"Despicable Me 3"

I've hated this franchise for the nine f*cking years, but it's a trainwreck, and I can't stop watching. And to keep us watching they gave us twice the Carell. Fortunately, they didn't give us twice the Wiig with Miss Hattie still mysteriously floating around from the first movie.
This movie is basically The Parent Trap mixed with every coming of age movie where you don't realize your full potential until someone brings it up. Jeremy from CinemaSins brought this up first, but how did Gru not know his father was a villain when he was working in the AVL? The other thing is how did Gru know he wanted to be a villain in the first movie? We only saw a flashback montage of Julie Andrews dissing Gru's dreams of going to the moon. Nothing was mentioned that he wanted to be a villain. If you're going to make a villain movie about this dingus, give us some back story.
I really don't like Kristen Wiig's comedy at all, and it really drags the movie or TV show down with her every time. Her main mission was to be called mom from Margo, which I'm sure was recycled from the first movie when Gru was trying to earn Margo's trust.
Balthazar Bratt is probably the flimsiest villain any film could concoct, and I watched The Emoji Movie. He is angry that his show was canceled because he hit puberty. His pimples could have been easily been covered up. I spent four years in theatre. Also, Balthazar would have easily been recast. My brother watches PAW Patrol, and Ryder's voice changed three times. I understand Balthazar would be pissed that his show gets canceled. A lot of stars disappear when shows leave the air or when film franchises end. Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson, and Anna Kendrick are the only stars to come out of Twilight. The girl in the background in all the movies, she's the famous one out of the three. Everyone else just kind of vanished. But you don't see them yelling that they'll laser-cut Hollywood and float it out to sea. Eventually, they come back. However, at the same time, it is the most perfect villain stuck in nostalgia because it sheds a light on the people of today. We recall the glory days of the 80s. Michael Jackson, bubble gum, Olivia Newton-John exercise videos, the Brat Pack. Okay, that one will be lost on people who don't have parents from the 80s, especially since the term was used incorrectly.
This movie is a perfect message to us, the viewers, that we need to move on. I didn't even mention the minions, but the minions don't need mentioning. I'm over them. You should too.

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Released On: June 30, 2017
Rating: PG
Stars: Steve Carell, Steve Carell, Kristen Wiig, Trey Parker
Directors: Kyle Balda, Pierre Coffin, Eric Guillon
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 58%
IMDb Score: 6.3/10

Awards
Saturn Awards

• Best Animated Film

(Click here to view more awards for "Despicable Me 3.")

Videos
CinemaSins - Everything Wrong With Despicable Me 3

"The Boys" Season 1

This series came out of nowhere. If I wasn't a subscriber of Screen Junkies, I probably wouldn't have watched this show. In fact, having the Epic Voice Guy narrate the trailer as an Honest Trailer may have been the best marketing tactic to promote this series. I don't see any other way it would have gained traction.
The series takes us into a territory we don't want to think about: what if our favorite superheroes want control of the world. With the Marvel Cinematic Universe not slowing down, the DC Extended Universe picking up speed, and other Superhero Cinematic Universes being greenlit, we don't really think about what happens when the capes and cowls are part of a global conglomerate. They're not just saving people daily, but starring in the film industry, putting professional athletes out to pasture, and are on a campaign to enter the armed forces. But little do they know that their biggest threat would be the people who once worshipped them.
Throughout the series, we see the revered Supes for who they really are, and they're sadder and more depressing than the people who look up to them. Queen Maeve is a woman without a lasso of truth who's lost her mojo. Black Noir is real even when he isn't useful. The Deep is basically Aquaman if he's on the sex offender registry. Translucent is one dead invisible sh*thead. A-Train is a Flashy junkie. And Homelander stands for truth, justice, and the American way...and weird-ass Oedipal complexes.
Then there is Starlight, the Seven's newest member. She becomes uncertain of her position when she realizes it's all basically a reality show, and everything is about approval ratings. It's like real life Hollywood. No one cares about the stressful lives of the stars, they must appear just as super as these fictional heroes.
The Seven's Ozzian curtain gets pulled back by the titular Boys, a group of vengeful mercenaries out to prove that they are a fraud. Hughie is a little wuss turned killer after his girlfriend gets plowed into by A-Train. Mother's Milk is a skeptical prison guard who is only concerned about his family's well-being, which isn't a bad thing but Monique was right to leave him. Frenchie is an assassin/chemist with a passion for romance in the littlest of things. And Butcher, a British C U N Thursday with a personal vendetta for Homelander. He says the "C" word a lot in this series. Together they uncover the blue drug of this end of the '10s: Compound V. It initially sounded like a hidden document that controlled the Supes' accidents. But it turns out to be a magical substance that turns normal people into the X-Men or Inhumans or whatever your favorite mutant group is. You know, if they want to take out the Supes, they should fight on the Supes' level by juicing up. That's probably why Kimiko is here. Kimiko is a former child soldier, the Boys rescued from an underground V ring, with immense animal strength and healing powers. She doesn't speak yet maybe she'll be useful in future seasons.
The sex in this is probably why Amazon doesn't promote Prime and Chill. The sex is terrifying and the innuendos are a little unsettling. One guy's head gets crushed in an ass-sitting, the Deep thought it was still okay with sexual harassment in 2019, and Homelander has a weird mother love thing with Madelyn Stillwell, the VP of Vought.
Throughout the series, I kept wondering if Homelander and Stillwell are a couple who were torn apart by Stillwell's baby, or if they were mother and son. They appear to be the same age, so the Oedipal thing is out.
Butcher gets a rude awakening in the season finale. His hatred for the Supes started when his wife was raped by Homelander, and she disappeared. He kidnapped Stillwell and strapped C4 blocks to her to use as bait to get Homelander. Then Homelander kills Stillwell herself. Thinking he was already a dead man, Butcher blows the C4. Then he wakes up in his wife's front yard. Rebecca and Homelander were one time lovers, and she blessed him with a son. Seeing similar stories, I'm sure Butcher still loves Becca. He is probably right now pissed that Becca lied to him, but deep down he'll do anything for her. We've already seen how aggressive Homelander can be, and with Stillwell gone, who knows how unstable he can be? Maybe Butcher could use this to his advantage by becoming Homelander Junior's guardian should Homelander kill Becca because she refused to comply. He could even kidnap HJ and hold him hostage to get back at Homelander.
I honestly think the episode, "Good for the Soul," was the best episode of the season, absolutely Emmy worthy. It plays with the thought of why God would choose a select few to have special abilities. Butcher's deadpan humor about God's decisions is so funny that you really can't be mad at him for pointing God's flaws. Hughie taking charge after his phone is destroyed in the baptism pool is a huge developing point not just for the character but for the series moving forward. He manages to scare Ezekiel even though he longer had the footage to threaten him with. Starlight's breaking of the script was another development point that shows that not all the Supes are perfect. Her part throughout the episode, you really see how she felt shaken up by how the Expo isn't what she was used to. Then she drops that she questions her faith and she isn't sure of what to do, especially since she also revealed that she was sexually harassed. Then episode takes it further to reveal that the Supes weren't chosen by God at all, but the Compound V is injected into infants. Now, that I think about it, if it's being administered to a select number of infants why isn't EVERYONE a Supe? The V was packaged as polio vaccines, and the polio vaccine is like one of the first things administered to infants. Is it a placebo lottery where the lucky ones get the V and everyone else gets the regular vaccine? Or are there two million followers of Jenny McCarthy who choose not to vaccinate their children, sparing them from getting abilities? Are there Super Squibs, like in Harry Potter: infants who are given the V but aren't affected by it?
One other thing I want to know: Is Billy Zane a real-life Supe? Is that why he's been distant? He makes a brief appearance at the Comic Con-like convention where Frenchie and Milk pick up Mesmer, but the Mesmer thing's not important. Billy Zane appears as himself. Is he a Supe? You can come out now, Billy, Titanic's now number three in the world. No one cares that you're in it.
Overall, I can't wait for season two. I'm excited for what's in store, and I have no doubt that the Boys will not disappoint.

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Released On: July 26, 2019
Rating: TV-MA
Stars: Karl Urban, Jack Quaid, Antony Starr, Erin Moriarty, Dominique McElligott, Jessie T. Usher, Laz Alonso, Chance Crawford, Tomer Capron, Karen Fukuhara, Nathan Mitchell, Elisabeth Shue
Directors: Dan Trachtenberg, Matt Shakman, Phil Sgriccia, Fred Toye, Stefan Schwartz, Jennifer Phang, Dan Attias, Eric Kripke
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 82% Certified Fresh
IMDb Score: 8.9/10 (Average)

"Terms of Endearment"

I've been wanting to see this for a long time. No reason in particular, except for wanting to watch all the Best Picture Winners (I'm now sitting at 28 of 91 movies).
Shirley MacLaine and Debra Winger play a mother and daughter who play a game of telephone for thirty years talking about relationships and life decisions. Emma (Winger) marries a guy named Flap against her mother's wishes, and they move around and away from Houston to follow Flap's job of teaching. Over fifteen years and three children, Emma becomes frustrated with Flap coming home later and later. Eventually, she confronts Flap and Janice, the mistress, causing her to have a meltdown. She has her own affair with Sam, a banker who ironically turned her down on a second mortgage.
Aurora (MacLaine) also begins a courtship with Garrett, a retired astronaut who is also a bit of a party animal. As they progress, Aurora loosens up a bit and Garrett shapes up. It started off slow with lunch and drifting on the sand in a Corvette, then it turns into sleepovers at each other's houses.
Then Emma is diagnosed with cancer which brings everyone together to help Emma pull through. Aurora, often at odds with all of Emma's decisions, battles the nurses to give Emma the medication she needs. Flap discuss guardianship of the children, especially since he admits he wouldn't be as good at taking care of them. Garrett comes for moral support in the final hours.
This may have been a touching story 36 years ago, but it really doesn't hold up. The theme is all over the map. I don't know if they really love each other or they just acknowledge each other's existence. Aurora is always nagging her about Flap, about the kids, about living in general. But then they meet up and they're all hugging and kissing. It's like pick a lane.
If I hear another telephone ring in that movie, I will throw a phone into the TV. You could fill up five minutes of the telephones ringing alone. Write letters or something.
Jack Nicholson may be the best thing about this movie. He was charming and funny even when he was an asshole. You just couldn't help but fall in love with Jack.

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Released On: December 9, 1983
Rating: PG
Stars: Debra Winger, Shirley MacLaine, Jack Nicholson, John Lithgow, Danny DeVito, Jeff Daniels
Director: James L. Brooks
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 88% Certified Fresh
IMDb Score: 7.4/10

Awards
Academy Awards

• Best Picture - Winner
• Best Director James L. Brooks - Winner
• Best Actress Debra Winger - Nominated
• Best Actress Shirley MacLaine - Winner
• Best Supporting Actor John Lithgow -  Nominated
• Best Supporting Actor Jack Nicholson - Winner
• Best Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium James L. Brooks - Winner
• Best Art Direction Polly Platt, Harold Michelson,  Tom Pedigo & Anthony Mondell - Nominated
• Best Film Editing Richard Marks - Nominated
• Original Score Michael Gore - Nominated
• Best Sound James R. Alexander, Rick Kline, Donald O. Mitchell & Kevin O'Connell - Nominated

(Click here to view more awards for "Terms of Endearment.")

"The Emoji Movie"

Okay, this will probably be rather short because I'm not sure what else is there to say about this film. The only good thing about this film is the characters were accurately cast with the proper actors. However, the true actor was Sir Patrick Stewart, who acted like his career wasn't going down the toilet. Maybe that's why he brushed off his Picard suit.
Long story short, this movie happened, and we all agreed that it sucked. I'd like to thank Netflix for streaming this so I didn't have to spend money on this.

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Released On: July 28, 2017
Rating: PG
Stars: T. J. Miller, James Corden, Anna Faris, Maya Rudolph, Steven Wright, Jennifer Coolidge, Patrick Stewart
Director: Tony Leondis
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 7%
IMDb Score: 3.2/10

Awards
Golden Raspberry Awards

• Worst Picture - Winner
• Worst Director Tony Leondis - Winner
• Worst Screen Combo Any Two Obnoxious Emojis - Winner
• Worst Screenplay Tony Leondis, Eric Siegel & Mike White - Winner
• The Razzie Nominee So Rotten You Loved It - Nominated

(Click image to view more awards for "The Emoji Movie.")

Videos
CinemaSins - Everything Wrong with The Emoji Movie
Screen Junkies - Honest Trailers - The Emoji Movie
Watch Mojo - Top 10 Reasons Why The Emoji Movie Is Hated

"Once Upon a Time in Hollywood"

Quentin Tarantino returns with his ninth outrageous film. It took until halfway through the movie where I saw the underlying genius of the film.
We were told that western TV star Rick Dalton and his stunt double Cliff Booth were to face the growing change in cinema in the 1960s, and that's what they did. After his show was canceled, they struggle to get back on top in the industry. I initially thought it would be the rise of indie films and anti-heroes. It eventually went that direction, but I forgot about the rise of Italian directors. Having that said, I saw that the film was made as an Italian western set in 1960s Los Angeles.
The biggest element Tarantino promised was that this movie would involve Charles Manson. We get that...sort of. We get an angry Bruce Dern character, named Charles, who lives with a group of young men and women on an abandoned film ranch. The only thing that connects this to the rest of the movie was that Cliff found Dakota Fanning hot, and he offered her a ride. When Dakota and two other people were sent to kill people, we aren't really clued in as to why they targeted Rick Dalton's house. They didn't even realize Cliff was involved until it was too late for them.
This film was a lot of fun, and it was unsurprisingly entertaining. The only thing preventing it from being heralded as great, in my opinion, is the sloppy editing. There are editing techniques throughout the movie that were hilarious in their own right, but when they are put together in a film like this, it looks like a video you would submit to an editing class. It shows that you can do all the cuts, but it also shows that you DID all the cuts. There was a moment when Dalton was chatting with the actor playing the hero in the movie. Their conversation was cut up in a series of jump cuts as a funny way to show that a simple hello can go on for hours. Then the technique was gone. Another thing that was out of place was the out-of-place narration by...I want to say Kurt Russell because that Bruce Lee flashback didn't have enough Kurt. Maybe they could have used that jump cut thing during the time Cliff and Rick were getting slobbering drunk at the restaurant. Also, the narration kind of killed the mood when it went on Dalton's resurgence in the film industry.
But that climax made it all worth it. It actually does something most films don't have the balls to do. Throughout the film, you see the insufferable friendship between Rick and Cliff and how they are both struggling. When their careers are in the sh*tter, you can see the contrast in how they are taking it. Rick isn't doing so well, and Cliff is just kind of rolling with it. Then when it came to a point where Rick could no longer afford Cliff, they were able to part as friends without so much as a hint of an argument. You know, that testing the friendship thing that every buddy movie has? Yeah, that's not in here. And despite being fired, Cliff still manages to defend Rick's home from those crazy Manson kids.
Then there was the flame thrower. The weapon was featured in a movie, that looks like an Inglorious Basterds remake, and Dalton incinerates a few Nazis. Then it returns when Dalton incinerates Dakota Fanning after she crashes into the pool trying to kill him. It is no secret that actors would take props from the sets of movies and TV shows once they are over. Johnny Depp bought his horse from Sleepy Hollow, and Neil Patrick Harris owns Barney's playbook from How I Met Your Mother. But I doubt anyone would allow Rick Dalton to take this massive weapon home. It also shows that the fact he owns a flame thrower really doesn't faze his next-door neighbor who invites him for drinks after the attack. "Oh, you own an unregistered weapon you used in a movie, and you just killed someone with it? Well, come on up."
Shannon Lee, the daughter of Bruce Lee, stated that she was uncomfortable that her father was portrayed as an "arrogant punching bag" during a scene where Bruce gets his ass handed to him by Cliff. I understand where she was coming from, but there should be an underlying rule that whenever Tarantino writes historical fiction, you must suspend your belief. I mean, he made Hitler gay, so it should be noted that Bruce probably wasn't a jackass in real life.
It is a brilliant work of art, and I'm glad that Tarantino got to tell it. I'll be very sad once his tenth and final film rolls into theaters in the coming years.

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Released On: July 25, 2019
Rating: R
Stars: Leonardo DiCaprio, Brad Pitt, Margot Robbie, Bruce Dern, Timothy Olyphant, Dakota Fanning, Al Pacino 
Director: Quentin Tarantino
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 85% Certified Fresh
IMDb Score: 8.2/10

Awards

Golden Globe Awards

• Best Motion Picture Musical or Comedy - Winner
• Best Actor Motion Picture Musical or Comedy Leonardo DiCaprio - Nominated
• Best Supporting Actor Motion Picture Brad Pitt - Winner
• Best Director Quentin Tarantino - Nominated
• Best Screenplay Quentin Tarantino - Winner

Academy Awards

• Best Picture - Nominated 
• Best Actor Leonardo DiCaprio - Nominated 
• Best Supporting Actor Brad Pitt - Winner
• Best Director Quentin Tarantino - Nominated 
• Best Original Screenplay Quentin Tarantino - Nominated 
• Best Cinematography Robert Richardson - Nominated 
• Best Costume Design Arianne Phillips - Nominated 
• Best Production Design Barbara Ling & Nancy Haigh -Winner 
• Best Sound Editing Wylie Stateman - Nominated 
• Best Sound Mixing Michael Minkler, Christian P. Minkler, Mark Ulano - Nominated 

Videos

CinemaSins - Everything Wrong With Once Upon A Time In Hollywood