My review of 57 Seconds

My review of 57 Seconds 

Intro: What gives Mr. Freeman? 

57 Seconds: This movie is centered on a journalist name Franklin Fox who is trying to expose a pharmaceutical company. One day he saves a CEO of a rival company and he finds a ring that allows him to travel back 57 seconds. Franklin gets his chance to expose this company but it proves to be more difficult than he thought. So, he has to use his ring to get out of a jam before it's too late. 

This movie is a waste of potential! I say that because this movie could have been a social commentary about the healthcare system. The movie focuses on the main character's objective than that. It could have been better if there was a character that promote using natural remedies to get and stay healthy. Putting time travel in this movie doesn't do much to push the story forward. Why is Mr. Freeman in this movie if he's just a cameo? I wouldn't have minded what he tried to do in this movie if it was foreshadowed. There is a scene in the movie that has no payoff.

Franklin Fox is a man on a mission. That's what bugs me about him I wish the movie would show his motivation instead of telling us. 

Jala ( Franklin's love interest.) is a supporting character. The film could have given them more time together so their relationship to develop. 

Sig Thorensen is a ruthless and manipulative CEO. 

The only thing I like about this movie is time travel is not complicated. The main character uses it to make his life better. All in all, this is one of those movies that has interesting ideas but lacks focus. 

Rating = Rental 

        

My rant about the Flash series

My rant about the Flash series 

 

The flash is one of those shows that overstayed its welcome. Seriously! What were the showrunners thinking going for ten seasons? There isn't much you can do with a character that has super speed. This is the reason why I'm not crazy about reading the comics. It's hard to suspend your disbelief with a show like this and it gets worse with each season.   

Don't take my word for it check this out. 

While some franchises suffer from nostalgia bait or identity politics.

This one suffers from creative bankruptcy. After season one this series hasn't gotten better. The first three seasons were about stopping a speedster. Season 4 gave us a main villain that wasn't a speedster but the conflict could have been resolved with super speed. Season 5 is similar to season 1 but not as good. After season 5 the showrunners went in the Legend of Korra direction as far as telling different stories instead of one overarching story and that didn't help the rating either. Part of the reason why is because the creators didn't give some stories enough episodes for them to flush out. Season 8 starts off with a crossover event and it sucks. The episodes play out the same as far as the flash failed to stop the villain of the week; he's down about it, so he gets a pep talk and he stops the villain at the end. I can see why people are comparing this to Power Rangers. 

What made season 1 work is that it covered a lot of ground, like Barry learning how to control his powers, how his powers affect his personal life, dealing with time travel, his mother's murder and the mystery behind Harrison Wells. Besides introducing us to the multiverse, the series hasn't done anything new or creative with this franchise. I'm disappointed that we didn't get an episode that takes place in the 1940s or an episode centered on the original flash. Season 5 addresses that there is tension between the humans and metahumans but there's no build-up to that. I wish the writers would kill off Iris in season 3. Not because I despise the character it's because season 3 was suppose to be a cautionary tale. That doesn't work if there are no consequences for the character's actions. Plus, Iris would die with some dignity but I'm getting ahead of myself.    

One of the problems I have with time travel stories is that it's a double-edge sword, it can make things better or worse. This show trivializes time travel to the point where you can't take anything seriously or you get sick of seeing it. This is coming from a guy whose favorite Zelda game is Major's Mask. 

to be fair how time travel works in that franchise makes no sense either.    

 

This show did the same thing with superspeed, we get so much of it now were fed up with it. I find it funny that this show turns time travel into a joke considering Legends of Tomorrow already did that. Here's an example of what I'm talking about in season one Eddie Thawne killed himself to save Barry. This caused the reverse flash to be erased from existence and created a singularity. When Zoom killed his past self  in seasons two nothing happened. Speaking of season two we learn about time wraith, they kill speeders for messing with the timeline. First of all, where were they in season one? Second, they're not as scary as they should be because the writers don't use them purposely. In season one Eobard Thawne tells Barry he can go back in time a save his mom, but he failed to mention that doing that will create flashpoint. 

Also, in season one when the reverse flash killed Barry's mother, he lost his connection to the speed force. This didn't bother me because of the irony of it, later on in the series, we learn that his speed force is different from Barry's. When Barry restored the timeline in season three it created a butterfly effect. Yeah, this show is picky about using the butterfly effect. In season four Nova travels back in time to meet her parents and the time wraith is not after her; even after she stayed for the rest of season five. Also, in season 5 when team flash destroys cicada's dagger, it causes Nora to be erased from existence. How does that work? In season 8 the reverse flash created his own flash point. What the fudge!?! In the first episode of season 9, Barry takes notes of events that will happen in the future and he gets punished for it by being stuck in a time loop. 

Do you see what I mean by turning time travel into a joke? The showrunners even have the nerve to put this line in the series. 

Savitar: That's the thing about time travel; the more you do it, the less the rules apply to you. 

How can we be invested in what this series does with time travel if it's not consistent with the rules or don't set them up? Also, what's the point of showing us these different timelines if we don't spend a season in one of these timelines? This show is making the timeline for the X-Men films blush. Don't get me started on the science in this series. Really the writers should be ashamed of how they handle the science in this series. 

There isn't much to say about the characters because the writers don't know what to do with them besides giving them superpowers. That's right everyone has powers except for the two Black men on the show. I can't believe no one is making a big deal about this considering that we made a big deal about George Floyd's murder or death. Whenever we do get insight into these characters we don't care enough to be invested. I don't agree with people's complaints that there are too many characters. It's just that the creators give more screen time to characters who don't need it and took screen time away from characters we care about. Seriously! Does anyone care about Cecile having powers, Chester and Allegra's romance and Killer Frost having a boyfriend? 

Speaking of Killer Frost, the writers played hot potato with her. They did all these random things with this character except have her live up to her name. When she and Caitlin have separate bodies, Caitlin considers her as a sister. Why!?! What's the point of bringing this character into the show if you're not going to do her justice? 

I'm not going to join the bash the Iris West fan club because this character is a victim of bad writing just like every other character. Plus, much wasn't done with her in the comics. Being a Lois Lane clone wasn't enough for the showrunners they also have to make her the lead of team flash, let her have powers from time to time and being Barry's lightning rod. What's wrong with her being a supporting character? Heck, the writers couldn't even do that. 

Allegra is just eye candy because she serves no purpose in this series. 

I wouldn't have minded Chester if the showrunner made him his own character instead of Cisco's replacement. 

Speaking of Cisco, he wasn't as powerful as he could have been when he was vibe. Also, what was the point of getting rid of his powers just for him to use a machine that can replicate his powers? 

I don't know about you but I'm shocked that people are not talking about how OP The flash is like they do with Superman. That's another thing that hurt this show the flash has become so powerful that the writers don't work around that. Instead of doing that, they made Barry incompetent. 

He's such a moron to the point where I'm surprised that there aren't memes of him being called the dumbest man alive! 

He's also terrible at keeping his identity secret. Telling people, especially your enemies you're the Flash is not the best way to get people to trust you. The writers put this character in a time loop as far as him having the same ARC. He doubts that he can be the flash and he has to learn how to be patient when he leads a team. The writers are also inconsistent with this character. For example, he was upset when he learns that Nora was working with Thawne in season 5 but he has no problem doing that in season 7. Because Barry is an altruistic character the writers have him reasoning with the villain of the week and not resort to killing them. Despite the fact that he has no reason to do that and he has killed before. This show's interpretation of this character is a disservice to how Barry/ The Flash is in the comics.       

Now onto Barry and Iris's relationship, these two have no business being together. I'm not just saying that because they were raised as siblings or because their romance is uninteresting. It's because Iris said things that make her look selfish and insensitive. These two being together bothered me on principle. That principle is the CW have no problem catering to the Olicilty fan, but they won't do the same for the Snowbarry fans. In seasons 5 and 7 the showrunners make these two parents without making them parents. What's the point of that if it won't give them character development?

As far as the villains go this series shot itself in the foot by having a speedster as the main villain for three seasons in a row. I wouldn't have minded a speedster being the main villain again if the writer build tension. for example, in season two we learn that Barry/ The flash can't get faster naturally. Instead of going back in time to talk to Eobard Thawne about this, he talks to Zoom disguised as Jay Garrick. He tells Barry about the tachyon device that will help him increase his speed, instead of doing that it slowly takes away his speed. Do you see what I mean by building tension? 

Also, what's the point in having more than one speedster if we can't separate them beyond the color of their suits and lighting. In the comics, different color of lighting measures how fast you are; red means you're the slowest and blue means you're the fastest. On the show, different color of lighting means nothing except for blue and red. Blue means you're dying and red means you're using the negative speed force. I wish they had a different motivation than trying to outrun each other; you can get that by watching the Olympics. 

Heck, the show wasted the speedsters I wanted to see. 

Speaking of Godspeed what's the point of having him? I mean we already have a speedster who considers himself a God, why do we need another one? I'm still mad that this show wasted the thinker by not using him; I mean it would be interesting to see him trick team flash into doing his work by gaslighting them or using reverse psychology. He could have been the Lex Luther of this series. Cicada wanting to kill Meta humans could have been engaging if he didn't come off as the villain of the week. The less I say about mirror master the better. 

The other thing that hurt these villains in the show is that they are not complying as the reverse flash. I'm not saying that they should be however their plan has to make sense. Speaking of the reverse flash the show ruined him be keep bring him back; the more we see him the less interesting he becomes. How the showrunners keep bringing him back makes no sense, I might as well watch a horror series. I'm surprised that Turtle is not the flash's arch-nemesis considering they are opposites of each other. The same thing goes for Peek-a-Boo. To be fair, the flash rough's gallery in the comics was another reason why it's hard to get into flash comics. I don't see how the trickster, captain boomerang and captain cold can give the flash so much grief if they're not metahumans. 

Other problems I have with the series are screwing up adapting stories from the source material, messing up other characters, the action scenes, the CGI and the famous run Barry run line. I know that's a line from the comics however if you can make a drinking game out of how often you hear that line, then you need to cut back on using it. Overall, this show is a good example of not planning ahead and the downside of making things up as you go alone. Besides this series, much wasn't done to capitalize on the flash's popularity. If you think making a Superman game is hard the flash wants you to hold its beer. If we do get another Flash show, it should have lasted three seasons with 13 episodes per season or be a half an hour cartoon.

My Blue Beetle Review

My Blue Beetle Review 

 

Intro: Batman is a fascist! 

What! You think that line will keep me from watching this movie? This isn't the first time he's been called or accused of being a fascist. People need to stop drinking the Batman Kool-Aid. 

Blue Beetle: This movie is centered on a young man name Jaime Reyes who returns home after finishing college. After learning that his family is struggling financially he does his part by getting a job. Things get crazy when an ancient scarab is attached to him and becomes a suit. This puts him and his family in the crosshairs of the company that wants it. So, Jaime has to figure out how the suit works to protect his family. 

This movie is OK it could have been better if it adapted from the source material. The story is fine however it's not the best way to introduce us to this character. I say that because it didn't focus on the backstory of the scarab and how it works. We do get exposition on it however it's missing elements from the comics. This story should have been saved for a sequel. The social commentary in the movie isn't subtle or engaging. Family is the theme of this movie but it's handled on a surface level.   

Jaime Reyes/The Blue Beetle is forgettable. There isn't much to him besides figuring out what he wants in life. 

Khaji-Da ( the suit's A.I.) Is just a female voice telling Jaime about the suit. This is a far cry from how this A.I. is portrayed in the Young Justice cartoon. 

Jenny Kord is brilliant and caring. Her romance with Jaime left more to be desired. ( See! I told you I can talk about a female character without acknowledging how gorgeous she is. Darn it!) 

Rudy Reyes ( Jaime's uncle.) is an inventor who's also the comic relief. 

Victoria Kord ( The main villain.) is bland. She also made so dumb decisions that could bite her in the rear. Plus, she treats her stuff like crap.  

Carapax (Victoria's right-hand man.) is a brunt that does the grunt work. What bugs me about him is this movie did something to make him interesting. I don't have a problem with it's the execution that's the issue. It made me wish he was the main bad guy.        

I like that we get references to the past Blue Beetles. The movie can be funny at times. The action scenes are enjoyable. Overall, this movie won't make people fans of the character. That's a shame because it wasn't marketed. 

Rating = Rental 

My Secret Invasion series review

My Secret Invasion series review

Intro: Skynet I mean SIRI find me a farewell song. 

 

How do I say goodbye to what we had? 

 

Oh no! This studio doesn't deserve that. 

 

And I will always love you. 

 

That song won't do either! 

 

Bye, Bye, Bye, Bye, Bye, I don't want to be a fool for you. 

 

Are your trolling me?  

My Editor: What are you doing?

Me: Saying goodbye to the MCU because this is the last time, I'm going to talk about it. Marvel Studios should have stopped after Endgame because we have nothing to look forward to. Is anyone really interested in their take on the Fantastic Four or the X-Men? 

Secret Invasion: This series is centered on Nick Fury who learns about a Skrull conspiracy that could endanger humanity. So, Fury has to figure out who he can trust so he can stop the Skrull's plan before it's too late. Just like Black Widow, this series failed to be The Winter Soldiers Younger Sibling. Despite seeing this concept before with the Thing, the Body Snatchers and Animorphs I'm curious to see the MCU's take on it the problem with telling this story is the execution. Most of the episodes have people talking and the action scenes are meh due to the editing. That's sad considering the budget this show has. 

It also failed to create or build suspense about who is a Skrull for the most part. Due to that, the show feels boring. Not only that we don't know what effect the Skrulls have on the world considering how long they have been around. Really the show needed more than six episodes to tell this story. When characters die it lacks the emotional weight. (To be fair we don't know or care about these people.) The conflict in this series is contrived and undermines the cosmic characters like Caption Marvel and Guardians of the Galaxy. 

This series should be called Bashing Nick Fury because that's what this show did. This is how the characters talk to him. 

You're too old for this Nick, you've lost your edge, you're crippled, do you know what two plus two is, Nick I'm going to start without you if you don't give me more than two minutes and fourteen seconds.

I don't mind the idea of Nick being off his game after the snap and getting his grove back. The issue is we don't see him progress from point A to point B. I'm also annoyed that we don't get inside his head about the snap. I mean why have a show centered on this character if you're not going to do that? We learn that He did lie to Steve Rogers in the Winter Soldiers I wish he didn't because this was disturbing. 

There isn't much to say about Talos because he doesn't serve much of a purpose in the story. His subplot with his daughter G'iah left more to desire.  

Speaking of G'iah the less I say about her the better because you will be annoyed with her in the last episode. 

James Rhodes is underused in this series. He just does PR work. The first conversation he has with Nick Fury gives me a headache. 

Gravik (the main villain) is a hotheaded idiot! I say that because he works with people that he shouldn't trust. Plus, his motivation is lame. 

The only good thing I can say about this series is I'm glad we don't know who's a Skrull among the Avengers because that could ruin some of the events in the MCU. I didn't mind the artwork in the opening credits it looks like something you would see at an art museum. There is one funny moment in the show but was ruined by timing. 

Overall, this show failed to give us a good series from Disney Plus. The people who worked on it should be ashamed of themselves because this studio should know better. 

Superman and Lois season 3 review

Superman and Lois season 3 review 

Intro: Whose idea wasn't to bring (Censor) into this series?

Superman and Lois season 3: This season is about Clark and Lois investigating Bruno Manheim and that investigation leads them to an old case where they could have been wrong. On top of that the Kents received so bad news that could affect the family forever. So, Lois and Clark have to figure out what Bruno is planning and work past their family issues the best they can. 

This isn't a bad season but it's by the numbers. I feel bad for saying that because the quality of the show hasn't changed but the writing is problematic. The writers set up plot points with no payoff. The music is not uplifting most of the time which gives me the impression that this season is going to be moody. This season could have ended two episodes ago, you'll understand why when you watch this season. You can argue that this season could have been about power corrupts absolutely but this season didn't do the best job of reinforcing that theme. Since this series has so many characters all of them are not going to be used in the story. Speaking of characters, I don't like who was introduced in the last episode. I wish doing that won't come at the expense of another character. Also, some of the action scenes are underwhelming. 

 

I'm letdown that this season didn't give Clark/Superman any development. The creators could have with what was going on with Lois and Bruno Manheim. Considering how Clark lost both of his parents I'm surprised that Lois situation didn't affect him as much as it did. The way he trains Jordan bothers me because it kind of goes against how he handled things in the field. 

 

Speaking of Lois, I'm not crazy about the direction the writers took with her. It wasn't bad however it didn't do anything for the characters or the story. Everyone is going through the motions of her situation. So, what was the point of that if there's no payoff? 

 

Jordan is a royal pain in this season. He ruined any chance of getting back with Sarah and he throws caught to the wind when it comes to his powers. That's what bugs me about him I mean I thought he learned about being responsible with his powers in season one. 

 

We see how much Johnathan has matured since last season. We see him trying to make amends for what he did.  

Sarah is an idiot this season. She keeps getting herself in trouble and I'm suppose to feel sorry for her. No! No! No!!!!!!!!!!!!! The only complaint I have with her besides dumping Jordan for no reason, is she forgave her mom too easily I mean what she did is a big deal. 

The writers haven't done much with Natalie Irons beyond giving her a love interest. That was a problem because that was it was rusted and the creators made it a Romeo and Juliet situation.

Bruno Manheim (the main villain) is not as menacing as his comic book counterpart. He's a guy who's trying to better his community while doing shady things. He doesn't see Superman helping people I mean to him he just putting a band-aid on things. One of the problems I have with him is we don't know why he did all the things he did this season. I kind of wish that the producers cast someone who wasn't that good-looking to play Manheim as a joke on his middle name. But that could create fake outrage I mean I bet that those people wouldn't hang out or date someone like that.  

The one thing I like about this season is how it ended because it can go in so many different directions for season 4. Despite how I feel about what this season did with Lois, I respect it for handling it so well. Overall, this season could have been better. I would recommend this if you like drama. 

My rant about Dinosaurs in the media

My rant about Dinosaurs in the media 

 

Whether you love the Jurassic Park franchise or not, you can't deny that it's the only one that proves that dinosaurs can sell. It's because this franchise gave us more than just dinosaur action; you can get that almost anywhere. It's a shame that the other films after the first one weren't well-received. I'm not saying that they're all good; however, they did things that push this IP forward. To be fair, I can understand why people don't like the other films because Jurassic Park is considered one of those movies that didn't need a sequel. This franchise isn't just about playing with genetic power or chaos theory; it also deals with the arrogance of humanity. 

Despite all the wars, outbreaks, and financial problems, we still get them because we don't learn from our mistakes. (or we get off on destruction) That mistake is thinking we can control nature or people; those things are beyond our control. History wouldn't keep repeating itself if that wasn't the case. Also, when trash hits the fan, no one takes responsibility. Side note wars make therapists look bad. I mean, what's the point in having them if they can't or won't help minimize conflict? We are also hubris when it comes to sex. How many times have we brought life into the world that we didn't plan on having? This franchise uses the dinosaurs as a metaphor for those things. Why are movies about A.I. running things so popular if we don't take heed to the warning in those films? Yes! We're heading in that direction. Look at Boston Dynamics if you don't believe me.    

It's too bad that this franchise didn't end on a high note with Jurassic World: Dominion. Instead of focusing on how humans co-exist with dinosaurs and the effect it has on our ecosystem. We get a story about locusts eating our crops. WOW just WOW! I wish this movie had taken inspiration from a cartoon called Cadillac and Dinosaurs. If it were up to me, this movie would have been about Dioysn needing Blue's child and the girl to create a virus that will only kill off the dinosaurs. Doing that would continue the theme of arrogance. Instead of taking responsibility, humanity is trying to fix this instead of living with this mistake. We can't reap the benefits of bringing dinosaurs into the 21st century and not dealing with the consequences for it. I've been waiting a long time to see what direction the writers can take with the dinosaurs being on land, and they drop the ball. 

Despite Jurassic Park's success, Hollywood is either struggling or doesn't know how to make more successful IPs with dinosaurs. We had the land before time, but that got direct-to-video sequels. What bugs me about those sequels is that they don't age the characters, last I checked. The less I say about Barney, the better. After the 90s, Hollywood didn't try as much. I can understand why, because dinosaurs are not that relatable. I mean, who wants to know what it's like to be a dinosaur? Heck, who wants to play a platform game as a dinosaur? We don't like them enough to want to co-exist with them. Giving dinosaurs the power of speech would be ridiculous if it's not in an animated film. The reason why this worked in the Planet of the Apes films is because of our alleged connection to them. 

That is why we had shows of humanoid dinosaurs to make them relatable. 

The only way talking dinosaurs can work for adults is if there was a hierarchy among themselves. For example, in Finding Nemo, there was a gag where the sharks fight the urge to eat other fish. You can tell a story where the carnivores are trying to build a rapport with the plant eaters by not eating them. (If this has been done before, then I stand corrected.) Considering the size of some of them and their small brains, they would only work in the horror genre. That would upset the paleontology community because they don't like dinosaurs being portrayed as monsters. The reason why we don't have a lot of them in that genre is because we fear losing our freedom than being killed by a monster. (That's saying a lot considering that we keep giving our freedom away for security.) You can outrun, hide, or fight off the monster; dictators are a different story.    

There are three issues I have with dinosaur media. First of all, the T Rex is overexposed. I understand why, because of how imposing the T Rex is; however, there are other carnivores we could be focusing on. Really, I'm surprised that the Velociraptor didn't get more attention after Jurassic Park. I'm not saying that they didn't; however, they are still overshadowed by the T Rex. This is what I like about Disney's Dinosaurs because it didn't have a T Rex. 

Second, actors and actresses will feel awkward being in a movie or TV show that features dinosaurs. If people want to see the dinosaurs, they won't take their roles seriously. I found it funny that people complain about the acting or lack of characterization in these films or shows for that reason alone. Finally, dinosaurs mostly appeal to kids. Why do you think the Land Before Time sequels and other dinosaur-animated films are family-friendly? Kids are more terrified by them than adults because technology and the possibility that their life or other planets scare us more. Primal is a cartoon that can appeal to adults because it's like Samurai Jack, but with cavemen and dinosaurs. Despite how violent Primal is, it's fine for kids. (If you feel differently, I can understand.) Terra Nova had an interesting concept of does advanced tech gives us an advantage over the dinosaurs? Sadly, that show didn't last long, and 65 also wasted that concept.   

In closing, dinosaurs may not have lost their novelty, but I don't see them maintaining their popularity anytime soon. Unless we get more shows or movies like Primal, or someone does something innovative. That's all I have to say about this subject for now. What do you think should be done with dinosaurs?       

My Transformers Rise of the Beasts review

 My Transformers Rise of the Beasts review

Intro: How did Paramount get away with making the same movie that was done before? 

Transformers Rise of the Beasts: This movie takes place seven years after the events of BumbleBee and the reminding Autobots can to Earth to keep a low profit. That changed when a MacGuffin appeared that can send them home but can also, draw the attention of Unicorn. So, the Autobots have to keep it away from his henchman. 

This movie is disappointing! After Bumblebee I thought this franchise was going to get better boy was I wrong. This movie is the same as Revenge of the Fallen but less obnoxious. This is the second time we get a crossover between the Autobots and the Maximals and it's wasted. What's the point of having Rise of the Beast as a subtitle if the Maximals are treated like guest stars? When the Maximals transform, we don't get a clear shot of them. It's awkward to have Unicorn without Glavatron. How many times do I have to tell writers about "censor" characters? I'm not crazy about what this movie teased. The human characters deal with underline racism.  

Optimus Prime is not in this movie. He may look like Optimus Prime, but he isn't he reminds me of Ultra Magnus. We do get an explanation as to why he's like this but it lacks context. 

Mirage is the comic relief.

BumbleBee is more or less the same. Sadly, he doesn't get a lot of screen time. 

Wheeljack bugs me because he's different from the cartoon, he's more of a guru in this movie with a Mexican accent. What the fudge!?! 

Noah is a down-on-his-luck veteran who's struggling to get a job and help his little brother. He also parallels with Optimus Prime. I'm not crazy about what was done with him in the climax. 

Elena is an intern at a museum and an artifact researcher. The actress playing her doesn't seem to be in the best shape because she seems to struggle with the action scenes. That's a shame because she's cute and I was wondering if we could... (My editor is standing behind me.) 

We could what?    

Me: Play dodgeball. 

Scourge (one of the villains) is the leader of the Terrorcons and he gives the Autobots are run for their money. 

Unicorn (the main villain) is just like his cartoon counterpart.

I like the fight scenes because they are well-shot for the most part and there are funny moments in the movie. I don't mind the fan service and the human characters to a degree. ( I want the next movie to have no human characters.) I appreciate that this movie doesn't have a lot of '90s references. The theme of the movie is trust but more could have been done with that theme.  

Overall, this movie is not a good sight of things to come from this franchise. 

Rating = Trash.     

My rant about The Purge franchise

My rant about The Purge franchise 

Intro: If I come off as sadistic in this rant, that's not my intention; I'm trying to expose the hypocrisy of this franchise and in life. 

To the people who think Thanos's plan is stupid, where was that argument when it comes to this franchise? The Purge is one of those franchises that shouldn’t exist. I say that because it wasted it concept of crime being legal for 12 hours, the social commentary that comes from it, and building suspects. This IP has five movies and one TV show. Despite all of that, they have failed to give us a good story with this concept. This franchise is mostly about people trying to survive the purge with nothing to show for it. Addressing the politics around the purge is pointless because we already know what it is. Plus, it's disingenuous. I'll explain why later.      

One of the problems I have with this series is that it focuses on one crime, and that’s murder. What happened to living well is the best revenge? (Personally, I prefer having people who did me wrong at my mercy as the best revenge, but I digress.) I find it hard to believe that people will do that over stealing money or goods. Heck, the prequel to The Purge reinforces this. Well, you can argue that Caucasians are the most savage people; look at the weapons and torture devices they come up with. They mostly write and direct horror movies. There are other things you can do to make your life better, like lying on your tax returns, transferring bank accounts, stealing college textbooks, cheating the stock exchange, or stealing sensitive information in exchange for a better living situation. 

If you are going to have a movie of people killing each other, give us a better reason for it other than a candy bar. I'm not kidding about that. Also, doing that debunks everything we were told as far as learning to co-exist with people you don't like, taking a life is a big deal, maturity, life is not fair, karma, etc. I find it insulting that every day, people can't target high-profile people, but they can target us. I mean, what's the point of the purge if they can't go after the source of their problems? They are willing to pay people to sacrifice themselves to be purged, but they won't use their money to fix most people's problems. Help me understand this. (I wish they would offer protection for their loved ones from the purge as well.) 

That's what bothers me about the third purge movie; instead of ending the purge, they should have been voting for the elite to use their resources to make things better for everyone else. I'm annoyed that we didn't get a purge movie of Black people killing a bunch of Caucasians. Considering the first movie forced a group of Caucasians trying to kill a homeless Black man, I say that's fair. To people who say racism doesn't exist, explain to me why we haven't gotten that movie yet? To be fair, a movie like that could ruin our image because we are one of the most peaceful people on Earth. (That's not a fair statement because of the role we play in slavery. Plus, we're not smart enough to build guns or bombs.) Then again, history shows that it doesn't matter if a small group can do the most damage. With all that said, killing people is a short-term solution despite your issues with someone or a group of people. 

There are other crimes this franchise could focus on, like extortion, narco economy, and grape. I understand why people would be bothered by seeing the last thing I mentioned; however, you can't have it both ways. You can't have this franchise display one crime that's considered unforgivable and not the other. Really, no one should have a problem with it considering how much women grape a man's bank account or lifesaving. You can have a movie imply that it's happening without showing it. 

Going in that direction can work as a cautionary tale for women. Women alienate men by saying they don't need them, and when they do, they rip them off. American women want us to protect them as a collective. They wouldn't have a house car, a comfortable place to work, or a high-paying job without our labor. Despite everything we've done for them, they show their gratitude by giving us blue balls. To make things worse, they make money off of our sexuality at strip clubs and OnlyFans. Not only that they alienate us at the Gym and set honey traps for us. No wonder we have men going overseas. If this is not a good example of being ripped off by the opposite sex, I don't know what is. Like I said before, it's hard to keep productive men in the community if you don't desire them. Look, I'm not saying women should throw themselves at every man who helps them, but you have to do something to boost morale.   

Another thing that bugs me about this franchise is that there are ways you can protect yourself from the purge or end it; like don't participate in it, moving out of the country before the purge starts, wearing a mask, hiding in a dumpster, or in a junkie yard. Despite getting a series later on, this should have been a show from the start. Doing that would give the writers time to flesh out characters, how they feel about the purge, why they want to participate in it, make the purge feel like it was taking place in real-time, reexamine what they considered right or wrong, and deal with the aftermath of the purge. The purge series should be a balancing act as far as it brings out the best and worst in people. 

This franchise could have been better if it was creative with the premise, but Hollywood wasted its potential. That's all I have to say for now. Do you think this franchise should be revived or discontinued?                     

My review of Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse

 My review of Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse

Intro: OK let's see if saying this will work. 

???: The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few. 

Miles Morales: Fxxk that! 

I don't get why the quote is so popular when we still have stingy people. 

Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse: This movie takes place over a year after the events from the first films and Miles is trying to balance his life out. Things get more difficult when Gwen shows up and is looking for one of Miles's foes called the Spot who turns out to be a bigger threat than he thought. Stopping him won't be easy considering Miles is not happy with how the other Spider-people plan on dealing with him. So, he has to figure out another way without everyone turning against him. 

Lighting strikes twice for Sony animation. Just like a good sequel this movie expands on the first film. The movie explores the multiverse in a way a live-action movie can't as far as being creative. The animation is an improvement each character looks different. Also, like the first film this movie has humor. This movie deals with a lot of themes like being accepted, finding your place in the world and predetermining vs free will. I like the ending to a point. 

You'll feel sorry for Miles Morales/Spider-Man not because his double life put him at odds with his parents, it's because his place in the Spider Society is not what he thinks it is. The only complaint I have with him is he's stupid for not taking the Spot seriously considering what he can do. 

Speaking of the Spot (the main villain) he may be a joke but he's a tragic character. He also parallels with Miles. I wish he was in the movie more often because he gets forgotten about. 

Gwen Stacy/Spider-Gwen is in a tough position in this movie. I have issues with what she did at the end of the movie. I mean there was no build-up to it. 

Spider-Punk is Mr. Personality.  

Peter B. Parker/Spider-Man doesn't have a big role in this movie, but we see how much he has changed since then.  

Miguel O'Hara/Spider-Man 2099 is the leader of the Spider Society who is tasked with protecting the multiverse. Just like his comic book counterpart, he's also the only one who doesn't have a sense of humor. That's what bugs me about him we don't know why he's like this. I mean I do get an idea but it's not enough. 

One of the problems I have with this movie is this movie focuses more on the gimmicks of the multiverse than the multiverse itself. Considering that we are getting another movie I wish the writers would use a small group of Spider-people in this movie and save the rest for that film. The ending could have been better and the same thing goes for the dilemma in this movie. It's hard to swallow that Miles is the only one who doesn't agree with the plan. Personally, I wish the movie took place after Miles graduated from High School that would make sense considering what this movie is doing. 

All in all, this is a solid sequel that I would recommend checking out. 

Rating = Worth Seeing 

My Hypnotic review

 My Hypnotic review 

 

Intro: OK having two similar movies come out in the same year is one thing. Having two movies with the same title is something else. 

(My editor told me that the Netflix version came out two years ago.) 

That doesn't make things less confusing. 

Hypnotic: This movie is centered on a detective name Det. Danny Rourke who's trying to find his daughter who has been missing for four years. One day he gets a lead when he investigates a series of crimes that bends reality. In order to find his daughter, he has to figure out what is real? 

This movie was a disappointment. This is one of those films that has an interesting concept, but the execution is bad. The ability to manipulate people in this movie would have been better if it wasn't treated like a superpower. I don't know why the creators think going in this direction is a good idea. The movie had the elements to make this concept work, but they don't use them properly. Heck, there is a scene in the movie Focus that did a better job than this movie. This movie could have been a social commentary on the human mind and subliminal messages. The writers could have had fun with this idea, but they didn't do that. I don't have anything to say about the characters because there's nothing much to them. The movie itself feels lifeless. 

The only good thing I can say about this movie is that it had one funny scene in it. Also, the twist and turns took me by surprise but that not saying much. Overall, this movie failed to be a mind-bending experience. That's a shame because this movie could have been better. 

Rating = Trash 

My Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 review

 My Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 review

Intro: Keep this movie away from animal rights activities; they will have a field day with this. 

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3: This movie takes place years after Endgame, and we see how the Guardians are adjusting to everything. They are called back to action when one of their own is in danger, so they have to save him or her. 

This movie will not be joining the list of good third films. The movie may be similar to the last movie as far as focusing on one character, but it didn't do the best job of being darker and character-driven. ( With that said, Parents, if you're going to take your kids to see this movie, I would exercise caution.) One of the problems I have with this movie is that there are times we the characters could have died, but they didn't. The soundtrack was a letdown. Part of the reason why is because the songs don't feel retro, and some of them were out of place with certain scenes. The comedy also hurt this movie, but that's a common issue with these movies. This movie even made tasteless jokes about low-functioning people. Will Smith needs to slap whoever thought this was funny.  The movie made a not-so-subtle reference to 2001: A Space Odyssey.  

We get Rocket's backstory in this movie, and it was predictable. The only complaint I have with it is that Groot wasn't in it. 

Peter Quill/Star-Lord is a mess in this movie. That's understandable considering that he's still grieving over Gamora, and he could lose someone else. Speaking of Gamora, He tries to win this new Gamora over, but he ends up rubbing her the wrong way. That's the problem. He looks stupid for doing that because this is a different Gamora. ( To be fair, Peter didn't sing to her, cook her favorite food, buy her gifts, dance with her, give her a foot massage, etc.) I wouldn't have minded the direction the writer took with this character at the end if there was build-up to it. 

Gamora is ruthless in this movie to the point where she feels like a different character.  

Nebula feels like a leader in her own right. 

Drax and Mantis are a comedy duo in this movie. Besides Drax having one stand-out scene, not much was done with the two. Mantis is manipulative in this movie because she abuses her ability in this movie. What she did towards the end of the movie makes no sense. With that said, it's a shame that Mantis has a brother-and-sister dynamic with Drax and not her actual brother. 

You can add Adam Warlock to the list of characters the MCU did dirty. The movie explains why he is the way he is in the movie, but it does make it less annoying. He should have been written out of the movie; I mean, we waited six years for this. 

The high evolutionary (the main villain) is a typical mad scientist who's cruel, egotistical and has a God complex. What bugs me about him is that more could have been done with him. He could have been sympathetic if he was noble about his cause. He could have been threatening if he didn't shout what he was saying all the time, and was consistent about how powerful he is. Seriously, his screaming takes away his aura if he had one. The planet his on is a joke.       

I like that the movie deals with some family drama, like keeping secrets and resentment. There is one action scene that stood out in this movie. There are times where the movie pulls on your heartstrings. One of the plants in this movie is made out of organs; it was interesting and disturbing at the same time. As far as the comedy goes, it's fine as far as it didn't come at the expense of the serious moments for the most part. The ending works in a way that leaves doors open to continue this franchise. 

Overall, this is not the best ending to this trilogy. So far, Phase 5 is 1 and 1. 

Rating = Average

My review of the Super Mario Bros. Movie

My review of the Super Mario Bros. Movie

Intro: Disney better watch their backs.  

The Super Mario Bros Movie: This movie is centered on two brothers name Mario and Luigi who are struggling plumbers. One day they get separated when they are transported to a different world, Mario is sent to the Mushroom Kingdom and Luigi is sent to the dark land. In order to save his brother Mario has to aid the Princess to stop Bowser from taking over her kingdom.  

After 30 years we finally got a good video game movie based on a video game. Oh, the sweet smell of irony. Sorry Sonic you would have been fast enough if your movies were like the Prime series. What I appreciate about this movie is that it’s not about saving a princess. If you’re going to have the brothers save a princess let it be Roseline because she’s better looking than Peach, but I digress. This movie is surprisingly funny, both kids and adults will get laughs out of this film. It even has dark humor. You can’t have a movie like this without references and easter eggs. Those things are used to complement the Mushroom Kingdom. Heck, the movie even references how kids use to blow into game cartridges. (Don’t do that.) There are moments where the movie captures us playing Mario games for the first time. The voice acting is fine for the most part. I have nothing new to say about the animation that has already been said. I’m also fine with the characterizations in this movie because these characters don’t have much of that in the games.

Mario is courageous, noble and ambitious. The writers tried to give him an underdog ARC, but it feels bland. 

Luigi is timid. What bugs me about him is that he doesn’t get a lot of screen time. Why is this movie called Super Mario Brothers if it’s not focused on both of them?  

Toad is the comic relief in this movie.

Princess Peach is not a damsel in distress in this movie she’s hands-on and guides, Mario. I’m not crazy about her backstory in this movie. I can’t get into that without spoiling it.  

Donkey Kong is an egotistical jock. DK being in this movie bothers me because he has his own franchise that's separate from Mario’s. To be fair Nintendo hasn’t done anything with the DK I.P. in nine years. Plus, he fills in Luigi's role in the movie if he wasn't kidnapped. Mario and DK act like the type of brothers who are at odds with each other.  

Bowser (the main villain) is both menacing and funny. What ruins this for me is his motivation, I mean it makes him look pathetic. I know this is part of the Mario brother's lore, but it doesn't make me less sick. 

One of the problems I have with this movie is that it tried too hard to make the Mario brothers appeal to kids. The movie could have done a better job of incorporating Mario Kart into the film. Toadsworth should have been the one that ended up in the dark land instead of Luigi. By doing that you make both brothers a part of the story. This movie feels like it has scenes that are missing. I'm surprised that certain things are not mentioned or referenced. 

Overall, this is an excellent love letter to the fan despite that it could have been better in some areas.  

Rating = Worth Seeing 

Now Let's Party!       

My 65 review

My 65 review 

Intro: Even with a pandemic Hollywood still has money to burn. Seriously, why release a movie if you're not going to promote it? 

65: This movie is centered on a space explore name mills who crash land on an unknown planet with a little girl who's the only survivor. He later realizes that he landed on prehistoric earth, so he and the girl have to find a way to get off the planet and avoid the creatures. 

This is better than After Earth but that's not saying much. This movie does a decent job of building suspense. Plus, the dinosaurs are not the only thing they need to worry about. Speaking of dinosaurs, the movie introduces us to one that the general public is not familiar with. There are moments of levity in the movie, but I wish there was more of it. Watching the main characters use future tech to defend themselves against the dinosaurs was interesting. There isn't much to say about the characters in this movie. 

This movie could have been better if there were more survivors in this movie. Doing that would help the concept of surviving in prehistoric times with future tech. I wish the writers would have kept them crashing on prehistoric earth a secret or have the title of the movie mean something else. Heck being in that time period could have been a metaphor for you won't have a future if you don't know the past. We learn something about Mills that serves no purpose in the story. The film can be slow at times. 

Overall, this is an OK movie that I would recommend if you like movies like this. 

Rating = Rental 

My Iron Man rant

 My Iron Man rant

Before 2008, people had heard of Iron Man, but he didn't have a huge fan base like Spider-Man or the X-Men. Outside the comics, he had his own animated series, appeared in other Marvel cartoons, and was featured in a handful of video games. Sadly, those things didn't help give this character recognition. Thanks to the MCU and Robert Downey Jr, Iron Man has become a household name. Plus, rival Spider-Man as the face of Marvel. I can see why people find this character appealing; he's one of those characters that have a big personality. Also, Tony Stark/Iron Man doesn't put on a persona when his in or out of the suit. What you see with this character is what you get. He's like the Joker as far as being addicted to attention. The way the first Iron Man movie ended reinforces that. 

Despite being a self-centered butt face, he does want to do the right thing. In case you're wondering, yes. This is the same characterization as his comic book counterpart, except for Heroes Reborn. In these comics, he was a typical ruthless businessman. With that said, RDJ not only embodied this character but also enhanced these character traits. We can relate to him not because he's trying to be responsible for the type of business he's running, it's because he has daddy issues. He also has a weakness, and that is guilt. If you can make him feel guilty about anything, you can manipulate him. We saw that in the Civil War movie. His ability to upgrade his Armor makes him one of the strongest Marvel characters because it can combat almost anything. 

Despite this character being relevant in pop culture, there have been failed attempts to capitalize on it. Before I can elaborate on that, I want to talk about RDJ. I was worried about him playing this character because both Tony and RDJ had problems with alcohol. Thankfully, the writers avoid adapting the demon in the bottle story because that would have been insensitive to the actor. ( I know they tried to adapt the story in Iron Man 2, but it didn't work out.) If they were going to adapt that story, they should have cast Tom Cruise. I can see him playing this character; however, I don't think he can match RDJ's charisma. 

As much as I enjoy the first Iron Man movie, that doesn't change the fact that it's overrated. The movie would have failed if anyone else had played Tony Stark because he basically carried that movie. If you don't believe me let me, ask yourself this. What did you like about the movie beyond Tony Stark/ Iron Man? The supporting characters are forgettable, the climax was disappointing, and the movie wasted the villain. (That's a common thing with these movies, they keep squandering his rogues gallery.) Also, more could have been done with the plot. For example, Tony shutting down the weapons manufacturing seems too easy. I mean, isn't he under contract with the Military or anyone else? Why didn't they sue him for doing this? What about disgruntled employees? This played a role in why Tony became an alcoholic in the comics because he was stressed out about losing his fortune, thanks to all the lawsuits for S.H.I.E.L.D. and other companies. 

I thought the sequel would follow up on that, but I was wrong. Speaking of the sequel, it didn't give this character a good story. In Iron Man 2, Tony was dying, everyone wants his tech, and he has to deal with the possibility that his family's wealth is built on a lie. All of that was ruined by bad writing, dumb characters, the comedy, and reminding us that we're getting an Avengers movie. Iron Man 3 wasted the Extremis story and the Mandarin by not using him. This rubs fans the wrong way to the point where Marvel Studios has to course-correct it. Tony Stark suffered PTSD from the alien invasion, so he copes with it by building suits. I find it hard to believe that the invasion was traumatic for him, and not being held captive for months. Also, Iron Man 3 didn't continue the theme of legacy from the last two films. That's a shame because that movie wasted the concept of creating your own demons. That movie would have been better if a disgruntled employee were behind things.    

We got two Iron Man cartoons after the first movie; they are called Iron Man: Armored Adventures and Iron Man anime. I didn't bother to watch Iron Man: Armored Adventures because I didn't like that Tony was a teenager in that cartoon. I mean, was the point of doing that? As far as the other one, it wasn't good. I'm sorry, Iron Man is in Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes. Why that cartoon got canceled is beyond me. We only got three Iron Man video games. Two of them are tie-in games, and one is a VR game. Do you see what I mean by not capitalizing on Iron Man's popularity? Iron Man could work as a AAA game if the developers did the same thing the Arkham games and the Insomniac Spider-Man game did. Heck, the first tie-in game for the Wii was underrated despite its flaws. (The Xbox 360 version is a nightmare.) 

We would have more Iron Man movies if Marvel Studios discontinued the MCU after Endgame and have filmmakers make solo films of Marvel characters without them being connected to each other. Is anyone really looking forward to Ironheart or Armor Wars? Speaking of Ironheart, why is this movie being made? We already have a Black Iron Man, do we really need another one? How can you have an Armor Wars movie or series without Tony Stark!?! News flash, that's his story! Also, didn't Spider-Man: Homecoming adapt this story? Marvel Studios, whatever you do, please don't bring Tony Stark back by making him an A.I. 

I don't have a lot of suggestions for future Iron Man films because of the comics. The problem I have with the Iron Man comics is that they tell the same story over and over again for the most part. They start off with Tony building a suit, then he gets a mental breakdown that causes him to ruin his life, burn bridges, and he builds a new armor and rebuilds his life. I would like to see Tony's origin story from the Ultimate Iron Man comics get adapted because that origin story is different from what we're familiar with. I also wouldn't mind if the recent Invincible Iron Man comic book series gets adapted too. Those comics look like they're going to expand on what was done before. As far as villains go, do the Mandarin and Ghost right! I would also like to see Madame Masque and Titanium Man. Madame Masque is Iron Man's Catwoman, and Titanium Man is Iron Man's Bane. 

That's all I have to say for now. What do you think could be done with this character?                

My review of Ant-Man and the Wasp Quantumania

My review of Ant-Man and the Wasp Quantumania

 

Intro: To the people who complain about the quantum realm being mostly CGI, where was this complaint when it comes to the Avatar films? 

Ant-Man and the Wasp Quantumania: This movie is centered on Scott Lane/Ant-Man living his life as a celebrity after the events of Endgame. One day, he learns that his daughter Cassie has found a way to communicate with the quantum realm, and it results in them being sucked into the quantum realm. Getting out of the quantum realm is difficult when someone else wants the macguffin that will help them get out of the quantum realm. So, Scott and the others have to reach it before he or she does. 

I enjoy this movie more than the other Ant-Man films. I don't understand why people would trash this movie. I'm not saying this is one of the best MCU movies, but I don't think it's as bad as people make it out to be. I like the quantum realm because of how creative it is. It gives Guardians of the Galaxy a run for its money. Plus, this movie reminds me of Star Wars. I like that both the original and legacy characters have something to do. The theme of this movie is family. It tried to deal with family struggles like trauma, shame, and keeping secrets. The action scenes in this movie are also well-shot and done. The humor in this movie is not overblown. 

Scott Lane/ Ant-Man is full of himself in this movie. I don't mind this because A he doesn't have a punchable face and B he didn't get enough credit for fixing the snap. I wish he would stand up for himself when everyone makes fun of him. Then again, would you get sick and tired of someone bringing up that they saved the world over and over again?

 

Hope Pym/Wasp has a lot to do in this movie despite feeling like she doesn't have a lot of screen time. 

Cassie Lane is a bright girl who is disappointed with her father. What bugs me about her is how did she get so smart? 

If you didn't like what Iron Man 3 did with the Mandarin, you're not going to like what this movie did with M.O.D.O.K. Personally, I wouldn't have minded what the movie has done with this character if the writers were consistent with him and kept his mask on. 

Jante (Hank Pym's wife) is just in the movie to explain the quantum realm. She could have been a tragic character if we saw how being stuck in the quantum realm affected her. That's what annoys me about her. I understand why she would keep that to herself; however, because she knows so much about the quantum realm, she overshadows the main characters.  

Kang the Conqueror (the main villain) reminds me of Darth Vader. As far as being calm and ruthless. Despite that, his dynamic with one of the characters almost humanizes him. I wish the creators would pick a different villain for the characters to face because Kang is too powerful for them. 

One of the many issues I have with this movie is that the lighthearted tone conflicts with the seriousness of the movie. This movie feels like it's setting up Kang to be the next big bad rather than being an Ant-Man movie at times. Why is Bill Murray in the movie if he serves no purpose in the story? The same thing goes for Hank Pym. The writers could have done a better job with the family stuff. We were told that the living beings in the quantum realm were oppressed, but that's not the case with all of them. The climax could have been better, plot holes, and the ending rub me the wrong way.  

Overall, this movie was an OK film that could have been better.

Rating = Rental