Zack Snyder's Justice League Review

     Hey everyone welcome back to Silver Screen Spectacle! It’s finally here! The much anticipated, memed, and infamous Snyder Cut of Justice League. So now that it’s finally here after the long campaigns, how does it fare? This was one of my most anticipated films of the year as Man of Steel and BVS are incredible films for me. I have been campaigning for this cut for years. 

    Okay, so I have some minor flaws, but overall I can’t explain how happy I am! Zack Snyder’s Justice League is the true sequel to BVS and the movie I’ve been craving since I saw Josttice League. This is four hours of pure wish-fulfillment and vindication after years of hate. Ben Affleck’s Batman is back! This is the character I fell in love with back in 2016 and not the parody we got in the theater cut. His character has evolved from BVS into a more traditional Batman in an extremely satisfying arc. Henry Cavill’s Superman isn’t in this movie too much more than the 2017 cut, but he’s so much better. How he returns is one of my least favorite parts of the old cut. Here it was perfection leading to a moment that had me bawling my eyes out. Gal Gadot’s Wonder Woman is also phenomenal here with much-improved action sequences. She gets a few superb dramatic moments as well, though. Jason Momoa’s Aquaman is probably the weakest link of the core team to me. His performance is quite good, but the portrayal is so different from his solo movie it threw me off. Ezra Miller is one of the few bright spots of the old version, but he’s much improved here. I saw his potential back in 2017, but a lot of his jokes missed. In this cut, Flash is intelligent but also comedic and has my favorite moment of the movie. Ray Fisher, WOW, easily the most butchered performance in Josstice League, where his character is useless. Here Fisher’s Cyborg is the heart of the film and arguably the principal character. He blew me away with how good he did here. Even Jared Leto’s Joker who returns briefly here is much better than in Suicide Squad, though his laugh still sucks. 

    As for our villains, Steppenwolf in the theater cut is atrocious. In this movie, he has understandable motivations that made me feel bad for him. His character design looks awesome and his voice is much more intimidating. Ray Porter voices Darkseid in his minor role, and it would be a crime not to get to see him continue. As for the script and direction, this is fully Snyder’s insane vision. You know whether you vibe with his style or it annoys you. The script, as much as I loved it, could’ve got trimmed down in a few places. As much as I appreciate the four-hour running time, there are parts you definitely feel it. The musical score is fantastic, though Wonder Woman’s new theme gets overused. The visual effects are mostly great, and I understand they didn’t have their full budget to make them flawless. 

    Overall, despite a few minor nitpicks I loved every single second of this ride. So come on Warner Bros you know what to do #restorethesnyderverse. You wanted to compete with Marvel now you have a chance. So guys that’s it for my review if you enjoyed give it a share and I’ll see you next time.

9.5/10

Snyder Cut Week: Justice League (Josttice League) 2017

    Hey everyone welcome back to Silver Screen Spectacle! Well, this is the last article before my review of Zack Snyder’s Justice League. The theater cut of Justice League AKA Josstice League got released to poor critical response in 2017 after Wonder Woman and made even less money than Batman v Superman. So when this first came out I wasn’t much of a fan but I tried to convince myself that I liked it more than I did. So four years later, how do I feel about this weird film history piece of a film?

    This is one of the most offensively mediocre comic book films ever made. I don’t like this movie, but I don’t hate it either. Ben Affleck is still enjoyable to watch, but his character is so useless in the action sequences it becomes laughable. Gal Gadot’s Wonder Woman is fine, but she’s nowhere near as interesting as she was in her own movie. I’m one of the few who always liked Ezra Miller’s Flash, even in this movie. I thought he was funny and the scene where Batman tells him to save one person is great. Jason Momoa’s Aquaman is fine but doesn’t have much to do. He does not get shafted nearly as bad as Ray Fisher’s Cyborg. He is pointless in this movie and cut down to barely being a character at all. 

    So I don’t want to get into all the behind-the-scenes drama, but Joss Whedon got brought in to reshoot most of the movie after Snyder left the project and it shows. The visual effects are atrocious and the movie looks like a soap opera thanks to the filter Whedon puts over everything. Most of the action sequences other than the tunnel fight and Superman vs the League are unwatchable in this version. Steppenwolf looks terrible and is one of the worst villains in comic book movie history. Despite all these thanks to how talented the cast is when this movie just lets the League interact with each other, I find it enjoyable. A lot of the humor doesn’t hit, but some of it does and it’s nice to see these characters I love interacting with each other.

    Overall, I neither hate this movie nor like this movie. I am however happy to leave it in the past with the Snyder Cut being released. So guys that’s it for this one if you liked it give it a share and I’ll see you tomorrow for my review of Zack Snyder’s Justice League.

Snyder Cut Week: Wonder Woman (2017)

    Hey everyone, welcome back to Silver Screen Spectacle! We’re continuing Snyder Cut week with 2017’s Wonder Woman. This was the first time the DCEU had a critical and commercial hit, though that high would quickly fluctuate. So what do I think about Wonder Woman’s first solo film after her amazing entrance in Batman v Superman?

    Let’s start with this, I do not like this movie as much as Man of Steel or Batman v Superman. That being said I still love this movie overall. Gal Gadot really came into her own as Wonder Woman here. She is amazing in the action sequences while also nailing the warmth and naivete of her character. Chris Pine is an excellent Steve Trevor. He nails every single sequence he’s in, especially with his comedic timing. Gadot and Pine are my favorite romance in the DCEU. Robin Wright and Connie Nielsen give wonderful performances through them all trying to copy Gadot’s accent is pretty funny. Now let’s discuss our villains. Danny Huston and Elena Anaya are disposable but fun villains for the first 2/3 of the film. Then we get the big reveal that David Thewlis’s character has been Ares all along. I like his performance but I have some issues with it script wise that I’ll get to,

    Patty Jenkins did a phenomenal job for her first time directing a big blockbuster. No-man's-land followed by the town siege is one of the greatest sequences in comic book movie history. The script is great overall, but I have one big issue. So for the first 2/3, I don’t have any significant issues with the script. The villains are generic but not boring. Everything focusing on our heroes is well written and engaging. My problem with the script is the third act. So I love the sequence where Wonder Woman kills Huston’s character, and the war keeps going. I thought the idea that there was no Ares behind things and humanity just sometimes sucked was a really strong creative decision that I adored. Then fifteen seconds later Ares showed up. Now I was okay with it overall because it’s an entertaining fight scene. But he explains he doesn’t control humanity, but once he dies everyone snaps out of it. It’s not a massive issue, but it’s always bugged me. Wonder Woman’s iconic musical theme gets put to full use here effectively often. As for the visual effects they are overall great, but especially in the first act they are a bit off and more noticeable thanks to all the slow motion. 

    So overall despite my few issues, I love this movie and think it’s one of the better DCEU films. So guys that’s it for this one if you enjoyed it give it a share and I’ll see you guy’s next time. 

Superman & Lois Episode 4 Review

    Hey everyone welcome back to Silver Screen Spectacle! We’ve got another new episode of Superman & Lois today. As always, this article will contain minor spoilers for the episode. 

    Well, this was sadly a step back down from the previous two episodes. This was still an enjoyable episode, but with a lot of problems. Tyler Hoechlin is still a great Superman, and I really loved Clark Kent after this episode as well. Elizabeth Tulloch’s Lois Lane went back to being fairly uninteresting again this week. I’m just not very invested in the Morgan Edge storyline. Alex Garfin and Jodan Elsass were still very good this week. My favorite part this week was all the scenes involving Superman, the action sequences yet again surprised me how good they were. The ending of the episode felt really stupid though and I hope I’m misinterpreting where they’re taking the story. This was not an unpleasant episode, but it just was not as engaging as I would’ve liked.

    So, guys, that’s it for this week’s Superman & Lois. I know it’s much shorter this time, but I just didn’t have a ton to say about this episode. As always, if you liked it, give it a share and I’ll see you next time.

6/10

Snyder Cut Week: Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice: Ultimate Edition

    Hey everyone welcome back to Silver Screen Spectacle! We’re continuing Snyder Cut week with Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice: Ultimate Edition. I loved the theater cut back in 2016 but there’s no denying it was flawed, especially in its editing. The Ultimate Edition is by far the definitive version of the film. So after Man of Steel improving on rewatch, how did this incredibly divisive film hold up.

    If you’ve been reading me for a while, you know I think this movie is a masterpiece. This isn’t just one of my favorite comic book films, it’s one of my favorite movies. Ben Affleck is the best Batman/Bruce Wayne ever put to screen. Batman is a symbol of fear in the criminals of Gotham, and this is the only iteration to fully capture that. Affleck isn’t the Batman you’re used to, this is an older war grizzled angry Batman. Affleck nails the action scenes with a terrifying physical presence while also nailing the emotional sequences. Henry Cavill’s Superman is even better here than it was in Man of Steel. His acting in the emotional moments makes me cry every single time. Jeremy Irons is also a phenomenal Alfred. Like Affleck, this is a different interpretation that I fell in love with instantly. Gal Gadot’s Wonder Woman became instantly iconic and made everyone super excited for her solo film. When she joins the fight at the end, I want to applaud every time. Okay, so let’s talk about the controversial performance of Jesse Eisenberg’s Lex Luthor. I adore this take on Luthor. His motivations are pretty complex and extremely compelling to watch. If the goal of this movie is to bring these heroes into the modern-day, Luthor being an eccentric tech billionaire fits perfectly.  

    Zack Snyder does an even better job directing here than Man of Steel. There are sequences of this movie that are cinematic art to me. Every single action sequence is riveting. The opening of Metropolis from Bruce’s perspective is one of my favorite openings ever. The Batman v Superman fight and then the eventual Doomsday battle doesn’t disappoint either. I adore the script for this movie. Every single character is brilliantly and complexly written. None of these characters have ever been as interesting in any film as they are here. All the visual effects are incredible, especially thanks to such beautiful cinematography. The musical score is also fantastic, especially the now-iconic Wonder Woman theme. 

    So like Man of Steel, I’d like to address some of the biggest criticisms I’ve heard about this movie. The first is that Batman kills people. So every single on-screen Batman has killed, even if it’s not as obvious as it is here. However, I feel many people missed the point of it’s wrong that Batman kills in this movie and they acknowledge that. No character treats it like a good thing, in fact, they call him out on it many times, this is a lost Batman who needs Superman to restore his hope in man. The second is the infamous Martha moment that has gotten mocked for years. This is the emotional crux of the film and it blows my mind how many people missed it. Batman is committing premeditated murder. Yes, he kills other criminals while fighting them, but he doesn’t actively plan their murder. Bruce is about to get fully consumed by Batman by crossing the last line and killing someone innocent just because there is a 1% chance they might go bad one day. They do not stop fighting because their moms have the same name. The mere mention of Martha just makes Batman angrier as he thinks it’s a trick. It’s not until Lois throws herself down on Clark’s body shouting that it is his mother’s name that Batman snaps out of his kill rage. At this moment the alien that Bruce sees Superman as becomes humanized. Bruce never considered that this alien had a human mother, nevertheless would use his dying words to ask his murder to save them. Bruce didn’t get to save his Martha, this is his chance to save someone else’s parents. He was just a helpless kid, just like Clark is at this moment. 

    Overall, I adore Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice Ultimate Edition. I’m glad over the years that this movie is getting reevaluated by some people. If you want my even deeper thoughts on this movie, I wrote an essay earlier this year about why I believed this movie to be a masterpiece. So, guys, that’s it for this one if you enjoyed it give it a share and I’ll see you next time. 

Snyder Cut Week: Man of Steel (2013)

    Hey everyone welcome back to Silver Screen Spectacle! HAPPY SNYDER CUT WEEK! Sorry, as you can tell I’m excited to get the movie I’ve wanted to see since leaving BvS in 2016. To celebrate this amazing week, I’m going to be covering four films leading up to the release of the Snyder Cut. These four films are Man of Steel, Batman v Superman, Wonder Woman, and the theatrical cut of Justice League. We’re starting off today with Man of Steel, which has been incredibly divisive since it released.

    I adore this film. I cannot explain why, but the way Snyder sees these heroes as modern-day Greek myths just resonate with me. I’ve always loved this movie, but I had some issues with it, not anymore this is a masterpiece and one of the greatest comic book movies ever. Henry Cavill is an amazing Clark Kent/ Superman. He nails the emotional moments and the action sequences. This is a Superman who’s just starting and conflicted on how to handle things and it’s the most interesting I’ve ever found him. Amy Adams is the best Lois Lane we’ve ever seen, as she does more than just be a damsel in distress. She is capable and witty and has amazing chemistry with Cavil. Russell Crowe is fantastic as Jor-El. The opposite similarities between him and Kevin Costner’s Jonathan Kent are one of my favorite parts of this movie. Diane Lane is delightful as Martha Kent and gets a few moments to shine. 

    Now as for the film’s villains. Michael Shannon is phenomenal as Zod. He is a villain I can understand and relate to while also being extremely intimidating. Antje Traue is a great physical threat as Faora, Zod’s second in command. Both of them are extremely compelling. As for the directing, Zack Snyder’s style is perfect for this movie. The action sequences have real stakes but are also a lot of fun to watch. The script is perfect to me, with every single character getting a moment to shine. As for visual effects, they still hold up flawlessly today. This is a gorgeous-looking film from start to finish. 

    Now I am going to try not to ramble, but I would like to defend two aspects of this movie. First is the massive destruction during the action sequences. If you actually watch the choreography of the fights, you can see 95% of the destruction is not Superman’s fault, and he saves everyone he can. Also, this is a Superman who has never fought before, so he’s going to make mistakes. The second thing I want to defend is Zod’s death. So I never had a problem with this and have always gotten surprised that so many people did. What else was he supposed to do? Zod says he will never stop and that this fight ends with one of them dead. Clark pleads for him to stop and it destroys him to do it. There was no way to send him back to the phantom zone, which is worse than killing him by the way. No prison could hold Zod the only choice was for Superman to kill him or let him go. Superman chooses humanity and snaps the only living Kryptonians neck. This was a massive sacrifice and a beautiful moment.

    So overall I love Man of Steel and would upgrade my score to a 10/10. So guys, that’s it for this first edition of my Snyder Cut prep. As always, if you enjoyed it, give it a share and I’ll see you next time. 

Recap: This Week in Movie News 3/08- 3/14

    Hey everyone welcome back to Silver Screen Spectacle! Today is our weekly recap of this week’s movie news. I’ve got three stories I would like to cover today.

1. Zack Snyder’s Justice League Final Trailer has released. This was the trailer I’ve wanted since the beginning. My hype levels are officially at maximum level and haven’t been this high since Avengers: Endgame. This movie looks phenomenal and the early reactions seem to confirm that. Thursday cannot get here soon enough, so I can watch this. 

2. Michael B. Jordan will direct Creed III. First, I am just excited about this film. The first two Creed films were pretty great. I know Jordan has never directed before, but since Stallone directed the original Rocky, this feels very fitting. Speaking of Stallone, I’m very curious if he’ll have a role in this movie after how Creed II ended. 

3. Avatar has retaken the spot as the highest-grossing film of all time from Avengers: Endgame. I figured this was going to happen eventually now that Disney owns both films they’ll keep re-releasing them for years and keep trading the number one spot because of how close it is. This is just Disney trying to get everyone talking about Avatar again, leading up to its long-delayed sequel next year. I like both movies but Endgame I feel is more deserving personally. 

    So, guys, that’s it for this week’s Recap! As always, if you enjoyed it, give it a share and I’ll see you next time.

Boss Level Review (Hulu)

    Hey everyone welcome back to Silver Screen Spectacle! We’ve got another new movie review today with the new Hulu action film Boss Level. I knew basically nothing going into this movie other than its cast and a one-sentence synopsis. So as a fan of this cast and time loop films what did I think? 

    I had a lot of fun with this movie. Frank Grillo gives a good performance. His physical presence is strong and incredible in the action sequences. What surprised me was how funny he was throughout this film. This is mostly a one-man show, though Mel Gibson and Naomi Watts do fun work in their supporting roles. Joe Carnahan did a phenomenal job directing. The action sequences were always easy to follow, but a ton of fun. They felt very video game-like but also evoked John Wick, especially in the third act. As for the script, it’s nothing incredible, but it works for this movie. The time travel logic doesn’t make a ton of sense and the story is pretty bland. It makes up for it with plenty of funny moments and well-written set-pieces. The visual effects are good for a low-budget streaming film, and they mix it with plenty of practical stunt work. 

    Overall Boss Level was not cinematic art, but it was a fun action movie that I could see myself occasionally revisiting. So, guys, that’s it for this one if you enjoyed it give it a share and I’ll see you next time.

7/10

South Park: The Vaccination Special: My Thoughts

    Hey everyone welcome back to Silver Screen Spectacle! Today we’re going to discuss my brief thoughts on the South Park Vaccination Special. So I am a pretty casual South Park fan I’ve only seen a few episodes of the show and I’ve played the video games and seen the film. I enjoy them, but they’re not an all-time favorite thing of mine. I was excited about this though as I laughed my head off at the Pandemic Special. I didn’t find this nearly as funny, but I still enjoyed watching this. It was nice to see the focus be on the children this time, though I found the arguing not as funny as I hoped. To the show’s credit, I felt legitimately sorry for Kenny. The Jewish space laser joke was honestly probably the hardest laugh for me. However, mostly no joke fell totally flat just very few were outright hilarious. I hope there are more specials to go this season and can find the right balance between this and the Pandemic one. So overall while not as great as I hoped, I had fun with The Vaccination Special. So, guys, that’s it for this one if you enjoyed it give it a share and I’ll see you next time.

6.5/10

Flashback: MCU Edition: Thor: Ragnarok

    Hey everyone welcome back to Silver Screen Spectacle! Today we’re continuing our Flashback: MCU Edition with 2017’s Thor Ragnarok. This film was met with basic unanimous praise from critics and audiences upon release as people finally fell in love with Thor. I always loved this movie, so did it hold up?

    The answer to that question is a resounding YES! I adore this film and could watch it practically on a loop. I’ve always liked Chris Hemsworth’s Thor, but he’s on a different level here. He is hysterical but also extremely awesome and able to nail the emotional moments without missing a step. Tom Hiddleston’s Loki is still a joy to watch anytime he is on screen. Tessa Thompson was an impressive addition having wonderful comedic timing and action beats. Jeff Goldblum is basically playing himself, and it’s perfect for this movie. His off-the-wall wacky acting in this movie fit the tone flawlessly. Mark Ruffalo’s Hulk/Bruce Banner has yet to get better than it was here. This is easily the best interpretation of both characters. Idris Elba and Karl Urban do superb work in their supporting roles. Cate Blanchett is a pretty good villain. She is menacing but also fun, though the scenes involving her and no heroes are easily the film’s weakest. Benedict Cumberbatch is hilarious in basically an extended cameo role. My favorite addition though is Taika Waititi as Korg. Every single line out of his mouth is laugh-out-loud, hilarious. 

    Taika Waititi also directs to wonderful success. He brings his quirky style to this movie, and it fits way better than it should. The action sequences are fantastic and this film’s use of music is iconic in pop culture now. As for the script, all the characters are interesting, the humor basically always works but the movie isn’t afraid to have real stakes either. The musical score is incredible and always adds to whatever scene. The VFX are above par even for Marvel. At 131 minutes the runtime flies by.

    As for the two credits sequences, the first one was a magnificent cliffhanger to lead us into Infinity War. The second one is a fun albeit throwaway joke involving the Grandmaster and the rebellion on Sakar. 

    Overall, Thor: Ragnarok might be my favorite non-Avengers MCU film. So, guys, that’s it for this Flashback: MCU Edition. As always, if you enjoyed it, give it a share and I’ll see you all next time.

Flashback: MCU Edition: Spider-Man: Homecoming

    Hey, guys welcome back to Silver Screen Spectacle! Today we’re continuing our MCU Flashback with 2017’s Spider-Man: Homecoming. Met with immense critical acclaim and audience praise, this Spider-Man got fully accepted. Back when I first saw this, it was my favorite movie of the whole MCU but dipped overtime on repeat viewings. So years later, how does this movie fare?

    There is still so much to appreciate here. Tom Holland really comes into his own in the iconic role here. I enjoy the previous Spider-Man films, but it’s nice to get a high school Peter that acts and looks the part. He only continued to improve, but his work here is still fantastic. Zendaya and Jacob Batalon are both delightful as Holland’s friends. They're so funny and the three of them are great off each other. Laura Harrier is fine as Peter’s love interest, though she has nothing big to do. Marisa Tomei might be my favorite Aunt May yet as she feels like a parent instead of just a wisdom spitter. Jon Favreau and Robert Downey Jr. are fantastic in their supporting roles. Then there’s Michael Keaton, which is still the top five MCU villains today. He is such a phenomenally written character. The twist with him is one of my favorite sequences in the MCU. 

    Jon Watts directs his first big blockbuster to solid results. He does a superb job making this movie feel like an old John Hughes movie during the high school bits, and the action sequences are mostly fun. For the first 2/3, I think the action is refreshingly small scale and fun but then the big third act comes, and it’s kind of underwhelming. The sequence is fine, but it’s definitely the weakest set-piece in the film. The script is fantastic. Holland’s Peter goes through a legitimate character journey, and Keaton’s Vulture is an amazing villain. The humor is mostly hilarious. Spoilers but the scene where Peter learns Keaton is his girlfriend’s dad is a masterclass in a sequence, being hilarious and tense at the same time. As for the visual effects, they are wonderful as you expect from Marvel. Spider-Man’s new musical theme is not as iconic as Rami’s but is triumphant and memorable.

    As for the film’s two credits scenes, they could not be more different. The first one is setting up Scorpian for a future film and revealing that Keaton won’t reveal Peter’s identity. The second one is possibly my favorite in the MCU as Captain America comes on the screen like the PSA’s throughout the film to talk about patience and how you waited so long for nothing. It is nothing more than a gigantic troll, and it makes me laugh like crazy every time.

    So overall Spider-Man: Homecoming is still a strong MCU film for me, but the underwhelming finale holds it back from being a top ten MCU film for me. So, guys, that’s it for this Flashback: MCU Edition, as always if you enjoyed it give it a share and I’ll see you next time.

Superman & Lois: Episode Three Review

    Hey everyone welcome back to Silver Screen Spectacle! We’ve got a new episode of Superman & Lois to discuss. As always this article will contain minor spoilers but not a beat-by-beat rundown.

    So after surprisingly enjoying episode two, I’m happy to say this was another enjoyable episode. I’m starting to really love Tyler Hoechlin’s Clark Kent. The last episode sold me on his Superman, this one sold me on his Kent. I loved seeing him being the dorky dad to his sons and willing to admit his mistakes. Elizabeth Tulloch’s Lois is still my least favorite part of this show, but her performance is solid and her story got much more intriguing this episode. The biggest surprise for me is how invested I felt in Alex Garfin and Jordan Elsass’s performances. I’m really adoring their brotherly relationship. Inde Navarrette extremely impressed me this week. The ending scene between her and Lana is by far my favorite part of this episode. 

    As for the visual effects, they’re not perfect, especially in the opening, but they are overall solid. The action sequences continue to be engaging. Close quarters combat is not something I’m used to seeing with Superman, but it is shockingly engaging. I am officially going to say I am engaged in this show and I’m excited to see where it goes. 

    Overall, I don’t adore this show but these past two episodes have me hopeful that things will only continue to improve. So, guys, that’s it for this one as always if you enjoyed it give it a share and I’ll see you next time.

7/10

Coming 2 America Review (Amazon Prime)

    Hey everyone welcome back to Silver Screen Spectacle! We’ve got another new movie review today with Paramount and Amazon’s Coming 2 America. So first a brief history with me and the first film. I have zero attachment or nostalgia to it, as I only saw it for the first time a week ago. I did however thoroughly enjoy the old film and was hoping just for some dumb laughs out of this sequel.

    I liked this movie, but just barely. Eddie Murphy is still great in this role and hasn’t lost a step. Sadly, he is not in the film as much as I would’ve liked. Arsenio Hall was my favorite part of this film. Every single moment that got a big laugh out of me involved his character. Jermaine Fowler was a fine addition to the cast. He is not bad and has some standout moments, but I just did not care about him much. Tracy Morgan and Kiki Layne were quite funny in their supporting roles. James Earl Jones shows up to phone in a brief cameo. Wesley Snipes was the best fresh addition to the film. He made me laugh pretty often and added a much-needed sense of energy to the film. I did not like Leslie Jones here; she was annoying and took away from a lot of scenes that would’ve been fun otherwise.

    Craig Brewer’s direction is fine, albeit generic. Nothing about it stood out as good or bad. In terms of the script, which is the most important thing in a movie like this. It is an extremely mixed bag. There are plenty of moments that made me laugh, but there were also plenty that missed too. As for the story, it's generic and while not without moments lacks the charm that made the first film fun. The film has way too many random dance sequences that don’t contribute to the plot at all. 

    Overall, Coming 2 America was a fun late-night watch but definitely a step down from the first film. So, guys, that’s it for this review if you enjoyed it give it a share and I’ll see you next time.

6/10

Recap: This Week in Movie News 3/01/-3/07

    Hey everyone welcome back to Silver Screen Spectacle, honestly this was a pretty slow week for movie news so I want to focus on two stories today. 

1. Peter Rabbit 2 and A Quiet Place 2 Move Up. So it looks like things might slowly get back to normal as movies are now moving up their release dates instead of delaying. Both movies are now slated for May of this year and hopefully, make their release dates. The first Peter Rabbit was a shockingly charming kids film though it wasn't anything special. A Quiet Place was one of the movies to help me get into the horror genre and I've been excited to see Part 2 since the first trailer. 

2. Minions 2 and Fast and Furious 9 get delayed. It seems universal is willing to send movies to PVOD quickly except for their cash cow films. Minions got delayed a whole year till Summer of 2022 which seems outlandish. Fast 9 was only delayed until June which makes sense as if Covid vaccines are widely enough available by May then this could be one of the first big films to bring a strong box office.

    So guys that's it for this shockingly slow news week. If you enjoyed it give it a share and I'll see you next time.

Chaos Walking Review

    Hey everyone welcome back to Silver Screen Spectacle! We’ve got another new movie review today with the long-delayed Chaos Walking. So I went into this mixed expectations, I loved the cast; the trailer looked cool and I’m a sucker for a good YA Sci-Fi film. However, the reviews were atrocious and the studio clearly was just dumping the film. So what did I think of the movie?

    I don’t get why this is getting bashed quite like it is. Tom Holland gives an impressive performance. It takes a few minutes to settle in, but by the ten-minute mark, his performance engaged me. Daisy Ridley was also great with a very physical performance I haven’t seen from her. She and Holland had fantastic chemistry and are easily my favorite part of the film. Mads Mikkelsen gives an okay performance as the film’s villain. It’s a very generic written character, but he does well with what they give him. Nick Jonas is sadly pretty wooden here after impressing me in the Jumanji films. 

    Doug Liman is an excellent director and perfect for this type of film. All the action sequences are easy to follow and plenty of tense fun. The visual effects looked wonderful, especially once I got used to understanding each character’s “noise”. The script is overall shockingly good. Despite being a multiple-book series, the film doesn’t end on a cliffhanger. My biggest shock was how funny this was. I laughed a lot, and all of it was intentional laughter. Holland and Ridley’s story is plenty engaging to keep you invested throughout the film. Overall, just a pleasant surprise in this department. 

    Overall Chaos Walking is no new modern classic, but I had a shockingly fun time with this movie. It was not just me either, everyone in the cinema with me seemed to enjoy themselves as well. So, guys, that’s it for this review as always if you enjoyed it, give it a share and I’ll see you next time.

7/10

Raya and the Last Dragon Review

    Hey everyone welcome back to Silver Screen Spectacle! Today we’ve got another new movie review with the latest Disney Animation film Raya and the Last Dragon. This was on my most anticipated movies of 2021 list as I adored the first trailer and thought the second trailer looked great despite being worried about the humor. You can find the film in theaters or on Disney Plus for a $30 fee. 

    Briefly, I want to discuss the short Us Again that plays in front of this movie in theaters. It’s beautifully animated and has a strong ending, but it reminded me too much of what I disliked about La La Land. I’d give the short a 6/10. Now onto the actual movie review.

    This was not without its flaws, but overall this was great. Kelly Marie Tran was a phenomenal casting choice for Raya. She sounded intimidating and funny while also nailing the dramatic moments. Gemma Chan was also fantastic at voicing the film’s antagonist. The rivalry between her and Raya was my favorite part of the movie. Izzac Wang, Daniel Dae Kim, and Benedict Wong all did wonderful in their supporting roles. Awkwafina was a mixed bag for me. So overall her performance is good but her humor was really hit and miss for me. 

    Don Hall and Carlos Lopez Estrada are phenomenal directors, and they show it again here. The action sequences in this movie are incredible. When this movie was working at its best, it felt like Kill Bill mixed with The Last Airbender show. The animation is some of the best 3D animations I’ve ever seen. So much of it looks lifelike, yet I’m glad they didn’t go that way with the characters as it made them stick out in the best way. So my issues with this movie lie in its script, but I want to discuss the positives of it first. Despite one flaw which I’ll get to, I adored the overall story of this film. All the characters were great and easy to get attached to, and the emotional beats were effective. My problem is in the film’s humor. It is extremely hit and miss. There are moments that were legitimately funny, but there were also plenty that fell totally flat. Most of these moments came from Awkwafina’s character, as the way they write her character is great for the overall story but leads to some cringe-worthy humor. Also, no spoilers, but one decision in the third act resolution didn’t work all the way for me. I have no problem with the idea, just the execution wasn’t as strong as I hoped.

    Overall, Raya and the Last Dragon was a great film despite its few flaws. This is an immensely re-watchable film that I can’t wait to rewatch again and again. So, guys, that’s it for this review as always if you enjoyed it give it a share and I’ll see you guy’s next time. 

8.5/10

WandaVision Series Finale: My Thoughts

    Hey everyone welcome back to Silver Screen Spectacle! Well, today is the day we’re concluding our WandaVision articles with the confirmed series finale. It’s been quite the journey, with plenty of highs and a few lows. So I went into this episode hoping certain things would happen but would hold nothing against this show, especially after the director said they expected to be people disappointed because of fan theories. So despite the overall positive but mixed reactions I’ve seen to this episode, what did I think of the finale.

    This was a glorious finale! Now was it my favorite episode of the show not necessarily but I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of this. The hype was hitting from the get-go with the flashes of the costume during the previously on. I loved that after last week’s cliffhanger we just started right where we left off. So it turns out they based the shark commercial on Agatha as she consumes other magic users’ power. I got very impressed by the production value and visual effects this would not have felt out of place in a theatrical film to me. So let’s talk about the Evan Peters reveal, I wanted as much as anyone for him to be the Fox Quicksilver but while I didn’t find the joke about Ralph Bohner necessarily hilarious it didn’t make me angry like it has many people. So I guess we are retconning Agents of Sheild now with Agatha’s book being the Darkhold. I found it very interesting that it specified that Wanda was more powerful than Doctor Strange. The scene of Wanda realizing what she had done to all the townspeople was fantastic and felt earned after the previous episodes. 

    I love that Vision vs White Vision turned into a philosophical battle after they realized they couldn’t beat each other physically. Though I am wondering where the heck White Vision flew off to. I felt everyone got their due credit in this episode. That shot of Wanda’s family getting ready to do battle reminded me so much of The Incredibles. The twins got to use their powers, which I loved seeing, and I hate Hayward even more now after he opened fire on them. Wanda finally using her mental manipulation again made me geek out a lot. The ending battle between Wanda and Agatha was satisfying, especially once you realize Wanda was tricking her and reabsorbs her power to get her Scarlet Witch costume. I was squealing in joy during this entire sequence, and her costume is easily one of my favorites in the entire MCU. Agatha being trapped in Westview was dark, but now it’s what the entire series has been building towards. Wanda having to say goodbye to Billy, Tommy, and Vision. I was basically emotional about this entire sequence, but I broke fully at “we’ve said goodbye before so it stands to reason we’ll say hello again”. I was in tears until the credits scenes. 

    As for the credits scenes, the first one was definitely Secret Invasion, and Captain Marvel 2 setup putting Monica in space with Fury. As for the second credits scene, that’s a bit more up for debate. So Wanda is astral projecting while studying the Darkhold, which is a terrible idea. She hears her kids call for help and closes the book, thus ending the show. So two theories, one some evil entity has her twins, option two, she heard them across the multiverse. So overall, while not my favorite episode of the series, this was an extremely satisfying finale to an extremely good show. 

Land (2021) Movie Review

    Hey everyone welcome back to Silver Screen Spectacle! We’ve got a new movie review today with an indie film Land. You can find the film playing in select theaters and available for digital rental. This movie is about a woman who moves out off the grid after experiencing personal tragedy.

    Robin Wright gives an okay performance. She gets some moments to shine and really impress me. However, she also got plenty of moments that were unintentionally funny at how badly they got delivered. Demian Bichir’s performance was also an extremely mixed bag. For half of his screen time, he’s strong and has a likable dynamic with Wright. The other half fell totally flat. Robin Wright makes her directorial debut with sadly poor results. I found this movie to come across as extremely poorly directed in almost every sense. As for the script, I mostly hated it. The second act had a few well-written moments but can’t make up for the rest of the movie. For the first act, I was getting annoyed at how pretentious it all felt while the final third gets comically overwritten. There were two aspects of this movie that I liked a lot. First, the musical score was really beautiful and kept things watchable. Then there’s Bobby Bukowski’s incredible cinematography, which was consistently stunning and easily my favorite part of the film. 

    Overall, while there were aspects of this movie, I appreciated it did not work for me. This is definitely not unwatchable and I know it will work for many people who are into this type of movie, but for me, the bad far outweighed the good. So, guys, that’s it for this review as always if you enjoyed it give it a share and I’ll see you next time.

4/10

The Spongebob Movie: Sponge On the Run (Paramount+)

    Hey everyone welcome back to Silver Screen Spectacle. We’ve got another new movie review today with the third Spongebob film. This was supposed to be a theatrical release last year, but because of the pandemic is now a launch title for the new Paramount Plus streaming service. Before we get into the review, I feel I should explain my background with this franchise. I have seen none of this show since I was a very young child, and I don’t recall any of it. However, I have seen the previous two films and while neither were great I thoroughly enjoyed them for what they were, especially the second one. With that said, let’s get into the review. 

    I enjoyed this movie basically the same amount I enjoyed the previous two films. All the voice cast from the show and old films return and they’re all great in the roles still. Tom Kenny is an excellent Spongebob. Clancy Brown and Mr. Lawrence cracked me up a lot as Mr. Krabs and Plankton. Rodger Bumpass and Bill Fagerbakke are tons of fun as Squidward and Patrick, respectively. Matt Berry is okay as the villain, but he didn’t make me laugh that much. My favorite part of this movie was Keanu Reeves as Sage. I knew he was in this film from the trailer; I didn’t realize he was a full-on supporting role, and almost everything involving him got a laugh out of me. 

    A long-time writer and director, Tim Hill returns to yet again fulfill both roles to a positive degree. The directing is strong with plenty of fun sequences and everything is easy to follow even when it gets chaotic. While the script is overall good but nothing great either. The story in this movie is not important, it’s just a generic way to get our characters on a road trip. Same with character development. This movie has one goal, and that’s making you laugh. For the first hour of this movie, I laughed often and sometimes very hard. Sadly, then we get to the third act, which is while not without moments missed more than it hit as it felt like a side step to set up their new spinoff show. I did like the animation more than I expected to. It looks colorful and unique, typical of Spongebob there are lots of fun trippy sequences. 

    Overall, I really enjoyed The Spongebob Movie: Sponge on the Run. While nothing amazing and the third act was much weaker than the first two, this still made me laugh a lot. You can stream this movie on Paramount Plus or for a $20 rental wherever you digitally rent films. So, guys, that’s it for this review as always if you enjoyed it, give it a share and I’ll see you next time. 

6.5/10

Wait! How Did I Miss This? Coming to America (1988)

    Hey everyone welcome back to Silver Screen Spectacle! With the release of Coming 2 America this weekend, I got around to the first film. I have seen snippets of this movie on network tv over the years but I didn’t remember any of it. Released in 1988, the film was a massive box office hit and pushed Eddie Murphy even further up as a comedy star. However, the downside of a lot of old comedies is sometimes they don’t hold up today, so here are my thoughts on the original film.

    This was a really fun film. I wasn’t sure how I felt about it early on as the start had laughs but not as consistent as I expected. Once the movie got going though, I laughed a lot. Eddie Murphy is hilarious in this movie. I really need to watch more of his old comedies as he almost always makes me laugh. I also forget that Murphy is just a great actor as he elevates the emotional scenes as well. Arsenio Hall is also just delightfully playing off Murphy. Their chemistry is electric and is the primary reason this movie is so much fun. John Amos and Shari Headley both do outstanding in their supporting roles. James Earl Jones is a lot of fun as Murphy’s dad I’m just used to only hearing his voice not seeing him. 

    John Landis did a good job directing. There’s nothing spectacular about it, but it’s well done and definitely above what most movies like this have. The script honestly surprised me in multiple ways. First, I loved that despite the crude humor, the overall story is actually sweet and kind of like a fairy tale. I also did not expect this movie to have effective dramatic moments that it invested me in. This is however a comedy, so the most important thing is the fact that this made me laugh a lot. I only cringed at a handful of jokes and mostly, the humor rarely missed. Now every joke wasn’t a gut buster, but there were plenty of good laughs and a few huge ones.

    The Sam Jackson cameo scene, the basketball scene, and any scene involving the barbershop guys were probably the three scenes that made me laugh the hardest. Sam Jackson’s cameo got me so good because I had no clue he was in this movie. The whole basketball sequence is funny but Lisa’s sister trying to each into Murphy’s pants made me lose it laughing as well as the two dudes that recognized him. The barbershop scenes had me on the floor every single time just at the sheer randomness of the dialogue. 

    Overall, while not cinematic art I had a lot of fun with Coming to America, and I can easily see myself occasionally resisting this film. So, guys, that’s it for this week’s Wait! How Did I Miss This? As always, if you enjoyed it, give it a share and check back Friday for my review of the sequel. 

Superman & Lois: Episode Two Review

    Hey everyone welcome back to Silver Screen Spectacle! Tonight was episode two of the new CW show Superman & Lois so I wanted to get my thoughts on this episode out there. Now if you saw my review for the first episode, I thought it had moments, but overall I didn’t like it. I seemed to be the only one though, as practically everyone was raving about the show. I watched the episode again to see if I missed something, but my thoughts remained the same. So I went into tonight’s episode skeptical but wanting this show to win me over. This is not a full breakdown of the show, but to discuss this episode, this article will include spoilers. 

    This is a big step in the right direction for me and this show. While I still had issues, this was an enjoyable episode. Tyler Hoechlin impressed me again this week with his Superman, and I’m getting used to that suit. Elizabeth Tulloch’s Lois was much better this week. I thought her performance was good this time, though I am still not sure how I feel about her storyline yet. Alex Garfin and Jordan Elsass also were both improved this week, though they did occasionally overact. Inde Navarrette continues to impress me, though I hope her role develops beyond love interest. Wole Parks who is playing a race-bent Lex Luthor won me over this week. Seeing where they are going with his story has me legitimately excited for the future of this show. 

    Now I want to get a bit more into specific thoughts with this episode. I loved seeing Clark take his son to the Fortress of Solitude and introduce him to Jor-El, who he got named after. However, the way Lois and Clark started neglecting Johnathan makes me think his path will be more villainous eventually ending in brother vs brother. The action sequences especially for network television were really strong. Those fights between Lex and Superman were actually awesome. I am adoring what they’re doing with Lex, with him being from a different earth where Superman was evil. The flashback at the end of this episode was enough to get me hooked enough on this show to stay around. Black Suit evil Superman is something I have wanted to see for years. I actually squealed a little, getting to see it even if the CGI on the scene wasn’t perfect. 

    Overall, this was a good episode. I’m still not sold on Lois’s plotline and some overacting held thing back for me, but I’m excited to watch next week’s episode now to see where they take this. So guys, that’s it for this episode of Superman & Lois. As always, if you enjoyed it, give it a share and I’ll see you next time. 

7.5/10

Flashback: MCU Edition: Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2

    Hey everyone welcome back to Silver Screen Spectacle! We’re continuing our MCU Flashback with 2017’s Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2. When this movie came out, I wasn’t sure what to make of it on first viewing as it felt different from what I expected. It did however grow on me quickly, though I did still prefer the first film. Critics and Audiences also preferred the first film overall, but this was still a massive critical and commercial hit. Baby Groot became an instant internet phenomenon. Going into this rewatch I got concerned as I always preferred the first Guardians film and it plummeted for me. While still being a film, I like a lot of it went from top-level MCU to bottom-level MCU. So how does this movie fare for me now?

    I adore this movie so much. This takes the parts of the first Guardians that I thought worked great still and threw everything else away. The entire cast is phenomenal. Chris Pratt still has excellent comedic timing but also gets to flex his acting chops, this time with some incredibly emotional moments. Zoe Saldana and Karen Gillan are both leagues better than they were in the first film. This film set up their dynamic as one of the best in the whole MCU. Dave Bautista also gets to do some emotional acting while still nailing his comedic moments. Vin Diesel’s Baby Groot is a hilarious and iconic character. Bradley Cooper’s voice work for Rocket also is an improvement. He gets some of the best moments in the film. Michael Rooker is phenomenal as Yondu this time with again some excellent acting and nailing his comedic beats. Pom Klementieff was a delightful addition as Mantis, who fit in with this group perfectly. Elizabeth Debicki is a fun side villain who I expect to play a bigger role in Guardians 3. Special mention as to go out to Kurt Russell’s Ego as one of the best villains in the entire MCU. The way they make us love this character and then in one sentence turns him into a villain we want to die was incredible.

    James Gunn returns to write and direct and vastly improves both. The directing is outstanding. This film has such a unique style and his action went from okay to genuinely exciting. The script also is fantastic, though I have one flaw. As hilarious as I find this movie, there are a few moments the jokes hurt the emotion of a moment. Otherwise, though all the characters have excellent story arcs, almost all the jokes land, and the film has many strong emotional beats. I want to call out special attention to the cinematography and musical score, which are both outstanding and beautiful. They do so much to build the atmosphere of this movie. 

    I could go on forever about all the moments in this film I adore but to name a few...

    Yondu and Rocket trying to escape from their cell

    Yondu killing everyone on his ship

    “I’m gonna make some weird shit”

    Mantis feeling the emotion of Drax remembering his family

    “It broke my heart to put that tumor in her head”

    Ego vs Starlord

    Rocket trying to teach Baby Groot about the bomb.

    “I’m Mary Poppins Y’all” 

    “Mantis look out”

    Yondu’s Funeral 

    That’s only a handful of them. This is easily top-level MCU for me and a film I intended to revisit more frequently. So guys, that’s it for this Flashback: MCU Edition. Next time we’ll be talking about Spider-Man Homecoming. As always, if you enjoyed this, give it a share and I’ll see you next time.