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IR Film Review: TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES - MUTANT MAYHEM [Paramount]
The context of outsiders and the appropo approach of teenagers has always served "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" well. With "Mutant Mayhem", the newest entry that juxtaposes the intent a little differently (especially within its animation) has its best intents at heart.
IR Film Review: MISSION IMPOSSIBLE - DEAD RECKONING - PART I [Paramount]
The perspective of a “Mission Impossible” film is about how far it can be pushed. The stakes have almost become an inaccurate reflection of itself. With "Dead Reckoning - Part I", the propulsion, while still there, is less apparent while still at the right production level.
IR Film Review: INDIANA JONES AND THE DIAL OF DESTINY [Lucasfilm/Disney]
The context of an Indiana Jones film, actually backed up by a quote from Steven Spielberg, is for the entire movie to have the pace of a trailer. This is a true statement but it also needs to keep within some realm of viability. "Indiana Jones And The Dial Of Destiny" fares a bit better because it both understands its subject but also embraces the aspect of who he is now (as in 1969).
IR Film Review: RUBY GILLMAN - TEENAGE KRAKEN [Dreamworks/Universal]
The texture of a Dreamworks animation film has usually reflected in its reflexity to the modern climate. While "Ruby Gillman: Teenage Kraken" does this in a certain way, it more caters to a smaller demographic. The story of a young girl finding her identity before growing into her own skin has been done before (and definitely at times) with greater gusto.
IR Film Review: ASTEROID CITY [Focus]
The context of "Asteroid City" reflects in its idea of reflexive personality. While its fuel comes from the itterance in many ways of director Wes Anderson's previous film "The French Dispatch", it does come off as a little more disjointed than the superior "The Grand Budapest Hotel". That said, all of Anderson's films are brilliant in many ways, even those that aren't exactly perfect.
IR Film Review: NO HARD FEELINGS [Sony]
The aspect of a raunchy comedy is many times doing extreme elements just for the sake of slapstick comedy. But in a new age of cancel culture, it can be hard to push the boundaries unless you have an infinitely likable star that can balance both sides of the equation. Jennifer Lawrence has this in spades.
IR Film Review: THE FLASH [Warner Bros]
The motion to screen for a property is always an interesting transgression but also has to do with evolution and context. "The Flash" is a mult-tiered beast, at once both nostalgia, moving and thrilling and yet with other points that are derivative and self-serving. Both have their own strengths and weaknesses and the movie succeeds more than it doesn't.
IR Film Review: TRANSFORMERS - RISE OF THE BEASTS [Paramount]
The movement of a film like "Transformers: Rise Of The Beasts" depends on context for the story and how it reflects in the lexicon. This entry does a smart move at its inset, setting up what is to come and the basis of the story before the audience ever gets to the main characters.
IR Film Review: FAST X [Universal]
The propellant of a "Fast" movie has increased in structure but unraveled in many ways in story. It has becomes at times, vignettes of its past mythology slowing down just once in a while for patriarch Vin Diesel to wax about family. However the bombast, despite a lack of reality, still can play for fun demolition.