Movie Review - Mulan (2020 Live Action)

Disney worked hard making many, many changes to their Mulan live-action remake to make sure it wouldn't offend anyone and hurt box office proceeds. Ironically, it's become their most controversial and offensive recent film and has earned the smallest box office take.

Mulan is a 2020 live-action remake of an animated film by the same name. It is rated PG-13 for mile violence and is appropriate for most ages.

The Good

Scenery and Costumes. The scenery, the costumes, and the production design is really gorgeous to look at.

Villains. The villains in this were really interesting and posed a real threat due to their cleverness, skill, and strength. They were also interesting as characters with believable motivation.

Changes. Unlike most critics, I actually thought the changes from the cartoon were good. Making Mulan magic made the premise more believable (the idea that a girl from a small village could quickly become a great warrior is really farfetched). Not showing her putting on her armor saved unnecessary scenes. Making her military leader an old veteran instead of a young guy she falls in love made more sense.

The Bad

Acting & Dialogue. The acting was very still and emotional less. The dialogue was little more than an exposition dump delivered like they were reciting memorized lines.

Pacing. This movie is very slow and boring with lots of scenes that just sit there doing noting, communicating nothing, and doing nothing to advance the plot.

Music. The pacing and silent scenes would have been much better if the music had told the story and relayed the emotion. But it didn't.

Action. The action was very small and underwhelming. For the amount of money they spent, they should have had some amazing action scenes.

Change of Heart. The Chinese army went from wanting to banish Mulan for deceipt to honoring her as their superior at the drop of a hat for no apparent reason. None of them saw her save them None of them knew what she did. And she did lie and deceive them, a cardinal sin they were warned against. Their change in attitude was little more than a plot device so the movie could go forward. Sloppy writing.

What I Would Like To Have Seen

I wish the filmmakers hadn't been so concerned with not offending people and instead been concerned with a solid story, better acting, and a compelling movie.

Overall

Mulan is a 2020 live-action remake of an animated film by the same name. The scenery, the costumes, and the production design is really gorgeous to look at. The villains in this were really interesting and posed a real threat due to their cleverness, skill, and strength. They were also interesting as characters with believable motivation. Unlike most critics, I actually thought the changes from the cartoon were good. Making Mulan magic made the premise more believable (the idea that a girl from a small village could quickly become a great warrior is really farfetched). Not showing her putting on her armor saved unnecessary scenes. Making her military leader an old veteran instead of a young guy she falls in love made more sense. This movie is very slow and boring with lots of scenes that just sit there doing noting, communicating nothing, and doing nothing to advance the plot. The pacing and silent scenes would have been much better if the music had told the story and relayed the emotion. But it didn't. The acting was very still and emotional less. The dialogue was little more than an exposition dump delivered like they were reciting memorized lines. The Chinese army went from wanting to banish Mulan for deceipt to honoring her as their superior at the drop of a hat for no apparent reason. None of them saw her save them None of them knew what she did. And she did lie and deceive them, a cardinal sin they were warned against. Their change in attitude was little more than a plot device so the movie could go forward. Sloppy writing. I give this film 3 out of 5 Boxes of Popcorn.

     

 

Audiobook Review - Medieval Myths & Mysteries by Dorsey Armstrong

 

I love history. I love mythology and folk tales. I love learning new things. And I love to find books that bring all of these interests together

Medieval Myths & Mysteries by Dorsey Armstrong is a series of lectures about British history, King Arthur, Robin Hood, mythical creatures, and their connections. It is available as an audio book from Audible.

The Good

Lots of Information Packed into a Brief Read. Reading the description and seeing the runtime of this audio book, I wasn't expecting all that much. Boy was I wrong! This book covers so many topics and covers it in an amazing amount of depth and detail I couldn't stop listening.

Conversational Tone. While this book is very scholarly and informative from a content point of view, the presentation feels like a casual conversation with a friend. It's very easy to follow and understand, and very enjoyable.

Relevant Information. I really appreciated how the author picked the most interesting topics to cover and answered common questions that haven't been satisfactorily answered.

The Bad

...

What I Would Like to Have Seen

...

Overall

Medieval Myths & Mysteries by Dorsey Armstrong is a fascinating series of lectures about British history, King Arthur, Robin Hood, the Holy Grail, mythical creatures, and the connections between them. This book covers so many topics and covers it in a surprising amount of depth. While this book is very scholarly and informative from a content point of view, the presentation feels like a casual conversation with a friend. It's very easy to follow and understand, and very enjoyable. I highly recommend this audio book and give it 5 out of 5 eReaders.

    

 

Movie Review - 1917

I have a great interest in The Great War, The War to End All Wars (if only it had), so I was curious to watch the latest flick about that time. The trailer looked okay, but it was the overwhelmingly positive reviews from nearly everyone that really got me excited to see this film. But would it deliver?

1917 is a 2019 action war film. It is rated R for language, violence, and harsh images, and is appropriate for adults.

The Good

Cinematography. This movie was very well shot with it looking like it is nearly one continuous shot. The way the camera moves and captures the scenes makes you feel like you are in the middle of the war with the main characters. Unlike so many modern films, this one lets the camera step back and see the scene around so you can enjoy the great environments instead of pushing the camera in everyone's face so you feel like you are in tight quarters and can't really see anything.

Variety. This movie had a lot of variety in setting, in action, in peril, and everything else. I was kind of afraid I'd get bored with the same soldiers walking thru No Man's Land for two hours, but there were scenes in rivers, towns, grassy fields, trenches, underground, in the day, at night, and more.

Not Gratuitous. The Great War was a horrendous affair filled with scenes that could give anyone nightmares. The filmmakers really held back the gristly imagery showing only what was necessary for the story and no more. I appreciated that. I was afraid I was going to be sick if I saw this film.

Surprise. Most of this film is what you expect, but there was a shocking surprise in the film that wasn't even hinted at in any of the trailers, ads, or reviews and it occurred at a very unexpected time. I'm amazed with as much as had been said about this film, no one let this cat out of the bag.

The Bad

Peril and Suspense. There was real peril and real suspense in this film, but not as much as I would have thought, and I was fairly comfortable the whole time and almost never at the edge of my seat. They could have ramped up the peril and danger just a little bit.

What I Would Like to Have Seen

Put me on the edge of my seat more.

Overall

1917 has been called a near perfect movie and a cinematic masterpiece, and that praise isn't much of an exaggeration. This is an excellent film filled with amazing visuals, a unique storytelling device with the "uninterrupted shot for the whole movie", and a variety of action and peril. Being a Great War flick, this could have easily turned into a horror fest, but the filmmakers kept the gristly visuals to a minimum only showing a few necessary images to convey the proper mood. The story is good and the pacing, while a little slow in parts, mostly keeps moving. I give this film 4.5 out of 5 Boxes of Popcorn.

   

 

Book Review - Young Mozart by William Augel

I'm a big fan of independent comics, music, and clever jokes. So to find all three in one book was a HUGE find!

Young Mozart by William Augel is a graphic novel featuring daily and Sunday comics about a young Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. It is available as an eBook and those paper things your grandparents used to read.

The Good

Jokes. The jokes are pretty funny. While they are specific to Young Mozart and his challenges in a previous century, they are relatable to a modern audience, even a non-musical one.

Artwork. The artwork is really fun and cartoony. It's got a great rhythm.

Design. Being a designer myself, I always notice the design of a book, and this one is so well thought out and clever with musical staffs covered in whatever trouble Mozart is dealing with and full page illustrations with a clever concept.

The Bad

...

What I Would Like to Have Seen

I'd have liked some of the sequences to go on a little longer.

Overall

Young Mozart by William Augel is a fun, well-drawn graphic novel containing both daily comics and Sunday comics featuring a young Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. The jokes are pretty funny. While they are specific to Young Mozart and his challenges in a previous century, they are relatable to a modern audience, even a non-musical one. The design of this book is so well thought out and clever with musical staffs covered in whatever trouble Mozart is dealing with and full page illustrations with a clever concept. I highly recommend this book and give it 4.5 out of 5 eReaders.

   

 

Book Review - Xerxes: The Fall of the House of Darius and the Rise of Alexander

I remember the first time I discovered 300. I had walked into a comic shop, and they had a short bookshelf with graphic novels and comic book trade paperbacks on it. I was instantly drawn to a book that looked like a children's storybook but for adults. It was by Frank Miller, someone who I knew from his run on DareDevil. I was instantly a fan. I had never seen a more beautifully rendered comic book story.

Xerxes: The Fall of the House of Darius and the Rise of Alexander by Frank Miller and Alex Sinclair is a collection of 5 comic book issues that were always meant to be collected in a widescreen hardback. It is available in Hardcover and digital formats.

The Good

The Art. The art is some of Frank's loosest, but it is still really beautiful, especially with Alex Sinclair's colors making it look painted.

Narration. This story is mostly narration, a storyteller telling the overall story of Darius, Xerxes, and Alexander with pauses for a few specific events. The narration is some of Frank's best. It's quick, it's clean, it's clever, and it includes the Greek gods in a really clever way.

Color. The colors in the first issue are a little overdone, but by issue three they just sing.

The Bad

Disjointed Story. Frank began this story years ago completing two issues before moving on to other projects and then finally returning to complete it, and the story shows. The first two issues are a completely different style and story than the last three. They read like comic books telling a sequel to 300 while the last three issues feel like a storybook that gives a brief overview of the events from Darius to Alexandre.

Large Brush strokes. 300 told a tale that lasted a little over 3 days. This one covers decades and so tells the story with large brush strokes leaving out so many of the smaller stories and characters and character developments fans fo the first story were expecting.

Loose/Shaky Art. Frank's art has always been loose and shaky, but it's gotten near intelligible in some parts. His sense of design isn't as strong as it used to be, but it still light years ahead of most current comic book artists.

What I Would Like to Have Seen

I wish the story had continued like the first two issues to tell a story instead of a broad overview of history the last three issues painted. I also wish the art in the first two issues had been as strong as the last three.

Overall

Xerxes: The Fall of the House of Darius and the Rise of Alexander by Frank Miller and colors by Alex Sinclair is a visual delight with epic narration. The art is some of Frank's loosest and ranges from nearly indecipherable images to gorgeous designs. The story is a bit disjointed with the first two issues reading like a comic book sequel to 300 while the last three issues feel like a storybook that gives a brief overview of the events from Darius to Alexandre. While not as good as the first, it's still a beautiful volume to look at and a lot of fun to read. I give this book 4 out of 5 eReaders.