Chuck's Movie Breakdown

       Hey guys, Chuck here. Well, we're fast approaching the theatrical release of Sonic the Hedgehog 2, the sequel to the surprise hit of 2020, Sonic the Hedgehog . However, before we get to Sonic  next week, there are a few movies based on pop culture franchises of my childhood that I'd like to get to first, starting with a 2017 movie based on a 1990's television series: Power Rangers . Based on Haim Saban's Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers , the movie Power Rangers was directed by Dean Israelite, and stars Dacre Montgomery, Naomi Scott, RJ Cyler, Becky G, and Ludi Lin, with other cast members including David Denman, Elizabeth Banks, Bill Hader, and Bryan Cranston.         The movie opens with a prologue set in the Cenozoic Era, where Red Ranger Zordon is the last survivor of an intergalactic team of heroes called the Power Rangers, who were betrayed and killed by one of their own: Green Ranger Rita Repulsa. Zordon buries five power coin...

        Hey guys, Chuck here. Well, after the insanity that was the Oscars last night, I really needed to review something light-hearted and fun. So, I'm taking a look at an early 2000's road comedy called Rat Race . Released in August of 2001, this movie was directed by Jerry Zucker and follows a similar premise to the 1960's comedy It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World , which tells of a random group of strangers racing against each other to be the first to reach a massive cache of money. But the question to ask is this: what does this early 2000's take on the concept do differently than it's 1960's counterpart? Well, let's dig into Rat Race and find out.       Okay, so the movie opens at a hotel/casino in Las Vegas, and we meet the various individuals this movie centers on: Nick Schaffer, a no-nonsense attorney in Vegas for a bachelor party, Owen Templeton, an NFL referee who is in hot water with football fans for a bonehead call, brothers Duane and ...

        Hey guys, Chuck here. Well, the Academy Awards ceremony was held this evening, and there is quite a lot to discuss. Tons of winners, wonderful anniversary celebrations for beloved films, and some surprises happened throughout the night. So, let's discuss the Academy Awards.        Okay, so it's really no surprise that Dune basically dominated the technical awards, including Best Visual Effects, Best Production Design, Best Original Score, Best Sound, Best Film Editing, and Best Cinematography. Honestly, I'm not surprised, because Denis Villeneuve and his team quite literally made a piece of cinematic art. I said back in October during my review of Dune how much I loved it on a visual level.          Best Costume Design went to the film Cruella. Again, not a surprise, as the costumes, especially those worn by Emma Stone, were absolutely incredible. Best Animated Feature went to Encanto , and I honestly think that it...

           Hey guys, Chuck here. This month marked the tenth anniversary of the release of The Hunger Games . Based on the young adult dystopian novel of the same name by Suzanne Collins, this movie was produced by Lionsgate films and stars Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth, Elizabeth Banks, Woody Harrelson, Donald Sutherland, Lenny Kravitz, Willow Shields, Stanley Tucci, Wes Bentley, Toby Jones, Paula Malcolmson, and was directed by Gary Ross.            Okay, so The Hunger Games takes place in a dystopian future where what's left of North America has formed a new nation called Panem, which is divided up into the wealthy city of the Capitol, and thirteen small districts that spread across what remains of the United States. Nearly a century before the start of the series, the thirteen districts rebelled against the Capitol, and a massive civil war broke out. The Capitol ultimately won, District 13 was wiped ou...

        Hey guys, Chuck here. Well, it's been a while, but I'm back. And what better movie to review than the new movie The Batman : co-written and directed by Matt Reeves, and starring Robert Pattinson, Zoe Kravitz, Paul Dano, Jeffrey Wright, John Tuturro, Colin Farrell, and Andy Serkis, with a minor cameo by Barry Keoghan. I just went to see the movie at my local movie theater, and I definitely enjoyed it. So, let's discuss the new movie The Batman .         So, the movie opens in Gotham, at a point when Bruce Wayne has been active as the Batman for about two years. Now, Batman is forced to contend with a mysterious serial killer known as The Riddler, who is stacking up a body count of corrupt city leaders with ties to Gotham mob boss Carmine Falcone. In his pursuit of the Riddler, Batman also crosses paths with Falcone's top lieutenant Oswald Cobblepot aka the Penguin, and also meets Selina Kyle aka Catwoman. With the aid of police lieuten...