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 starting with Part 1 and Black Widow. We’ve returned for Part 2 to discuss Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings!
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings
The movie begins with a brief history of the Ten Rings and learning about the relationship between Shang-Chi’s parents. Fast forward a few years and he is now an adult and going by Shawn in San Francisco. An altercation on a bus, a viral video of him fighting and a supposed note from his sister and Shang-Chi is now on a quest to find the hidden city his mother was from and stop his father.
The Ten Rings as a name seemed oddly specific at first and reminded me of the terrorist group called the same thing from Iron Man 3. Thankfully this film explained the link between the two through an unexpected cameo and delved deeper into the mythos of both films in the process. The action scenes were enjoyable to watch, the story absolutely enjoyable and the cast was fantastic. The only thing this film missed was a cameo from Stan Lee and even that wouldn’t have been needed as the film was fantastic from start to finish.
Have you had a chance to see this film from Marvel Entertainment?
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. We are back with Part 7 and The Eyes of Tammy Faye!
The Eyes of Tammy Faye
Having grown up in a religious household I was aware who Tammy Faye and Jim Bakker were but thankfully my family was not one that watched them or their shows. The film follows the rise and fall of the televangelist duo and as those who were following the story originally will remember things weren’t as good as the duo would want the world to think. The story was well done but contextually was not something I would be interested in. Despite my lack of interest the film was captivating and both Jessica Chastain and Andrew Garfield deliver the best performances I have seen from either of them previously.
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 codes to 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. We have returned for Part 9 to talk about The Suicide Squad and Reminiscence!
The Suicide Squad
This is the first film in the DC cinematic universe by James Gunn, and hopefully not the last. The squad has been assembled to remove another threat to the world, this time with two squads. Once again Margot steals the show as Harley Quinn as her team tries to rescue her. Out of the current cinematic universe this is by far THE BEST installment yet. It is even a close second behind Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight.
Reminiscence
Global warming has caused the world to flood and with it the military and law enforcement have begun utilizing the ability to view memories at command. Nick, played by Hugh Jackman, is a private investigator skilled in the process of viewing these memories and calling up specific details to either help with a case, help a woman relive time with a past love or even as simple as helping a woman find her keys. The story is wonderfully told and really captures Nick’s desperation as he tries to find the woman he loves.
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. We’ve returned for Part 6 to discuss The Night House and Free Guy!
The Night House
This film follows Beth, a teacher who’s husband recently committed suicide on the lake behind their house. The only thing he left behind is a note telling her nothing is after her. Relating this to a near death experience she feels like this is some sort of closure but as she dwells on the sounds in their house and learns he had secrets. Seeing the trailer I felt like this film would simply try to hard to deliver the scares but this film really delivered. We aren’t talking about your usual jump scare nonsense either, the feelings this film invokes are visceral and the effects are breathtaking.
Free Guy
Guy works as a teller at a local bank but is what is referred to in the gaming community as an NPC (Non Player Character) in a world that looks like a cross between Fortnite and Grand Theft Auto. Expectations were higher than I wanted because of the cast and how funny the trailers already were- a hilarious trailer almost always spells certain doom for the film as a whole. Hollywood has a habit of showing all of the funniest parts in the trailer and then you have less surprising humor in the film itself. Thankfully this is not the case with Free Guy, in fact they barely scratched the surface. The film is full of action, humor and teaches you to disconnect from your virtual worlds and live in the real world again.
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 codes to 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. We are back with Part 8 to discuss A Clockwork Orange, Space Jam: A New Legacy and Shawshank Redemption!
A Clockwork Orange
This is the 4k release of the original Stanley Kubrick film. The story follows a group of thugs where one of their members gets captured and tortured, brainwashing him into having a negative reaction towards violence and sex. The movie can be a bit intense at parts but looks even better in 4k. The first time I watched this (in high school) it seemed a bit out there and didn’t really understand why it was so celebrated at the time. Now (as an adult with my own children) I can respect what the film did at the time but the graphic nature has become overshadowed by modern cinema.
Space Jam: A New Legacy
Expectations for this sequel were quite low. Like most sequels I assumed we see a repeat of the same concept with a few new characters. Basically that is what we got but it was surprisingly better. The story follows an algorithm made to maximize profits for the future of Warner Brothers and it’s latest idea is using Lebron James in some new projects with the media corporation. Refusing the project the algorithm tricks him into entering into the WB servers digitally along with his son. It convinces his son to create a game and challenges Lebron to that game, winner would decide the fate of most of the world. I found it to be more of a family story than the first, focusing on building those familial bonds instead of only on saving the world. Visually it was more stunning, the game much more interesting to watch than the original and honestly a far superior film, my only complaint was that we did not see Michael Jordan even as a cameo. We would have loved to see him come and join the match towards the end.
Shawshank Redemption
This is the 4k release of the 90’s film starring Tim Robbins and Morgan Freeman. The story follows two inmates as the develop a bond through acts of kindness and decency. Both Robbins and Freeman give stellar performances in the film. I have seen the film a couple times over the years so there were no surprises in this release but I still find it to be a well written story that is just a little slow at moments.
SO WHICH WARNER BROS FILMS DID YOU SEE? WHICH DID YOU ENJOY?
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 we are back with Part 5 to talk about Jungle Cruise!
Jungle Cruise
Based on the famous ride from Disney, the film follows a cruise through the jungle but instead of just the goofy cruise you experience on the ride Dr Houghton charters her voyage to find a plant that is said to cure any disease. Our first glimpse of Frank Wolff and his boat she would take is him giving a small cruise to tourists that is very similar to that of the ride, including seeing the backside of water. My expectations were low despite a great cast because I didn’t believe they could successfully stretch the ride into a full film. Thankfully I was wrong and it was quite enjoyable. My only complaint about the film is that it did not feature more of the fun jokes from the ride, I actually enjoy that level of dad humor and I needed more.
Have you had a chance to see this film 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 ca code to of the movies I missed so that I could share my thoughts on it with you. This will be a regular series and starting with Part 1 we are discussing Black Widow!
Black Widow
When I first heard about this film I assumed it would take place long before Black Widow joined the Avengers but I was mistaken. It picks up right after Captain America: Civil War. Growing up in the American mid-west she was raised by Russian spies that stole some state secrets and returned with her to Russia where she was then placed in the Black Widow program. Fast forward over a decade she is on the run from the United States government due to her involvement in fighting against the Superhuman Registration Act. She receives a package from her “sister” that puts her on a path to destroy the resurrected Black Widow program.
With the quality of Marvel films over the last few years my expectations were high. Scarlet Johansson’s performance was once of her best and the film did not disappoint. It was easily one of the best films to come from Marvel yet.
Have you had a chance to see this film from Marvel Entertainment?
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 codes to 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. We have returned for Part 7 to discuss 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!
In the Heights
This film follows Usnavi as he tells a group of local kids the story of his dream and how everyone has their own dreams while living in Washington Heights. I went into this film having never seen the play or listened to the music. My family are huge fans of Hamilton though and I went into this hoping to hear more amazing music in a similar style, but only a couple songs reminded me of others from Hamilton and not the ones I loved. Visually the film was stunning and the acting was fantastic but the story was slow and felt more like a week in the life of Usnavi and was not as interesting as I hoped it would be.
The Conjuring 3: The Devil Made Me Do It
This was the first of the Conjuring films I’ve seen with Conjuring actually in the name. The film begins with with the usual duo of, I guess you can call them demon hunters, as they work to exercise a demon from a young boy. I was expecting a campy horror film with too many jump scares but was surprised to find a well written film with the right mixture of tone and suspense.
Zack Snyder’s Justice League
This is essentially the director’s cut of Justice League as Snyder originally intended it. Like more director’s cut scenes were added to the original release but this time almost doubling the length of the film. This telling of the story was much more coherent and we ended with a much better telling of the story. It was a good film that was made better and overall a much more enjoyable experience.
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone 20 Years of Movie Magic
This edition of the film include the Magical Movie Mode which gives viewers the ability to see deleted scenes (many of which have been released previously in other formats) and various commentary from director Chris Columbus. Seeing the deleted scenes was a treat but personally I have never been a fan of live commentary while watching a film, unless of course it is my family doing it similar to the style of Mystery Science Theater 3000. Overall this is STILL a fantastic film and the added features make the experience fresh but not enough to make it feel like a new film.
SO WHICH WARNER BROS FILMS DID YOU SEE? WHICH DID YOU ENJOY?
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 codes to 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. It is time for Part 6 and we are talking about Mortal Kombat and Those Who Wish Me Dead!
Mortal Kombat
The Mortal Kombat tournament summons champions from all over the planet and pits them against the champions from outworld. If the Earthly champions are defeated then armies from outworld will be able to invade and eventually conquer the planet. My expectations for this film were a little spread out on this. I expected to see some awesome fights and graphics but for the story I didn’t expect anything award worthy. Every expectation I had was met perfectly.
Those Who Wish Me Dead
This is a film adaptation of a novel and follows a young boy that tries to escape the men that killed his father for knowing too much. We never quite find out exactly what he knew but that isn’t integral to the story. The boy meets Angelina’s character, a fire jumper that is stationed at a lone tower, after her tower is struck by lightning and together they begin a trek through the forest to help him get in touch with news stations. This movie was filmed quite well and the cast were top of their game. Despite the great direction and cast the story I found this film to be lacking in anything that makes it really stand out. I want my films to entertain me or surprise me and this film did neither.
SO WHICH WARNER BROS FILMS DID YOU SEE? WHICH DID YOU ENJOY?
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 and we have returned for Part 4 to discuss Luca!
Luca
Luca is the name of a “Sea Monster” that is a better person than most of us. He meets a fellow monster named Alberto and he learns that the surface world is not nearly as frightening as his parents led him to believe. Challenging a small town’s ideas on what makes someone truly human or that being different is not always a bad thing, this film is a fantastic tale that can be enjoyed by the entire family. In the short time since we’ve received this film we have easily watched it a half dozen times but probably more and it is still fantastic. This is the classic Disney storytelling that have made them the powerhouse they are today.
Have you had a chance to see this film from Disney Studios?
