In Retrospect: Shazam

You know man, this movie has a lot to enjoy but it really puts me in a bad mood at the end.

I'm really trying here with all of my might not to just devolve into this cyclone, this maelstrom of anger and utter fucking frustration the likes of which even GOD has never seen so I'm going to attempt to just talk about the movie. Shazam has lost none of it's fun luster in the intervening 4 years, sweet Samhain has it been that long? And I feel I appreciated aspects much more than the first go around, in particular the whole character of Billy Badass because the whole point of Captain Marvel is you pretty much gotta be a virtuous, pure of heart, selfless individual to even obtain the powers of the wizard Shazam, but this version of Billy isn't as altruistic and much more just a teenage kid, dare I say a little shit at times. He's not a completely bad kid by any stretch, but he does have several moments of selfishness, cowardice, and emotional distance to people but the beauty of it is the movie is all about the arc. We see him grow, change, and become a hero at the end and it doesn't feel like a failed attempt at character growth or anything like that cause it's done well and not super in your face. And well the performances of Asher Angel and Zachary Levi did not hurt one bit, they are what makes the movie as fun as it is. Mark Strong in terms of villains for the DC movies may be low tier but he still cuts an intimidating presence and does quite well. I'm actually really happy Djimon Hounsou isn't dead as he appeared to be in this movie and he will return in Fury Of The Gods and I'm really interested what part he may play in that. What I'm also curious about is if they will decide to adapt that stupid ass decision of Mary Marvel turning heel like in Countdown To Final Crisis, hopefully not because some comic book ideas just should never be brought to the screen. As one last huge positive before delving into one aspect I wasn't keen on, Faithe Herman and her grown up counterpart Meagan Good still own my heart completely. They just have this infectious degree of cuteness and I am powerless in their wake, easily my favorite of the whole family group and the only competition is Billy himself. This may sound terribly strange to say considering the time period we live in, but I really did not like the seven deadly sin monsters due to one specific factor that they are all CGI. There was just something about this movie where it felt so flat and fakey, and this is coming from the series of films that gave us Doomsday, Steppenwolf, and not Cheetara from Wonder Woman 84, and I think I can pin it down to they're kinda gaseous creatures that can take a solid shape so there's no weight or substance to them despite some interesting designs. But that's truthfully the biggest mark against this movie. Well....god fucking dammit, I knowww I know, he was filming a different movie at the time but fuck me sideways it has aged poorly and like I said I'm trying here. It's not working in the slightest but I'm trying. Just why? He was there! You had Superman ready in the wings and you did fuck all!! You what, let some C grade television company have any fucking semblance of a stake in the future of your projects and company, decided to do a shake up, and pretty much shit canned a series that while was finding it's footing early on when it settled we actually got some good movies out of it but oh no wait, I'm sorry, we can't have that. He is GONE, my patience has snapped, you have no sympathy from me and all I can say is catch you later you disappointing fucking traitors! Waste of my time. I'm out. Good movie, happy to see it again, fingers crossed for the second but time is running out for this series it seems. 3.5 stars, 7.5/10!

In Retrospect: Glass

This has been a long time coming.

My problem with Glass is the way it ends. The rest of the movie is done very very well, the acting is great, the cinematography and editing is utilized to it's full potential, I appreciate what it means and the events of the film. However! You could have ended it leaps and bounds better. And you know what the sickest part is? I knew exactly what Shyamalan was going for, I completely and totally get the ending. But I, along with many other people have concluded that it fell flat. I had to see this movie again because I was practically radiating rage walking out of that theater so we gotta talk superheroes and the ending so hunker down y'all and avoid everything I say from this point on if you still haven't seen the movie. Okay? Okay. I fully understand the intent of the director, that the mantle of superheroes does not begin and end with our three main characters and that they inspire the future, and more so the fact that it underwhelms the audience with the way it ends. I've been hearing a lot of use of the term "subverting expectations" pretty much since The Last Jedi, I've never heard of it before until then and people started talking about it. This movie does that, they don't end the movie with a grand gesture, a limited edition story with a standoff on top of the tallest building in the city for all to see their extrodinary abilities, but a shocking hard cut that kills every one of our main characters. By this supposed secret organization that has been systematically eradicating superpowered people for over 10,000 years! Did I also mention this organization, or cult, or whatever the flying purple people eating bullshit this is was introduced in the movie, with and I'm not kidding, 21 minutes left in the movie. MINUTES! You don't know their name, or anything about them. And the reason they give is the most misguided pig shit I have ever heard in my life! To justify their actions they claim that "there cannot be gods amongst us" and because it's "not fair." Just....

Okay. I am not saying this is what Shyamalan believes, but I am saying this nonsense cult has no reason to be in the movie and are misguided fools. Allow me to part some wisdom that I have known for years now. Superheroes are the modern day equivalent of medieval knights, specifically the King Arthur knights. They go out and do good, might FOR right, compassion is not weakness, strength is not vital, and the best superhero comics of all time reinforce that. Where they rise above, and protect, and help others. They can inspire greatness in everyone. Superman is known all over the world, his S symbol is the second most known symbol behind the christian cross! And yet even other heroes can do that same thing, illicit that same response, that's why people will say Aquaman, or Black Panther, or Spawn, or any other comic book character is their favorite. They can identify and grow through that hero. It's not that kid power fantasy that so many assume it is, it can go deeper than that. So why not go through with the limited edition story we were promised? They throw the two nurses in the back of the van, drive off to the tower, David is in pursuit, they tear through the tower and get to the roof, there's helicopter cameras all over the place, Elijah is on the loudspeakers doing his thing, David squares off against The Beast, the world sees their amazing feats while Elijah tells the world how he did it all, then David remembers overhearing Kevin's name, uses it against him and throws him off the tower! Kevin dies, then David has to take Elijah in as the world is aghast, Elijah is put behind bars, The Overseer goes undercover while keeping an eye on Mr. Glass and various individuals are inspired to use their amazing gifts for good or for evil. But no! Some nameless assholes shoot Kevin and drown David, and poor Elijah's ribs get crushed by The Beast. I mean, the showoff happened but not at the new tower and it ruins these characters! I was enraged because these characters died, and in really honorless, pathetic, and underwhelming ways and they deserved better. That shows how well they were written and acted because you wanted so much more of them! To see them just offed in such a shitty way makes you upset, and I get that was the intent but was it in best interest of the film series? Through the credits they show a collage of scenes from all the movies signifying those were stepping stones to a bigger picture. And this was it! The buildup and exchanges were done so well, but the payoff felt like you were getting two big middle fingers shoved straight up your ass! Maybe my ending I pitched was too obvious or something(?) but you could imagine that stuff going down with these characters and how awesome and well done it would have been! This series desperately needs a good comic book running where they just take these movie characters and write original stories for them and maybe incorporate this organization and build upon them and give us a 10/10 ending. You could even keep Elijah's knowledge and commentary on comic books for a healthy dose of meta. Up yours Wade Wilson! Totally do that, it'd be better than this intentional anti-climatic betryal of these characters! It's just sad man. I'm happy I'm moving on.

And next week, starting Sunday it's time we talk about one of the best series based off the best movie series ever even to this day!

Teen Titans Go To The Movies

Even though it took all day to finally see it, it was still worth it.

I love Teen Titans Go, and their new movie is awesome. In the same vein of The Lego Batman Movie poking fun and satirizing many tropes of superhero films while still telling a good story, I find it just as enjoyable as The Lego Batman Movie. Not better, but just as enjoyable. So we catch up with the team and they are trying to get a movie made about them to be seen as real superheroes and not just a joke. Through several attempts and with no luck they meet a new adversary, Slade who tries to pull a Nygmatech and hypnotize people through a superhero film leading the Teen Titans to leap into action! So much to love in this movie, easter eggs galore, awesome comedy, the animation is so crisp and fresh I want my walls to wear it, voice cast is on point as usual with a surprise guest appearance by Will Arnett as Slade (though I really wanted him to be Batman again) and one more hysterical surprise guest appearance, coupled with so much more to love. In fact, I can only say one bad thing about the movie. They do not credit the original duo that made the Teen Titans theme song. They credit Danny Elfman and John Williams for their iconic scores, and yet no love for Puffy AmiYumi! The Batman and Superman themes play for 5 seconds each, and the Teen Titans theme is played constantly yet you bastards can't give credit to that awesome band?? Fffffffffff-I digress. Beyond that, great movie! Any movie that beats the crap out of Shia LaBeouf.....10/10. 10/10. 100/100! Best film! BEST FILM. Recommended to all but more importantly a certain group. All you fanboys and borderline trolls who constantly belittle Teen Titans Go and praise the original awesome show. I love Teen Titans, in the future I wish to review the whole series because it is so excellent. I also love Teen Titans Go and can appreciate and enjoy what it is, and never look down upon it because it's different. You need to go see this movie. Because this movie, is what will save the original Teen Titans. Tara Strong posted on Twitter that the original show will return if the movie does well, because it shows people want more Titans. So...in a way, this movie could be the finale of Teen Titans Go. I don't think I need to explain further, just go read my Solo review if you don't quite get it. This movie is great, and I will buy it when it hits video.

See you next week good friends.

The Incredibles

I'm simultaneously excited, and yet kind of bitter it took them 14 years to finally make a sequel to The Incredibles. I'll talk more about that later after the review.

The Incredibles, Pixar's superhero movie is a cut above the rest. Not only because of the great animation, but the story and characters. The interesting thing I noticed is the current story takes place in the early 60s, which is interesting enough but that also means the opening scene takes place a bit past 1945. So it simultaneously is a superhero movie, and yet an alternate reality movie. Hell the only other movie I know off the top of my head that does such a thing is Watchmen, so already I was digging this movie and appreciated it more than when I was a kid. Alright, in a reality of multiple superheroes that have yet again like Watchmen, been retired and are living normal lives after the glory days we meet Bob Parr, Mr. Incredible living a suburban life with his family. And he is going through the always fun time of a mid-life crisis, trying to relive the days of being a hero while trying to maintain his job and be a part of his family. And I am certain this is easily the best Fantastic Four movie ever to be made in history, with Helen Parr as Elastigirl having two children Dash who has super speed, and Violet who can create force fields and turn invisible. This family is awesome, because they act and feel like a real family that just so happens to have superpowers. The dynamic and characters are wonderful to say the least, and I have to give a special shout out to Brad Bird for creating these wonderful designs for each character. Back to story, so Mr. Incredible is contacted and sent to a island where I swear to God seeing it now is so clearly a villain's lair it is almost absurd. A plot is discovered that entails the deaths of all supers, leading The Incredibles to save the day. One glorious aspect is that a lot of love went to Ken Adam's designs in the early James Bond films, because honestly if I did not know the S in that board room meant Syndrome, at my age right now, I would say it's SPECTRE. Like it's amazing how much material they give homages to and it works. The characters are essentially The Fantastic Four, the plot is a combination of silver age adventures mixed with modern introspection of our characters, the set design is Ken Adams down to the letter, and the music is entirely done in this jazz/swing band with a lot of brass and soul straight from the 40s. I also love how the technology is so high tech that surprisingly the film is timeless. Animation can become timeless regardless of setting or story, and this is a prime example of that. People can watch this movie even 50 years down the line and still enjoy it as much as when it first came out. With that said, *BRIEF TANGENT INCOMING* this is going to sound really weird but hear me out. The Incredibles 2 is my Phantom Menace. Now what do I mean by that? Well, seeing as how I was born in 1995 I didn't have to wait that long for the prequels. Hell by the time I got into Star Wars, The Phantom Menace was in theaters if not almost out on video. The Incredibles 2 took 14 years to hit, about 3 years shy from the time it took from Return Of The Jedi to The Phantom Menace, I was 9 or 10 when I first saw The Incredibles. I...really, really do not want The Incredibles 2 to fall on it's face for me. I never experienced The Phantom Menace as a grown up and witnessed the betrayal of Star Wars. This could be a Phantom Menace situation, a continuation of a story that took over 10 long years to get here, with a loving and devoted fanbase, and the wait better have been worth it. The only thing left I have to say is, if you really make me wait about 20 years for a Monsters Inc. sequel, I will be severely disappointed in you Pixar.

In Retrospect: Black Panther

I hope you all enjoyed Infinity War. I didn't see it obviously, but the news of the passing of my two favorite Marvel movie heroes is distressing.

Despite that, I still do enjoy Black Panther immensely. If memory served I said I liked it better than Doctor Strange, and....I don't know. I'm still torn on favorites, I love Doctor Strange and I love Black Panther so I believe there is no superior film. And now that time has passed and multiple viewings have been taken into account, I am still glad I went to see this movie and bought this movie. But why did this movie grab me when really, no other Marvel movie did? Was it because it took on a more serious story with a low emphasis on comedy? Absolutely. Because of the characters and the unique world it created? Certainly, the characters are all great and the world is absolutely stunning to behold. But the truth is, and this is as snobbish as I am ever going to get, nobody unless you were a hardcore Marvel comic fan wanted or knew about Black Panther. So it had that mystery, that allure of something no one knew about. It was like Guardians Of The Galaxy, no one unless you read the comics knew who Rocket Raccoon or Groot was and yet they still took the time to make a movie about them. I mean really when you get right down to it, nobody really knew the extent of Marvel characters. If you asked me in say, 2005 who did Marvel had I would tell you Hulk, Captain America, Iron Man, The Fantastic Four, and Thor. That's it. And I'm sure it was like that for countless other people. So when I heard of this Black Panther guy, despite me not seeing Civil War, I wanted to know more about him and was intrigued when his own movie was getting made. Pretty much same for Doctor Strange, except they had Ben and Mads to make me obligated to see it. But Black Panther had nothing beyond intrigue so the movie paid off for me in aces. I love the characters, and while Chadwick Boseman is a fantastic actor and held this movie to something beyond your regular popcorn flick, Danai Gurira steals the show for me! I love her character, she's a badass but has deeper motivation and identity beyond that, my eyes were glued to her everytime she was on screen. And yet another good thing it did, it gave ample screen time to characters that are more off to the side. If this was another studio all the time and screen presence would be dominated by Chadwick Boseman, Michael B. Jordan, and maybe Martin Freeman, with very brief scenes of Letitia Wright or of Lupita Nyong'o but they expanded upon them which helped the film greatly. Yeah it does suck that Andy didn't get much screen time but hey it looked like he had fun doing it! But what really sold me on this being a good if not great film were the visuals. There is such deep rich color in costumes, set design, and effects. When a movie makes you stick around at the credits to appreciate the visuals, they did something right. And just a sidenote, I am so happy I did not sit until the after credits scene cause I just watched it and my reaction was pretty much this, "Who the f*** are you? Who's White Wolf? Is that the, what's his name, the Winter Soldier? I'm so confused...." and that's it. That would have kind of pissed me off royaly in the theater. At least in Doctor Strange I could be like, "Oh hi Thor. This sounds interesting, I wonder what the next movie will be.", there's none of that here. It was so bad they had to put, Black Panther will return in Infinity War. Must have been a slow writing day over at Marvel. Oh well, we know how it ends. Have fun crying kids over characters you have probably grown up all your life watching! Say hi to Thanos for me! But yeah, Black Panther is a good movie.

It's a slow week here, I only got one more movie for the week. But for the sake of interest, tomorrow we will be looking at Batman Ninja.

Justice League

Yep, I loved it.

Justice League is another hit in my book, dashing all insecurities and paranoia that this cinematic universe could not take shape. This film was awesome, everyone was perfectly casted even in supporting roles, the action was very well done, all the characters got their screen time to shine, they did not feel shoehorned in or forced in anyway which made me very happy. In fact let's talk superheroes. Batman is still done very well by Ben Affleck spearheading the charge to form the League, Wonder Woman is really the backbone and soul of the League holding it all together while really throwing her all into kicking ass, Flash is perfection, (No I have not seen the CW show yet, so currently Ezra Miller is my Flash.) and you can tell he is having the time of his life in this role, Jason Momoa is Aquaman (Need I even say more?) and the sad part is most of his best moments are in the trailer but screw it Aquaman is the King, Cyborg was done I thought incredibly well giving the character his struggle between man and machine and finding his new place in the world. However! You underused Mera, how dare you? You do not disrespect the Queen, and damn it I wish there was more of her! J.K. Simmons is really good as Jim Gordon, again terribly underused but it's great seeing him. And actually that's the thing, true these characters might not be seen much but there will be more movies so we can fully appreciate the potrayals of these beloved comic book characters. Now I must admit, I have never heard of Steppenwolf in the comics, quite frankly he sounds like a Norwegian metal band, and I'd be lying if though while he is a formidable foe for the League, he is not that great a villain. He's basically a "all he sees he conquers" type of villain, and the best part of his character was that he mentioned an even bigger, badder villain than himself. Though that reveal will be easily detected by any fan of the comics or their related media. So the villain was not that strong, but the actions scenes are so well done, though the slow motion has reached Zack Snyder levels over 9000 thanks to The Flash now, but regardless it is all framed and shot well so you can get a large scope of the battles. And it does do justice to the comics incredibly well, and I highly suggest you stay after the credits. It may not be what you are expecting, but I think you will like it. It's by no means incredible like The Dark Knight or the 1978 Superman movie, but it is worth your time and money if you love comic books and love the movies even more.

In Retrospect: Wonder Woman

On second viewing, yeah still very awesome.

At last! A film I desperately needed to see again and yes, it is just as great as it was the first time! You know what I noticed this time around? The film is very sweet and loving, I mean we are dealing with Wonder Woman here: Compassion, respect, dignity, strength, intelligence, and love, so it makes sense that this would be the message of the story, love triumphs over all and that doing what you believe can have great reprocussions on the world. Another thing I noticed is how well the movie does justice to the character of Diana Prince, I mean really when you get right down to it it is not possible to screw up Wonder Woman. Why is that though? I'm not sure, she's a very popular comic book character, potrayed before by Lynda Carter and that was in the 70s, so even then she was popular and loved. So I obviously can not say that she's not as famous or loved as Superman or Batman because that's a lie, but those characters have had their missteps, but not with Wonder Woman. Why? No idea, but I'm obviously looking forward to seeing her in Justice League and sequel talk has risen, so I expect great things in the future. If people ever had a problem with the new DC cinematic universe, they shut up real quick when this movie hit. And that's all they have to do really, tell a good story while doing justice to the character with love and admiration for their history and standing in pop culture. Bam! You done good DC, this is why you're my favorite. I know it can succeed, just like Universal's Dark Universe with all the classic monsters, true The Mummy wasn't a smash hit but they have until 2019 to work the kinks out for The Bride Of Frankenstein so I'm optimistic for it. I have great faith in the future of movies, and I hope you share in it with me.

Wonder Woman (2017)

Well that movies was cool.

Again, I reiterate, 75 YEARS for Wonder Woman to have a movie?! That's criminal! This film is really damn good, it's not perfect, it's really damn good! Plot wise, not much has changed since the animated venture except if you swap modern day for 1915, Diana fights the germans instead of demons, and it ties in to the DC movie universe. Diana lives with the Amazons, until our favorite pilot Steve Trevor crashes and informs Diana and the Amazons of a war which seems to be the design of Ares, which sets Diana off to stop the war and kick his ass. There is much ass kicking in this movie. Action is spectacular, thankfully the comedy is not as obtrusive as I dreaded, the story is a fine origin story for Diana, but what really came out of left field and wow'ed me was surprisingly the emotion. If not for the whole Amazon and Ares thing, this could be a World War 1 movie. They do not shy away from the grisly nature of that war, soldiers losing limbs, towns raided, women and children killed, and the infamous trench warfare. In fact, name one single World War 1 movie. Not World War 2, but World War 1. I can't name a friggin' one....besides this one. This movie really hammers that for lack of a better word, sorrow and distress that you see in war. It feels a little too real. And I think they chose wisely placing this in 1915 and not in say 1944. I know we want Wonder Woman to punch nazis but trust me the meaning of Diana and her character, and what she represents is and would be leaps and bounds better than if the story was set in World War 2. She is a hero, she acknowledges humans are not all good but some are and that is what you should focus on. People always focus on negative things rather than the positive it seems, except for Diana. Which is why she is an excellent example of a hero. Not just a female hero, even though that should be commended considering her creation and history, but a hero to aspire to be like. Diana would never hurt anyone innocent, she is kind, she is decent, she doesn't think herself better than anybody, and refuses to continue to let bad things happen in the world. And granted, I have not read many Wonder Woman solo stories, but I know deep down I desperately need to. There's no doubt Wonder Woman is without a doubt in the top 3 of my DC heroes, and I hope she becomes a favorite of many, many more people.

Wonder Woman (2009)

Dear God it really took over 75 years for Wonder Woman to get a theatrical movie. But this animated one came out almost 10 years before.

So Wonder Woman got her own animated movie. How is it? I quite like it. It does the most famous origin story ripped straight from the comics of a race of warrior women known as the Amazons whose Queen one day fashions a child out of clay and the greek Gods give her life, and through the years she is trained and taught of the evil of man's world. Until one day, a pilot crashes into their island and starts to stir talk of rejoining the world. Meanwhile, Ares god of war escapes imprisonment and declares war on the Earth and gods alike. So the young woman Diana, takes up the mantle of not only their best warrior but ambassador to the world as Wonder Woman. A very good story, that stays true to the mythos and picks the best aspects of several classic Wonder Woman stories. So story wise, it's good but how are the technicals? Well the animation is great, it looks super clean and well drawn, with excellent fight scenes and damn near pitch perfect character models. Voice acting is quite well done with Keri Russel as Diana, and I quite like her and she nails Wonder Woman's character, we even get Nathan Fillion as the pilot Steve Trevor who gets quite a bit of laughs and is a good anchor to the real world. So the two major elements of animated movies are spot on, but it's not a perfect movie. While the fight scenes are very well animated, some things did bug me. Now I understand this is a PG rated movie, but I think the Amazons turned the gore code off cause when they run through people or hell, even lop off heads which happens twice, not evenna drop of blood. Maybe they coat their swords in non-blood stick, would be handy to have I must admit. Second, this is the only sheer stupid thing there is in this movie but my God does it hit hard. So Ares has his army of undead and demons attacking, in the capitol of Washington DC, seriously it has the Lincoln Memorial and The White House, and I was very confused cause at one point a galleon of Amazons charge by siege boats to rally behind Diana. What? In fact, the animation in terms of backgrounds was getting really bad. First, they are in the capitol, then it shows the Amazons approaching to what looks like a Greek temple, so I thought they would be fighting in Greece, but no, other shots still show them in DC. Just....huh??? You know, I've never been to the capitol of my country but I'm pretty sure there's not a fraking ocean leading to the Lincoln Memorial!! And don't tell me it's magic or some shit, because how? They never really established them to be heavily in magic, bits yes but not enough to mass teleport! In fact...how the french toast do they have an invisible jet?! Yeah, Wonder Woman has her invisible jet because Diana couldn't always fly in the comics. This is a society still living in stone buildings with swords and bows, no guns, no modern architecture, nothing to construct an invisible jet! Did the greek Gods give them that just in case along with the bracelets, tiara, and the lasso of truth?? Maybe it was Steve Trevors plane after he crashed and they enchanted that stuff, but still! Are you dead sucking ferious right now? Maybe I missed something but that really brings this movie, if you can call it a movie, it's barely over an hour down a bit. But I have high hopes for the new Wonder Woman movie, Gal Gadot I have no doubt will do the character justice, and it looks like a kickass movie! So expect that review soon, check this movie out if you're curious, Wonder Woman rocks and I'm out!

The Dark Knight Rises

It's time for Knightfall.

The end is here. All those years, all his enemies, and the Bat was broken. But he came back, 8 years of nothing before Bane comes to Gotham and took the city, making it a no man's land. And the Dark Knight came out of retirement to take control of his city. Was it worthwhile? Was it a brilliant end to an iconic trilogy? Well here's the thing, answers don't give you a sense of satisfaction, sometimes you have to brace yourself for disappointment. I mean, think about it! You've seen this series since it began, the birth of the Batman, the crazy and chaotic Joker pushing him to his limits, and then bang! The ultimate fight for Gotham ensues and ends. Would you be happy? Does it make sense? How come the true villain sucked ass? Well, let's start at the beginning. 8 years since the Batman has been seen, and not all is well. True, Gotham seems to be in a time of peace but Bane has different plans, severing all ties to the outside world and keeping Gotham in his pocket thanks to a four megaton nuclear bomb. He broke the bat, threw him in a pit, and is about to do what Ra's Al Ghul was always planning: destroy Gotham. And hell, that's just the brief basic synopsis. Good gravy is there a lot going on in this movie! What with Bane controlling the city, Bats coming out of retirement, Catwoman doing her own thing, and poor Jimbo scrambling to restore order, it's a miracle you remember what happened in the first movie! But specifics are key here, and really there isn't much to talk about casting and production wise, except for Anne Hathaway as Selina Kyle. Great job guys! I thought she was awesome! Now I think the problem many people did not get was this is NOT a Batman story. At all. It's a Bruce Wayne story. It deals with him coming out of retirement, defending a city that hates and fears him, and just him trying to do one last good deed in his lifetime. This is important to know if you choose to see it again. Now onto the villains! Bane is damn near pitch perfect, I mean Tom Hardy friggin' nailed it. This is the comic book Bane, and for those of you who read the comics know what I am talking about, he's brilliant, super genius intellect almost, incredible strength, military backing in some cases, this guy is a true force to be reckoned with. He broke Batman's back, no one has ever hurt him like that before. This shows a capable villain who is a great character in and of himself. But then they done screwed it up! I have no qualms spoiling this, because it's absurdly obvious to the comic book fans, and means precisely nothing to those who want to just watch the movie. The whole mastermind behind all this is Talia Al Ghul, Ra's daughter. Thanks for taking away such excellent menace from Bane and just pissing me off! Seriously?? What the shit is she doing here??? There's no reason!! None! Whatsoever! The character is meaningless, she doesn't even reveal her name until about 15 minutes before the end! Are you fraking kidding me?! This movie is 2 HOURS AND 45 MINUTES LONG!!! God I hate her in this movie, now you might be saying "But Dude that's the point! You're not supposed to like her! She's the bad guy!" but that is not the point! You built up an incredible villain, faithful to the comics, with a damn fine performance, and just chucked it all in to the fraking trash! I knew her whole schtick once she babbled on about having balance or order or some bullshit in the world for the 8 millionth godforsaken time! Also, worst death ever! Oh yeah, she dies. Not in a even slightly satisfactory way! It is literally, the worst on screen death I have ever seen! I mean for Christ's sake, that was the best take you could get?? It's horrible! Oh my God! How do you do this man? Besides that....disgustingly horrible aspect, the rest of the movie is fine. When I first saw it I found it very underwhelming because I didn't want it to end, but you know, it's been 5 years, and the movie has grown on me. I like the scale of the movie, the tone of the movie, (most) of the characters in the movie, the action is very good, the drama hits hard and by the way, shame on you Bruce! You made Alfred cry! That ain't right man! It's a perfectly fine ending to The Dark Knight Trilogy, they just done fraked it up in terms of villains. In fact, just watch the How It Should Have Ended video of this movie, if you don't feel like sitting down for almost 3 HOURS! There are movies that warrant that run time, this one....not so much. I can totally get why someone would not want to sit through a movie like this for that long. But honestly when I sat down, it took about 20 minutes for me to get interested and then the rest of the movie pretty much flew right by. But then again, I am used to such run times. 3 hours is a powerful repellent to the uninitiated, but we are initiated aren't we? The ending pissed people off too, I frankly didn't mind. I mean damn, it's all gone now, we got Batfflec and all these new kickass superhero movies coming out, so get over it! Oh, and The Joker totally called it. He was right about everything. That's why we love you Heath! But anyway, I'm done. New reviews next month, you know the drill, thank you so much for reading and I need some ice cream cake now. Happy Birthday to me, The Dude reminding you that the movie reviews will never die.

The Dark Knight

And...here we go!

What can I say? The Dark Knight is not just an amazing superhero movie but also an amazing movie in general. I saw it not once, not twice, but 3 times in theaters and surprise! I love it. The story is great, picking up about a year after Batman Begins with Bats facing off with The Joker for the first time and subsequently brought to his breaking point. Now let's just get this out of the way, Heath Ledger is outstanding and far worthy for his Academy Award. I mean, I thought Jack Nicholson was pitch perfect, ha ha ha ho hee ha ha and I thought my jokes were bad. Heath blows Jack out of the water, and that a stiff fraking order! Top Jack Nicholson as The Joker! Almost an impossible feat but he did it!! Don't know how, don't even care, cause I love him. Now moving on, Aaron Eckhart is Harvey Dent and he is great, bringing my absolute favorite Batman villain to the screen, though I do admit I wish I saw more of him, quite like Scarecrow in the previous movie. Maggie Gyllenhaal as Rachael Dawes......oh lord, I thank you for this good performance and for not having Katie back. Truly you have great wisdom. Thank you! And everybody in supporting cast is still kickass and I love seeing them again as these characters. Now for the more, intricate parts. I thought Chicago looked good in the first movie, I mean it looks absurdly great, it adds much more scale, and depth, and it looks glorious. Action scenes have improved by leaps and bounds, and I am so thankful for that! The dialogue, oh boy the dialogue, it's just as good. Hell in fact, I enjoyed this movie so much more than ever before due to one single scene and the actions of the characters afterwards. Jim Gordon's "death". Wow, I mean you don't buy into it cause, how do you kill Jim? It cannot be done! But really take a step back and look at how people react to it. For all intensive purposes, Jim Gordon is dead. How does Batman take it? He...snaps, almost killing people because he wants The Joker because he killed his friend, his partner in crimefighting. How does Harvey take it? He holds a guy at gunpoint, threatning to blow his brains out all due on a coin toss. Damn. That adds so much more character, and even more when they discover he is alive. That speaks volumes about how they viewed each other. And when it comes down to the wire, and the suspense and drama hit, it packs an explosive punch. Top notch direction, acting, editing, and cinematography in these scenes. The Tumbler, which a lot of people didn't see as a true Batmobile gets demolished and thus we get the Bat Pod, which looks awesome and many people liked more. And now we reach the ending, and so many people complained about, "Why not blame The Joker for all the deaths? Why does Batman have to take the fall?" and well, The Joker is an easy way out. They knew the direction they wanted to go in the next movie, and they set that up. No question about it. That part was essential in the making of the last movie, which of course we will look at to cap the week off. All in all, great movie, need to see it if you haven't already, and soon the legend ends....or does it?

In Retrospect: Doctor Strange

More magic filled movies, what's not to like?

Doctor Strange might well be my favorite Marvel movie of all time, I mean it's got Benedict Cumberbatch, Mads Mikkelsen, a great retelling of an origin story, outstanding effects, surprisingly philosophical and spiritual overtones, all done so well. It's a really good movie, and the one good thing I can say about most Marvel movies is the fact almost every movie is a standalone movie. You don't need to watch all the movies from Iron Man to Doctor Strange, you could just watch Doctor Strange! Skip the after credits scene, and voila! A solid superhero movie that stands alone. The story is very interesting, mainly just due to the fact of Stephen Strange's training in the mystic arts. Doctor Strange, the only superhero who got powers from reading books. All jokes aside, it is the best part of the story in my opinion, and yes while the rest of the story is fine, that was the part that still grabs me and pulls me into the movie. All the main actors do great jobs, and the comedy didn't actually grate on me that much this viewing around. Not sure why, maybe I just accepted it and moved past it, knowing damn well there is nothing I can do to change it, so why complain? The really bad part is, I looked up the full list of films in the Marvel cinematic universe, and there was only....3 I would watch, and only one in the future that I want to see. Now granted, I'm not much of a Marvel fan, I hardly know anything about characters or certain stories first hand, 99% of my knowledge stems from comic reviews and these movies. But I will admit I do want to read the Doctor Strange comics from the 60s just to see what it was all like. Beyond that, it's just another Marvel movie but a damn good one that I can safely say I will enjoy in the future.

Alright, that's enough In Retrospects for awhile and this Friday it will be a new movie in theaters. Until then, catch you later on down the trail.

Logan

Screw The Shack, if you want a movie that highlights life, family, the sense of home, and the importance of helping people just go see Logan.

This is a damn good movie, highly deserving of the R rating it has, but still a good movie. Now granted I haven't seen every X-Men movie, so some things were lost on me but never once did it ruin my enjoyment of the film. So Logan has been living with Charles Xavier for several years, and they are soon in contact with another mutant named Laurel, we don't know too much about her but we learn more as the movie goes on and I thought she was awesome. She's a beast on the battlefield, and some might argue your tolerance and enjoyment of this movie hinges on this one girl, but I don't think so. She fits right in. But of course, bad guys are on her trail so Logan and the Professor need to get her to safety before she is used as a weapon against mutants and non-mutants alike. What really shocked me about the movie was not the stellar gore and action scenes but rather the more quiet moments, when Logan and Charles travel with this girl it almost seems like a family movie, it has that real heart and emotion to it and just for that alone gets two big thumbs up from me, but then you add layer after layer of story, character, action, drama, and just pure emotion that really does have you leave the theater satisfied and yet very melancholy too. Very good movie, despite the utter and not in any way possible good joke of having Deadpool at the beginning before the movie really begins. Oh God, if you left that out we wouldn't miss anything! But no! Use the Superman theme and have Ryan Reynold's ass on the screen. Just the right introduction to a surprisingly good drama with one of the best comic book characters of all time. Good job Marvel. Where's the alcohol?