It's been a few years since I first saw "The French Connection", but I got to see it again when I volunteered at a screening of it. I actually think that I ended up liking the film less this time than I did the first time that I saw it.

I probably wasn't able to pay as much attention to the film as I could have, as I had a hard time hearing the dialogue. Regardless, the film is still easy to follow, which is both a good and a bad thing. On one hand, it means that the visual storytelling is great. On the other hand, it means that the plot is rather simple (likely because it has been done countless times afterwards). The film only kept me halfway interested, but had enough exciting moments to draw me back in when I was about to zone out. The writing also has some pretty bad flaws to it. For example, the film has an ambiguous ending, then goes to a "where are they now" ending, counteracting the great ambiguity. The characters also aren't the most well-developed, as the script focuses more on developing the story rather than the characters.

The film was very well-done in a technical sense. The cinematography was great, especially in the fight and chase scenes. Action scenes are well-choreographed, even giving us one of the most famous car chases in film history. The score is also very interesting and fitting for the tone of the film.

So overall, "The French Connection" is an important, but overrated cop film. It is worth seeing for its notoriety, but it probably didn't deserve best picture.

The French Connection
Big Tuna's Rating: B
Where Did I Watch It?: In theaters.
Had I Seen It Before?: Yes.
Would I Watch It Again?: Probably.

I've really wanted to see this film since I first heard about it because it looked extremely funny and I liked Taika Waititi's other film, "What We Do in the Shadows". I was able to volunteer for two showings of the film at the local indie theater, and I was not disappointed.

I thought that the film was really well-written, for the most part. The characters are extremely well-developed and likable, allowing the amazing cast to perform their all. Julian Dennison is a very funny, very believable child actor. Sam Neill was as great as always, with good sarcastic humor throughout. The fun had a very good balance of hilarious and emotionally-driven moments, but I found that the audience didn't find some parts to be as funny as I did. My biggest critique of the film is that it gets a little far-fetched in parts. There are skips from the first day to weeks in to months in, with the audience expected to believe that everything went okay during that time. Also, there are some over-the-top moments, like when the military (including tanks) is sent on a  manhunt.

The cinematography and score of the film are also great. The cinematography has a lot of good moments showcasing the New Zealand landscape. The film also did some really cool things with montages in which it showed a constant pan with the different parties completing their different actions.

So overall, "Hunt for the Wilderpeople" is a fun, well-done film. It is a bit over-the-top at times, but it doesn't hinder the enjoyment of the film. I even enjoyed it the second time that I watched it.

Hunt for the Wilderpeople
Big Tuna's Rating: A-
How Did I Watch It?: In theaters.
Had I Seen It Before?: No.
Would I Watch It Again?: Yes.

It's been a while since I've seen the Bourne films, but I do remember liking them all. Before going to the movie, I watched the "Jason Bourne in 90 Seconds" featurette, but ended up finding it unnecessary.

The film was much less intelligent than I remember the other films in the series being. It was really generic. I also found that the series has began to tell the same story over and over again: Jason Bourne has to shut down a corrupt secret government program. It's not the most exciting action film, but it managed to keep me interested.

The acting of the film ws its strong suit. Matt Damon is obviously good as Jason Bourne, but I am going to talk more about the supporting cast. Alicia Vikander was a welcome addition. She played an intelligent, strong female character, which falls right into her comfort zone. Tommy Lee Jones is also good as the antagonist of the film.

The action sequences of the film are well-done, but aren't anything particularly special. The cinematography is very good, as is the score, but they don't compare to a lot of other action films, like the James Bond series or "Mad Max: Fury Road".

Overall, "Jason Bourne" was an enjoyable, well-acted film that didn't really have anything wrong other than the fact that it was unoriginal. Fans of the series may notice that it isn't as intelligent as the others, but will likely still enjoy the return of the character to the big screen.

Jason Bourne
Big Tuna's Rating: B+
How Did I Watch It?: In theaters.
Had I Seen It Before?: No.
Would I Watch It Again?: Probably.

The trailers for this film were really funny, so I knew that I would be going to see this movie. While it wasn't the most original, "Bad Moms" ended up being a really funny raunchy comedy, and the packed audience seemed to think the same thing.

The film was quite funny. Instead of going for recycled jokes, a lot of the film had more original humor. The party scene in the film was one of the funniest parts. There are some shock value moments, however, those are less frequent. The chemistry between the actresses also does a lot to advance the humor.

The writing of the film, while formulaic, is actually quite likable. Each of the characters fit a clear archetype, however, none of them feel forced, not even the antagonist. Each character has a combination of characteristics that allows them to be relatable to the target audience. The ending is rather clichéd, but it is a crowd-pleasing ending, so you can't really blame the writers for that. The film also has a balanced amount of emotionally-driven moments, which flow naturally into the film. The acting of the film is also really great. All of the main actresses play their characters very well, showing the right emotions at the right times.

So overall, I really enjoyed "Bad Moms". It wasn't the most original film, but the well-written characters and the great humor make up for it. If you like raunchy films like this, you should check it out.

Bad Moms
Big Tuna's Rating: A-
How Did I Watch It?: In theaters.
Had I Seen It Before?: No.
Would I Watch It Again?: Yes.

 I'm not a huge fan of the DC animated films, but the source material is one of my favorite Batman storylines because of its characterization of The Joker, so I knew that I would be seeing it. While the Joker elements of the film pleased me, there were a lot of added elements involving Batgirl that just ended up falling flat.

The graphic novel was already controversial for being misogynistic due to elements involving the debilitation and implied assault of the previously strong female character of Batgirl. Unfortunately, the film went even further with the misogyny. The first half was a melodramatic romance tale of Batgirl and Batman. Batgirl was sexualized, and Batman became stereotypically overprotective of her. I thought that it was a really bad choice on the part of the writers to incorporate this unnecessary, melodramatic, formulaic subplot into the film. For me, it just countered the dark tone of the film that I thought it deserved.

On the other hand, The Joker's elements of the film were very well done. Hamill was a great Joker, portraying the amount of emotion necessary to allow the audience to somewhat relate to the character, which was a major element of the graphic novel. Conroy was also a good Batman, but there wasn't really anything that stood out in the performance. I didn't like Tara Strong as Batgirl, but I don't think that it is her fault, as she didn't have the most well-written character to work with.

I don't think that the animation used was the best visual medium to express this storyline. It was too bright and cartoonish, sometimes distracting from the dark tone of the film. While I acknowledge that a live action film would not be financially feasible, as it would alter the DC Universe's storyline, I think that a slightly darker style of animation, or even an audio play would have been a bit better.

So overall, I didn't dislike "Batman: The Killing Joke". The second half pleased me as a fan of the graphic novel, however, I could have done without the first part. Fans of Batman, like me, will likely enjoy the greater development of the Joker, but may also dislike how the film chose to develop Batgirl.

Batman: The Killing Joke
Big Tuna's Rating: B-
How Did I Watch It?: Digital that I own.
Had I Seen It Before?: No.
Would I Watch It Again?: Maybe.