blackknightgargiemoviephile

[blackknightgargiemoviephile]

Venom: The Last Dance

This movie.

Has.

Broken me.

WARNING: CONTAINS SPOILERS. READ AT YOUR OWN RISK

I know I have a lot more backlogged movies to review in my drafts section, but I watched this movie last weekend and I am still recovering from the depression I feel from watching this movie.

The story itself and the in-between pacing, to be fair, is a little bit mellow and a little bit dragged out. I mean, I get it, we're looking at the perspective where it has only been a year (a year? Really? Only that long? I thought it felt longer) in this movie universe timeline since Eddie and Venom's relationship began, so not much extra development can be said other than the fact that they have to be on the run and the plot sorta takes place almost straight after the events of Venom 2, but come on. I thought it would've been a little bit more of an exciting adventure than just running around getting drunk, getting over hangovers, losing and acquiring shoes (which is a pretty funny gag, ngl) and just traveling and hitchhiking in the middle of the desert.

The part where Venom hitchhiked on a plane to get to NY was pretty hilarious though, and the part where Venom infects a horse to give Eddie a faster ride kinda reminds me of their bike scene in the first movie, and that was pretty epic. Them having to get away from Strickland's men and wrestling with them in the water was also pretty exciting, and I was like screaming internally for Venom to quickly reach Eddie before he drowns or dies or get caught, got my heart pumping there.

When they added Martin Moon and his hippie family into the mix, tbh, they were technically kinda an unnecessary plot device. I mean, I guess they were sorta just there to give the human element? To fill the gap that was supposed to Eddie's ex-fiance's spot that she had been occupying for the first 2 movies? Yeah, totally unnecessary. They could've just have a very short scene of him hitchhiking with Martin (or any other person for that matter) without needing to delve into their character development or building any sort of bond, and just leave it at that and not get them involved in any part of the alien battle, that would've been fine.

Also, there can be no Venom without Mrs Chen LOL Their little dance scene was maybe a little cringe, but at the same time it was just hilarious and cute at the same time

The other symbiotes were interesting and got me guessing which symbiote is which based on the colour and my limited knowledge of other symbiote characters (thanks to Wiki and Tumblr), though I couldn't remember when exactly was the part where Mulligan got infected by a symbiote, but then the story had him infused with another symbiote to save his life, which felt a little odd since I've never seen this version of a symbiote anywhere in the comics or online, and that symbiote kinda reminds me a little bit of that fish man character in The Shape of Water LOL

The Xenophage alien was pretty cool and brutal at the same time, and the symbiotes, after they merged with the humans (which included Christmas and Teddy), look really really cool. It's a shame the fight scene on that one was a little short. Could've worked in a bit more fight scenes with the other symbiotes, and Teddy/Agony moment was also kinda short, but Christmas' symbiote was pretty awesome. I have a feeling her and Mulligan's symbiote were sorta an OC of sorts coz they defo did not seem to exist in any research I've seen of the symbiote characters.

And don't tell me I didn't see the attraction between Teddy and Christmas. My gaydar for men maybe a little weak, but my gaydar for women seems pretty spot on between them.

The climax. OMG the climax. The part where Eddie and Venom agreed that as long as they're both alive, Knull would just keep sending in more Xenophages, and Venom sacrificed himself and tossed Eddie out so he can die along with the Xenophage army, and when he said "Goodbye for now" instead of "Goodbye" like in the first movie... and then this scene...

I just cried. I cried and I died and my heart was just ripped to pieces as I watch Venom just melt before my eyes. The sacrifice he made for his Eddie. The way he said "I'll never forget you" and "Don't forget me either". I cannot. I just cannot...

And the ending scene where Eddie wakes up in the military hospital and realized Venom is no longer in his head for reals, the way he said "I need him", and the way he walks through the city alone with flashbacks of him and Venom from all three movies while Maroon 5's "Memories" was playing in the background? Oh god, it just broke me into more pieces and I cried even more. I've never cried harder than I've ever cried for a ship. The last time I cried this hard is when Dreamworks killed my Toothcup ship, and now this? I'm crying even harder. I'm still crying now as I'm typing this. I will never hear this song or feel about it the same way ever again.

The only other beef/nitpick I have for this movie is that the villain Knull was kinda weak. He hardly had any role in the movie, and it was just wasted cameo by Andy Serkis in there. All he basically did was just sit there in one spot and just sent the Xenophages to do the dirty work, which any Tom-Dick-Harry villain can do. I know now that's they're sorta setting him up as an intro character like they tried to do with Kraven, so hopefully? Maybe? Knull would end up in more of the SSU verse and also maybe MCU's upcoming new Spiderman film that'll be in 2026? Hope so.

Also, why did they need to end this amazing franchise?? They have so much more potential. When they put the end credit scene in which Eddie/Venom woke up in the MCU verse, I was hoping that it would spark a nice crossover movie or two about Peter "Tom Holland" Parker would have to deal with Venom and have an adventure or two (or three, or four, I'm not complaining). Let Spidey and Venom have their hero-villain rivalry moment before Venom slowly becomes established as an anti-hero or something.

Remember one of the end credit scenes in Spiderman where Eddie and Venom gets sent back to their universe thanks to Dr Strange's spell and a small piece of Venom was left behind? I've heard rumours about maybe that would be the tie in for SSU and MCU and for Venom to return and shine, but I also know it may be that MCU wants to have their take on a Venom for Tom Holland's Spidey, but to go through all that all over again with another new backstory for Venom and another character playing Venom? No. No way. There is no one else that can be a better Venom. Tom Hardy's Venom or bust.

Anyone who stayed all the way to the end to see the end credits for Venom 3 (seriously, the credit role was way too long though), there is a hint that the tiny piece of Venom that Strickland had captured when Venom also left behind at the bar in his universe maybe free, and that there is hope that this Venom would make his way back to Eddie and they can become whole again but still, they said that this was the final installment of the SSU Venom franchise, so...

Fuck you, Sony.

You and Dreamworks have officially killed another ship of mine.

I love and hate this movie at the same time and I. AM. BAWLING.

[blackknightgargiemoviephile]

Love this one, plays on one of my favourite dynamics of monster and child

[blackknightgargiemoviephile]

Spoookyyyy~~~

[blackknightgargiemoviephile]

Some pretty interesting YouTube short horrors by ACM Official

[blackknightgargiemoviephile]

The King in Yellow, one of the most famous and mysterious literature come to life

[blackknightgargiemoviephile]

One of the most popular creepypasta brought to life

[blackknightgargiemoviephile]

Watching some YouTube short stories these days, just thought I'd share

Very impressed with this. A different take to the classic "Monster Under the Bed" with real consequences

[blackknightgargiemoviephile]

POTC Franchise

Brief reviews of what I think about the POTC franchise, which is sorta long overdue LOL

Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl

This is the fun part of watching the movie because I get to see Orly in action with one of the best and most versatile actors: Johnny Depp. Surprisingly this is actually a movie based on a theme park, just like they did with The Haunted Mansion. I kinda liked it, because they used one of the most interesting special effects in which those cursed pirate who will turn to skeleton under the moonlight, they manage to make it in an instant, like one second they are normal, then another second they are skeletons within the moon rays. To me at that time, it was a pretty impressive move. And the best part is the gags and funny quirks that Johnny Depp shows in the movie.

Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest

This one is alright. Usual funny quirks and gags from Johnny Depp and also the cute little fleeting love between Orly and Keira Knightly (although I still wish Orly was mine~!). The enemy is also a pretty interesting character, a guy who abused his power as the Guider of the Dead to create his own pirate army, and the twist that showed that Orly's dad was one of the crew. Probably the biggest thing about the movie is about the possible attraction between Johnny and Keira while she was still engaged with Orly, and jealousy and tension that happened after the end of the movie where Keira kissed Johnny to trap him there to be eaten by the Kraken. Though the biggest twist I saw was Capt. Barbossa who was supposed to be dead alive at the end of the movie. That was probably the biggest TADA~! moment of the entire movie

Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End

This one may probably be a bit on the lame end. It's mostly jealousy and rivalry between Jack, Will and Elizabeth's ex-suitor, while they all battle against a common evil. Chow Yun Fatt somehow ended up in the movie but to me, it was a bit of an overkill. And it felt kinda weird having Elizabeth to end up as the Pirate King instead (though I'm all out feminist and for women's rights to take a male role and all) in a rather anti-climatic form, and I really had a beef with the ending where Jack forgo his chance to be immortal by letting Will become the next Davey Jones. I mean, I would rather have him die than having him to suffer being at the sea and only can come up to shore once in 10 years. It'll be...kinda sad, don't you think? And also being immortal and to see your own lover wither away would be even sadder.

Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides

I can't comment much on the fourth installment entitled Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, because, well, I dunno, it's just kinda repetitive and the story is a little cliche really, and without Elizabeth and Will Turner, it just doesn't feel right somehow. The only upside is the mermaids. That's all I can say about it

These are my comments so far on POTC. It's just too many sequels in which I can handle and it's almost like the saying: Too many cooks spoils the broth. In fact, I would've like it if they just kept the first one and not make any sequels. In fact, I didn't even bother to watch their final sequel Dead Man Tell No Tales, coz I didn't really feel the mood for it.

Maybe I might, just for completionist sake, and then I'd update this post, but don't hold your breath on that.

[blackknightgargiemoviephile]

Same, bruh

[blackknightgargiemoviephile]

Hulk vs The Incredible Hulk

It was a surprise for me at the time to actually see a cartoon character like this be made into film, so I wouldn't mind going to check it out. It does bring back the good ol' days of watching the cartoon series and reading the comics, and also the good ol' days where I would occasionally see the really OLD TV series of Hulk that often rerun on certain times in TV, especially during the transformation when they often focus only on the eye as he transforms. LOL

Here I'll be writing the two Hulk movies I've watched:

One by Ang Lee in 2003...

...and one as a reboot by Louis Leterrier in 2008.

In comparison, the Louis version is probably much better than the Ang Lee version. While Louis version was closer to the original theme of the comic, Ang Lee's version is more of a self-satisfaction kind of re-imagining of the cartoon character. Though I don't mind the humour and the cuteness of the Beauty and the Beast phenomenon portrayed by Ang Lee version (seriously, the way Hulk carries Betty was very cute, almost reminds me of King Kong), it wasn't really as good as the authenticity of what Louis had portrayed in his movie (and I am a sucker for authenticity and following the theme of the original).

Though the ending for Louis version was probably a little bit...well, too normal an ending for me. If they had used Ang Lee's ending for Louis' version, maybe it would've been nicer. Coz I kinda like the "You don't like me when I'm angry" ending, sounds more of the WOW factor.

In the end, overall, I think I would probably favour Louis version than Ang Lee version.

[blackknightgargiemoviephile]

ALIEN VS PREDATOR SAGA

Here's my take on the AVP Saga:

Alien vs Predator

Only one word describes this movie: AWESOME!!! It's like totally watching those monsters in a new light. Like having their own culture and how they ended up on earth and stuff like that. It doesn't ultimately explains their existence in the individual movie series, since it's more of a standalone AU concept and the previous ones is to be ignored, but come on! It's bloody awesome! Especially seeing Predators in action. They are like totally more than just killing machines that we used to know when we were watching Predators 1 and 2. They have their own culture, their own system, their own code, everything. And it just feels so...so...well, I don't even know how to describe it when I saw the Predator actually cooperating with the human and the way he kicked the Queen Xeno's ass! I don't even know why Rotten Tomatoes gave it such a low rating. They don't know a good movie when they see one!

Alien vs Predator: Requiem

Now this here would probably be a little less exciting as it were for the first one. Although I find it entertaining that there is a alien/pred hybrid and that it would be really, really cool to think about it, the fact that the aliens breeding in such a rather fast rate was probably highly unlikely, and the long and short of it is that it's a little bit of an overkill. Though I must admit the fight between the hybrid and the predator that was sent to hunt down the hybrid was very much action hardcore and awesome. It's not as epic as the first, but it's equally watchable.

Both movies delivered, in my opinion. In fact, it was thanks to these movies that got me to fall in love with the Predator. I used to think that Predators were the villain and the evil ones after watching Predator 1 and 2, but after watching these two movies, I saw Predators in another light, seeing them as an exotic culture that should be revered and not feared. It's also a good nostalgic way to reminiscence about the good ol' days when you used to watch Aliens and Predators individually. Some say that it was an overkill and not true to the original, that I agree, but who cares?! It's better than the original and should be recommended to watch by everybody! You're missing out if you don't.

[blackknightgargiemoviephile]

Hold onto your horses, more movie reviews coming your way

[blackknightgargiemoviephile]

My very first Filipino movie, and it's horror at that. This touch on the famous Filipino superstition of Pagpag, which is "an act of dusting off oneself after a funeral to avoid being followed home by evil spirits".

Plot is pretty predictable as all horror movie goes, where if you fuck around, you find out kinda deal. CG was a little campy at best, but the make up design of the ghost itself was pretty impressive. I have listened to quite a number of Filipino tales of people where if an evil spirit follows someone, you would be seen as a headless person and the best thing to do is to burn off the clothes that you wear on that day or something. I was kinda expecting that part of the superstition to be portrayed here in this movie, but oh well, every director can interpret their stories their way.

Overall, not too bad of a movie. I'd give it:

[blackknightgargiemoviephile]

A pretty obvious take on the famous Monkey's Paw storyline, but with a bit of Asian twist into it. Despite getting a very low rating on Rotten Tomatoes (about 19%), personally I quite enjoyed. Anyone who had knows the Monkey's Paw story would definitely know how it goes or how it may end, but the way the storyline was structured, and the way it kept the suspense and the hope of maybe someone surviving and keeping me on my toes, I'd say it actually did pretty well. In fact, there were some scenes that I totally did not expect the plot to go that way, and that's pretty refreshing.

[blackknightgargiemoviephile]

[blackknightgargiemoviephile]

It's a legit argument tho LOL

[blackknightgargiemoviephile]

BE STILL MY MOTHERFUCKING HEART!!!

I AM SO LOOKING FORWARD TO THIS (hopefully) AWESOME MOVIE!!!