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.
For today’s film, I was simply flipping through my guide when I saw that Patrick Wilson (The Conjuring) and Katherine Heigl (Knocked Up) were starring in a film that I had never heard of. So, I took the chance and for today’s film I watched Home Sweet Hell. Don Champagne (Wilson) seems to have it all from the perfect wife, family, home, and he even owns his own business selling furniture. Not everything is what it seems as his wife Mona (Heigl) pretty much runs his life by making decisions and even when they have sex. At his business, Don hires a sexy woman by the name of Dusty (Jordana Brewster) and the two begin to have an affair. When Don finds out that she is pregnant and wants money, Mona will stop at nothing to fix the issue and keep her perfect family together. The film also stars Kevin McKidd (Trainspotting) as Freeman, A.J. Buckley (Disturbing Behavior) as Murphy, Jim Belushi (Mr. Destiny) as Les, Heath Freeman (Skateland) as Benji, Chi McBride (Let’s Go To Prison) as Chief Malcolm Brown, Madison Wolfe (The Campaign) as Allison Champagne, Aiden Flowers (The Big Short) as Andrew Champagne, and the film was directed by Anthony Burns (Skateland).
I have to be honest and say that I was sold on this film the minute I saw the sweet behind of Jordana Brewster. She is so sexy in this film and she does an amazing job playing a seductress. I mean who would fall for her trap? You’ll have to see the film to know exactly what I am talking about there, but this film was pretty enjoyable to watch. Katherine Heigl did such an amazing job playing a really creepy housewife who is obsessed with the idea of perfection. She has everything mapped out in a scrap book that she calls goals. As soon as somebody tries to mess with it, she snaps. She definitely sold her part very well to the point where I believed that she was who she was playing. Patrick Wilson also did a terrific job playing a guy who thinks he’s confident, but when things get real, he’s a bubbling idiot who certainly can’t take confrontations. So, you can definitely tell who wears the pants in that family, but the end will certainly shock you a tiny bit. There are times however that certain events happen that are a little too predictable and you say to yourself that you saw that coming. Jim Belushi does a great job as sort of the alcoholic sidekick that works for Don at the furniture store. The film is pretty decent and it’s certainly worth checking out if you get a chance. It’s airing on Encore as we speak, but for how long I do not know. I am going to give the film an B for a final grade.
Back in the 1990’s, it seemed that a lot of films were coming out that explored the darkness of the drug scene with some of them being very hard to watch. Trainspotting is one of those films that gained a lot of critical acclaim and that is why I chose to watch it for today. The film stars Ewan McGregor (Velvet Goldmine) as Renton, a guy who has a little bit of a problem in good ole Edinburgh, Scotland. You see Renton is mixed up in the heroin scene of Edinburgh and no matter how hard he tries to get out of it, it seems that either his friends or the allure of the drugs sucks him right back in. He’ll have to clean up quick before the scene eats him up alive. The film also stars Jonny Lee Miller (Hackers) as Sick Boy, Kevin McKidd (Dog Soldiers) as Tommy, Robert Carlyle (28 Weeks Later) as Begbie, Peter Mullan (Braveheart) as Swanney, Ewen Bremner (Snatch) as Spud, Kelly Macdonald (Boardwalk Empire) as Diane, James Cosmo (Braveheart) as Mr. Renton, Eileen Nicholas (The Quiet Ones) as Mrs. Renton, and the film was directed by Danny Boyle (28 Days Later).
This is a very hard film to watch at times and so I am going to warn you that if you can’t stomach this kind of stuff then turn away. Every single person that I have talked to about this film has said the same exact thing to me and that is the dead baby scene is just way too messed up and I don’t get the point of it. I can take most things in life like zombie babies, but that was just way too much for me to handle. The film may have bee prevalent at that time, but I think it is still prevalent to today. There was a big issue back then with heroin and HIV and so I feel the film was raising awareness to the issue and how tough of a habit is to quit. Now you look at today’s generation and it’s a problem again. I love British cinema because it so over the top and I love the language. Ewan McGregor is absolutely fantastic in the film and I love what they did with make up as well. They make him look very sick during the film to sort of normal which was fantastic as they emphasized the drug habit. You can see Danny Boyle’s style of filmmaking shine through as there is similarities in this film with other works as far as cinematography is concerned. Like I said before, there is a lot of imagery in this film that you may not agree with or want to watch so I tell you to proceed with caution when watching it. I am going to give the film an A- for a final grade.
365moviesin365dayschallenge 