Jared Leto tries his best to save what can only be described as a forgettable and unwatchable comic book flick.
Biochemist Michael Morbius tries to cure himself of a rare blood disease, but he inadvertently infects himself with a form of vampirism instead.
So we were all sky-high after watching The Batman. For weeks on end it ruled the box-office and the world. So we were all on a roll when Morbius came into our lives. I can’t believe that I saw this movie so I could sit here and write a review that about 5 people will read (thank you!). But here we are, in a world post Morbius and things seem duller than ever. I can’t believe we are still trying to make movies like this, that end up doing well enough at the box-office that we could quite possibly see a Morbius 2 down the line……
After seeing the movie, it was painfully obvious that a lot of this was left on the cutting board and there was a ton of reshoots. Including the last two post credit stingers, that set up something that nobody asked for and that nobody wants? From the very first images we saw and trailer, a lot of that stuff didn’t even make it into the final edit of the movie. Postponed time and time again, the movie never got the momentum it needed to be successful.
The story is simple really, Morbius (Jared Leto) has been dealing with a rare blood condition his entire life. A brilliant mind, yet a fragile body, he spends his entire life trying to find a cure. With help from his friend Milo (Matt Smith) he is able to successfully combine bat DNA with his own, but no without a price. Morbius turns into a monster that can only be controlled with either human blood or the stuff of his own creation, artificial blood. When he can no longer control the beast inside him, the FBI steps in, and thats where we are introduced to Agent Simon Stroud (Tyrese). Who immediately felt like his role and purpose in the movie was severely cut down. He just felt rushed in and almost like background noise. The movie never gets on its feet and takes off. It feels so all over the place, never leaning into one direction, making for a very sloppy experience. Bleak and one dimensional characters, rushed plot and some messy CGI, make Morbius one of the worst comic book movies in recent memory.
Feeling like one long preview and trailer for those two post credit scenes, that promises this character will team up with some other bad guys to take down Spider-Man. Not knowing which Spider-Man they are referring to, making the last scene in the movie seem even more unbelievable. A truly interesting character that could have severed better alongside a character like Blade and made more of the first antagonist of his first movie. Morbius isn’t someone you have drive the car, he could make a perfectly fine passenger who could help just an okay movie, turn into something worth while. Sony just doesn’t have the slightest clue what to do with these Spider-Man side characters. They got so lucky with Venom being the hit it was, but even the sequel felt rushed and they messed up Carnage. So thinking Morbius could be the new Venom was such a false narrative to begin with, almost making meeting expectations for the movie impossible to reach from the very get-go.
I’m just tired of movies that feel like a launching pad only for future movies that we will probably never see, because you need a solid foundation in order to build anything on top of it and this foundation is shaky as hell. Focus on the here and now and not the future. With movies like Kraven the Hunter coming out, it seems like it will have the same fate, and that’s a mistake. These are great characters that should be flushed out and have an effect on the comic book landscape and not turned into a laughing stock.
Get immersed in the Spider-Verse. A joyous journey that is filled with laughs, a ton of heart and some flawless animation.
“Miles Morales becomes the Spider-Man of his reality and crosses paths with his counterparts from other dimensions”
We all know the Peter Parker origin story by now. Since 2002 we have gotten three different iterations of the character. “With great power, comes great responsibility,” you know, that old chestnut. Peter is bitten by a radioactive spider, his Uncle Ben dies in the streets of New York City, web swinging ensues. We have all seen it so many times, it can become quite tiresome at this point. Well, what if I told you, the latest animated movie from Sony has not one but 6 different Spider-Man origin stories. Makes your head want to explode, yes? Well, again what if I told you, that each origin story is hilarious and pulled off so seamlessly, that it makes you wish you got a few more. Heading into Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse, I went in pretty blind. I decided not to look too much into this movie, because, at this point in my life, I’m getting tired of knowing every single nook and cranny before I even see the movie. I’m here to report that the less you know going in, the better off you will feel watching this sure-fire Oscar winner for best-animated feature. Presently surprised is how I would sum up my experience with Spider-Verse, and it, without doubt, cracked my top ten best movies of 2018. Some people may sit here and read this and think to themselves, it’s just animation, how good can it really be? Trust me when I say, don’t be that person that thinks animation can only be for children, don’t be that person.
So Spider-Verse tells the story of Miles Morales (Shameik Moore) a kid growing up in Brooklyn and trying to discover where he fits in. You see Miles has just enrolled in a new school, where he feels like he doesn’t belong. He has a hard time connecting with the kids at his school and an even harder time connecting with his father Jefferson Davis (Brian Tyree Henry), who happens to be on the New York Police Force. Miles finds comfort in his Uncle Aaron (Mahershala Ali) because they share the same interest and he lets Miles be himself when he’s around. Uncle Aaron and Jefferson are no longer on speaking terms and they don’t see eye-to-eye on how Miles should be brought up. Now when Uncle Aaron takes Miles to a secret location in one of the New York Subway stations so he can do some of his incredible graffiti work, that’s where he gets bitten by a pesky radio-active spider. You see in Miles’s reality there is already a Spider-Man, Peter Parker, who at this point has been suiting up for 8 years. He tries to learn how to become Spider-Man and do Spider-Man like things through comics, which is a hilarious gag on its own. But it’s simply not enough, he needs to learn from the man himself.
That’s all I’m really going to say about the plot of the movie because anything else just goes into spoiler territory and I already mentioned how nice it is watching this and being completely unaware of anything story related. What I can say about the actual story of the film is how flushed out it is. How character-driven it is and how impressed I was with the story-telling at hand. This is by far the most comic-bookie Spider-Man movie ever made. In certain moments it’s literally a comic book coming to life, with comic book texts appearing on the screen. Everything going on within the Spider-Verse so was well executed that it makes you wonder how long it must have taken to create something like this. It’s got incredible action sequences, top-notch humor, I’m talking the whole entire theatre is laughing, I can’t recall one joke falling flat. Again, that is an aspect in movies that sometimes gets overlooked. Not a single aspect of this entire film falls short of expectations, I can’t recall a movie in 2018 that checks every box like Spider-Verse.
A ton of the credit needs to go to the just perfect voice casting. Jake Johnson (Peter Parker), Chris Pine (Peter Parker), Nic Cage (Spider-Man Noir), John Mulaney (Spider-Ham), Hailee Steinfeld (Gwen Stacy) and Kimiko Glenn (Penni Parker), all of these voice actors do such a bang-up job. At its core, it’s what keeps the movie always feeling fresh and alive. Because there are so many great voices happening, and I even left out a few. They all bring their own flair and attitude to their respected roles, and it really keeps you invested. They didn’t just cast certain actors or actresses, they cast these people because of their voices. It’s just not them doing voices, there’s a difference, and ultimately that plays such a large role in taking animation from good to great. Much like Batman The Animated Series, where the voices in that show carried the show, the voices in Spider-Verse carry the movie.
Overall, I would love to really dive deep into everything, but that would ruin a great experience. Maybe I’ll write more on this movie at a later date because this is a film I would like to see again. But the animation alone is worth the price of admission, it’s a 3D movie I actually enjoyed sitting through. It’s the best Spider-Man movie since Spider-Man 2. I think at the end of the day, it’s easier to do things in animation then it is for live-action, but the actual story-telling is some of the very best, like in any comic book movie. I believe Spider-Man 2 is just the slightest bit better, but that is taking away nothing from Spider-Verse. I’m still taking everything in, and the more I think about it and even sitting down to write this review, I can’t think of one flaw in the entire movie. King Pin the villain was terrific and why he is being bad, actually makes sense and they really go into his character which I liked. In certain moments you are actually sympathizing with him, and whenever a film is able to make you feel for the villain, in my mind, that is the mark of a truly great one. This is without question the can’t miss movie of the holiday season, it has stuff for adults like myself, but it’s made for the younger audiences. The thing I liked the most about it, was how they made you wait for Miles to become a “Superhero.” Often in these movies, the hero will get their powers and the next day they know how to do everything, that’s not the case here. Those things take time, becoming a hero takes time. All the credit in the world to Phil Lord who wrote the screenplay and Bob Persichetti and Peter Ramsey who directed it. They clearly know these characters and put such a nice refreshing take on the Spider-Man story. This whole thing doesn’t work without a creative a great new story, because we have all seen this too many times already. So hats off to those three men and everyone involved for making this masterpiece.
Check ya later.
Nate’s Movie Tour Reviews – Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse = 100/100
He’s got no food. He’s got no job. He’s biting peoples head off!
We have come a long way from Topher Grace and whatever he was playing in Spider-Man 3. My god, it’s like night and day. That doesn’t mean I am officially sold on Venom yet, but at least they are trying to bring us Venom from the comics. You can tell the effort is there. And sometimes with a movie like this, effort will go a long way.
Yeah I’m sure this will end up with a 29% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, but Tom Hardy really is bringing Eddie Brock and Venom to life. This has potential to be the next Fantastic4, but it could also surprise a lot of people. You can tell the CGI isn’t done yet, but that’s to be expected, the movie isn’t due out for another 4 months. And some of that dialogue – can you say cheese fest? But even with the CGI not being fully completed, some of the visuals are stunning. We have symbiote on symbiote crime here. We get our first look at Riz Ahmed as Riot, the films other symbiote. Who looks like he will be going toe-to-toe with Venom. He’s a fantastic actor and I really hope they don’t water him down and make him a cartoon character come to life.
No signs of Woody Harrelson yet, who is rumoured to be playing Carnage. Maybe they are saving that ace up their sleeve for the movie. Because obviously they want to make this a franchise and be part of something bigger. The movie will not only have to be good, met with some praise, but be financially successful as well. All these things can happen, but I dunno, this has disaster written all over it. That doesn’t mean I’m not excited to watch Venom bite peoples heads off. I still think in order to win over the audience they needed to shoehorn Spider-Man in here somehow. Maybe they will do just that. Because Venom looks menacing as hell, and I would love to see him go up against Tom Holland
Only time well tell he outcome for this potential franchise. But I’m really on the fence. I love Venom, but these trailers just aren’t doing it for me fully.
Oh boy, I bet the people who hated the first trailer that was released a few months back are nowhere to be found. The new trailer dropped last night after the last 10 seconds were leaked online yesterday afternoon. And this trailer does not disappoint!
Tom Hardy looks incredible as Venom, it’s something I’ve wanted to see for such a long time. I’ll admit the character design isn’t drastically different from the previous Topher Grace incarnation, but that’s not what made the last version terrible. Hardy’s Venom is a little bulkier (thank god) but appears to be 100 times more menacing. I’m glad they used the word “anti-hero” for the marketing purposes because Venom isn’t necessarily just a bad guy. He’s always been conflicted and it will be interesting to see what they do when he goes toe-to-toe with Tom Holland’s Spider-Man. From what I just saw from this Marvel would be so stupid not to have him be part of the MCU and the potential villain for the next stand alone Spider-Man movie.
Everything seems in place for this to be a terrific movie, and I’m just so relived they nailed Venoms look. That’s a huge part and his voice just wraps this whole thing up with a pretty little bow. Like I said before all those people that had a hissy fit because they didn’t show him the in the first trailer. Let’s hear you now!
We didn’t even actually get to see Tom Hardy as Venom. Still better than Topher Grace.
It’s been a decade and Sony pictures finally made up for the mess and the embarrassment that was Topher Grace and Venom. They didn’t even need to show us the demon creature in this teaser trailer for me to know, that this is going to be great.
The whole trailer is kind of shrouded in mystery and it seems like this will be a deep psychological thriller. Not so much of a comic book movie, where it’s bright and fun, but it seems serious and grounded. The trailer has a very serious Chronicle vibe to it, at least that’s what it reminded me of. A real life person gaining extraordinary powers and seeing it done in a very realistic and level way. I’m all for that when it comes to this incredible character, who happens to be one of my favourite characters in all of comics. I didn’t want them making fun or making Venom light hearted and a fun movie, because he’s anything but that. He’s a tortured soul and conflicted to say the least. Eddie Brock was a good person, with a few problems before the symbiote attaches itself on to him.
From what I could gather from the trailer, it looks like the symbiote has merged deep within Eddie and is giving him more powers than we are used to seeing. He’s just not becoming this demon, but it looks like he may have some telepathic powers. This could be the case until he transformers into the monster fully. Venom looks pretty dark and twisted and Tom Hardy is going full on deranged mode. Something has crashed to Earth and Eddie being a reporter more likely goes to investigate and something happens, he changes. As they put it in the trailer, “You used to be one thing, now you’re something else.”
This looks promising because it doesn’t look like every other comic book movie being released. It doesn’t even feel like a comic book movie to be honest. So far so good, can’t wait to see what he looks like as Venom!
Tom Holland as Spider-Man is fantastic. The movie itself, just okay.
(MARVEL)
Ever wonder how Spider-Man gets around if there are no buildings for him to web-sling onto? Well that question is answered in his newest outing Spider-Man Homecoming. He does what anyone normal 15-year-old teenager would do, he simply runs. Remember in the old 60’s cartoon where Spidey would simply be able to sling away, even if there was nothing around him, and no one really batted an eye at this. Well they address it and they do so in spectacular fashion. From the very get-go I was pretty ho hum about all this, simply because, well, this is the third Spider-Man in 15 years. For me, Tobey Maguire made an outstanding Web Head, and I don’t ever see a Spider-Man movie topping Sam Raimi’s 2004 masterpiece that is Spider-Man 2. I was just never really invested in this new movie, don’t get me wrong, Tom Holland is a perfect fit, not only into the MCU, but to portray this iconic character. It’s just everything else that I was uneasy about, from the villain, to some character changes, and I just felt, that maybe he didn’t need a solo outing just yet. This was a fun movie, I enjoyed myself while watching it, but at the end of the day, it just didn’t stick with me like previous installments in the franchise. I just walked away and honestly couldn’t really remember any real memorable moments. I’m going against the grain on this one, but this movie was just meh for me and I’m going to tell you why.
It’s funny how Spider-Man was actually the best part about Captain America: Civil War; he stood out the most, and walking away from that movie, all I wanted was more MCU Spider-Man in my life. So when rumblings started happening about him getting his own movie, me and everyone else in the world was pretty excited. Especially after the Amazing Spider-Man franchise kind of fizzled out. I want to go on record and say Andrew Garfield, it was not your fault, and you’ll always have The Social Network. I loved Spider-Man’s dynamic with Tony Stark in Civil War, and when news broke that Iron Man himself would be playing a role in the next movie, well again I was all onboard. Next up Michael Keaton was going to be playing the villain, FANTASTIC, he’s the goddamn Batman, and I was excited to see him take on a villain role. When news broke that he was going to be playing Adrian Toomes aka The Vulture, well lets just say I was less than pleased. Spider-Man has one of the best rogues galleries in all of comics and you settle on that guy? I blame over saturation of Spider-Man movies, you couldn’t possibly have the Green Goblin again, or start the franchise off with Venom or Carnage. But really? Vulture? So all we could hear for the next six months were Birdman jokes… So for me that was the first misstep for the movie. And as it turns out, Marvel once again craps the bed in the villain department. Like I said above, Michael Keaton is awesome, and he tried his best to make a great villain, but there is just something always lacking when it comes to the MCU bad guys. I will admit, there is about a 10 min stretch in this movie, where he plays a really good bad guy, it’s after the sort of twist in the movie (which I won’t reveal), and it made for some really stressful 10 minutes. But other than that, I don’t know, something was missing, and maybe it’s just not the kind of Vulture I wanted in a Spider-Man movie. He was simply a guy in a bird mech suit. One thing I loved about Tobey Maguire’s Spider-Man movies, was when he was in the suit it looked pretty real, and I feel like a lot of the stuff was semi-practical. In this, when Tom Holland was in his suit, 90 percent of the time, it looked like a video game. It honestly reminded me of one of those wacky wavy inflatable arm flailing tube men, his limbs kind of just seemed to go in all directions, and it bothered me. He just doesn’t look real when he’s in the costume and that’s not a good thing. It takes you out of the movie, and when he’s in the suit, that should be the most enjoyable part of the whole experience.
There is a ton of really good humor in this; it’s one of the funniest Marvel movies to date. I loved how Peter Parker is 15, and he’s experiencing high school drama and high school bullies and crushes. It makes you feel for the character more, where not only is he dealing with everyday problems, but also trying to be a superhero. And let me tell you, he kind of stinks at it. I did really like how they just showed Spider-Man doing hilarious stuff, like helping old ladies cross the street, and returning stolen bikes. He’s not an Avenger just yet, and he’s just being the good old friendly neighborhood Spider-Man. The first 20 minutes of this movie are simply magnificent, I was laughing a ton, and I loved how he made like a video blog about his trip in Civil War. I just think the movie had a hard time figuring out if it wanted to be a movie about a superhero in high school, or a high school movie about a superhero. I enjoyed his pal Ned (Jacob Batalon) he provided great comedic moments, and at one point even utters the words “I’m looking at porn,” which in my recollection is the first mention of porn in the MCU, so kudos to Ned. I also loved how he wanted to be Spider-Man’s “guy in a chair” aka his Alfred, but it was funny to watch them tiptoe around that, because obviously they wouldn’t say that in a Marvel movie. Liz (Laura Harrier) who plays Peter’s crush was good. They actually had some pretty good chemistry, and she has a lot going on in her life during this. Her storyline was really cool to see play out all the way through. We have MJ (Zendaya) and no that is NOT Mary Jane, but just Michelle. Is this the “new” MJ, I’m not so sure, but I know she was excellent in this. She was like really weird, cooky and pretty awkward, but provided some of the best comedic relief I can remember in the MCU. Do I think they will introduce the actual Mary Jane, yes I do, but for now I want to see where Zendaya’s character and her relationship with Peter goes. Marisa Tomei is back as Peter’s hot Aunt May. It’s actually so weird, but I can live with it, because she’s a super-star and does a really good job in this role. I will say this; they completely wasted Donald Glover, like what the actual hell? Donald Glover, wasted, I never thought I would utter those words. He’s in two scenes, and I’m pretty sure he was super baked for both of them. Or that’s just how it appeared to me. I don’t know if they scaled down his role after he landed a spot in the new Han Solo movie, but I was excited to see who he would be playing and well yeah, what a disappointment. Also give Hannibal Buress something more to do please. First he was wasted in Baywatch and now this? The man simply deserves better people. Now for the big guy Robert Downey Jr. himself. I wonder if Marvel execs just get down on their hands and knees every night and pray and thank god that he landed the role of Iron Man. Because I don’t think the MCU is a thing if he doesn’t. He steals every scene he’s ever in, and he pretty much is Tony Stark at this point. He was in the movie the perfect amount, and I can’t wait to see where his relationship with Peter goes. I have a feeling; Tony might become a Daddy soon! Those two are going to do some special things on screen together in Avengers: Infinity War, I’m telling you that right now.
I’ll give director Jon Watts some credit here, but realistically, I think anyone could have come in and directed this thing. Marvel finally got their hands on Spider-Man, I highly doubt they gave a single ounce of creative control to their director of choice, and that’s probably why they landed on Watts. The high school aspect of this movie has a real John Hughes type vibe to it, which I can get behind. I’m totally okay with a younger Peter Parker right now, he’s part of such a large universe that introducing all of his minor characters would have been a mistake. I like it when he’s a wise cracking teenager. Do I think Watts will return for the sequel, maybe? Do I feel like they should really go for it in the second installment and bring in a big name person, absolutely? There just wasn’t enough fat for me to chew on during this, stuff was happening sure, but the action wasn’t great and the third act was just a mess. Marvel’s biggest problem right now, well superhero movies in general is the big third act. The airplane sequence was such a big mess, that half the time you don’t really know what’s going on. Spider-Man and Vulture are kind of just rolling around and there are about 100 edits in a row, and it really didn’t need to be that way. Keep it simple, do things that make Spider-Man so great, he barley beats up any bad guys in this thing.
Every time a trailer was released, I just knew something was up with this movie, and after seeing the movie. They showed the whole thing in those trailers. The big second act boat scene was ruined, which could have been a really cool moment, but I sat there thinking, that I have seen this about half a dozen times already, so why should I be impressed by this? And also, they tried so hard to recreate some magic from the train sequence in Spider-Man 2, and well good luck with that. I just wanted a special moment somewhere in this movie, and for me it never really came. We’ve had 6 Spider-Man movies since 2002 now, and material is somewhat running thin. All they really need to do is stick to the basics when it comes to this superhero; it’s really not hard to get this character right. I just think Marvel had a vision for what they wanted, and need Spider-Man for the bigger picture, this movie was just an easy way for them to make some quick cash. Am I excited for him to be an Avenger, and fight Thanos? Hell yes I am, I can’t wait to see him interact with all the other heroes, and maybe even become the next Iron Man. I have a funny feeling Tony Stark is going to adopt him, and well Tony will bite it, and leave everything to Peter. Ultimately becoming Iron Spider, just a theory. I’m ranking this behind Spider-Man and Spider-Man 2. Really hoping we get to see Tom Hardy’s Venom and this incarnation of Spider-Man throw down. Lastly, did anyone else get a Her vibe, when he was talking to the A.I in his suit, or was that just me? Probably just me always is.
Check ya later,
Nate’s Movie Tour Reviews – Spider-Man Homecoming = 83/100
Matthew McConaughey honestly looks to be the nicest villain in movie history.
(SONY)The Dark Tower, something I really know nothing about. I know it’s based off the much beloved Stephen King novel. I know it’s coming out August 4th this summer and I know it stars a couple of real gems in McConaughey and Idris Elba. So when the trailer popped up online this morning I was pleasantly surprised at what I saw. After reading some of the Youtube comments, it looks like the books snobs will be out in full force for this one.
Idris Elba is some sort of gunslinger and it’s up to him to save both his world and ours. McConaughey looks to be playing “The Man In Black” who is trying to destroy both worlds. Honestly from what I saw from this trailer the action looks to be pretty dope. They really came up with some unique ways to reload your gun, and this being based off a Stephen King novel I expect a great story full of twists and turns. I’ve always felt that Idris Elba hasn’t got his just dessert yet, he’s such a talented actor, but hasn’t really been the lead in a big Hollywood blockbuster. Well this looks to be his chance, and I couldn’t be happier for the guy. I just hope this doesn’t turn out to be like The Lone Ranger.
Now for McConaughey. I’m not sure if I’m buying him as a bad dude. Like he’s never done that before and it just seems off putting. Mostly because he didn’t really change for it, he’s still talking like he always does, and I just wish either his voice would have been different or his appearance. Because when I saw this movie was coming out I didn’t know he was going to play the films baddie until I saw the trailer. So hopefully the man proves me wrong, it’s not like the man can’t act. So PROVE ME WRONG MATTHEW.
All in all this movie looks cool and it seems like a cool new universe to be a part of. With a stellar cast and some cool looking visuals I can get on board with this. It could be the last good movie of the Summer with an August release date. In the mean time I might get my hands on the book so I can march with those book snobs come August!
Check ya later.
So March is officially the start of summer blockbuster season
March was some month huh? Seriously though, 5 top notch movies were released and that’s kind of uncharted territory for such an early month of a new year. Things are changing in terms of the landscape of how movies are being distributed, with so many franchises, sequels, reboots and comic book movies, it’s hard for them to all be released in the April to August timeframe. Not saying that’s a bad thing, I enjoyed this past month of movie going, and I think we are in for a little bit a snooze-fest in April. The Fate of The Furious looks okay, but that’s honestly the one major release scheduled for April, so the theatre might go a little ligher on my wallet this next month. So in order here are the movies of March, from least favourite to favourite!
5.) Life
Alien meets Gravity! I’ve always been a fan of space movies, so I was excited when I heard Jake Gyllenhaal and Ryan Reynolds were going to be trapped on the International Space Station with an unknown alien life form. This movie was overly enjoyable until the ending which I found to be a major let down. Full of same old cliches that come with a movie like this, I was waiting for a curveball in this movie, but it never happened. Life ultimately failed to take any real chances to maybe try and reinvent this genre, and that was its downfall. I still had a good time with it, as it had a few scary and tense moments.
My Grade – 70/100
4.) Kong: Skull Island
Is that a monkey? Vietnam was a crazy time, now throw is a 100 foot ape into the mix, and now it’s a party! This movie kind of had it all, and I’ve actually come to like this movie the more I think about it. Maybe it was because I was like super hungry during it (I forgot to get popcorn!) and that just made me hangry and I took it out on poor Kong, but now when I think back on it, I actually really liked this movie! Kong was awesome, and that’s all you need in a movie called Kong: Skull Island. It’s by far the best Kong we’ve got on the big screen, and I’m excited to see where they take this character, and I’m awaiting the epic throw down between Godzilla and Kong. The only fault in the movie was that there were far too many human characters. Like too many to count, and at times that really took me out of the movie. But again whenever Kong was on screen I was hooked, and he was doing really cool shit, like punching stuff, punching more stuff and punching even more stuff. You get my point, I’ve renamed it, Kong: Skull Punch Island! John C. Reilly was a hero in this movie, and stole the show!
My Grade – 73/100
3.) Beauty & The Beast
One thing I took away from this, 3D movies suck! You have to keep your head so straight and cannot move it or you will lose focus and the screen will go blurry. That happened a lot watching Beauty & The Beast! Any who, the movie itself was fun, I had a blast going back in time almost to my childhood while I watched this. It had everything you could have wanted in a live adaptation of this beloved fairy tale. Emma Watson and Luke Evans were so incredible as Belle and Gaston, and I couldn’t believe how good they were at singing. Some of the songs felt a little monotoned but that was not a big deal at all. This movie did its job, it got me excited for future live adaptations of Disney properties, and I think that if this is the bar that is set for their future films, the future is extremely bright. Josh Gad as LeFou was the standout in this, the moment I saw that casting I knew he would be, so kudos to him!
My Grade – 82/100
2.) Power Rangers
Been waiting an awful long time for a motion picture Power Rangers movie, because I simply refuse to acknowledge the 90’s ones because they were just horrible. It’s been about a week now since I watched Power Rangers, and one thing that I took away was these kids actually did have attitude, and that they were kind of assholes? Well at least Trini, Jason and Kimberly, it was kind of weird, Jason is just a douche and I guess he is the most suitable leader of the bunch? Besides that, I really enjoyed this movie guys, I had a blast watching it, and again it was kind of everything I thought it would be. Perfect blend of new and old, and they did a bang up job casting the new rangers. Usually known to be super cheesy and campy, this time around we find ourselves dealing with a little darker tone, and touching on some serious issues teenagers are dealing with in today’s society. To best honest, my least favourite part of the movie was when they are in their Zords. I don’t know, it just didn’t really do it for me, and I wish we could have just got them being Power Rangers a little bit longer. Could have used another 5-7 minutes of them just kicking butt in their suits, instead of being in their Zords not doing a whole lot. Small problem, but I’m certainly excited to see where this franchise goes from here. Green Ranger time baby!
My Grade – 73/100
1.) Logan
The movie that was so nice, I saw it twice, in three days…..Some days I just stare off into space and think about this movie. Logan was just such a special movie for myself, and I know for many others. It was the perfect send off for Hugh Jackman, he gave us 17 years of being this character. That’s such a long time, it’s actually lunacy to think about it. He never complained, never quit on us and kept coming back to try and make a better movie for us fans. It’s super sad to see him go, but hopefully FOX will take some time to decide what the best approach is when it comes to recasting Wolverine. I can’t say enough good things about Logan, it had the perfect blend of great story telling, brutal violence and all around great performances. I will miss Hugh Jackman as the Wolverine, but all good things must come to an end, and there was no better way for him to go out. Logan entered my top 3 all time comic book movies, and I’m looking forward to watching it for years to come.
My Grade -97/100
So there you have it, my favourite 5 films of March! It was the best all around movie month in a long time, and I think I’m going to do this at the end of every month from here on out! Did I miss anything? What were your favourite movies of this past month? Let me know!
Okay, so in last years Captain America: Civil War, our friendly neighborhood Spider-Man was no doubt the standout of the movie, bringing new light on the classic character. Now a year later he’s getting his own solo flick, and things are looking up for the web crawler. Being a big fan of the character, I loved the original two Spider-Man movies and I don’t like talking about the steaming pile of crap that was Spider-Man 3. Quick rant, when it was released the world did not have pre order tickets you had to go to the theatre early to make sure you got a seat, so being the loser I was I showed up at 7 for the midnight showing. I waited 5 hours for the movie to start and I don’t think I’ve ever been more disappointed with a movie in my entire life. I also had a math test the next day, which I ended up failing. Thanks for nothing Tobey.
Anyone else feel like they just watching the condensed version of the movie? Boy did they show us an awful lot in this trailer, kind of the exact opposite of the Justice League trailer that dropped a few days ago. Like I understand that Spider-Man is now apart of the MCU, but you don’t really need to try and shovel that down our throats in the trailer. Did they really find it necessary to show us every Tony Stark scene, and just how involved he is going to be in the actual movie? I wish they held back on this stuff, it would have been a nice surprise to see just how much Tony was going to be part of the story, and not see him in the entire trailer. This honestly felt like Iron Man 4, rather than Spidey’s first rodeo.
Saying all that, I did enjoy the trailer, actually way more than the last one to be honest. I don’t know what it is, but I’m not that excited for this movie. Maybe it’s because there hasn’t been a good solo Spider-Man film in almost 15 years, so you have to take this with a little grain of salt. Tom Holland is the perfect Peter Parker/Spider-Man, so there’s hope for this movie, but I feel like Marvel will just use the same cookie cutter formula that has been used for the last dozen Marvel solo movies. Michael Keaton looks awesome as the villain Vulture, maybe this will finally be the breakout Marvel villain that fans have been waiting for. He’s been on a serious role lately, and I hope it can continue in this. There were a ton of awesome moments, but again maybe they showed a little too much. The boat scene especially, that seems to be the half waypoint of the movie, the second action set piece, and I feel like we just saw the whole thing. The Tony/Peter dynamic looks great, it feels like this movie will represent the whole “with great power, comes great responsibility,” with Tony replacing the Uncle Ben character.
Overall I thought this was a great trailer, I just think they showed us a little too much, and they really don’t need to sell the audience on this movie. Spider-Man is huge and they are throwing their trump card into the mix with Iron Man being involved. Marvel really doesn’t make mistakes when it comes to their movies, so this will no doubt be a massive success. With them showing us so much, the one thing they didn’t show us at all was Donald Glover in this trailer and that was a huge let down! I’m excited to see what he brings to this movie, and I just wish they would have teased us a little bit with his character!
Seeing how this is only the second trailer, we will get one final trailer before the movie hits theatres in July, and I hope they don’t give away too much more. Movies these days tend to give away way too much in trailers now a days, and I think this trailer represents that. Spider-Man is a fantastic character that deserves a great solo flick, something fans haven’t been able to experience in a long time. So here’s to hoping Spider-Man: Homecoming is a success.
Nobody and I mean nobody drops better angry F-Bombs than Ryan Reynolds
(Sony Pictures)
In space no one can hear you scream, and in Life there was a boatload of screaming to be had. Space movies always remind me of one thing; space is scary as hell! Especially when you are trapped on the International Space Station with a newly discovered alien life form.
So aboard the International Space Station is a multinational six-member crew that is comprised of some of the brightest minds on Earth. They intercept an incoming space probe that is returning from a successful trip from Mars. They collect a soil sample, where the crew is tasked to study it, which could ultimately end up being the first evidence of life outside of Earth. The crew quickly discover that not only is this the first sign of life, but that it is “all muscle, all brain and all eye,” which sounds scary as shit if you ask me. After the organism evolves, it is given a name, Calvin, after a school in America. Calvin quickly becomes more evolved and smarter as the day’s pass, and the crew slowly begins to realize, that they might have bitten off more than they can chew. As they find themselves in a fight for their lives, they must work together to stop Calvin from reaching Earth. As they’re picked off one by one, Calvin not only evolves, it gets smarter and smarter, and the crew realizes that maybe they should have left this creature back on Mars, where it belongs.
The crew itself is comprised of an American senior medical officer, David Jordan (Jake Gyllenhaal), who has been in space for the longest period of time in human history, with just over 430 days served in space. David mostly keeps to himself, remaining quite, but when push comes to shove we find him becoming a little more of a badass. Dr. Miranda North (Rebecca Ferguson), she serves as the British Quarantine Officer, and the captain of this mission. She is in charge of the “firewall protocols” which serve as the safety plans in case anything goes wrong onboard the space station. She knows more information than the crew does, and keeps a few secrets from them as well. Rory Adams (Ryan Reynolds) the American pilot of the space station is the crews class clown, and leader of the group. Ryan Reynolds was probably the standout of the movie for me, providing us with the best scene of the movie that’s for sure. As usual, he’s a wise cracking, know-it-all something we have become accustom too in his movies. Not saying that’s a bad thing, I actually really liked his performance in Life, it was nice to see him branch out a little bit. The Japanese systems engineer Sho Murakami (Hiroyuki Sanada), the strong but silent type. Who just wants to get home so he can see his newly born daughter. The Russian commander of the mission, Katerina Golovkina (Olga Dihovichnaya) willing to step up and take charge when need be, a strong woman who’s not afraid of a little perseverance. Finally we have the crew’s biologist, a British man Hugh Derry (Ariyon Bakare) who is the most excited about the specimen on board and wants nothing more than to study it and make the human population proud. Remember this is a movie that takes place in space with a alien, these people are going to be disposable, but that doesn’t mean I didn’t start to care for them, and root for them to win. People are going to die in a movie like this, it’s just the nature of films like this. Life borrows a lot of elements from the original Alien movie, the movie that redefined the genre of science-fiction. I’m a huge Gyllenhaal fan, and I thought that he didn’t really have a whole lot to do in this, I felt that he was very underused in the first 2/3 of Life which was kind of a let down. He’s a great actor and I wish the director would have given him more to do. It felt like they just didn’t know what to do with his character at times, and being the lead of the movie it felt out of place at times. Speaking of the director, it’s Daniel Espinosa (Safe House) and he was almost the star of the movie. This is on the edge of your seat kind of suspense, with great tense moments, along with some really scary situations. Daniel did a fantastic job bringing all this together and create one hell of a landscape for the movie. This movie has some really intense moments where I was even almost looking away (I’m a baby) but when a movie can do that, it’s doing its job. Taking place only on the space station, Daniel does a great job shooting the movie very confined and tight, which makes for an even more enjoyable movie watching experience.
Life is a slow-burn, which means it takes awhile to get going and it takes its time for things to come together, but in the end it usually pays off. My biggest gripe for the movie was I wasn’t a fan of the ending. As the movie was winding down, I knew it only had a few outcomes to showcase, and I just wasn’t a fan of how things wrapped up, and it was an ending that didn’t really answer all the questions. Leaving the audience with a lot of “what ifs” and seeing how I don’t think Life will be getting a sequel that can be very frustrating for the movie goer. I’m not saying I knew from the beginning how the movie was going to end, but you could see all the twists of the movie happening before they actually did. Nothing ever really shocked me in Life, so I just wish they maybe threw one more curve ball at us, or maybe just didn’t follow the exact cookie cutter formula that most of these space movies follow. That doesn’t mean this is a bad movie by any means, or that I liked it less, it just means that you know what’s going to happen next before it actually happens in the movie. You spend two hours investing your time into the movie and sometimes you just want to be rewarded at the end of it, and not left scratching your head about possible outcomes or what kind of message the filmmaker is trying to get across.
Life is not a game changer by any means for the genre, but it does some things really well. This a good science-fiction horror/thriller, that people should go out and see. If you’re a fan of these kinds of flicks, then you won’t be disappointed in the outcome. Like I said it has some good performances, enough scares, and tense moments to have you on the edge of your seat in certain moments, and I thought Calvin was a pretty cool alien. It was different to see something that wasn’t so terrifying looking, as say some other monster movies, but it didn’t need to look scary, to show the audience just how much damage it could possibly inflict on the human population. I just know if they keep making movies like this I will never find myself going on a space vacation in the year 2050.
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Biochemist Michael Morbius tries to cure himself of a rare blood disease, but he inadvertently infects himself with a form of vampirism instead.
