The Last Blockbuster (2020)
NR Documentary ‧ 1h 26m
Written by Zeke Kamm
Directed by ‎Taylor Morden

THE CAST

Sandi Harding, Doug Benson, Ron Funches

THE STORY

(In their own words) 
A documentary on the last remaining Blockbuster Video, located in Bend, Oregon.

THE REVIEW

This is a documentary about the final Blockbuster Video store in Bend, Oregon. The documentary details the rise and fall of Blockbuster Video and how this one blockbuster manages to stay in business through the downturn of the video rental business. 

While much of the film focuses on the franchise owner and operator Sandi Harding, The film interviews industry professionals and a lot of comedians for a trip down memory lane. At times it feels less like a documentary and more like a VH1 special.

The general appeal of this movie is this desire to take a look at nostalgia and rituals that we as a country we’re all part of. Renting videos for the weekend was one of them for a couple decades. This movie is not going to change your life in any way. You won’t feel like a more knowledgeable person, aside from a little information about why Blockbuster actually failed, which I will say was a surprise to me. Usually I watch documentaries because I want to become better educated about a subject. This one, I don’t even know why I wanted to see it. Maybe it’s just nice to see a small business owner figuring out how to prosper despite a changing world around them. 

Mostly, I think it’s just an opportunity to reminisce with my wife about an experience we both had even though we didn’t know each other. Somehow watching it together and talking about it afterwards makes us somehow feel closer. 

THE BEST

Three BEST things about the film

Lauren Lapkus’ delightful narration. 
Fun nostalgia conversation sparker.
Interesting insight into what really happened to the business.

THE WORST

The three WORST things about the Film

There isn’t a ton to learn from the documentary. 
You don’t leave the documentary feeling smarter than anyone else. 
There is no message really. 

THE LESSON

Don’t give up your business until someone pries it from your cold, dead hands. 

THE FINAL WORD

If you need a walk down nostalgia lane with not too much to think about, this is a great little documentary to check out.  

THE VERDICT 
My 3L system gives me the choice to Love It, Like It, or Lose It. 

The Last Blockbuster gets a Like It

R ‧ Action Adventure Fantasy ‧ 4h 2m
Written by Chris Terrio
Directed by ‎Zach Snyder

THE CAST

Batman (Ben Affleck), Superman (Henry Cavill),Wonder Woman (Gal Gadot), Cyborg (Ray Fisher), Aquaman (Jason Momoa), Flash (Ezra Miller), Darkseid (Ray Porter), Steppenwolf (Ciarán Hinds). 

THE STORY

(In their own words) Determined to ensure Superman’s ultimate sacrifice was not in vain, Bruce Wayne aligns forces with Diana Prince with plans to recruit a team of metahumans to protect the world from an approaching threat of catastrophic proportions.

THE REVIEW

What a difference a director makes. Zach Snyder’s cut of Justice League comes to HBO Max thanks to the demands of fans who really wanted to see what Snyder had intended before he stepped away from the original version after the tragic death of his daughter. Joss Whedon picked up directing the rest and ordering reshoots for a lot of the film. Between Whedon and studio demands to change the tone of the film, they released one of the worst superhero we’ve seen in a while. Much of it got blamed on Snyder at the time and that Whedon did the best with what he had. Oh, boy that was a false narrative. 

Fan sentiment and Twitter trends finally convinced the studios to give Snyder the money for a post production to put together the film he imagined. 

The original version was just two hours. The new one….a whopping 4 hours and 2 minutes. And finally, the story made sense. Finally we understood character motivations. Finally, we had the story we had been clamoring for. And while it is a long film, it is a wonderful Superhero film. We got to truly understand Superman’s resurrection, cyborg’s origin story, and all that Flash is capable of. Well rounded stories, great character development and a difficult understanding of what the hell Warner Brothers was thinking. I understand the hesitation of a 4 hour film, and that is definitely the fault of Snyder for writing such a complex story, but the story was rich and didn’t deserve the hack job of cuts that it got. 

And while Snyder is a great story teller, particularly with visuals, what he lacks is creating memorable dialogue and interactions. I honestly have trouble remember many lines that aren’t in the trailer. 

The saddest part of Snyder’s Justin League is knowing this is the end. After the disaster of the original Justice League, plans for a DCU were essentially scrapped. And Snyder set up some fun things for future movies that likely will never happen. 

THE BEST

Three BEST things about the film

SUCH a better film than the original release. 
Fantastic world creation and bringing different DC properties together.  
It takes its time to tell every story that needs telling.  

THE WORST

The three WORST things about the Film

It’s a 4 hour movie!!!!!!!!! Yeah, I loved it, but it should’ve been released as a mini-series. 
Too heavy on CGI focus at the expense of story. 
The dialogue. Very little for memorable dialogue.

THE LESSON

We are stronger together than apart.  

THE FINAL WORD

Snyder’s Justice League is a far superior film than the original and is so much different it is practically a different movie. This is the one you should see. Just set some time up for it. 

THE VERDICT 
My 3L system gives me the choice to Love It, Like It, or Lose It.   

Zach Snyder’s Justice League gets a LIKE IT

This week Samantha & Silas review the new films Malcolm & Marie on Netflix and The Map Of Tiny Perfect Things on Amazon Prime.

The Midnight Sky (2020)
PG-13 ‧ Science Fiction ‧ 1h 58m
Screenplay by Mark L Smith 
Based on a book by Lily Brooks-Dalton
Directed by ‎George Clooney

THE CAST

George Clooney, Felicity Jones
David Oyelowo
Tiffany Boone
Demián Bichir
Kyle Chandler
Caoilinn Springall

THE STORY

It stars Clooney as a scientist who must venture through the Arctic Circle to warn off a returning spaceship following a global catastrophe.

THE REVIEW

George Clooney stars in and directs this lovely science fiction film about Scientist Augustine Lofthouse, whose life mission to find habitable planets for humanity finds great irony when Earth faces a sudden catastrophe just as a spacecraft is returning from Jupiter’s moon to tell the world that it is habitable. 

The film follows Lofthouse who has stayed behind at his base while others fled for safety because he is dying from an unknown-to-us disease and so that he can contact the ship heading back to Earth which doesn’t know of the planet’s sudden fate. Lofthouse then faces off against the horrible arctic weather, which is now even worse because of the Earth’s changing condition, as he attempts to reach another base with a stronger antenna that may reach the space travellers.  

The film has some surprises, half of which are predictable, as it splits its time between the events in the ship returning home and the events on Earth with Dr. Lofthouse. Though the time on Earth is often filled with flashbacks. The jumping between locations and times, while interesting, becomes distracting. It almost feel like the film doesn’t know which story it wants to tell and doesn’t have an opportunity to dive into each story too much. 

The film is saved by some fine performances by George Cloony and Felicity Jones who plays a pregnant astronaut and communications specialist. 

It’s a fine film. It’s just that. It is enjoyable though it may not take your breath away, though it’s special effects might, but being a Netflix original, we never would have had the opportunity to see it on the big screen.

I did enjoy watching a science fiction film where the focus was on the people and not the special effects or the action. It’s been a long time since I’ve seen a character driven scifi film.

Listen to full review at blackandahalf.com/episode-147-tiny-toe-prints/

THE BEST

Three BEST things about the film

1. George Clooney’s mostly solo performance scenes.

2. Great job of keeping up the mystery while being vague.

3. Good job of staying within the realm of Science Fiction without getting into fantasy

THE WORST

The three WORST things about the Film

1. Setup was a little obvious.
2. No opportunity for growth of Cloony’s character. 
3. Movie couldn’t decide whether it should be in space or not. 

THE LESSON

You will do anything for family. 

THE FINAL WORD

This scifi film may not be out of the world but it is at least worth a viewing. 

THE VERDICT 
My 3L system gives me the choice to Love It, Like It, or Lose It. 

The Midnight Sky gets a Like It.

A New York Christmas Wedding (2020)
TV-MA ‧ Drama/Romance ‧ 2h 12m
Written by Otoja Abit
Directed by ‎Otoja Abit

THE CAST

 Chris Noth, Nia Fairweather, Chris Trousdale

THE STORY

(In their own words) As her Christmas Eve wedding draws near, Jennifer is visited by an angel and shown what could have been if she hadn’t denied her true feelings for her childhood best friend.

THE REVIEW

The search for a new modern Christmas movie to add to my rotation was what brought me to watch A New York Christmas Wedding. The preview clip showed a lot of promise, a Black couple, a guardian angel, a past to re-examine…..ooh! Was this going to be a modern female version of It’s A Wonderful Life. Alas, it may have a spark of inspiration from the Jimmy Stewart Classic, but it certainly isn’t going to be a classic that the masses will enjoy.  

Jennifer is ready to marry a man that she loves. Kind of. In the back of her head is doubt about the life she could have had. Fate decides to let her take a life she would have been like if she had followed her heart and been brave enough to tell her female friend how she really felt about her. 

What follows is a lackluster holiday tale of regret and bad choices, and the film tries really hard, too hard to make an emotional impact with the audience. You know what it’s like when someone tries to hard to get you to like them? That’s this in film form.  

THE BEST

Three BEST things about the film

1. Multicultural cast. 

2. Kind of a modern twist on It’s A Wonderful Life

3. It’s a Christmas film that has more to do with 

THE WORST

The three WORST things about the Film

1. The whole thing feels low budget.
2. The lack of stakes at the end for her “choice.”
3. Lots of the story is forced. 

THE LESSON

If you don’t follow your heart, you’ll never be fully at peace. 

THE FINAL WORD

While it is kind of a nice story, it is kind of forgettable and doesn’t offer anything new to the Cinemark world.  

THE VERDICT 
My 3L system gives me the choice to Love It, Like It, or Lose It. 

A New York Christmas Wedding gets a LOSE IT.