My 2014 movie reviews

My 2014 movie reviews 

Intro: Oh, great a Lego movie this is going to be a shameless toy commercial. Don't take my word for it, look at Bionicle, that toy line came with a story. That story was adapted into novels, video games, and direct-to-video movies. Despite all of that it was discontinued or forgotten. This movie is going to be awful. I can't wait to hear IGN and Rotten Tomatoes reap this movie a new one. 

After the movie came out.  

Boy, do I feel stupid I mean considering the success of the Lego video games I should have seen this coming. Wait a minute! People despise Power Rangers and Barney for being cheesy, but they would eat this movie up for its cheesiness. What the fudge is going on here!?! 

The Lego Movie: This movie is centered on a construction worker name Emmet who living his life. One day he's mistaken as the special and he's torn between two groups who want him. On top of that, he doesn't have the abilities of the special, so Emmet has to do what he can to protect his world.

This movie is a love letter to this toy line! The story doesn't sound special (no pun intended) but how it's told is what makes or breaks that story. Heck, you can argue that the story is a parody of the Matrix because it was told with charm. I'm impressed with how realistic the Legos look it's hard to tell if it is stop motion or CGI. The movie captures the creativity of using Legos and the nostalgia we had for them. It also makes fun of the Lego toy line like using the instructions, the Lego's limited movement and not having a lot of facial expressions. Not only that the movie pokes fun at the business side of Lego world. There is foreshadowing of why things play out the way they did in this movie. The theme of this movie is conformity vs individualism, it deals with the ups and downs of both ideas. The films also deal with creativity and teamwork.   

     

Emmet is a typical construction worker who's happy all the time. His hero's journey shows that he has something to offer. 

Waltz style is a tough woman without losing her femineity. 

Vitruvius is the mentor figure.  

Lord business (the main villain) is a ruthless dictator.  

The rest of the characters are comic relief. 

One of the many things that bugs me about this movie is that it threw shade at Bionicle. If you know the history of that toy line, you'll understand why this bothers me. Heck, the movie didn't even reference Knex. The jokes in this movie are hit or miss depending on the person. Batman got too much screen time in this movie compared to the other DC characters. Do I really have to explain why this is an issue for me? 

Overall, this is one of those movies that will take you by surprise. If Legos have lost its popularity this movie will revive it. 

Rating = Worth Seeing 

   

Intro: The marketing team did this movie no favors by having this movie remind us of Spider-Man 3. 

The Amazing Spider-Man 2: Peter Parker/Spider-Man has graduated high school and is now living his life. Things get complicated when a bad guy is on the loose, his relationship with Gwen is rocky and someone from his past shows up with some bad news. So, Peter has to sort things out before he can stop this new threat. 

This fell short of being underrated. Sadly, people think this movie is as bad as Spider-Man 3 because this movie avoids making most of the same mistakes that movie made. The theme of this movie is abandonment; everyone feels abandoned by someone in some way. Time also plays a role in the movie too. This movie deals with internal conflicts instead of external ones. I like the way this movie opens with Spider-Man and part of the ending because it has payoff for one of the characters. This film has a lighter tone than the previous film. 

Peter Parker/Spider-Man is torn in this movie by his personal life as far as his on-again-off-again relationship with Gwen, reconnecting with Harry, and seeking closure about his parents. As for Spider-Man, I like more this time around, his more heroic and sarcastic. I like the way he interacts with the public, he says and do things to make their day. Thank goodness he got a new suit. Does anyone else find it odd that he never mentioned Harry, considering Oscorp is a reminder of him? My gripe with him is that he could have been proactive in helping Harry.    

There isn't much to say about Gwen because the movie doesn't do much with her besides complaining about Peter.  

Aunt May has the same characterization as before despite having one tender scene with Peter. That's what bugs me about this character, that scene makes her look insecure. Don't get me wrong I understand where she's coming from but she's not seeing things from his point of view. 

Harry Osborn is the best character in this movie! The reason why is because it's tragic to see how this character went from point a to point b. My issue with this character is that he parallels with Peter. This would have been meaningful if he had played a bigger role in the story. 

Max Dillion/ Electro is a disposable bad guy who's a nut job. That's the problem with this character, he serves no purpose in the story.   

What really bugs me about this movie is that it pulled an Iron Man 2 on us, you'll see what I mean when you watch the movie. This movie wasted Norman Osborn! Continuing the subplot about Peter's parents is pointless because A the opening of the movie showed us what happen to them and B we can guess why they left him behind. The movie also suffers from head-scratching moments, editing, rushed plot points and false advertisement.   

In closing, this movie was a letdown because it has so many subplots and how the movie was structured, it doesn't feel like it's telling a story. 

Rating = Average 

Intro: Godzilla or Kaiju fans are going to kill me. 

Godzilla 2014: The movie is about a Navy Bomb expert name Ford Brody reuniting with his family. That didn't last long when he gets caught up with his father trying to seek answers about what happened to them in the past. They get more than what they bargain for when they learn that mankind is in danger so they have to do what they can to protect their home.  

This movie wasn't the best way to celebrate the 60th anniversary of Godzilla. Most of the film feels like an overextended teaser trailer. Whenever we get a glance at Godzilla or the monsters the movie cuts away. I know he doesn't get a lot of screen time, but the director could have used his limited screen time in a way where you don't forget you're watching a Godzilla movie. Of course, the human characters are the weakest link in this movie because most of them are not engaging. The movie seems to give more attention to other creatures than Godzilla himself. 

The fight between Godzilla and the other creatures is lame! The color palette in this movie makes the film look bland and most of the film is shot at night. How can you have a Godzilla movie without his signature theme? This movie makes me want to give a backhanded compliment to the 98 film. You can say whatever you want about that movie at least that film had some entertainment value. This movie could have been better if the writers were creative with the material they have.     

Joe Brody is a tortured character instead of him trying to heal from the past he's fixated on it. This creates tension between him and his son. My gripe with him is that he could have used more screen time. 

Ford Brody is just the straight man in this movie. That's a shame because more could have been done with him. 

   

Dr. Serizawa represents Monarch, an organization that studies Godzilla and creatures like him and the military advisor.   

I like the opening credits because it reminds me of the other Godzilla movies. The first and last act is the best parts of the movie for me. I'm fond that this movie takes itself seriously because that's a way of paying homage to the film that started it all.     

Despite how I feel about this movie it was a welcome return to this franchise in America. I would recommend this if you like these kinds of movies.   

Rating = Rental

Intro: Hollywood should take notes from this movie the next time they want to make a video game movie.  

Edge of Tomorrow: This movie is centered on a soldier name Maj. Cage who has never seen combat. He finally gets his chance when he is assigned to a suicide mission in a never-ending war against Alien invaders. After dying he discovers he's in a time loop with the help of a fellow soldier they have a chance to end the war once and for all.  

This is the best video game movie which isn't saying much considering the competition. The reason why I said that is because the movie gives you the experience of watching someone playing a game without actually playing the game. We see the main character dying, learning from his mistakes and rage quitting. The movie manages to give us the video game experience without it being repetitive. This movie also provides comedy and it doesn't step on the toes of this being an action movie. There isn't much to say about the two main leads because the movie hasn't given them much development. 

One of the problems with this movie is how the time loop works? We don't know anything about the mimics. (The aliens they are fighting.) The story could have used more meat. Overall, this is the most entertaining film I've seen this year. I would recommend it to Halo fans because this is the closest Halo movie they are going to get. 

Rating = Worth seeing 

Intro: There's always that one person who will ruin things for everyone. 

Dawn of the Plant of the apes: The movie takes place ten years after the events of the first film and the apes have formed a community under Ceaser's rule. The human race on the other hand is falling apart due to a virus that's affecting most of them. The humans run into them because they are looking for a power source in their area. Of course, this creates tension between the two groups to the point where the apes are provoked to attack the humans, so Ceaser has to keep them under control before their actions lead to war.

This movie is an upgraded version of the fifth movie in the original series! I was worried that a new director would screw up this movie thankfully that's not the case. The director gave us beautiful shots and scenes to give the story emotional weight. Speaking of the story it may be predictable but how it is told gives it nuance. For example, the tension between the two groups is not black and white. Plus, the two groups having conflict with each other is a never-ending struggle due to bias, unwilling to compromise and not being able to let go of the past. That's the theme of this movie fear, we see how destructive fear can be when we let it get the best of us. This movie continues to explore the question does intelligence separates humans from animals? The action scenes are outstanding! 

Ceaser is a leader and father in this movie. Despite showing compassion for humans, he doesn't want anything to do with them. Due to that, he's not innocent when it comes to how things played out in this movie. You feel bad for him when he gets a reality check. There is a subplot of him fighting for his son's influence. 

Dreyus is the leader of the human colony. He's willing to do whatever it takes to protect his people. He parallels well with Ceaser because of that. 

Malcolm Is the voice of reason he trying to find common ground with the apes. 

Koda is Ceaser's, right-hand man. He's not crazy about the humans on their territory given his history with them. That's what bugs me about this character, I understand why he feels the way he does about humans, but he's not making things better by coming off as antagonistic.         

One of the problems with this movie is the human characters, they are the weakest part of the film for me because we don't get much from them beyond the surface. Speaking of humans, I wish Will Rodman was in this movie because he can help smooth things out between the two groups. Really the movie would have a different ending if the two groups had group therapy. There are also some head-scratching moments in the film. 

In closing, this is a good follow-up that I would recommend to fans. 

Rating = Worth Seeing 

Intro: So Triple H can't play Thor but Batista can play Drax OK.

Guardians of the Galaxy: This movie is about a space pirate name Peter Quill/Star-Lord getting caught in the crosshairs of bounty hunters who are after him for stealing an Orb. After they all get arrested they form an uneasy truce to get out of prison and sell the Orb. That becomes difficult when they learn what's inside the Orb and that Ronan wants it to destroy plants. So, Peter and the gang have to keep the Orb away from Ronan before it's too late.

This is one of those movies that I consider overrated! This movie is heavy on comedy and light on the story. Speaking of the story the way the story is told is convoluted, I mean we have characters going back and forth about what to do with the Orb? I don't like the song that was played in the prison scene because it was out of place for me. Am I the only one who finds it odd that the aliens in this movie can speak English flawlessly?

Don't get me started on the climax, the climax in the movie involves dancing. Yes! You heard me dancing. The movie introduces a character like we're suppose to know who he or she is but we barely in the movie. Since we're on the subject of characters I don't buy the dynamic between Peter and the bounty Hunters because all they do is talk about their tragic backstories for the most part. We do get scenes where some of them talk to each other about it, but you don't get the sense that there connecting because of it. Due to that, this ruined the dramatic tension in the movie.

Peter Quill/Star-Lord is the voice of reason of the Guardians. What bugs me about him besides how hard he tries to be funny. It's that he doesn't seem affected by what happened to him as a child. Also, what's the point of him being a human character if he's not oblivious about being in space? 

Groot is the muscle of the group. The only thing that bugs me about him is all he says is I am Groot.

I don't have much to say about Drax the destroyer, all we know about him is that he wants revenge on Ronan for killing his family. Also, he takes what people say literally, I'm surprised that people find this funny because when I use to do that, I get called retard. I'm sorry but I couldn't feel sorry for him because the movie didn't show us how much his family means to him. If the creators did that, I wouldn't mind so much that he did that stupid thing he did in the movie. 

Gamora is just like Drax as far as taking things literally plus she has her own agenda for the orb. Despite that she's the noblest of the pack and her backstory is depressing. 

Rocket is the standout character because he's the only one with personality. 

Yondu (Peter Quill's mentor) is funny, mean and knows someone close to Peter. What annoys me about him is he has an arrow that he can control by whistling and the director made that seem like a serious thing instead of using it for comedy. 

Ronan the accuser (Our main villain.) is a nut job; he wants to cleanse the galaxy by destroying certain plants. I wish we got more of his backstory.  

Nebula is Ronan's ally and Gomora's sister. The only thing we know about her is she resents her father for what he did to her. The writers could have saved her for the sequel because she doesn't serve much of a purpose in this movie. 

The only things I like about this movie it has amusing moments, how the movie uses most of the songs and the CGI look good. Overall, I don't consider this the best MCU movie, I would recommend this if you like space operas. 

Rating = Rental 

Intro: If this movie doesn’t make geek culture look cool, I don’t know what well.

Big Hero 6: This movie is centered on a brilliant boy name Hiro who uses his brain to do something constructive with the help of his older brother. That was short-lived when something tragic happened and he learns that someone has stolen his invention. So, he has to figure out who did it and why with the help of his brother’s invention.

This is one of those movies that isn’t bad, but it didn’t live up to the praise. What hurt this movie is the writing, the movie starts being about one thing then it turns into something else. Because of that, we don’t know what this movie is about. The big reveal in the movie would have worked if it wasn’t lazy. The characters are fine, but the movie didn't use them well, I mean they don’t add much to the story. Also, this group doesn’t have a straight man to balance them out. For a movie that’s suppose to be a superhero movie, it doesn’t feel like one. The villain is nothing to brag about, with that said he does parallel with Hiro. I wish the movie explores his pain because it's different for him or her.  

Hiro is a bright boy who doesn't know what to do with his talent or how to deal with his pain. 

Go Go is a confident and tough girl who keeps to herself and can be impatient.

Wasabi is the cautious one of the group. 

Honey Lemon is outgoing and cheerful.

Fred is laidback and learns something about him that will take you by surprise.  

Baymax has joined the list of marketable characters. He's the comic relief character because of his ignorance of how to interact with people and the movie jokes about him being a balloon. Despite being a robot nurse, he's not bound by his programming he knows where to draw the line. 

I like that this movie deals with the grieving process what's the point of Disney showing characters die in their movies and not the aftermath? Despite how I feel about the reveal in this movie it does play with my expectations. I'm fond of this movie's world because it combines western and Eastern cultures together. The movie shows how appealing science and robotics can be. The animation is excellent! 

All in all, this is an OK movie. This could have been better with rewriters. I would recommend this if you like movies about a boy and a robot going on an adventure. 

Rating = Rental              

Intro: Is this a movie or a documentary? 

Interstellar: The movie takes place sometime in the future where Earth is becoming uninhabitable. The people on earth can't grow crops, the air is unbreathable, and the weather is out of control. One day a farmer name Joseph Cooper discovers that NASA is still around, and they have a plan to save the earth's population that involves finding another plant for them to live on, NASA found three and they need Joseph to be their pilot so they can investigate them. That becomes complicated when time becomes a factor in finding a suitable plant, so the explorers have to figure out what to do before everyone on Earth dies.

I wish I can say this is the best Sci-fi movie of this year, however some things keeping it from reaching that height, I'll get into that later. I appreciate that the people on Earth are working together to try and save the planet instead of it being a dog-eat-dog world because I'm getting tired of seeing that. Plus, this makes you feel bad for them because they have to give up their ambitions to make the Earth stable. That's the theme of this movie instinct vs emotion the movie deals with different aspects of that theme. This movie also has twists and turns that took me by surprise and that help build suspense. There are references to 2001 A Space Odyssey in this movie and the visual effects look great. The way this movie handles time reminds me of DBZ as far as how gravity affects time. 

One of the many problems I have with this movie is the pacing it feels slow and this movie being three hours long doesn't help either. I'm annoyed with what happened to one of the explorers, do I really have to explain why? This movie demands a lot of your attention, and there are no moments for us to unwind. I wish I knew how other people feel about the conditions of Earth besides Joseph because that could add more conflict in the movie. Speaking of Joseph, his son Tom got the shaft as far as giving the movie emotional weight. There are head-scratching moments toward the end of the movie. How space and time work can be confusing at times. 

Overall, this is a good movie that could have been better if the director gave this movie entertainment value as well as being informative. If you like space exploration, then this is for you. 

Rating = Worth Seeing     

My thoughts on Avengers age of Ultron

My thoughts on Avengers age of Ultron

  

The way Captain American the winter soldier ended got me interested in this movie. I mean it's odd that we're having another Avengers movie without S.H.I.E.L.D, I'm sorry if I spoiled the ending of Winter soldier if you haven't seen it. The trailer for this movie got me hooked, there are two things that got my attention in this trailer. The first thing that got my attention is the Pinocchio reference, I mean they reference something other than Marvel. 

That was a problem I have with these Marvel films they only reference themselves they don't try to branch out, I hope these films make references outside Marvel more often. Also, this references links to how the Villain Ultron was talking in the trailer, he was talking about people being puppets. Judging from those two things I have a feeling that this movie is going to deal with people being mindless drones, if that's true then this is movie is going to be good. 

Yes! We had movies that address this issue before, however just because it's been done before doesn't mean it can't be good. The plot in Avatar has been done so many times but Avatar was still considered a good movie. The second thing that got my attention was the broken Captain American shield. That surprised me because I wasn't expecting to see that happen, I thought that was going to happen in the next Avenger movie.  

The thing that bothered me about this movie is that they didn't introduce new members for the Avengers, heck I was mad that the Hulk didn't get another solo film. I mean Guardians of the galaxy gets a solo film but not the Hulk what gives Marvel studios? I thought the Hulk was going to get another Solo film because the leader was introduced in the previous Hulk movie, I guess there saving him for the Hulk movie in the third wave of Marvel movies. 

Also what's the point of introducing Guardians of the galaxy if they are not going to be a part of this movie, Marvel Studios could have saved them for the third wave of Marvel movies. I'm sorry were introduced to two new characters in Age of Ultron and they are Scarlet witch and Quicksilver, I wonder what role they will play in this movie. I'm worried about Quicksilver because a different version of this character was introduced in X-men days of future past, despite barely being in the movie I was impressed with what was done with him. 

Of course, Scarlet witch and Quicksilver can't be called mutants for obvious reasons. Another thing I notice in the trailer is that there are scenes where the Avengers are fighting each other, we already saw this in the previous Avengers movie. If they are going to have them fighting again I hope it handled a lot better, because I didn't like how it was handled in the previous movie. That's all I have to say I'm looking forward to this movie and I hope it's worth my time and money.      

My thoughts on terminator genisys

My thoughts on Terminator Genisys 

What did I just watch? Seriously what is this? 

Remember when I said that I wish hackers would prevent other movies from being released this is one of those movies, no one wanted this franchise to be rebooted, remade, or whatever they're doing and no one ask for this to happen. I'm so sick and tired of Hollywood turning a golden egg into a rotten egg. T2 already ended this franchise so why are movie studios making more movies in this franchise? Really, I'm surprised that they are doing this considering that this franchise has become the kiss of death for any company that gets involved with it. If they want to continue this franchise, they should have made a movie based on the Infiltrator books. OK let's get into what bothered me about the trailer for this movie. First of all, they spelled Genesis wrong, Wait! Why is this movie called Genesis? Second, I don't like the men that are cast to play John Connor and Kyle Reese. 

The woman that's playing Sarah Connor looks like Mrs. Hamilton even though she hasn't hit puberty. Speaking of Sarah, she was another problem I have with the trailer there was a scene where she used Kyle's line on him, do I really have to explain why that annoyed me? Also, Sarah and Kyle's roles a reveres, Sarah is the soldier and Kyle is the damsel in distress. I'm not being funny there are scenes where Sarah saves him, thanks for making Kyle look like a whip. In the trailer, we learn that someone was sent back in time before Kyle and this leads to the final thing that bothers me about this trailer, what was sent back in time before Kyle was an older Terminator of Arnold. That's right Arnold is in this movie, may I ask why is Arnold in this movie? 

My Editor: He's the face of this franchise. 

So, what he doesn't need to be a terminator in this movie, not every terminator looks like Arnold.  Arnold needs to reinvent himself, if you want Arnold in this movie have him make a cameo appearance. What about Mrs. Hamilton and Mr. Biehn are there going to be cameos of them? Judging from what I have seen in the title of this movie they are starting this franchise all over again, so my question is why would I watch this movie? I mean this movie has nothing new to offer besides more scenes of the future war and a time paradox. This is basically the first movie with the T 1000, and older Arnold and they're trying to stop Judgement Day, like we haven't seen that before. So yeah, I'm not going to watch this movie, heck I won't watch it if it's on TV.    

P.S. Did I mention that they're planning to make two sequels to this movie, yeah they're making sequels to a movie that hasn't been released yet. Movie studios will you please stop trying to copy Marvel Studios. 

My review of Power Rangers Megaforce/Super megaforce review

My review of Power Rangers Mega Force/Super Mega Force

Intro: Mr. Saban, it took you nine years to air the first episode of Power Rangers. Since then, you have dodged bullets to keep this franchise alive. The fact that it lasted 20 years is an accomplishment that you should be proud of, and you choose to celebrate that accomplishment by having us watch this piece of crap!?! 

Power Rangers Mega Force/Super Mega Force: This series is about an army of insect-looking aliens who want to invade Earth, why I don’t know. Gosei becomes aware of this, so he selects five teenagers to protect Earth with legendary powers. This is not a Power Rangers season, it's a shameless toy commercial! This series is all action and no story! Granted, MMPR was like this, but it wasn't this bad. Heck, MMPR feels like a PG-13 movie compared to this. 

This series wouldn’t anger me so much if A this season, wasn't hyped up and B we had seasons that could or should have won Emmy Awards. Why is it hard to make a good anniversary season? Sonic Generation did a better job at celebrating the 20th anniversary of that franchise by having the fans pick which level they wanted in the game. The series rips off famous lines and episodes from the previous seasons without understanding what made those things work. We didn’t get the anniversary stuff until the second half of the series, and the rangers are in pirate suits in the second half. I’m I the only one who thinks that this is another ridiculous theme for Power Rangers? Plus, this season didn't do anything with the pirate theme.

The tribute episodes are nothing special due to not all of the past seasons got a tribute episode. When the veteran rangers show up, they feel like cameos. This series acknowledges Super Sentia by having the rangers transform into Sentia suits that we haven’t seen before; did the people who worked on this series have a fever dream? The legendary battle is a joke! I have issues with certain characters being a part of that battle. Don't get me started on the plot holes with the ranger's powers. I have mixed feelings about this team of rangers, part of the reason why is because they do things to each other that’s messed up. 

I don't know about you, but I feel bad that Troy /the red ranger is considered one of the worst characters in this franchise. Because he does have some good traits like determination, wisdom from time to time, having dreams about the legendary battle, and his mysterious past. However, the writers didn't flesh those things out, plus he feels like the main character. The actor who plays Troy doesn't make things better; his acting is so dull in this series that he makes the acting in the Star Wars prequels look Oscar-worthy. Troy is the loner of the group. The writers could have come up with a story about him earning leadership status since he's the outsider, and he doesn't feel like he's worthy of being a leader. 

He would be a better leader if he trained with the rangers more often instead of telling them to never let go of their weapons. That’s his idea of being a leader, I guess, playing patty cake is his idea of fun. My beef with this character (besides him turning into an anime character, I can't make that up even if I was on meth.) is that we don’t know how or why he has dreams about the battle. Heck, he doesn't even try to figure out why he's dreaming about this battle?        

Emma/the pink ranger, is kind and caring for the most part. Also, she enjoys riding her bike, taking pictures, and singing. She’s an environmentalist, thankfully, she isn’t preachy about it. We learn that something tragic happened in her past, and the writers wasted it, I mean, they could have done something with that. 

Gia/the yellow ranger is suppose to be a tomboy, but I don’t buy it. You need to do more than have her wear a biker jacket to convince me otherwise. My gripe with her is that she’s a troublemaker. I say that because of how she treats Jake. She knows Jake has a crush on her; instead of letting him know that she’s not into him, she leads him on. Why was she chosen to be a Power Ranger again? I can’t believe no one, including her best friend Emma, corrects her, role models my butt! There are times when she showed interest in Noah, but nothing came of it.    

Jake/the black ranger, is the comic relief who’s into soccer. You might be bothered by him being possessive of Gia because these two are not a couple, even if they were, that’s still no excuse for Jake to behave like that. To be fair, Gia is encouraging this behavior. Word to the wise, girls, if you don't want to end up at the rape crisis center, then don't encourage guys that you don't like. It’s too bad that this series didn’t go the Jen and Wes angle with these two. What bugs me about him is that sometimes he doesn't take his ranger duties seriously because he's trying to woo Gia, someone is thinking with the wrong head.     

        

Noah/the blue ranger, is a tech geek. He almost gets the same development as Billy; however, it wasn’t done well. My grievance with this character is that the writer should have written a story around his character flaws; those flaws are his need to be right all the time and correcting others. 

I don't have much to say about Orion /the sliver ranger, because he's barely in this series. He's an alien with the same back story as the Green Arrow. I'm surprised that he and Troy are not best friends because Orion is the odd man out of the group.   

   

I don’t get why fans think Robo Knight is the best character because the writers didn’t do much with him. I don’t like his arc because A it has been done to death, and B it made no sense, and it drags. I’m surprised that he’s not close to Emma because they both want the same thing. I wish his backstory was connected to Wildforce; that would be a nice way to reference that season. You’ll be annoyed with the episode where he learns how to interact with humans; you’ll see what I mean when you watch it.   

I wish I could say that Gosei is the worst mentor in this franchise, but he's not a mentor, he’s a sugar daddy! Seriously, he gives the rangers upgrades after upgrades after upgrades like there's no tomorrow. Do you see what I mean when I said that this is a shameless toy commercial? He might as well let them party like they were in the movie Project X. In the past seasons, the Rangers didn’t get upgrades until the situation was dire or they had to earn them. Giving the rangers free stuff eliminates any tension the rangers should have fighting the monsters. One of the many complaints I have with him, besides his lack of backstory, is that he didn't give the rangers the legacy powers until the second half of the season. Why!?! He already spoiled them rotten. Why didn’t he give them these powers from day one?

Gosei: There's a simple…

me: Don’t you dare say it.

The next complaint is so common it’s barely worth mentioning, so I’ll say this. If you’re suppose to protect Earth and you haven’t responded to any of the attacks on Earth until now, you need a better excuse than I was asleep! 

Tensou is an Alpha 5 knockoff. I despise his design because he looks like a suitcase. The creators made fun of him looking like that in one episode. It makes you question how can he operate the base if he’s that small and has no arms? (That’s another thing, the ranger’s base is a small and tight cave.)

The villains are nothing to brag about; that's a shame, considering that they have a large army. They have different motivations for why they want to invade Earth; however, they don’t make sense when you think about them. The writers could have used the baddies to reference Lost Galaxy because some of them are insects just like the villains in Lost Galaxy. Vrak is the only villain that stood out to me because he comes up with different ways to fight the rangers. I wish this season would explore the dynamic with his allies. 

Everything else that's wrong with this series is minor, like the rangers talk too much when they fight, the lesson of the week is misleading, the rangers names are said in the intro song, and splitting this season in half is almost pointless. The only good thing about this series is that there are a handful of episodes I enjoy. Plus, this series deals with mortality, it was even foreshadowed in the first episode. 

Overall, this series is a huge disappointment, and the people who worked on this series should be ashamed of themselves.  

Support our Troops

Support our Troops 

I don’t know about you, but I’m getting sick and tired of being demonized for not supporting the troops. What happened to free speech? Do you think it’s OK for a group of people to be massacred? If the answer is no, then why should I support the poor or middle-class people for joining any branch of the military? The military is mostly full of those people. I don’t see or hear people from the hierarchy joining the service or encouraging their kids to join. If joining the Army is such a high honor, then why don’t they want to be a part of it? Come on, if you’re trying to fool me, be good at it. I also find it suspicious that they won't recruit someone with a criminal record. I understand this is a standard issue; however, what's the fundamental difference between joining the Army and going to prison? There are no winners or losers when it comes to war; both parties, heck, even third parties, lose. 

What about children? Do you support our troops killing children in wars? That's right, kids have died, and other countries use kids as soldiers. (Heck, it wouldn’t surprise me if we did the same thing.) Also, I think it’s messed up how the Military manipulates the troops to do these awful things, like killing in cold blood and stealing. People love to say they're fighting for our freedom, no they're not. How can they do that if they don’t know what I’m going through? I’m dealing with PC, discrimination, gun control, Police harassment, and I’m being spied on. Since I brought that up, why is the government spying on its people? We didn’t start any terrorist attacks, did we? The military has done nothing to help me with these things. What do you mean they're fighting for my freedom? I don’t know what our troops are fighting for or who they're fighting against? It’s hard to know when the news doesn’t give us the whole story. I understand why reports won’t give us the full picture, but don’t treat us like we're stupid. 

To the people who say you shouldn’t criticize the Military if you haven’t joined, if that’s the case, why are you complaining about what the President is or isn’t doing if you’ve never been President? Also, you don’t have to get shot to know it hurts because it can penetrate your skin. If you say that the Army is protecting the luxuries, we have that other countries don't have. First of all, that should be the standard. Do you think it's messed up that other countries are not like the U.S.? If the answer is yes, then that's my point. Second, how do you know how bad things are in other countries if you don't want to live in or visit those countries? Just because we're doing better than most doesn't always mean we're making progress. 

This is one of the many reasons why I don’t want to join the military. Heck, basic training is enough for me not to join. Would you be annoyed that you tried your best to complete the course, only to get chewed out because you or your comrade screwed up? How can I trust a system where you have to follow every order without question? That can make you vulnerable to being manipulated. The Army is not above toxic leadership. I know that's the second in command's job, but I doubt he's speaking on everyone's behalf. 

Don't get me wrong, I respect the Army for being about structure and discipline; however, I'm not crazy about how they maintain those values by dehumanizing the recruits. On offence, but I wouldn't take sexually harassment claims seriously. I mean, you draw the line with that, but not everything else? Also, this country hasn’t done much good for me, so why would I give my life to protect it? Where’s the honor in fighting a war that has nothing to do with you and you didn’t start? I wouldn’t ask anyone to do anything for me that I can’t do for myself. 

Don’t take what I’m about to say the wrong way, but I find it funny that soldiers complain about not seeing their loved ones. I’m sorry, but I don’t feel sorry for you because that’s what you signed up for; you weren’t drafted. Don’t you talk to people about joining the Army beforehand? If you can’t deal with being away from family, losing body parts, watching death and destruction around you, then don’t join. Also, I don’t think joining the Army makes you noble because you’re being compensated for joining. Heck, I don't know if you joined because you want to serve or you want a license to kill. 

This is why I don't agree with the term good soldier, I mean, what's good about causing death and destruction? Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying they aren't good people who join the Army; however, when you join an organization, it supersedes everything else in your life. We wouldn't have veterans who still consider themselves soldiers, the term brothers in arms and severe consequences for going against the Army. If you think the ends justify the means, then that says more about you than it does me. We're gambling with soldiers lives, I mean, they don't know if their deaths were in vain or not. Halo Reach and Captain America: The Winter Soldier deal with this. OK, I do feel sorry for soldiers who suffer from PTSD and homelessness because they deserve more than that for putting their bodies and sanity on the line. 

Look, I'm not saying we don't need soldiers; however, don't act like America is doing things from a place of righteousness. We wouldn't make amends for our mistakes if that was the case. Heck, our national anthem wouldn't have been written by someone who supports slavery. Just because you are doing something noble doesn't mean you are going about it nobly.

My rant about killing kids in movies

My rant about killing kids in movies

 

I can’t believe that out of everything we have been expose to in movies and TV shows the death of a child is what gets people upset, I mean in movies and TV shows we see people getting shot, disfigured, blow to bits and raped but people have a problem with a child being killed what gives? Movie goers also don’t want to see kids being put in a dangerous situation. 

There argument for not wanting to see a child murdered is children are cute and innocent, Shut up! If that’s true then why do we keep correcting them? Have you notice when you were growing up some keep telling that you shouldn't do this or that? Also there kids in prison for murder what do you mean kids are innocent? Movie goers are not outraged when a teenagers get brutally murder, what's there excuse Teenagers look like adults and they act like there grown. Teenagers are still minors, well that depends on where you’re from, they still live with their parents, have to go to school and they are not old enough to live on their own. 

Teenagers have a lot to live for as well. We have seem to forgotten that most times in movies when someone dies they are killed by someone or something that is more powerful than them, like a tornado, volcano, lighting, a robot,  monsters, Dinosaurs and a man with a machete and wears a hockey mask. Human are vulnerable creature the only weapon we have is our brain. If another argument you have is that we watch movies to escape reality, if that’s true then why are you not outraged that grown up die in movies or TV shows that happens in real life. 

Also why are some of the better movies address real world issues like the X-Men films, The incredibles, T2, The dark knight, The Matrix, Captain American the winter solider the list goes on. OK I'll admit that I was bothered by kids being in dangerous situations in movies or TV shows, however if killing out a child works in the context of the film then I’m fine with it. Bottom line is if a screen writer wants to kill out a child to advance the plot he or she should be allowed to do that without being condemned by anyone, it’s there movie they have the right to put whatever they what in that movie if you don’t like it them don’t watch it. Also there are worse thinks to be subjected to then a child's death like ice puns, Jar jar binks, Transformer’s balls, watching a rape scene and Megan Fox’s acting. That’s all I have to say about this subject.  

Kids vs Adults

 

Kids vs Adults

I’m sorry if this subject is long, it’s just that there is a lot to say about it.

I don't know about you but I'm tired of hearing people complain about how out of control our youth is because they didn't wake up one day and decide that they'll make life miserable for everyone. Whatever problems you have with them are on you so please stop blaming what they watch, the music they listen to, who they hang around with, what they eat and their medication. I'm not saying those things are not factors however if someone or something has more influence over your kids than you then something is wrong. For example, we have plenty of movies and TV shows that are against racism, discrimination, and bias. Despite that, those things are still issues that we face today. Why are you not mad at Hollywood for not doing a good job of explaining that those things are bad if you're going to be lazy as a parent?     

Another thing parents and society need to stop pointing the finger at each other when kids become a handful because it takes a village to raise a child. Which means everyone is responsible for how kids turn out. Look at how society was in the 1930s or 1940s, if you can look past how server racism was kids conduct themselves more respectfully. Do you think that would happen if both the parents and the community weren't on one accord on how kids should carry themselves? That's no longer the case today because we have different points of view on how we should treat our youth. Plus, parents feel like the village is stepping on their toes and vice versa. I'll get into that later. 

How can I feel sorry for parents for a situation that they created for their kids? For example, we tell kids that they're special and they're just as good as everyone else and then they realize that they're not. You’re not going to get straight A’s just because Billy got straight A’s, you’re not going to be a billionaire just because Donald Trump is a billionaire and you’re not going to invent an iPad just because the late Steve Jobs did. We tell kids it’s wrong to lie, if that's true then why do we lie to them about Santa Claus, Easter Bunny and the Tooth Fairly? Look I understand why parents do that because it's their way of keeping their kids in line however they better not get upset about the trust issue they created by doing that. If you can lie to them about things that are not real, they're going to wonder what else are you lying to them about? I don't see the point of telling them it's wrong to lie because they will be put in the position to do that regardless of how you feel about it. For example, if you end up in prison and you don't want any issues with the other inmates, you’re going to have to lie to keep yourself safe. 

Here is an example

The guard: Do you know who attack my partner?

Me: No! I didn’t see anything.

The guard: Did your cellmate do it?

Me: No sir he was asleep.   

Also, we put them in a position to lie, if they do something wrong and we tell them to apologize for it, if they're not sincere about it that's lying. If I was a parent, I would tell my kids it's acceptable to lie to get out of a bad situation however it's not OK to do it to avoid the consequences of your actions. Parent's relationship with their kids is also a lie, I mean if the relationship is based on the kids living up to your expectations, then it's not a real relationship. Like I said before we tell kids that there special so they act like they're special, if that’s not true then why can’t people handle their shortcomings without getting angry, crying, and doing things out of aggravation? American Idol is another example of that do you think the contestants wouldn’t be angry and crying that they didn’t win if someone didn't convince them that they could win? That creates a trust issue we can’t tell them that they can sing or do whatever then have someone tell them that they can’t then you say life is not fair and expect them to be OK with that. 

How often do we remind them of that? My cousins asked me why I don’t go to their football games and I told them it's because I’m tired of them getting mad every time they lose, that is what you sign up for when you play the sport. You have two choices you either practice or you quite stop expecting people to make you feel better about your shortcomings. Another reason why I don’t go to my cousin's games is that they don’t keep score because we don’t want to hurt the kid's feelings, so we're going to stop giving D’s and F’s to spare the kid's feelings? Making our kids believe in something that's not true will also hurt them because they will have a hard time reconciling what they believe versus what society tells them. When they can't do that, they will fight against it. We tell kids to stand up for themselves but that's tricky with authority figures like judges, drill instructors, and police. Here's an example of how to set boundaries with them. If your boss wants, you to do something that's not in your job description you can ask for a raise or you quit because what he or she is doing is extortion. Keep that word in mind because will go back to that later.  

I find it insulting that we tell kids that there are no shortcuts in life if that's true then we wouldn't use technology, I mean that makes things easy for us. Also, women wouldn't need hair hats, and men wouldn’t need steroids, or take blue pills. I’m just saying. So yes, I understand why people are acting foolish, they feel like we set them up for failure because we didn’t warn them about how ugly life can get. They also feel like they've been robbed of their childhood because we act worse than the kids, they feel like they have to be the adult because you won't. 

Here are some examples of what I'm talking about.

 

This is the second reason why I was a handful because I haven't seen an adult growing up. Being an adult means you take responsibility for your actions; you have a good temperament and you come to terms with the fact that life is not fair. When it comes to black Friday, fast food restaurants, sporting events, and the justice system the grown-ups have failed to set an example. (To be fair I can understand why being denied justice is problematic however, that's not excluded from life being unfair.) 

We need to stop talking about how much we missed our childhoods because it's hurting our youth. When we do that it doesn't help boost their morale to mature. We make it seem like there's no benefits to being an adult or the responsibilities outweigh the benefits. If the last thing I said is true then that's a problem. That's what people miss not being a kid but not having a lot of responsibilities.   

Some of the other things I mentioned happened to me. You have no idea how stupid I felt when I learned that racism still exists, I mean the teachers had me convinced that Dr. King and Malcolm X fixed this problem. None of my family members talk to me about this as far as I remember and they didn’t warn me about how the world would treat me because of this. I had to figure this out on my own. When I was trying out for sports, I didn’t realize that you had to be good at it beforehand, I mean I thought you just try out then you practice for the sport. No one told me that you would have a better chance if you practiced. That's what bugs me about that situation, I mean if there is a certain level of entry and the coach won't help me then what do I need him for?  

My point is we have to do better with our youth how can we if we can't work together? Parents don't like it when the state or anyone gets involved in how they parent their kids. That's understandable however you can't ask for help and then dictate how things are going to be done. If I was an Algebra teacher and you don't like how I teach my class or how I deal with your kids when they act up in class, you have three options. You either take it up with the school board, you teach your kids Algebra, or you make sure your kids behave themselves in my classroom. Side note this is why I tell people I'm the last person you want to babysit your kids. I mean if you don't want me commenting on your parenting then do expect me to know where they are when they run away from home or cut class. 

Since we're on the subject of school we lied to them about that. I mean one of two things will happen when you graduate high school, the first thing is you will work at a job that will pay 7.15 or 8.00 dollars an hour with no medical, dental, or pension plan. The second thing is going to college where you have to spend years paying thousands of dollars in debt. No wonder kids want to drop out of school because they have nothing to look forward to after they graduate. Parents must be high to think kids want to stay in school because of that. If those options are not good enough for you then why should they be happy about them? If you want kids to stay in school, you need to give them better options. 

Also, how the schools teach kids and deal with bullies needs to change, I mean you can't learn everything from a book. As far as bullying goes if you think bullying only involves name-calling, you're a fool. Heck, I bet you don't know what a swirly is. Unless you want the victims of bullying to continue to shoot up the school's something needs to be done about that. Really, we wouldn't have these problems with our youth if we teach them intelligent disobedience. Intelligent disobedience is helping people make better decisions by not following their orders, this is how dog trainers train blind seeing-eye dogs not to let their owners fall off a cliff. Here's an example of how you can apply this to kids. Let's say they're taking a test and the teacher tells them not to talk during the test. One of the kids sees someone breaking into the teacher's car but the child doesn't say anything. Do you see what I mean?       

Don't take this the wrong way but I think it's funny that society frowns upon child labor but have no issue with extorting them. If you expect them to do things for nothing that's what you're doing. Don't give me that I give them food, clothes and a home. First of all, they didn't ask to be here, second, they didn't agree to do anything you ask in exchange for the things I just mentioned. Finally, that's a giving or should be a giving. Why should they be grateful for having those things? I'm not saying that they shouldn't appreciate you giving them these things however that should be the standard. Kids won't develop properly if they don't have those things. This plays a role in why people commit crimes because most people can't provide food, clothes and shelter for themselves. They wouldn't need to work for someone else and people would live in the wilderness if that was the case. You can't say not giving kids these things is bad parenting and then make them feel guilty for having those things the next minute. 

That's one of the things that bugs me about parents is that they use homeless children to shame their kids for having what you provide for them. I want to ask parents something what are you doing to help kids in poverty? Are you losing any sleep over homeless children? If the answers to both questions are nothing and no, then you have no business talking about them because you don't care about them. Until you help 100 of them you don't have the right to be worried about them. (Really, people who do missionary work should knock you out for doing that.) How are you any different from people who use kids in the sex trafficking ring? 

(My editor looks shocked that I said that.) Yeah, I said it and I'm sticking to it. Beyond telling them that you love them and buying them things what's the difference between you two? You don't have to love someone to provide those things. Speaking of love that's an overrated thing to tell anyone because you can love someone and not trust them, be ashamed of them and not respect their boundaries. If you have these problems, then love means nothing. As I said you don't have to love someone to fulfill the same duties that parents would do. This is why people get confused thinking someone loves them, but they don't. Parents don't think about their kids long term, if you don't have Godparents or guardians for them after you die then that's my point. 

If your argument is that kids suffer from ADHD yeah so what? I mean what's the difference between adults and kids beyond that? Adults need food, shelter, security, love and structure as well. Kids can't keep themselves safe guess what grown-ups can't either without law enforcement. You can manipulate kids with candy and toys, you can manipulate adults with money and safety. Even if kids are suffering from ADHD that's no excuse for how we treat them as far as feeding them fairy tales and getting mad at them when they don't take life seriously. If you don't know how to deal with children who have ADHD send them to someone who does. I can't be annoyed with our youth for acting up because of how we treat them. That's all I have to say about this subject for now.      

   

My Matrix trilogy Review

My Matrix trilogy Review

Intro: A line form A Few Good Men.

I want the truth! 

You can't handle the truth! 

Me: Is it me or was the line wasted on this movie? 

The Matrix: This movie is centered on a man name Neo who's looking for someone name Morpheus to help him answer the question what is the Matrix? He gets more than what he asked for when he learns what the matrix is. While he's processing what he learned three agents are after Morpheus because he has information that could endanger the human race. So, Neo has to decide if he's going to save Morpheus or not? 

This movie gives the Terminator and Total Recall a run for its money! It may be similar to those movies however it's different enough to stand on its own. I like that the humans and the machines need each other because the conflict between them is not so black and white. The bullet time effect is cool it's a different virgin of slow motion. the CGI looks great for the most part. What I took from this movie is to be careful with the knowledge you seek because it can be destructive if you're not ready and willing to accept it. 

There are times where I wish I didn't know certain things, but I digress. This is why I don't buy into the saying knowledge is power because it's a double edge sword. After seeing how bad the world is in this movie it makes you question is what Morpheus doing is worth it? I'm fond that the beginning of the movie is a mystery I mean we don't know if Neo should trust the agents or Morpheus? If this movie has a theme, I would say it's choice we see people reflect on the choices they make and regret those choices. I appreciate that this movie didn't make the fish-out-of-water jokes. 

Neo is a lost soul and I like the mystery about him in the movie. I wish the writers could have done more with this character.  

Morpheus is the wise mentor to Neo and his crew. What bugs me about him is that he's narrow-minded about his goal.  

Trinity is a blank slate and I don't buy her subplot. 

Cypher is trouble you can tell by looking at him. However, it's understandable why he's like this. 

Agent Smith (the main villain.) could have been a compiling villain if his actions backed up his claims, just like Neo he isn't happy with his life.    

One of the many problems I have with this movie is I'm not sure of what people can or can't do in the matrix. Also, the plot holes, characters not having much of characteristics and the last scene in the movie bugs me. Overall, this is one of the best sci-fi movies and I would recommend this to any sci-fi fan. 

Rating = Worth Seeing 

Intro: What happened here!?! 

Matrix Reloaded: The human resistance learns that the machines are digging into Zion (Zion is

the last human city.) they go back to Zion to prepare for their arrival. Morpheus believes Neo can stop them because of the prophecy so Neo goes to the Oracle to see what he has to do. His task becomes difficult when programs get in his way including a familiar face. Now Neo has to avoid them and complete his mission before the machine can reach Zion. 

This is one of those movies that will give you a migraine! What really hurt this movie is the writing, the writers establish things and forget about them the next minute. This is embarrassing did the people who worked on this movie have a script meeting? This wouldn't bug me so much if the creators didn't have the caricatures trying to sound smart. Here's an example of what I'm talking about. 

 A line from the movie: You don't truly know someone until you fight them. 

Do you see what I mean? I'm not saying this line has no value however you can replace that line with you don't truly know someone until you play a broad game, dance, skydiving or having a threesome and get the same results. The fights in this movie are disappointing, one fight looks like they're dancing and another fight drags. Also, the chase scene is all over the place. Speaking of disappointments Zion is a joke, it looks more like an ant colony than a city. 

How can the creators make a movie about humans rising up against the machines if we don't care about the humans? For the most part, it seems like all they do is party. Yes! They talk about the machines coming however we don't know how it affects them, plus we learn something that will undermine this conflict. This movie could have ended differently if one of the new caricatures took control of the situation. The characters are not worth talking about because they're not flushed out or developed in this movie, they might as well be pieces of wood. Considering what's at stake in this movie that's a big issue. The characters shouldn't be more robotic than the machines. The only character that stood out is Link (Morpheus's new crew member.) because he's the comic relief. 

Neo is suppose to be the savior of the human resistance but he did something that made him look less noble. What's the point of giving him and Trinity a romance if it does nothing for them as characters? 

Morpheus parallels with Neo in this movie. Besides that, he doesn't have much to do in this movie. There is a scene where he gives a speech and it was unintentionally funny. 

The Oracle is a wild card in this movie as far as not knowing if she can be trusted. Plus, she doesn't reinsure people that she can be trusted.   

  

Why is Agent smith in this movie? I mean he got what he wanted thanks to Neo so why does he feel the need to get in his way?    

   

The things I like about this movie are the world-building, being careful with the knowledge you seek and continuing the themes of choice and control (Despite the fact that this movie doesn't seem to understand those things.) The movie address some of the plot holes from the first film and the way the movie begins and ends. The bottom line is this is one of the worst sequels I've seen!     

Rating = Trash 

Intro: How is no one waking up from the Matrix after (My editor censor what I'm saying to keep me from spoiling the movie.) in the Matrix?  

Matrix Revolutions: This movie takes place right after the last movie and Neo is stuck somewhere in the Matrix. Morpheus and Trinity go into the matrix to find him and figure out what their next move is? Meanwhile, Agent Smith is causing problems for the humans and the machines, so Neo has to stop him before things get out of hand. 

This is worse than the last movie! That's another good thing I can say about the last movie which isn't saying a lot. The previous film tried to tell a story about choice and control, this movie has nothing. I was let down that the writers didn't have the humans and the machines work together to stop a common enemy. The way this movie ended is awkward you'll see what I mean when you watch the movie. Also, there are parts about the ending that bugs me. The battle between the humans and the machines wouldn't exist if the humans use their EMP's and energy weapons instead of bullets. Speaking of the battle calling it stupid would be a compliment. What bugs me about it it's hard to tell who's winning, plus we learn that Zion has been taken down five times before so how can we be invested in this battle? 

What this movie has done with the Matrix is ridiculous, I can't get into the details without spoiling anything. The movie tried to rehash scenes from the first film and they're worse. How can the writers forget about the consequences they establish in the last movie!?! Overall, this isn't a good ending to this trilogy! I would recommend this if you like action films. 

Rating = Trash