A Surprise To Be Sure But A Necessary One.

Now this took a bit of time to work out, and I can strongly say I feel this is the right decision. With the huge impact this month is taking on me, several films being pushed months back, work hours being cut, this whole social distancing thing closing what little time I actually get out of the house, I do truly feel I need to take some time off. Now I'm perfectly fine, healthy as possible, nothing bad has happened. But I am thinking logically of this, usually I take my break in September when no new movies have come out and I can plan for the only constant in this ever shifting review schedule, October, and square away a schedule leading into the new year, but with this utter and complete train wreck of a month I feel some time needs to be taken off to plan a solid form of action. Now I'm not taking the whole month off, I'll be gone for about 3 weeks and be right back at it on my birthday week showcasing the movies of my favorite childhood actor Jim Carrey. That gives me time to figure out new release schedules for movies, plan a schedule for the reviews, and review some backlog material that can be posted for months to come. In fact, with this course of action I will have not one but two big surprises for you coming this fall which will more than make up for this lost upcoming month. So I'm sorry I couldn't wheel and deal for a full month but new shit has come to light and steps have to be taken to help keep this going. 3 odd weeks and I'll have schedules for May and June, probably even July, plus the off time to square away stuff and get some reviews said and done just waiting to be posted. Which gives me more time to plan later on for the big events coming before and after October and I can't wait to share it with you. I definitely appreciate you and hope this won't bum you out but just know I'll be working regardless and getting out more stuff for the rest of the year. With a heavy heart I step away from this as I normally do every year. And on that bombshell it is time to leave, thank you so much for joining me, good night.

It's Our 5th Anniversary!!!!

Holy hot damn. I'd never thought I'd see the day. 5 years, 5 amazing years. I can scarcely believe it! I'll freely admit I had no idea how long this was going to go, I was hoping for a long time, at least one decade but was hoping to make it at least 5 years.

622 reviews written, from Birdman to Jojo Rabbit. And I would like to share the numbers with you on this huge moment, not to gloat but to share how much this little passion project that pays me pennies a month has meant to me. 84 reviews written in 2015, when it was just something I wanted to do but wasn't quite sure how to properly do it. 106 reviews written in 2016, when I was getting used to it and started reviewing movies in theaters. 119 reviews in 2017 when I began to solidify my own stream of concious style of reviews while still going on my tangents and rants. 135 reviews in 2018, breaking my highest new movie reviews record with 30 in theater reviews and still going strong. An all time high of 142 reviews written just last year, a number which I'm not sure I can top this year or like...ever. And currently 37 reviews as of March 25th 2020. And if you've been there at all in those past 5 years, whether from the proto-years or just have stuck around for the past month or so, I really and truly have to say thank you. I may not get to be a well known critic and that's fine by me, I don't do this to be famous or rich or influential, nor will I ever. I just like talking about movies and sharing my thoughts and experiences. I know I'm a very counter culture beast, with my fair share of unpopular opinions but when movies are good I have to praise them. Hell if I helped somebody from not seeing a bad movie and they took a recommendation of mine and liked a movie which I thought was good, that's all I ever want or need in life. You know, I'm not a very talkative person, I'm a much better listener than anything, I'm bad with names and sometimes faces, I forget things so easily when I don't mean to, I've lost track of the movies and shows I've talked about on numerous occasions, I've come to realize opinions can change and looking at things in retrospect can be handy. And while it's not always easy to talk about, I am on the spectrum, I am autistic, I always tell people I'm good at two things: Talking about movies, and giving my opinion, which is kinda true. I go through volleys of jobs and positions because no place has ever really fit me as an individual, who I am in my heart of hearts, not because of cruel or malicious people or demanding work habits but because I do things in my own way and I speak my mind. This is the only real place I can be myself, and feel very comfortable just doing what I love to do and what I can do. I feel that the world does need film critics, or movie critics, or whatever you want to call them quite possibly more than any other medium though I appreciate all forms of art with great respect and admiration. Simply because movies are everywhere, everybody goes to the movies, everybody wants to watch movies, and I feel that you shouldn't have to waste precious hours of your life on something you won't like. When it comes to either time or money, time wins every single way. Do you have to agree with me? God no. Should you always take my recommendations? Of course not. You be you, but if I got you to see something you might not have at first glance or maybe just talked about a movie that you really love and can agree on my opinions, then that means the world to me. It's not a profession that needs to exist or be filled, but it's a profession that certain people gravitate toward and simply want to do. And I was hesitant at first, not sure how to even begin or if I should do it at all. But I got news for you, I would not want my life to go any other way. And I highly encourage people to do their passion project even if for no other reason than just to do it, whether it's art, science, history, politics, mechanics, whatever. Just see where it takes you. I've invested hundreds of dollars and no doubt months of my life just to watch a movie or a show and tell you about it. Do I regret it? Never. And before I wanted to go I just wanted to say you are fantastic. Absolutely fantastic. And do you know what? So am I.

Damage Report!

Well....shit.

You know this absolute bollocks going on with this virus I was ready to deal with long term. I didn't care about what I had to do to stay healthy but I was gonna go to the movies opening day and take that risk every damn time. Because while I have significant caution and self-preservation qualities, I wouldn't let it impede my work. And then the theaters shut down. Indefinitely. How the hell am I supposed to review Mulan now? I was gonna do a compare and contrast on two fronts, I was going to tell you how much Beauty & The Beast is a wonderful piece of cinema and tell you how the bullf*** remake was completely unnecessary and beyond terrible, quickly followed by doing the same for Mulan except with hopefully better outcomes in the remake department. Not anymore. I got nothing for this week and I have a plan for April but I feel it will be an almost impossible task with the time I have and the resources I have, meaning I need to scrap it (for now) and desperately try to garner material for the majority of next month. I'm not saying if the theaters didn't close in my town it would have fixed everything like the wave of a magic wand, but it would have made at least this week easier. Thankfully there's probably quite a few movies out on Redbox that I actually haven't watched and could easily get me through this week, but April is looking f***ing grim and I need a miracle to get that project going so I can give you a plethora of content for just one month. And I'm not trying to over exert myself, this was the plan all along, and it's certainly not impossible to put it on hold and do it later this year so I can plan more carefully for the coming weeks but I hate that such a severe setback has occured. So I'll sift through the Redbox and grab a few things for this week but after that it's just up in the air. Not unless the space gods are kind and get my theater opened back up before Friday, then I'll have one more week to plan and act accordingly. Stay tuned to find out, same time same channel, with this warning: the wildest is yet to come!

Fall Is In The Air....

I can sense it, I can feel it in my bones. Fall is finally here. All is right in my world! Much to talk about in the coming months. Killer clowns, a look at some of the best (and worst) horror remakes, spy agencies, critically acclaimed films, Christmas movies, and the last Jedi in the galaxy. All this and more to be featured on my (second) favorite website in the entirety of the interwebs, this is What The Dude Says. And the Dude abides.

So Near And Yet So Far Away

God why can't this school year just end already?

Update time! Almost done with school, finals are nearing, and there is so much to do. I hope you can forgive this week and the next week too, for studying is a very time consuming goal. But rest assured once I am done, the week afterwards will be filled with fun. My apologies once more I feel I should insist, but at least movie sign still exists. Have I made a rhyme?

Late But Not For Long

Sorry about the reviews, had to leave town to see family. Nothing bad, in fact it was one of the few times I had to go back home for a happy reason but I digress. So next week I'm doing 4 reviews, two animated family films on Monday and Tuesday and then two adult orientated movies on Thursday and Friday. Now some of you may ask when is the next tv show review? Well television shows take loads of time, several days if you're not great at the binge watching so I very much have to pick and choose my battles when it comes to that especially with school in full swing. So see you guys next week!

.....And Now I Am The Dude In White

I return to you now at the turn of the tide. We have a movie tomorrow and on Tuesday, but also one on Friday and Saturday. Yes, leading right into December. And you know what the sad part is, usually when I take September off I plan out reviews until the end of that year, and into the next year at least into March. But this year....I got nothing. The last review I have planned is December 22nd. After that, a whole lot of nothing. Why? Well mainly just because I have no more movies at the apartment. I have just about reviewed them all. All my other movies are in storage. No joke, I only have 3 DVD cases, one for movies, one for animated TV shows, and one for live action TV shows. That's all the space I can really afford. Now granted, the television shows I have rarely touched upon. Because how do you properly review a TV series? I do it season by season just giving overviews of the whole season, can't give it all away now can I? I honestly think 2017 is going to be the year of the television reviews, and also new movies in theaters are coming back hard man. I am going to try and see new movies at least once a week if not more. I mean, it's a neccesity at this point now man. Sink or swim, and I am choosing to swim. I counted all the releases next year, there are 17 movies I want to see in theaters. It's a miracle if I want to see 4 movies in a year! 17?? Unbelievable. 2017 is going to be one hell of a year! But until then, have a wonderful evening and I shall see you tomorrow. Goodnight everybody!

Superman The Movie

You will believe that a man can fly...


Superman The Movie is one of the greatest superhero movies of all time. When you think of Superman, this is probably the Superman you think of. This movie is just fantastic, everything is done just right. The special effects are amazing and still quite groundbreaking even though the movie is almost 40 years old. Yeah this movie came out in 1978, and honestly you can't really tell. The movie is mostly timeless, and I say mostly because...the fashion just screams 1970's and there is a bit of 70's terminology used in it, but if you can look past that then, yeah this movie is timeless. Everyone is perfectly cast in this movie, Christopher Reeve IS Superman he's not even acting he is just really Superman, Margot Kidder is a fantastic Lois Lane in this movie and is very true to the comics of that time, Gene Hackman is brilliant as Lex Luthor to the point where the only other competition for best Lex Luthor is either Clancy Brown who does the voice of Lex Luthor in various cartoons and video games or Michael Rosenbaum who plays Lex in Smallville, then we got Marlon Brando as Superman's father Jor-El who is very memorable in this movie and gives a lot of wisdom to Superman to help him become better, and finally we have Terence Stamp...as General Zod. I am going to have a field day tomorrow when I review Superman 2 because General Zod is unbelievably awesome in that movie! But one movie at a time. This movie is surprisingly funny a lot, almost every major and minor character has a good laugh in this movie, which really just shows that superhero movies back then were not so dark and serious as they are today. I mean yes, there is some serious and heavy moments in this movie, so it's not really a comedy but it's just very funny at times. I'm being serious, it is because of this movie that I incorporated the word 'swell' into my vocabulary. But getting back on track, the music, what can I say? It's unbelievably great! Do I even have to mention the Superman theme? John Williams gives one of his best scores in this movie. Like, probably the most well remembered scene in the movie where Superman flies with Lois over New York City, the music is absolutely beautiful and I love it to death. Listen to this soundtrack! This film is amazing, if you have not seen the Superman movie go see it now. If you have seen it, it's time to see it again. You owe it to yourself to see one of the best superhero movies of all time! I am not lying, I had no respect for the Man Of Tomorrow until I heard about the new Superman movie and I played Lego Batman 2 because that had Superman in it and I gained so much love and respect for the character, I immediately went out and bought the first two Superman movies. I regret nothing.

So that is my review of the first Superman movie. Check in tomorrow for my review of the second film.

Evolutionary Viewing Of The Internet Reviewer

As you know, one of my favorite interests is to watch various internet critics. It all started either when I was 13 or 14, and I don't even remember how it all started so this will be my attempt to chronicle my ever growing list of internet reviewers.

So all this started WAY back, like when I was in middle school, first year maybe. And I don't even remember how I got to be aware of all the internet reviewers I watch, so this will just barely scratch the surface. But I somehow found my way onto a video game reviewer known as, the Irate Gamer. I don't watch his videos as much as I used to, probably because I have found better reviewers since then. And constantly throughout watching these videos on YouTube, I read constant comments on how he ripped off someone called the Angry Video Game Nerd and I didn't believe it. So I started watching his videos and I loved them, I still do! And every time I discovered a new reviewer, I watched their videos from the very beginning. It was 2008 when I started watching the AVGN and there was this whole "war" between the Angry Video Game Nerd and this guy called the Nostalgia Critic, and you had to choose a side so I picked the AVGN but I was like, "Who is this Nostalgia Critic clown?", so I started to watch his videos from the beginning and...I loved them. So, I now had three reviewers by 2008. I watched the Nostalgia Critic on his website, channelawesome.com, and I found a plethora of reviewers. And I was just looking through the lists and I found two more reviewers by 2009, That Dude In The Suede who reviewed anime, and Angry Joe who reviewed video games. I had a friend in middle school who was a fan of the Nostalgia Critic, and he recommended a movie and video game reviewer, Spoony. It was about 2009, almost 2010 by the time I discovered Spoony and he became one of my favorites real quick and one of the reviews he did was a crossover with this guy Linkara and the entire review ended with a cliffhanger, which said it was to be continued on his show, Atop The Fourth Wall, so I had to watch his whole comic book show from the beginning to make sure I wouldn't miss anything leading up to the conclusion. It's a really good show with outstanding plots, great characters, and something trivial as comic books were great review material. I was hooked. From there, it's just a haze of how I discovered all these great reviewers and critics. They are the reason I wanted to become a movie critic, they are the reason I am doing this blog and voicing my opinions. Without them...I have no idea what would have become of me. I owe them so much and I am never, ever going to stop watching them even after they retire, which I hope they never do. I hope they keep reviewing stuff and they are like in their 60's, I would love that! Maybe if my memory gets better in the future, I will continue retelling how I found these critics, but for now my memory is kinda shot so this might be it. I hope you enjoyed this chronicle of internet reviewers and really finding out how I got here because of these people. Not sure what I will review next, maybe Lost In Translation....

Birdman (Or The Unexpected Virtue Of Ignorance)

There's not a better way to start reviewing movies than to review the Best Picture winner at the Oscars.

Okay first and foremost, I totally called that Birdman would win Best Picture at the Oscars. It was either going to be that or The Imitation Game. And I was right!

Now, I really don't want to give you the full plot of Birdman because, it is a fantastic movie and you should see it if you haven't already. But I will give you a synopsis of it. So Birdman stars Michael Keaton as this washed up actor who used to play Birdman about twenty years ago and his career hasn't gone smoothly in the last few years, and he is currently working on a Broadway play. And he is putting everything into this play and he hopes that it will really pay off. Michael Keaton was a genius casting choice for this, because this parallels his life as an actor who used to be famous for playing a comic book character. And there actually was a really funny nod to him when he stopped being Birdman in 1992, and that was the same year he last played Batman. But he is not the only really good actor in this movie, there are tons of them. Edward Norton plays one of his supporting characters in the play and he really makes me laugh, Emma Stone plays Michael Keaton's daughter who is the harsh voice of reality in this movie, we got Zach Galifianakis who plays Michael Keaton's manager who also is his best friend and they got good chemistry in the film, among many others. I really can't find much wrong with this movie, the acting is great, the music is catchy as hell so much so that if there is a soundtrack to this movie I would buy it, the dialogue feels completely real like, this is how normal people would talk, there is an exception in one scene but it is meant to sound corny and stupid so it still holds up, the camera work is an experience, because it looks like the film is shot in almost one continuous take, and yes there are transitions and you can spot them but it is a fluid moving film, the camera is constantly moving and it looks great. There are so many scenes in this movie that I found to be really damn good, like in one scene Michael Keaton's character is talking to this theater critic and this critic is absolutely horrible and he says stuff to her that you wish you could say to some critics because they are so cruel. And another scene is where Emma Stone's character talks to her dad and she really is the harsh voice of reality, saying her dad is just trying to be relevant again just like so many other people in today's world. It's just such a great film that everyone should see if they want a movie that is a little different than most movies that come out today. And when I say different, I mean different. Michael Keaton's character has this split personality who talks to him and it's the voice of Birdman and he can move stuff with his mind and fly, I absolutely love it. I love strange, different kinds of movies where you go into it and you are not really sure what to expect. You'll see what I mean cause I will leave a link at the end for the trailer of the movie and you can judge for yourself whether you would want to see it or not. Overall, Birdman was a fantastic movie and I really enjoyed it. I believed it deserved the Best Picture award hands down.


Alright, so that is it for my very first review. Thank you so much for reading this, I really appreciate it. Give the trailer a watch and see if this looks like the kind of movie you would want to see or maybe even buy.


Birdman Trailer: https://youtu.be/uJfLoE6hanc