Chuck's Movie Breakdown

        Hey guys, Chuck here. Well, I just went to see the new Disney film Encanto, and here's my quick take on the film.          So the movie, which is set in Colombia, focuses on the Madrigal family, who escaped certain doom through the power of an enchanted candle that was carried by the family matriarch, Abuela Alma. The enchanted candle allows for the creation of a new house, that is alive by the way, and all of Alma's children and grandchildren are granted special gifts, like incredible strength, communication with animals, precognition, healing, and so forth. The main protagonist of the film is Mirabel, who is the only one of the Madrigal family not to receive a gift. But, when the enchantment is fading, it's up to Mirabel to save her family and their home, before the magic of the Encanto is gone forever.           So, the movie has a terrific voice cast of mostly Hispanic actors, including the likes of S...

         Hey guys, Chuck here. Well, this is it. The last film in the Wizarding World  franchise for me to review before the April release of Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore , which is a movie I'm definitely excited for. For now, however, let's take a look at the second chapter of the Fantastic Beasts series: Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald .           The movie, which is set in the year 1927, opens with dark wizard Gellert Grindelwald being transferred from MACUSA to Europe to stand trial for his crimes, only for him to escape during the trip, with assistance from MACUSA turncoat Abernathy. Three months later, Newt Scamander meets with his brother Theseus, who is currently engaged to marry Newt's former flame Leta Lestrange. Newt's meeting with the higher ups at the Ministry of Magic is to lift the ban on his travels overseas, which they agree to, and they request he join Theseus in the hunt for Grindel...

         Hey guys, Chuck here. Well, I went to see the new movie Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City , and I definitely have some things to say about this movie. First off, this is yet another live-action film inspired by Capcom's popular Resident Evil  video game series, and serves as a reboot of the live-action film series based on the game series. Throughout the 2000's up through 2017, a series of "In Name Only" adaptations developed by filmmaker Paul W.S. Anderson and starring Anderson's wife Milla Jovovich were released, and the six movies were almost universally derided by fans of the games for shoving the characters from the games into supporting roles. However, this new film, written and directed by Johannes Roberts, puts the game's protagonists front and center.                The movie, set on September 30, 1998, focuses on siblings Claire and Chris Redfield. Claire, who has been gone for several years, h...

          Hey guys, Chuck here. After the release of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part Two , there was a certain level of uncertainty as to the future of the  Harry Potter  series. However, the continuing popularity of the series through the many visitors to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter  attractions at Universal Studios in Los Angeles and Orlando, as well as the success of the online site Pottermore , led Warner Bros. to make plans for a new series of films set in J.K. Rowling's Wizarding World. The first of this set of films is 2016's Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them.           The movie, set in the year 1926, establishes that the global Wizarding community is on edge due to the ongoing conflict with notorious dark wizard Gellert Grindelwald and his band of fanatics. The movie itself focuses on magizoologist Newt Scamander, who has arrived in New York City with a suitcase filled with bizarre mag...

         Hey guys, Chuck here. Well, now that I have reviewed each film of the Harry Potter series, I feel that before I get into the Fantastic Beasts  movies, I should give my overall thoughts on the Harry Potter  movies as a whole.           First off, these movies have held up surprisingly well over the past several years. From Sorcerer's Stone in 2001 to Deathly Hallows Part Two in 2011, each of the Harry Potter movies have managed to stand the test of time and still be just as beloved as they were with the fans that grew up with the series. Heck, I saw Sorcerer's Stone in theaters at the age of nine, and I saw Deathly Hallows Part Two at the age of nineteen, so these movies spanned an entire decade of my life, and I don't think my life would have been the same without the series. What amazes me the most is how the actors in the series, especially the likes of Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, Emma Watson, Matthew Lewis,...

        Hey guys, Chuck here. Well, I just went to see the newest chapter of the Ghostbusters  series: Ghostbusters: Afterlife . There's quite a bit to get through, so let's go ahead and get started.         We actually open the movie with the final stand, and unfortunate death, of one of the original Ghostbusters, who has set up shop in a run-down farmhouse in the rural town of Summerville, Oklahoma. Cut to some weeks later, and his daughter Callie, along with her children Trevor and Phoebe, gets evicted from their apartment, and the three are forced to move into the Summerville farmhouse. We also learn that the town is going through an unexplainable series of quakes, all eminating from the long abandoned Shandor Mines. When Phoebe and Trevor discover their familial ties to the Ghostbusters, they must suit up and finish the work their grandfather left behind. And that's all I'm willing to say, so I you want to know more, go see the movi...

        Hey guys, Chuck here. Well, we've reached the end of the saga. The final chapter of Harry's journey. A story so massive it took two movies to tell the whole story. Harry Potter and Deathly Hallows . With Part One released in November 2010 and Part Two released in July 2011 (and being the highest grossing film of 2011), the final chapter of the Harry Potter  series was easily the most anticipated entry of the series. So, enough introductions, let's get started.            So, Part One opens with new Minister of Magic Rufus Scrimgeour assuring the wizarding community that the Ministry of Magic remains dedicated to defend the liberties of witches and wizards everywhere, the Dursleys leaving the house on Number Four Privet Drive, and Hermione packing her things and using the spell Obliviate to erase her parents' memory of her, and she leaves. Meanwhile, at Malfoy Manor, Voldemort has a meeting with his followers, where they disc...

        Hey guys, Chuck here. You know the old saying about how a movie isn't quite as good as the book it's based on? Well, the sixth film of the Harry Potter series is proof positive that the opposite is also true. Based on a book that's basically a prologue for the final book that's chock full of filler, the film version is much more entertaining. So, here we go: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince .            The movie starts off with a group of Death Eaters, including the werewolf Fenrir Greyback, attacking the Millennium Bridge in London, and abducting wandmaker Garrick Ollivander from his shop in Diagon Alley. Meanwhile, Harry Potter is reading the Daily Prophet in a train station cafe, and he starts to flirt with a waitress who takes a curious look at the Daily Prophet newspaper. Harry then notices Dumbledore on the other side of the train tracks, and goes over.to meet him. Harry and Dumbledore then apparate to a small neighb...

        Hey guys, Chuck here. Well, we're officially halfway through talking about the Harry Potter  series, and now we get into the David Yates era with 2007's Harry Potter and Order of the Phoenix . And let's just say that it's in this movie where stuff gets real.         Okay, so the movie opens with Harry at a local park, where Dudley and his pals show up, mocking Harry for the nightmares he'd been having about the death of Cedric Diggory at the hands of Voldemort. Unfortunately, the sky darkens and something is approaching, do Harry and Dudley run for it, only to be caught by two Dementors. The Dementors nearly suck out both Harry and Dudley's souls, but Harry drives them away with the Patronus Charm. Harry and Dudley are then found by their neighbor Mrs. Figg, who is a Squib, and she escorts them home. Upon return to the house on Privet Drive, Vernon scolds Harry for what's happened to Dudley, and Harry ultimately receives a letter...

       Hey guys, Chuck here. Well, now it's time to discuss what is my least favorite film of the Harry Potter  series: Harry Potter and Goblet of Fire .           The movie opens with a Muggle groundskeeper going to get investigate a light at the Riddle house, which has been abandoned for years. The groundskeeper hears voices, including those of Peter Pettigrew aka Wormtail, Voldemort, and a wizard who is unidentified. The three are tipped off by Voldemort's snake Nagini, and Voldemort casts a curse that kills the groundskeeper. We then cut to Harry, staying with the Weasleys at the Burrow, being awakened by Hermione,who had just arrived. Harry, Ron, Hermione, Fred, George, and Ginny are all joining Mr. Weasley to meet up with his friend and Ministry of Magic co-worker Amos Diggory, as well as Amos' son Cedric Diggory, to travel by Portkey to the Quidditch World Cup. The Portkey in question is an enchanted boot that is used to tran...