'CIVIL WAR' - "One Nation Under God, Indivisible..." [MAJOR SPOILERS]

Directed by ALEX GARLAND
Starring KIRSTEN DUNST, WAGNER MOURA, CAILEE SPAENY, 

and STEPHEN MCKINLEY HENDERSON

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Wow, I did not expect this movie to be good. I was thinking a fun popcorn flick-- a cross between 'The Purge' and 'Olympus Has Fallen,' but I was pleasantly surprised. 'Civil War' is actually a war film, in the same vein of 'Full Metal Jacket' meets 'High Tension." It's an unusual war film because it follows a modern day American civil war from the perspective of a rag tag group of journalists, which is rare. Most war films are centered around soldiers, which makes sense. We rarely if ever see behind the scenes of what war correspondent photo journalists. 

'Justice League' 2021 - "There's No Us Without Him." [MAJOR SPOILERS]

Directed by ZACK SYNDER
Starring BEN AFFLECK, GAL GADOT, JASON MOMOA, RAY FISHER, EZRA MILLER, 

JOE MORTON, and AMY ADAMS

I WAS WRONG. 

I had very low expectations for the highly anticipated Synder cut of the 2017 'Justice League.' I'm not one who thinks "director's cuts" will magically make a better movie. If it wasn't a good movie to begin with, I don't know how much a director's cut can do? I was especially doubtful of a new Zack Synder cut. I kinda enjoyed his previous superhero films 'Man of Steel' and 'Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice,' but I wasn't impressed. Synder is hit or miss for me. His bloviated style of spectacle over substance isn't something I usually enjoy, but this time he combined both style and substance. 

When it was announced that Synder was stepping down from the film I hoped Joss Whedon would bring a fresh look and style to the DC Extended Universe (DCEU). Please note I don't want to diminish Synder's reasons for stepping away from the film in 2017. He suffered a terrible loss. As a fellow human being and a parent, I empathized. 

But despite Synder's flaws, his films were rich with world-building. When his original film was recut, all of his flaws were still present, but none of his charm. Whedon replaced all of Synder's appeal with his own signature cutesy style and cheeky banter. Sadly, Whedon left most of the character development on the cutting room floor. The combination of Synder's flaws and Whedon's humor WAS A DISASTER. The 2021 version of the film corrects this mistake. 

Synder's cut still has flaws, but when placed in context IT FINALLY MAKES SENSE. Whedon tried to create 'Avengers: Age of Ultron' lite, which in itself was a bad movie. From what I read this was done at the behest of the studio. It's fair to say that Warner Bros. Studios is the absolute worst. They've repeatedly tried to destroy their 'Wonder Woman' franchise, they reboot Batman every few years, and they cut Synder's films to pieces. 

Instead of the formidable villain Darkseid, Whedon reorganized the film to make Steppenwolf the main bad. THIS MADE NO SENSE. Removing this extra layer of villainry was a huge mistake. Without Darkseid, Steppenwolf was just another villain with no character development beyond "hey let's conquer earth."  

In the Synder Cut, Steppenwolf is a means to an end to what Darkseid has in store for earth and its inhabitants. Whedon also made the mistake of showing too much of the film's villain, giving him flirtatious banter with the Amazons, and quips with the Justice League. It was a typical Whedon plot point (most of his films and tv shows include tongue-in-cheek villains), but it didn't work in a Zack Synder film. 

DA' MOVIES ON HOLD, ANTEBELLUM, THE STAND MINI REMAKE, + SYNDER CUTTING IT UP

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Happy May I guess. It's been tough. The global Coronavirus pandemic has changed everything. In the states, we've lost 100,000 people in less than four months. It's an absolute nightmare. It's hard to think about anything entertainment related when there's so much suffering going on. I'm hoping things get better soon. 

My last post was a review about 'Birds of Prey' in February. It's amazing how much can change in a couple of months. If you're reading this, I hope you're well and staying safe. My family has been fortunate enough to be sheltered at home. While homeschooling my daughter and wrangling my toddler, I've been watching a lot of movies from the 90s and the early 00s. It's somewhat soothing to see what life was like before 2020. 

I haven't been to the movies since February, but I hope things improve enough for a proper summer movie season. I'm hoping to support my local theater while properly socially distancing. We certainly need some good news. Most 2020 films have been delayed. Thankfully the films on my must-see list, like 'A Quiet Place II,' 'Wonder Woman 1984,' 'Lovebirds,' and 'Antebellum' will be released later this year.  'Lovebirds' has already been released on Neftlix. 

Then there are some films like 'Fast and Furious 9' and 'Mission Impossible 7' that I can do without. How many Fast and Furious and Mission Impossible films do we really need? But there are some neat things going on in enetertainment news this week.

BIRDS OF PREY MOVIE REVIEW: "NO ONE IS LIKE ME" [SPOILERS]

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Birds of Prey

and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn

Directed by Cathy Yan
Starring MARGOT ROBBIE, ROSIE PEREZ, JURNEE SMOLLETT-BELL, MARY ELIZABETH WINSTEAD, ELLA JAY BASCO, and EWAN MCGREGOR

'Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn' is gutsy, raw, twisted, and oh so much fun. It's 'Kill Bill' meets 'Deadpool' and it's a blast. Unlike 'Deadpool' (which was also an R-rated comic book film), 'Birds of Prey' was not marketed properly. It's already facing criticism because it didn't give fanboys nudity and sex appeal. It focused on women AS HUMAN BEINGS, not objects of sexual pleasure.

Birds of Prey is NOT a Flop

I'm writing part of this post on Saturday. Yet disgruntled fanboys are claiming victory for the sex appeal theory because 'Birds of Prey' is not meeting box office expectations. The echo chamber of the film news world is adding fuel to the fire.

PICARD EPISODE 1 REVIEW - "I HAVEN'T BEEN LIVING. I'VE BEEN WAITING TO DIE." [SPOILERS]

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Star Trek: Picard Episode 1 Review

REMEMBRANCE

Directed by HANELLE M. CULPEPPER

Starring PATRICK STEWART, ISA BRIONES, ORLA BRADY, JAMIE MCSHANE, MERRIN DUNGEY, and BRENT SPINER

'Star Trek: Picard' starts out with the familiar-- Commander Data (Brent Spiner) and Jean Luc are playing poker. Data accuses Jean Luc of stalling and he's right. Jean Luc doesn't want the game to end and neither do we. Scenes like this are hard to come by. They're both masterful actors who need no introduction. They step back into their respective roles like one would walk into a room, which is easier said than done. There have been more than a few reboots with rusty actors and questionable writing. Thankfully 'Star Trek: Picard' doesn't have this problem.

"Jean Luc doesn't want the game to end and neither do we."

Sadly we know this scene will end because Data died 18 years ago at the end of  'Star Trek: Nemesis.' That's not the only wrench in this cog. The Star Trek universe as we know it was changed with the reboot of the film franchise in 2009. In this reality, the Romulan sun would go supernova in the late 24th century during 'Star Trek: The Next Generation's' (TNG) timeline.

Brent Spiner in 'Picard' | CBS Corporation | 2020

WHY ARE YOU STALLING CAPTAIN?

Data [to Picard]

I DON'T WANT THE GAME TO END. 

Picard [to Data]

PICARD, OSCARS ALMOST SO WHITE, WB/DC BE HATIN' + LINKS

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It's 2020! I'm so excited to be back talking about all of the things I love! 

I was tempted to do a best/worst 2019 list, but honestly, I didn't see many movies last year. I took a 2-year hiatus in 2017 when my dad had a stroke (and passed away in 2018). My dad and I went to the movies every weekend, so we saw a LOT of movies. We weren't picky so we saw quite a few stinkers. But without my beloved movie partner, I don't go to the movies that much anymore. If I do, it's going to be a film that ranks well on Rotten Tomatoes. I also have a newish baby (he's 20 months)! So with two young children, yeah I don't leave the house much. I don't go to the movies much AT ALL lol. I'm lucky if I get to binge-watch a Netflix show. I still haven't gotten past episode 3 of 'The Witcher.' Yeah, I suck.

THE WITCHER EP. 2 REVIEW: "YOU SMELL OF DEATH AND DESTINY" [SPOILERS]

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Directed by ALIK SAKHAROV

Starring HENRY CAVILL, ANYA CHALOTRA, FREYA ALLAN, MYANNA BURING,

and ROYCE PIERRESON

The second episode 'Four Marks' is immediately more interesting than the first episode. Yennefer (Anya Chalotra) is a deformed bullied servant. She's also the first person of color we see with an extensive speaking role. Chalotra is of Indian descent. 

SOMETIMES THE BEST THING 
A FLOWER CAN DO FOR US IS DIE.

Tessaia [to Yennefer]

'The Witcher' is based on the beloved fantasy series from Polish author Andrzej Sapkowski, which was turned into a video game. The world created by Sapkowski is based on medieval Eastern European folklore, so it makes sense that the actors are of European descent are cast, but I'm glad the showrunners added people of color to the cast.

THE WITCHER EP. 1 REVIEW: "WE DON'T WANT YOUR KIND HERE WITCHER" [SPOILERS]

Directed by ALIK SAKHAROV

Starring HENRY CAVILL, FREYA ALLAN, JODHI MAY, LARS MIKKELSON, 

and EMMA APPLETON

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Hello there! After two and a half year hiatus, I'm so glad to be back. A lot has happened since the summer of 2017. I finished grad school, had a second baby, and my father passed away. Needless to say, 2018 was difficult. Shortly after I posted my most recent post in June 2017, my father had a massive stroke that paralyzed him.

My father was my movie partner. The last film we saw together was 'Dunkirk.'  I couldn't bring myself to set foot in a theater without him. When he died in early 2018 I was devastated. I had no appetite to watch movies or television for quite some time, so this blog went by the wayside.

I'm so happy to say that I've returned to the movies and I'm glad to be here. I hope to visit some of my favorite blogs and catch up! Now on to the fun stuff.

'WONDER WOMAN' REVIEW - "ONLY LOVE WILL TRULY SAVE THE WORLD"

Directed by PATTY JENKINS

Starring GAL GADOT, CHRIS PINE, DANNY HUSTON, 

CONNIE NIELSON, and ROBIN WRIGHT

I am on hiatus or semi-retirement (haven't decided which). I'm still active on social media and I visit blogs, but I no longer review films as I once did. It's partially because I don't have much free time. I work, have a family, and I'm in grad school. Once grad school finishes (in 2018) I planned to review films again, but I don't know if I will.

I don't want to waste 2 hours of my life on a bad (or semi-bad) film. I also don't want to feed the monster. Hollywood has serious problems with representation, which I've discussed in previous blog posts. I still watch movies via streaming, but I rarely go to the theater. So before watching 'Wonder Woman' I only saw two films in theaters this year-- 'Logan' (which was one of the best comic book movies since the 1978 'Superman') and 'John Wick 2.' That's it.

"Given that this is a WB/DC Comics film, I prepared myself for the worst." 

MY BEST & WORST LIST OF 2016

Whew, what a lovely five month hiatus. I'm finally posting my best and worst list for the year 2016. After this post I will probably cocoon again...popping up occasionally. Mind you I am still lurking on everyone's blogs. You may see me pop in every now and then. Although I may not update it often, this blog will continue as long as I watch films and have breath! So hopefully this blog will continue to run for a very long time...albeit intermittently.

Admittedly I have seen a good number of films this past year, but I have not have an opportunity to write about them all. The reasons why are abundant. I am in my late 30s, in grad school, have a 3 year old, a husband, and a full time job. So unfortunately this year, my blog went by the wayside.

I hope you enjoy my best and worst list for 2016. Please share with me yours, agree, or disagree with me in the comments. I look forward to reconnecting with everyone.

I preface my film list by saying that I don't necessarily qualify this list as the best films of the year. They are simply the best films I HAVE seen thus far this past year. I think 2015 was a much better year at the movies. Have I mentioned that 2016 was a bad movie year?