Off the Cuff Reviews Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017)

I may be wrong about this, but I think this was the first midnight premiere I ever went to. I don't think it was planned either, it just sort of happened. Anyway, there are two kinds of MCU fans: people who prefer Guardians of the Galaxy 1 and people who prefer Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017). I happen to be in the latter category. This sequel builds off the foundations set up in the original and takes the series to new heights, while still keeping everything that made the original so great in the first place. Starring Chris Pratt as Peter Quill / Star-Lord, Zoe Saldana as Gamora, Dave Bautista as Drax the Destroyer, Vin Diesel as Baby Groot, Bradley Cooper as Rocket Raccoon, Michael Rooker as Yonda Udonta, Karen Gillan as Nebula, Pom Klementieff as Mantis, Elizabeth Debicki as Ayesha, Chris Sullivan as Taserface, Sean Gunn as Kraglin, Sylvester Stallone as Stakar Ogord and Kurt Russell as Ego.

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017)

Starting off where I usually start in movies like this, this film is beautiful to look at. The environments are bristling with detail, the colours are much more vibrant than they were in the previous movie, and the effects are fantastic to boot. Right from the scale of the opening fight against the big monster to the hectic insanity of the final showdown, it all looks great. The motion capture on Rocket and Groot is still as fantastic as ever, and Sean Gunn did an excellent job in both roles. Something I'll mention here that I don't normally shout out is the make-up. There are a lot of different alien species in this movie, some present for only a single scene, and everything looks wonderful. I have no idea how they brought Mantis to life in the way they did, but it always had me fooled. It looked so real, it was ridiculous. The music is also as good as its been, and there are some winners in the soundtrack. Setting the opening credits against Mr. Blue Sky was perfect, and the use of Fleetwood Mac is always appreciated. Once again, the original compositions do their job when they're called upon, but there's a reason everyone loves the use of pre-existing songs in these movies: whenever they're used it's exactly the right moment for exactly the right tone.

Chris Sullivan as Taserface

All of the original cast members are back, and they're able to build off the characters they established in the first one to give us something new. Chris Pratt is, for the most part, his usual Chris Pratt self, but he has a lot more moments of genuine heart that really, really land. He has a couple of tear-jerker moments, which isn't what you'd expect out of a traditional Chris Pratt performance. What you'd expect is more in line with what Dave Bautista delivers in this movie: non stop comedy. I'm serious. Practically everything out of Drax's mouth in this movie was a winner, and it was a good choice to make him more of a comedy relief character this time around, as he's the one with the least personal stakes in this story. Zoe Saldana gets a few softer moments than she had in the last movie, having begun to warm to the ways of Peter Quill and the Guardians, and it all feels really natural and nice. I'd say of the original 5, she has the least variation from how she was in the original, but Infinity War gave her so much more to do, so I'll let it slide. Rocket is how Rocket was, but there's a bigger focus on why Rocket is, and it's really great stuff too. Pairing him with Yondu for the majority of the movie was an excellent choice, and I'll get to Yondu specifically in a moment, but suffice it to say, they both service each other's stories wonderfully. Baby Groot obviously has the biggest variation, since he's technically not even the same character than he was in the past, and he's really fun here. I think I do prefer the Groot from the first movie, since original Groot was kind-hearted and sweet, but could turn on the anger when needed, while here it's almost a reverse, and I find the former far more interesting than the latter. However, the way they use Baby Groot here is about as good as it could have been, and they get a lot of comedy, heart and badassery out of him.

Zoe Saldana as Gamora, Karen Gillan as Nebula, Chris Pratt as Peter Quill, Dave Bautista as Drax and Bradley Cooper as Rocket

Yondu and Nebula are given more of a focus here than in the past, so I'll talk about them now. The relationship between Peter and Yondu was interesting to touch on in the original, and I'm glad to see them explore it more here in the sequel. I also like the look we get at the other Ravagers, hinting at a bigger civilisation than just Yondu's crew that I hope we see more of in the future. Michael Rooker absolutely crushes it in this movie, and he has a sense of gravitas that he somehow blends with some of the more ridiculous lines wonderfully. I also really love what we get of Nebula here. Like with Yondu, the original hinted at a really interesting relationship between her and Gamora, as well as teasing a really dark backstory I wanted to see explored further. And I got it. I like how it sort of brings Gamora down to Nebula's level, which is perfectly natural given their pasts. I'm so impressed by how Nebula's not a very emotional character (except when it comes to rage), but Karen Gillan still manages to get a really emotional performance out of it. She finds the exact right balance of letting the emotion seep through while still keeping the toughened persona that Nebula... well, is. Pom Klementieff is new to the cast, and she turns out a really compelling performance as Mantis. She's like a puppy dog, she does a great job of winning you over with her innocence and cuteness right from the beginning. Her friendship with Drax really works, and her abilities, while maybe not the most action-heavy or aesthetically interesting, are certainly unique. I'm excited to see what they do with her moving forward, as I feel like there are stories you can explore with this character like what she was doing before Ego.

Pom Klementieff as Mantis

Speaking of which, Kurt Russell is absolutely excellent as Ego. He's charming, funny, dark in moments, and it really feels like Russell based his performance off not only Pratt's,but also some of the other roles he's undertaken in the past. Through Ego, we also get to my favourite thing about this movie, and thing that really makes it stand apart from the original: it's unpredictability. Say what you will about Guardians 1, but you could basically tell what was going to happen in the movie from when it started; the band of unlikely heroes get together through circumstance, don't get along at first, but eventually work out their differences and become a family to save the galaxy. Here, it's not as simple. You might have guessed the villain's intentions from the start, but the way they get there and the extent of the villain's plan isn't broadcast from the word go, and there are enough twists and turns to really keep you guessing along the way. The drawback is that, since the villain doesn't really come into it until the final act, the movie does drag a little bit before it gets there, but only a little bit. The movie still keeps you entertained with the comedy and visuals and characters and basically the entirety of the Ravagers storyline. Is it funnier than the first movie? That's certainly up to you. I personally think it was about equal, and I'd probably give the edge to the original, but that's not to say there aren't some amazing moments of comedy here.

Kurt Russell as Ego

Ultimately, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017) is a fantastic sequel to a great movie. It advances the characters forward, it doesn't just tell the same story over again, but it keeps the tone and atmosphere that made the original so great in the first place. Who cares if it's a little similar in tone to the first movie; with the amount of movies that are out there, the fact that two movies felt a little samey really shouldn't mean much. These are both really unique action blockbusters, and with James Gunn back at the helm for the third, I can be confident in saying it will be too. 9/10.

Next, it's Spider-Man: Homecoming.

Off the Cuff Reviews Grave of the Fireflies (1988)

When talking about anime, it's hard to avoid hearing Studio Ghibli come into the conversation. Some of the most beloved anime movies in history have come from Studio Ghibli, and my sister even owns the collection. So, it may surprise you to learn that Grave of the Fireflies (1988) is my first Studio Ghibli movie. Or, maybe it won't, given my track record. Regardless, this isn't a movie I would typically watch. It's not overly funny, it's not action heavy, it's really heavy and bleak. But there is one word for it that is fundamentally true: beautiful. This movie was beautiful. Starring Tsutomu Tatsumi as Seita, Ayano Shiraishi as Setsuko, Yoshiko Shinohara as Seita and Setsuko's mother, and Akemi Yamaguchi as Seita and Setsuko's aunt.

Grave of the Fireflies (1988)

I don't want it to sound like I'm an anime virgin, because I'm not. I was a big viewer of the Yu-Gi-Oh! anime as a kid, and I was a massive fan of the lesser well-known Crush Gear Turbo. Granted, those aren't good examples of 'traditional' animes, and in terms of those long-running anime series like Dragon Ball or One Piece, for example, I'm not a fan. Every time I hear a description for one of these super popular shows, it all sounds the same to me, and the fact that they've been going on for so long really turns me off, especially when not a lot happens over the course of so many years. It's that kind of prejudice that's turned me off almost all anime in the last few years, even though I know it's a really big generalisation for me to make about an entire medium of storytelling. I like the general anime art style, if my tastes in video games like Professor Layton and Ace Attorney are anything to go by. I think it's just a specific kind of anime that I don't like, and I should really consider lifting my embargo on all things anime, since that's a huge facet of pop culture I'm overlooking for the sake of a simple grudge. Anyway, enough backstory for something that really doesn't matter for the purposes of this review; let's just get on with it.

Tsutomu Tatsumi as Seita

It's really hard to believe this movie is over 30 years old. It's absolutely gorgeous. There are moments, like when the faces sort of disappear in the middle distance, that do seem a little behind the times, but that's a part of the charm of a movie like this that I'm willing to overlook. It's not particularly varied in terms of its visuals, I mean, it all takes place in the one city, but it never felt stale. It's the levels that really impressed me. Like when there's a fire and it's in the foreground but you can still see characters moving behind the fire in the background; little touches like that go a long way. The music was also really good. There's no background music for a majority of the movie, but when they use it, it's super effective. I also really enjoyed the bond between Seita and Setsuko. It's the entire driving force behind the plot, and the whole thing falls apart if you don't care about either of the characters. Admittedly, there are a couple of moments where Setsuko got under my skin, but they were few and far between. I also really enjoyed the arc that the aunt had, and how gradually her resentment grew over the course of the movie. I appreciate that they never went for a 'Seita snaps at the aunt and then she dies in a bombing before he gets a chance to apologise' trope, they just leave and she's out of the movie. It's weird, but it felt really natural, and surprisingly worked for the story.

Akemi Yamaguchi as Aunt

Speaking of the story, it's just such a compelling narrative. I was expecting a frantic fight for survival in the ruins of a bombed city, with a heart-pumping sequence where Seita can't find Setsuko, but it's a lot calmer than that. It's just the slow and bleak turn of events that follow their home being destroyed and mother killed. And bleak is a good word for the story in general. Right from the beginning, you're made perfectly clear that the story does not have a happy ending. What's great about this bleak tone, though, is they find time for the odd moment of levity, which honestly helped the otherwise constant downer tone not feel like so much of a drag. Unlike other movies I've brought this up with, 'levity' never meant 'using a joke to undercut the emotion'. It's more a case of them taking time to have fun and just be kids and all that good stuff. Moments like that really went a long way to not only reinforcing how young the two of them are, but also juxtapose the lives they should be having with their depressing reality. Because, yeah, this movie gets downright depressing by the end. And I loved it. This isn't a movie I'd recommend to absolutely everyone, since it deals with some pretty heavy themes. And it pretty much nails them all for the most part. There were a few tears shed by the end, and since I'm not typically one to have big emotional reactions to media like this, take that how you will.

Ayano Shiraishi as Setsuko

I do have a problem with the movie, and it's not a huge one, but it did have me confused by the end, and that's its structure. First of all, opening right with that pivotal air raid feels like a bit of a misstep to me, as just a little time being spent showing the family's lives before it was torn asunder would have really helped us get a good idea just how s***ty things took a nosedive for them later on, as well as building up more sympathy for when the mother eventually died. More than that, though, is the film's ending. If you don't want hardcore spoilers, skip to the wrap-up paragraph now. Basically, Setsuko dies, gets cremated and the movie basically ends right there. At the beginning of the movie we see how Seita dies and his spirit reunites with Setsuko and they take a train journey back through the events of the movie to eventually lead them to modern-day Kobe, the city the film was set in (which was an excellent narrative moment to throw in a glimpse of hope at the end). Basically, I don't think the movie should have started that way. You can have the spirits popping in every now and then, but imagine this as a structure: begin with the family being normal and happy, the attack happens, the events of the movie happen basically they way they already do, Setsuko dies, we see a montage of Seita struggling after her death and using up all his money, then we see him die, and then we get to see their spirits reuniting and taking the journey to Kobe. Seeing the spirits reunite at the beginning feels like a narrative misstep, as it would have been so much more effective to see them come together again after having watched both of them die. Not only that, but the way the movie currently is, it ends far too quickly. Having the spirits' journey function like a short epilogue would have been a nice way to add some bitter-sweet levity right at the end, which really would have helped the movie since there's not enough time to get over the horribly depressing ending before the spirits arrive at Kobe. I don't know, that's just how I would have done it, and I didn't not love the movie as a result of how they did it, I just feel like it could have been executed a little better.

Yoshiko Shinohara as Mother

But, anyway, Grave of the Fireflies (1988) is still one of the most heart-breakingly beautiful movies I've ever seen, and I'm certainly glad to have seen it. I guarantee I'm going to be getting a bunch of anime requests after this, especially after outlining my history with the genre earlier on. Ah, well, if everything else is as good as this, you certainly won't see me complaining. 9/10.

Off the Cuff Reviews The Shining (1980)

Recently I watched my first Tarantino movie. Today, I get to cross 'Kubrick' and 'King' off my list of renowned storytellers whose stories I've never watched, as today I saw The Shining (1980) for the very first time. It's not been my first exposure to The Shining itself, however, as it's been referenced and parodied by basically everything in pop culture. And, it's very easy to see why, as I have no other words than 'iconic'. It's so incredibly easy to see why everyone loves this movie, since I love this movie too. Starring Jack Nicholson as Jack Torrance, Shelley Duvall as Wendy Torrance, Danny Lloyd as Danny Torrance and Scatman Crothers as Dick Hallorann.

The Shining (1980)

Like I said, I've seen a lot of things draw inspiration from The Shining. Last year, when I saw Ready Player One, there was an entire sequence dedicated to the movie. The movie has also been parodied and paid homage to by a number of properties. There's an episode of Psych almost entirely built around The Shining, and I remember liking it, though I imagine I'll appreciate it much more now that I've seen the movie it was based on. But, by far, the most famous Shining parody is 'The Shinning', from Treehouse of Horror V in The Simpsons. I've always loved that sequence, but looking back on it, I'm impressed by how accurate they were. There are little things I thought wouldn't connect that much or were just there because it's the Simpsons that were actually very relevant to the original movie. Anyway, back on track, the point I'm trying to make is that despite all the exposure I've had to this movie prior to seeing it, I was impressed by how much the movie still managed to surprise me. Looking back, I basically already knew what was going to happen and how the movie was going to end, but in the moment I was too engrossed to even think about those things that I'd heard about from other sources. That bodes well for the re-watchability of this movie, and I imagine it'll just get better and better every time I watch it.

Jack Nicholson as Jack Torrance

For a first watch, it can be confusing at times. This is all by design of course, and this is probably the first movie I've seen where I didn't have all the answers by the end and, really, didn't want them. I'm almost glad things are left ambiguous, as fear of the unknown is always scarier than fear of the known. And this film can get scary. But it's scary in the way that I actually adore where it's not 'jump in your seat' scary or even too psychologically scary. It certainly is psychologically scary, but that's not the main hook to the scare factor here. It's more about being unsettling. Basically the entire build up to the last act is just creepy and off-putting more than it is downright frightening. And I like that. The most important part of any horror movie is the build, and this movie nails that aspect. I really like how Jack Torrance isn't portrayed as an everyday nice guy, really, at all, and even he's a little unsettling right from the word go. Not so much as to make you think he's in on it, but enough where his descent into madness feels entirely justified when it happens. And, let me tell you, when it happens? It is terrifying. Again, I was never wriggling in my seat, or jumping at things that happened out of nowhere. I don't think a single sound escaped my lips as it was happening. No screams, no murmurs, not even a whimper. Absolutely nothing. That's how you know you did your job right. Not all horror movies need to go for the screams. This is tension. This is suspense. This is horror.

Shelley Duvall as Wendy

The main cast do a wonderful job in these roles. It's my understanding that Kubrick didn't really make the on-set environment too pleasant for the actors, and if these are the performances that were gained from that, I would say that tactic 100% paid off. Jack Nicholson is utterly perfect as Torrance, and he absolutely steals every scene he's in. I touched on this earlier, but one of the best things about his descent is that it never feels like too big a drop. You get the sense that this psycho was always hidden within Jack, and the hotel didn't have to do much to bring it out. I made a similar comparison with another one of Nicholson's characters: the Joker in Tim Burton's Batman. What's great about this, though, is how dissimilar the two characters are in almost every other sense of the word. There are a few similarities here and there, but the two characters really feel different even though on paper they're pretty identical. A testament to Nicholson's acting if ever there was one. Shelley Duvall was also great as Wendy, and she's easily the most real, normal and collected character in the main cast. What's great about this, though, is despite this, we can still clearly see the impact the hotel has on her over the course of the movie. It's a little subtle, but it's there. It's like the hotel is making her more nervous and jumpy to ripen her up for the kill, as it were, and Duvall gets this across wonderfully. The real surprise here was Danny Lloyd. There were a couple of moments that crossed over into 'typical child acting' territory, but for the character he was, Lloyd was excellent as Danny. He was almost more impressive as Tony than he was at Danny, but he's fantastic across the board, and for expecting the worst going in, that's quite the feat.

Danny Lloyd as Danny

But let's address the best thing about this movie: the directing. Like with all classic movies I review, I'm sure everything I'm about to say has already been said a thousand times before, but do bear with me if I retread old territory as I'm just giving you my review here. I love Kubrick's use of long shots, in that one shot will follow the characters and continue for longer than you'd expect. This is something you rarely see in modern movies, let alone modern horrors, and it's well-utilised here. When the shot continues for so long, especially in shots where it's just people walking around the hotel, you're expecting the shot to end with something scary, as it seems like it's building to something. Oftentimes, nothing will come of it, but the tactic alone is enough to build the fear factor. In fact, the movie does this constantly. Not just the long shots tactic, but it loves to f*** with the audiences expectations to heighten the tension. All over this movie, inappropriate music plays for the scene it's playing for. Big, high energy string music normally used in horror chase scenes will play when a character's just walking through the hallways, for example, and I've always loved that tactic. When your auditory expectations are subverted, you not only get unsettled by whatever's happening, but it also pulls you into the experience more. The thing that really got to me, though, is how several scenes in the first half of the movie feel like they ended earlier than they should have, without a real ending. This got on my nerves initially, until I realised that was the point. To irritate the viewer and almost get them on the same level as Jack, or at least to help unsettle them. Techniques like that really help elevate the story being told into something special, and I really don't think another director would have been able to do it nearly as well as Kubrick did. One film in, and I'm already a huge fan of this guy.

Scatman Crothers as Hallorann

It's like this: The Shining (1980) is just a brilliant movie, and is easily one of the best horrors I've seen, though that would also stem from my limited experience with the horror genre in general. So, one of the best films I've ever seen period? Perhaps. Time, and future reviews, will tell. 10/10.

Off the Cuff Reviews Doctor Strange (2016)

Having caught up with the MCU by the time of this film's release, I was well and truly a fan by this point. After Civil War, I saw every MCU film in the cinema, and I'm especially glad to have seen Doctor Strange (2016) on the big screen while I had the chance. This isn't the best MCU film of them all, but it was certainly the one that I'm happiest to have seen in movie theatres, for reasons that should become clear. Starring Benedict Cumberbatch as Doctor Stephen Strange, Chiwetel Ejifor as Karl Mordo, Rachel McAdams as Christine Palmer, Benedict Wong as Wong, Michael Stuhlbarg as Nicodemus West, Benjamin Bratt as Jonathan Pangborn, Scott Adkins as Lucian, Mads Mikkelsen as Kaecilius and Tilda Swinton as the Ancient One.

Doctor Strange (2016)

Okay, let me start with the best thing about this movie and, really, its selling point: the visuals. These might be some of the best effects I've ever seen in a movie. I'm sitting there in the theatre watching the scene where Strange is sent through various dimensions and my jaw is on the floor. Not only are the Mystic Arts fairly well defined for this universe, but they use them really effectively to give us some truly unique action scenes. Right from the word go, with the bending gravity to fight on that wall, that was already something I'd never seen before, but then you throw in everything that comes after it. And it's used in instalments, as well. The first major fight scene is Strange versus some zealots, and the magic used is varied, well executed and engaging. Then, you have the fight scene in the city that's folding in on itself in the Mirror Dimension, which is just mind bogglingly amazing to look at. Follow that up with a fight scene that takes place while time is reversing around everyone, and my mind is blown. I have no idea how they pulled some of this stuff off while still making it look real, exciting and easy enough to follow. Not to mention explaining all we need to know about how the Mystic Arts work to help us along. I will say that the time jump while Strange is learning is a little poorly defined, and on a first watch makes it seem like he went from amateur to seasoned pro in a matter of days, but Strange's appearance throughout does well enough to let us know that enough time has passed. He's a strong learner, and is apparently something of a prodigy, but we still feel like he has a long way to go.

Benedict Cumberbatch as Doctor Strange

The character of Stephen Strange is also an interesting one. He feels very Tony Stark, in that he's a jerk at the beginning, and it's his personal growth that makes him redeemable. That and he's played by a great actor. Seriously, prior to the casting announcement, I was all on board with Cumberbatch playing this character, and he did an excellent job. Right down to the little things, like the shaking hands. If you look carefully in some scenes, you can still see his hands twitching while he's performing complicated magic with some of those spells. That's damn impressive, and Cumberbatch also does well with the general emotion and heart of the character. He really nails every aspect of Stephen Strange, and his voice is just different enough from how it usually is that it helps him seem not so much like Benedict Cumberbatch. It's not just an American accent, he's also doing it slightly more higher-pitched than his usual voice. I shouldn't be surprised, Cumberbatch is very good at impressions and accents, but he really needed to set this role apart from Sherlock in that regard, and he absolutely did. He even nails the comedic moments and, while there are a few, there aren't as many as there have been in other MCU movies. I should say there aren't as many effective jokes as there are in other MCU movies. When the comedy's good, it's great, but more jokes than usual don't quite land. I'm not sure what it is, maybe it's that this is a more serious MCU film than others, particularly since it also functions as something of a martial arts movie, but the comedy doesn't always deliver like the traditional Marvel humour usually does.

Chiwetel Ejiofor as Mordo

I've talked about Strange, so let's go over the rest of the cast. Chiwetel Ejiofor as brilliant as Mordo. He has this presence that just commands the screen, and I'm hanging off every word he says, even the more expositional moments. He has a great comradery with Strange, and his arc is so believable that I'm not upset at the place the character ends up; it feels perfectly natural, in fact. His faith in the Ancient One was so strong, and his trust in the natural order so solid that losing faith in either would break him. I'm excited to see him as a villain moving forward; I think he could end up as one of the great MCU villains. Rachel McAdams was a great love interest, but what was so great about it was how non-love interest she was. Palmer and Strange had already been in a relationship, and she's still there for him as a friend. There aren't even many hints that they both still like each other; it mainly explores Strange's regret at not treating her right prior to him no longer being a jerk. That's not only a unique angle to explore, but it's also really believable; there are going to be real-world relationships that are exactly like this, and Cumberbatch and McAdams do very well in this regard. As for Tilda Swinton as the Ancient One, I thought she was excellent. I know there were criticisms that casting Swinton was whitewashing, but think of it this way: playing the character the way he's portrayed in the comics would also have garnered criticism for adhering to old-fashioned tropes. They have a line in the film that many have held the title of 'Ancient One'; this version of the character just isn't the same exact version as the one from the comics. Regardless, the role was written for Swinton as a 'lesser of two evils' situation, and she was fantastic. She has the gravitas and authority to carry off the more mentor-y/demanding moments, but is also playful enough to justify the more light-hearted moments of the character. She finds a good balance, and it's great to watch.

Tilda Swinton as the Ancient One

Now, for the villain. I actually like Kaecilius for this movie. It's another Ant-Man situation where the powers are so unique that it's okay to pit our hero against a palette swap of himself for now, and it honestly helps us follow the crazy action sequences a little better. Not only that, but I love how misguided he is. He legitimately believes that Dormammu will save the world, having become disenchanted with the Ancient One as would later happen to Mordo. You can see it in his eyes when he's explaining himself to Strange, and Mads Mikkelsen absolutely crushes it in this role. He doesn't have as many moments like this as I'd like, but what we get is fantastic. I'm always inclined to find a villain who legitimately believes they are in the right and are trying to do good in their own, misguided way far more interesting than your stock-standard 'take over the world' villain. Dormammu technically is the latter, but his involvement is minimal, so it's fine. Dormammu also leads us to perhaps the most creative final climax we've seen in the MCU thus far. I love how it takes the traditional 'beat the bad guy at his own game' trope and looks at it from another angle, not beating the villain through brawn, but with brains. That really is Strange's greatest strength, and it's so different and new that it honestly might be my favourite final encounter in the MCU up to this point. I also really like how Benedict Cumberbatch also did the motion capture for Dormammu. Having Dormammu mimic Strange's appearance to communicate with him and keep his true form hidden really makes him all that scarier. It's little touches like that along with the way the watch is used for subtle symbolism throughout that really turn this movie into something special for me.

Mads Mikkelsen as Kaecilius

I'm not sure what it is, but Doctor Strange (2016) is a really great movie, and is probably up there with the MCU's best. I'm excited to see what they do with this character and the Mystic Arts in general moving forward, though we still have a long way to go to get there. 9/10.

Next, it's Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2.

Off the Cuff Plays Crash Team Racing (1999)

Last year, I reviewed the original Naughty Dog Crash Bandicoot trilogy, but there was another Naughty Dog Crash game I didn't get a chance to talk about. With the remaster coming in a couple of short months, there's no better time for me to discuss Crash Team Racing (1999), the first (and, honestly, best) kart racer I've ever played. I could not have asked for a better introduction to the kart racing genre, and playing this game again after so many years felt like reuniting with an old friend. Time for a completely unbiased and critical analysis. Crash Team Racing is a cartoon kart racer developed by Naughty Dog and published by Sony Computer Entertainment.

Crash Team Racing (1999)

So, the story begins with the arrival of Nitros Oxide, an alien with a f***ing awesome design, who challenges the best racer of Earth. If Earth's champion wins, Oxide leaves Earth in peace. If Oxide wins, he destroys the Earth and enslaves the population. So, the stakes are pretty high. Good thing Crash and all his 'friends' just happened to have organised a racing tournament for the same time, so the competition is on to see who will challenge Oxide for the planet. Like a platformer, the plot of a racing game really isn't that necessary. Hell, the fact that this game even has a plot is something in and of itself. Anyway, the adventure mode sees you race through 16 tracks in 4 different worlds. Winning each race gets you a trophy, and earning every trophy in each hub area lets you challenge a boss for their Boss Key and access to the next world. 4 keys lets you face Oxide. Each race features power-ups which you can pick up and use basically immediately from Mystery Crates. Wumpa Crates give you 4-8 Wumpa Fruit to add to your total. 10 Wumpa Fruit boosts your speed but also 'juices up' your weapons, making them more powerful, or even changing them completely in some cases (turning TNTs intro Nitro Crates, for example).

Nitros Oxide

For a kart racer on the PS1, the graphics are really good. Not as good as Crash 2 or 3, but there's a lot going on here compared to those games, so it's fine. Each track is distinct and varied from each other, which really helps you to memorise the layouts. The music is also fantastic, as to be expected. The traditional Crash-style music is blended with high-tempo, adrenaline-pumping race music, and the combination is flawless. The Boss Race music in particular is among my favourite tracks in the entire Crash franchise. But, let's get this over with: the controls are what make this game. They are near perfect. Not only are they nice and responsive, but they feel different enough from something like Mario Kart to really help it stand out. These karts feel a lot heavier than the ones in Mario Kart, for example. It's easier to stay straight, which is helpful given how twisty some of these tracks can be, but also makes turning a lot more of a chore. This might be seen as a negative, but that only forces you to get good with powersliding, which is honestly the best part of the controls, and what make it stand out. You can, and almost need to, get good at powersliding, as the tracks really were built around it. They feel so good to nail, and combining the boosts you can chain together with boosting at the end of a big jump combined with the boost pads that are littered all over every track, and these races are fast, exciting and oh so satisfying. The only negative thing I have to say about the controls is really more of a learning curve than anything else. After getting hit by a weapon or track hazard, you'll continue uncontrollably in the same direction for a little but, due to the nature of the sliding, that may not necessarily be the direction you were facing. Once you regain control, you are automatically pointed back in that direction, and this can be a nuisance, particularly in certain tracks where it may take you multiple long, agonising seconds to correct yourself. The level design is perfect, and really varied from track to track, and they fit the designs as good as they ever could. Everything in this game is themed around the prior 3 Crash games: the levels, the weapons, the stage hazards, everything, and nothing ever feels like it was just thrown together for the sake of making a track. It all feels very organic and true to the world of Crash Bandicoot, which I'm very happy for.

Crash Cove

The single-player Adventure Mode is where I spent most of my time with this game, and it is very fun. Admittedly, it is a little easy, though that may just be because I've become such a pro at this game that I can blitz my way through most levels without breaking a sweat, but I do think there is something else going on here. In the lower levels of Adventure Mode the CPUs will never acquire too many of the overpowered items, mainly sticking to the ones that get laid on the track. In later levels, the rate is picked up, but it's never too big, like it can get in some Mario Kart games where it seems like the computer gets the god-like items at least once a lap. I think this was to keep the Adventure Mode fair, and this is where I feel the use of a difficulty toggle for Adventure could have gone a long way. Anyway, beyond the trophy races which I mentioned above, there's more going on here. Each race also has a Relic Race and a CTR Token Race. Relic Races function the same as they did in Crash 3, where you need to beat the race in the lowest time possible, while breaking crates that stop the clock. These are even more difficult here than they were in Crash 3, since it'll take you all that longer to work out what the optimal path is to break as many crates as possible in all 3 laps. Once you work it out, it's immensely satisfying to perfect. CTR Token Races function the same as a Trophy Race except for the fact that you need to pick up the C, T, and R letters scattered over the track and still win. These letters can occasionally be placed in hard-to-reach spots, or areas that make you veer off the track for a little, giving you a handicap to overcome. In both CTR and Relic Races, they can also give you hints as to where shortcuts can be, and seeing a clue from either a letter or time crate and figuring out how to access it can be quite gratifying to figure out. There are also Purple CTR Tokens which you win by collecting crystals from around one of the Battle Mode Arenas in a set time limit. These, like the Relic races, are nice once you learn the path, but can be a nightmare until you do.

N. Gin Labs

Outside of Adventure Mode, there are other modes to explore. Time Trial Mode is basically the Relic Race but with no time crates, just letting you post your best time on a track with no interference. Reaching a specific time unlocks the N. Tropy ghost for you to race against, and beating that gets you the Oxide ghost which is a f***ing trial, and I was never brave enough to attempt them after the first few goes. Arcade Mode has you racing across 4 tracks in a cup, and most points at the end wins. Beating each cup in a certain difficulty earns you a new Battle Arena, and I sunk a lot of time into this Arcade Mode as a kid. Basically, there's quite a lot of single-player content here for you, and completing all of the above basically unlocks you everything you need for multi-player. Oh, my God, the multi-player mode... Dozens upon dozens upon dozens of hours have been sunk into this game at parties or otherwise, and if I had concerns that single-player mode was stingy with the powerful items, multi-player mode nips that problem square in the bud. 4 player races can get insane with how fast items will appear and be used, and they're so consistent that it never feels like a rip-off when you're on the receiving end of one of the more busted items in the game, since you know you'll get the opportunity for revenge very soon. Even the Battle Mode is a lot of fun, and we sunk probably just as much time into that mode as we did Vs. Mode. The Arenas are varied and each has its gimmick, the different Battle Modes are all fun, and there's a lot of customisation with the rules, teams, usable items and whatnot... it's the best Battle Mode I've played in a racing game. 15 playable characters, all of which were in Crash games in the past, 18 race tracks, 7 battle arenas, hours upon hours of content, and many, many surprises. This game even introduced me to the concept of rewards for 100% completion. Beating the Adventure Mode 100% unlocks the Naughty Dog scrapbook containing concept art and behind-the-scenes photos from development of the original trilogy plus CTR. Seeing this for the first time blew me away as a kid, and pretty much formed my ideology of trying to 100% every game I play. There are also numerous cheat codes, all of which you can find online, and there's a lot. You can unlock all characters, tracks and arenas from the beginning, including the Penta Penguin racer who is only available this way, and you can modify your races in many different ways. It was only two years ago I learned there's a cheat code that turns on One-Lap Races. There's just... there's just so much game here. And it's all amazing.

Oxide Station

Crash Team Racing (1999) is the best kart racer I've ever played. With all the marketing and gameplay I've seen for Nitro-Fueled releasing later this year, who knows if that'll top this one? It probably will. But that won't stop me from loving this original game as much as I already do. It's just wonderful. 9.5/10.

Off the Cuff Reviews Captain America: Civil War (2016)

Here we are. The beginning of Phase 3 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and the movie I initially caught up on the MCU with so I could watch in cinemas. I was worried this one would be overhyped, as my sister essentially dragged me and my brother with her to the cinema so she could watch it for a 3rd time. Thankfully, Captain America: Civil War (2016) was and remains one of my favourite superhero movies. Before Infinity War, this was the moment everything was building to, and the Russo Brothers did one of Marvel's most famous comic book stories justice in a big way. Starring Chris Evans as Steve Rogers / Captain America, Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark / Iron Man, Scarlett Johansson as Natasha Romanoff / Black Widow, Sebastian Stan as Bucky Barnes / The Winter Soldier, Anthony Mackie as Sam Wilson / Falcon, Don Cheadle as James 'Rhodey' Rhodes / War Machine, Jeremy Renner as Clint Barton / Hawkeye, Chadwick Boseman as T'Challa / Black Panther, Paul Bettany as Vision, Elizabeth Olsen as Wanda Maximoff / Scarlett Witch, Paul Rudd as Scott Lang / Ant-Man, Emily VanCamp as Sharon Carter, Tom Holland as Peter Parker / Spider-Man, Frank Grillo as Brock Rumlow / Crossbones, William Hurt as Thaddeus 'Thunderbolt' Ross and Daniel Bruhl as Helmut Zemo.

Captain America: Civil War (2016)

Yeah, that's a pretty big cast for not an Avengers movie. And it's easy to see how you can be mistaken into thinking this is just 'Avengers 2.5', but it's more than that. At it's core, this movie is Captain America 3, and it's really Steve's story that drives the entire movie. I mentioned in a previous MCU review that these movies are getting more and more character driven as time goes on, and nowhere is that more evident than here. Every story beat in this movie is driven by something a character does or a choice a character makes, and those moments also having lasting effects on those characters. Yes. Lasting effects. Anyone saying 'nothing in this movie mattered by the end' is dead wrong. Especially concerning our principle main cast, no one ends this movie in the same place they started. Steve is changed by what happens. Tony is changed by what happens. Bucky is changed, Rhodes is changed, Wanda is changed, even T'Challa, a character only introduced in this movie, goes through a deep and personal character arc that resonates with him and affects his character moving forward. What's great about these themes, however, is how they've been building up over 12 MCU movies. When I said earlier that everything had been building to this, I wasn't kidding. Things that happened in previous movies affected the way characters make choices in this movie, particularly with Tony. The great part about that is you don't necessarily have to have seen all 12 other MCU movies since the movie gives you all you really need to know, the essentials so to speak, to understand it. It's an intelligently written script, and it's a lot more than people might have expected from a movie that promised to take our favourite superheroes and make them fight.

Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark and Chris Evans as Steve Rogers

Which isn't to say the action isn't great, because it obviously is. Some of these scenes can get really intense, and each scene gives you just enough of every Avenger to really make you feel like they integrated each character to their fullest, which is especially impressive considering at one point, there are 12 heroes fighting. The airport fight is obviously fantastic the whole way through, but pretty much every scene nails it: the opening assault, the chase through the tunnels, the rogue Winter Soldier, the final bunker fight, their all gripping, engaging and exciting. And it would have been so easy to just get everybody suit up and have them fight and fight and fight until the movie was over, but there was more to it than that. Not only did every fight scene have the exact right amount of buildup and narrative purpose, but the characters were coming through all the while. Those moments of levity where the characters were just talking during the carnage are honestly needed to make you feel like they're still being true to their characters, and it's not always humour that comes out in moments like these. People will talk during a fight and try to talk the other side down on occasion, instead of just fighting for the sake of the audience wanting to see a fight *cough BvS cough*. When the humour does come through, however, it's usually great, and getting Scott Lang and Peter Parker to do most of the quote unquote 'quips' in the big fight was perfect seeing as they were really the only ones without a personal motive for the fight going one way or another.

Chadwick Boseman as T'Challa

I've talked at length about the majority of the main cast in some capacity in my multiple other MCU reviews, so I'll just focus on the newcomers here. Chadwick Boseman was the perfect pick for T'Challa, and there's so much going on with this character that I don't really know if I can do it justice in the time that I have. He's got the royal dignity of a prince, the stern words of a warrior, the calm demeanour of a hero, he has it all and more. Introducing the character in this story was a stroke of genius, as it gets a lot of the character development for T'Challa out of the way so that the Black Panther movie could be what it was. Which isn't to say that movie wasn't T'Challa's movie as well, but they laid the groundwork here. The only other newcomer worth talking about here is Tom Holland as Spider-Man. Okay, it's like this: up to this point, I've reviewed pretty much every Spider-Man movie and, I have to say, Tom Holland is my favourite iteration of the character we've gotten. This was the perfect casting, and he's really the only actor that has found the flawless balance between shy, awkward kid and s***-talking, confident hero. I'll talk about him a little more in my Homecoming review, but something that shines in this iteration that really hasn't in the past is that Spider-Man is a kid. They absolutely nailed that side of the character, in my opinion, for the first time ever, and he slots in with the rest of the main cast wonderfully.

Tom Holland as Peter Parker

As for the villain, Zemo, I honestly thought he was great for this story. In a movie where the big selling point is heroes facing off, you don't really want a villain that promises to fight the remaining heroes once the dust clears. A villain quietly scheming in the shadows works so much better. You can complain that every little thing worked out perfectly for him, but you'd be wrong. We're shown his plan not working. He wanted to get the Mission Report information out of the HYDRA soldier, but he failed. He's former Sokovian Intelligence, of course he's able to formulate a plan with contingencies upon contingencies that will most likely work out by the end. And Daniel Bruhl does a fantastic job in the portrayal, especially when it comes to the more emotional moments, because they're there for the villain as well. I honestly don't get the hate. He tore the Avengers apart without throwing a single punch. How is that not a great villain? I also want to briefly touch on the final conflict, and I'll try to do it in a way that doesn't spoil anything, though I make no promises. Right from the opening scene, you're expecting a final showdown that goes a specific way, but that's not how it goes down. It's honestly one of the most well-executed 'bait and switch'es I've seen in a movie, especially with how obvious it is on a repeat movie. A less intelligent movie would have had a final fight with some previously warring heroes vs a newly arisen villain *cough BvS cough* but this film is smarter than that. It delivers a final climax that is emotional for the characters, subverts expectations, is executed wonderfully, and all feels completely justified and in character. Not to mention one that leaves the heroes divided and shapes the way the characters will interact moving forward. Honestly, I have nothing but praises.

Daniel Bruhl as Zemo

Captain America: Civil War (2016) is an almost flawless movie, and it's one I can watch over and over again yet never tire of. Seeing this in cinemas was one of my favourite experiences watching a movie. Absolutely wonderful. 10/10.

Next, it's Doctor Strange.

Off the Cuff Reviews Pulp Fiction (1994)

It probably won't surprise anyone to learn that this is my first film I've seen made by Quentin Tarantino. Needless to say, it's made me an instant fan. It's very easy to see why Pulp Fiction (1994) became the cinema juggernaut it is today, and it's a movie I'm happy to discuss today, even though everything that can be said about this movie has most likely already been said. As is the curse of waiting so long to watch so many iconic films. Starring John Travolta as Vincent Vega, Samuel L. Jackson as Jules Winnfield, Uma Thurman as Mia Wallace, Harvey Keitel as Winston Wolfe, Tim Roth as Ringo / Pumpkin, Amanda Plummer as Yolanda / Honey Bunny, Maria de Medeiros as Fabienne, Ving Rhames as Marsellus Wallace, Eric Stoltz as Lance, Rosanna Arquette as Jody, Christopher Walken as Captain Koons and Bruce Willis as Butch Coolidge.

Pulp Fiction (1994)

I feel like I've been saying this a lot lately, but this is one of the most unique films I've ever seen. That might simply stem from my lack of familiarity with Tarantino, but if this is the style that continues throughout his other movies, I won't be complaining. I hear a lot of complaints about how his films can be 'needlessly violent', and I can see how people might think that. This isn't necessarily an action-heavy movie, but there's a lot of violence in here. Does it get a little gratuitous at times? Sure, but it's intentionally so. Because when people complain about the needless violence, I think they're missing the point. Yeah, it can get a little heavy at times, but there's an awful lot of levity here as well. Even the most over-the-top violent moment in the entire movie is played for laughs, as far as I'm concerned. The movie can be really funny when it wants to be, and it does so without really cracking jokes are throwing out quips left, right and centre. The humour comes from the over-the-top violent situations and how the characters respond to them. I've seen this style of humour done before, but never this well.

John Travolta as Vincent and Samuel L. Jackson as Jules

Because the writing is just so f***ing clever. Putting the plot structure aside for a moment, I love just how the characters will interact with one another, and there are so many pointless non-sequiturs that really go on for longer than they need to. In practically any other movie, I'd be saying they could have cut some of this out as it was pointless and didn't contribute much to the story overall but, again, that's part of why it works so well here. The non-sequiturs don't necessarly give us a deep dive into the mindset of the characters, but they add a sense of realism that a film like this needs. This is just how people talk, and it's only when thinking about it now that I realise this is the sort of thing I try to do in my writing as well. I tend to have my characters go off on tangents that don't matter much to the story at hand before returning to the plot proper. I tend to play it up more in my writing and make these tangents ridiculous in nature (in one of my latest scripts, there's almost 2 pages solely devoted to an argument discussing the rules of 'I Spy'), whereas Tarantino's are more grounded, so to speak. The banter isn't played for laughs, it's just... real. The movie is over 2 and a half hours long, and I couldn't tell you which scenes I'd remove to make it shorter. That's a damn impressive feat. 

Uma Thurman as Mia

Okay, getting back to the structure now, because this is also one of the great things about this movie. The film is episodic, in that it's split into several different stories that focus on different characters throughout, with Marsellus Wallace and his operations being the thread that ties it all together. All of these stories are great on their own, though putting them all in one movie was definitely the right way to go, rather than trying to make one of them it's own movie. The plots themselves are intriguing enough individually, though there are the occasional conveniences that feel like the movie writing itself out of a corner. Some of these I'm willing to overlook. Others, not so much, but overall it's all fairly well thought through. Adding to this is the fact that the movie is non-linear. It's 'episodes' jump around chronologically, and it's somewhat circular but not really. I'd heard about this aspect of the movie and expected it to be clunky and confusing, but that couldn't be further from the truth. It's in all honesty the only way to tell this narrative. If this movie were presented chronologically, it just wouldn't be right, as the final act would focus on a completely separate character than we've been following the entire time. Doing it this way was the smart move, and it even excuses the occasional moment when a character reaches their chronological end rather anti-climatically. The fact that we see more of them afterwards softens the blow somewhat. Not entirely, but somewhat.

Amanda Plummer as Honey Bunny and Tim Roth as Pumpkin

And the cast... the cast... what a brilliant ensemble. John Travolta and Samuel L. Jackson are in the forefront, and they're both great, and work off each other beautifully, but of the two, Jackson is the obvious standout. Every time he's on screen, every time he's talking, every time he's delivering one of his big speeches, he commands the screen, and he's easily the standout performer here. Uma Thurman was great in her use, as well. The only thing I'd seen her in prior to this was Batman & Robin, and it was great to finally see what she's like when she's acting. This performance has completely turned me around on Uma Thurman as an actor, and after the travesty that was the last performance she gave, that's saying an awful lot. Harvey Keitel comes in towards the end, and, like Jackson, steals the show. He's just such a presence, and he's got this almost aura about him that almost exudes authority, which is exactly what his character needed. I could talk about this cast until the cows came home, and how I didn't recognise Steve Buscemi until I saw his name in the credits, or how there were so many one-or-two scene characters that I loved, but the last person I want to talk about is Bruce Willis. He gets a huge spotlight in the second act, and rightfully so. For the section of the movie the least connected with the rest of the plot, Willis did a fantastic job keeping me invested. He's just such a likeable actor; he's one of those actors who's just hard to hate. He's honestly one of my favourite actors, and I haven't seen him in all that much. From what I have seen, he can do no wrong, and this is no exception. 

Bruce Willis as Butch

Guys, long story short, there's very little to dislike about Pulp Fiction (1994). I'm certainly looking forward to watching the rest of Tarantino's library after this, and who knows? It might not take me that long to catch up. 9.5/10.