamen Rider for television and also the fantasy film, Moon Over Tao (1997) which also featured the same lead actress.  There was an anime series, Iria: Zeiram the Animation (1994), and a sequel, Zeiram 2 (1994).  The English dub was voice directed by Carl Macek who created the Robotech animation series.  

We start with a pan down to a dark forest of twisted trees as we hear monks chanting, a theme song for the villain.  Then, there is a shadow profile of a bulky figure framed by a doorway of light, the beginning is filmed in black and white.  He wears a cloak and wears what seems like a curved hat which also looks like the underside of a mushroom.  Black helmeted soldiers have their weapons ready for him.  Close-up, we get a cyclopean light from the creature's face, it looks like a stroke of white paint making the Japanese number for one.  Then, there is a pale, Kabuki face of a woman that slowly opens her eyes and smiles.  We see a pov racing towards the soldiers and splatters against the walls.  The soldiers fire their rifles, but the alien’s walk is relentless.  The thump of the boots and the chants are the signal that the alien is there.  He slices through the soldiers and a helmet is opened to show an alien face before it is crushed.  

We see a message about the listing of accepting the task of bringing in their bounty by Iria and Bob.  This switches the bright and crowded streets of Tokyo where we get the boots of a woman.  She wears a red cloak and finally we see Iria (Yûko Moriyama).  The actress has the tough look and is able to fight, shoot, and take on this alien threat.  Then, we get the laughing Kamiya (Yukijiro Hotaru) who is happy he won at the races.  Iria is walking past with a bag of groceries when she bumps into a man that knocks away an apple.  Kumiya picks up the apple.  On the phone, is young man, Tepphei (Kunihiro Ida), who is arranging time for a date.  He is then told that Kamiya is passing by and runs after him.  Iria is walking with Kamiya holding the apple as Tepphei shouts to him.  Kamiya finally turns and Tepphei catches up to him.  The pairing of Kamiya and Tepphei reminds me of Val and Earl in Tremors (1990); the older and younger working class men taking on a strange horror.  

They drive in the company’s truck while Kamiya explains he was following a woman.  Then, he teases Tepphei about dating Yumi.  The Earth setting seems to be just a battleground to take on the alien creature, but the protocol is to capture it without the attention of the locals.  There is a white model of the city, some electronics, and weapons.  Iria has returned to her temporary base and activates the computer and Bob, the A.I. that on screen looks like two spinning seashell-like cymbals, another religious symbol.  Iria’s voice in the dub is by Edie Mirman whom I recognize is Miriya in Robotech.  Bob has established a force field to protect the primitive natives.  Bob’s voice is dubbed by Jeff Winkless in a dry, straight man computer voice.  Winkless was Fleegle on The Banana Splits Show, “Making up a mess of fun”!  Bob is the practical side of the partnership while Iria is the thoughtful warrior.   

They have to capture their bounty without leaving any traces of their activity.  Bob suggests a Zone to capture the bounty.  He warns her about another violation will take away their bounty hunting license and they need the bounty to pay off their debts.  Iria hopes the Field Trap will capture the alien without any problems.  Then, we get Kamiya with flowers that he hopes to give a woman at a bar, Tepphei continues driving the truck.  Bob has been checking on the bounty as Iria puts on white gloves for her combat suit.  Iria uses the alien’s name for the Zone, Zeiram.  The truck heads across a bridge to town, there are clouds overhead in the shape of Zeiram’s hat.  Iria sets up the Zone, scanning for an area without lifeforms, it’s funny that Earth is an unregistered planet.  She finds the town of Mikasa.  Teppehei and Kamiya have finished a job and taken another to work on an illegal hookup.  

They end up in the same building as Iria who hears them and hides.  Teppehei is standing on a device, Iria later calls it a tran-sembler.  There is an alert that Zeiram’s pod is landing, and he accidentally hits the switch that teleports him in a pyramid of energy.  Iria goes to check on what is happening and Kamiya rushes to talk to her so they are both transported to the Zone.  She traps Kamiya in a hexagonal pyramid trap, a Containment Capsule.  Teppehei runs into Zeiram who draws a pistol!  The hapless electrician runs and Zeiram throws a tiny cone which transforms in a short, bulbous monster that chases after Teppehei.  Iria confronts Zeiram and then runs into the misty streets.  At a warehouse, Iria transforms the Zone into daytime and sets up ropes to tie up the alien.  

Zeiram has a deadly trick up his sleeve, he sends out the tentacled head of the Kabuki figure on his hat to sever the ropes.  It is a grotesque Alien-like appendage.  They get into a shootout with Iria retreating until she uses the explosive rounds with her rifle.  Zeiram with one hand picks up a concrete pillar and slams it into Iria.  She activates her combat suit, very cool, and deflects Zeiram’s attacks.  One cool move is her swinging her arm to knock away an explosive round that detonates on an industrial tower, very cool, very Wonder Woman.  She takes on Zeiram with some martial arts.  They have to take on Zeiram who can’t be stopped and turns into horrific forms.  It is also a bit of J-horror.  The two humans are terrified, but able to hold their own against the monstrous alien.  Zeiram has action, sci-fi, martial arts, and everything to make this film fresh and entertaining!   

Four Zones out of Five!  

#Zeiram, #KeitaAmemiya, #YukoMoriyama, #YukijiroHotaru, #KunihiroIda

Re:tro Re:view - Jumanji: The Next Level!

Jumanji: The Next Level brings some comedy and action to a body swapping adventure movie!  The film has the return of Jake Kasdan as co-writer and director.  The rest of the writing team is Jeff Pinkner and Scott Rosenberg who also worked on the first movie.  It opens to a jungle scene, waterfalls, a river, and Bethany (Madison Iseman) texts a pic of it to her friends, what no selfie?  Iseman was in the horror sequel, Annabelle Comes Home (2019).  Martha (Morgan Turner) recieves the text and then Fridge (Ser’Darius Blain) working out.  Blain starred in the war movie, The Last Full Measure (2019).  Spencer (Alex Wolff) is the last one, but he ignores it stepping out from New York University into the snowy streets.  Wolff was in the bio film, Bad Education (2019).  The four friends are returning from the previous movie.  

Then, working at re-stocking toothpaste at a store, Spencer finally checks the text.  He heads home and his mother, Janice (Marin Hinkle) whom I recognize from Two and a Half Men as a harried mother because it is the same part here.  His grandfather, Eddie, is played by the always funny Danny DeVito who is busy working on something.  DeVito played Max Medici in Tim Burton’s Dumbo (2019) adaptation.   They are roommates and Eddie asks him about his girlfriend.  Spencer explains that it has been a year since he was with Martha and graduated from high school.  He goes downstairs after his grandfather is asleep and is inspired by his character, Bravestone, so takes out his suitcase with the game and Jumanji cartridge.  The friends meet at the Nora’s restaurant, Bethany was in Costa Rica building houses, Martha, was in college and on a break with Spencer.  

Eddie is wakened by the doorbell and goes to see that it is Milo (Danny Glover).  Glover is a veteran actor who was in the drama Strive (2019).  He wants to have a breakfast with Eddie who is impatient since they have not seen each other in 15 years.  Fridge wonders where is Spencer.  Eddie says he won’t apologize and answers the doorbell to see Fridge, whom he calls Anthony, also Martha, and Bethany.  Fridge realizes that Milo was part of the Milo and Eddie’s restaurant. Martha tries to check on Spencer, but he is missing, then they hear drumbeats.  The friends see the game in the basement and realize that Spencer went back into the game.  Fridge has a funny line, “I gotta stop hangin’ around white people.”  Martha sees that the controller is damaged, it sparks, and then draws them, except Bethany, into the game!  

There is a pov of falling through the jungle until we get the landing of Ruby Roundhouse (Karen Gillan).  Gillan was of course Nebula in Avengers: Endgame (2019).  Her part is more of a lead this time.  She turns to see Bravestone (Dwayne Johnson) whom she thinks is Spencer.   Johnson was also the lead in Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw (2019).  Wakening from some leaves is Mouse (Kevin Hart) who is surprised.  Hart had a cameo in Hobbs & Shaw.  The interaction of Bravestone playing DeVito and Mouse playing Glover is just fun with its silliness.  Ruby realizes what has happened.  Mouse asks if Bravestone is Eddie.  Oberon (Jack Black) falls from the sky.  Black also starred in the fantasy film, The House with a Clock in Its Walls (2018).  We also have the return of the game character actors.  

Fridge is now Oberon.  Ruby and Oberon suspect the mix-up is that they didn’t choose their avatars, the game characters.  Ruby tries to explain the situation, kinda funny, and I like Bravestone checking his hip since it was causing him problems in the real world.  Mouse goes to walk into the river and Ruby knocks him away from a hippopotamus!  There are other dangers to the jungle.  A plane passes overhead.  Nigel Billingsley (Rhys Darby) welcomes them to Jumanji and flies them to the next location.  He says everything is in the letter he sent to Bravestone who starts to read the letter.  Then, we get the cutscene, very funny having the experienced players comment on the game.  In a snowy castle, Jurgen the Brutal (Rory McCann) has returned.  McCann is of course known as The Hound in Game of Thrones and makes a threatening villain.   

He is looking for the Falcon Jewel that is worn by the village elder of Avian Province.  It of course keeps Jumanji prosperous.  In a night raid, Jurgen takes the jewel and seals it in a box wearing the key to it.  Two of his hyenas protect the box.  He has the enigmatic clue, “Follow the flame to the desert fruit.”  Nigel tells Bravestone that Jurgen killed his parents.  Oberon takes the map.  Nigel tells them that they have drop from the plane to the desert.  The seat belts retract and Nigel drops them from a hatch in the plane!  Oberon has found a junkyard of desert vehicles.  They encounter ostriches who are almost like velociraptors!  The birds do not seem to have fear, just relentless pecking.  The characters manage to escape and check their character profiles.  Fridge is not happy at Oberon’s weaknesses.  Bethany in the real world goes to the house of Alex (Colin Hanks) so he can help repair the machine.  This is an expanded role for her character and return of Alex to the films.  

The team sees hyenas and go to the smoke.  It is a rowdy bar filled with Jurgen’s mercenaries.  A woman in a red dress (Dania Ramirez) tries to get Bravestone to talk in a private place.  Ramirez was in the Kevin Williamson series Tell Me A Story.  Ruby knows that she is an ex-girlfriend, the flame, of Bravestone.  Jurgen gives a speech to his mercenaries about the hyena keeper trying to steal from him so he feeds pieces of him to the hyenas!  We get a thief, Ming Fleetfoot (Awkwafina) who tries to steal the key to the box caught by Bravestone.  Awkwafina was of course brilliant in The Farewell (2019).  She has an action role here with some of her comedy.  I love the team-up of young and old working to save Spencer and solve the game.  I think when it reverts to the original avatars that the film’s pace slowed for me.  Jumanji: The Next Level has enough twists and fun with the same actors and some new ones to make an entertaining adventure!       

Four Falcon Gems out of Five! 

#JumanjiTheNextLevel, #JakeKasdan, #KarenGillan, #DwayneJohnson, #KevinHart, #JackBlack