Movie Reviews

WEAPONS MOVIE REVIEW

Weapons is a 2025 Psychological Supernatural Mystery Horror Movie directed and written by Zach Cregger and stars Julia Garner Josh Brolin Benedict Wong Alden Ehrenreich Austin Abrams And Amy Madigan. Weapons takes place in a small town that has gone through a bizarre event. One night around 2:17 AM, 17 out of 18 students from the class of Miss Justine Gandys Class got out of bed one night, went out of their homes, ran into the night, and never came back. The community of this small town are baffled at this sudden event and are questioning who or what was responsible for these disappearances. Most fingers point to Justine as many people believe she has had a hand in her students disappearances. One of the kids parents named Archer works tirelessly to find his son Matthew and the other kids and follows any lead possible. Meanwhile, a mysterious woman lurks in the background who seemingly has dark intentions for this town. And the remaining student Alex seems to have a secret which could be the key to unraveling this mystery.

When I first saw the trailer for Weapons, I was immediately impressed and hooked on what could this movie possibly be about. The Weapons Trailer is a major reminder of how to market a movie correctly. The trailer gives you just enough to give you a general idea of what the plot of the movie is, but cleverly doesn’t give anything major away and leaves you for hunger on what the mystery of this movie could be. After much anticipation and seeing the movie with some friends this week, does Weapons live up to the hype? I am here to say that not only is Weapons one of the best horror movies in a long time, but one of the best movies in recent years and probably the best of 2025.

The best highlight of Weapons for me is the atmosphere, suspense and mystery surrounding this whole movie. You are constantly curious and on the edge of your seat wondering what has happened to these kids. Weapons keeps you guessing on who or what might be responsible for this mystery, whether it might be some messed up government experiment, a town conspiracy, or something along the lines of a supernatural event. And just when you think you know what is going on, the movie throws you for a loop and deepens the mystery. Weapons maintains this constant and steady pace of suspense, atmosphere, and mystery all throughout its runtime and once you get to the very end, the outcome of this psychological horror mystery will leave you shocked and satisfied.

Another good highlight of Weapons is how it establishes great characters which is unusually rare in a horror movie these days. And it also helps they have a strong cast to establish characters that you care about and see how this is all affecting them. You see the constant drama and fear of this mysterious event takes a psychological toll on these people and how they try to deal with it in their own way. The teacher of the missing class Justine Gandy played by Julia Garner is seeming stuck in an endless wreck of drama. Whether it being blamed by the community for the kids disappearances, trying to understand of why this happened to just her class, and trying to find out what happened while trying to keep her sanity in check. One of the dads of the missing kids, Archer played by Josh Brolin is doing everything he can to find his son Matthew and the other kids. You can understand his pain when he lashes out at Justine and blames her for the kids disappearances. I mean when a classroom full of kids disappears under a teacher who is supposed to protect and be responsible for these kids, it makes sense why Archer would constantly be suspicious of her. But despite this, he still tries to be rational and uses his knowledge of surveillance and mapping to see if anything in this community is leaked to the kids disappearances. Then there is Alex played by Cary Christopher, who was the only kid in the class who didn’t go missing. Alex constantly being interviewed by detectives police child services and people of the community makes him quiet and isolated. While we are happy Alex is still around, we are wondering why was it only him who was spared. Could he be the one responsible for his classmate’s disappearances or is there someone in the shadows using Alex to make sure this mystery keeps going and it is not solved no matter the cost? No spoilers, but when you fully understand what Weapons is about and the overall mystery, you will be amazed and stunned.

Overall, Weapons is one of the best horror movies in recent years and definitely one of the best movies of 2025. With a haunting atmosphere, powerful performances, interesting characters, and a mystery that will make your head spin, Weapons is definitely the ideal movie to check out this summer if you want a good psychological horror movie. I highly recommend to go to your local theatre and check it out.

Super Mario Brothers Movie Review

Super Mario Brothers is the newest movie from Universal Pictures and Illumination and the second attempt at adapting the Super Mario Brothers Video Game Series. The movie follows 2 Plumbers named Mario and Luigi who dream of being the best plumbers in Brooklyn. But a failed first job and lack of support from most of their family puts a damper on their spirits. However, when they try to do a second job, they are transported to another dimension where they get separated. Mario lands in a world called the Mushroom Kingdom which is home to the Toad people and ruled by Princess Peach. Luigi meanwhile lands in the realm of the Dark Lands and is taken prisoner by the Koppa Empire which is under the tyrannical rule of the cruel and ruthless Bowser. With the help of Peach and some unlikely allies, Mario vows to save Luigi and defeat Bowser before he becomes invincible.

It has been 30 years since the last attempt at bringing Super Mario Bros to the big screen and well let’s just say we all remember how much of a scar 1993 Super Mario Bros left on the gaming community. People are still perplexed of how you take a cool premise like Super Mario Bros and just fail on every level possible. The misplaced casting, the characters and story being nothing like the games, and the studio clashing with the film crew and actors didn’t help matters at all and Super Mario Bros was a colossal commercial and critical failure. The movie was so bad that Nintendo refused to have any movie adaptations of their games for a very long time. It also made Nintendo very protective of all their IP. There was even a Metroid Movie in development at the time, but was scrapped after the failure of Super Mario Bros. So, it looked like the future of any Nintendo Movie or Tv Adaptations would be permanently halted.

But the future had other plans. Nintendo decided to reluctantly have another go at their IPs being adapted with the production of a Pokémon movie called Detective Pikachu. When it proved to be a commercial and critical success, Nintendo slowly began to gain confidence in having their games being adapted. After Nintendos rival Sega released a Sonic Movie, they decided to have another go at a Super Mario Bros only this time it would be an animated movie. Teaming up with Universal Studios and Illumination Animation, Nintendo began to make sure that this new attempt of Super Mario Bros would be done right and having complete creative control over the movie. So, with this movie under Nintendos supervision and with the creative talents of Universal and Illumination, does Super Mario Bros 2023 deliver? I can say with absolute confidence that not only is the Super Mario’s Bros movie far superior to the 1993 version, but the movie is overall a fun and entertaining experience which will leave many Mario fans very satisfied.

For a movie like this, there is going to be mixed reactions from audiences. If people out there are die hard Nintendo and Super Mario fans, they will no doubt fully enjoy this film. With the movie being animated, kids and families will definitely have a fun experience and have a good time. The other moviegoers might enjoy this movie, but unless they haven’t played the Super Mario Bros games, they are going to be very confused watching this movie. As for me, I grew up playing Nintendo religiously and the Super Mario Bros game were the ones I enjoyed the most. From the original Mario N64 game to Luigi’s Mansion to the Mario Kart and Mario Party games, the Super Mario Bros games were a big part of my childhood. Watching this movie was like reliving my childhood all again and this is definitely one of the best movies of the year so far.

The animation in this movie is truly astonishing and does a magnificent job of bringing the world of Super Mario Bros to life. You can tell the animators put their heart and soul in bringing the locations from the Super Mario Bros Universe and bringing them to the big screen. Mushroom Kingdom in this movie is so colorful, gorgeous, and stunning along with its citizens the Toads being absolutely adorable. I really liked how they animated Brooklyn in the style of Super Mario Bros which looked really unique, and I thought was a nice touch. Bowsers Kingdom is just absolutely spot on with its dark and scary atmosphere which is just the polar opposite of Mushroom Kingdom. My favorite location was definitely Donkey Kong Country with the way it is built, and I felt like I was playing my Nintendo games all over again. The animation in this movie was very smooth and probably some of the best 3D animation I have seen. The characters expressions and movements were crazy and so fluid the movie became a mixture of both a cartoon and video game and it was just so awesome.

Like the locations in Super Mario Bros, the filmmakers do an incredible job of bringing the characters of Super Mario Bros to life in all their glory. Mario, Luigi, Peach, Toad, Donkey Kong, and Bowser all appear in this movie, and I was just so happy seeing these characters just getting the cinematic adaptation they so rightfully deserved. The voice acting is pretty good with Chris Pratt as Mario, Charlie Day as Luigi, Anna-Taylor Joy as Princess Peach, Keegen-Michael Key as Toad, Seth Rogen as Donkey Kong, and Jack Black as Bowser. Probably my two favorite characters in this movie were Princess Peach and Bowser. I loved how this Peach is no longer the damsel in distress and is a headstrong badass but also a kind and encouraging Princess who wants to make sure her kingdom and new friends stay safe from Bowser. Speaking of which, Jack Black completely owns and embodies the Koppa King himself, Bowser. You can tell Black is having the time of his life voicing Bowser and I like how he brings his own twist on this classic villain. Even though Bowser wants to take over everything, he has a little soft side by having this insane crush on Peach. It is disturbing and yet kind of hilarious at the same time as though this love and obsession for Peach is a way of filling this void in his dark heart.

The chemistry between all these characters is really organic and amazing in their interactions. Probably my favorite chemistry is of course the bond between Mario and Luigi as their brotherly bond is one of the highlights of the movie. Mario is brave and is willing to never give up no matter what challenges come his way. Although Luigi is a bit scared and reluctant, he does his best to look up to his brother and wanting to support him no matter what. Another relationship I found adorable was the bond between Peach and Mario. It is less of a romantic relationship and more of a brother and sister kind of one as Peach encourages Mario to never give up and Mario proves to Peach he can help save her kingdom.

Although I enjoyed this movie, the only criticism I had with the movie was the lack of Luigi in the movie. Most of the movie, he remains captured and held prisoner by Bowser and his crew. I know the reason for this was to give Mario motivation, but I feel they should given Luigi more to do than just being captured.  But the ending of the movie does make up for it in the final battle. I will not spoil it, but it is epic.

Overall, Super Mario Bros is not only one of the best movies of the year so far, but also a growing list of video game movies finally being done justice for once. Filled with fun characters and incredible animation, the Super Mario Bros is a definite must-see movie for die hard Nintendo fans and kids and their families. One more thing I will share about this movie is there are a lot of references in this movie that relate to other Nintendo franchises. With how big Super Mario Bros is doing now, I have a feeling we are on the verge of a Nintendo Cinematic Universe. So go and see Super Mario Bros now!!!!!

Elvis 2022 Movie Review

May Have Some Spoilers

Elvis is the 2022 biography film of the life and career of famous music icon and King of Rock and Roll, Elvis Presley. The film is directed by Baz Luhrman and written by Baz Luhrman, Sam Bromell, Craig Pearce, and Jeremy Doner. The film is of course about the life and career of American Music Icon and the King of Rock and Roll himself, Elvis Presley. Elvis follows the rise to fame of Elvis Presley as it goes through the highs and lows of Presleys life as well as the complex relationship between his controversial manager, Colonel Tom Parker, who talks about Elvis through his perspective. And more importantly, the film shows how Elvis became a musical legend and heavily influenced not only music, but American culture as well.

It was only a matter of time before we got a movie about the King of Rock and Roll himself, Elvis Presley. I’m not sure why it took so long for a biopic of Elvis to come to light and to come out in 2022 at long last. With a life and career so complex and fascinating as Elvis Presleys, you think someone would have made a film about him already. Oh well better late than never I suppose. Growing up, I did listen to a couple of Elvis songs growing up and the songs of his that got me hooked to him were Santa Claus Lane and HoundDog. Just goes to show how still classic and relevant Elvis Presley is after all these years as new generations are still listening to his music. As for the film of Elvis, I gotta admit the soul and heart of Elvis Presley and his legacy shines in this film.

Now this is a different biopic than most people would be expecting. While Elvis does touch upon brief moments in Elvis Presleys early days, the film mainly focuses on his career and his highs and lows that came along with it. The film also focuses on the 20-year complex relationship between Elvis and his longtime manager, Colonel Tom Parker and how their journey into the world of fame and fortune impacts their lives in different ways. Finally, the movie shows how Priscilla Presley, Elvis’s wife who would have a significant and big influence on Elvis Presley during his career. And I must say Baz Luhrman delivered in giving the Elvis the world really needed.

One of my favorite aspects I love about this movie was its cinematography and style. The way Elvis transports you to a time where rock and roll was still in its infancy is just simply stunning and unique. Sometimes I wish I had been born in that era just to be part of that amazing culture. It was no doubt a great time to be alive during the age of Rock and Roll with Elvis Presley and so many other rock legends. But what was impressive is how the music and dancing in the movie just flows so naturally and gracefully. You could feel the raw emotion and feelings the crowd felt towards Elvis who unleashed this unique charisma and presence he had when it came to his music and dancing.

Of course, the film has its good share of performances, but the ones that stand out are Austin Butler as Elvis Presley and Tom Hanks as Colonel Tom Parker. If you ignore the confusing and kind of annoying southern accent, Tom Hanks performance of Tom Parker is still pretty good. I like how the film shows Parker as a seemingly caring and father figure like man who wants to unleash Elvis Presleys full potential. However, as the film goes on, it becomes apparent that Parker is milking every scent of not only Elvis, but all his fame and fortune. It was incredible how we are fooled into believing Parker was a genuine good person but turned out to be a greedy and selfish man who drove Elvis to his limits in exploiting his talent and fortune. Many people still believe today that Tom Parker caused the death of Elvis Presley believing if Elvis had a better manager, he would have been still alive today.

Of course, we have Austin Butler as Elvis Presley, and the man truly embodies the soul and spirit of the King of Rock and Roll. Butler just captures Elvis just so very well from his powerful singing voice to his unbelievable dance moves and to his charm and grace all throughout the movie. Im sure there was a lot of pressure from Austin Butler on this performance Honestly, I just saw Elvis Presley come back to life as I saw no trace of Butler at all in Elvis. I think what helped Butler’s performance was both himself and Elvis lost their mothers and are distant cousins. Who would have thought a distant relative of Elvis would go on to portray the King of Rock and Roll to honor him? That is cool.

Probably some of the best scenes are when Elvis is with his family, especially his wife Priscilla as they serve as his emotional anchor during his early life and career. It was hard watching Elvis lose his mother to alcoholism and see his beautiful relationship with his wife Priscilla late just end later due to use of drugs just to keep up with his performances and get through the drama in his life. It also didn’t help that his manager Parker just took advantage of him seemingly every day of his life. But despite everything he went through, his spirit and soul as a musician never broke and he continued performing for the rest of his life. His last performance was at Market Square Arena and as an Indiana native, learning this for the first time was an honor knowing Elvis graced the people of Indianapolis with his amazing and grand performance.

Overall, Elvis 2022 is an incredible and respectful biopic into the life and career of Elvis Presley. Longtime Elvis fans and music lovers can be rest assured that this film is an amazing insight into the heart and soul of the King of Rock and Roll. So, if any of you are in the mood for a good film and/or want to feel the rhythm of some music and dancing, Elvis 2022 is the movie for you.

Top Gun Maverick Movie Review

Top Gun Maverick is the long awaited sequel to 1980s movie classic Top Gun. Top Gun Maverick is written by Christopher McQuarrie, Eric Warren Singer, Ehren Kruger, Justin Marks, and Peter Craig and directed by Joseph Kosinski. After over 30 years of service as one of the top pilots in the Navy, Pete Mitchell, a.k.a. Maverick seems to be at peace with himself by pushing himself to his limits and dodging the advancements in rank that would have him grounded. Maverick experiences a blast from the past when his old friend, Tom Kazansky a.k.a. Iceman recruits him to teach and lead the next generation of pilots at Top Gun while under the watchful eye of the reluctant Admiral Beau “Cyclone” Simpson. Accepting the position will force Maverick to confront his past and face his deepest fears as he prepares these pilots for a mission that might require the ultimate sacrifice.

Top Gun is no doubt one of the best 80s movies of all time with its pure adrenaline in flying fighter jets, an amazing cast including Tom Cruise and Val Kilmer, worship of the Navy, and of course having the song Danger Zone in its soundtrack. When a sequel was announced, there of course was a lot of skepticism and doubt. I mean did Top Gun really need a sequel especially after a huge gap between the original and the sequel? Not to mention the original director, Tony Scott sadly passed away in 2012 which makes the sequel feel like a waste of time. But despite all of this, Tom Cruise and Jerry Bruckheimer were confident this sequel could be done. So after years of development, Top Gun Maverick has finally arrived and I went to see if the hype was deserved for this movie. Well after seeing Maverick, I can say with great confidence that Top Gun Maverick is not only one of the rare seq that not only serves as a spiritual successor to the original, but also stands out on its own.

Top Gun Maverick pays tribute to the original by having an amazing cast with excellent chemistry and incredible special effects. What I adore about Top Gun Maverick is how practical effects they used especially when it came to the flying of the planes. Every time there were scenes of the fighter jets whether in the exterior or in the cockpit , you just feel the pure adrenaline and intensity all around especially on the edge of your seat. The authenticity with the fighter jets makes it far more genuine when you see the actors do these crazy stunts and are close to near death. I gotta give major props to the cast and crew for wanting to give us as much authenticity as possible and putting in the amazing effort to pull these stunts and effects off.

Of course the true heart of this film is it’s amazing cast and their chemistry throughout Top Gun Maverick. Let’s talk about the original actors who have come back. Tom Cruise reprises his role as Maverick and you can tell Cruise was delighted to play this role again. Maverick goes through so much as he deals with wanting to teach the new generation of pilots, facing his past, and overcoming his fears while trying to decide what place he still has in the navy. While Tom Cruise is mostly known for his action roles and while he does shine, it is good to see Cruise shows his dramatic chops every once in a while and he pulls it off so great. Well done Tom. The other familiar face we see in Maverick is Iceman played once again by Val Kilmer. There was some concern whether Kilmer would reprise his role as Iceman due to his failing health and his speaking getting worse over time. But the film fought hard to make sure Iceman was in this movie and I am glad they did. Even though it is sad to see Val the way he is now, that doesn’t stop him from giving it his all. I won’t spoil it for you, but there is a scene in this movie where your heart strings will be pulled.

Finally we have the new cast in this movie and they all do amazing as well. Jennifer Connelly plays Mavericks love interest Penny who runs the local bar and is an old flame from Mavericks past. Like any role she is in, Jennifer is always a delight to see in any movie and her chemistry with Cruise in this movie is charming sweet and fun. Jon Hamm plays Mavericks supervisor Beau Cyclone Simpson who is reluctant to have Maverick teach the next generation due to his seemingly reckless nature, but is willing to give him a chance. You can understand why Simpson is skeptical and reluctant to have Maverick around since they both have views of how missions should be done and from their personal experience. But the ones that really stand out is the new generation of pilots including Hangman, Coyote, Phoenix, BOB, Fanboy, Omaha, Fritz, Halo, Harvard, and finally the son of Goose, Bradley Bradshaw a.k.a Rooster. The young casts chemistry really stands out and it makes their banter, friendship, and rivalry among them so believable.

I gotta say the casting of Miles Teller as Rooster was perfect because he actually looks like Gooses actor in Top Gun, Anthony Edwards. Teller has come a long way as an actor and I think his performance as Rooster is one of his best roles yet. Rooster is of course the son of Goose and he desires to follow in the footsteps of his late father. But tensions boil and old wounds start to reopen as Rooster is taught by Maverick who he blames for his fathers death. You can’t really blame Rooster for his attitude towards Maverick because even though Gooses death wasn’t Mavericks fault and Maverick tried to save him, Rooster still feels resentment towards him for not saving his dad. Again I won’t spoil, but there is a scene in the film where Maverick makes a decision in the past that built further resentment from Rooster and it makes their relationship so heartbreaking and complex. Cruise and Tellers chemistry is just so incredible and deep and I hope these actors get to do another movie together soon.

Overall, Top Gun Maverick is a solid and spiritual sequel to Top Gun and is able to stand on its own as a top notch film. Great characters, amazing effects, an awesome soundtrack, and an incredible cast just makes this film the go see movie event of the summer. Please go see this movie because I promise you will not be disappointed and you will have a fun time.

Sonic The Hedgehog 2 Movie Review

Sonic The Hedgehog 2 is the sequel to 2020s Sonic The Hedgehog and is directed once again by Jeff Fowler and written by Pat Casey, Josh Miller, and John Whittington. Having fully embraced the Earth as his new home, Sonic has settled into the town of Green Hills and is cared for by Tom and Maddie Wachowski. Sonic also has embraced the role of a hero and while his heart is in the right place, Tom reminds Sonic that being a hero is a big responsibility and should not be taken lightly. Sonics role as a hero is put to the test when his old enemy, Eggman a.m. Dr. Robotnik resurfaces and he has allied himself with the headstrong echidna warrior, Knuckles. Robotnik is in search of the Master Emerald, which is an ancient artifact that once its power is harnessed, it will give its user unlimited and extraordinary power. With the help of a new ally and friend in the form of Tails the Two Tailed Fox, Sonic must race against time and find the Emerald before Eggman gets total control of not only the Earth, but all of reality.

I have to say Sonic The Hedgehog 2 has been on my list of anticipated movies for 2022 after I saw the trailer come out. Sonic The Hedgehog was one of the biggest surprise hits of 2020 and what made it such a shocker was how it was successful critically and commercially due to it being a video game movie. It is very rare for a video game movie to be so successful due to most deviating from the source material and being the game in name only. While the Resident Evil franchise was successful box office wise, it was panned for having no resemblance to the games. However, it appears video game movies are slowly starting to gain ground with movies like Detective Pikachu Uncharted, and Sonic The Hedgehog. Gone are the days where we got Super Mario Brothers and Mortal Kombat Annihilation While not perfect, they are all a step in the right direction and out of all those movies, Sonic The Hedgehog is the best out of all of them. With success with critics, fans, and box office, a sequel was inevitable. Now with Sonic The Hedgehog 2 now in theaters, I went to go see it Monday night. Now does Sonic The Hedgehog 2 live up to the hype? Well not only does the sequel live up to it, but I find it better than the first.

I will first get out of the way what I least liked about Sonic The Hedgehog 2 and that involved the human characters and their subplot. We see the return of James Marsden and Tika Sumpter as Sonics adoptive parents Tom and Maddie Wachowski as well as Natasha Rothwell as Rachel. The subplot involves Tom and Maddie attending Rachel’s wedding and her getting married to Randall played by in a small but cool role by Shemar Moore. While the subplot was fine and enjoyable, I felt it was unnecessary in a movie that is about Sonic The Hedgehog. The whole subplot could have been a whole rom com in another movie, but I guess the filmmakers needed to find a suitable way to include the human characters in some capacity. Once again, didn’t hate the subplot, acting was decent, and liked some of the humor, but overall, it was unnecessary.

Now let’s get into what makes Sonic The Hedgehog 2 a fun and good sequel to the first movie. While the first Sonic movie laid down the groundwork for the Sonic Universe, this sequel goes all out in every incredible way possible. We see small parts shown to us in the first Sonic movie and is expanded upon in the sequel. We learn the rings didn’t necessarily take Sonic to Earth in another dimension but are used as gateways to get to different planets in the universe. The sequel also elaborates on artifacts which are commonly seen in different interpretations of Sonic and those are the Chaos Emeralds and the Master Emerald. This movie really shows how powerful and important both the Chaos Emeralds and the Master Emerald to the Sonic lore. There are also many references to other elements of the Sonic franchise in this movie and instead of the writers shoving these references in your face and being all “Remember this”, they cleverly put them in parts of the film. While they are brief, die-hard Sonic fans will definitely be able to identify those Easter eggs and will definitely have a good old fashioned nostalgia trip.

The action shown in Sonic The Hedgehog 2is definitely astounding for a video game movie and you can tell the filmmakers did their research in translating the Sonic gameplay in this movie. When the action is on screen, you actually feel like you are in a Sonic video game, and it is fun and awesome. There is this one scene in the movie which I won’t spoil, but when you get to this scene, it will scream classic Sonic. The humor throughout this movie is mostly hits and few misses. Since this is considered a kid’s movie, you will of course get the “classical” fart jokes and of course shenanigans. But the fart jokes are very quick, and they are replaced at once with better humor. The shenanigans are surprisingly funny, and I actually got a couple of chuckles. I can tell the filmmakers did a lot of research in not only the action, but the characters as well and they get the characters the justice they so richly deserved.

Usually in most live action interpretations of anamorphic cartoons, the humans are the main characters, and the title characters are usually just side characters. Not this film, because this movie is called Sonic The Hedgehog and the focus is mostly on Sonic. Sonic is voiced once again by Ben Schwartz, who you can tell is having so much fun voicing this character. Sonic has grown accustomed to being a hero and although he does his best to show the Earth he can take the mantle, his recklessness and powers tend to go a little too far. Despite his arrogance and recklessness, we can relate to Sonic, because deep down he is still a kid who just wants to have fun and do the right thing. Ever since he lost his mentor Longclaw, he wants to make sure his home and his family and friends are protected and puts it into his heart to make sure that happens. Some of the most heartwarming moments in this movie are where Sonic is interacting with Tom and Maddie and Tails.

Speaking of Tails, Sonic The Hedgehog 2 marks the full live action debut of Miles Tails Prowler, the two tailed fox and best friend of Sonic. He is voiced in this movie by his current voice actor, Colleen O’Shaughnessey. It is very rare to have a voice actor from a video game or animated series to voice the character they play in a movie. Usually, movies will go with a bigger name to try to get more audiences into seats. But the filmmakers decided to just let Colleen voice Tails and honestly, I can’t see anyone else portray the cute, intelligent, and innocent nature that Colleen brings to Tails. Tails shows up as Sonics Ally to aid him in getting the Emeralds before Eggman and Knuckles do. The chemistry between Sonic and Tails is heartwarming and so adorable. They only just met and yet they feel like they have been best friends for a lifetime. The way they interact and bounce off of each other is as exactly I remember it in the Sonic games I played when I was a kid. Sonic encourages Tails to be brave and shows him what it means to be a hero while Tails inspires Sonic to never give up even when the odds are stacked against him.

Sonic The Hedgehog 2 also sees the return of Sonics foe Eggman a.k.a Dr. Robotnik played once again by Jim Carrey who was just born to play this role and is having the time of his life playing this role. The filmmakers just go all out in showing the sinister, chaotic, and yet fun Robotnik is in this film. Robotnik truly believes he is the peak of all intelligent life in the universe, and he feels it his destiny to rule all of reality. Robotnik goes to great lengths in this movie to get the Emeralds and will do anything to achieve his goals in the quest for ultimate power. All the while just drinking mushroom coffee, handling his high-tech machinery, and just tolerating Knuckles and Stone. Robotnik is Jim Carrey’s best role in a long time, and it is good to see Carrey reembrace his 90s persona and amp it all the way to a million for a role like this. He just owns this role so good. I really hope Carrey returns in the third movie, which I guarantee there will be one.  I think every villain just needs a Stone in their life who is just loyal and yet charming to the core. Stone just serves Robotnik with no doubts in his mind and just does it with an almost straight face. The chemistry between Robotnik and Stone is weird, disturbing, and yet totally crazy to watch, and I enjoyed every second of it.

I said earlier how filmmakers usually get bigger names to voice characters in these kinds of films and you can tell the actors just do it for a quick paycheck. But there are exceptions where an actor’s voice just works and fits. I can happily say this applies to Idris Elba as Knuckles and what a holy union it is. Elba voices Knuckles in a serious and straightforward manner and it is glorious. Knuckles is portrayed in this movie as the last surviving echidna of a warrior tribe who has come to Earth to retrieve the Emeralds and defeat Sonic to restore honor to himself and his clan. This makes the audience sympathetic to Knuckles because unlike Eggman, Knuckles just wants the Emeralds to make peace with himself and his lost clan. It is so awesome to see the filmmakers take Knuckles back to his roots and make him an intimidating badass again. Recent Sonic media has had Knuckles just be a bumbling idiot and the filmmakers just ignored that and gave us the Knuckles we all know and love. Knuckles powers make him an excellent rival to Sonic and their fight scenes in the movie are very impressive. The way I can describe Knuckles personality in this movie is like seeing a furry version of Drax from Guardians of The Galaxy. He takes everything literally and is simple minded but comes across as comedic and yet very impressive. Knuckles is pretty much the polar opposite to Sonics comedic and laid-back personality and seeing these egos clashing is just awesome.

Overall, Sonic The Hedgehog 2 is a fun, enjoyable, and a worthy sequel to the first film. Plenty of great action, fun laughs, and an overall incredible video game movie experience. These past couple of years have been very kind to Sonic and I hope it all goes upward from here. There is so much potential in this franchise and I hope the filmmakers continue to amaze and deliver like they have been doing with Sonic so far. I highly recommend Sonic The Hedgehog 2 and I hope you all enjoy it. So go to the theater and enjoy our favorite blue hedgehog.

Spider-Man No Way Home Film Review

Spider-Man No Way Home is the third movie of the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s Spider-Man franchise. The movie picks up right where Spider-Man Far From Home left off. Despite defeating Mysterio, Peter Parker’s world is turned upside down when Mysterio’s final act exposes him as Spider-Man to the whole world. With his secret identity compromised, Peter’s life starts to fall apart as now he can barely get any peace and his friends and family start to feel the effects of being associated with him. Out of desperation, Peter seeks the help of the Sorcerer Supreme, Doctor Strange to see if he can get the world to forget he is Spider-Man. Strange agrees to help Peter using an ancient spell, but when the spell goes horribly wrong, it causes the multiverse to fall apart. With this split in reality, dangerous foes begin to appear who seemingly all have a grudge against Spider-Man. Now Peter must do everything he can to fix this break in reality before it is too late.

Now I am going to be honest. I was a bit burned out by the Marvel Cinematic Universe after Endgame. While I enjoyed Endgame, I guess I just wanted a break from Marvel movies. While more Marvel movies came out and besides Spider-Man Far From Home, I had no interest since most didn’t appeal to me. Not to mention this recent pandemic has had me staying away from movie cinemas all together. But then I saw the trailer for Spider-Man No Way Home and just like that my interest peaked. With the reintroduction of the villains from previous Spider-Man franchises, it seemed that No Way Home was going to be the first MCU movie to dive into the multiverse. So after a long hiatus, Spider-Man No Way Home was the movie that made me decide to go back to the cinemas. After viewing the movie, I am just going to say this right off the bat. This is definitely the best Spider-Man movie since Spider-Man 2 and probably is up there as one of the MCUs best. Just so I am clear. This review contains spoilers, because I don’t think I can give a proper review if I don’t talk about most of the movie. So I will warn when I go into spoiler territory. 

First, I will get what I didn’t like what about Spider-Man Far From Home out of the way. There are some parts of the movie that kind of dragged when it comes to the humor. Some of the jokes didn’t stick and they got pretty annoying. But the jokes are quick so if you don’t laugh at one joke, you laugh at the next. And there is some conversations that could have been left out of the movie entirely. Other than that, the rest of the movie is really good.

The effects and the action of the movie are really fun and intense. You can tell the filmmakers really wanted to make one of the best Spider-Man films for the MCU and went all out to make sure of that. So you will definitely be on the edge of your seat at certain points of the movie. Speaking of intense, what really sells this movie is how much stakes are involved in this movie and are amplified to the maximum. Peter and his friends are really pushed to their limits as they try to fix this breach in reality while trying not to make things worse and almost having everyone trying to kill them. And no matter what they do, there will always be a price to pay no matter what the outcome is.

The best part of the movie are the characters interactions with each other throughout the movie. Peter, MJ, and Ned have really grown throughout the trilogy and it is good to see them try to stick together and all come out in one piece. Peter and Dr. Strange’s interactions were really good as well, especially when it comes to how they deal with the multiverse problems.Both their viewpoints and arguments are strong and understandable since they both think they are doing the right thing to handle the situation. But probably my favorite interactions are with the villains and his other allies.

SPOILER ALERT: Last chance to turn back.

I must say it was so amazing to see Spider-Man villains from the Sam Raimi and Mark Webb universes make their triumphant return in this movie. We have Max Dillon/Electro played once again by Jamie Foxx, The Lizard/Dr. Connors played again by Rhys Ifans, The Sandman/Flint Marko played again by Thomas Haden Church, and finally we have my favorite villains Otto Octavius/Dr. Octopus and Norman Osborn/The Green Goblin played brilliantly once again by Alfred Molina and Wilem Dafoe. What I love about these villains is not only how they interact with each other and Spider-Man, but also how you can relate to them. As we have seen throughout the previous Spider-Man movies, these villains used to be good people who just wanted to make a difference in the world, but unforeseen circumstances and unexpected accidents caused them to be outcasts of society. Because of this, they feel the need to turn to a life of crime since they feel there is no other choice and the only way they become enemies with Spider-Man is not they seek him out, but because he gets in the way. Which makes it more heartfelt when all the versions of Spider-Man do their best to try to save them, even when they don’t want it or deserve it. My favorite villain performances in the movie are definitely Jamie Foxx (Max Dillon/Electro), Alfred Molina (Doctor Octopus/Otto Octavius), and Wilem Dafoe (Norman Osborn/The Green Goblin). It was just so nostalgic and incredible to see these actors play these villains again and they do not disappoint. You would think Molina, Foxx, and Dafoe would be rusty when playing these roles again, but these actors just play them like they never even left. You could tell they were having lots of fun playing the villains again and they enjoy every single minute of it.

Another SPOILER ALERT: You have been warned. 

There were rumors going around that these two actors would be in the movie since villains from previous Spider-Man movies were returning. But these actors denied these rumors again and again claiming they will not be in Spider-Man No Way Home. But despite their denials, the rumors turned out to be true as Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield reprised their roles as Spider-Man. I think it would definitely be weird if we had the Spider-Man villains from the previous movies in Spider-Man No Way Home, but not the 2 previous actors who played Spider-Man. But they are in the movie and it was heartfelt and awesome to see these two play Spider-Man again. I love how Tobey Maguire, Andrew Garfield, and Tom Holland interact as brothers who play Spider-Man in a different way, but still express the heart and spirit of Spider-Man. Maguire acts as the veteran Spider-Man who you can tell has been through a lot as Spider-Man, but in a way has found peace within himself and helps his youngest counterpart what it means to be Spider-Man. Garfield acts as the mature, street-wise, and comical Spider-Man who despite all his losses he still finds the courage and strength to continue being Spider-Man and from what we hear, he has found happiness and he also helps his youngest counterpart on what it truly means to be Spider-Man. Holland is the teenage, reckless, but yet humble Spider-Man who does his best to make things right while trying to make his heroism fun. Tom Holland has come a long way and I think many people will agree that he definitely has solidified his role as Spider-Man. People have complained in the past that this version of Spider-Man was basically Iron Man Jr since Tony Stark was Spider-Man’s mentor in the MCU. Now I can see why many people would have some criticisms of this, I didn’t personally mind this. Since Holland was playing a different Spider-Man, it made sense to give him a different origin which ties into the MCU. However in Far From Home and now No Way Home, Peter slowly gets out of Stark’s shadow and gets the chance to prove himself as a hero. In No Way Home, Holland truly flexes his acting chops, especially when he is at his lowest point. The chemistry between Maguire, Garfield, and Holland was fun and touching to watch as we see this trio try to fix this multiverse disaster while reminding one another that with great power comes great responsibility.

Overall, Spider-Man No Way Home is not only one of the best Spider-Man films I have seen in a long time, but it is also a tribute to every incarnation of Spider-Man. I can’t wait to see  future plans are in store with Spider-Man and with the multiverse being used, I am curious to see what further adventures await our wall-crawling hero. Maybe we might get a Ramie Spider-Man 4 or a Marc Webb Spider-Man 3? Maybe Sinister Six?! The possibilities are endless. I highly recommend to go to the theater and see Spider-Man No Way Home now.

Godzilla Vs Kong Movie Review

Godzilla Vs Kong is a monster action movie directed by Adam Winand and written by Eric Pearson and Max Borenstein and is the  fourth movie in Legendary Studio’s Monsterverse. Godzilla vs Kong is the long awaited clash between cinema’s most iconic and legendary monsters, the King Of The Monsters, Godzilla and Skull Island’s mighty ruler, Kong. Ever since the fight between Godzilla and King Ghidorah, humanity is forced with the inevitability of having to co-exist with not only Godzilla, but the rest of the Titan creatures as well. But the co-existence of humans and Titans is tested when Godzilla appears to go rogue after he attacks a facility of an advanced tech company called Apex. Fearing the worst knowing the power Godzilla possesses and what further damage he might cause, Monarch is left with no other choice, but to recruit the only other legendary Titan who might have a chance of defeating Godzilla, Kong. Another reason for Monarch recruiting Kong is he might be the key to uncovering a lost world known as Hollow Earth, which may be the home of all the Earth’s Titans. Kong of course is not too excited on Monarch using him to suit their goals, but he is kept calm and reassured that everything will be only by Jina, a young orphan girl who shares a special bond with the giant gorilla. It all leads up to Kong on a collision course to a confrontation with Godzilla that will determine who will be King and who will bow. But unbeknownst to the monsters, Monarch, and the rest of humanity, an unknown enemy has plans to unleash a force that will destroy the two Titans once and for all.

Legendary’s Monsterverse has had a slow, but still intriguing run these past couple of years. It first started off with America’s 2014 reboot of Godzilla. Many people have mixed feelings about Godzilla 2014. Many didn’t like how the film didn’t show much of Godzilla despite it being his movie and how it focused more on the human characters. The people who defended Godzilla 2014 saying Godzilla not being in the film much is similar to Jaws. Both the shark and Godzilla have little screen time, but when they do get on screen, it is at the right moment and they leave you fulfilled. As for me, I liked Godzilla 2014. I thought it was a solid monster flick and it finally gave Godzilla the respect he deserved after the failure of Sony’s Godzillla back in 1998. Now while I did like the 98 Godzilla, it was a decent monster flick, but not a good Godzilla film. My only issues I had with Godzilla is how they wasted Bryan Cranston and the rest of the cast while not terrible, their characters were very one-dimensional and they focused too much on them and not Godzilla. But when Godzilla does appear and he is fighting monsters, the payoff is so worth it. Although I wish they had used Godzilla’s classic foes, but I understand why they

The next entry in the Monsterverse was Kong 2017. I liked this film a lot better than Godzilla 2014 as the monsters get more screen time and the human characters while still stereotypes were better as well. Unlike the King Kong back in 2005, this film dives deeper into Kong’s mythology as he is revealed to be the last of his kind due to the other creatures that inhabited the island. I love this version of Kong as he is not a monster, but just a curious animal who just wants to be left in peace. We also got a deeper look into the monster organization known as Monarch as they reveal their intentions are and what goals they have.

The third entry, Godzilla King Of The Monsters is in my opinion the best Monsterverse movie at the time. It finally introduced Godzilla’s rogues  gallery including Rodin, Mothra, and Godzilla’s arch enemy, King Ghidorah. It appears the people behind the Monsterverse seem to listen to audiences as there is more screen time on the monsters this time. At this point, even though the cast is a little bit better here than in the first movie, they are just there to move the plot along so audiences can see the monster action. And when the monster action is built up and shown, audiences were very satisfied.

Godzilla Vs Kong was supposed to come out in 2020, but due to the sudden pandemic, it was delayed to March 2021. Also due to the pandemic, Godzilla vs Kong was not only being released to theaters, but also on the new streaming service, HBO MAX. So after a year long delay and long anticipation, does Godzilla Vs Kong live up to the hype? All I gotta say is not only does Godzilla vs Kong live up to the hype, but it is big, fun, and anything you can ever want in a monster movie.

Lets first get the cons of the movie out of the way. While the human characters acting is better in this movie and probably the best out of all the movies, they are still plot devices to move the plot along to get to the monster action. Actors in the film like Millie Bobby Brown, Rebecca Hall, Alexander Skarsgard, Kyle Chandler, and Brian Tyree Henry do alright, but at the end they are just your typical stereotypical human characters in a monster movie. Even the human villain is your stereotypic human villain who thinks humans should be the dominant species and all Titans must be destroyed. He uses Montrach to lure Kong into this ancient temple in the Hollow Earth so he can use this ancient energy to power his secret project. But more on that later. Let’s just say it doesn’t end well. The only exception is Kong’s interaction with the little girl he bonds with, Kia. I thought this was a key moment in the film that evolved Kong as a character. Godzilla Vs Kong shows that Kong is not a giant mindless beast, but a monster with a heavy heart who just wants to find a home and live in peace. 

With the cons out of the way, let’s move on to the pros. I meant what I said when Godzilla Vs Kong is big, fun, and delivers on the monster action. Every time Godzilla and Kong were on screen and they were fighting each other, I was on the edge of my seat the whole time so full of hype. What I love about the clash between Godzilla and Kong is how the film treats them as equals. They nearly equal each other blow for blow every time and it is to the point where you fear either Kong or Godzilla or both will die. You can feel the seemingly hateful and intense rivalry Godzilla and Kong have against each other. Both Titans show much will and dominance to taking each other down to prove who is the true alpha predator. 

The CGI in this movie definitely do a spectacular job in bringing Godzilla, Kong, and the rest of the monsters to life in this movie. They were so good I thought I was watching real monsters on screen the whole time and that takes master craftsmanship. The CGI also does a great job of creating The Hollow Earth. The possibility of an ecosystem deep inside the Earth is definitely fascinating to the human mind as we still don’t know what could possibly be lurking in the Earth and leaves us to the imagination of surviving dinosaurs or new creatures. The cinematography is truly astounding in detailing the monster action when it takes place both during the day and night. You can tell exactly what is going on no matter what time of day it is. Also unlike the first film where it constantly cuts to the monsters to the humans, the filmmakers of this movie keep the balance of when to show the monster action and when to focus on the humans. 

Spoiler alert, because I need to talk about this. So if you want to avoid spoilers, skip this part. You have been warned. I predicted this monster would be in Godzilla vs Kong after I saw a brief glimpse of him in the trailer. I am of course talking about one of Godzilla’s greatest foes, Mecha Godzilla. Unlike other incarnations of Mecha Godzilla, this version is actually King Ghidorah’s brain uploaded into Mecha Godzilla. It explains why Godzilla appears to be a villain in the movie for a while. And the climax that occurs is a giant middle finger to Batman vs Superman as this showdown is done with more respect and dignity. I won’t spoil anymore so you gotta see it to see how it unfolds.

Overall, Godzilla vs Kong is an epic and fun monster movie that is just awesome monster entertainment. This shows the Monsterverse still has a lot to offer in what monster movies they can make. I only wish I saw Godzilla Vs Kong on the big screen especially in IMAX, but watching it by streaming was just as good as well. Go and see Godzilla vs Kong now for epic monster fun.

Greyhound Movie Review

Greyhound is a 2020 World War II movie that is directed by Aaron Schneider and written by Tom Hanks and stars Tom Hanks, Elisabeth Shue, and Stephen Graham. Based on the novel, “The Good Shepard” by C.S. Forester, the movie takes place a couple months after the United States decision to enter World War II and focuses on the ship known as the USS Greyhound. Led by first time Naval Commander, Captain Ernest Krause, the Greyhound is escorting a convoy of multi-national ships on a four day journey on the North Atlantic all the way towards Liverpool. The journey is a difficult trek as the ships and their crews have no air support and face a seemingly endless barrage of cold air, rough seas, and heavy rain. To make matters worse, the Greyhound and the convoy are attacked by a unique group of German U-Boats known only as a wolf pack. Despite these dangerous perils, Krause is determined to ensure his crew and the convoys survival and leads them to a fight with not only Germans, but nature itself.

World War II has always been one of my favorite subjects of history to study and learn during my school years and it still remains one of my all time favorite time periods. So when I see a new movie about World War II, I am curious to see what event the movie covers. With so many movies and TV shows being made about this time era, it is really clear to see why World War II is so popular in entertainment. But with so many features made about the events in this war, people would think there is hardly anything left to cover. And sooner or later, certain topics and events in this war are usually revisited. I don’t mind seeing the same history being told again as long as it is written and presented in an interesting and unique way. With Greyhound, this is familiar and yet new to me at least with a leader guiding his crew to safety from an enemy attack. Greyhound was supposed to be released, but due to last year’s pandemic, it was pushed to streaming on Apple TV+. After watching Greyhound, I must say I am impressed and amazed at the movie I saw.

The cinematography in this movie is really impressive and amazing in executing the action onscreen. You can feel every attack and maneuver the German U-Boats and the Greyhound use to try to outmaneuver one another and get the advantage over one another.I love how there is always a seemingly endless storm throughout the whole movie and it creates an interesting atmosphere. The fighting throughout this movie is like the storm at sea. Violent, unpredictable, and seemingly never ending and it reflects what ultimately World War II was throughout its years. I also love how they make the ships and the crew seem small to show how trapped they really are when they are being pounded by the German Wolf Pack and the storm. It gives off a claustrophobic vibe and the crew realize they need to fight to get out alive or die trying.

Another thing this movie does great is emphasizing suspense and fear for the crew. Even though they are afraid of this whole battle and storm, they push themselves to the limit to make sure they get out alive. Even when a ship is destroyed or someone dies, the crew still don’t give up and make sure they achieve their victory over the German U-Boats and try to overcome the stormy seas.

The acting is very good in this movie, despite most of the cast being unknown and with few recognizable names. You can feel the fear and uncertainty the unknown actors convey and you are rooting for them to make it out alive, even though some of them might die. The more recognizable actors in this movie are of course Elisabeth Shue, Stephen Graham, and Tom Hanks. However, it is Graham and Shue who I think are kind of wasted in this movie. Don’t get me wrong because Shue and Graham give good performances, but I feel like they should have been given more to work with. Shue is really just a plot device to be Krause’s love interest and motivation to get him through this battle. Graham plays as Charlie Cole, who is Krause’s second in command who only serves to keep the crew in line and serve as exposition. I mean come on. This is Stephen Freaking Graham, who gave one of the best performances of Al Capone in a long time. While I am glad that he is getting more roles, I feel his role should have been much bigger in this movie. And finally we have Ernest Krause, played by Tom Hanks. Do I really need to say anything else? I mean it is Tom Hanks and of course is amazing as always. The guy could play a computer and he would still give an outstanding performance. Ernest Krause is a first time captain who relies on faith to help guide his crew and the ships to safety. Despite all odds against him and his crew, he still pushes forward to ensure victory. And even when he kills his foes, Krause doesn’t take any joy in ending their lives. He still mourns their deaths and even though he doesn’t want to do it, he knows it is necessary to ensure survival and victory.

Overall, Greyhound is one of the best movies of 2020 and I highly recommend watching it. This movie shows there is still interest in World War II and I am sure there will be many more movies and TV shows to touch upon this war in the upcoming days. Go and watch it now.

The Croods A New Age Movie Review

The Croods A New Age is a 2020 animated Dreamworks movie and is the sequel to 2013’s The Croods. Directed by Joel Crawford and written by Kevin and Dan Hageman, Paul Fisher, and Bob Logan. It stars the voices of Nicolas Cage, Emma Stone, Ryan Reynolds, Catherine Keener, Cloris Leachman, Clark Duke, Leslie Mann, Kelly Marie Tran, and Peter Dinklage. This sequel follows The Croods And Guy as they travel the world to continue to find the destination known as “Tomorrow”. While on their journey, they meet another family of cavemen who call themselves The Bettermans, who appear to be more evolved. Guy gets caught in the middle as he is torn between wanting to continue staying with The Croods and maintaining a relationship with Eep. Meanwhile the Croods And The Bettermans clash as they try to prove which family is superior. But unexpected events may force them to work together.

This sequel and its predecessor both have interesting histories with Dreamworks. The first Croods movie was a risky bet since Dreamworks was suffering from major box office disasters along with financial woes and the possibility of bankruptcy. But The Croods received good worth of mouth and scored over half a billion dollars worldwide, which was plenty enough to keep Dreamworks going for the next couple of years. The sequel was an entirely different story when it was getting made. It was originally cancelled back in November 2016 due to production problems, but then production resumed back in September 2017. But the sequel looked to be in trouble again once COVID-19 struck the world back in late 2019 to early 2020. Theaters closing due to the pandemic caused many to think The Croods A New Age would not do well box office wise. But apparently against all odds, The Croods A New Age had the biggest box office opening since this whole pandemic started. Now with that being said, is the sequel any good? Now I watched this movie first without seeing the first one since my sister and her kids wanted to watch this since they saw the first one. So after watching this movie and the original, I honestly can say I think The Croods A New Age is superior to the first.

The animation in this movie once again shines throughout the movie as the animators are allowed to expand upon the world of The Croods. The characters, backgrounds, and movements are much smoother and more defined. I enjoyed the scenes in the Bettermans home which is a almost modern day caveman world. The whole time I was watching those scenes, I kept getting major Flintstomes vibes every time. I wouldn’t be surprised if the makers of this movie and its predecessor got inspiration from The Flintstones. But my favorite scene is how our characters communicated with the monkeys through punching one another and giving funny reactions every time. The humor in this movie is also on point, especially with the interactions between the Croods and the Bettermans as well as the creatures they encounter.

But of course the heart of this movie is our returning characters and new characters as well. First we have our returning characters Grug, Eep, Guy, Ugga, Gran, and Duke, voiced once again by Nicolas Cage, Emma Stone, Ryan Reynolds, Catherine Keener, Cloris Leachman, and Clark Duke. While Grug has become more open-minded about the new world around him, he is still reluctant about letting Eep going out on her own with Guy in fear she might never come back. Things get more complicated for Grug as he gets into a rivalry with Phil Betterman to show his family is superior. Eep gets more comfortable about the idea of leaving her family to be with Guy. Unlike her father, Eep is fascinated by the Bettermans home and immediately forms a friendship with their daughter Dawn, who she teaches to loosen up and have adventure. Guy wants to be with Eep, but at the same time he wants to find his “Tomorrow” where he can live in peace without annoyances from The Croods. But Guy will soon have to realize what he truly wants as his “Tomorrow”. Either live at the Betterman’s place and be at peace or having and starting a relationship with Eep. Ugga has a lot more to do in this movie than she did in the last one and she supports Eep wanting to go with Guy. She even joins Grug in showing The Bettermans how they don’t need their ways of life to become better. Gran is also given more to do in this film than the original and we find out some interesting things about her. I won’t spoil anything, but let’s just say there is more to Gran than meets the eye. Unfortunately, Thunk is the only character who is hardly given any development and is mostly there to be the comedic relief. While he does get some laughs, I wish they at least gave him some more character.

Then we have our new characters, Phil, Hope, and Dawn Betterman, voiced by Peter Dinklage, Leslie Mann, and Dawn. Phil and Hope Betterman are evolved cave people who have become more civilized and more intelligent. They are a part of a tribe in which Guy is originally from and they start to influence him into their way of life as well as The Croods. Now these kind of characters usually are snobbish or cruel. But they really come off as lovable jerks who just want to show their life is better and more sophisticated. Then there is Dawn Betterman, who I think is the funniest character in the whole movie. She is someone who has been sheltered her whole life thinking her life is the only life worth living. But after meeting and going on an adventure with Eep, Dawn realizes her life could use some excitement. The chemistry between Eep and Dawn is so warming and funny at the same time and their friendship is definitely one of the highlights of the film. I think when watching this film, it gives us the morals and importance of respecting one another no matter where you come from. And one family’s way of life can bounce off and live off another family’s way of life. I think these morals really help flesh out the conflict between The Croods and The Bettermans and will allow you to fall in love with these characters and movie.

Overall, The Croods A New Age is a great movie that is superior to the first one and will be a delight to watch with your family and friends. It has fun characters, great animation, and is overall one of the best movies from 2020. Feel free to go and give it a watch to see what you think.

The Croods Movie Review

The Croods is a 2013 Dreamworks Animated Movie directed and written by Kirk DeMicco and Chris Sanders and stars the voices of Nicolas Cage, Emma Stone, Ryan Reynolds, Catherine Keener, Clark Duke, and Cloris Leachman. The Croods focuses on a semi-dysfunctional and eccentric family of Neanderthal cavemen who struggle every day to survive the harsh habitat thanks to their own set of rules and their cave. The family includes the father and leader, Grug, his wife Ugga, his mother-in-law Gran, his only son Thunk, his youngest daughter Sand, and his teenage and rebellious daughter, Eep. One day while wandering from the cave, Eep comes across an evolved caveman named Guy and his pet lemur, Belt. Guy warns Eep that she and her family are in danger from an event known simply as “The End”. Of course, The Croods are reluctant to believe this due to their fear of anything new. But when an earthquake destroys their cave, The Croods have no choice, but to follow Guy as he leads them to a destination known simply as “Tomorrow”. Traveling across all new territory with dangerous and unusual creatures and obstacles, The Croods and Guy need to overcome their differences if they have any hope of having a future.

I became interested in reviewing The Croods after I watched its sequel with my sister and her kids. Yeah it felt weird seeing the sequel before the original, but it was family night so I watched it anyway. After watching A New Age, I decided to find and watch the first Croods movie. I watched it and I must say I enjoyed it and had a good time. Although I don’t think it is one of Dreamwork’s best, it is still a good movie.

The animation in The Croods is really impressive and you can tell the animators gave the world of this movie a unique look and feel. The creatures in this movie look visually impressive and you can tell the animators had a lot of fun creating them. Probably my favorite creatures are these red piranha like birds who can easily cover and devour every animal they can get their jaws on. My other one is this seemingly dangerous giant saber-toothed tigers who try to eat the Croods any chance they can get and the expressions they make every time they fail is priceless. I also love how the animators distinguish both The Crood Family and Guy as cave people. The Croods look more like Neanderthals and therefore look dirtier and more animal-like while Guy looks more evolved by being leaner and more human-like. And as a final bonus, I would like to add the 2-D Animation during the opening and closing credits and during the open narration. Even though it is mostly a 3-D Animated Movie, it is good to see Dreamworks still honors 2-D Animation.

The voice cast in this movie are mostly great in how they bring the characters to life. Nicolas Cage is always a delight to watch in any movie he is in and his performance as Grug is no different. Grug is a father who just wants his family to be safe from the dangers of the outside world to the point where he becomes kind of paranoid of anything new. But in a way you understand why he is like this with all the dangerous creatures and the deaths of their neighbors. This is in contrast to Grug’s teenage daughter Eep who is voiced by the always amazing Emma Stone. Eep dreams of a life beyond her family and living outside of the cave. She is adventurous and daring to see what is beyond her world and she gets the chance when she meets Guy, voiced by Ryan Reynolds. Guy is a caveman who has evolved to the point of being able to make tools and create fire. He shows and intrigues the Croods to embark on finding “Tomorrow”, where they can find their form of happiness. And his pet lemur named Belt is always cute to watch whenever he appears. But Guy’s views continue to clash with Grug’s views and I think it shows the ultimate message: Change being inevitable. As much as we would like things to stay the same, change will always be inevitable for better or worse. And as the world changes around The Croods And Guy, they will be forced to adapt or die.

The only downsides I have to the movie are Ugga, Gran, and Thunk voiced by Catherine Keener, Cloris Leachman, and Clark Duke. They are the weakest parts of the movie and while the performances are fine, these characters are not given much to work with. They usually just go along with whatever the rest of the group thinks and provide exposition. The other downside to this movie is I which they expanded upon how The Croods become so isolated and paranoid. Seeing their neighbors get eaten, die from natural disasters, or die from sickness may be good reasons, but maybe they could have expanded upon it just a little bit more. Like maybe The Croods saw a traumatic event that further isolates them from doing anything new. But despite these problems, I still enjoyed the movie regardless.

Overall, The Croods is a fun and adventurous movie the whole family can enjoy. Feel free to go and watch it now.

Soul 2020 Movie Review

Soul is the latest movie from Disney/Pixar and is one of the first animated movies to be released on streaming. Soul focuses on Joe Gardner, a middle school music teacher who is seemingly unsatisfied with how his life has turned out. To cope, Joe turns to playing jazz which turns out he is really good at. Joe’s dream as a jazz player seems to take form when he lands a chance at playing along side his jazz idol. But an unfortunate accident separates his soul from his body and finds himself in a realm known as The You Seminar. This place has souls who develop and gain their passions before going to Earth as a newborn. To get back to Earth, Joe volunteers to become a mentor to a reluctant soul known as 22, who has spent eons in the You Seminar while having failed relationships with hundreds of souls and thinking life is not all that it turns out to be. As Joe and 22 go through their journey, both of them will realize the true meaning of not only understanding their souls, but living them.

Soul is another good hit for Disney/Pixar and definitely a good movie we needed especially after what a stressful year 2020 has been. Having watched Pixar classics like Toy Story Quadriology, Monsters Inc, Finding Nemo, Finding Dory, The Incredibles Films, Cars, And Rattoulie, I have been a Disney/Pixar fan ever since I was a kid. So when I see another one coming out, I do my best to try to watch it as soon as it comes out. After seeing Soul, I will say while it is not one of my favorites, it is still a good film.

I just want to say that Soul is a visual wonder to look at and is a feat Disney And Pixar always seem to accomplish. The animation is beautiful to look at and all the characters and backgrounds have such delicate details and complex features. It shows how much Disney/Pixar’s animation continues to evolve and it certainly has come a long way. My favorite designs is how the souls of people look and the higher beings look. They are both ghostly and yet humanoid at the same time and all have unique traits and personalities to them. A great visual treat to behold indeed.

Speaking of characters, the ones that stand out the most are Joe Gardner, who is voiced by Jamie Foxx and 22, who is voiced by Tina Fey. Both Joe And 22 are characters who you can immediately relate to since we all have been in their shoes every once in a while. Joe feels he needs to get more out of life by pursuing his passion of jazz and is determined to see it through. 22 is hesitant to live life on Earth since she feels she will face disappointment and working through life is a waste of time which is why she wants to feel safe in the You Seminar. We connect with these characters as we wish to achieve what we want and yet at the same time we get set up for disappointments. Overall we learn that having a soul isn’t about working, having a career, setting goals, or achieving passions. It is about enjoying life to the fullest and spending time with the people you care about. This film will really touch your soul and heart.

One downside I feel the film could have done better was expand upon the world of the You Seminar. I felt there were so many possibilities the film could have done with this idea but yet they decide to play it simple. Are some of these souls reincarnations, is this world an inbetween or a destination before life? There are so many questions left unanswered. But I still enjoyed the film anyways.

Overall, Soul is another good hit for Disney/Pixar and is definitely something the whole family can watch. It is a movie which you will not only enjoy, but it will pull your heart strings and connect your soul. Go, stream, and watch it now.

Planes Trains And Automobiles is a 1987 film directed and written by John Hughes. The film focuses on marketing executive Neal Page who is desperate to get home to his family in Chicago for Thanksgiving. But bad weather cancels his flight so he is forced to get on a new flight to Chicago. But more bad weather causes the flight to land in Witicha, Kansas. Now Neal desperately tries to find any mode of transportation to get home. In a weird stroke of luck, Del Griffith, a shower curtain salesman he met and who also is on his way to Chicago offers Neal a way to get home just in time. What follows is a set of wacky hijinks and mayhem as both Neal And Del try to survive this chaos and each other.This is a great movie to start off the holiday season and it is one of the rare Thanksgiving movies out there. Planes Trains And Automobiles is not only one of the funniest holiday movie classics, but also one of the most touching as well. Every joke I guarantee will make you laugh your socks off. All the humor in this movie is both shocking and clever to the point where you will laugh all the way through. It is also touching, because I think we all see a little bit of ourselves in Neal and Del. I think we all have had times where the unthinkable happens and we are unable to get home to our families. At the same time, we try to be positive and try to figure these situations out.The heart of this film is the performances of our leads Steve Martin and John Candy. Martin plays the straight man of Neal Page who tries to make it to see his family on Thanksgiving while trying to deal with Del’s obnoxious nature and all the mayhem he endures. Although he comes off as an asshole sometimes, you can still entirely sympathize with him. Like any comedy he is in, Martin brings his A game and you can tell he is having the time of his life in this role.Candy plays the innocent and humble Del Griffith who sells shower curtain rings and tries to get Neal to lighten up during their journey to Chicago. Del may seem like an obnoxious buffoon, but really he just has a big heart who is trying to help out Neal’s predicament in getting home. His actions just somehow turn into bad luck. Throughout the movie, we get hints of a vulnerable side to Del and when you realize the truth, it stabs you right in the heart. No one and I mean absolutely no one could have played this role like John Candy did. When I see this movie every year and see Candy’s performance, it makes me wish he was still alive. He was an actor who deserved many more roles. Candy gives a performance which is both funny and heartwarming and perfectly bounces off ofSteve Martin.Overall, Planes Trains And Automobiles is a funny and touching holiday movie perfect for the whole family. I highly recommend watching it. RIP John Candy and John Hughes.

Sonic The Hedgehog 2020 Movie Review

Sonic The Hedgehog is a movie adaption of SEGA’s mascot and most popular game franchise Sonic The Hedgehog. The movie is directed by Jeff Fowler and written by Patrick Casey and Josh Miller and stars Ben Schwartz, James Marsden, Tika Sumpter, and Jim Carrey. The film follows Sonic as he has been living on Earth for ten years due to being forced to leave his home world from forces who want his powers of supersonic speed. Things have been going well for Sonic until a power surge from his own speed gets himself exposed by the government. Sonic must enlist the aid of local police officer Tom Wachowski as they both try to escape the pursuit of the insane and evil scientist, Dr. Robotnik.

The new Sonic The Hedgehog movie has no doubt encountered a rough road towards its release, especially with the design of the blue hedgehog. When the first trailer came out in April 2019 with the original design, Sonic fans were not too pleased with what Sonic looked like. Having human teeth, long legs, an unappealing face, and his gloved hands being actual hands, much rage and anger was projected at Paramount for this design. Not to mention being weirded out by having Coolio’s Gangsters Paradise be the soundtrack for Sonic The Hedgehog as well. But thankfully, Paramount and director Jeff Fowler decided to postpone the movie’s release date from November 2019 to February 2020 to fix Sonic’s design to please the fan base. Months later, a new trailer came out with a new design that was not only much better, but closer to Sonic’s original design. Fans were pleased with this and hope for the movie was renewed. Now having been released at long last, is the Sonic movie worth seeing at all? Well I can safely Sonic is not only good, but fun and heartwarming as well.

The Sonic movie is of course a Fish Out Of Water story with Sonic coming to Earth. Now most Fish Out Of Water movies like Smurfs and Alvin And The Chipmunks usually have a human character be the main focus. But this time however the focus is mostly on Sonic. While there is a human character who meets Sonic, he is more of a supporting character and Sonic is given most of the screen time.

The movie has a decent balance of comedy, action, and even heartfelt moments. The comedy is very fast paced with all the jokes and comedic moments being spontaneous. Whether there is a joke or comedic moment you like or dislike, it immediately gets replaced with another joke or comedic moment in an instant. This makes the comedy unique especially for a Sonic movie. The action in this movie definitely feels like you are playing a Sonic game. There were times in the movie I wanted to bring out a controller and pretend I was controlling the action. Believe me if you go see this movie and watch the action scenes, you may want to pretend you have a controller as well so you can feel like playing any Sonic game.

Finally we have our characters who are all enjoyable. James Marsden plays Green Hills police officer Tom Wachowski who for better or worse gets involved in helping Sonic evading the government and Dr. Robotnik. Tom is an officer who gets a job offer in San Francisco for the goal of wanting to save people since everything is peaceful in his town of Green Hills. The chemistry between him and Sonic is heartwarming and fun and you immediately believe they have been long time friends. Even when playing the role of a cop, Marsden is able to bring charm to every role he is in. He always seems to have a fun time in any role he is in so kudos to him.

Tika Sumpter plays Tom’s wife Maddie who supports him in any way she can, even if he gets involved in weird situations. Despite not being in the movie for very long, Tika still does her best to make every scene count.

Lee Majdoub plays Agent Stone, Robotnik’s loyal assistant. The only way I can describe Stone is he is basically what Bob was to Joker in the 1989 Batman movie. Both characters know how psychotic and evil their bosses are, but yet they continue to work for them anyway. I gotta give props to Majdoub for playing such a straight role from beginning to end.

The character that steals the show in this movie is the villain and Sonic’s arch enemy, Dr. Ivo Robotnik played by Jim Carrey who goes back to his 90s acting style roots with this character and it is glorious. It was so nostalgic to see Carrey go full Ace Ventura, The Mask, and Liar Liar in this role and he does not hold back at all and has the time of his life playing Robotnik. Robotnik is a scientist who thinks he is beyond humanity with his superior intelligence and technology and is frustrated that he is being held back by humanity as well. When he discovers Sonic, he sees his chance of gaining unlimited power and will do whatever it takes to fulfill his goals. I especially love how even though he despises humanity, he still has an assistant who tries his best to see Robotnik’s ideas. I think Robotnik just keeps Stone around to show he is sane no matter what.

Finally we come to the blue hedgehog himself Sonic voiced by Ben Schwartz. Sonic looks awesome in this movie and his design is not only a huge improvement from the previous one, but definitely closer to his original design. Ben Schwartz does a fantastic job as Sonic as he greatly captures Sonic’s innocence, vulnerability, cockiness, and larger than life attitude. Sonic is definitely the one any Sonic fan has grown to love. He is fun, happy, adventurous, and someone you just want to hug, especially when it comes to the emotional scenes. While Sonic seems to enjoy having his powers and observing the world around him, he ultimately feels lonely. He wants to have friends, but is worried he will have to leave them behind to protect himself against people who want his powers. Your heart strings will be pulled.

Now the movie isn’t perfect by any means since while fun, it feels like a cheesy 90s movie. There are of course some pop culture references and fart jokes since this movie is considered a kids film. But they are very few, so they don’t distract you from the movie at all.

Overall, Sonic The Hedgehog is not a perfect, but still good and fun adaptation of the blue blur. It was good the film crew and studio listened to the fans and put effort in getting Sonic the justice he deserves to get to the big screen. I truly hope we get a sequel and maybe this movie will kick off a Sonic Cinematic Universe and maybe even a Sega Cinematic Universe. Even if you are not a Sonic fan, this movie should still be enjoyable for you. As for the Sonic fans, go and see this movie. You will not be disappointed.

1917 Movie Review

1917 is directed by Sam Mendes and written by Sam Mendes and Krysty Wilson-Cairns and stars Dean Charles Chapman, George McKay, Colin Firth, Mark Strong, and Benedict Cumberbatch. The story takes place in April 2019 on the war front in Northern France with the Britains waging war against the Germans. Two British soldiers, Lance Corporal Tom Blake and Lance Corporal Will Schofield are given the mission of giving an important message to an isolated military battalion to prevent from walking into a German ambush. If they fail, the British will lose 1600 men from the attack. It becomes a race against time as the soldiers rush to inform the battalion while dealing with danger around every turn.

1917 is no doubt one of the best war movies of not only the 21st century, but quite possibly of all time. What I think makes 1917 so amazing and unique is how the way Sam Mendes shot the movie. Almost the entire movie is shot in a continuous take with very few cuts. I loved this, because it shows when people are in the midst of war, anything can happen at any moment and any choice made can have a significant impact for better or worse. I also loved how Mendes showed how war not only affects soldiers physically, but mentally as well. Whether the soldiers experienced death, loss, or danger, I could feel the emotions they were dealing with.

The acting in 1917 is pretty good too. Colin Firth, Mark Strong, and Benedict Cumberbatch give good performances as always as heads of military command, but surprisingly they only have small cameos in 1917. The real stars of this movie are Dean Charles-Chapman as Lieutenant Corporal Tom Blake and George McKay as Lieutenant Corporal William Schofield. Tom wants to make sure his brother survives and he is willing to do whatever it takes to make sure the message is delivered. Despite his seriousness, Tom actually brings a little humor to the movie as well especially when he tells a funny story about a soldier. Schofield is a little more reluctant to take part in the mission thinking it might be suicide, but knows what needs to be done in order for the tide of war to be turned. There are times in this movie where he is filled with fear and wants to give up, but pushes on to make sure he saves as many lives as he can. Both actors do an excellent job in showing off the emotional turmoil when going through war. While the visuals and cinematography are the main stars of 1917, Mendes does make sure every actor shows their chops.

Overall, 1917 is an excellent war movie and one of the best movies of 2019. An Oscar Nominated Picture indeed. Go and check it out for yourselves.

The Gentlemen Movie Review

The Gentlemen is an action crime thriller movie that is directed and written by Guy Ritchie. The movie has an amazing cast including Matthew McConaughey, Charlie Hunnam, Michelle Dockery, Jeremy Strong, Hugh Grant, Colin Farrell, Tom Wu, and Henry Golding. The Gentlemen focuses on drug kingpin and American expatriate, Mickey Pearson who is known as the weed lord of London. When Mickey decides he wants to cash out and sell his drug empire, everybody wants it all to themselves. This sets off a chain of events in which plots are schemed, betrayals happen, murders and assassinations occur, and all out war begins to see who will claim Mickey’s empire.

I am just going out to flat out say it. This movie is absolutely insane. Any surprise in this movie just comes out of nowhere and it made my jaw drop at every turn. Just when I thought I had everything figured out, something else unexpected would happened and I would just be left speechless. Guy Ritchie really excels at keeping on their toes to make sure they don’t see whats coming. If you go see The Gentlemen, get ready for many surprises.

At first I was a little annoyed of how the movie was being shown and told. But the more it did that, the more I slowly began to enjoy it. The movie is told from three different points of view to the point where it almost feels like I was watching an anthology series. It felt weird, but at the same time it worked since it enhanced the mystery and thrills of the movie.

I absolutely loved the cast of of this movie and I think it is one of the best cast ensembles I have seen in a long time. Lets first talk about our villain of the movie Dry Eyes played by Henry Golding. Dry Eyes is one of the most insane, charming, and memorable villains I have seen in a long time. He believes himself to be the next big gangster and he wants to prove it by taking over Mickey’s empire. Dry Eyes is willing to do whatever it takes to show he is top dog and the acts he does is extremely shocking where you want to hate him, but in a charming way. I really hope Golding gets more roles like this. He looks to be a really underrated actor.

Colin Farrell plays Coach, a low time gangster who runs a group of young gangsters to do unusual jobs. He seems to want to take over Mickey’s empire as well, but a sudden chain of events causes him to rethink how he runs things. Farrell was hilarious as this character and what made his performance great was how straight he played it. Definitely one of my favorite characters in this film.

Charlie Hunnam plays Raymond, who is Mickey’s right hand man and bodyguard. Raymond is the kind of gangster who doesn’t want to give any trouble to the people trying to ruin Mickey’s empire, but is not afraid to show violence when necessary to prove his point. My favorite parts with him in this movie is when he is really trying hard to put up with Fletcher while restraining himself not to kill him.

Matthew McConaughey plays drug kingpin Mickey Pearson who leads his empire, but wants to sell it off to spend time with his wife. Pearson is a gangster who looks well mannered and charming, but cross or mess with him or his wife, he will not be so forgiving and will kill anyone who messes with him. With the majority of the cast being British, you would assume brining McConaughey in this movie would be a miscast. But him being an outsider from the U.S. makes his character work. And honestly, I want to see McConaughey be in more gangster flicks.

But the one who absolutely steals the show is Hugh Grant as Fletcher. Fletcher is a private detective who plays all sides in order to give evidence to the highest bidder. This is no doubt one of Hugh Grant’s best performances in years. Grant plays Fletcher with such charm and comedy there is just no way you can hate this guy. The best scenes where Grant shines is the ones with Hunnam. Their chemistry was just so fascinating and fun to watch and they bounced off each other so well. Fletcher was my favorite character in this film and I enjoyed every scene he was in. Thank you Hugh Grant.

Overall, The Gentlemen is an intense, suspenseful, and charming film which brings Guy Ritchie back to his roots. I highly recommend this movie for its amazing cast and engaging story. Check it out and see it for yourself.

Bad Boys For Life Review

Bad Boys For Life is the third movie in the Bad Boys for life series and reunites Will Smith and Martin Lawrence as Miami PD Detectives Mike Lowry and Marcus Burnett. It is directed by Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah and written by Chris Bremner, Peter Craig, and Joe Carnahan. New things are on the rise for our favorite MPD Detectives. Marcus has become a grandfather and is starting to think about retirement. Mike is going through a mid-life crisis after a near death experience and still wants to prove he is the top dog in the MPD. But there lives are threatened in the form of the vicious and ruthless Miami drug cartel leader, Armando Armas. Along with a special forces team called Ammo, Mike and Marcus go into a life or death battle to bring Armas down, but they soon learn Armas might have a few secrets of his own.

I was truly excited to see this since I am a huge fan of the first two Bad Boys movies. Bad Boys 1 and 2 are true popcorn action movies due to their humor, crazy action sequences, and of course the amazing chemistry between Will Smith and Martin Lawrence. People tend to look down on these movies since they were both directed by Michael Bay. I will admit Bay is not the best action director, but when it comes to these movies, Bay truly brings his A Game. Now with Bad Boys For Life coming out 17 years after Bad Boys 2, Will Smith and Martin Lawrence returning, and new directors and writers taking the helmis Bad Boys For Life another fun action packed movie or just another soulless cash grab?! Well after seeing the third movie, I can say not only does Bad Boys For Life not only succeeds, but I think it is the best one.

New directors Adil and Balall take the strengths of the first two Bad Boys and enhance them greatly in Bad Boys For Life. The action is similar to Michael Bay’s style, but they add their own unique styles as well. When the action came on, my heart kept pumping the whole time and I was on the edge of my seat as well. It makes it more intense when the characters are so close to losing their lives since you have grown so attached to them and you don’t know whether they will live or die.

But of course the movie really shines with its fun cast. The newcomers are the crew of the AMMO which include Kelly, Dorn, Rafe, and Rita, player by Vanessa Hudgens, Alexander Ludwig, Charles Melton, and Paola Nunez. These four bring an interesting dynamic with their new generation of police work compared to the old generation of police work with Mike and Marcus. They show Mike and Marcus how they handle police work while Mike and Marcus teach them a few traits of their own.

We have our new villain, Armando Armas played by Jacob Scipio. This seemingly ruthless drug lord is a fresh addition to this franchise. Armas is dead set on making sure he succeeds in taking out Mike, Marcus, and the rest of the squad and he will not rest until they are all dead. But there is more to Armas than meets the eye and the secrets about him will blow everyone’s minds.

And of course we have the familiar faces of course with Joe Pantoliano returning as Captain Conrad Howard. Howard was one of my favorite supporting characters from the first two movies and I am glad to see him
back once again. A hot headed police captain who acts like an over the top asshole could be just another stereotype, but Pantoliano plays this character in such a unique way you just can’t get enough of the guy and that makes this character so funny, memorable, and likable. Despite him being older, Howard shows throughout the movie his age is not slowing him down and continues to not take crap from anyone in order to be sure his team gets the job done. I will remember Conrad Howard always.

Last but not least we have our crime fighting detective duo Mike Lowry and Marcus Burnett played once again by Will Smith and Martin Lawrence. Smith and Lawrence join the ranks of the buddy cop movie duo right up there with Mel Gibson and Danny Glover from the Lethal Weapon series, Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum from the Jump Street series, Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker from Rush Hour, and so much more. These two have such outstanding chemistry to the point where every time they are on screen, I immediately believe they have been best friends and brothers for life. You can tell most if not all of the dialogue between them is ad-libbed, but they bounce off each other so well it feels and looks completely natural. Mike Lowry is going through a mid-life crisis as a near death experience makes people think he should retire, but Mike still wants to prove he still has what it takes to be a great cop. Things get even more complicated when the man who shot him may have more to him than meets the eye. Marcus on the other hand wants to retire so he can focus on his family and being a new grandfather while trying to convince Mike to retire and settle down. But as Marcus soon comes to realize, retirement isn’t always set in stone especially when the bad guys hit close to home. You can tell Smith and Lawrence are having a fun time playing these characters and even manage to pull on your heartstrings at times. Makes you wonder why haven’t they been in more movies together. I really hope we at least get one more Bad Boys or more movies that will have both Smith and Lawrence on screen together.

Overall, Bad Boys For Life is a fun and action packed ride you will enjoy from beginning to end. Go out and see it for yourselves.

Knives Out Review

Knives Out is a mystery crime thriller directed and written by Rian Johnson and stars an ensemble cast including Daniel Craig, Chris Evans, Ana De Armas, Jamie Lee Curtis, Michael Shannon, Don Johnson, Toni Collette, Lakeith Stanfield, Katherine Langford, Jaeden Martell, Noah Segan, Edi Patterson, K Callan, Frank Oz, Marlene Forte, M. Emmet Walsh, Riki Lindhome, a cameo from Joseph Gordon-Levitt, and Christopher Plummer.

Knives Out focuses on the dysfunctional Thrombey family, who just celebrated the 85th birthday of the family patriarch and acclaimed crime/mystery novelist, Harlan Thrombey. But tragedy suddenly strikes when Harlan is found dead and is believed to have killed himself. But then a mysterious private eye, Detective Benoit Blanc appears and claims to have been hired by a mysterious third party. Blanc believes there was more to Harlan’s death than meets the eye and investigates every single member of the Thrombey family. As Blanc digs deeper into the investigation of Harlan’s death, secrets start to unravel, true colors are shown, and relationships will be tested as everyone sets their eyes on the prize of securing Harlan’s legacy.

Knives Out is no doubt one of the best mystery crime films I have seen in a long time. This is a movie which will make your head spin all the way through with so many twists thrown in. Just when you think you have the whole mystery figured out, another twist is thrown in and your mind will just be in shock after you see it. The mystery and suspense in Knives Out constantly keeps you on your toes and makes you question who truly is innocent and guilty. And yet at the same time these characters are so interesting and bizarre you actually both love and hate them at the same time. And despite being a mystery crime thriller, Knives Out adds an extra seasoning of dark humor to make it both serious and fun and works perfectly.

But the strongest point in Knives Out is its all star cast, which I think is one of the best cast ensembles I have seen in a long time. Each actor brings such intensity and charm to their characters and not one disappoints.

Jamie Lee Curtis plays real estate mogul, Linda Drysdale, who is Harlan’s eldest child and who loves to communicate with her father through a series of mystery games. And is through one of these games she learns a shocking secret. Linda seems to be the most loyal to her father, but is she capable of murdering him? While Curtis will always be the scream queen of horror, it is good to see her in an electrifying role as this.

Don Johnson plays Linda’s husband, Richard who helps run his wife’s company and is loyal to her every step of the way. Or is he? Harlan exposes a secret of Richard which could tear his marriage with Linda apart. It seems Richard wants to make sure this secret never gets out, but could he go so far to murder Harlan? Maybe. It is good to see Don Johnson getting work again and I truly hope he gets more work in the future.

Chris Evans plays Linda and Richard’s son, Ransom, who is the black sheep of the family and has always relied on his family’s fortune to get through life. And he seems to be wanting to get to the fortune by any means necessary, even possibly wanting to kill his own flesh and blood? Curious isn’t it? It is refreshing to see Evans be in a seemingly villanious role after nearly playing Captain America for almost a decade. I truly want to see Evans play more roles like this.

Michael Shannon plays Harlan’s youngest son, Walt, who helps manage his father’s publishing company, but is frustrated with his father for him not wanting to expand upon the success of his novels by turning them into movies and/or television. Walt’s obsession with expanding his father’s work is definitely a motive for murder, but did he do it? Hmmm.

Toni Collette plays Joni, who is the widow of Harlan’s deceased son Neil and his daughter-in-law and happens to be an influencing lifestyle guru. Joni has been using the family’s fortune to pay for her daughter Meg’s college funds and has secretly been stealing some money for her own benefits. Harlan threatened to cut her off, which is a definitive incentive for murder.

Katherine Langford plays Meg, Harlan’s granddaughter, who seems to be the most sane of her family. She seems to be the most happy of her family, but then again, even the happiest ones can hide dark desires. Maybe Meg is not so innocent herself.

Ana De Armas plays Marta Cabrera, Harlan’s caretaker, nurse, and closest friend. Despite being a worker of the Thrombeys, they consider her to be family to them, especially Harlan and Meg. Despite looking innocent, Marta has secrets of her own such as her mother being in the U.S. illegally. Could it be Marta was the one who killed Harlan to steal the fortune and help secure her mother’s citizenship? The plot thickens.

Christopher Plummer plays Harlan, who is an acclaimed crime/mystery novelist and the family patriarch. Despite having such a vast fortune, Harlan is disgusted with how it has affected his family and seems to not give any cent to either one of them. Ultimately, his death further tears apart his family as all of them suspect either he killed himself or someone among them did. But even in death, Harlan may have one last mystery to give. Plummer is one of those actors you can put into any role and he will just own it no matter what. Despite his age, a role like this shows Plummer isn’t slowing down anytime soon.

But out of all the actors in this movie, it is Daniel Craig who gives the best performance in this movie. Craig plays Benoit Blanc, who is a private detective hired to investigate Harlan’s death. Despite Harlan’s death being labeled as suicide, Blanc suspects foul play afoot and talks to the family members one by one to get to the bottom of this mystery. Craig takes a break from Mr. James Bond and fully embraces Benoit Blanc to the fullest. He plays him in a bizarre, but satisfying mix of funny, serious, and mysterious. This is no doubt Craig’s best role to date.

Overall, Knives Out is not only one of the best films of 2019, but probably the best mystery crime thriller I have seen for a long time. It definitely joins the ranks of Clue and Sherlock Holmes in the timeless classic of mystery. Go and see it for yourself if you dare.

Gemini Man 2019 Movie Review

Gemini Man is a film starring Will Smith, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Benedict Wong, and Clive Owen. It is directed by Ang Lee and written by David Benioff, Billy Ray, and Darren Lemke. Gemini Man follows a man named Henry Brogan, who is known as the world’s best and most elite assassin and has decided to finally retire. But his retirement is put on hold when his own government agency and a mysterious organization known as Gemini tries to kill him. Things get worse when Brogan finds himself up against a mysterious assassin who can predict his every move. Brogan discovers the assassin is a clone of him who is not only younger, but faster as well. With the help of a special agent named Danny and an old friend named Barron, Brogan must uncover the mystery of this conspiracy and take down Gemini’s leader, Clay Verris.

When I first saw the trailer for this movie, I was really intrigued by what I saw. Will Smith playing an assassin facing off against a younger version of himself looked awesome and mind-blowing. So after seeing the film, I can say that while the story is generic, the film has a great cast and good action.

The first element I loved about this movie was the action and cinematography. The shots in this movie were so rough and smooth that it made the action overall beautiful to watch. There is a chase scene in this movie that is so intense and thrilling you actually feel like you are part of the action. The other action scene that stands out is the final one where everything is thrown against Brogan and his team and they push themselves to their limits to survive. This scene is worth the price of admission alone. I am surprised Lee doesn’t do more action movies since he has directed the amazing Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon and he has proven he is capable of doing it. Hopefully he does more action films in the future.

The other element I loved in the movie was most of the cast. Will Smith once again delivers because in my opinion, he is good in any role only this time he is playing two characters at once. Smith could read a novel for a whole movie and I would still watch it. You can feel the emotions and conflict Brogan goes through throughout the whole film. He finds comfort when laying down and pulling the trigger to eliminate his targets, but at the same time can’t stand to look in the mirror due to all the hardships he suffered in life. Smith also plays the younger version of Brogan who is called Junior in the movie and I must say the CGI to make the clone is outstanding. Whenever the clone came on screen, I didn’t see a CGI creation at all and I truly believed I was seeing a younger Will Smith. It truly is incredible to see how far de-aging technology in CGI has come and I think it will definitely be used quite often in the future of cinema. Junior was designed to be an exact replica of Harry, but without his pain. But is clear as he learns from his encounters with his older self and Verris, Junior starts to question himself and wonders what he truly wants in life. Seeing Smith both play a young and old version of himself was truly impressive and I enjoyed every second of it.

Mary Elizabeth Winstead and Benedict Wong bring terrific chemistry with Will Smith through out the whole film. They act like a family and they are amazing whenever they are on screen together. Like Smith, Winstead is amazing in every role she is in and brings a serious and yet comedic element to the film along with Wong and Smith as well. While the film is mostly dramatic and action packed, all these actors still manage to bring comedic moments throughout the movie and I found that unique.

Now Clive Owen does give a decent performance in the film as well, but he was so underused in this movie. It is said there is a history between his and Smith’s character, but it is hardly acknowledged and you don’t truly understand why there is tension between them. If there had been flashbacks, of them, maybe the chemistry between Smith and Owen would have been better. I love Clive Owen as a villain, but he deserved better in this film.

The plot is generic and familiar and get kind of boring sometimes. There is a message about how cloning can help aid the world’s military, but Gemini Man barely gets deep into it and it is mostly a plot device. This plot had so much potential, but just try to keep it as simple as possible.

Overall, Gemini Man is a decent flick with a great cast and an incredible young CGI Will Smith. Plot could have been deeper and Clive Owen could have had more screen time. Check it out and see it for yourself.

Joker 2019 Movie Review

Joker is a Warner Bros/DC Comics film that stars Joaquin Phoenix, Robert De Niro, Zazie Beetz, Frances Conroy, and Brett Cullen. It is directed by Todd Phillips and is written by Todd Phillips and Scott Silver. Joker is the origin story of Batman’s greatest and iconic arch nemesis, The Joker and it takes place in 1980s Gotham City. The film focuses on a mentally-challenged man named Arthur Fleck who works as a clown who dreams of one day becoming a comedian. Unfortunately, he is mocked, mistreated, and disregarded by the people and society around him and it leads him into a downward spiral into the insane psychopath known as The Joker.

Joker is set to be the first film in DC’s Elsewhere Film Series where it will focus on solo stories on certain characters in the DC Universe. I will admit I was a little skeptical when I heard the first film was going to be focused on The Joker, because The Joker already stands on his own as an insane, dangerous, and unique villain. True we got an origin story in the form of Alan Moore’s The Killing Joke, but The Joker himself said he considers his past to be multiple choice so we don’t know if it is his true origin. So the multiple choice logic applies here in this film so people can decide themselves if this is a good origin story. After seeing Joker, I can say not only is it one of the best DC movies in years, but probably one of the best movies in a long time.

Before I give my thoughts, I should address the controversy of this movie. Many news outlets and people were worried that Joker may be an inspiration for another mass shooting to take place and a serial killer being created from watching this movie. I can understand why some people are worried since The Dark Knight Rises had a horrifying event in the form of The Aurora Shooting back in 2012. With that being said, I think people are blowing these fears completely out of proportion. People need to remember this one detail: ITS JUST A MOVIE!!!!! LIGHTEN UP!!!!! I am so tired of movies, TV shows, and video game being blamed for people’s actions. If a person or a group of people decide to commit horrific acts from watching or playing a form of entertainment, then I think we can assume the person or people probably has mental issues. So people should see Joker with an open mind and not let these fears get out of hand. Now onto my thoughts on Joker.

The cinematography of this movie is rough, beautiful, and claustrophobic. There are times in this movie where I felt small, tight, and uncomfortable due to Arthur being in his own fantasy world and ignoring all the negativity around him. When the bubble bursts, you can feel the pain just come onto you and experience it firsthand. Gotham City itself feels beautiful and rough as you can see it is trying to promote hope and safety to its citizens, but at the same time, you can see the corruption and chaos slowly eat away at this functioning society and there will soon be a breaking point.

The story of Joker is pretty deep and is one you really need to really pay attention to in order to understand. It shows how both a regular person and a person who is plagued with mental health can truly be affected by the dark side of society. I think people can relate to Joker since we have had those times where we get knocked down by society and face dark times. While some regular people and mentally ill can overcome these dark times and get better, there are some people who become so abused and shunned by society, they suddenly snap and lash out. To quote The Killing Joke: “All it takes is one bad day.” So if you have someone who feels unloved or shunned by society, give them kindness and respect. It could be a small step to prevent people from falling into the abyss.

Joker has an amazing supporting cast including Robert De Niro as Arthur’s , Zazie Beetz, Frances Conroy, and Brett Cullen. They all give good performances, but they are all outdone by none other than Joaquin Phoenix, who gives in my opinion gives the best performance of his career as The Clown Prince Of Crime. Phoenix joins the ranks of actors who have played The Joker including Caesar Romero, Jack Nicholson, Mark Hamill, Kevin Michael Richardson, Troy Baker, Heath Ledger, and Jared Leto. Now I think it is unfair to rank who is the best Joker since I think all these actors give their unique spin on Batman’s iconic arch nemesis. And that is what Phoenix brings to his version of The Joker. Out of all the Jokers seen on screen, Phoenix’s Joker is the most tragic. Arthur Fleck is a man who is doing his best to try to fulfill his dream of becoming a comedian to make people, but his peers and the people around him beat him down both physically and mentally. But Arthur goes to extreme lengths to fit in that he ends up creating his own fantasy world in order to feel safe and accepted. It just makes his life more tragic when his world is shattered and finally sees the cruelty of human nature and society and just goes insane. Phoenix’s role as The Joker is so incredible and unforgettable I forgot Phoenix was acting and I thought I was truly watching a broken soul. What also sells Phoenix’s Joker is how he makes you feel about him. You go from feeling sympathetic and sad for him to being repulsed and disgusted by him. If Phoenix doesn’t get an Oscar for this, then the Academy is blinder than a bat. Truly one of the best tragic villains I have seen in a long time.

Overall, Joker is not only one of the best movies in DC and in general of the year, but one of the best of all time. Now if you have seen Joker and want to see it again, you should probably wait a while. This movie is not meant for entertainment, but for your mind to truly think and pay attention. I will probably watch Joker again around awards season and/or around those times where I really want to pay close attention to a movie. Go see Joker if you haven’t seen it already. Believe me, it is a movie you just have to see to believe.

Rambo Last Blood Review

Rambo Last Blood is the fifth and seemingly final installment in the Rambo film series. It is directed by Adrian Grunberg and written by Matthew Cirulnick and Sylvester Stallone. Rambo Last Blood focuses on an older John Rambo as he is set to live out the rest of his days in peace. But when trouble and tragedy strike close to home, John Rambo must use his seemingly unstoppable skills to strike vengeance in one final mission.

Now I am going to be honest. I haven’t seen any of the other Rambo films. You are all probably shocked and I am myself shocked I haven’t seen the rest of them as well. I was more of an Arnold Schwarzenegger fan than a Sylvester Stallone fan growing up and while I did like some Stallone films, I just liked Arnold’s films more. But after seeing this movie, I want to watch the entire Rambo series now. Everyone including myself is probably in shock there is even a fifth Rambo movie now. Sylvester Stallone is in his 70s now and people were wondering if he even can do action anymore and is just riding off of fame for one of his best franchises. Well after seeing Last Blood, I would say Stallone has still got it and while Last Blood is messy, it benefits from good action and heart stopping thrills.

The plot of the movie is really simple. Someone close to Rambo gets into trouble and gets captured by some bad guys, he has to intervene, tragedy happens, and Rambo goes on a killing spree. It is generic and predictable as it sounds, but it is still in a way easy to follow and understand.

The biggest weakness of Last Blood is how messy it can be sometimes. The film has many subplots that mostly don’t go anywhere and are unresolved, the villains are one note and easily forgettable, and most of the rest of the characters are plot devices just used to motivate Rambo and move the story along. There is even one character who looks like is going to play an important role, but is never seen again.

With that said, the biggest strength of Rambo Last Blood is the action. When any action pops up in the film, you will immediately be on the edge of your seat and be blown away by it while wanting more. Each action scene felt creative and intense and I never got bored once. The Rambo series
continues to keep its reputation with its gruesome but yet creative and intense kill scenes. The climax of the film is everything every Rambo fan would want to ask for and you leave the theater satisfied.

Sylvester Stallone once again delivers an intense performance as John Rambo. Like with Rocky Balboa, you can tell Stallone really loves this character and goes through extreme dedication to keep playing this character. You can feel the intensity and emotion that Rambo goes through when he pushes himself to his limits and beyond to avenge the ones he lost and bring down the ones who harmed him. I am truly impressed how Stallone can still kick ass even at his age and I think he still has a few more action films left in him before throwing in the towel.

Overall, Rambo Last Blood is a messy, but yet enjoyable film for both Rambo fans and action movie fans as well. Go and watch it to see what you think.

The Lion King 2019 Review

Disney is at it once again with another remake of its animated films and it is a remake of one its most popular and memorable animated films of all time, The Lion King.

The Lion King 2019 remake is directed by Jon Favreau and written by Jeff Nathanson and has an ensemble cast with Donald Glover as Simba, Beyonce as Nala, John Oliver as Zazu, Seth Rogen as Pumbaa, Billy Eichner as Timon, Keegan Michael-Kay as Kamari, Eric Andre as Azizi, Florence Kasumba as Shenzi, John Kani as Rafiki, Afre Woodard as Sarabi, Penny Johnson Jerald as Sarafina, Chiwetel Ejiofor as Scar, and James Earl Jones as Mufasa. The plot is the same as the 1994 animated movie. The young lion prince Simba runs away from home after thinking he is responsible for his father Mufasa’s death. As he grows up, he learns the true meaning of responsibility and bravery and knows he has to embrace his destiny to become king of the PrideLands.

The Lion King is considered not only to be one of the greatest animated movies of all time, but one of the greatest films of all time period. To this day, The Lion King remains timeless with its amazing characters, ensemble voice cast, beautiful animation, and incredible story. When it was announced The Lion King would be remade in live action, many people were divided on this. Some were curious about the remake to see if it does anything new and seeing their childhood be brought to the big screen again. Others saw at as a cash grab and pointless due to them thinking the original is amazing and should be left alone. I was hesitant for a long time to see this movie due to the criticisms I heard about it. But eventually, I went to go see it out of curiosity and see what the live action version is all about. After seeing it, I will say the live action Lion King is not terrible, but definitely underwhelming. While the original Lion King is far superior, the live action Lion King is a decent film nonetheless.

First I will talk about the good things in the live action movie. The visuals for the most part are amazing and beautiful to look at. You can tell the animators put a lot of detail in making the environment and the characters come to life. There were times where I thought I was seeing real animals on screen. My childhood came rushing back when I heard the songs and score from the original film being played again. The score and songs are a mix of old and new with Hans Zimmer and Elton John returning to score the music with Beyoncé and some of the cast putting their fresh take on the classic songs. And the new cast for the most part do very well. Billy Eichner and Seth Rogen are electrifying and standouts as Timon and Pumbaa. Although I do miss Nathan Lane and Ernie Sabella as the originals, Eichner and Rogen I think are good successors. Donald Glover is a breath of fresh air as Simba as he brings more energy and depth to the character. Beyoncé turned out to be a surprising standout as Nala and I have no doubt she wanted to sing for the film as well, but I think she does amazing in both roles. And I was elated to hear James Earl Jones as Mufasa again. Mufasa is one of those roles you can just never replace the original actor. James Earl Jones is Mufasa just as Kevin Conroy is to Batman. You can’t ever replace them since they have become too iconic in those roles. Like in the original, Jones brings a wise and powerful performance as Mufasa. Even though you can hear the age in his voice sometimes, Jones still has it after all these years.

There is nothing bad in this film at all, but are there are a lot of times where the film can be underwhelming and disappointing. Despite a few changes in the story, the film is almost a shot for shot remake of the original film. While it is not completely a bad thing, it will make most of the audience wonder why watch this movie if it is mostly the same as the original. The point of a remake is to bring something new to the original that has not been done before. While the original Lion King is a masterpiece, there are some flaws in the movie where I hoped they would be corrected in the remake, but those flaws appear in the remake and it left me disappointed.

While most of the songs remain in the live action Lion King, the one I was angry at the most was the almost non-existent musical sequence of Be Prepared. That was one of my favorite songs in the original movie and how they cut it down in the remake just left me angry and sad. The whole purpose of the song was to show how insane and deranged Scar and the hyenas were. When the remake did it, it just felt lifeless and unimpressive.

One of the biggest criticisms of the live action Lion King people have complained about was the animation of the characters’ faces. Now while the expressions of the characters were decent, I can understand this criticism. One of the main benefits of 2D animation is to make characters far more expressive and colorful and having the ability to have seemingly unlimited movement. Live action characters mixed with CGI can almost be very limited and while the characters expressions and movement in the live action Lion King aren’t lifeless, they still feel underwhelming and disappointing.

While the rest of the cast do give decent performances, there are some performances which just left me disappointed. One of the big letdowns is the portrayal and chemistry between the three hyenas and Scar. The hyenas in the original film Shenzi, Banzai, And Ed who were played by Whoopi Goldberg, Cheech Marin, And Jim Cummings are still memorable to this day due to their incredible chemistry and relationship between themselves and Scar. The hyenas were intimidating and yet funny at the same time due to their unique personalities. Their relationship with Scar was boiled down to how he promised them endless food and dominance over the PrideLands. In the live action one, the chemistry is completely gone and the new hyenas aren’t even memorable at all. While they do get some funny moments, it pales in comparison to the original. Even their relationship with Scar seems shallow and underwhelming.

Finally we come to Scar. While Chiwetel Ejiofor does a decent job at some parts, he just doesn’t hold a candle to the original Scar who was voiced by Jeremy Irons. Ejiofor just tries to hard to sound intimidating and there are times where he was just reading from a script. Irons brought a natural and deep drive to Scar with his sinister voice and how he was having the time of his life voicing him. It makes me wonder why Irons wasn’t asked to come back as Scar. Despite Ejiofor giving it his all, Irons will always be the superior Scar.

Overall, the live action Lion King is an underwhelming but yet decent Disney remake. While there are some good parts in it, you will just want to go back and watch the original all over again. Go see it and decide which version of the Lion King you love best.

Ready Or Not Review

You ever watch one of those movies where it is so insane and yet you are entertained by it at the same time? I had that particular experience when I watched the new mystery horror thriller comedy, Ready Or Not.

Ready Or Not is a mystery horror thriller comedy directed by Matt Bettinelli-Olpin And Tyler Gillett and written by Guy Busick And Ryan Murphy. The film stars Samara Weaving, Adam Brody, Mark O’Brien, Henry Czerny, Andie McDowell, Melanie Scrofano, Kristian Bruun, Nicky Guadagni, Elyse Levesque, And John Ralston. The film focuses on a woman named Grace who has just married her fiancee, Alex and is about to become a part of the Le Domas family. The only thing left to do is to participate in the Le Doma’s Family Game Night where she will officially become one of them. The game Grace selects to play is Hide And Seek and she must hide from the family until dawn in order to win the game. But Grace soon realizes the dark secrets of the game and the Le Domas family and this “game” becomes a fight for survival.

I’m going to get straight to the point: This entire movie is completely insane and in a good way. This movie is a mixture of Game Night meets Clue with a spice of horror and dark comedy. Through out this whole film, I was just on the edge of my seat watching every twist and turn while trying to comprehend what I was watching. After watching it, Ready Or Not is an insane, but yet one of the most creative, scary, and yet funny films this year.

Ready Or Not Despite may look scary and thrilling, but it also gives itself a dark comedy edge to it. The film gives off a unique balance of being both scary and funny at the same time to show the film does not take itself too seriously. There are some very creative scares, kills, and comedic moments which I guarantee will shock you immensely.

The greatest strength of Ready Or Not is the cast and the ensemble of characters they play. They all have unique personalities and go all out with what is given to them. Imagine the characters of Clue only far more creepy and yet completely insane. They surround themselves in a web of mystery and keeps you guessing on which ones are truly insane and who has any sense at all. The two who stood out to me the most were Grace and Daniel.

Grace joins the ranks of the horror troupe known as the Final Girl and all thanks to the outstanding performance from Samara Weaving, who I swear is a long twin sister of Margot Robbie. Now Grace is not the smartest Final Girl, but is not the stupidest either. She is terrified throughout the whole film and makes irrational decisions which prove beneficial or nearly fatal to her well being. All she knows is if she wants to get out of this alive, she needs to do whatever it takes. We see Grace push herself to her limits as she struggles to survive the night.

The other standout is Daniel, who is the laid back, chill, and most mysterious character in this movie with a great performance from Adam Brody. He seems to be the most sane of his family, but at the same time is a complete mystery. You keep guessing what will be the outcome for him in this movie whether he will break tradition and save Grace, is uninterested in both Grace and his family’s antics, or if he is secretly helping her out. It is a real nail-biter, but he is truly one of the standout characters in this film.

Bonus points to Nicky Guadagni for her crazy performance as Aunt Helene. Man that stare she gives in the film could kill you on the spot.

Overall, Ready Or Not is an insane, but scary comedic movie which will shock you in many different ways. Go and check it out for yourselves.

Fast And Furious Presents: Hobbs And Shaw Review

Now this is what I call a fun summer action movie. I am of course talking about the action flick, Fast And Furious Presents: Hobbs And Shaw. Fast And Furious Presents: Hobbs And Shaw is an experimental spinoff of the long running Fast And Furious franchise. It is directed by David Leitch and written by Chris Morgan and Drew Pearce. In this movie, federal agent Luke Hobbs and outcast special agent Deckard Shaw are forced to work together when Shaw’s sister Hattie steals a virus which if unleashed will cause a cataclysmic event for all of mankind from a mysterious sinister organization. This organization sends a genetically enhanced mercenary known as Brixton to hunt them down. It is a race against time as Hobbs, Shaw, and Hattie look to deal with the virus while being hunted by Brixton.

It is truly amazing to see how evolved the Fast and Furious has become after all these years. It has gone from a simple street racing heist genre to basically James Bond on steroids. Now that concept alone sounds completely stupid which it is, but at the same time makes it so much fun. And Hobbs And Shaw is no exception. But one noticeable change in this movie is the absence of Dominic Toretto and his crew. Apparently somebody loved the chemistry between Dwayne Johnson and Jason Statham’s characters so much they decided to just make a spinoff around them. Now does the film succeed? Well I can say with a heavy heart and say yes they did.

The plot for this film is as simple as a fun popcorn action blockbuster can be. Two loose cannons hate each other, but are forced to work together, have to save the girl from a virus while trying to stop a sinister organization from unleashing chaos upon humanity, and have to fight the typical and yet fun bad guy. While the story is flawed and generic, it makes up for it with the action and the characters.

The action is highly amplified, intense, and fun just like the previous Fast And Furious movies. It always keep you on the edge of your seat from beginning to end and there is not a single point where you will ever get bored. Now some of these action scenes can get pretty ridiculous and when you see the insanity these characters do, you think they were superhuman. But what makes the action work is it doesn’t take itself too seriously and knows when to be fun as well. This film knows exactly knows how ridiculous and fun it is and is not afraid to show it.

Now the final main highlight of the film is the characters. Dwayne Johnson and Jason Statham have such amazing chemistry together and it clearly shows in this movie. You can truly feel the relationship between Hobbs and Shaw with their witty banter and how they work together in this movie. Whenever you see Dwayne Johnson or Jason Statham in this movie, you know you are going to have a fun time no matter. Their charisma is so unique you just get excited whenever they come on screen. I hope to see Johnson and Statham do more movies together in the future.

The new addition to the Fast and Furious franchise is Vanessa Kirby as Shaw’s sister, Hattie. Hattie is a stunning and deadly addition to this series and Kirby puts it all in this character. She is a badass who is willing to do whatever it takes including sacrificing her life to complete the mission. Despite her hard demeanor, she does have her humane moments when she interacts with her brother Shaw as they try to repair the strain that has formed between them all these years. Let us please see more of this amazing deadly beauty.

Finally we have our villain in the form of Brixton played by the always incredible Idris Elba. Brixton is your typical generic villain we have seen in every action movie, but the way Elba plays him makes him a joy to watch. You can tell Idris was having the time of his life in this role and he truly brings a lot of fun to this villain. Brixton is a villain who knows he is the bad guy, but he feels it is necessary in order to achieve his organization’s overall goal. There were many times in this movie where I thought there was no way Hobbs and Shaw could take this guy down. Brixton is not the best villain, but he is definitely the most fun villain I have seen in a long time.

There are also some good cameos in this movie. There are two cameos in this movie who I won’t name, but when you see them in this movie, your mind will be blown.

Overall, Fast And Furious Presents: Hobbs And Shaw is a fun blockbuster action movie that is a real treat for this summer movie season. Please go out and see it now.

Once Upon A Time In Hollywood Review

This movie is definitely so weird and yet so interesting at the same time. But I guess that is what you get when you watch a film from Quentin Tarantino and we get to experience it in the historical fiction dramedy, Once Upon A Time In Hollywood. Once A Upon A Time In Hollywood is the 9th movie directed and written by Quentin Tarantino. Once A Upon A Time In Hollywood takes place in 1969 Los Angeles where seemingly fading TV actor Rick Dalton and his stunt double Cliff Booth try to stay relevant in Hollywood while meeting weird and interesting characters along the way.

What hasn’t been said already about Quentin Tarantino? The dude literally is the definition of old school filmmaking and it clearly shows in his films. Now I am ashamed to say I have only seen a few Tarantino films and I have only seen some clips of his other films. Hopefully, I get to watch all of Tarantino’s films someday, but for now, I am currently focusing on his ninth film, Once Upon A Time In Hollywood. After watching the film, I must admit despite being weird and all over the place, Once Upon A Time In Hollywood is a strange, beautiful, and entertaining film with a strong and memorable cast.

Once Upon A Time In Hollywood is a beautiful movie to look at with the awesome cinematography. You can tell Quentin took his time in recreating the look and feel of 1969 Los Angeles. It makes the audience feel they have travelled back in time to such an amazing and unique era in show business. It feels authentic all the way through and it will make you not want to leave this magical place in time. But the look of the film is only minor compared to the story and cast of Once Upon A Time In Hollywood.

Let’s get straight to the point. The cast is truly the heart and soul of Once Upon A Time In Hollywood and it truly shows. Tarantino can put any celeb in his movie and truly give them an incredible and memorable performance even when it is only very minor.

Leonardo Dicaprio of course gives another excellent performance to add to his resume with his role of Rick Dalton. At this point, Leo could play a statue and yet he would still give it his all. Rick Dalton truly is a strange, but yet complex character. He truly feels his time in the spotlight is coming to an end and he feels he is becoming a has been. But at the same time, he still feels the need to push himself to show he still has what it takes to make it big in Hollywood and Dicaprio pulls it off beautifully.

Brad Pitt gives off an incredible performance as Rick Dalton’s stunt double, Cliff Booth, which I think is one of Pitt’s best performances in years. Cliff Booth is a man who is rarely recognized for the work he puts in pulling off the stunts for Dalton but yet doesn’t ask for anything in return and chooses to live with what he has. He is tough, but yet gentle as well and is fun to watchOne of the film’s greatest strengths is the amazing chemistry between Leonardo Dicaprio and Brad Pitt. Throughout this whole movie, I believed these two were best friends and partners all the way through. I really hope to see more of these two do more movies together in the future.

Margot Robbie channels the life and energy in deceased Hollywood starlet, Sharon Tate. It is still hard to believe Sharon Tate was murdered all those years ago and was still so very young. It is truly a wonder what would have been if Tate had survived and what kind of career she would have had. Robbie’s performance as the legendary Hollywood actress shows Tate’s spirit continues to live on in this film. Robbie gives off an amazing elegance and charm when bringing Sharon Tate to life as we see Tate enjoy the Hollywood life while creating a career for herself as well.

The other cast members have very small but yet great performances as well. Whether it be Damian Lewis as Steve Mcqueen, Rafal Zawierucha as Roman Polanski, or Damon Herriman as Charles Manson. Rest of the cast includes Luke Perry, Lena Dunham, Timothy Olymphant, Dakota Fanning, Al Pacino, Margaret Qualley, and Kurt Russell. They have such small roles, but yet Tarantino gives them time to shine. But the small role that stuck out to me the most was Mike Moh, who played Bruce Lee. It was so mindblowing how much Moh looked and acted just like Lee. I actually believed I saw Bruce Lee come back to life in this movie. Props to Moh for channeling one of the world’s greatest martial artists of all time.

The story of Once Upon A Time In Hollywood is both strong and yet weak at the same time. What makes the story weak at times is when it is all over the place. There are times when we focus on Rick and Cliff and then we immediately jump to scenes with Sharon Tate or some scenes with the Manson Cult. The editing feels off and I think this movie would have been better if it was an anthology series with segments focusing on one or more particular characters. But the story is yet strong with the crazy dialogue and the unique scenes. There are many scenes which will leave you either laughing, appalled, amazed, shocked, and even scared. You can say it is very unnatural and random, but yet it works to the film’s advantage where you want to look away at times, but yet your eyes will be glued to the screen the whole time.

Overall, Once Upon A Time In Hollywood is a confusing, crazy, and very entertaining film to watch. Go see it and give it a watch to see what you think.

Spider-Man Far From Home Review

Let’s dive in to the epilogue to Phase 3 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe and Avengers Endgame with Spider-Man Far From Home, which is the sequel to Spider-Man Homecoming. Spider-Man Far From Home sees Peter Parker/Spider-Man going on a worldwide adventure with his class while still dealing with the aftermath of the passing of his mentor and father figure, Tony Stark/Iron Man. He also struggles with the idea of taking up the mantle as an Avenger and wanting to continue to be Spider-Man. Peter’s ultimate goal is to propose to MJ on the trip and start a relationship with her. But his plans are derailed when Nick Fury recruits him to track down and deal with powerful beings called the Elementals and partners him with the mysterious Quinton Beck, who goes by the alias of Mysterio. Mysterio and the Elementals are claimed to be from another Earth and Mysterio wants Spider-Man’s help to make sure this Earth doesn’t suffer the same fate as his Earth. Left with no other choice, Peter has to save the world once again while keeping his class out of harm’s way. But we soon learn that nothing is all that it seems.

I’m going to get straight to the point and say not only Spider-Man far From Home is not only another awesome addition to the Marvel Cinematic Universe and one of the best Spider-Man movies to date, but it is a perfect conclusion to the original run of the MCU and sets up a new beginning for the next generation of Marvel movies. Far From Home is more of a passing of the torch to the next generation of heroes with Peter Parker being blessed with the opportunity to continue being Spider-Man, but maybe one day become a full-fledged Avenger.

Far From Home is everything you would expect a Spider-Man movie is. It is fun, action-packed, and emotional rolled up all into one. The action, story, and characters are well balanced with audiences being able to know what is going on, having great characters to care about, and have action which is fun and enjoyable. The action scenes are really intense with some amazing CGI which puts audiences on the edge of your seats and not once did I ever feel bored. But the heart of this movie are its characters and story.

Tom Holland has really come a long way in taking up the mantle of Peter Parker/Spider-Man and I think he is the best incarnation of the character to date. Holland does spectacular in balancing all the character traits of Parker and Spider-Man. He channels the fun, caring, awkward, and wise cracking aspects of Spider-Man and the intellectual, crafty, emotional, and sensitive aspects of Peter Parker. This whole movie, I just saw Spider-Man/Peter Parker all the way through. That is how good Holland is in the role. It is interesting to see the journey Peter goes through in this movie. He wants to have a normal life and a romantic relationship, but at the same time he feels he needs to be Spider-Man in order to fill the void left by Tony Stark. With so many people waiting to see who will become the next big superhero, Peter feels he needs to step up and take it, but wonders if he truly deserves it.

Now we go to our other “hero” in the movie which is Quinton Beck a.k.a Mysterio played by the always amazing Jake Gyllenhaal. Now there will be a major spoiler here so if you haven’t seen the movie yet, stop reading now. Gyllenhaal has a very interesting history with the Spider-Man franchise. He was originally take over the role of Spider-Man in the Raimi films for Spider-Man 2 when Tobey Maguire had a severe back injury and had lost a tremendous amount of weight for his role in Seabiscuit. But Maguire was able to recover quickly and be Spider-Man once again. While Gyllenhaal is an amazing actor and I think could have been a good Spider-Man, it would have been weird seeing a different actor take up the role right in the middle of the film series after seeing Maguire do so well in the first movie. Now Gyllenhaal has officially joined the Spider-Man franchise as one of Spider-Man’s unique rogue gallery villains, Mysterio. In the comics, Mysterio is really just a guy named Quinton Beck with no powers at all. However, Beck is highly intelligent in technology and uses his disguise of Mysterio to create realistic illusions which gave Spider-Man a surprising difficult time in defeating him. When we hear this Mysterio is from another Earth, audiences first thought this was a heroic Mysterio who used his powers for good in stopping the Elementals. But I did see this coming and it turns out this is the Mysterio Spider-Man fans are all familiar with. This version of Mysterio is someone you can actually sympathize with. Beck is a tech guy who feels Tony Stark stole his ideas and was looked down upon like he was nothing. So Mysterio builds up a tech team and uses them to create the Mysterio persona and the Elementals to establish himself as a hero. While he knows innocent lives will be lost, Beck sees it as a necessary sacrifice for the greater good and he knows society and places will rebuild itself eventually. And Gyllenhaal just plays this character with such sympathy and yet such beautiful insanity as well. This is probably the best representation of a Spider-Man villain since Doc Ock and Green Goblin in the Raimi films. Kudos to Gyllenhaal for giving one of the best villain performances in a long time. Spoiler ends.

The supporting cast is also a very strong point in this class in the form of Peter Parker’s peers and classmates. Even though there roles are small, they are given enough to leave a great impact in the film with their comedic timing and random acts of humor. The ones that stood out to me were Zendaya as MJ and Jon Faverau as Happy. MJ seems like an emotionless and uncaring girl, but she uses that persona to mask her true feelings and she gives quite a few memorable moments. And she does something which is very rare in a superhero movie. I won’t spoil it, but it is very clever. Happy serves as Peter’s butlerish assistant throughout the movie and actually gives Peter a touching talk about what Stark sees in him and why he thinks he deserves to be a hero.

The only negative I can give to this film is the ending drags a little bit. I kept wondering will this finally be the ending, but it keeps going.

Despite that one flaw, Spider-Man Far From Home is an amazing superhero film and a good conclusion to the original run of the MCU. Go and see it now. And be sure to stay for the mid-credits and end-credits scenes. They will blow your mind.

Toy Story 4 Movie Review

Our favorite toy gang is back in the fourth entry of the Toy Story franchise, Toy Story 4. Toy Story 4 sees Woody, Buzz, and the rest of the gang embark on a road trip with their new owner, Bonnie. Also joining the gang is a spork toy created by Bonnie in kindergarden called Forky. But Forky doesn’t see himself as a toy since he thinks he is made of trash and ejects himself out of the RV. This causes Woody to go after him, which separates him from the rest of the gang. Woody and Forky end up in a small town where Woody tries to convince Forky there is a fulfilling life to be had as a toy. Meanwhile Buzz and the rest of the gang diverge the trip in order to get Woody and Forky back home. Along the way, Woody is reunited with Bo Peep, who shows him a unique way of interacting with kids. But a seemingly evil doll called Molly has plans for Woody and will do whatever it takes to get what she wants from Woody. Ultimately, the gang will be given the choice of what world they want to be a part of as a toy.

Now when I heard Toy Story 4 was coming out, I was confused about why make a 4th one anyway. Toy Story 3 was a perfect conclusion with Andy giving away his toys to Bonnie and giving them a chance to be played for future generations. Making a fourth entry just seems like a cash grab and milking the franchise for all its worth. But I headed in with an open mind and thinking this movie might surprise me. I mean Pixar mostly has great hits and very rarely disappoints. After seeing the movie, I can honestly say Toy Story 4 is not only another amazing hit for Pixar, but has an ending which will make you shed tears.

Lets begin with the new characters in this 4th movie in the form of Ducky, Bunny, Duke Kaboom, Forky, and Gabby Gabby. We get our comedy reliefs with Ducky and Bunny voiced by the classic comedy duo, Jordan Peele and Keegan-Michael Kay. Ducky and Bunny enhance the movie with some surprising creative dark humor. They may seem edgy, but they are adorable to fall in love with as well.

Next we have Duke Caboom, who is a motorcycle daredevil toy and is voiced by none other than Neo himself, Keanu Reeves. Caboom is a toy who seems to be a cool and brave guy, but in reality, he is haunted by a bad experience with his owner when he doesn’t perform a stunt like he was made to do. But with inspiration from the gang, Caboom overcomes his fear and helps the toys on their journey.

Next we have Forky, who is a spork created in arts and crafts and is voiced by Veep’s and Arrested Development’s Tony Hale. Forky is a unique addition to the franchise since he is the first toy to be created from scratch by its owner. You can feel why Forky acts the way he is since he is just made up of simple materials and not given any unique features like other toys. But its encouragement and guidance from Woody when Forky slowly realizes he might be worth being a toy after all.

Finally we have our final new character who is the movie’s main antagonist, Gabby Gabby, who is this 1960s tea party doll voiced by the always amazing Christina Hendricks. Gabby is not much of a villain, but more like a tragic character. Gabby was a defective doll with a broken voice box and it causes her to be rejected by any child. You can feel the pain from Gabby of not being wanted all because of a simple malfunction. I think there is always one person out there who has something which makes them an outsider and not being wanted by society. Gabby thinks getting a voice box from Woody will give her the love and attention from a child she always wanted. But a series of unexpected events gets her love in the most unsuspecting places.

Now we get the return of our classic characters Woody, Buzz Lightyear, Bo Peep, and the rest of the gang in the Toy Story franchise. Bo Peep returns to the series after being absent from the third movie and is voiced once again by Annie Potts. It is revealed in a flashback that Bo Peep and her sheep were sold to someone else, but later on, they decided to travel the world instead. Bo Peep has become part of a traveling circus and has reinvented herself as an independent toy. Bo Peep thinks she can entertain other kids around the world instead of being kept by a single kid. It is good to see a unique change to one of the main toys from the first two films. While Bo Peep does want to be still played by kids, she wants to share herself to all kids of any kind and not just to one specific kid. It was good seeing Bo Peep again and have amazing chemistry with Woody.

Speaking of Woody, Woody returns once again as the leader of the group and is of course voiced once again by Tom Hanks. Woody is doing his best to keep the gang together while trying to help Forky find his place in the world and finally feeling himself left out as he is played less and less by Bonnie. When Woody reunites with Bo Peep, she shows him the idea of a world where toys can be played with by many kids and not be attached to just a single kid. This causes a deep conflict within Woody where he is now faced with the choice of being loyal to Bonnie or be part of a world where he can travel the world and be played by kids everywhere.

Now we come to the low parts of the movie and one of them is the reduced screentime of the original toys. While we do see Hamm, Rex, Mr. and Mrs. Potato Head, Slinky, Jessie, and Bullseye, they have such small screentime in the film. While they do contribute to the plot later in the movie, it was disappointing to see them on the sidelines. What was great about the first 3 movies was both the original and the new toys got equal amounts of screentime and it made enjoying all the characters natural. Here, the film focuses more on the new characters and the original toy gang doesn’t have much to do.

But the biggest disappointment to me was how the film handled Buzz Lightyear, who is voiced once again by Tim Allen. Buzz Lightyear is my all time favorite character in the Toy Story franchise and to see the role he is given in this movie was so underwhelming. Buzz was the second-in-command of the gang and he would encourage and motivate all of them to push forward and never give up even when something was impossible. My favorite interactions with Buzz was when he played off of Woody by giving him wisdom and advice of how to handle certain situations. Here, he comes across as naive and just goes along with what Woody does while listening to his inner voice by pressing his buttons. While he does get a little bit back to his old self near the end of the film, the fact he spends most of the film just following everything Woody does was a little OOC and it just frustrated me.

Now the ending of the film I will admit redeems most of the flaws. I won’t spoil it, but I choked up a little bit when I watched it. And believe me you will probably shed a couple of tears in the theater.

Overall, Toy Story 4 is another good addition to not only the Toy Story franchise, but to Pixar as well. Despite the flaws, I still think it is a worthy addition to the franchise. I think the ending of the movie is definitely a good conclusion to the franchise. But knowing how popular Toy Story is, I wouldn’t be surprised if there was a fifth movie. Go check it out and give it a watch.

Child’s Play 2019 Review

Summer has officially begun my friends and with it, a lot of summer movies as well. Now I will probably not see every movie that comes out this summer, but I will do my best. Without further ado, my first summer movie is definitely an intense and scary fright. I am talking about the horror remake, Child’s Play 2019

Child’s Play is a remake of the 1988 film of the same name. Directed by Lars Klevberg and written by Tyler Burton Smith, the film follows Andy Barclay, who is a social outcast who has moved with his mom to an apartment complex. His mother Karen is a clerk at the local Zed Mart tries to encourage Andy to make new friends. While he does make a connection with the next door neighbor detective Mike Norris, Karen wishes he makes friends with people of his age. To try to cope with Andy’s lack of friends, Karen gets him a birthday present in the form of a Kaslan’s Buddi doll. The doll is given the name Chucky and starts to bond with Andy and attracts the attention of the neighborhood kids. But unknown to anyone, Chucky has a sinister secret. A disgruntled Kasdan worker sabotages Chucky’s programming, which causes him to malfunction and gives him advanced AI. This malfunction causes Chucky to see Andy as his only friend and he wants him all to himself and he is willing to rid of anyone who gets in his way.

Child’s Play has had a unique history among the horror genre and which is surprising since the focus is on a killer doll named Chucky. While there have been plenty of evil dolls in cinema, Chucky’s reputation as an evil doll has given him legendary status through his unique kills and wanting to get anything he wants puts him up there with classic horror slashers such as Leatherface, Michael Myers, Jason Voorhees, and Freddy Krueger. While the first Child’s Play movie was more of a horror movie, the rest of the Child’s Play movies started to go down a more comedic route. With this remake, the goal seems to take Child’s Play back down to its horror routes.

When a remake of Child’s Play was announced, people were skeptical about it. Most of the cast of the original and the original writer Don Mancini thought it was a waste of time. And not having Brad Dourif being the iconic voice of Chucky didn’t help matters at all. Despite being a remake and liking some of the Child’s Play movies, I decided to check it out. I feel if you are going to remake a classic like Child’s Play, I feel you should put a new twist on it or do an entirely different route. With this movie, not only was it surprisingly entertaining, but I think pays a great tribute to the original.

In this new version of Child’s Play, we have Chucky as a defective AI doll instead of being a doll who got a soul from a deranged serial killer. It makes it even more terrifying when Chucky has the ability to control the technology of Kasdan. Now there is a little bit of a message in this film about technology slowly starting to take control of our lives and how it can have dangerous consequences, but it never goes too deep into that territory. It mostly serves as a purpose for Chucky to perform hardcore kills and I must say all of them are very creative. The scares are hit and miss, but the results are intense. Despite it mostly being a horror movie, there are times where the filmmakers inject some dark comedy just to remind everyone of the ridiculousness this movie portrays. And this unusual mix serves to the film’s advantage.

This movie has actually a decent cast with some of the characters being easy to relate to. Gabriel Bateman who plays Andy was actually enjoyable and does a good job of trying to convince everyone Chucky is trouble. I think we can all relate to Andy since some of us have been that person who no one believes, but still tries to convince them otherwise. It is so weird seeing Aubrey Plaza playing a role other than the seemingly emotionless, but yet sarcastic and snarky girl roles like April from Parks And Recreation. We see Plaza play this young mother Karen who wants the best for her son, but at the same time wants some pleasures to herself like having a boyfriend. I think any mother can relate to what Karen goes through from handling a kid, to having a decent job, and having a social life. Bryan Tyree Henry plays Mike Norris very well as both a tough detective, but also being a friendly guy as well. He does whatever he can to try to catch this killer and tries hard to contain his composure especially when it hits close to home.

The rest of the characters are the usual horror movie stereotypes. Some of them who plays Andy’s friends and Norris mom are okay, but the rest are the people who are such jerks you are just begging for Chucky to kill off.

And then we finally come down to the killer doll himself, Chucky who is voiced by Mark Hamill. Brad Dourif’s portrayal of Chucky is so iconic and legendary that are people thinking there is no way anyone could possibly replace him. You would think at least they would have at least brought back Dourif for this remake. But then again, the 2010 Nightmare On Elm Street remake didn’t bring back Robert Englund either. While no can replace Dourif’s terrifying portrayal of Chucky, we would hope they would at least bring on someone on par with him. Well our fears can be put to rest as Luke Skywalker himself, Mark Hamill has taken over this legendary killer. With over a two decade span of voicing iconic characters like The Joker, The Skeleton King, Fire Lord Ozai, Skips, and so much more, this portrayal is just a walk in the park for Mr. Hamill. Hamill does spectacular in bringing to Chucky to life with a voice that will send chills down your spine. I’m telling you if I woke up with a doll next to me with Mark Hamill’s voice coming out of it, I would be running for the hills. Not to mention he does manage to sneak in his iconic Jojer laugh any chanc ehe gets. Despite his terrifying performance, Hamill actually gives Chucky a sympathetic side. Chucky didn’t mean to be the villain since he just wanted to please Andy and be his best friend. But his faulty programming and obsession caused him to go down a darker path which brought horror to Andy and everyone around him. Guess Luke joined the dark side after all. HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!

Overall, Child’s Play 2019 is a rare horror remake that will give you both scares and laughs all the way through. Go watch if you dare.

Rocketman 2019 Review

You know it is always interesting when you see a movie that talks about someone’s life. It is a way to see what this person has gone through in life with all of the ups and downs he or she has gone through and see the choices in life which mold them into the person he or she becomes. For this review, I will be talking about the biopic Rocketman.

Rocketman is based on the true story of the early life of one of the greatest musicians of the 20th century and that is English singer, Reginald Kenneth Dwight or as most people know him as Sir Elton John. Directed by Dexter Fletcher and written by Lee Hall, this film explores of how Elton John discovers his passion for music, the relationships he builds, and the obstacles he overcomes to be one of the greatest musicians of all time.

As a musical biopic, this movie is full of energy with all of the classic Elton John songs including Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, Saturday Night’s Alright For Fighting, I’m Still Standing, Rocketman, and so much more. I almost wanted to jump out of my seat and start singing and dancing to the music, but of course I didn’t want to get thrown out of the cinema so I just stayed in my seat.

But of course the heart of this movie is of course Sir Elton John himself played by Taron Egerton. While Egerton is mostly known as the super spy Eggsy from the Kingsman film series, his performance as Elton John is truly heartfelt, powerful and amazing and I hope this movie propels Egerton to more roles like this. Egerton really expresses both the passion and turmoil Elton John has gone through in his early years. Egerton really shines when he deals with the drama of Elton John expressing his sexuality, dealing with his fame and relationships, wanting to be loved, and his growing popularity. What really puts the icing on top of Egerton’s performance is he did all of his own singing when he performed Elton John’s songs. There were times where I didn’t see Egerton at all and saw a young Elton John. Congratulations to Egerton for giving a respectful and memorable performance of this amazing person.

The supporting cast does a good job as well with Bryce Dallas Howard as John’s mother Sheila, Richard Madden as John’s manager, and Jamie Bell as John’s songwriting best friend, Bernie Taupin. All of them actually do a good job as well when singing songs in the film and it added extra energy to the film.

Overall, Rocketman is an amazing musical biopic that hits the high notes in all the right places and is definitely worth checking out this summer. Thank you Dexter Fletcher and Lee Hall for putting the life of one of the greatest musicians the 20th century has ever known. Even Elton John has praised the movie and has gotten his seal of approval. So please go see this movie. You will shed a few tears, but you will definitely be listening to Elton John songs once you finish the movie.

Godzilla King Of The Monsters Review

This review will definitely be monster size I can guarantee all of you that much. I just saw Godzilla King Of The Monsters this past weekend and it was awesome. It had amazing special effects and monsters beating the crap out of each other. What more can you ask for in a monster movie.

Godzilla King Of The Monsters is directed by Michael Dougherty and written by Michael Dougherty, Zach Shields, and Max Bornstein and is the third movie in Legendary’s Monsterverse Franchise. Godzilla King Of The Monsters takes place five years after Godzilla’s battle against the Mutos in San Fransisco and people around the world are torn on the existence of Godzilla. The crypto-zoological agency Monarch are putting out their best efforts to prove Godzilla is not a threat to the world while the world governments and the military want him destroyed. But things take a turn for the worse when a rogue military group attacks Monarch bases to unleash more ancient creatures like Godzilla which Monarch calls Titans. It gets more complicated when the rogue military group takes Dr. Emma Russell and her daughter Madison and forces them to help them free the Titans with the help of a special device called the Orca. Monarch enlists the help of Emma’s husband and Madison’s dad, Mark Russell to save Emma and Madison and recover the Orca before it is too late. But there is a twist throughout the movie and powerful creatures are released including the fire bird Rodan and the beautiful Mothra. But the deadliest Titan of all is unleashed in the form of the three headed dragon, KIng Ghidorah, who wishes to challenge and kill Godzilla and establish himself as the Apex Predator of the Earth. It all comes down to a glorious and epic showdown as Godzilla, King Ghidorah, Rodan, and Mothra battle it out to see who will emerge as the King Of Monsters.

For this review, I am going to start with the negative parts of the movie first and they truly surround some of the human characters. Now honestly, most of the human characters in Godzilla movies are really just one-dimensional stereotypes and their main purpose is to move the story forward to get to the monster action. Now while they do move the story, most of them are one-dimensional and few of them are quite frustrating. One of the Monarch scientists played by Bradley Whitford is there to provide awkward exposition and quirks. While I did get a few chuckles, I will admit it can get annoying after awhile. Tywin Lannister himself Charles Dance plays the most generic bad guy you can ever imagine and it is kind of sad to see Dance be given such a stereotypical role after coming off of Game Of Thrones. He is portrayed as an ex special forces soldier who goes rogue due to the cruelties of human nature and thinks unleashing these monsters will balance nature out. This could have been a good motivation if it wasn’t so generic. And then we have Dr. Emma Russell played by Vera Faminga and her motives for setting free these titans are not only insane, but it made me almost hate her for the whole movie. She frees these titans, because she lost her son Andrew during the fight in San Francisco and she feels humanity is the cause of all this injustice. She believes unleashing the titans will cleanse the planet and bring closure to her and her family. Lady you unleashed these giant monsters just because you lost your son and you think this is justice?! Granted she regrets her actions and kind of redeems herself in the end, but still her motives were far too insane. To quote Kyle Chandler in the trailer, “YOU ARE OUT OF YOUR GODDAMN MIND!!!!!”

The rest of the human characters are still one note, but still give some decent performances. Ken Watanabe, Sally Hawkins, Ziyi Zhang, Thomas Middleditch, Aisha Hinds, O’Shea Jackson Jr, and Kyle Chandler do the best with what they are given and their performances are passable at best. The only actor who gives a performance that truly shines in this movie is Millie Bobby Brown as Madison and she is the only character in the movie who has sense and tries to do something to avert this disaster. Glad to see Millie Bobby Brown breaking out in movies and I hope to see her in more roles.

Now onto the positives of the movie with of course them being the effects and the monster battles. The CGI has come a long way and it gives Godzilla and the rest of the Kiaju justice. Godzilla, Mothra, Rodan, and King Ghidorah have never looked better and the CGI was so good I actually I was watching real giant monsters on screen. Now that is effort. Now one of the criticisms in the last Godzilla movie back in 2014 was there wasn’t enough Godzilla in the movie. That criticism can be put to rest as not only do we see more of Godzilla, but more of the rogues gallery Godzilla fans have come to know and love. When the monsters fight, you can feel every attack and the tension around them. The fight between Rodan and Mothra was epic and such a treat to watch, but the best fight of course is Godzilla vs King Ghidorah. You can feel the rivalry and hatred these two have for each other and they realize only one of them will claim the throne. I was on the edge of my seat the whole time and I left the theater feeling great and amazed.

Overall, Godzilla King Of The Monsters was a fun and entertaining movie to help start off the summer movie season. While it is not the best Godzilla movie, it is definitely one of the most intense. I personally cannot wait for Godzilla Vs Kong in 2020. Go and see this movie people. You won’t be disappointed.

Wonder Woman 2017 Review

This is a movie that everyone has been wanting to see for decades. At long last, we finally have the cinematic live action adaptation of Wonder Woman. Wonder Woman explores the origin of Princess Diana of the Amazons who lives on the beautiful paradise of Themyscira with her mother and leader of the Amazons, Queen Hippolyta, her aunt and trainer, Antiope, and the rest of her Amazon sisters. Ever since she was a child, Diana was trained to be an unstoppable warrior and was taught about the world of man. Diana’s life changes when a pilot named Steve Trevor crashes on the island and tells the Amazons of a massive war occurring in man’s world. Believing this is the work of Ares, The God Of War, Diana goes with Steve to end the war and defeat Ares. Along the way, Diana will discover the full potential of her powers and embrace her destiny of becoming the hero she was born to be: Wonder Woman.

There is no doubt that the DC Extended Universe has gotten off to a rocky start. Ever since the success of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, D.C. and Warner Bros have been trying to play catch up to rival Marvel with movies of their own. While they had Batman with Christopher Nolans Dark Knight trilogy, those films were more grounded in reality and didn’t have any other ties to DC characters outside of Batman. DC and WB tried to launch their Cinematic Universe with films such as Green Lantern and Jonah Hex, but the critical and commercial failure of both movies stopped DC and WB in their tracks. They even had plans for a Justice League movie called Justice League Mortal with George Miller directing it, but financial problems and the Writers Strike of 2008 caused the movie to be scrapped. WTF WB?!

They eventually found success with their Superman reboot Man Of Steel. Although the movie made a lot of money, the response to the film was mixed. Some thought the film was a bit too dark and people got split on the scene where Superman killed Zod. I thought MOS was a decent take on Superman. I liked how they showed Superman wanting to help out, but at the same time, is worried about what other people think of him. And I didn’t mind the death of Zod since Superman had no other choice and was forced to make a tough call. Then Batman vs Superman came out and the fan base and the critics opinions were split in half immensely. BVS has been criticized constantly for being too bloated, too dark, and too rushed. I personally did not like BVS. I always thought that the fight between Batman and Superman would be more of a fight of ideologies than a fight of fists. And JESSE EISENBERG AS LEX LUTHOR?! REALLY WB?! Although I did like Ben Affleck as Batman and Henry Cavill as Superman, they had little to work with. Then DC decided to release an all villains film in the form of Suicide Squad. But unfortunately, the rift continued to increase even further. While I thought Suicide Squad was more entertaining, the awful pacing and the controversial casting choice of Jared Leto as Joker certainly didn’t help things.

But the one film everyone wanted to see for the longest time was Wonder Woman. Even before it’s eventual release, people were concerned that it would be just another disappointment in DC’s futile attempt to rival the MCU. After seeing Wonder Woman, all I can say is ABOUT DAMN TIME DC!!!!! Wonder Woman is not only the first good DCEU film, but probably the best DC film since The Dark Knight. This movie is actually balanced with it not being too dark, but not being too light either. It has good pacing, good effects, and a good cast thanks to the beautiful directing by Patty Jenkins.

The look of Wonder Woman feels like you are watching a comic book come to life. The action and pacing is beautifully shot and you are never feeling bored and/or waiting for the film to be over. The design of Themyscira, London, and the battlefields of WWI feel authentic and makes you believe you are actually there interacting with this world. But the heart and driving force of Wonder Woman are the story and the characters.

Even though they are only at the beginning of the film, both Connie Nielsen and Robin Wright give outstanding performances as Queen Hippolyta and Antiope. Hippolyta wants Diana to just live with the Amazons peacefully, but Antiope reminds her that Diana is so much more and is destined for great things. You can feel the sorrow, pain, and love that Nielsen portrays as Hippolyta along with the reluctance of needing to let Diana go and allowing her to be on her own. Wright embodies Antiopes determination to mold Diana into a powerful warrior and preparing her for what is to come. Other honorable mentions include Diana and Steves group that includes Etta, Sameer, Charlie, and The Chief played by Lucy Davis, Said Taghmaoui, Ewan Bremner, and Eugene Brave Rock. Although they are not in the movie very long, they do great with what they are given.

But the best performances in this movie are Gal Gadot as Diana and Chris Pine as Steve Trevor. Gal Gadot gives a much better performance than her small role in BVS. We see Diana encounter all the hardships and comfort that the outside world has. There are some funny moments in London when Diana learns of man’s way of live through a naive, but smart innocence. Diana fights hard throughout the film to end the war and stop Ares so she can save everyone. But we also see her deal with the realization that no matter how hard she fights, that she can’t save everyone. And Gadot does this performance beautifully. Chris Pine is also on par with Gal Gadot and shines as Steve Trevor. Trevor is a guy who is fascinated about what kind of being Diana is and like her wants to fight hard to end this war as well. Trevor also does a good job in teaching Diana that his world is very different from hers and shows her that not everything is what it seems in man’s world. And this is probably one of Chris Pine’s best performances to date. Pine and Gadot’s chemistry is electric and awesome. Their relationship is not like a romance, but more like friends who want to help each other out.

The only problem I have with Wonder Woman are the villains Dr. Maru/Dr. Poison, Ludendorff, and Ares, played by Elena Anaya, Danny Huston, and David Thewlis. It’s not that performances weren’t good. They are just not very memorable villains that leave an impact like The Joker or The Green Goblin. But there are times where Huston and Anaya play their roles a bit too cartoony. There is this one scene where they poison an entire German command and they do the evil laugh cliche. It was like I was watching Boris And Natasha from Rocky And Bulwinkle. I was actually waiting for them to say, “We will crush Moose And Squirrel”. While David Thewlis is a good actor, I thought he was miscast as Ares. I imagined Ares as this big, brutish and built warrior with a cold and calculating intelligence. Thewlis plays him like a snobby aristocrat and I just didn’t get that God Of War vibe from him at all.

Despite those minor complaints, Wonder Woman is so far one of the best films of 2017 and the film that DC and WB desperately needed. Let’s hope that this is all uphill from here for future DC movies. While I do love the MCU, I definitely need some more good DC movies right now. Go see Wonder Woman now. You won’t be disappointed.

Kong Skull Island Review

Strap yourselves in people. I have one monster review as I give you my thoughts on the new monster movie, Kong: Skull Island. Kong Skull Island is the second film in Legendary’s monster cinematic universe after Godzilla and it will be leading up to 2020s Godzilla vs King Kong. Kong Skull Island takes place in the early 1970s when the U.S. abandoned the Vietnam War and the Cold War is still going strong. It focuses on a group of soldiers, scientists, and adventurers who learn of an unknown island in the Pacific and rush to explore and map out the island before the Russians do. But when they arrive, the group discovers that the island is home to ancient creatures who are ruled by the giant gorilla known only as Kong. When they crash on the island, the survivors are forced to fight for their lives to not only to avoid being eaten and killed by the creatures of Skull Island, but also make sure they don’t ignite the wrath of Kong.

Instead of being a straight remake of the 1933 movie, Skull Island goes for a complete reboot of Kong while also adding to the mythos of the Kong legend. What we get is a fun and awesome thrill ride of a film from beginning to end. The effects of this movie are jaw dropping. Watching the whole movie, I could hardly tell what was a practical effect or what was CGI. The environment that the characters go through is fun and terrifying to the point where it feels like you are part of the movie. The creatures that we encounter range from majestic and beautiful to terrifying and monstrous.

Now I’ll be honest. The cast in this movie really just play the typical stereotypes you see in a movie like this. But the cast still do a good job nonetheless. Samuel L Jackson plays the hard as nails and tough to the bone army colonel. Of course with Samuel L Jackson in a role, it is always going to be badass. Tom Hiddleston also does a good job as the tough but heavy hearted explorer who tries to keep everyone together. Corey Hawkins and John Goodman play the scientists who want to study the island and prove to the world that monsters exist decently, but not really memorable. Brie Larson also gives a good performance as the female lead. But instead of being a damsel in distress, she is a strong willed and daring girl who is not afraid to stand up for herself against the perils on the island. But probably my favorite actor in this movie is John C. Riley as the stranded WWII veteran. He brings a lot of humor to the movie and he goes all out in lightening up the mood when things get too dark. But the real star is of course Kong himself. Kong was so astounding and magnificent that I thought I was watching a real giant gorilla on screen instead of a motion captured actor doing Kong. While I enjoyed the 2014 Godzilla film, I was feeling a bit disappointed that the film showed little of Godzilla. In Skull Island, not only does Kong have more screen time, but when he unleashes his rage, you see every second of it. And trust me when I say it is glorious.

Overall, Kong Skull Island is a fun and enjoyable monster flick that will leave you breathless. I look forward to seeing Godzilla 2, Godzilla vs King Kong, and any other monster movies that Legendary puts out in the years to come. See Skull Island immediately!!!!!

War Of The Planet Of The Apes

The Planet Of The Apes franchise has quite an interesting history. It all started with the original Planet Of The Apes, which was released back in 1968 and starred Charlton Heston. The film focused on astronauts who come across a planet just like Earth. But on this planet, man has become uncivilized and intelligent apes rule the planet. The original film spawned many sequels and it remains one of the most influential and fascinating movies to date with its captivating story and impressive special effects and makeup. But what was really important about the original series was its take on the political issues that were going on at the time. It was an insane socio-political commentary and twisted take on reverse evolution, superior ideals, and the survival of the fittest. And more importantly, Planet Of The Apes was a heavy inspiration for movies like Star Wars, Jurassic Park, and Lord Of The Rings.

Inevitably and eventually, Planet of The Apes joined the long list of movies that have been remade. The first remake came out in 2001, which was helmed by creative visionary Tim Burton and starring rising star Mark Wahlberg. Now with such a brilliant director like Burton and up and coming actor like Wahlberg, you would think this remake would be a huge hit right? Unfortunately, the film got a lot of hate from both audiences and critics alike for being such an unfocused reimagining. While the sets, makeup, and the ape actors were very impressive, the film focused more on the humans than the apes themselves and was updated to be a war movie. The talking humans were awkward and bland, the apes were more special effects than actual characters, and the film completely missed the point of the original Planet Of The Apes. Even though the film was a box office success, the mixed reactions and creative differences on making a sequel killed the franchise for many years.

Ten years later, the Apes franchise would be revisited, but only this time this new take would focus on the origins of how the apes came into power. People were very hesitant about this new direction since most movie prequels usually don’t work out so well. But surprisingly, this new series of Apes films blew everyone’s expectations and breathed new life into the franchise. The first of these new films was Rise Of The Planet Of The Apes, which focused on a chimpanzee named Caesar who is given enhanced intelligence thanks to a serum that was to be used as a cure for Alzheimer’s disease. With his newfound intelligence, Caesar spread this new serum upon his fellow apes and began an ape revolution against the humans who abuse them. Rise was a great start with fascinating characters, awesome CGI, and took us deep into what happens when people decide to abuse nature and face the consequences for it. Three years later, we got Dawn Of The Planet Of The Apes and the result was not only a great sequel, but also a great movie on its own. It followed Caesar and his new ape society living in a world where humanity is on the brink of extinction thanks to the deadly Simian Virus. Despite Caesar’s best efforts to co-exist with the humans, one of his apes goes rogue and eventually starts a war with humanity. This year, we finally get the conclusion to Caesar’s story in the third film of the reboot trilogy, War For The Planet Of The Apes.

War For The Planet Of The Apes is the third entry in the second reboot of the Planet Of The Apes franchise. War For The Planet Of The Apes focuses on Caesar and his ape community being hunted down by a human army led by a ruthless Colonel. When this deadly conflict results in the apes suffering countless loses, Caesar becomes torn between finding a place where his apes can live in peace and seeking vengeance against the human army that desperately wants all apes exterminated. It all leads up to an epic battle, which will decide the fate of not only human and ape kind, but the future of the planet as well.

Usually when a movie trilogy happens, there is always one film that is the weakest and it is mostly the third one. This is probably due to the fact that the third movie needs to have a conclusion and all loose ends need to be tied up, which puts it under a lot of pressure. Most of the time, the second sequel falls flat on its face and very rarely does it live up to the first 2 films. I am happy to say that War Of The Planet Of The Apes not only is a rare second sequel that is excellent, but serves as an epic conclusion to Caesar’s story.
Weta Digital does it again with their amazing CGI on the apes. It has gotten to the point where I didn’t see CGI apes at all. I saw living and breathing apes that when I reach out to touch the screen, I see and feel they are there. There are only a few action scenes throughout the movie, but they are so worth it. You feel the intensity and the emotion every time, which makes it easier for you to get invested in it. Another thing I found interesting about this movie was that it got deeper into the Simian Virus. We learn that the virus has mutated to the point where it causes humans to lose their vocals and become more primitive. It is basically reverse evolution where the apes become more dominant in intelligence while humans start to act more like animals.

But the heart of this movie is the acting from both the human and ape characters. A heartbreaking but strong performance comes from Amiah Miller as the mute girl Nova. Nova has been affected by the Simian Flu, which has cost her ability to speak, but still retains some intelligence as she bonds with the apes. Since Miller doesn’t speak in the movie, she has to rely on her body movements and facial expressions for the whole film and every emotion she expresses just tugs at your heartstrings. Another good performance comes from Woody Harrelson as the Colonel. The Colonel may seem like the villain of the movie, but is really just a man who is desperate to survive. He knows that this war will determine who will ultimately control the planet. The Colonel is so determined to win this war that he is willing to win at any cost, even if it means killing other humans in the process. Even though the Colonel’s actions are cruel, you understand why he does it.

Finally, we have the incredible performances from the apes. A new character we see is the gorilla named Red Donkey. Red is a gorilla that has gone rogue and joins the humans in eliminating the other apes for a promise of a new life. It shows that even apes are becoming desperate to win this war that they are willing to turn on each other in order to find peace. Another new ape character we have is Bad Ape, who is a hairless ape that has survived a massacre of his own apes. Bad Ape also brings a bit of lighthearted humor to the film in order to lighten the mood after intense scenes. Returning from the previous films is the chimpanzee Rocket who does his best to help Caesar and his fellow apes find peace away from the humans and gets a lot of great moments in the film. Also returning from the previous films is the orangutan Maurice who helps Caesar throughout his journey. Maurice worries that Caesar might make the same mistakes that Koba made. He also serves as an emotional anchor for Nova. The chemistry between Maurice and Nova is organic and heartwarming. Even though they just met each other, it feels like they have been friends for years. Maurice guides Nova into becoming strong even through the darkest times.

But the greatest performance in War is Andy Serkis as the ape leader Caesar. If this doesn’t convince the Academy to give Serkis an Oscar, then I don’t know what will. Serkis gives it all through his motion capture of Caesar even when he has to rely on his facial expressions most of the time. Throughout the film, Caesar struggles with wanting to find a new home for his ape society to live in peace and seeking revenge against the military group that wishes to kill his kind. And Caesar knows that no what choice he makes; it will affect both humans and apes no matter what. It has been an epic journey to see Caesar go through so much and finally get an ending to his story.

War For the Planet Of The Apes is a powerful and epic conclusion to an amazing trilogy. It will be interesting to see where the Apes franchise will go after this. It might eventually lead up to another remake of the Planet Of The Apes or spinoff films. If those movies are as great as the previous three, then I am all for it.

Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them Review

The magical world of Harry Potter returns in this fun and exciting new film from the mind of J.K. Rowling. Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them takes place in New York City many years before the events of the Harry Potter. We focus on fellow writer and wizard Newt Scamander who arrives in New York with a magical suitcase filled with fantastic magical creatures from around the world. In a series of unfortunate mishaps, Newt’s creatures are accidentally unleashed upon the city and chaos ensues. Teaming up with a no maj(American term for non magic people) named Jacob and two other wizards named Tina and Queenie, Newt must not only recapture his creatures, but deal with a seemingly sinister plot along the way.

It has been five years since the last time we stepped into J.K Rowling’s magical world. And we all thought we would never see it again after the final Harry Potter film. But thanks to the screenwriting debut of J.K. Rowling and returning director David Yates, we are given another magical and wonderful adventure in Fantastic Beasts. The world and the visuals of this movie are astounding, especially on the Fantastic Beasts themselves. Each creature has their own unique design and they are stunning to the point where you want to touch the screen and be able to touch one.

Just like in the Harry Potter films, we are introduced to an amazing cast. Eddie Redmayne is fun and charming as Newt and truly shines when he interacts with the magical creatures. Katherine Waterson plays Tina who may seem like a strict and by the book wizard, but she has a gentle side to her as well and Waterson does a good balance of that. Allison Sudol is adorable as Queenie who unlike Tina is full of life and very easy going and Sudol plays it masterfully. Ezra Miller performance in this movie is disturbing and very heartbreaking. I won’t go into spoilers about what he truly is, but it will shock you. Colin Farrell also does a great job in this film as Graves. Until the third act of this movie, you have no idea what his true intentions are and he keeps you guessing. But the standout performance in this movie is Dan Folger as the no-maj Jacob. Folger steals every scene he is in with his comedic timing and humor. And I truly hope we see more of him in the upcoming sequels. Even the creatures themselves are characters on their own and you care about every single one of them.

Now I will admit the human characters didn’t strike a chord with me like the characters in the Harry Potter films where I fell immediately in love with the characters. But we still have four films to look forward to, so we will see where their characters progress.

Overall, Fantastic Beasts is a great, fun, and magical film that draws you back into the world of Harry Potter and I can’t wait to see what J.K. Rowling has in store next. Go to a cinema right now and see it for yourself.

Snatched Review

Here we have the Amy Schumer comedy Snatched. After being dumped by her boyfriend a few days before going on a vacation to Ecuador, Emily, a daring dreamer convinces her cautious mother, Linda to go with her. All seems relaxing for the mother and daughter duo at first in this seemingly tropical paradise, but when things take an unexpected turn, Linda and Emily need to find the strength to escape the mess they have gotten into in this wild and crazy jungle adventure.

Even before this movie came out, this film was being torn apart by people and critics alike. After watching it myself, I will say that while I don’t think it’s as bad as everyone says it is, it is pretty much a forgettable comedy. I will admit I laughed a few times, but the film mostly focuses on shock and raunchy humor to the point where it gets ridiculous. Now shock and raunchy humor can work if handled properly, but written in a film like this can kill a film pretty quick.

The cast is alright. Amy Schumer does get a few laughs few and there. This is also Goldie Hawn’s first film in 15 years and she does okay with the material she is given. But what I did hate about this film is how it wastes some other cast members. Like this subplot where we have Wanda Sykes and Joan Cusack play these special forces soldiers. You could have taken them out of this film and the film wouldn’t change at all. But the biggest waste in this movie is the badass and awesome Christopher Meloni. This is the guy who played Detective Elliot Stabler on Law And Order SVU and Chris Keller in OZ. I want to see Meloni in a comedy, but one that has a lot more dignity than this. Come on Chris. What were you thinking?!

So Snatched is pretty much a forgettable comedy that you might want to watch on any streaming service or TV when you get bored. I really hope Amy Schumer chooses much better roles or she might become the female Adam Sandler. You will get a few laughs, but you will feel grossed out mostly.

The Lego Batman Movie Review

The Lego Batman Movie is Warner Bros second animated Lego Movie after The Lego Movie back in 2014. Well I saw it and I thought it was crazy, over the top, and silly. And I loved every second of it.

The Lego Batman Movie of course is a comedic parody of DC’s most iconic superhero Batman and his iconic villains and allies in Gotham City. The story involves Batman trying to foil his long time nemesis The Joker’s latest scheme and reluctantly relying on the help of his new son Dick Grayson, his butler Alfred, and new police commissioner Barbara Gordon despite wanting to accomplish all this on his own.

The Lego Batman Movie is a breath of fresh air for DC after rough times last year in their cinematic universe. Batman vs Superman left a bad taste in my mouth since Batman and Superman’s battle should have been a battle of ideologies instead of a battle of fists. Also the miscasting of Jesse Eisenberg and trying to cram so many references and easter eggs into this movie made the film a giant mess even though I did love Wonder Woman’s fight scene. While Suicide Squad was better and more fun, it did have it’s fair share of flaws as well. I thought Joker should have been the main villain instead of The Enchantress. Jared Leto’s Joker was off to me since he looked more like a creepy punk rocker instead of a psychotic and scary clown. And even though Margot Robbie was a great Harley Quinn, I wish they kept her look from the animated series. I am glad to say that The Lego Batman Movie is the movie we needed.

The greatest advantage that serves this movie is how embraces all the silliness and insanity that it surrounds itself in. It never takes itself too seriously and it is one of the best parody movies made in years. Who would have thought that someone would take Batman, one of the most renowned, dark, and complex superheroes of all time and turn it into a parody. It takes it’s time to make jabs at all the previous Batman incarnations including the Adam West series, Batman The Animated Series, The Schumacher Films, The Burton Films, the Nolan Films, and even Batfleck. The Lego Batman Movie also balances itself out to the point where both kids and adults can enjoy it.

But what really sells The Lego Batman Movie is the stellar voice cast ensemble. Will Arnett does a great job voicing Batman and Bruce Wayne. Arnett does a perfect balance of acting out the arrogant and tough guy persona of Wayne and Batman and displaying the sympathy and kindness of them as well. Batman truly wants a family, but he is worried that he will lose all of them just like his parents and prefers to be alone. Michael Cera is fantastic as Dick Grayson/Robin. He displays Robin’s enthusiastic and adventurous nature while also showing Robin’s determination to make Batman proud as both a partner and son. Ralph Fiennes owns it as Batman’s father figure and butler Alfred Pennyworth. Fiennes humbly displays wisdom to Batman in a way of showing him that he doesn’t need to be alone in fighting crime. Rosario Dawson makes a great addition as Barbara Gordon/Batgirl. Dawson shows us a Batgirl who even though admires Batman a lot, she wants to show Batman that teamwork can be a great asset as well. And finally we have Zach Galifianakis voicing The Joker. This version of Joker is both someone you want to hate and care for and Zach does it flawlessly. Joker does all these crimes not just for fun, but to desperately gain Batman’s attention and to get him to see him as his true arch enemy and secret best friend. The rest of the cast is good as well including Billy Dee Williams as Two Face.

Overall, The Lego Batman is a fun and silly take on The Dark Knight. Go out and see it for yourself. Let’s hope Wonder Woman and Justice League are good. DC needs it.

Baywatch Review

Here we have the summer comedy Baywatch. Based off the popular TV show of the name, Baywatch follows Lifeguard Lieutenant Mitch who dedicates his life to protect the beaches and the port of Emerald Bay as part of an elite group called Baywatch. Baywatch hires disgraced Olympic swimmer Matt Brody who’s cocky attitude clashes with Mitch’s work ethic. To further complicate matters, a criminal plot is discovered that threatens the future of Emerald Bay. It is now up to Mitch, Matt, and the rest of the Baywatch team to stop this criminal activity and save the beaches of Emerald Bay.

Once again, we have another summer comedy that is being torn apart by critics. Critics and even audiences didn’t like the first summer comedy Snatched. While it is not the worst comedy I’ve seen, it was still pretty bad. But unlike Snatched, Baywatch is not only a better comedy, but a fun time from beginning to end. This adaptation of Baywatch is done in the same style as 21 Jump Street, where they make fun of the TV show it was based on but still make an enjoyable parody out of it. While 21 Jump Street is better, Baywatch is still a good comedy for what it is. To be honest, the film was stupid, raunchy, over the top, and had every single cliche imaginable. But it was done in a fun way and I loved every minute of it.

The true backbone of Baywatch is the charming cast that comes along with it. Like any film he is in, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson once again brings his A-Game and once again owns it with the charisma he has. Mitch is a tough guy with a heart of gold who leads his team like they are his own family and Johnson plays the role smoothly. Zac Efron brings his A-Game as well as the cocky Matt Brody. Matt at first starts out as that guy who thinks that since he is the top dog, he can do whatever he wants. But as the film progresses, he learns that trying to be the best isn’t always the best option. Efron works best in the movie when he is playing off of Johnson and it is hilarious every time they butt heads in the movie. The rest of the cast, which includes Alexandra Daddario, Priyanka Chopra, Kelly Rohrbach, Ilfenesh Hadera, and Jon Bass do a good job as well.

There were a few gross out jokes, but unlike Snatched, they don’t play out too long and the film knows when to stop those jokes. Another negative I have about the film is there are times where they use some CGI. The film is on a beach for crying out loud. They couldn’t have the time to make those certain scenes with practical effects. My only other gripe with the film is I wish some of the cast had a little more to do. But they still did good with the material they were given.

Overall, Baywatch is a fun comedy to help kick off the summer. Go to your local theater and check it out for yourself.

Alien Covenant Review

What can you say about the Alien Franchise? To be honest, it has had a weird history. You first had Alien, which was a straight up horror sci-fi movie which is not only a horror classic, but gave us both one of the scariest creatures in movie history and the badass and down to earth Ellen Ripley. It had amazing atmosphere, awesome characters, and horror which would keep you on the edge of your seat. Then you had Aliens, which changed the genre into a sci-fi war movie and it is not only of the best sequels, but one of the best films of all time. It gave us the Alien Queen, awesome characters, and action that will keep your heart pounding. And it is all thanks to the talent of James Cameron, Ridley Scott, and H.R. Geiger.

But things went downhill after those two big hits. Alien 3 and Alien Resurrection were rehashed and never got up to the same league as the first 2 movies. The AVP films only further tore open the wound on this franchise. There seemed to be a glimmer of hope when Ridley Scott returned to the franchise to direct the Alien prequel Prometheus. While it was an intriguing and interesting film, it only seemed to divide the fan base even more. Now does this new film Alien Covenant return the franchise to its former glory? Lets see.

The film focuses on a crew on the colony ship called Covenant who awaken a couple years early when a cosmic storm damages their ship and kills some of their people. While repairing the ship and talking about whether not they want to go back into cryogenic sleep to continue their sleep to their designated new home, they get an unknown transmission. They track the transmission to a remote unknown planet which appears to be a beautiful paradise. But when the crew learn the planets dark secret, it becomes a fight for survival.

I will say that Alien Covenant is better than Alien 3 and Resurrection and even on par with Prometheus, but it still can’t match up to the epic scale and intensity that the first 2 films had. Let’s start with the good stuff. The film is shot beautifully and the set designs are really impressive. Covenant gets some really good scares in every now and then, especially with the creatures. The Xenomorphs are as scary as ever and whenever they are on screen, your blood will run cold. The film has a decent cast with good performances from Danny McBride, Katherine Waterson, and Billy Crudup. But the standout performance in this movie is Michael Fassbender as the androids David and Walter. Fassbender has such charisma playing these machines that you want him to be the focus for the entire film.

Minor spoilers ahead. Now let’s get into the stuff in this film that makes me want to bang my head against the wall. When they first touchdown on this planet, they investigate it without helmets since the air is breathable. Breathable or not, it is still an unknown planet. Until an alien planet is deemed safe, I am keeping my helmet on. The middle of this movie becomes a tribute to all the dumb horror cliches that we have all seen before. Seriously, I wanted to play Scream for all these people to show WHAT NOT TO DO IN A PLACE LIKE THIS!!!!! And some of these people are scientists. SCIENTISTS!!!!! You would think they have a little more common sense than this. While Waterson’s performance is good, she is basically playing a recycled Ellen Ripley. There is nothing unique about her character at all except she is the one with the most common sense. And I was disappointed that we never saw Dr. Shaw again. I felt like there was a film that is missing between Prometheus and Covenant and I wanted to see that movie. I wanted to see how David and Shaw discover this planet and to learn more about the engineers and expand the mythology of this franchise. But instead Ridley Scott decided to give us a kind of best hits of the Alien franchise. I really hope we get the Alien 5 that Neill Blomkamp and Sigourney Weaver promised us somewhere down the road. I feel that this is the only way to rejuvenate this franchise.

Overall, Alien Covenant is a decent addition to the Alien franchise. You will be scared and entertained sometimes, but I feel it had the potential to be so much more.

Beauty And The Beast 2017 Review

I am going to be talking about a tale as old as time brought to us once again. That tale is Disney’s live action version remake of its 1991 animated film, Beauty And The Beast. The story focuses on a young prince who is transformed into a beast for his selfishness and cruelty. The only way to break the spell is for the prince to find true love or he will be forever remain a beast. This chance comes along when he meets Belle, a beautiful and independent girl who comes to the castle in exchange for her father to be freed. As Belle continues to stay with the Beast and meets his cursed servants, she slowly realizes that true beauty is found within.

As most of you know, the 1991 Disney animated adaptation of Beauty And The Beast is considered by many to be not only one of the best animated films of all time, but also one of the greatest films of all time. Which is very true indeed with its beautiful and breathtaking animation, memorable and catchy songs, strong and solid story, great characters, and stunning voice acting. It was also the first animated film in history to be nominated for an Academy Award for Best Picture. Why it didn’t win Best Picture baffles me to this day. When it was announced that Disney was making a live action Beauty And The Beast, people immediately scratched their heads thinking WHY?! And I was among those people. Why would Disney make a live action adaptation of Beauty And The Beast when the animated version was already a masterpiece. But of course, I went to see it with an open mind to see what Disney could do with the live action version. Would it be a straight remake of the 1991 film or would they add something new to the film? Well after seeing it, I will say that while the animated film is superior, this live action version was surprisingly good.

2017’s Disney’s Beauty And The Beast retains the atmosphere and stunning visuals that its 1991 animated counterpart had, especially with the Beasts castle. The castle has a presence that is dark and gothic while at eh same time mysterious and intriguing. The songs remain catchy and memorable as ever, even though there were a few times where the songs felt kind of off key, but they were still good nevertheless. The acting is very good as well. Emma Watson does an excellent job of capturing the spirit and independence of Belle. And might I add that her singing is magnificent. Dan Stevens is really impressive as the Beast. Since Stevens is covered mostly in CGI and is rarely seen in human form, we need to rely on his facial movements and voice acting for his performance. And Stevens is very convincing when he goes from angry and monstrous to sympathetic and caring. Luke Evans is both charming and revolting as Gaston. Seeing him go from being heroic and dashing to self absorbed and greedy is very satisfying, especially when he tries to get Belles affections. And the rest of the characters are good as well including Kevin Kline as Maurice, Josh Gad as LeFou, Ewan Mcgregor as Lumière, Ian Mckellen as Cogsworth, Emma Thompson as Mrs. Potts, Stanley Tucci as Maestro Cadenza, Nathan Mack as Chip, and Gugu Mbatha-Raw as Plumette.

While I did enjoy the film, I did feel weird watching it since I already saw all of it in the animated film. It makes me want to rewatch the animated film even more. I will say however that there are some parts the live action Beauty And The Beast do better than the animated one. I love how they made Maurice more of a competent and strong person instead of a bumbling buffoon. LeFou is still Gaston’s ally, but even he questions some of Gaston’s methods from time to time and tries to persuade Gaston to use alternative methods. We also get some backstory into Belle and the Beast’s past like what happened to Belle’s mother and what caused the prince to become what he is.

Disney’s Live Action Beauty And The Beast is a good adaptation. While the animated Beauty And The Beast is still superior, this live action version is definitely worth of a watch. Watch these two back to back and you decide which is better.

Doctor Strange Review

Finally saw Doctor Strange and it is not only is it another great Marvel movie, but it is also one of the best movies of the year. The film follows Doctor Stephen Strange who is a successful neurosurgeon who performs surgeries no other doctors dare to do. But tragedy strikes when Strange gets in a car accident that severely damages his hands to the point where he can no longer perform his work. Hoping to fix his hands, Strange heads East for guidance when he comes across the Ancient One, a powerful sorcerer who agrees to teach Strange in the mystic arts. But when an old foe from the Ancient One’s past returns to put the world in jeopardy, is it up to Strange to either return to his old life or step up to become a hero as the Sorcerer Supreme.

One of the best things about this film is the visuals. They immediately suck you in and make you feel like you are on a roller coaster whenever they are on screen. I also got to give great props to the makeup and costume design. The filmmakers really took their time in making this film very beautiful.

The film also has a strong cast that includes Rachel McAdams, Benedict Wong, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Mads Mikkelsen, Tilda Swinton, and Benedict Cumberbatch. Wong and Ejiofor do a good job of being good mentors and allies to Strange as Wong and Baron Mordo. MacAdams is not in the film for very long, but she still gives a good performance nonetheless. Now I know that the Marvel villains are usually the weak points in these movies, except of course Loki. Mikkelsen’s villain does a little bit better in this movie though. He has this deadpan expression the whole movie with excellent makeup, but also has great lines of delivery and has somewhat noble reasons for why he does what he does. Tilda Swinton just owns it as the Ancient One. She has this atmosphere around her where she is dangerous and intimidating, but at the same time wise, kind, and noble. We finally come down to Benedict Cumberbatch as the Sorcerer Supreme himself. Cumberbatch owns every scene he is in. He comes across as arrogant and bit of a jerk, but at the same time charming to the point where you still find him likable.

Overall, Doctor Strange is another awesome addition to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. And I can’t wait to see Strange and his world again in the future. I highly recommend to check it out.

Fate Of The Furious Review

We got a fun one folks. Here is my review of the eighth installment in the Fast and Furious franchise, Fate Of The Furious. It is a time of peace for Dom and his crew. Brian and Mia are enjoying retirement with their child, Hobbs is enjoying coaching his girls soccer team, and Dom and Letty are out on their honeymoon. But trouble arises when a mysterious woman known only as Cipher seemingly seduces Dom back into a life of crime and causes him to betray his family that he has fought so hard to protect and maintain. The rest of Dom’s crew team up with Mr Nobody and his new partner Little Nobody along with their old enemy, Deckard Shaw in a race across the globe to not only bring back Dom to his senses, but to stop Cipher from unleashing chaos upon the world.

Now many people were curious to see how the Fast and Furious franchise would be able to continue without Paul Walker, who tragically died in a car accident in late 2013. If you watched Furious 7, the filmmakers decided not to kill off Paul’s character Brian O’Connor and instead put him in retirement with Doms sister Mia and their child. It is revealed that the crew made an agreement to keep Mia and Brian out of the game. So I admire the film that they keep Brian alive, but at the same time, honoring Paul Walker’s legacy on this franchise.

If you get down to the beef of it, all the Fast and Furious movies are basically b movies with over the top action and cheesy dialogue. But they are b movies with heart and substance. They know when to have fun and not take themselves too seriously. The same applies to this movie.

The acting is really good and diverse in Fate Of The Furious. Yeah they are basically stereotypes, but they play them with heart and character. You have Ludacris and Natalie Emanuel as Tej and Ramsey as computer hackers and intelligence, Kurt Russell and Scott Eastwood as Mr Nobody and Little Nobody who provide the crew with any means necessary to help them in their goal, Tyrese Gibson as Roman who brings the comedy to the crew, Jason Statham as Deckard Shaw, the crews former enemy who is forced to work with them to bring down Cipher, Michelle Rodriguez as Dom’s beautiful, but tough to the bone wife, and Dwayne Johnson as Luke Hobbs, the badass Special Armed Forces agent with a big heart. But who really shines in this film are Vin Diesel and Charlize Theron. As we have seen in previous films, Dom always puts family and friends above all else and will do anything to protect them. No spoilers, but the reason why Dom chooses to betray his family is heartbreaking and nail biting. And Vin Diesel does a great job performing this, even when he has no dialogue. And finally we have Charlize Theron as the villain Cipher. Cipher is a very different kind of villain for the Fast and Furious franchise. While most of the villains sought power, Cipher wants to cause chaos everywhere and she will go to extreme lengths to get what she wants.

The action in this movie is awesome and fun. Some critics might call it dumb and in a way it is, but it is stupid fun. You are always on the edge of your seat when the action picks up and at the end, you are begging for more. The use of real locations along with practical effects and little CGI keeps you from never getting bored and you are blown away from beginning to end. Overall, Fate Of The Furious is another welcome addition to this long and running franchise. I can’t wait to see where this franchise goes next.

Guardians Of The Galaxy Volume 2 Review

Guardians Of The Galaxy Volume 2, is the next entry of the Marvel Cinematic Universe and the sequel to the surprise hit of Summer 2014’s, Guardians Of The Galaxy. The Guardians will be tested when they uncover the truth behind their leader, Peter Quill a.k.a Star Lord’s true heritage. Old enemies become allies and many surprises lie ahead for our heroes as they continue to explore the cosmos in this fun and spectacular sequel.

James Gunn takes everything we loved about the first Guardians Of the Galaxy and amps it up in Volume 2 and succeeds gloriously. There is never a moment where I wasn’t bored at all. Gunn manages to keep balance with all the fun and humor along with great characters and amazing action. The story is kind of weak, but Gunn makes up for it by having a strong cast.

GOTG Volume 2 further develops the characters as we dive deeper into their backstories. We get a touching moment between Gamora and Nebula as the film sheds more light on their rivalry and relationship as sisters. We also find out more about who Peter Quill/Star Lord (played actually is and we learn more about his parents, specifically his dad. We get more into Yondu’s backstory of why he became a Ravager and we watch him being torn with his code to the Ravagers and his friendship with the Guardians. Yondu gets quite possibly the best line in the entire movie. So be on the lookout for it. But it is Rocket Racoon and Baby Groot who steal the show, especially Baby Groot. Rocket Racoon is just as badass as ever with his cocky attitude, charming sense of humor, and badassness. While Rocket always acts like a tough guy and a bit of a hothead, we find out later why he always puts on that front. And when Baby Groot shows up on screen, you just want to pull him out of the screen and cuddle with him. He is that cute. The only one who got the least development was Drax, but he makes up for it with his literal sense of humor, oddball complexity, and fight scenes. Lets hope GOTG 3 has more development for him.

We also get new characters in GOTG Volume 2 as well. We are introduced to a new race called the Soverigns who are genetically engineered to be at their physical and mental peaks. No spoilers, but they do set up a certain new character for an upcoming Guardians film. We are introduced next to Mantis, who is an alien with empathic powers and Ego’s assistant. She gets great chemistry with Drax in the movie and it is adorable and funny. And finally we have Ego, a living planet and mysterious celestial who can make himself human and who is Peter Quills father. He finds Peter and wishes to have Peter to help him spread life across the universe. But his intentions are not what they seem.

Overall, Guardians Of The Galaxy Volume 2 is a fun and spectacular adventure from beginning to end with a strong cast, great characters, and spectacular effects. It is also another successful entry for the Marvel Cinematic Universe. I can’t wait to see what James Gunn and Marvel do next with the Guardians. Oh and one last thing, BEST OPENING SEQUENCE EVER!!!!!

Logan Review

For 17 years, Hugh Jackman has amazed us with his badass portrayal of Wolverine. But all good things must come to an end as Jackman takes his final bow in his last performance of the lone mutant in Logan. In this film, mutant kind is on the edge of extinction in the near future. The few mutants that are known to be remaining include Wolverine/Logan, Charles Xavier, and Caliban who have been in hiding on the Mexican border. But all is not well with our fellow mutants. Charles Xavier is now an unstable and ailing schizophrenic who suffers from extreme seizures which unwillingly ignite his telepathic powers and harms anyone who are in his range. The only way that Charles can stay normal is medication supplied to him by Logan. Logan isn’t doing too well either. His healing factor has greatly diminished and the poisoning from the adamantium in his body is slowly killing him. All Logan wants to do is for him and Charles to find a place where they can die in peace. But all that changes when a young girl named Laura shows up who shares a lot in common with Logan and is being pursued by dark forces. It is now up to Logan and Charles to protect the girl and take her to a place up north called ‘Eden’ where future mutants can be safe and grow again. Along their journey, Logan and Charles will rediscover the value of family and friendship and go through the trials of redemption.

It is without a doubt that Logan is one of the best superhero movies in a long time. It is a film that evenly balances action, violence, story, and character development. Thanks to the R rating, the movie embraces its rating and doesn’t hold anything back. The film shows action, violence, and gore that will make your jaw drop to the floor. Now this may at first may sound like a mindless, gore filled, and violent action film. But Logan is instead a strong character driven movie that only uses action and violence when necessary and use it just enough.

But the real selling point of Logan is the acting. Hugh Jackman gives his best performance of Wolverine to date and he ends his run of the character on a high note. We see Logan constantly struggle with wanting to be alone and at peace and willing to do one last mission that could get him killed and Jackman plays it gracefully. My favorite scenes with Wolverine is when he just embraces his berserker rage. We have seen parts of Wolverines rage in the past, but they were restricted by the PG-13 rating. But with Logan’s R rating, there is no more holding back. To see Jackman finally unleash Wolverines full berserker rage was glorious and worth the price of admission. Another amazing performance that is on par with or even a little above Jackman is Patrick Stewart as Charles Xavier. This is definitely a different side of Xavier that Stewart plays than in the other X-Men films. We have seen Xavier in the past as this elegant, classy, wise, and humble teacher who’s goal was to teach other mutants to control their powers and live among humanity. But in this film, his mind is suffering, his powers have grown unstable, and he seems to be broken beyond repair. Xavier clearly at this point has almost all hope and just wants to die. But a little part of him believes that there is still hope for mutants and humans and desperately wants to see that achieved To see Stewart portray that different side of Xavier was heart-breaking and that performance alone deserves an Oscar. The villains in this film are not very developed and are the weak characters of the film. The performances are fine, but just not very memorable. But one of the villains that stood out was Boyd Holbrook as Pierce. He brings a sense of humor to the film despite the films dark tone and he had a fun time doing it. But the real star of the film was Dafne Keen as Laura/X-23. Laura easily joins the ranks of bad ass heroines right alongside Sarah Connor and Ellen Ripley. This girl was badass and awesome every time she was on screen. When she unleashes her fury, it is a spectacle that is both terrifying and amazing at the same time. This is one of her first film roles and I can already tell Kean is on her way to becoming a powerhouse actress. I really hope we see more of her as X-23 in the near future.

Overall, Logan is an amazing and character driven film from beginning to end. Highly recommend you go see it right now. I am going to miss Hugh Jackman as Wolverine and I want to thank him for 17 amazing years of bringing the character to life. There are rumors that Jackman might reprise Wolverine again if he gets to act with Deadpool in a future movie. I really hope that becomes a reality. If not, then I wish you a long and great career Mr Jackman.

Power Rangers 2017 Movie Review

Just letting you know right now there might be some spoilers in this review so if you haven’t seen the movie, I highly recommend seeing the movie first. But if you still want to know my thoughts, read away.

Now I wasn’t really a fan of the Power Rangers TV shows and Movies. I always thought they were very cheesy and sometimes a little bit too silly for my taste. But when I saw the trailer for this new Power Rangers movie reboot, my curiosity peaked. After watching this new incarnation of the Power Rangers, I must say it was a fun and good film. The movie takes place in the town of Angel Grove where we focus on a group of five high school outcasts who meet each other through detention. While investigating a mountainous region, they discover mysterious gems that imbue them with unique superhuman abilities. The outcasts also unearth an ancient alien ship where they find a robot named Alpha 5 and the alien Zordon, who tell them they have been chosen to become the Power Rangers. It is up to the teens to overcome their personal lives and differences to join forces with each other, Alpha 5, and Zordon when Zordon’s old enemy, Rita Repulsa resurfaces with plans to not only unleash her wrath on Angel Grove, but the entire Earth as well.

Now this isn’t your typical action packed movie like Transformers, G.I. Joe, or Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. The Power Rangers reboot is less of an action film and more of a character driven film. Right off the bat, we are introduced to these 5 teens and we immediately care for them from beginning to end. The cast is really diverse and give these characters distinct personalities without making them stereotypes. Jason The Red Ranger is a failed football player and jock, but stands up for other people. Billy The Blue Ranger is an autistic teen who wants to keep his friends together. Zack the Black Ranger is a cocky but down to earth kind of guy. Kimberly The Pink Ranger is a badass girl who doesn’t take shit from anyone. And finally we have Trini The Yellow Ranger who has transferred to many schools and new towns in order to try and fit in.

The supporting cast does a good job as well. Bill Hader is hilarious and awesome as Alpha 5 who constantly helps the Power Rangers in honing their skills and preparing for battle. Bryan Cranston does amazing as the wise and ancient Zordon. Although he does act like a dick sometimes, Zordon just wants the teens to embrace their destiny and not make the same mistakes he did. But the best performance in this movie by far is Elizabeth Banks as Rita Repulsa. Banks owns every scene she’s in as Rita as she brings a terrifying but awesome new incarnation of Rita. Instead of standing around and ordering her minions to do her dirty work and cursing the Power Rangers like in the original series, this version of Rita Repulsa is violent. She is terrifying and ruthless to the point where she takes down anyone who gets in her way. I loved how they made Rita the original Green Ranger which makes her connection to the Rangers and Zordon far more personal.

Now the majority of the action and the teens putting on their suits for the first time takes place in the third act of the film. Now this is both the greatest strength and weakness of the Power Rangers reboot. It is a strength, because it uses the first and second act to develop these characters and solve the personal issues they have in order to become the Power Rangers. But it is a weakness as well because people are hoping to get a lot of action throughout the film and the teens donning the suits once or twice. The only action we get in the first two acts are the teens discovering their powers and the training sequence. You would think it is a letdown since the title of the movie is POWER RANGERS!!!!! But once the third acts, the payoff is so worth the wait.

Despite some flaws, the new Power Rangers movie is a fun and decent film. I really hope we get a sequel real soon.

Rogue One Review

With The Force Awakens a hit with audiences, Disney has released another Star Wars movie this year. But this time, this film takes a break from the main story and instead takes place between Revenge Of The Sith and A New Hope. This is the first of what is to be many Star Wars anthology/spinoff films that hope to expand the Star Wars universe. This first anthology film is called Rogue One and it is based off a A New Hope’s opening crawl of how the Rebel Alliance acquired the Death Star plans from the Galactic Empire. The film focuses on Jyn Erso, a criminal who is recruited by the Rebel Alliance to embark on a mission to infiltrate Imperial territory to steal the plans for the Galactic Empire’s new superweapon that may have the power to destroy entire planets. Along with a team of Rebels she meets along the way, Jyn will soon discover that this mission is bigger than she ever imagined.

Now if you have seen A New Hope, you probably know how this movie will turn out. But the question of course is does Rogue One succeed it all? Oh yes. Oh yes it does. And I thought it was a little bit better than The Force Awakens. While I loved The Force Awakens, it was more of a love letter to Star Wars fans, but I accepted it since it was Disney’s first shot at reviving Star Wars and wanting to play it safe.

With this film, we get a different kind of Star Wars film we have never seen before. I have to say this is probably the darkest Star Wars film since Revenge Of The Sith and The Empire Strikes Back. Thanks to brilliant directing by Gareth Edwards, Rogue One definitely puts more emphasis on the Wars part of Star Wars. This whole film is a war movie from beginning to end. The action scenes are gritty and intense. This movie definitely borrows elements from other war movies like Saving Private Ryan and Black Hawk Down. The pacing of this film starts off slow in the first and second act, but the third act will astound you. Rogue One also does a great job in balancing out both practical and CGI effects to the point where you feel like you are actually part of the movie. Now the CGI gets really unique on a certain element in the movie, but I’ll get into that later.

And of course, Rogue One has an amazing ensemble cast and characters. Jyn Erso, played by the beautiful and kickass Felicity Jones is this cold emotionally detached Rebel who feels forced to do this mission, but when she gets deeper into it, she finds new purpose and determination to get the plans. Now this could have been a dull performance, but Jones does it in a way where you care about her all the way through the movie. We also have Cassain Andor, played by Diego Luna, who is in charge of this mission and leads the team on this deadly mission. Andor is a guy who is so desperate to get the plans and defeat the Empire, that he is willing to go to desperate measures to secure the Alliance’s victory. Donnie Yen plays Chirrut Imwe, a blind monk warrior who worships the Force and even though he doesn’t have connection to the Force, he manages to deliver some amazing fight scenes. Along with him is his partner and bodyguard Baze Malbus, played by Wen Jiang who believes that Chirrut’s view of the Force is just a form of luck and their opposing views together offer amazing chemistry. Orson Krennic is the film’s main antagonist and he is played by Ben Mendelsohn. Krennic is a ruthless and persistant Imperial Director who will go to great lengths to make sure the Death Star gets completed and fully operational. We also have great performances by Forest Whitaker and Mads Mikkelsen, but I need to go into spolier territory to talk about them, so I won’t go that far. But my favorite character in this movie is the droid K-2SO played and voiced by the amazing Alan Tudyk. K-2SO owns every scene he is in with his emotionless and sarcastic, but very funny dialogue. He is like a badass version of C-3PO and I loved every second of him.

Now minor spoilers ahead, so don’t continue reading if you haven’t seen the film. One of the things that blew me away from this movie is how Rogue One used CGI to bring Peter Cushing back to life to play Grand Moff Tarkin once again. I was shocked and amazed, because even though I knew it was 100% CGI, I actually believed that was a breathing and very much alive Peter Cushing. It was that amazing. And finally Darth Vader is in this movie and it was so incredible to see him in a Star Wars movie again and to hear James Earl Jones mighty Vader voice again and it was so worth it. Now he does have a short part in the film, but it is not as short as you think. At the end of Rogue One, he comes back and you will be blown away and terrified. Overall, Rogue One is an amazing addition to the Star Wars family and the best Star Wars prequel. So get off your butts and see the movie now. You won’t be disappointed. I look forward to seeing more new Star Wars films in the near future.