Have a Happy New Year + Big News

Hey guys. So it's finally here, the end of 2019 and the beginning of 2020. In all honesty this has probably been my best year yet. Because my views are high (yes I know I'm not getting a million views but hey they make me happy) and I got a follower. Not to mention but I got to review a lot of great movies, well expect Captain Marvel, Godzilla (1998), and Star Wars: Holiday Special but other than those everything else ranged from okay to good to great to a must watch. So yes I enjoyed my 2019 especially since you guys enjoyed them as well. Have a Happy New Year folks and I hope to see all of you in 2020.



Oh, I almost forgot beginning on Feb 10th and for what I'm hoping will end on Dec 28th, I'll have a band new segment for this blog titled Looking Back at the Films of 2019. These segment will have me reviewing films of well 2019. I'm mainly doing this to see if there was anything good I missed out on or in the case of Rambo: Last Blood, review movies I promised you guys but sadly couldn't because of various reasons. So look out for that.

Star Wars: Episode IX - The Rise of Skywalker Review

Star Wars: Episode IX - The Rise of Skywalker (or simply Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker) is a epic space opera, the final installment of the Star Wars sequel trilogy following 2015's Star Wars: The Force Awakens and 2017's Star Wars: The Last Jedi, and the final chapter in "The Skywalker Saga". The movie is produced by Lucasfilm Ltd. and Bad Robot Productions and distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures. Star Wars: Episode IX - The Rise of Skywalker is written by J.J. Abrams and Chris Terrio and directed by J.J. Abrams.




The story is it's been a year since the events of The Last Jedi, Now both the Resistance and the First Order are going to settle this war once and for all. While that's going another conflict is reaching it's climax and that one is the long standing battle between the Jedi and the Sith. In the final chapter of "The Skywalker Saga" which side will stand victorious?

Initial Reaction



After The Last Jedi, I was fully ready for the next film in the sequel trilogy. Then my excitement sky rocketed when I heard Chris Terrio was going to write the film and he's written some great movies such Argo, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, I'm not counting the theatrical cut of Justice League because it's clear he didn't write that. So first we have a great director (J.J. Abrams) and then a great writer, so I was all set and ready to go see Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker.






Cons



One of my biggest gripes with The Rise of Skywalker is there doesn't really seem to be any room to breath. Like there are barely any moments in the movie where I felt like I could really take in what I was seeing because it's like they wanted the next scenes to arrive as fast as possible. It really makes me hope that Disney will release an extended cut of The Rise of Skywalker because some of those scenes feel like they should be longer/probably would have give us that breathing space we needed. Wouldn't be the first time one of Terrio's scripts got an extended cut (Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice - Ultimate Edition anyone?)







Middle Ground



The only thing that was a mixed bag for was what was going with Leia's half of the story. Now I wasn't expecting much especially since Carrie Fisher sadly passed away (that still hurts saying it) but I don't know it really didn't feel like her story didn't receive the ending it should have gotten. I don't if they had something to do with Carrie's untimely death or the writers just didn't know what they really wanted to do with her character?








Pros



One thing I enjoyed from this movie was how we got this whole quest adventure of it. Yeah, throughout the movie our characters are looking for special devices that help them get to their exact location to stop the film's big threat. I really dug that because we've never seen that in a Star Wars movie. I know we got them in the cartoons, video games, comics, and books but not the films. Another thing I loved about The Rise of Skywalker is our main bad guy himself, Palpatine. He was awesome and it so great to see him back, and I think what also made his return epic was his scenes were creepy and disturbing. Which I have no problems with because like I said before he was great. The other aspect that makes the movie great is Kylo Ren. Throughout the whole sequel trilogy his character and the arc that came with him has been brilliant and I think it's one of things everyone can agree within the Star Wars fandom. Which leads me to my next praise for the movie in my review that praise being the performances. All of the actors did I fantastic job in this movie, especially our three big leads those being Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, and Oscar Issac. They still do a fantastic job playing there respected characters. But of course I still feel the need to give credit to Ian McDiarmid as Palpatine. Much like he was in the prequels he can still play this sinister character and his performance will definitely be one of the highlights in the movie. The final thing I'll praise The Rise of Skywalker for is the action...mainly the final battle. I mean seriously that ending was a really great way to end this "Skywalker Saga" and I'm gonna say it, I like it more than the ending the battle in Avengers: Endgame.








While I don't think Star Wars: Episode IX - The Rise of Skywalker is the absolute perfect ending to the Skywalker Saga, I still think it's a really good movie. What with the quest our characters go on, Emperor Palpatine, Kylo's whole story, the acting (especially Ian McDiarmid), and of course the action (mainly the climatic battle). The only grey area is the Leia side of things. The bad thing about the movie is the lack of breathing room for the audience.








My final rating is Good








So yeah that's all for me. Come back on Dec 30th, Thursday for a special message for you, my readers. Also that message will contain big news regrading this blog. Until then enjoy the rest of your day, maybe see The Rise of Skywalker while your at it.

Bad Santa 2 Review

Bad Santa 2 is a 2016 Christmas dark comedy and the sequel to 2003's Bad Santa. The movie was produced by Ingenious, Media Talent Group, and Gunn Films and distributed by Broad Green Pictures and Miramax. Bad Santa 2 was written by Johnny Rosenthal and Shauna Cross and directed by Mark Waters.




The story is Willie and his partner in crime Marcus are planning to steal from a Chicago charity. But just when the thought they have everything under control and things look like they could go smoothly Willie's nightmare of a mother, Sunny shows up. Now Willie must work through his mommy issues, make sure this heist goes off without a hitch, and deal with Thurman.

• Negatives

Now despite me putting this in the negative category I don't want you to take this one too seriously. One of the most bad things about this movie is it will sadly be forgettable. Because I don't think this movie will be as well remembered as the first movie. I mean it's been two years since this film was released on nothing has really been brought up about it. I haven't seen people talk about it nor have there been any showtimes for TV, it's still the first movie getting all the attention.



The only truly bad thing about Bad Santa 2 is this subplot involving Regent. His subplot in the movie doesn't go anywhere. First it's brought up, then talked just a tiny bit in here and there, and then it just goes away all together. If the writers didn't care so much about Regent then really shouldn't have given him a plot.

• Mix

Now I'm going to make this short and sweet, much like the previous film I still find the movie's humor to be a bit of a mix bag. Some things got me to laugh others things not so much.

• Positives

Now much like the first movie Billy Bob Thornton has a great performance. He has not lost one beat playing Willie and he was great from beginning to middle to end. The other great performance came from Kathy Bates, and what's so great is she goes from playing this sweet old lady to being more of this biker woman. She was also pretty good.



Because this is a sequel then you'd probably think it's going to be a train-wreck like many other comedy sequels such as Son of the Mask, Teen Wolf Too, Caddyshack II, Blues Brothers 2000, and so many others but in Bad Santa 2's case it's pretty decent. It's one of those few comedy sequels that I think fans will like and not have any problem with unlike the previous films I just mentioned.








Bad Santa 2 is an okay sequel to the first movie. The performances are really good and there wasn't a single time when I said "Nope, this movie is an insult to the first flick". The humor in my opinion is just as mixed as the first movie. The only bad things are I don't think many people will remember it as the first movie and the pointless Regent subplot.








My final rating is Okay.








So that's all for me. Come back on Monday, Dec 23rd for my review of Star Wars: Episode IX - The Rise of Skywalker. Until then enjoy the rest of your day.

Elf Review

Elf is a 2003 Christmas comedy film based on William Hobbs' book. The movie was produced by New Line Cinema and Guy Walks Into a Bar Productions and distributed by New Line Distribution. Elf was written by David Berenabaum and directed by Jon Favreau.





The story is when Buddy was a baby he was accidentally sent to the North Pole, despite not being an elf he was raised there as one of their own. Now as an adult Buddy doesn't feel like he fits in, so he decides to travel to New York to find his real father.

• Negatives

I've got nothing to say. Let's move on.

• Mix

Now are there funny moments in Elf? Yes there are, plenty of funny moments but once in awhile you'll get a joke that doesn't land or just doesn't work. But for the most part jokes do work.

• Positives

One thing I found enjoyable about the film is despite it being a Will Ferrell it's a film the whole family can enjoy. Which I found surprising because I'm more familiar with his more adult-oriented films such as Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy, Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby, and Step Brothers. So I was quite surprised to enjoy a Will Ferrell movie that didn't have those kind of jokes from the films I just listed.

Another thing I liked about the movie is how quotable it is. I never expected a movie simply titled Elf to have so much memorable quotes. Like you hasn't heard and/or said "You sit on a throne of lies" line? Or anything line from this movie.



The other aspect of Elf that makes it good is despite it's Christmas feel you do have kind of a sad story in there as well. Mainly revolving around Buddy. I mean that scene where his real Dad tells him to get out of his life is just a dagger to your heart.

The other thing I liked about Elf was the performances. Every single actor/actress does a great job playing these characters. Of course the best was Will Ferrell, he does such a great job playing the lovable character of Buddy and after watching the movie I really couldn't see another actor playing this character.

Elf is a great Christmas movie. Despite starring Will Ferrell who's more known for his rated R comedies it's a film the entire family can watch, memorable lines, a little bit of dark side to it's story and the performances are really good. The only mix bag is sometimes the jokes don't always work (for me anyhow).

My final rating is Great.

So that's going to do it for me. Come back on Thursday, Dec 19th for my review of Bad Santa 2. Until then enjoy the rest of your day.

Cinematic Disasters - Star Wars Holiday Special

With Star Wars: Episode IX - The Rise of Skywalker arriving in only 15 days I thought it's time I review the darkest chapter in the Star Wars franchise. That being the Star Wars Holiday Special.

Star Wars Holiday Special is a 1978 musical science-fiction television film set in the Star Wars galaxy. It's also the first official Star Wars spin-off (yes this is the spin-off's starting point...just let that sink it) and set in-between the first movie and The Empire Strikes Back. Star Wars Holiday Special was written by Pat Proft, Leonard Ripps, Bruce Vilanch, Rod Warren, and Mitzie Welch and directed by Steve Binder.





The story is after the events of the first movie, Han Solo is taking his best friend Chewbecca to his home world to celebrate "Life Day". However the Empire has captured them and are demanding them to tell where other Rebels are. Now it's up to Luke and Leia to rescue and celebrate "Life Day".

My Thoughts




So our holiday special is already off to a good start by showing us stock footage of the previous movie. Yeah, because when people back in 1978 wanted something new from Star Wars the first thing that came to their minds was stock footage. Like I said brilliant start.



Now during this chase between the Empire and Solo and Chewbecca, Han brings up how he'll bring Chewie home just in time to celebrate "Life Day" with his family. Two things to take from this 1) Chewbecca has a family? When did that happen? Do they know about his smuggling with Han or him fighting alongside the Rebels? and 2) What's Life Day? That second question kept going through my mind throughout this whole movie. And guess what...It's never explained. We're never told what Life Day is.



Then after the credits we seen Chewbecca's family, and enjoy not understanding what they're saying because all of their dialogue is just grunts, groans, roars, growls, and more grunts. We never know what there talking about or anything, the people that made this forgot to put subtitles underneath them!



Also do you like bad acid trips? Cause I've got a bad acid trip for you to watch.

After that bit of insanity we see a familiar face and that face is Luke Skywalker or I think it's Luke? I mean I don't know what Mark Hamill was doing before filming this but man does his face look so weird in this. Seriously just look at him.

Then we get a some random shop owner guy (I don't know if he has a name or not) about Chewbecca's whereabouts to his wife and also talking to an Imperial guard. 1) Who is this guy? Seriously who is he? Also how does he know Chewbecca and Han Solo are missing? We never saw him communicate with them before both in the is special and A New Hope. 2) Why is this Imperial guard wasting his time at some random shop? Doesn't he have a schedule to keep or something?

After that we get some stock footage from the A New Hope. Only this time it includes Darth Vader and I hope you enjoyed seeing Vader because other than the cartoon that pops up (yeah this special also includes a cartoon, as if you didn't have enough padding) this is the only time we see him.

Then this scene.

Don't ask me what this is all about because I'm just as confused as you are.

So after.....that! We finally get an action scene...but it's just more stock footage from the movie so it's not really all that exciting. But during this Han brings up Life Day once again. Around this time we are 25 minutes and 3 seconds in and we still don't know what this holiday is. Can we please just get a slim explanation of what it is?!

Then that shop owner comes to visit Chewbecca's family to drop by to give them presents and dear lord does he act like a dick. First he ask them why they all have long faces as if he doesn't already know that Chewbecca's missing and when their still sad he ask "is this all the hello I get?" Seriously what is his damage?

After that we see the old man wookiee get his rocks off by watching Diahann Carroll (or whatever her Star Wars character name is in this) sing to him. No I'm serious! We are watching a wookiee watch some sort of VR porn experience and you well not convince me or anyone else other wise!

So when we're all though with that disturbing bit of imaginary we get a scene with Leia and C-3PO talking to Chewbecca's wife and there discussing things we already know. We know Chewie's not home, we know him and Han are being chased by the Empire, and we know that neither Chewie or his family have been talking to each other. Again this scene like so many others are just here to pad out the runtime and nothing else.

Then an Imperial guard and stormtrooper come to Chewbecca's family and we suppose to be scared because well someone from the Empire is in their house but I don't care. Because prior to the first film we never meet these people thus we don't become attach to them. We just suppose to feel something because "Hey there Chewbecca's family so care about them". Oh and during this scene we get another musical number (the first one was during the wookiee's masturbating scene). Which I don't get. Why do we have this? During the writing for this special who sat down and thought "You know what this Star Wars special needs...musical numbers."

When the song finally stops playing, Chewbecca's son goes to somewhere else to watch a Star Wars cartoon?! Yeah apparently the Rebels and the Empire's adventures get turned into cartoons in this universe. Also the cartoon is horrible! Other than C-3PO, R2-D2, Darth Vader, Chewbecca, and Boba Fett all of the other characters look horrible. Luke and Leia have these lifeless eyes on them and well...just look at Han Solo.

Who looked at that and said "Oh yeah, that looks just like Harrison Ford. Good job dude." Oh and just to add more to shock to this special, this was Boba Fett's debut before The Empire Strikes Back. Yep, this is where it all started for the guy.

When the cartoon finally ends, Chewbecca's kid the watches some instructional video for a mini-transmitter, and when we get to this scene are a total of 1 hour, 3 minutes, and 35 seconds into this special and nothing ABSOLUTELY NOTHING OF IMPORTANCE HAS HAPPENED! So far we've been wasting time by talking about things we already know, some LSD circus performance, stir whip stir whip whip, a wookiee enjoying porn (again you can't convince me otherwise), an ugly cartoon featuring Boba Fett's debut, and now this! Oh throughout that instructional video the guy is malfunctioning...because comedy.

Then just to waste more time we get a "Life on Tatooine" segment, which yet again is using stock footage from the first movie. Was the budget so small they couldn't filming a bunch of people walking around a Tatoonie set? Oh and just to make this segment more painful we get a musical number with...Bea Arthur. I didn't make that up...that really happened. I swear the people would made this were on the biggest cocaine bender imaginable.

So finally after all of this madness and/or pointlessness Chewie and Han arrive at Chewbecca's home and fight off a stormtrooper (the trooper's alone because the other Empire guys left and he was told to stay behind just in case). And the fight's both short and hilarious, the fight goes for like less than a minute and Han didn't even beat him...the stormtrooper was just clumsy. Seriously, this is all that happened.

This was really the only funny part in the entire special.

After that "fight scene" we finally celebrate Life Day...which we still know nothing about. This is a holiday special and they never once tell us what Life Day is. Then during the ending Leia sings a song about Life Day and I know I've done nothing but complain about the songs in this special but this one I feel like you can sit through because Carrie Fisher has a great singing voice.

So that was the Star Wars Holiday Special and WOW! This was...this was...I don't know what this was, all I do know is it is awful. The sets look cheap, some scenes were just footage taken from the first movie, no explanation to what Life Day is, it has horrible writing, and just so much else that's just wrong. Hell this special is so bad, Harrison Ford refuses to believe it even happened. Yeah that's how much he hated it and in all honestly you can blame him.

My final rating is Destroy It!

Yeah, Star Wars Holiday Special is just an abomination in matter of fact next time if someone you know says the prequels and The Last Jedi are awful Star Wars films just so them this. Hell you can watch it on YouTube for free. So that's going to do it for me, come back on Monday, Dec 16th for my review of Elf. Until then enjoy the rest of your day.

The Polar Express Review

The Polar Express is a 2004 computer-animated Christmas adventure film and based on the 1985's children's book of the same name. The movie was produced by Castle Rock Entertainment, Shangri-La Entertainment, ImageMovers, Playtone, and Golden Mean Productions and distributed by Warner Bros. The Polar Express was written by Robert Zemeckis and William Broyles Jr. and directed by Robert Zemeckis.





The story is a young boy is having doubts about the existence of Santa Claus. Then on Christmas Eve, a train arrives at the boy's house, he then boards this train called The Polar Express which is heading to the North Pole. The boy is hoping to finally get his answers.

• Negatives

I've got nothing to say. Let's move on.

• Mix

One thing that's a mix bag for me is "The Suite from The Polar Express". Now no I'm not gonna say the song itself is a max bag because it's not it's a very good piece of music, the mix bag comes from the fact that the movie has a habit of overplaying it. I mean almost felt like everytime something whimsical happened that song plays. Like I said it's by no means I bad song I just felt like it was just overused.

My other gray area with the movie is while the message is good there are times when it's just slightly preachy. With some scenes the message to the movie is just fine but then you have those others scenes where we're like "okay I get it, you don't need to hammer it in anymore."

• Positives

Now I'm going to be quite honest...I like the animation to The Polar Express. Now I do fully admit you'll most likely not love the moment you watch the movie but the more and more times you watch it the more you'll enjoy it. It really makes me laugh when people say "the animation is creepy". Come on folks, there are far worse and scarier pieces of animation out there (looking at you Foodfight and The Christmas Tree).



The other thing I enjoyed about the movie is the performances. The cast does a great job playing the children (although I do admit Know-It-All's voice can get very annoying), but the greatest performance comes from Tom Hanks. He's playing not one, not two, not three, not four but seven characters in the film and he plays all of them to perfection. Seriously, he's acting in the movie is quite possibility the biggest highlight of the movie.



The final thing I'll give the film credit is the amazing train scenes. When I first saw this movie as a kid I didn't expect so much action from this film. Those scenes where the train is going uncontrollably fast down a hill and when the train is sliding/drifting on ice that's breaking was awesome. It kind of felt like you were watching a roller coaster ride.








The Polar Express is by no means a perfect Christmas but there's just something about it you just can't help but watch and enjoy. The animation is good, the performances are great (especially from Tom Hanks), and those scenes where the train is in danger are definitely a thrill ride. The only mix bags are the music, mostly "The Suite from The Polar Express" being overused and the message being just a bit forced.








My final rating is Good








So that's all for me today. Come back on Dec 5th, Thursday for my Cinematic Disaster review of the Star Wars Holiday Special. Oh that one's going to be painful. Until then enjoy the rest of your day.

Road to Star Wars: Episode IX - The Rise of Skywalker - Star Wars: Episode VIII - The Last Jedi Review

Okay, let's just get this out of the way. Yes, I have already reviewed this movie when it came out. But it would've looked weird if I reviewed all of the previous movies and left out this one in what's suppose to be a road leading up to the newest installment. So I've decided to re-review it. Now with that out of the way let's review Star Wars: Episode VIII - The Last Jedi...again.

Star Wars: Episode VIII - The Last Jedi (or simply Star Wars: The Last Jedi) is a 2017 epic space-opera and the second installment of the sequel trilogy as well as the eighth film in the Star Wars film series. The movie is produced by Lucasfilm Ltd. and distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures. Star Wars: Episode VIII - The Last Jedi was written and directed by Rian Johnson.





The story is Luke Skywalker's self-exile is disturbed when Rey comes to him asking for his help to learn more about "The Force". While Rey and Luke are training, Kylo Ren and the First Order are planning an all-out assault on what remains of The Resistance.

• Negatives

Now during my initial review of the film I was going to talk about a certain character death but I felt like it would have been too much of a spoiler, but it's 2019 and I can finally bring it up and I don't like that Luke dies in The Last Jedi. I really felt like he should have continued on into The Rise of Skywalker for one last hurrah to cap off "The Skywalker Saga" (I sure mean he'll most likely show up as a force ghost but I would have preferred him to be more alive if you get want I'm saying).

Another thing I still don't like about the movie is the lack of backstory for Snoke. Since The Force Awakens when his introduction then The Last Jedi should have given us more details on who he is. But sadly we didn't get that.

The final thing I didn't enjoy about the movie was Holdo's plan. Sure yes it's a good plan but it's never explained why her and Leia didn't tell Poe about it. Because had they done that then Poe wouldn't have been so pissed off and cause a mutiny.

• Mix

Now comes the mix bags, one of those being Finn and Rose's subplot. While I still understand it was important to the story because they have to get that fuel before the First Order can take out the Resistance's ship but like I said before it just went on for too long.

The other grey area is still the humor. Sure it's funny at times but other times not so much. I mean that scene where Poe suddenly trash talks Hux's mother is still odd to me even to this day.

• Positives

Very much like my initial review I still enjoyed Mark Hamill's performance. Like I said before he does an excellent job with this version of Luke that has lost all hope after his own nephew turned against him. Which in retrospective still makes me mad that we won't see him again in The Rise of Skywalker.

Speaking of Luke's portrayal in this movie I'm probably going to get so much sh*t for this but I actually kind of liked it. I mean people complained about him being a hermit but yet Obi-Wan and Yoda did the same exact thing. But that's not the main thing the main thing is that he's lost hope despite being so optimistic, I felt like it was only right to make him lose hope because 1) it's a big risk, 2) it add more emotional weight, and 3) think about it he at first thought he wasn't going to have to deal with anymore dark side after Return of the Jedi but here he is yet again having to deal with a family member turning to the dark side.

Another thing I still dug about the movie as Kylo still being conflicted about who he is. He still WANTS to be part of the dark side/the First Order but things in this movie happen that makes him question if he should maybe go back into the light side of things. I still to this day like that and I thought Rian Johnson handled that part of the story very well.

The other thing you'll enjoy about this movie is Rian Johnson's directing. Him and his cinematography pulled off such amazing shots, some of which are very breath taking might I add. I still get chills when Holdo uses lightspeed on the First Order ship. I could go into more detail about that shot but that's a case that words don't do it any justice.

The final aspect I'll give the movie praise is the action. We get some great action sequences throughout the movie. My favorites were the opening ship battle and that throne room scene with Rey and Kylo fighting the guards, that scene no matter how many times you watch it is still awesome.

So is Star Wars: Episode VIII - The Last Jedi the best film out of the Star Wars film series, no. Is it the absolute worst, again no. It's a very serviceable movie, what with Hamill's performance, Luke's lost of hope, Kylo's struggle, Rian Johnson's directing, and the action scenes. The more mix things are the subplot with Finn and Rose and the use of humor. The real downsides with the movie were Luke's death and the lack of backstory for Snoke.

My final rating is Good. Now I gave this rating because I felt as thought the more brighter spots in the movie helped out weight the more negative things. So please put down the touches and pitchforks....Please?

Okay guys, that's all for me. Come back next time on Monday, Dec 2nd when I begin my Christmas season of reviews and the movie I picked to start off that season is The Polar Express. Until then enjoy the rest of your day.

My Star Wars: Episode IX - The Rise of Skywalker Review Will Be Delayed

Hey guys. So originally this was going to be another addition of Is It True? but I felt like this announcement was more important. So yes sadly my review of Star Wars: Episode IX - The Rise of Skywalker is going to be delayed. Mainly cause unlike some people I didn't by tickets the moment the final trailer was released so I'm paying the price for that. Now it won't be a really long delay the review will most likely be posted Monday, Dec 23rd. So that's all I wanted to tell you. Like I've said many times before I make these announcements to keep you updated.



So that's all I wanted to say. Come back on Thursday, Nov 21st for the final chapter of my Road to Star Wars: Episode IX - The Rise of Skywalker with my re-review of Star Wars: Episode VIII - The Last Jedi. Until then enjoy the rest of your day.

Ford v Ferrari Review

Ford v Ferrari is a biographical drama film. The movie is produced by Chernin Entertainment, TSG Entertainment, and Turnpike Films and distributed by 20th Century Fox. Ford v Ferrari is written by Jez Butterworth, John-Henry Butterworth, and Jason Keller and directed by James Mangold.

The story is automotive designer Carroll Shelby has been told by Henry Ford II to build a car that can beat a Ferrari. Carroll along with British race car driver Ken Miles and a team engineers and designers must build this car and win the upcoming 1966 24 Hours of Le Mans.

Initial Reaction

Now I was really excited to see this movie mainly because I absolutely loved James Mangold's Logan (2017). However my excitement would later go away not because I didn't think the movie was going to be any good it's because I didn't think my local theater would show it. That later changed when I found out they weren't going to show Doctor Sleep, then I got bummed out but found out they would show this movie. So my excitement came back and I was ready to see this film.

Cons



I've got nothing to say. Let's move on.








Middle Ground



Now while the movie does have a very quick pace despite it's runtime, there are scenes when this can drag just a little bit. Mainly during the more corrupt scenes but when all of those scenes are over the film goes right back to it's quick pace.








Pros



Now if you're going to see this movie expecting the companies of Ford and Ferrari going at it...don't. Because the film's real focus is on Carroll Shelby and Ken Miles. Which is by no means a bad because with the film being more character driven and not focusing on racing, the cars, and the two businesses you'll really get to know these two and by the end of the movie really come to like them. One thing I wasn't expecting from the movie is how relatable it was. I think we've all had those moments of fighting our inner demons, having a boss just run in and tell you how this should be done, and feelings of who am I. Like I said there are a lot of moments in Ford v Ferrari that are relatable. Another thing I liked about the movie was the humor. My favorite comedic moment was when Carroll and Ken fight while Ken's wife just calmly watches. Seriously that moment was hilarious. Now to discuss about one of two of the best things about the movie and that's the performances, Matt Damon and Christian Bale were just amazing in this movie. Especially Christian Bale, his performance was so good that you don't even see Christian Bale anymore you think your seeing Ken Miles. Hell even the supporting cast did an amazing job. Now for the other great aspect of Ford v Ferrari is the racing. Wow. Those racing sequences were very intense, so intense that it got to the point where I clinched my hand and was actually getting really into it.








Guys I strongly recommend seeing Ford v Ferrari. Yes there are a few moments when it drags but it makes up for it by having a great character driven story, relatability, humor, spectacular performances, and some nail biting racing scenes.








My final rating is Great








So yeah like I said give Ford v Ferrari a watch. But that's all for me, come back on Monday, Nov 18th because I'll have some news regarding my review for the upcoming Star Wars: Episode IX - The Rise of Skywalker. Until then enjoy the rest of your day.

What You Probably Didn't Know About George Lucas

Hey guys and welcome to a brand new What You Probably Didn't Know About. It's been a long time since I did one of these (a year. I haven't done these in a whole year) and with Star Wars: Episode IX - The Rise of Skywalker coming out in only six weeks I thought it would be a great idea to tell you things you didn't know about the man who created Star Wars, George Lucas.











1. He's a fan of Seth MacFarlane's hit animated show Family Guy. MacFarlane has said that Lucasfilm was extremely helpful when the Family Guy crew wanted to parody the original Star Wars trilogy or other Star Wars gags.







2. He sold Lucasfilm's Computer Graphics Division to Apple Computer co-founder Steve Jobs. Which would later turn into Pixar Animation Studio.







3. His disowned the 1986's film Howard the Duck after the movie was released. Honestly I can't blame him.







4. His nickname in high school was Luke. This would later become the name for the hero in the original Star Wars trilogy, Luke Skywalker.







5. His was inspired by the iconic Marvel villain and archenemy of the Fantastic Four, Dr. Doom to create Darth Vader.







6. He provided the funding for Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back, Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi, and Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace.







7. He along with Steven Spielberg conceived Indiana Jones while they were both enjoying a vacation in Hawaii. Lucas agreed to produce while Spielberg agreed to direct.







8. He based Han Solo on his friend and fellow film director Francis Ford Coppola.







9. He originally wanted to do a film adaption of Flash Gordon. However he couldn't obtain the rights to the character and his universe so he created Star Wars instead.






10. His dog "Indiana" was not only inspired the character of Indiana Jones but was also modeled around Chewbecca.







11. His favorite part of filmmaking is editing.







12. His considers THX 1138 (1971) to be the greatest achievement of his career.







13. Him and Steven Spielberg have made six of the ten highest grossing films of the 1980s.







14. Although 1958's The Hidden Fortress is a huge influence on Star Wars, his favorite movie is 1954's Seven Samurai.







15. When you spell his name backwards it's Egroeg Sacul. This name is used for the Disney theme park ride Star Tours.







16. He rewrote the ending to 1981's Raiders of the Lost Ark to tighten it up because the scene would have been too busy. It originally ended with a mine-car chase which would later be added to 1984's Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom.







17. He refuses to put critic quotes on his movie posters. This has made many critics mad.







18. Despite being called Hollywood blockbusters all of the Star Wars films (minus 1977's Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope) are actually independent movies. The only way George Lucas could get the money was to apply for studio funding. With the success of the first movie and it's merchandise, Lucas no longer needed to go to the studios. For Episode V (The Empire Strikes Back) and Episode VI (Return of the Jedi), he took out bank loans which he paid off for each film's earnings. For the prequel trilogy he no longer needed bank loans what with earning enough money to fund each film on his own personal savings.

Alright guys I am all done here. Come back next time on Saturday, Nov 16th for my review of Ford v Ferrari. Until then enjoy the rest of your day.

Raiders of The Lost Media - My Best Friend's Birthday

Hello and welcome to yet another addition of Raiders of The Lost Media. This time around I'll tell you the story of a partially lost film by Quentin Tarantino. Let's begin.

Part One - What is My Best Friend's Birthday




My Best Friend's Birthday is a black and white comedy film written by Quentin Tarantino and Craig Hamann and directed by Quentin Tarantino. The film was developed from 1984 to 1987 while Tarantino was working at Video Archives in Manhattan Beach, California. The plot of the movie is a man is trying to do something nice for his best friend's birthday. However his efforts completely backfire on him.





Part Two - The Story of the Footage




The film began as a 30-40 page script by Craig Hamann. Then Tarantino joined then him and Hamann extended the movie's script to 80 pages. The movie was made a budget of $5,000 and filmed on a 16mm reel over the next few years. The film's complete cut runs for a total of 70 minutes. Before the film could be released it got destroyed in a fire at the processing lab with only 36 minutes of the film remaining. The remaining footage has been shown at film festivals but has never been given an official release and only bootlegs of the film have surfaced.





Part Three - Tarantino's Thoughts and Remaining Footage




Quentin Tarantino would later go on to say that the direction of the film was not great and always refers to as his "film school", what he means by that is the movie helped him gain experience that would later go on to help him for his future projects. So far the only things that remain of the movie is the fact that it was adapted for the 1993 movie True Romance (which Tarantino also helped write) and the first half of the movie. Other than that there's nothing left.

Well that's all for me. Come back on Thursday, November 7th for a new edition of What You Probably Didn't Know and this time I tell you facts about the creator of Star Wars himself George Lucas. Until then enjoy the rest of your day.

Terminator: Dark Fate Review

Terminator: Dark Fate is a science fiction action film and the sixth film in the Terminator film series. The movie also serves as a sequel to Terminator 2: Judgment Day meaning Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines, Terminator: Salvation, Terminator: Genisys, and the TV series Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles didn't happen or as James Cameron puts it occurred in alternate timelines. The movie is produced by Paramount Pictures, Skydance Media, 20th Century Fox, Tencent Pictures, and Lightstorm Entertainment and distributed by Paramount Pictures and 20th Century Fox. Terminator: Dark Fate is written by James Cameron, David S. Goyer, Billy Ray, and Justin Rhodes and directed by Tim Miller.

The story is it's been 27 years after the events of Terminator 2: Judgment Day. A new liquid modified Terminator called Rev-9 has been sent to kill Dani Ramos, a hybrid cyborg named Grace has also came from the future but to protect her. They later meet Sarah Connor and an aging Terminator and together they will all fight for the future.

Initial Reaction



Now I was fully ready for a new Terminator movie. My excitement grew even more when I heard James Cameron was coming back to the franchise. Although I do admit Tim Miller's comment about how this movie will quote "scare the f*ck out of sexist trolls" did rub me the wrong way. Not because I'm one of those sexist trolls it's because Miller apparently doesn't understand that if anyone is seeing this movie is mostly likely because they're fans of the franchise. You know the same franchise with everyone's favorite female badass Sarah freakin' Connor! But other than that I was looking forward to this movie. The experience was going to be made even better because my dad was going to join me (he's a fan of the series just like me and come on who doesn't enjoy seeing a movie with their folks).








Cons





I've got nothing to say. Let's move on.








Middle Ground





One thing that I know for sure is going to cause a divide amongst both fans, the general audience, and etc. is the opening. I won't say what's about I will say it has something to with the Connors. Hell, I myself am conflicted with the opening. It's like that's awesome and is shocking but the same time you could have gone this route. Like I said it's definitely going to be a part of the movie that'll be heavily debated. The other mix bag is a very minimal amount of character development. It's like it's there but at the same time when I left the movie I was thinking maybe there could have been just a little bit more.








Pros





One thing I found enjoyable about Terminator: Dark Fate was the acting. Newcomers such as Mackenzie Davis, Natalia Reyes, and Gabriel Luna really did a good job playing their characters and their performances didn't disappoint. Now onto Linda Hamilton and Arnold Schwarzenegger, they were so great in this. Arnold plays a more humanized Terminator and Linda didn't miss a beat playing the badass Sarah Connor we know and love from Terminator 2: Judgment Day. Now with a new Terminator movie we of course get a new Terminator, this one being the Rev-9. And I liked it. Now yes, it is another liquid Terminator much like the T-1000 from Terminator 2: Judgment Day, the T-X from Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines, and the T-3000 from Terminator: Genisys but with each of those they did have their own different ability and the Rev-9 did have that which I think will help it stand out. Another aspect of the movie I want to praise is the action. Tim Miller without a shadow of doubt brought us yet another action filled movie for this franchise. So if you're a fan of what he did for 2016's Deadpool and all of the action in there, then you'll love what he does here. The final thing I'll give credit where credit is due is the special effects. Throughout the movie we got good CG work. Especially for a younger Terminator, Sarah Connor, and John Connor. I mean they literally look just like they did in Terminator 2: Judgment Day. Like you wouldn't believe that that was CGI on them.








Terminator: Dark Fate is a fine addition to the Terminator film series. It has good acting, a pretty cool new Terminator (Rev-9), great action sequences, and some good CGI. The more grey areas are character development and an opening that'll be debated on with no end in sight (kind of like how people are STILL talking about the quality of 2016's Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice and 2017's Star Wars: Episode VIII - The Last Jedi).








My final rating is Good








Alright guys, that's all for me. Please come back on Monday, Nov 4th for another installment of my favorite segment on this blog Raiders of the Lost Media. And this time I'll tell you about a lost Quentin Tarantino movie. Until then enjoy the rest of your day.

Cinematic Disasters - Plan 9 from Outer Space

Okay, original I wasn't going to schedule a review but come on, when will I ever get the chance to review something that's actually on Halloween?



Plan 9 from Outer Space is a 1959 independent science fiction horror movie. The movie was produced by Reynolds Pictures Inc. and distributed by Valiant Pictures. Plan 9 from Outer Space was written and directed by Ed Wood.





The story is aliens have resurrected the dead in order to take over the world. The aliens are hoping this crisis while have mankind listen to them and if they don't the aliens will use their army of the living dead to destroy humanity.

My Thoughts




So I'll just say this is the opening to the movie.

"Future events such as these will affect you in the future". Well that's not redundant. Also take a shot everytime Criswell refers to the viewers as "my friends". But watching just this opening alone you can tell you're in for a ride.

Then we're introduced to the oh so glorious cockpit set. I mean just look at this. This is clearly the greatest set ever.

This set is just hilarious. I mean the actors are clearly sitting on just plain ordainary chairs, they have no steering wheels, the background is just a blank wall, the curtain looks like it came from a shower, and of course whenever I light flashes we can see the mic. It's quite possibly the cheapest set I've ever seen from a movie.

We later go to Vampria (who was a popular show host of the 1950s. Funny thing she only agreed to be in this movie if she didn't have any lines) who I guess killed two grave diggers? I say guess because she walks towards them but the moment they scream the scene fades to black.

Then we cut to Bela Lugosi's characters funeral (his character name is just Old Man so I might as well say it was Bela's funeral) and we get another cheap set! Ladies and gentlemen I introduce you to the graveyard and crypt set.

Look at that crypt! It looks like something from a school play than a movie. What made it even better is we see four maybe five people walk out of it. There is no way a crypt that small can hold a dead body (or multiple dead bodies) and then four or five guests. And the graveyard isn't any better. It looks like Halloween props. What's even funnier is the crosses and tombstones fall over when the actors and actresses brush up against them. Yeah not bump into them but brush.

We also have a scene with the pilot earlier named Jeff Trent and his wife. During this conversation he talks about the flying saucer he saw at the beginning of the movie and he describes it and I can't believe it was said but he describes it as a huge cigar. People look at the flying saucers in the movie...do they look anything like cigars! Also during this scene I couldn't help but look at their fence. Seriously it's all warped and misshaped. It's very distracting.

So after that bit of hilarity we get Inspector Dan Clay's (played by Tor Johnson) death. But before he dies we get some awkward dialogue. I mean Clay says and this is an actual line "I'll get flashlight from patrol car". Then we get the infamous "Fake Bela Lugosi". Now the story of Fake Bela Lugosi is after the real Bela Lugosi sadly passed away while the movie was still being made Ed Wood decided his replacement should be played by his chiropractor, Tom Mason. Mason was clearly NOT the right guy to replace Bela. He is notably taller and LOOKS ABSOLUTELY NOTHING LIKE BELA! But let's move on from that, so Dan Clay sees both Vampria and Fake Bela Lugosi and shoots them. Then he's killed by them and just like the two grave diggers it's scream then cut to black. I kept asking why do they always do that? Were the original kills just to graphic? Or maybe they just didn't have the budget either way it's just an odd thing that kept happening.

After Inspector Dan Clay is killed, three other police officers (named Lt. Harper, Larry, and Kelton) see his dead body and throughout this whole Lt. Harper is just waving his revolver around. He waves it around, uses it to scratch his neck, push his hat up, and then points it at both Kelton and Larry while instructing them on what to do. Dude, that's not what you're suppose to do with a firearm and what's even better is he does it throughout the movie. He just waves that thing around like it's a toy. Also during this Clay is dead scene, Lt. Harper delivers some amazing dialogue and the line goes exactly just like this, "Inspector Clay is dead...murdered...and someone's responsible!" Yes Harper. That's kind of how murder works. This movie is amazing.

Then we have our saucers flying over cities and stuff. And not only are the flying saucers terrible special effects but we also have a very confusing part during this. At one point we see a newspaper with the headline "Saucers Over Hollywood", what makes the scene confusing is how is it in newspapers when this event is still happening. And you know what also comes with this scene...ARMY STOCK FOOTAGE! Yeah using stock footage was an Ed Wood trait...whether it worked or not. What's even funnier is while the stock footage is in a field Colonel Tom Edwards is standing in what looks like a plain looking sheet. Yeah just a plain sheet...there's no trees, dirt, or anything...it's just a sheet. So after the saucers fly away Colonel Edwards talks to a random soldier about how they've been trying to communicate with saucers for years. Um...that sounds like something that should be kept a secret, but nope Edwards just tells this soldier everything.

Later on we see the alien's space station and just look at it.

Let's see...curtains to cover up the low-budget, random desk they probably borrowed from around the studio, and whatever those random items are...yep this set looks just a cheap as the rest of them. Good to know something was consistent in this movie. During this scene the aliens (named Tanna and Eros) say that their plan is to resurrect the dead one corpse at a time (wouldn't it just be easier just to resurrect an entire army?) and the zombies are either suppose to scary us, kill us, or make us submit to them, I don't know it's never really explained. But they only manage to resurrect three zombies, this is a terrible conquer the Earth plan. I mean they had eight other plans and you mean to tell me this was the best and quickest one? Jeez, I hate to know that the others were. Now apparently this is a stealth mission so maybe that's why things are going to slowly but if that's the case why did they fly their saucers in the middle of the day, in public, and around three major networks (those being NBC, CBS, and ABC)? This plan is making less sense as time goes on. And just make things even MORE confusing not only did Edwards and other humans try to communicate with the aliens but the aliens tried to contact us but also failed. Now the aliens want to remain hidden (even though they suck at it) but yet at the same time they want us to acknowledge them. So then what's the point of trying to be stealthy if you guys are trying to get our attention?!

After a conversation between Jeff and his wife, she's later attacked and much like everything else in this flick it's awesome. For so many reasons

1. We get both real and fake Bela Lugosi spliced together. Which still shows us why Tom Mason was a terrible choice as a stand-in for Lugosi.

2. She runs away from her house and in a snap she's at the graveyard! We don't know how far her house is from the cemetery but I refuse to believe she got there in less than a minute. Especially on foot of all things.

3. We cut to both her and Bela Lugosi but she's running during the night and he's chasing her in the daytime. This is a frequent thing in the movie. Despite the characters suppose to be in the same scene the lighting in the background says otherwise.

4. We are giving Tor Johnson's EPIC scene as zombie Dan Clay. The reason why it's great is because as he's rising from the grave at one point Tor loses his balance and it's so bad he has to grab hold of the dirt around him just to get his balance back.

So then things kind of go at a snail's pace. There's a conversation with the aliens and then there's a conversation between two army guys who's names a couple forgot. Yeah, despite how entertaining the movie can be things can get a bit slow in some places.

Later after all of the more boring stuff happens we get the zombies attacking the main characters and the way the zombies attack is so funny. Their main form of fighting is to lightly chop or touch on the shoulders. Yeah, no strangling, snapping necks, or anything just lightly touch the shoulders.

So now our human characters have had enough of this alien bullsh*t! It's time for them to take a stand put an end to this madness. Now before I tell you the alien's motivation for doing all of this, get a load of this

"Your Stupid Minds! Stupid! Stupid!" OH MY GOD! I love how over the top he sounds! It's so great! Now Eros explains we (the human characters) have found a way to make the sun's rays or something to that extent into a powerful weapon and somehow that'll lead us to destroying ourselves so that's why they attacked us. To warn us of this threat. What?!?! Dude if you wanted to warn us about this then why use zombies? YOU'RE ALIENS! That alone would have made us listen to you! In matter of fact 1951's The Day the Earth Stood Still had a for the most part a similar concept but the alien in that movie didn't need to resurrect the dead to get his message out to humanity. Sure he had a giant robot but it was mainly him.

So that's Plan 9 from Outer Space AND IT IS AMAZING! Everything about this movie is wrong. The acting is wrong, the overall writing is wrong, the directing is wrong, and of course the set pieces are wrong. Wrong, wrong, WRONG! But that's what makes it so entertaining. It truly is one of the granddaddy's of movies that are so bad they're good.

My final rating is So Bad It's Good

So that's going to do it for me. Come back on Saturday, Nov 2nd for my review of Terminator: Dark Fate. Until then enjoy celebrating Halloween. Oh by the way if you truly want to watch this movie just look it up on YouTube both a black and white and colored version of the film are available.