Avengers: Infinity War

200th Post! Yay me! 

It seems fitting that I started this blog with a review of "Iron Man 3" and now my 200th post is "Avengers: Infinity War". I was a bit worried about this film. Yes, Marvel is nearly perfect, but I was also worried that we would have another "Spider-Man 3" or "Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice" situation where it's too overstuffed with characters that it becomes hard to follow. This is not the case. It does jump around from place to place frequently, and I wish the plot had flowed better, but I was still able to follow what was going on. This has possibly the best villain in all of the MCU! Thanos is the Darth Vader of this franchise! He's the villain you love to hate and are genuinely afraid of. The actors bounce off of each other very well and the dialogue is as fast-paced and witty as we've come to expect from Marvel. While at times, it does feel like watching a bunch of video game cutscenes edited together, the movie is so enthralling that my first reaction to the credits (other than pure surprise for reasons I don't dare spoil) was "It's over already?! It just started 20 minutes ago? What? It started almost 3 hours ago?! How is that possible?" That's how much this film pulled me in! It's well worth the 10 year wait! It's amazing to see all these characters interact with each other! There are some really amazing shots and moments, which again, I won't spoil. There's a reason Marvel was unusually secretive with this film. Other than the story not flowing as well as it should have, there isn't anything to complain about with this film.

Grade: A-   9/10   4/5 stars

A Quiet Place

For the love of gravy, do NOT bring loud concessions into this movie. People WILL hear it and you will ruin the movie for everyone. This is definitely one of the best thrillers I have ever seen! It's like an M. Night Shamalayn movie back when he still cared about his career. (Although he is slowly redeeming himself with films like "Split"). Very few scary movies will illicit a reaction from me. This was one of them. Without spoiling anything, something happens in the first 5 minutes that lets you know that this film is NOT playing around. There is very, very little dialogue. Most of the story is told through sign language with subtitles and it works very well. It's a movie where you can put yourself into the characters' situation and understand why they make the choices they make. This movie needs to be nominated for "Best Sound Mixing" and/or "Best Sound Editing" when the 2019 Oscars roll around. Definitely worth seeing. Just hope that your audience isn't loud and rude, which will ruin the movie for you. And please turn off your cellphones. 

Grade: A+    10/10   5/5 stars

Rampage

This is what I call a "junk food" movie. There's little value or substance to it, but that doesn't mean it's not good. It's big, dumb, loud fun, on par with the Rock's typical schtick. If you enjoyed his other action films, you'll probably enjoy this one. It's "King Kong", "Jurassic World", "Planet of the Apes" and "Godzilla" all in one. It's a great way to kill 90 minutes and turn off your brain on a lazy weekend. It's like a live action Saturday morning cartoon. There were actually quite a few funny lines in the movie as well, along with some dark humor that you might feel bad for laughing at, but can't really help it. The Rock was by far the best part of this movie. He knows what kind of movie this is and acknowledges how dumb (in a good way) it is. The plot is silly and doesn't make much sense, but man, is it fun! 

Grade: A-   9/10   4/5 stars

Ready Player One

Well done Spielberg! I did not live in the 1980s. (1997), but now I know how those kids felt when they went to go see "Back to the Future" or "E.T." for the first time. This really captures the feeling of an '80s film, with futuristic technology. If you have the chance, go see this in IMAX or the local equivalent of an IMAX (like I did, because my IMAX is very far, but my closest theater has a screen about the size of one) because it is HUGE. There is one scene in the beginning that was worth the extra $2. My one nitpick that I can give away without spoilers is that while Ben Mendehlson is great as the villain, I really wish they had let him keep his British accent, because his "American" accent is distracting. (And let's be honest. Villains are more intimidating when they're British). I've complained about Warner Bros' CGI before and how it seems to me like they always cheap out when it comes to that aspect. (To me it always looks like cutscenes or trailers to a PS2 game from 2003.), but here, it was believable. I am so glad I was the only one at my screening, because I would have been kicked out for fanboying so much otherwise. This is a film where when I buy it on Bluray, I am going to need to pause it and analyze it frame-by-frame to get all the background references. The plot relies heavily on pop culture references but that's what makes it so great. It's a movie for fans (of anything) by fans. If you've ever had an obsession with pop culture (and almost everyone has at some point), this is the film for you. If you grew up in the '80s, this is definitely the film for you. You will weep with nostalgic joy.

Grade: A-   9/10    4/5 stars