Ace Ventura: Pet Detective (1994)

Jim Carrey must be renowned for his comedic genius. In just one year he starred in three movies: Dumb And Dumber and The Mask along this flick, and each one spawned an animated series. He portrays his character of dual personality: one minute he is a mad man, the next he is a sophisticated detective. His antics were unbearable at one point, but became a trademark for his charisma.
Before watching this movie I was watching its animated spin-off, which put me off so badly that I just wanted nothing to do with the crazy movie. However, I took the courage in watching the movie and discovered that despite its moments, it did have a very straightforward plot. Ace Ventura (Jim Carrey) is enlisted in recovering a dolphin before the weekend Superbowl. Ace is doubted and ridiculed by several police officers, but strongly overcomes this by handling the situation with a comedic response. This guy must be a prime example of anyone who finds himself in a distressful situation.
They said this movie was stupid, but watching this movie I acknowledge it is half-stupid, half-clever. I could reveal every fault in this movie, but could also reveal its merits that accompany it. Ace conceives one comic trick after another, just as one plot convenience after another unravels to keep the story in momentum, as Ace finds himself at a dead end. My opinion stands as to why I would never take a movie critic's world without confirming.

So after the opening title cards, we see Ace himself in disguise (don't worry, he is not working with UPS, but a fake parallel HDS!). He mucks around with a package without giving a toss about embarrassing himself. He is trying to recover a lost dog, which has been stolen. (The credits are still rolling and can be distracting for the duration in this scene alone.) One thing about this scene also is how Ace was able to swap the real shih tzu with a soft toy resembling it without arousing suspicion. I wasn't even sure if the toy stayed they same position all the while it was sitting outside the door. I am sure it was immensely foolish to leave his name card pinned to the toy. And Ace pretty loony to be gloating over retrieving the dog without taking into account that the thug is possibly pursuing him in broad daylight. As I have mentioned, Ace has a passion to take every dire situation as a joke.

This guy's an animal: only a bloodhound could have tracked down Ace without actually following him, by picking up his scent. There is no way he could have found Ace so easily. He must enjoy breaking glasses as his hobby, even then he has so much trouble shattering them and swiping the dog. By the way, it was noted that this drive-away scene was directly lifted from Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991).

This scene is raunchy, yet the movie is certified PG-13/12. Another thing I possibly forgot to mention earlier: this Ace is like a computer encyclopedia. It is as if he can deliver every ounce of information without slipping or biting his tongue, and getting it wrong. (But I still do not believe that he can get it all right.) So this will always be the case in at least seven scenes. 

Ace has plucked more than one leaf just to conceal his entrance from the devilishly-voiced landlord. But has it ever occurred to him that this is pointless after the said landlord has approached him on a few occasions? He must have stripped that plant of all its leaves by now. The landlord must hate animals and can hear (and smell) them even if he can't see them in Ace's flat. Yet Ace must be dumb enough to call his animal friends regardless, even if the landlord is still waiting outside his flat.

Ace must be fearless handling all those animals.

This guy doesn't care if the dolphin is a fish or mammal, as he admits expressing his dire concerns on the Superbowl season. But still he contradicts himself by saying he doesn't care about the dolphin and at the same time makes demands for it to be found sooner.

Talk about coincidence. Ace is on a search for the albino pigeon, but he does not bother to use the proper tools in doing so. Plus he falls several storeys into a pile of trash which, given the size of the pile and the height of the building, still would not cushion his fall. That bird could have perched anywhere, so it still eludes me as to how Ace could have found that bird so easily. If that bird landed where there was nothing to cushion his fall, Ace would be toast.

Ace investigates the tank. As he does so as a typical detective, he pulls off some gags in reference to several TV shows. Of course not minding the situation at hand he makes light out of it. As I have mentioned before, he does this in similar scenes. And journalists seem not to find any other story more interesting than Snowflake's stunt for the game, in contrast to the police not giving much of a toss about the case.

These guys must do this every time Ace is here. They have high-priority cases at hand yet they pick the time to taunt Ace. Hey, what if any of you lost a pet you cherish so much? Would you continually mock him then? 

This scene turns hilarious: one minute Ace talks philosophically, then next he starts dissing Aguado with such panache.   

OK. This is the particular gag that put me off from watching this movie: talking through his rear. Ace must do this to get the information he needs from his associate in the police. Still I had to admit that this was the silliest but nonetheless cleverest he could pull off. Some will finds this hilarious, but I can tolerate it. 

One plot hole I must unravel: this officer tells Ace that a guard saw no truck carrying the dolphin out of the stadium. However, to call this a plot hole would be shallow because for this to happen would require a hoard of imposters to foil any security reprisal. 

It must be a cliche back in the day to always play a jazz cue whenever a hot, sexy female makes her presence in the company of men. (This will occur more than once in this movie.) Today that is just sexist. Lois Einhorne (Sean Young) is intimidating even by looking at her. 

I relate to Ace: he experiences a rave in an underground rock venue as hellish and wild. Loud music must turn every mind upside down. 

This guy looks eccentric wearing two pair of glasses at the same time. It's too bad he appears only once ion this movie. 

Ace must not give a toss about about embarrassing himself and Melissa Robinson (Courtney Cox) in front of Camp and the cream of the society.  Embarrassing but hilarious. Ronald Camp (Udo Kier) is alleged to be capable of stealing Snowflake, but Ace lands himself in hot water when he finds out that Camp has sharks in his tanks. Guess that doesn't matter since missing sharks are not the case. Did I mention he makes several TV references while investigating the case? First it was Star Trek, now it's Mission Impossible, which is more of a movie reference. Time-wasting, but comical for the audience. 

I personally do not think a shark would leap out of water to eat a fish or bite on a person's arm. Though Ace was expecting Snowflake to do this. Kinda scary for kids, right? Hence the 12 rating. It is also amazing that Ace survives the shark attack in a small tank that should limit mobility for the predator. 

Should the party have died so that everyone in the party can look at Ace in this state? 

Convenient timing. Ace finds a clue on Camp's ring. Of all the people he could have run into, Ace finds Camp to be wearing the ring whose cut matches the one he finds in the fish tank. As I mentioned before, this is the type of convenience that blooms out in the last minute when Ace seems to be hitting the dead end. He really took it too far by trying to pry the ring off of Camp's finger as if that was necessary. 

Ace must have been doping this research prior to this case. I doubt he had so much time available to do this given the series of events we had to sit through. Even after this series the next one will leave anyone bemused because he finds the ring wearers as if it was a breeze when in fact it was more like a tornado. In reality, this could have taken long given the nature of his antic carrying out the search and the sheer number of players and staff members each wearing the ring. In fact as I remember the Superbowl was two weeks away, so this search must have exceeded that time window. In the meantime, it is still enjoyable watching Ace suffer through the ordeal with hilarious consequences. 

This scene soured my tongue. Ace is frustrated and so is Melissa with his sourness. But there does seem to show a turning point in his aura when he reflects on himself. It seemed that Melissa was going to bombard Ace with every question he would just immediately answer without choking; no wonder Ace changes the subject. Saved by the bell! 

Ace demonstrates the key skills of a detective, even under a barrage of ridicule from the police personnel. It also doesn't surprise him that the dog he picks up barks at the sight of Einhorn (it smells evil in its presence). And am I wrong to point out that it went from day to night when a crime was committed? It was day when Melissa answered that phone call regarding Roger Podacter's death, then it was night when Ace and Melissa went to his apartment. They spent way too long responding to the crime at his place.

Ace returns to finding the missing ring by searching the receipts. Couldn't he have done this as an easier means rather than undergoing that self-torture earlier? This takes up so much less time than the tedious means which would have taken more than a week. 

So a chemistry starts to brew between Ace and Melissa. We get to know more of how Ace became affiliated to animals, although his childhood dream would contradict his strong affiliation. And just when it seems as though Ace has hit another dead end, he finds something crucial to his search. 

There is no way he could have seen this guy's face from afar. But for the plot to move on this had to happen regardless. He must have enhanced 20:20 vision and solid memory to see that. 

Now Melissa is pleased to have hired Ace because now that there is only one missing link Ray Finkle, Ace can investigate without Melissa's escort. 

"I've only known this woman for two days; yet I'll bang her in my place because it is not safe enough to leave her at her own place." It's a 12-rated movie yet this is allowed. 

How could anyone continue to live in a house defaced by various revolting fans? No one can live here with scars on my doorstep. 

So here's what I have gathered: Ace is informed that Ray Finkle was committed to Shady Acre mental hospital and has broken out eight years later (before this story unravels); Finkle plans to take his revenge on Dan Marino for causing the loss in the game, all because of "laces out". Trajectory paths are influenced by the friction on the surface and shape of an object (motion physics). I guess this is why this "laces in" and "laces out" hype caused so much upset for the guy.

No matter the circumstances, no parent would just support their offspring's bloodthirsty campaign. It beats me that Mrs. Finkle would just preserve the layout of Ray's room as he was, in Ace's word, "Hannibal Lecter". Now Ace acknowledges that Marino is next on Finkle's list and must stop the abduction. 

A bullet-catching gag. Do not try this yourself.

Ace's car must have spawned right out of a cartoon. It has survived several mishaps yet the windscreen still survives up to this point. Plus it has fortunately somersaulted to its upright position and Ace suffers no bruise or contusion whatsoever. 

Shady Acres. That name seems familiar. Tom Shadyac, Shady Acres. Ace intends to investigate Ray's property but can only do so with Melissa's escort and by donning a disguise. This scene contains some of Carrey's memorable gags: forward and reverse pseudo-slow motion, as well as pantomimes of a mental patient who has suffered from post-traumatic stress after his expired football career. Even Dr. Handly, the owner of the hospital, slips out of character as he is seen laughing unprofessionally at Ace's antics (this shot was drastically shortened to correct this error). 

Convenience strikes again. Ace finds an old newspaper, folded in such a way for him to count as a clue. Did Ray fold hit himself for the sake of this convenience? Maybe he did since he was certified. Another thing is there is no year to complete the date, yet only Ace knows the significance of this. 

Oh how quaint. The monkey is imitating Ace. 

Convenient. This dog lies on a layer of magazines and its fur on the photo switches on Ace's light bulb. Is this dog smart or what?! It does also result in a shocking revelation for Ace: Einhorn is Finkle, and is thus a man. Ace's reaction are either hilarious or offensive (transphobic). Watch out for one scene of nudity! Not appropriate for a 12 movie. 

So Ace now follows Einhorn to the lair where Dan Marino and Snowflake the dolphin are being held captive. Einhorn/Finkle is as mental as a criminal thinking Marino would recognize someone taunting him. 

It's never-ending Jim Carrey marathon. Einhorn later loses her temper at the very moment a sports commentator recounts Ray Finkle's blunderful debut that they dubbed "Kick Heard Round The World". That's the chance Ace takes to subdue her, only for the other way round to happen. The fight is silly, over-the-top, made more hilarious by sound effects, Einhorn's roaring and Ace's banter. 

Einhorn's mental breakdown kicks in once again. Ace overwhelms her with facts he has gathered so far and presented as would a great detective. You can see how she just stands there while Ace spells out every detail without choking and coughing on his words. 

It is also time for him to prove that Einhorn is a man by stripping her clothes off. Once again Ace hits a dead end but one more crucial piece of evidence is unwrapped. There are so many cops around the perimeter yet only Dan reveals this while the cops stand there in silence. Ace's quote here has to be the most memorable in all of his movies. 

Oh my days! That is so heinous. But how is that even possible?! 

This is the point that verifies Ace's ring theory, and it has taken so long to do so. If I were up to it, I would count how many times Ace has said "loser" throughout this movie. (Approx. 21 times.) 

 What brought this bird here? Whatever, Ace takes his second chance to secure the bird and claim his reward. 

On a closing note, Ace assaults this opposing team's mascot for sweeping the bird away. (Gatorade product placement.) Hilarious on a positive note as everyone is taking this well. 

Man Of Steel (2013)

Superman is back for a new generation. After the last movie, Superman Returns, was decided to be too mediocre to be taken seriously, a reboot was conceived. A story is told of the origin of the hero himself: how he was born on Krypton and sent to earth as his new home. Man of Steel was released a year after Christopher Nolan's triumphant close to his Dark Knight trilogy, and it was anticipated that so many comic book fans were eager to watch another DC movie based on one of the most iconic heroes of all time, brought to life in the decade of CGI and rebirths.
This movie is roughly 2 hrs 23 min long, just like the Dark Knight movies before it. So it must be a challenge getting through this flick.

I am just going to be blunt that this movie does well in establishing the origin of a hero and the crisis that swept Krypton away, but I am going to be very derisory about how the story beyond that is not well told and structured as it was in the comics or the critically acclaimed Superman: The Animated Series of the 1990s. Instead, it is a series of flashbacks and messages that continually contradict one another. There is so much Jesus symbolism throughout this movie, yet at the most critical point of time that symbolism is quickly reversed.

Can anyone tell me if they have never watched The Matrix and its sequels of 2003? Because this movie bears a large amount of similarities to them. In this particular scene it is revealed that Krypton now "grows" babies instead of bearing them. Doesn't that sound strongly reminiscent of The Matrix (1999) where Morpheus recounts the truth about the enslavement of the human race like crops and dry cells? I have the movie and watched countless times and can not deny that this is a duplicate. Speaking of which, Lawrence Fishburne and Harry Lennix both featured in The Matrix sequels, both of which built up Neo (Keanu Reeves) into a messiah and the Superman in the Matrix itself--and it is ten years after the sequels this movie was released! What a shocking coincidence!

Again I discuss on that topic on growing babies. It became a somewhat approved policy to artificially control the population of Kryptonians (I wish this could be implemented in China and India). Jor-El (Russell Crowe) witnesses the first natural birth in centuries (so that was why he and his wife were not in a hospital where they could have safely delivered a child with all the advancement in civilization compared to the earth's). For centuries the population of Krypton was monitored and genetically selected to breed the best out of their offspring. Destinies were being manipulated for the will of the elite.

General Zod (Michael Shannon) must have the creepiest bug-eyes on screen since Ravenna from Snow White and The Huntsman (2012), even without the CGI. In fact this is the case in more than one scene throughout this movie. And I have been made aware of his incoherent barking of his orders, as though he was munching or something (or trying to prevent drooling while barking at the same time).

You would ask yourself who conceived this ridiculous costume for this movie. Seniors of the high council could not think anyone could possibly take them seriously if seen wearing this. I wonder how the actors reflected on this having watched themselves on screen. It must have been painful and a burden to have borne such weight on their shoulders, literally.

This scene caused some considerable uproar for these phallic capsules in which Zod and his army were ejected from Krypton. But seriously, they were really pointless because once Kryton imploded the insurrection rebels were released though still in the Phantom Zone. Was teleporting them too much of a deal?

So as I have already indicated we do not watch the start of Clark Kent's life from child through adulthood in an order that keeps us encapsulated. Instead it is out of order and so incoherent that you would be left beleaguered and confused. As shown right after the capsule flies through space, we spontaneously jump to a scene where Clark (Henry Caville) is suddenly an adult. We do not see him as well presented in the aforementioned animated series, starting from a child with unusual powers, through adolescence to adulthood. Nobody can understand the main character in a movie whose scenes are in poor sequences of events. It is as if somebody blew the storyboard pages which were not numbered and stacked them up without actually revising the products.

You will notice that for the first half hour the disasters that erupt never take a break. One thing after another and it is fueled with adrenaline just to keep the audience occupied. But that's not all: from the beginning to the end there are unsteady camera views and zoom-ins that occur when least expected. For a movie with a multi-million-dollar budget, I expected proper harnessing of photography and filmography.

One other cliche for which most comic movies are hyped is the death of a parental figure (in this case, a father). Before his death he is revered for having a positive impact on his child's path. Movies known for this are Batman (1989) and Batman Begins (2005), Daredevil (2003), The Green Lantern (2011), The Green Hornet (2011), Spider-Man (2004) and Kick-Ass (2010), to mention but a few. However, Clark's adoptive father has to be the least influential on him for his somewhat self-contradictory pep talks over his powers and the world. No one would feel sorry for John Kent's demise since it was wholly avoidable but allowed anyway. It must suck to lose a father in a situation that they saw coming. 

Anyone who has watched the X-Men movies will surely be familiar with the trials and tribulation of the heroes who have trouble fitting into society. Clark Kent is regarded as an act of God yet is treated like a victim of bullying until he saves someone's life. And just like movies involving this similar type of scenario, the quote very common to such movies, "People fear what they do not understand", is prevalent (at least it was never mentioned in The Matrix).

A major coincidence: Clark is working in a bar and happens to be eavesdropping on a conversation concerning the strange and unusual. And after that he intervenes in a sexist altercation and breaks it up. He gives a comeuppance to the sexist driver by dismembering his truck. One thing must be obvious that such dismemberment at an astronomical magnitude would attract everybody's attention. Heck, even the scene in Dexter's Laboratory was more logical: destroy someone's car and noise level is more than high enough to arouse the crowd. What a way for Clark to get back at somebody by not physically retaliating at them but by destroying their company's property. That way nobody would be convinced that Clark was in any way responsible for the destruction, even though he did not flinch when rammed into or hurled an empty can at. Yet the driver himself did not recoil in horror after seeing the dismembered truck.

I want to be frank that the only reason the Superman franchise was rebooted was because there was very little excitement in Superman Returns (2006). Throughout this movie is an orgy of rampage of destruction as a result of an alien "invasion", as was the case in Michael Bay's Transformers movies. The battles on Earth resulted in mass destruction of a major American city; loss of lives and property; and large questions over the reason for Superman's existence in our world. In the Justice League series Superman was presented as an ambassador of Earth, as a savior to the Earth at a time of crises. But in this movie that is the complete opposite because he fights his own people and endangers the lives of those he adopted as his own. No one ever could even fail to notice the amounts of product placements that were imperiled in fight scenes and orgies of destruction.

Whether you love the early franchise for Superman's symbol as a lifesaver, or love this movie for exploring more deeply into the trials and tribulations of a hero, I would give this movie a pass. The characters are forgettable, the noise level is explosively deafening, the computer effects are jaw-dropping, the acting is one way over-the-top and another way underwhelming, the story is haywire and the subplots are too widespread. A reboot that leaves the fans gobsmacked is not worth remembering but is to a newer generation of Superman fans.