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Showing posts from November, 2023

Review - Mary Poppins Returns (2018)

        Hey guys, Chuck here, and as we all know, Disney's Mary Poppins is a cinematic masterpiece that is Practically Perfect in Every Way. So, it's not a surprise that they'd want to make another one... a whole fifty-four years after the original came out. Mary Poppins Returns, which marked the third directorial collaboration between Disney and Rob Marshall, was released in December of 2018, where it faced stiff competition from the DC superhero film Aquaman. This movie stars Emily Blunt, Lin Manuel Miranda, Ben Whishaw, Emily Mortimer, Julie Walters, Colin Firth, Meryl Streep, with Dick Van Dyke, and Angela Lansbury.          Set in the midst of the Great Depression, the movie sees Michael Banks living at the house at 17 Cherry Tree Lane, along with his children John, Annabel, and Georgie. Unfortunately, Michael's wife Kate passed away, leaving him struggling to keep up with bills and loan payments. His sister Jane, meanwhile, has become a union organizer, following

Review - Into the Woods (2014)

         Hey guys, Chuck here, and today I'm taking a look at Into the Woods, Disney's 2014 feature film adaptation of Stephen Sondheim's stage musical based upon the fairy tales of the Brothers Grimm. Into the Woods was directed by Rob Marshall, and featured a stellar cast including the likes of Meryl Streep, Emily Blunt, James Corden, Anna Kendrick, Chris Pine, Tracy Ullman, Christine Baranski, Lilla Crawford, Daniel Huttlestone, Frances De La Tour, Mackenzie Mauzy, Billy Magnussen, and Johnny Depp.         So, while the movie features elements of the classic fairy tales of Cinderella, Jack and the Beanstalk, Rapunzel, and Little Red Riding Hood, the movie ultimately focuses on a baker and his wife, who dream of one day having a child. Unfortunately, a witch who lives next door to them tells them it's impossible, due to a curse on the Baker's family. Years earlier, the Baker's father stole greens from the Witch's garden, which she allowed in exchange for h

Review - Christopher Robin (2018)

         Hey guys, Chuck here. Today, I am taking a look at the 2018 Disney film Christopher Robin,  directed by Marc Forster, based on the Winnie the Pooh stories by A.A. Milne, and starring Ewan McGregor, Hayley Atwell, Mark Gatiss, Bronte Carmichael, Oliver Ford Davies, and the voices of Jim Cummings, Brad Garrett, Peter Capaldi, Toby Jones, Nick Mohammed, Sophie Okonedo, and Sara Sheen.          The movie starts off with Christopher Robin on his last day in the Hundred Acre Wood, saying goodbye to his friends Pooh, Piglet, Tigger, Rabbit, Eeyore, Owl, Kanga and Roo. The reason? Christopher's parents are preparing to send him to boarding school to finish his studies. Over the course of a montage, we see Christopher grow up, marry a woman named Evelyn, serve in the British Army during World War II, come home to meet his daughter, Madeline, for the first time, and find a decent job working for Winslow's Luggage.          Now, we meet up with Christopher, who is spending more t

Review - Wish (2023)

         Hey guys, Chuck here, and this is my review of Wish, the newest film from Walt Disney Animation Studios, which stars Ariana DeBose, Chris Pine, Alan Tudyk, Victor Garber, Evan Peters, Angelique Cabral, Natasha Rothwell, and many more. The film is intended to be a celebration of one hundred years of Disney, but does it shine like the wishing star, or is it a reflection on just how far Disney has fallen these past couple of years? Let's find out as we take a look at Wish.           So, the movie is set in the kingdom of Rosas, where their ruler is King Magnifico, who has the power to collect, and possibly, grant the wishes of the people of Rosas. Our main heroine is seventeen year old Asha, who is preparing to begin an apprenticeship with King Magnifico, but learns that he's not everything the people believe him to be. One night, she makes a wish on a wishing star, which descends and takes on the form of a small ball of light called Star. And, how does the evil King Magn

Review - Thanksgiving (2023)

        Hey guys, Chuck here. Well, it's almost Thanksgiving, and I can't think of a more interesting movie to watch than the new movie Thanksgiving.  Directed by Eli Roth, Thanksgiving is a new slasher movie that is based on his 2007 fake trailer from the movie Grindhouse,  being the fourth film based on one of the Grindhouse  fake trailers after such films as Machete, Hobo with a Shotgun, and Machete Kills.  The movie Thanksgiving  stars Patrick Dempsey, Addison Rae, Gina Gershon, Milo Manheim, Ty Olsson, and Rick Hoffman.           So, the movie is set in Plymouth, Massachusetts, the birthplace of the Thanksgiving holiday in the United States, and it's been about a year since a brutal tragedy involving Black Friday. And, now, on Thanksgiving Day, a killer dressed as a pilgrim and wearing a John Carver mask is going around seeking retribution for the tragic incident one year prior, and is utilizing the typical tools and cutlery found at the Thanksgiving dinner table. And

Review - Scott Pilgrim Takes Off (2023)

          Hey guys, Chuck here, and it's finally here. Scott Pilgrim Takes Off, the new Netflix anime series based on the Scott Pilgrim graphic novels by Bryan Lee O'Malley, and featuring the cast of the 2010 Edgar Wright film Scott Pilgrim vs. The World reprising their roles. Said cast includes Michael Cera, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Kieran Culkin, Anna Kendrick, Mark Webber, Allison Pill, Johnny Simmons, Aubrey Plaza, Ellen Wong, and Brie Larson, with Jason Schwartzman, Satya Bhabha, Chris Evans, Brandon Routh, Julian Cihi, and Mae Whitman as the Seven Evil Exes. Also, several members of the creative team of Scott Pilgrim vs. The World are also involved in this series as executive producers, including Edgar Wright, Nira Park, and Michael Bacall.            Okay, so if you read the original graphic novels or saw the movie Scott Pilgrim vs. The World, then you pretty much already know the story. Scott Pilgrim, a native of Toronto, Canada, is part of the indie rock band Sex Bob-O

Review - The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes (2023)

         Hey guys, Chuck here, and this is my review of the new movie The Hunger Games The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes, directed by Francis Lawrence and released by Lionsgate Films. Based on the novel by Suzanne Collins, this movie serves as a prequel story to The Hunger Games , and stars Tom Blyth, Rachel Zegler, Hunter Schafer, Jason Schwartzman, Ashley Liao, Josh Andrés Rivera, Burn Gorman, Peter Dinklage, and Viola Davis.           So, for a bit of context of when this story takes place, the exact timeline is sixty-four years before Katniss Everdeen volunteered as Tribute for District 12 in the 74th annual Hunger Games competition. So, at this point in time, the Hunger Games are not quite the spectacular extravaganza we know them to be from the earlier movies. No Tribute Center, no training for the Tributes, no lavish prizes or Victor's Villages for the Victors. None of that. The Games are, quite honestly, at their most primitive. No stylists or prep teams for the Tributes

Review - Assassin's Creed (2016)

       Hey guys, Chuck here, and back during the summer, I took a look at the Ubisoft game franchise Assassin's Creed.  And, I promised that I would talk about the 2016 Assassin's Creed movie some time around November. And, as I like to be a man of my word, this is my review of the 2016 movie Assassin's Creed, released by 20th Century Fox, directed by Justin Kurzel, and starring Michael Fassbender, Marion Cotillard, Michael K. Williams, Ariane Labed, Callum Turner, Brendan Gleeson, Charlotte Rampling, Essie Davis, and Jeremy Irons.         So, just like the games, the movie Assassin's Creed focuses on the eternal war between the Assassin's brotherhood and the Templar Order. Our main protagonist is Callum Lynch, who saw the aftermath of his mother's death at hands of his father, Joseph, who is taken by agents working for the Abstergo Foundation, a subdivision of Abstergo Industries. As an adult, Cal is on death row awaiting execution by lethal injection, with his

Review - Gen V (2023)

        Hey guys, Chuck here. Earlier today, I gave my review of the first three seasons of The Boys, the Amazon series based on the Garth Ennis comic book. Now, I'm taking a look at the recently released spin-off Gen V, once again developed by Eric Kripke, and executive produced by Kripke, Seth Rogen, Evan Goldberg, and Neal H. Moritz. Gen V stars Jaz Sinclair, Chance Perdomo, Lizze Broadway, London Thor, Derek Luh, Maddie Phillips, Asa Germann, and Shelley Conn, with appearances by the likes of Clancy Brown, Patrick Schwarzenegger, Antony Starr, Jensen Ackles, Derek Wilson, and so many more.        Much like with The Boys, Gen V centers itself in a world of Supes, with our main protagonist being Marie Moreau, a Super with the power of blood bending, similar to Victoria Neuman from The Boys, but she accidentally kills her parents when her powers kick in. Years after that, Marie, who has been in a facility called the Red River Institute, is preparing to attend college at Godolkin U

Review - The Boys (2019-2022)

        Hey guys, Chuck here, and like many on the Internet, I have become a massive fan of Amazon's superhero streaming series The Boys. Based on the comic book series by Garth Ennis, The Boys was created by Eric Kripke, who serves as executive producer alongside the likes of Seth Rogen, Evan Goldberg, and Neal H. Moritz. The series features a really stacked cast, which includes the likes of Karl Urban, Jack Quaid, Antony Starr, Erin Moriarty, Jessie T. Usher, Laz Alonso, Karen Fukuhara, Dominique McElligott, Chace Crawford, Aya Cash, Jensen Ackles, and a slew of others.         So, in the world of The Boys, the world is populated by Superheroes, or Supes for short. There are several groups of Supes, but the most famous among them is a team known as The Seven, which consists of Homelander, Queen Maeve, Black Noir, The Deep, A-Train, and Translucent, with the newest member joining them being Annie January/Starlight. The Seven are not only superheroes, but superstars appearing in mo

Review - Doctor Who: The Day of the Doctor (2013)

         Hey guys, Chuck here, and as we continue to celebrate the sixtieth anniversary of the beloved BBC sci-fi series Doctor Who, I'd like to rewind the clock back to ten years ago, when BBC celebrated the fiftieth anniversary of Doctor Who with The Day of the Doctor. Written by Steven Moffat, this special starred Matt Smith, Jenna Coleman, David Tennant, Billie Piper, and John Hurt, along with additional cast members like Jemma Redgrave, Ingrid Oliver, Ken Bones, Joanna Page, and a surprise cameo by Tom Baker.           So, the special starts off with Clara Oswald finishing teaching a class at Coal Hill School, when another faculty member tells her that she has a call from the Doctor. Riding off on her motorcycle, Clara reaches the TARDIS, where the Eleventh Doctor is waiting for her, and they plan on a big trip. Unfortunately, a U.N.I.T. helicopter airlifts the TARDIS, leading the Doctor to call Kate Stewart, who is shocked that the Doctor was still IN the TARDIS when it was b

Review - The Marvels (2023)

         Hey guys, Chuck here, and I just went to see The Marvels, the latest film from Marvel Studios, serving as a sequel to 2019's Captain Marvel, while also continuing certain elements of both WandaVision and Ms. Marvel. Nia DaCosta serves as director of this movie, which stars Brie Larson, Teyonah Parris, Iman Vellani, Zawe Ashton, and Samuel L. Jackson.           So, some time after Carol Danvers/Captain Marvel destroyed the Supreme Intelligence, the Kree homeworld Hala has suffered near destruction from years of civil war. This leads their new leader, Dar-Benn, to seek out one of the Quantum Bands to open jump points throughout the universe to restore Hala's lost resources. However, the energy of the Quantum Bands has the side effect of entangling the light-based powers of Captain Marvel, Monica Rambeau, and Kamala Khan/Ms. Marvel. So, these three heroines must team up to stop Dar-Benn and save the universe.          Okay, so I will admit that the movie does have a probl

Review - Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1997-2003)

        Hey guys, Chuck here. And, yes, it is finally time. Today, I'm taking a look at one of my favorite '90s TV series Buffy the Vampire Slayer , created by Joss Whedon, and starring Sarah Michelle Gellar, Nicholas Brendon, Alyson Hannigan, Anthony Stewart Head, and a revolving door of cast members including Charisma Carpenter, David Boreanaz, Seth Green, Emma Caulfield, James Marsters, Amber Benson, Marc Blucas, and Michelle Trachtenberg. Now, while the series is technically a spin-off of the 1992 movie Buffy the Vampire Slayer starring Kristy Swanson, the movie and series are set in two different continuities. Luckily, there is a five-issue prequel comic called Buffy the Vampire Slayer: The Origin,  which retells the story of the movie in a way that's more in line with the television series.          The series is set in the fictional coastal town of Sunnydale, California, which sits atop of a Hellmouth. A Hellmouth is a nexus point between our dimension and all manner

Review - Once Upon a Studio (2023)

        Hey guys, Chuck here, and it's still amazing that, throughout the year, we've been celebrating one hundred years of Disney. And last month, on October 15th, Disney debuted a short on television, which is also set to be in movie theaters this month playing in front of Disney's new movie Wish . The short is called Once Upon a Studio, and it's a true celebration of Disney animation over the past century.          So, it starts off with several staff and interns leaving the Roy E. Disney Building at the Disney Studio, with legendary animator Burny Mattinson (who sadly passed away back in February of this year) remarking on the many years of animation history by saying "If these walls could talk." Suddenly, an art piece showcasing Mickey and Minnie Mouse comes to life, and Mickey and Minnie work to get everyone from the various projects from Walt Disney Animation Studios throughout the years. Everyone from Tinker Bell, Judy Hopps, Peter Pan, Bambi, Dumbo, C