Black Scorpion

 

                             So, Wonder Woman 1984 is HOPEFULLY coming to theaters on Christmas Day, or if you're feeling lazing and want to watch it on HBO Max, go ahead you bum. But till then I have an amazingly bad movie that EVERYONE defiantly needs to see, and I don't care if you don't like superhero movies, chick-flix or even cheesy horror films. You need to watch this film NOW. Okay, so remember when I talked about a certain show that was so mesmerizingly bad you can't take your eyes off it, well say hello to the TV made film that started it all. That's right everyone Black Scorpion started out as a TV made movie, one Showtime. Although God forbid Roger Corman didn't direct this, but he did have a hand in it, by making this happen. And now after watching the so-called Black Scorpion Begins type movie, I now rank this as my all-time favorite, guilty-pleasure movie of all time and I'm stating the facts now that everyone and I mean everyone needs to see this movie, hell I'll even fight anyone to the death in say that Hallie Berry's Catwoman although I don't know if there are any one out there so I'll just leave it at that. 

                            Now the way I see this movie is really kind of the same origin storyline to Batman Begins. After witnessing her father getting shot by a District Attorney furthermore suspended for police brutality, Detective Darcy Walker (Joan Severance) decides to take the law into her own hands and downs a mask to become Black Scorpion, there in the darkest of nights she begins to uncover a conspiracy that had something to do with her father’s murder.

                             I'll say this a billion times this, is the greatest guilty pleasure I've ever witnessed in my whole life, moreover is pretty much getting me through this miserable year. Basically, the way Corman said it in his own words to writer Craig Nevius, "I wanted to do a female Superman-Spiderman-Batman". Now I honestly don't know if Corman came any close with Superman or Spiderman concept but at least he nailed the Batman part and yet I'm not sure if he ever heard of Wonder Woman either. Now I know that there's really nothing to say, because this film speaks for itself, like this film starts off with Severance's character going undercover as a prostitute in broad daylight, in BROAD DAYLIGHT. And yet I'm thinking to myself "what, what, why?". Now every movie buff or movie critic out there would know that Corman when it comes to making movies whether it’s a high budget movie or a low budget film, he really sucks at doing both when it comes to budget, believe me because I saw a lot of his film on Mystery Science Theater 3000. But so how when it comes to making this, this was so bad on so many levels, but I couldn't look away and really, I though the show would be different but now I understand why this movie somehow looks like a train wreck but a good train wreck because nobody died. Hell even, thirty minutes of the movie it seems like a simply good gritty cop movie but then the next hour it turns upside down and becomes all science fiction when we have some kind of Mr. Freeze knock off, in which I guess, but yet why go back to science fiction side when you were doing so well dark and gritty yet cheesy cop drama? But then again, I shouldn't question it because yes, it's awesome and bad but I just have to many questions. Okay so here is another quote from Roger Corman when he was in search for Joan Severance and this is very interesting when you think about it. "My demands were -- I felt -- not difficult in Hollywood. I wanted an actress who was beautiful and had a great figure. Because we economized on the amount of cloth, we used in the costume... I wanted a tall actress. She does a lot of martial arts. I couldn't have a 5-foot-1 actress beating up all these big guys. So, I wanted a tall, beautiful woman with a good figure, who was a good actress, but I wasn't looking for Meryl Streep, just a good actress. I figured this would be easy in Hollywood. It turned out to be incredibly difficult. I've never seen so many beautiful bad actresses in my life." Now I can agree that both Michelle Lintel and Joan Severance are gorgeous women in playing Black Scorpion but the way he's trying to find a beautiful woman that had great figure confused because you can seriously look for an actress that has beauty and great figure I mean look at Michelle Pfeiffer as Catwoman from Batman Returns or even now with Scarlett Johansson as Black Widow in the MCU films, again there is like three billion women on planet Earth that we all live on three billion, and your telling me it’s hard to find a good actress that's beautiful with good figure? I know, I know I'm asking way too many questions furthermore I'm not questioning Corman's choices in both Joan Severance and Michelle Lintel but when I saw his quote's, just so many questions where just popping through my skull that I need to say, huh? Now look if you've never watched the Batman TV series than I take it this wouldn't be a movie for you but deep down I truly believe that everyone needs to see this mesmerizingly bad film. It’s a really, really, good train wreck and you can find this movie on YouTube moreover you don't have to pay anything so the way I see it that's a win, win deal.

  

Death Race 2000

 

                                Before, the Fast and the Furious became the fast cars and beautiful women genre, there was Death Race 2000. And no, before you say anything dumb and ridiculous, we are absolutely not talking about the Paul W.S. Anderson Death Race. We are officially talking about the 1975 version, the one Roger Corman wanted to develop, while foreseeing the success of RollerBall. Starred David Carradine in the lead role, for which was originally was offered to Peter Fonda but was unavailable. And Sylvester Stallone, who I believe was the turning point of his career because he went on to create the famous movie boxer Rocky. Although I've heard about the movie but never had the chance to see it personally, I got to admit this was really fun/exciting to watch and I know I seem crazy, but I would highly recommend this to anyone whose big on action and science fiction films, mainly by reason of, it’s one of those low budget films that the director Paul Bartel really made it work. Just like filmmakers the late George Romero including the original Night of the Living Dead, George Miller with the first Mad Max film and Robert Rodriguez alongside El Mariachi. So, without further ado let's talk about Death Race 2000.

                                 Set in the year 2000, the United States government is reconstructed into a totalitarian regime after the economic ruin of 79. Each year a cross country road race occurs when five racers, race to be respected among the world, although on catch in order to win running over countless civilians earns them points and whoever makes it to the finish line wins. Though a group of resistance fighters are wanting to put a stop the monstrous sport. But what everyone doesn't know is that the champion Frankenstein (David Carradine) has some plans of his own, unfortunately his rival Machine Gun Joe (Sylvester Stallone) wants to destroy him. For which the question remains who will make it to the finish line alive?

                                 Now call me crazy all you like, but this was one of the most exciting and well-crafted action movies along with Mad Max. Moreover I know everyone will back me up on this but this is a way better storyline than the Hunger Games books series and movies, and I'll happily explain that firstly, they’re both set in a post-apocalyptical world like regime, where the government performs gladiatorial games furthermore sacrifices their own citizens (in short like Ancient Rome or Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union). But what really really makes Death Race 2000 better than the Hunger Games series is that director Paul Bartel and Corman at least end the story with just one film unlike the Hunger Games where they try to squeeze four movies to make more money for which is monstrous moreover inhuman. And sure I can agree in terms of the costumes they use through the course of the film like using Nazi symbols or David Carradine dressing up like some strange gimp, but really this was the budget they had to work with, I mean come on this was before Star Wars put science fiction on the map, so really you can't just say the movie has bizarre and yet strange themes because really it just determines on how much they can use furthermore to work with into putting the story of a regime-like evil, on screen. In my view point on what makes this movie works is that car sequences, because those are full on, real action cars going in dangerous speeds that even I would be terrified for the stuntmen going at that speed, but yet with so little on budget I got to say they really pulled it off when it comes to just using a certain amount of cars for the entire movie and yet pick the right moment to destroy them, furthermore these are real people using real cars going in a dangerous speed, not using any CGI effects that don't look cartoonish so you have to give props for movies like this. I won't say that this movie is better than Ford v. Ferrari and really I don't think any racing movie will ever top Ford v. Ferrari but I will make exceptions that the film itself is better than Ron Howard's Rush in 2013, so really in my top three racing movies it would defiantly be Ford v. Ferrari, Death Race 2000 and Rush. So, if you’re looking for something new and different I would highly recommend Death Race 2000, its surprisingly fun, exciting you get to see David Carradine after the success of Kung Fu moreover a young Sylvester Stallone before he sits down to right the one true movie that rises him to the top of the world, so large this also have a better story line than the Hunger Games for many reasons they just started the movie with telling you who the good and evil is then they end it without any more sequels well, except for the remakes but those don't necessarily count. So, in truth if you are looking for a movie to watch in your spare time, I'd check out Death Race 2000 that is if you’re not a fan of action.

      

                                        

Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile

 

                         When you’re trying to watch one film a day, I guess the best way to do it, is play Eeny, Meany, Miny, Moe game and hopefully you've made a good choice. But with this film about the famous serial killer Ted Bundy, I would kind of in a sense be intrigued but when you realize that High School Musical star Zac Efron is playing Bundy then the intrigue level goes sideways to the point where it just fall flat when you see actors like Haley Joel Osment and Jim Parsons aka Sheldon Cooper in the movie, and I'm not going to lie I was really hoping that Sheldon was channeling is inner Sheldoness and arguing about Efron taking his spot. But will leave those joke in a little bit because I am officailly blown away when I did some Wikipedia searching and found out that Angela Sarafyan aka Clementine from Westworld. Hell, at first, I was like "WHAT ARE YOU KIDDING ME I HARDLY RECOGNIZED HER". But then the whole excitement faze just fades when I see Sheldon Cooper, Osments face and the one actress from the Mortal Instruments movie. So, let’s talk about if this Ted Bundy movie is a hit or a miss.

                          The Story, centers around a single mother Liz Kendall (Lily Collins) as she begins to date law student Ted Bundy (Zac Efron). But her world soon comes crashing down when she slowly begins to discover that Bundy may have committed some strong and monstrous crimes. Now that Bundy is in Jail trying to fight for his freedom does, he really tells the truth or is he trying to create more chaos wherever he goes.

                           I'm not going to lie Zac Efron's performance was okay but to be brutally honest I didn't see it as a game changing performance of a life time it was just a man who had a temper tantrum, who in his own bizarre mind is innocent. I mean sure you can show me real life footage of the real life Ted Bundy with the exact same thing Efron did, but to be honest I still don't see it as a great performance at all, part of the problem really in my eyes is that I have to at least see him commit these murders to actually believe in his craziness furthermore his insanity and yet they don't really show that, they just show a killer going to court through the course of the film moreover him escaping as well. So bottom line this was still a terrible performance out of Efron hell even Glenn Howerton (It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia) would have made a better Ted Bundy than Efron. The main problem I had with the film was the choice of actors in the film, and yes we've already addressed Efron as Bundy but we also have a list of actors like Haley Joel Osment and Jim Parsons, for which brings the problem of using type cast actors for which is really on the annoying side, furthermore if you’re making a movie that's on a serious side for about a hundred percent of the movie, make sure you have actors who can take this movie serious don't ever have actors you recognized from television or past films we remember growing up and really any person who thinks that Parsons can do drama is a serious idiot or have no brain at all, because while I was watching his scenes I was hoping Parsons and Efron were going to have an argument about Efron being in Parsons spot or having unnecessary debates on nerd culture. But no, we don't get that which is sad for me personally, now Osment well all I can say for that guy is that he at least tried his best and the man does need to pay the bills so I don't know he can get in out of jail free card. The way personally on how I would make this film better is that I would cast professional actors to play these characters so we as an audience can care about them moreover try to understand the motivation on why their struggling through the events of Bundy's trial. The other thing is at least focus more on Bundy's insanity and what makes him tick, also at least show him killing someone because deep down we all know he committed these crimes at least show them to the audiences so we can see what and why the man is a psychopath. So look if your wanting to find something different to watch on Netflix I wouldn't want to watch this, never in a million years and yes I'm sure that everyone will praise Efron’s performance, there was absolutely no praise I can give from his performance other than playing a grown man with a huge temper tantrum who doesn't even look scary at all.

        

The 39 Steps

 

                         

                       Decided for the first time to watch some of Alfred Hitchcock's earlier films and I got to say, that was by far one of the best decision's I've ever made in my life. Granted Hitchcock has made a dozen films starting around the silent film’s era to the golden age of sound films. Though some of his films, prior early-thirties films are on the hard to find list when it comes to DVD and Blu-Ray lists, mainly because those early films were made in England with the film company called Gaumont-British now keep in mind this was before he moved to Hollywood and became the legend we all know and loved. But if you want my honest opinion, I truly believe that everyone needs to see his early work, because he was truly amazing long before he made movies like Notorious, To Catch a Thief, Vertigo and Psycho. Furthermore, the 39 Steps is one of those grand films that everyone needs to see, even though this was hardly recognized to the entire world. Plus, Hitchcock was the first man to create the spy movie genre. So, with that in mind let's talk about the 39 Steps.

                       Richard Hannay (Richard Donat) gets more than he bargains for when a mysterious spy (Lucie Mannheim) comes to him for help, she explains about a mysterious the 39 Steps and how it could affect England. She is later murdered, now Hannay becomes a prime suspect in her murder and his force to flee the police across England and Scotland in order to clear his own name but with the whole United Kingdom chasing him can he be able to convince everyone the truth? Or will he be the next victims to be silenced.

                       Even though this film was made in the mid-thirties this film alone is incredible all of the angles Hitchcock made, all of the tricks he uses through the course of his film career they all started with The 39 Steps. Especially through the course of the story you really feel for the character moreover feel terrified of what happens to the character on whether he lives or doesn't make it in the end. So if you’re in a crave for the spy movie genre but are having a hard time finding something new than I would highly recommend this great flick, and let’s not forget this was young Alfred Hitchcock this was when he was using the ingenious way of getting up close to the character so you can feel is every emotion on screen furthermore this of all films is one of the simplest of stories that if your trying to get your first movie going or having a hard time getting your story together than this movie alone you need to check out mainly because the film almost looks like the it was just film on multiple sets somewhere in the London studio, now to be honest I doubt you'll be able to do that concept now when it comes to filmmaking but if you can keep something simple and just film it in some by near small town or village. Or buy out a city or a district you can defiantly make a movie like this happen. Robert Donat does an amazing job as the star of the film, he really does a fantastic work in making you feel how scared the protagonist is, in his struggles to hopefully clear his name from an organization that doesn't exist. Madeleine Carroll who plays the leading lady in the film does a great job as well playing in elegant and beautiful woman, furthermore standing out in the future for leading Hitchcock blondes as they're usually call in majority of Hitchcock's films. Although I do find it interesting that this film alone is the only one both Donat and Carroll are most famous for between these two greats they decided to stay in stage and Carroll decided to quit acting because of her sister that died, even though we will never know I guess the only answer is that there moments were we just have enough of the business. I would defiantly rank this in one of the top ten best Hitchcock films of all time and if you haven't seen any of the Master of Suspense's earlier works than I would highly recommend watching either on YouTube or Amazon Prime, furthermore don't be afraid to try something new, believe me you'll never know when you have a great sense of feeling whenever you watch a film like this. 

        

Black Scorpion TV series

 

                      Now I know what you’re thinking, that this show I'm recently watching but I can't stop thinking about looks like porn? Yes and no and here's why this show alone is basically porn but without the sex for which is a big difference. Nevertheless, this show is crème deli crème of shows that the whole world needs to see and needs to see it, RIGHT NOOOOOOOOOOW. Roger Corman most famous for bringing us Death Race 2000 for which I will talk about in futures to come but will leave it there. Now were going to be talking about this mesmerizing bad but I myself can't look away, this was in my opinion a show that pretty much set back feminist movement till 2017. Black Scorpion I remember fondly not literally just figuratively, and I swear on that believe me I had parents that would slap me from days to come if I watched this at a young age. But getting back to Black Scorpion when I was in my junior high years of watching nothing but Mystery Science Theater 3000 on the Sci-Fi Channel the commercial of Black Scorpion showed up constantly and being a young teen I thought she was hot and probably seen parts of it then that was it, the whole existence of the show just wiped from my memory, until I saw that this is on Amazon Prime, and after seeing at least seven episodes in, and I have come to terms that my generation of television was a complete and uttermost lie.

                      Basically, the show is the concept of Tim Burton's Batman with the 70's Wonder Woman. Darcy Walker is a Cop in Angel City while at night she becomes Black Scorpion a some-sort of Dominatrix that fights crime, for which majority of the villains that our females in skin tight outfits. And really that's all I can say in terms of the plot of the whole show.

                      So, listen, out of the dumbness of people around the world listen to me and listen like you've obviously have never listen to me before given the fact that majority of the world is dumb right now. This show needs to be seen, it needs to be seen by everyone, everyone who loves every Michael Bay movie, every Adam Sandler movie especially those who loved movies like Blade Runner 2049 or the new Star Wars Trilogy and especially those who loved Freddy Got Fingered. This show needs to be seen all over the world, and why do you all ask? Good question, because men like Roger Corman thought this would be great entertainment for some bizarre reason even the studio executives thought this show would be amazing to watch either that or I guess they must of been high while give the green light for the show to go forward. But then realized that this show was losing a lot of money or the producers were running out of cocaine and pot. However, the main reason as to why this show needs to be watched moreover rediscovered is because this show literally was wanting to be taken seriously a side from the fact that this was written and directed by male writers when a show like this should of been written by female writers. For which is the reason why the feminist movement was pushed back to 2017 because a lot of these female lead, action heroes were all written by dudes and that's a huge problem because we men always think of the fantasy woman and can't work at all because we men always think of women like Kate Upton or any other SI Swimsuit model we can find and part of the problem with that idea is they don't have a lot of acting chops. And don't get me wrong, Michelle Lintel was a gorgeous woman to look at but when it comes to watching her fight I could almost do a drinking game on the amount of high kicks she does but very little on punches I mean if she was on a Playstation 2 fighting game I guess that would work but when it comes to live television no that's not how it works. The other problem but turns into cheesiness/comedic is that all the women villain's a side from Black Scorpion are all-in skin-tight suits that it feels like it’s a porn shoot, hell even the dialogue exchange is very sexual as well, so that basically proves my point that this show is porn but without the sex. So listen in a world that's pretty much making us miserable and the news does nothing but give us DOOM news, I highly recommend watching this show and I know you'll find it hard to believe but this is a TV series that needs to be seen to believe, hell even I get some humor out of this myself when I watch it so if this series can give me some humor I'm pretty sure this will do quite well for you.

                      Also, here's a special article from LA Times you might like. https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2001-feb-20-ca-27546-story.html        

The Borgias

 

                   Loved the Godfather's one and two? Well I have a show that's kind of that same concept, during my quarentine I had to find a show I could at least binge on for the remainder of the two weeks, so ruckly The Borgias got my attention and holy crap my mind is somewhat blown in realizing how terrible human beings this family once was. Now for those who've never heard of the Borgias here is a short history about this notorious family. Rodrigo Borgia became the latest Pope during the Italian Renaissance, majority of the Italian families didn't except the Pope despite the fact that his family were originally from Spain, so like any other family would do The Pope along with his sons will do whatever it takes to stay in power which lead to three seasons of the show and unfortunately ended with in unfinished ending, but well get to that in a little while in the meantime let's talk about The Borgias.

                  After Pope Innocent VIII died, Rodrigo Borgia (Jeromy Irons) becomes the new Pope of Rome, regrettably not everyone in the Vatican including noble families of Italy approve of the newly elected Pope. Along with the help of Cesare (Francois Arnaud) and Lucrezia (Holly Grainger), The Borgia family will do whatever it takes to survive even at the cost of their own soul.

                  I know I'm probably repeating myself when I say this but the best way I compare this show is a 15th century version of the Godfather, though technically the way I heard it, was that the Borgias were an inspiration to Mario Puzo's The Godfather, although I would say the Borgias are bigger terrible people than the Corleone family. Now this show is intriguing even though it last for three seasons with no conclusive ending. But honestly if it has anything to do with history that I have never been told about furthermore can admit that I don't remember those history lessons or probably haven't paid attention for which is a better explanation. I'm going to watch this, moreover this really opened my eyes how notorious and how awful majority of the Vatican Cardinals and bishops were in the Renaissance time, and as a Catholic myself I was shocked to see that on the small screen. Now keep in mind when I tell you this that this show is available on Netflix but this isn't suitable for kids nor under the age of seventeen, now don't get me wrong I'm all for sex scenes but this show I feel is a bit way to comedic in some ways give you one great example the family has their youngest son married off and he's no older than a toddler but yet he gets married to Emmanuelle Chirqui who surprisingly makes a cameo in the first season and she's older enough to be a hot teacher whose married to her first grade student. And it isn't just that but there are numerous times where either Pope Alexander and Cesare don't think at all with their brains and they just let their balls do the thinking for them, and we all know that's never a good thing to do ever, mainly because through the course of the show it just backfires at them and I feel like, these people are so horrible they make the gang from It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia look like Saints. Now granted I will give Pope Alexander VI some credit because Rome wasn't a rich and infamous as people thought it was after the fall of the Roman Empire, and he at least realized that it needs to be as big and successful as ever, to where most of the Cardinals haven't seen. Jeromy Irons is one of those underappreciative actors that should at least give some credit in making this show plausible for the years this show was active, moreover does a great job playing a ruthless leader and a sort of humble father to these unknown actors, we call as his fictional children. So, if you’re a history buff like me and have nothing better to do because were still in a miserable year because our government or the world is run my brainless morons then I would defiantly take the time in watch this show.

 

                        

                       

November Recommendation: In Bruges

 

                            I know this isn't your usual Thanksgiving type movie to watch in the month of November. But since Thanksgiving is really a month about giving Thanks, I figured I'd make in exception. When I first saw the trailer to In Bruges twelve years ago I figured that this would be just two a-holes who are professional hitmen that are forced to hide out in a small town after a job went wrong, and they just get themselves in deep trouble and their employer decides to take care of them after they didn't get his call. But I was given a huge curveball when I finally watched the film and realize how insanely dark, but amazing at the same time. Also, I get to see Colin Farrell in one of his best performances of a lifetime. I also say the same with Brendan Gleeson too, up there with his performance in Gangs of New York, a side from the fact that the man has been in films that I didn't recognized at first but hey, that normal right? A side from its great comedic work and dialogue, the film itself gives you a nice theme of trying to get a second chance at life. Okay now getting to the point of way too much info so let's talk about why I select In Bruges as my November Recommendation.

                           After a job went horribly wrong, both Ray and Ken (Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson) are instructed to head to Bruges, Belgium so they can lay low for a while and give a chance to site see. Ken loves the place, but Ray hates the town as well, unfortunately Ray is haunted by the aftermath of the job and hates himself in what he has witnessed, and Ken begins to understand his pain. A side from the many beers and drugs the two men begin to have a life changing experience, that neither of them expects to have.

                           Now back to why I recommend this for the month of November, obviously since there's hardly any good movies about thanksgiving, but this movie I must give thanks to because in some way this film alone helped me mature, when it comes to movies and here's why. When I was a kid I was so at awed with Star Wars I figured that was one of those films I want to make in life and honestly Star Wars was one of those films, that got me into wanting to be a movie director because let’s face it nobody wants to be a movie critic for the rest of their lives. So, really In Bruges helped me realize that their other genres to venture into instead of the science fiction movies, action or western's and really, if you can make the dialogue interesting furthermore the story as well. So deep down these kinds of films are always good use when it comes to starting off your first film. Call me crazy all you want but this is really Colin Farrell's best movie performance period, I mean is comedic work and his agility to show such emotion on the screen is just pure enjoyment to watch on screen and thank the lord he won a Golden Globe for this performance alone. Brendan Gleeson also does amazing work as well playing sort of a great friend to Farrell's character but yet is annoyed to death by him moreover will do anything to help him, and really both Farrell and Gleeson have such great chemistry on screen, where at the first act of the film they both can't stand each other but at the end of the day they both really respect and admire one another in a way kind of like an Irish version of the odd couple, but much more hilarious. Martin McDonagh is a fantastic filmmaker and an extraordinary storyteller, and a lot of people don't know this but he actually started off as a playwright before he got in to film, and the ingenious fact is how he came up with In Bruges is that he took a trip Bruges, Belgium and through the course of the trip he actually had a love hate relationship with the place, and that's pretty much how the characters of Ray and Ken were born, so really he has a fantastic gift of seeing inspiration through life and trips around the world. So if you have a movie to be thankful for or a film that made you the way you are now I would highly recommend watching that film and to be thankful for because really movies that we love or cherish is really the things in life we should be thankful for, also if you haven't had the chance to watch In Bruges I would highly recommend watching this amazing film on any electronic device that has this film available on, because you'll highly enjoy it and it will defiantly give you a new glimpse on life.                

Mulholland Drive

 

                 

                           I've seen parts of David Lynch's Mulholland Drive a while back. Now I decided in my finest hour of boredom to rent this movie on Google because, well you know, what the hell, I guess. And of course, I've read constant articles about critics stating that is was one of the greatest films of the new millennium. So, going into watching this trippy mystery of a film I have kept in open mind about it, now that I have watched the movie from start to finish how does this film hold up for me? Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeehhhhhhhhh, I meeeeeeeeeeeeeeeaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaan it's okaaaaaaay, I guess? Now look if you’re going to take offense of what I'm going to say please, just take a minute and think to yourself when was the last time you've watched the film and if you say that it's been quite a while since you've seen it then take time to watch the movie itself and say to yourself if any of the subplots make any sense to you, or any of the strange characters that appear make any sense to you as well. Because when I watched for the first time (in quite a long time), the main plot I understand, but it was some of the subplots and the strange characters in the movie I was just "okay what does this have to do with the film and for the love of God what just happened? So, anyway let dive deep into Mulholland Drive and why I say this is not the greatest movie of all time.

                            A dark-haired woman (Laura Elena Harring) is left amnesiac after a car crash. She wanders the streets of Los Angeles in a daze before taking refuge in an apartment. There she is discovered by Betty (Naomi Watts), a wholesome Midwestern blonde who has come to the City of Angels seeking fame as an actress. Together, the two attempts to solve the mystery of Rita's identity. The story is set in a dream-like Los Angeles, spoilt neither by traffic jams nor smog.

                            Now I get the main story line of the whole movie is in a sense of a dream during the first act of the film, and that the synopsis of the film is basically the somewhat the whole idea of wanting to live the more glamourous live but never happens at all plus the jealousy and betrayal to go along with it as well. Both Naomi Watts and Laura Elena Harring are exceptional actress and this was their big brake furthermore I must praise them for doing scenes that required them to break out of their comfort zones. With all of that being said what truly bothers about the movie is the subplot's during the first act of the movie, now sorry not sorry when I say that the first act of the movie is basically a dream through the course of the film, but what bugs me about it is why does this film require a subplot of Justin Theroux's character being threaten by the mafia for not picking a girl they want for the movie, and why do we have these insane, strange like characters especially the creepy old couple that for some reason become little tiny people for some reason like your high on drugs or meth. And, all these questions just prove my point because there is hardly any construction at all with the synopsis to the whole film. Even the movie trailers just show you the first act of the movie because they don't want to reveal how insane furthermore dumb founded of the second act becomes. Alright, now I really have to do a stopping point because the more I talk about this movie the more I hate it all together, but to all those people out there who consider this train wreck of a film the greatest movie of the twenty-first century, I challenge you to re-watch this film because I sure as hell know you haven't seen this movie in quite a long time and want to hear if this makes sense to you because the whole structure of the film makes absolute no sense to me, and stand by my views in say the film itself is okay and praise Naomi Watts and Laura Elena Harring's performances were grand to see moreover give praise for their bravery, but I will never say that this film alone is the greatest film of the twenty-first century, not by a long shot. And sorry not sorry to all of those who are traumatized or saying I don't know what I'm talking about but for a movie that's two hours and thirty minutes long of strangeness that happens every corner with no explanation I can't except that especially when it's directed by a guy who’s a complete nut-job of a man, and so in closing if I had a choice between Interstellar and Mulholland Drive I would choose Interstellar in a heartbeat because that movie makes more sense than this madhouse of craziness.

        

October Recommendation: The Clovehitch Killer

 

                 

                         Since where in the month of Halloween season I thought I would recommend a scary movie of my own. And no, we're not going back to some of the classics nor some of the weird scary/sequel's you call scary I'm talking about movies that give you the chills and gives you nightmares just thinking about. Now reluctantly I had two movies I was thinking about recommending but since this great chilling movie hasn't been notices by anyone, I think it's about time to fix that and recommend this great chilling movie about a perfect family who’s maybe harvesting some dark secrets. And that film my friend is The Clovehitch Killer, though granted I had to re-watch to make sure this would be suitable for a Halloween movie month and I got to say I had chills throughout this entire movie, furthermore if you loved the making of a murderer series that's on Netflix than you will defiantly love this movie. Also the poster speaks for itself I mean if you’re not terrified to have a psychopathic killer coming into your house I don't know what does well for me it's renting a crappy motel room for the night and then realizing it maybe a guy with mommy issues but hey we all got to be terrified of something, though I assure you once you watch this film it will terrify you too.

                        Centered around a pitch perfect/religious family, Tyler (Charlie Plummer) begins to suspect that his Dad (Dylan McDermott) was responsible for the murders of 13 women and young girls, after finding some disturbing images of BDSM locked in his father’s storage room. With the help of a trusted friend Kassi (Madisen Beaty), they begin to take steps into seeing the truth of Tyler's Dad is truly the Clovehitch Killer. Though the question becomes clear, if the truth becomes light what will happen to Tyler's family? 

                        I always try to view the Horror movie genre as what scares us the most. For example I always viewed the Alien from the Alien movie franchise as the scariest movie monster mainly because the fact that there's a creature out in the universe that can harvest from any human and continue to infect in an entire planet, furthermore having a facehugger force some kind of disease inside of huge and that's how the Alien grows from within your body, I mean the fact that something can inflect a disease like that inside you that to me alone is scary. Last one Psycho, what scares me to this day is wanting to stay at a shitty motel then come to realize that there could possibly be killer with mommy issues, though granted I doubt there's any of that kind but staying at a crappy motel with that possible feeling see that would be terrifying. So, with this film if I found one of my family members was a psycho killer I would truly be terrified especially when I begin feel disturbed that it's actually true. And that's what this film does best is that it captures that horror of what happens when you find something, you’re not supposed to see furthermore how with that affect your family. Now, I honestly don't know a whole lot of Dylan McDermott moreover his career but I do know that he does a fantastic job playing this down to earth Dad, but carries some deep and disturbing secrets but continues to fool the audience into believing he's not the killer when in doubt he really is, and see that's probably another thing I love about the movie is that it just through us a Clayton Kershaw curveball out of know where in believing that main suspect is not the killer when he clearly is the killer especially when you leave him all by himself so I got to give props for that slit twist by the filmmakers and also McDermott's performance in deceiving the audience through the course of second act of the movie. Charlie Plummer does a great job as well playing the son who feels that his own father is the Clovehitch Killer but doesn't want to believe it at all, though with this superstition needs to tell someone but no one will listen to him nor want to believe him, and I personally love his portrayal of a young kid whose raise a true Christian but is terrified that his own father whom he looked up to his whole life, might be a deranged killer but is reluctantly seeking the help of a girl he doesn't know but begins to trust. I don't have a whole lot of gripes or performances I find unbelievable but I do have one in a sense and that's honestly the actor who played Plummer's friend I mean sure, I get it we in movies like this we have to have a character that's so religious he's either not been out of the house his whole life or refusing to come out of the closet and granted I kind of think it's funny when he shares a scene but then he gets to the point of annoying I kind of wish we at least see Plummer's character beat him on in one of the scenes furthermore I kind of wished that the fight would at least be Michael and Dwight fighting in the season two of the Office where at the end Michael forces to spit in Dwight's mouth, but I guess you can't always get what you want in life god forbid. Alright, I know every Horror junkie has their favorites where it's either a classic monster movie or a sick deranged person whose enjoys all of Eli Roth's movies or someone who loves all the bad horrible slasher movie sequels. But if you really love the horror movie genre where you want to be scared then I would highly recommend watching the Clovehitch Killer, because this will give you nightmare for years to come and you'll appreciate the film from start to finish. Moreover since where still living in this stupid year where the dumb morons are running the world you might as well treat yourself with a scary movie for Halloween and if you have kids just take them on a long trick or treating walk so they become sleepy and want to go home then you can watch this great horror movie. Problem solved ladies and gentlemen.

Marvel's Avengers

 

                       

                      Marvel fans are you missing the original five Avengers since they all parted ways from the Marvel Cinematic Universe? Well, have no fear because there back with their first ever video game. Now bear with me when I say this, mainly because you might have some ups and downs with the game itself believe me, I had those myself especially when I had to find a replacement for my PS4. Though the story itself doesn't follow solely on the Avengers it mostly follows Ms. Marvel as she becomes a fan girl to a superhero. And though I wouldn't pick her to be my main character to tell an Avengers story, but I like the villain origin story to Modok which is kind of nice but were going to have leave it there. Now let’s dive deep into the enjoyable gameplay of the Avengers and why I'd suggest you way till the game itself goes on clearance sale at your local store.

                      At a young age Ms. Marvel always admired the Avengers until their demise from a nuclear disaster that killed a lot of people though granted some of them inhuman powers. But with the rise of AIM led by Dr. George Tarleton who's also transforming into an inhuman has banned Superhero's. Now at a grown age Ms. Marvel stumbles upon a conspiracy and goes out to find the help of the missing Avengers. Although they have differences on what happened prior the disaster, but as always, they find a way to work together and stop the forces of evil.

                      Now granted I actually thought it was enjoyable to play all the Avengers and I always loved playing the Hulk in being able to smash things but I kind of think the missions and character selections are a bit okay at times, because you really have to upgrade every time you go to the next level and also I hate the fact that every time you die it's like you have to wait constantly on a load up map of the Avengers stance that you've seen a billion times, like okay I'm somehow force to watch this every time I die, now that's just mean in so many levels. Now I'm not say I didn't like Ms. Marvel because she was fun just like the Hulk I love the fact that I get to smash things but during the first act I just felt like she was so annoying at times and then you slowly get to see her as potential and to me that's really not a good way to start a character off especially when he/she is the main character of the storyline. Nolan North I got to give credit did a fantastic job playing Iron Man, and before I go any further Nolan North did the voice of one of my favorite video games of all time Uncharted, for which is also being made into a movie, so yeah I'm already sensing a great disturbance in the force for futures to come. Anyway, North does a great job providing the sarcastic humor Tony Stark has in the Marvel Universe. So, here's the thing if you’re looking for a superhero game to play right now I would highly suggest waiting till it goes to clearance sale because really the game itself is enjoyable to play but it’s a real slow burn when it comes to playing the story mode and not even the easy level can help saving this game and sure you can play all the great Marvel character but only for a short while and when you do you can only play them on one of the side missions for which is a huge bummer kill. Now I'm telling you this for the bottom of my heart just save your money for something better to play and trust me when a game like this turns bad when it comes to sales it eventually lower the price, but as of right now I would play much better superhero games like Injustice Spider-Man or the Batman Arkham Trilogy.

 

                  

Ghost of Tsushima

 

                      

                            I wasn't all big in terms of Samurai films, though I do love the movie the Last Samurai, but I'm talking about old school Japanese Samurai movies they made back in the sixties and seventies. Mainly is because I'm very slow when it comes to looking at the subtitles and then admiring the great imagery, sorry but I can't help the fact that I'm ADD. But with this epic game only on the PlayStation furthermore developed by Suckerpunch.  This one actually captured my imagination moreover really felt emerged into the world of 13th century Japan, so if you’re not a big fan of the old school Samurai films I would highly recommend playing this groundbreaking game, because let’s face it, this maybe a long year of the lunatics' so we might as well make the better of it when it comes to gaming especially with this one being an open world game.

                         Jin Sakai goes on in journey of self-discovery after witnessing the brutality and ruthlessness' the Mongolian Empire wages on the countries they conquer. Trained as a Samurai his whole life, Sakai begins to see that the shogun code won't be enough to save his people from the savagery the Mongols use. With the help of some unlikely allies he comes to trust, Jin begins to use tactics that can possibly help his people defeat the Mongol Army. But shunned by the Shogun code moreover is Uncle, Jin must decide whether to follow the Samurai way or become the Ghost of Tsushima.

                        Hands down, this is one of the greatest Samurai games ever developed from the gameplay to the look and feel of medieval Japan, the game itself makes you feel like you’re a true Samurai warrior. Furthermore, the fact that I could go through all parts of the island fighting Mongols with different styles of Samurai swordplay is amazing such as I can deflect arrows ignite my sword on fire shot an arrow at a bee hive so it can kill some Mongols then I'm sold for that in about 2 seconds. I love the fact that we dive deep in the psychology of a Samurai, sure we always view them as this indestructible warrior with no emotions but what happens if you've witness the monstrosity and brutality your enemy shows on the battlefield, and that's honestly what got me intrigued in wanting to play this game because of the concept of a lone Samurai realizing that the ways of the Shogun warrior isn't enough to stop the Mongolian Invasion and through the course of the game you can find some new and unique ways to stop your enemies, which as always is cool to accomplish. The other thing I found amazing about the game was that it was based on historical events, so I got to give the developers credit going into the history books and picking out time in the history to when this event happens, and personally I think that if you want to do a historical fiction game you should take a note in Ghost of Tsushima because let's be honest here Hollywood pretty much killed that hopes in making movies in Ancient times or Medieval times. I think the minor pet peeve I have about the game is that whenever I decide to put a mask on or any kind of helmet it suddenly disappears when it comes to the cut scenes, which to me is kind of pointless to even have a mask because then it just suddenly disappears for some reason. For which again, is just a minor gripe so nothing that serious, moreover I still love the open world genre when it comes to games but it's still a pain in the ass of once you finally beat the game you still have more land to cover which is uh, especially when you have to do a side quest in taking a bath for some reason and yet that's something I can't really wrap my head around but hey, thank God for the easy mode right? So, yes, I'm sure the PS5 is going to be on everyone's Christmas list but for those who can't afford to buy one I would highly recommend the Ghost of Tsushima, it's one of the greatest Samurai games ever and you'll defiantly get your money's worth with this game. Also, I'd rank this up there with God of War and Uncharted in the top three video games of all time that and, well I'll have to work on Assassin's Creed but for now those three are among my top three favorites.

 

Friday Night Lights-Season 1

 

                     

                      You know that feeling you have deep inside where you realized that you have just when down the rabbit hole of insanity in your life. Well, this is officially, the lowest point in my life, when it comes to watching TV shows. The show I'm referring to is Friday Night Lights. And sure, I would think that this would be in terms a long and slow show with some good acting behind Kyle Chandler and Connie Britton but really hearing the young supporting cast is like a nail on the chalkboard plus having to scream into a pillow. Though yes, I'll admit this, is what teenagers usually act like just dull and has self-esteem issues, but holy crap can we at least give these kids so sense of humor at least especially when the first season consist of twenty-two episodes, TWENTY-TWOOOOOOO EPISODES, DEAR GOD. I even had to look on Wikipedia to see what happens in the next seasons and I had to decide for myself to get rid of this show once I passed through the last few episodes of the season and to be truthfully honest I can't even fathom the sheer number of people out there that consider this an amazing show to watch, but hey, we've all been addicted to shows like the O.C. and Smallville so I can't honestly complain about that. Anyway, let's talk about this train wreck that everyone loves.                                                                          Coach Taylor (Kyle Chandler) is the newly appointed coach for the Dillion Panthers HS Football team, a side from the town being double religious with their Panthers football, tensions begin to bloom when his star Quarterback is paralyzed after a tackle he made, along with training a young quarterback Matt Saracen the whole season becomes a long journey of getting to know his own players along with having to share their own pressure of being perfect.                                                                                       Okay, so once I finished the first season, well to be truthful I had to skim through the last episodes because it was really making me feel depressed on life. Though during watching the final episodes I had to go on Wikipedia and see what happens in the last seasons and I was just thinking to myself that's it I got to stop and sober up because this is so bad I have get this out of my mind, so thankfully I've been clean and sober after erasing this show out of my watch history.  I have no doubt Friday Night Lights is a great read moreover planning to read in the near future, but part of the problem I have with the concept of how big High School football is in Texas is just beyond my grasp of seriousness, for example the movie Hoosier to me make sense a side from the fact that Indiana is really the Basketball state of America, but it was also set in the early 1950's so obviously it makes sense to me that all of the townspeople is super religious in their Hickory Basketball since there really nothing to cheer for well, maybe they had College Basketball but I doubt it. But when it comes to Friday Night Lights, you can't possibly tell me that your super religious on High School football when there's College Football going on or hopefully the Cowboys are on a winning season or Texans as well, I mean stuff like this I find hard to believe no one would be talking about College or Pro Football. The love triangle between the star quarterback, Minka Kelly and Taylor Kitsch is just unbearable, and I get it Kelly's character is at first a disillusioned girl who hopes to get married because she believes her boyfriend is going to be a star but doesn't go well, so she starts to hit on Kitsch's character and then a fraction emerges once the secret comes to light between Kelly and Kitsch. But then hey, all ends well with Scott Porter (the star quarterback) who’s now paralyzed during the show gets back with Kelly only to at that last part of the season cheating on her with another woman, which is like mother of providence this show would be better off if this was on the soap opera channel. Strangely I kind of like the character of Matt Saracen whose bit of a loner and has his own personal flaws, such as taking care of his grandma moreover being the man of the house while his father is in Iraq, but can we at least give him at least a personality, meaning I would rather have the character not be so consumed with peer pressure and at least stand up to Coach, because even when he tries to be the big man on campus or having a chat with coach it just makes me want to scream out loud for having to see that. So look I should probably keep going but the more I talk about this show the more I want to scream in a pillow, bottom line the show itself launched some notable actors like Kyle Chandler and Connie Britton, moreover Taylor Kitsch, Minka Kelly, Adrianne Palicki and most notably Jesse Plemons who played Kevin Weeks in Black Mass for which that's how I recognized him during the show. But to be brutally honest this is one of these shows that I can't even bare to keep going furthermore this show made me depressed to even watch again, so do yourselves a favor and just avoid this show because you yourself will be depressed once you finished the first season, so now that I finally got this out of my system I'm going to sober up and find something else to watch that doesn't consist of both football and soap opera combined.

 

      

                  

Nightcrawler

                 


                            

                                   Found another intriguing film noir, out of Netflix. I was familiar with this film out of Jake Gyllenhaal, a few years back but personally I didn't know what to make of it at that time. Now having seen it on streaming services I got to say this was a real fascinating look into the underbelly of capturing crime in the city that never sleeps, for local news stations and how desperate you need to be to survive while living LA. Furthermore, when you add those concepts together well you my friend got yourself a very interesting idea for a movie. Now I'm not say that all of Jake Gyllenhaal's movies are great I just look at some of his work as a bit on the meh side of things, but this one I must admit I'll at least make in exception. So, let's talk about this latest film noir epic.

                                  Petty thief Lou Bloom tries to make ends meet by scavenging whatever he can find in the streets of LA, but everything soon changes when he stumbles into a career of freelance photojournalists, guys who can get coverage of major crimes around the streets and sell them to the highest TV network in town. Unfortunately finding the good footage of a crime is a real fight to the finish when your living in Los Angeles. As competitors keep looming in on Bloom's action and getting the perfect crime footage is on the line, Bloom will do whatever it takes to stay on top of the game.

                                  Here's a few reason's as to why this film alone is considered a film noir, one you always have a anti-hero whether or not you like him or not he's not all goodie, goodie when it comes to the hero and Jake Gyllenhaal's character really is that anti-hero whose a bit of a nut-job but will do whatever it takes to survive and Gyllenhaal does a great job at that. The second film noir reason you got to at least have in shadowy places where crime is consumed everywhere you go moreover must at least be in night time for majority of the film. And since this film is set in LA where you have to be extremely careful otherwise you’re going to be dead or robbed no matter what the reason is, moreover writer/director Dan Gilroy (related to Tony Gilroy whose famous for the Bourne movies) does a tremendous job in embodying the darkness crime ridden alleys of LA. Lastly there's never any happy endings when it comes to film noir, moreover you better keep that in mind when you indulge yourself into the world of film noir because this film defiantly has one of those bad endings where you are in a severe state of shock.  So all and all, this was one of those good film noir's that I would recommend watching now is this film in my top ten of best film noir's, well to be truly honest no because Gyllenhaal is a good actor but I still have bad memoires of him in the Prince of Persia film where he tries to be a awesome action star but really is not, though he does a good job in this film I'll give him that and that's the truth. Now is this one of the best modern day film noir's well it's kind of hard to say because really the Coen brothers are the kings of film noir's with films like Fargo and Blood Simple and this film alone doesn't go up to par with those two movie greats, but if I can find more modern day film noirs so far for now this one does rank up in the top five best film noirs. So, if you’re looking for something to watch during this chaotic world/year we are living in, then I would defiantly check this film out.   

September Recommendation: Hoosiers

                                   I tried hard to not watch a sports movie because of how miserable of a year 2020 was. Well, my breaking point has reached to defcon 1. But luckily, I found this amazing basketball movie on YouTube for free, and to be honest it was worth seeing after quite some time, the film I'm referring to is Hoosiers staring Gene Hackman and Dennis Hopper. Honestly the first time I ever watched this film was on VHS, so technically my childhood years my Mom and Dad use to have these family home movies back in the day and I would constantly watch this film so many times, furthermore this film alone was a reason I wanted to play basketball although after a year of elementary school basketball I realized I don't have the skills to play basketball. But now going back to this well-crafted movie I got to say this was a pleasure to come back and re-watching this exceptional movie from start to finish. Though I must say that this film alone, I myself is suspecting that this, is truly the original basketball version to Friday Night Lights, a side from the fact that the story it was based on was basically Friday Night Lights before we've been exposed to the obsession's Texas Football.

                                 Norman Dale (Gene Hackman) moves to Hickory, Indiana to start a new life moreover escape a troubled past he left behind. Dale's old friend and principal offers him a job to become a head coach of the small-town basketball team where the towns citizen's consider basketball a way of life. Although, towns people don't think Dale's coaching ways are acceptable to their ways, the town and players begin to trust his tactics more in hopes of going all the way. With the help of an old has been drunk who's happened to be the father of one of the players, Dale begins to give the team and town confidence in hopes of going all the way to a State Championship.

                                 Now I'm a sports fan at heart, my father raised me to be a Nebraska Cornhuskers fan and a St. Louis Cardinals fan, though in return I got my Dad into loving the St. Louis Blues. And yet, there are some people out there in the world that really aren't a sports fan furthermore don't quite understand it. For which I truly understand, but the way I see sports no matter what it is I always see it as an escape from everyday life, you have a bad day or feel miserable every time you’re at work. But you have a sense of hope to go home and watch your favorite sport or listen to it on the radio and then you feel better and calm while waiting for the that sporting event. Furthermore, no matter how bad politics are affecting the game you love everyone is still watching no matter how different you are, plus your making friends outside of sports even if they have a different team, and that right there is what makes America great. Okay, so getting back to what I meant the comparison's to Friday Night Lights, in case you all decide to give me dirty looks, what I really mean to say is that Hoosiers is really the original Friday Night Lights before Friday Night Lights became the sensation we all know and love, meaning Indiana is in fact the basketball state of America and Texas we all know is the football state of America so that's my who scenario I see when it comes to Hoosiers. This was actually the first ever Gene Hackman movie I ever been introduced to and deep down I consider this one of his grandest performances even though I haven't seen a lot of his films but this one to me is one of his finest works because it's a great story about a man who did wrong in his life and tries to redeem himself by coaching a team that helps him give a new beginning, and truly I think that's the most simple story you can tell when it comes to a movie like this. Dennis Hopper does a great job playing the has been drunk who is seen potential in the eyes of Gene Hackman's character plus you see a redeeming side to Hopper's character in trying to make amends with his estrange son. So listen, if your reaching a breaking point with this year and believe me I'm at that point as well I would highly recommend this film and also just sit down and watch a sports film if you’re a fan of any sport or not because at the end of the day you'll at least feel better moreover get your mind off of everything that's happening in the miserable screwed up world we live in today.

    

Tenet

                          Now I have a confession to make I had to travel through time to my first viewing of Christopher Nolan's explosive new film because I was lost, but now that I was able to travel through time in order to pick up the elements I was lost on I have to say that Nolan his another hole in one with his latest science fiction film that blends both the spy genre with a unique twist of time travel. Starting Denzel’s new and ever so talented son John David Washington and I know this sounds crazy when you say this but a new and improved Robert Pattinson, and its true everyone that man has come back to the realm of reality and is now reborn into a new man. And to be honest after watching him in this great film, I'm now excited to watch Pattinson's version of Batman. Okay now let's talk about how every movie Chris Nolan makes is awesome.

                      There are some doors the open the right path and then there are some that don't. In which an unknown CIA agent (John David Washington) is tasked with finding an arms dealer (Kenneth Branagh) who has the way to communicate to the future and bringing back weapons that can invert through time. And yet, time is not the problem when preventing a World War III moreover getting out alive that's, the real problem.

                       Hand's down one of the best films of 2020 though granted there's really three including this great film that came out this year but if I had to make a list it would defiantly be up there in my top three best films of 2020. And yes, you can all look at me as a Christopher Nolan super-fan but let's be real here. Nolan is the only director out there that can come out with a movie that will be amazing and intriguing till the very end. And granted their times you feel lost in the story but that's why there always a second time to watch the movie even if the confusion appears to be small in the end. Furthermore, it's not just Chris Nolan's intriguing idea's that make him amazing but it’s his ability to make the stories fascinating and so when you look at it on screen your amazed of what just happens and what if this can happen in the real world. Moreover, the fact that he uses IMAX camera's really makes the movie amazing because once you take your seat in the theater you begin blown away with everything that's happening around you, and that the kind of experience I always want to have when it comes to an action/suspense film. Also Nolan is the only director out there that is able to push this film out long enough for a theatrical release into your local theater, now if you can't respect a man who cares about pushing his own film to a theater so you can enjoy it on the big screen you are hands down un-American. What also makes this film amazing is that 90% of the film was real, meaning majority of the sets are real, the fight sequences are real even the action sequences/stunts are real as well, and the other thing that makes Nolan's movies great to watch is the fact that he shoots majority of his films in real places and real sets not just some backstage lot in Hollywood with a green screen. He's willing to use, those handy IMAX cameras’ he's able to transport you to those worlds he creates and make you feel like your experiencing these dangerous situations the characters are enduring. I also loved some of the fight sequences mainly because with Nolan's ability to make the sequences real but adding a little visual effects spin to it is cool to see on screen. John David Washington does an amazing job in this film, and it’s not because his fathers are an iconic actor Denzel Washington, although he truly inherited a lot from him. But really when it comes to a dense and complicated movie like this, he truly does in amazing job playing a character that's shrouded in mystery. Robert Pattinson finally emerges out of the shadows of Twilight years and my god the man really shines through out this film and I'm really looking forward to his version of Batman. Now everyone is in talks about is this one of Nolan's greatest or mediocre films and to be honest it’s not really a fair way to describe that parse because when you look at all of Nolan's films, to me their mostly ranked best form 10 to 7 (10 being best 7 being good) now this film alone this was really fun and entertaining to watch from start to finish and personally up there with 1917 and The Invisible Man as one of top three best films of 2020, but there were moments I do have to admit were a little bit confusing at times, though these are minor confusion's because the story itself makes sense to me, just some of the aspects of time travel didn't make sense to me, mainly when you for some reason die but yet come back to life I wasn't quite sure of. But to be honest time travel through cinema has been confusing since Doctor Who debut in 1963. Now will I say were does it rank in Nolan's best I will say this film alone is up there in the top ten best but not so much in the top five best of Christopher Nolan's best. So listen I still consider Christopher Nolan as one of the best and influential filmmakers of this generation sure you can call me out on that but name me a director that always comes out with a movie that doesn't intrigue you or cares about releasing your own film in theaters so we as in audience can enjoy them through this monstrosity of 2020 than sitting at home watching them. So, look, if you have time on your hands and I'm sure you do, I would highly recommend spending your money on this film, and I promise you it will be worth spending. 

    

                   

Assassin's Creed: Origins

               

                    I know this game came out quite some time ago. But I'm already late on all the games I'm trying to play so, moreover I'm already running out of ideas on what to talk about since we're in this pandemic of madness. A side from finally finishing this game I must admit this was a great and fun game to play, for quite some time I wasn't sure if I was going to like this new revitalization to the Assassin's Creed games after Syndicate. And as a fan of the Assassin's Creed games this was hard to commit especially with the game play, although once you get a chance to play the game through you begin to realize and respect the aspects of the game and most importantly its story line. Also, you can't resist the fact that once you play the game it's literally like stepping in Ancient Egypt. So, if you haven't gotten a chance or bought the game and let the dust to settle in I would suggest resurrecting it from the game shelf and play it.

                    Bayek, a medjay for the Pharaoh of Egypt has a simple life, but his life is soon turned upside down when his own son is murdered right in front of him. Now Bayek goes on a never-ending quest to avenge the death of his son and to bring down the terror his Pharaoh brought upon Egypt. Along the way Bayek begins to see that not all people are true on what they say they are, now the former Medjay must decide whether to for leaders or fight for the very people he's sworn to protect.

                    I'm a sucker for open world games, though only if I can figure out the control panel with grace. But this game really does a great job in both exploring the Ancient times of Egypt furthermore fight like a well cunning warrior. And Ubisoft has always done a fantastic job when it comes exploring the fast world of places and cities in ancient history, and it’s so mesmerizing that even you just can't get enough of it until reality in your own mind says finish the game it's been close to three days and your still in act 1 already. Couple of gripes I have with the game is where ever you go in terms of side missions or main missions you have to upgrade your armor I mean its fine, I guess but you have to hunt for a ton of animals and use your upgrades on both of your arms plus your hidden blade than the main plates of your armor, it almost becomes ridiculous because I don't want to waste all of my time upgrading my armor when some of those guy that are trying to kill me still have more experience even if I find better tools, even those soldiers with the Skulls on top of them are a real pain because one strike and I'm dead, as well I guess that's what happens when you get old. I really like the fact that the story itself was set during the rise of Cleopatra and Julies Caesar and the fact that this is the one true story of how the Assassin's were born so I got to admit once you finish it you begin to see how the Assassin's were formed. I don't know if I consider this the best in the Assassin's Creed series but defiantly worth playing through it you love Assassin's Creed like I do, the I would pick this out of the mummy's tomb you call your game closet. 
                     
                   

The Last Dance

                       I know I'm way late in terms of reviewing this grand documentary but to be honest I don't necessarily like people talking about certain documentaries about a certain team that I grew up on loved as a kid also let’s not forget people talking about spoilers so in my defense all I can personally say is, SORRY NOT SORRY. Now that's taken care of, I can honestly say that this is hands down one of the greatest sports documentaries I've ever seen to date, which is weird because in a disastrous year like this at least they can release a well-crafted documentary like this one. I was born in the last month of 1986, so the one basketball player I grew up admiring was the one and only, the GREATEST BASKETBALL PLAYER OF ALL TIME, Michael Jordan and the 90's Chicago Bulls though sure people well have their honest opinions, though the problem is I didn't grew up with Magic Johnson or Larry Bird and no not Lebron James because he couldn't do the things Michael could do. So anyway, let’s talk about the greatest basketball team of all time.

                       Set after winning the 1997 NBA finals, the Bulls organization decide to make some changes with the players, furthermore replace Phil Jackson. Knowing that this maybe the last time they ever play together as a team Phil makes this 97-98 season their last dance in hopes of bringing back another championship. Along the way the series itself goes back in forth on how players like Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen and Dennis Rodman became to be.

                      Now I'll say this again, I've seen a lot of sports documentaries most notably the 30 for 30 films ESPN comes out with but this really shows the legend and deception moreover the emotion of what is The Last Dance. What even makes this series so amazing is they aren't afraid to show the drama and tension of what happen behind the basketball court, furthermore shows the true antagonist of Jerry Krause, bringing down the Bulls dynasty and I'm just laying my two cents here but anyone who thinks organizations win championships should be kind in the nuts, though unfortunately the man died some time ago so tough luck I guess. But what makes this series truly amazing they show the true greatness of MJ's performance on the court and his drive to be the greatest of them all, now to all NBA fans now I would strongly suggest watching this because this series alone proves why Jordan is still the greatest of the all, and no it has nothing to do with him winning six titles but it was the man’s clutch, the ability of being able to do something magical at the last second of the game and make it happen. And most importantly his own sense of people believing he cannot do something but have the drive to prove those doubters wrong, and to me that's what makes him the greatest basketball player furthermore the only one to this date can never in a million years be matched with any modern-day player. But it's also not just MJ alone it the cast of characters that supported him throughout his entire career, meaning you had guys like Jordan's number two man Scottie Pippen, Horace Grant, furthermore one of the greatest defensive players ever Dennis Rodman, though let's guys like John Paxon and Steve Kerr who also played in important part in the Bulls Dynasty. Phil Jackson another example, I especially love the fact that they acquired his story on how he started out with the New York Knicks to coaching out in Central America, moreover convincing Michael to rely on his teammates more in order to conquer a championship. Now I have to stop myself mainly because I may and will go for a twenty page essay on how amazing and how big of in impact the 90's Bulls made on my childhood but for right now this amazing docu-series already out on Netflix so if you want relive the great memories of the outstanding 90's Chicago Bulls team I would highly recommend checking this out right now. 
                       
                           

August Recommendation: There will be Blood

         

                     When I first originally watched this film I was like, man the only thing that's entertaining is Daniel Day Lewis beating up Paul Dano, which is strange because all of Dano's he's getting to beat up by everyone. Now watching this film all to the end I think this is hands down one of the greatest movies of all time, well definitely in 100 greatest films of all time. But honestly what I like most about this movie its really one man’s journey of rising to the top of success and allowing the greed and ambition to control your soul. Obviously, this was Daniel Day Lewis second Oscar winning performance, but that man is just so magnificent in his performance there's really no way to describe it. But he's not the only best thing in this movie alone and will be sure to talk about that in my August Recommendation of There will be Blood.

                         Starting out as a silver prospector in the dawn of the 20th century Daniel Plainview (Daniel Day Lewis) strikes big with a silver investment and starts to get in the oil business. Around 1911, an unknown stranger comes to Plainview and tells him about in oil deposit that is seeping through a small California town called Little Boston. While investigating the land moreover planning to drill for oil Daniel comes to blows with a small-town preacher named Eli Sunday (Paul Dano) who suspects Plainviews motives and intentions. Even though through the course of Daniels journey towards madness, he intends to build enough wealth to block himself away from humanity forever.

                          Now after watching this, I will say that I fully, appreciate this great film. A lot of has to do with obviously the way it was directed and the performances throughout the movie. Now I'm just adding my two cent's on this so sue me if you want, but I started to see a deeper meaning throughout this entire movie mainly for its religious status, and it really centers around the two main characters Plainview and Eli Sunday where they both are both normal, well sort of normal people but both of them are so flawed in their own ways. But Plainview in his own ways excepts who he really is but Sunday on the other hand thinks of him as God's chosen one, but Plainview looks at him as just a worthless human it's so fascinating to even see them use their own beliefs to their own will. Paul Thomas Anderson does an exceptional job creating the environment of the movie, even more does and tremendous job using fire for lighting in some of the scenes now I'm a sucker for landscaping and he does a great job at that as well. Moreover any director who can direct Daniel Day Lewis in a movie deserves some bonus points because if you've never followed Daniel Day Lewis's films, he is a hardcore method actor that I would dare say be impossible to work with but so that I have to at least give Anderson some true bonus points in getting the best performance out of Lewis. Now I usually don't give a whole lot of complements for music per say, but the original score deserves some great phrase as well, because certain scenes throughout the entire movie is just nerve wrecking at times and you sometimes feel like you heart is about to pop out of your own body it's just that good, and I personally feel offended that Jonathan Greenwood didn't get an Oscar for his work in this film. And finally, last but not least Daniel Day Lewis and to be truthful there's really nothing to say about his performance, I mean my Lord the movie speaks for itself furthermore if you haven't seen movies like Gangs of New York then you are missing out my friend because this is one of the many few actors that can pull off a first rate performance. So, look the film has been on Netflix for quite some time so if you’re looking for something new and different I would highly recommend There will be Blood it’s a great and fantastic film from start to finish.