1917: An Epic WWI Tale

If you were planning to wait for 1917 to be available on Digital Download or DVD, that simply won't do. Like Gravity and Dunkirk, watching 1917 on your phone or on a TV screen won't do it justice, this is a movie that demands to be seen on the big screen.

Better Late Than Ever Vol. 7

Adam Driver dominates much of my watchlist as Netflix and Amazon Prime provide several flicks that are becoming the talk of the town and potential award contenders. In addition to several streaming movies is a sequel to a sequel from Sony still in cinemas.

Cats: A Beautiful Cat-astrophe

 Francesca Hayward as Victoria.

I can thank Barney for my introduction to Cats. Of all places to put a direct-to-video trailer of Andrew Lloyd Webber's musical, a VHS copy of Barney's Great Adventure is an odd choice. There was also an episode of Reading Rainbow that showed a behind-the-scenes look at Cats with Broadway actress Loni Ackerson preparing for her role. Since then, I've heard snippets now and then on how it's considered a Broadway masterpiece and for its iconic song "Memory." It wasn't until I saw an episode of the animated adult comedy The Critic, that there was some general level of disdain towards the show.

Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker Ends With a Sizzle

Kylo Ren vs Rey

There's something about the title in a Star Wars movie that gives it its mythic and mystical identity without being too overt (A New Hope, Revenge of the Sith, The Last Jedi, etc.) When the title for Episode IX was revealed as The Rise of Skywalker, it sounded pompous and obvious. True, the saga has been mostly about the Skywalker lineage but did it have to be flaunted this way?

Double Review: Frozen 2 & Klaus

Two animated movies that take place in a winter wonderland. One is a juggernaut that is taking the world by storm, the other is an underdog looking to brave the storm.

A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood is Beautiful Indeed

Tom Hanks as Mr. Rogers.

Documentaries being turned into movies is nothing new, though it has been popping up more frequently from The Walk, Snowden, Our Brand is Crisis, and Welcome to Marwen. The results have been mixed to say the least as the impact of what was caught on camera in real-life is tricky to recreate for a feature film. Which brings us to the latest in this trend. The story behind on the most beloved TV icon Fred Rogers was beautifully told in Morgan Neville's documentary Won't you Be my Neighbor? and one of my favorite movies of 2018. It will be a tough act to follow but if director Marielle Heller (Can You Ever Forgive Me?) can earn Melissa McCarthy an Oscar nod, then there's hope yet.

Knives Out: A Sharp and Captivating Mystery

Detective Blanc (Daniel Craig) and Marta Cabrera (Ana de Armas). 

I can't recall the last time we had a good mystery movie. I'm not talking about the psychological thrillers or neo-noirs like Gone Girl or Chinatown, I mean an old-fashioned whodunit murder mystery. The last one that comes to mind is the campy but enjoyable Clue movie from the eighties. Leave it to Rian Johnson, who after the success of Star Wars: The Last Jedi returns to his roots that began with his first film Brick, in a story that would make Arthur Conan Doyle and Agatha Christie proud.

Cinema Spotlight II – Taika Waititi (Part 6): ‘Jojo Rabbit’

Jojo (Roman Griffin Davis) talking with Adolf (Taikia Waititi).

This isn't the first comedy to lampoon the Nazi Party. From Charlie Chaplin's The Great Dictator, The Producers from Mel Brooks, even cartoon characters like Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck and Donald Duck had their respective shorts in Herr Meets Hare, Daffy the Commando and Der Fuehrer's Face. Roberto Benigni's Life is Beautiful being the most recent and the only I believe that takes place during the Holocaust. Taikia Waititi gives his take in this loose adaptation of Christine Leunens' bittersweet novel.  

Better Late Than Never Vol. 6

It's that time of the year when all the highly anticipated movies start to arrive and I try to watch a couple I missed during the summer.

Parasite is a Powerful Parable

The movies from South Korean director Bong Joon-ho are never afraid to address hefty topics. The Host (not to be confused with the Stephanie Meyer movie of the same name) showcased environmental issues, foreign country relationships and media manipulation amidst the monster movie backdrop and family-drama plot. Snowpiercer (which is basically if Mad Max took place on a train during the Ice Age) displayed the clash between the privileged and the poor and Okja unveiled the horrors of animal abuse and corporate greed.

Maleficent: Mistress of Evil is a Misleading Misfire

My what big horns you have.

While there have a been a few live-action Disney remakes that have been surprisingly good, I can't say the same for sequels of live-action Disney remakes. When was the last time 102 Dalmatians and Alice Through the Looking Glass were talked in a positive light? If you were expecting Maleficent: Mistress of Evil, to break that curse, you are sadly mistaken.

Double Feature: The Addams Family & Gemini Man

The Addams Family return for a new generation and Will Smith battles himself from a younger generation.

Joker: All Joke No Punchline

Joaquin Phoenix as the Joker

The Joker is one of those characters who didn't need an origin story. Not knowing what made him a sadistic psychopath is what made him a scary but memorable villain. True, there have been several iterations that hinted his past but never the whole picture. Tim Burton's Batman being the one exception but isn't seen as part of the Batman lore and neither is this version, brought to us by Todd Phillips, the director of The Hangover. 

Abominable is an Adorable Adventure.

It struck me odd when DreamWorks premiered its first film of the year with How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World but there was no word for their next film Abominable. By early spring, a trailer did surface in theaters but strangely not online until weeks later. One would take this as a bad sign but now that now having seen the film, I was glad to be wrong. 

Invader Zim: Enter the Florpus Serves a Satisfying Cessation and Plenty of Pudding.

Series revivals are, if not already, the next big thing on television. Cartoon Network gave Samurai Jack a conclusive ending on its Adult Swim block in 2017 with a series finale following its cliffhanging cancellation fourteen years after its original run. Disney Channel brought back That's So Raven and Boy Meets World with a sequel series: Raven's Home and Girl Meet's World with a "where-are-they-now" scenario (Lizzie McGuire being the next in line). Taking a page from both networks, Nickelodeon revived a couple of their classic catalogs with Hey Arnold! and Rocko's Modern Life with made-for-television movies that like Jack, provided a proper conclusion to these cancelled cartoons. 

Per Aspera Ad Astra: Through Hardship through the Stars.

The moral of the story is that if you were part of the Ocean's gang, don't be an astronaut. Just ask Matt Damon (The Martian), Sandra Bullock (Gravity), Anne Hathaway (Interstellar) and George Clooney (who gave it shot twice and still turned for the worse with Solaris and Gravity). Brad Pitt is the next in line to be mesmerized by the beauty and horror of outer space.

Double Review: The Peanut Butter Falcon & Brittany Runs a Marathon

Two comedy-dramas, with straight-forward titles and from first-time directors. Both feature characters walking by foot, in trying to find themselves, and the effect they have on the people they meet. One takes place down on the bayou, the other in the city that never sleeps.

Cinema Spotlight VII - Andrés Muschietti (Part 3): "It: Chapter Two"

The general consensus with the It mini-series is that Part Two isn't as good as Part One. The less said about that spider, the better. With the same team, lead by Andy Muschietti, can they bring the same quality from Chapter One and greatly improve in the second chapter of the Losers club?

Cinema Spotlight VII - Andrés Muschietti (Part 2): "It"

Two weeks before production on It began, the movie's original director, Emmy-award winner Cary Fukunaga (Beasts of No Nation & True Detective) left the project due to creative differences and studio disagreements. When news reached Andy Muschietti, he immediately jumped in for the opportunity, having been a lifelong Stephen King fan and read It in his early teens. The studio gave him five days to come with a pitch, and in those five days he re-read the novel, utilized Fukunaga's script, presented his pitch, and the rest was history.

Cinema Spotlight VII - Andrés Muschietti (Part 1): Mama

Jessica Chastain as Annabel 

Early in his career, Andy Muschietti made commercials in his home country of Argentina with his real passion being cinema. He snagged some odd jobs in show business from public relations to assistant director; one in particular was as a set production assistant on the Madonna musical Evita. He moved to Spain and collaborated with his sister Barbara Muschietti in advertisement; still looking for the chance to make his motion picture break.

Scary Stories To Tell in the Dark Lives Up to its Name

Like with Goosebumps, Scary Stories To Tell in the Dark, were a series of horror books I was too chicken to read when I was a kid. The terrifying illustrations only added to keeping me away. Reading it years later, Alan Schwartz's anthology series, serves as a good introduction for young readers to horror; my favorite excepts include High Beams, The Haunted House, and The Girl Who Stood on the Grave. With Goosebumps getting the big-screen treatment, Scary Stories goes through a somewhat similar procedure of using the books as a plot device, rather than adapting a particular story.

The Angry Birds Movie 2 Take a Wobbly Flight with Dignity

From Left to Right (Top): Leonard (Bill Hader), Mighty Eagle (Peter Dinklage) and Bomb (Danny McBride)
From Left to Right (Bottom): Courtney (Awkwafina), Chuck (Josh Gad), Silver (Rachel Bloom) and Red (Jason Sudeikis).  

Video Game movies don't have a good reputation; awful adaptions at worst, guilty pleasures at best. Out of this arcade cavalcade, The Angry Birds Movie is shockingly the best video-game based movie. It's by no means good, (I'd rank it at a C grade) but compared to its pixelated predecessors, it's a masterpiece. A passable plot, decent protagonist, funny antagonist, and best of all, carrying what made the app fun from its zippy and bright energy including the signature slingshot. What weighs it down are the annoying side characters and obnoxious humor; most of which I'm surprised they allowed in a children's movie.

Triple Review Vol. 2

The ninth movie from Quentin Tarantino, James Bobin's second try on bringing a television icon to the big-screen and a personal story from Lulu Wang. Worth the watch or skippable flicks?

Cinema Spotlight VI - Jon Favreau (Part 9): "The Jungle Book"

This isn't the first time Disney's tried to do a live-action re-interpretation of Rudyard Kipling's The Jungle Book. Back in 1994 Stephen Sommers did his take on the classic story of Mowgli in Disney's first live-action remake by making Mowgli a grown-man and the animals never talking. As a kid, it was a traumatic experience, re-watching years later its a film that would have fared better with a PG-13 rating instead of being advertised as fun for the whole family. If anything, it prepared Sommers to apply his action/adventure skills with The Mummy movies. As for Disney's animated version from 1967, its cute with a catchy soundtrack (who doesn't know The Bare Necessities), and plenty of memorable characters from Baloo, Bagherea, Kaa and Shere Khan.

Cinema Spotlight VI - Jon Favreau (Part 8): "Chef"

Emjay Anthony as Percy, Jon Favreau as Carl Casper, & Sofia Vergara as Inez.

When I think of Jon Favreau's best work, I think of Swingers, Made and Chef. Movies where Favreau serves as writer, director and lead actor. The characters he inhabits are sad sacks going through a personal crisis. As Mike Peters in Swingers, he's a comedian trying to make it in Hollywood while going through a break-up. In Made, he's Bobby Ricigliano, a boxer working with the mob to support his family. 

Cinema Spotlight VI - Jon Favreau (Part 7): "Cowboys & Aliens"

I am Iron Man-I mean James Bond-I mean Zeke Jackson, no wait.....

Indiana Jones, James Bond, Quorra, Justin Hammer, the Last Airbender, and Mr. Krabs, fighting aliens in the wild, wild, west? With Jon Favreau directing and Ron Howard, Brian Grazer and Steven Spielberg producing? Sign me in!

Cinema Spotlight VI - Jon Favreau (Part 10): "The Lion King"

I re-watched the original Lion King the night before watching the live-action remake. (I know that technically it's not live-action since everything from the settings and characters are created with computer generated effects but for the sake of this review, I'm calling live-action). The Lion King was another childhood movie I grew up watching in Spanish. I'd seen the sequels, spin-offs, sing-alongs, and television shows in English but never the original until that night. The animation is gorgeous, the songs are unforgettable, and the characters are memorable. Is it any wonder why it rank's high as one of Disney's best?

Cinema Spotlight VI - Jon Favreau (Part 6): "Iron Man 2"

Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark/Iron Man

As the first hero to reveal his secret identity, Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) has no regrets of his new superheros status. But behind the parties, drinking, self-promoting and self-confidence, the arc reactor that keep's him alive and powers his Iron Man suit, is slowly poisoning him. With no luck on procuring a cure, his days seem to be numbered among other problems. 

Cinema Spotlight VI - Jon Favreau (Part 5): "Iron Man"

Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark/Iron Man

By the mid-2000's, Marvel was in a bit of a rut. Their movies weren't doing well as they used to from Fantastic 4, Elektra, The Punisher and Ghost Rider. Even the greats like Spider-Man, X-Men and Blade didn't fare well with many on their third entries. When Kevin Feige, a producer who had been present since the first X-Men movie, became the new President of Marvel, he had a risky plan that could help the struggling studio 

Yesterday's Troubles Aren't So Faraway

Hamish Patel as Jack Malick in his movie debut. 

Aspiring musician Jack Malick (Hamish Patel) has the right idea to panic when the whole world suddenly forgets The Beatles. Imagine if your favorite artist or band were erased form history and you're the only person on the planet who remembers them at all. I tremble to think of a world without Weird Al Yankovic. I would do the same as Jack and write down the lyrics to their greatest hits. No help from the internet or albums since they never existed in the first place! Goes to show how well one knows a song.

Spider-Man Far From Home is Amazing if a Little Too Amazing

Tom Holland as Peter Parker

Watching Spider-Man: Far From Home, reminded me of Dark Phoenix. In my review I said cartoons do a better job on capturing the spirit and feel of comic-book characters than in the movies. There are exceptions like last year's Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse. While Far From Home doesn't come close to that movie, it's like Phoenix where the excitement of watching those cartoons is translated onscreen. 

Cinema Spotlight VI - Jon Favreau (Part 4): "Zathura"

You can't discuss Zathura without discussing Chris Vans Allsburg. Writer and illustrator for many children books such as The Garden of Abdul Gasazi, Ben’s Dream and The Widow's Broom. His most popular work are Jumanji and The Polar Express, both having been adapted into feature films. In 2002, Allsburg published Zathura, serving as the long-awaited sequel to Jumanji, published back in 1981; this time, the game takes the players into outer space.  

Toy Story 4: Superfluous but Surprising.

Forky and Woody

Toy Story is the one that started it all for Pixar. It gave the company its identity, and revolutionized animation as the first movie to fully utilize computer generated imagery. Toy Story 2, being Pixar's third movie and first sequel while still in its infancy, exceeded expectations as being better than the original. At the peak of its prime, Toy Story 3 proved yet again that Pixar could do this franchise no wrong as it gave the story a beautiful resolution. Since then, Woody and the gang have appeared in various shorts and TV specials with no plans of returning for another feature film....or so we thought.

Cinema Spotlight VI - Jon Favreau (Part 3): "Elf"

Will Ferrell as Buddy.

Swingers gave Jon Favreau a taste of working behind-the-camera. With Made he had full control, and applied all he had learned from watching other directors. With one movie down, Favreau proved that he could direct and appeal to the adult audiences, but could he do the same with the younger crowd? That's why for his next film, Favreau wished to do a family-friendly project; a Christmas movie to be exact. It came down between two comedies: one was about an obnoxious millionaire who pays a family to spend Christmas with him or a human who is raised by elves in Santa's workshop who searches for his real family. You can guess the rest.

Cinema Spotlight VI - Jon Favreau (Part 2): "Made"

Bobby Ricigliano and Ricky Slade

Thanks to Swingers, Jon Favreau nabbed more acting jobs in mainly supporting roles in movies (The Replacements & Deep Impact) and especially television; guest-starring in such programs like Friends, Disney's Hercules, Dilbert, The Sopranos, and Buzz Lightyear of Star Command. While the acting gig was fairly well, Favreau loved watching the director at work and learning a few tips like filming certain shots and working with actors; from his early his days on Rudy with David Anspaugh, his breakout role in Swingers with Doug Liman, to more recent work like The Wolf of Wall Street with Martin Scorsese. At the dawn of the new century, Favreau began working on another script that was reminiscent of his first screenplay with him and his old pal Vince Vaughn once again in the lead roles.

Double Review: Men in Black:International & The Dead Don't Die

Two summer movies feature a ragtag team fighting foes not of this world while a strange occurrence appears in the night sky. Thor & Valkyrie take on the scum of the universe while Peter Venkman and Kylo Ren are left to deal with the undead. Despite the exciting premise, both films failed to connect with audiences. Are both deserving of such scrutiny? 

The Secret Life of Pets 2: Same Tricks No Bone

Rooster (Harrison Ford) staring down at Max (Patton Oswalt).

Like its predecessor, The Secret Life of Pets 2 functions more as a series of shorts stitched together and forced to pass off as a feature-length film. They also feel like inferior Pixar movies with the first film bearing Toy Story's plot. The two main leads fight over the attention of their human owner, get lost in the scuffle and have to find their way back home. The sequel resembles The Good Dinosaur with a small and frighted animal learning to face his fears in the wild. But where the first Pets movie at least had a concise story connecting the characters from beginning to end, I can't say the same for Pets 2. 

The X-Men are Forced into a Final Stand in Dark Phoenix

Sophie Turner as Jean Gray/Phoenix. 

Set in 1992, nine years after the events of X-Men: Apocalypse, its another usual day for the X-Men; going on missions and saving the day. This time, going to outer space and saving astronauts from a solar flare tempest. Telekinetic Jean Grey (Sophie Turner) absorbs the flare and emerges unharmed, much to her team's surprise. "Did you hear what the kids are calling you? Phoenix." says her boyfriend Scott Summers/Cyclops (Tye Sheridan) in her moment of glory. The moment is quickly over when Jean starts to experience a psychic spasm that she can't control and runs away.

Godzilla vs Ghidorah: Dawn of Monsters

The Kings Face-off

The 1998 film from Roland Emmerich and the 2014 film from Gareth Edwards are the closest to having watched kaiju cinema. The former being a silly 90's action blockbuster while the latter goes The Dark Knight route on being a more gritty and serious. While the 2014 iteration is superior on a technical and critical level, I have a soft spot for the 98 version; admittedly for nostalgic reasons. While it found life again as an animated series, fans of the original were still non too pleased with Emmerich's vision and welcomed the second reboot from Edwards with open arms. It's success lead to Kong: Skull Island, taking place in the same universe but back in the seventies whereas Godzilla (2014) took place in present time. Thus the MonsterVerse was born.

Aladdin is a Fun Ride on this Magic Carpet Ride.

I grew up watching Aladdin in Spanish and didn’t see the original in English until years later. I knew who was Robin Williams courtesy of Flubber which served as my introduction to the late comedic genius along with Ferngully: The Last Rainforest. When a live-action Aladdin movie was announced I was intrigued and a little excited on thinking who could don the role of Williams' eponymous Genie. The one detail that was perplexing was the selection of Guy Ritchie as director; not exactly known for kid-friendly work and his last movie King Arthur: Legend of the Sword didn’t fare well to say the least. Does the movie succeed on being a diamond in the rough or a filthy street rat?  

Cinema Spotlight VI - Jon Favreau (Part 1): "Swingers"

Mike Peters and Trent Walker arriving in Vegas

Jon Favreau lived as an inprov comedian in Chicago; he got his first bout in show business when he landed a part in the sports/drama Rudy. This prompted him to move to LA and pursue an acting career. The bad news was that he had little success on securing any roles. The good news was meeting new friends who like him, were actors looking for work; among them was Vince Vaughn whom Favreau previously knew from Rudy. With no luck on the acting gig, Favreau turned to screenwriting and started typing away.

Detective Pikachu Catches the Spark but Needs More Charge

I was about six years old when I joined the Pokemon phenomenon. I begged my parents to take me to Pokemon: The First Movie (I decision I now regret) and frequently watched the anime up until the Hoenn League in Season Eight: Advanced Battle. I occasionally came back to the show: a few episodes of the Sinnoh Region with Diamond & Pearl, watched the entire Unova series with Black & White, and the first half of the Kalos adventure in X&Y where I stopped watching the anime again (Sorry Sun & Moon fans).

Avengers: Endgame Spoilers

The following contain spoilers for Endgame and many Marvel movies. You have been warned. 

Avengers: Endgame Reaches the End of the Beginning

Just as Doctor Strange foresaw in the climax of Infinity War, the Endgame is now here. If 2008's Iron Man served as the Genesis of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, then Avengers: Infinity War is its Apocalypse and Avengers: Endgame is the final judgement.

Better Late Than Never Vol. 6

Cinema Spotlight V - David F. Sandberg (Part 3): "Shazam!"

Freddy (Jack Dylan Grazer) marveling at the new powers of Billy (Zachery Levi) in Shazam form. 

James Wan and David F. Sandberg got their start with a popular horror short. They adapted it into a feature film, premiered with positive results, and commenced their frightening filmography. One of their films, included a creepy doll from a horror franchise that earned them more recognition. Their partnership with Warner Bros. added to that, and with the DC Extended Universe trying to recuperate, both were brought on board. James Wan's Aquaman became a success but could Sandberg deliver the same results?

Cinema Spotlight V - David F. Sandberg (Part 2): "Annabelle: Creation"

Impressed by his work on Lights Out, James Wan offered David F. Sandberg his next movie that would set in the Conjuring Universe. An offer, Sandberg was hesitant to accept seeing the bad reputation of Horror sequels. It didn't help that the proposed project would be another Anabelle movie, with the last one to star the demented doll being widely despised. But when told that it would be a standalone prequel and have little to no connection to its predecessors, he accepted.

Cinema Spotlight V - David F. Sandberg (Part 1): "Lights Out"

Born in Jönköping, Sweden, David F. Sandberg's passion for cinema began when working at a video rental store in his late teens. Since then, he has made various shorts, commercials, and documentaries; many submitted in film festivals and uploaded on YouTube (goes by the name ponysmasher). One of his videos went viral that before he could say "I'm going to Hollywood," the Swedish YouTuber got the call. What was it about this particular short that garnered such popularity to warrant a movie deal? Let's just say, you might want to keep the lights on for this. 

Dumbo is Delightfully Dull

Upon re-watching Dumbo, Disney's fourth animated feature, a few things like the crows haven't aged well but how can you not love Dumbo who is just so cute. He never talks but still conveyed plenty of emotion and his friendship with Timothy Q. Mouse added to that. It's quite shocking how cruel the circus treats him from jeering at this ears, being separated from his mother, and suffer humiliation as a clown. It's also really short, clocking at an hour and ten minutes. Strangely, the idea was conceived as a short before deciding to be a full-length picture. A decision that saved the Disney company after the financial disappointments of Pinocchio and Fantasia despite their critical acclaim.

Us Ups the Scares but Lacks the Flair

Having garnered critical acclaim in his thrilling directorial debut with Get Out, comedian turned filmmaker Jordan Peele goes for round two in full-out horror mode that gives double meaning to the phrase "you are your own worst enemy"