A couple of new films which I watched on Amazon Video last night:
John Wick: Chapter 2
The sequel to arguably the most violent film of 2014 is probably the most violent film of 2017 which begins with the titular character wanting to retrieve his car and doing so with extreme prejudice. The film contains some amazing action set pieces, some of them quite wince inducing because of the sheer physicality, using guns, fests and, in the case of the opening sequence, vehicles. It is also an extraordinary audiovisual experience and one which I look forward to watching (and hearing) in UHD in the not too distant future.
The Lego Batman Movie
Not quite a sequel, more a companion to the gloriously innovative The Lego Movie, with the Will Arnett-voiced superhero – perhaps the highlight of that film – being told to grow up by Alfred and stop dwelling on his past. This is well aware of the cinematic heritage and its main character, mentioning events in the Christopher Nolan films as well as referring to the slightly weird/dated movies with Adam West as the (not very dark) central character design which appears to link to Suicide Squad. There are so many jokes and funny throwaway lines that I really need to watch it again and the voice casting is spot-on, from Arnett in the main role to Michael Cera as Dick Grayson/Robin, Zach Galifianakis as Joker, the villain desperate to be Batman's arch villain, Ralph Fiennes as Alfred and, in an inspired move, Siri voicing Bruce Wayne/Batman's computer and being credited as such.
This is something which will probably appeal to several different generations and will have different meanings to those with different knowledge bases of Batman films and TV shows, such is the level of loving homage in the writing, so whether you liked The Lego Movie or not, there should be much to enjoy here for Batman fans.
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