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Showing posts from July, 2024

Review - RV (2006)

       Hey guys, Chuck here, and with the summer starting to wind down, I thought it'd be fun to take a look at the 2006 Barry Sonnenfeld road.comedy RV , which stars Robin Williams, Cheryl Hines, Jeff Daniels, Kristen Chenoweth, Will Arnett, Richard Ian Cox, Josh Hutcherson, and Joanna "Jojo" Levesque.         So, the movie focuses on Bob Munro, a workaholic living in Los Angeles with his wife, Jamie, and their two kids, Cassie and Carl. Bob and his family enjoy a luxurious lifestyle thanks to Bob's job as a marketing executive at a top-shelf soda company called Pure Vibe. Unfortunately, at a party at the home Bob's boss, Todd Mallory, Cassie and her school friend Gretchen confront Todd about putting Pure Vibe soda machines in public schools, and throwing disgusting green slime in Todd's face.           The next day, Todd reveals that he was initially planning to fire Bob over the incident, but an opportunity came up that can save Bob's job. A merger betw

Review - Crisis on Infinite Earths (2019)

        Hey guys, Chuck here. After having talked about a Marvel movie with the recent Deadpool & Wolverine , I think it's only fair to talk about an epic scale DC event. And, I can't think of a better one than the 2019 television event Crisis on Infinite Earths , which would be a crossover event held between the following five CW superhero shows: Arrow, The Flash, Legends of Tomorrow, Supergirl, and Batwoman .          Okay, so to get everyone up to speed, the DC/CW universe, more commonly known as the Arrowverse, began in 2012 with the television series Arrow starring Stephen Amell as Oliver Queen. In the second season of Arrow, Grant Gustin would be introduced as Barry Allen, who would get his own spin-off series called The Flash . And, it was during the first season of The Flash and the third season of Arrow that we saw the annual crossovers begin. In 2015, CBS would air the first season of Supergirl starring Melissa Benoist as Kara Danvers/Supergirl. And, as this was h

Breakdown - Marvel Studios' SDCC '24 Reveals

         Hey guys, Chuck here. San Diego Comic-Con went on this weekend, and Saturday evening saw Marvel Studios on stage in Hall H, where they finally put a lot of fan concerns at ease with some spectacular reveals. Not many, but definitely some exciting ones, to be sure.          Okay, starting off with the first Marvel film of 2025: Captain America: Brave New World . A few details got revealed about the movie, which confirms the identity of the main villain, being portrayed by Giancarlo Esposito, is Serpent Society leader Sidewinder. This means that the Serpent Society does, indeed, have a role in the movie. Also, Marvel is, at last, listening to fans and addressing the giant Celestial sticking out of the ocean, as we saw in the climax of Eternals.  Evidently, the dead remains of the Celestial, Tiamat, will be the source of the most powerful metal in the Marvel universe: adamantium. Interesting, to say the least, and I'm certainly looking forward to seeing how that plays out. Ca

Review - Deadpool & Wolverine (2024)

        Hey guys, Chuck here. Deadpool & Wolverine is the latest film from Marvel Studios, and is the third Deadpool film overall. The movie is directed by Shawn Levy, and stars Ryan Reynolds, Hugh Jackman, and many, many more.         So, the movie follows Wade Wilson/Deadpool, as he is nabbed by the Time Variance Authority (TVA), who inform him that his Earth is in trouble, as its anchor point, Logan/Wolverine, gave his life. So,.Wade traverses the multiverse in an attempt to find a variant of Wolverine to join him as the new anchor point to his Earth, this saving his friends and loved ones. There's a lot more I want to say about the plot, but I don't want to spoil too much.         Where do I start? The plot is a nonsensical mess, but that's par for the course of a Deadpool movie. Most fans are pretty much aware that the plot of a Deadpool movie is just the means to serve a bunch of in-jokes and fourth-wall breaking. And, there's a ton of both in abundance. Tons

Review - The Acolyte (2024)

          Hey guys, Chuck here. The Acolyte is the newest series in the Star Wars franchise, and was created for Disney+ by Leslye Headland, who is noted for being the creator of the acclaimed Netflix series Russian Doll .           The series is set in the final years of the High Republic era, which puts it roughly a hundred years or so before The Phantom Menace . The series opens with a hooded figure entering a tavern and confronting a Jedi Master named Indara, leading to a fight that ends with Indara's death. Alerted to the murder, the Jedi investigate, with signs pointing to a former Padawan named Osha Aniseya. But, Osha was nowhere near the planet Indara was killed on. And, it's her former teacher, Master Sol, that believes her innocence. So, who's the culprit? Osha's twin sister Mae, who has been secretly training with a mysterious figure in a mask.           Mae, it turns out, is targeting Jedi who were on her and Osha's home planet when their coven, a group

Review - Thunderbirds (2004)

        Hey guys, Chuck here. Well, after the success of Spy Kids back in the early 2000's, many studios and filmmakers attempted to replicate Robert Rodriguez's success, and this would include Star Trek actor turned filmmaker Jonathan Frakes, who would direct the 2004 family action movie Thunderbirds.  Based on the British television series of the same name, which utilized the craft known as supermarionation, the live-action movie version of Thunderbirds stars Bill Paxton, Brady Corbett, Anthony Edwards, Vanessa Hudgens, Sophia Myles, Ron Cook, DeObia Oparei, Rose Keegan, and Ben Kingsley.         So, the movie centers on the Tracy family, led by billionaire former astronaut and widower father Jeff Tracy. Jeff, along with his sons Scott, John, Virgil, and Gordon, are based on a remote island in the South Pacific called Tracy Island, which is the home of an organization called International Rescue, whose job it is to offer aid in the event of a disaster. To do this, the Tracy f

Review - Twisters (2024)

       Hey guys, Chuck here, and this is my review of the new movie Twisters , directed by Lee Isaac Chung, starring Daisy Edgar-Jones, Glen Powell, Anthony Ramos, Brandon Perea, David Corenswet, Katy O'Brian, Kiernan Shipka, and Sasha Lane. Released by Universal Pictures and Warner Bros., this movie is a standalone sequel to the 1996 classic Twister .        So, the movie focuses on Kate Carter, a meteorologist who gave up her life as a storm chaser after an unfortunate incident five years prior to the events of the movie. Now, she gets another chance to work in the field when her former partner, Javi, invites her to Oklahoma to test a new tornado scanning system. Along the way, they meet a more ragtag band of storm chasers, led by YouTuber and "Tornado Wrangler" Tyler Owens, who challenges Kate in ways that make her confront her guilt over what happened to her old team.       Now, what Twisters does that I really appreciate is that it avoids the stereotypical tropes of

Review - Mallrats (1995)

         Hey guys, Chuck here. And, sadly, the word came out that actress Shannen Doherty, most noted for her work on such television series as Beverly Hills 90210 and Charmed passed away this past Sunday after a long battle with breast cancer. So, in her memory, I'm taking a look at one my favorite movies she starred in: Mallrats . Released in 1995, this was the second film in the career of Kevin Smith, and includes Doherty, along with Jason Lee, Jeremy London, Claire Forlani, Renee Humphrey, Joey Lauren Adams, Ethan Suplee, Ben Affleck, Michael Rooker, and a brief appearance by Stan Lee, and of course Jason Mewes and Kevin Smith as Jay and Silent Bob.          The movie sees friends T.S. Quint and Brodie Bruce, both of whom just wound up on the receiving end of a break-up with their girlfriends Brandi Svenning and Rene Mosier, trying to get over the break-ups by hanging out at the local mall. It's at the mall where the guys see a massive stage being constructed. Why? Apparent

My Thoughts on the 2024 Kids' Choice Awards

        Hey guys, Chuck here. Well, this past weekend saw Nickelodeon hold their annual Kids' Choice Awards. A little later in the year than normal, but that's okay. Now, something different this year is that in lieu of a celebrity host, Nickelodeon instead had cartoon characters SpongeBob and Patrick from SpongeBob SquarePants handle hosting duties this year. Odd, but okay.           So, of course, there were a ton of winners, with Barbie winning Favorite Movie, and Margot Robbie winning Favorite Movie Actress for Barbie . Timothee Chalamet won Favorite Movie Actor for his turn as Willy Wonka in Wonka, which was nice. Jack Black took home the award for Favorite Villain for his turn as Bowser in The Super Mario Bros. Movie , while Spider-Man: Across the SpiderVerse won Favorite Animated Movie. The awards for Favorite Voices in an Animated Movie went to Adam Sandler and Anna Kendrick, respectively, for their roles in Leo  and Trolls Band Together. Finally, Good Burger 2  won the

Review - Pokémon 4Ever (2002)

         Hey guys, Chuck here. After three movies released through Warner Bros., the Pokémon movies would switch American distributors from WB to Miramax. And, the first film to be released through Miramax would be Pokémon 4Ever , the second Johto era movie and fourth theatrical film overall in the Pokémon franchise.          The movie opens sometime in the past, where a boy named Sam enters a forest near the town of Arborville in the Johto Region, and a local girl warns him to remain still if he hears the Voice of the Forest. The voice, it turns out, is the legendary Pokémon Celebi, which is being hunted by a Pokémon hunter, who collects and sells off rare Pokémon. Celebi uses its power to traverse through time to take itself to safety in the future, with Sam as an unwitting passenger through time. Years later, in the present time, the hunter is approached by a maniacal member of Team Rocket named the Iron Mask Marauder, who seeks the Celebi that the hunter encountered years before. T

Review - Batman: Arkham City (2011)

        Hey guys, Chuck here. After the rousing success of Batman: Arkham Asylum in 2009, Warner Bros. Interactive and DC re-teamed with Rocksteady to produce another Batman game. However, neither Eidos Interactive nor their parent company Square Enix were involved in this game.          Released in 2011, Batman: Arkham City was seen as a massive improvement on the previous title, and had a greater expanded roster of characters in the game. Returning characters include Batman, Joker, Harley Quinn, Poison Ivy, Bane, Zsasz, and Killer Croc, with newcomers including Riddler (making a physical appearance this time), Robin, Penguin, Mr. Freeze, Two-Face, Solomon Grundy, Clayface, Ra's al Ghul, Talia al Ghul, Hugo Strange, Calendar Man, Azrael, Vicki Vale, Deadshot, Hush, Mad Hatter, and Catwoman, with both Oracle and Alfred helping out via Comms.          So, the game is set some time after the Arkham Island incident, and both Arkham Asylum and Blackgate Penitentiary have been shut down

Review - Justice League X RWBY: Super Heroes & Huntsmen (2023)

        Hey guys, Chuck here. Y'know, I love the DC Universe. And, I love anime. And, while the Rooster Teeth franchise RWBY  isn't exactly an anime in the truest sense, it's still heavily inspired by anime, which is still pretty cool. So, to see Rooster Teeth team up with DC to cross over the Justice League with Team RWBY? Uh, yeah, that's awesome. Now, while they started with crossover comics, what I'm here to talk about today is the two-part animated movie released in 2023: Justice League X RWBY: Super Heroes & Huntsmen , directed by Kerry Shawcross, with Dustin Matthews and Yssa Badiola serving as co-directors for Part Two.        So, Part One sees the Justice League (Superman, Wonder Woman, Batman, The Flash, Vixen, Cyborg, and Jessica Cruz/Green Lantern) taken into a virtual recreation of the world of Remnant, which is the home world of the heroes of RWBY . And, things for the Justice League are very different. While much of them still retain their powers,

Review - That '90s Show: Part Two (2024)

        Hey guys, Chuck here. Well, it's another summer at Point Place, Wisconsin for Leia Forman and her friends in That '90s Show: Part Two, the first batch of new episodes of the Netflix sitcom That '90s Show . Everyone is back from the first season, including Kurtwood Smith, Deborah Jo Rupp, Callie Haverda, Ashley Aufderheide, Mace Coronel, Reyn Doi, Sam Morelos, and Maxwell Acee Donovan.          So, it's the summer of 1996, and Leia is back in Point Place for the summer. But, things are complicated when Nikki and Jay find out that Leia and Nate almost hooked up the previous summer. But, while Jay and Leia work things out and get back together, Nikki and Nate end up splitting up and getting back together later. Yeesh. Meanwhile, Red and Kitty's neighbor across the street passes away, and the house is for sale. While Kitty pushes Donna into talking Eric into buying the house, thus having Eric, Donna, and Leia in Point Place permanently, Donna has her dad, Bob, b

Review - Akira (1988)

        Hey guys, Chuck here. Well, this is one review that has definitely been several years in the making. Akira, released in 1988, was directed by Katsuhiro Otomo, and has been hailed as one of the all-time greatest anime film of all time.         The movie starts off in 1988, with a massive explosion that destroys most Tokyo, which leads to World War III. Jump ahead to a dystopian 2019 in the city of Neo-Tokyo, and we see a city dealing with government corruption, mass protests, terrorism, and gang violence. It's here where we meet Shōtarō Kaneda, who leads a biker gang called The Capsules. Alongside Kaneda in the Capsules is his best friend Tetsuo Shima, who, while the Capsules are racing against the rival Clown gang, nearly crashes his bike into Takashi, an esper who escaped from a government facility. With help from another esper, Masaru, Colonel Shikishima of the Japan Self-Defense Forces recaptures Takashi, has Tetsuo hospitalized, and the Capsules placed under arrest.