Movie Review - Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire

Director: Gil Kenan
Genre: Adventure/ Fantasy, Comedy
Runtime: 115 minutes
Year: 2024
Starring: Paul Rudd, Carrie Coon, McKenna Grace, Finn Wolfhard, Dan Aykroyd, Bill Murray, Ernie Hudson, Annie Potts, Kumail Nanjiani, Patton Oswalt, William Atherton
 
Description: When the discovery of an ancient artifact unleashes an evil force, Ghostbusters new and old must join to protect their home and save the world from a second ice age.

Review: Inside a mysterious object lurks a dark force that could unleash the ice age on the world once again. It is up to the Ghostbusters to stop this new evil.

“Ghostbusters” (1984) remains a classic that reflects the spirit of its time and has been and always will be one my all-time favorite films. When “Ghostbusters: Afterlife” was announced, I was not excited about it, at all. But it was a pleasant surprise and I actually loved that film. “Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire” really peaked my interest now. And although it’s a fun time, it’s not as good as its predecessor.
The opening scene, in which the new generation of Ghostbusters hunt a ghost, is immediately the highlight of the film. We see the characters work together, making sarcastic remarks and doing their tasks perfectly.

At the end of “Ghostbusters: Afterlife” it was a fun surprise to *SPOILER* see the old cast members showing up for the finale. Annie Potts, Bill Murray, Ernie Hudson and especially Dan Ayrkroyd have a bigger role in this part. Even William Atherton returns for this sequel. Some new characters are introduced, with Kumail Nanjiani being the most prominent one. He was supposed the be the comic relief, but I found him a bit annoying. Patton Oswalt is in it as well and I would have loved to see his character in more scenes.

As for the returning cast, they are given little to do. It’s not as adventurous as you might expect and is trying to evoke nostalgia in the wrong way.

I would probably watch another installment with this cast, because I found “Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire” entertaining enough. But director Gil Kenan didn’t succeed into making it as amazing as Jason Reitman’s “Ghostbusters: Afterlife”.

Rating: 3/ 5

TV Show Review - Obi-Wan Kenobi (Mini Series)

Season: Mini Series

Genre: Adventure/ Action/ Drama/ Science Fiction

Number of episodes: 6

Year: 2022

Starring: Ewan McGregor, Hayden Christensen, Jimmy Smits, Joel Edgerton, Moses Ingram, Vivien Lyra Blair, Rupert Friend, James Earl Jones, Kumail Nanjiani, O’Shea Jackson,

Description: Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi (Ewan McGregor) has to save young Leia after she is kidnapped, all the while being pursued by Imperial Inquisitors and his former Padawan, now known as Darth Vader.

 

Review: Ewan McGregor has never made a secret of his desire to don Obi-Wan Kenobi’s Jedi cloak and take up his lightsaber again. At first, there was talk about a standalone film, but eventually the producers of the Star Wars series opted for a six-part miniseries. McGregor is visibly enjoying himself, but  is actually reduced to a supporting actor. The story, in fact, revolves mainly around the ten-year-old Princess Leia and the rise of Darth Vader. Nevertheless, for fans it is still a feast of recognition.

“Obi-Wan Kenobi” is set between episode III and IV, thus forming a solif bridge between the original and the prequel trilogy. You might even tentatively conclude that this series makes that hated second trilogy more palatable, as “Revenge of the Sith” is tied to this first trilogy opener, A New Hope.

It is a few years after the battle on the volcanic planet Mustafar, where Anakin Skywalker, who had turned to the dark side, came away from the battle battered. With all kinds of artifice we see how he recovers and has the iconic Darth Vader suit hoisted, which provides him with an artificial face provided by James Earl James (in his nineties now). It will lead to cheers for fans, and this puts even more puzzle pieces in place. In particular, a fight scene in the final episode will be able to please many because it brings together nostalgia and new angles.

Whereas “The Mandalorian” had its main charm offensive in the form of Grogy (aka Baby Yoda aka The Child), the creators of this series got to work with a ten-year-old Princess Leia. Unlike the viewer, she has no idea who her real parents are or that she has a twin brother, who grows up in anonymity on Tatooine. Leia is played by Vivien Lyra Blair, who steals the show in every episode. She is smart, witty, but not pedantic or irritating, like a lot of children in movies are.

It's a nice touch that continuity with the movies has been provided by having all the actors still available reprise their characters, even though some have visibly aged and other appear in only one scene.

 

Unlike previous Star Wars series, all sex episodes of “Obi-Wan Kenobi:  were directed by the same person: Deborah Chow. She also directed tow episodes of “The Mandalorian”, and this time around her work shows consistent direction in a series is still most remiscent of the prequel trilogy in terms of looks.

“Obi-Wan Kenobi” is a better series then “The Book of Boba Fett”, but doesn’t manage to climb over “The Mandalorian”, but it forms a finely rounded story. It lacks a real soul like in “The Mandalorian”, but for a Star Wars fan it is still a must-see.

20s Movie Review - Eternals

Director: Chloé Zhao
Genre: Adventure/ Action/ Science Fiction/ Fantasy
Runtime: 156 minutes
Year: 2021
Starring: Gemma Chen, Richard Madden, Angelina Jolie, Salma Hayek, Kit Harrington, Kumail Nanjiani, Lia McHugh, Brian Tyree Henry, Ma Dong-Seok, Lauren Ridloff, Barry Keoghan, Bill Skarsgård

Description: The saga of the Eternals, a race of immortal beings who lived on Earth and shaped its history and civilizations.

Review: In the massive, ethnically diverse “Eternals, no less than ten new superheroes are introduces to viewers at once. An extremely ambitious project, bit is this really the promised gamechanger for the Marvel Cinematic Universe?
Ajak, Thena, Ikaris, Kingo, Sersi and the others fight against so-called Devians who have long been a threat to humanity and the Eternals themselves. Not that you’ll notice much of that, as the monsters are defeated without much of a fight by a team of heroes with fairly generic superpowers: one shoots lasers out of his eyes, the other rays of light out of fingertips.
But above all, don’t leave too early. “Eternals” takes a little time to get up to speed, because the pace is a little different than you’re used to from Marvel. The film covers a period of around seven thousand years and happily hops back and forth between different time periods and different locations.
The film opens (like “Star Wars”) with a piece of text that rolls across the screen and so we learn that the Eternals have indeed been roaming the universe since the creation of heaven and earth. Of course, this immediately raises an essential question, for why didn’t these primal superheroes help when Thanos decided to eliminate half the world’s population? The answer is really simple: the Eternals were not allowed to get involved.
Although at first this seems to dismiss the matter a little too easily, along the way “Eternals” unrolls a theological head-scratcher that ties in quite nicely with all that has happened before. Arishem, an entity with a body of cosmic proportions, has his own plan for the universe, but it would be a shame to reveal how the Eternals fit into that picture.
Biblival, Babylonian and Greek myths are mixed up and turned into this entertaining Marvel flick. A lot was changed, there are many differences between the comics and the movie ( I looked it up, didn’t know anything about “Eternals”).
It’s almost a surprise that Chloé Zhao directed it. The woman behind “The Rider”(2017) and “Nomadland” (2020), where she used documentary-like style to highlight marginalized groups in society: men who do not conform to the macho ideal, for example, or poor people who are forced to roam their own country as nomads. Her idiosyncratic way of filming is nowhere to be found this time.
“Eternals” is not a failure, but certainly hasn’t become the gamechanger we were promised. The film has a lot going on, many characters, but only a few get enough attention to understand their motivations or sympathize with them. Many characters you just want to get to know better and with the long runtime you expect there is enough time to do so. But sadly, a lot of the characters are still  underdeveloped.  

Rating: 2,5/ 5

Movie Review - The Lovebirds

Director: Michael Showalter

Genre: Comedy/ Crime/ Action

Runtime: 86 minutes

Year: 2020

Starring: Issa Rae, Kumail Nanjiani, Paul Sparks, Anna Camp, Nicolas X. Parsons, Kyle Bornheimer, Barry Rothbart, Catherine Cohen, Andrene Warren-Hammond

Description: Leilani (Issa Rae) and Jibran (Kumail Nanjiani) experience a defining moment in their relationship when they are unintentionally embroiled in a murder mystery.

I WATCHED THIS MOVIE FOR MY 2020 MOVIE CHALLENGE.

WEEK 39: A MURDER MYSTERY

Review: Jibran and Leilani’s relationship is on the verge of falling apart. Busily arguing, they are on their way to a party where neither of them seems to really want to go to. While they are breaking up in the car, they accidentally hit a bicyclist. Before they know it, they are in the middle of an insane criminal conspiracy and experience a bizarre adventure of cults, corrupt governors and murder.  

The film opens with a flashback of how Jibran and Leilani fall in love after their first date. Four years later there seems little left of this love. In a funny quarrel between the two, all the painful points of their relationship come to the surface. When the insane events pile up, their love story is also magnified.

Kumail Nanjiani and Issa Rae are well on their way in the beginning of the film. Their fantastic comedic timing makes for particularly funny conversations and quarrels between the two and they seem to be working very well together. The dialogues are quick and funny. After that, the film soon loses sight of the humor. Action and crime get the upper hand and overshadow the funny bits. It still has its moments, but the script becomes dependent on the many bizarre situations in which the couple get stuck. I actually found the scene with the weird cult very funny, due to the hilarious comment of Jibran and Leilani.

Michael Showalter’s previous film was “The Big Sick”, in which Nanjiana also had the lead role. This was a fantastic and unforgettable film, funny and witty filled with feeling. Compared to this movie “The Lovebirds” is quite empty and soulless. Nanjiani is still on a roll, but the characters are quite disposable and overall the film is more forgettable.

“The Lovebirds” was originally supposed to be showing in cinemas. However, due to the crisis, it was postponed and eventually bought by Netflix. I think that’s a win for the film, because I think more people will watch it at home then in theaters. Although it’s not a great comedy, I still think it’s a little above average because of the two leads. And it does have its moments, so it’s good for a fun movie night where you don’t want to have to think too much. And for that only, I think it’s still worth a watch.

Rating: 3 / 5

10s Movie Review - The Big Sick

Director: Michael Showalter
Genre: Drama/ Comedy/ Romance
Runtime: 119 minutes
Year: 2017
Starring: Kumail Nanjiani, Zoe kazan, Holly Hunter, Ray Romano, Aidy Bryant, Kurt Braunohler, Anupam Kher, Zebonia Shroff, Adeel Akhtar, Bo Burnham, Vella Lovell, Myra Lucretia Taylor

Description: Pakistan-born Kumail (Kumail Nanjiani) and grad student Emily (Zoe Kazan) fall in love but struggle as their cultures clash. When Emily contracts a mysterious illness, Kumail finds himself forced to face her feisty parents (Holly Hunter, Ray Romano), his family’s expectations and his true feelings.

Review: Stand-up comedian Kumail Nanjiani was busy making plans. He was about to break through and has also met a nice woman. And then fate struck.
The originally Pakistani comedian tells his life story in the autobiographical feel-good drama, with some small adjustments here and there. He plays himself. Kumail has a group of his friends around him with whom he not only lives together, but also performs. After a show he always has some drinks in the pub, where he meets the charming Emily.
Their relationship, which starts off as a one-time-thing, doesn’t really get a chance to flourish. Just when it all seems to go in the right direction, there are difficulties. Kumail’s family, who believe in marriage, has a potential bride for him almost every day who always 'just happen to be in the neighborhood’. But as if misunderstandings and miscommunications aren’t complex enough, fate strikes as well.
Short after Emily finds out that Kumail is supposed to marry a Pakistani woman, she gets a mysterious illness which leaves her in a coma. Kumail is forced to call her parents.
Without going into too much detail, the title isn’t a guess as to which dilemma Kumail is confronted with. How far does your responsibility go when a relationship that actually seems to be dead already? And how great are the sacrifices you want to make when the future seems hopeless? “Th Big Sick” starts out as a sweet love story, with the necessary struggles and bumps in the road. But later turns into more complicated matter. On top of that, Kumail has to deal with Emily’s parents.
Director Michael Showalter lets you deal with the change of the tone without a problem. He achieves this because he has writer his characters well and adds the new characters he gradually introduces with sufficient unpredictability and sympathy.
If “The Big Sick” has only been a comedy about difficulties and setbacks, a bit in the tone of Judd Apatow, then two hours of runtime really would have been too much. Bu Showalter’s good balance of drama and lighter moments makes it easy to keep your attention and stay entertained. The real Kumail, who was co-responsible for the screenplay, has not only written his own experiences with this very successful feature film, but also knows how to look back on it with proper self-reflection. His dialogues are subtle and are a hit and the casting of Zoe Kazan as his opponent is a master move.
“The Big Sick” is a true breath of fresh air. I loved the story, the cast, the whole tone of the film. I can recommend this to anyone.

Rating: 4,5/ 5