Tak-san was once a member of the Tokyo Life Group, a secret organization dedicated to dealing with certain individuals not wanting to conform, but has since retired. He’s trying to lead a normal life but is in fact protecting one of his co-workers.
Takashi is silent and deadly, everything a ninja must be. When compared to G.I. Joe Origins: Snake Eyes, I wish Masanori Mimoto (better known for Yakuza Apocalypse) got to play this character instead of Golding. Here, this individual is subtle in his approach to safeguard the patrons to his bar. Part of the movie uses silence, the perfect way to introduce a former ninja. These days, he’s a chef.
To restart the Spider-Man movie franchise for the third time may seem to some industry observers a crazy attempt by Sony Pictures to keep a hold of this Marvel Comics property. Much like how 20th Century Fox does not want to let go of the Fantastic Four, eventually some give and take must be reached. Thankfully an agreement was reached to bring the hero back to where he truly belongs (perhaps, why the title Homecoming is used). At the same time, to see this character come alive in a recognizable manner reveals plenty of wholehearted fun akin to the race to get home in Ferris Bueller into the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU).
After seeing this movie for the second time, I had to make sure my feelings for this film does not change. Further viewings are needed to pick up on some nuances I noticed in this movie. A few scenes deliberately mimicked moments from another familiar character. The personalities between Spidey and Deadpool are different, but to see these two white spectacled hooligans trying to save the day does need mentioning.
Most of the laughs come from how Peter Parker (Tom Holland) is hoping for another chance to work with the Avengers. After his introduction in Captain America: Civil War, dealing with neighbourhood crime is not the same. When he finds weapons powered by powerful alien tech illegally trafficked, nobody at Avengers Headquarters seems to care. Spider-Man has to investigate and put the criminal ring down himself.
Sometimes it’s hard not to groan at news of some beloved part of my young geekhood getting remade. I’m not entirely sold on Terminator Genisys just yet. Is it supposed to be a continuation, sequel, reboot or what? The producers are saying this movie is going to reinvent the wheel and I can see it in the latest trailer — this film is going to revisit the first two films from a different perspective. Just what Kyle Reese (Jai Courtney) experiences is not what original fans are going to see. He will be meeting Sarah Connor (Emilia Clarke) under very different circumstances.
Although this full on trailer looks good with its hints of story to come ala X-Men: Days of Future Past, a sequence borrowed from The Dark Knight (flipped bus) and a ninja that’s evolved from the T-1000 mold (from Terminator 2), I find that the issue of jumping around time as a plot device problematical. Just the thought alone is enough to make the Doctor Who fan in me cringe. Matt Smith has an important role in this trilogy and no one is talking about what it is. I suspect that he may be a tech prodigy who created this new version of Skynet and he will be pivotal to how this artificial intelligence will finally go down by the end of these new three films.
In the movie The Rocket, irrepressible 10-year-old Ahlo (Sitthiphon Disamoe) is more than just the black sheep of the family. He’s cursed because of a Laotian superstition that says those born as twins will represent the most opposite of extremes — either good or bad fortune will come. When his brother died at birth, making what he represents an uncertainty, Grandmother Taitok (Bunsri Yindi) thinks he will bring bad fortune to everything dear. That also includes holding on to the beliefs that the old country and traditions that Grandma represents. But for Ahlo, he can lay a spark for the future, if his people accept him.
Directed by Declan Lowney Screenplay by Neil Gibbons, Rob Gibbons, Steve Coogan, Armando Iannucci, Peter Baynham
Not everyone on this side of the pond will know who British presenter Alan Partridge is. But after seeing the movie Alan Partridge: Alpha Papa (the UK title of this film) his fame in North America will no doubt rise. Who knows, maybe he might get his own TV show in the States — heaven forbid. This fictional character is a media personality who has declined in fame over the years, and to see him claw his way back to the top is sad but funny.
