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Reviews by: @augustkellerwrites Much like its protagonist, Spider-Man: Homecoming is charming. It lacks the filmmaking spark of the Raimi trilogy, but brings enough freshness to be enjoyable in its own right. First, Tom Holland is an excellent Peter Parker and clearly the most believable high-schooler we've had in the role. The writing helps accentuate this by playing up Parker's teenage duties, plights, and perspective. It also helps that this is a coming-of-age story instead of an origin story. Spider-Man is already established; he just doesn't know where he stands as a hero. This creates a Spider-Man arc that feels new and natural. From a technical standpoint, Spider-Man: Homecoming's inclusion in the MCU is both a blessing and a bind. Marvel Studios has a formula that prevents disaster (like The Amazing Spider-Man 2), but also limits genuine artistry (like Spider-Man 2). The cinematography is adequate, using various mediums, lighting, and camera movement. The soundtrack, casting, and production design dip into the Avengers treasure trove. The special effects are CGI heavy, but mix in practicals too. Plus, the sound design is surprisingly abstract. Altogether, Spider-Man: Homecoming has a strong baseline that is elevated by Holland's charisma, making it a fun spin. Writing: 7/10 Direction: 6/10 Cinematography: 7/10 Acting: 8/10 Editing: 7/10 Sound: 8/10 Score/Soundtrack: 7/10 Production Design: 8/10 Casting: 9/10 Effects: 8/10 Overall Score: 7.5/10 For more of my work: https://guskeller.wixsite.com/moviefilmreviews By @augustkellerwrites

Reviews by: @damoroso4 Doom (2016) Console: Ps4/ Xbox One Release: 2016 Video games come in all shapes and sizes. There's something on offer for pretty much everyone. Some players use gaming to escape the realities of daily life and immerse themselves into a new world. Some use it as an opportunity to put their brains and reflexes to the test with games of skill or strategy. Others play for the challenge- the sense of achievement and the buzz it creates is a huge part of the appeal. But sometimes, after a long hard day at work- a guy just wants to kick back and play Doom. This reboot of the beloved series is an absolute behemoth of a game. A juggernaut which smashes through the First person shooter genre and destroys everything in it's path. From the very moment the game starts, right through to the conclusion of its gory 10 hour+ campaign, the action is hard hitting, fast paced, and relentless. As you'd expect from a Doom game, there's no long drawn out opening cut scenes. No real explanation as to why you're there or what you're doing. You're simply given a pistol, and unleashed on the thousands of Demonic hordes waiting for you. Unlike some of the earlier iterations though- there is actually some semblance of a story here and it's borderline good. But let's face it, no one plays Doom for its gripping plot do they? The game splits it's time between 2 main areas- Mars and Hell- with both having a distinct look and feel which helps to mix things up. Mars is futuristic with an emphasis on man-made structures, buildings, machines and computers. Hell is totally the opposite. Rocky, cavernous, and claustrophobic at times, with lava seemingly spewing from everywhere. Just when one area starts to get a little stale, we switch to the other. It swings back and forth like this for most of the game, and I would say the developers got things perfectly balanced in this regard. The weapons are everything you'd expect to find in a Doom game. With a large variety to choose from, everything except the shoddy starting pistol packs a hell of a punch. The standard rule in modern First person shooter (FPS) games is find a weapon you love, and stick to it- but Doom tears that rulebook to shreds! You will use every gun in your arsenal and you'll be forced to switch between them regularly due to the way the game handles ammo. The ammo is very cleverly distributed throughout the campaign. It never quite feels like there's not enough- but equally there's not an abundance of it either, forcing you to familiarise yourself with all of your offensive options. Doom manages to distinguish itself from others in the genre with a couple of key differences: - Firstly, staying true to Doom's roots- aiming down the sights is not an option here (with the exception of one gun), which seems like a crucial mechanic to be missing when talking about an FPS. For all of you COD and Far Cry players- this definitely takes a bit of getting used to. But once you do, it will feel totally natural. - Then there's the 'stagger' mechanic. After pumping the demons with enough bullets, they glow yellow or blue; this means they're 'staggered'. If you can get close enough to them in this state you can finish them off with a gruesome melee kill. Not only does this look and feel immensely satisfying, but it also rewards you with extra health pickups- useful indeed. - The final ace up Doom's sleeve to set it aside from other FPS games is a returning fan favourite, the chainsaw- a melee weapon which requires fuel canisters to use. You can find these sparsely populating the maps. In another clever move by the developers, killing an enemy with the chainsaw makes them drop a load of ammo for your weapons. Between this and the stagger option, it really adds a welcome new layer of strategy to the otherwise chaotic, frenzied combat. The enemy variety sees lots of returning Doom demons such as the Mancubus- but they never looked quite this good before thanks to the super impressive visuals. We experience every bone crunching melee kill in glorious detail. Powerups and upgrades are handled in the usual Doom way- find a secret area, complete a challenge in a time limit etc. The power ups, particularly the berserk and quad damage, are tremendously useful and, like being reunited with a lost puppy dog; you will be incredibly glad to find them. The upgrades though- truthfully seemed a little pointless. I found myself with lots of unused ones at the end of the game as I just didn't know what to spend them on. Doom is at its best when you're in the heat of battle, mowing down dozens of demons as quickly as they respawn, using any gun that has ammo left, all while staying mobile and not letting them back you into a corner. I haven't experienced such exhilarating encounters in a first person shooter for a very long time. The soundtrack that accompanies these fights is equally thrilling and perfectly matches the pace of the game, keeping the adrenaline pumping throughout. The handful of boss battles are also well put together, and extremely challenging even on normal difficulty. I enjoyed my time with Doom immensely. If you are yet to play this game, or are new to the Series altogether- this is the perfect starting point. The developers have struck a perfect balance between staying true to the 1993 roots and bringing Doom roaring into the 21st century with a reboot they can be extremely proud of. Now.... go raze some hell! Verdict: 8.5/10 By @damoroso4

Reviews by: @augustkellerwrites Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban is the best of the series so far. This is because it takes the strengths of the previous movies (the score, cast, and source material) and unites them with artistic filmmaking. Clearly, Alfonso Cuarón is a directorial step up from Chris Columbus. The imagery is more beautiful because of dramatic lighting, intentional composition, and ambitious camera movement. Meanwhile, there are stylish scene transitions complete with thematic meaning. Lastly, the settings and locations have more depth, which finally worldbuild like the franchise had always strived for. All together, this produces a film that has artistic undertones rather than just light family entertainment. On top of all that, the additions of Gary Oldman and Timothy Spall further strengthen the cast and overall acting in the film. The story is also slightly refreshing because it isn't centered around another Voldemort plot. This gives space for surprises and character development. Throw in mostly good special effects and some creative sound design, and we have an all-around good movie. In the end, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban possesses all the gems that the series has to offer and is the peak film in the franchise. Writing: 7/10 Direction: 8/10 Cinematography: 8/10 Acting: 7/10 Editing: 7/10 Sound: 8/10 Score/Soundtrack: 9/10 Production Design: 10/10 Casting: 9/10 Effects: 8/10 Overall Score: 8.1/10 For more of my work: https://guskeller.wixsite.com/moviefilmreviews By @augustkellerwrites

Reviews by: @damoroso4 Platform: Ps4/ Xbox One/ Nintendo Switch Release: 3rd September 2021 As gamers in the digital age, we're privileged to be given plenty of notice for big new releases. We can see them on the horizon sometimes years in advance. By the time they finally arrive, we've already seen gameplay footage, we have a general idea of plot/ story, and we can ascertain with some confidence whether the games will actually be any good. Creed Champions, however, came from absolutely nowhere. Like a wiley Boxer's cleverly placed punch to the side of the head, it had no warning, no signposting whatsoever. I haven't seen anything from the Rocky franchise released to such little fanfare since the Director's cut of Rocky 5 (eugh- enough said). What makes this even more shocking is the fact that many gamers have been clamouring for a new boxing game for what seems like an eternity. Ever since EA's Fight Night series was shelved following the last instalment Fight Night Champion in 2011, boxing fans have been left with nothing but a few gimmicky boxing/ MMA crossovers to contend with. Hmmm...a new boxing game releases with zero hype, featuring characters from the Rocky franchise, and no one bats an eyelid? Safe to say this is rather suspicious, but nevertheless, being a huge fan of Rocky, boxing and gaming- i wasn't going to let that put me off. So- is this the boxing game we've been patiently waiting for? Spoiler alert- no. Loading this game up, it's extremely evident that it is much more of an Arcade game than a Boxing sim. Everything from the menu layout, the game modes, and character designs, screams 'ARCADE!' The visuals are bright and vibrant, with the characters almost cartoon-like in design, even though they do still share a likeness with their movie counterparts. Diving right into Arcade mode which is the main story mode, you are able to choose from a handful of characters to begin with. Adonis Creed, Rocky Balboa, 1 or 2 from the Creed movies- and more to unlock. You can unlock these either by playing through various characters' story modes, or alternatively, repeatedly fighting the CPU in Versus mode. Each character gets their own story which plays out like a comic book with text and the odd sound effect but no cutscenes. In all honesty- these little segments in between fights serve no real purpose and just slow the action down. You are treated to 1 or 2 training levels throughout the 6 or so fight story mode- and these play out identically to other boxing game training segments. Hit the punch bag in a certain order, tap buttons repeatedly etc. Extremely lazy and unimaginative.... but more worryingly, completely pointless. You literally gain NOTHING from these training segments no matter how well you do. Gameplay is one of the strongest parts of the game. It is very simple, but for the most part pretty fun. You have a light attack and a heavy one. You can dodge, block, and if you time the block right; counter. You also have a special move meter which fills up, and can then be unleashed. Again, all very 'Arcade', which isn't necessarily a bad thing, but if you're looking for tactical battles of skill like those in Fight Night, I'm afraid you're gonna have to keep looking. There's no judge's scorecards here either. The first fighter to be knocked down 4 times, loses. Simple as that. The soundtrack is undoubtedly the game's high point. The iconic tracks from Rocky are put to good use here, playing over menu's, training montages and between fights. There is a good mix here of the classic Rocky themes combined with some of the newer themes from Creed (which also has an awesome soundtrack too). The game's biggest issue is the fact that there is almost zero replayability. Apart from wanting to unlock and see each character's story's, which I cant imagine many will want to do- they're hardly thrilling- the game simply has no reason to keep going back. No online mode. No new game modes. Nothing. If you get the opportunity to play this at a friend's house- give it a go. It will provide you with some light, fun entertainment- with flashes of greatness played out featuring boxing's most iconic soundtrack and characters. However- I hate to say this Boxing fans, but this is not what you've been waiting for. Summary: Arcade style boxer featuring Rocky and Creed characters. Gameplay is fun and simple but gets boring quickly. Lack of replayability and game modes mean after an hour or 2 of playing, despite the soundtrack invoking nostalgia, you will tire quicker than Apollo Creed in Rocky IV. If he dies- he dies. Verdict: 6/10 By @damoroso4

Reviews by: @mr.cinemaaa Project Details Director: Sri Saripalli Written By: Sri Saripalli & V. Vijay Kumar Produced By: 88 Rama Reddy & Adi Reddy T Production Houses: Sree Chitra Movie Makers Cinematography: P.C. Mouli Music Director: Prashanth Vihari Edited By: M. Jesvin Prabu Production Design: Sreeroop Menon & Naresh Timmiri Actions/Stunts: Subbu-Naba & Pruthvi Sekhar Costumes: Kalyani Sound Design: Sync Cinema Choreography: Ajay. S & Jithu Run Time: 2 Hours & 36 Minutes CBFC Rating: "U/A" Direction & Story Raja Vikramarka is a new recruit N.I.A. Officer who is getting accustomed to the nuances of his new job, has to handle his first major case of saving the Home Minister due to ironic circumstances,during the course of which his life takes a drastic turn in all aspects. The story is a bit routine as it has been tried and tested a few times earlier but it had a very good premise with an NIA backdrop. One can easily turn this kind of plot into a gripping thriller with such a premise, but this film never manages to raise the thrill factor. The screenplay is poorly written. The whole treatment is filled with cliches in the narrative part & the comedy part never gels with the plot and looks very forced. Director Sri Saripalli does a very mediocre job with the film. He must have come up with a far more engaging narrative laced with few convincing Few one-liners are well written. characterizations and taut drama. Lead Performances Karthikeya looks perfectly fit and is utterly convincing in the role of an NIA officer. His antics in the comedy scenes are great & he is surely improving as an actor. Newcomer Tanya Ravichandran looks very pretty on screen. Her chemistry with Karthikeya is decent but she needs to improve a lot in terms of acting. Tanikella Bharani as NIA chief is decent in his role but he is completely miscast. A much younger actor could have been more convincing in this particular role. Sudhakar Komakula plays a vital role in the movie and he looks very promising in his parts. Kollywood actor Pasupathy is solid as the main villain. Harsha Vardhan as the Insurance agent manages to bring in a few laughs here and there in the first half. Sai Kumar is just about okay as the Home Minister. The rest of the cast are fine in their respective supporting roles. Detailed Analysis These kinds of thrillers need gripping narration and interesting twists & turns along with some intelligent writing, but the story lacked all of them which is a big minus for the film. Apart from this, none of the roles are written powerfully and executed well on screen. Main scenes like the trap for the villain, the counter trap, & the so-called twist about the villain, everything fell apart as they aren't executed convincingly. The comedy angle for the characters looks very forced as the authenticity of the NIA officers goes for a toss making them look like regular characters. Also, the Maoism element receives very silly treatment. Even the love track looks very poor. The classical dance element & the insurance policy scenes also look forced into the narrative. The whole Home Minister angle is also not appealing as the HM never behaves like an HM, instead, he is shown more like a gully politician. Technical Team Direction: 2/5 Story: 2.5/5 Screenplay: 2/5 Dialogues: 3/5 Music: 3/5 Background Music: 4/5 Production Values: 4/5 Cinematography: 4/5 Editing: 3/5 Production Design: 3.5/5 Sound Design: 4/5 Costumes: 4.5/5 Choreography: 3.5/5 VFX/Graphics: 3.5/5 Plus Points Karthikeya’s Performance Few Action & Comedy Scenes Cinematography & Background Music Interval Twist Minus Points Illogical Plot Unengaging & Predictable Narration Poorly Written Screenplay Weak Execution & Mediocre Direction Zero Thrill Factor Silly Sub Plots Poor Characterizations Songs & Love Track Final Verdict A mission that fails miserably with its writing & execution. P.S.: The characters of the NIA never STAND OUT nor do they BLEND IN. Recommended: 50-50 Mr.Cinema Rating: 2/5 0.5 - Unbearable 1.0 - Avoid 1.5 - Flop 2.0 - Below Average 2.5 - Average 3.0 - Watchable 3.5 - Hit 4.0- Super Hit 4.5 - Blockbuster 5.0 - Mega Hit By @mr.cinemaaa

Reviews by: @movieejunkiee Introduction I saw Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas a few days ago and Omg, this film is weird. When I say weird, I mean puppet lizards eating each other in a bar, hotel rooms with floors filled with what looks like blood, and hotel employees turning into monsters weird. This is probably the weirdest film I have ever seen in my life, and I loved it. Throughout the whole movie your watching two guys who are EXTREMELY high go around Las Vegas and get even higher, and it's entertaining. This movie doesn't just keep you entertained, it makes you laugh, and at times fills you with worry, suspense and dread. It baffles me how this film only got rated 49% on Rotten Tomatoes. This film is excellent. Directing One of my favourite parts about Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas is the directing. Terry Gilliam took an excellent approach to filming this movie and if he hadn't filmed it the way he did the movie would have been painful to watch. Gilliam filmed almost every shot in this film at a dutch angle. The use of the dutch angle in Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas is to make you feel as if you are as high as the characters you are watching. Your sort of watching this whole film through the eyes of the characters and it really makes you feel dizzy and uneasy. Cinematography Also, the cinematography is perfect. Some parts of the film are filmed in very dark and gloomy environments with some vibrant colours, and other parts are filmed with just flat out colourful lighting. One of the most memorable scenes with the use of colourful lighting is when Raoul and Dr. Gonzo pull up in they're car outside the hotel and the camera pans down on them from some really bright and colourful over head lights (shown behind the text). These lights, throughout the movie, are almost blinding which helps indulge you into the world of a druggie even more. Acting The acting in this film is on another level! Johnny Depp and Benicio Del Toro give career defining performances. They also give their best performances that I've seen from them (so far). Johnny Depp, as usual, embodies the character he is playing. You really don't see Depp in this movie at all, you only see Raoul Duke. One of my favourite parts of Depp's performance is his walk. It's so accurate and funny . Del Toro also gave an outstanding performance playing Dr. Gonzo. It's incredible how he could go from not that high to, extremely high to, a guy with the urge to kill, throughout the movie. Those were the only two main roles but Tobey Maguire and Cameron Diaz also make appearances. Soundtrack Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas has one of the best soundtracks I've ever heard for a film. The variety is simply brilliant. From "She's a Lady" by Tom Jones to "Time is Tight" by Booker T. & the M.G.'s, this film has it all. The music helps indulge you into the world's if these two characters even more. You get a feel for what the 70's were like, and how crazy people could get (don't get me wrong, some people are still crazy). The music fits the mood so well, and it's undoubtedly one of the best parts of Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. Narration You can't talk about this cult classic without talking about Johnny Depp's narration. I love the fact that he's narrating over this film as a sober man (I guess) after the couple of crazy nights him and his lawyer had. He tells this crazy story reminiscing the good old days when it was free to be free. He also tells this unforgettable story remembering how he felt while everything was going. It's not the best narrating I've ever heard from a film but it's certainly up there. I also love the fact that Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas knows it's a movie and it doesn't take itself too seriously. Yeah sure, there are a couple of moments here and there that are filled with suspense, but this movie is mainly a comedy, and it WILL make you laugh. Conclusion This is a brilliant cult classic film with amazing directing, acting, cinematography, music and narration that you should definitely watch, if you haven't already (be aware that you're in for a crazy ride). Anyway, thanks for reading today's review. I hope you enjoyed, if so, don't forget to drop a comment with your thoughts on the movie and my review. Btw, I'm sorry for not having uploaded in over a week. I have been extremely busy with exmas, but, now that they're over, I'll be posting much more regularly. By @movieejunkiee

Reviews by: @damoroso4 Kena Bridge of Spirits Console: Ps5 Release: Sept 21st 2021 Kena: Bridge of Spirits is a mixture of 3rd person action and combat, with some light exploration and puzzle elements. You definitely don't need to spend too much time with it before you start to see where it gets it's inspiration from. Developer Ember Lab's timed Ps5 exclusive clearly draws heavily from well-known games that came before it, most noticeably the Zelda franchise. Indeed, if the protagonist were male instead of female- I would almost expect them to be wearing a green cap and wielding a sword and shield. But this is not another of Link's adventures- instead it focuses on Kena, a spirit guide who helps wayward spirits pass over to the other side after death. Despite featuring all the staples of an open world game- a world map, a hub area, fast travel points etc- the game is actually linear by design, presenting you with only the next mission to push towards rather than giving the player freedom of choice. Whether this is a good thing or not probably depends on your preference- but the linear nature of the quest does suit this particular adventure and ensures no time is wasted on side quests designed purely to bloat the game's length. The world map is not big, and Kena's missions and actions are very purposeful. This kind of focus can only really be maintained by taking away the player's ability to go and do side missions or capture checkpoints for a couple of hours like they might do in Far Cry or Zelda. Kena's journey sees her traversing through the forest collecting relics and assisting wayward spirits as she goes. There are certain points during the quest where it's not always obvious how to advance. It might be that you need to climb the branch of a tree that doesn't look at all climbable, or jump across a gap that looks too wide. I'm all for figuring things out on my own, but I definitely felt that hints/ tips to help with progress at a couple of seemingly dead ends would've gone a long way here, especially for younger gamers who will inevitably be drawn to the game's cartoony 'Pixar' feel. We don't really find out too much about Kena herself, and when the end credits rolled i still found myself wondering about her backstory and who she was. Whether this was done intentionally or not, it does mean that there is some distance between the player and Kena which can't really be closed. The story and setting has a really unique tone and feel. The forest in which the game is based is beautiful and danger lurks round every corner. This aesthetic is perfectly complimented by a haunting soundtrack, with heavy use of windchimes really helping to capture the mood and get you into an almost zen like state at times while playing. On her travels, Kena befriends a group of forest creatures called 'the rot'- cute little black blobs which wouldn't look at all out of place in a Pixar movie. Aside from being cute though, they do actually prove valuable as she can use them to do various things such as move and interact with objects, or utilise them in combat to distract the enemy giving her the upper hand. Aside from the rot mechanic, the gameplay is largely nice and straightforward- it seems a growing number of developers are adopting a more simple approach to combat which allows them to focus on tight, responsive controls, and it works well here for the most part. Kena has all of the expected moves in her repertoire- a light and heavy melee attack; a dodge, and a bow for long range. She can combine some of these to devastating effect, and of course she can also upgrade them using currency she finds around the world. Certain elements of her movement are slightly sluggish however- most noticeably the double jump. Jumping for a 2nd time in mid air is a staple of 3rd person platformers over recent years and is designed to improve movement and distance covered, however, here it inexplicably slows your momentum almost to a halt. This makes jumping long distances a lot trickier than it should be. Her running animation is also a little rigid, and at times she gets caught in a falling animation when she just misses a jump and lands between 2 surfaces. Kena: Bridge of Spirits undoubtedly shines brightest during it's many boss encounters. Dark Souls wouldn't necessarily be the first thing that springs to mind when you're playing this game, but these brilliant and varied boss battles are definitely pulled straight from the Fromsoftware handbook. Almost all of them are a test of skill and patience, with the difficulty growing with every encounter as the game progresses. It's refreshing to be able to play this game on standard difficulty and not just stroll through it as you can with so many games today. These battles have clearly had a great deal of thought put into them, and it really pays off. I thoroughly enjoyed my 9 or so hours spent with Kena. Not every game has to be a 40 hour marathon- and Kena is an example of a tightly-woven single player experience that has had all the fat trimmed off it, with no pointless filler- it deserves to be commended for that (as well as having a reduced price point to match!). While it isn't ground breaking in any way, and covers very familiar ground- it's a great example of the benefits of sticking to a winning formula. Pro's: - incredible visuals - memorable soundtrack - simple, effective gameplay - brilliant boss battles - compact game length ensures no filler side quests Con's: - re-treads very familiar ground - clunky movement at times, especially the double jump - Kena herself lacks backstory and distinguishable character traits - couple of seemingly dead ends with no hints or tips to help. Summary: With it's eye catching visuals, a haunting and memorable soundtrack, and incredible boss battles- everyone should experience Kena: Bridge of Spirits for themselves. Despite a lack of originality, a couple of clunky movement/ design issues, and a protagonist who isn't properly fleshed out- it is still well worth your time. Verdict: 8/10 By @damoroso4

Reviews by: @thefilmobservatory @mcneill.and.friends.podcast @_flasheandocine_ @picturesinflow 3.5/5 Musical/Drama On the verge of turning 30, young musical theatre composer Jonathan Larson (Andrew Garfield) fears that time is running out, as his creative obsession crumbles his relationships and wellbeing. Now, I love Lin-Manuel Miranda but was cautious about how he’d fare at the head of this film, as it’s often not a good sign when a prolific actor suddenly decides to debut as a director, the opportunity for which comes easy because of their fame. However, Miranda doesn’t disappoint here and one of the main appeals of tick, tick…BOOM! (TTB) is that he makes the film feel like a passion project, wholly imprinting it with a sensitively affectionate touch. I don’t believe that TTB is devoid of flaws and it does conform to plenty of cheesy musical theatre conventions but the film does present something genuinely interesting to say about the creative process and how extreme procrastination affects the mind. The constant ticking in the film transcends existence as a clever gimmick and instead adds a palpable layer of rising tension to Larson’s story, as every second spent not getting closer to his overall goal sees him sink further and further into ultimate unhappiness. While films like Whiplash tell a story about artistic obsession better and more ‘gut-punchingly’, TTB’s central concept and themes massively elevate it and make this musical surprisingly memorable. For those who don’t know, Jonathan Larson massively inspired Miranda, as the former wrote Rent which exposed him to a little explored side of what musical theatre could be, obviously leading to In the Heights and then Hamilton. Larson wrote TTB prior to his main break-out, but sadly died tragically young in 1996, just before Rent began its run of previews. Without Larson’s ground-breaking work, there may have not been Miranda’s massively successful career so his intertwining with Larson’s story really made him the perfect person to adapt TTB and the results are quite moving. This is actually mirrored too by the masterful Stephen Sondheim (warmly played by Bradley Whitford in the film) being Larson’s inspiration, leading to an intriguing intergenerational chain about how creativity is influenced, and how important that influence is. On a side note, R.I.P. Stephen Sondheim and thank you for bringing happiness to so many around the world. With Miranda’s TTB and Steven Spielberg’s West Side Story, I’m so glad to see that Larson and Sondheim’s works are being each further immortalised this year, as it’s crucial to remember and preserve the roots of what has become modern art because none of it can exist in an isolated bubble. Everybody is a product of their surroundings so we can naturally connect with the reasoning for Miranda’s deep admiration and respect for Larson, and furthermore Sondheim. Since I’ve now discussed one of the strongest elements, I’d like to talk about the strongest, which is Andrew Garfield. Plain and simple. The audacity of him to already be a phenomenal actor and then suddenly show the world that he can sing like an angel, as if the former wasn’t enough. When I heard Oscar buzz for Garfield potentially getting a Best Actor nomination, I was initially surprised because TTB is well-made and engaging but doesn’t generally strike me as an awards-worthy film. However, I realise that he probably would deserve it, especially after seeing some videos of Jonathan Larson originally performing TTB compared to Garfield, who brilliantly captures his mannerisms, vocals and appearance. Funnily enough, TTB’s ensemble is actually one of its weaker points in my eyes, as most of the cast only does a pretty standard job with the prominent exception of Garfield, who infuses unprecedented levels of charisma into the film, ultimately saving the overall acting from mediocrity. I was never bored during this film because of how much of a magnetic performer Garfield is, who unsurprisingly also excelled in the emotional climaxes. Larson’s bond with his best friend Michael (Robin de Jesus, who was Sonny in the original production of In the Heights) leads to the fantastic, nostalgically melancholy ‘Why’, performed on a piano at night-time in an empty stadium. This quieter ballad is one of the better songs, as it’s elevated by the emotional potency coming off of an upsetting realisation, and it works because Larson and Michael’s dynamic is drawn out well. However, Larson’s relationship with his girlfriend Susan (Alexandra Shipp), a practised dancer, unfortunately doesn’t achieve the same effect. This is partly because Susan asserts her independent identity by saying that she doesn’t want them to be viewed as ‘Jonathan Larson and the girlfriend’ but, with limited screentime and own characterisation, Miranda ironically makes it so that she doesn’t surpass that basic archetype. It’s not quite as noticeable with Michael but he also doesn’t get enough development to really stand out in the story as his own person. While, to an extent, this can be argued to reflect Larson’s self-obsessive mindset that the story is always centred around him, it doesn’t help that Shipp and Jesus don’t really deliver particularly original performances, and are working with a fairly run-of-the-mill script. The acting largely feels frustratingly conventional, so it’s a good thing that this is a musical film and there must be some breath-takingly brilliant music to sustain the energy, right? Well, yes and no. To avoid sugar-coating my thoughts, I think that TTB’s soundtrack works well when watching the film but it’s not long, memorable or original enough for me to go and listen to it repeatedly, like I did with other musicals, such as Miranda’s own work and La La Land. There are standouts, such as the vibrant, relatable ‘30/90’, the catchy, enjoyable ‘Boho Days’, and the ingeniously passive-aggressive couples’ quarrel in ‘Therapy’. The ‘Sunday’ diner scene has been a bit overhyped, but I still loved the cameos (I won’t mention any names, as this is a spoiler-free review). My most controversial hot take might be that I think this film lacks a showstopper or distinctive banger, as I found ‘Come to Your Senses’, which Larson spends a massive part of the film working on, pretty underwhelming and a little generic for musical theatre. Towards the end though, ‘Louder Than Words’ nicely ties in lyrical ideas presented throughout the film to go out on a comparative high. The limited length isn’t too problematic in the context of watching the film because there are many dramatic scenes and moments to fill in the gaps but, as a soundtrack, TTB’s biggest weakness is simply how short it is, leaving it not even close to an epic behemoth like Hamilton. However, it could be argued that such a comparison is pointless, as this film centres around the much smaller-scale story of Jonathan Larson’s experience as an artist, which is executed confidently by Miranda. Miranda employs an effective framing device, in which Garfield’s Larson seems to be narrating and performing TTB to an onscreen audience, while the film’s viewer is also presented with the described events coming to life as they were actually happening. This means that we get Larson’s story, as well as his retrospective commentary, intuitively produced by Miranda to add an interesting layer of complexity to the structure of the film. As for the musicians onstage with Larson, I thought that Joshua Henry sounded like an angel and Vanessa Hudgens channelled much energy into her performance, especially in ‘Therapy’, where she was duetting with Garfield and singing as the equivalent of Susan. As a director, Miranda also demonstrates an astute eye for visual flair, with some really creative ideas such as the sheet music written on the base of a swimming pool standing out. The film isn’t very ‘dance-heavy’ but the brief spurts of choreography were joyful and electric. Even if TTB wasn’t a good film, the central concept of a metaphorical ticking representing the overwhelming pressure that Larson feels as an artist would still be really unique and resonate with many creatives all over the world. Since nobody tries to force Larson to write anything, the film becomes an engaging study of the ‘tortured artist’, whose biggest hindrance is themselves, and Garfield manages to overshadow the occasional cheesiness in the script and convey this internal conflict in a manner that feels very real. My last criticism is a more minor one, which is that TTB can feel thematically indecisive. While Larson went on to make Rent ahead of its time and tackle relevant social issues in a fresh manner, the way that this film addresses, for example, the HIV crisis in the USA especially during the ’80s and ’90s felt unsure about whether it wanted to commit to this as a subplot or not. People that Larson knew had died or were in danger to it but it wasn’t consistently depicted as a major part of the film, and felt like it was a bit of an afterthought. TTB didn’t have to serve as a social commentary on HIV and the detrimental taboos surrounding it but it made the mistake of introducing the idea and then occasionally ignoring it at the narrative’s convenience to instead keep focusing on Larson. However, this was definitely just a small qualm and it didn’t take away from the overall sum of what TTB gets right. In conclusion, Miranda’s directorial debut is a humble treat. The film is wonderful as a tribute to Jonathan Larson without ever becoming saccharine, and Andrew Garfield’s explosive (you’re not getting away from my hilarious puns this time) charisma prevents it from becoming at all boring. I recommend tick, tick…BOOM! specifically to fans of musicals but I think that casual viewers may find themselves pleasantly surprised too. By @thefilmobservatory Score: 8.5/10 I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed tick, tick…BOOM! Before I learned this film was being released, I was not familiar with Jonathan Larson, and musicals tend to be a hit or miss for me, so I did not know what to expect from this movie. There are many elements of this film I thoroughly enjoyed though, and I found it to be an extremely impressive directorial debut from Lin-Manuel Miranda. tick, tick…BOOM! tells a very captivating story about the creative process through the perspective of a theater composer. During this story, we learn about the struggles Jonathan Larson experienced as an artist as well as the struggles in his personal life. More importantly, though, tick, tick…BOOM! is ultimately about how Larson is able to accept his ambitions and discover a balance in life, despite having many unanswered questions. It is no secret that Andrew Garfield is one of the most charismatic actors working today, and he gives, arguably, his best performance yet in this film. Garfield learned to sing and play piano for this role, and he absolutely nailed every song. I am extremely surprised to see how talented of a musician he has become. Furthermore, he delivers some of the most emotional scenes of his career in this movie and each moment packs a punch, especially during the third act. Obviously, tick, tick…BOOM! is a musical, and the music is phenomenal. The songs are incredibly catchy, and I think this is one of the best soundtracks of the year. Many musical numbers are highly engaging and filled with energy while others are emotive and powerful. The musical genre of the film never comes across as cheesy, so that is an automatic win in my book. By @mcneill.and.friends.podcast Jonathan Larson es un aspirante a compositor de obras teatrales que poco antes de cumplir 30 años, lidia con el amor, la amistad y la presión de crear algo genial, y preguntándose si su sueño merece la pena. Opinión: Esta película es un musical dinámico, que nos cuenta un fragmento de la vida de Jonathan Larson, un dramaturgo de 29 años que se siente presionado a crear la mejor obra de teatro de Broadway. En esta historia se nos muestra como alguien se puede sentir tan presionado por el tiempo, porque si, el mayor peso que tiene nuestro protagonista es su carrera contra el tiempo, ya que él siente que si no crea algo nuevo y original antes de sus 30 no será alguien en la vida. Esto nos lo explican bastante claro al principio del film y ese (a veces imperceptible) sonido de reloj de fondo, que nos explica que se le está acabando el tiempo. No solo lidia con esta presión, sino también que tiene problema con su novia, ya que ella quiere seguir adelante con su vida buscando un nuevo trabajo y alejándose de la ciudad de Nueva York. Y Jonathan no está listo para sentarse a hablar que no sea otra cosa que su obra, ya que en menos de una semana será la presentación de su obra, ante un grupo de productores y amigos, para ver quien quiere producir su tan esperada obra. Esto a su novia no le gusta nada, ya que ella va a seguir adelante con su vida con él o no. Otros de los problemas con los que lidea Jonathan son, las muertes de sus amigos, ya que en los últimos años fallecieron 3 de ellos a edades muy cortas. Esto, incrementa más el miedo de que si, antes de los 30 no hace algo importante de su vida, sienta que desperdicio toda su juventud en un sueño que no sirvió de nada. En resumen, no soy muy fanático de los musicales, pero esta película sinceramente me conmovió. Me sentí muy reflejado con el papel de Andrew Garfield, ese constante temor de si estamos yendo hacía bien camino con nuestros sueños, o si solo estamos malgastando nuestro tiempo en algo que nunca va a ocurrir. También me conmovió mucho el final, porque después de ver todo lo que sacrifico nuestro protagonista para hacer su obra musical, (SPOILER) al final él nunca pudo vivir el éxito de su obra, la cual fue ¨RENT¨. Esa angustia que me genero el final, más con la melodía de ¨feliz cumpleaños¨ de fondo, hacía tiempo que una película no generaba eso en mí. Sin embargo, no todo es angustia o momentos tristes en esta película, ya que el resto de sus canciones son fantásticas y funcionan muy bien para la película como si quisieras escucharlas por tu cuenta. Así que nada, es una película que genera una montaña de emociones y de mis favoritas del 2021 sin dudas. . Puntuaciones: IMDB: 7.8 Rotten Tomatoes: 88% SensaCine: 3.8/5 . Lugares para ver la película: Netflix, Cuevana3. By @_flasheandocine_ Tick, tick… BOOM! is a film about the struggles of giving it all about something you believe, while watching all your friends advancing in their respective careers. Set back after set back and at the end there is still a chance that it won’t work out. The story of Jonathan Larson (Played by Andrew Garfield) is tragic and, at the same time, very wholesome. Andrew takes the center stage in a role that takes serious acting, mixed with tragic and comedic nuances and I just have to Robin de Jesus who was a stand-out as well. With the film being a musical, one would expect songs which are left stuck after the runtime is over. Every single one is great, sticking with you after the film is over and, probably most importantly, they cover what is happening in the film. The other aspect were the interiors and overall production design. To achieve an overall great film, every aspect needs to achieve great heights, each one was done great, just some were bigger standouts. Very few people are interested in musicals as is and those who are can be extremely picky of which one is great and not. Tick, tick… Boom! lands squarely in the above average category, while satisfying watchers with great songs and many emotions. By @picturesinflow

Reviews by: @augustkellerwrites @icwtadpod Spider-Man pioneered modern superhero movies because it provided a lucrative template that is frequently parroted today. However, despite the copycats, Spider-Man stands out because it lacks the cynicism that has become the norm. There is no sign of cinematic universes. There is little merchandising or fan service. Really, it's just an origin story being told, which is oddly refreshing. It's hardly original, but the fact that it isn't treated as a stepping stone has become rare with superhero movies. Thorough characters, quotable dialogue, and memorable moments are hard to come by these days. Furthermore, Spider-Man is made with significant craft. Director Sam Raimi elevates the project in a way that is sorely missed today. The cinematography is packed with motion, even during innocuous establishing shots. The editing is equally energetic, using flashy transitions and montages as opportunities to spice things up. The sound design is complex during battles, subtle during emotional beats, and abstract during moments of discovery. Meanwhile, the soundtrack and cast are noticeably excellent (shout out to Danny Elfman, JK Simmons, and Willem Dafoe). All together, this makes Spider-Man a classic film that's often imitated but never replicated. Writing: 7/10 Direction: 9/10 Cinematography: 8/10 Acting: 8/10 Editing: 9/10 Sound: 9/10 Score/Soundtrack: 9/10 Production Design: 8/10 Casting: 9/10 Effects: 8/10 Overall Score: 8.4/10 For more of my work: https://guskeller.wixsite.com/moviefilmreviews By @augustkellerwrites Let’s be clear. I’m not an avid comic reader, but I love comic book movies, and while I can never exactly pinpoint where my love for film started overall, I know exactly when it began regarding superhero movies. It all started when I got my hands on a VHS and experienced a young man gain superpowered abilities courtesy of a particularly unique arachnid, all while trying to find his path in life, deal with a psychotic killer who just so happens to be his best friend’s father, strive to win the heart of the girl next door, and all the while come to understand exactly what his dear uncle meant when he uttered these six simple words to him, “with great power comes great responsibility.” I don’t think it takes much more to make clear how much I adore this movie and how much it means to me personally. It’s not only one of my favorite comic book superhero movies ever, but it may just be one of my favorite movies of all time. This was my first exposure to the Web Slinger and it very well proved to be the catalyst that propelled him to being my favorite superhero till this day. And everytime I watch it, I never get sick of it. I even find myself quoting lines out loud because of how many times I’ve seen it. Everything clicks. The origin story is done so well in the first hour, and yet we still get a solid film the whole way through. There’s so much heart put into this film, and it hits all the right notes. It’s funny when the levity is needed, serious when the moment calls for it, emotional when some heart strings need to be pulled, and above all, it’s inspiring. The story of Peter Parker is an impactful tale when done right, and this, for me, is one of those instances. Of course, despite all that works for me, some aspects of the film are pretty dated (the “cute outfit” line comes to mind in that regard.) Overall, this film always holds a special place in my heart and that is something that I doubt will ever change. By @icwtadpod

My precious... Follow your passion — the oh so inspiring sage piece of advice that changes people's lifes. One Oscar acceptance speech after another "follow your passion"... the greats talk and have spoken about passion. But when does passion become an obsession? When does love become the ugly face of jealousy, when does ambition become a self-destructive frenzy obliterating everyone in its perimeter? The bordes fade and become blurred — the obsessed are being celebrated, the passionate are laughed at. You have to become your goal in order to fulfill it, you have to work harder, longer, better, faster than anyone else. Otherwise you're a nobody, a failure, a rotten piece of unmet potential having squandered the only thing that matters — greatness. Possessed by the beauty of an idea, an eager desire — the hope in mind of transcending this contemptible present self that you are the only witness to experiencing the warped never-ending rise of success and failure — please god, not failure. Cathartic utopia Those watching the unstoppable nightmare unfold on screen hope for redemption — a happy ending, catharsis maybe. We watch them descend into their cave of irrational obsessive madness hoping for them to climb back out reaching for the sun leaving the shadows behind. But once the all-consuming force has poisened the core, catharsis becomes a utopian wish uttered only softly and quietly into the noise of the compulsive mania that has taken over. What does it mean to achieve a goal — is the mere achievement of said goal no matter the consequences an indisputable and final success? Some will run blindly into their fate conquering their mountain in the end dyingly, no breaths left to breathe, no goals left to achieve. Can that be considered a victory? Having slain the dragon, but going down with it, alongside the monster — maybe even having become one yourself. Can that be considered honorable? Then what would be the alternative — to give up?... hm. BLACK SWAN — ballett obsession — the psychological and physical décadence behind the facade of beauty and grace WHIPLASH — musical obsession — a drummer descending into his own hell created by his ever-lasting ambition and the psychological abuse of his bandleader BLOW UP — crime obsession — a photographer obsesses over an alleged murder he might have witnessed by taking a photograph, all by coincidence LA DOLCE VITA — media/star obsession — paparazzi, society and media obsessing over stars explored in this masterful classic by Federico Fellini THE LIGHTHOUSE — power obsession — two workers at a small island fall into insanity ending in a rampage of violence obsessing over their loneliness and the wickedness and power of the other THE NEON DEMON — beauty obsession — a young model obsesses over her own beauty driven by an even more obsessive industry SAINT MAUD — religious obsession — a young nurse loses herself to her zelotist obsession and relationship to god and her faith THE PRESTIGE — artistic obsession — two magician artists begin an obsessive duel ever trying to exceed and surpass the other... no matter what it might take THERE WILL BE BLOOD — power/money obsession — an oil man tries to drink everybody's milkshake RAW — cannibalistic obsession — the magnetic force of human flesh [metaphorical an exploration of feminin sexuality in modern society] SUNSET BOULEVARD — fame obsession — an old "has-been" hollywood star from the early age of silent film is ready for her final close-up DOGTOOTH — utopian/idyll/possession/control obsession — a greek family lives completely sealed off from the outside world in their home. The children are not allowed to got out while the parents come up with the strangest concepts of what this evil outside world might be like. SOME HONORABLE MENTIONS Nightcrawler Man on Wire Gone Girl M American Psycho One Hour Photo The talented Mr. Ripley/Plein soleil Wolf of Wall Street By @dasfilmsymposium

Reviews by: @miscellaneous_media_reviews Netflix’s Cowboy Bebop is a sci-fi tv series based on the anime of the same name, which was released in 1998. This series was released in 2021 and is directed by Alex Garcia Lopez and Michael Katleman. The first season consists of 10 episodes which range from 37 to 60 minutes in length. The show follows a dysfunctional crew of bounty hunters aboard the Bebop, their spaceship. Spike Spiegel, Jet Black, and Faye Valentine travel the galaxy together struggling to make ends meet and survive their treacherous day to day lives. All the while former hitman Spike struggles to move on from his past, as it threatens to catch up to him. Last week I reviewed Cowboy Bebop the anime, which is now one of my all time favorite shows. I watched the anime for the first time just a few weeks before Netflix’s live action remake/adaptation was scheduled for release. While I haven’t had much personal experience with western live action remakes thus far, I knew the stigma behind them. Typically, live action remakes of anime are very poorly received, both commercially and critically. Despite this, and my love of the original, I had hope for this new series as well as some genuine excitement. The trailer looked promising, as did some of the other first looks that were released. Yoko Kanno was returning to score the series and it looked like this could be a fun remake, or reimagining of the original series. Unfortunately, it had some very big shoes to fill considering the anime is widely regarded as one of the best, if not the best anime of all time. For this review I’ll be trying to look at this series on it’s own, as well as how it performs as an adaptation of its source material. On it’s own I think Netflix’s Cowboy bebop is fine. For someone who has never seen the anime I think this series will be a perfectly passable sci-fi action comedy. Looking at it in this way the show has some decent highs with some very low lows. The plot is decently engaging, while somewhat predictable however, I think it works more often than not. It even has some pretty good emotional moments towards the end of the season. I do, however, think the story is hurt in the finale by a twist that comes out of nowhere and completely goes against the development of a certain character. The plot and story of each episode is heavily aided by the show’s lead performances. Daniella Pineda, John Cho, and Mustafa Shakir all do a great job playing as Faye, Spike, and Jet respectively. They give energetic and charismatic performances, and form good chemistry within this bounty hunting trio. These fun performances carry the entire show and help save it from a lot of it’s faults. Elena Satine, Tamara Tunie, and Mason Alexander Park also do good jobs in their roles. Unfortunately, standing out from this is Alex Hassell who gives a terrible performance as the show’s main villain, Vicious. His goofy facial expressions and cartoonish overacting ruin any amount of intimidation the show tries to have the character present. Overall this makes the series’ main antagonist feel completely harmless and destroys much of the tension and investment in his conflict with Spike. A positive for the show is it’s great set and costume design. This sci-fi noir world is perfectly crafted in a largely practical way. With the digital effects being pretty good as well. There is a lot of detail in every aspect of this galaxy that helps to bring this world to life. The costumes are also well designed and add a lot of flair and style to the show. Sticking with the positives Yoko Kanno’s score helps breathe life into the series with it’s incredible jazz sound. The quality of the action differs with some sequences being very bad with others being pretty good. Aside from a few specific setpieces I found the action to be pretty decent overall. As far as the comedy goes a decent bit of the show’s humor does land with some good physical comedy, and a funny line here and there. With a lot of this is again, heavily aided by the mostly good performances from the main trio. While the series does have its fair share of positives it is also plagued by some troublesome flaws. Despite the vibrant and detailed sets the show is ultimately very bland in appearance, with much of the color being muted and dulled to fit a specific look. The show switches between a few colored filters which end up adding a very stale look to the show most of the time. The cinematography also leaves much to be desired. The show uses an absurd amount of Dutch angles, to the point where it’s actually distracting. Aside from that there is very little creativity or much to speak of at all. The writing is also abysmal at times. There are several weird moments in the script that leave you scratching your head, and the dialogue can be laughably bad. With it only being occasionally salvaged by the performances. The best moments of dialogue in the show are the ones that are ripped directly from the anime, which makes a lot of the new material feel very lacking. All in all, in a vacuum, Netflix’s Cowboy Bebop is a perfectly fine show. It has its ups and its downs, and in the end they balance each other out. It’s as an adaptation of the anime where the show really struggles. I think for this adaptation to work it should’ve taken the setting of the anime and the characters and placed them in an entirely new story. One that follows our trio getting caught up in some bounty hunting or syndicate related story that is completely original. I think the show should’ve either done that, or just fully committed to it being a remake of the anime. Mostly sticking to the same plot points, in the same vein as a Disney live action remake. Unfortunately, Netflix’s Bebop tries to have its cake and eat it too. The show tries to redo the iconic moments from the anime, and use the same stories and plot points, while also changing them up and taking it in a slightly new direction. I think in the end this doesn’t work, and the show just ends up not knowing what exactly it wants to be. This also leaves almost everyone watching unsatisfied. As the fans who wanted an exact recreation are disappointed in the changes, and fans who wanted a new story are left wanting more. You have a season where one episode is almost a carbon copy of an episode from the anime, while another is almost entirely new. It ends up producing moments and characters that are ultimately less satisfying, less engaging, inferior versions of ones we have seen before. I think for the most part the actors do a good job portraying their anime counterparts. John Cho for instance does a great job with the laid back and carefree aspects of Spike. Overall he nails his personality, body language, and cadence. But while the performance for Spike is great, the writing behind this version of the character is lacking to me. For one, his fighting ability fluctuates throughout the show and is very inconsistent. In one episode he can’t beat a single criminal in hand to hand combat, but in another he is able to take out an entire building of highly trained individuals without any serious injuries. Action scenes with Spike are also a far cry from the ones in the original series. In the anime Spike flows like water, his fighting style is smooth, cool, and visually satisfying. In the Netflix show it looks slow and clunky. Another big issue with the writing of this character is how he is nearly always being saved by someone. Spike is the protagonist of the series, and in both big and small moments he is often saved by another character. This continues all the way into the finale which makes this character less dynamic as a result. When you’re rooting for the hero to triumph and he’s constantly being bailed out it takes away some of the investment. Especially when you can just look at the scene they’re copying from the anime and see how that Spike handled things in a much more entertaining and satisfying way. On the other hand, Mustafa Shakir and the writers nail Jet Black in every possible way. Mustafa Shakir’s performance is almost identical to Beau Billingslea’s, and overall he feels like the exact same character in every possible way. While Daniella Pineda is doing a good job, her take on Faye is very different from Faye in the anime. This Faye is much more energetic and quirky then the more reserved femme fatale character of Faye in the anime. Despite this difference I honestly wasn’t too bothered by the change. The other notable changes from the anime involve Vicious and Julia. In the anime the two are hardly ever in the show, which keeps an air of mystery around them both. In this adaptation they’re present in half of the show and fleshed out much more. While developing them isn’t an inherently bad idea, the show doesn’t pull it off at all. In the anime Vicious is intimidating, fearsome, and extremely threatening. He’s cunning and a capable adversary. That and his lack of screentime made him very memorable and a perfect villain for the show. This version of Vicious loses all mystery and adds nothing in return. He’s presented as stupid, bumbling, whiny, and almsot completely incompetent. He is shown to be a somewhat capable fighter, but it doesn’t save his character. As the show’s main antagonist he is completely laughable, and it isn’t helped at all that the performance behind this character is just as terrible. Julia is also a far less compelling character overall. In the original series she is shown to be strong, capable, and independent. This version of Julia flips between being a damsel in distress and a somewhat independent character. She also doesn’t help Vicious's characterization at all by constantly showing him up. The main issue with all of these character changes isn’t that they are changed, but that the changes are bad. The characters in the anime had tons of depth and substance behind very cool and entertaining exteriors. The characters in the Netflix show have had almost all depth and subtly gutted and are not nearly as cool, entertaining, or likeable. As I stated earlier the series tries to maintain the main overall plot of the original while also doing it’s own thing, and it just doesn’t work. The new material the show creates is decent at best, and straight up bad at the worst. And whenever the show tries to recreate a story from the original it just ends up being a dollar store copy of the original show’s version. Even the score which uses many classic tracks from the original series feels lifeless at times. It seems like iconic tracks are inserted in places where they don't belong. It ends up feeling hollow like the show itself. The show’s runtime does it no favors either. Part of the reason the episodic nature of the anime worked so well is because of its fast pacing and short runtimes. Meanwhile this show tries to tell some of the exact same stories, but makes them twice as long. Which results in them being bloated and much messier with horrible pacing. The best episodes in the show are the ones that do their own thing, and do more to separate themselves from the source material. At times the show feels like a jumble of ideas when the new ideas and plot threads mix together with the plot from the anime. It makes the story feel very disjointed. When the show recreates scenes and episodes from the original it falls short because these scenes can never live up to the originals. Especially when the work hasn’t been put in to make these scenes work and feel earned. The Netflix show tries to do its own thing, up until it's time for an iconic moment, then it copies the anime, and it feels unearned and hollow. There are glimpses here and there of an interesting and even a good adaptation, but they're only that, glimpses. The show isn’t confident enough to fully separate itself from the plot of the anime. If it fully committed to its new ideas and new story then I think this would be far better. Ultimately Netflix’s Cowboy Bebop fails as an adaptation of the original series, and doesn’t do much to stand out for newcomers. The new material introduced is never given the proper chance to stand out on it’s own. And what remains from the original series is a world, story, and cast of characters lacking almost everything that made them so beloved and iconic. Almost all of the deeper themes, nuance, and subtly have been removed. What’s left is a show that struggles to be fun due to poor writing, lackluster visuals, middling comedy, and standard action. The bright spot in all of this is the lead performances which add a certain charm to the show. Despite all of this I don’t think this is the worst show ever made, and I didn’t hate all of it. I actually had fun here and there, but overall the show was mostly dull with both fun and frustrating moments. I really was looking forward to this show, and was disappointed to dislike it as much as I do. As someone who loves the anime, this show is quite frustrating at times. But it isn’t the end of the world, and the anime will always be there. While it hasn’t been officially renewed for a season 2, it looks like that is practically a certainty. Hopefully season 2 will see an improvement of the show, because it does have some potential. But as it stands we’re left with a disappointing adaptation and an average show overall. Objective Score: 4.5/10 Personal Score: 3.5/10 By @miscellaneous_media_reviews

Reviews by: @_gameing_dude Story: This game is the second installment in the Marvel's Spider-Man series, following Marvel's Spider-Man, and depicts Miles' struggle to balance the duties of his civilian persona and Spider-Man when his new home, Harlem, is threatened by a war between the Roxxon Energy Corporation and the Tinkerer's high-tech criminal army, the Underground. Gameplay: Gameplay is mostly the same but Miles has some other powers that he uses.He can become invisible which can be a bit OP but the enemiesnare bit harder this time around.Lucky for us Miles has one more power that is he can create bio-electric energy whice is a cool name for he can shock enemies with a punch or he can lunch more of them in the air with it. Visuals: I think it looks a bit better.Miles is just a kid who is starting to be Spider-Man and you see that in his animations while he swings.He does flips goes for backwards dives, he just has "The Exaggerated Swagger of a Black Teen".Jokes bysides the animations just hit you from the start how great they are. Final Thoughts: The last game was a masterpiece already for me so this game just polishes some things.The game is short thats true but its really fun.The characters are all great and i cant to see what the next game brings to the table.Spiderman Miles Morales gets a....... 10/10 By @_gameing_dude_

Reviews by: @rabz_reel_reviews Are you watching closely? I am. I did. And sometimes I still do. Indeed, The Prestige is no doubt an innately re-watchable movie. A cinematic trick and treat of sorts where Christopher Nolan revels in doing what he does best…blowing our little tiny minds. Magic & Nolan seem like an appropriate partnership so it’s no surprise that The Prestige has a cult like following from the true fans of the visionary director. Nolan is a master in the skill of complex misdirection and this movie is one of his most thrilling and captivating works. It’s moody, evocative and often quite tense and fits more into the mould of a thriller at times. The lead performances from @thehughjackman and Christian Bale are both excellent. Michael Caine, @rebeccahall , Scarlett Johansson, @piperperabo and the late great David Bowie round off an amazing cast. The movie also contains some absolutely brilliant cinematography by @wpfister . Those familiar with Christopher Nolan will admire and recognise “The Prestige” as yet another piece of his obsessively intellectual style of film. Those who don’t may need to make sure they are free from distraction. Either way, a good time is almost certainly guaranteed. By @rabz_reel_reviews

Reviews by: @_xkrow_ In anticipation for “The Green Knight", I decided to watch David Lowery’s breakout hit,“A Ghost Story”. Going in, I was anticipating another new age horror film (an assumption, I admit, was based solely on the title), but what I got was a touching meditation on grief, loneliness, and memories – those made and those left to be made. I will try and highlight its qualities without spoiling anything, but this is honestly a film worth seeing without knowing an ounce of detail, something I am glad to have done. So, overall review: it's one of the most original films in recent memory that most will find to drone on about nothing much, but for those that can connect with the white ghost and his time bending journey, it will be an experience like nothing else. From now on I will attempt to talk about the details. The plot revolves around the sudden death of C (Cassey Affleck) and his transformation into a ghost that wears a white sheet and observes his girlfriend, M (Rooney Mara) grieve andultimately leave past the house they called home leaving a note in the wall that he struggles tomfind until the last moment of the film. He does not follow her – instead opting to be bound by the place he lived, something he is unable to move on from. Here, we spend the rest of the run time, watching the house he loves be occupied by other people, his connection to the living worldweakening, as we follow C’s process of grief. One of the first things I noticed about A Ghost Story is how quiet it was. Right from the get-go, you don’t feel as if you are watching a movie but something more akin to found footage. Like a camera that was left running accidently and managed to capture the realistic glimpse of life possible. This feeling is also captured by the presentation of the film: being shot in 1.33:1 with rounded edges that emulate old school photos and, in my opinion, enhances the “out-of-time” mood. There are lines of dialogue, of course, but for the most part it is so focused on showcasing grief that the few conversations we do hear feel so wrong. After C’s death, and his return to the house as the covered ghost, we get a scene where for almost 10 minutes, we watch M come home, look at a note, grab a pie, and then simply sit on the floor and eat it as tears slowly trickle down her face as C stands by watching her with us. Many have called out this scene as a pretentious bore fest (a criticism that has also been levied against the film as a whole),but to me, what it represents is a heart breaking and realistic portrayal of grief. It isn’t something dramatic or “cinema worthy” – it's slow, it's painful, and it lingers far longer than you want. So, if you felt that 10-minute sequence to be an hour long, congrats! You felt exactly what was intended. And when that realization came, there was no longer anything left to be bored by because I wasn’t looking for something to happen anymore – I was watching her and her alone, that dead look in her eyes, that slow chewing, and the trickles of water making they way down her cheeks. On that matter, massive praise must be given to Lowery’s direction and the cinematography. The lighting and mood were fantastic, adding meaning to the blank stares that fill the film. And the jarring yet smooth transitions between the scenes added tremendously to the increasing loss of touch with the regular flow of time and gives a unique outlook to the afterlife. The music too was mind blowing. Though I enjoyed the visual storytelling, it wouldn’t have been able to touch me so deeply without the music’s help, with “The secret in the wall” being my favorite track. The piano and ambience evoke so much emotion inside and the soundtrack by itself can transport me back to my exact experience that night. So, in the end, I come back to what I said before – watch this if you want an experience like nothing else. It's not for everyone – it's extremely slow and I honestly can’t defend against detractors because it's just something you are either on board with or not. But, if you do make it to the end credits, you will find it occupying your mind far longer than you intended it to. Who watches his house become occupied, in order, by a new family (something that makes him quite angry), some young people that party, and then, after it is demolished, by a corporate building, stretching far into the sky. He then jumps off the building, finds himself flung into the past, observes the death of those that first settled the area where his house now stands, and then, after finally reading the note his girlfriend hid in the house for him, he poofs out of existence – finally gone from the world. In interpretation, I find this to be ultimately a journey of acceptance – not just of C’s own death, but of our disappearance from the world. There will come a time when we no longer exist, and that’s alright. Its okay for people to move on. What mattered is the time that we lived and the memories we made with those around us. C becomes irrationally angry when he sees the house that has made so many memories in being desecrated with new ones of the family – he feels he is being over written. From the party, a hipster presents a long nihilistic monologue on how our time on earth doesn’t really matter as it will die in many million years – something that again makes C angry. And then when he sees what ultimately becomes of his house – a building – he cannot take it anymore and flings himself off the building, feeling his own powerlessness at not being able to stop this change. But what he finds is not the afterlife, but a family that called his house home before him and he observes their deaths. He didn’t know them when he was alive, but they made memories in the place he called home. This is the revelation he needed – this wasn’t his house; he was simply borrowing it for a bit. As we are all. His life does not invalidate theirs just as the new family does not invalidate his. This is where we see a scene from when he was alive – he finally tells his girlfriend that he is willing to move houses, after his lengthy refusal of her wish. And its only after he goes on this journey, reconciling with his grief and memories, does he come back in time to when his house was intact and finally manage to pull out the note and read it, causing him to disappear, having accepted the idea of change. By @_xkrow_

Reviews by: @damoroso4 Console: ps5, ps4; xbox one, xbox series X Release: 10th September 2021 Pro's - Looks incredible, especially on ps5 - Thriving world full of stunning environments - Fast paced, frantic combat Cons - Story feels bloated and drags on unnecessarily - Life bars are inconsistent and cause fights to drag - Repetitive side quests get tedious With an interesting looking cast of characters, a gorgeous, vibrant and colourful world, and fast paced, frantic combat- Tales of Arise certainly makes an impression. This action/ adventure JRPG sees players join Alphen and Shionne, the male and female protagonists, on a globe trotting adventure taking them from gloomy caverns and Rocky mountain peaks, to shimmering castles and bustling cities. I'm a newcomer to the Tales series. Despite knowing of it's existance and popularity, I've never felt drawn to any of the previous instalments. This one, however, grabbed my attention from the very first announcement trailer. The scale of Arise is massive, right from the outset. It looks fantastic, and the world is vivid and memorable. Traversing each area fully is a joy to behold and you will instinctively find yourself searching every nook and cranny on the map. The game is polished and visually impressive, with the anime style combining with the PlayStation 5's power to create some really stunning characters and environments. RPG's usually rise and fall on their combat systems, and Arise is no different. It's approach to real time combat is frantic and engaging. You're able to melee attack; dodge, and cast several 'artes' as well as switch between characters on the fly. There's a heck of a lot going on during a battle, especially in the later parts of the game where you've got a full party and you can be battling 6 enemies at once in some cases. It makes for some thrilling gameplay. The upgrade system is straightforward enough, and reminded me of the sphere grid system from Final Fantasy 10, allowing you to choose your own path in terms of the abilities you want your characters to learn. The 6 characters handle and play differently, and being able to change between them as regularly as you like means you will be able to get a feel for who fits your play style best. Then you can simply stick with them if you don't want to keep switching. There are a couple of difficulty spikes during the early to mid game, which I dont mind- difficult battles are part and parcel of RPG's- so it's to be expected. What i do have an issue with though, is when the Developers think that difficulty is specifically tied to an enemy's life bar. During several encounters that are not particularly hard, your toughest challenge will be wearing down the monumental life bars on display. It can be incredibly time consuming and borderline tedious. I would much prefer enemies who pose a greater threat but have a lower life bar. It just feels unbalanced and jarring. There's a point in the story, around 20-25 hours in, where it seems to have reached a natural conclusion. The story has reached a crescendo, the character arcs have fully developed and the protagonists have overcome a worthy adversary. I was all set for the end credits to roll- but to my suprise, they didn't. Instead, the story embarks on a bizarre final act- another 10 hours or so of content, with new locales and big villains to contend with, all of which seem extremely out of place. For me this damaged the experience and I found myself losing interest in the story as it became more and more far fetched and bizarre, before it finally reached it's underwhelming conclusion. I know JRPG's are historically mammoth games. Here though, like a boxer continuing to fight long into his twilight years instead of retiring in his prime, the game really didn't know when to stop. Arise also has plenty of side quests and activities for you to get involved in, as you would expect from a game of this magnitude. Aside from fishing and owl spotting though; these are made up purely of 'collect X items from killing monsters and bring them to me', and 'go here and kill this big monster'. The lack of variety in the side quests doesn't exactly drive you to want to complete them all. While some of these contain optional fights against powerful monsters, a lot of them fall victim to the bloated HP bar that I mentioned above- which takes away a lot of their appeal. Summary: Overall, my experience with Arise was a positive one. Despite the points I've mentioned above, the 35 hours I spent with it were enjoyable for the most part. It did manage to scratch my JRPG itch while I patiently await the next Final Fantasy. But it just falls short of greatness thanks to a couple of frustrating decisions made by the Developers. Verdict: 7.5/10 By @damoroso4

Reviews by: @silverscreencritiques The film follows Mildred, a woman who has lost her daughter in a horrible way. After several months, the police still have no leads to the crime, so she decided to call them out. This film has an angry exterior and a sad interior. The characters act out and say things in anger, but you can see the sadness in their faces and eyes. Which is what anger is a lot of the time, grief or sadness that is kept inside and turns into bitterness or anger. That's the way it was for me at least. Anger does not justify words or actions that may come out. Anger does have it's place, it's what gets things started and makes things move forward. It is not a good place to dwell or a good way to live. The heart of this film actually comes from Chief Willoughby. When he meets with Mildred about the Billboards, he's upset but he isn't mad at her. He understands how she feels and what she's going through, and he really wishes he can help her. He and another character do help Mildred, just in a different way. Most of the town reacts to Mildred calling out the police in a very negative way. She gets a lot hate, anger, and even violent acts from people of the town. And that doesn't help her out at all. Chief Willoughby shows us how to respond to anger, and that is compassion, friendship, communication, and understanding. He and another officer see her struggle, and do what they can. Which is what she needed, to be seen, to know that someone cares enough to help. Be patient and kind with each other, and show compassion to those who need it. By @silverscreencritiques

Reviews by: @thefilmobservatory 3.5/5 Fantasy/Comedy The angel Aziraphale (Michael Sheen) and the demon Crowley (David Tennant) team up to prevent the explosive end of the world, as the forces of heaven and hell scramble to locate the Antichrist. Good Omens is based on the novel ‘Good Omens: The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch’, that was written by the famous comedy and fantasy writers Terry Pratchett (Rest In Peace) and Neil Gaiman. Both writers have proved themselves to be very talented, but I’m not sure about how well the story translates to the medium of TV. Despite its super high stakes and potential worldwide consequences, Good Omens works best when it’s simply focusing on its central dynamic between Aziraphale and Crowley. Michael Sheen and David Tennant clearly have a lot of fun in these roles and it rubs off on the audience – it’s difficult not to smile at Sheen’s literal purity and innocence, and grin at Tennant’s, again, quite literal, devilish snarls and dry sarcasm. While I am interested in the second season of Good Omens that’s hopefully soon to come, Season 1 suffers when it moves away from their relationship, due to pacing issues, some underdeveloped characters, and a few showcases of seriously mediocre-bad acting. However, it’s undeniably faithful to its source material, mostly succeeds at being what it’s trying to be, and it pulls through to be charming and entertaining enough to have a good time with. One of my favourite parts of the show was the cast. Everybody seems to be having a blast – from Jon Hamm playing the angel Gabriel, to Frances McDormand serving as the voice of God. Small appearances from actors like Nick Offerman and The Umbrella Academy alumnus Yusuf Gatewood are nice surprises that make you feel like Leo in that DiCaprio meme of him noticing something and proudly pointing at it from the sofa. There’s an especially enjoyable episode detailing Aziraphale and Crowley’s journey through time, as they bump into each other in the middle ages, at a Shakespeare play, during the French Revolution, and more. Good Omens demonstrates an irreverent and witty sense of Monty Python-esque humour, with its seemingly random specificity (at one point, God explains that the Earth was created in 4004BC on 21st October at 9:15 in the morning), and its exploration of the true meanings of things that humans may have misinterpreted throughout history (God also explains that dinosaurs are a joke that palaeontologists haven’t discovered yet). This criticism can be light-heartedly funny, but the misinterpretations of religious groups throughout history has caused things like discrimination and genocide. For example, some Christians in the past have somehow managed to twist the message of the Bible into a homophobic one, which is terrible and if a God really existed, they would love everyone and would never intend that. Interestingly enough, it’s difficult to tell whether Good Omens applies to religion or not, as it’s largely about heaven and hell and angels and demons. However, God and these transcendent things are kind of meant to be, well, transcendent. Religion thrives on faith without proof, and it’s not meant to be possible to truly depict things like God and their angels, so is the attempted depiction offensive? Not for me personally, but there’s some food for thought. I apologise for the slightly random direction that that paragraph took, so let’s get back to the series. Sheen and Tennant are very good in the show, and they save Good Omens from some of its flaws. They’re both such watchable actors with great chemistry, and it absolutely shines here. The dynamic is practically the definition of ‘opposites attract’, and their relationship is smartly written and played out, with the classic couple’s quarrels, but enough mutual affection for the audience to understand why it works well. There is a fun Romeo-and-Juliet-type aspect to it, and there’s a fantastic, and seemingly deliberate, LGBTQ+ subtext that I’m excited to see further play out in the future of the show. Another thing I really liked was the main theme. The theme song is so catchy! I’ve been humming it, in my head and audibly, while writing this very review, and it suits the plot and the tone brilliantly. However, I can’t solely appreciate the music here – the artwork that plays out during the theme is extremely stylistic and detailed, and I thoroughly enjoyed trying to find something new in it, each episode. The vibe of the title theme was the kind of style and tone that I wish that the rest of the show maintained, because, unfortunately, there were some things holding Good Omens Season 1 back from being great. While the previously established cast members are all good and sufficiently charismatic, it’s the unknowns that let the season down. It’s always really important to showcase new talent, and it especially works to mix it with that of well-known performers. However, there’s such an immense disparity between the brilliance of Tennant and Sheen, and, for example, the child actors, who seem to be new to the scene. The young actors are not very good in the show, so chuck in some cheesy dialogue, that cringeworthily sounds like what studio snobs assume that kids sound like, then some extremely ropy CGI, and we subsequently have to spend so much of the season with inexperienced performers who are dealing with a tediously mediocre script. I’m sure that these young cast members can be good, but they weren’t a wise pick for Good Omens. Jack Whitehall is in the show, but he felt out of place to me, as if he didn’t quite suit the energy and tone of the season. The structure of Good Omens is centred around the concept of countless storylines that seem to be individual but cleverly interlope towards the end, and this is executed well, but the overall build-up doesn’t really work. I often found myself wondering what we’re doing at certain parts of the season, and why we were with certain, sometimes seemingly inconsequential characters. This would work if the individual scenes had important character moments, constant humour, and some stakes. Those things are often necessary to keep an audience hooked, so going against these conventions makes parts of episodes feel a little messy at points. There’s that clash between traditional story structures for film and TV, and the sprawling, yet interesting, method that authors can took with books, because they aren’t limited to that 2-hour mark, or that 1-hour mark in the case of (long) TV episodes. It feels like Good Omens isn’t suited to being in a medium other than in its origination, however, I’m hoping that the second season will prove otherwise. My final qualm was to do with the fact that Good Omens is funny, but it’s not really my style of comedy, which is quite a major factor in whether a series of this genre works or not. Parts of it feel parodic but the season doesn’t fully lean into this, making it difficult to discern whether scenes are trying to be genuine, and consequently whether the audience is meant to be feeling for certain characters or not. It can come down to a bit of a preference-kind-of-thing, so I can understand why others, who particularly enjoy the oddball, matter-of-fact, sharply witty sense of humour, would find Good Omens more appealing. The cinematography in the series is quite a strong aspect – there seemed to have been a fairly high budget for it, and it’s put to good use. It doesn’t feel totally distinctive but it mostly looks pretty, and vivid. The costume design is wonderful, and Aziraphale and Crowley’s outfits are stylish, and share an effective contrast. Good Omens doesn’t try to avert stereotypical interpretations of the afterlife – for example, visually, heaven is light, and hell is dark – however, this works to the advantage of the series, as part of what is funny is that these kinds of established beliefs, that would seem ridiculous to some people, are being brought to life, and obviously serve a major contrast to the human world. Another nice touch is the recurring use of the irresistible music of Queen, that suits the tone well and elevates certain scenes. The iconic riffs and vocal talent of Freddie Mercury immaculately fit the vibe of Crowley, in particular, and contribute to an element of classic classiness (that’s a fun phrase). Overall, Good Omens has prominent pacing issues and didn’t manage to hold my interest the whole way through but it’s definitely a good time. There’s style aplenty and Sheen and Tennant are on form, so you should watch the series for them and their chemistry, if for nothing else. I’ll check out season 2, and I do think that the first season sets up inventive concepts that offer some ground for more stories in this world. I recommend Good Omens Season 1 to fans of Monty Python-esque comedy, Sheen and Tennant, and those who like fantastical, conceptual adventures. By @thefilmobservatory

Reviews by: @_gameing_dude Story: The London branch of DedSec, led by Sabine Brandt and her newly crafted AI, Bagley, detect armed intruders planting explosives in the Houses of Parliament. DedSec operative Dalton Wolfe goes to defuse the bombs and discovers the intruders to be members of a rogue hacker group called "Zero Day". While Dalton manages to prevent Parliament's destruction, he is swiftly gunned down by drones commanded by Zero Day's leader, who detonates additional explosives around London and orders an attack on DedSec's hideout, forcing Sabine to shut down Bagley and go into hiding. In the wake of the bombings, the British government contract Albion with restoring order to London and hunting down DedSec, who are held responsible for the chaos, effectively causing social and political unrest amongst the city's inhabitants.Although most DedSec members have been arrested or killed by Albion, Sabine resurfaces when she finds a new recruit through ctOS, who is sent to reactivate the group's safehouse and Bagley. DedSec slowly rebuild their strength as they find more recruits who, under Sabine's co-ordination and with Bagley's help, liberate various boroughs by encouraging citizens to rise up in defiance of their oppressors. Gameplay: The gameplay had one big change and that is you dont have a main character you play as, now you can recruit every npc that you see in London and play as them by doing a mission for them.Every charcter has a positive or negative perlets say some can hack fast but fart all the time so you cant be sneaky.Also one bit thing they added are drons, yes you had a drone in WD 2 but only used for scoping the place out here are drons that are also a minigun.You also have drons that you can side on top of them so exploring the city is even better.Stealth and hacking hasnt changed much since the last time but they added abilitys for stronger meele attacks, shock guns, spider drons and the most OP of them all which i used is being invisible for ar period of time. Visuals: The game looks better then the last one but i noticed a lot of frame drops while driving fast cars.The map of london is great and lively just what i expected from a WD game Final Thought: I was hyped for this game really but when i played it i was kinda let down.The gimmick of being able to play anyone is nice and all but in the long run it dosent matter anymore.Why?When you start the game you can choose that if you die you just respawn or the character dies but with time you know what you are doing and wont be to dumb to let someone die and plus have the OP ability helps a lot.The fact that there are more characters with positive traits then negatove is also a let down, so you dont have a reason to have someone with negative traits in the team.Still had a lot of fun with game mostly withe driving and drifting but with time you see the patter of what kind of missions are coming.And the ending for me is so out of nowhere that i was there just thinking to myself is that it?The idea is nice for one game but we will see what comes next.Watch Dogs Legion gets a...... 6/10 By @_gameing_dude_

Reviews by: @silverscreencritiques Our culture likes to believe that life is grand, tragic, or complicated, especially with the way things have been the past year and half. Paterson is an ode to everyday working people and every day people in general. Paterson lives in the moment and quietly oberseves the beauty in every day things and people. Whereas other characters want to complicate life, or "glamorize their pain." His co-worker makes his life sound like one big problem, another treats his love life like a tragic Shakespeare play, and his wife/girlfriend has a lot of big glamorous dreams and changes them often. Not that there is anything wrong with that, but they all want something more out or life. Paterson shows us that life is really what you make of it. And that we should stop and smell the roses and appreciate things not matter how small that are in our life. By @silverscreencritiques

Reviews by: @warlioncomics People always debate on who is a better character & partner of Cyclops: Emma Frost or Jean Grey. I always say that Jean has been a victim of bad writing as she’s stuck in how she was written since the 60’s as a love interest. People usually don’t see that & say that Emma has always been a better character which is a bit strange considering that Emma as a character didn’t really evolve until the 2000’s with Morrison’s run and everything until AvX & the current era. So I’m gonna compare the 2 Marvel females that have been written for decades simultaneously & show you what I mean by Jean being “Scott’s high-school love interest and nothing else” is a writing issue. Both her and Sue Storm have been the “love interest & nothing more” for Reed and Cyclops & later writers spice things up with love triangles (mainly Logan and Namor) . Sue has been more than that for a while now , she actually doesn’t really care about Namor or his obsession with her , she’s been a badass fighter , mother , sister to Johnny & Ben and always makes sure that Reed knows his place & that he’s not talking to a child or a defenseless weak person. Is she a single woman ? No , does she love her husband? Yes , does that make her a weakling or nerf her character in anyway? No . Meanwhile Jean Grey is still suffering from the poor 60’s writing , why?? idk but ever since Claremont decided to get at Shooter and Louise Simonson by creating the Logan Jean Scott love triangle in classic X-men (1986) he placed the character in a bad position that he originally removed her from when he took over the X-men. Writers since then have decided that Jean will always be written as a love interest and nothing more -with few exceptions like Adventures of Cyclops & Phoenix & X-Factor- and she stayed like that until the search for cyclops story where she was portrayed as more than a love interest then Morrison took over the X-men & had her and cyclops face a lot of issues and ended up killing her . So basically her history -with a few exceptions- have been about her being a love interest only even in her best series ever (X-men red) she was written in the annual pretty badly. She literally went to see Laura Kinney before Cable people say her being single was the best thing that ever happened to her & that annual proves otherwise. It’s from the series we all love the most and set it’s version of Jean as Supreme Jean , her “lovers” aren’t around and yet she was written as a love interest. She went to see Laura before her son -who was in the timeline and possibly injured as Phoenix attacked him Psychically on the night Jean was resurrected aka a day or a few hours before the events of the annual started. She went to Laura because she has no one left except her & Rachel that she considers family. There is an injured fker out there who you raised , remember giving birth to & loved more than any other member of your family or your lovers (logic & nature say that). I don’t care about her wanting to meet Laura on the contrary that’s what is expected from Jean , she’s the heart & soul of the X-men so of course she’ll want to meet Gabby and Laura & even protect them (she saved Emma -put her back together not long after she caught her & Scott together- and her first thought seeing Scott returning from the dead is how she wasn’t there to protect him , even tho to her he cheated on her a few days ago -) Claremont coming at Shooter caused a lot of problems that aren’t yet resolved So to sum up is Jean as a character different than Emma. No she cares about people , oped and has a lot of great aspects that need to be explored beside being the reason of Scott and Logan fighting or even sleeping together. Is she written bad ?? Yes Abso-fking-lutely. Is it because of Scott’s presence in the comics. Nope. Duggen has been writing her good with Scott and other characters in the book although she is not the focus of his book like she was in X-men red. By @warlioncomics

The film follows Gary King, a man who is struggling with addiction, as he tries to recapture the "Good old days." He tries this by meeting up with old friends and trying to get everyone back together for a night of drinking in their hometown. This film explores what growing and changing as a person is like. Especially from our teenage years. And it gives us a picture of what being stuck in the past can look like through our protagonist. It looks strange, cringey, and irritating. When they do go back out, everyone is uncomfortable for a little while, because it all feels so foreign to them. They do reminisce the good times for a bit. But the night gets stranger and stranger as it goes on as aliens/robots/blanks are introduced. Watching this film this time around, I felt that them going back to their hometown is a metaphor for revisiting our past. Just like them, remembering our past can feel so strange and foreign to us because of how much we have changed since then. And I feel that the aliens/robots/blanks are a metaphor for our past coming back to haunt us, and having to fight our past and move on from it. At the end of the film, Gary King is offered a younger version of himself to live for him in his place, he says no and destroys it, thus destroying his past and finally moving on and growing up. Whenever your recollect your past, and you regret some things you might have said or done or cringe at it, it's a good thing! It means you've grown as a person, and you're not that way anymore, and you're that much wiser.

Reviews by: @damoroso4 Far Cry 6 Console: ps4/ ps5, xbox one/ xbox series x Release: October 7th, 2021 The objective in Ubisoft's Far Cry 6 is simple. Free the fictional City of Yara from the tyrannical grip of dictator Anton Castillo, portrayed with cold hearted menace by Giancarlo Esposito. Castillo has a young son who is the reluctant heir to the throne. The dynamic between these 2 plays out well over the course of the campaign, with Castillo Jr struggling to come to terms with his father's expectations. It's a shame Esposito gets so little screen time here, as a little more development was needed in order for us to really understand his character and the motivations. You play as Dani Rojas, who you can choose as male or female (I chose female so will refer to her as 'she' for this review), as she joins a revolution of guerilla fighters looking to overthrow Castillo and free the city. Yara itself is huge, comfortably the biggest map of all the previous Far Cry instalments. It is split into several different sections, which are a kind of combination of all previous Far Cry maps. There is lots of lush greenery and beaches akin to Far Cry 3; but also lots of rural city areas and mountainous landscapes you would've found in Far Cry 4 and 5. Aside from the size of the map and the varied scenery throughout, Yara is filled with all of the usual Far Cry things you would expect to find. Checkpoints to capture, bases to conquer, hidden stashes of treasure, loads of different vehicles to pilot and wild animals to hunt. A new addition here is horses which can be found all over the island. They handle brilliantly, as fast as some cars, and those playing on ps5 will be able to feel the hooves clop-clopping against the pavement through the haptic feedback of the Dualsense. Impressive stuff. Yara really is a playground in which you can cause chaos. This is where Far Cry 6 is at it's best, when you are free roaming Yara and just wreaking havoc. Dani has a vast array of weapons available to her, and they can be heavily customised on any of the dozens of work benches scattered around the island. You can add silencers, zoom sights, explosive ammo, and lots of other things to really buff your loadout to perfection. The soldiers patrolling Yara wear different types of armour which are each weak to a specific ammo type, so the idea is to carry a couple of guns with different ammo, ensuring you are ready for anything. Truthfully though? Pump them with enough lead and it doesn't really matter. Or if you're a marksman- headshots will usually do the trick regardless of armour. The gunplay in general is excellent. Slick and punchy, it's every bit as exhilarating and frantic as anything Call of Duty has to offer. The melee and stealth elements are also more than competent if you prefer that route (although, if you do prefer that route you're missing out on a hell of a lot of fun!). Gone are the upgrade points and abilities from previous instalments. You still level up and gain experience points, but this doesn't really have an impact on anything, other than how many bullets it takes to down the guards (the higher their level, the more bullets they can withstand). The lack of unlockable abilities leaves a little bit of a hole which can't be filled by customisable weapons. The buddy system from Far Cry 5 is also removed and replaced with 'Amigos' which are unlockable animal companions. This is a cute little gimmick that can be used to either distract or just help you kill enemies. As the game goes on though you'll find yourself using them less and less. Their impact is minimal. Dani makes her way around Yara trying to unite several groups against Castillo. She does this by undertaking various missions for each of them, in order to prove her loyalty and gain their trust. The missions are exactly what you'd expect. The usual combination of blowing stuff up, killing people, protecting people, escaping from people. No points for originality here, but thankfully it's so much fun that it never quite becomes tedious. The same can be said for the side missions which also lack originality. They mostly provide more of the same stuff you do in main missions, but on a smaller scale. Some of the treasure hunts are fun though, with some platforming elements breaking up the gunplay. Dani herself is a likeable enough character, probably the best protagonist Far Cry has produced so far (but its hardly stiff competition). The tone of the game is a little confused though, as serious topics such as fascism and poverty are often spliced with silly humour which is sometimes completely out of place. It feels like Ubisoft should've picked a lane and stuck to it, rather than weaving in and out of lanes like a motorist frantically trying to get home before rush hour. The roughly 20 hour main story progresses fairly linearly depending on which groups you ally with first, but ultimately all roads lead to Castillo. The last few missions of Far Cry 6 are a pulse-pounding adrenaline rush which climax with a satisfying conclusion. From everything you've read so far, its easy to see this game hitting a 9 or even a 10 out of 10, right? Here's the thing though. If this game released 10 years ago, it would without doubt be a 9, maybe even a 10. But times have changed. Gamers have expectations now that didn't exist 10 years ago. Avid Far Cry fans will tell you they know exactly what they're getting themselves into with each instalment. The fun to be had, the freedom on offer, is what keeps bringing them back. But after roughly 6 instalments which have followed the exact same formula, is that really sufficient anymore? How long can Ubisoft keep churning Far Cry games out, each of them slightly better than the last with a couple of tweaks, but no real game changing improvements? Is everybody just okay with this? Yara's tagline is 'A City frozen in time'. Ironically, Ubisoft have in some ways created a metaphor here for the Far Cry franchise itself. One of Ubisoft's other main IP's, Assassins Creed, suffers from the same thing. Every iteration offers a new location and a huge map to play around in, but nothing really game changing. They could almost just release annual DLC'S featuring new maps and graphical updates, rather than brand new games. Its for this reason that, for me anyway, Far Cry 6 doesn't quite hit elite level. Taken as a stand alone game it is undeniably impressive, and without doubt one of the best open world first person shooters you can get. But take a step back, look at the bigger picture, and you will see that not much has really changed since Jason Brody washed up on that desert island in Far Cry 3. Pro's incredibly detailed open world which is fully explorable fully customizable weapons giving you loads of options in combat brilliant gunplay and slick, tight controls Tried and tested Far Cry formula Cons Some of the missions are really repetitive Not enough screen time for Giancarlo Esposito's villain Tone throughout the game is a confusing mixture of serious and silly Tried and tested Far Cry formula Verdict: 8/10 By @damoroso4

Reviews by: @coldculture_films Scorsese’s 1985 dark comedy ‘After Hours’ portrays the cathartic journey of a young man as he pursues a potential lover interest in the New York underbelly after a deadbeat day working his office job. As the night ensues, he finds himself caught amongst a series of bizarre events, a decent into hell within the artistic streets of this new age New York. Paul Hackett (Griffin Dunne) is a data entry worker that clocks out of his mundane job day after day. However, upon a chance meeting with an attractive yet peculiar woman at a local café named Marcy (Rosanna Arquette) his world is turned upside down as he descends into a world of artistic madness, as he becomes entangled in a series of unfortunate circumstances that plunges his night into pure chaos. Rosana Arquette’s character is a clear stand out in the film although not being the centre focus. A perfect blend of seduction, intelligence and vulnerability is brought on by her character as her mannerism seems to distance Paul as he senses sinister intent. Hackett plays a likeable yet somewhat pathetic ‘office joe’ that is thrust into this foreign world of promiscuity, greed and hypersexuality. He must survive the afterhours of this chaotic world until the break of dawn. A true change within his present mundane lifestyle. After Hours is Scorsese’s most experimental film as it is an open exploration of comedy with heavy ties to Dante as he ventures through the nine circles of hell. Paul’s encounters with certain characters put him in a Perpetual loop that plunges him deeper into madness as the city itself consumes his soul. The film itself is paced well as the odd yet effective blends of comedy and suspense is interwoven with the central narrative. Like many of his works, he acts in a self-referential cameo, which can be interpreted as a meta statement about the ‘artist painting his art’. After Hours is a fascinating look into the creation of the 'artist' through a bizarre baptism in metaphysical hell. Rating: 4/5 By @coldculture_films

Reviews by: @filmcore98 While it may not be even close to some of the best content that Clint Eastwood has stared and directed in, Cry Macho shows that when Clint is passionate about a project he can still craft something genuine. Clint Eastwood plays aging ex rodeo star, who due to past injuries and age along with losing his family is washed up and at the end of his career. After being let go by his boss and ranch hand, the same boss played by Dwight Yoakam, approaches him a year later asking for a favor. To go down to Mexico and bring back his son who is living on the streets and engaging in chicken fights for money as well as other debauchery, and being abused by his alcoholic mother. Once they meet his Son and Clint’s character make an unlikely duo, as their adventure hits bumps along the way and everything doesn’t go quite as planned. It may be very campy and at some points and even fails to grasp it’s bigger ideas of manhood and family. But I think by the end of the film it relays many strong messages about the road to becoming a man as well as appreciating what you have along the way. Which has also seemed to be the major plot points of many of Clint Eastwoods more modern movies in the last 10+ years. While most of his other work far over shadows this imo and this can be considered more of a family oriented film, I still think that Cry Macho is well worth watching, although maybe not in theaters. This film takes a more laid back and even at times comedic approach compared to his recent work. It’s also a testament that even at his current age of 91 Clint Eastwood is more than competent enough to not only still throw a punch and ride a horse for his movies but craft touching stories of morality and importance for a lifetime. I’m glad to see that he still is pushing forward to continue filmography even after this films release. By @filmcore98

Reviews by: @tvnerdaran Bernardo Bertolucci’s sprawling historical epic, “1900” is in my mind, arguably the pinnacle of everything a film should be. It is a sprawling socialist epic which charts the rise of fascism in Europe throughout the first half of the 20th century through the eyes of two childhood friends: one a wealthy landowner named Alfredo Berlinghieri (played by Robert De Niro), and one a working-class peasant named Olmo Dalcò (played by Gérard Depardieu). It also stars my favourite actor (Robert De Niro), is scored by my favourite film composer (Ennio Morricone), and is shot by my favourite cinematographer (Vittorio Storaro), all of which adding immensely to my love for the film. It is undeniably one of the most sprawling and ambitious epics ever committed to celluloid. As much as I find a few notable scenes repulsive and difficult to stomach, the film’s sheer power and relevance is undeniable. As a socialist, a cinephile, and a history lover, this film clicks all the right boxes with me, as it presents the first half of Italy’s 20th century and the rise of fascism in Europe through the eyes of these two friends. Born on January 27, 1901 (the date of Giuseppe Verdi’s death), the trials and tribulations of Alfredo and Olmo as they experience the rise of fascism and socialism in Europe all the way up until Liberation Day on April 25, 1945, the film’s epic scope and sprawling ambition easily rivals that of fellow favourites such as “The Godfather” films, and “Once Upon a Time in America”. This multi-generational saga has masterful performances all around. De Niro and Depardieu are both absolutely masterful as the two main leads, whose friendship are continuously tested by their social and class differences. The beautiful Dominique Sanda and Stefania Sandrelli give immensely sympathetic and captivating performances as the women Alfredo and Olmo love, with old Hollywood veterans Burt Lancaster and Sterling Hayden’s performances as Alfredo and Olmo’s grandfathers entrenching the film in a mythic embracement of the young and old/old and new. But the most surprising transformation is undoubtedly Donald Sutherland as Attila Mellanchini, the sadistic and monstrous fascist who lords over and terrorises the peasants throughout the second half of the film. Sutherland, known for his kind, elegant and gentle persona, completely disappears into the role of Attila, foregoing his usual charm and charisma to play a sadistic and monstrous psychopath who uses his political power to commit horrific and unspeakable atrocities, encapsulating the visceral horrors of fascism in 20th century Europe. Unsurprisingly, Sutherland was unable to watch the film for years as he was so upset and distressed upon watching his own frightening performance. The large international ensemble cast all help to solidify 1900’s status as one of cinema’s most sprawling and ambitious multi-generational epics. The film is also beautifully shot by the legendary Vittorio Storaro, whose stunning contrast of bright colours and golden hues in the childhood and Liberation Day scenes, with the bleak and grey desaturated colours of the Fascist period, rivals that of his achievements in both “The Conformist” and “Apocalypse Now”. Lastly, the film is masterfully composed by Ennio Morricone, whose deeply powerful score widely ranges from bombastic and revolutionary, to emotional and solemn. Everyone involved in the film, cast and crew, brings their absolute A-game in bringing this sprawling saga of friendship, love, betrayal, socialism, fascism, class divides and the tidal waves of history to the silver screen. With this film, Bertolucci masterfully blends the epic melodramatic scope of early Hollywood with the radical revolutionary aesthetic of early Soviet cinema, aiming to in his words, build a bridge between the US and Soviet cinema which he so passionately loved. Lastly, the film remains as powerful and relevant as ever in the 21st century, with both the continuing class divides between rich and poor, and the rise of far-right politicians in both the US and Europe, ensuring that this film and its message remains just as relevant in 2021, if not more so, than when it was first released in 1976. The film’s sprawling ambition and epic scope can be best summed in its famous promotional tagline, “From the cradle to the grave - victims of history and change!”. With this film, Bertolucci creates a masterful and sprawling saga of history and politics that rivals even that of the “Godfather” films and “Once Upon a Time in America”. Despite some of its extremely graphic violence and sexually explicit content which can admittedly be at times very difficult to stomach, there is no doubt in my mind that this film is the very definition of a cinematic masterpiece, and the crème de la crème of what a film should be. By @tvnerdaran

Reviews by: @solemnreads Fantasy isn't normally my genre of choice, but I figured I'd see what all the fuss was about. I definitely don't regret giving Piranesi by Susanna Clarke a chance. 9/10 🕊 I'm not a fan of the overused review of "I couldn't put this book down!" That being said, I casually picked up this book up off my gift pile at about 11am and finished it at around 4pm that same day. An entrancing mix of mystery and fantasy, grounded by the limited perspective of a thoroughly engaging main character. The epistolary narrative isn't something I typically associate with fantasy, but after reading this, I've been giving some of the other recommendations on my list a second look. Easily takes the cake for best book I've read this year. Would highly recommend. By @solemnreads

Reviews by: @imo.movies Having little prior knowledge of Wong Kar-wai, I watched this at university this week. I’ll be honest, I had no idea what it was about. At first, I thought it was a cop movie set on a train, then I thought it was going to be a romance movie set on a train. As it turns out, ‘Chungking Express’ has nothing to do with trains. I’ll be honest, I wasn’t that impressed with this film. I think it was partly because I didn’t know what to expect and thus found the movie a little jarring, but there are other reasons too. My main gripe is that the story begins by following two characters who appear to be the central ones, but part way through, the focus suddenly switches to two different characters. I know that some people may be a fan of this, but personally, I didn’t like it. I also felt as though ‘Chungking Express’ grounded nearly to a halt in its third third, with repetitive scenes that became very boring and didn’t really move the story forwards. I thought the featuring of ‘California Dreamin’, by the Mamas & The Papas, was brilliant at first, but then became vastly overplayed and really started to get on my nerves. I think a lot of people love this film, and I can appreciate why. It was far from bad, there were elements I enjoyed, and I loved the ending. But on the whole, it just wasn’t for me 😞 In my opinion, ‘Chungking Express’ is… 𝐅𝐫𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠, 𝐮𝐧𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐛𝐞𝐚𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐟𝐮𝐥 I give the movie… 🌕🌕🌕 By @imo.movies

Reviews by: @thefoxgoestothemovies 8/10 A woman is seen leaving the scene of a murder. Problem is, she’s got a rock solid alibi. How can she be in two places at once? The film answers this enigma within its first 15 minutes, as Olivia De Havilland does double duty playing a pair of twins in Director Robert Siodmak’s The Dark Mirror. But this only leads to more questions. Is one of them a murderer? Or is something more sinister afoot? It’s some of the things that we ponder in this hidden gem of a film noir as we, and the police onscreen, try to unravel the who and the why. Siodmak has often been compared to Hitchcock and with this film it’s easy to see why, with its blend of mystery, thrills and suspense. There are echoes of Hitchcock’s earlier masterpieces, as well as harbingers to his future ones. But perhaps what’s more interesting about the film is how it seems to reboot itself constantly. The first act is classic police procedural, the second a psychological melodrama about the lives of twins and the third is when we get the big reveal. And while astute cinephiles will easily guess who the killer is halfway through, the film remains engrossing, thanks to De Havilland’s magnetic performance as two sisters whose outward similarities belie their true inner natures. There are certain elements that will seem sexist now, a consequence of progressing societal attitudes and expectations. But that’s probably the only thing that’s dated. What remains relevant is the film’s exploration of identity and self, showing how a wolf in sheep’s clothing will always remain a wolf. By @thefoxgoestothemovies

Reviews by: @_gameing_dude_ Story: Jesse Faden, first arrives at the Oldest House in search of her younger brother, Dylan Faden. The Oldest House is the home of the Federal Bureau of Control, a government institution dedicated to the discovery, containment, and research of paranormal phenomena. Seventeen years ago, they kidnapped Dylan after a series of paranormal events. Jesse has been searching for him ever since. Gameplay: Control is a third person shooter.You roam around the Oldest House going to your next objective and on the way fighting enemies.At the start you can only use a pistol but with time you get more and more interesting weapons.The best feature is the fact that you can pick u any object with your telekinetic and throw it at the enemies, literally anything from a small rock to a table you name it.There is also a skill tree where you can improve abilitys.I was suprised that there were so many different enemie types and every single one has a other way of beating them. Visuals: Everything looks great its mostly dark and creepy looking what i like.I love the particles when trowing objects and the fact that you can the object back up which is after a use in small pieces. Final Thoughts: Overall the game in amazing one of the most unique games i played.Gameplay and visuals are great.Thete are onlu two things i didnt like.I hoped that the story would explain more stuff i knew at the core what was happeing but some stuff was just like what, and the game ending out of nowhere was for me kinda wierd.Also a small whing i notice is when you throw a object in a small room with enemies and other objects the game tends to lag a bit but its not that big of a problem. Control gets a..... 8/10 By @_gameing_dude_

Reviews by: @icanwatchthisallday @s.sohan2005 “12 Angry Men” is a very special film for me. I’ve always had fond memories ever since I watched it in my high school law class, and even if my reverence of it fluctuates with each rewatch, I still retain that fondness throughout. This rewatch was one where I hold it in really high regard. To me, this movie makes it clear that you don’t need a large, epic scope to make a classic. All you need is an intriguing premise (no matter how simplistic) that’s backed by a strong script, dedicated actors, and a passionate director and crew. With “12 Angry Men”, Sydney Lumet was confident enough to take on this project as his feature film debut, and with an equally passionate crew let 12 angry actors bring Reginald Rose’s teleplay to life on the big screen. Now as for those actors, each of them brings these characters to life in such raw and human ways that it’s easy to think you’re watching real people (some who are noble, others detestable, with the rest somewhere in between) in a jury deliberation. It’s truly powerful stuff done with so little that needs to be commended. Even if you don’t think it’s for you, I’d still recommend giving it a shot. I haven’t solidified a definitive list of my favorite films yet (at least ones that I’m confident on) but I can assure that “12 Angry Men” has earned its place. By @icanwatchthisallday 12 Angry Men is the quintessential bottle movie and a dream start for Sidney Lumet, a filmmaker who excels in courtroom drama. It's weaved with rich drama and racial subtext coupled with great acting performances by Henry J Cobb and Henry Fonda elevate this bottle courtroom drama into something memorable. Its plot is simple but its storytelling is a stellar piece of work feeling like a theatrical play being a teleplay by Sidney Lumet. Its courtroom drama is ripe for exploring its themes of racism, human callousness, pride bigotry, and social power, and its influence with archetypal storytelling with its characters representing archetypes. It's a compelling drama with great execution and stellar performances that make the audience invest in this world. 12 Angry Men is notable for its innovation in filmmaking with its usage of one-take shots, great camera blocking, smash cuts, and intense close-ups as the tension ratchet up. It conveys a sense of claustrophobia and conflict for our characters providing tension with an immaculate set design. This sets the film's tone and its visual language providing visual storytelling. Its higher stakes feel earned and its payoff feels organic despite being simplified. 12 Angry Men's simplicity is its strength and its biggest virtue providing effectiveness and fusing new life to the courtroom drama genre in the age of Golden Hollywood making it a cultural phenomenon. By @s.sohan2005

Reviews by: @matts_moviez An Ode to Films of Yesteryear More than any other director, Wes Anderson has this insane ability to plunge his viewers into, not only the aesthetic of classic films but the overall feeling that came with them. Wes's films, specifically Moonrise Kingdom, wrap the viewer in this time machine of primary colors, 60s paraphernalia, and intricate sets, all culminating in what can only be described as Wes Anderson’s. The Visual Intricacy of Wes Anderson To accompany Wes's unparalleled framing and visual prowess, Moonrise, like his previous works, is on a whole other level of comfort. This film is gorgeous, brimming with every creative avenue to impress the viewer and encapsulate the warm feeling that a lot of Wes's films bring. Wes is the ultimate painter and auteur, incorporating every inch with a vibrancy that is all too absent in modern filmmaking. The Warmest Hug You'll Ever Receive from a Film A hug from your grandmother is the only way I can describe how a Wes Anderson film feels like. Anderson employs an artillery of unique techniques to wrap the viewer in wildly lovable, creative worlds, devoid of the overblown entertainment that has taken over a portion of screens. By @matts_moviez

Reviews by: @art_fanatic_313 DC Pride is an anthology comic, which collects 9 superhero stories that are, in one way or another, related to the lgbtq community. Some of the stories are written by very well known writers, like James Tynion IV and Mariko Tamaki, but the majority of the stories are by writers I've never heard before and are honestly not great. Unfortunately, most of the stories are very forgettable. I'm writing this review a day after I read the comic and if I didn't have it next to me right now I would've forgot the existence of half of these stories. My favorite story is the first one and it's written by James Tynion IV. This story features Batwoman and it's about discovering your sexuality, accepting it and learning to love yourself. It's a very nice and sweet little story, with an interesting plot and a good message. This story also has very good artwork. Both the art and the coloring are done by Trung Le Nguyen. His style has an innocent that fits perfectly with the story and thanks to his use of purple for the majority of the comic, everything has a very sad and melancholic vibe which I love and works perfectly. Unfortunately, after this story, the comic goes downhill. The second story was nice and although the allegory in its plot was absolutely obvious, it was fun and enjoyable. It was about a vilain who's trying to straight-wash history and two homosexual superheroes stop him and beat him up. It was very fun, with nice action and artwork, but it wasn't as powerful as someone would expect. After this story I'd say that there are zero stories worth reading. Fortunately, some of these stories, like "Try the Girl" and "Date Night" have very nice artwork, but the writing is forgettable at best. The most disappointing stories were "Another Word for a Truck to Move Your Furniture" (what kind of title is this?) and "He's the Light of My Life". The first one is written by Mariko Tamaki and it features the iconic couple of Harley Quinn and Poison Ivy. Admittedly, other than a short story in another anthology comic, I haven't read anything else superhero related by Mariko, but having read two of her great graphic novels, I expected much more from her. This story is very mediocre at best and it's trying as hard as it can to be funny, but it fails horribly. Harley Quinn is written very realistically and it makes sense for her to be afraid of relationships, but other than that there's nothing else good in this story. Even the artwork isn't good. It's fun and bright, but it has many problems, like the very badly drawn faces of the characters. The other disappointing story is written by Sam Johns and has artwork by Klaus Janson. I'm not going to focus on the story, because that's not what disappoined me. I've never heard of this writer before, so I didn't have any high expectations from her, but it's worth to note that the idea behind the story is very good and powerful, its execution though is weak and it falls flat. But as I said, I didn't know the writer, so I had no reason to expect something better. What disappointed me was Klaus Janson's artwork. Knowing him from his work with the legendary Frank Miller, I expected much more from Klaus, probably something close to the level of artwork we got to see in the Daredevil issues he drew. Unfortunately, his artwork in this feels very awkward and rushed and it reminds me a lot of some of Frank Miller's worst artwork, in DKIII. Although this comic has many flaws, I'm still glad it exists. It's very nice to see a title like this released by a huge company like DC. I just wish that it'd be better and if you think about it, it really could, but DC made some stupid mistakes while making this. First of all, I think it was a very bad idea trying to fit 9 stories in a 84 pages long comic. Every story is extremely short, which leads to all the threats being extremely weak, every problem being resolved in a couple pages and almost all the stories staying at the surface of their subject, because they have no time to dive a bit deeper into anything. If there were only 4 or 5 stories in this comic, I think that it would have worked much better and that everything would have been paced in a more correct way. Another thing that I consider a mistake of the book is that most of the writers aren't top tier. DC currently works with some of the biggest comic writers in the industry, if they had assigned some of them in this comic, I'm sure it would have been at least a bit better. It's not a coincidence that the best story in this comic is the one by James Tynion IV and that in every anthology title they've released in the last few years, the best stories are ones by writers like Grant Morrison, Scott Snyder, Tom Taylor etc. 6/10 By @art_fanatic_313

Reviews by: @e.r.f.g_films This is a dark tale, a tale told beautifully. It is a story of a man falling in love with a young girl (or should I say becoming infatuated with the idea of her) but through his eyes. And here from his position we are forced to sit through the uncomfortable ordeal that follows. To quote another film, “because it’s written from his perspective, you sort of understand and sympathise with him, which is kind of amazing because he’s essentially a child molester” (Captain Fantastic 2016). I think the casting is fantastic in terms of story-telling. I have heard that there was some controversy over Jeremy Irons (Humbert) being too “young and handsome” however, I think this is intentional. It is the juxtaposition of it all, Humbert is the villain, he is the monster, he ruins this girl’s life, but he is also charming and appealing. He takes her across the country presenting as her father with little questions asked. Lotlita’s mother falls for him, perhaps making her blind to his relationship with her daughter. I think the controversy is in the age gap between Jeremy Irons and Dominique Swain (Lolita). I believe Swain was no older than 14 during filming and Irons in his 30s which, although works for the plot of the movie, it does beg some questions. Although a body double is used for some of the nude scenes, Swain is undeniably very involved in the film. It is rare to see a main character that is not morally just. It is not often that the main character is the villain of the story. We hear his thoughts and see his actions first hand as the audience. And this is what makes this movie even more uncomfortable than it already would be. We, as an audience, are reminded of this girl’s age throughout the first half of this movie. Be it her braces, her pyjamas being too long at the legs and just her childlike body language, masterfully played by Swain. As we move into the second half of the film we see deeper character development and the movie takes an even darker turn. It is honestly interesting to see their “relationship” struggles. Lastly, I must touch on the filmography, I think the film’s plot does sometimes steal the light away from the actual filmography. The colour pallet is gorgeous, the scenes from the Haze’s back garden are stunning. We do also essentially go on an American road trip for part of the film. Director Adrian Lyne really focused on his two main characters. He made special care to capture the most subtle of glances, the tiniest level of contact between Lolita and Humbert. It really builds the tension and adds to the forbidden, hidden side of the “relationship” in the beginning. Lolita is a twisted sad tale, told through a warm hazy lens. I think this film should be on people’s watch lists. By @e.r.f.g_films

Reviews by: @augustkellerwrites @kino_mit_alex @ryan_the_nixon @thenerdreview Disney is consistent. Audiences can expect quality from Disney theatrical releases and know their movies will rarely misfire. The animation will excel, the cast will be recognizable, and the original music will be above average. Encanto delivers on all of this. Unfortunately, reaching the floor of Disney's quality control is about as far as Encanto goes. The story has a unique premise and worthy themes, but feels bland beyond that. There are too many characters and the conflict is played out, leaving the plot muddled and stale. As a whole, the writing is fine but lacks the bite to make the movie particularly memorable. Meanwhile, the acting is equally unexciting. The crowd of characters all have their quirks, but nobody steals the show or noticeably elevates the material. Overall, the bonds here just don't stick like some of Disney's better installments. The same can be said about the soundtrack (which is very good but hardly iconic) and the direction (which is intentional but slightly generic). Ultimately, the striking color and motion mixed with the flavorful designs and dynamic editing just isn't enough to carry Encanto to greatness. The movie is sure to satisfy viewers, but unlikely to leave lasting impressions. Writing: 6/10 Direction: 7/10 Cinematography: 8/10 Acting: 6/10 Editing: 8/10 Sound: 7/10 Score/Soundtrack: 8/10 Production Design: 9/10 Casting: 7/10 Effects: 8/10 Overall Score: 7.4/10 For more of my work: https://guskeller.wixsite.com/moviefilmreviews By @augustkellerwrites #FSK: 0 Jahre / #Laufzeit: ca. 99 Minuten #Kinostart: 24. November 2021 #Streamingstart: 24. Dezember 2021 #Genres: #Abenteuer, #Animation, #Fantasy, #Familie, #Streaming, #DisneyPlus Die Familie Madrigal ist eine besondere Familie, denn seit über 50 Jahren verfügt ein jedes Familienmitglied über besondere Fähigkeiten. Ein jedes Mitglied? Nein! Mirabel ist bisher das einzige Kind der Madrigals, das nicht über eine besondere Gabe verfügt und eben das macht sie zur Außenseiterin. Doch eine mysteriöse Gefahr fordert die Aufmerksamkeit ALLER Mitglieder der Familie! Handlung: Die Madrigals sind eine ganz besondere Familie, denn ein jeder von ihnen bringt eine besondere Gabe mit. Ein jeder? Ja nicht ganz. Es gibt ein paar Ausnahmen. Dazu gehören eingeheiratete Ehepartner und Mirabel. Sie ist das einzige Madrigal-Kind, das über keine besondere Gabe verfügt. Während ihre Verwandten durch Essen heilen, Wetter beschwören, extrem schwere Lasten heben oder Blumen herbeizaubern können, kann Mirabel nichts. Also wirklich nichts! Denn neben ihrer fehlenden Gabe zeichnet sie sich auch sonst eher durch Tollpatschigkeiten als große Taten aus. All das nagt natürlich am Selbstbewusstsein der jungen Frau. Besonders in der letzten Zeit, denn es steht nach ihrer missglückten Gabenpräsentation eine weitere an. Der jüngste Spross steht kurz vor seiner Zeremonie und alles muss perfekt sein. Das wird es auch, bis Mirabel am Abend nach der feierlichen „Türöffnung“ (hinter ihnen verbirgt sich ein Reich passend zu den Gaben) feststellt, dass das geliebte Haus Risse bekommt. Auch eine magische Kerze, die das Haus und ihre Bewohner mit den besonderen Kräften versorgt flackert bedrohlich. Doch ihr will niemand glauben. Mirabel ist aber überzeugt davon, dass irgendetwas in diesem Haus nicht stimmt und sie geht der Sache auf die Spur. Schnell bemerkt sie, dass ein verstoßener und verachteter Onkel von ihr womöglich die Lösung des Rätsels sein könnte. Als sie sich auf seine Spur begibt, finden sich tatsächlich schnell weitere Hinweise, aber auch neue Probleme, die den kompletten Familienfrieden auf den Kopf zu stellen drohen. Gelingt es Mirabel das Geheimnis um die mysteriösen Risse zu entschlüsseln, bevor das Haus und seine Bewohner in Gefahr kommen? Einschätzung: Der 60. Film der Walt Disney Animation Studios entführt uns in die magisch-musikalische Welt von „Encanto“. Der erste Disney-Film, der in einem kolumbianischen Flair gehalten wird, dreht sich um die Familie Madrigal und das verhältnismäßig typische Leben einer südamerikanischen Großfamilie. In dem Mehrgenerationenhaus kommt es zweifelsohne immer wieder zu Reibereien, doch die gehen bei all der Magie des Hauses beinahe unter. Als das Haus vor vielen Jahren wie durch Zauberhand entstanden ist, wusste das Familienoberhaupt Alma „Abuela“ noch nicht, dass sie einmal für ein komplettes Dorf verantwortlich ist. Die Magie der Madrigals hat sich nämlich herumgesprochen und so haben sich um das Haus herum noch weitere Menschen angesiedelt. Alle in der kompletten und vernarrten Abhängigkeit der Magie der Madrigals. Der Gedanke, dass diese Magie einmal verschwinden könnte, wird als Albtraum tituliert und lässt Abuela aufgrund der jüngeren Ereignisse immer wieder die ein oder andere schlaflose Nacht haben. Genau hier setzt dann auch die Geschichte und ihre emotionale Spannungskurve an. Man merkt relativ schnell, dass der „Encanto“ des Hauses zu verfliegen droht. Man weiß aber noch nicht warum das so ist. Mirabel begibt sich also auf eine Reise dies herauszufinden und muss dabei immer wieder Motive wie Überarbeitung, Perfektionismus, Macht- und Traditionsversessenheit und Ablehnung der unbequemeren Wahrheiten aufnehmen. All das sammelt und eskaliert sich schlussendlich im Höhepunkt der Spannung. Ungewohnt – zumindest für mein Empfinden – war das Tempo der Aufklärung dieser Eskalation. In weniger als 20 Minuten findet man sich vom emotionalen Höhepunkt im Film beim Abspann. Das wirkt dann tatsächlich ein wenig überhastet und hätte gerne etwas umfangreicher und bedeutungsreicher aufgelöst werden können. Denn bis dahin hat sich der Film nämlich sehr viel Zeit genommen, um alle Charaktere so vorzustellen, dass man sich auch innerhalb des Films und die Stellung innerhalb der Familie einordnen kann. Es wirkt also fast so, als wäre dem Film am Ende etwas die Zeit ausgegangen und man musste dann noch schnell zu einem Finale finden. Auf die zu übermittelten Werte hat das übrigens aber alles keinen Einfluss, das kann der Film nämlich vorher schon platzieren und unterstreicht anhand von Mirabel eben die „Perfektion des Imperfekten“. Sie lehrt Teile der Familie, dass es eben doch in Ordnung ist, nicht immer alles richtig machen zu müssen oder immer alle Erwartungen erfüllen zu müssen. Man darf anders sein, man darf launisch sein, man darf auch mal traurig/schwach sein und dennoch wird man noch genauso geliebt und gewertschätzt wie sonst auch. Im Nachhinein war es eine kluge Idee diese Botschaften sofort beim Auftreten der Thematik zu vermitteln und nicht erst am Ende, sonst wäre das wohl nur noch gestauchter gewesen, als es ohnehin schon ist. Technik und Besetzung: Wenn man sich über einen Disney-Film unterhält, dann kann man eigentlich davon ausgehen, dass man es mit einem technisch hochklassigen Werk zu tun hat. Das ist natürlich auch bei „Encanto“ so, doch immer wieder schafft es der Mauskonzern mich von neuem zu begeistern. Ich mochte die Farbenpracht und Kontraststärke, die man dann und wann ins Spiel brachte. Es ist alleine durch die Bilder gelungen das kolumbianische Gefühl zu übertragen. Auch die Animationen der Charaktere war außerordentlich. Ich hatte große Freude ihnen alleine beim Sprechen zuzusehen und die immer genauer werdende Mundbewegungen zu verfolgen. Technisch bewegt man sich bei Produktionen aus dem Disney-Konzern immer in Superlativen. Doch auch musikalisch kann man in diesem Film durchaus die Schublade der Superlative mal öffnen. Denn niemand geringeres als Lin-Manuel Miranda (u.a. „In the Heights“, „Hamilton“) hat sich bereiterklärt Songs für den Film beizusteuern. Es war nicht seine erste Zusammenarbeit mit Disney – bereits bei den Filmen „Vaiana“ und „Die Rückkehr von Mary Poppins“ hat er nicht nur selbst mitgespielt, sondern beim Soundtrack bzw. der Setliste mitgewirkt. Ich zähle mich mittlerweile als großer Fan von Miranda und freue mich daher immer, wenn ich seinen Namen bei einer Produktion lese. Die Musical- bzw. Broadway-Erfahrung hört man den Stücken (im englischen Original) auch durchaus an. Es fällt relativ schnell auf, dass das keine üblichen Disney-Songs sind. Die Songs sind meist sehr schnittig, oft auch mit schnellen Gesangsparts, die beinahe in den Sprechgesang münden. Sie erzählen aber auch immer eine Geschichte und sind (anders als bei so manch anderem Musical) so gut wie nie reine Lückenfüller. Zudem ist es den Verantwortlichen gelungen die Übergänge von Musik und Film fließend zu gestalten, so dass man nicht diese manchmal leicht peinlich wirkenden Übergänge hat, wenn alle plötzlich alles um sich herum vergessen und in den „Musical-Modus“ wechseln. Gesamtverantwortlich für „Encanto“ zeichnen das Regie-Doppel Jared Bush (Regiedebüt) und Byron Howard (u.a. „Rapunzel – Neu verföhnt“, „Bolt“, „Zoomania“). Immer wenn es bei Disney in eine etwas andere Richtung geht, die auch nicht unbedingt mit klassischen Disney-Themen arbeitet, scheint es so als würde die Wahl auf Byron Howard fallen. Ich mochte alle seine Werke bisher sehr gerne. Bei „Encanto“ hätte ich mir halt eben nur gewünscht, dass er sein im Grunde passendes weil langsameres Erzähltempo auch bis zum Ende durchgehalten hätte. Fazit: Der 60. Film der Animationsstudios von Disney; ein recht viel gelungeneres Jubiläum hätte nicht gelingen können. Ich mochte den Film und sein Temperament. Selbiges wurde durch eine verhältnismäßig entspannte Erzählweise gut eingefangen, konnte nur am Ende leider nicht mehr gehalten werden. Das verleiht dem Film in der Rückschau etwas Unausgeglichenes und Überhastetes. Schade eigentlich, denn diesen negativen Beigeschmack hat er sich eigentlich nicht verdient. Insgesamt beschäftigt sich „Encanto“ nämlich mit durchaus zeitaktuellen und dabei immer kindgerecht aufbereiteten Themen rund um Familie – ohne jemals auf das Gesamtkonzept einzugehen. Da werden Bausteine wie „innerfamililäre Erwartungshaltungen“, „Tradionsverpflichtung“, oder das „Aufopfern für die Familie“ angesprochen. Immer toll moderiert von Mirabel. Die Hauptrolle und vielleicht trotz all der Gaben schrillste Figur in dieser Familie (OT-Stimme: Stephanile Beatriz / deutsche Stimme: Magdalena Turba) wird sofort ins Herz geschlossen und man würde sich ehrlich gesagt so eine „Mirabel“ gerne auch ins eigene Leben wünschen. Grundoptimistisch und jederzeit hilfsbereit, einen auch mal aus einem emotionalen Tief zu holen. „Encanto“ bringt damit ein wenig Familienberatung in die aktuelle Zeit und macht das gleichzeitig so behutsam, wie man das von Disney gewohnt ist. Man schwingt nicht mit der Moralkeule, aber man serviert sie jederzeit offen und erkennbar. Kombiniert mit wirklich tollen Songs des „Hamilton“-Masterminds Lin-Manuel Miranda verwandelt sich der Film in ein energetisches Wohlfühlbündel, dass das disneysche Filmjahr 2021 noch einmal mit einem Knall beschließt. By @kino_mit_alex Encanto 2021 PG Director: Jared Bush and Byron Howard Starring: Stephanie Beatriz, Maria Cecilia Botero, John Leguizamo, Mauro Castillo, Jessica Darrow, Angie Cepeda, Carolina Gaitan, Diane Guerrero, Wilmer Valderrama, Rhenzy Feliz, Ravi Conyers, Adassa, Maluma etc Encanto tells the tale of an extraordinary family, the Madrigals, who live hidden in the mountains of Columbia, in a magical house, in a vibrant town, in a wondrous and charmed place called Encanto. The magic of the Encanto has blessed every child in the family with a unique gift from super strength to the power to heal. Every child except one, Mirabel. But when she discovers that the magic surrounding the Encanto is in danger, Mirabel decides that she, the only ordinary Madrigal, might just be her exceptional family’s last hope. This was such a breath-taking movie and another win for Disney. My first few positives would be the fantastic animation and worldbuilding. As well as the great character background, fantastic soundtrack, and likeable characters with interesting powers. The animation for this movie was truly stunning. It was colourful and vibrant and always beautiful to look at. Showcasing how far animation has come with the photo realism of its human characters. Encanto also had fantastic worldbuilding. The escapism this film offered was excellent, Disney has a great ability to create a whole new world to get completely lost in and Encanto was no different. The richness of the culture and the characters was beautiful to watch. I also really liked the character background give to Mirabelle, it gave the audience the required emotional connection to her as a character and was a great set up for her cousin’s powers being chosen. The soundtrack was also fantastic. It was vibrant and catchy and had Lin Manuel Miranda written all over it. Disney never fails to make catchy songs that stick in your head. Finally, I though the characters were very likeable and had interesting powers. The whole family were loveable and fun to watch. With creative and fun powers for everyone that were utilised well. My next few positives would the great humour and representation. As well as the interesting mystery and great structure. This film was hilarious, the film incorporated the characters powers with the humour very well and there were some great physical gags that worked very well. I also thought the representation was fantastic. The film represented Columbia in such a beautiful and respectful way. Showcasing all skin colours and was a beautiful celebration of Columbian culture. I also thought the mystery about Bruno and the magic disappearing was strong. It kept me interested and intrigued throughout and it was developed well. Finally, I thought the film’s structure was excellent. There was never a dull moment and the pacing flowed very smoothly, with great development and strong turning points for the characters. My only negative for the film would be the lack of a consistent antagonist. Despite the grandma being the intended villain, I didn’t think that she was quite strong enough to hold the movie together in terms of having high stakes with consistent antagonism. So, I think if more was done to establish a villain it would have made the stakes that little bit higher. My final few positives would be the good stakes and character development. As well as the strong themes and heartwarming final act. I thought the stakes for the characters themselves were strong. There whole livelihoods and their powers were at risk of being permanently gone, and the film played into this well in order to sympathise with the characters better. I also thought the character development was strong. As all the characters realised, they were more than just their powers and grew genuine connections with their family it was very sweet to see. And Mirabelle developing into the person that they all needed was a great touch to the film. I also thought the themes were very strong. The film touched upon the importance of family and culture very well. And also did something amazing with the use of immigration. It was subtle but powerfully told. Finally, I thought the final act was very heartwarming. The conflict and the resolution were done so beautifully and when the family reunited and worked together it was very touching. Overall, Encanto is a beautiful and heartwarming film. That is an amazing celebration of family, culture, and community. And is one of Disney’s strongest animated films in a long time. Overall score 96/100 By @ryan_the_nixon •Characters- 9/10 •Story- 8/10 •Soundtrack- 8.5/10 •Overall- 8.5/10 Before watching this movie, I had not seen an animated Disney movie in... well, a while. This movie was a nice place to come back after having not seen one in so long. The Madrigal family is actually a group of fleshed out characters, which came as a pleasant surprise. Although, not every member of the family stands out, or is likeable. Mirabel is a great protagonist for the movie, her struggle feels relatable, she isn't annoying, and she had some funny moments along with the other characters. My personal favorite character was Bruno, he was funny and weirdly charming, bringing a lot to his scenes. The story itself is fairly basic for a Disney movie, but I can't take off too much for that because it works. It just doesn't take many risks in the story department. The soundtrack is great with We Don't Talk About Bruno, Surface Pressure, and The Family Madrigal being standout pieces. However, a lot of the other songs in the movie weren't incredibly memorable for me. The ending of the movie was heartwarming, and a nice wrap up for the family and the struggle they went through. In short, I'd recommend Encanto to anyone wanting a heartwarming story with entertaining characters and a fun soundtrack. By @thenerdreview

Reviews by: @michaels_movie_bay 4.5/5 In 2018, thirteen Thai boys were stranded in a cave after an unseasonably early storm flooded the entrance and trapped them inside. This documentary chronicles the heroic rescue mission that was executed by a team of recreational cave divers who risked their lives to save the boys. Presented by Jimmy Chin and wife Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi, the same duo that brought “Free Solo” to the big screen, the filmmakers present an engrossing retelling that emphasizes not only the heroism of those involved but also the extreme emotional toll the rescue exacted. This is an incredibly poignant film filled with triumph and tragedy as well as a touching and unexpected love story. The filmmakers use footage mostly from the actual events but combine it with subsequently filmed dramatizations. In less proficient hands, the addition of content shot after-the-fact could have been a distraction, but instead it enhances the experience, illustrating the claustrophobia of cave diving and highlighting the absolute daring of the rescue plan. If the film is lacking in any way, it is that it fails to present the perspective of the trapped juveniles—a lens which would have amplified the urgency of the situation. This is no fault of the filmmakers but rather due to competing studios owning narrative rights to different aspects of the story (Netflix will be releasing a documentary series next year focusing on the boys). The recency of the events depicted in the film, and the fact that this operation was so widely publicized, may remove some of the suspense from the ending. But the film maintains tension throughout, due largely to compelling central characters and a barrage of emotional gut-punches. Hot take: This true story about societal misfits using their specialized, but often marginalized, skills to do something incredible was personally very inspiring. By @michaels_movie_bay

Reviews by: @_gameing_dude_ Story: Following their defeat at the hands of Crash in Crash 3, Uka Uka attempts to liberate himself and Doctors Neo Cortex and Nefarious Tropy from their prison in the past. His latest effort rips open a hole in the fabric of space and time, and causes him to pass out. Cortex and N. Tropy swiftly escape, abandoning Uka Uka, and discover that the rift they use links their universe to the rest of the multiverse, and decide to make use of it to conquer all dimensions.And now its up to Crash and Coco to stop them with the help of the new quantum masks. Gameplay: We know the drill by now jumping spining and all that stuff.This time around Crash and Coco get help from the quantum masks which appear in some parts of levels.They all bring great powers that spice up the platforming.We have Lani-Loli who can make things appear and disappear,Akano the next mask gives us a endless spin with a higher jump and a double jump,Kapuna-Wa the best mask slows down time for a couple of seconds and Ika-Ika changes gravity.This time around we can also play as Tawna from a different dimansion,Cortex and Dingodile.They are all unique what they can do and are a great addition. Visuals: All characters got a redesign but i dont mind them at all i think they all look great.The game has more of a cartoon style now and i think that fits Crash.The levels are interesting and unique and all of them look charming.You can even replay the levels with different filters but i will talk about that later.Crash in this game is more expressive then ever which i find good because he barly showed any expressions in the past main games. Final Thoughts: With all this praise you think i would give Crash 4 a 10/10.Nope.I love and hate this game at the same time.As a standart platformer Crash 4 is amazing but what makes Crash game so great to me is when you replay the levels to get the 100% thats where the problems come in.Some levels you will 100% play about 5 to 6 time becuase you have to play it with crash then with the filter then maybe with a diffrent character and once more with the filter and of course the time trails.Not counting in the many many times where you think you got all boxes just to miss 1 but the problem is here that in some levels there are over 400 boxes and some levels can be up 15 to 20 mins long.And the filters for the levels are a nice idea but it changes so littel because all the boxes are in the same place so the replay is just dull to me.Heck i got 70% on the game and stopped because i was mostly using videos to show me where i missed a box or the hidden gem and some of them are just bullshit hidden off screen no way for you to know that they are there.But besides all that Crash 4 was still fun but not as great as i expected it to be so Crash 4 gets a ......... 6/10 By @_gameing_dude_

Reviews by: @augustkellerwrites @michaels_movie_bay Much like the character it studies, King Richard is motivational yet a bit tiresome. King Richard provides a charismatic and complex protagonist in Will Smith while also addressing important themes of racism, classism, and determination. So the film definitely deserves credit for marrying entertainment with enlightenment. However, King Richard falls short of excellence because there isn't much else to it. Yes, Smith is terrific, but not otherworldly enough to make a masterpiece on his own. Unfortunately, the experience eventually feels one-note after a while. First, the other characters are underwritten. Aunjanue Ellis excels with what she's given, but her scenes are sparse. Meanwhile, little time is spent on Venus and Serena as people. Obviously, King Richard is fundamentally about Richard Williams, but the supporting cast simply doesn't have much to work with. Next, there is the filmmaking, which is strictly adequate. The cinematography, editing, and sound design are plain with occasional highlights. None of these fronts are bad, but none are particularly engaging either. Really, the only significantly positive note outside of Smith is the soundtrack, which emphasizes the era and the climatic moments. Overall, King Richard is certainly good but lacks the complexity to be great. Writing: 7/10 Direction: 6/10 Cinematography: 7/10 Acting: 8/10 Editing: 7/10 Sound: 7/10 Score/Soundtrack: 8/10 Production Design: 7/10 Casting: 8/10 Effects: 6/10 Overall Score: 7.1/10 For more of my work: https://guskeller.wixsite.com/moviefilmreviews By @augustkellerwrites 4/5 Richard Williams (Smith), father and coach of Venus and Serena Williams, does his best to keep his family together, working tirelessly to transform his daughters into two of the greatest female athletes of all time. This is a beautifully inspiring film about an incredible true story of perseverance and triumph. It addresses important issues of race and equity but it never talks down to or preaches at the audience. It is nuanced and effective in never losing sight of the characters in both their triumphs and failures. The writing is strong and Reinaldo Marcus Green’s direction is sure-handed—deftly balancing both the emotional moments and the riveting tennis scenes. King Richard hits all the notes and beats of a typical sports movie, but it is elevated by its strong cast and their excellent performances. There is a lot of buzz about Will Smith and his portrayal of Richard Williams and he does not disappoint. His performance is measured and never does his impression of the flawed and eccentric real life figure feel like a caricature. Expect him to be a frontrunner in the Best Actor race. And while the buzz is all about Smith, there are several other performances here that deserve more attention. Aunjanue Ellis is both exultant and devastating as Brandi Williams, the supportive wife and mother who is often pushed to her limits. The scene in which she confronts Richard is the emotional center of the film and she nails it. Jon Bernthal gets to showcase his lighter side and injects new life into the film when he first appears. The young actresses that portray Venus and Serena (Demi Singleton and Saniyya Sidney) are phenomenal—their performances matching the gravitas and intensity of their adult co-stars. And even though the fates of these famous sisters is never in doubt, the film generates suspense and emotion in equal measure. This is a film that works very well both as a sports movie and a movie about fathers and daughters. It is gripping, electrifying, and can be enjoyed by audiences of all ages. Hot take: Will Smith’s performance is overrated. The Oscar should go to Aunjanue Ellis. By @michaels_movie_bay

Reviews by: @art_fanatic_313 Marvel Voices Pride is an anthology comic which collects 11 lgbtq superhero stories. The comic starts with a short history of the big lgbtq moments in the marvel comics, then it continues with Wiccan and Hulkling's vows for their wedding. That's followed by the 11 stories and the comic ends with a few pages from Alpha Flight #106, which is Northstar's coming out issue. I liked the structure of the comic a lot, because it introduces the reader to all the big lgbtq moments in the marvel comics, then it has the stories and it ends with the biggest lgbtq moment in any marvel comics. Unfortunately, while the comic's structure was good, the main part, which is the stories, wasn't as good. I had three main problems with the stories. First of all, there were too many of them, to the point where almost nothing happens in some of them. The actual first story, "Under the Stars", which is written by a very well regarded writer, Mariko Tamaki, is just meaningless. Nothing happens in it and it just wasted three pages of the comic. It had good artwork, but that same artist could have worked on a longer, better story. If you are trying to fit 11 stories in so few pages, what's bound to happen is that these stories are gonna be insignificant and extremely short, so there's not gonna be any development or character growth, or anything that makes the stories worth telling. The second problem I had with the stories is that almost all of them don't stand alone. They aren't complete stories. They tie in with the current Marvel titles at an extend where it becomes almost impossible for someone like me, who doesn't read the comics Marvel is currently releasing, to enjoy these stories and understand them. I honestly still have no idea who half of the characters are. The third problem of this comic is that it's clearly just trying to sell other comics. Every other story is like "Oh yeah, did you see this nice gay moment? If you want to understand the story around it and see how it'll affect the characters, buy this other comic that's currently coming out". I think it's totally fine for Marvel to want to sell more comics, it'd be weird if they didn't want that, but they could have done that in a much better and more subtle way. If the stories were interesting enough and I got to see the characters' personalities a bit more, then I'd be interested in buying more comics with them, but when everyone is almost completely bland, because there's no room for interesting character writing, then I lose all my interest in reading anything else with them. Other than these three main problems, I also had another problem with some (not all) of the stories. At times they feel way too preachy. The story that comes to mind when I think about that is the one featuring Elektra. In that story, Elektra saves a transgender character and unfortunately, this character is not well written at all. She was very preachy to the point that I got annoyed and if I got annoyed, then the people who actually should get preached got infuriated and that's not at all a way to teach them anything. This character constantly talks about how certain things are offensive and yeah, they are, but that's not the right way of tackling an issue like that. I started with the negatives of this comic, but truth be told, it also has some positives and some stories are actually nice. I especially liked the one written by Kieron Gillen. The title of this story is "Colossus" and it's about two young mutanst who are dating, talking about how they realized they are bisexual. The way it's described is simply perfect and 100% realistic. I truly enjoyed this story a lot and I was actually surprised by how accurate it was. Also, it had a certain line that I loved "Imagine trying to pay attention when Emma Frost is your teacher". That honestly sounds like a torture. A torture that I'd love to experience. Something that I found very interesting is the segment from Northstar's coming out issue. It was certainly not a masterpiece of writing and it was very much a product of its time, but I actually liked that, because it's a way of seeing how people saw things like AIDS and homosexuality back in the day. I'm glad that since then we have evolved as a society and we are more accepting, understanding and open-minded. Overall, this was a fine comic. I didn't love it and most of the stories were completely forgettable, but I had a nice time reading it and most of the artwork was pretty nice. 7/10 By @art_fanatic_313

Reviews by: @augustkellerwrites @mcneill.and.friends.podcast House of Gucci is a Machiavellian story brought to life by exceptional performances. Gaga, Driver, and Leto all deliver stellar skills to their roles and elevate the overall experience. Undoubtedly, their acting is worth the price of admission and the clear centerpiece of the movie. Leto vanishes into his makeup and provides the perfect amount of pathetic comedy, Driver is forceful with his quiet deceit, and Gaga pilots the show with madness cloaked in charisma. Meanwhile, the direction of Ridley Scott is assured and steady, giving space for the cast to shine and accenting the narrative with touches of glamour. However, while House of Gucci is certainly very good, its technical aspects prevent it from being unequivocally great. The music and production design are both very strong because they convincingly capture the era and extravagant lifestyle, but beyond that, there isn't much filmmaking that stands out here. The imagery, editing, and sound are all proficient, but none are used in any particularly memorable way. Therefore, House of Gucci just isn't quite complete enough to be iconic as a whole. That being said, it still brings plenty to appreciate and is time well spent. Writing: 8/10 Direction: 8/10 Cinematography: 7/10 Acting: 9/10 Editing: 7/10 Sound: 7/10 Score/Soundtrack: 9/10 Production Design: 8/10 Casting: 9/10 Effects: 7/10 Overall Score: 7.9/10 For more of my work: https://guskeller.wixsite.com/moviefilmreviews By @augustkellerwrites Score: 3.5/10 I was really looking forward to checking out House of Gucci, but it might literally be the biggest disappointment of the year. This is an incredibly messy film because it truly has no idea what it is. The tone is incredibly inconsistent throughout the film, and it does not belong to any specific genre. Its traits from the drama, thriller, crime, comedy, and romance genres ultimately clash, making for a very incoherent experience. House of Gucci is by far the slowest film I have seen all year because this honestly felt like a four hour film. It is already a long movie, but when a runtime feels longer than the actual two hours and thirty-seven minutes, something clearly went wrong during production. The narrative is incredibly disjointed as it tries to tackle two decades worth of exposition into about two and a half hours with sloppy editing that abruptly transitions scenes and time gaps. Considering the awesome talent involved in this film, the performances are also a major letdown (Al Pacino and Jeremy Irons aside). The accents are all over the place, and there is no chemistry between anybody. Jared Leto’s amazing makeup and prosthetics do not fool me into thinking he gave a good performance because his character felt like cartoonish mockery while everybody else at least seemed grounded (but flat, nonetheless). Furthermore, every character’s motivations are unclear, leaving more to be desired from each character arc and leaving audience members unsure how to feel towards the characters. Obviously House of Gucci is about the famous fashion brand, Gucci, so the costume design is top-notch. This is also not a bad looking movie by any means because the production design and cinematography are fantastic, but the aesthetic alone is not enough for me to be invested in this lifeless script. Unfortunately, House of Gucci is a massive disappointment and felt like a waste of time when the true story behind this film lends it the potential to be one of the most vibrant and entertaining movies of the year. By @mcneill.and.friends.podcast

Reviews by: @movieejunkiee Introduction I used to watch Fantastic Mr Fox quite a bit as a kid and recently I rewatched it as a cinephile, and now I love it even more. This is a FANTASTIC piece of art work through stop motion. Wes Anderson is a pure and utter genius. The music was phenomenal. The ensemble Cast was perfect, like any other Wes Anderson film. The sound effects were also brilliant. Anderson's camera work from the symmetry, to the zooms, to the rack focuses, this film looks UNBELIEVABLE! Also, the cloud pallet was fantastic. I'll get into more detail now. Ensemble Cast The cast of Fantastic Mr Fox is stacked and everybody gives awesome performances. Wes Anderson always has a big cast with a lot of different characters, and he makes it work. Everybody gives great performances, but my favourite performance was George Clooney as Mr Fox. George has this tone in his voice that fits Roald Dahl's Mr Fox so well. He seriously was perfectly cast. I also liked Jason Schwartzman as Ash and Eric Chase Anderson as Kris. I loved both of those characters, their chemistry, and their performances. Wes Anderson always gets the best out of his actors. Wes Anderson When you watch any of Wes' films you know straight away that he directed them. From the colour pallet, to the actors, to the music, to the production design, Anderson's films are always stunning. My favourite aspects of his camera work on Fantastic Mr Fox are the symmetry, the stop motion, and the zooms. The symmetry in Anderson's films is always visually pleasing and one of my favourite shots in this film, where I actually said "Woah!", was when a few of the characters see a lone wolf on a rock. The symmetry, colour pallet, and stop motion of that shot gives me goosebumps. The stop motion in Fantastic Mr Fox is simply brilliant. You can clearly tell it's stop motion but the editing makes it looks sooo good and I simply love the style that this adds to this film. Lastly, the zooms. What I picked up on in this film is that everytime a character realises something or something serious happens the camera zooms in on their face and shows their facial expressions (similar to Django Unchained). Wes Anderson is one of my favourite directors of all time, and I've only seen three of his films. Music and Sound Effects The music from Fantastic Mr Fox is unbelievable. It is so beautiful and adds to the general tone and feel of this film. You could listen to it at any time and you would love it. Alexandre Desplat nailed the score for Fantastic Mr Fox, as he usually does in Anderson's films. The sound effects in this film were also amazing. I think it's the first time that sound effects in any film actually stood out to me. From somebody falling through trees and then thumping on the ground, to doors creaking and hearing people's footsteps, to hearing a load of apple cider flow through the ground, the sound effects are incredible. Even when you don't see what's happening, you can definitely tell by listening. Conclusion I know I didn't talk about the awesome screenplay, but I felt that it spoke for itself. Noah and Wes perfected this screenplay. Fantastic Mr Fox is one of my all time favourite family films. It is for people from all ages. Wes Anderson is an absolute genius. The music is phenomenal, the sound effects also. The camera work is stunning. The color pallet is beautiful. I also forgot to mention the claymation earlier, it's brilliant. Overall, this film is absolutely amazing and it's not even 1.5 hours long. I definitely recommend this film if you haven't already watched it. By @movieejunkiee

Reviews by: @_gameing_dude_ Story: Indie rock duo Bunk Bed Junction, consisting of Mayday and Zuke, participate in the annual Lights Up Auditions to join record label No Straight Roads and bring rock back to relevance. The audition itself is judged by the CEO of NSR, Tatiana, and the top artists from the label as they witness Mayday and Zuke's performance to determine if they are worthy. After Bunk Bed Junction finishes the course, the artists choose to dismiss them. This sets off Mayday's temper, causing her to backtalk Tatiana. Tatiana remarks that the age of rock is over and EDM is the only genre currently in demand in Vinyl City.Reaching their breaking point, the duo decide to revolt against NSR's grip on the city to bring back rock and restore power to the people. Gameplay: NRS is kinda like a jumo and run action base platformer.There are no normal leves in the game every stage is a boss stage where you pass gates with enemys to reach tje boss.Maybe tou have noticed that the main theme of the game is music and it shines in the gameplay.Every enemy every boss does a move pattern that matches the music so if you lisen careful you can predict it.There is also a great hub world to explire and meet side characters.There is also a skill tree where you can get some power ups depending on how many fans you have and sticker which you can use to boost speed,attack and soo on. Visuals: I was suprised to see how many different styles are in the game from 3d to 2d animations.The game looks great and has special charm to it.Yes that the character designs are a bit wierd but that makes them much more unique. Final Thoughts: For me NSR is a forgoten game because it have a bad lunch but man i would call it a hidden gem.The soundtrack is amazing the characters are all unique and special and memorable.I cant forget the great humor this game has i was laughing most of them while playing.The combat is a bit stiff and heavy but if you just want to have a good time with great characters humor and a very good sountrack then this is for you.No Straight Roads gets a.... 7/10 By @_gameing_dude_

Reviews by: @mr.cinemaaa Project Details Director: Maruthi Dasari Written By: Maruthi Dasari Produced By: V Celluloid & SKN UV Production House: Concepts & Mass Movie Makers Cinematography: Sai Sriram Music Director: Anup Rubens Edited By: S.B. Uddhav Production Design: Ram Kumar Costumes: Shweta Tanay Fights/Stunts: Joshua Choreography: Sekhar & Yash Run Time: 2 Hours & 22 Minutes CBFC Rating: "U/A" Direction & Story The film is about Gopallam who has a fear that his daughter Paddu is in love with her colleague Santosh after listening to his neighbor's story whose daughter had a similar love story. How Santosh changes the thinking of Gopalam & impresses him forms the rest. Maruthi’s stories are quite simple as he pens a script taking a weakness of a particular character or a small incident and churns out decent comedy around that. This time too the story is nothing out of the box in terms of content but he plays with the weakness of the fears that a father has for his daughter & her love. The screenplay is better in the first half but is dragged unnecessarily in the latter with other conflict points. Director Maruthi is successful in making the audience laugh as he makes sure that the film has enough fun & comedy at regular intervals. The core conflict point may be weird but he covers it up with good humor. Lead Performances The real hero of the film is Ajay Ghosh. He is given a full-length central character who drives the entire narrative. He is sincere & earnest with his performance and scores well in the comedy department this time. His character has multiple shades like anger, comedy, and emotion. If not for him, the film would have really been quite routine & would have lacked the freshness. Santhosh Shoban is improving as an actor with every film and with this film too he gives out a convincing performance. He fits the role perfectly as a youngster who is possessive about his girlfriend & here he looks a lot more confident with his body language & comedy. Mehreen looks beautiful & does is expected from her. Though she has limited screen time, her acting in emotional father-daughter episodes brings depth to the proceedings to an extent. She looks a lot slimmer & her chemistry with Santhosh looks convincing. Other Performances PD Srinivas and Koteshwara Rao get unexpectedly bigger roles as the neighbors and their track works well in the first half coz of the funny situations. Praveen is hilarious with his Appadala Vijay Lakshmi track while Viva Harsha also adds to it in the second half. They both play the hero's friends in the film. Vennela Kishore is utilized briefly as the Doctor but he makes us laugh when every time he comes on screen. Sudharshan impresses in a scene where Ajay Gosh's character talks to Appadala Vijay Lakshmi in the second half. His frustration there is super funny. Saptagiri generated a few laughs like he always does as the Ambulance driver while Srinivas Reddy makes a late entry in the second half and impresses with his trademark fun and witty dialogue delivery. The rest of the cast are fine in their respective limited supporting roles. Detailed Analysis The entire film revolves around the roles of Gopalam and his poking friends who are focused on sharing things about his daughter. The situations, comedy, performances & dialogues here make things passable. Watch out for Appadala Vijay Lakshmi’s & the episode of the phone conversation of her with the father. The second half has a lot of lot with few unnecessary episodes. The corona track doesn't work as expected & the sudden jump from comedy to emotions in the plot isn't smoothly done. Even the emotional scenes look very forced into the script as the melodrama goes overboard in some scenes of the second half. The romantic track between the lead pair is boring. It pulls down the momentum whenever it arrives. The scene where Ajay Ghosh’s role gets his realization with a simple scene isn't convincing Dialogues are funny & well written. and the climax ends on a dull note. Technical Team Direction: 4.5/5 Story: 3/5 Screenplay: 2.5/5 Dialogues: 4/5 Production Values: 4/5 Music/Songs: 3.5/5 Background Score: 4.5/5 Cinematography: 4/5 Editing: 3.5/5 Art Work: 3.5/5 Choreography: 4/5 Costumes: 4/5 Stunts/Action: 3/5 VFX/Graphics: 3/5 Plus Points Appadala Vijay Lakhsmi's Episodes Ajay Ghosh & Santhosh's Performance PD Srinivas and Koteshwara Rao's Track Few Hilarious Comedy Scenes So So Ga Song & Background Score Cinematography & Production Values Core Conflict Point & First Half Minus Points Routine Story & Dragged Second Half Boring Screenplay Towards The End Corona Track Half Baked Emotions Romantic Track Final Verdict A time pass entertainer which falls in the Maruthi Template Universe. P.S.: Appadala Vijay Lakshmi will surely leave the auditorium in splits. Recommended: Yes Mr.Cinema Rating: 3/5 0.5 - Unbearable 1.0 - Avoid 1.5 - Flop 2.0 - Below Average 2.5 - Average 3.0 - Watchable 3.5 - Hit 4.0- Super Hit 4.5 - Blockbuster 5.0 - Mega Hit By @mr.cinemaaa

Reviews by: @art_fanatic_313 Superman: Kryptonite is a comic written by the legendary Darwyn Cooke and drawn by the amazing Time Sale. The story is about Superman discovering his weakness, Kryptonite. In the newspaper they work, Clark Kent, Lois Lane and Jimmy Olsen are assigned the hard task of exposing a casino owner named Galo. In the process of doing so, they discover there's an object that causes Superman to lose his powers. Lex Luthor also finds that out and he tries to understand how to use it, but he's unable to do so. Eventually, the protagonists find out the truth behind Kryptonite and Galo's involvement in the whole story. This was a very nice comic. The story was very interesting, uplifting and enjoyable. Superman was very well written and it's clear that Darwyn Cooke truly understood the character. It's very interesting to see the way Superman reacts to the fact that he knows now that there's something that can actually hurt him. Very interestingly, he likes these news, because he feels like this makes him a mortal and more human and it helps him get in touchwith his human side and connect with other people. This is probably the best part of theentire comic and it truly feels like something Superman would think, because he's an exceptionally selfless character, with a lot of love inside him for humanity. There are also some other great moments with Superman, like the one when he is heroically saving people from an erupting volcano, while Lois is waiting for him to come to their date. Another positiveaspect of the comic is the very unique way it shows the duplicity of people. Unfortunately, the comic also has some negative aspects. One of the most obvious and annoying ones is the dialogues, which are very badly written and feel unrealistic. Something else that bothered me in this comic is Lois; character, which is written in a very bad, annoying and unrealistic way. The artwork by Tim Sale is good, but it's not as good as in some of his previous works, like "Batman: The Long Halloween"; and "Superman for all Seasons". His Superman feels very different and all the characters just don't look as good. His style is still great and it's clear that he's a talented artist, with good storytelling skills, but it just isn't as good as in some of his other works. Overall, this was a flawed, but good comic. It might seem childish at times, but it actually has some mature content, like suicides and while it's not something special, it's a short, easy and fun read. 8/10 By @art_fanatic_313

Reviews by: @mr.cinemaaa Project Details Director: Siva Written By: Siva Dialogues: Siva, Chandran, Savari Muthu & Anthony Bhagyaraj Produced By: Kalanithi Maran Production House: Sun Pictures Cinematography: Vetri Palanisamy Music Director: D. Imman Edited By: Antony L. Ruben Art Director: Milan Costumes: Anu. V, Anu Parthasarathy, Dhatsha Pillai, Shravya Varma & Sangeetha Fights/Stunts: Dhilip Subbarayan Choreography: Brinda & Prem Rakshith Sound Design: Udhayakumar Run Time: 2 Hours & 43 Minutes CBFC Rating: "U/A" Direction & Story The film is about the bonding between Veeranna and his sister Kanakam. How will he rescue his sister when she marries her lover and moves to Kolkata, where she faces some unknown threats forms the rest of the plot. The story by Siva is completely outdated and is quite familiar to today's audience as there have been many films that run on the emotional bond between a brother and a sister. Also, Siva doesn't attempt to try anything out of the box & sticks to the basic template. The screenplay too moves in a predictable fashion and is completely boring throughout its run time. There isn't a single scene in the film which impresses apart from the action scenes where Rajini is highlighted. This is definitely Director Siva's weakest film in terms of story and its treatment. It would have been really good if Siva and his writers had concentrated more on the writing, along with commercial packaging. Lead Performances Rajinikanth is the only saving grace of the film. It is his electrifying screen presence and his superb mass aura in the action scenes which keeps us stay till the end of the film. This is for sure the weakest Rajini movie in terms of the screenplay and treatment in several years. Keerthy Suresh is the next actor after Rajinikanth who gets more prominence in the film and the talented actress has delivered a fairly decent performance. Nayanthara looks glamorous in the song but is merely left in a poorly written limited supporting role. Both Jagapathi Babu and Abhimanyu Singh are very poor in their roles. They don't come as terrorizing villains & their characterizations look absolutely weak. It is good to see Khushbu & Meena back in action with Rajini but both of them don't really have anything to do, except for a few comedy scenes. Prakash Raj, Soori, Sathish, Sathyan & others are fine in their roles. Detailed Analysis The first half consists of scenes that establish the bond between the brother and his sister along with a few family and comedy scenes, while the second half is dominated by a big series of action blocks where the brother goes on saving her sister where ever she goes. The conflict point in the film is quite dull and has no depth at all. Rajini, who loves his sister to death does not even confront her and keeps saving her from the goons. This basic logic goes for a toss due to which all the emotional scenes in the film are a big flop. The narration is so old and looks very tedious, that even Rajini cannot save the film after a point. This kind of blending the emotions & action on sister sentiment is not the type of mix one expects in a Rajinikanth film. Lack of proper presentation and outdated treatment comes as a major minus for the film. Another issue is the dialogues that reeks of melodrama & predictability. Technical Team Direction: 2/5 Story: 1/5 Screenplay: 1.5/5 Dialogues: 2.5/5 Production Values: 4.5/5 Music/Songs: 2/5 Background Score: 4/5 Cinematography: 4.5/5 Editing: 2.5/5 Art Work: 4/5 Choreography: 4/5 Costumes: 3.5/5 Stunts/Action: 4.5/5 VFX/Graphics: 4/5 Plus Points Rajinikanth Background Score Cinematography & Production Values Minus Points Ages Old Storyline & Formulaic Screenplay Predictable & Dull Narration Poor Direction Outdated Melodrama Unbearable Brother - Sister Track Boring Comedy Illogical Action Scenes Routine Characterizations Worst First Half Final Verdict Unbearably outdated family drama with a rotten story & routine scenes. P.S.: Mithai Khilli..... Siva anna petav ga pedha RODDUU Malli !! Recommended: NOOOOOOO! Mr.Cinema Rating: 1.5/5 0.5 - Unbearable 1.0 - Avoid 1.5 - Flop 2.0 - Below Average 2.5 - Average 3.0 - Watchable 3.5 - Hit 4.0- Super Hit 4.5 - Blockbuster 5.0 - Mega Hit By @mr.cinemaaa

Reviews by: @movieejunkiee @augustkellerwrites @no_budget_movie_remake Introduction I saw this film about 3 weeks ago and it was the first time I was in a cinema since December 2019. It was also the first film I saw in cinemas as a cinephile. This movie was SOOO much fun. I went with a good friend of mine who also loves movies and Nobody made us smile, laugh, and wince. The violence is so entertaining and I was smiling throughout most of the bus scene. The hilights of Nobody, for me, was the violence, Bob Odenkirk, and the soundtrack. There were also some downfalls to this film, such as the pacing and the villain. Anyway, I'll talk about all of this stuff now. Acting Bob Odenkirk, although an unusual choice, was brilliant. He made this film what it is and was really good even during the violent scenes. Now, I'm sure he had a stunt double, but in some violent scenes you do see his face. Also, his line delivery was on point. I also really liked his character. He is a very discreet and quiet guy who has a job and a family but also a rough past. We get to learn about his rough past and what made him choose a different path. The character development was pretty much perfect. The other actor who impressed me was Christopher Lloyd. He had a fun character to play around with and all in all was entertaining. Apart from Bob and Christopher all the other actors and characters weren't great and we're very forgettable. Acting All right, I'm not sure if it was the atmospheric cinema or if it really was the soundtrack, but I seriously loved the music in Nobody. From the opening scene to the final scene this film had an AWESOME soundtrack. There were two scenes that I especially loved. The first one is the opening scene where "Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood" by Nina Simone is playing and it is similar to the opening scene of Snatch as in both Snatch and Nobody they are being interviewed. It is such a brilliant opening scene. The second scene is where something impressive and important happens (no spoilers) and "What a Wonderful World" by Louis Armstrong is playing. The music truly enhances the viewing experience and the overall feel of this action packed film. Entertainment Nobody is quite possibly the most fun I've had in a cinema (along with Spider-Man Into The Spider-verse). The action, the music, the acting. All of this factored into the excitement of this film. The shootouts and special effects are so cool and this film truly is a lot of fun. My favourite scene is probably the bus scene. It is perfectly choreographed, has awesome gore and violence, and it is so exciting. Another scene I really loved was the final shootout. It is so cool. I loved how it had a similar vibe to Home Alone, I know, weird connection. It's similar to Home Alone because they set up traps and stuff for the bad guys. Christopher Lloyd was so funny in the final shootout, and although it's very unrealistic, that's the point of the shootout. It's just meant to be a lot of fun, and it was. Negatives Even though this film was a thrill ride, it still had some negatives. There are only two negatives that I can think of, and they are the pacing and the villain. Now, I thought the pacing wasn't great because there was one scene especially that could have been 20 minutes longer. I'm not going to say what scene it was because it's a spoiler, but it was only like 1-2 minutes long. I seriously believe that this film could have been 2 hours long instead of a short 1 hour 32 minutes. The other negative I picked up from Nobody was the villain. He was a terrible antagonist. It was a drunk Russian Mafia boss who sings kareoke. I mean, straight off the bat he doesn't sound great. Apart from those two negatives, I loved this film. Conclusion This is an awesome, action packed film with great acting from Bob Odenkirk and Christopher Lloyd. Nobody also has a great main character with serious depth. I loved the gore, the bus scene, the story, the editing, the special effects, and especially the soundtrack. This is such a fun film to watch with mates. I definitely recommend you watch Nobody if you haven't already, and if you can, watch it in theatres. Anyway, that is today's review. I hope you enjoyed my review, if so, let me know your thoughts on the movie and my review in the comments. By @movieejunkiee Nobody is a smoldering fire ready to explode. Its narrative isn't unique, but Nobody does its job well. The story follows a dissatisfied average joe down a rabbit hole of violence, before devolving into action schlock. However, because Nobody takes its time establishing proper character development and emotional investment, the schlock feels earned. The emotions aren't particularly complex and there isn't much higher meaning, but Nobody paces itself and is anchored by Bob Odenkirk's impressive performance. Odenkirk switches several gears throughout the film and sells it all beautifully. Plus, the action is fantastic, sealing Nobody as a guilt-free treat. Undoubtedly, the filmmaking of Nobody does heavy lifting for both the characters and the action. The opening montage of Odenkirk's mundane life is excellent: repetitive, yet gripping due to precise editing and jarring sound. That active sound design continues throughout the film, with symbolic and visceral accents at opportune moments. The soundtrack is a character of its own, cleverly switching between diegetic and nondiegetic. The effects set the gut-wrenching tone. Lastly, the cinematography brings it all together by employing various frames, shot durations, and movements to keep the energy high. Overall, Nobody hits every mark it aims for. Writing: 7/10 Direction: 9/10 Cinematography: 9/10 Acting: 8/10 Editing: 9/10 Sound: 10/10 Score/Soundtrack: 8/10 Production Design: 7/10 Casting: 7/10 Effects: 8/10 Overall Score: 8.2/10 For more of my work: https://guskeller.wixsite.com/moviefilmreviews By @augustkellerwrites 6/10. “From the writer of John Wick” could be this entire review. If you liked John Wick, you will enjoy this as well. But the lack of originality here is staggering. It’s almost like watching, well, John Wick again. I don’t mind a copycat movie, but this takes it to a whole new level. Of course, Odenkirk is great. Christopher Lloyd has a stand out scene dealing with some unwanted visitors. Other than that, you’ve seen all of this before. They tease a sequel, that nobody is asking for. And they really shouldn’t. By @no_budget_movie_remake

Reviews by: @mr.cinemaaa Project Details Director: Anand Shankar Story: Anand Shankar Screenplay: Anand Shankar, S Rama Krishnan & Shan Karuppusamy Dialogues: Shan Karuppusamy Produced By: S Vinod Kumar Production House: Mini Studios Cinematography: R. D. Rajasekhar Music/Songs: S. Thaman Background Score: Sam C. S. Edited By: Raymond Derrick Crasta Production Design: T Ramalingam Costumes: Pritha Agarwal Action/Stunts: Ravi Verma Choreography: Brindha & Sathish Krishnan Run Time: 2 Hours & 40 Minutes CBFC Rating: "U/A" Direction & Story The film is the story of two childhood friends and their escalating competitive nature. To what extent are they ready to go after turning enemies needs to be seen. The story by Anand Shankar is pretty good on paper & the idea of friends turning foes is definitely interesting which makes up for a perfect action thriller. The screenplay looks half-backed. Like there are good scenes, there are decent thrills and twists, 2 big heroes, proper setup of the conflict, but the proper binding factor between all these is majorly missing coz of the bad writing, poor logics, and unconvincing execution. Director Anand Shankar does a decent job in making the film look stylish but he has done a pretty mediocre job in presenting it in an engaging manner. The over the top hero characterizations require minimum logic but the logic here goes for a toss. Dialogues by Shan. K also never match the depth in the scenes. Lead Performances Vishal looks earnest and shines as Surya, an obedient son yet a risk-taker for the Telugu community who live in Singapore. This role is tailormade for him and he looks solid and does well in all the action episodes. Arya is also no less and brings an edge to the film with his negative shade. He has a meatier role, playing the anti-hero, but is let down by some poor writing. Mamta Mohandas is neat in her role while Mirnalini Ravi looks pretty but couldn't add anything new to the plot in terms of characterization and her performance. She literally disappears after the initial romantic track. Prakash Raj in a brief role is impactful at the start. Both the kids who played the younger version of the lead heroes are good in the flashback episodes. Thambi Ramaiah does full justice to his character as the innocent father of Vishal. Karunakaran, Malavika A, Nasser & others are fine in their limited roles. Detailed Analysis The initial childhood episode where Arya & Vishal get trained establishes their characters really well. A few scenes involving Photographic Memory are thrillingly done. Their traits and intelligence levels are registered properly and this is consistent throughout the film. It then falls into the regular commercial bracket. The hero intros & a few comedy scenes aren't engaging. The film gains momentum when the enemy arrives & the interval bang is decent with the 2 heroes meeting. The second half starts well with the confrontation but it gets dumber as it progresses. The cat & mouse game isn't packed with solid thrilling moments to hold your attention. You pretty much know how Arya's character is going to react & how Vishal's character will respond. Arya's characterization is poorly written. It could have been an iconic villain role but for such a high-profile assassin what he does & how he reacts is senseless. Technical Team Direction: 3/5 Story: 3.5/5 Screenplay: 2.5/5 Dialogues: 2.5/5 Background Music: 2.5/5 Production Values: 4/5 Cinematography: 4.5/5 Editing: 3/5 Production Design: 4/5 Sound Design: 3.5/5 Costumes: 4/5 Choreography: 3/5 VFX/Graphics: 3.5/5 Plus Points Vishal & Arya's Performances Background Score Cinematography & Production Values Action/Chase Scenes Decent Twists & Thrills Climax Faceoff Minus Points Uncovering Execution & Poor Narration Half Baked Screenplay Repetitive Scenes & Lag In Second Half Slow Paced In Major Portions Logics Lengthy Run Time Final Verdict A tiring action thriller that needed a more convincing & better execution. P.S.: Can give it a try for the two heroes & if you are an action thriller lover. Recommended: 50-50 Mr.Cinema Rating: 2.5/5 0.5 - Unbearable 1.0 - Avoid 1.5 - Flop 2.0 - Below Average 2.5 - Average 3.0 - Watchable 3.5 - Hit 4.0- Super Hit 4.5 - Blockbuster 5.0 - Mega Hit By @mr.cinemaaa

Reviews by: @miscellaneous_media_reviews @handpickedmovie Perfect Blue is a psychological thriller anime, directed by Satoshi Kan, and released in 1997. Perfect Blue follows Mima Kirigoe, the star of the fictional Japanese pop band, Cham. When Mima decides to leave the band to pursue a solo career in acting, she has to battle an obsessed stalker, as well as her own fracturing mind. Perfect Blue is a great movie that has been on my mind since I first saw it. It’s definitely one of my favorite movies I’ve seen so far this year. Technically speaking I have no issues with Perfect Blue. This movie has no glaring issues that hold it back in any way. The film is only 90 minutes long and runs at a perfect pace. It expertly balances fast paced, high intensity scenes, with slower moments, where the audience, and Mima are allowed to breathe. As such, the movie never feels slow or boring. Every scene serves a purpose whether it be to progress the story, develop its characters, or set the tone. The animation in this movie is gorgeous, and I absolutely love it. I’ve always adored traditional 2D animation, and the art style and animation from Perfect Blue is exactly the kind I enjoy most. It has an older look to it that I really like. In fact the animation itself is what first sparked my interest in seeing the movie. However, putting my own preferences aside, this is still a stunning film. The art style is great and the use of lighting and color is incredible. Not only does the movie have a beautiful visual presentation, but it also serves the story, and the overall experience. One example of this is the film's use of the color red. It’s presence in the film increases as Mima’s mental state decays further. In fact, all of the colors and the lighting become much more harsh and bold as Mima falls further into madness. This serves as a subconscious visual cue that helps to show this change. The music of Perfect Blue is also great. The score is made up of original songs performed by the fictional Cham, as well as traditional pieces. This is a very disturbing movie, and the horrific subject matter contrasts perfectly with the upbeat, and catchy pop songs. The traditional pieces in the score are also extremely effective. They’re haunting and nerve wracking, conveying the paranoia and anxiety Mima feels perfectly. Perfect Blue doesn't just let the audience witness Mima’s mental distress, it forces you to feel what she feels. The disorienting score helps to create and add to this effect. The story is very interesting, but it’s how the story is conveyed that makes this film so memorable. The plot of the TV show Mima is acting in begins to mirror her real life horror. As this happens and Mima falls further and further into insanity, she becomes unable to separate reality from fiction. The way the movie is edited forces the audience to experience the same confusion and distress. It becomes hard to tell what is actually happening in the movie, what is a part of the show, and what’s in Mima’s head. Time begins to run together as do scenes of the movie. This works amazingly to help the audience empathize with Mima, it creates a shared experience, and makes her struggles more endearing. Because of this I think Perfect Blue is an experience, it takes you on a mental trip, and puts you in the characters shoes. This makes the story more frightening and engaging. The characters are another highlight of the film. This feels like a very accurate depiction of the real world, and thus its characters feel like real people. Side and supporting characters feel real while also standing out as individuals in the movie. Perfect Blue also acts as a character study of its protagonist, Mima Kirigoe. Mima is one of the best characters I’ve seen in a while, and she’s now one of my favorite characters from any movie. As the audience we see both sides of her, the pop star, and the average person. The opening of the movie introduces us to her perfectly, as we cut between her going about her daily routine, and her performing. She has a realistic inner turmoil that I think a lot of people can empathize with. She’s very relatable and likeable, and the connection formed between her and the audience helps us grow closer to her. She, like the other characters, feels real. She makes realistic decisions and experiences real emotions and hardships. Mima struggles to find who she is, and who she wants to be. She struggles to separate the truth from what is in her head. She struggles to free herself from her torment and get past her trauma. These conflicts create a compelling character you can’t help but cheer and care for. I have no issues with Perfect Blue, and I think it is a perfect film. That being said, this movie may not be for everyone. Some people may not like the structure, or the way the story is conveyed, and might find it too confusing to enjoy. The film also pulls no punches when it comes to its subject matter and how it’s portrayed. This is a very disturbing, and at times violent and graphic movie. It is brutally realistic, and it makes the movie very uncomfortable to watch at times, even for someone like myself who has seen many disturbing films. I personally loved it, and it's been stuck in my head since I’ve seen it. This is an incredible psychological thriller that is perfectly crafted, with one of the best protagonists in any film I've seen. With a great narrative told in an extremely creative, and thought provoking way. There’s so much to take away from Perfect Blue, and I look forward to seeing it again. Objective Score: 10/10 Personal Score: 9.5/10 By @miscellaneous_media_reviews One of the first films one encounters if one wants to deal with arthouse anime or arthouse as such is Perfect Blue. Among fans, it is truly considered the holy grail of meta-aesthetics. Whether the film can carry this, what influences it had and why meta is used correctly here is what I want to shed light on in this review. Perfect Blue was directed by Satoshi Kon in 1997. The film profited considerably from the hype for animated productions in feature film format, which was mainly created by Akira. It became clear that this format could produce serious and challenging films that would still appeal to a large audience. Satoshi Kon, whose films arguably served as the greatest inspiration for late 2000s productions by Nolan and Aaronofsky, negotiates an almost romantically cynical perspective on the ever-changing definition of identity, on such eloquent filmic presentation that they are arguably more like dreams. A stringently planned fantasy, like the Hitchcock of animation. Perfect Blue thus deals with Mima, who, after an attempted change of profession, realises that not only the expectations of the outside world are catching up with her, but also her own idea of herself, diabolically embodied by Rumi. Perfect Blue incidentally anticipates the whole dialogue about dismorphism of body and mind in the digital age, when the first blogs and websites became accessible to the general public. A loop of social masks and interpersonal ones is torn from the viewer's face in impressive sequences in which it would not be surprising if Mima suddenly emerges from our screen and it turns out that our reality is also a level of Perfect Blue. Satoshi Kon casually creates such iconic images that even a purely aestheticistic viewing is a joy. Likewise, Perfect Blue works as a thriller, as the film has been marketed internationally, though of course it doesn't do it justice. The profound philosophy of dehumanising a person in the limelight or the abysses of Mima's stalker, a rape where even the viewer doesn't know what to feel or the noir-esque series of murders.... This film has a lot to offer and even more to discuss. You will certainly come across Satoshi Kon more often on this site, where you can also discuss how Inception by Christopher Nolan or Black Swan by Darren Aaronfsky are ultimately only afterthoughts to Kon's originals. In Perfect Blue we see a collision. Of expectations, of realities, meta levels, truth and lies. A film that joins Akira in transforming a rammed genre. In the end, we have no choice but to ask where our alter ego lurks, how often we play something but don't mean it or, like Mima, find ourselves lost and unexpected in the digital. By @handpickedmovie

Reviews by: @mr.cinemaaa Project Details Director: Rohit Shetty Screenplay: Yunus Sajawal Dialogues: Farhad Samji, Sanchit Bendre & Vidhi Ghodgadnkar Produced By: Reliance Entertainment, Rohit Shetty Picturez, Dharma Productions & Cape of Good Films Cinematography: Jomon T. John Music/Songs: Tanishk Bagchi, Lijo George – DJ Chetas & JAM8 Background Score: Amar Mohile & S. Thaman Edited By: Bunty Nagi Production Design: Swapnil B & Madhur Madhavan Costumes: Anaita Shroff Fights/Stunts: Sunil Rodrigues & Rohit Shetty Run Time: 2 Hours & 43 Minutes CBFC Rating: "U/A" Direction & Story Sooryavanshi traces the acts and serious antics of DCP Veer Sooryavanshi, chief of the Anti-Terrorism Squad in India, who decides to go after the mastermind of the terror attacks. What are the obstacles he faces and how will he succeed forms the rest of the plot. The story is a bit routine & predictable. The core point of terrorism & the cop investigating the issue is dealt in many cop films in the past like Akshay's 'Holiday' etc. The screenplay is padded with the right ingredients in the commercial masala format. It is gripping in most of the parts, especially when the action scenes come on screen, but it slackens in the middle portions as the scenes and conversations aren't engaging enough. Director Rohit Shetty knows the pulse of the audience & serves a dish that they relish with some extravagant paisa vasool commercial episodes which one expects from this Rohit Shetty's trademark cop universe. Lead Performances Akshay Kumar looks super fit and delivers a solid performance as a cop. His attitude and stylish screen presence bring a lot of depth to the proceedings. He is entertaining in the comedy bits & he is extraordinary in all the high voltage action/chase sequences. Katrina Kaif has a decent role and she goes through it with ease. But it is her sensual dance moves in the iconic 'Tip Tip Barsa Paani' remake song that is a big attraction and is bound to be greeted with whistles. Ajay Devgn and Ranveer Singh’s smashing entry as Bajirao Singham and Sangram Bhalerao respectively in the pre-climax portion literally lifts the proceedings & elevates the mood of the film in an effective manner. Jackie Shroff, Jaaved Jaffrey,Abhimanyu Singh, Kumud Mishra, Gulshan Grover, Rajendra Gupta, Niktin Dheer, Sikandar Kher, Sharvari Lohokare & others are good in their respective supporting/negative roles. Detailed Analysis The first half is the weakest part.. Except for the hero's intro, the Jaisalmer chase scene & a few comedy bits here and there, the rest of the scenes never grab attention. Even the interval bang is not up to the mark. The romantic portions & songs aren't engaging too. The second half also lacks consistency in the writing as every high moment is followed by a dull portion. But it is definitely better than the first. The bike, speedboat & helicopter chase, Chodo Kal Ki Baatein episode, the bombs diffused into the sea scene, and the entries of Simmba & Singham are the best parts of the film. The character of Sooryavanshi doesn't really have the flamboyance or the fun of either Simmba & Singham except for his habit of forgetting the names. With the entry of Ranveer, the fun builds up with his witty lines. Finally, it is a huge treat to see the three heroes walking in slow motion with a kickass score at the end. Technical Team Direction: 4.5/5 Story: 2.5/5 Screenplay: 3/5 Dialogues: 4/5 Production Values: 5/5 Music/Songs: 4/5 Background Score: 4.5/5 Cinematography: 5/5 Editing: 3.5/5 Production Design: 4/5 Choreography: 4.5/5 Costumes: 4/5 Stunts/Action: 4.5/5 VFX/Graphics: 4/5 Plus Points Akshay Kumar's Performance & Intro Scene The entry of Simmba and Singham Kickass Background Score Bike, Speedboat & Helicopter Chase Tip Tip Barsa Pani & Chodo Kal Ki Baatein Cinematography & Production Values Jaisalmer Chase & Helicopter-Cars Scene Climax Fight With The 3 Heroes Minus Points Routine Story Uneven Narrative Boring Middle Portions Romantic Track Final Verdict A perfect masala entertainer to bring back the audience into the theatres. P.S.: (Sooryavanshi+ Singham+ Simmba) x Rohit Shetty = Worth Your Money Recommended: Yes Mr.Cinema Rating: 3.5/5 0.5 - Unbearable 1.0 - Avoid 1.5 - Flop 2.0 - Below Average 2.5 - Average 3.0 - Watchable 3.5 - Hit 4.0- Super Hit 4.5 - Blockbuster 5.0 - Mega Hit By @mr.cinemaaa

Reviews by: @the_owlseyes Have you ever felt influenced by the moon? Has it ever made you do something you know you shouldn’t? Fiendish Moon is a collection of nine stories of the weird, the macabre, and the terrifying, all connected by “that yellow bitch in the sky” which may exert more command over us than we would care to admit. You will meet a genuine witch who needs the help of a hapless innocent to bring about a special style of horrifying justice. Watch out as you witness the transformation of a most unusual werewolf. Ask yourself the question: How much would you be willing to give up for your parents? Would you risk your own soul? Check out what young Tom does. Walk along a moon-lit beach with a pair of strange lovers. Take a good look at young Peadar. Yes, he’s precocious! Yes, he’s arrogant! But he could not have foreseen the terrible results of these character flaws. Are you afraid of rats? Are you frightened of dark cellars? If you feel up to testing your courage, then “Creatures” is the story for you. A late-night discussion about Hitchcock’s Rebecca leads Laura to seriously question whether “the dead come back and watch the living”. Is suicide ever the answer? In the story “Don’t Do This!” you can stand back and see the conclusion that the unfortunate Dean arrives at. And, finally, there is Grey Cat, a tale of the harrowing long-term effects of childhood bullying. Will the characters have their vengeance? Will they achieve redemption? Will there be any peace for them? Inspired by classic horror fiction (Henry James, MR James, HP Lovecraft), as well as modern purveyors of the craft (Stephen King, Clive Barker, Anne Rice), Adam Cloake grew up with the greatest tales of terror. Whether they emerged from a Vault of Horror, or were Tales From The Crypt, they shaped Adam into the writer he is today. Thanks to late-night horror on the television of his youth, he was exposed early on to Frankenstein, Dracula, and any number of insane scientists. Universal Pictures and Hammer Films had a lot to answer for between the 30s and the 70s, but all of it was good. Fiendish Moon may be purchased on Kindle at: mybook.to/FiendishMoon. By @the_owlseyes

Reviews by: @augustkellerwrites @casual_punditry @kevinfilmreviews The centerpiece of Spencer is undoubtedly Kristen Stewart's electricity. Stewart disappears into her tortured character, displaying longing, frustration, and defiance manifested from the deep sorrow of her confinement. Spencer hinges completely on Diana's distress, and Stewart's potent layers easily fuel the entire experience. Meanwhile, the supporting cast provides plenty for Stewart to play off of. Sally Hawkins, Sean Harris, and Timothy Spall each have their moments, yet the scenes with Diana's children (Jack Nielen and Freddie Spry) are the heart and soul of the film. Spencer is solidified by its technical aspects. The stark cinematography uses suggestive framing, methodical movement, and natural lighting to create an atmosphere of captivity and melancholy. The production design and music unite to set the audience in an excessively opulent lifestyle while also reflecting Diana's emotional state. Lastly, the wardrobe plays a central role in capturing the era, expressing Diana's mentality, and driving plot points. Spencer might seem repetitive and melodramatic to some, but its craftsmanship should absolve its faults. Overall, Spencer is a vivid experience that should stick in the minds of its viewers. It might not pop as a flawless masterpiece, but it certainly strikes an emotional chord. Writing: 8/10 Direction: 8/10 Cinematography: 9/10 Acting: 10/10 Editing: 8/10 Sound: 8/10 Score/Soundtrack: 9/10 Production Design: 9/10 Casting: 10/10 Effects: 6/10 Overall Score: 8.5/10 For more of my work: https://guskeller.wixsite.com/moviefilmreviews By @augustkellerwrites The most captivated I've been in a theater this year. This film achieved exactly what it set out to achieve on every level, from the script, acting, down to the score, editing, and the cinematography. It all worked together to deliver an enthralling glimpse into the "life" Diana, Princess of Whales was leading during one Christmas Holiday, where we see pivotal events unfold that unveil to us who these characters really are, and tease us as to what they are capable of. The cinematographer Claire Mathon better get nominated for an Oscar. The first thing I took note of was the aspect ratio 1.66 : 1, which has a more full-screen look, which at first I thought was to convey the height of the architecture and the interior decor. What it did instead was trap me in the room with Diana, feeling suffocated and claustrophobic, surrounded by people who don't want you there. Close-up shots that had me feeling like I couldn't catch my breath while watching. Jonny Greenwood's score was tragically brilliant, and enhanced the suffocating effect of the camera work with the clashes of multiple Jazz instruments that DID NOT blend together or work in harmony every time Diana was somewhere she didn't want to be. In contrast, the music found a sad harmony in the moments Diana finds comfort in herself and others. Everything worked so well that the last thing I thought of was Kristen Stewart's performance, which was truly so nuanced and reserved she simply WAS. Her acting was but one part of many parts that amounted to this masterpiece of cinema. By @casual_punditry Rating: 7 out of 10 As stated at the beginning of the movie, this story is "a fable from a true tragedy". So, while Spencer isn't a true story, it is a new take on what led to Princess Diana and Prince Charles' divorce. I know I'm late to the party, but... WOW! What a phenomenal performance from Kristen Stewart. Her accent is on point and she is absolutely the star of the show... which she had to be, because the camera is focused on her in almost every frame of the film. All of her character's built up emotion can be felt through Stewart's performance in such a realistic and visceral way. While Stewart deserves all the credit in the world, I also want to highlight the directing and score of this flick. Director Pablo Larrain and director of cinematography Claire Mathon delivered beautiful imagery and masterful camerawork. The score was also perfect at matching the scene, creating intensity and drama. This combination of Stewart's phenomenal acting, the camerawork, and the exceptional score created such a surreal feeling of Diana's anxiety and stress. Spencer is really a movie about freedom and liberation. Diana feels trapped in an endless cycle of going through the motions and living basically like a robot. The progression of her character throughout the film was well explored and fascinating to see. While I tolerated how Spencer was paced, I can definitely understand why a lot of people wouldn't. It is certainly a slow burn and takes its time telling the story. There are moments that do drag on and the middle act seemed like it was just going from one conversation to another, but all in all I enjoyed this flick. I know there's been a lot of people declaring this a masterpiece, along with others who hated it, but I am morseo in the middle. If you haven't seen Spencer, I'd recommend renting it or just buying the blu-ray, as it is only $14.99. It isn't for everyone, but Spencer features an intriguing story with an outstanding performance from Kristen Stewart, which is enough to earn a recommendation from me! Have you seen Spencer? What did you think of it? By @kevinfilmreviews