The Harder They Fall

 

                                       This is the second time in my life where I screamed at the TV and said F**K YOU, while watching a movie. Though granted this was by accident. The Harder They Fall is one of those films that has promise of greatness and looks to be intriguing when you watch the trailer and see Idris Elba's face on screen, moreover the Netflix main menu screen. But then you begin to see that this film is not what you think it is and you slowly see that it's not all promising and at times, boring. Now, I'm a huge Western's fan been one my whole life started off with the Great John Wayne classic’s and loved watching any modern-day Western's like 3:10 to Yuma and Django Unchained. But, with this film it seems like the director James Samuel aka The Bullitts has never seen a Western and if he had, he obviously doesn't know what the audience wants when it comes to making a Western movie.

                                       When an outlaw discovers his enemy is being released from prison, he reunites his gang to seek revenge.

                                        It's a real complicated thing to talk about when you’re making a genre that has been around for a long time and is very traditional. I guess what I'm trying to explain is when you make a western you must follow certain laws of what makes a western movie or show work, and one of those examples is to tell the harshness of what makes westerns work, the theme. Westerns often stress the harshness and isolation of the wilderness, and frequently set the action in an arid, desolate landscape. Western films generally have specific settings, such as isolated ranches, Native American villages or small frontier towns with a saloon. Now granted this film has all of these aspects when it comes to making a western story it has revenge story, it provides constant small towns with a saloon's and it has some real life outlaws for which I've never heard of for which I give compliments, but the thing that throws me off about the film is that it’s more of a talking western than it is a traditional western, and sure you can say Quentin Tarantino changed some laws of Western genre but he was a student to Western films he took constant notes on what makes them great. This film is an example of more talk and less action, will lose some of your audience. Though granted there is some action in the film but very few of it, and I didn't realize it until I finally got to the maybe second act (I couldn't tell in all truthfulness) and there was about forty minutes to go, then I started to feel bored with the movie. And it really wasn't just the length of the film, it was also more of the characters making not so smart decisions in situations in which you'd get caught or taken hostage, and that's one of the rare few times I began to question in the films potential. And sure there are some action sequences but there were times I can look at an action sequence and tell that its predictable and the final shootout was a clear example of predictable and this was Outlaw against Outlaw, there shouldn't been any honorable motives among another outlaw there really should be no mercy especially one scene were both gals unload their guns and duke it out, in all honesty I was kind of hoping they would out least just unload their gun on their challenger when they realized they just lost. Now, I'm sorry if I am spoiling details in the ending of the movie but this was one of those twists that threw me out of it, just like Batman: Gotham by Gaslight, where the twist ending seemed stupid on so many levels. So, in the final confrontation of the movie, you'd think there would be a quick draw duel between our protagonist and Idris Elba, but of course we didn't get that, no we just have Elba in a monologue talking about his past and his father, AND THEN he reveals that him and the protagonist of the movie ARE BROTHERS! Which I was like OH HELL NO, moreover screaming F**K YOU, and I'm sorry but it's one of those things I couldn't accept because for starters it was way too late in the movie to address they both had the same father also when you have a final confrontation between the good guy and bad guy you have to have a quick draw duel, that's just simple as that we have to root for the protagonist till the very end but really when it came to this movie I just lost interest in every one of the characters in the movie. I give James Samuel some credit at least he had some good ideas made a good soundtrack, but when it comes to directing and telling a story in the old west, you must have a lot of action sequences and story motives to follow your good guys till the very end, and most importantly "show, don't tell" that’s really one of the golden rules to follow when you’re making a movie like this. I can't say that this was the worst movie I've seen because in all honesty I've seen far worst movies than this, but I would consider this one of the most boring films I've seen, deep down this film has some interesting ideas I like the fact that they have in all-star African American cast but the story itself just falls flat on itself after the first twenty minutes of the movie till the very end.  

      

August Recommendation: Hangmen also Die!

 

                             Well ladies and gentlemen I've finally come back from a long and needed vacation, not just saying it was a well needed day off all the madness around the world, but it was most needed. Though as luck would have it, I've finally took some time in finding some contenders for my August Recommendation, it went down with a horror film about being all by yourself and a World War II film noir, set in Czechoslovakia. Though it was my mom and Dad that got me into this great film noir set in World War II Czech. My Mom through her parents’ history came from a Czech background, with a lot of memories growing up through the years including WWII. So, like every movie guy would do I decided to finally take the time and watch this surprisingly great movie, directed by Fritz Lang, who I need to investigate tells the story of a real-life assassination on a Nazi officer who was an architect on the Holocaust, for which goes to great lengths of one Nazi death but trying to save countless lives of Czech citizens in retaliation.

                            During the Nazi occupation of Czechoslovakia, insurgent Franticek Svoboda (Brian Donlevy) assassinates the brutal German leader Reinhard Heydrich (Hans Heinrich von Twardowski). Svoboda escapes with the aid of a History Professor Stephan Novotny (Walter Brennan), but Novotny is then captured, along with 400 other Czechs, through the machinations of Nazi sympathizer Emil Czaka (Gene Lockhart). The Czech prisoners are then told that if Svoboda does not surrender, they will be executed.

                            One of the many films that blends perfectly with both World War II genre of film and the darkest worlds of film noir. What makes this film amazing and cleverly drawn, is that there's no good guy in this whole movie though granted the Czech Resistance is the good guy but there using extreme measures in terms of keeping their resistance a secret, moreover Hangmen also Die is more of a survivalist story of fighting a Nazi Regime while hiding in the shadows. To give a little brief history of the film, the movie is loosely based on the assassination of Reinhard Heydrich who was a number two man in the SS, moreover, was the chief mastermind behind the Holocaust though in real life he was assassinated Czech Resistance fighters who parachuted from a British plane in Operation Anthropoid. What also gives this film credit is that it was made during the wake of Heydrich's death during World War II, moreover, is a hand full of movies that show Hollywood not being afraid during that era to tell stories that happened in WW II. Fritz Lang director of the film was born in Vienna, Austria-Hungary around 1890, and lived majority of his life in the waking horrors of what Germany did during most of his life. When he arrived in Hollywood, Lang had been involved in the creation of the Hollywood Anti-Nazi League, for which he made four Anti-Nazi themed films including Hangmen also Die! And with this film Lang does such a great job establishing the world of Occupied Czechoslovakia where there is no reasoning with the Nazi's and even if you go to them, they will make your lives worse than they can possibly make it, during that time. Furthermore, Lang does a good job in not holding back any of the punches when it comes to the Nazi's brutalities in the film moreover does a great job with the third act in a way, I don't want to spoil it for anyone, though all I can say now I'm glad to of watch on of the first of many Fritz Lang's work and now in the hunt for finding more films he's made. I don't want to spoil anymore details about this great film, but it's an amazing gripping tale about having to make huge sacrifices in order to fight a regime that almost seemed unbeatable, and I would highly recommend watching this great film to anyone who’s big in both film noir and World War II films.

 

July Recommendation: Dark City

 

                                   July is the third installment in what I like to call Awesome 90's Trilogy. While May consist of the true Action/Adventure (The Mask of Zorro) movie we've been missing deeply, June was the f**ked up but funny film that was ahead of its time (The Truman Show), July is the monthly recommendation where it blends film noir and phycological thriller aka Dark City, a movie that tells honestly to your face that your life was a lie and trippy aliens are your puppet masters who play with your strings all day long. People sometimes compare this Sci-Fi classic to The Matrix for which now re-watching this movie I don't really see the resemblance other than robots taking over the world and Aliens somehow taking a hand full of humans and using them as puppets but will have to leave that for another discussion. Anyway, this is another one of these films that continues my huge crush on Jennifer Connelly who if you weren't a 90's kid, that woman was the Rita Hayworth of beautiful women in the 90's. So, let's all sleep now and explore the twisted world of Dark City.

                                   John Murdoch (Rufus Sewell) awakens alone in a strange hotel to find that he was wanted for a series of brutal murders. The problem is that he can't remember whether he committed the murders or not. For one moment, he is convinced that he's gone completely mad. Murdoch seeks to unravel the twisted riddle of his identity. As he edges closer to solving the mystery, he stumbles upon a fiendish underworld controlled by a group of ominous beings collectively known as the Strangers.

                                   A lot of people always compare this film to The Matrix, for which I beg to differ mainly because The Matrix is mostly like a cyberpunk science fiction film where they're telling us how corporations are running are natural way of life, and the Agents or the robots are trying to keep everything in order of things. Dark City, I look at this great film as a look of the human mind, and what happens when you wake up to the horror that you’re a guinea pig for an alien experiment. And to be truthfully honest, Dark City has one of the best storylines than it does with the Matrix, for many reasons it starts off in the best way possible, the protagonist wakes up with no memory of what happened and is chased by a group of telekinetic race of Aliens who use this mysterious world as a way to experiment on humans and Rufus Sewell's character is trying to clear his name from a murder he knows is not true while understanding what world he's been living in. Now, how they came to kidnap the humans how they came in existence who knows, all you need to know is that it’s a film that has a simple concept that goes from point A to point B and Point C by the end of the frame. Moreover, the entire film explains itself all within 1 hour and 51 minutes for which really that's the perfect length of a movie you need to have in your movie furthermore if you can make statistics and what makes a perfect Science fiction film Star Wars and Dark City are among those categories. The other thing on what makes this film amazing is that it also incorporates a film noir feel to the film where there's is a hero in the film but the shadowy figures are these stranger like aliens that have a way of screwing with the humans mind though is also set in a dark like New York City that feels like it’s in the 1940's decade to it, and really all of the credit goes to writer/director Alex Proyas, who made it clear in an article talking about the concept of the film "One of the things that we're exploring in this film, is what it is that makes us who we are. And, when you strip an individual of his identity, is there some spark, some essence there that keeps them being human, gives them some sort of identity?" Even Proyas referenced film noirs from the 1940's and 1950's as an influence for the film, also adding science fiction along for the ride as well as to have an element of horror to unsettle the audience, for which I view as smart thinking on his part. The best way to describe Rufus Sewell's career is my first film I was introduced to him was Bless the Child where he played a villain in that movie and A Knight's Tale, we he as well played a bad guy also and let’s not forget the Illusionist basically a cheap imitation to the Prestige. So, in all fairness the first three films I've seen Sewell in were basically antagonist roles this is one of the few films I've actually seen him in where he plays a good guy, and he does a great job playing a man whose both confused and scared at the same time but is also in observer when he begins to understand where he is and is trying to search for answers as to what really happened to his life. In all honesty I don't know how many times I can talk about my crush on Jennifer Connelly because in all honesty, I'll give you at least two to three movies and that's basically shows off her Rita Hayworth side, and that's Dark City, The Rocketeer and for fun I'm going to throw in Top Gun: Maverick, but with this film she does such a great job using her looks to mesmerize the audience especially when she's first introduced singing Sway and she just knocks it out of the park but also doing a splendid job of playing the worried wife because as we all know you have to have that love connection with the protagonist and the lead female and both Rufus Sewell do a great job in this movie. I've always remembered Kiefer Sutherland always playing like the sort of tough guy in certain movies like I don't know maybe The Three Musketeers, add A Few Good Men and let's not forget his most notable TV role in 24, but with this movie he plays a man whose one both sides of the coin and is somewhat disabled but also explains to the protagonist and the audience of what is going on, though sure I do believe he was an excellent bad guy in Phone Booth, but he also does a great job playing the deranged mad scientist who is a guide of Dark City. I also should add one actor in the film, and that's the main antagonist aka Mr. Hand aka one of the Strangers that experiments on the humans, and that's actor Richard O'Brien who’s excellent of playing this creepy looking unknown alien, but what really makes him great to watch is that he really didn't need anything he just needed that fedora duster. But it's really in part of Alex Proyas who based the Strangers on Richard O'Brien himself when he first saw him on the Rocky Horror Picture Show, also quoted saying "I had Richard in mind physically when I wrote the character, because I had these strange, bald-looking men with an ethereal, androgynous quality". And when Proyas visited London to cast for the movie he met O'Brien and found him suitable for the role, so yeah talk about fate reaching out to an extended hand. Out of all the monthly movies I recommend this is one of those films that's a long-lost masterpiece and it truly needs to be seen furthermore to be appreciated again, so if you have the time to pick a movie to watch on a local movie night. Then I would highly recommend watching Dark City.

          

 

                  

The Northman

 

                                   If you know me as well as you've read my blog, I'm a sucker for some of these historical warrior clan type films from Gladiator to Kingdom of Heaven, and so this movie I felt intrigued to watch because it's a movie about Viking's and it has revenge in the mix so why not give this a chance. And to be fair I was expecting a bit on the predictability side to it, but once I started emerging myself into the Viking world it was a bit on the weird and don't know what to make of it but then realizing that this was something special and most importantly something I've never seen before. The Northman is a passion project that actor Alexander Skarsgard wanted to do, as he made it clear he always wanted to make a Viking movie, though as an actor he couldn't get the right story going so he brought in a writer director Robert Eggers to help him bring his passion project to life and along comes The Northman for which is a blend of both Viking lore and Shakespeare's Hamlet.

                                   Prince Amleth (Alexander Skarsgard) is on the verge of becoming a man when his father (Ethan Hawke) is brutally murdered by his uncle (Claes Bang), who kidnaps the boy's mother (Nicole Kidman). Two decades later, Amleth is now a Viking who raids Slavic villages. He soon meets a seeress who reminds him of his vow--save his mother, kill his uncle, avenge his father.

                                    Why haven’t you seen many great Viking stories over the years? In all truth, I think it's because they always viewed Vikings as mindless brutes who don't care anything but raid and slaughter many villages. For which yes, it's true but I believe there's a lot of intriguing stories to tell not just making Marvel films for Thor, and to be fair I was wanting to watch the TV show Vikings, though I have a good reason I'm very lazy when it comes to binge TV and sometimes, I need to turn my brain off sometimes. Okay, back to normal topic I heard some good things about the film and as always it seemed intriguing mainly because it has a great supporting cast in Nicole Kidman, Ethan Hawke and Anya Taylor-Joy and a sort of famous Icelandic singer Bjork who wore a swan for a dress (kind of like Lady Gaga before Lady Gaga). And so, watching the movie I must admit was something I'd never quite experience and there was something about this film that gave it both an epic feel to it and a more horrific feel as well, in all honesty I sometimes have the sense that Vikings took a lot of acid, but that's just my opinion. The best way to describe the greatness of this film is basically talking about both collaborators who brought the film to life Alexander Skarsgard aka brother to Pennywise aka Bill Skarsgard, and writer/director Robert Eggers. This is pretty much the first and only time I ever watch a film and could say that one particular star was the center piece of the whole movie and Mr. Skarsgard was really the fore front of making this movie for me, I mean he really did a great job embodying what a Viking should look like moreover show off his ability to question his fate and why he must do also doing a great job playing a Viking/Hamlet who's set for revenge. Robert Eggers who has made past films, such as The Witch and The Lighthouse both films that seem pay a lot of tribute to their folklore when it comes to his films, and granted I haven't seen his past work so this was the first time I actually sat down and watched the Northman from beginning to end, and really the way he was able to blend Norse Mythology to a epic revenge film, it brought a lot of what I like to call twisted excitement to the film with both scared and intrigued when it came to watching the film, furthermore both Skarsgard and Eggers do a great job in bringing this Hamlet like story to life. Now I'm not sure now I want to watch Eggers past work because in fairness I don't want the excitement of this movie be a buzz kill to watching the past work. Now, I'll say again I'm a sucker for these kind of epic warrior films and, there was something about this film that brought a lot of fun/excitement with scariness to go along as well, so if you’re into Shakespeare and Norse Mythology I would highly recommend watching The Northman. 

  

                                           

The Boys

 

                         Just finished wrapping up my viewing of The Boys, season 3. Although feel a little bit sad I feel the time is now that I go ahead and talk about what I like to call, is the G.O.A.T of all things Superhero TV shows. The Boys is what I like to call a breath of fresh air sometimes, it's really one of those shows where you just feel sick and tired of the same thing from the MCU, feeling more frustrated of how Warner Bros. is not making a great Superman movie nor getting their s**t together. Well, The Boys is that show were it just brings out so much dark comedy that you want with a lot and well boat loads of WTF moments that makes Ridley Scott wave the white flag and say enough is enough. So, hope you had a nice meal and finished your session with your therapist, let’s talk about The Boys.

                       Superheroes are often popular celebrities, as influential as politicians, and sometimes even as revered as gods. But that's when they're using their powers for good. What happens when the heroes go rogue and start abusing their powers? When it's the powerless against the super powerful, the Boys head out on a heroic quest to expose the truth about the Seven and Vought, the multibillion-dollar conglomerate that manages the superheroes and covers up their dirty secrets. 

                        On a quick note, the series is based on an actual comic co-created by Garth Enns (who written a great Punisher series, as well as created The Preacher comic) and Darick Robertson, now how they were able to convince publisher's to bring this great masterpiece to life, who knows all I can say is I read a good chunk of the series and it's great a read while it's amazing to watch on Amazon Prime. To be honest we as a generation always have that one piece of comic that really exploits the era or decade, we're living in the 80's they had Batman: The Dark Knight Returns and the Killing Joke as well as Watchmen and 90's there was Batman: Knightfall and the Death of Superman and well the 2000's we have this great piece of work, and sure enough the show finally gets developed. Although yeah Dark Knight Returns and Watchmen are great literature but really the difference, is that this is more of a corporate consuming along with the Superheroes having more of an egotistical problem who really don't care about the people they save just caring about the public image they sell. And really, that's what makes both the comic and TV show so fascinating to endure because this is exactly what you really want to have when it comes to watching Superheroes as well as reading the comic because we now live in a world where corporations are now the big man on campus, and they really control the government. Okay, so now let's get on with the Show, in all honesty I really don't know how I decided to sit down and first watch the show, I think it was one of those things where me and my brother and I think my brother said that Karl Urban aka Pathfinder is staring in this bizarre superhero show and that was enough to sell me in terms of pitching a show for me to binge watch. I don't think we can talk about the greatness of the show without talking about Karl Urban and Anthony Starr who really are the main protagonist and antagonist of the show and the co-stars that help them become what they are. They’re a lot of films I recognize Karl Urban and in truth he's always played the co-star to every film moreover was just the side character, this is defiantly the first TV show where he's the star of the show where he shines and hogs the spotlight and tells his co-stars to piss off, because no matter if he's in the scene or not in the scene he still is awesome as Billy Butcher and to be honest if it were me I'd give him an award for scene stealing. Though yeah, I would rank him as an Anti-Hero, but he does such a great job playing an a**hole who you'd want to punch in the face but then shows sensitive side when you get to know his back story, and Urban does a great job in playing both sides of an a**hole then a caring a**hole. While Karl Urban's character is the a**hole that you want to have on your side, Anthony Starr who plays the Evil Superman aka Homelander does a fantastic job playing this egotistical psychopathic villain that is just so disgustingly evil that you can't even bare to look at him because of how many skeletons he has in his closet, but then is kind of funny when shows his insecurities as well. And both actors both do a great job playing off each other though Starr really doesn't need anyone to help him be a monster to be honest, just Urban's allies are the ones who help him be the man he needs. Jack Quaid aka Dennis Quaid's son, who is kind of the real protagonist of the show because he's in a sense the first person you meet to go on this journey of madness, and really what makes his character great is that at first, he all for this revenge fueled rampage but then meets this one woman, who gives him hope while she is helped by Quaid to feel strong and secure. And really both Quaid and Erin Moriarty who plays Starlight (the sort of Super Girl inspired character) does a great job playing the love couple we all want to end up in the end of the show though we're not sure through the course of the show. Okay, I'm officially going to end this once and for all because I don't want to spoil anything, full disclosure I would review each of the seasons as I did with my review of The Mandalorian, though I'm not sure I want to for many reasons I might need to see a therapist if I go back and re-watch the season so until I the seasons over I might binge it again. But hands down this is one of the G.O.A.T’s of all Superhero shows second is basically a tie with Daredevil and The Punisher, so in all honesty this is a show if you’re tired of watching MCU and DC films this is a show that will make you feel so refreshed by the end of the viewing.

     

                               

L.A. Wars

 

                                   This is probably one of the first and maybe the last times I ever have the thought of watching a movie that YouTube sensation Red Letter Media reviews, though granted when I saw that this film was on TUBI, aka cheap imitation to Netflix streaming service. I thought, oh cool this might be worth something to watch, well yes at first but then I slowly realize it’s also a little bit of no, towards this B-Movie action flick. L.A. Wars is, I guess a mix of every gangster movie with a little bit of both Beverly Hills Cop and Lethal Weapon, for which I can see Hollywood looking through this script and then just saying to the writers and filmmakers sure you can make this film for a cheap sum of money for finance, because even the producers who were reading this script obviously knew that this was on the crap scale.

                                   Raul Guzman, a small-time drug dealer, starts a gang war in Los Angeles when he takes on Giovani, the most powerful Mob boss in the city. Former police decide to intervene in the escalating conflict.

                                    In most B-movies there somewhat fascinating, in a strange way. For many reasons I guess when it comes to Hollywood their obviously looking for like the trend movie like first there was The Godfather in the seventy's then it was Scarface in the early eighty's then we had the cop films like Lethal Weapon and Beverly Hills Cop then producers of whoever financed it because I'm confident it wasn't a major Hollywood Studio so it's obviously maybe independent or running out of money studio, then they all decided okay lets combine all four movies together set it in the worst part of L.A. and make a movie, for which in all honesty makes the most sense when you think about it. The other thing is when it comes to lame cheesy action movies is why are they using so much cardboard boxes? Because the last time I watched Mystery Science Theater 3000 they had a movie called Future War and they set an entire fight scene in a cardboard factory and watching this film it's kind of hilarious watching two kickboxers fighting while there's old cardboard boxes lying around which is funny, but I don't understand the purpose, maybe because its cheap to break? Though when you think about it, they couldn't afford any stunt men, nor any of the padding for protection so I guess in fairness they had to of used cardboard boxes to protect their actors, in the cheapest way possible. With all of the B-movie cliché's that make this film funny, what makes this film unbearable to watch is the lead actor whose name is Vince Murdocco, whom I think is one of the worst actors to ever play a hero type character for many reasons he plays a cop that literally sucks at his job because he prefers killing the bad guys rather than solving actual crimes now if he was a soldier that suffered PTSD, I can get by that but him making inexcusable reasons as to why he slaughter so many bad guys is just so madding to even watch, that full disclosure I had to finish this film within two days which him being the star of the film was just way too hard to even see because I was screaming to shut him up. After watching this decent bad movie I've learned a valuable lesson, leave it to the professionals who insist on watching bad movies for a living like Red Letter Media and Mystery Science Theater 3000. Now as a movie itself, we’ll all I can say is, that's it's on TUBI and the service is free so if you feel adventurous and want to take a step on the wild side and see how accurate Los Angeles is in terms of a crummy s**ty city it still is to this day, have fun and go crazy folks but if you find Vince Murdocco's performance unbearable to watch I totally understand.  

  

                                      

Once Upon a Time in Hollywood

 

                                    There are times when you have a bad day or hear some bad news going on in the world there's really and only one man that can come in and save the day for you. That man is Quentin Tarantino, well unfortunately he doesn't come as an individual person, but his movies in general is what saves the day for any individual whose down and depressed about their jobs or lifestyle. And his 9th film is without a doubt a movie that will give you hope and joy as you cease the next day. Once Upon a Time in Hollywood is a film that in a sense yes is about three hours long but is worth every minute and more importantly Mr. Tarantino goes back in time to alter time where the Mansion Cult finally get their comeuppances. Staring Leo DiCaprio and Brad Pitt in one of the finest performances of a lifetime which is why he won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor. Now having watched this I will defiantly need to have my dad watch this great movie because he's a big fan of Inglorious Bastards. 

                                    Actor Rick Dalton (Leonardo DiCaprio) gained fame and fortune by staring in 1950's Television Westerns but is now struggling to find meaningful work in a Hollywood that he doesn't recognize anymore. He spends most of his time drinking and palling around with Cliff Booth (Brad Pitt), his easygoing best friend and longtime stunt double. Rick also happens to live next door to Roman Polanski and Sharon Tate (Margot Robbie) -- the filmmaker and budding actress whose futures will forever be altered by members of the Manson Family.

                                    I think the last time I watched this great movie, was probably when the film was released despite the theater, I was going just suffered a bizarre flooding and it also smelled bad at times. In all honesty the movie itself, is a bit of Tarantino repeating himself from the toe fetish, narration and let’s not forget the panning of a beautiful woman oh, I almost forgot altering the timeline of historical events. Though in fairness the film itself comprehends itself was some great moments along with some great storytelling as well, and for a close three-hour long film yeah it takes a long time to make the slow turns but then it gets into high gear during midst of the second and final act of the film. The movie does blend a great story with historical events that happened, but with a blend of poetic justice, and that's where we go ahead and talk about the Manson Family's involvement in the movie because when I first saw the previews of the film of course I was on board to seeing the movie but I had no clue about the murders Charles Manson's followers have done in the year of 1969 for which cause the loss of Sharon Tate whose in the movie, now at that time learning about that I wasn't sure if this was going to be good or not I did have my suspicions now questions about that but when I heard that Sharon Tate's sister loved the movie I was like okay so, its fine to witness at least as long as the sister to the late Sharon Tate loved it. For which leads to all the way back to when I was sitting in the movie theater and realize now I understand why she loved the movie, it was basic poetic justice in the murderers to Sharon Tate getting their comeuppance. Which I'll admit, when I first saw the movie I honestly didn't know what to think of it at first because this was again repeating Inglorious Bastards, but then when I watched it now I suddenly had a change of heart because in fairness what the Manson Cult did was unforgivable so, I think it's time that we had a movie where they suffered the worst possible death by a bunch of awesome actors like Pitt and DiCaprio. Quentin actually does a fantastic job with the story in blending both the times changing with poetic justice, moreover what the story really focuses on is both men who've had high success in Hollywood but soon gets a crash course of reality when the Hollywood soon begins to change and even the don't recognize it anymore, in addition I believe we all can relate to that concept even if you don't live in Hollywood, because I watch movies all the time moreover was born in a time when movies were fun to watch, as well as movie that come out now I find at times unwatchable for many reasons their the same thing and are nothing new, so yeah I wouldn't say I understand it from a filmmaker or actor's perspective but can relate to it in a different angle. If I had to pick an actor who really was the best part of the whole was no question Brad Pitt, I mean that whole character that he created along with Quentin Tarantino was just pure awesome especially in one of the scenes where I was fearing for my life because almost thought he was going to die but was okay in the end though he punches a hippie, for which you can't beat that. I will say for a guy in his mid-fifties I have to say he does a great job making himself look good shirtless, I mean watching him on screen I almost forgot that this man is on the brink of oldness though to be fair that's not stopping this guy. Margot Robbie does a great job playing the late Sharon Tate, although despite very little of screen time she as I will always dig her sixties dancing. I think if there is any life lessons Quentin Tarantino has ever taught me not to do when it comes to his movies, it's always never pick up any hippie chicks and Margaret Qualley's performance as one of the Manson girls just gave me enough evidence to just say no, though not to judge but I mean when you pick up a hippie chick that hasn't showered for days moreover have armpit hair maybe haven't brushed their teeth, then I'm just going to hit the gas pedal and drive as fast as I can, because the answer to life is always say no to drugs. Even though the film is three hours long with some stuff they could have cut out, I can still say that the film is always a great one to put on and watch from start to finish, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood is defiantly one of those films, I would rank in the top ten of movies that can put you in a good mood.

       

The Queen's Gambit

 

                           One of the very few times other than the Witcher I binge on Netflix, and strangely enough this was the first time I watch a show where chess is exciting for once. In all fairness I wasn't really paying attention much to upcoming shows other than The Boys and Witcher, for understandable reasons Pandemic was kicking my ass and I was in thoughts of becoming Thanos, if you take by meaning. The Queen's Gambit, is what I like to call a, well in all honesty it’s a coming of age story but I guess when you think about it more like a coming of age story with some interest mainly because a lot of what the chess sequences is the fascinating part the other part I have to say is a bit on the meh side but I have to say is a decent quality Netflix series, staring the ever beautiful Anya Taylor-Joy and Moses Ingram who was one of the baddies in the Obi-Wan TV series, and lots of other unknowns. 

                           Set during the Cold War era, orphaned chess prodigy Beth Harmon (Anya Taylor-Joy) struggles with addiction in a quest to become the greatest chess player in the world.

                            You know the term Sex, Drugs and Rock & Roll? Well, I honestly never thought they can upgrade chess with sex and drugs until I watched this show. In terms of acting wise there's really not a whole lot to say when it comes to Anya Taylor-Joy, and what she does very well is show this woman from a young age learning all the values of life, first as a young girl she seems confused then finds a purpose in life when she first discovers chess but then she begins to realize what a gift she has in terms of finding her opponents weakness, then through the course of her teenage/adult life she begins not make some of the best choices in life but hey neither did Darryl Strawberry but he the guy at least found his calling in the Catholic faith. Moreover, overusing so much alcohol and pills for which again this rest my case about a chess player bringing sex and drugs to world of chess, I'm kind of curious now is any other chess players use booze and drugs to get ready for a chess match. Furthermore Anya Taylor-Joy does such a great job throughout the show being a bit of a shy girl to a confident and sexy woman through the course of the show and she really does such a great job at that, the other actor I will say does a great job in the show as well is Bill Camp who plays the mentor who guides Beth into the world of Chess, and granted he has only two episodes of spotlight, he does a great job all the way through. If there was anything negative I can say about the show is probably the awkward sex that happens during episodes five and six and well, also four I should include that with when she's experimenting with weed, but then she reconnects with some of the guys that she beats and they of course hook up, but as an audience member it just felt way to awkward and I mean Taylor-Joy is too attractive for some of those guys and to be honest she deserve much better just saying, but granted this is a TV show, but in all fairness the real interesting part of this show is the Chess sequences and her character for which they really should of focused more on that then all the dudes who got beat by her and years later they wanted to hook up with her, which is just way to awkward for me. Although all of it is saved during the last episode where she goes to Moscow and face off with the Russian's which to me, I was into the most. In all honesty all of the chess sequences and the character of Beth Harman are interesting and if they focused more of that than having these awkward sex scenes, aftermath I guess I would be interested with this show more or re-watch it again, but really the show itself felt real slow at times and really took me a long time to watch the whole mini-series, but I will admit it’s an interesting show to watch and you'll get some great moments but then I think I'm pretty much, better off not watching the show again unless I feel like wanting to watch it again.

  

                                   

                                    

Star Wars: Obi-Wan Kenobi

 

                       Finished another great Star Wars Show, and of course it was amazing mainly because there's no Kathleen Kennedy and J.J. Abrahams interfering nor screwing up the Star Wars universe, although I don't know who really oversaw bringing back Star Wars legends Ewan McGregor and Hayden Christensen, but I'm going to say that it was fellow Mandalorian director Deborah Chow. When I heard that they're doing a series of Obi-Wan Kenobi's time on Tatooine, there was no question I was on board for this, especially when Ewan McGregor and Hayden Christensen are reuniting from the Prequals Trilogy. Along with fellow alums like Joel Edgerton, Jimmie Smits and most importunely the voice of God himself James Earl Jones, this was a great Star Wars show that didn't let down from start to finish.

                       Set ten years after Revenge of the Sith, Obi-Wan Kenobi (Ewan McGregor) is in hiding on Tatooine resuming his duties though cutting himself out of the Force to avoid detection. But Darth Vader (Hayden Christensen) along with fellow Inquisitors (Moses Ingram) are hunting remaining Jedi, unfortunately Obi-Wan is requested to help from in old friend, now two old friends from different sides of the force suddenly cross paths and the fate of the Galaxy will soon be decided.

                        As a Star Wars fan, I've always in a sense been intrigued about Obi-Wan's time on Tatooine was like during the rise of the Empire between the gaps of Episodes III and IV. And finally getting a glimpse of that is very fresh to see, though at first I'll admit it gets slow during the first two episodes of the series but once you get a glimpse of Darth Vader then things get really interesting and I look back during 2015, I remember fans making the comparing of both Vader and Kylo Ren, moreover being frustrated as well because some of the fans think Ren is better than Vader all because Vader doesn't really do anything. Now watching the series and witnessing how terrifying and scary Darth Vader really is I honestly want to round up all those fans and force them to apologize and if they don't force them to watch the Star Wars Holiday Special. I really liked Ewan McGregor's portrayal as Obi-Wan in this series because when we first see him, he appears like he's been broken down and given up on life until he seeks a purpose in a mission to save someone close to him he begins to get a more understanding of coming back into the light, and Christensen does a great job bringing out the best in McGregor's portrayal even better and the same goes with Moses Ingram who plays one of the Inquisitors whom you don't know what her motives are until the very end. I will say both James Earl Jones and Hayden Christensen do a fantastic job in bringing out the very best in Darth Vader, especially in the third episode of the series where it almost feels like it's a horror movie. I will say you do get a nice reunion-esh scene were both Ewan and Hayden are sparing, and it really doesn't feel like these two's ages really changed, in all honestly it really looks like the just walked back onto the set of Attack of the Clones. Now I would go on further, but I really don't want to spoil end detail, other than this was a great watch from start to finish, it’s a great reason why the Prequals are so awesome furthermore if you’re a Star Wars fan Disney + is for you, and now that I finished the Show, I now have the sudden urge to watch some of my past Star Wars video games. 

  

June Recommendation: The Truman Show

 

                        

                         

                                   My June recommendation is another example because the 90's decade was a better year for movies in general. I rediscover this great but overall dark humored film while attending Blues Legend Chris Pronger's Jersey Retirement Ceremony, and after the game when I went back to me and my brother's hotel this movie suddenly appeared, and I was just blown away by how unique but also horrified through the final moments of the movie. You may find this surprising, but The Truman Show was the first ever movie I was introduced to Jim Carrey, me and my brother did go to this movie in the theaters when it was out in theaters and although as a kid, I really didn't understand the whole movie at first, now after watching the movie I was completely amazed by the concept but is also horrified at the same time. For many reasons it's kind of like how would you feel if your whole life was a TV show without you knowing it and how would you react when you realized your whole life was a lie.

                                  He doesn't know it, but everything in Truman Burbank's (Jim Carrey) life is part of a massive TV set. Executive Producer Christof (Ed Harris) orchestrates "The Truman Show" a live broadcast of Truman's every move captured by hidden cameras. Christof tries to control Truman's mind, even removing his true love, Sylvia (Natasha McElhone), from the show replacing her with Meryl (Laura Linney). As Truman gradually discovers the truth, however, he must decide whether to act on it.

                                  Like when I was talking about Ghostbusters in my last review. The 80's and 90's during that era they were still making fresh and new movies moreover weren't afraid to take risk and I should add the 70's as well just to be safe because let’s be honest, they still had great films like The Godfather, Taxi Driver and Star Wars plus Alien. This movie alone is, I have to say is ahead of its time because this was basically a purpose to create a reality TV, now we have shown like The Bachelor, Jersey Shore and the Kardashians but try to imagine they don't even know they're on a TV set and how would that happen if they were trapped, and to think we owe all our thanks to the creators of the Truman Show and Jim Carrey. This is one of those films I will say kind of like Westworld, where you feel like this would definitely happen in futures to come, because I always view Westworld as like Disney now where they're going to build these live like worlds where you can finally be a princess for the first time and fall in love with prince charming, while the Truman Show, I definitely believe corporate television producers will be so deranged and feel like their Gods that they will most certainly do something like this. The direction of the film I have so many questions in terms of how they were able to make this so believable and Peter Weir does such a fantastic job in making a believable world that's a fantasy world but also a Television studio like world in the background and yet we don't even see the outside world when the viewers are watching the show, and Peter Weir is the same guy who made movies with Mel Gibson Gallipoli and Harrison Ford who of course did Witness together and surprisingly did The Mosquito Coast for which I do remember watching that movie growing up and yet don't understand why Ford was deranged when he should be the hero? Either way the man retired from Hollywood in 2010 when things got s**ty, so I may have to take a trip down memory lane and re-watch some of his movies. In terms of actors really what make this movie possible is both Jim Carrey and Ed Harris who really don't have full on-screen scene together kind of like Al Pacino and Robert De Niro in the Godfather Part II. I think of all films I've seen of Jim Carrey's entire career this is one of his best films ever, when it comes to dramatization of a movie roles. Moreover he was a perfect actor for this role because he does such a great job playing a character whose both tragic and so cartoony that you root for him throughout the entire movie and even when he's playing for laughs he's amazing since his insanity was still in check back in the late nineties and his ability to make the film so serious that even that was just beautiful acting, and this was the same guy who never got in Academy Award for which I think is the biggest rob when it comes to actors who should of been recognized for this movie as well, but let’s face it the Oscars can't even take themselves serious even today, and sure I haven't seen this for quite a long time but even I look at this as one of Jim Carrey's best films and if I was in charge of the Oscars I would of given Carrey his award for this great performance, though it's kind of too late now because the man clearly lost his mind, but in fairness all we can do now is remember the good times of Jim Carrey's past works. Now I would go ahead and talk about Ed Harris performance, but I realized that I need to squeeze in Laura Linney and Noah Emmerich because these two helped Jim Carrey realizing he's been living a lie, also show give some credit to Paul Giamatti for also bringing out the villain side of Harris's role. Both Linney and Emmerich do such a great job playing the loved ones in Carrey's life but slowly realize that they aren't what they believe to be from some of the bizarre advertisements and being fed lines that once you get to the second act you truly see the most horrifying dread and terror you see in Jim Carrey's performance even you as in audience member are just feeling so much emotions you want to look away but you can't all because you want to see how it goes in the end. And the two of them do such a great job in trying to make Carrey believe they were trustworthy but really are not in the final frame. Ed Harris who plays the God like creator of the show does such a great job playing a man whose both charming and deceiving, but with a calm state he's just great to watch when you finally see him in the final part of the second act, then you see the more Lucifer side to him that even his staff like Paul Giamatti try to define him during the climax of the film, that it’s scary to see. The Truman Show is one of those great underrated science fiction comedy/drama's that is well made and needs to be re-discovered to be cherished again and most importantly be understood as a triumph of the human spirit. And as luck would have it this film is on both HBO Max and Hulu, so if you're having a movie night this be one of your choices.

        

                                   

The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent

 

                                            Everybody it’s over, shut it down. SHUT IT ALL DOWN DO YOU HEAR ME, IT'S OVER ALL OF NICOLAS CAGES MOVIE'S ARE CRAP. Okay, just stop believing that he has made great work in the past because he hasn't it was nothing but pure unadulterated s**t.  For many reasons why I'm saying this, is because I have finally found his greatest performance of all time the GOAT performance of a lifetime, Nicolas Cage playing himself. I know right you’re asking yourself really, he's playing himself in a fictionalized film. Yes, and it’s one of his finest works in a long time, more many reasons no matter how crazy this man is, he at least has a sense of humor for which I can respect him for, along with him in this bizarre adventure is the Mandalorian himself Pedro Pascal and Tiffany Haddish whose, well I liked her in her appearance in Drunk History. 

                                           Unfulfilled and facing financial ruin, actor Nick Cage (Nicolas Cage) accepts a $1 million offer to attend a wealthy fan (Pedro Pascal) birthday party. Things take a wildly unexpected turn when a CIA operative recruits Cage for an unusual mission. Taking on the role of a lifetime, he soon finds himself channeling his most iconic and beloved characters to save himself and his loved ones.

                                           The setback I will issue on this movie is that you must really understand the mind of Nicolas Cage through his entire film career with movies like The Rock, Con Air maybe Captain Corelli's Mandolin? Also let’s not forget Face/off and Gone in Sixty Seconds, though maybe a few of his more popular films in order to get the joke behind Nicolas Cage, but let’s not forget this is the Cage man, he made a grand total of one hundred and nineteen films, ONE HUNDRED AND NINETEEN FILMS. For which is like he really doesn't understand the difference between work and life like one movie you’re just trying to get work, your most notable movie your finally gained respect and popularity, your one hundred and nineteenth film, a deranged nut job. But as I said before, I now have full respect for him because of his unexpected sense of humor, although he claims that it resembles very little of his real life offscreen personality (RIGHT?), furthermore Mr. Cage actually turned down the project three or four times until the writer-director Tom Gormican wrote him a personal letter, for which again I have to give Cage some great respect for because even I don't know how the director was able to convince him besides the letter. In terms of talking about how great this film is and how amazing it was there's not a whole lot to say, the movie speaks for itself moreover if your familiar with Cage's work and have seen some of his films then you'll love it or if you haven't seen his filmography then this wouldn't be your cup of tea. In short, I consider this of the greatest films I've seen moreover one of the best films of 2022, and now having watch this amazing film I honestly don't know if I can really watch any of Cages past movie's because in all honesty they’re not going to be as great as I've remembered after watching the Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent. I guess will have to find out soon.

    

Father's Day Recommendation: Ghostbusters

 

                                 It's Father's Day everybody, and usually there were times I'd have some last-minute timing when it comes to choosing but luckily this selection was a great refresher. Now to be fair most of the movies I pick, when it comes to Mother's Day and Father's Day are usually derived out of my Mom and Dad's favorite movies but this time I'm also including my brother who also has a son as well, but also including my Dad as well because really this was a movie that my Dad got my brother into and then my brother got me into loving this great movie. Although I wasn't in a sense young enough to watch the film (quote and quote), I have watched the sequel when I was a kid and was a huge fan of the cartoon, but with all its many sequels including Afterlife. Ghostbusters to me in the one true movie that still stands the test of time and still is a great movie refresher.

                                After three scientists (Harold Ramis, Bill Murray and Dan Aykroyd) lose their cushy positions at a university in New York City, they decide to go into business for themselves and become Ghostbusters for hire. They stumble upon a gateway to another dimension, a doorway that will release evil upon the city. The Ghostbusters must now save New York from complete destruction. 

                                Like Major League, Ghostbusters is one of those comedies where you can watch the movie anytime of the day and recite any line and it will still be funny to watch. The other thing in what makes this film amazing is that when you think of heroes you always think of them as Superman as complete indestructible, but when it comes to the Ghostbusters is that they are regular average working joe's who are making a living in the world, and in dire situations they have a not so sure way of how to save the world, almost in a sense of Indiana Jones but except the Ghostbuster's are in a sense the best looking unless your Bill Murray who thinks he's good looking. What also makes this film stand the test of time, is that it was part of a decade where everything was original and everyone wasn't afraid to try something new and different unlike today where everyone is re-doing everything, making more lame comedies and not stopping with the superhero genre. Although the other thing was that there were even more interesting facts that I still to this day didn't know about, for example director Ivan Reitman who gave us Ghostbusters 1 and 2 as well as other classics also produced the film Ghostbusters: Afterlife in which his son Jason Reitman directed the film, though recently passed away at the age of 75, although helped bring the late Harold Ramis to life on screen during the final climax of the movie. Dan Aykroyd who also wrote the script found inspiration for the film via looking through his family history, and as it turns out his great-grandfather was a 19th century psychic investigator, even Ivan Reitman and Harold Ramis stated that the films was set in a futuristic New York City where the Ghostbusters was already founded moreover were established all around the world. And sure, the film itself is very New York, but there were some of the scenes that were shot in different locations as well. Speaking of casting aside from Bill Murray not being the first choice, the character of Winston Zeddemore was first offered to Eddie Murphy instead of Ernie Hudson, for which now when you take the time to think about that fact I would of much preferred Ernie Hudson as Winston more than Eddie Murphy, even the lovable ghost we all come to know as Slimer started off as Onion Head during production crew of the two Ghostbusters films, though didn't get his full name by the creation of the cartoon series. Now with all its facts on how the film was made and most importantly its originality, it's one of the many great films that still stands the test of time furthermore inspired a generation of filmmakers like Ivan Reitman's son Jason Reitman who also made some great films of his own like Thank You for Smoking and Ghostbusters: Afterlife. So, if you ever get the time this month, I will highly recommend watching this amazing film with your dad or your kid, to inspire another generation of movie lovers. 

     

Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty

 

 

                         With the NBA Finals almost coming to an end (Sorry Celtics, but I'm predicting the Warriors are going to take Game 6, oh hold up Warriors won YEAH! SUCK ON THAT BOSTON) I figured that I should do a binge night and finally finish what I look at as the best Basketball show on TV. I've always said that Hoosiers was the greatest Basketball movie, but Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty is hands down the best and maybe the greatest Basketball show on TV. For many reasons, is that this centers on the beginning of the Lakers Dynasty, and they had one of the most interesting characters in the history of NBA Basketball players like yours truly Magic Johnson Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Norm Nixon along with rookie owner Dr. Jerry Buss, GM Jerry West and coaches Jack McKinney, Paul Westhead and Pat O'Reilly. And all these greats had their flaws, but they also brought Basketball to the fore front. And to me that's what makes this show interesting to watch.

                          A dramatic look at the glitz and glamour of 1980's Los Angeles and the rise of the NBA's Lakers, Dr. Jerry Buss (John C. Reilly) and Magic Johnson (Quincy Isaiah).

                         Granted if you're a Lakers fan or a Basketball fan you've probably heard of the Showtime Lakers of the 1980's dynasty from reading Jeff Pearlman's book ShowTime or watched the three-part documentary of the Celtics/Lakers rivalry on 30 for 30 (ESPN). Though there are some of us that have the time and place to sit down and read a book and when it comes to documentaries, they show you the history but they sometimes sugar coat the details. So, when it comes the HBO show I was intrigued mainly because they were going to finally show the dark side of 1980's Basketball and it wasn't just Dr. Buss and Johnson but there were a lot of characters on the Lakers team a side from Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. I've said it multiple times if you are going to do 80's NBA Basketball you really have to tell through the LA Lakers because compared to them and the 80's Boston Celtics, those would be just boring guys to follow because I strongly doubt there wasn't a whole lot of partying going on, especially when it comes to Celtic's legend Larry Bird. But with the Lakers you've got a lot of guys on that team that were a bunch of drug users and womanizers that just make you think how they can have the time and energy to even get through the day. Especially moments in the show where you have Magic and his soon to be future wife Cookie Johnson having these tender moments while I'm screaming at the TV going "run bitch run, his Johnson is so contaminated it would be like Chernobyl but in LA", see even watching stuff like this makes me want to cringe because of how toxic these too are you just can't stop watching them, so hopefully when the next season comes around I hope to see a lot of Magic's sex's escapades and him trying to make it up with Cookie. Now as you've all known by now some Laker legends have distain for how their portrait in the show, but when it comes to Magic not wanting to watch the show because of the embarrassment that would effect on his kids that right there I can totally understand a lot of. But the other Laker's legends like Jerry West and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar I see more on the overreacting side to it most notably them not liking how the way they are portrait on the small screen, now I can see when you’re doing a show about real life events, yeah there are times where you have to dramatize things a little but the way West overreacts to how he's portrait even go so far as to take it to supreme court (granted I don't remember a whole lot of the detail's because just thinking about hurts my brain) Kareem on the other hand may have same reason as Jerry West but let’s keep in mind that this was the same guy who threw a massive fit about how Bruce Lee was portrait in the movie Once Upon A Time in Hollywood for which is about a movie where the Manson cult get their fictionalized due. And maybe those two men's reasons are right and sure they have a point but deep down take a step back when it comes to these show that are talking about you. I will say the most impressive part of the show is the ensemble cast John C. Reilly does a great job playing Dr. Jerry Buss whose trying to save the game of Basketball, while Jason Clarke does a fantastic job playing Jerry West who at first seems like a former player with a lot of anger issues but has is best moments being a great motivator, especially in one of my favorite scenes where he and Magic Johnson shares a great moment of how to be a winner. The other actor I thought did a fantastic job was Adrian Brody playing Pat Reilly where through the course of the show you see him as a man without any purpose but by the end has finds the true purpose he's been seeking. Now finally we got the recognizable actors out of the way, I'm going to take more of the time to talk about the newcomer who does a fantastic job playing the legendary Laker, Magic Johnson aka Quincey Isaiah whom there's really nothing to say other than he was born to play Magic Johnson, like you look at this guy on screen and they are exactly the same person like the creators went back in time and took the young Magic Johnson from the past and gave him like fake identity, it’s just so bizarre but yet how great of casting they were able to pull off and casting Quincey Isaiah, furthermore he does such a tremendous job embodying Magic Johnson, and to be honest I can name a lot of things on how good his performance was I honestly don't want to spoil the fun for this great show. Despite a lot of questions, I have with the film, when it comes to some of the story, in if there were fact or fiction, I still look at this as a great Basketball show to watch on HBO Max, where Hoosiers is the greatest Basketball movie of all time, I rank Winning Time as one of the best Basketball shows of all time.

I Hate Christian Laettner

 

                                 There are a lot of times in sports you most certainly look at a team or any type of college sports and you point at that type of group and just have a distain for them. Like, just recently my hatred towards the Colorado Avalanche has been spewing lately due to the team knocking out my Blues, with a certain player that will not be named because I at least have dignity. Sure, in NFL football we've always hated Tom Brady winning all the time, I mean who hasn't. Though there comes a time a certain sports documentary kind of in a strange sense reminds you of not always being such a huge hater for the rest of your life. For a good explanation in what I'm trying to talk about, with ESPN merging some of their 30 for 30 specials on Disney+, I figured of all sports documentary's that look promising I figured why not re-watch I Hate Christian Laettner.

                                In truth I never really was big into NCAA Basketball moreover I'm from Nebraska and really the basketball team isn't all that great, best way to explain them they're kind of like the 1980's era Cleveland Baseball team. Though granted there's a lot of Nebraskan natives that are big fans of North Carolina or Duke, or whichever team gets them through the day when it comes to College Basketball. But for me I honestly think of it as more recent superhero films I see the potential; I would never take the joy from everyone who loves them, but I would never consider them amazing films. Now I've never seen Christian Laettner play basketball, in fact I was probably in kindergarten or First Grade by the time he was finishing out his college basketball career, so I can't judge on his actions and I'm sure the guy was a bully so in all honestly, that’s pretty much all I can say really. In all honesty this is hands down a great story about an athlete who really isn't what everyone appears to see an athlete is on the inside, and I got to say re-watching this movie through kind of gave me a wakeup call when it comes to bashing famous athletes, and I've never really went overboard on anyone like Tom Brady for example but I did share some so-called news on Facebook that either could be true or not. So, deep down I think this film is a great wake up call to all of us sports fans about really taking a step back when it comes to hating on an athlete when their exceptionally great.

                    

Eternals

 

                                  

                                  I will say the plus side to having Disney + is that you don't have to go to the movie theater and waist your money on some of the mediocre Marvel films. Even though watching through some of these mediocre Marvel Films or Phase 4 is to be honest really on the boring side to it sometimes okay but still one of these kinds of movies I honestly don't need to see ever again. In fairness Eternals was on my watch history and I had nothing better to do on a typical night, so I decided to watch a movie that I don't really what to think but mostly don't believe it’s the best I've seen. I will point one minor complaint, is that if you’re going to cast in actor like Kit Harrington to be in upcoming Marvel Superhero at least give the man some more acting time don't ever put that man in the corner. 

                                  The Eternals, a race of immortal beings with superhuman powers who have secretly lived on Earth for thousands of years, reunite to battle the evil Deviants.

                                   I will honestly admit in saying that this isn't the worst I've seen and to be fair there was some unique moves Marvel did on their part which I thought were cool like casting an actress who’s deaf to play a superhero for which I think was cool, because I've never seen that before but mostly think they should at least make some unique ideas to the table. I will say my biggest problem I have with the movie is that these Eternals are considered God's that came from the sky and a giant ship for which convenient because that's strait out of a Erich von Daniken novel, but the real problem I have is that they're creators the have sent seeds to grow more Immortal beings on planets but why in all that is holy did these Celestial beings just have a meeting about which seeds to grow moreover send the Eternals to planet Earth, and yet say "wait just, wait lets reconsider this", because in all honesty we've all seen the movies we're Thor becomes in touch with humanity, but yet we don't learn this lesson now that once you seen God like beings to earth for thousands of years they are soon going to be fond of them. I mean come on, even I know when the truth was revealed, that they were going to be a revolt going to happen. And to be truthful, this is the kind of problem I have moving forward with the new Phase with the MCU is that we can now introduce new Superhero's but with each movie they seem to be even more predictable. The other thing that bugs me is that one of the so-called God like hero's are so frustrated about having to not interfere with humanity and yet he goes off on his own, then the next time we see him he starts a cult, for which I look at it as yes you have a point, but dude do you always let your ego doing most of the talking. In the end I look at this film as yes Chloe Zhao got off of her Oscar winning movie about Francis McDormand living in a van down by the river, but deep down this is Disney a company that looks for more ways to screw with people who are different and always love to poke their noses into writers and directors visions and Eternals is an example of just one to many ego's creating such a disaster of a movie.  

    

Top Gun Maverick

 

                      Well, everyone the impossible has happened and no I wasn't really intending on wanting to watch this movie nor a movie I was hoping to avoid this year. But unfortunately, a lot of my family members I'm not going to say who, have urged me to take my father for a birthday movie. And surprisingly enough, Top Gun Maverick wasn't all that bad. Now, granted I wasn't going to lie this was not on my radar of movies I wanted to watch at a theater, and not only was the expectations for the movie so low to my feet I wasn't at all wanting to watch this movie plus having to sit through ten minutes worth of previews that I don't want to waste my time in want to watch on YouTube but I'm suddenly forced to watch them by movie theater standards. For which is why if I ever buy a movie theater, I will make a note of deleting all previews of movies I deem to be nothing but crap.

                      After more than 30 years of service as one of Navy's top Aviators, Pete "Maverick" Mitchell (Tom Cruise) is where he belongs pushing the envelope as a courageous test pilot and dodging the advancement in rank that would ground him. Training a detachment of graduates for a special assignment, Maverick must confront the ghosts of his past and his deepest fears, culminating in a mission that demands the ultimate sacrifice from those who choose to fly it.

                      You know that saying of the sequel is better than the original? Well, I can argue the first Godfather is still better than the successor and Batman Begins is equal par with the Dark Knight, but I will argue and state that Top Gun Maverick was a million times better than its successor, for a gazillion reasons this was a much serious story then the original moreover took Navy pilots much serious than the original and not making them such complete douchebags though there is one in the second film that's somewhat of a douche but hey, we all have to have that one guy that looks like a douche. And let’s be frank its better than my other analogy I have about Navy Pilots but since we live in a world where everyone doesn't have a sense of humor I just sticking with that fact. Strangely as this sound with Tom Cruise being weird with his religious beliefs I have to say him playing a certain father like figure for the young pilots was pretty cool on his part, and in all truthful I like the fact that he really doesn't mess around when it comes to being a Dad like figure with some of these young bloods in the movie, for which is something new and different in an odd way especially when you have some of the scenes with Miles Teller as Goose's son. I will say the best scene in the movie when it comes to dialogue scenes was Tom Cruise and Val Kilmer, and really what I love about it was that Val Kilmer doesn't have a lot of acting scenes he just has his stillness and ability to listen to Cruise monologue about his biggest fears and regrets, and you can really see the love and respect these two men have for one another all in that one scene, moreover with very little scenes Kilmer has in the film I can honestly say that was one of his best acting in all of the films I've seen him in. Now, I'm just throwing this out and see who agrees with me, but I will argue and say that Jennifer Connelly is one of the most gorgeous actress of my generation moreover I will say that if there was any middle age woman I would totally hit one it would most certainly be Miss Connelly and if you don't believe me watch this movie along with The Rocketeer and Dark City, and I don't care if she's married to Vision aka Paul Bettany. What really makes the film better than the first film is that the jet scenes are flown by actual Navy Pilots instead of the actors meaning all the scenes you see with the actors in the Jets are actually flown by real pilots but yet for some reason where stations some were even, I don't know where they put them in. And I can imagine that Tom Cruise may have argued with the Navy in saying that he does his own stunts but I can honestly tell that the pilots were saying to Cruise "Tom don't make me kick you’re a**", but what makes them great is that they really felt real and more scary to be in and really I would say that those dog fights were some of the best Jet scenes I've ever seen on the big screen, which is why this film is a billion times better than the original. If I had to add one complaint, I have with the film its mainly the predictability with the film because really throughout the film I was still having this though of well everyone's going to be okay I mean come on Tom Cruise haven't died in any of his movies, though what can you do about it really killing Cruise would be like killing America. I think in all honesty the original film was basically made to be a hallmark channel, romantic film for the ladies, for which is understandable, but I will put my foot down and say that this latest installment or twenty years in the making sequel is a billion times better than its predecessor. Moreover, I will also say that this is one of Tom Cruise's top five best performances.