"Dark Phoenix"

Before we get started, check out my post on Dark Phoenix at my other blog, Before I Go See It.
Now, on with the show.

While it could have been better, this film is better than you think. The Last Stand was so busy with the X Gene cure plotline that the Phoenix Saga was crammed into the second half of the film.
This film, however, shows more a little more of the birth of the Phoenix...ish. We see how Jean Grey struggles with her telepathic powers to the point that she is responsible for her mother's death. More on that later. Then she absorbs the killer cosmic rays that botched a space mission, and it unravels all of Charles' hard work of being the worst grief counselor ever. Rather than working through her troubled past and her powers, he built mental walls to shut out part of it. She is a little representation of someone who shoved their grief and sorrow way down, and then it all exploded on her friends and family.
Even though it was the central plot of the whole movie, it felt kind of rushed. She gets the phoenix powers, she rebels, she saves the X-Men, that's it. I think they should make a film series, a trilogy, on the Phoenix Saga.
How awful of a dad must you be when you consider it hopeless to raise a gifted daughter? And he had the balls to hurt her with the fact that she killed Mom. I hope Jessica Chastain killed him when she interrogated him.
A lot of fans keeps complaining about the time jumps despite the actors not aging. And they complain about how Magneto would turn from Michael Fassbender to Ian McKellen in ten years. Well, I have a theory. Remember, the first X-Men Trilogy all start with the lower third text crawl, saying "Set in the Near Future." I always assumed that, since the first X-Men came out in 2000, it was set in 2010. As of November 18, 2019, Michael Fassbender is 42. Ian McKellen was 61 when X-Men was released. With that in mind, Fassbender and McKellen had an 19 year difference, and 1992 and 2010 are 18 years apart. Let's do another one. Patrick Stewart was 60 at the time of X-Men's release. James McAvoy is currently 40. Hmm? Mystique may have the same healing powers as Wolverine. Rebecca Romijn was 28, and Jennifer Lawrence is 29. Okay, 2 out of 3 ain't bad.
I have grown tired of the X-Men. I am excited that they are joining the MCU in the near future, which means they are already here, but I want them to stay away for a long time. Let's wait twenty years before we see the Mutants again.

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Released On: June 7, 2019
Rating: PG-13
Stars: James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, Jennifer Lawrence, Sophie Turner, Nicholas Hoult, Tye Sheridan, Jessica Chastain, Not Hugh Jackman...weird
Director: Simon Kinberg
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 23%
IMDb Score: 5.8/10

Awards

Golden Raspberry Awards
Worst Supporting Actress Jessica Chastain - Nominated
Worst Remake, Ripoff, or Sequel - Nominated


Videos
CinemaSins - Everything Wrong with Dark Phoenix in Plenty of Minutes
Screen Junkies - Honest Trailers | Dark Phoenix

"Ad Astra"

I felt a lot of vibes from sci-fi movies of the past. In this film I saw Avatar, Blade Runner, and 2001: A Space Odyssey. I also saw a bit of Apocalypse Now.
Brad Pitt was the only one doing all the heavy work in the film. Everyone else just existed to move the plot along. Liv Tyler was the worst cast advertising since Meryl Streep was starring in the Mamma Mia! sequel.
Aside from that, I see it as an Oscar contender. The cinematography is fantastic. The sound design wasn't like anything I heard in space films. It may be the first space film I've seen that implements the lack of sound in space. I can't imagine another movie where pirates can sabotage an escort in complete silence except for the musical score playing underneath, which I can get behind in winning an Oscar.
I wish they didn't have the space pirates in the trailer because it made it sound like the pirates were part of the plot. Also despite being so believable in the science of space exploration, the movie completely rides on the myth that you explode in space.
If you really want to see this movie, I'd wait until it comes on TNT or something. It is just not worth it to rent or buy. And if How It Should Have Ended is listening,  I want you to redo the ending in which the explosion, that blows up the ship, be the global killing surge that causes Brad to go into space in the first place. I was hoping for that in the last ten minutes of the movie.

Released On: September 20, 2019
Rating: PG-13
Stars: Brad Pitt, Tommy Lee Jones, Liv Tyler, Ruth Negga, Donald Sutherland
Director: James Gray
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 83% Certified Fresh
IMDb Score: 7/10

Awards
Academy Awards

• Best Sound Mixing Gary Rydstrom, Tom Johnson & Mark Ulano - Nominated 

Videos
Saturday Night Live - Space Mistakes

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"Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse"

I was glad this beat out Incredibles 2 at both the Golden Globes and the Oscars, but then I watched the movie and I'm like HOLY SH*T! This film was mind-blowing and a lot of fun. To the dozen or so people who dragged this film's score down on Rotten Tomatoes, shame on you!
You can go ahead and watch the other movies. I know I have six to knock off my bucket list, but this should be the first on your list if you're a newcomer to the spectacular hero. Or last maybe, if you don't want to be bored watching a Spider-Man movie.
I have only heard of Miles Morales, so this was a helpful tool to learn who he really is. Then it kicks it up a notch to introduce other versions of Spider-Man that I never heard of. I knew there was a Spider-Woman out there; there's always a female version of a beloved superhero: Supergirl, Batgirl, Lady Thor. I'm not hating, but it feels less exciting when there are multiple versions of the same hero. I realized that contradicts this movie. Moving on.
I think it was weird that Gwen Stacy is the only Spider-person whose name isn't a variation of Peter. I mean we got Penni Parker, the anime child, Peter Parker, that goes to Noir and the Peter we're accustomed to, and Peter Porker, the Looney Toons one. Though I haven't seen it yet, I know Gwen was Peter's girlfriend in the Amazing Spider-Man films. but knowing that, what she supposed to possess spider skills and fight crime with Peter? We'll never know since she died in the second one. Hey, it's on the Internet and I read it.
I got to know a little bit about Kingpin/Wilson Fisk through the Netflix series, Daredevil. To this day, I still don't understand why Vanessa ended up with him in either universe and have a child with him. She had a nice life in the art gallery. She knew he was a criminal, so what the F? I'm getting off track. Kingpin's quest to bring back his family was a little heartbreaking because he fails to see the monster he's become when he fights Spider-Man. When the Spider-Man in Miles' dimension tried to reason with Kingpin, he refuses to listen and kills the web-slinger. And he still hasn't learned his lesson when he tried to kill Miles too, which becomes his major flaw in his plan. His tunnel vision clouds his judgment and hides who he truly is.
All this talk and no Mile-age. Miles is a quirky young kid from Brooklyn who struggles with his demanding father and caring mother. When he becomes bitten by a radioactive spider and Peter dies, he is thrust into the responsibility he spent years trying to hide from. His new skills help him man up and take the lead position, much like his dimensional counterparts. I think it's adorable that he and Gwen have something going on, but if you think about it, are they the same person since they live in alternate dimensions where something is different? Miles is a boy, and Gwen is a girl. Would they even able to be together or will they be forever apart? I'm all for them so I want to know before I get my hopes up.
The other Spiders were fun to see on screen, but now they need their own films, particularly Noir and Penni Parker. I especially want to see Peter Parker fight crime in a noir style film. The film did a fantastic job introducing them all, all you don't really feel lost in the commotion. I really want a movie on the Noir character, and I'm down on the Spider-Woman movie. I hope this film really sets the stage for future comic book movies to bring some lesser-known characters onto the big screen.

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I hope you liked this. Be sure to subscribe and leave a comment about what you thought or if you want to recommend a movie for me to review. Thank you for reading. I'll return next week with another movie. See you then.

Released On: December 14, 2018
Rating: PG
Stars: Shameik Moore, Jake Johnson, Hailee Steinfeld, Mahershala Ali, Liev Schreiber, Lily Tomlin, Nicolas Cage, John Mulaney, Kimiko Glen, Chris Pine
Directors: Bob Persichetti, Peter Ramsey, Rodney Rothman
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 97% Certified Fresh
IMDb Score: 8.5/10

Awards
Academy Awards

• Best Animated Film - Winner

Golden Globes

• Best Animated Feature Film - Winner

(Click to view more awards for "Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse".)

Videos
CinemaSins - Everything Wrong with Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse
Screen Junkies - Honest Trailers - Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse
How It Should Have Ended - How Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse Should Have Ended

"Heathers"

This movie is f*cked up. Let me just say that right now. And I thought The Breakfast Club was edgy. 

Winona Ryder stars as a little mule for three of the evilest girls on the silver screen until Mean Girls, Heather, Heather, and Heather. I'm sure the writer had a little fun writing them to mess with people. But he must have been a magician because you were never confused with which Heather is being referred. Back to this, Winona forges notes to ruin people's lives for the Heathers' amusement. She hates her life. That is until she meets Christian Slater, a rebellious teen moving from place to place. Together they start causing mayhem by murdering people and posing them as suicides. First, it was the blond Heather who was hungover from a party. Slater gives her a cocktail of drain cleaner and orange juice, claiming that it's some get well juice. Heather crashes into the glass coffee table. Next, Winona and Slater kill the two evil jocks and pose it as a murder-suicide because of their "secret passion for each other."

Their school then responds to the suicides by trying to teach the children that there is nothing wrong with speaking about their issues. This doesn't bode well with Winona. The people they kill are more popular dead than they are alive. But then it starts to get serious when a woman bullied for being fat tries to kill herself by walking into traffic and fails. Winona wants to stop, but there was something much more sinister happening. Slater teamed up with the brunette Heather and made a school-wide suicide pact unbeknownst to the entire school. Slater's father is an architect and amateur demolition expert so he sets up a couple charges under the bleachers and sets a bomb in the boiler room under the gym so that the school would blow up in an ironic sort way that the school would commit mass suicide in an anti-suicide rally.

Winona has had enough, so she swoops in and saves the day shooting Slater's finger off and shutting off the bomb. Then she steps out to breathe, and here comes Slater, bleeding out. He's strapped the bomb to himself and decides to blow himself up to atone for their sins. He blows up and dies, and Winona dethrones all the remaining Heathers and becomes the ruler of the whole school.

I initially thought they were going to kill all the Heathers, and they almost do it. The brunette Heather tried to OD on pain pills in the bathroom because she can't handle the pressure of being the leader and that her boyfriend "killed himself for being gay." The redhead was kind of nonexistent the rest of the movie. But I guess it's called Heathers because it all starts with the Heathers. These evil b*tches are tormenting their lives, and so when one of them suddenly dies it's sort of a wake-up call that even popular kids are depressed. Normally, someone would find out that they're just straight up murders, or maybe Winona even fess up. Everyone knows that Winona works for the Heathers forging letters. But this movie does something different. Everyone is oblivious to what is happening. It never comes to mind that maybe Winona is behind it. She's miserable with the Heathers, and suddenly she's cynical when one of them dies. This movie worked because the police weren't involved.

I wonder what would if this story was told today. It wouldn't happen, that's the point. Oh...wait.

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I hope you liked this. Be sure to subscribe and leave a comment about what you thought or if you want to recommend a movie for me to review. Thank you for reading. I'll return next week with another movie. See you then.

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 94% Certified Fresh

IMDb Score: 7.3/10

"The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel" Seasons 1 & 2

Miriam "Midge" Maisel is a happy little Jewish wife who worshipped the ground her husband walked on. Her snappy attitude allowed her to get what she wants to please her man from getting the best lamb at the meat market to bribing the promoter at the Gaslight, with a brisket, to get a good time slot for her husband and his budding stand up routine. But then, the night before Yom Kippur, her husband left her and her two infant children for PENNY PAM! In anger, and because she was hammered, Midge wandered on stage at the Gaslight and delivered the funniest routine that ever occurred at the club. And we go from there.
Midge and her new agent, Susie Myerson, navigate the struggle of women in the entertainment field. They were often at odds with each other because Midge never really did anything with her life, and Susie was from the streets. In the end, they would battle their struggles together to climb the ladder of success.
But that is just one problem Midge faces. Her fallout with her husband puts her at war with her family as they wish for her to work it out, but with the rise in feminism and female independence, she won't back down easily. So now she also struggles with the choice of becoming a successful comedienne and leave her quiet life behind, or giving up her passion and return to her quiet life. That may sound dumb today because a lot of successful comediennes have children, so it doesn't seem like a big deal. But it is indeed a very big deal in this story. Women were the pretty girls who work the fragrance section at the department store, not cracking jokes about their once perfect life to the 1 a.m. crowd at some sh*tty club in the Village.
This show is being used as a tool for women in the entertainment industry of the era as well as of today. It will not the change the industry forever, but it's a good start. It's paving the way for other shows, like the Emmy winning Fleabag, to appear in our streaming services and our TV's and entertain us as well as giving birth to a new age of film and television where everyone is given an equal opportunity to be represented.
With Season three rapidly approaching, I can't wait to see what Midge and Susie are up to next and what Midge would do about her family.

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I hope you liked this. Be sure to subscribe and leave a comment about what you thought or if you want to recommend a movie for me to review. Thank you for reading. I'll return on Friday with another movie. See you then.

Released On Prime Video:  March 17 - November 29, 2017 (Season 1); December 5, 2018 (Season 2)
Rating: TV-MA
Starring: Rachel Brosnahan, Alex Borstein, Michael Zegen, Marin Hinkle, Tony Shaloub, Kevin Pollack
Directors: Amy Sherman-Palladino, Daniel Palladino, Scott Ellis, Jamie Babbit
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 94% Certified Fresh (Season 1); 91% Certified Fresh  (Season 2)
IMDb Score: 8.6/10 (Average); 8.7/10 (Average)

Awards
Season 1
Golden Globe Awards

• Best Television Series Musical or Comedy - Winner 
• Best Actress Television Series Musical or Comedy Rachel Brosnahan - Winner 

Primetime Emmy Awards

• Outstanding Comedy Series - Winner 
• Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series Rachel Brosnahan - Winner 
• Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series Tony Shaloub - Nominated 
• Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series Alex Borstein - Winner 
• Outstanding Directing for a Comedy Series Amy Sherman-Palladino - Winner 
• Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series Amy Sherman-Palladino - Winner 

Season 2
Golden Globe Awards

• Best Television Series Musical or Comedy - Nominated 
• Best Actress Television Series Musical or Comedy Rachel Brosnahan - Winner 
• Best Supporting Actress Series, Miniseries, or Television Film Alex Borstein - Nominated 

Primetime Emmy Awards

• Outstanding Comedy Series - Nominated 
• Outstanding Actress in a Comedy Series Rachel Brosnahan - Nominated 
• Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series Alex Borstein - Winner 
• Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series Tony Shaloub - Winner 
• Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series Marin Hinkle - Nominated 
• Outstanding Directing for a Comedy Series Amy Sherman-Palladino - Nominated 
• Outstanding Directing for a Comedy Series Daniel Palladino - Nominated 

(Click here to view more awards for "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel".)

Videos
Saturday Night Live - The Raunchiest Miss Rita
Saturday Night Live - Oscar Host Auditions 

"Downton Abbey" (2019)

Nine years ago, the world was introduced to the Crawleys and their eccentric staff. Over the course of six seasons, we grew to laugh, cry, and love with them. Now, we return to the lavish estate, with our favorite aristocratic family, for one more outing...of royal sorts.
The film is carbon copy of a standard episode of the beloved television series filled with extensive plot lines and twists that will make an average Joe's head spin. And we all thought Mrs. Patmore had a lot on her plate.
I enjoyed how the film opened up with the post sequence as it was a callback to the very first episode, in which the Crawleys received the telegram that would set them on this journey in the first place. I only wished that they cut it down by a few seconds; it was obvious that the music was going to swell as the castle appeared over the hill, and it was like watching porn. You kept waiting for the money shot, but you've finished and you're tired by the time it actually arrived.
What would probably help boost viewership amongst non-Downton Abbey fans is that Professor McGonagall and Dolores Umbridge once again square off in this film as it once again threatens the security of Downton Abbey's future. At least by the end of the film Umbridge realizes she musn't tell lies.
Many of us, I'm sure, aren't quite over Cousin Matthew's death in season three. I'm not. Perhaps the writers knew this and kept Lady Mary's new husband, Lord Talbot,  out of the picture for as long as they could. In fact, many small details, in the latter half of the series, had slipped through cracks, so it took much of the film's runtime to piece it all back together. I forgot Daisy was betrothed, and I thought Mrs. Hughes retired with Carson. I also forgot Anna and Mr. Bates have a child now. There are some things, however, you can't forget: Mr. Mosley. It was probably brilliant to not advertise that Mosley would be involved. Seeing him in the film helped bring the humor out of such a serious story.
Another thing to remember is Tom Branson, once a chauffeur for the house, is an Irish republican, and it comes into play as the King's presence grew nearer. But seeing the change in character allowed us to see how much he's grown since his days as an angry servant. We even see him respark in an relationship that would benefit the family.
Thomas Barrow had probably the biggest character development ever seen, in the series, in this film. It is perhaps that being a film released in theaters, rather than on TV, gave it more liberty to explore his interests and background. We have known of Barrow's sexuality since the series premiere, so allowing it to mature the way it did in the film helped us to sympathize with him and be happy with him as he continues with his journey.
Okay, I lied. The biggest character development was in Lady Violet. Once a proud matriarch in the Crawley family, who followed traditions to the utmost degree, is now entrusting the Crawley name to Lady Mary, who doubted herself of her own involvement. Let's not forget that Violet teamed up with her frenemy, Cousin Isabelle, to defeat Umbridge, but allowing the family to move forward with Mary as the head instead of a male leader, is the biggest step she ever took. This whole story started with a telegram stating the heir to the Grantham title had died on the Titanic. Now Mary's the head of the household. You may ask, as non-Downton Abbey fans, why was this such a problem in the first place? Times have changed. And the Crawleys must change with it.
Fifteen years of Crawley history have been told over 52 episodes and a feature length film. It is a stunning farewell and a love letter to the television series that will forever be in our hearts. I'll admit that I didn't really want a film, but I'm glad I went and saw it. I'll be expecting it to be added to my collection alongside the boxset.

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I hope you liked this. Be sure to subscribe and leave a comment about what you thought or if you want to recommend a movie for me to review. Thank you for reading. I'll return Friday with another movie. See you then.

Released on: September 20, 2019
Rating: PG
Stars: Hugh Bonneville, Jim Carter, Michelle Dockery, Elizabeth McGovern, Maggie Smith, Imelda Staunton, Penelope Wilton
Director: Michael Engler
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 85% Certified Fresh
IMDb Score: 7.8/10

Videos
Saturday Night Live - Downton Abbey Trailer

"Ralph Breaks the Internet: Wreck-It Ralph 2"

I didn't think the first Wreck-It Ralph needed a sequel. I watched it at my cousin's house, who had it blasting in the background at her birthday party, and found it so funny that I bought it on the way home.
When the first trailer for the sequel came out, I knew it was an obvious cash grab, but it seemed harmless. It had the comedy and adventure that was so captivating in the first film, including the Moana homage where Ralph explodes the bunny.
Then I watched the movie. A simple premise stretched over two hours of blegghh! I watched this the same day I watched The Emoji Movie, which probably didn't help.
The worst part of it was they crammed the testing friendship subplot into it and made it just as long as the original plot. Never in the six years, they've been together, did they have an argument this bad? And they ended it with them parting ways while still friends. In the threequel, one of them needs to die. Or better yet, they both sacrifice themselves R&J style to end this franchise for good. Make it a short film to tack in front of Frozen II to make you really bummed about the terrible decision you made in going to the theater to watch Frozen II.
Speaking of Frozen, the princesses were wildly unnecessary. It initially was intended to loop Vanellope with the princesses, which according to the rules of the Disney Princess, she had to be the star of her own movie and be a box office success. Another known fact, Anna and Elsa are considered too successful to be Disney Princesses because they could sell their merchandise on their own. So, it became a product placement of T-Shirts your little princess will want.
Another unfunny part of this movie was that Felix and Calhoun, two forgotten characters, become instant parents with the Bratz from Sugar Rush and figuring out how to get them to behave. And it promotes the dad going to get a drink at the bar. This man, who made puppy dog eyes at Jane Lynch, decided to leave her alone with a dozen or so demons to chug root beer. Wouldn't she want some too?
The Moana homage also turned out to be a middle finger to those who wanted to see Ralph explode a bunny. You are so worn down by the movie that when it appears in the middle of the credits, you are angry because you're halfway to the lobby, or you're lucky to get to the lobby before it happens.
And the saddest thing is this was nominated for an Oscar.

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I hope you liked this. Be sure to subscribe and leave a comment about what you thought or if you want to recommend a movie for me to review. Thank you for reading. I'll return next week with another movie. See you then.

Released On: November 21, 2018
Rating: PG
Stars: John C. Reilly, Sarah Silverman, Gal Gadot, Taraji P. Henson
Directors: Phil Johnston, Rich Moore
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 88% Certified Fresh
IMDb Score: 7.1/10

Awards
Golden Globes

• Best Animated Feature Film - Nominated

Academy Awards

• Best Animated Film - Nominated

(Click here to view more awards for "Ralph Breaks the Internet.")

Videos
CinemaSins - Everything Wrong with Ralph Breaks the Internet