Loki

https://youtu.be/oE7D4092GGU

The Falcon and the Winter Soldier

https://youtu.be/omoTcaqyCGU

WandaVision

https://youtu.be/Le1LaX4qEig

All 12 Star Wars Films Ranked

https://youtu.be/I4X5HELHMSg

The Mandalorian Season 2

https://youtu.be/PtHAEzn5ous

The Mandalorian Season 1

https://youtu.be/skZY9nNG6u8

Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker

https://youtu.be/HF530ogz-9M 

I don't get the hate. I just don't. This was fantastic! Everything I wanted in a Star Wars film! I was crying tears of joy! They combined everything I love about Star Wars and put it into this film! Great new characters, exciting plot, exciting twists, satisfying payoff. I took a star off because certain parts felt like a rehash of Avengers: Endgame. (You know the ones) 
Grade: A- 9/10 4/5 stars

An even newer direction for this blog!

So I am back after a 2 year absence, serving the Lord as a service missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. And it occurred to me. This blog gets far more views than my YouTube channel. I should just post my YouTube videos here. Why I didn’t think to do that before is beyond me. The videos will be a little more in-depth/spoilery, but the same spoiler free review will be the post. I’m also expanding my horizons a bit. I’m reviewing TV shows as well and  also doing rankings and  throwback reviews. 

Goodbye for 2 years!

Hey, everyone. As you may or may not recall, back in 2016/2017 I was anticipating my mission call for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, but due to pre-existing, and developing medical conditions, my call was dealyed while we got everything sorted out. The call officially arrived about 2 weeks ago, and I'm most likely getting set apart on Sunday. What that means is that for 2 years, my mind needs to be focused solely on the Lord and the mission, which means I will not be allowed to participate in any form of worldly entertainment, which means no movies, or movie reviews.  II'm worried about hearing big spoilers for the big releases so when I finish my mission, I'm going to do reviews a bit out of order. My first movie will most likely Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, and then I will watch any Marvel, DC, or any other "big, tentpole" releases after that. So, movies I don't care so much about, (such as "The Lion King" remake), I'll watch later. See you all in 2 years!

Spider-Man: Far From Home

Marvel has done it again! This is perhaps the greatest live-action "Spider-Man" film ever! The fallout of "Avengers: Endgame" is set up right from the beginning, and the feels don't stop until the end credits! The stakes are higher, the story is better, and Peter gets a chance to mature as a superhero. Once again, like "Endgame", do not spoil this movie for yourself. Just when we thought "Endgame" had provided enough twists, this movie proved us wrong!  Jake Gyllenhall is absolutely entertaining as Mysterio. I still say Zendaya (uggh) is a bad choice for "MJ" (oh, I'm sorry, Michelle Jones. Again, ugh.) She is the Kristen Stewart of the MCU. Her performance has no emotion, and while one could argue that's part of the character, it's annoying, and unfunny, and wears thin very quickly. This still keeps the tone of "Spider-Man: Homecoming" but adds something a little more serious to the plot, so this time it's not all fun-and-fancy-free. There's actually some serious gravitas throughout, but especially after the second act twist! I really wish I could say specifically what some of the problems with the writing in some parts were, but that would be a major spoiler. The post credits scenes, which I won't spoil, are the hardest I've fanboyed at a Spider-Man movie since "Into the Spider-Verse",  and I love its implications for the future of the MCU. 

Grade: A-    9/10     4/5 stars

Toy Story 4

I was as skeptical as anyone when this movie was announced. "Really? A 4th one? After the 3rd one ended so perfectly? What a cashgrab! Why is Disney forcing them to make this?"   But this movie actually had a lot of heart and effort into this. If "Toy Story 3" made you cry, oh boy. This will make you cry maybe even harder. They didn't need to put as much effort into this movie as this movie as they did, but they did. They did that for us. This is one of the great Pixar movies! I noticed that the Pixar movies hardly anybody remembers such as "Brave", "The Good Dinosaur", "Monsters University" and "Finding Dory" (just to name a few) are the ones that have little to no emotion put into them, but the great ones such as "Inside Out", "Coco", and others are the ones that make you feel something. They raise hard questions, they make you evaluate your life. They can be kid-friendly, but also mature. And this is one of those. As soon as the opening credits started, I started tearing up, and the film just didn't let up from there. This has themes of letting go, accepting you can't have what you want in life, finding your life's purpose. It's some pretty mature stuff for the audience of 5 year olds. But there is so much heart and effort put into this movie. Pixar has done it again. If they put even half the effort into "Incredibles 2" as they put into this, that could have been one of the great Pixar films. Despite my skepticism, this was a thoroughly emotional film, with lots of heart, and lots of laughs.
Grade: A-    9/10    4/5 stars

Men in Black: International

I said in my "Ghostbusters" (2016) review that Chris Hemsworth was the best part of the film because of his hamminess. The same is true of his performance in this film. He's not as ditsy in this as he was in that, but more from the comedic side. He's like a fusion of his character from "Ghostbusters" and Thor in "Thor: Ragnarok." He is so fun in this movie! Liam Neeson's performance is also standout, but I won't dare tell you who he is, because it's a huge spoiler. This plot was the most engaging of all the "Men in Black" films. As classic as the 1997 movie is, it's very dated. This had a fresher plot, and it managed to still mix some familiarity of the old ones into this one, though for the first 3rd, it's a little too familiar, and feels like a retread of the first one. The character of Pawny is one of the funniest characters in this film. He plays the role that the pug Frank did in the other films, but unlike Frank, he's actually funny. This is the most entertaining film in the franchise. The action is better, the plot is the best of all of them, and the performances are standout.

Grade: B    8/10    4/5 stars

Dark Phoenix

This movie was delayed at least twice, due to script issues and needed reshoots, and it really shows. It's not "X-Men Origins: Wolverine" bad, but the script definitely needed more re-writes. I think after Disney bought Fox and announced this as the last X-Men movie, Fox just gave up and decided to put the bare minimum of effort into this movie. I'm glad I went on $5 Tuesday, because if I had paid full price, I would have been furious! The film's issues are mainly due to the writing. Charles Xavier goes from being the kindly mentor that he was in the other films, to a pompous jerk who can't admit his mistakes, and they make him extremely unlikable. There are also a ton of continuity errors in the grand scheme of things, and some really bad dialogue. It's a watchable movie, but I feel like they could have done more with this. The action scenes are pretty good, the Dark Phoenix storyline is at least handled with slightly more respect and dignity this time around, but given that this is the last X-Men movie for the Fox/non-MCU universe, it didn't go as far as it could with the level of intensity. It's just kind of "meh." Rent this one. 

Grade: C    7/10    3.5/5 stars

Secret Life of Pets 2

This is one of the rare times a sequel to an animated film is better than the original. This is what I was thinking the first movie was going to be. It's not really a plot driven movie, it's more like 3 different, separate storylines that feel like a TV show pilot, but that's not a bad thing, because in this movie it works. Kevin Hart is still one of the best parts of this movie, and the addition of Harrison Ford adds a bit of dry humor, and I wish they had used him more. At its core, this is a very sweet movie about pets and their humans, and it has a lot of heart put into it. The plot does have some issues towards the end with just how off-the-wall unbelievable it gets, and it didn't really need to go the direction it did, because at that point it was hard to suspend my disbelief, even for a movie like this. The story for the first 2 acts is fairly straightforward and simple, but then the 3rd act feels like a completely different movie. I laughed a couple of times, but this movie is definitely more for kids. Adults may enjoy some of it, but really, this is made just to shut your kids up for 90 minutes. It's enjoyable, and I recommend it, but don't expect much story. 

Grade: B    8/10    4/5 stars

Godzilla: King of the Monsters

I am still picking my jaw up off the floor! This movie was awesome!  It makes up for Godzilla (2014), I movie I gave high marks to at the time (It was released when I was 16), but upon re-watch before this one, I felt was kind of lackluster, and I finally understand the complaints. This made up for it tenfold! If you're going in looking for plot, you won't find it, but if you're going in just to turn off your brain for a couple hours and watch monsters duke it out for superiority, this is the film for you! It's like a robotless "Pacific Rim." Other critics complained about this one having too much action, (which is weird, since they complained about the 2014 one not having enough action), but I didn't think so. For me, monster movies can never have too much action. I was smiling and internally cheering practically the whole time. This is what movies were made for! Fun escapism. (For the most part, anyway. There was some of that seemingly mandatory "Mankind is bad and screws everything up" garbage that seems to be in most films like this nowadays. I rolled my eyes and could have done without that, because it took me out of the movie, but other than that, it was fantastic!)

Grade: A-    9/10    4/5 stars

Aladdin (2019)

If "Dumbo" earlier this year was an example for Disney of how not to do a remake, this is a great example of exactly how to do one. This far exceeded my expectations. I love Guy Ritchie's other films ("Sherlock Holmes", "Man From UNCLE", "Stardust", among others), and so I expected this film to pretty good, but this just wowed me! The film is different enough that it's not just watching the animated one again, but familiar enough to stay true to the story. I see this film as a fairy tale that has been passed down and changed slightly over time (as actual fairy tales are.) Believe it or not, there are spoilers for this movie (not this review, though). I know the biggest question is "How is Will Smith as the Genie?" I'm not going to compare him to Robin Williams, because that's not fair, but I will say that he is the best part of the film. He does exactly what the character of the Genie is supposed to do: Be the comic relief who occasionally gives helpful, friendly advice.  It's a throwback to his "Fresh Prince" days.  The plot does move a bit quickly in the beginning and some scenes from the original are switched around or changed slightly (Even the songs have some new lyrics!), but I felt that made the film fresher. There are some amazing dance sequences in this film that reminded me of a Bollywood flick. Also, side-note, my screening was in 3D, but it added nothing, so don't pay the extra $5 for the 3D. This is probably the most visually impressive, best directed film this year so far. I had a smile on my face the whole time and was totally enthralled. 

Grade: A-    9/10     4/5 stars 

Pokemon: Detective Pikachu

Keep in mind, I am not a Pokemon fan at all. The only reason I was interested in this movie is because it has Ryan Reynolds and the trailers looked funny. And that's pretty much what I got with this film: A fun Ryan Reynolds movie to laugh at for 2 hours. Even as a non-fan, I was able to follow the plot very well. The movie explains the various Pokemon, their powers, and what they evolve into, and that was very helpful, because otherwise I would have been lost during certain scenes and would not have enjoyed this movie as much. The movie reminded me of "Roger Rabbit" but set in a futuristic society. I laughed pretty hard at this film and had a fun time with it. This is the most I've laughed at a movie this year since "Shazam!" The action scenes were also very fun. I enjoyed seeing the Pokemon battles. I've complained in the past about Warner Bros. productions having bad CGI when it's in a live action movie, but for the most part the CGI was actually very good. You can see each individual fur on Pikachu (and his eyes are very well animated and so cute). You can see the scales on the dragon Pokemon, and the smooth skin of the turtle dinosaur Pokemon with a flower on its back. (Sorry. The only Pokemon name I know is Pikachu.) The only time the CGI didn't look quite right is when a shot lingered too long on a scene with Pokemon and humans, but when there were a lot of back and forth cuts, or when they were moving as opposed to sitting and talking, the CGI was flawless.  I called what the ending was going to be when the very first trailer came out, but there were still some twists and surprises. This is a fun film for all ages, Pokemon fans or not. It's just a fun comedy/mystery.

Grade: B      8/10       3.5/5 stars

Avengers: Endgame

This is going to be a very vague and short review, because I want to keep this spoiler-free, and that's hard to do, because there are so many amazing scenes in this movie.

This is everything I wanted in a finale and more. Every character gets their perfect ending. The 3 hour runtime is not an issue, because it flies by like that. If you thought "Infinity War" was epic, you haven't seen anything yet. That film pales in comparison to this one. It's a shame this film is so epic, because it's the first movie of the summer 2019 season, and I don't think any film coming out this summer can match this. I cried so many tears of joy, because I was so overwhelmed by the epicness that is this movie! It's fanservice galore! My throat still hurts from how much cheering I did. This has the most epic final battle of any Marvel movie. It's the perfect way to put a lid on 11 years and more than 20 movies. This film is a nerd's dream come true! This movie redefines the word "epic"!
Grade: A+     10/10       5/5 stars

Shazam

DC has finally figured out that superhero movies are supposed to be fun escapism. This movie was delightful. For the most part, it didn't take itself too seriously (except for when it needed to), and was almost parody, but not quite. Zachary Levi hams it up in every scene, and is by far the highlight of the movie. The color scheme is also bright (which has been lacking from the latest DC movies). The villains' motivation could have been better (He feels like Syndrome from "The Incredibles"), and the stakes could have been a bit higher, but overall, it's an enjoyable film. The film does suffer from some tone issues, however. One minute it's trying to be a kids' movie, but then will have some kind of inappropriate jokes, and some kind of dark moments. It wasn't really clear what this film was trying to be. The film does have a lot of heart, and is very sweet. I'm hoping DC learns, and cracks the formula for making great (not just "good") superhero movies.

Grade: A-    9/10    4/5 stars

Dumbo (2019)

So far, with the exception of Pete's Dragon, I have liked every Disney live-action remake, and in most cases thought they actually improved on the original. This is not the case here. This movie is very inconsistent.  It tries to bring a new narrative, while at the same time, trying to be the original. I know the original is only an hour long, so they needed a new story, but that story is a mess. One minute it's saying "Hey, remember that scene you liked in the original? Here it is again in live-action." and then goes off the rails to become a completely different film. I wouldn't be surprised if they just greenlit the first draft of the script and called it a day. I was expecting more from Tim Burton. Burton has a certain style, and that style, is sadly not recognized here. If I was channel surfing and saw "Beetlejuice" or "1989 Batman" I would recognize it as a Tim Burton film. With this...anyone could have made it. In addition to plot and tone inconsistencies, the dialogue is also very clunky and stilted. Both the writing, and the delivery could have been drastically improved. It is a visual spectacular, the CGI is pretty impressive, but other than the visuals and Danny Elfman's score, there isn't much to appreciate here. "Dumbo" gets ready for liftoff, but never quite makes it all the way off the ground.

Grade: C      7/10     2.5/5 stars