Blade

At a time when too many movies are made from boring, TV-style visuals of people standing around talking, moves based on comic books represent of the last best hopes for visionary filmmaking. It’s strange that the comics, which borrowed their early visual style from movies, should now be returning the favor.

Roger Ebert said in his review, ““Blade,” starring Wesley Snipes as a killer of vampires who is engaged in an armageddon for possession of the Earth, is a movie that relishes high visual style. It uses the extreme camera angles, the bizarre costumes and sets, the exaggerated shadows, the confident cutting between long shots and extreme closeups. It slams ahead in pure visceral imagery.”

Obviously, anyone patiently watching the film hoping for an engaging story line is going to be disappointed. Ebert suggested, “Better to see it in comic book terms, as an episode in a master-myth, in which even the most cataclysmic confrontation is not quite the end of things, because there has to be another issue next month. The story, like so many comic myths, involves ordinary people who are connected through a superhero to an occult universe that lurks beneath reality–or, as Blade tells a young human doctor, “The world you live in is just a sugar-coated topping. There is another world beneath it–the real world!”” Blade, based on a Marvel Comics character, is played by Snipes as a man in between human and vampire. Blade’s origin story: his mother (Sanaa Lathan) was bitten by a vampire while pregnant, poisoning her son, who lived in the streets until being adopted by a man named Whistler (the great Kris Kristofferson), who plans a lonely war against vampires. Ebert said, “Now Blade, raised to manhood, is the spearhead of that battle, as vampires spread their influence through the major cities. One of their chief gathering grounds: secret after-hours dance clubs where victims are lured by the promise of forbidden thrills, only to be bitten and converted.”

Ebert continued by noting, “The movie is built around a series of major action scenes; the first one features an update of an old friend from 1970s Hong Kong movies, the flying guillotine. This is a knife-edged boomerang that spins, slices and returns to its owner. Very neat.”

Blade meets Dr. Karen Jensen, played by N’Bushe Wright, a blood specialist who has been bitten by a severely burned vampire brought in for emergency treatment. Can she be saved? He returns her to Whistler’s secret lab for an injection of liquid garlic, which will give her a good chance. Ebert noted, “Blade himself lives under a daily reprieve; Whistler’s serum keeps him on the human side, although he may be building up a resistance to it.”

Displayed against Blade are the armies of vampirism, lead by his arch-enemy Deacon Frost, played by Stephen Dorff, who’s also half-human, half-vampire, who dreams of a final vampire rebellion against humans, and world conquest. Ebert noted, “His rival within the vampire world is Dragonetti (Udo Keir), a pure vampire who prefers the current arrangement under which vampires secretly control key organizations to safeguard their interests.”

There is a lot of background inspiring Frost’s plans, including the recreation of an ancient vampire god who may return to lead the vampires in their final mission. Ebert noted, “The setting for the climactic scene is a phantasmagoric vampire temple where Blade must risk everything in a titanic showdown.”

Ebert continued, “The movie, directed by Stephen Norrington, is another in a recent group of New Line Cinema movies that combine comic book imagery, noir universes, and the visual heritage of German Expressionism; I’d rank it third after “Dark City” and “Spawn.”” This material is obviously moving in the direction of complete animation, which is the look it often tries to suggest, and there are some shots here that use special effects to suggest animation’s freedom from gravity and other physical laws. Ebert pointed out, “Notice, for example, an unbroken shot where Blade takes Dr. Jensen in his arms and makes an improbable leap from a high window to a far rooftop. Can’t be done–especially not with them seemingly floating down in midair to a safe landing–but the dreamlike feel of escape is effective.”

Wesley Snipes understands the material all the way around and makes a believable Blade because he knows that the main ingredient in any interesting superhero is not power, but vulnerability. There is always a kind of sadness motivating the personalities of the great superheroes, who have been given great knowledge and gifts but few reliefs in their battle against evil. The fun seems to be entirely on the villain’s side. By symbolizing those feelings, Snipes as Blade gives the movie that edge of emotion that without it would simply be special effects. Ebert mentioned, “Of course you have to bring something to it yourself, preferably a sympathy for the whole comic superhero ethos.” This is the kind of movie that gets better the more you know about the genre.

At a time when comic book adaptations where getting critically thrashed and bombing at the box office, “Blade” came along in 1998 and helped the resurrection of the genre. We have to thank this great film into getting people back into liking comic book adaptations. A majority of comic book adaptations in the 90s were terrible and it looked like they were going to tank, but then this film was released. It helped get comic book adaptations get back up and running. This is simply a film that everyone must see, regardless of whether they like comic book adaptations or not. Snipes is the best part of the film because he plays Blade as if he was meant for the role. The action is phenomenal, the story is engaging, the characters are great, and the writing is just right. See this if you haven’t because “Blade” is a comic book film that no one should miss. I would say this is one of my favorite comic book films.

No surprise, they made sequels to “Blade.” Check in next week to see how the first sequel turned out in “Black History Movie Month.”

Our Friend, Martin

We’re back with another annual “Black History Month Movie Review.” I will be starting off with a film that I saw in the 5^th Grade, “Our Friend, Martin.”

In 1999, this animated edutainment film was released on VHS to teach young students at school, the life and work of Martin Luther King, Jr (MLK for short) and how he successfully eliminated segregation altogether. The story is about two friends (Robert Ri'chard and Lucas Black) who accidentally travel back in time to MLK’s life, as they learn about his past and racism at the time.

I will have spoilers in here. However, I believe everyone learned about MLK’s life at school and how he managed to eliminate segregation by changing the way we view someone’s race. Does “Our Friend, Martin” still hold up today? Let’s find out.

Many celebrities including Samuel L. Jackson, James Earl Jones, Whoopi Goldberg, Susan Sarandon, John Travolta, Oprah, among so many others, voiced characters in this film for a very good reason on why they want to show this to future generations.

Ironically, Oprah went on to co-star in Selma, a film related to MLK’s march by traveling on foot with a large crowd walking from Selma, Alabama to Montgomery, the capital of Alabama.

The idea of this edutainment film was interesting to show two boys traveling in time to visit MLK, which makes the audience understand the history of the Civil Rights Movement and the horrifying time of segregation.

Nickthemoviecritic said in his review, “The Animation reminded me of HBO’s Spawn. Spawn himself, is black and he’s the most popular superhero outside of Marvel and DC Comics. If it weren’t for MLK, Spawn would’ve never existed in the first place.”

Archive footage and photographs of MLK are shown during important moments of his life.

In the final act, there’s a different timeline where MLK never delivered his “I Have a Dream” speech. Nickthemoviecritic is right when he said, “This is a cautionary reminder on what not to do if you’re gonna go back to the past to hang out with a historical figure, think twice before you take him/her to your own time.”

The ending feels so nice as it shows a montage of people with different races working and getting along together as equals.

Sadly, the film’s runtime is about an hour long. Nickthemoviecritic said, “They could’ve stretched out more space to fill in the blanks. An hour long film is pretty unusual, it’s sort of like the equivalent of an hour long episode of a television series.”

Nickthemoviecritic recommended, “If you’re a teacher, you should definitely show this to your students to help them understand MLK’s impact on why he changed the way we view racism and why we’re all created equal. This was the film that helped me understand the true meaning of equality and many of us will continue to honor MLK’s legacy for future generations as a reminder on why we’re all in this together as one.”

I think we all thank MLK for heling people get along with every race out there. That’s what he is forever remembered for as the one that helped us put prejudice away, even though it’s entirely expunged.

Like I said, my teacher showed this to us when I was in the 5^th Grade. I always remembered this, but I didn’t know the title. A few months ago, I looked up films to review this month, and when I saw this short, I decided to rewatch it and I fell in love with it. You should see this, as I think you can find it easily on YouTube, because I think this will be loved by people who see it.

For the remainder of the month, I will be looking at a trilogy of comic book adaptations that fit perfectly with this month.

Argylle

Today while exercising, I finished watching “Argylle,” released in 2024, Apple TV. I didn’t know this was a spin-off of “The Kingsman” franchise until I looked it up. I will let everyone know what I thought about this spin-off, seeing how critics weren’t really fond of it.

Jared Mobarak started his review by saying, “While ARGYLLE might be the dumbest of Matthew Vaughn's films, it still remains a lot of fun—something I cannot say for KINGSMAN: THE GOLDEN CIRCLE (I didn't even bother with THE KING'S MAN).” The cast is nice, the music is good, and the action goes between exciting and absurd to keep the audience engaged even if the motives and plot are as simple as simple can be.

Because while the story is great (Jason Fuchs’ creates a writer who writes her spy novels so well that real spies want to use her to help them solve a mystery strangely similar to her franchise), the almost two-and-a-half-hour runtime is mostly jokes and redundancies attempting to trick us into thinking there’s more than meets the eye. The MacGuffin isn’t nuclear codes or an world-threatening virus. Mobarak said, “It's just a dossier of the bad guys because the good guys won't believe they exist without one. (So, just make one yourself since you already know all the information it contains?)”

Mobarak continued, “I really liked the first fight scene with Bryce Dallas Howard's Elly constantly blinking between Henry Cavill's Argylle dispatching villains with a calm smile and Sam Rockwell's Wilde doing so with much less grace.” Howard and Rockwell’s bond is fun (every repetition since they changed between friends and enemies multiple times) and the main reason for the entire film considering the spy stuff is so one-dimensional beyond it’s not so many turns.

The supporting cast is great too with the large roles (the late Catherine O’Hara and Bryan Cranston) or small (John Cena and Samuel L. Jackson), but the special effects leave a lot to be wanted. The climactic Snow Patrol fight (Run as sung by Leona Lewis) is so funny – and not because of the over-the-top dance choreography. Mobarak noted, “The whole thing is shrouded in colored smoke created by awful CGI both in its visual authenticity and ability to interact with the actors.” Thankfully an oil spill scene proves a little better even if its ice-skating finale is straight out of a cartoon.

And the final shot and the mid-credits scene? Mobarak said, “Absurdly silly both in content and the intent to lazily retrofit this movie into a completely different franchise. I cannot tell if it's meant as a joke or truly a tease for more.”

For those who are fans of singer Dua Lipa, she is in the beginning of the movie. I know that this movie wasn’t liked by critics, but I enjoyed it. I think that if anyone as Apple TV should see this, especially since we just lost Catherine O’Hara, a great actress for her time. Check it out if you’re a fan of “The Kingsman” franchise because I think this is enjoyable, but if not, then I understand, this film isn’t for everyone. I thought it was one thing but then it turned to another, and maybe that’s why people didn’t like it because they predicted what was going on early in the film.

Thank you for joining in on this review tonight. Stay tuned next month for this year’s “Black History Movie Month.”

The Magnificent Seven (2016)

There’s no surprise that Denzel Washington and director Antoine Fuqua would work together again on a new movie. They certainly hit it big with the popular and the acclaimed “Training Day.” Keith Garlington said in his review, “But I have to admit I was a bit surprised at their latest creative endeavor. I’m not sure why though. After all this is the age of remakes, reboots, reimaginings, re-everything else.”

Garlington continued, “Their newest collaboration is “The Magnificent Seven”, a modern action crowdpleaser anchored by a fun ensemble cast.” The original 1960 Western classic was based on Kurosawa’s famous “Seven Samurai.” This 2016 updated film appears to move further away from that story but never so far as to lose that trait. It accepts the basics of the story while adding in a few details of its own. As expected, it tries to do everything bigger most famously the huge wild western action.

If you haven’t seen the 1960 Western, Yul Brynner led a hired team of cowboys to protect a small Mexican village from a team of violent bandits. In Fuqua’s remake the Mexican village is exchanged for a small mining town named Rose Creek and Peter Sarsgaard’s Bogue is the evil industrialist torturing them. Washington takes Brynner’s role. He plays Sam Chisolm who is approached by a young woman from Rose Creek, played by Haley Bennett, asking for help.

Sam agrees but first he’ll need a team of gunfighters to train the townspeople and lead the defense against Bogue and his gang. His team of wild west outcasts includes an alcoholic gambler (Chris Pratt), and ex-confederate sharpshooter (Ethan Hawke), a dangerous assassin (Byung-hun Lee), a wanted Mexican criminal (Manuel Garcia- Rulfo), a big strong tracker (Vincent D’Onofrio), and a disappointed Comanche warrior (Martin Sensmeier).

Fuqua, screenwriters Nic Pizzolatto and Richard Wenk do a good job of building a fun camaraderie between their characters. It’s one of the film’s main aspects since it really wants to be a buddy-cowboy movie. Garlington said, “There is plenty of playful banter, ribbing, and jests but never too much.” That’s because it’s also trying for something more – an old school western.

Garlington said, “Watching the movie I couldn’t help but feel a little bit nostalgic. Fuqua tips his Stetson to a number of classic western angles both narratively and visually.” His use of the camera is fantastic (great cinematography from another “Training Day” alumni Mauro Fiore) and the score has some of the last work of the late great James Horner. You’ll be able to see Fuqua channeling from a variety of western directors from John Ford to Sergio Leone.

Expect some fierce and energetic action especially in the unavoidable final showdown (which is especially fun). Garlington noted, “Following a familiar blueprint each character is given their moment to show off their gun-twirling, knife throwing, or dynamite-chunking.” What you won’t see is any deeper feel of emotional difficulties between these characters. We get flashes of it especially from one specific character but never enough to distract it from its clear want to be a straightforward action film.

That leaves “The Magnificent Seven” open to reasonable criticism. Garlington noted, “It’s not a deep contemplative character study or emotionally heavy drama. It certainly misses some opportunities to incorporate those elements which may have made it a better film. But I’m fine with it since that isn’t what this film is aiming to be. It’s an action romp and Denzel and company pull it off nicely. They are clearly having a blast doing it and I must say I did too.”

This a good remake and an enjoyable one too. You can watch this on MGM+, but when I saw it, I was able to find it on Prime. Check this one out because as a modern update, I think it was one of those remakes that people could get into. Yes, the original will always be better, but this is one of those remakes that people can see and not want to miss out, especially with the ensemble cast in here. Watch it and enjoy.

We have now reached the end of “The Magnificent Seven Month.” I hope everyone enjoyed it and next month, we’re going to be in for some excitement for “Black History Movie Month.”

The Magnificent Seven Ride

“The Magnificent Seven Ride,” released in 1972, ended the western series on a surprisingly stubborn way. The original film was a 1960 western based on Akira Kurosawa’s “Seven Samurai.” This 1954 classic involved an assorted team being brough together to defend a poor village from criminals. Padraig Cotter pointed out in his review, “Of course, Kurosawa's work proved hugely influential on international cinema, with his movie The Hidden Fortress inspiring George Lucas on Star Wars while Yojimbo formed the basis for both A Fistful Of Dollars and Walter Hill's Last Man Standing.”

“The Magnificent Seven” reimagined “Seven Samurai” in a western setting and formed a team including Yul Brynner, Steve McQueen, and Charles Bronson. The movie was enough of a hit that it become one of Hollywood’s first movies to have a series of sequels, with Brynner returning for the rightly titled “Return of The Magnificent Seven” in 1966. “Guns of the Magnificent Seven” continued the franchise in 1969 with George Kennedy playing Brynner’s character Chris – despite the two actors looking nothing alike. Cotter mentioned, “The Magnificent Seven Ride closed out the series in 1972, while a TV series arrived in 1998 starring Michael Biehn (Aliens) and Ron Perlman that ran for two seasons.”

“The Magnificent Seven” remake starring Denzel Washington and Ethan Hawke was released in 2016, but it was modestly grossed, making a sequel unlikely. Lee Van Cleef plays Chris for “The Magnificent Seven Ride,” with his performance and the movie, generally, having a much darker tone. The movie starts with Chris having become a marshal and happily married to his wife, Arrila, played by Mariette Hartley. This is one reason he refuses an old friend Jim’s, played by Ralph Waite, request for help with defending a Mexican town from bandits, with the odds being clearly against them. Arrila is later kidnapped by a gang of teenagers after they rob a bank, who also damage Chris.

Cotter said, “Chris recovers after a few days to give chase, with The Magnificent Seven Ride firmly establishing its dark tone from the off. He discovers Arrila was raped and murdered, and guns down two of the robbers in cold blood after a curt interrogation.” He chases Donovan the leader, played by Darrell Larson, which brings him to the Mexican border town his friend Jim is trying to protect. Wanting vengeance, he again refuses to help, and the next time he comes back to the village he finds it was attacked by bandits, with all the men dead and the women were beaten and raped. Chris finally decides to help after finding the bodies of Jim and Donavan, so he hires five hardened prisoners (Luke Askew, James B. Sikking, Pedro Armendáriz Jr., William Lucking, and Ed Lauter) and his biographer Noah (Michael Callan) to take the fight to the bandits in an epic finale.

Cotter mentioned, “The Magnificent Seven Ride is much bleaker and dour than the previous movies. The first three entries still had high bodycounts, but their tones were more hopeful and humorous. The final movie, on the other hand, is harsh and unforgiving, and while this sets it apart from the other Magnificent Seven movies, its also not nearly as fun.” Lee Van Cleef’s Chris also feels very removed from the previous movies, but he’s still a charismatic person.

This may not be as good as the other sequels, but I still don’t think it would hurt if you checked this out on Tubi. See it for yourself and see how you feel. Judge for yourself if you like this film or not.

How is the 2016 remake? We will be looking at that next week in the finale of “The Magnificent Seven Month.”

The Guns of the Magnificent Seven

Tim O'Brien started his review by saying, “Now this may just be me, but George Kennedy doesn’t resemble Yul Brynner too much. After two “Magnificent Seven” movies with Brynner as the star, the third movie starred a new ‘Chris’ leading a new seven. Of course, the posters for “The Guns of the Magnificent Seven” have to nail this down. So is he the same character? A different guy named Chris? Did he undergo extensive plastic surgery? Okay, maybe not that last one, but you get the idea. So, before loyalists chap their hides over Denzel Washington leading a new Magnificent Seven, let’s take a look at the first actor to replace Brynner.” Three years after “Return of the Magnificent Seven” comes director Paul Wendko for the next sequel, “Guns of the Magnificent Seven,” released in 1969. This is different from the first two movies with Kennedy, a year after he earned the Best Supporting Actor Oscar from “Cool Hand Luke,” entering in the franchise. However, the second movie was basically a repeat of the original film, the third gets credit for originality both in story and casting. Also, Elmer Bernstein’s score is a plus, especially with some new music scores.

Deep in Mexico, a revolutionary leader, Quintero (Fernando Rey) is captured by an evil Mexican colonel, Diego (Michael Ansara), who runs a prison that looks like a fortress more than anything else. One of Quintero’s most loyal followers, Maximilliano, played by Reni Santoni, travel north to look for help in getting Quintero out of prison before it’s too late. In a border town, Max finds a man named Chris Adams (George Kennedy) who is trying to save another man, Keno (Monte Markham), from a lynch mob. Chris agrees to help out and form a group of soldiers to help him in the prison break. They find help from a local bandit Lobero (Frank Silvera) and his gang – this is a change of pace since the original film, but the odds still seem impossible.

O’Brien said, “The Seven: Kennedy is more than capable of handling the lead role, and while he doesn’t look like Brynner at all, he brings the same characteristics to the part: loyal, honest, and always willing to stand up for the downtrodden. He’s also chomping in a stogie throughout, a trademark made recognizable with Brynner.” As for the other six, this is by far the most unique group when comparing the three sequels. Markham as Keno, the Steven McQueen right hand man role, isn’t given so much to do after he’s introduced, but as a right-hand man, he does what he's supposed to. Look cool while helping the leader. Santoni’s Max is a young person with little fighting experience but who wants nothing more than to join the fight.

Adding a character of color, dynamite expert Cassie (Bernie Casey) the range of range is added and even more so with another member of the seven, Slater (Joe Don Baker), a one-armed Confederate gunslinger. Cassie and Slater would seem to have nothing in common, but a friendship develops when they realize how similar they really are. James Whitmore, as great as ever, plays Levi, an old knife fighter who’s settle with a family but takes the job for money. Adding some depth to the character, Levi bonds with Emil, played by Tony Davis, a young Mexican boy looking for his father. Unfortunately, the seventh member, P.J., played by Scott Thomas, receives little development which is sad because an expert gunfighter/rope throwing dying of tuberculosis has some potential.

O’Brien said, “The villain is a definite step-up here after Emilio Fernandez’s part in “Return”. Ansara plays Diego as a sadistic commandant trying to snuff out the revolution in his district no matter what the cost, especially when it comes to torturing his prisoners. One torture scene midway through the movie shows a creative way to take care of prisoners – bury them in sand up to their throats and then trample and suffocate them with horses walking all around them.” Ansara’s Diego may not be as developed as Calvera or Lorca in the previous two movies, but he’s a complete villain and sometimes that’s all you need.

Some critics said this movie is too slow and to be fair, there isn’t a lot of action. However, none of these movies are really action-packed. Characters are introduced, we get to know them, and then insert the action so that when some of the seven do eventually die, their deaths mean something emotionally. The finale in the movie is on par with the shootout at the end of the original. O’Brien said, “Finally ready for their assault, Chris leads the seven and a small group of farmers in an attack on Diego’s prison, dubbed the ‘Cave of the Rats,’ and his two-hundred-man garrison.”

The movie is loud, messy, and violent, and completely different from the rest of the series. First, the seven go on the attack instead of waiting to be attacked against the larger crowd. Second, two characters are killed almost at the start of the battle, and for a while it looks like the plan might actually fail. The attack is a great action scene from start to finish and the prison set also looks really nice. There’s even some surprises as to who survives and who doesn’t keep you guessing.

This is a worthy sequel to the original. O’Brien credited, “It does justice in every way while still putting its own spin on a familiar story.” Good casting and a strong script that really develops the new members of the “Magnificent Seven” with a great, action-packed finale.

This is a good sequel, even though it is not as good as the original. It is better than the last sequel, I can tell you that. Check it out on Tubi and see for yourself.

Look out next week when I look at the next sequel in “The Magnificent Seven Month.”

Return of the Seven

The first sequel to the 1960 western, “Return of the Seven,” released in 1966, only has one cast member of the original film, Yul Brynner as Chris Adams.

Emanuel Levy said in his review, “It was dismissed by most critics as unsatisfactory, repetitive, and cliché-ridden, compared to the first picture.”

Robert Fuller replaces Steve McQueen of Vin and Julian Mateos replaces Horst Buchholz as Chico.

Levy noted, “The film was written by Larry Cohen and directed by a second-tier helmer, Burt Kennedy, who made some Western with John Wayne (all mediocre).”

The cast includes Warren Oates, Claude Akins, Jordan Christopher, Virgilio Teixeira. Emilio Fernández is the villain, and famous Spanish actor Fernando Rey plays a priest.

Fernando Rey was also in the next film, “Guns of the Magnificent Seven,” but playing a different character.

Gunmen force the men in a small Mexican village to go with them to the desert. Among the kidnapped farmers is Chico, played by Julián Mateos, who was one of the seven hired gunslingers responsible for eliminated the village of the oppressive bandit, Calvera.

Chico’s wife, Petra, played by Elisa Montés, goes to find the other members of the group – only two, Chris and Vin, survived – begged them to save the village again. To replace the group’s murdered members, Chris buys the release of Frank (Akins) and Luis (Teixeira, a famous bandit) from jail, and recruits Colbee (Oates), a ladies’ man, and the young Manuel (Christopher).

The missing villagers are used as slave labor to rebuild a desert village and church as a memorial to the dead sons of wealthy rancher Lorca, played by Fernández. In a surprise attack, they force Lorca’s men to leave, and prepare for a counterattack. The farmers do not assist, but the defenders successfully reject Lorca’s main attack. The rancher then gathers his men to retreat the seven men.

Manuel finds a supply of dynamite which the seven use in a counterattack. While they are flooded, Chris is victorious from a shootout with Lorca. The rancher’s team run, leaving Frank, Luis, and Manuel dead. Chico plans to build back the village on Lorca’s land, and Colbee stays to help teach the villagers how to defend themselves. In the end, Chris and Vin ride off together.

Composer Elmer Bernstein received Oscar nomination for his score.

Levy noted, “The film earned $1.6 million in rentals during its initial release, and then re-released in 1969, earning rentals of $1.3 million.”

This is an underwhelming film, since you could say it repeats what the first one did. If you want to watch this, you can see this on Pluto TV. Check it out, but you won’t remember this one. This is easily forgettable.

Next week, we will be looking at the next film in the franchise in “The Magnificent Seven Month.”