Category: Reviews

The farewell for the misfits of the MCU. This doesn’t just seem like an end of an era for the Guardians but also for the MCU. They are losing much of their heart and soul, and this is the best MCU movie since Infinity War.

Still reeling from the loss of Gamora, Peter Quill rallies his team to defend the universe and one of their own – a mission that could mean the end of the Guardians if not successful.

It feels like forever since we’ve gotten a strong outing from the MCU. Sure, some of the newest movies have pleased fans and made some money at the box office. But for the most part, it felt like a ton of fluff and filler. One thing leads to the next and a ton of world-building. James Gunn cares so much about these characters and I feel like that is what separates these movies. They just don’t feel like another entry into the MCU, where it’s just copied and pasted with no emotion, heart and actual storytelling. Gunn came out swinging, delivering his strongest film in the MCU yet, with an emotional rollercoaster that has some of the best action in the entire MCU. The Guardians are by far the best group of heroes in the MCU and I know they will be truly missed.

All the way back in 2014 it was crazy to think that these crazy and mostly unknown characters would be one of the biggest building blocks of the MCU. Providing us with the best trilogy yet and making these people some of the most beloved characters in all of comic book movies. What makes them so great, is the cast. James Gunn nailed every single casting decision. Chris Pratt, Dave Batista, Bradley Cooper, Zoe Saldana, Karen Gillan, Pom Klemmentieff and Vin Diseal are so perfect. Each provides a memorable performance, diving so deep into their character and making you feel like they also care so much about these roles. This movie is all about Rocket Raccoon, and man does Bradley Cooper bring it. It’s such a powerful voice-acting performance, you just get all the feels from it. Pratt is so terrific as Quill, his best time out. Nebula has had without a doubt one of the best character arcs in the MCU, she’s evolved so much and she’s become arguably the most likeable Guardian. Drax and Mantis again have a beautiful friendship, with Pom stealing the entire movie for me. James Gunn had a tall task dealing with the fallout of Gamora’s arc from Infinity War and Endgame. I think he handled it well for the most part considering he had no decision on what happened with his characters in those two movies.

Having Rocket being the focal point of the film works so well, it’s his story and he’s always been the guy. Not Quill, these movies have been secretly about Rocket this entire time and this was a tremendous way to end it. Every great story and hero needs that antagonist and in comes The High Evolutionary. Chukwudi Iwuji is just a straight-up piece of shit. No way around it. He’s turned himself into a top-tier MCU villain and gives one heck of a performance. A chilling and manic villain who doesn’t really want world domination, he’s just pure evil and it helped this movie reach that excellent stratosphere.

There’s one action sequence that has the fans talking. It’s one of the best action sequences we’ve gotten so far in a comic book movie. Showcasing teamwork, music and just how far James Gunn has come as a director. Mix that in with stunning visuals, the most prosthetics ever used in a movie, an amazing soundtrack and without a doubt some of the most emotional, gut-punching scenes in the MCU. It’s a recipe for success. Plain and simple, it’s hard for me to find any real faults in this movie. I wish this was how every MCU movie was treated, with care and respect.

I’ll miss all these people because it’s time for them to go their separate ways.

GOTG 3 = 90/100

Ben Affleck is back in the directors’ chair, crafting the story behind how Nike risked it all to sign Michael Jordan to a shoe deal that would change the course of history for all parties involved.

Follows the history of shoe salesman Sonny Vaccaro, and how he led Nike in its pursuit of the greatest athlete in the history of basketball, Michael Jordan

Ben Affleck and Matt Damon, are two names that will forever be linked in Hollywood’s history. Best friends, Oscar winners and two people who have had polar opposite Hollywood careers. Growing up watching movies was different, no streaming services, and heck the internet was a new thing. So either you saw movies in the theatres, rented it at Blockbuster, perhaps caught it on cable years later or completely missed it altogether. Well, Good Will Hunting was one of those movies, a movie I missed until I was away at university. I will always remember sitting on my bed, clicking play and watching this movie that kind of changed my perspective on movies as a whole. I believe it was that experience on my bed, that made me fall in love with movies. So ever since then, those two dudes have had a special place in my heart, and it wasn’t until recently did they finally re-team for The Last Duel, but I felt like this movie was the real getting back together for the duo. Remember Good Will Hunting was in 1997, it took them close to 30 years for that to happen, and both of them have come so far in their respective careers and it just felt like this was once again, lightning in a bottle.

From the very opening of this movie, I was hooked. An epic 80s montage that probably cost a fortune to make.Synced to the legendary track by Dire Straights, “Money For Nothing.” It took this movie a whole 3 mins for me to realize I was about to watch something special. When it comes to athletes, you’d be hard-pressed in finding someone who doesn’t recognize the name Michael Jordan. That’s why hes’ Michael Jordan. But what about before he becomes the man, the myth and the legend? We all know the tale, but seeing it from the beginning was pretty neat to watch unfold. One of the greatest competitors to ever lace em’ up, we witness the chase to signing him to the most luxurious shoe deal in history. Sonny Vaccaro (Matt Damon) knew just how special he was going to be, and with the help of his friends over at Nike, they devised the greatest basketball shoe pitch anyone had ever seen at this point and decided to build an entire empire around the soon to be greatest basketball player this world has ever seen.

Ben Affleck has directed some of my favourite movies, and he’s on top of his game here. Probably his best all-around work, he’s almost perfected his craft. Starring alongside Damon as eccentric CEO Phil Knight, it was just so great to see these two act together once again. Both Damon and Affleck give outstanding performances, while Damon does some of his very best work. I will say that Damon gives one of the most powerful and emotional speeches in recent movie history, I legit had goosebumps. It works so well when you know the context and hell, everyone knows the story of Michael Jordan. Jason Bateman and Chris Tucker are a part of the Nike team that helps get Micahel and they are both tremendous here, especially Tucker who was a lively presence on the screen.

Affleck decided to do something really smart, Michael Jordan isn’t really in the movie. Sure he says a few lines and he’s in a few scenes, but we never see a face. Having someone portray him could have taken us out of the movie and we didn’t need to actually see him for this to be successful. At that point in his life,, he wasn’t an unknown, but his future was and not having a big on-screen persona in the film works beautifully. Because at one point early on in the movie, Chris Tucker’s character says that in order to get through with certain athletes, it’s all about the mothers. In comes, Deloris Jordan played by none other than Viola Davis herself. She’s a scene stealer and so damn good. According to both Ben and Matt, when they talked to Michael to get his blessing about the movie, he told them that they could only do it if Viola Davis played his mother. When MJ asks for something, well MJ is going to get that request. It worked out well for everyone because she turns in a powerful and emotional performance.

This movie was just designed for me, the 80’s, Damon and Affleck, basketball, and even the soundtrack, all meshed together so well. There was simply no way I wasn’t going to like this movie, but I ended up loving it. It’s a blend of Moneyball and Jerry Maguire. The writing is slick, tight and really clever. With Affleck directing the hell out of it. I know we just had the Oscars, but don’t be surprised if this does well in the theatres, gets watched by everyone you know when it hits streaming and finds its way into every single Oscar conversation next season. I’m not saying it can win best picture, but as of right now, it stands as the very best of 2023. Crazier things have happened, but this is just such a well-put-together film that I can’t help to think it will be nominated for several awards.

Affleck is all the way back and I can’t wait to see what he directs next.

Air = 93/100

I don’t know why Hollywood rarely makes this kind of movie anymore. A refreshing film, with a great cast, a ton of laughs and some epic action sequences. D&D is the first major surprise of 2023!

A charming thief and a band of unlikely adventurers embark on an epic quest to retrieve a lost relic, but things go dangerously awry when they run afoul of the wrong people.

I never played D&D growing up and never thought much of the material or the game itself, but when the movie was announced and we started getting little bits and pieces of the product, it piqued my curiosity. When I heard the two guys behind Game Night, one of the more underappreciated and underrated comedies of the last decade were helming D&D, I knew it would be a hit. So now directors John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein are two for two in their directing outings.

The recipe is simple for this, a band of misfits are trying to get back what is rightfully theirs. There’s no reinventing the wheel here, but this movie didn’t really need that. We’ve had big fantasy action/comedy movies before, but it seems not recently. Everyone in the film is just so damn likeable, Edgin (Chris Pine), Holga (Michelle Rodriguez), Simon (Justice Smith), Doric (Sophia Lillis) and Xenk (Rege-Jean Page). Each is interesting enough in its own right, and given enough screen time and backstory to make you root for these heroes. They all had terrific chemistry with one another and played off each other’s strengths really well. Much like the game D&D, they all have their own unique abilities and traits about them that help in one-way shape or form. Some being more powerful than others, it was cool for them to showcase their own individual powers, while also working best as a team. This is a story about family, friendship and in the end doing what is right. I thought Justice Smith was the standout of the movie as the magic wielder of the group and thought he was just the true driving force of the film.

In movies like this, you’re always going to get a corny villain and that’s exactly what Hugh Grant did. His character Forge a great con-man is crossing paths with our group the entire film, jeopardizing Edgin’s family. Stealing away his daughter Kira (Chloe Coleman) and using the powers of the powerful Red Witch Sofina (Daisy Head), I just thought Hugh Grant totally understood his assignment and chewed up the scenery and was exactly the type of bad guy this movie needed. There are plenty of fun action sequences and set pieces sprinkled in. One involved a very chonky dragon that was cute as heck. But the third act is strong, it’s rare for movies like this to stick the landing, but that was by far the best part of the entire thing. The team all working together, showcasing their abilities and taking down the bad guy is what we came to see. Some strong emotional beats as well, this movie does have some heart to it.

In a world where we are now getting a new comic book movie every few months, it seems like, where it all feels the same and it’s honestly painted by numbers at this point, D&D felt like a breath of fresh air and something we needed. A fun family fantasy adventure flick that flows well, and will be an enjoyable theatre experience. We can’t fail these types of movies because we need more of them to come out. Now D&D doesn’t need to be insanely franchised, sure a sequel will do. But it doesn’t need spin-offs and numerous amounts of films. We just need more movies like this.

Dungeons and Dragons = 73/100

I’m getting to the point where the best part of today is the movie trailers.

First up, The Flash.

The Flash.

A movie that has been in development hell, switched directors an insane amount of times and even the star of the movie has been in hot water. Finally has itself a trailer, and The Flash finally seems real. Keaton, Affleck and who knows who else is showing up as Batman, but we got two of them in this trailer, and to hear Keaton say that iconic line “I’m Batman,” goosebumps every time. With everything that has gone on with DC movies over the last 5 years, this is so important for them. This is resetting everything and everyone (for the most part) and a lot is riding on the success of this thing. Now, that was a terrific first trailer and playing during the biggest television watching day of the year is a great kick start to the marketing campaign. Time will tell if The Flash will be a success and who knows where the future of the DC universe will stand come June, it changes so much, but from this trailer alone, it looks like The Flash is going to be a fantastic and fun movie going experience.

All hail the speed-force.

Guardians of The Galaxy: Vol 3 

The swan song for the Guardians is here. James Gunn and his final outing with the MCU is upon us and say what you want, he took a bunch of heroes no one cared about and made one hell of a trilogy. It looks like this could be the end for a few of the team as well. Dave Batista has talked about how he is parting ways with the MCU and I wouldn’t be shocked if Bradley Cooper (Rocket Racoon) also follows suit. The clock is ticking for a lot of the original members of the MCU, you can’t do this stuff forever, and it’s weird seeing the dynamic shift, because they have been a part of our lives for about a decade now.