Eyes to the Future - 2023 Edition

To go with End of the Year... we also need to look toward 2023.

Remember that everything here will have a tentative release date. All subject to change.

So... let's do it.

M3GAN - Jan 6th: A Killer Robot Doll with the protocol to protect her little girl owner. What not to love?

House Party - Jan 13th: The Original House Party movies were so much fun. Let's see if this one stacks up.

Plane - Jan 13th: Gerard Butler in a plane crash action movie. I'm in.

Missing - Jan 20th: Teenager using the internet to find her missing parents. Looks interesting.

Knock at the Cabin - Feb 3rd: M. Night Shyamalan adapting one of the best horror novels of the last 10 years. Dave Batista, Rupert Grint, Jonathan Groff.

Winnie the Pooh: Blood & Honey - Feb 15th: Do I need to explain?

Ant-Man & The Wasp in Quantumania - Feb 17th: We finally, fully get introduced to the new big bad, Kang the Conqueror. And of course Paul Rudd is still here.

Cocaine Bear - Feb 24th: Based on a TRUE story about a bear that became the single greatest predator in animal kingdom history.

Scream 6 - Mar 10th: The sequel of this new age run of Scream movies. Making Wes Craven proud.

Shazam! Fury of the Gods - Mar 17th: I loved the first Shazam movie. Like Big in spandex. And this one looks to be pretty good.

John Wick Chapter 4 - Mar 24th: 4th Chapter in Keanu Reeves action movie second wind. And the best damn action series in DECADES. I'm in.

Dungeons & Dragons Honor Among Thieves - Mar 31st: The last attempt at a D&D movie was TERRIBLE. But this looks like medieval Guardians of the Galaxy. So it gives me hope.

The Super Mario Bros Movie - Apr 7th: DON'T LET ME DOWN ILLUMINATION! DON'T LET ME DOWN ILLUMINATION! DON'T LET ME DOWN ILLUMINATION!!!

Renfield - Apr 14th: Movie about Dracula's closest henchman. And Nic Cage is playing Dracula. What else you need to know?

Evil Dead Rise - Apr 21st: It is not an Evil Dead with Bruce Campbell, sadly. But I did like the uber-horror remake. I don't think this is a sequel of that. But I'm giving it a chance anyway.

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 3 - May 5th: The last go round for this team. The last MCU film for new DC Film co-head James Gunn. And the debut of Will Poulter's Adam Warlock. It'll be awesome.

The Little Mermaid - Mar 26th: All of the Live Action remakes of Disney classics have at least been good. There is NO reason this one can't be too.

Spider-Man Across The Spider-Verse(Part 1?) - Jun 2nd: Into the Spider-Verse was a master class in animation. And this one will be focused around my favorite non-Peter Parker Spidey... Miguel O'Hara aka Spider-Man 2099.

Transformers: Rise of the Beasts - Jun 9th: I loved the Beast Wars cartoon... and Michael Bay is nowhere near the director's chair. This MIGHT have potential.

The Flash - Jun 16th: Who knows if this is really going to release. But if it does, I will be there.

Oppenheimer - Jul 21st: Christopher Nolan biopic on the man who invented the Atomic Bomb. Nolan + Biopic + Cillian Murphy = Epic Idea.

The Marvels - Jul 28th: I liked Captain Marvel. I liked Ms. Marvel. And this is a chance for them to share the screen.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle: Mutant Mayhem - Aug 4th: CG Animated TMNT film from Seth Rogen. No Michael Bay. So hopefully it gives new breath to the big screen Turtles.

Gran Turismo - Aug 8th: Yes... a video game movie. But we have had some good ones come out. This has a chance to be great. But it also has a chance to be terrible. We will see.

Blue Beetle - Aug 18th: It's the Space Bug movie!!! No... DC's young superhero is getting a chance to shine!

Equalizer 3 - Sept 1st: Denzel Washington's John Wick series. Renaissance to his action career. And we are finally getting a third.

Expendables 4 - Sept 22nd: Speaking of Action... the 4th installment of the mindless action series. But... not everyone is coming back to this one. A new crop is being introduced with some of the old school ass kickers.

Kraven the Hunter - Oct 6th: Here is a chance for Sony to let me down again with they Spider-Verse sub universe. BUT Aaron Taylor-Johnson is an EXTREMELY underrated actor. I at least want to see his performance.

Dune Part 2 - Nov 3rd: I was looking forward to an amazing version of the Dune story, and Part 1 was phenomenal to me. Part 2 is the meat of the story, and because of that, this is most anticipated movie of the year.

Wish - Nov 22nd: Took Disney forever to make a movie about there most iconic song, When You Wish Upon A Star. And it is Pixar. So you know it'll be epic.

Wonka - Dec 15th: An origin story for Willy Wonka, starring Timothy Chalamet. I'm still skeptical. But... it is Willy Wonka. It is Chalamet. So I shouldn't be...?

Ghostbusters Firehouse(official title?) - Dec 20th: I saw this listed for this date, but I don't think it is true. Either way... a sequel to the greatest Legacyquel of all time? I'm already there.

Aquaman and The Lost Kingdom - Dec 25th: Seems like most of the DC stuff is muddled. But we are finally getting the sequel to Aquaman. I thought the first one was epic. Hope this one is too.

Salem's Lot - TBA: This remake is supposed to come out in 2023, and I'm excited... sorta. The Pet Semetary remake was horrible. But Gary Dauberman is writing and directing this remake. And his writing credits have been HUGE in the horror genre, writing for the Annabelle series, The Nun, and BOTH Chapters of the IT Remake(and you KNOW I loved those). And he did say was focusing on making Vampires terrifying again. Please do.

And... that is my list for 2023. Are there any that you thought I should add?

Comment and share this thing.

Until next time...

Don't forget...

The New Review - Black Adam

Copyright goes to DC Comics and Warner Bros Discovery

Black Adam

Starring Dwayne Johnson

Directed by Jaume Collet-Serra

Concept: Story of Shazam's biggest rival, and current anti-hero of the DC Universe.

Execution

Here we go...

Characters: So... this was the biggest let down. Let me explain. We have Black Adam. We have the Justice Society and 4 of the members. And some support characters. Plus a criminal organization with little explanation. Black Adam get PLENTY of backstory, or course, it is HIS movie. The JSA members were cool, but they barely got any backstory. Very very little. And I still get it... it is Black Adam's movie. And the main villain of the movie, Sabbac, was done very well. Waiting until the best point to introduce what he was... I give credit there. Score: 12/20

Presentation: Fight scenes... action... lightning... super powers... CGI... it was a run of the mill of the DC Superhero flick. Some of the CG was off. But nothing that feels like it didn't fit... just needed more polish. And not Transformers 2 level bad. And most of it dealing with Dr. Fate's magic... so... you can say it was magical. Score: 18/20

Chronicle: As mentioned before, the characters didn't get the backstory they all deserved, but the story around Black Adam was pretty good. Especially since they slightly CHANGED his backstory. That twist made this version of the story pretty good. Still sad that Hawkman and Dr. Fate didn't get a bit more story, but that it okay. The overall story was pretty good, even with lackluster support for the JS and Intergang. Almost felt like Intergang was thrown in, but they deserve another story. Score: 20/30

Impact: There are questions about whether or not Black Adam shifts the power in the DC Movie Universe. And so many say no. And... I slightly agree. But it is became a game changer in other ways. We got Henry Cavill back in the saddle as Superman. The Justice Society got established, and I would take a JS movie or series on HBO Max. And we got to see Dwayne Johnson finally do the passion project that took the better part of 15 years to get done. And... it works. The power might not have shifted, but it absolutely sets the tone for the new direction we are heading in for DC Movies. And I think it is a good thing. Score: 18/20

Extra Oomph: Because of the cameos of Superman and Harcourt(from Peacemaker), this movie established a canon connection between the Snyderverse that was, and the James Gunnverse that we are about to enter. Making Black Adam a very interesting linchpin in that transition. Score: 10/10

Final Score: 78/100

Final Grade: C+

Conclusion: It is a fun movie. And if you like Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, then you will like this movie. Not perfect, but entertaining.

It's all a matter of opinion: I cannot stress enough that THIS is MY opinion, you can either agree with me or not. I don't have to justify my opinion, because *clears throat* that's what this blog is about. Whether I like it or not doesn't mean you have to or not...... I'ts just my justification behind MY recommendation... Which leads me to my FINAL JUDGMENT...

FINAL JUDGMENT: I say... go see it. Watch it. Again, it has flaws, but it is still entertaining. But it is also a passion project. The Rock could've abandoned the idea at any time, but he followed through. And that should be appreciated and supported. So go see it. If you wanna pass in the theater, then buy or rent it. It is worth it.

-

-

-

-

-

There you go... Black Adam has gotten a 78!!!

Not as good as I hoped, but it was still worth seeing.

Have you seen it yet? What did you think? Excited for the next phase of DC Films with Cavill back... and James Gunn at the helm?

Comment and share.

Until next time...

Don't forget...

Renewed Top 15 - October Holiday Month

We just passed through two Dump Months. And now it is time for the Holiday season.

When you think of October, you think of Halloween... horror films... and Slasher Icons! But the movie industry doesn't always follow that. Sure, some great horror and slasher films end up in October... but quite a few end up in February. Must want to compete with Valentine's Day? Who knows.

As you are about to see, October is very diverse when it comes to movie releases.

Let's kick it off with the Top 6 at the Box Office(you'll see why).

1. Joker (10/4/2019) $335m

2. Gravity (10/4/2013) $274m

3. The Martian (10/2/2025) $228m

4. A Star Is Born (10/5/2018) $215m

5. Venom: Let There Be Carnage (10/5/2018) $213.55m

6. Venom (10/1/2018) $213.51m

A Star Is Born and Venom: Let There Be Carnage were released at the same time and they both made the top 5. And the different between Venom and it's sequel was less than $40,000. So... Venom had to be included!

Now... what about MY list? I had a large pool, so... expanded list!!!

Top 15 Movies Released In October

Here we go...

HM The Marine (10/13/2006): WWE Studio produced film starring John Cena pre-Hollywood attempt. A generic action film, but a good one. And sparks of the AWESOME actor Cena is now.

HM The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (10/11/1974): The OG Leatherface tale. So many version, sequels, retellings. The original is still the best of the best.

HM Wes Craven's A New Nightmare (10/14/1994): My favorite of the Freddy Krueger outings. Meta in that Freddy was after the ACTRESS who played Nancy. Freddy was most sinister in this movie. Less camp, more attempting to kill Langencamp

15. Look Who's Talking (10/13/1989): Bruce Willis as the inner voice of a baby. I mean... it writes itself. And it was pretty funny too.

14. The Beverly Hillbillies (10/15/1993): It is difficult to beat the Original with Buddy Epsen... so they didn't. We had Ernest himself, Jim Varney, as the patriarch Jed Clampett and one of the first times I remember seeing Dietrich Bader(playing Jethro) making me laugh. This was a great adaptation.

13. First Blood (10/22/1982): The Debut of John Rambo. A role as synonymous with Sylvester Stallone as Rocky is... and should be studied as what PTSD can do to people.

12. Candyman (10/16/1992): Recently had a sequel/revival. This is the original. And the lore behind this slasher film is pretty tragic. Plus... this is movie that led to be having cold chills hearing the voice of Tony Todd.

11. The Terminator (10/26/1984): Time traveling robot coming back to cause a pre-conception abortion so his robot brethren can win their war. Ha! You know the movie.

10. Dracula Untold (10/10/2014): What was supposed to be the start of a new Universal Monsters Universe, Luke Evans brought to life a new type of Dracula, mixing the lore of the fictional vampire and the real life monster it was based off of. Extremely underrated Dracula movie.

9. Demolition Man (10/8/1993): Stallone and Wesley Snipes in a "perfect" future getting into Cops and Robbers shenanigans. But... I have to point something out... this was an era in Sandra Bullock's career where she was sweet, innocent, endearing...... why was she just SO DAMN CUTE in this movie?! Answer me dammit!!!

8. Thir13en Ghosts (10/26/2001): A Remake with modern horror tendencies. Tony Shaloub does a great job, but in my opinion, this was Matthew Lillard's breakout role. And... a wonderful movie to boot.

7. Blade Runner 2049 (10/6/2017): One of the GREATEST Legacyquels of all time. It brings a little bit of closure to Deckard's story from the original... while throwing another twist in the universe. Don't make us wait 30+ years for the 3rd movie.

6. Halloween (10/27/1978) & Halloween (10/19/2018) & Halloween Kills (10/15/2021): No. I haven't done a review for either of the new ones, but both are quality. Halloween is the best Horror Erasequel is history. And Kills lived up to the name. Going to do an article after seeing all 3(with Ends just around the corner). And of course, the original is just a masterpiece. One of the greatest slow build suspenseful horror films of all time.

5. What Dreams May Come (10/2/1998): If you know me, I don't get into the whole religiosity stuff. But... this has Robin Williams. This has STUNNING visuals. And an interesting story about life after death... love after death... and the lengths someone would go for both. This is classic in every sense of the word.

4. Joker (10/4/2019): Batman's nemesis gets his own gangster noir style movie, and damn it was so good. Joaquin Phoenix DESERVED the Oscar for this performance.

3. Dune Chapter 1 (10/22/2021): I have been waiting for Dune to be adapted properly, and even though the 1984 movie... happened... and is a cult classic... it didn't do the job. This one DID. And split into 2 parts, I can't wait for Part 2...

2. John Wick (10/24/2014): One of the greatest stylistic action films I've EVER seen. So good, we are about to get a 4th one next year. This movie is responsible for giving Keanu Reeves NEW life in his action star career. Because of John Wick, we got another Matrix... another Bill & Ted... and they announced another Constantine movie. John Wick change the game... and gave us another Keanulution.

And the Number One movie release in October is...

1. The Nightmare Before Christmas (10/29/1993): WHAT ELSE WAS IT GOING TO BE!?! This is one of my favorite movies of all time. Not just for October. I know the songs by heart. I know the lines by heart. This is my movie. I love this movie. So damn much.

-

-

-

-

-

Were you surprised by any of them? Any I missed? What do you think of what I included?

Comment down below. And share this thing!

Until next time...

Don't forget...

Renewed Top 10 - September Dump Month

Time for the September Dump Month List!!!!

You've been following along... so you get the whole Blockbuster/Dump Month idea. So let's get into September.

Starting with the Top 5 Domestic 

1. IT(9/8/2017) $328m

2. Shang-Chi(9/3/2021) $224m

3. IT Chapter 2(9/6/2019) $211m

4. Crocodile Dundee(9/26/1986) $174m

5. Hotel Transylvania 2(9/25/2015) $169m

Now let's get into my September list. This one was FUN!!!

Top 10 Movies Released In September

Here we go...

Honorable Mention 1: Hellraiser(9/18/1987): The original Hellraiser, based on Clive Barker's novella. Getting some attention because of the reboot coming up. It ALMOST made the list, but a different horror film deserved the spot.

Honorable Mention 2: 50/50(9/30/2011): Seth Rogen movie based on the life of a friend of his who was hit with a life changing cancer diagnoses. Seth Rogen playing himself(technically). Joseph Gordon Levitt playing the cancer stricken friend. And it was a great movie.

10. Tenet(9/3/2020): John David Washington showing he is as smooth as his daddy, Denzel. A movie about a unique take on time travel. A bit confusion at times... but worth it. Also felt like Robert Pattinson's Batman audition.

9. Cloudy With A Chance Of Meatballs(9/18/2009): Cute animated movie about a genius who creates a machine that turns water into food, and it gets out of hand. Bill Hader... that is really all you need. But Anna Faris, Andy Samberg, and Mr. T all make this movie Great With A Chance Of Awesome.

8. The Good Son(9/24/1993): Macaulay Culkin playing a little psychopath trying to kill a little Elijah Wood. We get it... Frodo must die. But this was also in the era of Home Alone and Uncle Buck... and Culkin comes out swinging in this thriller. Child stardom can be cruel. Think of how Culkin would've turned out if he and the drugs hadn't found each other...

7. Rush Hour(9/18/1998): Jackie Chan is an action comedy legend. So pair him with the annoyingly voiced Chris Tucker. What would happen? Well... this was the start of an EPIC trilogy/franchise.

6. The Prophecy(9/1/1995): Christopher Walken as the Archangel Gabriel. Start of a franchise centered around an Angelic War. Elias Koteas as the detective caught in the middle of it. And Viggo Mortensen(pre-LOTR) as The Devil. THIS is the horror film that kept Hellraiser out as an Honorable Mention.

5. Dredd(9/21/2012): Reboot of the earlier Stallone movie. Karl Urban coming in as a younger Joseph Dredd. Never took his helmet off. Stayed true to the 2000 AD comics. And GORY!!! Not for the faint of Stomach. And I loved every bit of it.

4. To Wong Foo, Thanks For Everything, Julie Newmar(9/8/1995): When you think of Wesley Snipes, you probably think of Blade. When you think of Patrick Swayze, you probably think of his kicking ass in Road House. When you think of John Leguizamo, you probably think of The Pest or Super Mario Bros or Ice Age. But what about the 3 of them together in a movie AS NYC drag queens driving across country to Hollywood for a "Miss Drag Queen of America" Pageant. Yeah. It is as funny as it sounds. Swayze and Leguizamo both got Golden Globe nominations for this movie. The perfect joke... but not implied.

3. The Last of the Mohicans(9/25/1992): I loved James Fenimore Cooper books when I was younger. They were big... they were interesting. And this is a pretty damn good adaptation. Plus, it introduced me to Daniel Day Lewis... and he may have won an Oscar or two.

2. IT(9/8/2017) & IT Chapter 2(9/6/2019): Remake of the classic Stephen King tryst. And I know not everyone agrees with me, but I like this version better. Solified Bill Hader as a star, showed the potential of Finn Wolfhard as a future star(playing the same character), shows that Andy Muschietti is careful with his work, and Bill Skarsgård can be whatever he wants to be in Hollywood(including The Crow, apparently).

And the Number 1 Movie Released In September Is...

1. Se7en(9/22/1995): A LEGENDARY film. One of Brad Pitt's best films. One of Morgan Freeman's best films. One of Kevin Spacey's best films. About an anonymous killer basing his murders on the seven deadly sins. One of the greatest thrillers in cinema history.

-

-

-

-

-

Three Movies from September 1995!!!! Can you believe it?

What did you all think? Any movie that should've made the list?

Comment and share.

Until next time...

Don't forget...

The New Review - Bullet Train

Bullet Train

Directed by David Leitch

Starring Brad Pitt and many many more

Concept: A man doing a job involving stealing a briefcase filled with $10mil gets caught up in SO much more.

Execution

Here we go...

Cast: This a perfectly cast ensemble. Brad Pitt, Joey King, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Brian Tyree Henry, Michael Shannon, Bad Bunny(yes, that Bad Bunny), Zazee Beets. And not a single wasted casting. Score: 20/20

Presentation: A very Japanese movie, which is the point. It takes place on a Bullet Train. Includes a few famous songs translated into Japanese. Best thing about the atmosphere is that is takes place on a bullet train. And each car is vastly different. One environment... but many sub-environments. Score: 20/20

Chronicle: The story starts very slow. And that is to subvert expectations. What you think the move is from the trailer... that is how the movie starts. Then you go into the meat of the movie. Plenty of exposition. But each exposit scene is fun. And the 3rd act makes up for whatever slowness the beginning of the movie has. Balanced with all the sub stories going on, and all of them connected, paired with all of the stylistic violence that ALSO tells a story. Like Murder on the Orient Express if Hercule Poirot was played by Deadpool(not Ryan Reynolds... the character DEADPOOL). Score: 28/30

Impact: Based on a book, and you know how book adaptation are: either spot on or not even close. This makes a few small changes, and one big one that just... works better. It shows just how good adaptations can be in the 2 hour movie format. The action sequences prove that the small scale, controlled action of John Wick can work with different mediums AND can work with comedy. The impact of the movie is weighed less from this movie, and more on the John Wick series. It really was the first attempt outside of John Wick to use this style of action. And I'm going to give you a new Term of Entertainment Endearment(which I am going to make a post about): Intimate Combat. Because of that... Score: 22/20

Extra Oomph: The cast... I could talk about bigger parts the whole post, but I am going to highlight 2 small ones. First... I watched this movie twice already. It was until the SECOND watch through that I noticed Karen Fukuhara was the cute snack cart girl. Don't know the name? Katana in Suicide Squad and Kimiko in The Boys. THAT Karen Fukuhara. Yeah. It was a small role, but it was cool that I couldn't tell at first. The second small role... Bad Bunny. Bad Bunny plays The Wolf. An assassin. If you've seen the trailer, you've seen the big fight scene. But the small character backstory exposition, the fight scene itself, and a bit of situational comedy(you'll know what I mean)... I fully believe Bad Bunny could be a GREAT actor if he wanted to be. And I fan cast him in a reboot for Desperado already. Cast Karen in more stuffs... and get Bad Bunny on his movie star track... now. Score: 10/10

FINAL SCORE: 100/100

FINAL GRADE: A++

Conclusion: Yes, Bullet Train does start a little slow with ZERO exposition on Ladybug's behalf. But if your attention span is long enough to get past the small slow opening... this one of the BEST movies I've seen in quite awhile.

It's all a matter of opinion: I cannot stress enough that THIS is MY opinion, you can either agree with me or not. I don't have to justify my opinion, because *clears throat* that's what this blog is about. Whether I like it or not doesn't mean you have to or not...... I'ts just my justification behind MY recommendation... Which leads me to my FINAL JUDGMENT...

FINAL JUDGMENT: Go watch it... a few times... and then buy it on disc and/or streaming. And then get a back up copy.

-

-

-

-

-

There is folks... Bullet Train gets a PERFECT score. And it deserves it.

Have you seen it? What do you think? Plan on seeing it?

Comment and share!

Until next time...

Don't forget...

Renewed Top 15 - August Dump Month

It is that time again. Time for the monthly post, and according to Hollywood, Blockbuster seasin is over... so... now it is time for our second set of Dump months.

If you checked the title, you will see a Top 15, and that is because since it is the late Summer Dump month, I wanted you to see the Diversity with movies I love from the month of August.

I almost didn't number the list, because there are a handful on the list that could be interchangeable based on mood. But I settled on the list you are about it see... and... you are about to see a FIRST for this series. What is it? You'll see.

So... let's start with the Box Office Top 5.

1. Guardians of the Galaxy $333m

2. Suicide Squad $325m

3. The Sixth Sense $293m

4. Signs $227m

5. The Bourne Ultimatum $224m

Already some diversity. So what about my list?

Well...

Top 15 August Movies

Here we go...

Honorable Mention 1: Unforgiven(8/7/1992): I'm not the biggest fan of westerns, but this later in life classic with Clint Eastwood was pretty damn good.

Honorable Mention 2: Flatliners(8/10/1990): Not to be confused with the subpar remake, this movie had a STELLAR cast and a great premise with medical students trying to force near death experiences and dealing with the consequences.

Honorable Mention 3: Jay & Silent Bob Strike Back(8/24/2001): Make no mistake, I love this extremely Meta Kevin Smith film. The reason I kept it off the list is... I don't remember it being released to theaters. I know it was, I think. But I just don't remember it being in theaters. Granted... my life was really weird during that time frame, but it wouldn't surprise me if it didn't get released only to select theaters.

15. Collateral(8/6/2004): Tom Cruise and Jamie Foxx in a wonder dynamic film about a cabbie taken hostage by a hitman as he is during jobs around the city. Proof of how good Tom Cruise is... proof of how good Jamie Foxx was going to be.

14. Halloween(8/31/2007)/Halloween 2(8/28/2009): Included both, and if you are keeping score, these are the Rob Zombie films. Now, that we have the continuation of the original series, this one isn't as important anymore. But it is fun revisionist take on the Michael Myers tale.

13. Jack(8/9/1996): I love Robin Williams. And this movie about a 10 year old with a rare condition that makes him age 4 times as fast(so he looks 40). And his best adventure yet... public school. It has plenty of tropes you would expect... and it is a very Robin Williams movie.

12. Bambi(8/21/1942): A Disney Classic. And was my first movie I remember seeing as a kid. One of the rereleases of it, and it was at the Crump. If you know... you know 

11. Don't Breathe(8/26/2016): Steven Lang in a very anxiety inducing thriller. I've seen many horror films... I've seen many thrillers. And this is still the most anxious I've ever been watching a movie.

10. Mortal Kombat(8/18/1995): Yes, the original. It isn't a great movie... it doesn't hold up. But it is still an enjoyable movie for those who grew up with the games.

9. Fast Times at Ridgemont High(8/13/1982): The Quintessential High Schooler movie. Still makes me think of Sean Penn as an airhead, even after all the other work he has done.

8. Scott Pilgrim vs The World(8/13/2010): The movie based on a book series basically set in a video game world... that eventually became a video game. Fun fact: the ending is different than the books because the books weren't done yet. Un-fun fact: Michael Cera really just plays himself.

7. The Expendables(8/13/2010): Classic Action Stars kicking major ass and blowing shit up. That is what this movie is. Don't watch it for the plot. Because it is paper thin.

6. The Fly(8/15/1986): Science experiment gone wrong that turns a scientist into a Fly creature... and somehow turned Jeff Goldblum into a sex symbol.

5. The Sixth Sense(8/6/1999): M. Night's Twisty Magnum Opus about a kid who sees dead people and counselor who wished he didn't.

4. Desperado(8/25/1995): Story of a mariachi singer with a guitar case full of guns. This is the movie that introduced me to both Antonio Banderas and Salma Hayek. And... damn. This movie is STILL legendary. The "Okay... it's me." scene is one of my favorites of all time.

3. Uncle Buck(8/16/1989): John Candy. The Car. The GIANT Pancakes. And Macaulay Culkin. This was such a great film. John Candy... you are SO missed.

2. Guardians of the Galaxy(8/1/2014): One of my favorite MCU movies. It represents one of the biggest risks the MCU have taken. A team that casual fans would never have heard of is now a household name. All because of James Gunn and a STELLAR cast.

And now... the Number 1 movie released in August is...

1. Bullet Train(8/6/2022): YES! For the first time, a movie from THIS year on one of these lists, and the number one spot!!! Like Murder on The Orient Express crossed with Deadpool and John Wick. So much fun. And shows you how adapting a book to the big screen can be more enjoyable than you expect!!!(review up soon)

-

-

-

-

-

What did you think of this month's list? I had a large pool to choose from this month, and I represented my likes... but wow the diversity!!!

This was the first dump month after the string of Blockbuster movies. Hopefully you see what that really means now. And September is a dump month too. So... we will see how this month goes!

Until next time...

Don't forget...

The New Review - Thor: Love and Thunder

Copyright by Disney/Marvel

Thor: Love and Thunder

Director: Taika Waititi

Starring: Chris Hemsworth, Natalie Portman, Christian Bale

Concept: Taika's go with Thor, a sequel to Ragnarok. And the 4th in the series. And this one... we get introduced to Mighty Thor, aka Dr. Jane Foster!!!

Slightly Spoilery. That is your warning.

Execution

Here we go...

Cast: Hemsworth Thors it up again. You know it. Tessa Thompson with a great support role. Natalie Portman did a great job as the hero. But the highlight of the movie is Christian Bale. His Gorr the God Butcher was amazing. Creepy. The other 3 brought their A game, but Bale brought his A+ game. Score: 18/20

Presentation: Rockin' soundtrack. Bright and colorful. But... equally depressing and dark. And one of the most depressing starts to an MCU movie do far. Straight to the heartstrings. And set a tone that permeates the whole movie. But... the humor, while expected, did take away from the movie a little bit. It wasn't OVERLY funny, like Ragnarok was. But the timing of some of it was out of place. Korg... isn't necessary anymore. Score: 17/20

Chronicle: this is movie with two stories: one for the heroes(Thor, Jane, Valkyrie) and one for the villain(Gorr). The hero story was... happy, positive with a tragic ending. The villain story was dark, depressing with a somewhat peaceful ending. And... that yin yang type works... just know, they feel like two different movies melted together. Not a bad thing... most of the time. And in this case it does, for the most part. The hero side of the story was filled with so many clichés and tropes(but not the one I expected), but it also turned one around(fridging into a hero's death). The villain side... once again, the villain's motivation was justified. But... justified in both sides(the God he worshipped personally... and then the Gods Thor went to for help). The audience understood why. But... methods are what made him a true villain. So... understandable motivations... but despicable actions. A well developed character, portrayed by one of the best actors. Yay to well developed villains. Boo to cramming in too many clichés. Score: 26/30

Impact: Taika Waititi is the first director to repeat in the Thor franchise. And... I was worried going in that Taika would fall into his own trope: overly funny until a serious tone shift. That DIDN'T happen this time. Yes... some of the jokes weren't necessary. But a few were pretty damn good.

"Call the Axe."

"You need to call the dentist." That... worked so well. But the tone was split. Colorful with happy/dark with dreary. And setting up the concept for a sequel. Taika isn't one of favorites when it comes to directors, but because he DID subvert by negative expectations, he is my only choice for the next movie. Score: 20/20

Extra Oomph: Let's address the negative. And then the positives. The negative... TOO MANY CLICHÉS AND TROPES IN THIS MOVIE. It was a love letter to the 80s action/adventure films. But... that means all the crap with it. And it CAN work. Just don't fill a 1 lb sausage casing with 2 lbs of sausage. It doesn't all fit. And shouldn't. It was cool. But might be too much cool. Make sense? Does to me. But... one tired trope got turned on its head. Fridging. Fridging is a trope where someone dies(usually female)to motivate the hero(like in Deadpool 2). Jane Foster dies in this movie. The power of Thor is accelerating her cancer. She chooses the let the power take the last of her strength so she could help Thor defeat Gorr. She died a hero instead of the motivation(and post credits show he joining Heimdall in Valhalla for it). And that was a great touch. And lastly, I can't say enough about how great Christian Bale was. Easily top 5 role for him(because he has so many great ones). Helps me forgive the movie for the clichés, but doesn't eraae them. Score: 8/10

FINAL SCORE: 89/100

FINAL GRADE: B+

Conclusion: The duality of the movie makes this one a bit different than the other MCU movies. And both sides are equally understandable and tragic. Overstuffed with 80s tropes without being an overly 80s movie, but balanced enough that it doesn't matter as much.

It's all a matter of opinion: I cannot stress enough that THIS is MY opinion, you can either agree with me or not. I don't have to justify my opinion, because *clears throat* that's what this blog is about. Whether I like it or not doesn't mean you have to or not...... I'ts just my justification behind MY recommendation... Which leads me to my FINAL JUDGMENT...

FINAL JUDGMENT: Thor Love and Thunder is a pretty good movie with a decently woven story to tell. I was pleasantly surprised. And it is absolutely one of Christian Bale's best roles. As for the movie, I do recommend seeing it, just like most of the other MCU movies. It isn't a top 10 MCU movie, but it is one of the better Thor movies...

-

-

-

-

-

There you have it folks! Thor: Love and Thunder has gotten......... an 89!!!!

Did you see it? What did you think? What would have changed about Jane's death? What would you have done about Gorr's story?

Comment and share!!

Until next time...

Don't forget...

Renewed Top 10 - July Blockbuster Month

It is that time again. July is the final of the Blockbuster months before the next Dump Months. So... let's get to it.

Here are the top 5 Grossing for July

1. The Lion King Live action (7/19/2019) $543m

2. The Dark Knight (7/18/2008) $533m

3. The Dark Knight Rises (7/20/2012) $448m

4. Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest (7/7/2006) $423m

5. Spider-Man Far From Home (7/2/2019) $390m

Now... let's get to MY list.

Top 10 Movies Release In July

Here we go...

Honorable Mention 1: Ant-Man(7/17/2015): In my opinion, the better MCU movies are the ones that don't follow the typical MCU Superhero formula. And so far, Neither Ant-Man movie has. The first one was a Heist movie, the second one was a prison break movie.

Honorable Mention 2: Inception(7/16/2010): Christopher Nolan. Leo. Dream inside a dream inside a dream. One of more innovative movies of the last few decades.

Honorable Mention 3: Legend of Tarzan(7/1/2016): Spirtual sequel to one of my favorite movies of all time(Greystoke). And instead of Christopher Lambert playing the Ape-Man... it is Alexander Skarsgård. With supporting cast including Samuel L. Jackson, Margot Robbie, and Christoph Waltz... it surprised me.

10. Blair Witch Project(7/30/1999): No longer unique. Made the "Found Footage" movie a thing... and still one of the best to do it. I knew it was fiction... but I remember watching it the first time thinking it wasn't. And it still sticks with me.

9. The Wolverine(7/26/2013): A handful of sources talk about Logan being the first time we got to see Wolverine at his most visceral. And... while it was gory, The Wolverine was still violent... action packed... and captured who the character really was. This movie is underrated. And it deserves more love.

8. National Lampoon's Vacation(7/29/1983): The Griswold Family. After so many "Vacations", the original is still my favorite. And the theme is still awesome.

7. Forrest Gump(7/6/1994): Tom Hanks and Gary Sinise with some of their BEST work. I remember seeing this movie with my Mom in the local theater... and it was the FIRST time I had ever been to a movie that not only had every seat filled, it was standing room only. And... it is the reason I feel like the movie theater is my safe place, my sanctuary. Because there were so many people packed in there to watch this movie... people I didn't know... but we were all there for one reason. To watch this movie. And it just felt... good.

6. Back To The Future(7/3/1985): Michael J. Fox... Christopher Lloyd... Time Machine... Time Travel... and almost incest. You know this movie.

5. Die Hard(7/20/1988): The CHRISTMAS movie that put Bruce Willis through a tower of pain vs Hans Gruber and his gang. Never forget.

4. The Mask(7/29/1994): Jim Carrey was already know for being Rubber Faced... so... why not cast him as a Rubber Faced Anti-Hero? Oh... and don't forget about Cameron Diaz!!!! Damn.

3. Terminator 2 Judgment Day(7/3/1991): The best of the Terminator franchise. Arnold went from antagonist to protagonist. And the T-1000 was introduced. We had this on VHS, and we watched it every year. It was a staple.

2. Robocop(7/17/1987): Yes... Robocop OVER Terminator. I remember when I was little, the scene with the murder of Murphy grossed me out. But eventually, I got over that. And Robocop became one of my favorite movies, and favorite franchises of all time. Quotable. Memorable. Brutal. So good.

And the Number One Released in the Month of July...

1. The Dark Knight(7/18/2008): The Best of the Nolan Batman Trilogy. An Oscar for Heath Ledger... amazing performances out of Bale, Eckhart, Oldman, Freeman. For a director that if also known for extraordinary premises like in Inception and Tenet, his Batman was quite rooted in things that could actually happen in reality. And The Dark Knight was the best example of that.

-

-

-

-

-

What did you all think? Any July movies I missed?

Comment and share!

Until next time...

Don't forget...

Renewed Top 10 - June Blockbuster Month

This is my first official post back... hopefully back. Going to try and get it going again.

Bear with me.

I missed out on June. So let's make sure it gets represented. And like always, let's start with the highest grossing movies for the Month of June.

1. Jurassic World(6/12/2015) $652m

2. Incredibles 2(6/15/2018) $608m

3. Finding Dory(6/17/2016) $486m

4. E.T.(6/11/1982) $435m

5. Toy Story 4(6/21/2019) $434m

6. The Lion King(6/24/1994) $421m

Now... on to MY list.

Top 10 Movies Released In June

Here we go

Honorable Mention 1: Mighty Morphin Power Rangers The Movie(6/30/1995): Power Rangers are still a part of my fandom even now. And as cheesy as this movie was, it was the West's first real attempt at their own Power Rangers entity.

Honorable Mention 2: Lilo & Stitch(6/21/2002): One of the best Disney movies of the 2000s. And dammit, this is the better sister movie(looking at you, Frozen).

Honorable Mention 3: Harry Potter & The Prisoner of Azkaban(6/4/2004): My favorite Harry Potter movie. When the series started getting dark. Plus... Gary Oldman. So... yes. My favorite Potter movie.

10. Jurassic Park(6/11/1993): Michael Crichton's novel come to life. The practical effects are still some of the best I've seen.

9. Man of Steel(6/14/2013): Zack Snyder leaning into Superman being a biblical type being. And Henry Cavill killed this role. He deserves more. He... deserves more.

8. Toy Story 3(6/18/2010): My favorite of the Toy Story movies. A full fledged villain in Lotso... and... a full fledged villain in Andy growing up.

7. Who Framed Roger Rabbit?(6/22/1988): Warner Bros and Disney shaking hands with live action with some Bob Hoskins and Christopher Lloyd. Such a great story disguised as a goofy, silly animated movie meets live action.

6. Spider-Man 2(6/30/2004): Still one of the best Spider-Man movies. Best story structure. Very well done, layered, understandable villain.

5. The Lion King(6/24/1994): Disney Animation's Magnum Opus. You know what this movie is.

4. The Truman Show(6/5/1998): Jim Carrey's showing he doesn't always have to be funny. One his best works.

3. Ghostbusters(6/8/1984): Who you gonna call? The movie that launched a franchise... a phenomena... one that is still beloved today.

2. Batman(6/23/1989): Tim Burton looked at the haters and said "Michael Keaton is perfect as Batman". And now... Michael Keaton has been one of the BEST to ever put on the suit. Influenced the character ever since.

And my number one movie for the month of June...

1. Pixar's Inside Out(6/19/2015): I've said it. This is my favorite movie. It is the BEST depiction if depression I've ever seen, and in a way that kids can understand what the feeling is. The way emotion are personified... I love this movie. And I understand it now more than ever.

-

-

-

-

-

There you go. Not quite back to form. But it works. A bitter sweet month given that it is the birthday month for 3 people I dearly miss(my uncle, my grandmother, and now my mother)... and my own birthday.

Hopefully I still got enough of my heart in it.

Any movie for June that I didn't list that you love? Comment and share this thing!

July post coming post-haste.

Until then...

Don't forget...

The New Review - Elvis

Copyright by Warner Bros

Elvis

Directed by Baz Luhrmann

Starring Austin Butler, Tom Hanks

Concept: Stylized Elvis Presley Biopic. Enough said.

Execution

Here we go...

Cast: So, there are really only 2 important cast members in this movie. Austin Butler as Elvis. Tom Hanks as Col Tom Parker. Everyone else is moot. And it was on purpose. It was exactly Elvis's story, it was Parker's. And... it was a weird obsession he had with Elvis. It makes good on the influences Elvis had. So the other characters are important, but not forefront. Tom Hanks was a bit weak compared to what he CAN do, but he made a great villain. And Austin Butler slayed at Elvis, including singing AS Elvis. That was him(for the most part... later in life Elvis had the real thing mixed in with Butler to make him sound older). And everything else that made Elvis the King... Butler deserves at least an Oscar nom. Score: 16/20

Presentation: Let's get this out of the way... Austin Butler was amazing singing as Elvis. Like spectacular. But... the rest of the soundtrack was too modern. TOO modern. And visually... Elvis was an extravagant, flashy individual. So it makes sense for his movie to be... but it felt OVER produced in the first half... and UNDER produced in the second half. Where it needed it, it didn't. Where it didn't need it, it did it anyway. And...... that first half... it almost lost me. It was prevented through the eyes of Tom Parker... and imagine a villain seeing his meal ticket through dollar signs. And... it took me out of that. Score: 10/20

Chronicle: It's the story of Elvis through the eyes of Tom Parker trying to make himself out to not be the villain of the story. Even though it was clear he was the villain of the story. And this twist to it makes the story we know about even more interesting. I learned things I never knew about Parker... that I never knew about Elvis. And... the story had to be engaging, seeing how the mismatched presentation started to lose me. Score: 27/30

Impact: Baz Luhrmann is responsible for writing and directing Moulin Rouge, Australia, Romeo + Juliet, and The Great Gatsby. Out of those 4 movies, I only enjoyed one, and that was Gatsby. And now... add Elvis to that list. But... I still don't think he should've done a biopic. The pieces of the movie(cast and story) were amazing. But it was like watching chess pieces on a flashing LED Chinese Checkers board. This movie helps Luhrmann's portfolio. And I hate that it does. Score: 15/20

Extra Oomph: I'm going back to Austin Butler. Dude... deserves at least an Oscar nom. With the fact that he did his own signing... he was able to encapsulate what made Elvis so special. A one of a kind role... made for a one of a kind piece of Rock and Roll history. No one else could've done this movie. No× one else could've played Elvis in this way. And it redeems the film in a major way. Score: 15/10

Final Score: 83/100

Final Grade: B-

Conclusion: Austin Butler shines. Tom Hanks is creepy. But there are two different halves to this movie. Up to you to determine whether it feels like it is Performance/Presentation or if it was Prime/Pre-Prime.

It's all a matter of opinion: I cannot stress enough that THIS is MY opinion, you can either agree with me or not. I don't have to justify my opinion, because *clears throat* that's what this blog is about. Whether I like it or not doesn't mean you have to or not...... I'ts just my justification behind MY recommendation... Which leads me to my FINAL JUDGMENT...

FINAL JUDGMENT: If you are an Elvis stan, go see this. If you are an Austin Butler or Tom Hanks stan, go see this. If you are neither, I recommend seeing it, but wait for disc or digital. Will I watch it again? Yes. But... only because of how great Austin Butler was as Elvis.

-

-

-

-

-

There you go, Folks. Elvis gets an... 83!!!!

If you've seen it, what did you think?

Did I mention how great Austin Butler was in this?

Until next time...

Don't forget...

The New Review - Chip n Dale's Rescue Rangers

Logo trademarked by Disney

Chip n Dale's Rescue Rangers

Directed by Akiva Schaffer

Starring John Mulaney and Andy Samberg

Concept: Cartoon characters are really actors playing parts in shows and movies. Chip n Dale are a pair of Disney Chipmunks that had a great cartoon in the 90s. And this... is the aftermath of the fallout between the Titular characters.

Execution:

Here we go...

Cast: John Mulaney and Andy Samberg are the PERFECT voices for new Chip n Dale. Voices from Will Arnett, Seth Rogen, J.K. Simmons. The only casting choice that threw me off was for Zipper. And... while it was awesome, it also felt weird. More of a "sticker shock" type thing. But it grows on you. Score: 18/20

Presentation: They tried to blend live action, CG, and cartoon animation. And... while it works for the most part, it is a bit jarring in some scenes. To do this sort of thing gives off vibes like Who Framed Roger Rabbit... which is great, but still jarring in some scenes. You might not notice, even with this forewarning. But... I did. Score: 17/20

Chronicle: The plot in this movie is... paper thin(a few papers maybe). But, that is the beauty of it. It feels like a plot from the old Rescue Rangers cartoon series. It... fits. It works. And it is simple. But it is also layered. Some real commentary about animation styles, reboots, bootlegging, and even BODY IMAGE. Score: 25/30

Impact/Legacy: Rescue Rangers is this generation's Roger Rabbit. Yeah... I brought it up again. But that is an important thing to bring it. Roger Rabbit changed how to merge animation with reality. And this movie does that with CG as well. Filled with so many references... weird cameos... and it took what Roger Rabbit did with Meta... and MADE it even more Meta. This category is split with Legacy because it is a spiritual reboot/revival. And as I mentioned in Chronicle, this movie is a fitting to be a revival of the Rescue Rangers formula, while still being something unique to it. Score: 20/20

Extra Oomph: Rescue Rangers is a love letter to anyone who grew up watching cartoon in the 80s and 90s. And you can see why in just a moment... I'm going to give you a small-ish list of references and cameos:

-Roger Rabbit himself

-Woody Woodpecker

-Mrs. Doubtfire

-Batman v Superman mixed with E.T.

-The Flintstones

-Pink Panther

-Ugly Sonic

-Top Cat

-Snoopy

-Randy Marsh from South Park

-Bigfoot from Goofy Movie

-Mrs. Flynn-Fletcher from Phineas and Ferb

-Little Mermaid

-Shredder from TMNT

-Wreck It Ralph

-Transformers

-Voltron

-Indiana Jones(in a Double Meta moment)

-Rick and Morty

-The Simpsons

-Bonkers!!

Let's... stop there. There are MANY MANY more. And it is wonderful. The attention to detail in these references, some subtle. It is wonderful. And I had as much fun spotting references as I did watching the movie. Score: 13/10

Final Score: 93/100

Final Grade: A-

Conclusion: As a movie, it is pretty decent. And I did enjoy it. But as a love letter to 80s/90s kids, I LOVED it. Some more references like how they were presented in Ready Player One would've been cool, but this is truly the modern era Who Framed Roger Rabbit? and... it is glorious.

It's all a matter of opinion: I cannot stress enough that THIS is MY opinion, you can either agree with me or not. I don't have to justify my opinion, because *clears throat* that's what this blog is about. Whether I like it or not doesn't mean you have to or not...... I'ts just my justification behind MY recommendation... Which leads me to my FINAL JUDGMENT...

FINAL JUDGMENT: If you have a Disney+ Subscription, then you have ZERO excuse not to watch it. And if you don't... for less then a movie ticket, you can get a subscription... get to see this movie... and much more. Yes... I'm saying Sub to Disney+. But I'm also saying that if you are one of those 80s/90s kids, you NEED to see it. And... if you are one of those with kids now, this would be a good way to introduce them to The Rescue Rangers!!!

-

-

-

-

-

Well there you go! Chip n Dale's Rescue Rangers has gotten a 93!!!

Have you seen it yet? What did you think? If not... did this sway you?

Comment and share...

Until next time...

Don't forget...

Renewed Top 10 - May Blockbuster Month

It is that time. Time for the May Blockbuster list!!! 

I neglected this list because I'm doing others... and I had a vacation. But... when I went to make the pool of titles for this list, I nearly had a stroke. So many movies. But... this is my list... and it is time to piss some people off.

So... let's start with the top domestic grossing movies of May.

1. Marvel's Avengers 623m

2. Star Wars: The Phantom Menace 474m

3. Star Wars: A New Hope 460m

4. Avengers: Age of Ultron 459m

5. Shrek 2 441m

2 MCU. 2 Star Wars. Shrek 2!!!

Wow! Shrek 2!

Now how about THE list?

Top 10 Movies Released in May

Here we go.

Special Mention: There are ALOT of MCU movies in May, and... I've done that list. So no representation here. And... there are plenty of Star Wars movies in May, and I'm not a dedicated fan. So... they aren't on my lists either. Sorry. Was never a Trekkie or a Star Wars fanatic. I appreciate them... but not my thing.

Honorable Mention 1: Spider-Man(5/3/2002): The start of Sam Raimi's trilogy. Tobey Maguire brought Spider-Man to life... and gave us one of the best comic book movie villains.

Honorable Mention 2: Deadpool 2(5/18/2018): Sequel to one of the most successful R-Rated movies of all time. Cable is one of my favorite X-Men characters, and Josh Brolin killed it. But I still think the first movie was better overall.

Honorable Mention 3: Short Circuit(5/9/1986): A Kids/Family movie about a sentient military robot with feelings! I loved that movie... the sequel was pretty good too. Johnny 5 is Alive!!!

10. Smokey and the Bandit(5/27/1977): Legitimately a car chase movie, but Burt Reynolds and Jackie Gleason made this movie legendary.

9. John Wick 3 - Parabellum(5/17/2019): The 3rd Movie in the series that made Keanu Reeves an action star again. Such a damn good series.

8. Up(5/29/2009): The SADDEST intro in Disney history. Even more so than Bambi. Leading to a story that warmed the heart of an old man who lost everything. Sad... but endearing.

7. Conan the Barbarian(5/14/1982): Arnold Schwarzenegger's giant sword wielding movie of might and magic. This role along with Terminator made Arnold a household name.

6. The Craft(5/3/1996): Catholic School witches. Come on... but really, the story was pretty damn good, and absolutely helped shaped my taste in Goth Girls... Fairuza Balk. Damn.

5. Ernest Goes To Camp(5/3/1987): I grew up loving Ernest. And most of his movies were great, but this one is still my favorite. The run away lawn mower is a wonderful gag. We miss you Jim Varney.

4. X2 X-Men United(5/2/2003): Proof that sequels don't have to suck. It is one of the best sequels ever made, and maybe the best of the X-Men movies. Good and bad working together against a great bad. It just... worked.

3. The Fifth Element(5/9/1997): One of my favorite Sci-Fi movies of all time. Which I highlighted on my Bruce Willis list. Favorite trivia about the movie... the main protagonist and the main antagonist NEVER meet face to face through the entire movie.

2. Pokémon Detective Pikachu(5/10/2019): One of the Best Video Game movies off all time, and probably because Ryan Reynolds voiced the little yellow mouse. But it showed that it can be done. Since then, we have had 2 excellent Sonic the Hedgehog movies. All it took was one Pokémon movie to break the mold.

And the Number 1 Movie Released In May is...

1. The Crow(5/13/1994): A staple of my movie watching every year. A tradition on Oct 30th. Brandon Lee is a legend, and sadly this movie is what killed me. But his spirit lives on with this Gothic adaptation. Great soundtrack. Great visuals. And... Ernie Hudson. With a Remake starring Bill Skarsgård on the horizon, I hope it lives up to expectations. And even if not, I will continue to watch this one. Why? Because it can't rain all the time.

-

-

-

-

-

Did I miss any good ones? Should the MCU get more love on the list? Does it skew the list?

Personally... no.

Comment and share!!!

Until next time...

Don't forget...

The New Review - Morbius

Copyright by Sony Pictures and Marvel Comics

Morbius

Directed by Daniel Espinosa

Starring Jared Leto and Matt Smith

Concept: Marvel comics scientist searching for a cure for his own condition, but turns himself into a Living Vampire.

Execution

Here we go...

Cast: Jared Leto gets too much hate for his Joker. He really does. And... somehow, he is getting hate for this role too. And I saw, it is unfair. Leto did a GREAT job with playing Michael. And I can say...... I would love to see him again in this role. Matt Smith as the "antagonist"... he looked like he was having fun and was a superb counterpart to Leto. A waste of Jared Harris. Tyrese Gibson was okay. And... dammit... Al Madrigal... I enjoy his work. I think he is a funny guy. He should NOT have been in this movie. His delivery and involvement made me cringe. So... Summary... Jared Leto and Matt Smith did amazing. Everyone else... not so much. Score: 12/20

Presentation: Dark, melacholy. Like a story about a Living Vampire should be. And a critic I pay attention to said that the action scenes were so confusing... I disagree. Compared to the first Venom fight scenes(especially Venom vs Riot)... this was SMOOOOOOOOTH in comparison. Some physical CG was weird, but overall, it wasn't THAT bad. The particle smoke effects... I enjoyed that so much. Score: 18/20

Chronicle: So... I will go back and mention that Jared Leto and Matt Smith both did great. And here is why. I am going to bring up the Hulk. The MCU Hulk. The Edward Norton movie is the only Hulk appearance where Bruce Banner was actively trying NOT to unleash the Green Beast, even in bed with Betty. But starting with the Avengers movie, the Hulk was just a super suit(screw you, Joss Whedon). There has been no real repercussions on Bruce's mind. Look at Age of Ultron... he went on a Wanda-Rampage, leveled some city blocks. But... afterwards, Banner felt... embarrassed? Little to no remorse. Same for Stark. But Leto as Morbius, he felt remorse. He didn't want to take a human life. And I felt his pain with it. The opposite of that with Matt Smith. His character showed to remorse because he didn't have any. Great "two sides of the same coin" aspect. But outside of the character building of those two, there wasn't anything special about this movie. Instead of Character Driven... it was character-only. It would've been better as Episode 1 of a mini series. Score: 15/30

Impact: This isn't a game changer. But it isn't a game breaker. Proof that maybe Sony should stop. But at this same time, it was a still a decent horror/hero movie. Not the worst movie I've seen. Not the best movie I've seen. But again... the performances of Jared Leto and Matt Smith might be a great template. I want to see Leto/Morbius in other Spidey-verse movies. Score: 14/20

Extra Oomph: There is nothing here. But it isn't a detractor. I might double down on the waste of Jared Harris. But I would then need to double down are the performances of Leto and Smith. So... let's call it a wash there, but the shorter runtime compared to ALL of the MCU, it is still a win. Score: 8/10

Final Score: 67

Final Grade: D+

Conclusion: The movie overall isn't great. It isn't. But the performances are worth seeing. If I would score it just for those, it would be a B or a B+. But you have to have movie with your roles.

It's all a matter of opinion: I cannot stress enough that THIS is MY opinion, you can either agree with me or not. I don't have to justify my opinion, because *clears throat* that's what this blog is about. Whether I like it or not doesn't mean you have to or not...... I'ts just my justification behind MY recommendation... Which leads me to my FINAL JUDGMENT...

FINAL JUDGMENT: It's been awhile since I've said this... DON'T go watch this movie. Wait for digital rental. Or purchase if you are a collector. But I feel it doesn't deserve the in theater support. That being said... Jared Leto absolutely CAN be supported. So... the Final Judgment for the studio is... use Leto/Morbius in OTHER Spidey-verse movies, but this movie doesn't deserve a sequel. If it gets one, learn how to make a movie.

-

-

-

-

-

There it is, folks. Morbius recieves a 67!!!

But remember the performances deserve a MUCH better grade.

Did you see it? What did you think?

Comment and share.

Until next time...

Don't forget...

Renewed Top 10 - Jim Carrey Movies

FIRE MARSHALL BILL

Jim Carrey has had a whirlwind life during the last decade, and recently said he was considering retirement. And that... sucks. It really does. One of the GREATEST comedic actors of all time. Severely underrated. And the man of many faces, most of them his own face.

Never won an Oscar. Not even nominated. But so many Golden Globes.

If you don't think you know who Jim Carrey is, yes you do.

So let's get into it.

Top 10 Jim Carrey Movies

Special Mention: Batman Forever: I need to make this clear... I'm not a fan of this movie. But I AM a huge fan of Jim's version of The Riddler, and all the duo interactions with Tommy Lee Jones's Pepto dipped Two-Face. They seemed like they had real fun with it. And Jim nailed this over the top Riddler.

Honorable Mention 1: Number 23: Sometimes the best movies for actors come outside their comfort zone. And while this one isn't one Jim's best, it wasn't that bad. A thriller/horror/suspense film about a man obsessed with the Number 23.

Honorable Mention 2: Bruce Almighty: Bruce Almighty was a good movie. But I do feel like it wasn't as good as I was hoping it could've been.

Honorable Mention 3: How The Grinch Stole Christmas: How do you beat this version of the Grinch? Jim getting Carreyed away, narration from Anthony Hopkins, and directed by Opie Taylor himself, Ron Howard. But why didn't it make the list? Because... a different one Carrey Christmas did.

10. Me, Myself, and Irene: Jim Carrey in a movie about a man with split personalities, and both of them are Jim Carrey. The movie would be higher on this list, but I'm not the biggest Renee Zellweger fan.

9. Man On The Moon: A Biopic about legendary funny man Andy Kaufman. He NAILED it. One of the biggest snubs in Oscar history. He should've at least got nominated. Oh well... A Golden Globe works too.

8. Sonic the Hedgehog: Who else to play Eccentric Sonic villain, Dr. Robotnik? And it felt like Jim being Jim again. We should be thankful for this movie.

7. The Mask: The Rubber Faced Man playing a Rubber Faced Comicbook Anti-Hero. Definitely not as violent as the comics, but allowed Jim to be what he always has been: a Living Cartoon. And... um... Cameron Diaz. Dammit.

6. Dumb and Dumber: The on-screen chemistry between Jim Carrey and Jeff Daniels is off the charts. And Jim is responsible for one of the movie iconic scenes in movie history... the Most Annoying Sound In The World... and IT WAS IMPROV.

5. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind: Would you like your mind erased? This movie tackles that. A couple has their mind erased to forget their failed relationship. And... by fate... they find each other and fall in love with each other again. One of Jim's few dramatic movies, but such a great love story. He needed to have done more.

4. A Christmas Carol: Remember I said there was a different Christmas movie on the list? It is this one. And for good reason. Aside from the Muppets, this is my favorite version of this tale. Animated... and Jim does EIGHT different voices, including Scrooge.

3. The Cable Guy: Definition of a modern day Black Comedy about a man who rejects The Cable Guy's attempt to make a friendship... so the Cable Guy starts stalking him and kidnaps his ex-girlfriend. Gave us some the greatest scenes of Jim's career.

2. Liar Liar: A boy wishes his father couldn't lie. Difficult for a Lawyer. But such a good movie. Shows Jim's ability to go outside the box, even when he is holding the box. Notable for me for my favorite Jim Carrey scene of his whole career... if you know... you know. "THE PEN IS BLUUUUUUUE! *SOBBING* THE PEN IS BLUUUUUUUE!" (close second in this movie too "Do you mind? I'm kicking my ass!")

And the Number One Jim Carrey movie is...

1.The Truman Show: A movie about a man whose whole life from birth has been broadcast as a reality show for the world to see... except he doesn't know it. A manufactured life, in a manufactured world. And the facade starts cracking. Such a great movie about someone living in a fake world learning about his own reality. I love this movie. So much.

-

-

-

-

-

So many funny and great movies? Aside from Ace Ventura, any other Carrey movies I missed?

Comment and share!

Until next time...

Don't forget...