Alien Romulus is the latest in the Alien franchise, this time returning to the survival horror roots that launched it!
20th Century Studios has returned to the roots of the Alien franchise with Alien Romulus, featuring the likeness of Ian Holm, who played Ash in the original film. With the exception of the original film, I have always felt that the franchise was less horror and more sci-fi action film. I have literally seen every seen every Alien film in the franchise. I’ve virtually enjoyed them all, even the Aliens Vs Predator films. Romulus truly is the return to its roots.
Taking place about twenty years after the original, Weyland-Yutani is up to their usual shenanigans and have been searching for the organism that was responsible for nearly killing the entire crew of the Nostromo. As they usually are, they were successful and began experimenting on the creature, but not before it woke up and killed a bunch of the crew. On the nearby mining planet, a group of teens learn about the space station and believe it has been decommissioned. They decide to raid it for supplies to allow them to travel to a planet that is not under the control of the company. As expected this is when things go awry.
The cast was beyond fantastic, especially the two leads that played Andy and Rain, Cailee Spaeny and David Jonsson. Set designs, costumes and effects were perfect but were outshined by the brilliant use of lighting and ambient sounds to REALLY set the tone for the film. Overall this is the second best film in the franchise and that’s because you just can’t beat the original, especially on that first watch.
IT IS RARE FOR ME TO SEE A MOVIE WHEN IT’S STILL IN THEATERS BUT THANKS TO DISNEY STUDIOS I WAS ABLE TO CATCH UP ON A FEW THAT I MISSED!
Recently the fine folks at Disney Studios (their home page is here) had sent me codes to several of the movies I missed so that I could share my thoughts on them with you. With Part 1 we were taking a look at the live action version of Mulan. Part 2 discussed Soul and Raya and the Last Dragon. Part 3 looked at the live action story of Cruella. Part 4 discussed Luca and Part 5 talked about Jungle Cruise. Part 6 discussed Encanto and Part 7 talked about Turning Red. Part 8 covered Lightyear and Part 9 with Strange World. Part 10 talked about Mickey & Minnie 10 Classic Shorts – Volume 1 and Part 11 with The Little Mermaid and Elemental. Part 12 had Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny and we have returned for another round with Part 13 and Haunted Mansion!
Haunted Mansion
The story begins with Gabbie and her son moving into the Haunted Mansion and realize they can never leave. Reaching out for help they hire a priest, a medium and a spectral photographer. The photographer feels like the real focus of the story, even though the everything puts the focus on the mansion and the family that moved into the house. The cast and story were fantastic and were only outshined by the quality of the effects. My only complaint was with Madame Leota’s costume. It just seemed goofy, pun not intended. The original Haunted Mansion film was a disappointment in terms of horror but was a fun film and this one was far superior in terms of story and quality in both horror and fun. This is the new bar for the brand and it is high indeed.
Have you had a chance to see this release from Disney Studios?
IT IS RARE FOR ME TO SEE A MOVIE WHEN IT’S STILL IN THEATERS BUT THANKS TO 20TH CENTURY STUDIOS I WAS ABLE TO CATCH UP ON A FEW THAT I MISSED.
Recently the fine folks at 20th Century Fox (now 20th Century Studios- their home page is here) had sent me codes to several of the movies I missed so that I could share my thoughts on them with you. Part 1 was all about Underwater and Part 2 focused on The New Mutants. Part 3 we talked about The Personal History of David Copperfield. Part 4 discussed The Empty Man. Part 5 talked about Nomadland and Speed 4K Ultra HD. Part 6 discussed The Night House and Free Guy. Part 7 focused on The Eyes of Tammy Faye and Part 8 had The Last Duel. Part 9 discussed Ron’s Gone Wrong and
Part 10 talked about The King’s Man and Summer of Soul. Part 11 discussed Nightmare Alley and West Side Story. Part 12 highlighted Death on the Nile and Part 13 talked about The Bob’s Burgers Movie. Part 14 highlighted Barbarian and See How They Run. Part 15 discussed Amsterdam and Part 16 talked about The Banshees of Inisherin and The Menu. Part 17 shared our thoughts on Empire of Light and Part 18 with Avatar: The Way of Water. Part 19 had Avatar in 4k and Chevalier. Part 20 shared The Boogeyman and we are back with Part 21 with Theater Camp!
Theater Camp
The overall story of Theater Camp follows the decline of a camp full of drama students after the proprietor enters a coma and her son takes over. Done as a fake documentary, or mockumentary, the film has a bit of a dry humor that is more subtle than viewers may be used to. There are two things that will help make this more enjoyable for you- if you have experience in the theater or camps like this and lastly if you enjoy the dryer British style of humor. If either of those fit you then this film will be a great choice for you, if they don’t there is still enough humor for everyone else that you should be satiated. Overall the passion for this world of theater is evident and was even more clear once I learned that three of the film’s leads helped to write the film, using their own real experiences to inspire the story. Usually a film like this with a budget that is next to nothing that is purely for the passion of those involved and done so at the start of their careers. It was nice to see what could be done with a proper budget and the experience behind it to make it really shine.
IT IS RARE FOR ME TO SEE A MOVIE WHEN IT’S STILL IN THEATERS BUT THANKS TO DISNEY STUDIOS I WAS ABLE TO CATCH UP ON A FEW THAT I MISSED!
Recently the fine folks at Disney Studios (their home page is here) had sent me codes to several of the movies I missed so that I could share my thoughts on them with you. With Part 1 we were taking a look at the live action version of Mulan. Part 2 discussed Soul and Raya and the Last Dragon. Part 3 looked at the live action story of Cruella. Part 4 discussed Luca and Part 5 talked about Jungle Cruise. Part 6 discussed Encanto and Part 7 talked about Turning Red. Part 8 covered Lightyear and Part 9 with Strange World. Part 10 talked about Mickey & Minnie 10 Classic Shorts – Volume 1 and we are back for Part 11 with The Little Mermaid and Elemental!
The Little Mermaid
The live action version of The Little Mermaid had more publicity over the race of the Lead Actress than anything else I saw and was absolutely ridiculous. The only thing that race affected anything in the story was that each of King Triton’s daughters represented a different see and their individual appearances resembled that. This was also the same in the original animated film and each of the daughters looked perfect, even Ariel herself. Some of the songs were updated to better fit with more modern sensitivities accounted for and other songs were removed. This is where our only complaint comes in- the song where Chef Louie is trying to cook Sebastian was removed. That is one of both mine and my wife’s favorite scenes from the original film. My wife’s expectations for this film were quite high but based on previous live action version my expectations were somewhere between low and high- medium I guess would be the best word for it. Other than our favorite song being missing, neither of us were disappointed. Visually the film was stunning and as a whole was one of, if not, the best live action adaptation we’ve had yet.
Elemental
Following the story of a family of immigrants in a world where every person are made of elements and centering around the family’s daughter, Ember. Growing up her family talked about her talking over the business but due to damage caused by her rage she starts on a quest to protect the business and undo her mistakes. The film is full of examples of racism and bigotry, focusing on rising above in most cases. I thought the way they handled racism was done in a way that kids could understand easily and do it in a way that didn’t belittle the experiences of those that had gone through them. The film was quite brilliant and visually stunning.
Have you had a chance to see either of these releases from Disney Studios?
IT IS RARE FOR ME TO SEE A MOVIE WHEN IT’S STILL IN THEATERS BUT THANKS TO Marvel Entertainment I WAS ABLE TO CATCH UP ON A FEW THAT I MISSED!
Recently the fine folks at Marvel Entertainment (their home page is here) had sent me a code to one of the movies I missed so that I could share my thoughts on it with you. This will be a regular series and Part 1 we talked about Black Widow. Part 2 discussed Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings. Part 3 shared our thoughts on Eternals and straight to DVD release Spidey and his Amazing Friends. Part 4 focused on Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness and Part 5 discussed Thor: Love and Thunder. Part 6 shared Black Panther Wakanda Forever and Part 7 talked about our thoughts on Ant-Man and the Wasp Quantumania. We are back with Part 8 and Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 3!
Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 3
This is the final installment of the franchise, at least that will be directed by James Gunn. The story centers around an attack that puts Rocket into a coma where his friends discover the fail-safes in place on his body. In order to save him these need to be removed and in order to do so they must track down the people responsible for putting them there. I have seen many of Gunn’s films and every Marvel film of the current cinematic universe and I must say that Volume 3 made me feel more than any other in either category. The writing, the direction, everything about this film was fantastic. Even Chris Pratt gave a performance light years better than I thought he was capable of. Even the twist at the end with Groot left me shocked and provided further proof that Gunn is the best director and writer that we have seen in the MCU.
IT IS RARE FOR ME TO SEE A MOVIE WHEN IT’S STILL IN THEATERS BUT THANKS TO WARNER BROS I WAS ABLE TO CATCH UP ON THOSE I MISSED!
Recently the fine folks at Warner Bros (their home page is here) had sent me copies of some of their movies I missed so that I could share my thoughts on them with you. For the first part of this series we talked about Scoob, Birds of Prey, The Way Back, Goonies 4K, Beetlejuice 4K, Full Metal Jacket, Sherlock Holmes 4K and Sherlock Holmes A Game of Shadows 4K. Part 2 ‘twas massive and discussed V for Vendetta 4K, 300 4K, The Lord of the Rings Trilogy 4K, The Hobbit Trilogy 4K, Blade 4K, Bill and Ted Face the Music, Tenet and The Wolf of Snow Hollow. Part 3 talked about Wonder Woman 1984, The Little Things and Judas and the Black Messiah. Part 4 discussed Tom and Jerry the Movie and Godzilla Vs Kong. Part 5 was all about Wrath of Man, Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory and Space Jam. Part 6 had discussed Mortal Kombat and Those Who Wish Me Dead. Part 7 discussed In the Heights, The Conjuring 3: The Devil Made Me Do It, Zack Snyder’s Justice League and Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone 20 Years of Movie Magic edition. Part 8 discussed A Clockwork Orange, Space Jam: A New Legacy and Shawshank Redemption. Part 9 talked about The Suicide Squad and Reminiscence. Part 10 discussed The Outsiders, Cry Macho, Malignant, the Many Saints of Newark and the Mad Max film collection. Part 11 talked about Dune, Matrix: Resurrections, The Batman, Dog and Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore. Part 12 discussed Elvis, DC League of Super Pets, The Lost Boys and Poltergeist. Part 13 shared some classics with 8-Bit Christmas, Casablanca, A Christmas Story, Three Thousand Years of Longing, The Polar Express, Elf and National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation. Part 14 had Don’t Worry Darling and Part 15 was discussing Black Adam. Part 16 had Bones and All, House Party plus the 4k release of Training Day. Part 17 returned for the 4k release of Rocky the Knockout Collection and Magic Mike’s Last Dance. We are back for Part 18 and the Superman 5 Film Collection, Creed III and Shazam! Fury of the Gods. Part 19 is here with A Good Person, National Lampoon’s Vacation 4k Edition and Evil Dead Rise.
A Good Person
The film follows one woman’s struggle with recovering from grieving the loss of a loved one and Florence Pugh and Morgan Freeman give some of their best performances in this film. The only real issue I had with the film was Morgan Freeman. The studio has been quite inconsistent when it comes to using problematic (or supposed problematic) actors. With the last Grindelwald film Johnny Depp was replaced based on accusations he was later cleared of but Morgan was accused of something similar but was not removed from roles for this.
National Lampoon’s Vacation 4k Edition
Prior to seeing this edition of the film I had only ever seen Christmas Vacation from National Lampoon’s Vacation films. I had no idea that the kids weren’t the same in all of the films until now. Chevy Chase remains a riot and John Candy is a treasure. For the two of them alone this film is worth watching and with the higher resolution of 4K it’s an absolute win.
Evil Dead Rise
This film had me very conflicted. I’ve never made my dislike turned appreciation for the horror genre. The ads alone were creepy as hell and this film looked fantastic. The only problem with the ads was how they played on YouTube channels aimed at children. My 7 year old freaked out each time they came on. The production quality, makeup and music alone are fantastic. Where the previous Evil Dead film felt more like a reboot this is more of a true sequel in the series as a whole and includes the greatest costar in the franchise- Bruce Campbell himself! His appearance is worth seeing alone if you are a fan of the franchise and we thoroughly enjoyed this gorefest of a film.
Which of these Warner Bros films have you had the chance to see? Which was your favorite? Let us know on our Twitter!
IT IS RARE FOR ME TO SEE A MOVIE WHEN IT’S STILL IN THEATERS BUT THANKS TO WARNER BROS I WAS ABLE TO CATCH UP ON THOSE I MISSED!
Recently the fine folks at Warner Bros (their home page is here) had sent me copies of some of their movies I missed so that I could share my thoughts on them with you. For the first part of this series we talked about Scoob, Birds of Prey, The Way Back, Goonies 4K, Beetlejuice 4K, Full Metal Jacket, Sherlock Holmes 4K and Sherlock Holmes A Game of Shadows 4K. Part 2 ‘twas massive and discussed V for Vendetta 4K, 300 4K, The Lord of the Rings Trilogy 4K, The Hobbit Trilogy 4K, Blade 4K, Bill and Ted Face the Music, Tenet and The Wolf of Snow Hollow. Part 3 talked about Wonder Woman 1984, The Little Things and Judas and the Black Messiah. Part 4 discussed Tom and Jerry the Movie and Godzilla Vs Kong. Part 5 was all about Wrath of Man, Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory and Space Jam. Part 6 had discussed Mortal Kombat and Those Who Wish Me Dead. Part 7 discussed In the Heights, The Conjuring 3: The Devil Made Me Do It, Zack Snyder’s Justice League and Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone 20 Years of Movie Magic edition. Part 8 discussed A Clockwork Orange, Space Jam: A New Legacy and Shawshank Redemption. Part 9 talked about The Suicide Squad and Reminiscence. Part 10 discussed The Outsiders, Cry Macho, Malignant, the Many Saints of Newark and the Mad Max film collection. Part 11 talked about Dune, Matrix: Resurrections, The Batman, Dog and Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore. Part 12 discussed Elvis, DC League of Super Pets, The Lost Boys and Poltergeist. Part 13 shared some classics with 8-Bit Christmas, Casablanca, A Christmas Story, Three Thousand Years of Longing, The Polar Express, Elf and National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation. Part 14 had Don’t Worry Darling and Part 15 was discussing Black Adam. Part 16 had Bones and All, House Party plus the 4k release of Training Day. Part 17 returned for the 4k release of Rocky the Knockout Collection and Magic Mike’s Last Dance. We are back for Part 18 and the Superman 5 Film Collection, Creed III and Shazam! Fury of the Gods.
Superman 5 Film Collection
Not only is this collection the original Superman films from the late 70s and early 80s in 4k but it includes the director’s cut of Superman II! This is the version Richard Donner had envisioned from the start. It includes a new opening and end to the film along with scenes focusing on expanding on established lore between Clark and his father. This is how the film SHOULD have always been. Of these five films the original was always my favorite but this cut makes my second choice the new number one!
Creed III
Some have said that this is by far the best Creed film in the franchise but the fight with the Russian is still my favorite. Visually the director handled the final fight differently than many others had over the years by having the crowd fading away to images of both fighter’s pasts. This deviation from the formula was a much needed change to keep it from getting as stale. I know we talked about the problems with Majors with his role in the latest Ant-Man but I don’t see that having the same level of impact here. Overall I enjoyed the film which still feels weird considering I am not a fan of boxing or other professional fighting sports. The cast proves to be far superior to the original Rocky films and if they continue like this I won’t mind watching future sequels.
Shazam! Fury of the Gods
It was difficult to get excited about this film knowing that this is likely the end of the franchise and as far as I’m aware the upcoming Flash movie will be the end of this cinematic universe. The film chronologically follows after Black Adam and features some cameos that would have been exciting had it not been for the pending end to the universe. The film is a fitting sequel to the first Shazam film but with one glaring mistake, the transformation of Shazam himself leaving him dumber than his human counterpart Billy. Other than that mistake with what I assume is the writing and directing, the film was still a good amount of fun and without the creepy monsters is also a better film to watch with younger family members.
Which of these Warner Bros films have you had the chance to see? Which was your favorite? Let us know on our Twitter!
IT IS RARE FOR ME TO SEE A MOVIE WHEN IT’S STILL IN THEATERS BUT THANKS TO Marvel Entertainment I WAS ABLE TO CATCH UP ON A FEW THAT I MISSED!
Recently the fine folks at Marvel Entertainment (their home page is here) had sent me a code to one of the movies I missed so that I could share my thoughts on it with you. This will be a regular series and Part 1 we talked about Black Widow. Part 2 discussed Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings. Part 3 shared our thoughts on Eternals and straight to DVD release Spidey and his Amazing Friends. Part 4 focused on Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness and Part 5 discussed Thor: Love and Thunder. Part 6 shared Black Panther Wakanda Forever and we are back for Ant-Man and the Wasp Quantumania!
Ant-Man and the Wasp Quantumania
The Ant-Man movies have quickly become favorites in our family and have been looking forward to this one more than almost any Marvel film in the last year. Following the events of Avengers: Endgame Scott is living life in the public eye while his daughter Cassie has been getting herself into trouble with law enforcement. Scott quickly learns that she’s also invented a device that allows her to map the Quantum Realm but that included a signal that could be traced back, allowing the evils of the realm to pull them down into the world below. Visually this film is absolutely stunning with a great story and even better acting. My only complaints with the film are with two members of the cast- Jonathan Majors and Kathryn Newton. Majors is a fantastic actor but him cast as the role of Kang poses a major issue for the future of the MCU due to his recent legal troubles. Marvel has yet to make a public decision but if he is convicted then keeping him would be quite problematic for the franchise and I expect that even if not convicted we will see him recast before the next film is completed. It’s a shame because his performance was one of the best in the entire MCU. Kathryn Newton on the other hand did fine in the role but not enough time had passed between Endgame and Quantumania to justify ANOTHER recast for Cassie and it just seems odd. What makes it even more odd is that I can’t find any information as to why beyond the speculation that she is a bigger name that the original actress. I would have preferred they keep the original casting from End Game. Overall the movie was fantastic with some of the best acting in the MCU and can’t wait to see where the overall storyline goes next!
IT IS RARE FOR ME TO SEE A MOVIE WHEN IT’S STILL IN THEATERS BUT THANKS TO WARNER BROS I WAS ABLE TO CATCH UP ON THOSE I MISSED!
Recently the fine folks at Warner Bros (their home page is here) had sent me copies of some of their movies I missed so that I could share my thoughts on them with you. For the first part of this series we talked about Scoob, Birds of Prey, The Way Back, Goonies 4K, Beetlejuice 4K, Full Metal Jacket, Sherlock Holmes 4K and Sherlock Holmes A Game of Shadows 4K. Part 2 ‘twas massive and discussed V for Vendetta 4K, 300 4K, The Lord of the Rings Trilogy 4K, The Hobbit Trilogy 4K, Blade 4K, Bill and Ted Face the Music, Tenet and The Wolf of Snow Hollow. Part 3 talked about Wonder Woman 1984, The Little Things and Judas and the Black Messiah. Part 4 discussed Tom and Jerry the Movie and Godzilla Vs Kong. Part 5 was all about Wrath of Man, Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory and Space Jam. Part 6 had discussed Mortal Kombat and Those Who Wish Me Dead. Part 7 discussed In the Heights, The Conjuring 3: The Devil Made Me Do It, Zack Snyder’s Justice League and Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone 20 Years of Movie Magic edition. Part 8 discussed A Clockwork Orange, Space Jam: A New Legacy and Shawshank Redemption. Part 9 talked about The Suicide Squad and Reminiscence. Part 10 discussed The Outsiders, Cry Macho, Malignant, the Many Saints of Newark and the Mad Max film collection. Part 11 talked about Dune, Matrix: Resurrections, The Batman, Dog and Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore. Part 12 discussed Elvis, DC League of Super Pets, The Lost Boys and Poltergeist. Part 13 shared some classics with 8-Bit Christmas, Casablanca, A Christmas Story, Three Thousand Years of Longing, The Polar Express, Elf and National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation. Part 14 had Don’t Worry Darling and Part 15 was discussing Black Adam. Part 16 had Bones and All, House Party plus the 4k release of Training Day. Part 17 has returned for the 4k release of Rocky the Knockout Collection and Margic Mike’s Last Dance!
Rocky the Knockout Collection
All four Rocky films in 4k. Not much else needs to be said. The last time I had watched these films they already looked dated but in 4k and on my HDTV it looks better than ever. I would argue they look better than it did in the original theatrical releases. Rocky IV was always my favorite of the franchise and the Ultimate Director’s Cut seriously makes it even better!
Magic Mike’s Last Dance
I have watched maybe 30 minutes total between the first two films in the franchise so this was my first real film in the series. The film focuses on Mike’s relationship with Maxandra but sadly seemed to be lacking chemistry between Tatum and Hayek. Pacing seemed to be all over the place. With this being my full introduction into the series I would say that I didn’t miss anything but must admit Tatum CAN DANCE.
Which of these Warner Bros films have you had the chance to see? Which was your favorite? Let us know on our Twitter!
IT IS RARE FOR ME TO SEE A MOVIE WHEN IT’S STILL IN THEATERS BUT THANKS TO 20TH CENTURY STUDIOS I WAS ABLE TO CATCH UP ON A FEW THAT I MISSED.
Recently the fine folks at 20th Century Fox (now 20th Century Studios- their home page is here) had sent me codes to several of the movies I missed so that I could share my thoughts on them with you. Part 1 was all about Underwater and Part 2 focused on The New Mutants. Part 3 we talked about The Personal History of David Copperfield. Part 4 discussed The Empty Man. Part 5 talked about Nomadland and Speed 4K Ultra HD. Part 6 discussed The Night House and Free Guy. Part 7 focused on The Eyes of Tammy Faye and Part 8 had The Last Duel. Part 9 discussed Ron’s Gone Wrong and Part 10 talked about The King’s Man and Summer of Soul. Part 11 discussed Nightmare Alley and West Side Story. Part 12 highlighted Death on the Nile and Part 13 talked about The Bob’s Burgers Movie. Part 14 highlighted Barbarian and See How They Run. Part 15 discussed Amsterdam and Part 16 talked about The Banshees of Inisherin and The Menu. Part 17 shared our thoughts on Empire of Light and we’ve returned for Part 18 and Avatar: The Way of Water!
Avatar: The Way of Water
The first Avatar film was an epic story about a Marine that is filling in for his dead scientist brother to move his consciousness into the body of an Avatar. Avatars are clones of their own human DNA mixed with that of the Na’vi. This is to allow them to integrate into the communities and improve relations. Jake Sully soon learns that the Na’vi are not the problem on Pandora and helps lead a revolution against his own species, driving the invaders from the planet. That brings us into the sequel. Jake and Neytiri have prospered and added their own children to the tribe but of course the good times wouldn’t last. I won’t go into specifics about the story because I’d hate to spoil it for anyone and this is a film that you should watch. The first film was visually one of the best films I’d ever seen and still holds up to this day- we still watch it regularly as a family. There was no way that The Way of Water could do better, or so I thought. Visually this film is stunning but some of the fights may be just a little too graphic for younger audiences, our seven year old enjoyed it but was freaked out by a few scenes. Overall I feel like this installment in the series far surpassed the original and even though it took what felt like forever to get this film, I still can’t wait for the finale.