Mike Goes To Movies

The Old Guard (2020) TLDR: Immortal and yet still unable to elevate this one past your standard run-of-the-mill action flick. Netflix's newest romp-and-stomp, The Old Guard, based on the comic series by Greg Rucka and Leandro Fernandez, may give you that temporary adrenaline fix you crave but, ultimately, it is fairly standard fare that will likely come and go like so much other contemporary content. The Old Guard is about a small group of immortals who, throughout history, have acted as a for-hire squad. The team is led by Andy (Charlize Theron), the oldest (and most badass) of the four. The film centres around a plot by a business man (Chiwetel Ejiofor) who seeks to expose the group's incredible power so that another more-cruelly minded business man may distill and capitalize the group's immortality. At the same time, the group becomes aware of a brand new immortal (Kiki Layne) whom they attempt to integrate into their way of life. The concept - while not en...

The Sandman (Audiobook) (2020) TLDR: One of the best graphic novels of all-time has just become one of the best audiobooks of all-time. Here we go again, venturing into new and ominous directions. As you can see, this is not a review of a film or series, but of a new audiobook. I will admit that, going into this I was not unbiased however. The Sandman graphic novel series, written by Neil Gaiman, and published by DC/Vertigo through the late 80's into the early 90's, is one of my favourite works of fiction ever. Yes, that is a strong statement, but I  wholeheartedly stand by it. I will try not to delve too deeply into the majesty of the specific graphic novel series here, and, instead, try to focus on the audiobook that has just been released by Audible that adapts the first three books of the series. The Sandman is a dark fantasy series that rivals almost any other work of fiction in its grand and daring scope. While it technically takes place in the DC universe, it...

Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga (2020) On paper, the Eurovision Song Contest is a perfect vehicle for a classic Will Ferrell comedy romp. The long-running and immensely popular real-life contest has that same oddball and quirky charm that Ferrell exudes in all of his successful films. Having him star as an Icelandic wannabe-pop star that allows for him to sing has a lot of inherent potential (for a retrospective, see his rendition of Por Ti Volare in Step Brothers). However, the film ultimately lacks the pieces that have led to Ferrell's beloved classics. Despite its promising premise, Eurovision is devoid of consistent laughs, its plot ambles and runs too long, and many of its cast seem a tad too out-of-place to sell the vision of this contest. Lars (Ferrell) and Sigrit (Rachel McAdams) are a singing duo/best friends/possible siblings who have their sights set on the Eurovision contest, and, after a string of lucky mishaps the two get their shining opportun...

The Last Dance (2020) There is no denying that now is the perfect time for Netflix's magnum opus Michael Jordan docu-series, The Last Dance.  For many of us - especially, basketball fans - the series hits that sports craving that all of us have been succumbing to since the day that covid ended sports for the year. No longer can we sit back in the evening, relax, and throw on whatever great matchup is on tv. No longer can we wear our favourite team's jersey while we cheer and cry through our team's triumphs and tribulations. And no longer can we simply watch incredible humans perform incredible athletic feats. But, now, with The Last Dance, we are given not only a riveting in-depth look at one of the greatest athletes of all-time, but we can also revel in the awesome reels of footage and first-hand accounts of Michael Jordan's greatest performances. The Last Dance is simply almost everything a sports fan could ever ask for in a documentary series.  There p...

Living With Yourself (2019) In this golden age of television there are a few base requirements that are usually needed for me to choose to invest my time and get onboard with a new show. That is, the show has to: 1. have an original concept/premise; 2. be well written and acted (obviously); and 3. not be a procedural (I am so so over cop, medical and legal shows). Here are a few examples of recent shows that I love: Fleabag, Bojack Horseman, Russian Doll, The Marvellous Mrs. Maisel, Succession, Barry, Killing Eve, Rick and Morty, Watchmen and probably some others I can't think of right now. P.S. feel free to comment below if you want me to review any of these particular shows. Living With Yourself is a perfect example of a show that more-than-meets my criteria. It is an intimate and insular show with a great premise, great writing and a fantastic performance by Paul Rudd (and also Aisling Bea). Some may actually find it a little too low-key as it is very much a character piec...

The Irishman (2019) Without a doubt, The Irishman is one of the most anticipated films of this year, if not the past number of years. Not only is it the return of Martin Scorsese to the genre that, in a large way, he built his career upon, but it also reunites him with some of the most prestigious actors of this generation (a number of whom starred in those early films of his). It is not hyperbolic to state that crime/mob cinema would not be the same without Martin Scorsese. No, he did not invent the genre by any means, however, he definitely redefined it. In many ways, The Irishman is the culmination of Scorsese's career and it is him coming full circle around to where he first began. Scorsese's first acclaimed hit, way back in 1973, was Mean Streets (his third directorial feature and second crime film) starring a young Robert De Niro and Harvey Keitel, both of whom return in The Irishman. Mean Streets was a new, gritty take on urban organized crime that he would continue...

The End Of The F***ing World (Seasons 1 and 2) There's something about Netflix's The End Of The F***ing World that just does it for me. I don't know if it's the dark, quirky world its created, its comically nihilistic outlook on life, or the deeply compelling characters its created in James and Alyssa (and many of the supporting characters), but there's something about the show that demands me to binge each new season in ungodly compulsive speeds. Perhaps this is an indication of my own inner-disturbances (note to self: look into this further...), but under the surface of antisocial behaviours, violence and sex TEOTFW is a very relatable story of two teenagers simply trying to understand themselves and their place in this oftentimes perplexing and challenging world. It is attempting this Herculean task that our two leads, James and Alyssa, ultimately find one another. As said, much of the show's success likely comes down to the black and quirky (I am going...

El Camino (2019) Note: Spoilers for El Camino and Breaking Bad ahead El Camino is a slightly difficult film to review. Like an old pair of slippers there is an inherent sentimentality and comfort to entering back into this beloved world created by Vince Gilligan. Breaking Bad is undoubtedly one of the best tv series of this past generation and so there is little doubt that all of its many fans relish an opportunity to get back to its story and characters. And with the show's creator, Gilligan, back at the helm for El Camino there is slim chance that any of the fans will pass up seeing how Jesse Pinkman (Aaron Paul's) story 'truly' ends. Now, BB itself had a satisfying ending even with Jesse's somewhat open-ended frantic driving away into the sunset in the El Camino. And so one of my biggest gripes about Camino is that it is a somewhat unnecessary addendum to the BB story. The film is very much epilogue-esque and though it does give finality and closure to Je...

Russian Doll - Season 1 (2019) I had been meaning to watch Russian Doll, Netflix's newest critical darling, when it released in February, however, life got in the way a bit (as it always does) and I just finished the show's incredible inaugural season a few days ago. Created by Natasha Lyonne, Amy Poehler and Leslye Headland, Russian Doll is the newest incarnation of the 'Groundhog Day' formula, that is, a plot revolving around a character being stuck in a time loop. In this case, it is Nadia (Lyonne), a gregarious, headstrong young female living in New York City. The catch, in this case, is that Nadia's time loop restarts every time that she dies - which just so happens to be quite often. For the first two-thirds of the show, the series plays out more as a comedy, with much of the humour stemming from Nadia's in-your-face and eccentric antics as well as her attempts at staying alive to not restart her loop. What makes this series special though is the slo...

Triple Frontier (2019) Okay, so I had no really expectations going into this one, I was simply a bit bored the other evening and looking for something to watch and fell upon JC Chandor's Triple Frontier, one of Netflix's new marquee films. I did not see Chandor's previous, A Most Violent Year, but I did see All Is Lost, which starred Robert Redford and was actually quite excellent. At the end of the day, Triple Frontier is likely not going to wow anyone. It very much is what it is. It is the tried and true story of a group of old friends getting back together for one final (and dangerous) job. In this, the film boasts quite the remarkable cast in Oscar Isaac, Ben Affleck, Charlie Hunnam, Garrett Hedlund and Pedro Pascal. Isaac is one of my absolute favourites of the 'new generation' of top caliber actors and, for the most part, he is the one who gives the film gravitas of any kind. In an apt move by the filmmakers, Hunnam and Hedlund play brothers in the film, ...

Is This The New Legitimate Era of Netflix? Though Netflix remains the controversial behemoth that it is - loved and hated in equal measure - this past weekend at the Academy Awards, the streaming service finally won big time... like really big time. During Sunday's awards show, the Mexican feature, Roma , directed and written by Alfonso Cuaron won three acclaimed Oscars for Best Foreign Film, Best Cinematography and Best Director. Now, Netflix has been nominated in the past and has actually won before, all of the wins and most of the nominations being in documentary categories. But with Roma,  the implicit acclaim of the awards it received boosts Netflix's credibility, most notably, to the naysayers within the film industry who continue to pan Netflix and other streaming services for diminishing the 'film experience', arguing that such services' content should not be eligible for film festivals or awards. Well, this past weekend's awards have pretty much cl...

It has recently been announced that Netflix's The Haunting of Hill House will be returning for a second season. The show will become an anthology series with the new season being called  The Haunting of Bly Manor , based on the classic 1898 horror novella, The Turning of The Screw , by Henry James. It was quite predictable that a new season would be announced considering the first's high acclamations, however, the bar has been set so high that one can nevertheless be a bit apprehensive about a new season coming out. As you will read below, I thought that the first season was one of the best things I watched in all of 2018... --------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Haunting of Hill House  (2018) Horror is not for everyone - most can agree with that. However, horror at its best can be as provocative and as salient as the best of any other genre. Most times, the great horror stories will be built upon a metaphor or a resonating them...