The Green Mile

Paul Edgecomb walked the mile with a variety of cons. He had never encountered someone like John Coffey, a massive black man convicted of brutally killing a pair of young sisters. Coffey had the size and strength to kill anyone, but not the demeanor. Beyond his simple, naive nature and a deathly fear of the dark, Coffey seemed to possess a prodigious, supernatural gift. Paul began to question whether Coffey was truly guilty of murdering the two girls.

I can't count how many times I've caught The Green Mile on tv in the middle or at the end of the movie. Up until now I've never had the chance to see the entire thing. I finally got the chance recently when I was up late one night (thank you insomnia!). I've always heard how great it is, and after watching it, it's even better than what I've heard. There's only a handful of movies I'd consider legitimately perfect - The Godfather and Gladiator are two of them - and I'd add The Green Mile to that short list. The entire cast did a phenomenal job, especially Tom Hanks as Paul Edgecomb, but the one performance that really drew me in was Michael Clarke Duncan as John Coffey ("...like the drink, but spelled different..."). His performance as the quiet - though kind of stereotypical - "gentle giant" of sorts is hands down one of the best onscreen performances I've ever seen on film. I've mentioned before how I rarely get truly and fully emotional watching movies, but man, watching Michael as John Coffey during his final long monologue when he's talking to Tom Hank's character named Paul Edgecomb really got to me. Easily one of the best, most emotional scenes I've ever witnessed. When John tells Paul "...I'm tired boss...Mostly I'm tired of people being ugly to each other. I'm tired of all the pain I feel and hear in the world everyday. There's too much of it. It's like pieces of glass in my head all the time...", it's one of those rare instances where I actually felt that emotion hit me like a stab in the heart. I only wish I could have that kind of experience more often.

I should also mention that I was kind of surprised to learn that The Green Mile was first a story written by Stephen King. I knew it was a book, but never knew it was from King. I'm mostly only familiar with King's horror stories (Carrie, IT, The Shining, etc.). Overall I'm not the biggest fan of Stephen King, but watching The Green Mile actually made me want to seek out Stephen King's stories and see what else he's done that's not necessarily in the horror genre. The only other stories I'm currently aware of is The Shawshank Redemption and Stand by Me. 

All of that to say, if you haven't had the pleasure to experience the epitome of storytelling magic that is The Green Mile, then do yourself a favor and seek it out. Without a doubt I'd consider it one of the greatest movies ever made.

Donnie Darko

During the presidential election of 1988, a teenager named Donnie Darko sleepwalks out of his house one night and sees a giant, demonic-looking rabbit named Frank, who tells him the world will end in 28 days. When Donnie returns home, he finds that a jet engine has crashed into his bedroom. Is Donnie living in a parallel universe, is he suffering from mental illness - or will the world really end?

Donnie Darko is one of those movie's I've heard so much about, yet never got around to seeing it until just recently. After watching it...well, for once I'm not sure exactly sure how I feel about it. It touches on so many subjects, from schizophrenia/mental illness to time travel and alternate dimensions. There's so much to unpack that it'll probably take me watching it multiple times to really understand. What I can say, from the time travel/alternate dimension angle, is whenever I see a movie or tv show have a story involving it I get pretty worried. It's far too easy to tackle such a subject and get so lost in its own ideas that it's almost like a chicken running around with its head cut off. With Donnie Darko, I'm going to have to watch it multiple times before I can determine whether or not that happens here.

As far as everything else, I love practically every role Jake Gyllenhaal takes on, but I believe he's at his best when he takes on these dark, mysterious roles. His best role to date is his turn as an unhinged freelance reporter in Nightcrawler, but for me Donnie Darko is up there among his best. I might have been confused with the rest of the movie, but that is one thing I'm sure of.

I can't really give a true "I recommend it" or "I don't recommend it" just yet, but if you enjoy darker tales, or ones that tackle subjects such as schizophrenia/mental illness or time travel/alternate dimensions, chances are you might like this one.

Mutiny on the Bounty (1935)

As the cruel captain of the HMS Bounty, a ship bound for Tahiti, William Bligh wins few friends. When the crew members finally tire of his abuse, Fletcher Christian leads a mutiny, resulting in Bligh's unceremonious removal from the ship. While Christian and the remaining crew sail on to Tahiti, Bligh becomes intent on exacting revenge, and he targets Roger Byam, a sailor who had actually tried to stop the mutiny.

An adaptation of the book of the same name, the 1935 version of Mutiny on the Bounty is great for the most part, with the personality of screen legend Clark Gable's calm and collected character of Fletcher Christian perfectly balanced in contrast to the ruthless, brash personality of Charles Laughton's Captain William Bligh.

The only thing that keeps me from saying "I loved it" is how much the story drags in the middle once the actual mutiny occurs and the mutinous crew head to Tahiti to live among the natives. Some of the scenes - though they were important in order to convey some growing animosity between Fletcher Christian and one or two crew members who didn't take part in the mutiny yet stayed on the ship as pseudo "captives" - in my eyes didn't quite get that feeling across very well, and as such they felt forced. Thankfully, it was only a couple of scenes, so by the time the story came close to the end where (MILD SPOILERS) a handful of the mutinous crew were caught and put on trial for their crime, everything feels more natural and effective overall in creating a good story.

It's been a long time since I've read the book version of the Mutiny on the Bounty, but from what I can remember this film adaptation is a quite good adaptation. I would definitely recommend people seek it out if you get the chance.

Rampage

Primatologist Davis (Dwayne Johnson) shares an unshakable bond with George, an extraordinarily intelligent silverback gorilla who has been in his care since he was young. When a greed-fueled corporation's genetic experiment goes awry, George and other animals across the country are mutated into aggressive supercreatures who destroy everything in their path. In this adrenaline-filled ride, Davis tries to find an antidote, not only to halt a global catastrophe but also to save the fearsome creature who was once his friend.

Based on the video game of the same name, Rampage fully lives up to its name by bringing non-stop high-octane action and excitement. I remember playing the game a few times as a kid, and the movie brings back those fond memories in full force. There are, of course, some changes from the game to the movie, but none of the changes take away from the overall experience. For instance, one of the biggest changes is that in the game, the monsters that wreak havoc on cities are actually people who were transformed by an energy drink (and if I'm not mistaken, in later games it changed to some sort of diet pill) gone wrong. In the movie, the monsters are animals whose DNA has been infused with other species through genetic editing in order to breed more dangerous cross-species (Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom anyone?). Other than that, it's still the same stylized action & mayhem as seen in the game. Dwayne Johnson's been busy lately, with audiences already seeing him this year with the excellent action thriller Skyscraper, and last year had three movies (Moana, Fate of the Furious, and Baywatch) all come out. Not to mention starring in his own TV show Ballers. As long as he comes out with more projects like Skyscraper and Moana, then I say more the merrier.

Rampage is simply your stereotypical summer blockbuster popcorn flick, and for those who can turn their brain off for a couple of hours and enjoy some good action, it's not a bad way to do so. Same goes for fans of the video game(s). I'm not sure I personally would ever watch it again, unless it was on tv and I was bored, but I enjoyed it for what it was.

Grand Hotel (1932)

At a luxurious Berlin hotel between both World Wars, the once-wealthy Baron Felix von Gaigern supports himself as a thief and gambler. The baron romances one of his marks, the aging ballerina Grusinskaya, and teams with dying accountant Otto Kringelein against his former boss, crooked industrialist Preysing, and his ambitious stenographer, Flaemmchen.

It is quite a feat to take a popular Broadway play and turn it into a successful feature film, especially one which won the Academy Award for Best Picture. Grand Hotel does a great job at balancing humorous moments with more serious, somber moments. When a film has more than two or three main characters, it can be difficult to balance the intersecting stories, and keep the flow of the overall story consistent. Fortunately, Grand Hotel succeeds in this regard. There's a line stated by a doctor staying at the hotel, Dr. Otternschlag, which helps to set up the pacing of the film: "Grand Hotel...always the same. People come, people go. Nothing ever happens."

At first glance, Grand Hotel comes off as cheesy, with several of the characters acting in a much more grandiose scale than what is normally seen, especially from a film made early on in the 1930's. Part of the reason is most likely due to the time period still being so close to when silent films were popular, when actors relied on actions and facial expressions to tell a story instead of dialogue. If one takes a deeper look however, then Grand Hotel can - and should - be considered a classic, plain and simple. In some ways it is a little dated, yet it still retains a certain charm seen even to this day.

Skyscraper

Will Sawyer is a former FBI agent and U.S. war veteran who now assesses security for skyscrapers. While he's on assignment in China, the world's tallest and safest building catches on fire -- and he gets framed for it. Now a wanted man and on the run, he must find those responsible, clear his name and somehow rescue his family members when they become trapped inside the inferno.

Gotta say, I've been hoping for a long time that there would be a new generation of actors & actresses who would be full-blown action stars similar to how it was in the '80's and '90's with the likes of Wesley Snipes, Bruce Willis, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Sigourney Weaver, etc. As it turns out, I'm beginning to think that time has come in the form of Dwayne Johnson. I've said this before, but he's come a heck of a long way since making his official film debut back in 2001 as the Scorpion King. I'd still need to see him in a more dramatic role before I can say for myself that he's a great actor, but it's difficult to deny that the man is certainly charismatic and gives his all in just about every role he's in (I also haven't seen Gridiron Gang yet, so my opinion might change once I do). So far my favorite role of his has been as Hobbes in the Fast and Furious franchise, but after seeing Skyscraper, his portrayal as Will Sawyer is a close second. There's not an intricate plot, or deep characters to speak of, but in this particular case, it's ok. Skyscraper plays out more like an homage to classic action flicks, rather than trying to take itself seriously. Specifically, Skyscraper is more of a homage to Die Hard, with a little bit of Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol thrown in.

There's not much else to say, other than if you're a fan of the classic action flicks such as the ones mentioned above, well, then this movie's for you. I certainly (and surprisingly) enjoyed the heck out of it.

Equalizer 2

If you have a problem and there is nowhere else to turn, the mysterious and elusive Robert McCall will deliver the vigilante justice you seek. This time, however, McCall's past cuts especially close to home when hired thugs attack and kill Susan Plummer -- his best friend and former colleague. Now out for revenge, McCall must take on a crew of highly trained assassins who'll stop at nothing to destroy him.

Equalizer 2 is Denzel Washington's first sequel ever, and honestly, I feel like it could have been better. Just like he was in the first Equalizer Denzel is again excellent as Robert McCall, and it is still a lot of fun to see him act onscreen. The movie overall also had some pretty thrilling action sequence - especially the final fight between McCall and the main villain as a tropical storm rages around them. Unfortunately, what brought the movie down for me was the story. It was serviceable, but predictable. I guessed who the villain was a bit before the reveal. It also felt like just about every other revenge-flick out there. Was it fun? Sure. Was the action good? Definitely. But there wasn't much there that stood out to me to highlight the movie as great. In the first movie, I could feel the intensity of Denzel as McCall, but this time around there were several scenes where he just seemed...I don't know, bored.

There was one scene towards the end, that involves a subplot regarding an elderly gentleman who throughout the movie frequently hires McCall (as a Lyft driver in his spare time) to drive him around town so he can do research on an old, lost family heirloom. McCall (mild spoilers) helps the man in a way that is both heartbreaking and emotional.

I've never seen a performance from Denzel Washington - or movie as a whole - that I didn't like, and Equalizer 2 thankfully keeps that track record going. However, I unfortunately can't rank this very high among the list of my favorites.

Mission Impossible: Fallout

After a risky mission to recover three nuclear bombs goes awry, Ethan Hunt and his IMF team work together with CIA assassin August Walker in order to prevent the bombs getting into the hands of a group of terrorists known as the Apostles, led by arms dealer John Lark, who plan on using the bombs in a coordinated attack on the Vatican, Jerusalem, and Mecca.

Usually when a series reaches its fifth, or in this case sixth, installment, it's easy to tell when the creative juices are beginning to run out, and should probably call it quits. Thankfully that's not the case with the Mission Impossible series. In fact, it seems to do the opposite and get better with age. I think I'd go so far to even say that MI: Fallout is the best in the franchise, beating my previous personal favorite, Ghost Protocol, in terms of both thrilling action sequences and engaging (though somewhat predictable) story. As much as I love the Fast and the Furious franchise, it should take notes from Mission Impossible on how to ramp up the action without getting too outrageous every installment, while still having an engaging story and characters. It was great seeing Ving Rhames, Simon Pegg, and even Michelle Monaghan back in their respective roles. It's also still impressive to me that Tom Cruise still does his own stunts, and how much dedication he puts into his roles. He may not be the overall greatest actor ever, but it's hard to deny that he's one of the most fun to watch onscreen.

Really, the only downside I could see was that the story, while engaging and extremely fun, was kind of predictable in its plot twists. Granted, this series isn't known for Hitchcock-level twists, but it would have been nice to not see the big reveal coming halfway through the movie before it happened onscreen.

Still, I had a lot of fun with Fallout, and hope that the Mission Impossible franchise continues for at least one or two more movies if they can keep up the same level of greatness.

Ant-Man and the Wasp

In the aftermath of Captain America: Civil War Scott Lang grapples with the consequences of his choices as both a Super Hero and a father. Put under house arrest, Scott is just a few days away from freedom when Hope Van Dyne and Dr. Hank Pym contact him again in order to get his help in contacting and rescuing Hank's wife Janet, who is caught in what is known as the Quantum Realm. Trying to rescue Janet and stay out of reach from the authorities gets even more complicated when a mysterious new player arrives on the scene named Ghost, who wants Pym's technology for an unknown purpose.

Surprisingly, I enjoyed the first Ant-Man when it first came out back in 2015. As much as I love comics - both Marvel and DC - Ant-Man is one of those characters that never really seemed interesting to me. I can respect how, in the comics, he was a founder of the Avengers, but his powers never really made sense to me. Fast forward to the movie, while I still think overall Ant-Man is slightly overrated, I enjoyed it. I found the sequel even better than the first. It's funnier, more action-packed, and does well in developing most of the characters. I say most, because unfortunately it still fails to give a truly compelling villain. Thankfully it wasn't a repeat of the trope of copying the hero's powers, but Ghost ended up being just another villain-turned-misunderstood-character. The movie also wasted an opportunity to develop Walter Goggins' character Sonny Burch as a shady black market dealer who helps Hope and Dr. Pym acquire the technology needed for their rescue mission. His character ended up being there mainly for comic relief. The chemistry between Scott Lang and Hope Van Dyne was great, as well as the interactions between Scott and Dr. Pym. There's one particular scene towards the end involving Scott, Hope and Dr. Pym that is equal parts hilarious, sentimental, and slightly creepy.

Overall, while certainly not the best of the Marvel franchise, Ant-Man and the Wasp is well worth seeing while in theaters.

The Broadway Melody

Hank and Queenie Mahoney, a vaudeville sister act trying to make a name for themselves, come to the aid of Hank's lover, Eddie, when he needs them to be a part of a Broadway act. As the sisters prepare to make the transition from small time shows to primetime, matters of the heart begin to get in the way as Eddie suddenly falls for Queenie instead of Hank. In order to remedy this and not complicate things, Queenie starts seeing a member of high society named Jock Warriner.

While technically The Jazz Singer is the first musical, The Broadway Melody is considered the grandaddy of all musicals due to how the format is used to create what audiences know today as the genre of musicals from that point forward. Released in 1929, just two years after the first 'talkie' The Jazz Singer, it's obvious that the studio (Warner Bros.) was still skeptical of the concept of 'talkies', and as such was not sure on how to transition from silent films to 'talkies'. There are a couple of times where, instead of what audiences would today consider normal transitions, silent film-style title cards are still used to show the change from one location to another. The acting throughout the musical is at times cringe-inducing (by today's standards at least).

Despite all that, I still have to give The Broadway Melody props for managing to be entertaining overall. The music throughout the film, though I'm more of a rock kind of guy myself, is really quite catchy and fun to listen to. It is also interesting knowing the historical significance of The Broadway Musical. I can forgive the limitations of the time period in which The Broadway Musical was released, because all in all it was a pretty decent movie. It's probably not something I would seek out again unless I was with other people who wanted to see it, but it was still an interesting thing to see.

The Jazz Singer

Young Jakie Rabinowitz loves jazz and ragtime, and wants to be a performer. But his father is a cantor, and he wants his son to carry on the family tradition. Jakie tries his hand anyway, only to be discovered by neighbor Moisha Yudelson and kicked out of the house. A decade later, an older Jakie has followed his dream, changed his name and found love with a performer named Mary, but he still wants to win his father over.

The Jazz Singer is one of my first experiences with silent films. I've seen bits and pieces of Charlie Chaplin silent films and others, but not all the way through. The only other (mostly) silent movie I've seen was 2012's The Artist. Watching The Jazz Singer was an interesting experience, to be sure. It's one of the first 'talkies', and widely recognized as one of the first films to fully realize and showcase the technological advancements movies had made in regards to the transition from silent films to sound. It's not, however, a complete 'talkie', there are certain places peppered throughout the movie where the audience does hear sound - mainly when Al Jolson, who plays Jakie Robinowitz (later known by his stage name Jack Robin), sings on stage to an audience.

I've seen several reviews mention how historically speaking, it's an important film, but as entertainment it's not very good. For me, I'm kind of stuck in the middle. It certainly is worth the watch due to its importance historically. Entertainment-wise, I actually enjoyed most of it. There were parts here and there where I was kind of bored, but I still appreciated the experience. I do think people should seek The Jazz Singer out, if only to get a glimpse of how far we've come in the world of film.

Sicario: Day of the Soldado

The war on drugs has escalated beyond what anyone anticipated, as the cartels are now using human trafficking as a way to smuggle drugs and terrorists across the border. After a horrible suicide bombing at a convenience store, the U.S. government calls on federal agent Matt Graver again in order to combat the escalating situation. Matt re-teams up with mercenary Alejandro to execute a plan to cause the cartels to jump at each other's throats and start a war with each other. At the center of this plan is a little girl who just happens to be the daughter of one of the more notorious cartels in Mexico, and the man responsible for the deaths of Alejandro's family.

Sicario: Day of the Soldado doesn't quite live up to the hype of the original, but even then it's still a taut, intense thriller that still managed to keep me on the edge of my seat the entire time. The lack of the humanity of Emily Blunt's character, Kate Macer, is unfortunately noticeable throughout the movie. The characters of both Matt Graver and Alejandro both try to make up for her absence by developing a (still twisted) sense of morality, but considering how much each of their characters were willing to cross the line in the original Sicario, it's a somewhat ineffective way to incorporate the same sense of morality. I guess in some ways it makes sense, people can change and become less hardened to their surroundings and actually gain some of their humanity back. However, in the context of Sicario and Sicario: Day of the Sodado, there's no real payoff or even any real reason for the 180 turn of Matt's and Alejandro's characters - at least, not any that I noticed. Not to mention, but (NO SPOILERS) the ending of Day of the Soldado made it seem like the change was only temporary, and they're both back to the way they were before.

If there is a third Sicario, I sincerely hope that Emily Blunt returns, and that the tone, characters, and the story all return to the full form that was the original. While Day of the Soldado was not a bad movie (I loved it, and will see it again sometime), there was a noticeable difference between the two. Again, not bad, but it just didn't live up to the hype of the original.

Coco

Despite his family's baffling generations-old ban on music, Miguel dreams of becoming an accomplished musician like his idol, Ernesto de la Cruz. Desperate to prove his talent, Miguel finds himself in the stunning and colorful Land of the Dead following a mysterious chain of events. Along the way, he meets charming trickster Hector, and together, they set off on an extraordinary journey to unlock the real story behind Miguel's family history.

I'm starting to think I should just go ahead and take the chance to see movies in the theater instead of waiting until they come to DVD or Netflix, especially if it doesn't really grab my attention at first, because the last maybe 3-5 movies I've seen where that's happened turned out to be really good. Coco continues that trend. From all of the reviews, I was expecting an emotional experience at least close to, if not exactly on the level of Up or Toy Story 3, but holy crap - I wasn't prepared for how it hit me. Coco is filled with wonderful performances - both musically and acting. I absolutely loved the messages of both the power of a family's love, and that of the power of music.

Speaking of the music, I'm not one to cry when it comes to emotional movies. At best, I get a little bit misty-eyed at certain things. I can only think of maybe 3-5 movies tops where I outright lost it. I managed to get through about 95% of Coco unscathed...until the final song. Once Miguel picked up that guitar one final time and started singing, I'm not ashamed to admit I lost it. I finally see why Coco won the Oscar for both Animated Film and Best Original Song. It definitely deserved it. I also loved the humor in the movie. Some of it was cheesy, obviously aimed towards younger kids, but it still made me bust out laughing.

If you haven't taken the chance to see it, it's currently on Netflix - though I'm not sure how long that will last considering Disney's about to start their own streaming service. I highly, HIGHLY recommend it. Also, don't forget to have a box (or two) of tissues on hand as you watch it. Trust me, you're going to need it.

Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom

Three or four years after the destruction and shut down of the Jurassic World theme park on Isla Nubar, Claire Dearing and Owen Grady must team up to save the remaining dinosaurs from a long-dormant volcano that is now on the brink of erupting and destroying the island. Assistance to save the dinosaurs comes from an unlikely source - Benjamin Lockwood, the partner of John Hammond who helped create the original Jurassic Park 20+ years earlier. While the rescue mission is underway, a scheme to sell the dinosaurs to the highest bidder and also to turn them into the ultimate weapon of war is put into motion.

As mentioned in my previous review of Jurassic World, I predicted that this long-running series had to make some drastic changes in order to not run out of steam and die. Well, Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom does manage to change course from the stereotypical "breaking out from the park and wreaking havoc", but not in a good way. If you've read my review of the last Transformers movie, then you'll know I usually can turn my brain off and just enjoy a movie despite having really stupid storylines or crap acting, etc. I tried, I really tried to with Fallen Kingdom, but for me it just wasn't enough this time around for me to enjoy the movie. It's extremely predictable - there's a major plot bomb (which I won't spoil here) that gets dropped about halfway through that I saw coming a mile away - and even the scenes where there was dino-on-dino action didn't do anything for me. Also, there are subplot points such as the aforementioned bombshell, where it seemed like the story didn't know what to do with it so the audience is told about it and then the rest of the subplot goes nowhere. 

It's true, I've never had the fondness for this series like practically every single person in my generation who grew up seeing Jurassic Park as a kid (I never saw it myself until I was about 21-23 years old). Still, I did like the original enough to be decently excited when Jurassic World, and now Fallen Kingdom came out. I'm sure die-hard fans of the Jurassic Park/World series are going to love the heck out of this, but unfortunately it did nothing for me. It's undoubtedly one of the worst to come out this year for me.

A Quiet Place

472 days after a devastating apocalyptic-level attack by unknown alien creatures who seem to have the ability to hear sounds at an alarmingly astute level, Lee and Evelyn Abbott, along with their two kids, have carved out a nearly completely silent life trying to survive the invasion. No one knows exactly how to defeat the creatures, and so humanity has been wiped out save for a few survivors like the Abbotts. Lee and his family succeed in surviving for quite awhile until it's discovered that Evelyn is pregnant. Once the gravity of the situation hits the family, they do everything they can to ensure the safety and survival of the family, including the unborn child.

I normally can't really stand horror (with a few notable exceptions), yet I found A Quiet Place to be a pretty brilliant idea turned into an almost equally brilliant end product using sound - or rather, the lack of it - as a means to ramp up the uneasiness and intrigue of having to live in a post-apocalypic world ravaged by aliens. In the end it turned out to be more suspense rather than true horror. This could have been just another Independence Day, Signs, or War of the Worlds, but it ends up separating itself from those by inviting the audience to actually care for the characters we see onscreen. Where the others are mostly all about the spectacle of the action scenes, A Quiet Place allows us to gain a peek into the lives of one family and how they are dealing with the devastating situation around them. It lets us actually see the raw emotions, the stress and brokenness, and even the forgiveness of a major transgression, as well as how strong the bond of a family can be. While the movie as a whole was more suspenseful than horror, I found myself legitimately full-blown scared for the safety of each of the characters due to the depth of the characters and the story. I also loved how they included the aspect of the daughter being deaf and having to use a cochlear implant; not only from a perspective of having included a character with a disability, but it also created an interesting plot device during the climax of the movie. The girl, Millicent Simmonds, is also legitimately deaf since birth from a medication overdose, so to see someone acting onscreen with an actual disability made me happy having a disability myself.

While A Quiet Place without a doubt will remain on my top 10 of the year, it's not without it's problems. There's some continuity issues, such as it's kind of unclear whether Evelyn becomes pregnant before or after the invasion, so it's hard not to wonder why anyone would be crazy enough to bring a newborn into a world such as this. It certainly creates a good level of suspense in how the family will survive, but on a realistic level it's kind of confusing. It also seems there's some 'director's discretion' when it comes to how perceptive the aliens are to sound, as well as how quickly they react to said sound. Again, it's not enough to make me dislike the film any less, but it just happened to be something I noticed while watching.

A Quiet Place is a dang good movie, and one which I would highly recommend, even to some like me who might not have looked into it due to the previews looking like the movie was more horror than suspense.

The Incredibles 2

Despite the Parr family (Bob/Mr. Incredible, Helen/Elastigirl, Violet, Dash and Jack-Jack) diving head first and fully accepting their roles as superheroes, they are still in violation of the law which made superheroes - known as "supers" - illegal. When the city is under attack by a villain known as the Underminer, the Parr family still jumps at the chance to do the right thing and save the city. Unfortunately their efforts are unsuccessful, so they are imprisoned until a mysterious new benefactor  by the name of Winston Deaver and his sister Evelyn secures their release and make Bob and Helen a proposition. In order to overturn the law making supers illegal, Winston and Evelyn propose a campaign to bring supers back into the public eye. This campaign, however, has a catch - the Deaver siblings only want Helen/Elastigirl as the face of the campaign. Bob/Mr. Incredible is annoyed at first, but reluctantly agrees to turn into a stay-at-home dad while his wife tries to sway the public in their favor. Both Bob and Helen, along with each of their children try to make the best of the situation until a new enemy who goes by the name of Screenslaver attacks the city.

The first The Incredibles movie is by far one of the best Pixar movies to date, not only as an entertaining kids superhero movie, but one with fantastic messages about the importance of family and sticking together. Incredibles 2 is no different in that regards, but story-wise it did kind of seem at times to be the same as the original, just Helen/Elastigirl in place of Bob/Mr. Incredible. I'm not sure now who owns the rights to Marvel's Fantastic 4 franchise, if it's still Fox or now Disney/Marvel, but either way they really need to watch both of the Incredibles movies as they are the perfect example of what a Fantastic 4 movie SHOULD be. They are both a perfect balance of superhero action and a film about family. Other than the story, Incredibles 2 is more intense and action-packed than the first (as far as I can remember, anyways, it has been awhile since I've seen the original). With the characters, there's so many new characters that it felt like we didn't really get a great chance to know them, and on top of that despite the switch from Bob to Helen being in the spotlight this time around, it didn't seem like there was that much growth from the first movie for the Parr family and Lucius Best/Frozone. Even Edna Mode, one of the best parts of the original, only get maybe 3-4 scenes in the entire movie. I know this is a kids movie, and the target audience ultimately doesn't really care, but the villain reveal was a little too obvious to me. Jack-Jack, however, was by far the best and funniest part of the movie.

All that said, Incredibles 2 is definitely worth the 14 years of waiting. I'd say it's not exactly on par with the original, but it comes very close for me. Kids and adults alike will surely enjoy it as much as the original 14 years ago.

FLASHBACK FRIDAY: Face/Off

Since the death of his son, FBI agent Sean Archer has been trying to capture the man responsible - terrorist Castor Troy. Sean finally gets a breakthrough when he corners Castor at a local airport. In the process of trying to arrest Castor, Sean finds out there's a bomb in L.A., but then the plane Castor's on crashes, and as a result he gets put into a coma. In order to find out where the bomb is before time runs out, Sean Archer undergoes an unusual surgery to physically become Castor Troy in order to entice Castor's brother to reveal the location of the bomb. Complications arise when the real Castor Troy wakes up from his coma and undergoes his own surgery to physically become Sean Archer, and so begins a dangerous game of cat-and-mouse.

I've seen a lot of movies with outrageous plot lines, but I think it's safe to say I've not seen very many like Face/Off. It's basically the epitome of mid-to-late '90's action cheese - but in a great way. When I heard what the story was, and that Nicolas Cage and John Travolta were the leads, I was hoping for some Nicolas Cage "NOT THE BEES!" moments. I was not disappointed in that regards. Cage is wild, hilarious, and a heck of a lot of fun as Castor Troy. John Travolta as Sean Archer is a bit more subdued, but is no less interesting. I loved watching each of them try to play as each other's characters. I do wish Travolta, when undercover as Castor, had gone a bit crazier in his performance, but even with what we got it was still great.

If you want realistic action and events, then Face/Off really isn't the movie for you. *Slight spoilers* early in the movie we see that there is 236 hours left until the bomb explodes, but then after the initial surgery the clock shows 216 hours. There's no way someone could realistically recover from such a major surgery in that short of a time. Personally, I can forgive the outrageousness of the plot, and ultimately the movie as a whole, because it's such a fun movie.

I don't know why it's taken me this long to finally see it, but I'm glad I did.

Deadpool 2

After finding (and brutally murdering) the man responsible for turning him into the fast-healing mutant that he is now, Wade Wilson, AKA Deadpool, decides it's time to hang up the blades...at least for a little while...and settle down with his fiancé Vanessa. At the same time a member of the X-Men, Colossus, is trying to get him to turn legit and join the X-Men team. Thing is, Deadpool's not a team player, nor does he consider himself a good guy. He keeps trying to resist Colossus' recruitment efforts, and does a good job of it until Deadpool comes across a young mutant by the name of Russell who Deadpool has to save from being assassinated by a mutant from the future named Cable. Deadpool must then team up with Colossus, Negasonic Teenage Warhead, and a group of random mutants (and a normal guy named Peter) in order to save the kid.

As usual with the character of Deadpool, and in keeping with the (mostly irreverent) tone of the first movie, Deadpool 2 is filled to the brim with the classic 4th wall breaking, sarcastic, and vulgar at times humor. For once though, Deadpool 2 is actually one of the few sequels which builds on - and then exceeds - the original. Deadpool 2 actually had me doubled over laughing far more often and harder than I ever did while watching the original. I can't give *too* much away, but one specific scene that had me laughing the most was what I'll dub "the Winnie-the-Pooh sequence". I honestly don't think I've laughed that hard in a recent comedy in quite awhile. The cast was all around brilliant, and I'd have to say I prefer Josh Brolin as Cable over his role as Thanos in the main Marvel franchise. Ryan Reynolds as Wade Wilson/Deadpool is still perfectly cast, same for Morena Baccarin as Vanessa, Zazie Beetz as Domino, and TJ Miller as Weasel. I thought Julian Dennison was good as Russell, but towards the end his character got to be kind of annoying to me, though I blame the writing for that one. There are a couple jokes towards the end of the movie (no spoilers) that did feel like they were stretched out a bit too thin for them to continue being funny, but that didn't take away from my overall enjoyment of the movie. Another thing I appreciated was the pacing of the movie. It felt like it was more evenly paced than the original was.

Just like my original review of the first Deadpool, I advise extreme caution when letting younger kids see it. This is *not* your typical Marvel movie like Guardians of the Galaxy, Iron Man or Black Panther. It's far more violent, and the humor is far more crass. I highly suggest parents screen this before you let your kids see it.

Tag

Every year during the month of May since they were kids, five highly competitive friends (Hogan 'Hoagie' Malloy, Bob Callahan, Randy 'Chilli' Cilliano, Kevin Sable, and Jerry Pierce) gear up for a no-holds-barred game of tag -- risking just about everything from their necks, their jobs to their relationships to take one another down. This time, the game coincides with the wedding of Jerry, the only undefeated player. What should be an easy target soon becomes an all-out war as he knows they're coming to get him.

Tag is a pretty fun little movie overall, but even though it's a comedy I didn't find myself laughing as much or as hard as I would've liked. A lot of the jokes fell flat for me. Some of the ones that didn't work for me had to do with one of the group voicing their hope that the wife of another in the group had a miscarriage (among other things). That seemed more harsh than funny. Probably the one thing, or rather, person, that did make me laugh the most was Isla Fisher as Anna Malloy. She gets a bit too excited when it comes to the game, and other than her husband Hogan, is the one that takes things almost too far sometimes when the game is in session every year.

I did appreciate the positive theme/message of friendship, and not taking those relationships for granted - especially one that has lasted since elementary or middle school. It reminded me of a friendship or two like that for me, which I'm grateful for.

Tag isn't the best movie of the year - though I doubt it will end up being the worst - but it's worth seeing at least once while still in theaters. It is rated R though, so this isn't suited for the younger crowd.

FLASHBACK FRIDAY - Trading Places

Mortimer and Randolph Duke, millionaire brothers who own a commodities brokerage firm have made a life of making bets of random things. Their latest bet involves proving once and for all whether someone is a product of their environment, or if one could adapt to their surroundings. In order to do this, they work behind the scenes to influence the financial downfall of a snobbish broker at their firm named Louis Winthorpe III, and for a bum living on the streets named Billy Ray Valentine to take his place. What ensues is a hilarious affair that also has some pretty interesting messages regarding humanity, economic status, and racial bias.

If Trading Places had been the first Eddie Murphy and Dan Aykroyd movie I'd ever seen, I could probably have predicted that both of these two men would have a great career in store for each of them. Both of them had me rolling with laughter whenever they were onscreen. I didn't read too much about it until I sat down and watched it, but I was surprised at the number of cameos throughout the movie. It was cool to see Frank Oz, the puppeteer responsible for several Muppet characters, Yoda, and Sesame Street characters. It took me several minutes to realize Jim Belushi makes an appearance as a New Year's Eve partier dressed in a monkey suit. Seeing Arleen Sorkin, the voice of Harley Quinn in the animated Justice League cartoon (one of my personal favorites), was unexpected and cool to see as well.

I did find it pretty interesting how Trading Places, while a comedy, had some things to say about economic status and racial bias. The two brothers, within the terms of their bet, believed that Louis - a white man who has never known what it means to be poor - would turn to crime due to his sudden financial windfall and Billy Ray -an African American living on the streets - wouldn't be able to become a respectable citizen when presented with more wealth and status than he ever dreamed of. This type of switching positions story has been done countless times - from Trading Places to Freaky  Friday - but where most times a story like this is simply played for laughs, nothing more, nothing less, Trading Places puts an emphasis on how it doesn't matter what background one comes from, what matters is character. Louis comes to learn that money isn't all it's cracked up to be, and Billy Ray continues to be the same wisecracking good man he was prior to the bet. I thought that was pretty cool.

Now, I must extend caution when watching Trading Places. It IS rated R, and because of this there are a few rather unnecessary scenes of topless women, in the context of simply changing clothes, as well as being drunk in the middle of a party. Hearing one of the Duke brothers drop the 'N' word randomly during a conversation, as well as a couple racist jokes was kind of jarring, yet at the same time not all that unexpected given the context of the story.

Despite that, however, I thought Trading Places was hilarious, and I'm glad I finally took the chance to sit down and watch it.

Star Wars EpisodeVIII: The Last Jedi

The Last Jedi, if anything, has proven to be one heck of a polarizing movie. I saw it opening night, and my initial reaction was a mix of awe & wonder, with a little bit of shock & disappointment thrown in. My first instinct was to put The Last Jedi within the top 3 or 5 of the entire Star Wars saga. Coming out of the theater, I had the same sort of feelings I had when I saw A New Hope for the first time.

After mulling it over for a few days, some thoughts have changed. Overall, it's not a bad film. It's certainly not to the level of The Phantom Menace or The Attack of the Clones (which each have their own redeeming values in my book, but miss the mark in reaching their full potential as being great movies). In fact, I would consider The Last Jedi to be the second best in the franchise. To fully give my own review, I am going to address some of the other arguments people have made saying why they thought it's a bad film, as well as give my own thoughts about what was done right or wrong.


1. Force Powers - I was really happy to see the extent in which Force powers were explored. It was cool to see the beginning of more powerful Force abilities in The Force Awakens when we witnessed Kylo Ren stop a blaster bolt in mid-air & simply hold it there while talking to another character. Up until that point, we had never witnessed (as far as the movies are concerned) anything more than Force Push/Pull, Darth Vader blocking a blaster bolt with his outstretched hand on Bespin, Mind Control and Force Lightning. It was cool to see the mind-linking ability between Kylo Ren and Rey, as well as a more advanced version of Force Lightning. The coolest ability was manifested in the form of Force projection, when Luke projected his own image across the entire galaxy in the confrontation with Kylo Ren. One thing I (mostly) don't understand is the backlash that a scene involving Leia is receiving after a section of her ship is blown up, and the audience watches her become unconscious and floating in space, only to wake up and pull herself with the Force toward her ship and get back onboard. If one is coming from a point of view where the CGI looks a little bit unpolished, then I can understand the distaste for that scene. I can somewhat agree, yet can look past the CGI, but I understand where you're coming from. If, however, your problem is something along the lines of "How is Leia able to survive in space" or "How does Leia have Force abilities now", then I have a couple things to say. First off, this is a story involving space wizards with the ability to manipulate just about everything with their mind/connection with the Force. That's basically the premise of what makes this story fantasy. Logic doesn't necessarily belong here, at least when discussing this particular aspect of the series. Not to mention, if we dive deeper into Star Wars lore, in not just the movies, but the books and video games as well, there are certain abilities described which make surviving in space for a grand total of maybe 5 minutes seem entirely feasible. For instance, there is a character named Darth Sion. Seen in the video game Knights of the Old Republic II, Scion has the ability to achieve immortality by channeling his anger to basically hold his broken and decaying body together so he cannot officially die. There are other various abilities such as the ability to destroy entire worlds by drawing in Force energy to oneself, and the ability to transfer one's essence to anyone or anything, as well as other minor abilities like creating a Force "Bubble" to use as a shield in the middle of a battle.

In regards to Leia specifically, most people I've talked to who wonder how she was able to achieve that feat in The Last Jedi forget two things : A) Leia is a Skywalker, and it was established in Return of the Jedi that she has the ability to channel the Force like Luke and Darth Vader; and B) It's been 30 years between the events of Return of the Jedi and The Force Awakens. It's not beyond the realm of possibility to believe that she received some training (though not enough to become a full-fledged Jedi Master) from Luke to have some basic Force abilities. My one and only critique of that scene specifically is this: I believe it should have been the way Leia passes away, because it was a powerfully breathtaking scene which could have served as the perfect opportunity to stir up emotions in the audience from the death of a beloved character. If there needed to be a scene where we see her use the Force in a way not previously established, then the set up could have been handled better.

2. Character Progression - I've read people's arguments about how there wasn't any character progression from The Force Awakens. I'd beg to differ in that regards...sort of. If we're talking about Snoke and Captain Phasma, then yes, there wasn't much in terms of character growth - we don't learn anything new about their background(s), they seem to only be there to further the main characters (Rey, Kylo, Finn and Poe) story arcs. Though I'd argue that's not a bad thing. However Rey, Kylo, Finn and Poe all have their own levels of character growth throughout The Last Jedi.

                                  A) Kylo Ren - So many people (myself included the very first time I watched The Force Awakens) considered him to be not much more than a whiny brat who didn't seem like he would ever become a true force (ha) to be reckoned with. After watching The Last Jedi, I went back and rewatched The Force Awakens and I can better appreciate Adam Driver's portrayal as Kylo Ren. I've actually come to the conclusion of Kylo being a Dark Side version of Luke in his youth - brash, impulsive, always basing his decisions on his feelings rather than thinking things through. Luke was the same way when he left in the middle of his training with Yoda to go save his friends who were in trouble, or when he was on Tatooine with Obi-wan Kenobi and he rushed home despite Kenobi's warnings to his aunt and uncle when he realized the Empire was led straight to their doorstep in the search for R2-D2 and C-3PO. That being said you can see throughout the movie how Kylo Ren comes to realize how he's being manipulated by Snoke, and when he kills off Snoke and offers Rey a chance to join him, I found it easy to see his complete downfall to the Dark Side. He finally has nothing holding him back from his quest for power and influence, and following in the footsteps of his grandfather Darth Vader. People also need to remember that this is only the second movie in the trilogy. There's still plenty of time to grow even more.

                                  B) Snoke - In terms of learning his backstory, there's not much there. However, I'd argue that that's exactly the point of his character. He's not there to to become the "big bad". He's there to help push Kylo Ren's character in the direction he needs to go to become the true villain of the new trilogy. As mentioned above in the Force Abilities section of this review, it was cool to see some of the extent of his own abilities. Seeing how little he's in the story though, sure, it would be interesting to see more of him whether it be his background (how he came into power, why was he such a threat to Luke and the Resistance, etc.) or just simply advancing his story from what it was in The Force Awakens. If anything, I would've wanted one final fight between either Snoke/Rey or Snoke/Luke and kill him off then. Yet, I'm ok with how his character arc was handled. Despite The Last Jedi having a runtime of almost 3 hours, I can see how it would probably have been too much at once to give more information on Snoke and Phasma, while also trying to bring to a close the classic characters of Luke, Leia and Han at the same time and further the story of Rey, Poe and Finn.

                                  C) Rey - Rey is, if anything, the one character I was hoping to get the most growth. There was some growth there, but it doesn't come in the way one might expect. As established through her conversation with Han Solo when she and Finn first meet him, Luke is seen as this sort of mythical, almost god-like individual who has amazing abilities and has done some amazing feats. When she finally meets Luke, she realizes just how human & fallible he really is. In essence, the meeting pretty much confirms the old saying "Never meet your heroes". Unfortunately, either I need to watch TLJ again and pay closer attention to her story arc, or something, because I didn't see much growth in her as I would've hoped. Also, in her defense: I rewatched The Force Awakens after I watched The Last Jedi, and I *still* don't get where everyone is saying Rey is just a SJW "perfect" character with no flaws. In her first flight in the Millennium Falcon as she and Finn are running away from the First Order, she crashes several times into the ground as well as the walls of the remains of old Star Destroyers on the planet. She does have some skill in self defense, but she is still beaten and taken hostage her first time facing Kylo Ren on Takodana. Fast forward to TLJ, and she's gotten better in her fighting style, as well as flying. And yet, I was really hoping for some significant progression in her understanding of the Force and how it relates to the conflict between the Light Side and the Dark, as well as her own growing power. ***EDIT*** I saw TLJ again, and I noticed a bit more in how she comes to understand the Force and the Light/Dark conflict. I didn't catch this the first time around, but she saves the Jedi sacred texts before Luke could destroy them and any other traces of the Jedi. I'm confident we will see even more growth into a full-fledged Jedi Master once Episode IX comes out. As far as her parentage, I was ok with her being a nobody. With so many theories thrown about on who she was related to, I think having her not being related to anyone special was one of the only good routes. Had she been the child of a former Jedi, or someone equally well known within the Star Wars universe, the reveal would've been unfulfilling and empty. On the surface it might seem anti-climactic, but it's still one of the only good routes. Also, in regards to her fighting style/proficiency again, she still has a lot to learn as she gets beaten pretty easily in her sparring match with Luke until in anger she Force grabs Luke's old lightsaber and almost attacks him with it.

                                 D) Poe - Poe is another character who's growth is subtle, but it's still there. All throughout TFA, we see how he's kind of a Han Solo-esque character - a hotshot who thinks with his ability to fly and blow things up rather than strategically, as a leader should. In TLJ, he starts off the same way, staying behind against orders to blow up a Star Destroyer instead of helping the escape to fight another day. It's because of this Leia demotes him, and he has to learn how to both gain that trust back, and to become a true leader for the Resistance. This lesson is solidified when his mutinous actions and going behind his superiors' backs to formulate a backup plan almost gets the Resistance annihilated. When his plan ultimately fails, and he realizes what Leia, Holdo, and the other Resistance leaders had in mind on the planet Crait, he gets a reality check of the damage his previous actions could have ultimately caused. His transformation to leader is solidified when he formulates a plan to escape the First Order on Crait, everyone looks to Leia for confirmation, and she says "What are you looking at me for?" and gets the group to follow Poe to safety.

                                  E) Finn - I think Finn's drawn the shortest straw in terms of overall character growth. He isn't given much to do outside of hoping to see Rey again and caring for her safety - whether it be out of romantic interest or simple camaraderie built from their experiences running from the First Order together. However, the (now infamous) Canto Bight sequence presented an opportunity to show Finn's character in a way not seen since the opening scene of The Force Awakens. If you recall, the opening scene of TFA showed Finn as a Storm Trooper hesitate to obey an order by Kylo Ren to murder innocent villagers on the planet Jakku. He goes into a little bit of his backstory with Rey later on, stating how he was taken from his family at a young age and raised to become a soldier for the First Order. However, it's not until his, uh, misadventure with Rose on Canto Bight that he fully understands just what it means to be a part of the Resistance fighting against the tyranny of the First Order. Some saw the events on Canto Bight simply as a way to inject SJW problems into the movie. Personally, I'm not one of those people. Like the Leia space scene, the scene on Canto Bight could have been less on the nose, but after seeing TLJ multiple times I have a greater appreciation for it.

                                  F) Phasma - Phasma's the one character I would agree that should have been handled better in both TFA and TLJ. She unfortunately gets the Boba Fett-esque treatment in both movies. I was never expecting her to be the main villain, but I was hoping to see her actually be a villain. The one fight scene she gets in TLJ was too short to have much (if any) impact on the story or any of characters.

                                G) Luke Skywalker - there have been a LOT of complaints that Luke's character has been destroyed, that he wouldn't have left his friends behind during a conflict (never mind that he technically did that when he left in search of Yoda, and then left Yoda in the middle of his training when he wasn't ready because his friends were in danger), he wouldn't have intentionally cut himself off from the Force, etc. I'm with a lot of these people in that I do wish we had seen Luke actually be in battle and be with his sister Leia, Han and Chewbacca. After seeing TLJ several times, however, I've come to appreciate his story arc. As mentioned above in Kylo Ren's description, Luke's always been the 'thinking with his heart and not with his brain' type of person. He's also one who takes failure far too personally (something I can relate to) and painfully. The timeline is slightly confusing, but some have argued about plot holes within the story as to why Luke is missing. In TFA, it's said he went searching for the first Jedi Temple. In TLJ, Luke's description of Kylo's fall to the dark side made me wonder if his search for the first Jedi Temple began, and then a short period after is when Kylo completed his fall to the dark side and burned Luke's new Jedi Academy. It's when this happens that Luke decides to just disappear after he finds the temple. I doubt he would have left the map to find him and the temple if he intended from the beginning to disappear. It's somewhat implied during a couple of conversations with Rey that Luke let the stories about him get to his head, and so he felt like he was invincible and that he had to live up to the stories. When that happens, Luke overestimates Kylo Ren (then known as Ben Solo) and his descent into the dark, as well as the magnitude of Snoke's influence. When Luke finally realizes how bad it's been is when he makes the drastic decision to end Ben's life and save everyone from harm. Yet just like when he makes the same decision when he attacks Darth Vader in Return of the Jedi out of pure anger when Vader threatens Leia, that feeling is only for a moment before he realizes his mistake, but unlike his confrontation with Darth Vader, by then it's too late. It's not until the end where Luke realizes what he must do, and confronts Kylo Ren in order to set things right for his mistakes. After watching the entire series straight through and then rewatching The Last Jedi, I don't really get how any of Luke's actions were out of character.

3. Story-wise, TLJ at its core is simply a giant space chase set almost immediately after the events of TFA. What I personally don't get is how a lot of people complained there wasn't much story, that a long chase through space was boring, etc. when Mad Max: Fury Road from a couple years ago has basically the exact same premise  - though it's set in the desert  - with even less of a story to go along with it, and yet that was widely praised while TLJ was divisive. I don't get how one can love a movie for almost the exact same reasons for hating a similar movie. Could TLJ's story have been crafted better? Sure, I can think of several ways in which the story could have gone. That being said, what we got instead wasn't bad in and of itself.

It took me several viewings to really appreciate The Last Jedi and this new trilogy as a whole, but in the end I'm excited where Episode IX is going to lead, as well as future movies within the Star Wars universe. Not to mention, I still consider The Last Jedi as the second best installment of the entire franchise.

Solo: A Star Wars Story

Sometimes even our best laid plans don't go exactly how we wanted them to. Han's got big plans - plans to blast off his home planet of Corellia with his girlfriend Qi'ra and become a pilot in order to explore the galaxy. In order to do that, he has to escape his indentured servitude on Corellia and attempt to join the Galactic Empire as a pilot. Good enough plan, but he and Qi'ra are almost caught trying to escape, and are separated in the attempt. Han makes a promise to return for Qi'ra, and makes his way into the Empire's service as a pilot. But even that doesn't go as planned, as he's eventually kicked out of the Imperial Flight Academy and thrust on the ground in the middle of the war. During one major battle Han comes across a smuggler/criminal named Tobias Beckett who eventually takes Han under his wing and brings him along for a major job - to smuggle an unstable substance named coaxium by doing the infamous Kessel Run.

I'm a bit disappointed that Solo: A Star Wars Story isn't doing so well at the box office, because it's really quite fun.  It probably wasn't a good idea to release it just a few months after the divisive The Last Jedi (which I personally loved), but either way I loved it. For me, it was fun to see events referenced throughout the original trilogy - the Sabacc game in which Han Solo won the Millennium Falcon, how Han and Chewbacca meet, and of course the infamous Kessel Run. As with Rogue One, I thought the throwbacks/easter egg references to other parts of the larger Star Wars universe was handled very well, not so 'in your face' like in The Force Awakens. They were mostly more of the 'blink and you'll miss it' type. Alden Ehrenreich did pretty well as a young Han Solo with the material he was given. I wasn't expecting the rough-around-the-edges sarcastic smuggler we see in the original trilogy, but there were frequent glimpses of the Han Solo fans love throughout the movie. Donald Glover was perfectly cast as a young Lando Calrissian. He nailed the suave, playboy smuggler type we first meet in Empire Strikes Back. Woody Harrelson and Emilia Clarke did well with their respective roles as well, though I didn't really come around to enjoy their characters as much as I would have liked. It seemed more like they were just filler characters in order to move Han Solo to become the smuggler fans know and love, instead of characters of real substance. With Emilia's character as Qi'ra, I'm hoping that changes if/when there's a sequel to Solo, as there's a scene towards the end with a fantastic cameo which alludes to there being more to the story. I won't be the one to spoil the cameo if you haven't seen it, but I was both kind of surprised and very happy with it.

Overall, Solo's not the best of the new Star Wars movies, but personally I haven't seen a bad Star Wars movie from Disney yet. I hope that trend continues.

The Greatest Showman

P.T. Barnum had a difficult life. From his father dying when he was young - leaving him orphaned - to falling in love with a woman whose father disapproved of their relationship, he's had to constantly fight for what he has and to make a name for himself, as well as provide for his family. He does well for awhile, until he's laid off and must look for some more work. During his search he has the bright idea to bring together some of the world's wonders and put on a show that would dazzle audiences around the world. His dream is not without some detractors, however. Many people see the acts in his show and label it a "freak show", calling for the show to be shut down. Despite that, he perseveres with his show and also develops a deep relationship with the members of his show, and gaining an understanding of people who aren't necessarily allowed into "popular" circles of modern society.

The Greatest Showman was a pleasant surprise, as I wasn't expecting it to be a musical. I guess I didn't pay too much attention to the trailers, so when the movie opened with the first song, I was confused at first but then once I settled in and watched the movie, I loved every minute of it. For the first time in a long time, I was able to sit back and just enjoy the story unfolding onscreen and the music without feeling like I had to purposefully look for things to critique. The music is enthrallingly catchy, each of the performances from the actors were wonderful, and I loved the vibrant and extravagant sets. Even though I already knew he could sing from his performance in Les Miserables, Hugh Jackman knocks it out of the park again with his portrayal of P.T. Barnum. It amazes me just how good of an artist he is.

Another thing I appreciated, especially as an individual with a disability, was the overarching message(s) of acceptance regardless of disability, social status, etc. The song This Is Me, though it wasn't my favorite song out of the entire movie, resonated with me deeply. I'm sure that was the intention, of course, but still it was great to see.

Even if you aren't a big fan of musicals in general, it's still completely worth it to check out The Greatest Showman. As mentioned above, it's the first movie in a long time that made me forget everything and just sit back and have fun. That's a feeling I hope keeps coming back in the future from here on out.

Tomb Raider

Long before she became known as the Tomb Raider, Lara Croft was simply a young woman living in London trying to get by on her own without the assistance of her family's estate. If Lara receives her inheritance, then she would have to finally face the truth - that her father is indeed dead, and has been for years. Just as she's about to sign the papers for her inheritance, she comes across an old video of her father explaining his final project before he disappeared. It seems he was on the trail of a treasure involving an old legend of the Japanese queen Himiko, a queen rumored to have supernatural powers, able to even control death itself. Lara's interest spikes, so she follows in her father's footsteps in the hopes to not only succeed in finding Queen Himiko, but to find out the truth about her father once and for all.

I've played the Tomb Raider game of which this latest movie is based on, and I honestly felt like this is one of the best (certainly one of the more faithful) video game adaptation in recent years. I absolutely love the popular Angelina Jolie version of Tomb Raider, but to me Alicia Vikander makes a much better Lara Croft. For starters, Alicia's version of the character is much more fleshed out, more of an actual person as opposed to simply a sex symbol that the original movie version was. The older movies were completely fun and I loved them, but this new version made me actually care for the character and what happens to her. Same goes for Dominic West as her father, Lord Richard Croft. I could feel the father-daughter bond between Richard and Lara, so I loved their scenes together. Unlike the previous movies, we actually get to see Lara grow up onscreen and see just how close to her father she is, and the result is wonderful to see.

As far as how closely the movie follows the game, there are certainly some significant changes (some of which I can't specify because of spoilers), but I liked the direction the movie takes with the material. I can't wait to see where they go from here with Alicia Vikander as the Tomb Raider. I know many are tired of sequels/prequels/remakes, and for the most part I'd agree, but for the Tomb Raider franchise I'd like to see more if they're going to be anything like this movie. Even if I weren't a big fan of the Tomb Raider game(s), I have no doubt I would've enjoyed the movie regardless.

Boss Baby

Seven year old Tim Templeton is living the dream. He's got great parents who are always attentive, and enable his tendency to have an overactive imagination, sometimes even playing along and being apart of his games and roleplaying. Life is the best it's ever been for Tim..until one day when his parents bring home a surprise - a new baby brother. Over time Tim feels like he's being left in the dust with the baby getting all the attention instead of him. It'll take one last adventure with his new baby brother in order to help him realize growing up is something that needs to happen and having a baby brother isn't always a bad thing.

Boss Baby is something that I never thought I would enjoy. In all honesty, the only reason I watched it was A) It was on Netflix and I was bored (didn't see it in theaters), and B) I saw it had been nominated for Best Animated film and I've been trying to see all the nominated films for this year. After watching it, I can say that it wasn't a bad movie, but I'm not quite sure I would have considered it Oscar worthy. I'm sure part of it was how it's not really a movie geared towards an adult guy like me. Some of the humor was hit or miss for me - though, again, I'm sure young kids would enjoy it. The story itself I did find refreshingly original. The voice acting was great as well, especially Miles Bakshi and Alec Baldwin as Tim and Boss Baby, respectively. It's no classic on the level of something like Toy Story, Up or The Lion King, but it is an enjoyable movie.

John Wick: Chapter 2

All former assassin John Wick wants is to be left alone. Yet after previously having his car stolen and his dog murdered, he got pulled back into the game. However, even after taking care of the people responsible for his dog and car in hopes of finally fully retiring, John gets pulled even further back in to the assassin world when his former boss calls for payment due on an old favor. Years ago, John had a contract to kill someone of importance. He never made good on that contract before he initially retired, so his old boss Santino D'Antonio comes to him to make sure that he fulfills the contract. Unfortunately, the contract is for Santino's sister, and in a bit of double-crossing Santino puts out a hit on John Wick after Wick does the deed. Now Wick must go on the run to clear his name.

There isn't much to say about John Wick: Chapter 2. If you've seen the first John Wick, or if you're a fan of the hard-R action flicks of the '80's & '90's, well, then you know what you're getting into - and will most likely enjoy it. Chapter 2 ups the ante in regards to the body count and the ways in which said bodies are dispatched. Case in point, Chapter 2 has what I'd consider the most, uh, creative way a pencil or pen is used to attack and kill someone since either The Dark Knight or even The Bourne Identity. These days it seems like it's difficult for movies to have a good balance of action/violence and humor, but much like the first John Wick, Chapter 2 handles that balance well with quite a few great one liners and great thrilling action sequences. I enjoyed the original John Wick more, but its sequel was worth seeing in a theater, especially more than once. As long as you don't go into it expecting something "smart", can look past a simple storyline and just sit back and have fun, John Wick: Chapter 2 is, along with its predecessor, one of the better action movies of the last few years.