Cars 3

Lightning McQueen has it all - a loving Porsche girlfriend, a supportive group of friends from the small town of Radiator Springs, great memories of a former mentor who happened to be one of the greatest racers who ever lived, and fame found through the racetrack. He's living the good life, and doesn't see an end in sight. Until, that is, a new generation of race cars led by a hotshot named Jackson Storm come up in the ranks who are faster, and more capable on the track. As McQueen's old friends are slowly driven to retirement one by one, he struggles to remain relevant and show everyone that he still belongs. He eventually seeks out the help of Cruz Ramirez, a young trainer who once had dreams of her own of being a racer from growing up watching McQeen's career take off. Cruz Ramirez and Lightning McQueen work together to beat Jackson Storm and prove once and for all that they belong.

The Cars franchise isn't my favorite Pixar franchise, but for the most part I've enjoyed all three. Cars 3 gives Lightning McQueen a fitting - although somewhat predictable - checkered flag to his story and paves the way for a possible new generation of stories. Of course, it's nowhere near as good as the first one, but it holds its own well. I loved seeing Mater and the gang all show up again one last time. I'm not ashamed to admit I almost got a little emotional after realizing Pixar brought back the character of Hudson Hornet, voiced by Paul Newman, (in my opinion one of the best actors in Hollywood) who passed away back in 2008. From what I understand, the director took recordings from the first Cars movie that was both unused lines as well as recorded conversations between Paul and the director about Paul's love of racing, and used that to bring back the character of Hudson Hornet to life.

Pixar's best known for their uncanny ability to make animated movies that both kids and adults can enjoy. Cars 3 continues this tradition by making a good balance between good, clean comedy for both kids and adults, and more serious, yet teachable moments. It was good to see Pixar continuing to stick with that formula.

All in all, Cars 3 is a wonderful ending to the Cars franchise. There is a (very) small part of me that wonders whether a fourth - or more- installment or spinoffs would be good to see, but for now I think it would be best to let it rest. If you get the chance, especially if you have young kids, go see Cars 3.

Wonder Woman

For Diana, it ain't easy being the only child on a mystical island (Themyscira) of warrior women. Add that to the fact that she was molded in clay and given life by the god Zeus, and you have one special girl destined to do great things. Hippolyta, Diana's mother, knows what's in store for her as she grows older, so she tries to keep Diana out of trouble and not learn about her true background. That all changes when an airplane carrying a lone pilot named Steve Trevor comes crashing on to the island. As Diana gets to know Steve, she finds out that the world outside of the island is in a state of turmoil due to being in what has become known to be "The War To End All Wars". The more Diana hears of the war, the more she comes to believe that Ares, the god of war is responsible for the conflict. Against her mother's wishes, Diana leaves the island and heads to the frontline with Steve and a few of his war buddies to confront Ares and kill him once and for all so that the war can come to an end.

I know the DCCU (DC Comics Cinematic Universe) has gotten a bad rap for most, if not all of their movies lately since jumpstarting a connected universe. Personally, I think they've all been relatively good. I'm going to have to go back and watch them all again, but as of now I'd probably rank Wonder Woman as the best DCCU film to date, with Man of Steel a very close second. Like I mentioned in my review of Deadpool, Wonder Woman actually feels like a superhero film as opposed to an action/adventure film that just happens to have superheroes. Heck, I'm not sure I can remember the last time I've had so much fun in a comic book movie. It's been far too long, that's for sure. The scene in Dead Man's Land alone makes the movie worthwhile. I loved Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman/Diana Prince in BvS in her short cameo, and now that she has her own movie to shine, I can say she was the perfect choice to portray Diana. Up until now, she hadn't been given a good movie to really show what she's capable of, and so it's good to see her finally get that chance. Chris Pine as Steve Trevor also shines in what is possibly his best role to date.

I'd also venture to say Wonder Woman gives the audience something else which has been lacking in not only DC or Marvel, but movies in general as well - a genuine hero/heroine. It can be a good storytelling device to make your hero/heroes flawed, but every so often it's just better to see a genuine good vs. evil story without any other convoluted baggage trying to come up with a complex story. I hope to see some more of this in both the DCCU, as well as in other Hollywood movies in the future.

The Mummy (2017)

What would you do if you found out you were chosen to be the human vessel of an ancient, dark power? No, I'm not talking about Sam Winchester becoming Lucifer's vessel on the TV show Supernatural (great show by the way), or the Antichrist in general. I'm talking about Set, the Egyptian god of death and destruction. You see, it seems that an Egyptian princess named Ahmanet made a pact with Set to bring him into our world via a human sacrifice of sorts in exchange for power and plunging the world into complete and utter evil. Before she can accomplish this, Egyptian gaurds capture her, and as punishment mummify her alive. Fast forward almost 5,000 years later, and a glorified grave robber named Nick Morton - with the help of some colleagues and the Army - stumbles upon her tomb and unwittingly unleashes Ahmanet onto the world to wreak havoc once again.

I wasn't expecting much, yet even then The Mummy was better than I had hoped. If you're hoping that this latest adaptation was more of the Indiana Jones-esque adventure like the Brendan Fraser trilogy from a few years go...eh, you'll be partially pleased. This latest one is far darker and more horror based than its predecessor, but it manages to find a good balance between horror and action/adventure. The trailers for the movie didn't really help much in making it look like something people would want to see, but it really wasn't that bad overall. I certainly don't think it deserves the title of worst Tom Cruise movie ever. Then again, I tend to be a bit more forgiving that most when it comes to entertainment.

Similar to Enchantress in Suicide Squad, Sofia Boutella as Ahmanet wasn't given all that much to work with. Yet what little we see from her was really good, and really creepy. I also enjoyed Annabelle Wallis as the archaeologist Jenny Halsey. She was more than just a stereotypical damsel in distress/love interest for Tom Cruise's main character. As far as Tom Cruise himself goes, this isn't his worst role, but I wouldn't rank it too high on his list of great roles to date.

As pretty much everyone knows by now, The Mummy is set to be the starting point for a connected "Dark Universe", where all of Universal Studio's classic monsters - Dr. Jekyll/Mr. Hyde, possibly Dracula, The Mummy, The Invisible Man, The Wolfman, Creature from the Black Lagoon, Frankenstein's Monster (and his bride), along with The Hunchback of Notre Dame and The Phantom of the Opera - will be coming together. It's still not clear whether it will be similar to Marvel/Dc Comics, where the monsters will team up to destroy a greater evil, or if it'll be more like Freddy vs. Jason, a "Fight Night" of sorts where they all try to kill each other. Either way, I'm personally interested in where this Dark Universe is heading. Between you and me, I'm hoping it's more of a "Fight Night". My only wish is that Dracula Untold was a part of it, but I understand the reasons behind that decision.

If you're looking for a couple hours to kill, The Mummy is a pretty good way to do so. Here's hoping it's an uphill climb from here for the rest of the Monster Mash.