Birds of Prey

Birds of Prey

Dir: Cathy Yan

Cast: Margot Robbie, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Ewan McGregor, Jurnee Smollet Bell,

Rosie Perez, Ella Jay Basco

      After being dumped by the Joker, Harley Quinn (Robbie) is out on her own and must 

  fend for herself in the crime ridden slums of Gotham. Narrated by Quinn herself and

  told by in flashbacks, Quinn drowns out her sorrows in a night of drinking and getting

  drunk.
         Harley gets caught up in a frantic search for a lost mob treasure which is being 

   hunted by everyone in the city. Along the way, she makes some friends including

   Dinah Lance (Smollet Bell), a runaway teen (Basco), and a skilled assassin the 

   Huntress (Winstead). They all must work together to stop a mob kingpin Roman

   Sionis (McGregor). 

         This movie leans heavily anti male and quite cringe-worthy in dialogue. There

   are no redeeming qualities whatsoever. The action scenes were directed by John

   Wick's Chad Stahelski and Robbie take on the popular DC character was rather 

   good. This film should've not been made in the first place and hopefully the 

   forthcoming Wonder Woman movie should be better.

        Grade: D

Shazam

Shazam

Dir: David F. Sandberg

Cast: Asher Angel, Jack Dylan Glazer, Zach Levi, Mark Strong, Grace

Fulton

         Ever since Chris Nolan made his Batman movies, DC has been a dark somber place.

    Thankfully, this movie is a light of sunshine among them. Nickelodeon star Asher 

    Angel is Billy Batson, a foster kid who keeps running away from his problems. Until

    one day he meets an old wizard who turns him into a grown man with superpower
    based on pure of heart.

         Billy and his best friend/ foster brother (D. Glazer) attempt to keep Billy's alter
    ego a secret from their foster family. Meanwhile, evil scientist Dr. Sivana (Strong)
    becomes obsessed with learning about Shazam and the magic behind the power.

         This movie is hilarious and a lot of fun to watch. Despite copying the MCU in
    their light hearted tone, it works in just the right way. Sandberg joins fellow horror
    turned superhero directors such as Richard Donner, James Gunn, James Wan & 
    Zack Snyder.

       Shazam is the perfect blend of action and comedy. The message of importance of
    having a family, even chosen ones, is the central theme. It may not be a critical 
    darling but it has heart and that's what this movie aims to be. 

Grade: B+

Aquaman

Aquaman

Dir: James Wan

Cast: Jason Momoa, Amber Heard, Patrick Wilson, Yayha Abdul-Mateen,

Willem Dafoe, Dolph Lundgren, Nicole Kidman

        For years now, it seemed Aquaman was considered a punchline in the superhero

    world due to fishy capabilities but with the release of his film, all that seems to change.

    

        In the sixth installment in the DC movies franchise, Game of Thrones actor Jason
    Momoa stars as Aquaman, a half human/ fish hybrid who must return to his oceanic
    home of Atlantis and protect it from his half brother King Orm (The Conjuring's 
    Patrick Wilson). Orm declares war on the surface world after humans have polluted
    the once natural wonders. Aquaman's arch nemesis Black Manta (Mateen) shows up
    to fight him.

        Joining him on his quest is the beautiful Princess Mera (Heard) who leads him on
   a quest to find a magic trident. Veteran actor Willem Defoe plays Nudis Vulko, 
   Arthur's mentor and trainer. 

       James Wan take on the aquatic superhero is beautifully shot with vibrant colors
   something that the previous DC movies lacked. Aquaman's cinematography is one
   of the, if not, the best I've ever seen.

      After the success of Wonder Woman & Aquaman, perhaps DC/WB should stick
  to making solo movies rather than copying Marvels playbook and rushing out team
  up movies.

     Grade: B (8/10)

       

Justice League

Justice League 

Dir: Zack Snyder (Revisions by Joss Whedon)

Cast: Ben Affleck, Gal Gadot, Henry Cavill, Ezra Miller, Ray Fisher,

Jason Momoa, Jeremy Irons, Amy Adams, Ciaran Hinds

       Immediately following the death of Superman, the world seems to be a place without

  hope. When an alien being arrives on Earth, Bruce Wayne/ Batman (Affleck) along with

  his friend Diana/Wonder Woman (Gadot) help track down other super powered individuals

  to stop this other worldly foe. 

       It's not until they get their butts kicked that they need a certain Kryptonian to help 

  even the odds and defeat the ginormous alien known as Steppenwolfe. He is in search

  of three special boxes that were hidden, if found, could put an end to the world. 

      The fifth movie in the DC movie franchise was directed by Zack Snyder who also

   oversaw last years dreadful Batman V. Superman. When Snyder's daughter passed

   away, he left the movie soon after completing it. The Avengers director Joss Whedon

   stepped in and finished the movie for him.

      The general consensus for this film seems to be pretty negative hovering at around

  40% on Rotten Tomatoes. Like the old saying goes film is a visual medium. It's not an

  exact science. Film is also subjective to every person that views it. 

     My opinion is this: It was alot better than I had feared 

   based on initial movie reviews.

     The Good: The casting was quite good and played off of each other well. Ezra

   Miller's take on the speedster The Flash was quite hilarious, quipping every time he

   was on screen, just happy to be on the team. Fisher, who plays the robot Cyborg, 

   felt less developed as the others. Momoa's take on the oceanic superhero, Aquaman,

   is an imposing presence. There was so much action taking place that the film didn't

   seem to drag to the point of boredom.

   The Bad: I felt that this movie could've benefited from a longer run time given the 

   amount of characters that were on screen. While Gadot shined as Wonder Woman

   earlier this year, she isn't given much to do here. Tonally, it's a bit of a mess. Snyder

   & Whedon's directorial styles clash as you can tell what was reshot (hint: funny

   quips).  The bloated, overuse of slow motion shots became redundant. The main

   villain, Steppenwolfe, is quite forgettable and was made just to set up the big 

   baddie in the next team up film, Darkseid.  

   Overall: With WB mandating that the film be cut from almost 3 hours to just under 2

   hours for more showtimes, DC/ Justice League fans deserve a better film to be 

   released when it hits the video market. Despite the cuts, I was quite pleased with 

   how it turned out. It was a whole lot more fun than the dreary Batman Vs Superman.

         Grade: B (7.5/10)

New Flash Movie Plot Details

Flash Movie Plot Details

       It was announced at the 2017 San Diego Comic Con that the plot for the new 

  Flash movie is going to be an adaptation of the Flashpoint Paradox story arc. 

       Published in 2011, the 5 issue arc involves the scarlet speedster traveling back

  to the past only to find out he inadvertently changed the future. He finds out that

  Bruce Wayne's father is the new Batman and his arch nemesis,Captain Cold, is the

  new hero. Superman doesn't even exist. Without Supes and Batman then the Justice
  League doesn't get formed. Now it's up to Barry Allen to fix the past before it's 
  too late. 

      

      My Take : 

      While I'm happy a Flash movie is being made, I think it's too early to do the 

  Flashpoint story considering it's already been before on the TV show The Flash.

  It would feel totally redundant and customary. 

       If the right producer/director were to adapt it, then it might actually be pretty 
  good. If the cast of the Justice League were to appear then it'd be even better.
  But knowing how Warner Bros likes to play catch up with Marvel and rush out
  their DC films (I'm looking at you Zack Snyder), it probably won't be any good.

Wonder Woman

Wonder Woman

Dir: Patty Jenkins

      Cast: Gal Gadot, Chris Pine, Connie Nielsen, Robin Wright, Danny Huston,

      David Thewlis

       The DCEU has had a pretty bad track record when it comes to their movies. This 

    breaks that trend and is actually pretty good. The gorgeous Gal Gadot stars as 
    Diana, an Amazonian warrior who believes in the greater good in humanity and
    must fight to protect it. 

       Much like the first Thor, Wonder Woman begins with little Diana looking up to

    her mother while being raised on the remote island of Themyscira. This island is 

    strictly inhabited by strong women who fight like Roman soldiers. As Diana grows
    up, she gets trained to fight just like her fellow sisterhood.

      One day while she is gazing out over the ocean, a spy named Steve Trevor (Pine)

   crash lands on the island and tells her that a war to end all wars is about to happen.
   She makes it her personal mission to save the world before all of humanity is lost. 
   The two team up to take down the Nazis who want to use powerful mustard gas
   to end humanity.

     The Good: 
    The action scenes were phenomenal along with the slow motion shots during the
   fight sequences. The cinematography was excellent, as there was a perfect blend
   of action, comedy and some romance. Her theme played during the action scenes
   was on point. Chris Pine and Gal Gadot shared great on screen chemistry and the
   attractive Israeli is quite easy on the eyes.

   The Bad:
    It was a little long for me but it kept my interest up enough from becoming boring.
   The villain of the film falls into the pit that every Marvel movie did; forgettable.
   He had so much more potential as his convoluted plan didn't work as hoped. 

   Overall:
   Wonder Woman is your typical fish out of water story and it's an excellent movie
   from start to finish. From here on out, it's a step in the right direction for the 
   DCEU. It should light a fire under Marvel to keep them from being complacent.
   The passion project for director Jenkins worked out pretty well for her and it 
   opened the door for future female directors. Little girls should be inspired 
   by Wonder Woman's fearlessness to take charge and kick some serious butt.

 Grade: B+ (8.5/10)

Suicide Squad

Suicide Squad

Dir: David Ayer

Cast: Margot Robbie, Jared Leto, Will Smith, Viola Davis, Cara Delevingne

        Borrowing a page from Marvel's "Guardians of the Galaxy". DC tries to do the 

same in this non stop action flick that follows immediately after "Dawn of Justice".

       Top secret government head Amanda Waller (Viola Davis) enlists Rick Flagg to 

lead a group of criminals known as Task Force X. Together, they must stop a young

woman June Moon (Cara Delivingne), possessed by an evil witch from taking over

the world.

      In exchange for reduced sentences, they must follow their mission or a bomb

attached to their necks detonates. Among the criminals Rick leads are Deadshot

(Will Smith), El Diablo (Jay Hernandez), Katana (Karen Fukuhara) & wisecracking

Capt. Boomerang (Jai Courtney).

     The irresistible Margot Robbie nails the role of Harley Quinn, a shrink 

  turned bat wielding psycho girlfriend of the Joker (Jared Leto). Jared's 

  turn as the iconic character is downright scary. Scenes depicting the abusive

  nature of their relationship were cut from the film.

    The studio mandated reshoots to make it lighter, caused it the tone to be off

 along with the script, given just six weeks to write by director David Ayer.

 The music used during the flashy intros didn't fit the narrative. I blame mostly

 WB for the meddling they did and for the sloppy editing as well as pacing. DC

 fans deserved better.

   While there were cuts to get it to PG-13 rating, there were scenes in the trailers

 that didn't make it to the final cut. It would've made for a more cohesive film.

 WB can rectify this by caving into fan demand and release an extended cut.

   I went into this with high expectations, sadly it turned out to be a decent 

action flick if you don't follow the story. It did leave with much to be desired.

It more enjoyable than the dreary Dawn of Justice. With its funny quips and

non stop action, you can shut off your brain. Just don't go in expecting high

quality cinema.

   Grade: B- (7/10)

   

BvS : Dawn of Justice

Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice

                                     Dir: Zack Snyder

       Cast: Henry Cavill, Ben Affleck, Amy Adams, Laurence Fishburne, Jesse

    Eisenberg, Gal Gadot

      This is my review of the highly anticipated movie in the DC Cinematic 
  Universe taking place immediately after the events in Man of Steel.

      Bruce Wayne (Ben Affleck) arrives in Metropolis for unknown reasons, just
in time to witness the destruction of the city between Superman and his nemesis 
Zod. Its citizens turn against Superman (Henry Cavill) and perceive him as 
an alien threat to Earth.

      Meanwhile we are introduced to Lex Luthor (Jesse Eisenberg), a wealthy 
young man with Daddy issues. He becomes paranoid of Superman and takes 
drastic actions to have Batman battle Superman.
       
      I thought this movie was too dark and depressing. I was disappointed with 
 the pacing and tone of the movie. The killing of a certain character in the Superman
 lore early on was pointless and unnecessary. I felt like this movie was tried too 
 hard to shoehorn characters for the plots sake. It's a muddled mess of a film that
 tried to take itself serious.
      Jesse's Lex character came across as too nerdy and unlikable. Wonder Woman's
inclusion became the better half of this movie. 
     Overall, it wasn't the worst comic book ever, just the worst of the past several 
years. I wanted to like like this movie but couldn't.

   Grade D (5/10)