Not only am I a fan of the work of Kevin Smith which includes such great films like Mallrats, Dogma, Clerks, Jay & Silent Bob Strike Back, but I am also a fan of his whacky 2014 horror film Tusk which was film one of Smith’s True North Trilogy. So when i saw that Netflix had the second film Yoga Hosers, I jumped on to the chance. Colleen C (Lily-Rose Depp) and Colleen M. (Harley Quinn Smith) are are two average teenage girls who happen to be best friends and spend most of their time on their phones and in yoga besides working in a ez-mart. The girls one day manage to stumble on the plans of an old evil Canadian Nazis plan to kill all art critics. So, now the girls must destroy his plans before it gets out of control. The film also stars Johnny Depp (Alice In Wonderland) as Guy Lapointe, Adam Brody (The O.C.) as Ichabod, Harley Morenstein (Epic Meal Time) as Toilet Paper Guy, Austin Butler (Aliens In The Attic) as Hunter Calloway, Tyler Posey (Teen Wolf) as Gordon, Jennifer Schwalbach Smith (Clerks II) as Ms. McKenzie, Justin Long (Tusk) as Yogi Bayer, Tony Hale (Veep) as Bob Collette, Natasha Lyonne (American Pie) as Tabatha, Haley Joel Osment (Tusk) as Adrien Arcand, Ralph Garman (Ted) as Andronicus Arcane, and cameos by Kevin Conroy, Stan Lee, Jason Mewes, Ashley Greene, Jack Depp, Genesis Rodriguez, and Vanessa Paradis.
You definitely know going into this that a lot of things are going to be over the top ridiculous just like Tusk was. I mean come on, think about it for a second. A Canadian Nazi who creates little Nazi Mountie sausage soldiers and tell me that doesn’t sound ridiculous or over the top. Now, I am not complaining about it because I understood that going in and I enjoyed what he presented. Everything about the film was over the top from the accents to the typical Canadian dialogue like aboot or eh. Then some of the acting can be a little over the top, but that is what I liked about the film because it was a fun kind of campy. I also liked seeing them perform during the film like covering Anthrax’s I’m The Man or Styx’s Babe which was a little cheesy, but very fun. I loved the cameos in the film because a lot of them are fun cameos like the animated series Batman (Conroy) or even Stan Lee cause you know Smith is a comic book nerd. Then you definitely cannot beat Johnny Depp as the French Canadian detective Guy Lapointe and the amazing accent. Some of my favorite scenes in the film were with Justin Long who was just hilarious as Yogi Bayer. Although, he can’t understand why Warner Brothers would want to sue him. The film obviously had some holes, but those are easily overlooked when you just sit back and enjoy the fun which you can catch on Netflix right now. If you can get past the accents and the aboots, then you’ll like it. I am going to give the film an B+ for a final grade.
In the battle between DC Comics and Marvel, DC has always had Marvel beat on the animated movie front with the superior titles. One of the most anticpated films based off one of the all time best selling graphic novels in Batman: The Killing Joke came out and I didn’t hesitate to make it today’s film. In the setting of the film, Batgirl (Tara Strong) a.k.a. Barbara Gordon has been working with Batman (Kevin Conroy), but after a case almost went too far, she quit the crime fighting business. In the meantime, the diabolical Joker (Mark Hamill) has escaped from Arkham to prove the ultimate point. He wants to prove that with enough tragedy, he can drive a man to insanity the same way he was years before by attacking the Gordon family. The film also stars Ray Wise (Jeepers Creepers 2) as commissioner Gordon, John DiMaggio (Adventure Time) as Francesco, Robin Atkin Downes (Suicide Squad) as Detective Bullock, Brian George (Hotel Transylvania) as Alfred, Maury Sterling (Kung Fu Panda 2) as Paris, JP Karliak (Sanjay And Craig) as Reese, Nolan North (Star Trek Into Darkness) as Mitch, Anna Vocino (Free Radio) as Jeannie, Rick D. Wasserman (Planet Hulk) as Maroni, and the film was directed by Sam Liu (Batman: Year One).
Now you are probably wondering what I am thinking about when it comes to Batman: The Killing Joke. Well, first I want to give all of you out there a Spoiler Alert just in case there is any info that is said that you didn’t want to know. So, Proceed with caution or turn away right this instance (just in case). The film just about everything you would expect especially if you had read the graphic novel. I thought it was a little daring for them to have the sex scene between Batgirl and Batman (you don’t see anything so don’t worry). I know the film got an R rating, but other than some language, some violence, there really wasn’t much to it that in my opinion suggested an R rating. Nevertheless, I am not saying that it was a bad film cause it’s up there with some of my favorites and it was great to see Mark Hamill return as The Joker because he is the ony voice I enjoy. The thing I really enjoyed were the flashback scenes that The Joker had explaining his origins. He’s a failing comedian who just needs one job to save his new family from poverty, but when tragedy strikes it drives him to the brink of insanity. Thus explaining why he became The Joker to satisfy our need to know who he is. The one thing that you’ll find in the film that is very interesting is the end of the film. There is one final scene between Batman and The Joker that you have to see for yourself because it’s just poetic justice in my opinion. I loved the action in the film, it was very well written, and truly a film everyone should check out. Suicide Squad comes out this week hence the reason I chose to watch this now. I am going to give Batman: The Killing Joke an A for a final grade.
If we have learned anything from past films that involves time travel is that you never change anything from the past because you risk screwing up the present timeline you live in. That is definitely the case with today’s film Justice League- The Flashpoint Paradox. Barry Allen (Justin Chambers) a.k.a. The Flash has lost his mother and after an encounter with Professor Zoom (C. Thomas Howell), the world as Barry knew it has changed drastically. Bruce Wayne (Kevin Conroy) was murdered instead of his parents, Aquaman (Cary Elwes) and Wonder Woman (Vanessa Marshall) are at war with each other, and Superman (Sam Daly) is no where to be found in Metropolis. Now, it’s up to Barry to try and figure out exactly what happened so that he can change it back to bring back the world that he knew. The film also stars Michael B. Jordan (The Fantastic Four) as Cyborg, Kevin McKidd (Trainspotting) as Thomas Wayne, Dee Bradley Baker (American Dad!) as Etrigan the Demon, Steve Blum (The Boxtrolls) as Lex Luthor/Captain Thunder, Nathan Fillion (Castle) as Hal Jordan, Ron Perlman (Hellboy) as Deathstroke, James Patrick Stuart (The Penguins Of Madagascar) as Captain Boomerang, Hynden Walch (Adventure Time) as Yo-Yo, and the film was directed by Jay Oliva (Batman Vs Robin).
First of all, I just want to say that Marvel may be winning the motion picture war, but DC definitely has Animated films and TV shows on lock. DC has really produced some of the most memorable animated films of the last ten or so years and this is definitely one of them. One thing that I wasn’t surprised about after watching the film was that the rating the film received was PG-13. You have to see the film for yourself to know why, but it is definitely a violent film.You’ll be shocked by some of the scenes of violence, but not in a bad way if you get what I mean. I really loved the concept of what if Bruce Wayne had died which then turned his father into Batman and his mother into The Joker. There is a giant war going on that pins villains and superheroes against each other as Wonder Woman wages war against Aquaman. Then there is the shocking discovery of Superman and what he looks and acts like in the film which is a must see. The one thing that frustrated me is that you made it obvious that Martha Wayne is The Joker, but you never show her at all during the film. The only reason it upsets me is because The Joker is my all time favorite villain. The big reveal at the end of the film is where it’s at and I am not going to give it away, but it’s a must see for anyone that enjoys smart writing. This is definitely one of my favorite DC animated films besides the Suicide Squad one that is out and the Batman: Under The Red Hood. I am going to give this one an A- for a final grade.
I was inspired today by a simple conversation and there was an animated film that I had never seen that I wanted to. I chose to watch the 1993 animated film Batman: Mask Of The Phantasm which featured the voice of Kevin Conroy (Batman: The Animated Series) as Batman. In the film, a mysterious figure is murdering all of the crime bosses of Gotham City and it’s getting blamed on Batman. All of these things are starting to happen as soon as an old flame (Dana Delany) from Batman’s past re-enters his life. Now it’s up to Batman to find out just who is killing these men before anyone else is taken out for good, but he’ll have to dig deep to figure it out. The film also stars Mark Hamill (Star Wars: Episode IV- A New Hope) as The Joker, Hart Bochner (Die Hard) as Arthur Reeves, Stacey Keach (American History X) as Phantasm, Abe Vigoda (The Godfather) as Sal Valestra, Dick Miller (Gremlins) as Chuckie Sol, Efrem Zimbalist Jr (Hot Shots!) as Alfred, Bob Hastings (General Hospital) as Commissioner Gordon, John P. Ryan (It’s Alive) as Buzz Bronski, and the film was directed by Eric Radomski and Bruce W. Timm.
I want to start this by saying that I absolutely loved this film and if you were a fan of that Batman: The Animated Series (which was the best) then you will love this one. You can’t have a Batman film without The Joker and he makes an appearance in this one. Mark Hamill created an iconic voice for The Joker that is absolutely untouchable in my opinion. The great thing is that both Kevin Conroy and Mark Hamill are returning for the rated R animated film The Killing Joke and that has me excited. The film has all the aesthetics that you loved about the animated series where it’s dark and it takes place in the 50’s so the clothing and styles are amazing. The film kind of goes an explains a little about Batman’s past through some flashbacks that we get about his relationship with Andrea and how he got started as Batman. I also love the hints of comedy that they throw into the film as well with Alfred and his untimely entrances into a room when Bruce is busy with the ladies. The film is amazing, the story is great, and the kids can certainly watch it and I suggest you educate them on this series as it’s still untouchable in my opinion. I am going to give Batman: The Mask Of Phantasm an A- for a final grade.
365moviesin365dayschallenge 