Black Panther

Black Panther

dir: Ryan Coogler

Cast: Chadwick Boseman, Michael B. Jordan, Lupita Nyong'o, Forrest Whitaker

Angela Bassett, Letitia Wright, Andy Serkis, Martin Freeman. Sterling Brown

      Black Panther isn't just another a superhero flick but the first in the MCU to feature a 

  black protagonist. Ryan Coogler, whose critically acclaimed Creed, is the first African

  American director to get his hands on a Marvel megaphone. 

      Shortly after the events of Civil War, T'Challa returns to his home country of 

  Wakanda to become king. But an old enemy, Dr Klaue (Serkis) shows up to steal his 

  homeland's supply of vibranium to sell on the black market. Also showing up 

  is fellow Wakandan Eric Killmonger (B. Jordan) to help him out.

    T'Challa is challenged to a fight by Killmonger where he wins and throws Black

   Panther over a large waterfall to his families horror. His family secretly rescue him 

   and heal him back to health to reclaim this throne. 

    The Good: Despite the sparse action scenes, there isn't much to like about this film.
    The character of Shuri was adorable as Black Panther's tech-savvy sister. Black 
    Panther is a good hero for little black kids to emulate since as don't have one.

    The Bad: The excess CGI is suffocating and the plot felt contrived and nonsensical.

  It dragged the film down to the point of boredom. This was a weak Marvel entry 

  and I left feeling disappointed. The lack of tension killed my enjoyment for this movie.
  The "what are those!!?!!" line was cringe-worthy and will become outdated within a 
  few years. 

   Overall: Despite all the hype this film is getting, I didn't think it was that great. The 

  characters were bland and I had hard time caring about them. 

               Grade: C (7/10)

Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle

Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle

Dir: Jake Kasdan

Cast: Dwayne Johnson, Kevin Hart, Jack Black, Karen Gillan, Nick Jonas,

Bobby Cannavale

     When it was first announced that Jumanji would be getting a sequel, many people 

   cringed at the thought it'd be nothing more than a cheap cash grab but as it turns out,

   it's a pretty fun movie. 

      Taking place right after the last movie, four awkward teens get sent to detention 
   where they stumble upon an old video game and get sucked into it. They soon realize
   that they don't have to play the game as their avatar version of themselves, they 
   must survive too. They are sent out on a quest to return a cursed gem known as the
   "Jaguar's Eye" to it's rightful place on the island's giant jaguar state perservering
   though many levels and all terrains. The teens in their new bodies must work 
   together before it's too late. 

    Each member has their own personality. Johnson spoofs himself as a geeky teen in
   a beefy man's body while Jack Black character was absolutely hilarious as a girly
   girl trapped in a overweight man's body. Gillan's character Ruby is clearly based 
   off of Lara Croft as shown to be scantily clad. Kevin Hart is his usual funny self 
   playing a zoologist with a weakness for cake.

   The Good: The cast play off each other quite well and humor never got old. The 
   running joke is that these great actors are playing against this trope. I appreciated
   the nod to some of the classic movies like The Breakfast Club & The Goonies.

   The Bad: At times, it felt rushed and superficial. While it tried to compare itself to
   the original film, it fell painfully short. There were a couple crude scenes that may
   not sit well with small children but older kids might find it funny instead. 

   Overall: While it felt like an unnecessary film, it did what it could and that is to 
   entertain and I was pleasantly surprised with how it turned out. It's the funnest
   film of the holiday season and a stark contrast to the depressing Star Wars film 
   that's constantly getting attention. Rather than coming across as crass it doesn't
   just respect Robin Williams legacy, it tastefully honors it. 

Grade: B+ (8/10)

My 3 Favorite Christmas Movies

My 3 Favorite Christmas Movies

    

   1). Elf (2003)   

        Dir: Jon Favreau

       This family comedy stars Will Ferrell as Buddy, a gigantic elf, who travels to New 

    York in search of his real father (James Caan). 

   2). National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation (1989)

        

        This holiday comedy features the lovable Griswold family planning their perfect

    Christmas as unexpected disaster strikes. From the over the top 250 strings of fancy

    lights on his house to his absolute obsession with finding the perfect tree, Clark 

    tries to keep himself sane during the holidays in this raucous comedy.

  3). Die Hard (1988)

       Dir: John McTiernan

       This action packed movie that made Bruce Willis a household name. He stars 
    as former cop John McClane, who gets called into duty after a terrorist group
    holds hostage a bunch of office workers including his wife.

Celebrities We've Lost (2017)

Celebrity We've Lost (2017)

  

  1). Bill Paxton (actor)- Aliens, Titanic, Twister, Weird Science

  2). Erin Moran (actress)- Happy Days

  3). Hugh Hefner- Playboy magazine publisher

  4). Gregg Allman- musician of The Allman Brothers

  5). Roger Moore (actor)- James Bond movies

  6). Chris Cornell (musician/singer)- Soundgarden, Audioslave, Temple of the Dog

  7). Chester Bennington (rock singer)- Linkin Park

  8). Sam Sheppard (author/actor/playwright)- Black Hawk Down

  9). Mary Tyler Moore (actress)- The Mary Tyler Moore Show

  10). Adam West (actor)- 1960's TV Batman 

  11). Don Rickles (actor/comedian)- Toy Story, Casino

  12). Chuck Berry- legendary rock guitarist/pioneer

  13). Glenn Campbell- legendary Country & Western singer

  14). George A. Romero (movie director)- Night of the Living Dead

  

  15). Miguel Ferrer (actor)- Robocop, Mulan

  16). Charlie Murphy (actor)- The Chappelle Show, The Boondocks

  17). Jerry Lewis (actor/comedian)- The Nutty Professor

  18). Tom Petty (musician/singer)- Free Fallin' , Mary Jane's Last Dance

  19). Malcolm Young- AC/DC guitarist 

  20). Della Reese (actress)- Touched By An Angel

  21). David Cassidy (actor/ 70's teen idol)- The Partridge Family 

  22). Jim Nabors (actor)- Gomer Pyle U.S.M.C 

  23). Fats Domino- pianist, rock n roll pioneer

  24). Roy Halladay- perennial All Star and Cy Young Award winning pitcher

  25). Ralphie May- comedian 

10 Anticipated Movies in 2018

         10 Anticipated Movies in 2018

      

       Since my last list of upcoming movies was so popular, I thought I'd share the ones

  I'm looking forward to seeing next year.

  1). Black Panther (February)

  2). A Wrinkle in Time (February)

  3). Tomb Raider (March)

  4). Ready: Player One (March)

  5). Avengers: Infinity War (May)

  6). Deadpool 2 (June)

  7). Mission Impossible 6 (July)

  8). Venom (October)

  9). Wreck it Ralph 2 (November)

  10). Mortal Engines (December)

2017 Best & Worst Movies

       The  5 Best & Worst Movies of the Year*

*(of what I've seen so far)

The Best

1. Wonder Woman

2. Kong: Skull Island

3. Baby Driver

4. It 

5. Justice League

(Could've been better but enjoyed it anyways)

The Worst

1. Transformers: The Last Knight

2. Valerian : City of a Thousand Planets

(I really wanted to like this one but couldn't)

3.War of the Planet of the Apes

4. The Mummy

(Even Tom Cruise's hammy acting can't save this stinker!)

5. The Emoji Movie

(Didn't see it and never want to)

6. The Kingsman: The Golden Gircle
(came across as really preachy about drugs)

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)