Anyway, the plot, if you’ll recall in Shazam! Billy breaks the Wizard’s (Djimon Hounsou) staff in the climax, having wrested it away from villain Dr. Thaddeus Sivana (Mark Strong). But then it just gets left on the ground. You assume Billy or one of his siblings would have picked it up, but no. It eventually makes its way into a museum where the Daughters of Atlas (Hespera (Helen Mirren), Kalypso (Lucy Liu), and Anthea (Rachel Zegler) steal it and make the captured Wizard re-power it.  It seems as though turning to dust for a Wizard does not = death, but rather a fate much worse. READ MORE For me this was a weak start to Phase 5. It felt very perfunctory and perhaps a bit shoe horned. At the least, jarring for fans of the other Ant-man movies which are more onto themselves and usually pretty humorous.  The introduction to Kang as He Who Remains (Jonathan Majors) in the Loki Disney+ series, was so good. It had a nice build up, explanation and had a depth and weight to it.  We needed something a bit more like that to intro Kang the Conqueror (Jonathan Majors) in Quantumania.  Especially for those who didn’t see Loki. READ MORE

Michael B. Jordan directed and acted at the top of his game, but somehow this is Jonathan Majors‘ movie. His character Damian “Dame” Anderson is a force to be reckoned with. Majors’ perfected his chewed off speech pattern, domineering body language and menacing street fighting boxing techniques. But what’s even more impressive is his feigned earnestness, such a master manipulator. There’s a reason why Jonathan Majors is getting so many opportunities since the stellar HBO Max series LOVECRAFT COUNTRY, it’s because he’s electric! READ MORE

Friday Releases for December 22

Friday is the busiest day of the week for new releases, so we've decided to collect them all in one place. Friday Releases for December 22 include The Iron Claw, Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, Rebel Moon - Part One: A Child of Fire, and more.

The Iron Claw

The Iron Claw, the new movie from Sean Durkin, is out today.

The true story of the inseparable Von Erich brothers, who made history in the intensely competitive world of professional wrestling in the early 1980s. Through tragedy and triumph, under the shadow of their domineering father and coach, the brothers seek larger-than-life immortality on the biggest stage in sports.

Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom

Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, the new movie from James Wan, is out today.

Having failed to defeat Aquaman the first time, Black Manta, still driven by the need to avenge his father’s death, will stop at nothing to take Aquaman down once and for all. This time Black Manta is more formidable than ever before, wielding the power of the mythic Black Trident, which unleashes an ancient and malevolent force. To defeat him, Aquaman will turn to his imprisoned brother Orm, the former King of Atlantis, to forge an unlikely alliance. Together, they must set aside their differences in order to protect their kingdom and save Aquaman’s family, and the world, from irreversible destruction.

Rebel Moon - Part One: A Child of Fire

Rebel Moon - Part One: A Child of Fire, the new movie from Zack Snyder, is out today.

After crash landing on a moon in the furthest reaches of the universe, Kora (Sofia Boutella), a stranger with a mysterious past, begins a new life among a peaceful settlement of farmers. But she soon becomes their only hope for survival when the tyrannical Regent Balisarius (Fra Fee) and his cruel emissary, Admiral Noble (Ed Skrein), discover the farmers have unwittingly sold their crops to the Bloodaxes (Cleopatra Coleman and Ray Fisher) — leaders of a fierce group of insurgents hunted by the Motherworld.

Tasked with finding fighters who would risk their lives to defend the people of Veldt, Kora and Gunnar (Michiel Huisman), a tenderhearted farmer naive in the realities of war, journey to different worlds in search of the Bloodaxes, and assemble a small band of warriors who share a common need for redemption along the way: Kai (Charlie Hunnam), a pilot and gun for hire; General Titus (Djimon Hounsou), a legendary commander; Nemesis (Doona Bae), a master swordswoman; Tarak (Staz Nair), a captive with a regal past; and Milius (E. Duffy), a resistance fighter. Back on Veldt, Jimmy (voiced by Anthony Hopkins), an ancient mechanized protector hiding in the wings, awakens with a new purpose. But the newly formed revolutionaries must learn to trust each other and fight as one before the armies of the Motherworld come to destroy them all.

Migration

Migration, the new movie from Benjamin Renner and Guylo Homsy, is out today.

The Mallard family is in a bit of rut. While dad Mack is content to keep his family safe paddling around their New England pond forever, mom Pam is eager to shake things up and show their kids—teen son Dax and duckling daughter Gwen—the whole wide world. After a migrating duck family alights on their pond with thrilling tales of far-flung places, Pam persuades Mack to embark on a family trip, via New York City, to tropical Jamaica.

As the Mallards make their way South for the winter, their well-laid plans quickly go awry. The experience will inspire them to expand their horizons, open themselves up to new friends and accomplish more than they ever thought possible, while teaching them more about each other—and themselves—than they ever imagined.

All Of Us Strangers

All Of Us Strangers, the new movie from Andrew Haigh, is out today.

One night in his near-empty tower block in contemporary London, Adam (Andrew Scott) has a chance encounter with a mysterious neighbor Harry (Paul Mescal), which punctures the rhythm of his everyday life. As a relationship develops between them, Adam is preoccupied with memories of the past and finds himself drawn back to the suburban town where he grew up, and the childhood home where his parents (Claire Foy and Jamie Bell), appear to be living, just as they were on the day they died, 30 years before.

American Fiction

American Fiction, the new movie from Cord Jefferson, is out today.

AMERICAN FICTION is Cord Jefferson’s hilarious directorial debut, which confronts our culture’s obsession with reducing people to outrageous stereotypes. Jeffrey Wright stars as Monk, a frustrated novelist who’s fed up with the establishment profiting from “Black” entertainment that relies on tired and offensive tropes. To prove his point, Monk uses a pen name to write an outlandish “Black” book of his own, a book that propels him to the heart of hypocrisy and the madness he claims to disdain.

Anyone But You

Anyone But You, the new movie from Will Gluck, is out today.

In the edgy comedy Anyone But You, Bea (Sydney Sweeney) and Ben (Glen Powell) look like the perfect couple, but after an amazing first date something happens that turns their fiery hot attraction ice cold - until they find themselves unexpectedly thrust together at a destination wedding in Australia. So they do what any two mature adults would do: pretend to be a couple.

Freud’s Last Session

Freud’s Last Session, the new movie from Matt Brown, is out today.

London, September 3rd, 1939. The world is on the brink of war.

In his final days, Sigmund Freud, a recent escapee with his daughter from the Nazi regime, receives a visit from the formidable Oxford Don C.S. Lewis. On this day, two of the greatest minds of the twentieth century intimately engage in a monumental session over the belief in the future of mankind and the existence of God.

Gyeongseong Creature

Gyeongseong Creature, the new TV series from Kang Eun-kyung and Jeong Dong-yun, is out today.

Spring of 1945. All suspicions led to a hospital in Gyeongseong where there were humans and creatures.

What If…? S2

The second season of What If…?, the TV series from A. C. Bradley, is out today.

Things have gotten a little twisted in the Multiverse…

The first trailer for Zack Snyder’s Rebel Moon has arrived!

With a December 22nd release date through Netflix (It is coming to some cinemas as well!), Rebel Moon: Part One – A Child of Fire, is here to give you something perfect to watch around the festive season. Forget the rom-coms, forget watching National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation for the 100th time, this year, you’re going to space! The trailer simply looks superb. It comes across as a tale of revenge, and after her peaceful life is threatened, we are going to witness warrior Kora (Sofia Boutella) attempt to take on the corrupt Mother World, which is maintained by Regent Balisarius (Fra Free). Along the way, she enlists other trained fighters to help, and Snyder himself confirmed that everyone taking on Regent Balisarius has their own redemptive story. The trailer establishes that Zack Snyder tone that I mentioned earlier, whilst promoting monumental combat scenes. For those demanding that Hollywood come up with original ideas, then this one is for you. If you’re also into Sci-Fi, then it’s a double win. With Anthony Hopkins narrating over the trailer, you can already tell that there’s an exciting depth to this story, and I can’t wait to see that translate to the finished product. The cast also expands out to Charlie Hunnam, Ray Fisher, Michiel Huisman, Djimon Hounsou, to name only but a couple. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_rHLOXbFZtI With Zack Snyder drifting away from the DCEU his followers were left wondering what might come next from him, and they didn’t have to wait too long, because he has returned with an epic trailer for his new project, Rebel Moon! After creating a script for an original Star Wars movie, things didn’t go to plan when Star Wars was sold to Disney! Since that point, Zack Snyder has been re-shaping this very script into Rebel Moon. Working alongside Kurt Johnstad and Shay Hatten, he has created an original idea, for Sci-Fi fans to immerse themselves into. It might have been a diverse, roller-coaster style decade+ for him in the DCEU, however, there's no denying that Zack Snyder is a more than capable writer/director with an actual army of fans. Just google "RestoreTheSnyderVerse" to fully understand what I mean. Within the DCEU his directing work on Man of Steel & Zack Snyder's Justice League showed that if he had the right creative power behind him, he could give us an EPIC DC outing, and to this day, fans still feel like he has unfinished business within that realm, especially as he had plenty of ideas for sequels to the Justice League. What I love the most about his work, is the tone that he brings to his movies, it's almost like an actual comic book feel in of itself. When you look at 300, Watchmen and even more recently Army of the Dead, you can really tell that they're all done by the same director. He creates a magnificent tone with his movies, a stylish and slick format designed for the big screen, and it always looks visually stunning. Also, just to add, Dawn of the Dead (2004) is one of my favourite zombie movies, and if you haven't seen it, then I strongly advise adding it to your watchlist. To conclude, the trailer confirmed that a follow-up called Rebel Moon: Part Two – The Scargiver (It took an estimated $166 million to bring both of these projects to life) will be unleashed on April 19th, 2024. So you can watch the first movie, already knowing that the movie series has a future. Will it have the same initial impact as Star Wars or Star Trek? Who knows, but we don’t have to wait too long to find out! Read the full article

Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life (2003)

Re-watched: on 23 December

± Well that was a blast from the past that i barely remembered. It is very reminiscent of the early 2000s while flipping the eye-candy role onto the male lead, thanks Gerard Butler. Now, why would 2 Europeans in China ever use imperial measurements :))) Obviously, this was written by an American. Also, why dumbass Terry, would you insist on Pandora's box for money when you had potentially made up with Lara, who's rich? Got too greedy. Lastly, hey! It's Djimon Hounsou!

Would I recommend it? For nostalgia's sake.

Charlie’s Angels (2019): Box-Office Be Damned

Rating: 4/5 Stars

Summary:

When Elena (Naomi Scott from Aladdin and Lemonade Mouth) realizes that a device she helped create could be hacked and weaponized, she does everything she can to get her boss to postpone release of the product. When that fails, she finds herself in the midst of Angels, Charlie’s Angels that is. Sabina (Kristen Stewart  from Twilight and Snow White and the Huntsman) and Jane (newcomer Ella Balinska) have worked together in the past, but must now figure out how to work as a trio to prevent the wide-scale corruption that this device has inspired. Corruption that goes deeper than any of them had thought.

Thoughts:

I am a huge fan of the Charlie’s Angels franchise (my mom argues it’s bordering obsession, but that’s beside the point). So naturally, I had to see this new one in theaters as soon as it came out. It’s now been a week since I’ve seen it – plenty of time to ruminate on my thoughts.          

Despite initial reservations about Kristin Stewart’s participation in the project, as I perceive her roles to typically be monotonous, her performance was impressive. Her character demonstrated a range of emotion not usually seen on the star on screen. In fact, her character was probably my favorite from this rendition of this empowering tale. She makes a perfect conclusion to a triage of accomplished women – consisting of a Tank/MI6 ex-agent with a conscience, a hacker with a mission, and Stewart’s own seductress and foodie.

This version explores the Townsend Agency many years after the other renditions; our beloved Bosley has retired and has become the namesake for an organizational rank. There are several nods in the film to previous renditions of Charlie’s Angels and even has several cameos of notable female celebrities as current Angels. Essentially, HEAD CANNON ACCEPTED!

This is also tied together with tunes audiences can grove to and a nicely-executed plot twist with multiple dimensions. Now, if you excuse me, I’m going to be listening to the soundtrack on repeat until I can get my hands on the DVD.

Quotes:

“Did you know it takes a man an additional 7 seconds to perceive a woman as a threat?” -Sabina

“You’ve got 7 moves Mr. Hodak. I know them all… 7 moves and a fragile ego.” - Jane

“My name is Bosley, and I’m gonna kick your ass.” - Bosley

‘The King’s Man‘ - Review

After quite a saga thanks to my Belgian government closing down our cinemas for 5 weeks, only to be forced to re-open them again by our courts after just 5 days… I quickly booked my ticket to see the film, before any more unexpected delays!

After all, Matthew Vaughn’s prequel to The Kingsman franchise was originally supposed to be released by November 2019! Just a couple of weeks before the release of Sam Mendes’ stunning WWI drama ‘1917’ (more on that later).

The film features an ensemble cast that includes Ralph Fiennes , Matthew Goode , Gemma Arterton, Rhys Ifans, Tom Hollander, Harris Dickinson, Daniel Brühl, Djimon Hounsou, and Charles Dance, and focuses on several events during World War I and the birth of the Kingsman organization.

Naturally you probably just want to know about Matthew Goode’s performance as Morton 😉. Unfortunately it’s almost entirely impossible to talk about Matthew in this film without mentioning spoilers.

However to keep it short and sweet for those who wish to remain spoilers - free:

Matthew is an utter brilliant scene stealer in the film and gives so much energy to his performance. He really gives his all 💯 and his scenes with his good ol’ friend Ralph Fiennes (Orlando,Duke of Oxford) are the highlights of the film and so much fun to watch!

The King’s Man has a terrific cast and is entertaining throughout - and blends action, drama and comedy very well indeed. If you want pure historical accuracy about the period : go see ‘1917’. (Well it’s also worth a watch in any case) However this is a Matthew Vaughn’s production and a Kingsman film with a twist - so if you are familiar with the franchise, you already kinda know what to expect.

So definitely go see it in cinemas if you can and if you feel safe enough to do so.

SPOILERS ⬇️

I won’t go through the plot of the entire film and will leave out some spoilers. Will just highlight a few Goode things 😉

The film starts in 1902 in South-Africa during the Boer War and this is where we first get to meet Morton , who is Lord Kitchener’s aide (Charles Dance - Game of Thrones, The Imitation Game). Something very tragic happens to Orlando, Duke of Oxford (Ralph Fiennes) and his family when he visits a concentration camp there while on a mission for the Red Cross. Which is then followed by a 12 year long time-jump to 1914. During those 12 years, Morton remains by the side of Lord Kitchener - Secretary of State for War. So for more than a decade Morton seems like a very trustworthy and loyal soldier of the British Army and defender of the British Empire.

So once we arrive in 1914, we get a first glimpse of our Shepherd in a large barn at the top of a cliff surrounded by goats, who is instructing his flock of his plans to destabilise and destroy the entire British Empire. His motive is revenge for his family and Scottish ancestors : for all those hundreds of years of oppression and suffering at the hands of the English. We never get to see his face until the very end of the film, but oh boy do you hear him! 🤣 So the plan is to pit Queen Victoria’s three grandchildren against each other, (because as cousins growing up they already had a childhood feud) by infiltrating the courts of the Russian, German and the British Empire. You can hear such a pure evil menacing cackle of laughter (it’s the best!) as he explains that he already has a mole at the heart of the British government. I guess this was Vaughn’s biggest hint at giving the audience a clue of the Shepherd’s true identity 😉.

Matthew Vaughn was rather clever here: because even if the audience now suspects that it could be Morton who is the double agent, the events and scenes that follows - immediately puts this theory into doubt. As the plot moves forward, Lord Kitchener and Morton find themselves on a ship bound for Russia who is then torpedoed by a submarine. So for all intent and purpose everyone thinks that Kitchener and Morton perished together at sea.

Unfortunately for our Shepherd he isn’t the only one who has secret operatives all around the world, as Orlando (Duke of Oxford) and his son Conrad together with Polly & Shola get into the action themselves to try and put a stop to all his murderous plans. Rasputin gets his chance to shine, but is rather quickly dealt with.

However the Great War rages on, and as the film depicts the brutal reality and heroism of WWI on the battle field and the trenches - this entire section of the film is truly emotional to watch. And I get the similarity with Sam Mendes’ 1917 here. It’s the real heart of the entire film.

Eventually Orlando & co find out where to find this mysterious Shepherd, and the big reveal is a joy to watch! Matthew uses his voice perfectly here, as before showing his face he switches slowly from that loud booming Scottish accent to his more natural everyday speaking voice as Morton. Brilliantly done! 👏

The confrontation and sword fight with Orlando is outstanding! I am sure Ralph and Matthew had so much fun and the best time rehearsing some of those tricky sneaky moves (together with stunt doubles I know…). I absolutely loved it! I am also beyond thrilled that it was Matthew who got his “Manners Maketh Man” scene and got to say it too! 😊

Now about those goats eh 🐐 🐐🐐They are very rare CASHMERE GOATS thank you very much, and Angus is his favourite! 🤣 Sadly for the goats… their Shepherd has quite a bit of a temper when his plans go south - and even manhandles Angus with his sword 🗡 , by cutting a piece of his horns. 🤬 So when the time came for the villain of the film to come to his untimely death… I am pleased to say that Angus got his revenge by sticking his abused horn right through Morton’s already wounded leg - causing him to lose his momentum against Orlando. With the Duke of Oxford now on the winning end, he decides to let Morton fall to his death. So a few moments later our Shepherd ends up at the bottom of the cliff. It was a very very very long drop and 0 chance of survival - or sequel appearance chances.

Matthew’s Scottish accent is EVERYTHING! 💥 His intonation is just perfect as always and it’s just dripping with malice. I also loved hearing him swear “You’ve got to be f*cking kidding me” and “for f*ck’s sake” throughout the film! 😁 If swearing bothers you… 🤷‍♀️ I wonder how many non-Goodey fans guessed he was the villain? Because from reading and listening to Vaughn’s interviews, the audience really isn’t supposed to know it was ‘Morton’ who was pulling the strings all along. It’s not MG’s fault in the slightest as his two ‘voices’ in the film are very different from each other! However, Matthew’s voice is so distinctive - especially to us who have watched him over so many years , that we can’t but recognise it instantly. 😊

Which brings me to the PROMO and media campaign, together with the critics’ low ratings of the film.

The premise that the events that leads to WWI are orchestrated by a Scottish radical nationalist is hilarious! Yet for some reason it was blasted for its silliness and historical inaccuracy. 🙄 FFS It’s meant to be entertainment! If you have watched the Marvel films and Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. , the Shepherd is basically the head of Hydra and his flock are all the secret double agents manipulating people and events for their own benefit. Vaughn never claimed to make The King’s Man 100% accurate! He did want to make a WWI film that audiences from all ages could enjoy. It’s not like everyone will suddenly forget the history lessons from school, Uni etc… 😉

By keeping our temperamental Scottish lunatic’s identity secretive throughout the film, I do understand why it was difficult to involve Matthew in the promo campaign. However as a direct result - all eyes were on Rhys Ifans’ Rasputin. Countless of trailers, posters etc showed a teaser of his most iconic scene in the film: the dancing action sequence and his sword fight with Ralph Fiennes. With all that promotion I think everyone thought he would have far more scenes, and thus end up disappointed.

The critics also have a collective tantrum over the so called ‘tonal changes’. I wonder if these same critics have watched ‘Silent Night’? Because let me tell you: watching The King’s Man is like sailing on a gentle wave compared to the devastating tsunami of SN. The tonal changes aren’t jarring at all. I loved the mix of poignant raw emotional scenes of the WWI battles, the father-son relationship and of course the pure joy and fun watching our maniacal Scottish swearing friend at work behind the scenes. The King’s Man has comedic notes, but after Rasputin’s demise there’s not that many laugh out loud scenes anymore. Which fits with the changing tone of the film as we see the devastating ravages of war and its consequences.

The King’s Man is bombing at the box office sadly and it’s a real shame as it deserves far more credit. I truly hope that Matthew Vaughn will release his extended edition of this one in a couple of years, as he said he had to cut 1 entire hour from the film!

Matthew once again excels at playing the bad guy, so you truly won’t be disappointed by his performance! 💥😆

The King’s Man is out now in theatres and will be released for streaming sometime by end of February.

📷 All pictures belong to Marv Studios / Disney / 20th Cent Fox

So, finally saw King Arthur: Legend of the Sword. 

Thought it would be interesting enough from trailer and especially thought so after saw Ilona Andrews (http://www.ilona-andrews.com/king-arthur/) recommending it as an amazing one 'cuz it isn't the old rehashed tale of romance and Ilona was right ;)

This Arthur really was about Arthur & Sword and it was great! 

It showed the tale in a different way where we had something already known (Arthur, Sword, Camelot etc) & yet presented in new form which does not make it the same as previous Arthur movies.

Action, Arthur, Sword, Magic, Music. I really liked it. Plot was short & to the point. It delivered exactly what it promised. 

Don't know why critics made it out to be so negative and didn't gain as much in cinemas, thus becoming box office bomb when it was entertaining and certainly better than majority of the crap that's usually shown in cinema's. Well, taste certainly differs...

I liked the movie and will re-watch it again :)

CHARLIE’S ANGELS (2019)

Starring Kristen Stewart, Naomi Scott, Ella Balinska, Elizabeth Banks, Djimon Hounsou, Sam Claflin, Noah Centineo, Patrick Stewart, Luis Gerardo Méndez, Jonathan Tucker, Chris Pang, Nat Faxon, Lili Reinhart, Hailee Steinfeld, Aly Raisman, Chloe Kim, Ronda Rousey, Danica Patrick, Laverne Cox, Michael Strahan, Jaclyn Smith and the voice of Robert Clotworthy.

Screenplay by Elizabeth Banks.

Directed by Elizabeth Banks.

Distributed by Columbia Pictures. 119 minutes. Rated PG-13.

The 1970’s introduced us to Charlie’s Angels. They were three tough, beautiful, crime-stopping women (played by Jaclyn Smith, Kate Jackson, and Farrah Fawcett-Majors) who used their femininity – their secret weapon – to take down bad guys. They were iconic, a shadow symbol of big hair and pistols, who took their orders from the mysteriously voiced, but never seen, Charlie. They have remained part of America’s pop culture through late night television re-runs.

The new millennium brought us a new trio of Angels (played by Drew Barrymore, Cameron Diaz and Lucy Liu), with a 2000 reboot. It was fun, and fresh; bringing a new generation of actresses and audiences into the high-tech crime fighter world.

Fast forward nearly 20 years, and Elizabeth Banks brings us the latest set of Angels for the upcoming 2020’s. They are led by Kristen Stewart playing the more carefree, born of privilege, Sabina Wilson and Ella Balinska playing a former MI-6 agent, the highly independent Jane Kano.

This rebooted Angels is filled with girl power, great action scenes (car chases, gun fights, rappelling down from a tower using an umbrella), well-choreographed fight scenes, and big costumes. Money is clearly no issue for their benefactors Townsend Industries as the Angels travel the globe – Rio to Homburg to Berlin to Los Angeles to Turkey – with access to the latest high-tech weaponry and disguises for days.

They pay homage to the former Angels, first in a montage celebrating Bosley’s retirement from the Angels. (This Bosley is played by Patrick Stewart, not to be confused with the Bosley played by Elizabeth Banks and the multiple other onscreen Bosleys…. for as we find out, Bosley is a rank, like Lieutenant, not a name), and then again, in the end credit scenes (be sure to stay for these!)

Sabina and Jane are mismatched from the start, with Jane pushing Sabina off a roof after the first action sequence. Eventually, they build a friendship, becoming protective of one another while protecting scientist-turned-whistleblower Elena Houghlin (played by Naomi Scott). Elena is trying to sidestep her unctuous, misogynistic direct boss Fleming (played by Nat Faxon) to provide safety information regarding the Calysto project – a revolutionary energy source that needs additional safety steps to prevent weaponization.

It’s a farfetched, overplayed story that has been used in countless films in the past (Real Genius, Iron Man). However, Charlie’s Angels is still fun and visually stimulating on the big screen, particularly their take on a misdirection heist scene where the Angels are all dressed in bowl cut haircuts and wacky polka dot outfits that are straight out of The Thomas Crown Affair. The action scenes are made even more fun by the relentless tattooed villain Hobeck (played by Jonathan Tucker), who has gear that rivals only the Angels.

There is some cute, recurrent, on-screen chemistry between Jane and Elena’s lab partner, Langston (played by the ever-adorable Noah Centineo).

At the top of the new character introductions is “The Saint” (played by Luis Gerardo Mendez) – he runs the safe house for the Angels and is able to truly anticipate their every need. Chef, guru, wellness coach – his job is to keep the Angels in tip top form. I dare you to not wish you had a Saint of your own.

While certainly not a great film, or even a great Charlie’s Angels, the 2019 reboot was a fun big screen experience. And in the end, it is nice to see women supporting one another – even before they became a team. In spite of their differences, they didn’t waste energy tearing one another down. It is a nice message for the new decade.

Bonnie Paul

Copyright ©2019 PopEntertainment.com. All rights reserved. Posted: November 15, 2019.

"AQUAMAN" (2018) Review

I realize that over four months had passed since this movie’s release, but . . . better late than never:

"AQUAMAN" (2018) Review Following the failure of "JUSTICE LEAGUE" to storm the box office during the fall of 2017, Warner Brothers Pictures and the DC Extended Universe (DCEU) turned to the franchise's sixth installment to carry it and the studio to both financial and especially critical glory. That movie proved to be 2018's "AQUAMAN". The character of the DC Comics superhero, Aquaman aka Arthur Curry has made extensive appearances in both television and movie animations. His biggest role proved to be one of the main characters of the 1973-1986 Saturday morning animated series, "SUPER FRIENDS". The character also made occasional appearances in the live-action WB (later, the CW) series, "SMALLVILLE". The WB had plans for a series about Aquaman, starring Justin Hartley (who later became known as Oliver Queen aka the Green Arrow on "SMALLVILLE"), but nothing came from it. In the end, it took Zack Snyder to bring Aquaman to the fore as a live-action figure, when he cast actor Jason Momoa in the role for the DCEU franchise. "AQUAMAN" would prove to be Momoa's third appearance in the franchise, after a brief cameo in 2016's "BATMAN V. SUPERMAN: DAWN OF JUSTICE" and a more prominent role in "JUSTICE LEAGUE", the following year. However, "AQUAMAN" is the first film to feature Momoa as the lead in a DCEU film, but also the first movie that is actually about the "King of the Seven Seas". Directed by James Wan, "AQUAMAN" is a two-fold story that explores the drama behind Arthur Curry's family conflicts. The movie also told how Arthur aka Aquaman went on a quest to prevent his half-brother King Orm Marius from uniting the seven undersea kingdoms in order to inflict war upon the surface world. The story begins in 1985, when a Maine lighthouse keeper named Tom Curry rescues a woman who has washed ashore during a storm. The mysterious woman turns out to be Atlanna, Queen of Atlantis, who had left her ocean world to escape an arranged marriage to another member of Atlantean royalty, Orvax. Both Tom and Atlanna fall in love, marry and conceive a child, whom they name Arthur. Unfortunately, Atlantean soldiers manage to find Atlanna. She decides to leave Tom and Arthur behind and return to Atlantis in order to protect them from Orvax's wrath. Over thirty years later, Arthur has become known as the metahuman vigilante, Aquaman. Months after the Justice League's defeat of Steppenwolf, Aquaman prevents a group of pirates led by the father-son team, Jesse and David Kane, from hijacking a Russian Naval Akula-class submarine. Jesse dies during the confrontation with Aquaman, while David, vows revenge against the hero. Meanwhile, Arthur's half-brother, King Orm of Atlantis attempts to convince King Nereus of Xebel to help him unite Atlantis and the other ocean kingdoms for an attack against the surface world for for harming the Earth's oceans. Orm also hopes to solidify his position as Atlantis' king. Nereus's daughter and Orm's fiancee, Princess Mera, heads to the surface to recruit Arthur in stopping Orm's plans against the surface world and to present himself as the true king of Atlantis. Over a year had passed between the release of "JUSTICE LEAGUE" and "AQUAMAN". I noticed that many film critics and moviegoers seemed willing to heap lavish praise on the 2018 film, following the other movie's poor performance and lack of critical acclaim. I will be honest . . . I did not dislike "JUSTICE LEAGUE". I had mixed feelings about it. I still do. But I must admit that "AQUAMAN" is a better film. To a certain extent. "AQUAMAN" is a curious mixture of a family drama, a political film, an Indiana Jones-style adventure and the usual "save-the-planet" scenario. For me, the best aspect of "AQUAMAN" is the family drama that centered around Queen Atlanna. David Leslie Johnson-McGoldrick and Will Beall did an excellent job in conveying the consequences of Atlanna's initial refusal to be dragged into an arranged marriage. Her actions resulted in eventual exile and possible death for her, two sons in conflict with each other, a political vacuum and one of her sons becoming a future costumed hero. The political vacuum left by Atlanna also led to an exciting and action-filled search for a missing magical artifact - the Trident of Atlan, which used to belong to Atlantis' first ruler and had been missing his disappearance. This search would lead Arthur and Mera on a picturesque journey from the Mediterranean region to the depths of the ocean's most elusive worlds, the Kingdom of the Trench. I also liked the fact that Johnson-McGoldrick and Beall's screenplay did not rush in conveying Orm's story arc. They did not rush his efforts to solidify his position on the Atlantean throne or his efforts to convince or coerce the rulers of the other ocean kingdoms to acknowledge and join him in the attack against the surface. And what seemed to be the cherry on the top of this particular story arc is that the two screenwriters managed to utilize Aquaman's other major nemesis - David Kane aka Black Mantis - into Orm's story arc. In doing so, the two screenwriters and director James Wan managed to establish David Kane's own origin story and major conflict against Aquaman for future movies. But what I really liked about "AQUAMAN" is that instead of the outsider or the interloper of a royal court being the main villain, he is the main protagonist. In other words, the main protagonist is the one who shakes up a society and not the villain. I found this refreshing after movies like "THOR" and "BLACK PANTHER". Another aspect of "AQUAMAN" that I enjoyed was the film's visual styles. Bill Brzeski did an excellent job as the film's production designer. I thought he did a competent job in not only re-creating Atlantis and other ocean worlds . . . to an extent. I also enjoyed his designs for those scenes that especially featured Arthur and Mera's adventures in both the Sahara Desert and especially Sicily. Don Burgess' cinematography did a great job in enhancing Brzeski's work. This especially seemed to be the case for his photography of the shooting locations in Australia, Morocco and Italy. I am going to be frank. I am not a big fan of the traditional Aquaman suit . . . at least for Jason Momoa. From a visual perspective, I believe the suit he wore in "JUSTICE LEAGUE" worked better for him. But I must admit that I did enjoy Kym Barrett's designs for the costume worn by Momoa in the Sicily sequence. And I especially enjoyed Ms. Barrett's costumes for the other Atlantean and Xebel characters. Especially those costumes worn by Amber Heard. However, the one aspect of "AQUAMAN" that truly impressed me were the visual effects for the Atlantis scene created by the Industrial Light & Magic (ILM) team led by Jeff White. I mean . . . oh my God! Those visual effects truly blew me away with the sharp colors, beauty and originality, as seen in the images below:

How on earth did the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences fail to nominate White and the ILM team for their work in this film? It is simply criminal that the organization had failed to do this. The performances featured in "AQUAMAN" struck me as either first-rate or solid. I would certainly describe Jason Momoa's portrayal of Arthur Curry aka Aquaman as first-rate. One, the guy has charisma and presence oozing out of his pores. And two, Momoa did a great job in utilizing both his comedic and dramatic skills, when required by the screenplay. However, a part of me wishes there had been more of a balance between comedy and dramatic scenes for the actor. Another first-rate performance came from Amber Heard, who portrayed Princess Mera of Xebel. If I must be honest, I had been impressed by the way she had taken control of her performance in "JUSTICE LEAGUE". Her portrayal of Mera as a strong-willed and commanding personality seemed even stronger in this film. "AQUAMAN" features the second time I have seen Patrick Wilson portray a villain. In this film, he gave a strong and intimidating portrayal of Aquaman's half-brother, King Orm Marius aka Ocean Master. Wilson's character was not as . . . amusing as his character in 2010's "THE A-TEAM", but I must admit that he did a great job in conveying Orm's arrogance and bigotry. Yahya Abdul-Mateen II portrayed the film's other villain, sea pirate-tech specialist David Kane, who will become one of Aquaman's biggest nemesis, Black Mantis. Since he was not the main villain, his presence was not as extensive. But I cannot deny that Abdul-Mateen gave a very intense and memorable performance. I really look forward to seeing him in future DCEU films. "AQUAMAN" also featured strong, yet solid performances from the supporting cast. Those performances include Nicole Kidman, who portrayed Arthur's mother Queen Atlanna; Temeura Morrison as Arthur's father, Tom Curry; Willem Dafoe, who portrayed Arthur's mentor Vulko; Dolph Lundgren as King Nereus of Xebel; Michael Beach as Jesse Kane, pirate leader and father of the future Black Mantis; and Graham MacTavish, who provided the voice for Atlan, the first king of Atlantis. I also wanted to point out Randall Park, who gave a rather funny and entertaining performance as Dr. Stephen Shin, a marine biologist obsessed with finding the lost city of Atlantis. I was surprised to discover that the movie also featured voice performances from the likes of Julie Andrews, Djimon Hounsou and John Rhys-Davies. As much as I enjoyed "AQUAMAN", I had some problems with the film. My biggest problem proved to be director James Wan. I realize that he has managed to establish a positive reputation from the horror flicks he had directed in the past. The problem is that there were times when I found his direction rather clunky. A good example would be the film's opening scene that featured the introduction of Aquaman's parents. It struck me as a bit rushed. Utilizing slow motion scenes can annoy me in any movie. But what I found particularly annoying in "AQUAMAN" was that Wan did not use slow motion in action scenes. Instead, he used it for shots featuring Momoa in various poses . . . as if he was some kind of fashion magazine model. Also, it seemed as if Wan was incapable of going from action to drama to comedy in a seamless way. Perhaps he will be able to flow his scenes a little better as he become more experienced, but I did not sense such a skill in "AQUAMAN". Also, I am a little . . . confused about Queen Atlanna's position in Atlantis society. Was she the ruling monarch when she first met Tom Curry? Was she ever the ruling monarch? Or did Atlantis society forbade women sovereigns and would only allow the royal spouses of a direct female heiress or sovereign to be considered for the throne? The movie never made it clear. According to the movie, one of Orm's major reasons for planning an attack upon the surface world was humanity's pollution of the ocean. Aside from one minor sequence featuring news reports of piles of garbage washing up on many beaches, I feel the movie did not explore the topic of pollution as much as it should have, considering IT WAS one of Orm's reasons to attack humanity. I realize that "AQUAMAN" is at the moment, the DCEU franchise's most successful film. It is the only one that has managed to earn over a billion dollars so far. But do I consider it the best in the franchise? Not really. Between James Wan's uneven direction, some plot points regarding the Queen Atlanna character and the film's use of the pollution topic; it did not quite impress me as I had hoped it would. On the other hand, I found some of Wan's direction rather impressive, especially the action sequences. The visual effects struck me as stunning, the movie featured excellent performances from a cast led by Jason Momoa and I thought screenwriters David Leslie Johnson-McGoldrick and Will Beall wrote a first-rate adventure. I am more than satisfied.

Review : Shazam! (2019)

It’s been an interesting few years for Warner Brothers and their DC properties.  After monumental success with a string of Batman movies, and a cult classic with The Watchmen, Warner Brothers famously made a series of missteps that, short of the success of Wonder Woman, should have buried the studio in regards to comic book films.  With the DCEU’s future in question, a lot is riding on the shoulders of their latest offering, Shazam! 

After a part mystical, part traumatizing experience as a child, Thaddeus Sivana (Mark Strong) has dedicated his life to finding the Rock of Eternity, the hidden dimension he was transported to shortly before a car accident that crippled his father, so that he can prove himself worthy to everyone (most of all, himself).  After years of funding research, Thaddeus re-discovers the temple and the last surviving member of the Council of Seven Wizards (Djimon Hounsou), who himself is on the quest to find a worthy champion as successor of his power.  Thaddeus, in an act of defiance, unleashes and imbibes the power of the Seven Deadly Sins, leaving the wizard nearly defeated.  Meanwhile, a young Philadelphian named Billy Batson (Asher Angel), an orphan after being separated from his mother at a carnival, finds himself placed in a new group home full of loving and eccentric characters : foster parents Rosa (Marta Milans) and Victor (Cooper Andrews), foster sisters Mary (Grace Fulton) and Darla (Faithe Herman), and a trio of foster brothers in the form of Eugene (Ian Chen), Pedro (Jovan Armand) and roommate Freddy (Jack Dylan Grazer).  After standing up for Freddy, Billy finds himself evading the bullies via the subway, and after hiding on a train, Billy finds himself transported to the Rock of Eternity, where he is blessed with the powers of the final wizard, transforming him into Shazam (Zachary Levi) whenever he utters the name.  As Thaddeus searches for ultimate power, the Sins inform him of the emergence of Shazam, leading to an inevitable showdown to see who can wield the power of the Council of Seven Wizards once and for all.

One of Shazam!’s biggest strong points is the multi-faceted villian set we are presented in the form of Thaddeus as host for incarnations of the Seven Deadly Sins.  While Thaddeus is a villian that directly mirrors our protagonist, the Sins represent the larger, intangible threat that the hero must truly overcome in order to set things in order.  The parallel between protagonist and antagonist, in terms of both finding your self-worth and worth in the eyes of others, locks the two together narratively, propelling the journeys forward until their inevitable conflict.  The presentation of these parallels, broken family dynamics and arcs of redemption, though all familiar aspects of the hero’s journey, feel fresh in this film, and really drive home heroic values.

All of that being said, this film is incredibly funny, and equally clever in terms of the way it both presents its narratives and carves its own niche in the DCEU.  The integration of social media rather than traditional media to make Shazam! become legend in the world of the film plays quite well.  The interaction of the last wizard with strangers in his search for a Champion initially being considered ‘mass hysteria’ grounds the fantastic elements of the film, which gives things a real lift once that Pandora’s box is open.  The way that the members of the Justice League and their infamy are peppered throughout the background of the film brings an entirely new batch of subtext to the proceedings, as comparisons of Shazam!’s power set against those members mentioned is a given conclusion, be it in our minds or in explorations by the characters.

After a handful of underwhelming effects in their previous films, Shazam! manages to find its groove with impressive effects that fit well within the film’s aesthetic.  The take on the Sins is unique in terms of design, as they are presented like true monsters, but have recognizable aspects that distinguish them from one another and make them identifiable to their main trait.  The tone is vastly improved compared to the last run of films, with darkness used sparingly rather than as a foundation.  The choice to use Philadelphia in the DCEU is interesting, as DC tends to use towns that mirror actual cities rather than using the real cities they are meant to emulate.

Asher Angel plays a good young lead, having enough youthful vulnerability and stubbornness to offset his ambition and cleverness.  Zachary Levi does a great job of emulating Angel as Billy, similar to Tom Hanks’ ability to play young in Big (which gets a slight nod in the film).  Mark Strong continues to be not only one of my favorite actors, but one of my favorite actors that plays villians, exuding a single-minded focus of redemption that perfectly blindly drives him.  Jack Dylan Grazer carries a ton of both comic and expositional weight, serving as a sort of narrator/clarifying device that exists within the film, but not to the detriment of his performance.  Marta Milans and Cooper Andrews portray solid onscreen chemistry as Billy’s foster parents, with each of the group home kids bringing something unique to the table : Faithe Herman brings tons of cuteness and high energy, Grace Fulton serves as the spiritual and logical foundation of the youngsters, Ian Chen draws the nerd card (and runs with it like a champ, and Jovan Armand brings an observational twist to the strong silent type.  Brief appearances by Djimon Hounsou, Meagan Good, Ross Butler, Adam Brody, D.J. Cotrona, John Glover, Wayne Ward and Andi Osho also turn in memorable performances.  

I went into this with little to no expectations, as the feedback from critics and friends helped quell my trepidation at the DCEU in general.  Hopefully, however, this film will be a permanent step in the right direction in terms of letting each hero have their own feel for their movies, rather than attempting to make second-rate MCU knockoffs.  Definitely worth checking out.

I watched Captain Marvel...and I think I hated it.  A Review

So like, I really hated Captain Marvel.  Well, hate’s a strong word I guess.  But given what it could have been, and what we were given instead, well.  It’s better than Gagnarok, which is faint praise, I suppose given how much I despised the last Thor outing.  

This movie had so much potential.  So. Much. Potential.  Because they actually had the bones of a good movie.  The casting, as per usual for Marvel, was spot on.  They created some really interesting characters who weren’t actually cliches like they very easily could have been.  And the idea of an origin movie that merely exists for its own sake, especially this late in the MCU lineup, is an interesting one. 

Thing is though, this one...well, it sucked.  And I think it’s entirely because of the writing and directing.  It read like a YA version of a Marvel movie.  And it’s the first time in a while that I read reviews and thought “What am I missing?”  Most of the round-up that I saw prior to the movie claimed that Sam Jackson and Ben Mendelsohn were a delight, the humor and nineties references were subtle and delightful, and that the whole movie didn’t force things on you but rather allowed the moments to breathe.  Even here--the majority of the people I follow are gushing over the movie and the relationships and the subtle building of Carol’s backstory and I’m just like....?  Because I got none of that?

Fury, as a character in this movie, makes literally no sense.  He seems a whole lot more like Sam Jackson than Nick Fury, and if this movie was attempting to show us how a young and bouncy Nicholas J. Fury became the jaded leader of SHIELD, than they fucking failed.  Fury cooing over cats and completely trusting aliens makes no sense, and rather than have him grow over the course of the movie into the Nick Fury we see today, he does...none of that?  He was frankly kind of obnoxious, and the amount of moments he dropped a not so quippy one liner the writers desperately wanted us to laugh at made me actively irritated by the end. 

Maria was a fascinating character, or she could have been?  She and Carol are wingmen test pilots, working under a female scientist developing cutting edge technology.  She’s a single mother in the military with a precocious young daughter and together with her best friend they’ve made themselves a family.  Her best friend is then killed in a horrible accident gone wrong, and she...actually I don’t know.  I’m assuming she left the Air Force perhaps because, like Sam Wilson, she had a hard time finding a reason to stay in.  At least that would be what I assume.  And maybe she always thought Carol survived and the Air Force covered up something they shouldn’t have been doing and maybe she took a quiet retirement in return for not asking questions, and maybe she always wondered what happened the day that Carol died.  I don’t know, really, since they don’t ever really allow her to do much of anything except tell Carol who she is 5 times and then suddenly decide to go into space because her daughter told her to.  We were robbed of Maria, is what I’m saying, and I think they could have given us so much more.  (Give me a story where Maria takes the retirement and the payout and moves to Louisiana but never really stops looking for answers because Carol wouldn’t just have died like that and one day she digs too deep and she runs into an Agent named Nick Fury who was looking into something too and together they discover what the Air Force tried to cover up all those years ago.  Frankly, I feel like this should have been the plotline that Earth had sans Carol, but I digress).  

Carol’s team was criminally underused.  Gemma Chan, Jude Law, Djimon Hounsou (and those other dudes)--they had virtually no part.  And it could have been fascinating.  Carol was with them for 6 years.  6 years.  That’s a ridiculously long time actually.  And she has a life there.  At least, we can assume?  She appears to have an apartment (or quarters), access to public transit, etc.  She is close to Jude Law (I refuse to call him Yon Rogg bc that is a fucking stupid name), and she is also, again ostensibly, close to his team (hereafter called Kree Team 6).  The scene with them boarding the plane for their first mission together (which totally did not feel like that at all) was interesting, and a lovely glimpse in to team and the dynamics.   I liked seeing how they fought together, their ethical views (they go out of their way not to hurt the locals/refugees, which we’ll get to later).  And I loved the look into Kree society--it felt more real and grounded than any of the alien societies (beside Asgard) that we’ve seen before.  But we get nothing from them.  Like, Gemma Chan has 3? lines?  Hounsou has maybe 2?  And Jude Law 100% feels like he was supposed to Mar Vel (and likely her lover?) before someone, sometime after way too much of the script had been written, decided not to go that direction.  Which leads me to the next question, of why not?  Because Carol doesn’t need a love interest? I mean, sure I guess, but Thor, Steve, Bruce, and Tony have all had a love interest, and I don’t think it detracted from their stories?  Like, Tony still has his bond with Rhodey, Steve obviously has his with Bucky, Thor is still codependent on Loki.  Would Carol being in a relationship with Jude Law prevent her from having an equally or more important relationship with Maria?  Like, I would have loved for about half the movie to take place with Carol still with the Kree, if only so that we could have felt something of Carol’s relationship and connection with them, which would make the revelations that much more crushing when she does find out.  Like, how much worse is it if Carol has an actual life with them (which has likely only been a little bit shorter than the amount of time she’s been in the Air Force) only to find out it’s all based off a lie?  Only, it wasn’t totally a lie because she had friends and a home and a job and a lover and a life which she wouldn’t have had if they hadn’t taken her, and yet.

I loved Carol.  Or at least, I think I did?  Reviews kept whining that Carol was brainwashed half the movie, which sure, but she was no Bucky Barnes.  And I loved that.  I loved that she has awful nightmares that wake her up and make her seek out her lovermentor to spar, but she is still herself.  Like, she isn’t deadened and unemotional and tormented.  She’s happy and scrappy and sarcastic and goofy and bouncy and a little bit of a hothead and she is still herself.  I loved the scene when she looks at the guy over the newspaper, the sly little half smile she gets when she says “Heroes.  Noble warrior heroes” like she knows she’s being a little bitch and she loves it.  I love that when she knocks on Jude Law’s door at 2:00 in the morning he can’t even pretend to be irritated with her.  I love that she banters with her team and loves her powers and isn’t afraid of dying.  I loved who Brie Larson made her in the spare few moments she had between the awful directing and the horrible lines and the things that didn’t really make sense.  I can’t wait to see her in Endgame, and much like I did with Hawkeye in Civil War, go “Oh, there’s Carol!” because she had been hiding behind a shitty plot and horrible dialog and suffocating directing for far too long.  (Also, I loved her costume and her design and the mohawk is beautiful, and her powers aren’t OP at all.)

Like, imagine if the movie is divided into Carol with the Kree slowly realizing shit ain’t what it seems and the other plotline is Fury and Maria trying to find out wtf is going on, and then they meet up in the climax to take down the bad guys.  We get to know Carol, Maria, and their relationship to each other and everyone else.  Imagine if we didn’t have to guess at literally everything.  And imagine if, in the end, Carol leaves, not because she has to guide the fucking Skrulls to a new home, but because she’s functionally immortal now, and what kind of a life does she have with Maria and Earth any more?  (Like, the movie doesn’t address this at all, but I mean, this is a Thing.  Whether it’s because she’s Kree (wtf did the blood transfusion do?) or because of her powers, she is immortal now, yes?  Or as immortal as Thor or Steve, theoretically.) 

The thing is, the Russo’s and Markus and McFeely are really, really good at taking little things and tiny moments and making us know and understand backstory, and showing us how relationships grow and develop in the things we can’t see or don’t have time to see.  These writers/directors...are not.  They suck, frankly.  Who is Mar Vel, what is her relationship with Carol and Maria, what was Carol’s life like in Kree land, why is Maria retired and living in the Bayou, why is Fury on uppers, how did Carol become a Kree, why did they give her the disk control thingy and why doesn’t she take it off, what did they tell her about her past, and most importantly, WTF with the Skrulls and Kree.  How did you manage to tell us how to feel to for an entire movie while also telling us nothing at all.  (Also, The Russo’s and M&M are good with continuity while still writing new things, while these people, are, again, not.  Like, don’t even get me started on the Tesseract.)

And then, okay, when the Kree Team attacks that first planet to save their operative, they are all super specific about making sure the locals don’t get hurt, they protest the innocent, etc.  Gemma Chan immediately pulls up her rifle when they say they are just civilians, Jude Law goes out of his way to put up a shield to protect his dudes and NOT hurt the locals, and he seems sorta grossed out by Ronan and his zealots.  So...wtf with the “all Kree all evil murdered who kill babies and the Skrulls just want to be with their families.”  Like, it’s so fucking tired.  A twist for twist sake, which if you didn’t see that coming...well, that’s on you.  I’d be much more here for “everyone sucks a little bc people can suck sometimes” rather than the shlocky bullshit family reunion I was forced to endure.  The Skrulls were fucking insufferable frankly, and the entire reveal with Talos and the Skrulls from then on was like an embarrassing episode of Stargate.  

And look, I’m not opposed to humor in Marvel movies. I’m not, I swear!  I legit loved both Antman’s, Peter always fills my heart with smiles, and Sam Wilson refusing to move his seat up made me legit cackle.  I don’t like when I feel like the writers spend an entire movie nudging me in the ribs with increasing brutality while screaming “Isn’t it FUNNY THO???”  Because no, dear writers, no it’s not.  And yes, yes I do get the jokes, but good god could we have a minute?  I mean, by the end, the jokes were literally being telegraphed a few 30 seconds before they dropped.  (The Kree scanning people--Cat, High danger level.  I bet Fury’s going to be...oh yeah, hahaha he is a nonexistent threat isn’t that hilaARIOUS?  No, it’s fucking stupid.)  

It was, frankly, awful.  I hated it, so much so that by the end I couldn’t even muster up enough of a Give a Fuck to care that her callsign was Avenger (and I fucking LOVE callsigns) or care that the stinger had all of my children.  I really didn’t.  This movie was so fucking disappointing because it didn’t have to be bad.  It really didn’t.  If they had hired competent writers and directors (I should have known when they hired the Tomb Raider lady this was going to be awful), they could have made it work.  They really, really could have.  And they didn’t and everyone loves it and I’m happy because shitty butthurt fanboys are being legit gross about this and I want them to be crushed by money, but.  I want the next movie to have better writing and better directing because it’s what we deserve.  I don’t want to have to keep settling, because it’s good enough.  

Film Streaming VF The King's Man 2021

The King's Man (2021)

Titre : The King's Man Lancer : 2021-12-22 Notation : 7.1/10 by 966 users Classification : 131 min. Entreprises : Marv Films Pays : United Kingdom, United States of America langage : English Genre : Action, Adventure, Thriller, War etoiles : Ralph Fiennes, Harris Dickinson, Gemma Arterton, Rhys Ifans, Djimon Hounsou, Matthew Goode Description generale : As a collection of history's worst tyrants and criminal masterminds gather to plot a war to wipe out millions, one man must race against time to stop them.

Regarder Online Download HD

The King's Man Official Teaser Trailer #1 2021

Regarder Online Download HD Voir The King's Man En ligne gratuitement ? [DVD] The King's Man (2021) Film complet Regarder en ligne gratuitement HQ [DvdRip] The King's Man! (2021) Film complet Voir # The King's Man en ligne gratuit 123 Films en ligne !! The King's Man (2021) | Regardez The King's Man En ligne 2021 Film complet gratuit HD.720Px ? Officiel | Netflix | Hulu | Putlockers | ABC | HBO | A&E | La CW | CNN | MOI! | Syfy | RENARD | Images de Walt Disney ? Regarder The King's Man (2021): Film complet en ligne Streaming gratuit | 4K UHD | 1080P Complet HD | 720P HD | MKV | MP4 | DVD | Blu-Ray | REGARDER MAINTENANT ?? / The King's ManCombien de temps dormez vous pendant le film Voir The King's Man (2021) Ils The King's Man, L'histoire et le message etaient phenomenaux dans See The King's Man (2021) . Je n'ai jamais vu un autre film cinq fois comme ca. Revenez le voir une deuxieme fois et faites attention. Voir The King's Man (2021) Film WEB-DL Il s'agit d'un fichier extrait sans perte d'un Streaming Voir The King's Man (2021), comme The King's Man sfilm, Bad Robot, Walt Disney Pictures, etc. Il s'agit egalement d'un film ou d'une emission de television telecharge via un site Web de distribution en ligne. comme iTunes. La qualite est assez bonne car ils ne sont pas re-encodes. Les flux video (H.264 ou H.265) et audio (AC2 / The King's Man (2021) C) sont extraits pour la premiere fois de iTunes ou AMaidenzon Video, puis remixe dans un conteneur MKV sans sacrifier la qualite. Telecharger le film See The King's Man (2021) L'un des impacts les plus importants du film en streaming IndMaidentry a ete sur le DVD indMaidentry, qui a effectivement rempli sa mission avec la vulgarisation du contenu en ligne a partir de The King's Man. L'essor du streaming multimedia a amene les societes de location de DVD a The King's Man As The King's Man. En decembre de 2021, un article du New York Times a publie un article sur The King's Man SfilmDVD Voir The King's Man (2021) s. J'affirme que The King's Man Sfilm continue avec leur DVD Voir The King's Man (2021) Avec 7 millions d'abonnes, ce qui represente une baisse significative par rapport a l'annee precedente. D'autre part, leur vue en streaming The King's Man (2021) compte 422 millions de membres. Dans une etude de Maidenrch 2021 qui evaluait l'impact du streaming de films sur les locations traditionnelles de films DVD, il a ete constate que les personnes interrogees n'achetent plus autant de films DVD, voire jamais. , car la transmission a pris le relais de Maidenrket. Regarder le film Regarder The King's Man (2021), Les telespectateurs ne consideraient pas que la qualite du film etait si differente entre le DVD et le streaming en ligne. Les problemes qui, selon les repondants, devaient etre ameliores avec Movie Streaming comprenaient des fonctions d'avance ou de retour rapide, ainsi que des fonctions de recherche. L'article souligne que la qualite des films en streaming comme sur Maidentry ne fera qu'augmenter avec le temps, car les revenus publicitaires continuent de croitre chaque annee sur Maidentry, ce qui incite a la production de contenu de qualite. The King's Man (2021) Film en ligne Les dechirures Blu-rayor Bluray sont encodees directement a partir du disque Blu-ray en 1080p ou 720p (selon la source de le disque) et Maiden le codec x264. Ils peuvent etre copies a partir de disques BD25 ou BD50 (ou Blu-ray UHD a des resolutions plus elevees). Les BDRips proviennent d'un disque Blu-ray et sont encodes a une resolution inferieure de leur source (c'est-a-dire 1080p a 720p / 576p / 480p). Un BRRip est une video deja codee en resolution HD (generalement 1080p) qui est ensuite transcodee en resolution SD. Regardez The King's Man (2021) Le film BD / BRRip en resolution DVDRip est meilleur malgre tout, car l'encodage de Maidene provient d'une source de meilleure qualite. Les BRRips sont uniquement d'une resolution HD a une resolution SD, ou les BDRips peuvent aller de 2160p a 1080p, etc., tant qu'ils descendent dans la resolution du disque source. Voir The King's Man (2021) Movie Complet BDRip n'est pas un transcodage et peut couler pour l'encodage, mais BRRip ne peut etre telecharge que dans les resolutions SD telles qu'elles sont sont transcodes. Les resolutions BD / BRRips dans DVDRip peuvent vPour varier entre les codecs XviD ou x264 (normalement une taille de 700 Mo et 1,5 Go, ainsi qu'un DVD5 ou DVD9 plus grand : 4,5 Go ou 8,4 Go), la taille varie en fonction de la longueur et de la qualite des sorties video, mais plus la taille est grande, plus Maidene est le codec x264. Telechargement WEB-DLRip The King's Man (2021) Film HD The King's Man (2021) Voir le film complet en ligne Telecharger The King's Man (2021) Film complet en Francais Regarder gratuitement The King's Man (2021) Film complet termine, Regardez The King's Man (2021) Film complet en Francais en ligne Regarder gratuitement The King's Man (2021) Film complet en ligne Voir The King's Man (2021) Film complet en Francais The King's Man (2021) Film complet gratuit Voir The King's Man (2021) Film complet en France Voir en ligne The King's Man (2021) Sous-titre complet du film Regardez The King's Man (2021) Spoiler complet du film Regardez The King's Man (2021) Film complet a telecharger The King's Man (2021) Film complet pour voir le film complet Vidzi Transmettre The King's Man (2021) Film complet Vimeo Regarder gratuitement The King's Man Film complet dailymotion Regardez The King's Man (2021) film complet dailymotion Regarder gratuitement The King's Man 2021 Film complet vimeo Voir The King's Man 2021 Film iTunes complet # 123movies #putlocker #yesmovies #afdah #gratuitmoviesonline #gostream #marvelmoviesinorder # m4ugratuit # m4ugratuit # movies123 # 123moviesgo # 123movies123 # xmovies8 #Regardermoviesonlinegratuit #goodmoviesonnetShare #bestmoviesonamazonprime #netflixtvshows #hulushows #scarymoviesonnetflix #gratuitmoviewebsites #topnetflixmovies #gratuitmoviestreaming # 122gratuitmovies

MCU Re-watch: Captain Marvel (2019)

We're in the homestretch now...with "Endgame" up next, we need to meet Carol Danvers, who will show up there and lend a hand in the battle to finally defeat Thanos. For the first time since the first Captain America flick, we're in a different time period. This one takes us back to 1995, where a young Nick Fury (with two eyes!) and Agent Coulson (yay!) meet Danvers, a Kree warrior who has crashed on Earth in the midst of a war between her people and the shape-shifting Skrulls. Long story short, Carol's not really Kree, she's a military pilot who doesn't remember her past, and she's also fighting on the wrong side; the Skrulls are the good guys.

Other details: we get return appearances from Ronan and a minor Kree warrior named Korath (played by Djimon Hounsou) who both were last seen in "Guardians of the Galaxy." We also learn a little more about the travels of the Tesseract after the military fished it out of the ocean at the end of "Captain America" back in the 1940s. Its power was being used as part of a military experiment called Project Pegasus that ended up giving Danvers her powers and setting this whole plot in motion. By the end of the movie, the Tesseract is safely inside the belly of an alien creature called a Flerken, which looks suspiciously like a domestic house cat that Fury is keeping as a pet called Goose. We also find out that Goose is the reason Fury has only one eye going forward, after it scratches it out.

Two other Avengers-related details: we see Danvers give Fury the pager that he uses at the end of "Infinity War." She tells him to use it only in an emergency. I think half the universe being wiped from existence probably qualifies. Finally, Fury is sitting in his office talking to Coulson about the need to find more heroes like Danvers to help protect Earth from intergalactic threats. He glances down at a photo of Danvers from her military days and notices her jet is stenciled with "Carol 'Avenger' Danvers." The Avengers Initiative is born.

Obligatory Stan Lee cameo: as a train passenger reading the script for Kevin Smith's "Mallrats," which was released the same year this movie takes place, and which Lee himself appeared. Very meta.

Post Credits Stinger: halfway through the credits, Cap, Widow, Falcon, and Banner are huddled around the pager that obviously made it into their hands after Fury activated it at the end of "Infinity War." They don't know what it is, but it was important enough for Fury to activate it so they're trying to track the signal. No need, as Danvers suddenly appears behind them and wants to know what's going on. After the credits, the Flerken coughs up a hairball on Fury's desk and out pops the Tesseract, where SHIELD will keep it safe until Thor takes it to Asgard at the end of "The Avengers."

A dishonor to the acronym LotS

King Arthur: Legend of the Sword

Aww, geez, what a nada story. Two hundred million dollars thrown against the wall to see if it sticks. I don't think anyone here had any passion or vision of the Arthurian mythos. A radical re-envisioning I could take; I might hate it, but I could take it. This is just WB saying "eh, who knows, people might like a King Arthur movie" and Guy Ritchie saying "I like making movies about English hoodlums," so boom, King Arthur is an English hoodlum. That isn't a new take, that's just Mad Libs.

All the cultural cachet and mythology and imagery of King Arthur is used here only as an interchangeable ipecac to bring about the stale, tired regurgitation of monomyth cliches you'd see in any other summer blockbuster. Uther Pendragon is the good guy dad who is betrayed by his closest friend to give the hero daddy issues. The reluctant hero/chosen one bullshit (even after his adopted moms are killed in front of him, Arthur still does the refusal of the call BS. Ten minutes later, he's like "oh, yeah, all my loved ones are dead" and snaps into vengeance mode). The CGI-heavy visions to show the director knows how to do music videos. The endless pep talks. The cynical winks at fan service. Mordred (here no longer Arthur's bastard son, but a "Mage sorcerer") as Emperor Palpatine. A death scene where everything goes super quiet except for a few sound effects. A female lead so ill-defined she doesn't even have a name, but she does legitimately assault Arthur when he mouths off to her to show she's a Strong Female Character. Nothing says feminism like risking grievous bodily harm to the guy you're supposed to protect.

There's some cool imagery and ideas, but I'm chalking it all up to the unsung heroes of the production department. Of the reputed four movies' worth of reshoots, it's clear that they kept all the CGI bits to make a good trailer. Meh.

The fabled Knights of the Round Table are here a pointless collection of interchangeable street ruffians and interchangeable knights, except for Aiden Gillen, and Djimon Hounsou playing the exact same role he has since Gladiator. Thanks, bud. Couldn't have done it without you. I think one or two of them die? They really could've pared this ensemble down to three or four guys and then maybe I could've learned their names or been able to identify a personality among one of them, but I guess we needed a baker's dozen of these guys. None of them even do anything in the climax, it's just Arthur on his own tearing through Jude Law's entire army.

Jude Law would make a pretty good Dr. Doom, though. He's practically playing him here, with the cool armor and billowing cloak.

Speaking of diversity, Arthur trains in a random Shaolin temple in the middle of London? I suppose it's as plausible as wizards and mermaids and all that, but I'm not sure having Asian representation as just a guy who teaches white dudes kung-fu (that they never even use) is really any better than just having another white guy. In the next movie, maybe they can give Arthur a black manservant too, really get some wokeness going in here.

Given the fact that the main thrust of the plot is about a motley crew of outlaws taking on a repressive king, except for some hedged in AD&D stuff that never fails to feel awkward (King Arthur has superpowers! And they're the ability to reenact the Burly Brawl from The Matrix Reloaded with no apparent advance in special effects technology)... you kinda wonder why they didn't just make a Robin Hood movie. I don't think they even call the main character Arthur until the end--all it would take is a little editing and you could practically say this is all about the Merry Men.

For a moment, they start to sequel-tease a battle between Vikings and Camelot which could've been cool, but then nope, the Vikings pussy out and kiss the ring. Lame.

Charles Dance is in this movie for a hot minute, and then disappears, despite the movie specifically pointing out that he betrayed all the good guys, so you'd think they could at least give him a comeuppance. But they do introduce a specific rivalry between Aiden Gillen and the right hand bad guy, three minutes before Littlefinger ices the guy. With all that set-up, how could you not enjoy finally seeing it pay off?

David Beckham (I think) has a really distracting cameo at a pivotal moment in the plot. If that's not him, I apologize.

Not to turn this into an Age of Trump thinkpiece, especially because I think I've seen the exact same thing with Obama, but can we please stop perpetuating the idea that a leader JUST AND ONLY needs to be really nice or "tell it like it is" or whatever, and that the notion that they're experienced or have qualifications is treated as them being "an insider" or "part of the establishment" or de facto corrupt and is to be disparaged? I get what they're going for when they literally mock education in this movie--that a high social status and an Ivy League education aren't necessarily signs of greater intelligence or wisdom than anyone--c.f. Trump--although this is undercut by the fact that Arthur is really the Born King and of higher social status than the nobles they're making fun of.

Point is, I would like just one of these stories to acknowledge that yes, it's important that someone's heart is true and all that, but it's equally important that they know what the fuck they're doing and can actually get stuff done! Otherwise you just get a lame duck that is really popular on social media.

-For a movie with the subtitle 'Legend of the Sword'... to distinguish from all the other King Arthur movies that are no doubt coming out... there doesn't seem to be any actual swordplay in this. Like, I would believe you if you told me Charlie Hunnam didn't learn any fight choreography or anything. He has some fights where he turns into the Flash and Ginsus everyone who's pissed him off, then in the last fight Jude Law turns into a big Frank Frazetta cosplay and fights him mano-e-CGIo. I'm not expecting Errol Flynn here, but what's wrong with just having SAMCRO and the Talented Mr. Ripley learn a fight routine, talk some shit at each other while they go at it, and then end it with a flashy move and a catchy quip? Why does King Arthur LotS need to fight a CGI villain in the middle of a CGI ocean with a CGI sword? If the thinking is that the audience wouldn't be interested in two guys having a swordfight, maybe they shouldn't have made a movie whose milieu suggests that's going to be 90% of the fight scenes!

Il tridente di Aquaman nel nuovo poster IMAX

Il tridente di #Aquaman nel nuovo poster IMAX

Warner Bros e IMAX Corporation hanno rilasciato quest’oggi il poster di Aquaman, il cinecomic diretto da James Wan.

Aquaman sarà diretto da James Wan. Nel cast Jason Momoa, Patrick Wilson, Willem Dafoe, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Temuera Morrison, Nicole Kidman, Dolph Lundgren, Otis Jai Dhanji, Ludi Lin, Djimon Hounsou e Amber Heard.

Sinossi. Un’icona per oltre 70 anni, Aquaman è il re dei…

View On WordPress

'Sherlock Holmes': Guy Ritchie on the Origins of Robert Downey Jr.'s Action-Hero Detective

Some children receive candy or extra screentime as a reward for good behavior. Growing up, Guy Ritchie’s prize was listening to Sherlock Holmes stories on cassette tape. “Someone used to play the stories to me,” the British filmmaker — who most recently directed King Arthur: Legend of the Sword —remembers. “If I was good, I’d get the whole story. If you weren’t, you wouldn’t.” (Watch our video interview with Ritchie above.)

So it’s no wonder that Ritchie eventually went on to bring Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s creation to life on the big screen. 2009’s Sherlock Holmes and its 2011 sequel A Game of Shadows both starred Robert Downey Jr. — still fresh off the initial success of the Iron Man films — as the legendary Baker Street detective, while Jude Law played his right-hand man Dr. Watson. Far from a traditional re-telling of those mysteries, Ritchie’s movies played up Holmes’s action-hero qualities, with plenty of pit fights and explosions. That depiction grew out of his childhood enthusiasm for the character. “I had a vision of who Sherlock Holmes should be and that was really informed by my childhood story sessions,” says the director, who may still reunite with Downey to make a third entry. “I made the movie…that I would want to see. That’s the yardstick I think you have to stick to as a filmmaker.”

Read more from Yahoo Movies

‘Swept Away’: Guy Ritchie Remembers the ‘Painful’ Experience of His 2002 Movie With Ex-Wife Madonna

‘King Arthur: Legend of the Sword’: Guy Ritchie, Charlie Hunnam, and Djimon Hounsou on Modernizing a Classic Tale

‘King Arthur’: Charlie Hunnam and Guy Ritchie Reveal the Story Behind David Beckham’s ‘Impressive’ Cameo