Batman: The Killing Joke (2016)

Batman: The Killing Joke (2016)

6/10

Starring the voice of

Kevin Conroy

Mark Hamill

Directed by Sam Liu

Sticking to the source material of a classic is key when you want to keep fans coming back for seconds. That’s one thing the writers of The Killing Joke movie adaptation missed. They decided to spend the first half of the animation building us up for the second half.

Now, if you’ve read the 1988 classic The Killing Joke by Alan Moore, you’ll find the second half of this movie true to the plot—and you might wish the first half was never included.

In Warner Bros.’ attempt to extend the movie to a full-length feature film, they added an intro. The intro focuses on Batgirl’s role as Batman’s sidekick. We see her struggle to find her footing while working with the already matured hero.

The Killing Joke comic was a very controversial issue due to many events and intentions not being thoroughly explained. So, when watching the R-rated animation about the origin of the Joker, it seemed to have been marred by an attempt to give another character a good backstory.

The emotional impact the movie tried to create for Batgirl—when the Joker shot her in the stomach, leaving her bedridden—went over my head. The long wait to see the actual story begin made it hard to connect.

The movie’s graphics aren’t half bad, and the voice acting had both icons, Kevin Conroy and Mark Hamill, reprising their roles as Bruce Wayne/Batman and the Joker, respectively. If nothing else, having them both back to voice the main characters was a relief.

The movie starts with Batgirl narrating her ordeal as Batman’s sidekick. She talks about the distance he keeps between them—whether it’s to protect her from harm or to prevent her from harming others. This infuriates Batgirl, as she feels she constantly has to prove to Batman that she can handle herself. Her attempts to prove herself almost get her killed and kidnapped. To add the final nail to the coffin, she crosses a line with Batman, which ends their partnership.

Time passes, and Batman tries to reach out to the Joker by visiting him at the asylum. He wants them both to back off from their relentless pursuit of each other, fearing that death is inevitable if they continue. But the Joker has escaped and has plans of his own. He shoots Barbara Gordon (Batgirl) and kidnaps her father, Commissioner James Gordon. He then tortures James in an attempt to drive him insane.

The movie does include the final scene from the comic, where both characters stand before each other, and the Joker tells Batman a joke. They laugh together. For me, the wait was annoying, but I did enjoy it when the movie finally got back on track.

War Dogs (2016)

War Dogs (2016)

6/10

Starring

Jonah Hill

Miles Teller

Directed by Todd Philips

War Dogs had me captivated by the way the events unfold, as we see two arms dealers try to score big. The movie tells a good story and keeps you curious about how things will turn out.
The downside of this movie is that we’ve seen such an onscreen pair before, and while watching, you have this striking feeling that the more outspoken, carefree character will mess everything up for the partners. So, there’s no element of surprise when it finally happens.

Everyone is always aiming for that one big score, but sometimes the price you pay for it can make the score a useless endeavor. That’s what this movie delivers as we watch two childhood friends form a company, AEY, which deals specifically in arms contracts with the U.S. Pentagon.

The movie features one of the best performances I’ve seen from Jonah Hill. He was a master of character shifts in this movie, playing a greedy yet intelligent Efraim Diveroli.
Jonah Hill deserves all the praise he’s getting for his performance—and even more. His presence elevates the movie, which could have been done better, into something enjoyable.

War Dogs is a biographical crime drama directed by Todd Phillips. The movie’s plot is based on a story published in Guy Lawson's 2015 book Arms and the Dudes. Although the movie is biographical, many of the elements and events were fictionalized, woven together to create a more compelling story.

What these two twenty-something friends did rocked the U.S. Army and caused it to review its procurement dealers and measures.

The movie is narrated by David (Miles Teller), who is a licensed massage therapist. David is tired of giving massages to old people for a living and tried his hand at selling bedsheets to old people’s homes. But the business failed, and David was about to lose all his savings.
When his old childhood friend and bad influence, Efraim, shows up at the burial of a mutual acquaintance, the two reconnect and try to relive their past fun days. After hearing about David’s predicament—and his unborn child on the way—Efraim asks David to join him as an arms dealer.
Their work together makes them enough money to buy houses and live a good life, but they always want more. They decide to go for a big score worth $300 million.

The problem is, they have to fool the U.S. Army to pull it off.

It’s a good enough movie to see, even if it’s just to appreciate Jonah Hill’s performance.

Blood Father (2016)

Blood Father (2016)

7/10

Starring

Mel Gibson

Erin Moriarty

Directed by Jean-Francois Richet

Mel Gibson hasn’t been starring in major blockbuster hits lately, with his last attempt on the big screen being the ensemble cast in Expendables 3 (2014). Here, in this under-the-radar movie—which I bet many haven’t heard of—is Blood Father, based on a book of the same name by Peter Craig.
The movie has many elements that remind you of Taken (2008) and some that remind you of Gibson himself in Lethal Weapon.

The Taken (2008) aspect of this movie has Gibson’s character, Link (an ex-convict tattoo artist), willing to do anything based on his skills as a former biker gang member and his connections in prison to protect his daughter. The Lethal Weapon part of this movie has Gibson’s character pulling off crazy stunts and doing reckless things, putting his life in danger.

Not packed with a huge cast, the movie makes the best of the actors it has. Gibson’s weird beard and quirky view of the world were an awesome side attraction when he and his daughter weren’t dodging flying bullets to get to safety.

The movie’s plot isn’t rock-solid, but the directing by Jean-Francois Richet (who was behind the camera in the action thriller Assault on Precinct 13 (2005)) was well done and kept my interest as the movie glides gently to a climactic end.

The movie starts with a girl, Lydia, buying bullets. She gives the bullets to her boyfriend, who leads a crew of men to a house in an attempt to kill the inhabitants. Lydia is asked to prove her loyalty by killing a woman who lives in the house. In a panic, she unintentionally shoots her boyfriend and runs away while being chased by his crew.

Link, an ex-con turned tattoo artist, has been looking everywhere for his daughter, Lydia. She finally contacts him and asks for help to get away from the men trying to kill her.
Link gets to her before the men do and tries to help her by keeping her away from the people she claims are her friends. When the crew storms Link’s place, a shoot-out begins, which only ends because Link’s neighbors come to save his ass. Now, Link and his daughter are on the run from the goons chasing them.

With Link contacting his own crew to bring this chase to an end—without involving the cops—the tension builds.

This is a movie I’d advise you to take the time to see and enjoy.