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Guess I should start reviewing things again. We've been excited for this since the first trailer hit the web. We've also been pleased with Joe Hill's work and adaptations as of late. So why not start here.

The good. Joe fills the movie will a lot of signature stuff, continuing to follow in his father's footsteps, that father being Stephen King, a pillar of the horror genre in literature. We've got the early 80s, we've got kids dealing with trauma, a black van, some black balloons, a creepy guy in a mask, and a creepy basement with a disconnected phone that must have one hell of a plan with Southwestern Bell (that was a phone service provider back when the government was still actually concerned about monopolies, but I digress).

So you've got a lot of stuff to work with, but it never quite comes together. The trailer goes on about the performance Hawke supplies, but you wouldn't know it in the movie, he's hardly in it, his scenes whittled down to one or two lines at a time before he disappears again. He gives good mask, and seems creepy, but the movie never really takes the necessary step to connect his doings to what's happening in the basement. It isn't helped by the fact that his victim, the young Fin, does not ever really feel like they're in danger.

As The Grabber, Hawke has some pre-determined set of rules as to how he deals with the kids he kidnaps. We get little hints about this process every time Fin answers the phone, and so Fin is able to avoid each of the little "chances" The Grabber lays out, but in doing so he pretty much renovates the basement like some house flipping show on a cable channel that shouldn't exist.

This is where the movie really starts falling apart. The Grabber wants his prey to be a "Naughty Boy", and while Fin doesn't play into whatever rule set "Naughty Boy" dictates he spends an inordinate amount of time digging holes, pulling down window fixtures, hollowing out walls, and all of this is pretty much in plain sight. Yet The Grabber never sees this as him being "naughty", all these activities are ignored and seemingly never noticed.

There's a decent throwdown between Fin and The Grabber as the movie pivots into the credits but ultimately we never get a sense of why all of this is happening. Sure you don't always need the intentions or motivations of a killer, but often that is buoyed by a strikingly creepy performance, something that keeps you centered on the "evil" that is this guy in his mask. But because The Grabbers spends no real time with his prey we never get a that "omg this guy is so murderous and evil", instead he patiently waits for Fin to break the unexplained rules and so the movie just sort of strolls along until it's done.

The movie has a few other really nasty stumbles, specifically the introduction of a "brother" that literally grabs your suspension of disbelief and slams it to the floor where you are left acutely aware that everything taking place above this basement makes no fucking sense.

4/10

Oh yeah, Fin's sister f-bombs cops, a lot.

6/10

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The good. If you've enjoyed Olsen's Wanda prior to this you're most likely going to enjoy most of this, even more so if you're a fan of her from the books. At the same time, you're most likely also going to find the ending completely underwhelming.

There are some great villainous moments with Wanda, but the motivation is lacking and with what Wanda is capable of you'd think she'd accomplish her goals with little fanfare or the rest of the world even being aware she's doing it. Much less show her hand literally moments after she first appears in the film.

They make Strange feel like a magic-user in this film as well which is an improvement from both of his parts in the final Infinity movies as well as his Spider-man appearance. But they still don't make me believe this man is the end all be all of magic in the 616 reality.

Now for the bad. And the bad is sadly right at the core of the film. Everything wrong with this film is Sam Raimi's doing. I get it, you're a "cult" loved director. The takeaway from that is "cult". The last time you did anything mainstream you made two enjoyable Spider-man films then killed the franchise with Sony's help. Then a cozy little high anxiety feature with some alligators. Now go look at his IMDB and just get more depressed as you read his directing credits over the last 20 years. Raimi brings his entire bag of tricks with him. Bad special effects, check. Bruce Campbell, check. The hero in their own dead body, check. Wobbly pov shots, check. Horribly bad practical effects, check. Quick takes of doors slamming shut, check. Every fucking thing that cemented Raimi as a b-horror guy with his Evil Dead is sadly in this movie and it doesn't play well at all. Raimi is a horrible mistake for this outing. There is nothing scary in this film, try as he might. The best thing he did in this movie was Wanda whispering "run" to someone. It was intense, spooky, it achieved what the rest of the film doesn't when Rami leans almost on slapstick gimmicks from The Evil Dead to try and give ambiance to the movie.

And omg the two end credit bits. Like what the hell?

Here is to hoping Love and Thunder brings us back to No Way Home entertainment levels because man this movie just felt like it was meant to bring about one specific resolution while basically saying, "look at all these universes we can pull material from."

P.S. Black Bolt should really not join other people's story events. It never goes well for him. The Hulk and Wanda now both hold the title of my favorite Black Bolt moments in all of the Marvel-verse.

4/10

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Two episodes in and the show is giving me the feels. So far nothing but Queerness on display. No heterosexual shenanigans taking up 20 mins of a 30 minute show about a Queer teen, I’m looking at you Love, Victor.

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An unhinged masterpiece. Brilliant in its humor, stunning in its imaginative process, touching in that the heart of this film is a family dealing with trauma. Every single cast member brings something to this movie. Yeoh’s poise and grace, Hay’s nonchalant but menacing take on a broken daughter, Quan’s empathetic and lovable goof, Curtis’s total camp, but all together they bring out this wacky but deeply touching film with performances that are just pitch perfect.

It’s a perfect film.

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Okay, so before I review this film, cards on the table. I am an avid fan of the Batman from the late 80's to the early 2000's. I'm talking Death in the Family, Dark Knight, Dark Knight Returns, Knightfall, No Mans Land, Hush, OMAC, a period where Batman was a strategist, a detective, and something of a scientist, and he was a man with no powers. For the last ten years, I stopped reading the Bat books, DC and the WB have not fostered the character very well.

The last bit of Batman media I really enjoyed was the Dark Knight and that was mainly for Heath Ledger's now iconic performance.

So The Batman, I need to accept that my concept and love for this character will not always be what someone else envisions. Sometimes, and especially within the comic book industry, new writers come and leave their mark on the character as they "grow/evolve". And that's what The Batman is, it's someone else's vision of the Caped Crusader. (It's completely wrong, but it is their vision.)

I will give this movie one legitimate bit of credit, both in how it was filmed and presented. It accomplished something none of the other movies before it. The opening of this movie so succinctly supplies how Batman is the actual boogeyman of the criminal underworld. Matt Reeves (director) paints an amazing portrait in the opening minutes of the movie with crime running amuck in Gotham, but as the Bat Signal lights up the sky we see how effective the mythos of Batman is on average street criminal. It's fantastic. Sadly we also get to see the Riddler doing his very un-Riddler-esque nonsense in the opening minutes and this is where the movie unravels for me.

The one thing Marvel gets right, even in their now solidified cookie-cutter approach to their franchise, is they embody their films with the true spirit of the character's source material. They may re-envision their outfits or put a modern spin on the origin stories but in the end, the character is the character from the comics.

DC semi accomplished this with Nolan's trilogy (less so in Dark Knight Rises), the first Wonder Woman film, Shazam, and even the Aquaman movie. Snyder fucked up Superman and Batman, as well as the Justice League, and somehow got DC to agree that the grim, anti-hero approach to their movies was the way to go, and well Matt Reeves continues that approach with this entry. Because after the opening of the film the spirit of most of these characters is lost. And that's fine, the director and writers decided this is what these characters would be and that's their liberty. In the end, I found the movie plodded along, has some absolutely awful action beats, including one where Batman, without a care in the world about the loss of civilian lives, chases Cobblepot in the most poorly filmed car sequences I've ever seen, only to prevent Selina from shooting someone later because "it's not how we do it." The climax of the film is an awful set-piece with nothing to do with the Riddler, or the Penguin, and Batman's "heroic victory" is a struggle with a power cable. There are no direct conflicts with the Riddler, he's just this thing that keeps happening off-screen. He's in this overly long movie for maybe a total of 15 minutes of footage. The rest of it is filming Batman's boot-laden feet, deftly, and slowly approaching people, again and again. Jesus, Reeves, set the tone with it twice and move on we get it already.

So yeah, I didn't like this movie. This is not The Batman for me, it's a poor adaptation of the character(s) featured in it. But on top of that, it's not exactly a fun or inventive film, to be honest. I'd really like to see DC go back to making their heroes actual heroes. But they continue to avoid doing the necessary footwork to create their "DC Cinematic Universe" and instead just keep putting out these disjointed films with "edgy" takes on their characters.

0/10 as a Batman movie, 6/10 as a movie.

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I'm a 46 year old Queer man and if you had asked me yesterday I could not have told you that I'd ever feel so connected to a 13 year old Chinese girl.

Domee Shi, the director, and writer, along with Julia Cho, have crafted the most sincere love letter to the tweenage years I've ever sat through. Hands down this is easily my new favorite Pixar film and it's a complete shame this did not get a wide release in theaters. I don't know if that was Pixar or Disney not knowing how to market the story but I would have killed to see this on the big screen.

The premise, Mei Mei is a 13 year old, living in Toronto and she and her family maintain a quaint temple that is devoted to the red panda. But it turns out her family has a secret, and as Mei Mei enters her "womanhood" she finds herself morphing into a big fluffy red panda.

Now you might say, well that's very specific, but in the end this unbelievably heartwarming movie tells a pretty universal tale of tweenage insecurities and budding rebellion that comes with puberty.

I spent most of the third act fighting back tears while also laughing and cheering as Mei Mei navigates the hurdles of her gift, while also trying to please her parents and extended family. The best part of this film, there is no villain. Yes, her mom is overbearing and contributes to some of the hurdles, but it's done from a place of concern. But it leads to one of the best frigging family squabbles ever put to screen.

The third act is unbelievably fun and so heartwarming and is handled with a real sense of what families should be able to do when they come together to help and support one another.

Also, frigging kudos to the production team for taking a subject, often used for laughs or a way to "shackle" both women and young girls, but this movie doesn't shy away from discussing a woman's menstrual cycle. It's handled with a bit of humor but also an amazing amount of levity for a subject you rarely see discussed, much less in Pixar film.

So yeah, thanks Domee Shi and the rest of the writing and production team. I too know what it's like to be embarrassed for a love of boy bands when I was 13, along with my own secret, which took me a lot longer to accept than Mei Mei, but like her, I'm better for embracing who I am, and all that came with it.

10/10

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Encanto is a wonderful and perfectly baked éclair , that someone forgot to fill with crème. It has a light fluffy texture, a lovely icing, but it’s just missing the middle. If anything it made me rewatch Moana. It’s not a bad film, but using Moana as a comparison, I left the theater singing the songs I had just heard, but I couldn’t hum a single one of Encanto’s numbers to save my life two hours later. I think this is mainly to do with the fact that you don’t really get much in the way of culture from the film. The Book of Life, while having some questionable casting, still made me feel like someone had made the effort. Encanto is a solid, and beautiful, film but a hodge pudge of poor musical numbers and a very vague “conflict” leads to a generic third act with no real emotional pay off.

I’d be very keen to hear from any of you more familiar with Colombian culture who might note that I may have simply missed aspects of the cultural nuances out of ignorance.

6/10

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Straight-up garbage. You need to reconsider your movie when you lace it with flashbacks from the original films, and even when those flashbacks are only seconds long, they look more cinematic and refined than the rest of the run time of your current film.

Oh but hey at least we get to see the Sens8 gang back together.

2/10 (one for Neil Patrick Harris, the other for the Sens8 gang)

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After Sony failed, twice, to foster the live action Spider-Man films to any real fruition, over stepping both with the third Maguire film and only a second Garfield film, the hopes of seeing a Sinister Six plot went out the window years ago. But oddly Marvel was like, “why not”, and taking the villains from two aging franchise attempts by Sony, did it in one movie. It’s hard to really dig into this film because while it’s plain from the trailer that MCU Spidey goes head to head with past Sony villains, there is a lot in this movie that is never even hinted at in the trailer.

The pros, Tom Holland, like Downey, is Spider-man. This movie seals the deal, it takes what we’ve come to accept as Spider-Man’s MCU origin and actually steer’s MCU Peter back toward some of the traditional comic book material. There are a lot of super memorable character moments in this movie, and I not ashamed to say the movie made me cry. I also feel there is some genuine sacrifice made here, the over all conflict isn’t simply magiced away, no pun intended. And everyone in it is fun, even people who get very little screen time.

The cons, well the Marvel Cinematic Universe itself. It’s getting so big and sometimes it feels clumsy. Is Doctor Strange really all that “supremey“ if he can’t manage a single high schooler who is just really strong? There are power ratios, especially with Strange, that don’t make a lot of sense. Bless the writers for suggestion how Peter might go head to head with Strange, but it’s just a bit goofy, even in a comic book movie. And where is Cap, a monument in his best friend’s honor is totally getting trashed as the final set piece for the big battle royal and yet no fly by? It makes me slightly worry as to how things like the next Captain Marvel movie is going to play out, or even how Wanda will be handled in future appearances seeing as what she’s capable of. Hell you would almost expect that she make an appearance here to help Strange contend with the final issue laid out in this film. And dear lord, stop teasing us about Miles.

Aside from that though this movie was just really satisfying. A little bit of “what if” mixed with “spider-verse” and a sprinkle of “one more day” source material allows Holland and friends to have a crazy, bitter sweet adventure that moves Holland from Spider Boy to full on Spider-man.

9/10

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Been a big fan of Edgar Wright for a long time now. He still holds the title for best Zombie Film for his Shaun of the Dead in my opinion. His films are always visually dynamic, and he knows how to ratchet the tension of the film just when it's needed most.

When I saw the trailer for Last Night in Soho I was intrigued right from the get-go and the film itself manages that in spades for the first half of the film. And Wright doesn't coddle the audience as he takes you on this journey of time and perspective building. He purposely leaves the audience just as isolated and disorientated as the lead, Ellie, falls deeper into a... mystery?

I guess that's one of the strengths of the film, it doesn't really sit in either of your typical horror or suspense columns, and it's not really a mystery either. It's a blending of several genres really. Wright and crew do a wonderful job of pulling you into a web you can't really make out because, in the end, you can't really trust everything you're seeing. I think like all Wright films there is a bit of a twist in the third act, and he ends the film on a note I've not really seen in his other films either so it was a fun little nod to the tropes of horror because, in the end, I think of all his films, no matter what kind of slant they took on the horror genre, Soho is more horror than anything else.

If you've been following Wright's work I'd say you should definitely give it a try, it was fun to see Wright move outside of his comedy roots, and I should be clear, Soho is free of "quirky" characters. Even Baby Driver was filled with a lot of humor for being as dramatic as it was. Soho doesn't go that route, the general wackiness Wright brings to the screen is not here but at the same time it's not "missing" either.

8/10

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I wouldn't have thought it could be done, but this movie is legitimately the natural successor to the first Ghostbuster film. I have nothing against either Ghostbusters II or the more recent GhostBusters (Femme). II had some moments I still remember to this day, and I love every actress in the reboot.

Then this little gem comes along. A sincere little love letter addressed to the first movie. The chemistry one screen between the cast is glorious and the direct follow up to the first film's story is so well handled you don't even get the whole "Force Awakens" feeling after the movie. Instead, this sort of parallel retelling of the first movie feels more like an appropriate continuation and not just someone highlighting all the story beats from the first film.

It does have some bumps in the road. But they're easily dismissed because you're having fun, in my opinion. The standouts in the film are Mckenna Grace as Phoebe and her partner in crime, Logan Kim as Podcast (not a typo). These two pint-size thespians quite literally steal the movie from everyone around them, and this includes veteran funny guy Pual Rudd. Not to say Paul doesn't earn his paycheck here, he's a joy to watch as he gets sassed and sasses back just as often. You also have Carrie Coon, the mom of Phoebe, who has the most loving relationship with her kids. The zingers this parent and her kids fire back and forth is hilarious and concerning at the same time.

If anyone suffers in the film it's Stranger Things darling, Finn Wolfhard, whose role as Trevor (Phoebe's brother) is distilled down to looking amazed and offering moral support. It's a bit of a shame, but when he is given a few precious moments to be fully involved he makes me believe who Trevor is, so good on him for making the best of what the script gave him.

And on top of all that the movie isn't just a reboot/rehash of the first film, and it does its best to make sure you're aware this isn't the first of the Ghostbuster films you're going to see in theaters in the near future.

If you enjoyed the first film when you were a child, then I highly suggest treating yourself, and possibly your own little ghoul if you have one, to this fun little film.

8/10

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It’s fascinatingly bad. An unintentional parody of the anime? Maybe intentionally? Who knows.

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First, let's get the bad out of the way. This movie suffers from the fact that it wasn't made prior to Endgame. It completely changes and is at odds with what takes place in Endgame when it comes to Natasha's decisions. So for that I found it highly frustrating that Marvel couldn't pull its head out of its ass and let her have this prior to Endgame.

That aside, this was a lot of fun. A weird mix of Marvel, Bond, and Bourne. It's not perfect by any means, but I felt it was engaging if a little superficial here and there. It shines brightest when Scarlett Johansson and Florence Pugh are on screen together as Natasha and her "fake" sister Yelena. In fact, Pugh spends most of the movie's run time stealing it from the rest of the cast and making for the hills. Things are only made more delightful when David Harbour is reunited with the two as their "fake" father and Russia's own super-soldier who has a total hardon for America's Ass, Captain Steve Rogers. The three of them are magic on screen together as the trio embarks on this goofy globe-trotting adventure. I was sad that Weisz didn't get more screen time in the overall movie. Her character is an exposition machine and a macguffin in order for the movie to run it's course. A shame in my opinion.

Yet again the movie suffers from it's release schedule. Natasha is never in danger because we already know she's elsewhere after this movie and that's just poor management on Marvel's part again. And how does Hawkeye not appear in this film or even Fury for fuck's sake?

Anyway, that is my take. *does superhero pose, then cringes in disgust*

8/10

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Knowing nothing about this character, I was very excited. Everything up to this point in the MCU has been content that's fairly well-engrained in my brain already. What I was expecting was another Black Panther but, in my opinion, we got something more akin to Ant-man. A movie that currently sits outside of the MCU as a whole and only has the vaguest connections to the rest of the going ons. I mean did anyone, upon watching the first Ant-man, feel like Scott Lang would be pivotal to what would later become Endgame? I can only hope for the same for Shang Chi and crew because this movie is fun and light-hearted. Much like Ant-man felt like the little added-on story to the end of an Avenger's Annual, this too feels a lot like that.

Liu as Shang along with his ride or die friend in Awkwafina's Katy are super fun to watch. It's like Steve and Sam all over again and it's fun as hell to watch the two of them bounce around from one plot beat to the next. Add in a rich cast of Hong Kong and China cinema stars like Yeoh, Yuen, and Leung and the movie is just fun to watch. And again Marvel decides to create another villain who isn't really a villain per se.

As I said earlier though, it doesn't feel like it's part of the MCU. It is obviously post Blip, and that's only reinforced with cameos from other films, but the real horror of the film feels oddly out of place in the MCU, like how was this something that hadn't been hinted at before. Like Eternals, this movie too sort of suffers from the idea of "where are the Avengers"? If there was ever a film that needed Doctor Stranger more than, say the soon to be released Spider-man movie, it was this and the Eternals, but oddly is missing.

Still, the movie is a fun side arch romp and I can only hope that Shang Chi is a major pillar in the next MCU Phase.

8/10

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Marvel is starting to show its growing pains. This isn't an awful film in any capacity, but it's clunky as shit. I remember when GotG first made waves and everyone was sure that Marvel's first team movie, without any previous films to introduce the characters, and on top of that a relatively unknown comic line to non comic readers, would fail. but Gunn pulled a rabbit out of his hat. And that was a movie where the team was only four characters and tree that says one line. And you were slowly introduced to them over the first hour of run time.

Now you have Eternals, and they decided to go for broke and hit you with ten characters, a scattered first half hour, poorly used flashbacks to establish characters, and in my opinion, the whole movie feels flat as a pancake.

One character is so poorly implemented, they're kept on the side until they're needed and their entire character is distilled down to a physical trait and that's it. You learn nothing about them, even once they're allowed to join the team again.

So the movie feels long, and shallow, and it's a shame because technically these characters spent like five thousand years together, and occasionally the concept of that sparkles here and there during little character moments, but for the most part you'd never think these people spent more than a few days together.

So that is what I struggled with for the majority of the film. But it's not a complete loss. Things that stand out, a fairly decent "twist" regarding the true villain of the film. Two stand-out performances, Barry Keoghan as Druig and Brian Tyree Henry as Phastos. They shine for two different reasons though. In my opinion, Keoghan was the only person who actually gave me the character they played. There was a passion to his delivery that made me believe that Druig was who he was and capable of what he could do. He just felt real compared to everyone else who just seemed very lost in the "green screen" of it all.

Henry on the other hand, who suffers from lack of screen time initially, is more of the typical Marvel Hero we've become accustom to. He gave me what Paul Rudd gave Ant-man, a lot of heart and someone you could easily connect with. Which makes sense, because his character's journey is the one that comes closest to the audience's actual life.

Then for the crowning achievement, some damn fantastic special effects. Marvel has always had trouble with "humans" defying gravity. Thor Ragnarok made some headway, but Captain Marvel just didn't feel right half the time. And while Eternals isn't perfect they've made a lot of headway, there were times I was very impressed with how Ikaris looked while in flight.

Of the Marvel films, it was the least entertaining for me. I'd put it down there with Thor 2.

6/10

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Dumb, hella dumb fun. It cheats several times in my opinion, breaking the rules of more legitimate “heist films”, but it’s glossed over by how fun these three bounce off one another. I think Dwayne is unappreciated for his comedic timing, and it was fun to see Gal not being Wonder Woman. Reynolds is the Pacino of wise cracks at this point, the last time he did anything that wasn’t “Reynolds” was ages ago in Buried (which I suggest if you don’t mind being claustrophobic for two hours.). But this was a lot of fun, the three of them make every moment they’re all on screen together a hoot and it’s a pleasant and chuckle filled way to forget the world and it’s doings. I personally enjoyed the Jurassic Park joke the most.

8/10

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I know this is a bit of a cheat, only three episodes are out and Netflix is breaking their mold and not supplying the entire series in one go. I've never played LoL, but I have enjoyed some of the animated shorts, music videos, and commercials for the game.

When we sat down for the first episode of Arcane all we knew were some of the characters' names, we knew nothing of the lore from the game, if there is any.

Well holy shit, this show had us captivated in the first three episodes. Not only is it one of the most impressive animated shows, and I stress the word show because it looks nothing like any animated series I've ever seen put to TV, and this includes anime. CG character modeling with a lot of hand-painted elements from the looks of it. And while it's pretty as all hell. I was really not prepared for the level of storytelling and character work in the show. The world-building is fascinating, steampunk meets arcanepunk. Character motivations and factions feel fleshed out further than I could imagine coming from League of Legends of all things. There is some heavy drama, the third episode will leave you stunned in my opinion. Very rarely do you see animated stories that manage to evoke legitimate stakes for the characters involved. There is loss, sacrifice, and some unforgiving stakes.

I'm going to refrain from giving a rating, but if the first three episodes are an indicator, this show has got a lot of potential.