Showing posts with label Toby Oliver. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Toby Oliver. Show all posts

Tuesday, October 7, 2025

MEGAN 2.0 (2025)

 


Written & Directed By: Gerard Johnstone 

Story By: Gerard Johnstone And Akela Cooper

Based in characters created by: Akela Copper and James Wan

Cinematography: Toby Oliver 

Editor: Jeff McEvoy 


Cast: Alison Williams, Violet McGraw, Brian Jordan Alvarez, Jen Van Epps, Ivana Sakhno, Aristotle Athari, Jemaine Clement, Timm Sharp 


Two years after M3GAN's rampage, her creator, Gemma, resorts to resurrecting her infamous creation in order to take down Amelia, the military-grade weapon who was built by a defense contractor who stole M3GAN's underlying tech.

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The first film was more of a campy guilty pleasure so I have no idea why they decided to make this film more of a sci-fi action movie. The least they could’ve done was if it was going to be action make the death or kill scenes maybe be a bit more horrific and violent. 


Watching this film, it’s a pale comparison as they do hear what most equals do it’s bigger. You can definitely tell that there was more money spent that has more of an epic vision but even the camping seems preplanned rather than just coming out of nowhere even worse they don’t even have Megan do her dance. It plays during the credits, but you can tell it’s not like she develops a new dance or even come up with a reason for it.


One of the first things you notice watching the film is Is there enough foreshadowing here? (said ironically) then One can't decide if this movie is too long as it feels like an epic or if it's Long enough, you just feel the length. Because it doesn’t fill it effecintely enough.


The film plays the middle field where it feels like an R Rated film but seems to stay in the vicinity of PG-13.


The film stays very convaluted where you wonder sometimes where is this going and does it have to be this complicated, but then again when the threat goes from more personal and domestic to almost worldwide. It can’t be too simple. While the film’s tries to offer the audience more comedy and thrills mixed together then the original. That is what the film’s weakness seems to be. In that it tries fan service and abandons its roots. Rather then staying true to itself and building to bigger badder type of thriller with a higher body count of characters you care about.


Just as it seems the returning supporting characters one gets more sceeen time while the other gets around the same as the first one and whose fate ends up questionable by the end of the movie. As it never makes clear or brings back the character. Making them ultimately disposable. It feels like the film isnsay oman you should be thankful to be here. 


One of the reasons why it might not be as strong. Is that the original screenwriter didn’t write this film. Akela cooper helped with the story but left the major scripting to the franchise’s director. Who didn’t write the first film? 


I was going to do a video about why Megan 2.0 bombed but producer Jason, Bloom of Bloom house pretty much hit the nail right on the head when he said no this isn’t a quote but pretty much the information was they put too much faith into the character and the characters following so that they thought they could do anything they wanted to do with the character and the audience would follow up And it ended up being a case of putting too much on the shoulders of the this little film


Which was originally just a surprise and understandable why they would wanna make a sequel but one of the points I was going to make you wanna put it in the summer when it was a hit in January which usually means there was nothing better out and this was the best that was around And did was hit a power hit like it did, but I think that was because it came out of nowhere and it surprisingly campy and fun for what was supposed to be a horror film


Even though it was more lightweight but requirements of fitting even when I watched it and I liked it, I thought it was lightweight. It could’ve been. I don’t know if it took off, particularly with younger audiences to for that PG-13 rating to really make a difference, but the unrated version which is basically added blood in a little bit more violence Seem to be release the audience


Now the film was successful and had a following yet it seems like they made it into more of an action comedy. The film is a little bit more in the still keeping that camp looking like a blatant copy of terminator too and it way. 


The magic of the original was that this campiness came out of nowhere and what was supposed to be atmosphere at that and for people who didn’t regularly go see her it was perfect because it was her almost like a Mocktail has no liquor, but the delicious taste of cocktail. They’re having fun with necessarily being on all the time, especially if it didn’t start so that was another factor of why the film bombed. 


Also it proves that MEGAN, the movie was more of like a phenomenon. It wasn’t necessarily a cult and it wasn’t popular enough or that the following people were demanding I’m wondering how this does for the Megan spin off they had planned or if that’s been canceled. 


Also didn’t know that This movie was coming out in the summer. where it’s going up against heavy hitters and the trailer didn’t make anybody wanna run to the theater so this is where the day and date or a movie and it being available pretty much like 4 to 6 weeks later actually hurts films like these because even if you are a fan of the first film and maybe had interest in seeing the sequel just wait and watch it on demand streaming as that is the quality and that this film looks like it’s not something you wanna rush out to go see it for movies and theaters like a movie you could wait for. I’m happy I saw on the big screen if I had a theater I definitely could’ve waited for just entertained 


The first one was a fluke that it was a hit in the first place and I can understand it got a small crowd behind it a fascination, so that you knew the sequel would eventually come out, but the man came out and then switching genres even Jason Blum agreed now was a bad idea.


If they were going to do that make sure you had a strong audience that would follow the franchise and characters wherever it went. As obviously the following wasn’t that strong and it even came out at the right time as far as how many years had passed but the wrong season. 


Which pretty much explains it all. 


Grade: C- 

Saturday, January 23, 2021

FANTASY ISLAND (2020)




Directed By: Jeff Wadlow Written By Jeff Wadlow, Chris Roach & Jillian Jacobs  Based on the television series “FANTASY ISLAND” Created By: Gene Levitt  Cinematography: Toby Oliver  Editor: Sean Albertson


Cast: Michael Pena, Maggie Q, Lucy Hale, Portia Doubleday, Jimmy O. Yang, Ryan Hansen, Mike Vogel, Austin Stowell, Kim Coates, Michael Rooker, Robbie Jones, Parisa Fitz-Hanley, Ian Roberts

The enigmatic Mr. Roarke makes the secret dreams of his lucky guests come true at a luxurious but remote tropical resort. But when the fantasies turn into nightmares, the guests have to solve the island's mystery in order to escape with their lives.

Thursday, June 20, 2019

HAPPY DEATH DAY 2U (2019)



Written & Directed By: Christopher Landon 
Based on characters created by: Scott Lobdell 
Cinematography: Toby Oliver 
Editor: Ben Baudhuin 


Cast: Jessica Rothe, Israel Broussard, Phi Vu, Ruby Modine, Steve Zissis, Rachel Matthews, Sarah Yarkin, Suraj Sharma, Charles Aitken, Laura Clifton, Missy Yager, Jason Mayle, Rob Mello 

Having survived the farcical but utterly life-threatening events in the first film, the feisty sorority sister, Tree Gelbman, finds herself in the same college dorm, thankful to be alive. However, this time, it's Carter's roommate, Ryan, who claims that he is reliving the same paradoxical day over and over again, as a mysterious paranoid killer in a single-toothed baby-faced mask with a big kitchen knife has made a habit of murdering him. Under those circumstances, a valiant but vain attempt to face the challenge, once more, will send Tree back to square one, trapped in an all too familiar and blood-drenched time loop. How many deaths separate Tree from a truly happy birthday?

Sunday, April 7, 2019

THE DIRT (2019)



Directed By: Jeff Tremaine 
Written By: Amanda Adelson & Rich Wilkes 
Based On The Book “The Dirt” By: Neill Strauss, Nikki Sixx, Vince Neil, Tommy Lee and Mick Mars 
Cinematography: Toby Oliver 
Editor: Melissa Kent 


Cast: Iwan Rheon, Pete Davidson, Kathryn Morris, Machine Gun Kelly (Colson Baker), Douglas Booth, Daniel Webber, Katherine Neff, David Costabile, Tony Cavalero, Max Milner 


The film doesn’t break the mold when it comes to telling the story of the band. It tries to be more humorous considering the darkness of the tales and tone in general. The characters occasionally break the fourth wall and talk to the audience Mick Mars more than anyone as he still stays the strangest and most mysterious member of the band. Now while the movie is based on the bands autobiography THE DIRT. It also remind some of the bands behind the music special from back in the day and for how much the film tries it still comes off as more a television movie. Due to the more limited budget, sets state of production and wigs. Though with this kind of material it could never play on regular television. So it’s no surprise it is a Netflix presentation. As there is plenty of nudity, sex and drugs to go around.

Sunday, June 3, 2018

BREAKING IN (2018)



Directed By: James McTeigue 
Written By: Ryan Engle 
Cinematography By: Toby Oliver 
Editor: Joseph Jett Sally 

Cast: Gabrielle Union, Billy Burke, Richard Cabral, Christa Miller, Jason George 


A woman fights to protect her family during a home invasion.

Friday, January 5, 2018

HAPPY DEATH DAY (2017)



Directed By: Christopher Landon 
Written By: Scott Lobdell 
Cinematography By: Toby Oliver 
Editor: Gregory Plotkin 

Cast: Jessica Rothe, Israel Broussard, Ruby Modine, Charles Aitken, Rob Mello, Rachel Matthews, Phi Vu, Ramsey Anderson 

A teenage girl, trying to enjoy her birthday, soon realizes that this is her final one. That is, if she can figure out who her killer is. She must relive that day, over and over again, dying in a different way each time. Can she solve her own murder?