mrmoviemakr - Tumblr blog

[mrmoviemakr]

My favorite entertainment of 2023

The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom

Hailey's On It

TMNT: Mutant Mayhem

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3

Prehistoric Planet 2

The Owl House

Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora

Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves

Once Upon a Studio

[mrmoviemakr]

Prehistoric Planet review: #1 - Deserts

While “Deserts” focuses on my least favorite biome, who would’ve thought it would be the best episode of the season showcasing dinosaurs with unique adaptations for survival in these desolate areas. We start with a bang with a herd of male Dreadnoughtus traveling to their mating grounds away from their forest dwelling that is crowded with hundreds of females. A “clash-of-the-titans” spectacle ensures when two males fight for the right to mate with some fantastic music to go with it, showcasing the size and power of these sauropods. Makes you want to bang the air like beating a drum to it. 

I loved the sequence featuring the Mononykus, a small Mongolian dinosaur that reminds you of a roadrunner with features like owls in how it uses its facial disc to sense prey since it doesn’t have ears. I was introduced to this dinosaur in “Chased by Dinosaurs” with Nigel Marven and it was completely different from what is depicted here. Looked more like Ornithomimus and I was under that impression for quite a while till then. I would love to see this in “Jurassic World Evolution 2” one day. 

We have another spectacular sequence, showcasing a watering hole covered with hundreds of dinosaurs getting their fill of water before it dries up. Not just herbivores are there, but also carnivores including a Tarbosaurus, an Asian cousin to Tyrannosaurus. Watching it appear on a sand dune from a distance with other dinosaurs busy drinking is my favorite shot of the entire season. The sequence also reminded me of the water truce from Jon Favreau’s Jungle Book. I just love how both predator and prey would put their differences aside to have some water.

We move to North Africa for a mating ground for Barbaridactylus, pterosaurs with impressive bony crests. It shows how dominant males would fight for their place among the smaller females, but what’s more impressive is that some males don’t get that big nor grow those large crests and tend to be sneaky. It was hilarious watching a larger male mistake the sneaky male by displaying. Was it showing off by accident or on purpose? Who knows. But the lesson here is that there’s more to impressing a girl than with size and strength, but being sneaky is not the best tactic. 

Our last sequence is more serene as we watch a herd of hadrosaurs called Secernosaurus travel through sand dunes made of gypsum to parts where there’s more food. It was interesting to see them use the stars to guide them at night. I know one or some animals to do that but can’t think of it. Another cool moment was them licking off droplets of water from the fog of seawater as a source of water. 

Another thing I appreciate is how the show doesn’t end with the typical extinction event like in “Walking with Dinosaurs” or “When Dinosaurs Roamed America.” Sure, there’s that dreadfulness when the final episode fades to black that it’s happened but looking back at each episode and comparing with the finale of “Walking With,” the world is still full of life at the time and not choking to death from increased volcanic activity. I don’t know if we will see that in the future, but it’s doubtful. And that concludes my reviews for the first season and look forward to traveling back to the prehistoric planet next Monday. 😉

3.5/4 stars.

P.S. It was interesting seeing the Dreadnoughtus expose gular sacs to impress females like frigatebirds and anole lizards. 😉

[mrmoviemakr]

Prehistoric Planet review: #2 - Forests

“Forests” is an excellent, yet bittersweet conclusion to the show that makes me want to see more of the fantastic world that was created. With that said, there were some great moments throughout that were both hilarious and mesmerizing.

Like the Alcione chicks from a previous episode, we watch a baby Triceratops brave through a dark cave and getting lost as the herd looks for clay licks to neutralize the poison from the plants they eat like what macaws or elephants do. We watch a Carnotaurus try to impress a female with a mating dance, using its small, useless arms to gain her attention. It was too funny watching it, and then it keeps in pose only to be rejected. Better luck next time. 

It was great seeing Qianzhousaurus after being introduced to it in “Jurassic World Evolution 2” the year before and I loved the design of its prey, Corythoraptor. I loved watching some baby Therizinosaurus, struggle to climb a broken tree to get some honey, only to be stung by bees and to watch an adult one swipe it down. I was in awe watching one of my favorite dinosaurs in action and I loved the forest setting which reminded me of the redwoods in California. 

I wish we had more time learning about the dwarf dinosaurs on the smaller European islands, but it was cool seeing Hatzegopteryx, a large pterosaur patrol around. Check out my earlier reviews on past episodes if you're seeing this. 

3.5/4 stars.

[mrmoviemakr]

Prehistoric Planet review: #3 - Ice Worlds

“Ice Worlds” showcases the remarkable day-to-day lives of dinosaurs that lived and migrate to environments with extreme climates. We start things interesting with a pack of Dromaeosaurs stalking a group of hadrosaurs migrating and treading rapid waters like wildebeest crossing a river, only no crocodiles. It was nail-biting seeing babies getting stranded, trying to swim, and getting out of the water before drowning, but that’s the dromaeosaur’s idea.

 I loved the design of the Ornithomimus with their mohawk-styled hairdo and it was fun watching how stragglers at a nesting ground tend to steal from others to make their own. We then watch a heard of Olorotitan as they travel to a nesting ground in a volcanic spring and avoid mosquitoes when they start spawning and it’s much worse than lake fly spawning.

It was cool seeing a Troodon take advantage of a forest fire in catching prey like marabou storks snatching bugs escaping from a bushfire in Africa. The best sequence of the episode is the ongoing battle between predator and prey as a herd of Pachyrhinosaurus flee from a pack of tyrannosaurs called Nanuqsaurus who use strategy than stealth to hunt through a snowstorm. Check out my earlier reviews on past episodes if you're seeing this now. 3.5/4 stars.

[mrmoviemakr]

Prehistoric Planet review: #4 - Coasts

The first episode, "Coasts," is a strong opener to the audience in their incredible journey on the prehistoric planet (no pun intended) showcasing dinosaurs, pterosaurs, and marine reptiles in one go. What better way to start it then with a male Tyrannosaurus swimming to another coast with its young in search of food. I was more impressed with the behind-the-scenes video on the science of how it's able to swim. 

The next sequence was a nail-biter in watching a flock of newly hatched Alcione chicks fly to their forest home while escaping predatory pterosaurs including Phosphatodraco who patrols the nesting grounds like a skua or marabou stork in search of stragglers. The sounds its beak makes are terrifying with an effective music theme to go with it.

The mosasaur sequence was an absolute treat in seeing a more serene side to these ferocious predators similar to crocodiles as an old male basks on a barren part of a coral reef that it's come to for years to prepare for the mating season, having fish and shrimp pick off old skin it's shedding, but must protect when a rival comes to challenge it. 

I liked re-learning about how the Tuarangisaurus swallow stones to grind the food they eat, but also work as ballast to keep them underwater without staying afloat. We'd then follow the same pod again later on with a female and her calf being chased by a Kaikaifilu. I loved how brave the calf was in fending it off till the rest of the pod came to help in order for its mother to give birth to her new calf. Another newborn to face the trials of life on this prehistoric planet (again, no pun intended). Check out my last review if you haven't and seen this. 

3.5/4 stars.

[mrmoviemakr]

Prehistoric Planet review: #5 - Freshwater

Prehistoric Planet 2 is almost upon us, and I've been working on reviews for the five episodes of the first season from decent to best to post each week before the premiere on May 22. This is the best prehistoric documentary show I've seen in a long time. It takes me back to the days when shows like the Walking With series, When Dinosaurs Roamed America, and Prehistoric Park once roamed the television, but with up-to-date representation of the creatures that lived 66 million years ago through phenomenal visual effects, great cinematography, excellent music by Hans Zimmer, and fantastic narration by David Attenborough.

"Freshwater" has some memorable moments involving Velociraptors, Tyrannosaurus, Deinocheirus and Beelzebufo, but it's the weakest episode in my opinion over the confusion of its title. I get that freshwater brings everything together and we, animals and plants rely on it, but it doesn't focus much on animals that would live in it. Like if this was an episode for a modern animal series, we'd see beaver, crocodiles, frogs, etc. Deinocheirus and Beelzebufo are perfect examples of it, but that's pretty much it. Also, the ending scene it too similar to the first episodes ending showcasing elasmosaurs exploring an estuary following fish to where fresh and saltwater collide. The imagery of that was cool though. 3/4 stars.

[mrmoviemakr]

Smaugust: Day 30 - Krugeraptor

When you’re out in the Krugerian woods, make sure you’re not by yourself or you’ll be dinner for this killer.

The Krugeraptor is the top predator of the temperate and coniferous forests. When winter comes, it does not migrate nor hibernate, it has adapted to thrive in the cold thanks to its thick coat of feathers. It’ll just brush the snow off like it’s nothing. The feathers turn white during the season as well and a dark gray or brown in the summer. Males are known to dance to impress females like cranes and will fight with rivals for that right as well, but they’re more afraid of the females due to their bigger size and sharper intelligence.

Learn more about this in my DeviantArt account.

https://www.deviantart.com/swordartist27

[mrmoviemakr]

Smaugust: Day 13 - Rodent

I can’t help but see Rufus from Kim Possible in the creature design for the skink mole. 

This is a prairie dog-sized burrower, lives in Krugerian deserts in a caste system similar to termites and of course, naked mole rats and eats tubers. There is a large female that is the queen of the colony and the only one to produce young until it dies, and another takes its place. The other females will not dare mess with the queen if one tries to overthrow her. Diictodonts, mammal-like reptiles were another influence in the design as well.

Learn more about this on my DeviantArt account.

https://www.deviantart.com/swordartist27

[mrmoviemakr]

Smaugust: Day 11 - Owl

I apologize for the delay, but I made a few other creatures for last year’s Smaugust and it slipped my mind. This is an interesting animal called a Duskeye. A species of aviatile, a bird/reptile-like creature that only comes out at night in the jungles of Simona. It likes to eat insects and grub. It is able to see in total darkness even when there’s no moonlight, using a facial disc similar to barn owls that detects sound since they don’t have ears. It would use its large claw to scrap off bark to slurp grub out. 

Learn more from my DeviantArt account.

https://www.deviantart.com/swordartist27

[mrmoviemakr]

Best Animated Movies of 2022

Happy New Year everyone, 2022 was quite the year for moviegoing and I’m happy with the animated movie results. Let’s get ranking. 7. Strange World (11/23/2022) – Not the greatest Disney movie I’ve seen compared to “Frozen” or “Tangled,” but has a fun vibe and aesthetic with a few surprises, some cool Barlowe-esque creatures and good performances by Jake Gyllenhaal, Dennis Quaid, and Jaboukie Young-White. Kudos to Disney introducing their first openly LGBTQ main character in a movie. 3/4 stars 6. Lightyear (6/17/2022) – I think this movie was designed to act like if sequels were to be made and some sort of remake if there was a 1995 version in the Toy Story universe. I like the realistic style, characters, action sequences, especially the musical score by Michael Giacchino and performances by Chris Evans, Uzo Aduba, Taika Waititi, Pete Sohn and Keke Palmer. 3/4 stars. 5. Turning Red (3/11/2022) – A very outlandish concept with well-meaning themes about growing up and moving on and some cracking humor due to the eye-popping expressions resembling anime. The whole early-2000s setup takes me back. 3/4 stars. 4. Pinocchio (12/9/2022) – Guillermo del Toro’s stop-motion adaptation of Carlo Collodi’s tale is the best adaptation of the year with a bold reimagining of the character causing mischief in Fascist Italy which is ironic since that’s what some people were like during those times, as puppets of false order and war. Great performances by Ewan McGregor, Christoph Waltz, David Bradley, Tilda Swinton, Ron Perlman, and Gregory Mann. 3/4 stars. 3. The Sea Beast (6/24/2022) – Another strong entry in the ongoing list of Netflix original animation featuring great action involving ships and sea monsters, some cool designs, a story in the veins of How to Train Your Dragon, and great performances by Karl Urban, Jared Harris and Zaris-Angel Hator. 3.5/4 stars. 2. The Bad Guys (4/22/2022) – This movie surprised me with the direction it went. From the animation style, the concept, the characters, to the action. It got me to watch Ocean’s Eleven and Ocean’s 8 this year due to their similarities and they did not disappoint. 3.5/4 stars. And the best animated movie of 2022 goes to…… Puss in Boots: The Last Wish (12/21/2022) – A huge improvement over the first film all those years ago and takes a Western tone in which our fabled cat-fighter must learn how to live life to the fullest when he’s down to his last life. I love the new painting-like art style with its vibrant colors and stylistic action like Spider-Verse, and some fun new characters including the bounty hunter Goldilocks and her three bears driven by some great performances including Antonio Banderas, Salma Hayek, and Florence Pugh. DreamWorks has earned the spotlight with not one, but two great animated movies this year, something I hope Disney can do again someday, but for now, bravo DreamWorks, bravo. 3.5/4 stars. That’s it for the best animated movies of 2022, let’s see what 2023 brings us.

[mrmoviemakr]

Day 3 - Aquatic

Happy Smaugust,

I give you the Simonodon, one of the top predators of the continent of Burkara in the world of Zuliph. It has the attitude of a Komodo dragon and the appetite of a crocodile. Prehistoric animals like Spinosaurus and Dimetrodon were an influence too. Grows to 40 feet long, is an effective hunter in both land and water, it’ll even hunt in the ocean. It is a force to be reckoned with.

Learn more from my DeviantArt account. https://www.deviantart.com/swordartist27

[mrmoviemakr]

Status update by Swordartist27

[mrmoviemakr]

lakenandbeary

[mrmoviemakr]

That’s so cute

[mrmoviemakr]

Hello everyone,

I thought that I’d share this link of my DeviantArt account so that everyone can see my drawings that have been posted so far and notice my talents. Enjoy. 

[mrmoviemakr]

This is beautiful. Drove me to tears.

[mrmoviemakr]

I want to shoutout to Emirichu for posting this animatic I saw a year ago. The movie references are hilarious and how perfect is it to have Idina’s take on the song with Jack and Elsa in place?