chandean-69762 Reviews

Shrek (2001)

Shrek 2001 Review

[10/10 · 20 May 2021]

"People take one look at me and go "Ah! Help! Run! A big stupid ugly Ogre." They judge me before they even know me ... that's why i'm better off alone." 20 years ago today Shrek was released in theatres so I had to rewatch this childhood classic.

Unironically an animated masterpiece.

I haven't seen this for over a decade but damn this is an amazing film.

It's humor is amazing, it's score is iconic and memorable, the characters are all wonderful, the references to fairy tales (and even The Matrix) are great, it's birthed hundreds of memes, it's stood the test of time, and it's just a classic film that never gets old.

I enjoyed every second discovering new jokes that went over my head whenever I was little, while also filling up my nostalgia tank watching scenes like when Shrek and Fionna blew up animal animal-balloons which I vividly remember seeing as a kid.

From its extensive fairy tale references to its iconic score Shrek really is Dreamworks best work, and honestly one of the best animated movies out there.

Happy 20th Anniversary!

"... And in the morning, i'm making waffles!"

Toy Story 3 (2010)

Toy Story 3 2010 Review

[7/10 · 17 May 2021]

"Well, whatever happens at least we'll be together ... For infinity and beyond." The final 30 minutes of this film are picture perfect, extremely emotional, and pretty mature. It's hands down the best part of the film, and even if you haven't seen the previous Toy Story films, the final act is bound to make you cry no matter what.

Now, that being said I didn't really find the rest of this super engaging.

The new toys are cool and all, Lotso in particular was a really good character and antagonist, but I never felt the same charm I felt with Toy Story 1 and 2 whenever watching this.

I feel like the plot can be pretty forgettable and plain, and nothing super notable happens until those last 30 minutes.

(I honestly really didn't like Spanish Buzz, I thought it was a really overdone gag and overstayed it's welcome.)

All in all this isn't a bad film, I think it's definitely my least favorite Toy Story though, it just feels alittle lackluster until that final act. And boy does that final act hit hard.

This would've been a very well done finale to the Toy Story trilogy, but then we got Toy Story 4, and from what I can remember I actually liked it more than this film weirdly enough.

"So long ... partner."

Spiral (2021)

Spiral: From the Book of Saw 2021 Review

[5/10 · 15 May 2021]

"I ain't see Gump 2?!" Personal Ancedote: My first SAW film in theatres!

I'm a huge SAW nerd. The original SAW is one of my favorite films ever. All of the films (the original through 7) I adore even though I can recognize that they're not the greatest, while Jigsaw was very meh and didn't really impress me or grip me like the first 7 did.

So I think it's safe to say I went into this with low expectations especially after the lackluster Jigsaw. I was pretty skeptical all around, and i'm kind of sad to say I left this feeling pretty disappointed.

Review: Like I said, I went in with pretty low expectations and sadly left disappointed still.

Spiral tends to feel like it's trying too hard to be culturally relevant with some of the current situations going on in the world - the main culprit being police brutality and police reform.

There's even a quote "John Kramer doesn't target cops.", which he does in BOTH Saw II and IV ... sooo .... Now if this film came out 5 years ago I probably wouldn't have batted an eye about it to be completely honest. Just the way they implemented it into the story made it feel very very forced and I couldn't help but feel like "okay we get it" about it. Spiral felt like a film more about police brutality / reform with a touch of SAW in it, more than an actual SAW movie.

I digress...

Chris Rock did surprise me though, his acting definitely isn't Oscars level worthy, but he was a lot better than I was expecting.

Some of the new traps were pretty interesting and wild (like the glass trap) but nothing as wild as Jill's dream trap in Saw: The Final Chapter.

I think where this movie lacks the hardest is it's dialogue. Now the SAW franchise definitely isn't known for its great dialogue or anything, but I couldn't help but notice how awful the dialogue was, it's not even cheesy bad, it's just bad bad.

There's even some odd editing choices like cutting away from trap scenes which I feel like the previous films never really did - or at least to this extent, it felt like it ruined the shock value of those scenes. Even stuff like a random shot of some kids playing in a leaking fire hydrant in the beginning of the film or a shot towards the end of the film that's just a staring at the ground all blurry?

It's sad when the best part of the film is 21 Savage during the end credits. (thank you I definitely did download the song because it's a banger.)

All in all Spiral definitely has its flaws, but it isn't the worst SAW movie out there.

If you're trying to get your SAW fix it's worth seeing for sure, but i'd much rather watch any of the first 7 SAW movies over this one.

Godzilla vs. Destoroyah (1995)

Godzilla vs. Destoroyah 1995 Review

[8/10 · 13 May 2021]

"Destoroyah and Godzilla, now we have two incredible monsters." What a send-off.

The best of the Heisei Era and probably the best Godzilla film so far. (I still prefer Shin over this though) Everything is ramped up and beautifully executed. The best fight scenes we've gotten, the best characters and story we've gotten, and the best score since the original.

I loved the call backs to the Oxygen Destroyer and flashbacks to the OG Godzilla film with handfuls of clips of Dr. Serizawa, it made this film feel like a love letter to the original.

Minilla aka "Junior" in this film looks amazing, I love the more slouched, skinnier, more T-Rex-like appearance he has when compared to his father.

Speaking of his father, Godzilla is the meanest, craziest, and most powerful he's ever been and his presence livens up the screen more than he ever has.

Destoroyah, was also incredible. At first I wasn't too impressed, but once it's fully grown it really lives up to the most fearsome foe Godzilla's faced yet, even more than Mechagodzilla and even more than King Ghidorah.

All in all I was very happy with this Eras send off, it was very well deserved. The Era as a whole was more tonally consistent than the Showa Era, plus I really enjoyed the continuing story with Miki as the main reoccurring character.

This left me with such a sweet taste in my mouth, especially when compared to my more bitter feeling I felt whenever I finished the Showa Era films.

Godzilla vs. Destoroyah is the best Godzilla film since the original, full of amazing characters, a banging score, massive kaiju fights, and a crazy ride of a story.

The final shot gave me chills.

"My work with Godzilla is finished."

Godzilla vs. SpaceGodzilla (1994)

Godzilla vs. Spacegodzilla 1994 Review

[4/10 · 12 May 2021]

"I'm over it." This is definitely the Heisei Eras weakest link.

Godzilla vs. Spacegodzilla was probably my most anticipated out of the Heisei Era Godzilla films because of Spacegodzillas appearance alone, but I was left disappointed. I was struggling to keep my eyes open the entire film, I was extremely bored and uninterested in everything going on which hasn't happened since the earlier Showa Era films.

The Good:

• Godzilla looks the best he's ever looked. He fills up the screen and just his presence alone was one of the best parts of the film.

• Spacegodzillas design was cool
• The movie poster is too good for its own good.

• The final fight is okay-enough
• Mothra

The Bad:

• Spacegodzillas character fell really flat - he never really did anything of recognition which left him feeling very lackluster.

• I was especially uninterested in the Mech, MOGERA, it didn't feel unique and like Spacegodzilla, it never did anything of recognition. It was only comparable to a Power Rangers Megazord.

• Minillas design changed. The cute Minilla we got in Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla II is gone and is replaced with a weirdly bulby cartoon-like version of the OG Minilla.

• The characters were boring and one-dimensional, specifically Yuki who literally refuses to change even though almost dying twice.

• The editing and directing felt super messy and jarring too, it does clean itself up a little in the second half, but the first half jumps around a lot with tons of unnecessary cuts.

• Even the VFX felt a lot worse then previous entries. The Heisei Era only improved its VFX with each film, but this took it back down a couple notches.

• Pacing was really slow.

• A forced "message" about not polluting space even though humans never polluted space for Spacegodzilla to appear - it was either Biollante or Mothra? I mean they literally say it.

Overall I was really let down by this one. By far the worst of the Heisei Era and will fall into probably one of the more forgettable Godzilla films.

Onto Godzilla vs. Destoroyah!

Scott Pilgrim vs. the World (2010)

Scott Pilgrim vs. The World 2010 Review

[9/10 · 11 May 2021]

"When i'm around you, I kind of feel like I'm on drugs. Not that I do drugs. Unless you do drugs, in which case I do them all the time. All of them." Personal Ancedote: I personally know nothing about Scott Pilgrim, the day before today I found out that this is actually based off graphic novels which was a pleasant surprise. I knew the film had some comic book flair to it, but not based off actual comics.

I was originally going to go to the theatre today to see Wrath of Man, but instead I saw they had a showing for Scott Pilgrim for its 10th / 11th anniversary. I couldn't pass up seeing this beloved movie in an actual theatre.

This is definitely a movie worth seeing on the big screen compared to at-home.

Review: Scott Pilgrim vs. The World is a delightful, visually stunning film.

It's a weird comic book / anime / video game hybrid-like film that blends all those genres in such a unique and wonderful way.

It's an understatement to say that this film is extremely visually appealing. From its comic book onomatopoeias to its vibrant color grading this film is pure eye candy.

I don't think there's too much more to say about this film that hasn't already been said? It has some awesome characters, quotable quotes, a great fast paced story, fantastic editing, good comedy, and of course a banging soundtrack / score.

"You were once a ve-gone, but now you will be-gone."

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004)

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind 2004 Review

[9/10 · 10 May 2021]

"How happy is the blameless vestal's lot.

The world forgetting, by the world forgot.

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.

Each Pray'r accepted, and each wish resign'd." Watched this with my Mom today for mother's day as that it's been a movie i've wanted her to see for awhile.

This sticks in my head as Jim Carrey's best performance.

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind is a dream of a film that takes you on an emotional ride thats full of beautiful cinematography, great performances, and an amazing, wonderfully crafted story.

My only complaint is that I think it should've spent less time lingering on Mark Ruffalo / Kursten Dunst / Tom Wikinson's characters towards the last third of the film, but their stories are interesting enough not to totally halt the film.

"Sand is overrated. It's just tiny little rocks."

Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla II (1993)

Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla II 1993 Review

[7/10 · 10 May 2021]

"When mankind's time is over, do you really think they'll come back?" "Even if it takes another 65 million years ... I'm sure they will. They're just waiting ..." New Minilla > Baby Yoda > Baby Grinch > OG Minilla

I wasn't the biggest fan of the other Mecha films (Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla / Terror of Mechagodzilla / King Kong Escapes / Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah) so I wasn't too thrilled going into this. But I was genuinely surprised! This has to be the best of the Mecha films for sure.

Toho seems to be getting a better grasp when crafting their stories. With every new entry each film seems to be getting a more grounded, cohesive, and intriguing plot and this one is no different. There's lots of little twists and turns that keep your attention through the entire runtime and is only complimented by some great characters and even better action scenes. The fight and destruction sequences were top notch and only continue to improve with every film.

Plus, Godzilla is the most badass he's been, even though he gets absolutely thrashed by Mechagodzilla the whole film.

Speaking of Mechagodzilla, this time Toho decided to take a more grounded approach to Mechagodzilla. No more aliens and no more "space metal" - thank the lord. Also, I kind of prefer its OG appearance over its new one, not for any particular reason - I just think the OG looks better.

Overall I think Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla II ended up being a pretty good film, especially in comparison to the previous Mechagodzilla films. Great characters, solid story, and awesome fight / destruction scenes!

Godzilla and Mothra: The Battle for Earth (1992)

Godzilla vs. Mothra 1992 Review

[8/10 · 5 May 2021]

"When Earth's next millennium begins, please take a moment to think about Mothra and us." Im a simple man. I see Mothra, and I smile.

Godzilla vs. Mothra is an environmentally aware Indiana Jones / Godzilla / Mothra film.

I mean, they literally do the same bridge stunt from The Temple of Doom and also the same opening as Raiders of the Lost Ark.

Godzilla vs. Mothra is probably my favorite out of all the Japanese / Toho Godzilla films so far. Of course I feel a little biased because I adore Mothra, but I found this to be the most compelling and solid entry story and character wise that Toho had made thus far.

We get a new Kaiju, Battra. Battra overall was pretty underutilized, but it's design reminded me of a mix between Mothra and a Gremlin so I can't complain.

This film is also packed with action and doesn't wait until the last act of the film to start the fights like the previous Heisei Era Godzilla films have done.

I loved pretty much everything in Godzilla vs. Mothra from the story to the characters, and from the kaiju fights to the score.

It's wild and crazy without being too overbearing like Invasion of Astro-Monster, it has the great fight scenes of Destroy All Monsters, it has the environmentally conscious tones of Godzilla vs. Hedorah, and it has the great quirky story of the original Mothra and Mothra vs. Godzilla combined. What's not to love?

The Mitchells vs. the Machines (2021)

The Mitchell's vs. the Machines 2021 Review

[10/10 · 3 May 2021]

"Well I believe this group of weirdos is the best humanity's got. So let's get weird." Sony Pictures Animation makes their next masterpiece after the stunning and beautiful Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse.

The Mitchell's vs. The Machines is so abundant in emotion. I laughed, I smiled, and I cried ... multiple times. I honestly don't think i've cried this much during a film since The Green Mile.

The animation is extraordinarily beautiful and unique. It's a less comic-booky inspired art style when compared to Into the Spider-Verse, but it still has its little quirks like the pop up illustrations that reminded me of the "BOOM POW" of a comic book but this time it's used mainly to convey emotion and Katie's colorful imagination.

This film is also full of great and meaningful messages. Even smaller messages like Eric Andres character watching Katie's short films saying they bring him joy showing that even smaller content creators can make and brighten up random peoples day. It's all really beautiful.

One thing I did really enjoy is they never shoved down the "technology bad" stereotype that most movies have about technology typically do, it seemed overall pretty subtle even though being directly in your face the whole time. The internet references never felt dated or like they would eventually feel dated too.

The humor is also amazing. Full of gags for all ages to enjoy while also never being too overbearing or out of place which is always something to praise. It's also extremely self-aware! The Furbys and their dialogue was hands down the funniest and most fever dream-like sequence of the whole film.

The Mitchell's vs. The Machines blew away my expectations and is by far the best animated film i've seen since Spider-Man Into the Spider-Verse.

I honestly don't think I could praise this movie enough. I loved every second and may even go in for a second watch with my Mom later today.

This WILL win a Oscar mark my words.

"It isn't illegal if you're good at it!"

Without Remorse (II) (2021)

Without Remorse 2021 Review

[5/10 · 30 April 2021]

"I'll show them what a pawn can do to a king." Without Remorse has some decent action but is pretty lackluster in every other department.

I personally am not fond of Michael B. Jordan as an actor, but I thought he was actually pretty decent in this and kind of carried the film from being too mediocre.

Without Remorse left me with nothing too much to say. It's overall an average action / revenge flick, it just feels extremely cookie-cutter and one dimensional with most of the clichés and tropes you'd expect.

Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah (1991)

Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah 1991 Review

[6/10 · 29 April 2021]

"You say that you can feel Godzilla?" "Yes, whenever I close my eyes I see him as clearly as if he was walking right in front of me." Me too Miki ... me too.

Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah by itself is a great Godzilla origins movie, but you also get some great King Ghidorah action on top of it!

This film goes back to its more goofier roots with UFO's, androids, and time traveling.

The pacing was this films weakest link, it felt extremely long. The first hour of this film heavily drags but then quickens up the pace in the final 40 minutes with one of the best final fights i've seen from this franchise so far. It nearly had me cheering at my TV.

The tone also felt very conflicting. On one side we had the heartfelt stuff with Shindo that pulled at my heart strings, and on the other side we had that laughable chase scene with M-11. Those two scenes in contrast with each other can be jarring to say the least.

Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah definitely isn't the best Godzilla film, but what it lacks in its pacing it makes up for with some great characters and an amazing final fight.

Godzilla vs. Biollante (1989)

Godzilla vs. Biollante 1989 Review

[7/10 · 28 April 2021]

"Godzilla and Biollante aren't monsters. It's the unscrupulous scientists who create them that are monsters." The highlight of this film for me is the destruction sequences and the practical effects which were absolutely stunning and by far the best we've gotten thus far. Biollante itself absolutely blew me away.

Biollante is also one of Godzillas most intriguing and unique foes, Godzilla vs. Biollante brings such a fresh taste to the franchise that was desperately needed after what I thought was a lackluster beginning to the Heisei era with Godzilla 1985. Biollantes origins are also super interesting and whimsical but isn't too absurd to take me out of the film.

We also get some great human characters in this too. Miki Saegusa is by far the most interesting character in the Godzilla franchise and i'm excited to see her character grow in future films. Along with Miki we also get Shu Kuroki who is very charismatic and livens up the screen.

With all that being said, it wouldn't be a Godzilla film without at least one nonsensical side-plot, and we do get that in this film, but it's very small and doesn't weigh the film down too much like it has in previous entries.

I do think the major fault this movie has is definitely its editing, at points it feels all over the place and can be a tad jarring.

Overall Godzilla vs. Biollante is definitely one of the better Godzilla films with a great story for both Godzilla and the humans along with some amazing practical effects and good memorable characters.

Halloween II (1981)

Halloween II 1981 Review

[4/10 · 27 April 2021]

"We're all afraid of the dark inside ourselves." I wasn't a fan of the original Halloween, so it's easy to say that I had little to no expectations going into this.

Halloween II starts right after the events of the first Halloween and it ultimately feels like the same film in a different location. I found Halloween II to be full of lazy, bland storytelling, lackluster 2D characters, and cheap scares just like the original.

Ultimately I wasn't too impressed with this, it's definitely not the worst horror movie i've seen, I just don't think these movies are for me.

It also probably didn't help that I watched this pretty much 6 months after I watched the original considering I feel like this was made to be a double feature.

Up (2009)

Up 2009 Review

[6/10 · 26 April 2021]

"That might sound boring ... but I think the boring stuff is the stuff I remember the most." Up has to be the most over hyped Pixar movie.

First off let me say, the main theme for this film is so good it practically became Pixar's own theme, it's so beautiful.

The first 10 minutes are the peak of the film. Lovely, emotional, and surprisingly mature. After those 10 minutes I don't really care for it anymore as it descends into goofiness.

I found Russell to be an extremely annoying and unlikeable character, (ironic that I used one of his quotes), but I do also really like where his character ends up.

Then we have the dogs, I pretty much despise everything to do with the dogs (Dug especially). I found them used mostly for comedic relief that wasn't needed in the first place, and they serve no larger purpose to the story other than henchmen for the villain.

The villain never clicked with me either, his character seemed overly aggressive and evil for no rhyme or reason.

And then we have Kevin, who singlehandedly saved this film. Her design and personality was just what this film needed. They should've just used Kevin as the comedic relief instead of the dogs in my opinion.

Up very much conflicts me. There are parts in this film that are super beautiful and touching, then we have parts that are overly goofy and unneeded.

Up does have a really nice story, (though mostly forgettable), an iconic score, and of course great animation, it's honestly a good movie, but I feel like the stuff I didn't like heavily outweighed the stuff I did like.

Stowaway (I) (2021)

Stowaway 2021 Review

[6/10 · 23 April 2021]

"We've got some time ... and that's a last resort." I went into this knowing nothing, no trailers or anything, I just logged onto Netflix and saw this as the promoted movie and said "screw it".

Stowaway is a overall pretty decent sci-fi thriller.

Both the acting and the story I found to be good but the film as a whole is heavily dragged down by slow pacing and an overlong runtime.

There are some really cool visuals in the latter half of the film though that gripped my attention before I was surprised by a sudden end to the film.

I feel like the ending will have a lot of people displeased, but it personally didn't bother me too much. It's thought-provoking while also having not a lot to work with ...

All in all Stowaway was a good time. Will I remember anything about it in a week? Probably not.

Mortal Kombat (2021)

Mortal Kombat 2021 Review

[7/10 · 23 April 2021]

"The fate of Earth is in our hands." I had high expectations going in to this film and I left decently satisfied.

It's obvious they wanted to put this out to start a movie franchise, especially now knowing that Joe Taslim, the actor for Sub-Zero, said he's already signed on for four more Mortal Kombat films.

I feel like this is a good launching point, but I can't help but feel a little bit of distaste specifically with the ending because of the "sequel set-up" treatment.

Mortal Kombat, this time around, brought a well needed R-Rating and it delivers on that rating too.

The fights scenes are impactful, bloody, and well choreographed, there's even a super brutal fatality that I was ecstatic to see come to the big screen.

However, I feel like the editing of this film hurts it a lot, it's extremely hit or miss especially with the fight sequences.

There's a sequence when 5 fights are going on at once in two different locations and they constantly switch from fight to fight and location to location and it becomes jarring super fast.

The editing outside of the fights wasn't the greatest either, it's definitely this films weakest link.

Cole Young as our protagonist was a welcome addition to the Mortal Kombat franchise but his character seemed too shrouded in mystery the entire film for little pay off. I'm still asking myself questions about his character.

Everyone else was decently good, the casting for Kano (Josh Lawson) and Kung Lao (Max Huang) was perfect in my opinion, I enjoyed their characters the most.

All in all, Mortal Kombat was more serious when compared to the corny campiness of the previous two films. It's overall decent, it didn't blow me away like I was hoping it would, but it did have some good action and characters, it just got weighed down by some poor editing. There's even some slight references and little easter eggs scattered throughout the film that i'm sure hardcore Mortal Kombat fans will love.

A good launching point for the franchise if they do decide to continue it.

Mortal Kombat: Annihilation (1997)

Mortal Kombat: Annihilation 1997 Review

[1/10 · 22 April 2021]

"It's over! You fools! You've been tricked!" Every aspect of this film is just downright atrocious.

Just like many others have said, this seriously feels and looks like a porn parody of the first film.

The recasting for Raiden and Sonya Blade is pretty jarring, and the dialogue, VFX, editing and story are all laughably terrible all took a nosedive when compared to the first.

It doesn't even feel close to finished movie on top of all that.

Maybe the only thing I think I could give this film credit for is introducing new characters like Sheeva, Shao Kahn, and Jax that are all fan favorites from the video game. This even had Baraka, my second favorite Mortal Kombat character right behind Reptile.

Mortal Kombat: Annihilation has to be all around one of the worst films i've ever seen.

The "dragon fight" at the end is probably the absolutely worst scene in history.

This Is the End (2013)

This is the End 2013 Review

[7/10 · 20 April 2021]

Happy 420!

This is the End is a great apocalyptic stoner-comedy full of good self aware humor and dumb quotable one-liners.

The story is pretty straightforward and simple, but it just works when paired with the stoner humor and some of the ridiculous stuff that happens. The longer it goes on, the more ridiculous it gets. It's the embodiment of dumb fun, it never takes itself too seriously.

Pretty much every scene with Michael Cera is hysterical and the Channing Tatum cameo is ... something.

Overall I had a great time, it's one of the better Seth Rogan / James Franco pair-up films, the dumb self-aware humor and absolutely ridiculousness of this film makes this incredibly enjoyable.

"I bet you hate movies that are universally loved ... like Forrest Gump."

Mortal Kombat (1995)

Mortal Kombat 1995 Review

[5/10 · 20 April 2021]

"The essence of Mortal Kombat is not about death ... but life." Mortal Kombat is filled to the brim with bad acting, terrible dialogue, and horrendous CGi.

But outside of that, what we have here is a film that cares for its source material and is not afraid of showing it. Whether it be Scorpions fire-spitting skull head, or Johnny Cage doing his splits nut-punch, it shows the creator knew and cared about Mortal Kombats origins and ridiculousness.

It doesn't shy away from having a lot of fights too. Although not as bloody and gruesome as you'd expect, they still feel impactful enough to get the point across.

Mortal Kombat pleasantly surprised me with how it stayed with its source material unlike most video game film adaptations. It had a pretty decent story and lots of good fights, but it does suffer from some poor acting and dialogue along with some of the worst CGi i've seen. The Goro animatronic was impressive though!

EDIT: Reptile is my all time favorite Mortal Kombat character so seeing his HORRENDOUS appearance kind of upset me. But then thankfully redeemed it in the end.

Cargo (I) (2017)

Cargo 2017 Review

[7/10 · 18 April 2021]

A netflix zombie movie? How good could it really be?

Well, Cargo ended up exceeding my expectations.

This film uses the zombies more as a worldly risk more than a film that uses them as the focus to drive the story. We instead focus more on Andy as he goes on an emotional journey to find a new home for his baby.

The storytelling is very checkpoint-like, but it's never bothersome because the story itself feels like a video game, meeting new people, going from location to location always felt fresh and something new happened each time to drive Andy to his goal.

I always also pleasantly surprised by some nice cinematography and a great lead performance from Martin Freeman as Andy, which ended up being a nice cherry on top of an already great story.

There are some minor plot holes, and some subplots just never get mentioned again, but it was never anything jarring or kept me asking questions as the film went on.

Cargo is definitely one of the better zombie flicks that i've seen. It's overall very solid!

Also, I heard about this from TikTok from all places.

Zathura: A Space Adventure (2005)

Zathura: A Space Adventure 2005 Review

[6/10 · 17 April 2021]

"... There are some games that you can't play alone." This is pretty much the sci-fi version of Jumanji.

Zathuras story is pretty unoffensive and predictable but it's still has some subtle twists and turns that keep it somewhat fresh.

The VFX impressed me, for a movie made in 2005 I was surprised to see how well the VFX have held up, even to today's standards.

Jon Favreaus directing is amazing as always, although I did find there to be some pacing issues for the majority of the film. It felt a lot longer than it needed to be.

Zathura is a good family sci-fi adventure film. I don't feel as if it's anything too special, but it's a good time overall!

Vanquish (2021)

Vanquish 2021 Review

[1/10 · 16 April 2021]

This movie starts off with a god damn six and a half minute long title / credit sequence ... I think it was telling me not to watch this film ... I should've listened.

Vanquish has a god-awful script that's delivered horribly by all the actors and actresses, it seemed like absolutely nobody wanted to be on set.

It's also filled with probably the ugliest editing i've ever seen in a movie with tons of fading transitions and jarring jump cuts. That combined with gross color grading thats either overly blue, or overly green and yellow that's only comparable to what Mexico looks like in Breaking Bad on steroids.

Audio mixing also seemed to be a problem, some scenes you can hear a knife swinging around or money flipping through a counting machine more than you can hear a person talking.

Vanquish is just horribly made. It's a gross visual experience with an extremely cliché story and terrible acting.

I don't usually like to trash movies like this but holy ... this was bad.

Bionicle: Mask of Light (2003 Video)

Bionicle: Mask of Light 2003 Review

[5/10 · 15 April 2021]

"Unity, Duty, and Destiny." Bionicles were my absolute favorite thing throughout my entire childhood. All the iterations of these beloved toys I adored, all the way up until they were canceled and replaced with the less superior Hero Factory line. I collected every figure in every era, so it's an understatement to say I cherished this film as a kid.

That all goes to say this was not nearly as good as I remember it being. The animation, script, voice acting, and fight scenes are all comically bad.

I wish they went for more of a Lego Movie approach and made the world / characters actual Bionicles, especially for characters like Makuta who honestly has almost no resemblance to its toy counterpart, it just would've made the movie that much better.

Part of this film will always have a special place in my heart because of my love for the Bionicle line of toys and pure nostalgia, but this is honestly a terrible movie.

WALL·E (2008)

WALL-E 2008 Review

[10/10 · 15 April 2021]

"I don't want to survive. I want to live." WALL-E is such an extraordinarily beautiful film.

It's by far Pixar's most ambitious and unique film with very little dialogue, a very serious and important message, and phenomenal animation.

Everything here thrives from the writing, the animation, the score, the direction, it's all beautifully made.

The message is so important in this film. We need to take care of our earth, we need to take care of ourselves, and we need to take care of others. Along with that we need to make our own choices and we need to live.

WALL-E, even though kind of difficult to say because of my love and nostalgia for Finding Nemo, Toy Story 2, and Monsters Inc., may be my all time favorite Pixar film. It's expertly made and such an enjoyable and moving watch.

The cockroach waited in the same spot the whole time waiting for WALL-E ... I nearly cried.

HOT TAKE: Sporks are only used as spoons and never forks. It's basically a less useful spoon and a useless fork.