ABOUT ME

How’s it going CineViewers,

I wanted to write this article for I’ve been doing this for some time now and I thought it be good for viewers to know a bit about the writer. My name is De’Shaun Ruiz and I am now a recent college graduate with a bachelor degree in digital filmmaking. Ever since I was a kid, I was always into film and I’m have to give props to my grandparents on that one for I’ve always went to the movies with them and watched films in our home.

At first I wanted to be a doctor, but science became less fun overtime when it came to lab reports and criteria. But as a kid, I loved to draw and create stories behind those drawings which led me into writing. Seeing how things can be written and turned into films for all to enjoy, I knew that was my true profession I wanted to get behind. Now, I focus on directing and screenwriting as my pursuit, but I have my hand in other things as well, but it sucks when I do it all by myself.

For me, it’s all about the story. No matter how great a film looks if the story is not there then it didn’t work. Over the years, I started to appreciate some films for what they are and I’m more of a middle man mostly as you can see with my reviews. The people behind these films have the intention to make a great film and sometimes it doesn’t end up that way and usually when I see reviews these days it’s always talking about either the bad or the good, but never both. Studying film helped me see things in a different light than just a casual movie goer, so I try to see it from their perspective while also giving my own. Creating this review blog, I hope people can understand that a bit that all reviews are just opinions, but at the same time show certain films in a different way than say a reviewer on a top brand completely shitting on something without giving any reasons or what they would’ve done differently. Overall, if it entertained you that’s good enough for that’s what it’s meant to do besides be an art form.

As of now, I’m hoping to continue this blog from time to time when I can see a new film (I forgot to write my review of Invisible Man: 10/10 btw) but I’m also working on my own projects I wish to see in some sort of medium. Currently, I run what my family considers to be my own “studio” called Bijou-Bot Entertainment where I have done short films (mostly college projects), a podcast called “Improvatory” that tells stories through improvisation which currently has two seasons on Spotify, SoundCloud, iTunes and basically any other podcast site, with two book adaptations on Amazon and Apple Books. I basically do it all, screen write, direct, produce, photography, graphic design, edit, draw, and many more.

There’s so much other stuff, but I guess that’s enough to know about me. Hopefully I can expand in the future and help others do the same. One thing I always say to myself is: There’s an infinite possibility to storytelling it’s a matter of which one you want to tell.

Scoob! Movie Review

“A modern Scooby-Doo for kids and general audiences to enjoy and die hard fans to complain about”

When this film was announced back in 2015/2016 at Comic-Con, I was very curious as to why and how it would this all turn out. Skip to 2020 and during this whole pandemic with COVID-19 and theaters being closed and studios releasing certain films on VOD, I actually had the chance to see it for myself. My general impression: I enjoyed it.

SCOOB! is of coarse about the origins of the Scooby-Doo gang but now being apart of a whole universe of other Hanna-Barbera properties from Blue Falcon and Dynomut to even Captain Caveman with many more to come in the foreseeable future.

To many people, including all the reviews I’ve read so far, they all comparing this as the wanna-be attempt to start up a universe similar to how Iron Man did for Marvel. Sure, you can say that studios are copying off of each other to start up shared universes, but how else are you gonna start one then? To anyone who reads this first prior to watching or even after watching the film: TOSS THE MARVEL CRAP OUT THE WINDOW! It is understandable that Marvel had become the staple of cinematic universes, but that shouldn’t be the base comparison to everything that wants to attempt starting their own universes.

All the die hard Scooby-Doo fans, my favorites being the Cyber Chase, Zombie Island and even that recent television series Mystery Inc, this is a modern take of these characters for younger audiences with sly jokes for us now mature people to say “ah-ha I see what you did there”. I didn’t go in expecting the usual tropes of the franchise because that’s not how the film marketed itself and I was expecting to enjoy a cartoon for once besides always watching anime.

The film is filled with pop culture references and music that I will admit at first I was like bruh, but after awhile it was funny. The director, Tony Cervone, who actually directed many Hanna Barbara animations alongside Spike Brandt including the Supernatural crossover, said in an interview this film is about Scooby and Shaggy and that shows. In all honesty whenever we see Scooby-Doo (show or any movie), Fred, Velma, and Daphne are the ones we usually follow in the story while Shaggy and Scooby are the comedic relief and gags, but I never realized this till now that despite that we always pay attention to Shaggy and Scooby more so it made sense that this film was mainly about them and the bond they share. Similar to the many guest appearances the series has it was interesting this felt different by including other characters from Hanna-Barbara like Blue Falcon (Mark Wahlberg) who in this SPOILER ALERT is actually the son of the original Blue Falcon and is more hip and so forth which I thought was funny cause it subtly reflects today’s time which the real audience is for. Dick Dastardly was my favorite addition to the cast cause both him and Scooby never really met before and he was a funny snarky old time villain instead of some Ultron or Loki (just to take a jab at some reviewers who want to compare to Marvel) What I really enjoyed what even though this is a 3D animated movie they still added the flare and visual gags from the 2D animations (even adding the good ol’ sound effects).

If I was director, the only things I would really have done is maybe tone down the music part of the pop culture references (mainly the scene when the Mystery Machine gets pulled over and Fred sees the female cop) it did feel overbearing, but if you stash away the pride and hardcore fan shit, its funny. Captain Caveman I do feel was the only part that felt like was just put in there to be the keeper of the third skull and I actually had the impression he would’ve been some keeper who knows more about Scooby’s origins but I’m kinda glad they didn’t do that.

Scoob! is a modern take on the franchise in some cases that puts the two characters we usually follow whenever we watch them in the spotlight. Basically Velma sums it up well in the film, those two are the heart of the franchise which now is filled with other Hanna-Barbara characters to interact with. I’m really curious on what the next film in the cinematic universe will be cause it’s chock full of references to other characters all throughout that many will find fun to see. All you have to do is watch it and think: did I enjoy it or did I not. I will say, I DID.

7.5/10

Now to clear up some things many reviewers I’ve watched say:

1. It’s no hiding the fact the film isn’t the usual mystery solving besides solving Scooby’s origins, which took almost till about ACT 3 to figure out which is fine, but that’s not the overall thing of this film. You can say it’s a superhero film, but that’s cause Blue Falcon is in there and he’s a superhero. The Mystery Team had crossovers with Batman! Wonder Woman! and many other superheroes even WWE where John Cena stopped a giant boulder so it’s not like it’s the first time, but I’ll admit I haven’t seen that film entirely but it still doesn’t create a difference.
2. Some want to compare this to Marvel and blah blah blah, JUST STOP. We get it no one can catch up to Marvel and that’s because Marvel has been in the game since 2008 and are already on the ball with a typical formula for success and instead of planting seeds to a whole mash-up movie, Scoob! doesn’t do that at all. This film has a plot that goes from Act 1 to 3 with a B-Story with no “infinity stone mcguffin” that’s suppose to set up a franchise team-up in the future. If they did we would’ve known what the next movie is about now would we? (That’s how Marvel does it and that’s coming from a fan who loved the movies all the way through and lost interest after Endgame but has his interest slightly back)
3. Second part about the Marvel thing, the beam in the sky shit people complain was nothing but Athens reverting to what it was as the gates to the Underworld where Muttley was trapped and Dick was trying to get back (well more for the treasure within which had a hilarious flashback by the way). I personally didn’t notice the beam cause I was immersed by the fact Fred was sad his van was totaled. If you want to compare beam in the sky go back to when Avengers and Transformers Dark of the Moon came out and TMNT reboot. See now if actual demons were coming out and they had to fight them off and there was major Michael Bay explosions then yeah I agree but Scooby-Doo gang and Blue Falcon Squad was just pushing Cerberus back through the gate and then a beam shot up to revert Athens back to the present state it was in.
4. Huge thing I understand is the fact they didn’t have Matthew Lillard voice shaggy or Frank Welker also voice Fred. At first, I wondered why too cause we grew up with those voices, but as I watched the film I couldn’t really see those voices working with the way the characters looked (how they were animated). Will Forte, I’ll admit took me a minute to get use to his Shaggy voice, but I can’t hold that against him cause he was hired for the job and he enjoyed it. Let it be. The others I felt were a good fit for what the writers and directors were going for. Velma is more Spanish which was a neat subtextual feature. If they got Frank Welker to voice Scooby I think they were considering him to do Fred, but that Fred’s voice is more late 20s voice than a teenager. See now if someone else voiced Scooby, then you can out roar all you want.

SONIC THE HEDGEHOG REVIEW

“All it took was a redesign and the film turned out to be a blast for family and all”

When the film was first announced to be going into production (before anything was filmed) I was at first like “okay hopefully they don’t fuck it up”. Then that first trailer came out with the now infamous design and like many I said oh god no. After the redesign was done I can say like most people have already this movie is right there with Detective Pikachu and one of the best video game to movie films to date.

Sonic the Hedgehog is a film based on the Sega character of the same name as he tries to navigate the complexities of life on Earth with his newfound best friend — a human named Tom Wachowski. They must soon join forces to prevent the evil Dr. Robotnik from capturing Sonic and using his powers for world domination.

Right off the bat I’m just say it. I’m looking forward to what they’ll do next in a sequel and I hope that a sequel is green-lit. Sonic was great all around with fun and comedy. Jim Carrey was great as Dr. Robotnik and the film didn’t try so hard to be something besides just enjoying giving us a fun film with Sonic. This film I will say is geared a lot towards kids as it should for we grew fond of Sonic when majority of us were kids. The redesign surely did help in flipping the film around as far as how the fanbase felt and I find it funny that most now are curious what the film would like with that original design (probably not too good). I don’t say this lightly that Sonic is on par with Detective Pikachu because both are faithful to their respective franchises in design and certain elements that make them unique. The purpose of the rings acting as teleporters and Green Hills being a callback to the first zone in the games.

If I was director the only thing I would change really is possibly find a way to make is speed feel unique. There has been a common go around with critics that there wasn’t anything new shown off and I can see why. The bar scene is basically Quicksilver’s scenes from XMen Days of Future Past and Apocalypse, but it was slightly different because that actually had a cool song choice and there was humor all around. That’s probably the only slight thing cause everything else I felt was great and didn’t try to expand on the lore too much it felt like a standalone film despite the tease of Tails appearing at the end.

Sonic the Hedgehog was a deemed to fail that came back and destroyed all expectations. It was a fun family joyride with a great cast and a simple story that will for sure expand in the sequel. I do hope it does get green-lit.

8/10

Birds of Prey Review

“Action-packed, Entertaining as if John Wick and Deadpool collided into one mash-up”

When I was aware of three Joker and Harley Quinn movies in development, I said to myself okay that’s too much, but when they said that one of them was actually Birds of Prey, my mind went into a “okay finally something different from DC even if they included Harley.” I gotta say this film did not disappoint and I’m happy Warner Bros. decided to follow their own formula and let things just flow with each film such as this being R-rated.

Birds of Prey and the Fantabulous Emancipation of one Harley Quinn (long title I know) is a Birds of Prey origin told through the eyes of Harley Quinn as she crosses paths with them at the same time. The four our joined together under a common threat of Black Mask (Ewan McGregor) who desires a diamond that was swallowed by a girl named Cassandra Cain and all of this is happening after Harley and Joker had split.

Overall this film is one of DC’s best since the Justice League fiasco. I have to admit, I feel DC has gotten a lot better since then cause I can really see it’s creativity and focus on smaller stories than trying to have a whole big event film like how Marvel rolls on things. The action was intense and felt real while the mayhem never stopped and that’s how a film like this should be. Many reviewers online are trying to say that this is what Suicide Squad was meant to be like this, but I disagree (maybe James Gunn’s yeah, but not Ayers). David Ayer’s Suicide Squad had a lot of meddling so that vision was back and forth from that but Birds of Prey had a vision in mind from the start and kept with it. The story’s structure was similar to Deadpool with a character telling the story and causing the flashbacks mixed with the intense hardcore action of John Wick (speaking of which the director of Mr. Wick, Chad S., he was hired for second unit to pump up the action) and that was a highlight. I enjoyed every minute of it and each character had a moment to shine despite being shown through Harley’s eyes. What I find interesting and clever is how they tell the origin story of a group of characters through the eyes of an already established character of the universe. I find that cool and fresh than just having a usual origin. At first, I was like why have Harley in it and they actually justified that by using that tactic while also giving her own story that crosspath with the whole mess they get into. Despite being a comic book movie, it felt grounded due to the action and the stakes instead of always having some overpowering villain with powers. Instead, we had Black Mask who was ruthless while also insane. I’d go see this movie if I was you if you’re into mayhem and a good time.

If I was director, I really don’t have much I would change because I enjoyed it really well. I don’t have much memory of Birds of Prey besides the original tv show from early 2000s so I came in with a fresh mind. The violence and story was balanced for my liking and each character felt equal despite the promotional stuff all shows Harley. I guess one aspect would’ve been Huntress. She was amazing but her story was slightly shown throughout until she was prominent in the end. Maybe if there was a way to show her origin early in the film instead but I actually haven’t found where it would’ve been best. If anyone reading this has an idea, please do share in the comments.

Birds of Prey was different and I like how DC is finally showing off characters unrelated to Justice League. I feel if DC shows more characters in their pool much like they do with their cartoon movies, then they have a far different edge compared to Marvel who introduces characters and a story that ties to something bigger seven movies down the line (I liked that approach as a kid, but the formula I’m seeing it as the general formula to building a cinematic universe which is fine I like Marvel, but studios please do branch out and find new ways without rushing). I’m curious if this does get a sequel how would they go about it and we already gonna get Harley in James Gunn’s film next year. Also, I forgot to mention how nice it’s a change of pace to see women as the main protagonist it’s different and it didn’t feel sexualized like many are usually (that’s nice at times if it’s justified but here not needed). Soundtrack was really good too.

9/10

Star Wars: The Rise Of Skywalker Review

“A film so divisive, I’ll accept it.”

Okay so let’s get this out of the way and if you defer me for this, that’s an honorable opinion, but here’s my statement: I liked The Last Jedi. Many people are so torn by it to this day that it even affects how people will view Episode IX. I liked Episode VIII due to it’s boldness and bringing in concepts and ideas that went completely away from audience expectations (come on Rian Johnson did Knives Out, Looper and my more…). Now that The Rise of Skywalker is out and concludes the Skywalker Saga as a whole…I’ll accept what’s been done.

The Rise of Skywalker follows one year after The Last Jedi where Emperor Palpatine emerges from the Unknown Regions to enact his revenge and the Resistance puts up one final battle to end the conflict once and for all.

Prior to the films release there were leaks on reddit that spoiled the entire plot and I hate to say it after seeing leaked images match up and now watching it myself, fare warning, the leaks are true…all of it. I came into the film knowing what would happen, but like I tell anyone, reading is far different than seeing it. The way a screenplay works is to help the director construct a visualization of their story in order to create it for real for the big screen. I felt despite knowing the leaks it was nice to see it for my own eyes and it’s not as bad as people on the internet troll about it. This fill will make you upset at points but it has it’s good moments as well. Hearing others reviews who hate the film so much, I feel there’s an over exaggeration due to the back lash of Episode VIII still lingering since 2017! I did feel there were parts I’m like okay forreal now while other times I’m like oh that was dope. I’m trying to be as general for now and leave the spoilers for below. It was nice seeing Rey, Poe, and Finn together for this one adventure and the chemistry brings a sort of banter I enjoyed that didn’t feel forced. Palpatine was a good addition but for a villain looming as a threat, we rarely see him. His screen time felt almost half of what he had in Return of The Jedi. Despite that though, everytime Palpatine was onscreen he was menacing and it was perfect. I would love to go on but I’m leave that for SPOILERS DOWN BELOW!

If I was director, there would be a few minor tweaks to J.J’s story. The film felt fast which is nothing wrong it keeps the plot moving, however I didn’t feel there was enough time to digest each location we found our heroes within. Another aspect is Palpatine, sure I can try to believe J.J’s master plan was to bring him in all along and I agree since he’s the over arching antagonist of the whole saga, but here his role didn’t feel justified or paid off as much as I really wanted it to. I felt the build up was missing and even if you wait till the final movie to reveal him, I would’ve given the screen time Palpatine deserved. The opening minutes was that very moment and sure a few throwaway answers to lingering questions regarding Snoke, but it was monumental. Another thing I would do is roll with The Last Jedi despite the many bold decisions instead of trying to retcon/soft reboot a concept such as Rey’s heritage. I felt the actual truth could be added without trying to play it off. I feel if instead of trying to move from point A to D to Z in under 2.5hrs and fill it in with nostalgia and fan service to pleasure an audience who hates you, I’d add more oil to that fire and bring this saga into a close that wouldn’t feel so conflicted in what it wants to be for the toxic fandom. My idea I’ll leave down in the SPOILER SECTION BELOW.

The Rise of Skywalker sends off the saga into the sunset since the original franchise back in 1977. Sure there are it’s pros and cons to the film that’ll go on for many years but at the same time I accept it for the film it’s become. I still look forward to seeing what Rian Johnson comes up with for his trilogy of Star Wars.

6/10

NOW SPOILERS!!!!

All leaks are true. Rey being a Palpatine. Her heritage. Han Solo returning. Leia training Rey. Hux is the mole for the Resistance. Leia dies. Kylo Ren turns good again and helps Rey defeat Palpatine. Rey and Kylo kiss. Snoke is a puppet clone for Palpatine. All are true elements to the film.

Each of these spoiler moments I did not mind at all. I thought it was cool to have Leia train her and I was surprised by how they incorporated Leia with so short of available deleted scenes to bring Carrie Fisher back. There was also a scene where Luke and Leia were training together before Leia stepped away after having a vision of her son turning. Palpatines scenes were soooooo amazing I was upset he was barely in it. The never really say how he survived but only just say yeah the Sith has abilities that kept me alive but at least he looked like a ghost holding onto a string to life. Some of his fingers were missing it was like he was a living corpse waiting for the next heir. I wish we had more moments to explain his return than just a few throwaway lines. Same with Lando, that was so random and I was upset cause they finally brought him back and then make him talk before leaving him behind till scenes later. Snoke being a cloned puppet for Palpatine was cool but left a lot to ask. Hayden Christensen IS IN THE FILM as a voice for Anakin on top of Yoda, Mace Windu, Ahsoka and many more Jedi. The search for sith relics was interesting but at the same time some of that stuff could’ve been reworked. I understand people felt it was video gamey for them to look for an artifact to find Palpatine and it did at times only due to the fast pacing of it. I felt the pacing was moving but at the same time I didn’t get the chance to digest the scene fully such as when Lando or Zorri appeared the first time. I’m like c’mon give me a moment first to catch up before rushing to the rest. Rey being a Palpatine granddaughter was a smart move but at the same time I’m disappointed that J.J [Abrams] softly retconned a lot of stuff The Last Jedi did for fan service than just servicing a good story.

There’s so much that this movie did I appreciated and other times disappointed by but please do not let ones opinion defer you from watching. This is a Star Wars movie after all and its a cultivation of everything that came before with easter eggs that callback to previous Episodes and more. So before the idea I would think of in closing out Rise of Skywalker I will say what I would keep: Leia’s role due to Carrie Fishers untimely death (her role in 9 is still prominent to say the least with what resources they had which was merely only less than 8 minutes of unused Force Awakens footage), Palpatine Lineage, Kylo’s redemption arc, Luke’s role, Zorri Bliss, Death Star II return, Passana sequence. But here’s my idea:

Same start out Kylo on Mustafar and takes the wayfinder to find his way Exogol where he meets Palpatine (best opening ever in Star Wars that scene was demented and creepy EPIC). Palpatine does reveal he was behind Snoke and was the one all along communicating to Kylo all these years through Vader’s helmet and etc. Kylo questions Palpatine on how he’s alive and Palpatine, explains like in the movie but more clearer for fandoms to not try and overthink it too much, that the Sith is full of mysteries that even death is not a problem from returning from. Palpatine does offer Kylo a place in the Final Order if he brings Rey to him.

Meanwhile Rey is like in the movie training with Leia and the whole Finn and Poe sequence getting information from the mole in the First Order. As Rey is studying from the ancient Jedi texts, the resistance are aware that Luke was searching for the planet long ago and remember there’s a possible contact on Passana which was where the trail went cold. The gang head to Passana including R2 and they see the festival and so forth. Meanwhile, Kylo like in the movie is aware of the mole in his ranks. He wants them to find Rey and has everyone search for her. Passana sequence plays out like in the movie except when they are found by First Order troops and find out Lando saved them, he was the contact. They take a moment to talk to him in hiding where he explains when he and Luke arrived they were searching for a Sith artifact before they lost any leads only that there was a Sith Assassin. Pretty much the sequence in the movie except we also get to know why he stayed there: he met someone and had a family and the First Order took them away. He also helps guide them to the Sith ship where things went cold and helps distract the incoming troops to buy time for them. We get more of Lando here basically to establish where he’s been and why. Rey thanks him insisting he comeback but Lando does say his fighting days are over. Kylo is informed they’re on Passana and he arrives with the Knights of Ren. Here the Knights actually are more lethal in hunting down the gang than the troopers and manage to capture Chewie while Rey is distracted with Ren. The sequence plays out when the carrier is blown up as in the movie and Rey and the others escape in tears.

Brief flight sequence before they jump to light speed. On the sith assassin ship, they remember the Falcon is left behind and it’s too late to go back. Meanwhile on Passana, just as troopers are ready to take hold of the Falcon, Lando sneaks on board surprised to be on it after so long and decides to fly it out himself.

Back on the sith ship, Rey and the others realize what they found when their leads went cold and the Force Healing sequence (Force Healing is in the Expanded Universe so it’s a cool thing to make canon) the artifact is a sith holocron. They meet the old D-O droid and Rey notices she must use the force to force to try and see what they must find after 3Po realizes not even he can translate it. Rey taps into it and flashes bits and pieces of her past like in the flashback with the dagger and it’s too much for her to hold while also sensing Chewie might be alive having seen it in a vision of a possible future. They realize they’re out of fuel and stop at Kijimi which Poe isn’t too much in aggreeance with.

They do so anyway and on Kijimi they encounter Zorri like in the movie however after some convincing Zorri decides to help them. Zorri and Poe turn out to go way back during Poe’s early days in the resistance running spice runs undercover to retrieve information on the First Order. The place is under occupation so it’s hard to find a spot to lay low so Zorri brings them to their old crew where Rey and the others meet Babu Frik. As they try to figure out what to do since the holocron doesn’t have many leads to anything, Babu overhears that 3Po cannot speak the translation because it’s a language forbidden by all droids to ever speak to anyone but can read. Babu insists it’s possible to have 3Po say it if he hacks into his memory core but in doing so will wipe his memory. They’re unsure but 3Po insists it be done and plays out like in the movie except when 3Po speaks he doesn’t give the location of the other wayfinder, he speaks of an ancient riddle of some sort that explains slightly how Palpatine survived in Episode 6 and in order to seek their answers they must go where it all ended. Rey remembers in her vision she saw the wreckage of the Death Star II on one of the forest moons and they plan to make their way there.

Meanwhile, Kylo speaks with Palpatine who sees how much of a failure Kylo is compared to Vader. He senses conflict in Ren still lingers inside and entrusts the Knights of Ren, an order long thought lost since the Old Republic but now consists of Sith Loyalist created from Luke’s former students, to handle getting Rey than Kylo. The Knights already know where they are as two of them had been tailing Rey since they left Passana.

As Rey and the others prepare to leave, she senses Chewie on the star destroyer much like in the movie and she is enacted in a Force Bond with Ren who speaks with her realizing there’s more to her story. Then yeah I hate to admit the slight change they did but I’ll accept it if Ren reveals that Rey’s parents where nobody’s but unbeknownst to Rey, it appears her mother is the daughter of Palpatine. Rey obviously believes he’s lying and Ren confirms he’s not. The two fight but at the same time the others sneak onboard the starship to save Chewie but encounter the Knights of Ren who capture them.

As they’re about to be executed, Hux does reveal himself as the mole which was not a problem especially since Hux only did it cause he hated Ren’s beliefs as Supreme Leader. He informs General Pryde of their escape and Pryde informs him they found the spy and one of the Knights kills Hux. As they escape, the others are cornered when the Falcon appears and Lando saves them and flies off, leaving Rey behind. Rey manages to escape Kijimi with the help of Zorri and she heads to the Death Star wreckage which is also where Finn insists they go, believing Rey will be there.

At the Death Star wreckage, Lando, Finn, Poe and them arrive on the outskirts of the shore like in the movie except they didnt crash cause Lando flew it. And they meet Jannah who and other First Order defectors stayed hidden away ever since they fled. They spend the night, Finn and Jannah bond and it’s revealed Lando had a daughter who was taken from him by the First Order and he wishes to have saved her but after his wife passed he lost all hope. Meanwhile, Rey arrives but doesn’t link with the others wanted to find out the truth on her own and explores the Death Star wreckage and finds herself in the throne room where it all originally ended. She explores the area and encounters a force vision of her past when Palpatine had fallen by the hands of Luke and Vader, he used all the sith energy he had left in him to vanish causing that blue smoke we saw in Return of the Jedi and he arrived on Exogol all deteriorating as we see him now. It’s revealed he had a secret plan in place unknown to the Empire and only to him which is why he explored the Unknown Regions so much and had the support of Sith followers he made during his time as Emperor to keep him alive. He calls out to his granddaughter in the vision stating it’s her destiny to keep the lineage in place one that the Skywalker line could not. Rey refuses the call but encounters Dark Rey and duels before escaping the vision.

Rey then finds Kylo is there with her and it’s not a Force Bond having realized why she’s at here. She doesn’t want to accept it and Kylo reminds her she should’ve let the past die as he said and joined him. Rey admits she wanted to but not with Kylo but Ben Solo. Similar to the scene in the movie the two result in a fight and Leia passes on in the midst of this and Finn realizes Rey is here hinting his slight force sensitivity. He heads to the wreckage with Jannah where he encounters the Rey and Ren right like in the movie and Rey escapes after healing Ben.

Pretty much the scenes after when Rey tries to isolate herself on Ach-to much like Luke cause that was a nice scene and reminisces to Dagobah with Obi-Wan and Luke. Luke reminds Rey despite her lineage she helped him come to terms with his failure. Similar to what Luke said to Ren in The Last Jedi he tells Rey that the rebellion has been reborn and thousands of generations live within her now. He gives Rey, Leia’s saber like in the movie and raises his old X-wing from the water and uses salvageable parts from the TIE fighter to repair a few parts with the help of Rey (wanting her to be in-tuned with the force) She heads for Exogol thanks to the wayfinder Ren had in his ship and she sees the Force Ghosts of Jedi’s pasts (fan service here but at least it’s a place it would work) and she heads off to Exogol while giving coordinates to the resistance.

Ren has his scene with the memory of Han Solo. He redeems himself and confronts Finn and the others. It’s a comedic but tense scene seeing him especially after the news of Leia’s death and Lando is the one to trust Ben’s judgement obviously knowing it’s not the first time something like Ren has happened before. Ren is given a ship to head to Exogol while the others gather the rest of the Resistance.

Battle of Exogol pretty much commences as Palpatine’s Final Order fleet is being prepared having had it set as a contingency ever since the Empire began. Rey arrives and confronts him revealing it’s all true and Palpatine is proven to be the overarching baddie of the Saga and desires to have Rey be the new Empress. He reveals he never wanted her to be killed but serve as his Marionette one controlled by the Sith for all eternity. The Knights of Ren appear and Rey refuses to join causing a small fight.

Poe, Finn Lando and the others head back to base and it’s true Leia is gone and Poe is now general. He speaks her body like in the film and Lando appears much like in the scene and they enact their plan after finally knowing where Exogol is.

Rey isn’t as tough against the Knights and is beaten. Palpatine awaits for her to give in and strike him down much like in the film. Ren arrives and rushes in fighting sith loyalist with his barehands before a force bond is initiated between Ren and Rey. In the midst of the bond much like how items can be swapped and such (however that worked) Rey brings Kylo into the stadium with her using the Force Bond and the two fight side by side against the Knights of Ren similar to how The Last Jedi was but far advanced like the fight in Rise of Skywalker that we see. The two manage to kill the Knights together and stand before Palpatine who senses a peculiar connection between them, stating the he underestimated the Skywalker that he created (connecting to Darth Vader #25 comic) and it shall be the end of their story. He realizes their bond is rare and one that can prove useful to him and much like the scene in the movie, he uses Sith magic to absorb the life energy to restore himself and well it’s then Rey and Kylo vs Palpatine as he does that cool force lighting thing in the movie. Rey is down overwhelmed by Palpatine’s power and Kylo takes a hit to save her, rendering him near death. Rey stands to face her grandfather once more and she calls to the other Jedi of generation’s pasts to give her strength (similar to the movie but more like Avatar State style) and they give her enough strength, and with a little assistance from Kylo, Palpatine is killed and the galaxy is finally at peace.

Rey falls almost about to die and Kylo heals her when Luke appears stating he has that power too. Kylo wants to apologize to Luke but Luke knows already and tells him it’s time he goes. Luke disappears and Rey awakens to find Kylo nearing death. THEY DONT KISS but they acknowledge the bond they shared. Ren dies.

Moments after, the galaxy celebrates once and for all in all places much like in the movie. The Resistance celebrate and Lando finds out Jannah is his long lost daughter (I liked that leak idea even tho it wasn’t true in the film. Adds a connection and why Jannah has a role in the film). Pretty much everything else that happens in the movie takes place. Rey buries Kylo and heads to Tattoine to bury the lightsabers (that was a touching full circle moment) she has her own lightsaber made from her staff like the film and as the twin suns set, teh Ghosts of Luke, Leia and the Skywalker lineage (fan service territory) on look behind her as the Saga is closed out.

That’s my version. It’s not at all that different based on the plot points but as you can see there’s some slight details that were changed that could affect the film to where you’d get a slightly different response.

I suggest you all go see it and not listen to so many people who are still hurt over The Last Jedi or just hate the Sequel Trilogy in general. If the film’s motives and reasons throughout the story are justified it’s a good reason to have it.

MAY THE FORCE BE WITH YOU and HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

Knives Out Review

“A murder mystery worth seeing again and again”

When I heard about Rian Johnson’s movie post-The Last Jedi controversy (he wrote and directed Star Wars 8) I was excited and looking forward to seeing it. Not only a star studded cast of great actors but it’s also a non franchise/adaptation/sequel to anything and it’s all original.

Knive’s Out is a whodunit mystery film written, directed and produced by Rian Johnson and it’s about a detective and a trooper travel to a lush estate to interview the quirky relatives of a patriarch who died during his 85th birthday celebration.

The film is like Clue and right when I got into it I was already thinking who it could be and who was lying and at some points you really couldn’t tell who actually did the murder. During one sequence, the suspects are telling their perspective of the story and you honestly couldn’t tell who was lying or not cause there was bits of truth in all mixed in with a bunch of lies. The film does a huge twist just before the middle of the film (I won’t spoil it’s too good too maybe later I’ll update this with my spoiler opinions) that made me question what more to the story could there be if the one thing we were wondering was revealed then and Rian doesn’t disappoint pulling his Billy Mays move. There were points in the film I’m so engaged and questioning my own conclusions of how the story would end and that’s exactly what I wanted out of this film. Chris Evans, as many of ya’ll know as the good ol’ Cap himself whose now retired, you can’t help but see him as Cap (especially since Endgame was just out months ago) however his role is not like his former marvel character and it’s different. There are some meta-humor/dark-humor moments that I couldn’t help but laugh and it fits so well. For anyone who is interested in such films similar to Sherlock Holmes and classic murder mysteries this is a film that pays homage while doing something original full of twist and turns you wouldn’t expect.

I won’t bother with a if I was director segment because I honestly want to find out how to do my own murder mystery myself. This was just a good movie overall.

Knives Out is a film that leads you down a hole full of twists and turns that could lead to conclusions that maybe true and maybe not all I’m just say is experience the film yourself while it’s still in theaters.

10/10

Last Christmas/Charlie’s Angels Review Mashup

“Two films that show that women don’t always have to be the damsel in distress”

Last Christmas and Charlie’s Angels are two films where women are the hero/protagonist and they don’t rely on men to come and save the day. One is a holiday rom-com while the other is an action comedy that continues the series that started in the early 2000s based on a tv show.

Last Christmas is a film inspired by the song of the same name that follows Kate, a frustrated Londoner who works as an elf in a year-round Christmas shop. But things soon take a turn for the better when she meets Tom — a handsome charmer who seems too good to be true. As the city transforms into the most wonderful time of the year, Tom and Kate’s growing attraction turns into the best gift of all. Meanwhile Charlie’s Angels is the third film in the series (not a reboot) that follows a brilliant scientist who invents Calisto — a sustainable energy source that will revolutionize the way people use power. But when Calisto falls into the wrong hands, the Angels must retrieve it before it can be used as a weapon of mass destruction.

Both of these films I saw with my girlfriend and she loved them both and I enjoyed them. I say I enjoyed them only because since I’m a filmmaker and taking classes that does nothing but analyze the heroes journey, plot, active characters and yada yada film stuff, I view films in that light while trying to just enjoy the movie for what it was. Last Christmas is a heart warming film that is also a drama in some elements. What I liked about the film was it didn’t play on the usual a man comes in to change her life where she ends up with the guy by the end of the film. The films been out for a minute now so sorry but SPOILERS HERE the guy is actually dead and is a spirit that manifest from her heart that actually belonged to him before he died and donated it. Hence the lyrics of the Last Christmas song, “I gave you my heart” that the film inspires from. What I also liked was the fact this film was also NOT set in America. It felt different seeing not the usual scene because I bet if this film would’ve been set in America it wouldve been in the usual New York City if it was and that gets old quick. The song Last Christmas plays a big part of the film obviously. What I did like was in the end, she wasn’t a character that relied on a man to solve her problems, she solved them herself and made herself better with the help of a man.

Now Charlie’s Angels is full of comedy and action written and directed by Elizabeth Banks who also stars in the film as Bosley (well one of the many). The action set pieces are creative , fun and very practical indeed that there are definitely some scenes I surely was like that’s dope. There are some funny moments and espionage that really lets us breathe for a moment before bringing in the action again. It was really cool and I liked how instead of this being a reboot, it’s actually a continuation of the series and makes it that there are more Angels than just Cameron Diaz and the originals from the tv show. In a climate where many films now are sequels, adaptations, continuations, and reboots, Charlie’s Angels at least brings a few new elements and expands the lore than back tread with nostalgia.

I’d go on about the casts for both films, but come on: they’re good.

If I was director of either film: For Last Christmas I love the twist but after awhile due to the song being played throughout the entire film, I felt it was a little too on the nose. That was honestly the only thing about the film I said okay I know where this is going and I had the called it moment when it did (but I will admit it didnt defer me liking it). For Charlie’s Angels I felt the usual bad guy stealing the new tech for domination is a formula that has been milked a lot in spy films that I wish it wasn’t some gadget mcguffin. There were moments (blame it being taught in my classes in all honestly especially since I’m writing films of my own at this moment too) that I felt the dialogue was very expositional and explaining things, but in defense I will admit that not everything can be shown so explaining it is one way to get a point across. For the fight scenes, ever since John Wick, I kinda want to see more action films that don’t always do jump cuts every three seconds and have a fluid one take motion. I don’t mean to copy the style entirely but seeing something like that really makes the fight stand out beyond the rest.

Many people will see these films as women empowerment and I know (at this moment) the box office for these films have been lower than expected for weekends and blamed on men. In all honesty, who cares. Both are good films in their own right and take it as you see it. I didn’t see it as women empowerment I saw it as the main characters are active and make the decisions for themselves not being the damsel in distress all the time.

Charlie’s Angels: 8/10

Last Christmas: 7/10

Doctor Sleep Review

“A sequel/adaptation that shines”

Stanley Kubrik’s The Shining when released back in the 80s became a critical pan into a cult classic film. Skip to 2019 and we now have a sequel to that film, The Shining Book, and adapts Stephen King’s sequel novel. That’s a lot and it manages to honor and balance it all very well.

Doctor Sleep is the sequel to The Shining that follows Danny Torrance struggling with alcoholism and remains traumatized by the sinister events that occurred at the Overlook Hotel when he was a child. His hope for a peaceful existence soon becomes shattered when he meets Abra, a teen who shares his extrasensory gift of the “shine.” Together, they form an unlikely alliance to battle the True Knot, a cult whose members try to feed off the shine of innocents to become immortal.

I’ve never seen Kubrick’s film but I’m well aware of the many famous scenes and moments from the film and the story in general. My grandfather, who I saw it with when it released, enjoyed the film more than The Shining mainly due to, despite the length, the pacing kept things going and it wasn’t confusing. I enjoyed it and Ewan McGregor shines (no pun intended) in the film. Fun fact: The Director, who is behind The Haunting of Hillhouse, had to tackle the film by adapting Doctor Sleep novel, acknowledging elements within the Shining novel that wasn’t in the film, and making the film connected to Kubrick’s who deviated a lot from the source material. The film is more than just a horror and I thought that was really cool staying away from jump-scares and making the terror come from the suspense that builds. There are definitely parts of this film that was very disturbing and I loved it.

If I was the director (who was also the writer and the editor) the only thing I would really change is the length. The film itself is almost 2hours and 40mins long which is longer than The Shining and I felt a few scenes could’ve been shortened slightly.

Doctor Sleep is a horror film that I would consider being a worthy sequel to a cult classic and just a great horror movie in general. Despite the length, it doesn’t hinder the plot and keeps things moving along. There are themes that are hard at play such as alcoholism and facing your past and it holds throughout.

9/10

Terminator: Dark Fate Review

“T1 and T2 just had a baby and it’s definitely a sequel that is worthy to be after Judgement Day”

I will say this confession for the review: I’ve never seen the first Terminator, but I saw all the sequels that came after it. Crazy right?! Well anyway, besides that, I do know the entire lore and what basically the first film all the way to now is like. Overall, this movie does feel like the true sequel to T2: Judgement Day regardless whether James Cameron did deem it so or not.

Terminator: Dark Fate is the sixth installment in the franchise that acts as the true sequel to Terminator 2: Judgement Day. It’s set 22 years after 1997 (when T2 took place) in Mexico City where a newly modified liquid Terminator — the Rev-9 model — arrives from the future to kill a young factory worker named Dani Ramos. Also sent back in time is Grace, a hybrid cyborg human who must protect Ramos from the seemingly indestructible robotic assassin. But the two women soon find some much-needed help from a pair of unexpected allies — seasoned warrior Sarah Connor and the T-800 Terminator.

Seeing this movie made me understand the Terminator franchise was never about John Connor, but his mother Sarah. In the original we follow her, in the second one sure we focus on John’s relationship with the T-800 programmed to protect him but we see some certain scenes through Sarah’s eyes. Dark Fate proves that it’s Sarah’s story as she moves throughout this war between humans and machines. I’ll be sure to keep my spoilers after my score but I do want to say here she has destroyed Skynet but something else took it’s place. Arnie as the T-800 is a staple to the series and here he doesn’t feel just placed in for returning star power either. Dark Fate is meant to be the start of a new trilogy (of coarse like any franchise) but it does work on it’s own while still leaving room and questions you hope to see answered in the future two installments. The new characters don’t feel awkwardly placed either in my opinion and it was nice to see some diversity even if it’s set in Mexico the most of it. I will admit that this film I don’t believe was written to convey parallels to today’s time, besides our addiction and digital imprints left behind by technology, but it does show a bit of immigration and struggles immigrants face trying to get across the boarder. It’s a small detail/element that does raise awareness but not too much it takes over the film. One of the things I liked was the fact Dani Ramo’s brother he had a job in a car factory with his sister and he lost it essentially due to a machine taking his place. Automation is taking over and that’s a theme that’s playing even in our time right now. The Rev-9 played by Gabriel Luna (who played Ghost Rider in the MCU) is a definite force to be reckoned with as he’s basically a combination of a T-800 and a T-1000 and the one terminator from T3 essentially. What I liked besides his cool features and menacing force throughout chasing Dani and Sarah, he also has personality unlike Terminator’s before and he can blend in really well to get his job done. Now the T-800 named Carl is one of Arnie’s best performances yet as he brings character to machine very similar to how Pops was in Genisys. It was really funny seeing the dynamic between him and Sarah and gradually her view on him changes throughout the Act 2 and 3. I would say more but that leads to some spoilers.

If I was director, I wouldn’t really change much at all except I do feel the final battle part did diminish the Rev-9. I do understand though he fought Grace, T-800, Sarah, and Dani at the same time but before he was killing it against them. Then, again it was four against one. I really wished when both terminators met there was some sort of assurance between them. What I mean is when a Terminator from a timeline that no longer exists meets a Terminator from a new timeline that took it’s place that be some cool dialogue much like how the T-3000 in Genisys called Pops a relic from a forgotten timeline. This film was fast paced it wasn’t some happens over the span of a few months type deal so the pacing was fine and gave the audience sometime to think and catch up. I do hope the future installments (if any) doesn’t try to retcon or get too complicated from what this film brought forth.

Terminator Dark Fate I feel is the true T3 (no offense) and I do enjoy the other installments for they all have their strong points in each film, but here the story is simple and it takes elements from both T1 and T2 to accomplish a story that we can follow and comprehend without saying “wait so if that happens then that means….”.It’s like the Force Awakens of the franchise.

8/10

SPOILERS!!!!

Okay so one thing I want to say and I don’t care who hates me for it or says “oh you’re not a terminator fan” or whatever but the fact John Connor dies in the first 30 seconds to a minute says so much and again recalls to my statement that this franchise is about Sarah, not John. I know we all believe this franchise is about John Connor being the leader of the resistance and everything but I felt it started becoming redundant and boring after awhile like “okay we get it what next”. So seeing him die I’m like oh shit now that’s interesting. Fun Fact: It was James Cameron idea right off the bat when helping develop the story. Hate it if you want but after a while what you wanna see? John Connor’s son be the actual true leader of the resistance or something? John Connor say “shit here we go again” or “yeah you’re back, heard that before”. It was different and also signifies that anyone can be a leader of the resistance. I’ve heard people compare to Newt death in Alien 3 and I get what you mean, but Newt’s death wasn’t significant compared to John’s. John’s death was the driving force for Sarah the real star while Newt dies in some stupid space accident in cryosleep…that was stupid.

I feel this is also should be Arnie’s final turn as the T-800. I say that not only cause his character sacrifices himself to kill the Rev-9 but it was a nice send-off and an end to an era. Skynet no longer exists in the future only Legion so I highly doubt they just gonna take Skynet’s schematics of the 101 Model of the T-800 and make more. Skynet barely made it from it’s conception. Sure they can go the route of having one of the many Terminators that was sent back to kill John, but with the deed already done, they just lived some normal life, but how long can you really rehash that before it gets old?

Legion is not fully explained here which is okay cause all we needed to know is Skynet was destroyed in T2, but something else took it’s place instead and in future installments it will be revealed how. If this trilogy does go off hopefully by the 3rd one (8th in the franchise) ends it once and for all.

Joker Review

“A character analysis that speaks truth of the descent into madness”

When they announced the Joker solo film years ago I was unsure what to think at first of it. Maybe it was due to the amount of Joker related projects in development I wasn’t interested until things started rolling with the first trailer.

Joker is an origin story of the infamous Batman villain as he seeks connection in the streets of Gotham City. Arthur is his name who wears two masks — the one he paints for his day job as a clown, and the guise he projects in a futile attempt to feel like he’s part of the world around him. Isolated, bullied and disregarded by society, Fleck begins a slow descent into madness as he transforms into the criminal mastermind we all know.

From off the bat (no pun intended) I can easily see why this is a defining Oscar contender. Joaquin Phoenix personifies the character in such a way that is tragic and broken which is different from the iterations we seen before. The most similar if I was to compare is close to Heath Ledger as far as charisma and fanaticism mixed with Mark Hamill’s heart he brings in the animated series. Todd Philips (fun fact Directed the Hangover series) really emphasizes the themes of mental illness and violence and all for good reasons. One line that struck with me was one Arthur wrote in his book about society treating those with mental illness to obey as if they weren’t before. The tone of violence I felt was not over the top as people have been saying it was and it’s justified with its use and each time it did, I was shocked (in a good way I loved it). This doesn’t condone violence, but in the world we live in now is much like the very setting we find our protagonist reside within as he transforms into what he will infamously be. It was to a point I even sympathized with the character deeply and the reason for his motives. For those who know the film Taxi Driver, you’ll see where Joker has taken some inspiration to craft its story.

If I was Director, I wouldn’t really change anything at all. I would’ve delve a bit deeper into the characters madness only because the themes and emotions told in the film I know that feeling very well (I’m luckily I haven’t gone mad like that). Another aspect would’ve been Zazie Beetz character and Arthur’s relation even tho (SPOILER!!!) there’s little to none it was all a fixation in his head. As much as I fell for the trick, if she was given more of a history for the audience to feel for when the Twist happens it be a super huge payoff. I loved every second of it either way.

Joker is a character analysis film that dives deep into the sanity of the titular character. Compared to other superhero movies coming out, this is one of art and I for one am all for it despite the controversies that sprouted due to its violence. This I would vouch for Best Picture nominee for sure. Joker is a comedy based on a man’s tragic faults and all he wants the world to do is smile.

10/10 HAHAHAHAHA

Between Two Ferns: The Movie Review

“Hilarious just as the episodes on YouTube only this time much longer”

When I heard this film was announced, I was all in for it. I remember watching each episode on YouTube back in high school and it’s still funny today so I was looking forward to the movie. All I can say is if you watched the show on the internet you’re gonna enjoy this.

Between Two Ferns: The Movie is a feature length film of the YouTube interviews done by Zack Gallifinachis where he hits the road to do celebrity interviews to restore his reputation.

This film is loaded with celebrity cameos much like the regular episodes themselves except they put a story in it obviously because this is a movie. Zack plays a version on himself much like the show where he insults the celebrities he interviews and it’s hilarious. Imagine the Eric Andre show just without the over the top absurdity (which I also love by the way) and thats between two ferns. One of my favorite bits was John Legend which I replayed over and over before continuing with the film. I was impressed by how the story unfolded since all the actors received were just scenarios to improvise from and it was very well done. I won’t add a directors section to this because the way this film was done I would’ve done the same thing only I will add the humor started to die down towards the end. Overall a film to enjoy one night for a good laugh.

9/10

IT Chapter Two Review

“A faithful adaptation that brings more suspense than horror but still lives up the first movie”

When the first movie ended by saying “IT: Chapter One” I remember the audience going crazy and we all were like oh sh*t what the next one going to be like. I never read a Stephen King novel in my life (too long for me in all honesty) but I was aware of it all from the original miniseries. Overall, this film does live up in my opinion but brings more suspense than horror compared to Chapter One.

IT: Chapter Two is pretty much the second half of Stephen King’s novel where Pennywise returns 27 years after being defeated the first time in Chapter One to terrorize the town of Derry, Maine, once again. Now adults, the Loser’s Club have long gone their separate ways, but when people start disappearing, Mike Hanlon calls the others home for one final stand. Damaged by scars from the past, the united Losers must conquer their deepest fears to destroy the shape-shifting entity who is now more powerful than ever.

I was excited to see this film when it was first announced and I gotta say even when the cast announcement happened I was glad who they casted as the Adult Losers. Andy (the director) admitted he got all his first choices and he did a phenomenal job because each actor was the right choice. They even looked like the younger versions and that worked out great. Many people who went to see this movie was looking for the scares and peeing their pants but this time around I didn’t feel that as much. The horror element was there and I felt a small chill down my spine with certain moments such as Beverly and Mrs.Kersh/Old Witch or the Fortune Cookie. However, most of the scary elements was more suspenseful and to my friends who have seen thought it was funny. It’s a very aware criticism but I felt shouldn’t diminish the opinion of the movie overall. IT: Chapter Two is about searching for what’s forgotten and the Adult Losers finding the missing part of themselves. It’s when Pennywise shows up are when we are treated to the horror. One of my favorite scenes from the film is the funhouse and Bill trying to save the kid in the maze. That scene I enjoyed because of how taunting and the atmosphere of the funhouse really plays to the feeling of being trapped while Pennywise is inside with you. I can go on praising Bill Skarsgard for his performance as Pennywise but we all know how great he is.

If I was Director, I guess one thing I would change, for the sake of those who criticized it, would be the scares. I feel the aspect, again, is there but could be amplified. What made Chapter One so scary was the fact Pennywise was there a lot and preyed on not what the Loser feared but what the audience would fear watching. Chapter Two there were scary parts that were either audience expected, were funny, or were let down. For me, I believe Chapter Two had the scares more subtle and focused on the story at hand. I’m not sure if Pennywise was around a lot in the Adult time but I did feel a bit of lack seeing Pennywise prey on victims compared to the first movie which also made Chapter One feel more scarier than two.

Chapter Two is a great movie overall with an amazing cast, faithful to the source material, and finishes the story of Pennywise and The Losers Club 27 years (in story) started in Chapter One. It wasn’t as scary as the first but it makes sense since the Losers are now adults not much can scare them compared to being a kid. I get why people would feel the movie is too long but when you think about how long the book is it makes sense. Leave something out and it’s like a film removing a pivotal scene just keep a certain runtime: it makes the whole plot confusing. It’s a story of catching up with the Losers 27 years later…I wonder if 27 years from now we’ll get another iteration (hope not).

8/10

Hustlers Review

“We are all Hustlers at the End of the Day”

When I first heard about this movie I didn’t pay much attention to it until my girlfriend had said she wanted to see it. Based on the trailer alone I thought it was about strippers and a heist, which I’m technically not wrong about, but at the same time I was impressed on how the film presented itself.

Hustlers is a film about a stripper named Destiny (names changed for security purposes) trying to make ends meet until she befriends the club’s top money earner named Ramona (Jennifer Lopez). Ramona shows her the ins and outs of the stripper life and how to finagle with the wealthy Wall Street who come for a good show. It’s when the 2008 recession happens the two and several other dancers devise a scheme that turns itself upside down.

The film is based on a true story and that’s what shocked me. After the first opening minutes being introduced to Destiny (her stage name) and her life as a stripper I thought this was a film about a stripper getting out of the stripper life (I didn’t know the plot prior to seeing) but once the scene came she was speaking to the interviewer, I said oh okay this is not what I was expecting. The story recalls the events explained in an article and the interview with the real Destiny. It even included a scene where the audio was from the actual investigation where one of them acted as a mole to catch them for the police. It had some very heart to heart moments that I was actually touched by especially one part I felt sad to see (no spoils! let’s just say my girlfriend cried). Hustlers is a film that creatively tackles a true story in a way that makes you feel for the characters especially the one we follow the most, Destiny, played by Constance Wu. A definite sell for the movie was JLo and Cardi B for sure and they play their parts really well for general viewers drawn to see it by their stardom. Fare warning Cardi B has a small part but it does have significance especially due to her background prior to her known music fame and I thought that was pretty cool. Speaking of music, I noticed a lot of throw backs thrown into the mix especially one I haven’t heard since my early high school years by Lorde (Royals) and it really tied well with the early 2000s/2010s era that my life was molded within.

If I was Director, story-wise and the actors casted were on the money and each beat of the story keeps you engaged so nothing there I felt I would do differently. My girlfriend on the other hand had one piece of the character she felt was like an “okay that’s enough” and that was Lili Reinheart’s character who suffers from a weak stomach that causes her to involuntarily vomit when stressed. She felt it was too much for even her stomach. The overall portrayal of real events was phenomenal mixing humor, heart, and the elements of the real world with smooth transitions, there’s not much you could do differently. That’s my opinion.

Hustlers is a film that doesn’t just show the stripper life but what life is like for them beyond the pole. It presents a clear message that strippers are hustlers as much as a Wall Street journalist or a screenwriter would hustle for a good buck by any means necessary. One line that stuck with me that is true to everyone is said by Ramona, “in this world there are two types of people: the ones who toss the money and ones who dance for it.” That applies to not just the Stripper Life but to the way the world works in general, except I’m writing and throwing things out there in hopes money is tossed my way to keep on going. Hustle the way the world works for you.

9/10

True Story: https://www.vulture.com/2019/09/hustlers-the-real-story-behind-the-movie.html

Angry Birds 2 Review

“An unexpected pleasure with lots of laughs along way just in time for Angry Bird’s 10th Anniversary”

I’m keep it real and just say I actually never watched the first film when it came out back in 2016 (I did see clips) so I didn’t know what to expect jumping right in on the second movie. Like many video-game to film adaptations there’s always a skeptic on whether it’ll actually be good or faithful to the source material, especially if the game is just a swipe and destroy on a mobile phone.

Angry Birds 2 is a sequel centered around Red, Chuck, Bomb and the rest of their feathered friends when the pigs suggests that they put aside their differences and unite to fight a common threat. The birds and pigs come up with a scheme to infiltrate the new island attacking, deactivate the device and return to their respective paradises intact.

By far I can say I enjoyed this movie. It’s full of laughs and subtle jokes that made me laugh a lot while watching. The scenarios the characters find themselves in and the jokes hit in a way that’s relatable and hilarious. The cast is great with most returning and few new comers and they all blend really well together I felt the film kept the momentum going I wasn’t disengaged from the story. Each character has its moment to shine and they all have their own comedic moments with my favorites being Danny McBrides’s Bomb, Josh Gad’s Chuck, and the banter between Red and Leonard the Pig. The story’s premise makes the antagonist of the first film into a protagonist here and the banter between them while encountering a new foe is what makes the story feel fresh and be able to explore possibilities compared to the first film (which I only seen clips of). The trend of Angry Birds has died down but I got to admit this is work a watch, even if you have to take your kid as an excuse to see it.

If I was director, I wouldn’t change a thing. It’s crazy that some of the movies lately I’ve seen I don’t really feel like there’s anything I would do differently, mainly because I enjoyed them as they were. Angry Birds Movie 2 has enough gags and banter while keeping the plot along. A cute segment I liked was the side story of the three baby birds trying to retrieve their siblings who haven’t hatched yet after making a mistake. It was balanced to me and again that’s my opinion.

The Angry Birds Movie 2 is a sequel that has been released 3 years after the last one. I feel this to be another summer movie to just enjoy before we near the end of the season and it’s cool they decided to release it on the franchise’s 10th anniversary.

10/10

Dora and the Lost City of Gold Review

“A fun twist of adventure for all the family to enjoy”

When I first heard about this film when it was announced, I honestly just let out a sigh because why in the world is this movie being made. Then, I heard Isabela Moner was starring (she was in Transformers The Last Knight) and I was like okay, but again why and how would they do it. After that, the first trailer released. I was like okay this is stupid, but looks like they enjoyed filming it. However, once the latest trailer came out and the segment of the child version of Dora was on screen talking to the audience if they could say “delicioso” and her parents were so confused who she was talking to, I literally laughed in my bed early in the morning that day. It was right then I was interested in checking it out and all I have to say is…never judge a film by first impression.

Dora and the Lost City of Gold is obviously a live action adaptation of Dora, but with her in her teenage years. Having spent most of her life exploring the jungle, she gets taken to California to experience high school. However, her parents get kidnapped by mercenaries so she, her cousin Diego, and two friends, embark on a quest to save her parents while trying to find a lost Incan civilization.

This film is a family film all the way, for anyone who read this, and one that was different for me after literally seeing Hobbs & Shaw with my girl. I actually grew up watching Dora as a kid when I wasn’t always on Cartoon Network, watching Ed, Edd and Eddy or Code Lyoko, so seeing this obviously you hope the film at least is faithful or pays homage to it. The opening segment does not disappoint in that at all it was like watching the intro to the show and I was like “whoa, oh word? that was a good job.” The comedy of it was light hearted and funny that I will admit at times I was like I’m not cringing, but I feel embarrassed watching this character, even though I’m not legitimately there in the scene. For me, the jokes landed and they didn’t take everything so seriously either. An easier way to picture this film is this: Dora is real, but the adventures she went on in the show were all in her childish imagination (Boots talking, backpack talking or map and other animals) and that this film is about her trying to live a real life. The only talking animal was Benicio Del Toro (The Collector for MCU fans) as Swiper who was funny himself. Danny Trejo does voice Boots but in a very heartwarming segment and that’s it. For those who watched, I’ll share two of my favorite parts at the bottom cause you know…SPOILERS for those who care.

If I was director making this, in all honesty the way this was done, I can’t see anyway else and it could’ve been worse if anything. I’m surprised by how much I enjoyed watching it and the amount of laughing I did cause usually it’s rare for most family films I’d laugh at more than a few parts. The way they payed homage to the show was brilliant and she literally does have everything in that backpack even a knife I said “whoa that’s funny” (I like dark humor fyi). It’s a kid friendly film that has things also for adults to enjoy too. I guess only one thing I was skeptical about at first was the casting of older Diego, I felt like someone else could’ve played him but he grew onto me as the version who grew away from imagination and felt more ‘highschool grown-up’ and it was funny. There’s a scene where Dora says ‘you don’t look like you at all’ and I laughed cause that’s how I felt. Also Swiper, I felt was added in randomly with the mercenaries but the dialogue plays on itself mentioning that which is why this film, I felt didn’t take itself seriously which is great.

Dora and the Lost City of Gold is a fun film for the whole family to enjoy towards the end of the summer fun. It was a nice wind down from all the real high-octane action I be seeing a lot and this film pulled off a feat of adapting Dora that I didn’t believe was possible. It was like Indiana Jones in premise and I personally liked the representation of hispanics (being half hispanic myself) shown. Usually hispanics in media are always associated with the cartel, drugs, killing, violence, deportation and so on, but here it’s fun, family, adventure, laughter, enjoyment. All I can say is if there’s a sequel, I’d be skeptical cause it’s a sequel, but I’d be for it because again….never judge a film by first impression, until you see it all the way through. It’s crazy how it released the same day the show concluded its 20 year run.

9/10

SPOILERS!!

Okay so the first scene that had me laugh was the exact scene from the trailer. I loved how they riffed off the fourth wall break as a joke of who is Dora talking to. Like imagine in real life you just decide to break fourth wall in front of a group of people, they all gonna be like “who you talking to?”

The second scene was when Dora, Diego and the guy who helps break them out of the crate saying he’s a friend of her parents, traversing through a huge flower patch that releases a spore. The spore turns out to be a hallucinogen that makes them see themselves as their cartoon versions. I literally shouted “Yooooooo!!!!” and was wowed because that was a very clever that even Dora says “the gang’s all here” and all the characters from the show appear like the Benny the Bull, Big Red Chicken, the Troll and more. To me right there I said that is a way to pay homage to something besides hidden ‘easter eggs’.

Bonus: The guy who helps Dora escape capture in the beginning turns out to be the bad guy and it was funny because after surviving the quicksand he started crying at the fact he was alive and was shouting “I’m a bad guy. I’m a bad guy” and Dora says “you’re not a bad guy…” That was clever, took me a minute to pick that up.

Just check it out even if it’s online.

Hobbs & Shaw Review

“A spin-off I felt was so great that I wish it wasn’t already part of a franchise”

The Fast and the Furious franchise has been around since 2001 and it’s still going on all these years later. At one point I felt they just need to end it before it was being milked too much (thankfully the 10th and final installment in two years will do that) and as much as this spin-off would be considered so, I really enjoyed it a lot more than the main installments (Furious 7 was where the franchise should’ve ended).

Hobbs & Shaw is a spin-off about Luke Hobbs and Deckard Shaw forced to team up to stop a virus from getting into the wrong hands while trying to learn to work together after Fate of the Furious.

There’s so many elements I felt made this film work such as the chemistry between Johnson and Statham which I, and many, felt was the highlight of F8 and they bring that chemistry here. Their banter back and forth is hilarious and I felt doesn’t fall short. Director David Leitch (co-directed first John Wick, directed Deadpool 2, Atomic Blonde) is not new when it comes to fast pace action and fights sequences and he brings his signature style here which brings along all the brawl and espionage you would expect in a Fast and Furious film nowadays. I understand a lot of people feel that the days before Fast Five the franchise was all about street racing but the more I looked at it, Fast and Furious wasn’t all about street racing that was just the cover for one of those Point Break undercover cop style films that transitioned to heist and international espionage. At the core of the franchise, stated by the actors, is family and car stunts so this is a fast and furious movie all in all just not with Dominic Toretto. Idris Elba, I felt for a long time should be in the franchise much like long ago when F6 was released I said Jason Statham should be in the franchise and look what happened. Another thing I liked was how they expanded both worlds of the two characters showing different and similar they are. I’ll leave the spoilers for the bottom but Hobbs and Shaw felt like a change of pace and actually capitalized on the chemistry everyone loved between the two stars.

If I was in the director’s chair, the only thing I would change is the mcguffin of the story, the virus. I feel like we always have that virus to exterminate the world type thing and it’s a repeated story just in different versions. Idris Elba’s Brixton and his history with Shaw was great and how he works for a secret organization which could stay for character development, but after knowing there was someone he worked for that controlled him, undermined his fierceness a bit as a villain. He went from Black Superman to a lacky who got terminated for failing. I think Brixton should’ve stayed that ghost from the past that was a terrorist in the shadows that Shaw’s sister, Hattie, encountered and is on the run from him which led Shaw and Hobbs, like the rest of the story, work together to find her before facing the Black Superman (hey he really is) who will stop at nothing to kill who stand in his way of his work. That’s my opinion but I’ll take what we got cause it was still cool asf.

Hobbs and Shaw was a spin-off I really enjoyed and it sucks the road to this happened the way it did. Vin Diesel refusing to have the post credits for it at the end of F8, the whole beef between him and Johnson (it’s been settled as of writing this) and Tyrese Gibson claiming Johnson of being selfish for pushing F9 back for the spin-off. The studio wanted it and I for one actually wanted to see it more than F9 or even F10 (see already that sounds like enough they better not try to reboot). For those skeptical like oh this isn’t Fast and the Furious or Dom is not in this, you should check it out there’s some surprise cameos as well. I just wished this film was actually it’s own franchise apart from Fast and Furious that would be crazy and whatever that franchise would be called I’d be all for it. Shared universe of spies and espionage, etc.

8/10

(SPOILERS!) Ryan Reynolds, Kevin Hart, and Rob Delaney join as agents who help Hobbs and Shaw along the way. They were another surprise highlight that in franchise future I hope we see again especially Ryan Reynolds (remember the Director did Deadpool 2 and Reynolds and Johnson are doing a film very soon called Red Notice)

The Lion King (2019) Review

“A quick Disney cash grab, filled with an All -Star cast playing it safe redoing the 1994 movie specifically for the coming generation to see”

For many people who grew up in the 90s and early 2000s, the Lion King (1994) has been a main staple to Disney animation. Sure it was considered original but we all know is pretty much Kimba the White Lion they just put it in Africa instead. When the (2019) live-action was announced, I was skeptical as much as anyone would be but I felt safe about it when Jon Favreau was directing because I loved what he did with Jungle Book and his previous movies (Elf, Iron Man, etc.). When the cast was announced I was interested, especially since they brought back James Earl Jones, but deep down I knew Disney was making a cash grab. However, I also realized this is a film that’s not for the generation that saw the original but more towards the upcoming generation who will come to know what Lion King is (was for ‘us’).

The Lion King (2019) much like 1994’s 2D animation is about Simba born to take to heart his own royal destiny on the plains of Africa. However, Scar, Mufasa’s brother, Simba’s Uncle, and former heir to the throne, has plans of his own. The battle for Pride Rock is soon ravaged with betrayal, tragedy and drama, ultimately resulting in Simba being exiled…you know from there if you’re born in the 90s/early 2000s.

What I liked about the film was it basically did recreate the magic of the original and made several modifications to fit in the real-life feeling it was meant to create. The cast was the heavy draw for me and each one stands out in their role. Like many other people, I agree Seth Rogen and Billy Eichner were great as Timon and Pumba but I do want to add the pairing duo of Eric Andre and Keegan Michael Key as well. Eric and Key were like a ‘Key & Peele with Eric Andre’ and I laughed at each moment the two were on screen together bantering. In all honesty if it wasn’t for such an all-star cast of actors this film wouldn’t really be worth rewatching.

If I was director, the main thing I would’ve done is continue modifying scenes so the film would feel like a fresh retelling for audiences compared to how people feel about the film right now. I’ll agree it’s almost exactly the same as the 1994 but there are moments that aren’t. Jon Favreau did say he couldn’t change the iconic scenes so he kept them as is for this film and I agree with his decision, because I guarantee there would be backlash. One moment in the film I felt lost it’s impact was the ‘Long Live the King’ scene. 1994 it was emotional and impactful with two brothers in a family feud for the throne but 2019 made the scene feel like they’re fighting over the last slice of pizza and I honestly laughed to the point it reminded me of this edit on Youtube:

I can understand why some people complained it was a frame by frame retelling when in actuality it wasn’t. What really was, is the story beats and majority of the dialogue like it was a Broadway show that’s been around for years with the same script just a different cast every several years (*cough cough*). I would’ve expanded on the lore that’s been established.

I was skeptical when it was announced but I came to realize this movie adaptation, much like the others, is not for us that grew up with the original animation. I still feel like this is a cash grab and part of Disney’s live action adaptation renaissance but I’m still take this for what it is due to having a great all-star cast putting in hard work into this, even if it’s a “shot for shot” remake. It’s meant for upcoming generations that will eventually only know 3d animation and live action since 2d animated movies are dying out and may not care about ‘our’ original classics. Like all remakes and etc. there’s gonna be a divide but as much as our opinions will go this movie, I feel the reaction from the kids is what should be the real say. I don’t care as much as those who are too nostalgic to accept this now exist but with many other live action adaptations on the way I feel one that will hit the mark more is next year’s Mulan. At least Disney just now admit this was suppose to be an American version of Kimba the White Lion (yes I’m one of many who feel it was)

7.5/10

Spiderman: Far From Home Review

“An epilogue to the Infinity Saga that was a change of pace”

I would like to admit, as I did in the Avengers: Endgame Review with Improvatory, after that film I was done with superhero movies. I’ve spent almost half of my life dedicated much like anyone following the storyline comic by comic and I think it’s time to move on. Then, Spiderman: Far From Home was released. I knew this movie coming for several years now and now that it’s out after Endgame, it was a nice epilogue to everything while bringing the question: What’s Next?

Spiderman: Far From Home follows Peter Parker on vacation post-Snap (aka The Blip in film) when he is enlisted by Nick Fury and Mysterio to battle The Elementals. All in all, the film I felt gave a good change of pace for Spiderman and the setting at large. Majority of the Spidey films we’ve gotten so far, they were all centered within NYC and after a time it gets old but here he’s traveling across the water and it was fun (sure he went to space too) and the scenery was beautiful that it makes me want to go travel too. Mysterio was by far the coolest part of the whole film in all honesty and I’ll be sure to keep the spoilers for the very bottom for those reading this. Jake Gyllenhaal was what got me into seeing this movie (it’s crazy cause he almost replaced Tobey Maguire for Spiderman 2) and he does not disappoint at all. The action was cool, per usual with superhero flicks, but Mysterio’s illusions are what made me as a filmmaker want to know how they shot it. Of coarse it’s CGI but camera movements and the direction in scriptwriting, that’s what makes me curious how they do it. Samuel L. Jackson’s performance as Nick Fury is well…it’s Nick Fury but for those who know his previous performances will notice something slightly different with him and that will be explained in the spoilers down below. For an epilogue to the Infinity Saga, Sony and Marvel’s shared deal did it again.

If I was directing this film, I personally feel that instead of Nick Fury as the big superhero name to help Parker, I feel like Doctor Strange would’ve been better. I’m not saying in a sense Nick Fury was a poor choice and Jon Watts and Marvel made a smart decision for the foreseeable next saga with reasons, but Mysterio being a master of illusions and magic calls for the Master of the Mystic Arts himself to show him his place. Imagine, Doctor Strange mentoring Parker to be who he needs to be while helping him realize that Mysterio was a fraud. I just felt Nick Fury wasn’t utilized as ‘Nick Fury’ much like he was in Avengers (2012) and Age of Ultron and also The Winter Soldier being the person to make Parker step up as a hero. I would’ve maybe reduced the Iron Man memorials too. I kinda got it after the third one he was dead and gone. As much as he’s the heart of the MCU, there were other fallen too they got brief mention. Again this segment of the review is my own opinion.

Spiderman: Far From Home was a change of pace after Avengers: Endgame and felt like a much needed vacation in setting and in real life from the 11 years of MCU and the question is what comes after. Black Widow is start of Phase 4 followed by The Eternals and Shang Chi so expect a taste of things to come.

9/10 Now…

SPOILERS!!!!:

First off to get this off the table as much as we all knew, Mysterio was the main baddie and the Elementals and the Multiverse were all made up shit that ironically like Quentin Beck says a lot of people would buy and we did. I felt that haha you got me moment, but I was lowkey wishing the multiverse would be a major point to show up. His illusions against Spiderman especially the first one in Germany was crazy I’m like oh shit and whoa the whole time. I liked how the guy from the very first Iron Man movie who got yelled at by Obediah Stane came back after all these years since the first Iron Man movie (you know this film wrapped up loose ends in a way). I love how J.K Simmons came back as J Jonah Jameson cause he’s only person I can see being the live action version and the fact Spiderman’s identity is revealed to the world, expect some major Sinister Six or even Peter trying to play off Mysterio lied and such about his identity cause he can’t snap that away. I wonder if Tom Hardy’s Venom would be included since Sony hasn’t ruled out that possibility in MCU. That be cool so there’s no recasts. Now, Nick Fury…he’s Talos the skrull from Captain Marvel (Soren, Talos’s wife impersonated Maria Hill). There’s hints throughout of this but it’ll be a surprise for people to go “whaaaa??!!”

In all honesty for me it begs a theory of when did Nick Fury and Talos switched places. I feel like it happened either during Winter Soldier or Age of Ultron specifically (most likely Age of Ultron) and it was Talos impersonating Fury that was decimated during Infinity War while Fury was hard at work overseeing the future with his project in space. I’m curious what Marvel Studios is gonna come up with as an explanation.

Child’s Play Review

“A reboot that makes its mark”

In all honesty, I’ve never been a fan of Chucky. As a kid I wasn’t scared of him but I didn’t find him appealing. Flash forward to when the reboot was announced and I felt the same way until I heard who was voicing Chucky, Mark Hamill. For those who watch live action may know him as the guy who plays Luke Skywalker but I know him also for his voice acting work for The Joker, Firelord Ozai, Skips from Regular Show and many more. When I heard him announce he was voicing Chucky, I got interested and I gotta say I liked the movie.

Child’s Play (2019) centers around a kid, Andy, who moves into a new apartment and has a hard time making friends when his mother gets him a Buddi doll as an early birthday gift. Little does he know there’s more to the doll than what it seems.

This reboot all in all I felt made its mark amongst the franchise as a whole and made several different decisions compared to the original besides Chucky’s new look. Instead of him being a serial killer transferring his consciousness into a Buddi doll via Voodoo, Chucky is a doll A.I whose safety protocols were erased so anything is possible once he learns. He’s more of a doll that tries to be Andy’s best friend and make him happy anyway possible. I actually was on board and I did feel for him with a few ‘awe’ moments cause he’s pretty much an innocent misunderstood robot trying to understand. For me, that made Chucky actually more appealing and enjoyable to watch, especially with Mark Hamill as the voice.

If I directed the film, honestly I’m not sure what I would change because in the direction this film was taken I felt was effective, smart, and different that stands out more than the rest of the franchise. Starring Aubrey Kate and Bryce Tyree Henry I was on board as is cause I love those actors in their previous work. Instead of this film being a repeat beat by beat story wise like the original, much like any reboot would do, this is one that changes certain elements and I can see why Mark agreed after reading the script. It doesn’t try to feel like it’s setting up a sequel either which is good too but it can leave room for more. I will say for the sequels keep the same thematic element where Chucky’s kills are justified much like they were in this film where he was only doing so for Andy to make him happy or protect him and the idea of A.I takeover.

All in all Child’s Play (2019) is a reboot not necessary but it did make its mark enough to have a place within it all. It was fresh and brought something new to the table while still giving those good ol’ kill counts. (SPOILERS) There’s only one kill I was upset about and it was Detective Mike (Bryce Tyree)’s Mom who was killed all because Chucky was upset she was made Andy’s new best friend after he was discarded. I never liked Chucky before but this one made me interested enough to watch till the end.

8/10

“You are my buddy until the end…”

Toy Story 4 Review

“So long…partner”

Toy Story is a franchise, like most, I’ve grown up to love and will forever hold with my childhood. I still can’t believe Toy Story 3 came out nine years ago (June 18th 2010) as of me writing this and for many it still feels like it came out not long ago. When the fourth film was announced after the third one came out I was skeptical cause it ended on a note that there wasn’t a need for a fourth, but I sure as hell can say after seeing this…it was well worth it.

Toy Story 4 is set not long after the 3rd one where Woody, Buzz and the rest of the gang embark on a road trip with Bonnie whose crated a new toy named Forky. The adventurous journey turns into an unexpected reunion when Woody’s slight detour trying to get Forky, who considers himself not a toy but trash and escapes, back into the arms of Bonnie. It leads him to finding his long-lost love interest Bo Peep. As Woody and Bo reminisce the old days, they soon start to realize that they’re worlds apart when it comes to what they want from life as a toy.

It was great seeing these characters again after so long and watching this with my girlfriend we both felt like a kid again seeing how long these characters have gone since the first movie back in 1995. For those skeptical of this being unnecessary and that the third film ended off on a good note, I can tell you as much as you feel this way, this film for sure truly gives a send off to the characters and the franchise as a whole. Full of heart, humor, and few throwbacks, Toy Story 4 definitely is the capstone to Woody and Buzz’s story that has an ending that is very emotional (No Spoilers till the bottom of this article) that I hope Toy Story 5 never happens. The new additions to the cast from Key and Peele (Ducky and Bunny), the great Keanu Reeves (Duke Kaboom!) and many others are great and add the lighthearted humor that you can tell is natural while making the franchise still feel fresh (don’t get me started on Forky calling himself trash). The story itself is small and concise that it focuses on the main character of the franchise Woody whose arc fully comes around at the end of this film. I’m trying hard to not spoil anything cause this is a movie is one you don’t I don’t care what anyone says and it’s one to enjoy.

If I was in the director’s chair, I wouldn’t even bother thinking of changing anything. For those that don’t know originally the film was suppose to come out back in 2017 but the script went through rewrites over the years. Originally it was a love story about Woody and Buzz searching for Bo Peep but they decided to scrap some of it for a story on what it means to be a toy with Bo Peep as the parallel story to coincide with the main story and none of it feels forced. I would say I wish we could’ve spent some more time with the other toys like Slinky, Ham, Jessie and the others but they have their moments too.

Toy Story 4 is an emotional sequel that pretty much brings new beginnings for the toys while ending the franchise on an emotional note. For anyone who has not seen it yet please ignore the next sentence till you see (^) seen. I wanted to cry when Woody decided to go with Bo Peep and explore as the carnival travels around leaving Buzz and the gang behind with Bonnie. It makes sense why Tim Allen and Tom Hanks teared up while recording and I know others will too. ^ From a kid till now, Buzz and Woody will forever be around I’m show my kids all four films to infinity and beyond. Let’s just hope Toy Story 5 doesn’t happen and we keep it here.

10/10

MIB/Dark Phoenix Review Mashup

“Two films that had potential but due to complications kinda fell a bit short”

I just want to start off an apologize to those who been reading since I started this but I was struggling financially that I wasn’t able to watch them upon release, but I felt I should still write a review for them both.

Both Dark Phoenix and MIB: International are both films released in June based on franchises that have been ongoing since the early 2000s. When Dark Phoenix was announced I was a bit iffy based on what happened with X-Men: Apocalypse and the first trailer proved it so. I love the cast of X-Men since their start in First Class and Days of Future past cause they were all perfectly casted and had great stories that eventually fell short after. Dark Phoenix is the final X-Men film under the Fox umbrella (besides New Mutants which I’m very interested in seeing) to be released before Disney take them into the MCU sandbox for later use. I felt the marketing after Disney took over for Dark Phoenix was great but that’s not what you’re here to read of coarse. I’m keep it brief but Dark Phoenix is a film that sadly fell short for the final Fox’s X-Men outing but the elements within the story is an improvement from Apocalypse and especially The Last Stand which the film is (kind of) redoing. However, what makes the story fall short in my opinion is the fact they tried to redo the Phoenix saga once again. Again, it’s a lot better than how the Last Stand tried to adapt it but at the same time not much new was brought to the table. If it wasn’t for the actors who played these characters so well since 2011 this movie probably wouldn’t getting a score I’m about to give it.

As far as MIB: International goes in my opinion ‘it’s a Men in Black movie’. I know that’s very bleak to say but in all honesty I wasn’t expecting some grant scale serious film like Dark Phoenix was. This one sure people can say it does not have Will Smith in it but in all honesty do you really though? I feel this film stands alone but still plays in the sandbox of the previous films of the franchise. Was it needed? No, but it was popcorn entertainment all the less. Hemsworth and Thompson who both were in Thor: Ragnarok were great choices to lead cause their chemistry is what makes it work so well and to enjoy. I feel bad the film got the reviews it did based on others but in all honesty the truth lies to what happened behind the scenes (Producer vs Director vision and rewrites during filming…the usual to a box office critical bomb) . Apparently there was a dispute on what the producer wanted the film to be (they have more control than the director does unless you been in the industry for awhile that you’ve built a good reputation as a fun fact) and F. Gary Grey wasn’t having it and eventually two versions of the film was made that the studio heads chose the the producer’s version instead. Again it’s a Men and Black film and it’s the summer…something to enjoy.

As far as if I was director and what changes I would make, Dark Phoenix I would’ve changed the story completely. It’s understandable this was suppose to be a launch pad for a new trilogy but in the light of Disney buying Fox, the story should’ve not ended with a redo of the eh X3 film. I would’ve introduced Mr.Sinister which was the original plan all along. There have been so many build ups to his arrival to no avail I felt even if the franchise was to continue he would’ve been a better launchpad. The cast was great and introduction of aliens as well but some of the rewrites based on not trying to be similar to other films (ala Captain Marvel and Cap:Civil War) and expand on the concept they brought. It was smart to have X-Men go cosmic but it didn’t go cosmic enough I felt. As far as MIB, I can’t say much due to the director’s vision being tainted behind the scenes but the story itself I would’ve probably had it where they were uncovering a conspiracy that threatens the MIB. I know that’s somewhat the general plot but it should be focused enough while having it center on the two Agents we follow. The humor at some points I enjoyed but other times felt cringey to apply to the modern times we have such as Kanye and etc. (that’s small). But again F. Gary Grey’s vision isn’t fully on the screen.

Dark Phoenix and MIB: International are both films that are mainly blockbusters however both fell short for their own reasons to audiences. I’m curious how X-Men will be integrated into the MCU while wondering ‘what-if’ Sony actually did go through with the MIB x 21 Jump Street film (MIB 23) I feel that would’ve been interesting. Why it was an idea? Who knows.

Dark Phoenix: 6/10

MIB: International: 7/10

Comment what you thought of the films if you saw them.

Godzilla: King of the Monsters Review

“Long live the King”

To start off, hands down, Godzilla: King of the Monsters is one of the best Godzilla films to date. If you thought there wasn’t enough Godzilla back in 2014, you definitely gonna see a whole lot more in this one. Directed by Michael Dougherty, Godzilla: King of the Monsters is a Godzilla film made by a fan for the fans. I, personally, have been a fan of Gojira since I was very young and had all the DVDs and would watch them non-stop. I even went to the theater 4 times to see the 2014 remake and this one I’ll see just as much. This is definitely a clash of the titans that definitely needs to be seen in IMAX (which I did) in order to get the grand scale and effect of the titans menacing scale of terror and fierceness.

The film centers on Monarch the organization and its people instead of just one individual and their family, which is a pretty smart move in all honesty. Sure it does have that element of a family conflict but it’s incorporated into the organization’s story with the titans unleashed overall. It’s like they are the catalyst to what’s to come next. What I enjoyed most about this movie though, which many critics complained about so idiotically, is that we don’t have to wait 20 minutes into the movie to see a titan. Nearly less than 6 minutes in we see Mothra and it was spectacular. The shots and scale show how majestic these titans are and the battles are definitely a pay per view fight. This is a Godzilla movie not a movie about the human that reside in the world, that’s what non-monster movies are for. Godzilla is the main star with his entourage of other worldly titans. The human characters are there for us to understand what’s going on which is like every other Godzilla movie and I’m fine with that. Seeing Legendary pictures bring Mothra, Rodan, and King Ghidorah to life is a childhood dream come true that my girlfriend, who went to see it with me, saw me geek out. Ghidorah and Godzilla clash head to head was amazing and I could go on about it.

As for if I was in the director’s chair, I would only change one thing in all honesty and that’s more monster screen time. Every monster has its moment in the film and all I wanted was more of it. Rodan has his moment before becoming Ghidorah’s slave and that alone I wanted more of. The human characters serve their purpose in driving the story forward so there isn’t really much I would want to fix there since they just serve as supporting cast if you think about it. But that’s my opinion and in all honesty I’m not complaining.

Godzilla King of the Monsters is a monster mayhem at it’s finest. Part of the MonsterVerse it definitely has connections to Kong and Skull Island and keep a look out for one character from Skull Island that’s in the film but he’s much older so you can’t tell at first glance. It even teases the clash to come in next years Godzilla vs Kong, I can’t wait. In memory of Yoshimitsu Banno and original Godzilla suit performer Haruo Nakajima, I feel they would be excited to see this film as much as any Godzilla fan would. And to the critics who complain about thin characters and character arcs and such you clearly haven’t seen any other Godzilla film before this one. 2014: Not enough Godzilla…2019: Too much Godzilla. (“Is the picture any good? Uhhh. It’s a Godzilla movie. So I’m going to say, “not really.” – says an actual film critic….shameful)

10/10 All hail the king

Aladdin (2019) Review

“A remake we all didn’t want, however enjoyable and fun when you give it a chance.”

Aladdin, back in 1992, was one of the Disney animations that was out long before I was born, however as a late 90s child, along with majority of the late 90s babies, still grew up with Aladdin. Who couldn’t adore the fact of the late great Robin Williams voicing a Genie who grants three wishes. Flash forward to 2019 and we now are seeing it in live action with Will Smith in the role.

The biggest controversies with this movie is the fact that for one it’s a remake of a Disney classic and the second is the fact Will Smith was casted as Genie and from everyone who wanted to bad mouth the movie they all say the same thing: “Robin Williams is Genie and no one else can be.”

Directed by Guy Ritchie, who gives the very stylized action flicks you see from Man From Uncle or Sherlock Holmes, Aladdin in my opinion was an enjoyable film and loads of fun when you don’t constantly remind yourself that it’s a remake of an animated Disney classic. Now, for me, I have a current problem with Disney’s desire to create live action adaptations of animated classics (they’re seriously making a live action Lady and the Tramp, luckily with live dogs, and Lilo and Stitch for Disney+) when honestly there’s no need for it at all, clearly done for money. It’s not something we needed nor wanted, but I choose to willingly accept since it did look entertaining, especially after the controversial Genie first look.

As I watched the film, I for one haven’t seen the original in so long but the story beats were all there, Aladdin is a thief, gets enlisted by Jafar to get the lamp, Aladdin meets the Genie, and well you know the rest. There are few parts that were expanded and some were minimized such as the addition of Genie’s love interest and Jafar and Iago’s relationship being only master and parrot. I for one likened what Guy Ritchie had done and I know who filmmakers who know of Guy Ritchie’s work it’s an odd project for him you wouldn’t really expect. After seeing the film, I can tell why, he adds that action to keep things interesting and you can tell when it comes to the chase scenes and high intensity. Despite this, I felt the movie itself got more interesting, much like the original, when the genie first appears and onward. Will Smith is no Robin Williams, but here’s the thing, he’s not suppose to be. Robin Williams made his mark as the animated version of Genie while Will Smith makes his mark as the live action version and he does exactly that. Here’s a fun fact: there are more than just Will Smith and Robin William’s who even played the role, check out broadway and Aladdin 2 and other animated Aladdin projects with Genie, Robin was only in the first/third movie and the series. Soon I’m update this article with my girlfriend’s take as well when she sees it.

As far as if I was director, my only things I would change is mainly Jafar. I feel the actor, no offense to him, was miscasted. Jafar is menacing and this one I felt was too childish in a sense, too bitchy (pardon my term). I would’ve casted someone not too old but one who would make the role menacing. I also felt the climactic part of the movie where Aladdin is in a tight situation when he figures his way out is tricking Jafar into becoming a Genie didn’t feel much was at stake. Maybe figuring out how to make Aladdin have things more at risk would’ve kept me from saying okay keep going but thats just minor. I also missed the Iago and Jafar dynamic that the two had in the animation. Majority of this movie is on Aladdin, Jasmine and Genie so it’s understandable but that would’ve been a relatable dynamic that could’ve lessened my disliking and desire to fix Jafar in this film. Again this is my opinion.

Aladdin 2019 is a remake we didn’t need but one I enjoyed none the less and it was enjoyable by not comparing it to the original. That’s how remakes should go by not comparing so much to the original but seeing if the remake brings something new to the table or expands on the original concept not cash grabs. Will Smith and the other costars like Naomi Scott play their parts well and overall could’ve been worse let’s be honest but it wasn’t. Now let’s pray these live action Disney remakes come to an end before we actually get Aladdin 4: Jafar May Need Glasses.

8/10

The Sun is Also A Star Review

“A story that makes you think how special it is to be with that special someone”

I pay attention to movies but this is one I’ll say my girlfriend got me to see with her. As from my knowledge before seeing, The Sun is Also a Star is a film based on the book of the same title. The story follows a woman who is about to be deported from America when she meets a guy who is about to go to an interview for college. The guy feels it’s destiny that they met and from there you know the usual love story.

Overall the film is one to enjoy with someone you like (in this case I enjoyed it with my girlfriend). I enjoyed the fact it’s not the typical white love story but one that’s diverse where the woman, Natashia, is Jamaican while Daniel, is South Korean. It goes to show how diversity has come in films. However, that’s not the main thing about the film I liked. What I liked was how connective the film is to relationships, a slice of life persay that’s relatable. I connected to how I met my love and imagined that first hour and first day we met and how we’ve come since then. The film also explains the possibilities of connection involving the multiverse theory and how love can be. This film for me was a breather from action and violence and more of one that brings you down to earth.

As far as if I was a director, I wouldn’t really change much. Only parts I felt needed changing was the typical Asian stereotype that you gotta be a doctor to succeed. It’s an overplayed scenario in their culture similar to African Americans dealing with the hood and drugs. We’ve seen it a lot to know how the character feels and goes. Also I felt their first kiss was rushed. I know there’s only a day Daniel has till Natashia leaves but the kiss came a lot sooner than I expected, but that very minor. In my girlfriend’s Perspective she felt certain parts dragged on that she felt could’ve skipped like the karaoke scene but I thought it was nice. Love isn’t rushed but for sure it shouldn’t take too long if you only have a day.

The Sun is Also a Star isn’t something to actually critique ironically but it does something that should be emphasized everywhere….connection. Connection with others from family, friends, even your loved one. As I watched, I related the things shown in the film to my current relationship, and it sure tells how far her and I have come since I met her. It even reminded me the first time her and I met and how much I don’t regret ever not meeting her. Just like Daniel says when he gazed upon Natashia in the Central Station “she’s the only one looking up and not down or straight forward”. This film is more of one to watch with that special someone you care for and I guarantee if the multiverse exists then each possiblility will always end with me (or you reading this) finding the one and only who you’ll sit with to watch this film.

8/10

Brightburn Review

“A movie that’s good when superman was born bad”

Brightburn, as many assumed when the first trailer came out, is like a ‘what-if’ superman came to Earth and was already evil. Seeing the movie now, there are elements of that, but the film definitely gives moments so it doesn’t feel like a downright parody of a DC’s Elseworld’s comic. Produced by James Gunn, Brightburn was actually written by his cousins based on the exact idea of what if superman came to our planet and was already evil, and I feel they did the idea justice. As I watched the film, it didn’t feel like a downright superman parody at all especially since the only powers you see is his super strength, flight, and heat vision (unless you count the light manipulations he does to scare the victim/audience). This is a horror movie and it does show with a few jump scares and intense moments throughout that make Brandon Breyer (the kid) feel very creepy, especially with that mask.

Some points in the film you can see some cheapness such as (SPOILERS!!!!!) when Brandon drops his Earth Mom from the sky it reminds me of the scene from Get Out and the sunken place when he’s slowly ‘sinking’ except in Brightburn she’s literally suppose to be falling from the sky. That’s only a small nitpick, but it doesn’t remove you from the overall experience Brightburn gives you. For sure, what makes this movie great are the elements that are seen in the trailers repeatedly except this time you can see it entirely. His first victim after breaking Caitlyn’s arm (the little girl in the trailer) is her Mom and every single time, it makes me shake in agony when the glass shard, from the light bursting, is inside her eye and he takes it out. It’s those moments of the movie that make it great. The second one is definitely full of gore as well and to keep it brief…don’t scream and hold onto your jaw if you’re about to crash in an accident. The gore is one thing that surely gives Brightburn it’s R-rating.

As far as if I was directing Brightburn, I would change certain moments in the movie where we follow Brandon. I feel being more on his perspective most of the time is where the core of the movie is, seeing him change into the monster he is deemed to become, while keeping the perspectives of the film where the mother and father are curious about their son from the sky and the victims perspectives too. They do have this sprinkled throughout but being on Brandon and how twisted his mind is starting to become would definitely make this film a lot more creepier. One definite thing, and I felt this as I was watching, is his mask when Brandon is scaring the shit out of us, it was more terrifying when you’re not close to him enough to see the details of his mask so I would’ve kept that all the way till the moment at the end when his Earth mother faces him in the barn before her death. Again as always, these are opinions of someone if they were in the director’s chair.

Brightburn is a film that tries to create a new genre of superhero with the incorporation of horror and it lives up to it. There could be few things to expand on or change but overall I can say it doesn’t play too much on being a superman parody besides the concept. Just a theory to put out there that definitely supports this is in the beginning, Brandon is in class when they talk about the differences between bees and wasps. Brandon talks about wasps being predators and too dangerous to have hatch in their own nest so they place them in other wasps nest to be raised when born. It’s for sure a metaphor to Brandon. He was sent to Earth not because of some dying planet but because the species he comes from they can become violent in maturity and they use that to their advantage to take over other planets (definitely just got Saiyan vibes from Dragonball Z there) by having them crash land and be raised up by the native species planet to adolescence before informing them that it’s now time to “take the world”.

I’m curious to see what other superhero origins that can be twisted into a horror movie like this. (I can see that with Hulk, whenever he gets angry and turns into the green rage monster he destroys and eats people but turns into Bruce Banner he doesn’t remember a thing, little Jekyll and Hyde)

8/10

John Wick Chapter 3 Review

“Prepare for War”

If it’s a war you want it’s a war you’ll get. John Wick definitely wasn’t playing when he said “I’ll kill them all.” Honestly, in my opinion, John Wick is one of the best trilogies I’ve ever seen where each one gets better than the last. Set moments after the second one, John Wick has an hour before the whole world seeks his head and they ain’t ready. The first fight scene in the movie was definitely a statement that Mr.Wick was not playing around and for sure when he killed the attacker (played by an NBA 76ers player) with a book to the jaw and to the neck, he’s sure going make sure you’re dead.

As far as anything I would do differently if I was director….NOTHING! The film is what actually inspired me to film fight scenes exactly just like it. You don’t need jump cuts or close ups of the fight like the usual action movies. You can see it all right there and that is Keanu Reeves doing all of it no doubt about it.

John Wick Chapter 3: Parabellum (long title but who cares) is an action film that doesn’t not disappoint and keeps true with no jumpcuts to different angles of one fight it’s all fluent and keeps the adrenaline all the way through. There were people in the theater who, like me, were on the edge of their seat all the way through with the oooooo and ahhhhhs and one person I heard shout “oh shit” and definitely Dogs were given justice in this film for sure. Imagine a dog hop off of Hallie Barry and climbs up a wall to attack an enemy.

The film doesn’t end the story of Wick but expands it to much more while revealing more of the world we dove into since the first movie, revealing the hidden world of assassins and the Continental. I’m curious how the tv show “The Continental” will be about specifically but it’ll be interesting. There were rumors of a film called The Ballerina that is said to be a spin off of the John Wick franchise and there were hints of that in the film and I would definitely see that too. There’s more to come from John Wick and the next one is sure as hell gonna be a war. It sure as hell wasnt just a puppy.

10/10

Detective Pikachu Review

“It’s Super Effective!”

Detective Pikachu has become the movie that supposedly breaks the video game to film curse and I would say it certainly lives up to that. When I watched it Thursday night with a friend, we both were deeply into the movie. Her for the cuteness of each pokemon we saw and for me, seeing the Pokemon world I grew up playing and watching as a kid faithfully come to life on the cinematic screen. People at first were unsure of Ryan Reynolds voicing the title hero, but he certainly makes the film role memorable as much as he does Deadpool which I can for sure say in my opinion doesn’t over shadow here. The approach taken to this film adapting from a spin off game, titled the same name, was very smart for it makes for a not usual storyline of a child on a journey on becoming the very best (those can come later). SPOILERS AHEAD!

During the film, I was always intrigued on what was to happen next and how the pokemon world would be portrayed on screen and it’s definitely a world where you gotta find them all cause there’s over 50+ pokemon seen. The big twist mystery about Tim’s father was one I personally figured out before the movie released, suspecting such to happen and it did not disappoint to find out it was Pikachu all along that was his father. (I did say spoilers ahead!). Mewtwo merging Harry with his Pikachu partner to keep him alive was pretty soft touching and it’s curious to see if that will be the twist revealed in a later installment for the actual game series. Some parts of the film felt predictable, but it was something I actually didnt care about or felt ruined my experience feeling typical because I was too focused on the pokemon battles.

As far as if there’s anything I would change in the film if I was directing, I wouldn’t change anything. Detective Pikachu was a heartfelt film with cool shots, comedy, chemistry, and fun filled with lots of cute factors. Apparently a sequel was greenlit months ago but the way this film ends I’m very curious where they will go next. Sorry Marvel, I dedicated 10 years of my life to your cinematic universe, if a Pokemon Cinematic Universe is to arrive I’m all in.

9/10

Godzilla vs Kong Trailer/My Theory

I cannot wait for this film to come out!!!

The trailer has arrived!!!! I have arrived after a long hiatus from COVID and theaters have been closed. I couldn’t help but write this article in a sense of putting all my theories about the film from watching the trailer more than twenty times since it was released moments ago as of writing this. Adam Wingard has done an amazing job at merging both worlds of Kong and Godzilla into one movie and the shared universe is at a balance where both monsters will definitely have their moments to shine for sure.

Okay so, I’d love to geek out being a Gojira fan and having watched every movie since the monsters birth in 1954, but it’s time to get into the theories going around. Now I’ve read my fare share of theories being posted around the internet about the film the past year since it was supposed to had been released and with toy leaks and so forth there is a bit of truth in it all in some way. One theory I will counter against is IGNs which they feel Godzilla is being mind controlled and I completely disagree. Yes back in the previous era’s of Godzilla there was a sense a human connected with Godzilla’s mind but here they way Godzilla is represented I would disagree highly. They believed the Orca which was destroyed had been redesigned to a point it’s brainwashed Godzilla, but to me that’s highly unlikely when Godzilla was never affected by the orca which contained a mixture of Godzilla and human sounds together to create an Apex soundwave to communicate with the Titans. So I disagree highly Godzilla will ever be brainwashed it’s too unrealistic in the Monsterverse so far.

Here’s my theory based on the trailer and the toy leaks:

The movie starts off with the recent Godzilla attacks happening in major cities around the world and no one knows why when Godzilla has protected the Earth the previous times. Monarch then decides to bring the one Titan who they feel could help and wasn’t a part of the call by Ghidorah: Kong. The characters we see in the beginning of the trailer played by Alexander Skarsgard, Rebecca Hall and Eliza Gonzalez they’re all connected with Kong having studied him on Skull Island for sometime and they suggest Kong is the only one who can match against Godzilla’s mayhem. Kong at this point has a connection with the little girl through mutual friendship much similar to how a man and his dog would, by just spending time and having an understanding of each other. So they use her to get Kong on the helicarrier which is also a callback to the original 1962 crossover in hopes maybe they can stop the King of the Monsters. Now during the travel, they encounter Godzilla and that’s fight #1 between the two Titans and I feel this is all going to happen within the first 30 minutes of the film to establish the conflict between the two titans and everything to come after.

During the destruction between the two titans the little girl dies (I know it’s very dark and bleak) and the only reason I say this is from the dialogue in the trailer speaks about the girl and Kong’s relationship and promise in past tense as if Rebecca Hall’s character didn’t keep up her promise in protecting the girl much like Kong did and in result Kong wants payback and gives Kong a reason to fight Godzilla more. Then from there, Godzilla mayhem as he continues to destroy and Millie Bobbie Brown’s character is going to uncover why and that’s when the reveal of Apex’s creation of MechaGodzilla in which reveals why Godzilla has been going around destroying cities. Godzilla wasn’t destroying randomly but has been attacking Apex facilities that have been creating MechaGodzilla as a way to control the titans or even exterminate them which threatens the balance which the past two film has shed light on Godzilla being. Godzilla has been known as the one who brings balance from a threat that is upsetting the planet (2014 it was the MUTOs and 2019 it was his ultimate rival Ghidorah). In this case the creation of MechaGodzilla is this threat. If you look at this map whoever has been coming up with these theories connecting Apex and Godzilla was onto something.

As Millie and her new found friend played by Julian Dennison uncover Apex’s motives, the team with Kong probably return to Skull Island into the hollow earth to uncover the connection between humans and titans and the war between not only us and them but also Kong’s species and Godzilla’s and there is where Kong finds the axe which is probably made up of not just Godzilla’s fin but also the bone as well much like the toy leaks shown.

Once he finds the axe, its through the Hollow Earth where Kong and the others use to travel to Hong Kong where Godzilla must be trying to attack a facility and the final battle between the two commences for the rumored 5 minutes or so long without any humans (if that’s true that will be sooooooooo EPIC!!!) but at the same time of that occurring the real threat emerges and people understand Godzilla’s intentions: Apex lanches MECHAGODZILLA!!!!

Now if it’s true they used the skeleton we saw from 2014’s Godzilla film combined with the Ghidorah brain from the post scene in 2019 that would be epic, not only does it make a callback to Kiryu (Mechagodzilla 3) but also that’s interesting in general to Legendary’s origin of Mechagodzilla. Another thing I forgot to mention is Serizawa’s son (played by Shun Oguri) makes his debut in this film and I feel he’s spear heading the project of MechaGodzilla probably due to being unaware how his father died, but it’s connected to Godzilla and blames him for it (something like that like many stories do with scientist in that regard)

Once MechaGodzilla is launched in an attempt to kill Godzilla since not only Godzilla was trying to stop them but in the light of the world it gives them an opportunity for them to prove Titans are a treat and humans have a way to combat them (corporate shit) and obviously something goes wrong with MechaGodzilla and goes haywire probably much like how Kiryu did in the film Godzilla Against MechaGodzilla (my favorite movie besides the original 1954) and starts destroying cities before setting sights on Godzilla and Kong. Now either at this point or much after, Godzilla and Kong are really fighting to the death and once we get our clear winner (I hope it’s Godzilla being a Gojira fan but I do still have my love for Kong too) that’s when the real threat arrives and the two Titans set aside their differences to stop the real threat to humanity. And we all can assume the rest from there cause I CAN’T WAIT!!!!!

Stay tuned cause I will definitely do a review to the film as not only a huge fan but as a cinema goer as well. STAY SAFE everyone and CHECK OUT GODZILLA VS KONG in theaters and HBO MAX this MARCH!!!! (March 26, 2021)