My rant about movie marketing

 My rant about movie marketing

Deadpool and Wolverine is coming out this week, and I like how it was marketed. For example, it did a turn off your phone ad in the movie theater that's never been done before as far as I know. Really all three movies have good marketing. Another example is internet videos of Deadpool making meta jokes or doing reaction videos. Those videos get more views than the trailers. 

That's the problem with marketing today when it comes to movies is no creativity. I'm not saying the marketing team should copy what this franchise did but the purpose of marketing is to win the public over. Look at Old Spice I never bought their deodorant but the commercials for them are funny. Another example is the 20th anniversary of Power Rangers. To be fair if you do it wrong or too much it can hurt your produce. This is what happened to the 1998 Godzilla movie I mean the trailers kept us from seeing what Godzilla looks like, but the toys spoiled it for us.  

I miss how movies use to be marketed. There was a time where you saw posters of the movie on billboards, buses, etc. Also, ads promoting their merchandise, tie-in video games, books, etc, fast food restaurants having toys with the kid's meal, a soundtrack for the movie, and music videos with clips of the movie. I'm not a music person but that was a smart move because that could get people interested in the song or the artist. on a side note, it got me excited for Christmas and Birthdays.  

After 2008 movies are not marketed as much as they used to. This wouldn't bother me if the movies didn't have high budgets. Most of the marketing is on the internet what makes the marketing team think everyone has a computer? I already talk about the quality of trailers and not much has changed there. Merchandise are not being promoted, the gaming industry doesn't make tie-in games anymore and music videos stopped using movie clips. I understand why they stop making tie-in games because they don't sell but I can't say the same for music videos. 

My favorite part of marketing movies is movie posters, and I don't see much of them when I go outside. When I do, they either all look the same or they don't make more than one poster. Really the best posters are the teasers and IMAX. What is the marketing team spending their money on if they can't afford artists? Fanart can come up with better posters than them. I would like to see an Art Museum with a movie poster theme to it. 

That's all I have to say about this topic for now what do you think the marketing team should do?          

My Nightwing rant

   

My Nightwing rant

 

Intro: Warning! I might spoil somethings that happened in the comics so read this at your own risk.  

If Iron Man is the new face or Marvel then Nightwing should be the new face of DC. He is the closest thing DC have to their version of Spider-Man. His combat and detective skills rivals or on par with The Dark Knight himself to the point where he came fill in for him. He can give James Bond a run for his money when it comes to sweeping women off their feet. Due to him being an uplifting character, he has a better dynamic with the characters in the Batman mythos. Plus, be the leader of the Teen Titans. Part of the reason why he's like this is because he doesn't let his past ordeal ruin his life. (To be fair how his parents were murdered wasn't as tragic as Bruce's.) Plus, he's a jack of all trades.

This character does have flaws like, part of the reason why he's a ladies man is because he has commitment issues. He has a temper and takes it out on enemies who wronged him or his loved ones. Plus, he doesn't have a problem with killing the Joker. He also picked up some bad habits from his mentor like being obsessed with the mission, pushing his allies too hard closing himself off to others emotionally, and saying out-of-pocket stuff. 

With all that said it annoys me to see this character done dirty outside the comics. (Except for Young Justice.) When Dick Grayson was Robin on Batman TAS he was incompetent; when he became Nightwing he was treated like a supporting character. In the DC direct-to-video movies, he gets beat up or sidelined. Batman had to save this character twice in the Arkham Knight game. What the fudge!?! I can't comment on how the Gotham Knights game handled this character because I didn't play that game. Don't get me started on the Titans series. If it's true that Mr. Gunn will use Damian Wayne to be Robin we might not see Dick Grayson on the big screen anytime soon. 

As much as I've been advocating for a Nightwing movie I didn't consider how hard it would be to make one with the source material. None of the Nightwing stories stood out to me and the ones that do weren't good. Nightwing having amnesia could have been a good story but it wasn't. His connection to the Court of Owls is second fiddle to everything else. This is the same problem I have with his rogues gallery. Deathwing is the only Nightwing villain that stands out besides Torque and Sylph. Deathwing is basically Nightwing's version of Bizarro. The Nightwing comics work better as a TV series than a movie. 

Chuck Dixon's run on the character is my favorite run on this character. I say that because it focuses on Dick getting out of Batman's shadow, finding his place in the world and how he can stop crime in Bludhaven. After Chuck Dixon's run and before the new 52 the quality of the comics are hit or miss. I'm not crazy about the New 52 Nightwing comics because the writer is all over the place. I mean he doesn't seem to know what kind of story he wants to tell. Also, I'm not crazy about the direction he took with Tony Zucco. Nightwing rebirth was also a mixed bag. 

The current Nightwing run is frustrating. Part of the reason why is because the Titans get involved with the story and it gets worse as the series goes on. How is this a run on Nightwing if half of it is him helping the Titans or the Titans bailing him out? Do you think No Man's Land would last as long as it did if Batman let the Justice League fix Gotham for him? (Speaking of the Justice League I'm surprised that Green Arrow didn't appear in that story because he could have been a big help. But I digress.) Another issue I have with this run is Nightwing is not proactive is stopping heartless. Also, the writer wants to give him acrophobia why!?! If Dick Grayson had this fear from day one I wouldn't mind it because that makes sense considering how his parents were murdered. I hope Tom Taylor (The writer of the current Nightwing run.) knows what he's doing with this subplot. We also get the history of Bludhaven in this run.  

Each run has elements that I like about them and I want the movie to use them. For example, If we get a trilogy I would use the Alfred Pennyworth Foundation for the last movie. I want the director to show that Bludhaven is the worst city in the DC universe without being over the top about it or make the audience feel depressed. There is a story in The Streets of Gotham where Victor Zsasz has children fight each other to the death. I would like the movie to adapt that story. I'm worried about how Batman will be depicted because his relationship with Nightwing is unclear. Sometimes it's a Big Brother Little Brother relationship other times it's a Father and Son relationship. 

Plus, we have different versions of them going their separate ways. I hope Hollywood doesn't adapt Nightwing year one because I don't like how Batman was depicted in the comic. He sees Robin as a soldier not as a person. That's what I want this movie to do for Batman to humanize him. That's the problem I have with the live-action Batman except for that one scene in Batman and Robin. If we do get Batman villains we should get Two-Face, The Penguin and Black Mask. I consider Two-Face as a Nightwing adversary considering their history just as much as a Batman villain. As for The Penguin and Black Mask, they can be silent partners for Block Buster. 

That's all I have to say about this topic for now what do you think should be done with this character?   

     

My review of Kingdom of the planet of the apes

 My review of Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes

Intro: Did we really need this movie? 

Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes: Taking place over a century after the last movie, this movie focuses on a chimp name Noa who is a part of an isolated tribe. One day, his tribe has been captured, so he goes out to rescue them. On the way, he comes across other apes and humans who challenge his worldview. So, he has to decide what kind of future he wants?     

This movie is OK. I noticed that it tried to do the same thing Jurassic World did, as far as parallel with the first movie, but doing its own thing. However, the film drops the ball in doing that. We see the apes living in different groups without knowing how this happened? I don't get it why start the movie with the quote "apes together strong" if that quote has no payoff? This also shows that the apes are no different than humans. Speaking of humans, why are most of them living like animals? I mean the virus took away their ability to speak, not their IQ points. Legacy and knowledge are the themes of this movie, but the execution wasn't there. The climax in this movie is lackluster. The way this movie ended, it looks like this series will go in circles. 

Noa is a timid and curious character who goes on a hero's journey. The problem I have with him is that he lost someone close to him and doesn't want revenge. I'm not saying that's a bad thing, however, I wish the writers went in that direction because it would give the next character I'm going to talk about a bigger role. Then again, that's hard to do without feeling like it's retreading from the previous films. 

Raka is a supporting character who's informative. He not only tells other Apes about what Ceaser stood for, but he also knows the world before Ceaser. Plus, he provides some humor. My issue with him is him telling anyone about Ceaser; it doesn't affect the story or characters.  

Mae is a wild card in this movie. That's what bugs me about her, there's no personality to her, and we don't know why she thinks Noa can help her.  

Proximus may be Mr. Personality he is a wolf in sheep's clothing. Like Raka, he's interested in history but misunderstood what Ceaser stood for. I wish he got more screen time, and why he thinks Noa can help him.    

I like the visuals in this movie, we see how nature takes over abandoned buildings and how the apes use them. I appreciate that this movie tried to stand on its own by not having any characters who are descendants of characters from the previous Trilogy in this movie. Overall, this movie is underwhelming. That's a shame because it could have been better if the writing was good.  

 
rating = Rental 

My thoughts on the Bad Batch series

 My thoughts on the Bad Batch series

 

Despite not being crazy about the Clone Wars series and the episodes that featured the bad batch didn't make the best impression I was willing to give this show a chance. That's saying a lot considering we didn't need this series. The writers could have written out the clones by making cloning illegal and have the clones die of old age due to their rapid aging. As I said the clones are the best part of the Clone Wars series it would be interesting to see things from their point of view like the war, the Jedi and being viewed as property of the republic. 

This series focuses on a defective but enhanced group of clones called Clone Force 99 also known as the bad batch. After the Clone War, they don't like how things are changing. So they decide to run away with a clone girl name Omage. This series was passable it reminds me of Firefly. Episode 12 of season 2 is one of my favorite episodes because it's a good example of not provoking your kids to wrath. I also like the last two episodes of season 2 because they play with our expectations. As far as the inhibitor chips goes I don't mind them however order 66 could have worked as a subliminal message. 

Despite not expecting much from this series it could have been better if it was based on the Republic Commando books. Here are some examples in those books, the clones were ordered to kill one of their own because he went AWOL. The clones are looking for a scientist to stop their rapid aging so they can live normal lives, another scientist created a virus that only affects the clones and a Jedi is pregnant by one of the clones. ( I don't know about you but that's more interesting than Anakin becoming Vader but I digress.) Also, the Commandos and ACR Troopers separate themselves from the other clones and keep to themselves. Speaking of Republic Commando one of them is in this series and the writers did him dirty. That alone is enough to make me want to take back anything nice I have to say about this series.  

This show could have been better if the writers used those elements a build a story around them. I wouldn't mind this series lasting three seasons if each season was about something. The first season could be about the bad batch starting not to agree with the war and ends with them getting away from the empire, season two could be about them figuring out what they should do now the war is over and the final season should be about the clone figuring out how to stop the rapid aging or find a cure for the virus that's killing them. That's another thing that hurts this series that is build-up. I mean there is no build-up to the clones realizing they are on the wrong side of the war before this series started. We don't hear or see them talk about a missing that made them feel uncomfortable. This could have been fixed if this series focused on the clones were familiar with like Rex, Cody and the clones from the episode rookies. (To be fair some of them died in the Clone Wars series.) 

They don't talk about the Jedi having an impact on them and having to kill them. We were told that they did beyond one episode with Yoda in the Clone Wars we don't see much of that. Instead of doing what I suggest we get episodes of either the bad batch keeping a low profile or saving Omega. There is also a subplot of liberating the clones I wish there was some conflict with that because the bad batch are indifferent to saving them. Plus, it's hard to appreciate the clones being captured because we don't know what they are being used for beyond training their replacements. Also, it's awkward seeing the clones live normal lives because they all look the same. We have a handful of Senators fighting for the rights of the clones but that's secondary to everything else in this series. 

Another reason why I wish this series would focus on a different group of clones is because the bad batch are archetypes. Wrecker is the muscle with no brains, Tech is the smart one, Crosshair is the by-the-book loner, Hunter the leader is the voice of reason, Omage is a cheerful kid and I don't know what to say about Echo. That's what bugs me about this group like I said just because characters have archetypes that doesn't mean they should be bound by them. I don't get the sense that this is a group of brothers because the group lacks camaraderie even with Omage and Echo. We learn something about this group in the series but it amounts to nothing. I wouldn't have minded this series being centered on these clones if we got more episodes of them in the Clone Wars series. I'm annoyed with what the writers have done with some of the characters because it has no payoff. 

Overall, this series was a missed opportunity. With that said this show is harmless.       

My multiverse rant

My multiverse rant 

Before I look like a hypocrite I want to let you know yes! I do enjoy different forms of medium that use the multiverse. With that said that doesn't mean I don't have problems with it. For those of you who do know what I'm talking about a multiverse is a collection of different universes that exist to give us different possibilities for the same people. This concept has been around in the comics since 1961 with The Flash. The first time the multiverse was introduced on TV was in an episode of Lois and Clark The New Adventures of Superman. (As far as I know.) The first multiverse movie that I can think of is The One. After the first Injustice game or The Flash season two, the use of the multiverse is on steroids. 

There are four issues I have with the multiverse. First of all, what's the differences between this and alternate timelines? (Or are they both one and the same.) Second, using the multiverse to tell a story could ruin a lot of storytelling elements like character development, creativity, emotional weight, stakes etc. Let's use Batman as an example of what I'm talking about. If you wanted to tell a story about a Batman who isn't rich and is disabled, you can't do that because we already have that with Daredevil. If you wanted to create a version of Batman that kills, we have that with the flashpoint Batman. Do you see what I mean by the multiverse hurts creativity? 

Speaking of the flashpoint Batman the original Batman received a letter from him and faced him in the City of Bane story arc. Those two things don't seem to change or affect the character in any way. What's the point of the main character meeting a different version of themselves if it serves no purpose? The most we can get from doing this is a cautionary tale, but we don't need the multiverse to tell that kind of story. Also, if the writers are going to give us the same character who made a different choice that choice only makes sense if the character had a different life. This is what bugs me about Injustice and Shattered Gird. I don't buy that Superman and Tommy/the Green Ranger would do what they did in those stories. This is the same issue I have with the What If series.   

Third, it seems like the writers are using the multiverse to take a character in a direction you can't take in the prime universe. Doing that takes away the notion that personality is inherent and character is built. (Or is it the other way around?) That's what I like about Everywhere all at once, the main character in that movie was the same person living different lives. That's another thing the multiverse doesn't address, what are the odds of you living a different life under different circumstances? 

I want to talk about Quentin Lance from Arrow. he lost his oldest daughter in season 4 and he meets a doppelganger of her in season 5. Despite being different from his daughter he still wants a relationship with her. In season 6 he died to protect her. Let's say she died instead of him, so he goes to any universe to find another doppelganger instead of grieving. See what I mean by the multiverse eliminates any emotional weight in the story? How can we feel bad if a character dies if he or she can be replaced? Granted the character doesn't have to be the same but why he or she is different has to make sense. Plus, that doesn't matter if you're telling a nature vs nurture story.

Finally, the multiverse can make us more hubris. I mean how arrogant can you be to think your life would have been better if you made a different choice? It's almost impossible to live life without regret because life is too uncertain. I'm surprised that the multiverse hasn't lost its novelty by now. Granted all of them don't operate by the same rules but that's not enough to keep it fresh. Speaking of that I think it's ridiculous that the Spider-verse would have the same consequences as time traveling. Going back to The One movie I would like to see that get remade into a better film. Have a multiverse agent kill the different versions of himself out of spite because he doesn't like being reminded that he's stuck in life. Doing that would make him relatable for the reason I explained earlier. 

I'm surprised this is not used in loved stories because doing that would expose how shallow women are when it comes to picking men. I mean women will tolerate almost anything from men as long as he has money. Plus, it would debunk the notion that true love exist. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 3 failed to do that. Then again, The Vow did that without using the multiverse. Look I'm not trying to downplay the multiverse however whatever story you can come up with can be replaced with different alternatives like twins/clones, amnesia, body switching, etc. The bottom line is this is a plot device that should be used sparingly.   

My top 10 movies that shouldn't exist

 My top 10 movies that shouldn't exist 

Intro: In case you're wondering, no, the Barbie movie didn't inspire me to do this list, but it did add fuel to the fire. Spoiler alert that movie is not on this list, sorry to disappoint. The hardest thing about doing this list is trying not to be obvious with it. I mean, I didn't want it to be full of sequels, remakes and true stories. I wanted at least one movie from different time periods, but that was a tall order. Speaking of time periods, the 90s gave us plenty of movies that have no business being greenlit. That decade gave us Baby Geniuses, Air Bud, Cop and a Half and Cat and Dog. (That movie came out in 2001, but who cares?) The movies I picked reinforce what I've been saying for years, that is Hollywood has money to burn even with a pandemic and a writer's strike. If that's the case, then where is the sequel to Dredd and Power Rangers?   

No.10 Megan: I want to ask Hollywood something, do you think the next Batman movie will make money if Scarface was the villain? If the answer is no, then why do you keep making movies about killer dolls!?! Seriously what's with Hollywood's obsession with scaring kids? This movie wasn't better than the Child's Play remake we got not too long ago, so what was the point of this movie? If this movie tried to be a parody of the horror genre it failed because the movie was trying to have it both ways. Heck, Small Soldiers is a better horror comedy than this. Megan is an empty vessel; besides saying a few funny things, she's not creepy or scary. 

It's hard to care about the girl and her aunt because she's either oblivious to what the doll is doing or in denial. As far as the aunt goes, she's not the best parental figure for her. The climate in this movie is ridiculous! The only thing this movie has to offer is a social commentary on grief and relying on technology too much, but the movie doesn't add nunice to it. This movie only deals with anger and denial. The fact that this movie is getting a sequel reinforces what I said earlier about having money to burn. If you want to see a good Horror comedy, watch Scream.       

No. 9 Star Wars The Clone Wars: Whether you love or hate this series, you can't deny that this movie didn’t do it any justice. It’s bad enough that the story is lame, but how it was told makes it worse. What really bugs me about this movie is it has the nerve to make us care about Jabba and his son. News flash, he’s a bad guy! I don't mind the idea of heroes and villains helping each other; the problem is the execution. You also don't care about Anakin's buddy cop dynamic with his Padawan Ahsoka because they don't bond. The events in this movie have no payoff for the rest of the series, which makes watching this film pointless. Plus, this movie has the same problems as the prequels; as far as stiff characters, dull acting, and plot holes. Out of all the episodes that were produced during this time, what made Mr. Lucas think these episodes were the best? If he wanted a Clone Wars movie, he should have adapted the story from the 2002 Clone Wars game because that story is better than this. This should have been a TV special instead of a movie. 

No.8 Cocaine Bear: Remember all those ridiculous movies from the 90s I mentioned before; this one should join them. What makes this worse is that Hollywood is talking about making a Cocaine Shark movie. WHY!?! The Sharknado films weren't enough? Just like most of the movies that are based on a true story, this one is not accurate. Yes! There was a bear doing cocaine, but the bear didn't kill people. Plus, the bear died from a cocaine overdose. I wish the creator would pick a different bear because Black bears are not meat eaters. The movie got me to laugh a few times, but that's it. Snakes on the Plane is more suspenseful than this. You really have to suspend your disbelief with this movie. I wouldn't mind this movie if it was a comedy, but it doesn't feel like it. This should have been a direct-to-video release.  

No.7 The Bourne Legacy: This movie was a failed attempt to expand the series beyond Jason Bourne. This franchise should have stayed a trilogy, but you know Hollywood can't leave well enough alone. What made the first three movies work is that it focus on a man with memory loss. When you remove that, you have nothing. Really, that concept can get old fast, which is what hurt the last movie. It's hard to be interested in or care about Aaron Cross because we don't know anything about him or anyone else in this movie. Putting him in Jason Bourne's shadow didn't help the movie either. This movie could have been about Aaron breaking away from his conditioning and he testified to the grunt work he did for this agency. Doing that would make up for how Bourne Ultimatum ended. I wouldn't have minded this if it was an episode of a TV series. That's the direction this studio should have taken. 

No.6 Good Burger: I can't believe out of all the skits from All That, Good Burger is the only one good enough to get a movie. I mean, if none of the shorts from In Living Color got a movie, what made Hollywood think that this was a good idea? Heck, the sequel wasn't good enough to be released in theaters. Since this was a short, that wasn't enough for it to be an hour and a half long movie. The short is about Ed working at Good Burger and taking people's orders literally. You can't have a movie that long with Ed doing that because that can get old fast. This is what hurt the Three Stooges movie and the recent Tom and Jerry movie. Speaking of that, Ed didn't make that running joke work the way Grover from Sesame Street did or Drax from Guardians of the Galaxy. Nickelodeon should have made a Kenan & Kel movie instead of this because that would've fared better. Heck, this makes me want to give a backhanded compliment to Adam Sandler. At least he tried different concepts with his films.    

        

No.5 Avatar: The Way of Water: OK, it's bad enough that we're getting a sequel, but turning this into a film series really? Seriously, just because a movie makes a lot of money doesn't always mean you should make a sequel. For a movie that was a hit, it didn't make much impact on pop culture. This is a sequel that screams lazy! The reason why I call this sequel lazy is because it feels like Mr. Cameron is pulling random ideas out of his butt and putting them on screen. In this movie, we are introduced to an underwater group of the natives of Pandora. This wouldn't have bothered me if they were mentioned in the last film. What's the third movie going to be about, fire benders, I mean lava natives? 

Some of the characters that died in the last movie are brought back in a way that makes no sense. ( You know that's a pet peeve of mine.) How and why are the Navi allowing the humans on their planet after everything that happened in the last movie? Some of them are here because they want revenge, idiots!!! The movie does have interesting things but they don't get much focus. People have been waiting thirteen years to return to Pandora and this is the best you can do? Shame on you, Mr. Cameron!   

       

No.4 Selma: The fact that this movie exists makes my blood bowl! Not because it wasn't accurate, it's because the late MLK Jr. meant little to nothing to most people. If that's not true, then why have we done a terrible job of honoring what he stood for? Why do we make fun of people who have his mindset? We gave this man a legacy just to spit on his grave; WOW! To be fair, he's kind of an overrated figure. How smart do you have to be to want the same thing he wants, as far as being treated fairly? I already proven that segregation is not completely a bad thing and I don't agree with violence is not the answer mentality. 

I know what he was trying to be, but as a man and a father, you have to show strength; you can't do that by being passive-aggressive. That's what bugs me about him, you can't say you shouldn't be violent and not teach us how not to be that way. Has he written any books on conflict resolution? I heard some disparaging things about him, like he didn't finish college and he copied the I Have a Dream speech. If those things are true, then why aren't we talking about that? The next time we get a movie about this man, it should be an indie film done by Monks. 

No.3 Barney's Great Adventure The Movie: Considering all the hate this character has got what made Hollywood think giving him his own movie is a good idea? Not only that they want to bring this IP back. Why!?! This is one of those movies that failed to live up to the title. Most of this movie takes place on a farm. What's so adventurous about that and them finding an egg? Baby Bop and B.J. shouldn't be in the movie if they don't serve a purpose. The movie Breaking the Fourth Wall is unnecessary. This movie is an overextended filler episode. The movie wants to be about imagination but the writers failed to fully embrace that theme in the story. 

The kids in this movie are a bit old to be in a movie like this. This leads to the next problem with the movie and that's Cody. Cody is either eleven or twelve so he's a bit old to be indulging in Barney's imagination. This movie could have been better if it took place at summer camp. Cody is six or eight he's sent there to get his mind off of a family member who's ill but he has no interest in having fun. So Barney shows up and helps get him out of his funk. Originally, they were suppose to get the egg back to the mother. This movie could have been better with my suggestions. If there's any preschool show that should get a movie it's Blue's Clues.       

No.2 The Emoji Movie: Talking animals and toys is one thing, but talking emojis really? Why not make a movie about talking stickers, that's what emojis are digital stickers. That's the problem with this movie why tell a story about it's OK to be different with symbols that stick with one expression? I'm surprised that this movie didn't make a Botox joke. Speaking of jokes the jokes in this movie are so predictable. This movie has no shame when it comes to product placements. If I was Patrick Stewart I would be embarrassed that I was in this movie. The stakes in this movie are ridiculous fixing or erasing your phone shouldn't affect the emojis unless Alex doesn't want to use them. Emojis are not needed to communicate they are there to add cuteness to text messages. This movie could have been salvageable if the human characters spoke different languages so they use emojis to communicate. What about Native Americans they use symbols to communicate. I know I'm beating a dead horse but that doesn't change the fact that this shouldn't been greenlit.           

No.1 Cats: You couldn't wait for the Avatar sequel, that you have to give us this. For those of you who don't know this movie is based on a musical that's based on a book of collected poetry. The play is 90% spectacle and 10% story. The play is about a group of cats competing at the Jellicle Ball where one of them is chosen to be sacrificed and reincarnated. The musical doesn't have a main character but it does have four principal characters. The movie doesn't do this musical any justice. It tried to build off the story by giving us a main character and a villain kind of. The spectacle in the movie is a joke. The CGI in this movie is off-putting why not use make-up? Don't get me started on the cat puns. I don't know who this movie is for it's not for fans for reasons I already explain. It's not for kids because of the famous part In the memory song. The cast also bugs me not because this is a bad cast however movies like this should be reserved for people who do musicals. I feel bad for bad-mouthing this movie because the people behind put heart into it. This was made with the intent to win Oscars but that didn't happen. This movie could have faired better if it was animated.   

My review of Godzilla Minus one

My review of Godzilla Minus One  

Intro: Just to let you know, I'm not reviewing the upcoming Godzilla vs Kong movie. The reason why is that crossovers are suppose to be a novel event, now Hollywood is milking it like everything else. Plus, I doubt the movie will be enjoyable. 

After I saw the movie: Show of Hands, who want to see what this director can do with Star Wars? 

Godzilla Minus One: This movie is centered on a pilot name Koichi Shikishima who is preparing for the tail end of WW2. The war becomes the least of his problems when Godzilla shows up and wreaks havoc. After seeing the collateral damage, he and the town's people have to figure out how to kill the creature. That becomes difficult because the town doesn't trust him because he failed to do his part in the war. So he has to win them over and find the courage to face Godzilla. 

I'm jumping on the bandwagon; this is the best Godzilla movie! (This is coming from a guy who's not a Kaiju fan.) This movie works as a remake of the first film and an underdog story. I say that because the town's people have to deal with Godzilla on their own, and the Government is not helping them. The movie fixed a problem I have with this franchise, which is the human characters. In the past, human characters were used to either advocate for Godzilla or give exposition. Due to that you don't care or don't mind if Godzilla kills them for the most part, that's not the case here. 

The movie gets you invested in what's going on with them to the point where this movie is more of a human drama than a Godzilla movie. You don't mind that Godzilla is barely in the movie when he does show up, you don't want the characters to die or suffer at his hands. This is a good example of less is more. (It's sad that it took Japan this long to do that, but I digress. If I'm wrong about that, then I stand corrected.) Redemptions, unity, making the best of your circumstances, and fighting for your future are the themes of this movie. The VFX is impressive considering the movie's low budget. 

Koichi Shikishima is haunted by survivor's guilt to the point where he doesn't believe he deserves to live. It doesn't help that his neighbor gives him a hard time about it. I wish this character were used to address the senselessness of war.

I don't have much to say about the supporting characters, that's a shame because the movie pulls a bait and switch on them. 

Godzilla is menacing in this movie. 

One of the problems I have with this movie is that our first scene of Godzilla is underwhelming. I wouldn't have minded that if the scene was scary. There is one editing issue I noticed in the last act. We see the limits of the VFX in the movie. Also, I'm getting tired of movies reintroducing Godzilla. All in all, this is a good example of how to make a simple story engaging. I would recommend this because this movie deserves more attention. 

Rating = Worth Seeing 

   

My Power Rangers Cosmic Fury review

  My Power Rangers Cosmic Fury review

 

Intro: OK it's bad enough that I lost my Mother but to learn that this is the end of an era is overkill. This won't bother me if Hasbro did anything to celebrate the 30th anniversary of this franchise. So did this series end on a high note or should this franchise ended back in 2009? Let's find out. 

Power Rangers Cosmic Fury: This series takes place right after Dino Fury ended and the Rangers are battling Lord Zedd and his allies in space. Things get dire for them when Lord Zedd gets the upper hand and the rangers are lost on an unknown plant. So the Ranger have to get new powers and figure out how to get back to Earth before it's too late. 

This series is better than most of what we got in over ten years but that's not saying much. That's a shame because this season has milestones that are wasted and I'm conflicted with the climax. This being ten episodes helps eliminate most of the elements that plagued this franchise for years. The season focuses on character stuff rather than stopping the big bad. Speaking of characters the side characters don't overstay their welcome. (That's a shame because I don't mind seeing more of Ollie's sexy I mean brilliant mom.) 

As far as the anniversary special goes it was lazy. I mean it suffers from nostalgia bait and I don't like how it brought back an old foe. This special addresses what happened to Trini. That was kind of awkward considering how long the actress has been dead. This special could have been better if it had the rest of the original cast plus more legacy characters. Speaking of legacy characters, I'm annoyed that you know who isn't the father of a legacy character. What the fudge!?! 

Amelia the Red Ranger is a leader in this series and shows leadership traits. That's what bugs me about her I mean she already has a role in the group that's being the heart of the team. I'm not saying she can't be both however I wish the writers would build up to it.

Ollie the blue ranger he's evil again. I understand why this was done from behind-the-scenes reasons however they could have done something different. 

Zayto the Zenith ranger ( Really?) is baggage for the most part. That bothers me because more could have been done with him. Like he could have guide Amelia as the new leader. How many times do I have to tell you when you kill off a character keep that character dead?

There isn't much to say about the rest of the rangers because much wasn't done with them. With that said this show wasted Javier the Black subplot. I mean this is the first time something like this happen to a ranger and the show doesn't focus on how it affects him. I wish Izzy the Green Ranger was the leader. I say that because A it would give her character development and B it would make being a leader less of a nepotism thing.            

Billy the Bule MMPR ranger is a good supporting character. He helps the rangers get new powers and aid the in battle. I'm annoyed that he isn't evil in this series. That would make sense considering his history with Lord Zedd. Plus, he would be a force to be reckon with. He did something in the anniversary special that makes no sense.   

Lord Zedd is middle of the road in this season. He's not as menacing as he was in MMPR but not as goofy as he was in that series either. What bugs me about him is the other baddies make him look like a clown. 

The rest of the villains are obnoxious comic relief. 

One of the problems I have with this series is that it tried and failed to top the finale of In Space. The morphing masters are useless and the references to past seasons are tiring. I'm annoyed that how easy the rangers lost there powers. I wish this series started with that because doing that get the views more interested in watching this season. We finally get to see the plant Eltar ( Zordon's home.) and it's underwhelming I mean going there adds nothing to the story or characters. Speaking of Zordon they can't leave well enough alone. 

Overall, this is not one of the worst Power Rangers seasons but it's not one of the best either. Now if you'll excuse me I have to go grieve again.   

My thoughts on The Legend of Zelda movie

 My thoughts on The Legend of Zelda movie 

Before I get started I want to say something to Nintendo please don't give us a cinematic universe. Everything doesn't have to be that. Have you ever gotten carried away with an idea that you didn't think it through? That was the case with me when it came to the Legend of Zelda movie. After the success of the Super Mario Bros movie, Nintendo fans want that to be the next movie over a sequel or DK movie. I overlook how hard it is to make a movie about a character exploring the land, meeting people or creatures, collecting items and going to temples. I know this sounds like Tomb Raider and we had movies based on that; however, this franchise explores more than one temple. Because there is a lot of ground to cover this would fair better as a series than a movie. The only way around this issue is to have Link spend most of the movie in one temple, get most of what he needs from that temple and we get flashbacks of how he went from point A to point B. Another way around this problem is for Universal to tell one story in a trilogy. 

Another problem with making this movie is who should it appeal to? This is one of if not the most mature franchises Nintendo has. When you play the 64 games you can see blood when you fight the NPCs. Plus, texts that proved suggestive dialogue. So, the question is should this movie be PG or PG-13, animated or live-action? I'm not saying it's not possible to have this movie appeal to both kids and adults, but it can be tricky. The thing that bugs me about this franchise in general is the Triforce. The backstory of this MacGuffin keeps changing. I don't like how it was used in Breath of the Wild. The timeline and continuity of this franchise is another issue. It's hard to believe that these games are in the same timeline considering how different they are. Speaking of that it's a miracle that the Wind Walker didn't kill this franchise. I see each game as a different interpretation of the Legend of Zelda. 

As far as Link not being able to talk there are ways around that as I mentioned. In Wind Walker, we know what Link thinks and feels just by his facial expression. The bosses in this franchise have a gimmick when your figure it out they are easy to beat. Speaking of easy to beat that's what drives me nuts about Ganondorf/Ganon, he's the easiest boss to beat in most of these games. So much for saving the best for last. 

Most of the games in this franchise tell the same story but the themes, structure and gameplay help separate them. This is why Major's Mask is one of my favorite Zelda games because it goes against the standard formula. Breath of the Wind would make a good Power Rangers game. A part of me wish Universal would adapt Ocarina of Time because that game makes Link sympathetic. Twilight Princess made Zelda a part of the story instead of an objective in the game. That can also work as a movie. Do I really have to explain why Major's Mask should be a movie? People will have fun figuring out if this is a dream or real life? If Ganondorf/Ganon is in the movie I want him to have the same motivation as he did in Wind Walker. Plus, put up a better fight.   

Overall, it doesn't matter to me if we get a movie or a series as long as either format can help the writers tell the story they want for the fans. 

My review of the Creator

                                  My review of the Creator                                       

Intro: I'm glad this movie was made because this is another example of people's hypocrisy. I mean Avatar can get away with telling a simple story with mind-blowing CGI but this movie doesn't. I guess it's a clout thing.  

The Creator: This movie takes place in the future where there is a war between humans and machines. The humans have a chance to get the upper hand in the war if they destroy their secret weapon. Things get complicated when a soldier name Joshua realizes the weapon is an A.I. child. On top of that the child has something he wants. So, Joshua and the girl have to avoid the authorities long enough to get what he wants. 

This movie failed to tell a familiar story in an interesting or engaging way. The new elements the movie introduces are wasted. I mean it's not used to separate itself from the other movies that told this story. It's hard to appreciate that this movie is about a war because A we don't see it and B the world in this movie doesn't operate like it's at war. Giving the robots faces doesn't humanize them so what's the point of that? There is a scene where police endanger children that wasn't necessary. The film can be boring due to the pacing. Whatever theme this movie has it wasn't done well. 

There isn't much to say about Joshua he's just an empty vessel. We see him being hunted by his past and we don't see him bond with the girl. 

The only good thing I can say about this movie is the visuals. Overall, this movie is a waste of time. I hope the 5-hour cut fixed all the problems with this movie.  

Rating = Rental         

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