"Geostorm"
A cheesy weather gone awry movie about a future where weather control is a thing, and there is a vast Dyson swarm in orbit, and someone has sabotaged it, because reasons. It's a knock off of Emmerich films, but not done as ham fisted. It plays kind of like a GI Joe sequel that never got made, with a Cobra Commander and Destro like villain, a Duke or Flint like hero sent back into action, and a teen girl ala Transformers 5, is not like GI Joe, who is sassy, and all the women are sassy too. They had an inept government, ha, but at the same time, they set into motion the takeover that least to the crisis. The payoff is kind of pedantic, and common for 'disaster porn' films of the genre. Looks like they reshot most of the ground chase separate after seeing some Bourne films. Yawn. Kind of worth a rental.
"Thor Ragnarok"
Thor 3 comes off far more interesting than Dark World from years back, because certain characters are simply ignored and not in it. It also makes the relationship between Thor and Hulk made a tad more sense than Hulk's last tam up with Widow, which was ultimately the weakest part of Avengers Age of Ultron, that and 15 minutes with Hakweye's family. Thor must roust Loki from being Puck like ruler of his kingdom, only to have them both find his Father, Odin, on his deathbed, and watch him die. This leads to the release of their stepsister, Hera, the Goddess of Death, who vows to obliterate Asgard. Thor and Loki get banished to the world of the Grandmaster, or Game Master, where they run into Hulk, who has been there for 2 years. They must figure out a way back, and there happens to be a quirky girl there (ala Star Wars like references), to return with them to fight Hera. Although derivative and at times over melodramatic, it works, and everyone in it enjoys chewing scenery. It is fun to watch, a contender come Oscar time, and a fun ride.
"Murder on the Orient Express"
This 2017 remake of the classic 1970s film, based on the loose retelling of the murder of the Linberg baby, is an odd case where all of the culpriots are on a train together, which in real life didn't happen, and it was never solved. The novel changes some names as does the film, and the remake changes some characters around, and includes very unnecessary racial and geopolitical undertones. They were not present in the novel, of the story, and if they were, were just there. The heavy handed displays of some of these undertones to the story are not necessary. (It is 1930s Europe, and there is no way they are going to be up in arms about disrespecting the Mexican guy or the black guy, or the Jewish guy. They just wouldn't care. Well they would care about the Jewish guy, I guess). It would have been fine to just cut out those parts. No need to shoehorn in stuff that doesn't fit. It's just a classic murder mystery. Periot, the greatest detective in the 1930s, is on vacation on a train crossing the old Orient, most of eastern Europe to Asian Major. A murder happens involving a cad who is on the train, a scoundrel none of the passengers like, which in the remake makes it obvious, but in the original he was somewhat likeable. The murderer then covers his tracks and continues to elude Periot. (Spoilers).
"Justice League"
Snyder had finished most of the movie, of a gray and dark work where after Superman died, Batman and the rest had to team up. Rushed into production to restore the integrity of the DCEU, the former Marvel icon, Whedon stepped in to add humor and some lighter moments, and to redo literally all of the final backdrops, and the musical score comes from lighter Elfman. The story was cut down to 2 hours, missing most of Resurrected Superman running around acting as an even bigger menace than Doom, possibly a Dark Superman. Then he just gives up because Lois is in it, asnd desces to be good again. Meanwhile, Steppenwulf from the Fourth World comics comes to Earth and beasts up some Isle of Man women, and wants to find some Mother Boxes to use to destroy the world with Para Demons. That's in the movie. It makes no darned sense, but it's in the movie! Introducing the New Gods was probably as odd a choice as Doomsday in the last one. You get Batman and Robin confusion when you include too many villains. The studio really wanted to rush to Justice League and not earn it. That said, it is not a bad film. It is entertaining and it is never boring. Fans of Snyder will wish to see hims darker, grim print, when it's on blueray later. Maybe as an extra bonus. The breakout character was corny overacting Flash, although Cyborg said some great lines too, like when he shouted Buyah. Teen Titan! Yay. Classic 1990s Titans, not the later show. Cavill sporting a GCI upper lip because they couldn't just shave off his mustache was evidence they simply had no intention of using real Supes in the movies, so the guess here is in the original story he never comes back! Wow, that is dark. But this has some oddly placed humor moments, and an after credits sequence that is more 'what the heck?' than oh, cool, it's that guy from Teen Titans, also. Why Steppenwulf as your main baddie and why such horrid CGI on him? And yet you removed that mustache? So many unanswerable questions came out. Supes is better, but still not his old self. He plays it more like a messianic god creature than a boy scout who happens to have super powers. Why not let them do Trigon as the villain? Better choice. Maybe that's next. And really, Lex? Really, you switched places? Ha. Still it is little over 60 percent a good film.
"Olaf's Frozen Christmas"
In this cute short prior to Coco, the Frozen cast returns for a holiday special where they sing songs and do some weepy moments, as they struggle to find the tradition. Olaf misreads this and goes out looking for things that represent the tradition. It's cute. (Too much hate over this short, but tone wise it didn't need to be there).
"Coco"
At first, this appears to be a rip off of 'Book of Life', but it turns out to be much more, perhaps more of a follow up with another family. A little boy in Mexico is forbidden to sing and play guitar, because three generations ago, his great grandfather ran off to be a musician. Naturally, our hero wants to play music, and mistakenly assumes the town's world famous, and now dead, greatest singer, is related to him. On the Day of the Dead, (Aztec Halloween, Catholic Thanksgiving, and a little of Harvest Festival), he is able to pass to the spirit world to find his ancestors and go on a rollicking adventure, to learn the true meaning of family. Pixar (and Disney studios) never seems to disappoint. Even though it is kind of Book of Life, the other group, it is still completely different enough as it is just 'their version' and works well. The visuals are fantastic and the afterlife, netherworld is a three-dee painting that apparently took hyge amounts of man hours. The message and songs are great too. It's a love letter to Mexico. First of the Oscar worthy movies arrives.(Coco is more about Halloween and redemption than it is Christmas tradition, so the short at the beginning seems only 'traditions' bears some similarity).
