Road to Star Wars: Episode IX - The Rise of Skywalker - Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi Review

Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi (or simply Return of the Jedi) is a 1983 epic space opera and the third film in the Original Star Wars Trilogy and the overall sixth film in the franchise. The movie is produced by Lucasfilm Ltd. and distributed by 20th Century Fox. Return of the Jedi was written by Lawrence Kasdan and George Lucas and directed by Richard Marquand.




The story is the Galactic Empire has been constructing a new Death Star under the direction of the Emperor. With this new Death Star the Rebel Alliance plan to launch a full-scale attack on the Empire and finally bring peace to the galaxy. Meanwhile Luke is struggling to bring his father Darth Vader back to the light side of the Force.

• Negatives

One of the biggest issues with Return of the Jedi is there's a lot exposition scenes. A lot of which shouldn't be in the movie. For instance when C-3PO is at Jabba's Palace and sees Han Solo still frozen in carbonite he says "It's Han and he's still frozen in carbonite". That was quite literally a hey we're telling you this just encase you forgot moment.

The other issue with the film is when the Ewoks and Rebels befriend each other it then becomes a moment to pad out the movie. Like the whole movie just stalls right there and by the end of Return of the Jedi it added nothing. The whole sequence either should have been shorten down or cut of the film completely.

• Mix

The more grey area with the movie is the special effects. Now I'm not comparing them to the prequel trilogy I'm comparing them to A New Hope and The Empire Strikes Back when you look the effects back to back Return of The Jedi's effects are little bit outdated in some areas. For instance some of the Rancor stop motion shots look odd and the blue screen is quite obvious in some places. But there are instances were the effects are nicely done and really help you get past the more questionable ones.

• Positives

Now it's time to tell you about some of the good things about Return of the Jedi. For instances there are a lot of good and well done moments spread out though the movie. Like a funeral scene for a certain character.

The other positive aspect of the movie is Luke's new characterization. This is clearly NOT the same Luke we saw in A New Hope and The Empire Strikes Back. This one is a true hero and is a Jedi knight, it was very refreshing to see him take the role we were hyped to see when we first saw fight Darth Vader.

Another thing to like about Return of the Jedi is the ongoing confrontation between Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader. The writers did a great job of having Luke try his best to bring his father back to the light side of the force. And throughout the whole movie you just want him to succeed in that task.

The final thing I'll give the film credit for is the action. Once again and much like all of the Star Wars films we're giving some great action scenes. My favorites were the Rancor scene and the lightsaber duel between Luke and Darth Vader (that one had a lot of tension in it).

Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi is an alright movie. It has some pretty good moments, Luke's new character traits were awesome, Luke's ongoing struggle to help his father was the highlight of the whole movie, and the action was a thrill ride. The special effects were great in some places others could have used more work. The only bad things are all of the exposition and what I call the Ewok Stall Moment.

My final rating is Okay

Return of the Jedi may not be the big grand finale to the original trilogy like some people make it out to be but it's still enjoyable. Anyways that's all for me come back on Thursday, September 5th for my review of season one of DC's Titans. Until then enjoy the rest of your day.

Road to Terminator: Dark Fate - Terminator: Salvation Review

Terminator: Salvation is a 2009 sci fi action film and the fourth installment of the Terminator franchise. The movie's produced by The Halcyon Company and Wonderful Sound and Vision and distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures. Terminator: Salvation was written by John Brancato and Michael Ferris and directed by McG.





The story is it's 2018 and the war between mankind and the machines continues to rage on. John Connor encounters a stranger who goes by the name Marcus Wright. John doesn't trust Marcus what with him not knowing if he's sent from the future or rescued from the past. While that's happening Skynet has a secret that could annihilate mankind.

• Negatives

One thing I really didn't like about Terminator: Salvation is the kid character named Star. She was completely unnecessary and didn't bring anything important to the movie. The really should have written her out of the movie.

• Mix

Now nine times out of ten the special effects are truly amazing. From the set pieces to the CGI everything is done to perfection. However when we get a close up the T-800 Model 101 it's very odd. Often times it gets the uncanny valley feel, I think it comes off that way mainly because of the eyes. There's just something about the eyes that look weird.

The performances in the movie range from great to good to okay. The great performance comes from Anton Yelchin as Kyle Reese. He's performance is quite similar to Michael Biehn. Now let's move on to Christian Bale's acting. He's pretty good. I think what would have made is performance even better is if he toned it down about that way there aren't over the top moments. The more serviceable performance is Sam Worthington as Marcus Wright. While his acting is okay the problem is he doesn't really do anything that really makes his performance stand out.

Terminator: Salvation often times will give you homages to the previous films. Some work quite well other times we could have done without them.

• Positives

One of two of the best things about the movie is that were not doing time travel. This time we get see what the war is like. Something that was being teased from The Terminator and Terminator 2: Judgment Day. In all honest I liked what I saw. I felt the film really pulled off with what was being teased from James Cameron.

The other thing that made the good was the visuals. Everything was so gritty and just loved that. There were quite a lot of shots that were brilliant captured by McG.

The final thing I'll give the movie credit for is the action. It's really great to watch and I enjoyed every moment of it. What really made they work was the fact that there wasn't any shaky camera, no quick cuts, or any of that other cheap stuff that other action movies do.

Terminator: Salvation is a pretty decent sequel/addition to the Terminator franchise. The best things were not doing the whole time travel thing, the visuals, and the action. The more grey areas are the special effects, the performances, and some of the homages. The only thing I couldn't stand was the child character Star.

My final rating is Okay

So that's going to do it for me. Come back next time on Thursday, August 29th for when we return to the Road to Star Wars: Episode IX - The Rise of Skywalker with my review of Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi. Until then enjoy the rest of your day.

The Banana Splits Movie Reivew

The Banana Splits Movie is a horror film based on the 1968 variety show The Banana Splits Adventure Hour. The movie is produced by Blue Ribbon Content and distributed by Warner Bros. Home Entertainment. The Banana Splits Movie is written by Jed Elinoff and Scott Thomas and directed by Danishka Esterhazy.





The story is a boy named Harley is going to be spending his birthday along with his family at a taping of his favorite TV show The Banana Splits. Everything seems to be going great however the stars of the show start a massacre with an ever growing body count. Now Harley's family must find a way out of the studio before they're the next victims of these savage killers.

Initial Reaction

Now at first I had no interest of seeing this film. Mainly for two reasons, reason #1 - I don't review films that go direct-to-video (unless it's a DC animated movie) and reason #2 - I have never watched the show this movie is based around and even I thought it was a stupid idea to make it into a horror film. But...then something changed. The trailer dropped and I automatically wanted to review it! Mainly because my "so bad it's good" senses were tingling.

Cons




One of the biggest issues you'll have with the movie is you really can't shake off that Five Nights at Freddy's feeling. Yes these both have different lores but it's the concept you can't stop with the comparisons.








Middle Ground




One grey area with The Banana Splits Movie is the Banana Splits' costumes. Fleegle and Drooper look like their 60's counterparts but Bingo sure did loose quite a lot of weight and Snorky doesn't even have eyes there just two black buttons. The other aspect of the film that was okay is the suspense. There are times when it's well pasted other times it does take awhile for anything to start happening. The final mix bag of the movie is the acting. The greatest actor here is Finlay Wojtak-Hissong as Harley. He really did an amazing job playing an innocent little kid/The Banana Splits biggest fanboy. Some of the other actors did an okay job but the worst was definitely Romeo Carere as Harley's brother Austin. His suppose to be playing a "burnout" but he seemed more emotionless than anything.








Pros




Now let's get on with the positives, which yes there are some. Now when watching the movie it's clear that the writers didn't take this seriously. Because there are times in the movie that are played for dark comedy. Which really works in the movie's favor because had everything been taken so seriously I don't think the reviews would be as kind as they are. Now with any slasher movie the horror fans are expecting some creative kills and the movie delivers on that. I won't tell you what they are because I don't do spoilers. The final thing I'll give The Banana Splits Movie credit for is the effects. They are done pretty well. There are times when CGI was used but those moments are far and in between you won't even remember them.








So yeah the movie wasn't the "so bad it's good" as what I was hoping but I still got something entertaining. What with the flick's dark comedic nature, creative kills, and some good practical effects. The mix bags are the Banana Splits costumes, the acting, and some instances of slowly paced suspense. The only negative I have was it's hard to shake that Five Nights at Freddy's comparisons.








My final rating is (and I can't believe I'm saying this) Good. And it only gets this rating because like I said the film didn't take itself so seriously which really helped bump up the rating.








So yeah I enjoyed the movie but if you're a fan of the original show then I don't see you having a good time with this film. So that's all for me come back, Monday, August 26th for my review of Terminator: Salvation. This review will mark the near end of my Road to Terminator: Dark Fate. Until then enjoy the rest of your day.

Road to Rambo V: Last Blood - Rambo (2008) Review

Rambo (aka Rambo IV or John Rambo) is a 2008 action film and the fourth film in the Rambo film series. The movie was produced by The Weinstein Company, Millennium Films, and Nu Image Films and distributed by Lionsgate. Rambo was written by Sylvester Stallone and Art Monterastelli and directed by Sylvester Stallone.




The story is Rambo has abandoned his lethal ways and now lives a solitary life in the Thai border. After guiding a group of missionaries into Burma, Rambo later hears how they didn't come back. Now he must answer the call and embrace violence once again in order to save them from the Burmese army.

• Negatives

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

• Mix

One thing's a mix bag is showcasing the brutality of war. I really did like that aspect because it really ties into the theme of "war is hell". But what makes me put in the mix category and not the positives is because of this showing of war it really does make it hard to rewatch over and over again. Not that I think that should be taken as a full blown bad thing. It's actually pretty good because it's what the film was trying to tell us the audience.

• Positives

One of the best things I like about Rambo (2008) is how the returned to the more serious sides of the franchise. Where the last two movies (Rambo: First Blood Part II and Rambo III) were good old fashioned action films what with the over the top action scenes and some one liners thrown in, this film is pretty much like the first movie but with some changes. It's way darker, gritty, and move violent than Rambo II and III. And with that darker tone we also get a Rambo who's more broken and war torn. Which is something that makes the movie more interesting to watch.

Now to talk about the action. It's very much brutal. I mean during that last action scene when that .50 BMG started firing it's really tearing people to shreds. So yeah the action is this movie is very realistic. Which I did like. I mean I'm always in the mood for an over the top action film (hell I enjoyed Hobbs and Shaw) but ever once in a while it is good to see an action flick have more realistic scenes.

The last thing I'll give the movie credit for is the fourth time in a row Stallone once again plays Rambo to perfection. And like I said before this Rambo is more broken and Stallone really played that version of the characters really really good.

Rambo (2008) is a pretty good fourth movie. Which is pretty surprising when you think about. I mean how many people can say the fourth film in a franchise is good? What makes it good is the return of a more serious tone, the action, and Stallone's acting. The mix bag is while showing that yes war is indeed not that's big action thrill ride but hell that does make it hard to rewatch but that still means it lived up to the message it was trying to get across.

My final rating is Good

So yeah I really enjoyed Rambo (2008). So that's all for me. Come back on Thursday, August 15th for my review of 2019's most anticipated movie of all time....The Banana Splits Movie (😆). Until then enjoy the rest of your day.

Sorry Everyone. But There'll Be No Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark Review

Hey guys. So originally I wasn't going to do this because on Saturday I figured all of you would realize that I couldn't review Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark (read my Hobbs and Shaw review to understand what I'm talking about if you're confused), but I like to keep you guys up to date about what's going on around here. So yes as you can tell by the title I sadly can't give you a review of the movie. The main reason being is apparently the theater I go to would much rather show (and I still can't believe this is an actually movie) Dora and the Lost City of Gold. Now some of you are probably like "well just review that then" or "hey it looks terrible so maybe you'll have a fun time making fun of it/ripping it apart". Here's the thing guys, I review movies that I truly 100% want to see and review. So if I'm not interested in seeing a movie I'm not by any means going to review it. So anyways I'm sorry I couldn't give you a review of Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark hopefully all of my upcoming reviews will make up for this.

So that's all I gotta say. Once again I apologize. Anyways come back Monday, August 12th for the final part of my Road to Rambo: Last Blood with my review of Rambo (2008).

Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw Review

Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw (known internationally as Fast & Furious: Hobbs & Shaw or simply Hobbs & Shaw) is an action film and a spin-off from the Fast & Furious film series. The film is produced by Seven Bucks Productions and Chris Morgan Productions and distributed by Universal Pictures. Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw is written by Chris Morgan and directed by David Leitch.




The story is a generically enhanced terrorist named Brixton Lore has gotten is hands of a deadly virus. Now DSS agent Luke Hobbs and former British Special Forces assassin turned mercenary Deckard Shaw are forced to team up and stop Brixton before he can use the virus.

Initial Reaction

Now when I first heard they were making spin-offs for Fast and Furious characters I wasn't all that excited about it. Then I heard it was going to be about Dwayne Johnson's character Hobbs and Jason Statham's character Shaw and I was interested. I mean the two played off each other very well in The Fate of the Furious. Also an added bonus being that David Leitch was going to direct and having seen John Wick and Deadpool 2 it was safe to say we're going to get awesome action scenes. Also it just looked like it was going to be a fun turn off your brain action flick.

Cons




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








Middle Ground




The only thing that's a mix bag is the runtime. When watching the movie while I was entertained at the same time I was sitting there thinking the film was going on longer than it should have.








Pros




One of the best things about Hobbs & Shaw is Hobbs and Shaw. Just like they were in The Fate of The Furious Dwayne Johnson and Jason Statham played off each other. All of the smack talk and more serious moments between them really made the movie worth watching from beginning to end. Now to talk about Idris Elba as Brixton, Idris really played this character well. Some people did think Brixton could be hammy at times and I can understand where they're coming from with that statement but I think the audience was more willing to forgive that because of Elba's performance. Now if you watched the trailers you can expect that there'll be moments of humor in this. And those trailers were being honest, there are a lot of funny moments. Very good usage might I add. The jokes had me, my dad (I was seeing this with him as part of what we jokingly call our "guys night out"), and the audience laughing. The final thing to love about Hobbs & Shaw is the action. Holy sh*t was the action just crazy. We get awesome chase scenes, fighting amongst Hobbs, Shaw, Brixton, and other characters, and a really exciting final act. David Leitch really brought it with the action sequence and for that I'm thankful for.








If you're looking for an action packed turn off your brain trill ride look no further than Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw. Dwayne's Hobbs and Jason's Shaw once again we entertaining, Idris Elba played Brixton just right, the humor is funny and very much self aware, and most importantly the action is awesome. The only real grey area is while entertaining throughout you can't escape the fact the movie goes on for to long.








My final rating is Good








So yeah I had a whole lot of fun with Hobbs and Shaw, so that's all for me. Now I'm hoping by Saturday, August 10th I'll have a review for Scary Stories to Tell in The Dark. I mean my theater did have a coming soon poster but you knows. If that doesn't happen than I'm sorry but I'm hoping it does. But enough of my rambling go out and enjoy the rest of your day.

Raiders of The Lost Media - The Angry Beavers - Bye Bye Beavers

Hey everyone and welcome to Raiders of The Lost Media. Haven't done one of these in a while (and by "a while" I mean eleven months. Almost a year folks) but I have been busy what with reviews, then there was that #ReleaseTheSnyderCut story I did, then those easter eggs I did for Captain Marvel, Shazam!, and Avengers: Endgame, that one Is It True? post, and that top eight director's cut post. So yeah, 2019 has kept me very busy from any other segments. But enough of that let's get to it.

Part One - What Was The Angry Beavers?



The Angry Beavers was a Nickelodeon cartoon that ran from April 19, 1997 to June 11, 2001 thus giving it four seasons with a total number of 62 episodes. The main plot of the series is about two beavers who are also brothers named Daggett and Norbert who often get into some crazy adventures and find ways out of their problems.








Part Two - The Story of Bye Bye Beavers



The plot to "Bye Bye Beavers" was Norbert and Daggett received a letter in the mail telling them that their show is going to be cancelled. Then Norbert would have to break the news to Daggett that they are cartoon characters. Then the episode would have our main characters break the fourth wall even more by having Nick Bakay (the voice of Norbert) and Richard Steven Horvitz (the voice of Daggett) call each by their names along with other characters they voiced from different TV shows. Then our characters who criticize the fact that have shows are cancelled they continue to have reruns without paying the creators. Then by the end of the episode Norbert and Daggett would begin to disappear before shouting "APRIL FOOLS!" thus implying that this wasn't going to be the final episode of The Angry Beavers.




Because of this segment a rumor would later be spawned that the show was going to be cancelled because of this episode, some people don't believe that and think it's all false, and that "Bye Bye Beavers" was created in retaliation by the creator (Mitch Schauer) because the show was being cancelled.








Part Three - Nickelodeon's Response



Nickelodeon by no means thought the episode was entertaining for two reasons. They didn't like the criticism about reruns but what really ticked them off was the show broke a "rule" made by Nickelodeon that no final episode of a show is allowed to allude or say that the show is ending. So because the writers wrote that in there they decided not to show the episode on any broadcast. Although there were rumors that it did air in Australia and Europe.









Part Four - Audio and Doubtful Release



In 2006, during an interview with Richard Steven Horvitz on avimelman.com, audio from "Bye Bye Beavers" was played and was rapidly circulated throughout the internet. It's not known if the episode was reached the animation process, since there's been zero evidence of it. Some of doubted if the audio is even legit due to all of the laughter heard in the background and was assumed to have came from a crew member, when it actually came from both host Avi Melman and Richard Horvitz while broadcasting the clip. Since the audio was leaked online there continue to be rumors going around. It's unlikely the episode will ever air mainly due to the reason the episode was pulled in the first place.

So I hoped you enjoyed this addition of Raiders of The Lost Media. Come back next time on August 3rd, Saturday for my review of Fast and Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw. Until then enjoy the rest of your day.