Inferno

Hello Everyone,

Spoiler Alert!!!!!

     I just talked about Star Trek: Beyond in my last review and I mention that it was a thrilling ride and anyone will enjoy it but this film is totally different. But still just as exciting as Star Trek was and don't worry if you don't like science fiction because this next film is not sci-fi. Though I supposed you can argue it has a bit of science in it. But that is not the same as being a sci-fi movie. Now let's get started with the review of Inferno. 

     So I've been doing these reviews for a while and I just went back through my notes and discovered that I have never wrote about an Tom Hanks film. To me this seems strange because Tom Hanks is my favorite actor and the fact that I haven't written about any of his movies until now is baffling. Well it was bound to happen sooner or later and Inferno is as good as any to begin with. Inferno is the forth book, third film in the Robert Langdon series. Now I haven't read the book but I quite enjoyed the movie. I found this movie a good mystery just like The DaVinci Code and Angels and Demons, the other two Robert Langdon films. But like the first two, Inferno deals a lot with religion and faith. Speaking of the latter all three films are a good test of faith, trying to figure out just what you believe. If you like films about faith and religion or you would like to learn more about the two and discover more about the Bible, then this is the movie for you. And you will find Inferno interesting and engaging and you might discovered what exactly it is you believe in. 

     Although that last part is just a big might but the very least you just might be entertained watching the film. 

     This film hasn't gotten very many good review from critics and what most seem to be saying is while DaVinci Code was about the clues, this one is about the action and comes across like The Bourne film series. And while I see their point it really doesn't turn into The Bourne movies until the end of the second act in to the third. Up until then it was very much about the clues. Especially because it starts out with our main character waking up and not remember where he is or how he even got to be where hes at, and what it going on and what hes been up to. So he has to put the the pieces together and figure out that has happen. Then you get to the end of the second act where it is revealed that the people that contacted him for help had been the ones who set up the whole him not remembering thing and that did turn the movie into The Bourne films. But even when it became less about the clues it was still enjoyable especially because by the time it turned into The Bourne Identity the characters had pretty much figure everything out. It was just about the race to stop the bad guys. Now I have spoiled some of the film for those of you who haven't seen the film but I won't reveal the big twist I'll just that it's a doozy.

     Now Inferno may not be as mysterious as The DaVinci Code or Angels and Demons. It is still a good episode in the Robert Langdon series and the movie makes me want to read the book. Tom Hanks is excellent as usual and I can't wait to see if there will be a next one. For the time being I'll just have to enjoy the ones we do have.

                                                 -Katiejayforever

P.S. Stand by for next review!

Star Trek: Beyond

Hello Everyone,

Spoiler Alert!!!!!

     Time for another movie review and this time around it is a third installment of a franchise that has been around since the mid sixties. Has developed a cult following and has become one of the most well known sci-fi franchises to this very day. With that said let's move on to this review the latest Star Trek film Star Trek: Beyond.

     Now if you don't like sci-fi or you prefer Star Wars than you may want to stop reading this review and check out my review of Star Wars: The Force Awakens or just stop reading for those of you whom just doesn't enjoy sci-fi. So if you guys want to go then go ahead, no hard feelings I won't stop you. For those of you that are still reading then I recommend you see this movie especially if you have seen Star Trek and Star Trek: Into Darkness. You will find the next story just as compelling and entertaining as the previous two. And if you don't then your taking Star Trek too seriously. Sorry I just wanted to say that to all the hard core trekies. You can't take this franchise seriously! Anyway Star Trek: Beyond is great because it's different from the other two. It has different problems and different solutions in solving those problems. And you see different friendships forming that you didn't get to see in the last two films. While at the same time you still see the friendships that formed in Into Darkness. For example while the Kirk-Spock relationship took center stage in the first two, in this one you get to see Spock-Bones interaction and Kirk-Chekov friendship forming. I really enjoyed seeing Spock and Bones getting more screen time together. Because in the original series those two characters were an essential part of the show and their interactions were always funny. Because they were so different and were on opposite sides. Where Bones was on the emotional, human side of things Spock was in the Vulcan, logical side so seeing Bones and Spock interact in the same manner in Beyond was a nice throwback to the original. 

     Even though J.J. Abrams wasn't directing as he was a bit busy working on Star Wars: The Force Awakens, I figured Beyond was still going to be amusing because Simon Pegg was writing it. And Simon Pegg is a super nerd especially when it comes to Star Trek, so I knew he would do a good job with the story. One thing I enjoyed about the story is that in the mix of all the action and character interactions, there is also some comedy and humor in it. I think the best movies are the ones that has a good blend of action where the characters are kick ass and humor where the characters get to show that they are having a good time with each other. Simon Pegg is always great of blending those two elements in his scripts and Star Trek: Beyond is no different.

     Star Trek: Beyond is a great, thrilling and exciting ride and you will find both action packed and entertaining. It's just a shame this film was Anton Yelchin's last role before his tragic passing.

                                               -Katiejayforever
P.S. Stand by for next review!

   

Legend of Tarzan

Hello Everyone,

Spoiler Alert!!!!!

     Well it had been a while since my last review but I have found some free time on my hands, so now is the perfect time for one. This film is not really a major hyped up movie but maybe it should be. I'll leave it up to you to decide everyone's opinion is different. Okay enough with the introduction let's get on with the review of Legend of Tarzan.

     My dad was the one who saw this film first and told me it was good. And when he enjoys a movie, you know its entertaining, he can be rather critical at time as far as movies are concern. I mean he hated the Disney Tarzan almost as much as he hated Disney Lion King. So when he said it was good I knew it was. So when I finally did see it, I also found it an action packed, entertaining, dark movie and I really enjoyed it. Now I haven't read any of the novels but my dad has. So I asked him if Legend of Tarzan were like the books and he told me the feel of the entire film were that of the novels. And now I want to read the books. 

     You might be wondering why I am talking about the feel or look of the film and that is because that is what I liked the most. That it was dark and gritty. It did't hold anything back from showing Tarzan's hands being reshaped like gorilla's from him running on them throughout childhood, to him getting seriously mauled by a gorilla. Heck there was a scene that showed him killing a kid and him admitting he had no mercy or honor. And it really hit its point of darkness when at the climax it showed the villain played by the awesome Christoph Waltz getting eaten by crocodiles. That is some dark stuff right there. The fact that they don't hold anything back is something that doesn't usually happen, most movies have been tamed down to a certain point. 

     But as much as it was dark it did also have some heart to it. With Tarzan loving and wanting to protect Jane and will do anything and everything to get her back once the bad guy took her. But also don't get me wrong Jane is not in any way a damsel in distress she was fully capable of protecting herself. Which is another reason why the film is enjoyable, the female lead is just as strong as the male lead. And because both of the leads are strong, independent characters it make them as a couple much more believable, they love and protect but can also challenge each other and are not afraid to tell each other what they are really feeling. And the chemistry between the actors Alexander Skarsgard (for all you True Blood fans) and Margot Robbie (Suicide Squad played Harley Quinn) was undeniable. They were great together. Also the story was believable as well because even though Tarzan was raised by gorillas doesn't mean there were no other people that lived there. It is Africa there are villages and tribes he would come across. And as far as the villain well there are people that are so greedy they would exploit whatever and whomever for the betterment of their own lives. Legend of Tarzan is a thrill ride that anyone will enjoy but I would not recommend it for kids wait until their older.

                                             -Katiejayforever

P.S. Stand by for next review! 

Captain America: Civil War

Hello Everyone,

Spoiler Alert!!!!!

      Time for another review and unlike the last time, its on a much better film. This film was everything Batman vs. Superman should have been. It was thrilling, funny and the writing was much more engaging and kept you entertained throughout the entire movie. The reason I mention the writing was because everything in the story that was said came back up near the end of the film in contrast to Batman vs. Superman where nothing came back into play and where nothing made sense. Captain America: Civil War was much better written, let's get started with the review.

     So we will just start with the writing and the overall story of the film. What I really enjoyed about the story was that even though you had a superhero versus superhero in this case Captain America versus Iron Man and whom had two different viewpoints, neither viewpoint was wrong. Both Captain America and Iron Man are right in their own way. Iron Man is right when he states that The Avengers are out of control and needs to be handle. This makes sense because if you think about what they can do, its understandable that people would be afraid of them. And its true that they need someone to tell them when enough is enough. On the other hand Captain America is right when he says that the safest hands for that power are still their own. Because I don't know about you but I don't trust the government/military with the power they do have so there's no way I would trust them with more. Plus Captain America is a soldier from World War 2 so he has first hand knowledge and experience of what power can do to man especially when it is in the wrong hands. So yeah in his own way Captain America is also right. Another reason why the writing is so good is because even the bad guy in his twisted way was right especially in the twist ending when he kills the other winter soldiers. I mean if you saw what Bucky could do would you want more of him running around and ones that are even more brutal than Bucky. I didn't think so! And also the bad guy, his plan wasn't to kill the Avengers instead his plan was to get them to kill each other and it nearly works. Which is what they are trying not to do. Up until the end neither Tony Stark or Steve Rogers doesn't want to kill the other one. And even in the end Tony doesn't want to kill Steve, he wants to kill Bucky and Steve is just trying to be the middle man and stop them from killing each other. And in the end they both did see the other's view. It's just a shame we'll have to wait til the Avengers to see how they get past this. The writing is what made this film worked because it kept the audience interested throughout the entire movie. 

     Another part of the film that was enjoyable was that it had a good mix of action and humor. The whole airplane fight scene between the two teams was both kick ass and funny and it supported the two viewpoints and treated them both important equally. I love how they incorporated Spiderman and that Iron Man did not want him to get hurt. Ant Man was hilariously awesome and Black Panther was just awesome. I also liked that even though you had all these heroes, it still focused on Captain America since it still was a Captain America film. That's were Batman vs. Superman failed and Captain America succeeded thus making it a much better movie.

                                               -Katiejayforever

P.S. Stand by for next review!

Batman Vs. Superman: Dawn of Justice

Hello Everyone, 

Spoiler Alert!!!!!

     Well it's that time again for another review. Only this time it is on a movie that was disappointing and that's putting it nicely. Which is a shame because it was much anticipated. And while we all really wanted to like this film and find it enjoyable, that just wasn't the case. And it left most people with a sour taste in their mouths as they walked out of the theater. With all that being said let's get started with the review of the much disappointing Batman Vs. Superman: Dawn of Justice.

     There are many problems with this film but the biggest ones are for me were the writing and directing. Let's start with the writing. First of all it was like they didn't even bother with doing an second draft or a third, or a fourth etc. Like they thought their first draft was the best and they were not going to do any better. And that's just lazy on the writer's part. Second is there is too much build up that it makes the movie boring. In the first act they were trying to introduce Superman whom we did not need an introduction for because we already got one in Man of Steel, so why do it again. They did the same for Lois and Perry White when it wasn't needed. And then they introduce Batman and Lex Luthor and again it wasn't needed, we already know those character. Then to top it off they were introducing Wonder Woman, the Flash, Aquaman and Cyborg and their introductions just get brushed off. They should have saved them for the Justice League, there was just too many characters in this film.

     After all those introductions that slow down the film we finally get our first scene with Bruce Wayne and Clark Kent and it was such a stupid scene because basically they were mad at each other when they didn't have one reason to be mad. So, they meet their mad, Lex does all kinds of crazy shit don't get me started and that's it, that's the whole scene. Here you have two of the best comic book characters meeting for the first time and they don't go anywhere with it, what's the point and the whole movie it like that, too much build up not enough payoff. It;s the same thing when Superman and Batman are fighting and while it is an entertaining scene the payoff is no good because there was all this build up to it and when it actually came it was not an evenly match fight Batman kicked Superman's ass so again what was the point. Oh yeah there was no point! Another problem with the writing there are a lot pf plot holes. For examples Lex stated he ha s been playing Batman for two years but Batman didn't get his letters until two hours before the Batman/Superman fight. So that made no sense at all. Then there was that horrible scene where Lex creates doomsday which was not explained. And that it another plot hole if Lex's plan was to have a Batman kill Superman then w does he even need doomsday. Pointless!

     While Ben Afleck did surprise me and actually was fairly decent at the role of Batman. I would have like to see him acted like Bruce Wayne, the womanizing, playboy instead of just being mad the entire film. But I can't fault him for that, that's on the director. I am talking to you Zack Snyder. Have the characters act like they're supposed to. But if you just want to see Batman and Superman fight, you get that and while that scene is thrilling, the plot just makes no sense and the overall movie just boring and disappointing.

                                              -Katiejayforever

P.S. Stand by for next review!

Marvel Daredevil (Season 1)

Hello Everyone,

Spoiler Alert!!!!!

     Well its time for another review. Now I've been reviewing mostly movies but this time I am reviewing a television show. This time I am reviewing the Netflix original series Daredevil season one. For those of you who have seen the series would know that Netflix is posting season two this Friday. So what could be a better way to get ready for season than a review of season one. The reason I am writing about Daredevil is because I wanted to re-watched the first season before they posted season two and I just finished. So I figured this will be a good way to get other people ready for season two. Now let's get started with the review.

     Before I watched Daredevil the first time I didn't know too much about the character but I still wanted to watch the show. And the first thing that attracted me to the show since the very first minute was right away they established the character was blind. I always enjoy blind characters because it shows they have to overcome what a lot of people have to overcome; losing one sense. So right away the character has to face and overcome a normal problem that many people have to go through in real life. I also enjoy watching how well the actor portrays a blind character. And that actor that plays Daredevil Charlie Cox does a good job at pretending that he cannot see. I read online that he does work with someone to help playing blind and make sure his eyes do not do anything that a non blind person(s) eyes would do. I also like the blind aspect because none of the other characters would suspect him being Daredevil. Because no one gives a second thought about someone that cannot see.

     I also really enjoyed the acting. I think the actors are better in this series than in the Daredevil movie. I just feel the actors in the series are more believable and have their roles down better. But than the writing in the series is also better than the movie. The story is more interesting and captivating to watch. That is the key to having a good show is making sure the writing id strong and that in return will make the acting strong. And the filmmakers of Daredevil did a good job making sure they had a good story thus making the actors able to perform to the best of their ability. One thing to note is that the story is rather dark, but it makes sense because Daredevil is one of the darker heroes. Another thing to point out is that if you think about in the story they created the hero and villain are trying to do the same thing for the city in which they both live. However, they are just on opposite sides of how to make the city a better place thus putting them against one another. Now that's a good story!

     Another thing that I enjoyed about the series is that he is never directly called Daredevil nor is he in the Daredevil costumes until the very last episode. Because you know he is Daredevil, you don't need a different character saying the name every episode. And not seeing in the costume til the end make the build up seeing the costume that much sweeter. Like the hero they do the same with the villain as they never address him as Kingpin, they only ever call him Wilson Fisk. Again you he is Kingpin, you don't need it address every episode. Bottom line Daredevil is just a fun series to watch. 

     Well I hope this review has gotten you excited to watch season two what they posted it tomorrow. Or even to watch or re-watch season one. Until next time!

                                                 -Katiejayforever
P.S. Stand by for next review!

Deadpool

Hello Everyone, 

Spoiler Alert!!!!!

     Well now is the time for another review. I know I haven't posted anything new for a few weeks, I just have been busy. But now I found the time to write. This film I was unsure if it was going to be any good and it really surprised me that it was and it was entertaining. I was expecting the lead actor to just really not being good and just really sucked at the role. But he was in fact surprising good in the film. If they make more films based in this character, I will most likely go and see them. So let's get started with the review of Deadpool.

     Let's start with the material. Now I don't know that much about Deadpool but from what I already knew and from what I looked up online it does seem to be more authentic to the comics then that awful Wolverine: Origins movie. One way from what I found out is that Deadpool does seem to break the forth wall which is what he does throughout the entire film. That had to be my favorite thing about the film because forth wall breaks make the movie or show that you are watching funnier. Just to be clear for those of you who don't know what a forth wall break is? A forth wall break is when a character looks and speaks directing to the audience. Another way the movie seems to be closer to the comics is the character's backstory and how he becomes Deadpool seems to be right on the market. Which is probably the reason the film has been so successful because it follows the source material with accuracy. 

     Now speaking on the acting, Ryan Reynolds really surprised me and was good. Especially because we saw in the Wolverine film where he came across as egotistical and just plain stupid. And we all knew about the Green Lantern fiasco I guess is what you can call it. But unlike those films you actually felt bad for the character and really wanted him to win and Ryan Reynolds did a terrific job at portraying the emotions he was supposed to be feeling. Now for all you Firefly fans out there then you should know that they had Inara, herself Morena Baccarin to play Deadpool's love interest. And she was as lovable and badass as she was in Firefly. Her character could really hold her own against Deadpool and also no matter what he looked like she loved him unconditionally. Which was a really good message for the film. All the actors really played their characters well and played off of each other well. 

     I think the reason the film is so successful and the acting so great is because the movie is well written. Because if the writing is weak then even the best special effects, the best acting etc is not going to make the entire final product any good. This is not the case with Deadpool. The writing is strong and it makes everything else that much better. The film was better then I expected it to be. If you guys do go see it make sure to stay til the end of the credits because there is a fun little scene that will have you laughing before you leave the theater.

                                             -Katiejayforever

P.S. Stand by for next review

The Philadelphia Story

Hello Everyone,

Spoiler Alert!!!!!

     This review I am going to take back in time to 1040 to one of Cary Grant's most well-known films and out of the films I've seen with him, I think it is also one of his best. An interesting note is that Cary Grant's real name was Archibald Leech. Just a bit of trivia for you, so you can say you learned something new. Now if you like comedy, romance or just older movies in general than you will enjoy this film. With that said let's started on this review of The Philadelphia Story.

     You see one of the gifts I got for Christmas is a collection of 20 comedy films so I have plenty of movies to watch. And I like Cary Grant, I think he was a good actor so of course this was going to be one of the first movies I was going to watch. The movies also start Katherine Hepburn and James Stewart. So this movie is not short on talent. All actors performed their parts well, they showed great comical timing but also great emotional chops. And when they were supposed to be falling in love, you could believe they were really falling in love with each other. That's how great all the actors were because they were amusing and believable. 

     But in case the actors are not enough for you to watch The Philadelphia Story perhaps the writing will be. For starters the movie is a romantic comedy and if your looking for a new romantic comedy to watch then you should check out The Philadelphia Story. You will not be disappointed and if you are then your just taking the movie too seriously. If your not a fan of romance but you enjoy comedy then watch for the comedy and not for the romance. Because there are so many funny lines, looks the actors do to make their character funny and like I said above the comical timing the actors have makes the film all the more funnier. So if your having a bad day and need to have a laugh The Philadelphia Story will do just that. And finally if you don't like comedy but you like romance then watch it for the romance. Because even though it has comedy the movie also has lots of romance and it really gets down to the heart and the love the two main characters feel in their own heart. And as the movies progresses it becomes clear that the two main characters have always been in loved with each other. And the amount of chemistry Cary Grant and Katherine Hepburn have with each other is out of this world. It makes the story that much better. If none of what I mention above interest you then watch it to discover that since the filmmakers did not have the technology to do the special effects they have now, that they had to mostly focus on the writing and make sure they had a very solid story, it keeps the audience engaged, makes them laugh and say "Awww" at the same time. Now that is a good story.

     In conclusion The Philadelphia Story may be an older movie but the story still holds up today. It will make you laugh, make you go "Awww" and make you want to have someone you absolutely love in your life. It is a great movie to watch on a cold rainy day.

                                                -Katiejayforever
P.S. Stand by for next review.