cgearheart

I'm someone who's definitely something of a snob but I'm also someone who loves a good popcorn flick, so when I saw trailers for "Predator: Badlands", I got moderately excited. I'm not someone who takes the Predator lore too seriously or is heavily engaged in it because it's really just popcorn fare, so the PG-13 rating didn't bother me. Plus, when have kids ever been able to experience the fierceness of a Yautja onscreen? The end result was very different for a typical Predator movie, but so were the recent films that were also very successful. It's a Predator movie for the "Mandalorian" crowd, but it's also one that doesn't forget to be a Predator movie. There's still plenty of action and even some gore to spare.

Not a bad movie at all.

B.

Director Erick Lozano is a friend of mine. We both attended film school together and have collaborated on our respective projects.

He's someone who I've seen evolve greatly over time as an artist and this film is no exception. Making a feature film, especially at his young age, is a weighty task. There's no denying that. I had the special privilege of attending a screening of Among the 8 earlier this year. It's far from a perfect film. In fact, some of it was a little rough. The sound was patchy in places, the story rambled on a bit, and the performances were a mixed bag.

However, this is a first time feature film made by a very dedicated and passionate director who casted equally dedicated and passionate actors. It's less a proper film and more of a taste for things to come for Erick Lozano. At the end of the day, he still wrote a script and made a damn movie. That's more than most people can do. You find me in the theater anxiously awaiting his next feature.

I was split 50/50 on whether or not I wanted to see Tron: Ares. On one hand, it stars Jared Leto: an actor I despise. But on the other, the score is done by Nine Inch Nails: my favorite band of all time. It also doesn't help that Tron: Legacy is a massive guilty pleasure for me. Evidently, I decided to go see this new one in 3-D and suffice it to say, it succeeds with flying colors as a sensory experience. The visuals are sumptuous, the soundtrack is solid, and the fights are well choreographed. But when the film switches into actual movie mode, it's a disaster. The film is rife full of robotic performances, failed comic relief, a heavily recycled story, exposition galore, and a cringe worthy amount of product placement (one scene turns into a glorified Hyundai commercial). This may sound biased, but I also cannot take Jared Leto seriously in the lead role, no matter how hard he tries. His image of being an overrated, egotistical diva who gives subpar performances overshadows what could've been something good.

Overall, Tron: Ares is an entertaining and frustrating missed opportunity that works better when it's being a music video rather than a movie.

D+