MOVIE REVIEW: Thor: Ragnarok

With the same concept, cast, action scenes, special effects and end credit bonuses, films from the Marvel Cinematic Universe are starting to look and feel the same. Fortunately, the choice of putting the great comedic director from New Zealand Taika Waititi whose films from his homeland include What We Do in the Shadows (2014) and the Hunt for the Wilderpeople from last year elevates the latest saga of the God of Thunder from the rest. The usual ingredients for a comic book movie are there but it is spiced up with marvelous comedy this side of the Guardians of the Galaxy series of Marvel.

Chris Hemsworth is back as Thor and so is Tom Hiddleston as his adopted mischievous adopted brother Loki. It is such a delight seeing the two on the big screen together and they do have chemistry. The heavily promoted bromance between Thor and Bruce Banner aka Hulk (Mark Ruffalo) pales compared to Hemsworth and Hiddleston. Anthony Hopkins still brings prestige even though in only a few scenes. The casting of two time Oscar winner Cate Blanchett as the villain Hela is the icing on the cake. She's having fun unleashing her evil side and it clearly shows. There are some surprise appearances that will make you smile and I won't spoil it.

Thor: Ragnarok runs for 2 hours and 20 minutes and it's well worth your time and hard earned money. It is best seen on the big screen to appreciate the visual effects and it's great cast. Don't forget to stay to the end credits.

MOVIE REVIEW: Blade Runner 2049

The sequel to the 1982 sci-fi cult classic is beautiful to watch on the big screen. Ably directed by Denis Villeneuve who received an Oscar nomination earlier this year for the brilliant Arrival, Blade Runner 2049 is a thinking geek's masterpiece. Be warned though, I had to watch the first one and googled the details because if you don't, you will easily get confused.

In an era wherein a new comic book  or superhero adaptation comes out every quarter of the year, Blade Runner 2049 is an arthouse film compared them. You can't leave your brain outside the theater.

Ryan Gosling anchors the film as Officer K. who hunts down "replicants" - genetically engineered or artificially made beings created to be similar to actual human beings, who are passed their expiration date and actually just live to survive. 

His quest leads him to Rick Deckard (Harrison Ford), the original film detective in the first film. Ford doesn't appear till the second half of the film but he gives his best perfomance to date. It easily reminded me of Sylvester Stallone's Oscar nominated role in Creed. His iconic role gives way to an upstart but his soul and will to continue living is still intact.

The movie also stars Jared Leto, Robin Wright and the alluring Ana De Armas as Joi.
If you were a fan and loved the first Blade Runner then by all means go. If you haven't seen it though, just make sure to watch the first or research online before going inside the movie theater. 

MOVIE REVIEW: Victoria and Abdul

From 1997's Mrs. Brown in which she garnered her first ever Academy Award nomination for Best Actress, Judi Dench is back playing Queen Victoria for the second time. Victoria and Abdul feels more like an accompanying piece to Mrs. Brown than a sequel since it is from a recently discovered part of British history that was hidden due to royal protocol.

In her twilight years, Queen Victoria forged an unlikely friendship with an Indian named Abdul Karim (Ali Fazal) who was randomly selected in the subcontinent to present the Queen with a ceremonial bauble from a colony she
knows nothing about. Dench nailed a bored and old Victoria and the arrival of the "handsome" young man has brought excitement back to her life bound by royal duties and obligations.

This alarmed the royal household and led by her son Bertie (Eddie Izzard) the successor to the throne, they thought of Karim as a threat to the monarchy. They refer to him earlier as a Hindu when in fact he's a Muslim. Memories of Princess Diana's final years came back to my mind after that revelation scene.

Victoria then made known that Abdul is her "Mushi: or teacher. She learned about Indian culture thru Abdul. She learned a different culture that is the complete opposite of what she's experiencing and opened her eyes to another part of the world.

Judi Dench is movie royalty and in my book, could do nothing wrong playing a queen. Fazal has that old movie school that was reminiscent of the Hollywood stars of the silent film era. Victoria and Abdul is British royalty light.  It was a fun and a learning treat watching it without getting sleepy.