X-Men

This has been coming, and I couldn't think of anything else to do.

It has been probably about...12 years since I have watched any of the X-Men movies and I've only seen the first 3, plus Logan. I don't think my opinion has changed much. And I saw this movie on VHS when I was like 7 years old and had no clue what the f*** was occuring. My expansive knowledge of Marvel included the Hulk, from the TV show and the Ang Lee movie, and the Sam Raimi Spiderman movie. That's it. And you better believe I was playing 20 questions every 30 odd minutes. I was so young I had no concept of the opening scene which Jesus Christ, what a grim way to open your film. F*** me. And I think the worst part is I still have zero idea what to make of the movie. Cause it brings up a lot in it's runtime and I still have questions. The plot isn't too busy though, Logan and Rogue are thrown into this academy led by Captain Jean-Luc Picard of the USS Enterprise-D, as they learn more about Xavier, his students, and his frenemy Magneto played by the extraordinary man himself Ian McKellen. And my God the love triangle of Hugh, Patrick, and Ian is the goal of life, they have immeasurable adoration and respect for one another because of this movie series so I can never judge it too harshly. For a movie over 20 years old, and excuse me while I cry in a corner after saying that, it's not a horrible comic book movie. At the time this got a lot of praise, finally they made a live action X-Men show, oh my God I loved the 90s cartoon so this was a dream come true, it did pretty good. Does that still stand? No. But again, they were just starting off, comic book movies were in a massive decline and were oh so slowly clawing their way from the abyss, so I have to give it respect for taking a step towards the bright future where we are today. I think it's a decent adaptation of the source material, though I know little of it but I got the comic references, the actors do fine work and are commited, the effects are hit and miss but the practical usage in this movie I feel was done very well. It's not all flashy CG, you'd be surprised how much they actually do. You can tell there's wirework and breakable sets but I'd rather see that than a green screen. Do I think the sequels will improve in some ways? Oh sure. Hell I'll probably enjoy them more, maybe even give a higher score. But the first X-Men movie isn't horrible, it's a decent albeit average comic book movie that helped pave the way for better things to come. 2.5 stars, 6/10. It was weeeird seeing Hugh Jackman be skinny bollocks in the first movie, the guy has always been in good shape but he filled that role so much in the future (full pun intended), and you lord that casting choice forever over your wife Hugh, because you are too grand.

Castle In The Sky

Oh my God this is the greatest movie I've ever seen in my life!!

Now to clear this up beforehand, Castle In The Sky is in fact the first Studio Ghibli movie. Now Nausicaa did come out first but Studio Ghibli wasn't formed at that point, the production company was alled Topcraft but it is still part of their library. It's a bit confusing. So if you want to be truly accurate Castle In The Sky is the first official movie of the legendary studio and it is glorious. I am serious, this is going to be the hardest movie to top in the Studio Ghibli library for me. Seriously, I could gush about how absolutely awesome this movie is for hours on end, it is that ffffflippin' good! Just the characters are the best, the story is the best, the animation though not as heavily detailed like in future Ghibli movies is still something special and wonderful. The voice acting is ridiculously good and fun. And that is the best word for this movie, fun. I had so much fun watching this movie, I was like a little kid again. This a undoubtedly fun family film adventure, almost like if you threw the action and adventure aspects of Indiana Jones, the mythos of Lord Of The Rings, and the perfect likable characters of Star Wars into a blender and mixed it all up. And it is delicious. So what is the story of this incredible film? A young boy meets a young girl with a crystal necklace as she is being hunted by militia and pirates, both of them have lived solitary lives and are suddenly swept up in this adventure of finding a lost castle, rediscovering it's ancient secrets, and trying to protect it from the ever in pursuit villains while trying to keep the girl safe. I think the reason why I love this movie as much as I do not just because the technology is cool, or the world is interesting and stunning to look at, but the characters are just an absolute joy to watch. I love this girl Sheeta and this boy Pazu, they're just so cute together and the voice acting talents of Anna Paquin and James Van Der Beek is what solidifies it, they are kids who are kind of wiser than their years and do not even bat an eye at the crazy events surrounding them. They evade pirates and gunfire, learn about the history of the mysterious city, trust and care for one another, it's just done so well! I love this pirate captain played by Cloris Leachman, she is absolutely incredible and given the opportunity I would be a sky pirate under her command from the word go, she may be older but she's always running about, barking orders, fighting, planning, being kinda grumpy, I mean talk about a treasure worth cherishing. And the bad guy is played by Mark Hamill.....10/10. 10/10! 100/100! Best film! BEST FILM. You have got to watch this movie, give it a shot if you are skeptical of japanese animation, it is so damn entertaining, so funny, so sincere, so lovely, it's kind of a perfect movie. Guys. Come on. I just, ugh! Buy it, watch it, you can get it for ten dollars at a Walmart. You have no excuse. The rest of the Studio Ghibli films I have not seen, oooh boy there is going to be some stiff competition from now on. I really need to go back and watch Spirited Away, Howl's Moving Castle, and My Neighbor Totoro again really just to see if this movie surpasses them in quality entertainment and great animated family films cause I feel it has.

And the worst part is this the last hurrah before.....next time. Pray for me. I'm going to die.

Trick r' Treat

I am genuinely surprised I've never talked about this movie.

Trick r' Treat is a necessity to watch every Halloween season. I have never seen a Halloween themed movie of this magnitude before, the closest thing to come to it was Halloween 3 and even then it was more background than front and center. It's an anthology movie, with 4 seperate stories tied together not only with background cameos of the other characters but with a character named Sam who is pretty much the mascot of Halloween, the same way Santa and the Easter Bunny are for their holidays and he is awesome. So the stories range from, kids going to the scene of a terrible crime to pay respects, a principal with a dark secret, a group of girls looking for fresh dates, and a grumpy Scrooge like character who learns to appreciate Halloween the hard way. The film's true power is in it's visuals, there is so much Halloween scenery to an almost gratuitous degree, from costumes, to pumpkins, to decorations and candy, it really gets you in the mood for Halloween day! And not a lot of people know about this movie, it had a modest budget and an adequate release, but it's a staple of the season just as much as Charlie Brown and more famous horror movies, so it's important to spread the word and hopefully get this film to be a Halloween classic. I've been so busy this month, I plan for October more than any other month both in terms of reviews and personal life so it's almost to the point where I won't know what to do with myself come November 1st. This month has really been my life and it's ending tomorrow. It's sad but I'm excited nevertheless. I highly urge you to check this movie out either today or on Halloween night after you've went to some parties, gotten some candy, and need a perfect send off to the most wonderful time of the year. I'll be out tomorrow before the sun rises and won't be back until after the sun has fallen and then some, so I want to wish you the happiest of Halloweens and I will see you guys soon.