Alright we got a brand new Avatar film and better yet, we DIDN'T have to wait over ten years for it to come out.
Avatar: Fire and Ash is an epic sci-fi film and the sequel to Avatar: The Way of Water thus making it the third installment of the franchise. Lightstorm Entertainment handled production while 20th Century Studios distributed. James Cameron directed and wrote the story alongside Rick Jaffa and Amanda Silver.
The story is, shortly after settling with the Metkayina clan but Jake's family are still grabbing with what they lost. But they'll need to pull themselves together when a new tribe called the Mangkwan clan aka The Ash People. This clan just wants to set fire to the world, and they have their sights set on Jake, his family, and the Metkayina clan.
Initial Reaction
To make a long story short, I actually like the Avatar films. Do I think they're perfect? No. But there is some entertainment. So I was interested in where this story would take us in the franchise.
Cons
I've got nothing.
Middle Ground
The biggest mix bag comes from the story. Now there are some good things to it. The strongest one being grief amongst the Sully family. We see how they're absolutely crushed by the loss of a family member, the tension that's causing. It was really good. But the story often times does repeat things we've seen previously. Hell the finale battle takes place on water just like it did in The Way of Water, with only a few different set pieces here and there.
Pros
Let's start with the easiest one, the special effects. Every since the first movie the Avatar movies have been a feast for the eyes. Whether this movie is taken to the skies, riding in the water, or burning things to the ground, the visual effects don't disappoint. Then there's the action. James Cameron continues his streak of being an excellent action director. Even though I criticized the finale it was still a fun ride, but the main aspect that'll draw you in is what comes before. But we get a thrill ambush from the Ash People, we see how the Ash People use fire to their advantage. We get also have the classic case of guns firing and explosions galore. So even if the story isn't the strongest at least the action is never boring.
Sorry if this review wasn't lengthy enough, but those are really the only talking points that needed mentioning without heading into spoilers or feelings nitpicky. But yeah, while I wasn't by any stretch disappointment by the movie, but as far as Avatar movies go, this one's the weakest unless Avatar 4 and Avatar 5 prove otherwise. Which I personally hope doesn't happen.
My final rating is, Okay.
That's all for now. Come back on Monday, Dec 22nd, for my review of Is This Thing On? Until then, enjoy the rest of your day.
Alright, we now got a brand new Knives Out movie. Glass Onion was pretty decent but still left a lot to be desired. So hopefully this one can bring us back to what made the first movie so great.
Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery (or simply just Wake Up Dead Man) is a mystery film and acts as a standalone sequel to Glass Onion, which also makes this the third installment of the film series. Production was done by T-Street Productions and Ram Bergman Productions with Netflix in charged of distribution. Rian Johnson returns once again to write and direct.
The story is, Monsignor Jefferson Wicks has been murder in his rural parish during service, but the way he was killed leads to many questions. Master detective Benoit Blanc has been called in to try find out how the Monsignor could've been killed despite the unusual circumstances. His investigation will lead him to a world where secrets and suspicion blur as a small community slowly starts to tear itself apart.
Initial Reaction
Okay let's try to make this a brief story. The reason for wanting to see this is because I loved the first movie. The second one was okay, but it definitely had a case where it thought bigger is better. So after watching the trailer it seemed like we were returning to a smaller scale which I was definitely in favor of.
Cons
I've got nothing.
Middle Ground
The biggest mix bag stems from the characters. I'll start with the one that has the strongest writing, Father Jud. He has a great story of a former box turned priest after something horrible happened in the ring. Now he's put in this dark situation where he's will and belief is being put through the ringer. Then you have the other characters who don't have the same treatment. Blanc is still invested in the case and willing to help out a wrongfully accused man, but often times it does seem his story is taking a backseat towards Jud's. Meanwhile others have some story or just there to fill out the roster.
Pros
First I'll start off with Rian Johnson's directing. And what better way to start then showing you two great shots.
Despite how dark they are, they're amazing. But what makes the rest of Johnson's directing so good is he use of a more stylized gothic atmosphere, use of lighting like whenever light appears, disappears, or reappears through a church window, and some very tight editing.
The other aspect I want to praise is the much smaller setting. Whether you like the story or not, it was a wise decision to go back to a much more toned down mystery after the last movie still had a mystery but it's finale had explosions and other over the top elements.
The last thing I'll credit is the performances. But I want to give praise to three actors in particular, first being Josh Brolin as Monsignor Wicks. Brolin with his powerful voice brought an unhinged energy, along with his charisma that gave his character a lot of flair. Then we have Daniel Craig reprising his role of Benoit Blanc. Craig once again nails the character's southern charm thus continuing making the character very likable, and Craig does an even better with the film's more serious and grounded moments. But the biggest praise goes to Josh O'Connor as Father Jud. O'Connor is the show stealer. He brought out the Jud's earnest traits and when doing more comedic scenes he was great. But he was incredible when his character is struggling with his own faith, guilt for a past action, and a chance at redemption. O'Connor was the emotional core from beginning and to end and I hope he gets a chance to do more movies.
While some writing for characters could've used some work, Wake Up Dead Man is a fun watch especially since it was a more back to basics approach after Glass Onion.
My final rating is, Good.
So that's all for now. Sorry I uploaded this at a later hour, I fell asleep...oops. But anyways, come back on Saturday, Dec 20th, for my review of Avatar: Fire and Ash. Until then, enjoy the rest of your day.
Yeah, bet you weren't expecting a comic book review for the Christmas season. Well here it is and it stars everybody's favorite web slinger.
'Twas the Fight Before Christmas was a 2003 story published in issue twenty-one of the Marvel Comics anthology series, Spider-Man's Tangled Web. The late, great Darwyn Cooke both drew and wrote.
The story is, it's Christmas in New York City. It might be the most wondrous time of the year, but a huge snowstorm is sweeping the city. Just to make things more chaotic there's a evil scheme going on at the mall, and Spider-Man and his allies need to quickly stop or nobody's having a Merry Christmas.
Negatives
I've got nothing.
Mix
I've got nothing...again.
Positives
First let's get to the humor. Since this a more lighthearted story compared to other Spider-Man comics, we're given many funny moments. My favorite running gag is J. Jonah trying to prove Spider-Man is a menace to a bunch of children. Typical J.J.J. behavior.
Then there's Darwyn Cooke's art. Before passing away, Cooke's art was always a beautiful sight to see. Because he clearly has a retro style to and whether you'd like the comic book art of the past or not, Darwyn's captured the old school vibe but he still had a lot of modern twists in his style. But he's style was also very versatile. He could go dark like with his Batman: Ego one-shot, serious like with The New Frontier, or comedic like with this. So if you like artists like who an old school look to like say Bruce Timm, then you'll love Darwyn Cooke.
The last thing I'll credit is the story. Now let me just say, this isn't a mind blowing Spider-Man like If This Be My Destiny, Kraven's Last Hunt, The Kid Who Collects Spider-Man, Blue, etc. But it is an entertaining story. It captures what you want a Christmas tale. It's got comedy, heart, people stressing over what to give their loved ones for Christmas, comedy, how crazy the holiday season is, and a happy ending. So if want a chilled Christmas story to read then this one's got you covered.
It's been awhile since I've done a Cinematic Disaster. So as a little early Christmas present I present to you me having to suffer by having to review a terrible movie.
Santa Claus: The Movie (or just Santa Claus as it's titled on-screen) is a Christmas movie that was produced by Santa Claus Productions (cause I guess Santa owns his own film production) and Calash Corporation N.V. with Tri-Star Pictures distributing. The story was written by David & Leslie Newman (and if those names sound familiar it's because they wrote the first threeSupermanmovies) and directed by Jeannot Szwarc.
The story is, somewhere in the Middle Ages Europe there was a man named Claus who delivered hand-carved toys to the children of his village. During this time Claus and his wife were caught in a snow storm and almost died, but were saved by elves. Since that day, Claus has been delivering presents to not only to the kids of his village but all around the world for centuries. But his legacy is soon put in jeopardy when a greedy business man wants to sell gifts for the purpose of money, regardless if his presents are safe or not.
My Thoughts
So our movie starts off innocently enough with that previous stuff I said about Claus giving gifts to the children of his village, then the snow storm, and then being rescued by elves. Although I think the term elf or elves should be used loosely here. Because we have some shots where they're small like an elf and others times the elves are just really short people. Anyhow, but once then "elves" bring Claus to the workshop, they pretty much just thrust the title of "Santa Claus" onto him. I mean it the head elf (I forgot what he's name is) is basically saying you will do this, you will do that, you have to do this as well. And Claus isn't questioning any of this. He stands around perplexed and just accepts this new life of his. I get he was already doing something similar before what with giving the village kids presents, but dude! This is a lot to take in! For crying out Claus just arrived and already he's told to be Santa Claus.
So after unloading all of that on a guy they just meant, the elves get started by designing his suit and after rejecting the green one they decided the red one is the correct color. But when they aren't decided on what's fashionable, we get this very bizarre scene of the elves waiting for a star to align, for the light to shine on them, then for snow to fall on them, and then they proceed to congratulate each other and break out into dance. I swear of my mother, father, and sister I'm not making this up. That's an actual scene and it's never explained what that is. What kind of workshop is Santa running?
Then we get a very eyebrow raising scene. Just as Santa is about to start his first day on the job, we're all greeted to ancient elf named...The Ancient Elf, creative. But if you thought the snow dance thing whatever was odd get ready for this. Basically during this scene The Ancient Elf tells Claus he's fulfilling a prophecy that a chosen one who had no children of his own would love all the children of the world and bring the elves' gifts to all of the children. How is that Jesus Christ is not only the son of God, but is also the savior who died for our sins then three days later came back from the dead and yet he isn't getting this level of hype? I mean, Santa Claus is a prophecy?! What the hell?!? I thought Santa was just a cool guy who wanted to give gifts to all the good boys and girls? 😆
So after doing his job for centuries, Santa finds himself overworked by ever-increasing demand. But thankfully an elf named Patch, (by the way get use to him using the word "elf" in his sentences like how the Smurfs use the word "Smurf" in their sentences) has an idea. He's made a machine that'll get toys from scratch and put them together quickly too. Then Santa takes the toys where he meets a homeless boy named Joe who at first doesn't believe he's the real deal Santa Claus. Then because Santa feels bad for the boy's situation in life and also kind of wants to prove him wrong, teleports Joe and himself to his sleight and shows him what he can do. Okay homeless kid or not I'm pretty sure Santa just committed a kidnapping. Sure Joe's mind is blown away by what he's seeing and he did agree to go on the trip, but I'm still pretty sure this counts as a kidnapping. Then the duo meets a girl named Cornelia who actually knows Joe because she leaves food out in the open for him to eat. Then Santa leaves the two so they'll be better acquainted. Okay so I guess he knew that those two know each other so I'll stop with the kidnapping jokes, but I'm still be keeping my eye on this Santa.
Then it's Christmas Day and all of the kids are playing with Patch's toys. Until they start to break apart rather quickly. Probably should've tested the toys before delivering them there Santa. And during this time Joe and Cornelia are both being bullied by the angry children because they said they rode with Santa. Okay I know children aren't very bright because their brains aren't fully developed yet, but shouldn't these kids be entertaining the idea that maybe just maybe there's a 99.99% chance both Joe and Cornelia are lying? Literally anybody could say the rode with Santa.
Afterwards we cut back to the workshop where everyone is saddened by the failed toys. And I'm not gonna lie this is actually a pretty good moment. At first Santa knows he needs to fire Patch, but Patch is such a good friend he knows Santa can't bring himself to say it, so Patch willingly sets down. Then he watches on in sadness when he sees the new elf take his old job. Then to make the scene even more of a gut punch, Patch says his goodbyes to the reindeer who are so sad to see Patch leave and they're actually crying for him. Then Patch leaves feeling like a failure. Like I said it's really good scene and I truly enjoyed it despite the depressing story being told.
But then we got from sad to goofy when we meet the greedy business man I mentioned earlier simply named B.Z. And John Lithgow's performance is so over the top you can't help but love it. Hell he's character is so cartoonishly evil he puts nails and broken glass in teddy bears. I shit you not he actually has teddy bears with nails and broken glass in them. I get the movie is trying to show he's the opposite of Santa because Santa wants playable and safe toys, while B.Z. just wants to get them out as quickly as possible regardless of the consequences, but how the hell does that happen?!? How do you wind up with teddy bears with nails and broken glass? What did B.Z. hire a sociopathic serial killer?! How does that happen?!?!
And yet despite this very well documented recklessness, not only is B.Z. allowed to stay in business but Patch wants to work with him? I'm sorry....what? Why? B.Z. was just in court for the teddy bear thing which was both photographed and televised for everybody to see so imagine Patch saw it. So why work with the guy? So Patch is giving his pitch to B.Z. saying he'll make a product for him and during which Patch says they'll give away his idea for free...in which we get this amazing delivery.
....How did this not become a meme? That was perfect!
Eventually B.Z. agrees on the freething. Then Patch makes a lollipop that can make people float, and he starts traveling around to deliver his new invention. Then we catch up on Cornelia where the housemaid (yes Cornelia is not only an orphan but she's rich. Sorry I didn't mention that earlier) tells her to say Merry Christmas to her "step-uncle". Okay I get a step-mom, step-dad, step-son, and step-daughter, but how does one get a step-uncle? That doesn't sound like a real thing.
But ignoring that odd step-uncle thing, Cornelia goes to say Merry Christmas to him and it's revealed he's none other than...
Okay! Forget "For Free?!?!". How didn't this become a meme?! From the dramatic chair spin all the way to the evil laugh, this is ripe for meme material! 🤣
So after that glorious moment, seriously how did that NOT become a meme? We seen the flying candy is taking off all the while Patch believes this'll get him back into Santa's good graces. Which is an odd plan to say the least. Couldn't he redeem himself just by continuing working with Santa only this time making sure the toys are tested before releasing them to the public?
We go back to B.Z. and ask Patch what would happen if the formula was juiced up. Patch answers with it would make people fly and after hearing that B.Z. now has another unsafe get rich get scheme. But when Patch gives a time table which also mentions how Christmas is once a year, B.Z. not only wants to strike while the iron is hot, but also decides that we need another Christmas. So he comes up with the idea of March 25th being "Christmas II". After hearing that I'm just reminded of how both people and corporations have an unhealthy Christmas obsession. First we get Christmas in July because apparently Uncle Sam isn't good enough and when you go to Walmart during the fall season when we should be celebrating Halloween, in the far back ya a small but noticeable set of freakin' Christmas decorations on stand by! So folks do me a favor, PRAY WE DON'T GET AN OFFICIAL CHRISTMAS II ON MARCH 25TH!
Sorry for that meltdown there. Had to get something off my chest. Anyhow, but B.Z. just doesn't want money but he also wants to be the new Santa Claus to the point where children are writing to him. And he celebrates by...drinking Pabst Blue Ribbon beer in a wine glass. I know this doesn't effect the story but does anybody else find that weird? You drinks beer in a wine glass?
So after more clichéd yet still somewhat enjoyable cartoonish villainsy from B.Z. we learn the new flying candy explodes when exposed to heat. But because they have millions of dollars invested in this, B.Z. still wants to give the candy away. And just save his own ass he'll still take the cash but put all of the blame on Patch. Okay I was wrong we had more over the top evil from this guy.
Later Cornelia calls the police and B.Z. is arrested. Man she's a snitch! I wanted more B.Z. and his cartoon brand of evil. While that's happening Patch and Joe put the exploding candy in Patch's sleigh and they head off to the North Pole to keep the candy from hurting anyone or anything. But the candy is set to exploded at any given time, so now we've got a ticking clock. So Santa and Cornelia race to save Patch and Joe. And Santa saves them with a move I would tell you about or make a short video, but go look it up or watch this movie for free on Tubi while you still can. You will not believe the trick Santa uses. So afterwards the day is saved and Joe and Cornelia can live at Santa's workshop. Okay Joe is understandable because he's homeless, but Cornelia? Sure she's an orphan, but doesn't see have friends she can live with? I imagine a rich background would give you some connections?
So that was Santa Claus: The Movie. I still find this to be bad, but it's also bizarrely entertaining and not just because of B.Z. So you know what? Give this look. Like I said before it's currently free on Tubi so go watch right now if you something weirder this Christmas season.
My final rating is, So Bad It's Good.
So that's gonna wrap things up. Come back on Thursday, Dec 11th, for a comic book review. What comic will it be? Well you're gonna have to figure it out. Until then, enjoy the rest of your day.
Okay, I'm doing what I usually do during the Christmas season. Wanting to review Christmas movies and specials but something interesting gets in the way. Oh well, got nobody to blame but myself.
Five Nights at Freddy's 2 is a supernatural horror movie based on the video game series Five Nights at Freddy's and the sequel to the 2023 film adaptation. Blumhouse Productions and Scott Cawthon Productions produced with Universal Pictures doing distributing. This time around Scott Cawthon is the only one writing the story but Emma Tammi has returned to direct.
The story is, it's been a whole year since the events of the previous movie and security guard Mike is trying his best to move on from those events alongside his 11 year old sister Abby. But when Abby decides to finally check in on her animatronic friends and reconnect with them, she unknowingly sets off a chain of events that'll reveal a secret hidden away in Freddy Fazbear's Pizza.
Initial Reaction
Now I'll be the first to admit it, but I actually liked the first movie. I don't think it's a masterpiece I just thought it was pretty decent. So I was curious what the sequel had in store.
Cons
My only complaint is we have a human villain and he has a connection to William Afton and it's supposed to this big shocking reveal. The problem with that is he appears so little in the movie that I wouldn't be shocked if I hear and read from other reviewers and audiences that they completely forgot about him.
Middle Ground
So we more or less have a lot of the same slight issues from before. That being again I did find some enjoyment from the story, but the scare factor wasn't full there. Although I did find the new animatronic villain's design to be pretty good and the look they give the person their possessing did actually look little creepy. There's also the characters. Now Mike was okay in this, he is giving the vibe he wants to move on, but they don't really develop his character more. Which is a bummer because the other characters, Vanessa and Abby both have some development. Abby feels like she doesn't fit in and wants to make Fazbear gang again because she feels as though as those are real friends. And Vanessa is struggling with her past and trauma, thus she desperately wants to move and be normal.
Pros
The only thing I'll praise is the animatronics. Once again they look like they leaped out of the game, they look great. So if there's anything to give applause to, it's the tremendous job from Jim Henson's Creature Shop.
Much like the previous movie, I didn't hate it but I still acknowledge it's flaws.
My final rating is, Okay.
That's all for now. Come back on Monday, Dec 8th, for my Cinematic Disasters review of, Santa Claus: The Movie. Until then, enjoy the rest of your day.
Holy crap! It's already December! Where did the time go? It felt like we just blew through 2025. Well regardless, let's kick off the Christmas season with a holiday film you more than likely never heard of.
The Family Man is a romantic fantasy comedy drama flick that was produced by Beacon Pictures and Saturn Films with Universal Pictures handling distribution. The story was written by David Diamond and David Weissman and directed by Brett Ratner. Yes, the same Brett Ratner that directed all three Rush Hour films and X-Men: The Last Stand.
The story is, Jack Campbell is a wealthy Wall Street executive bachelor with millions of dollars at his disposal. One night after defusing a hostel situation at a convenience store Jack wakes up not in his usual place, but in a suburban New Jersey home and things get weirder when he sees he's married to Kate who's supposed to be his ex-girlfriend but the two also have two kids. Jack quickly figures out this is a life he could've had if he didn't focus solely on his career. But even with this knowledge it leaves him at a crossroads.
Why It's Underrated
Be honest, how many of you actually knew of this movie's existence? Am I not asking you Nicolas Cage fans or movie buffs, I'm asking you casual fans. How many of you knew this was a movie? If you said you didn't know about this, don't worry I'm not gonna shame you. Cause I didn't know about either until last month when I was looking for underrated Christmas movies to review for this blog.
My Thoughts
Okay before I start giving this movie some praise let's get to some of it's slight flaws. One of them being the directing. Despite the Rush Hour films being fun and I'm probably one of the few people you DON'T think X-Men: The Last Stand isn't terrible but just decent, I could never be a big Brett Ratner fan because I never found his directing style to be something to be amazed. Don't get me wrong, he's pretty decent at what he does. But he never could wow me. So yeah, Ratner's directing is serviceable but don't be surprised if you don't gush over any of the shots in this.
Then there's the comedy and drama parts. Now the movie handles both aspects very well. Some of the drama is really good and I did laugh at some of the funnier moments. However there are moments when these two things kind of wobbles. So there's probably gonna be a moment where the drama can undercut a comedic moment or vice versa.
Now let's talk about the good stuff. Starting with my absolute favorite aspect, and that's the fact that never lifestyle is particularly glamorized. Sure Jack's Wall Street executive bachelor lifestyle at first might look good, but the movie actually tells you that no, it can be very lonely. But Jack's alternate version lifestyle were he married his Kate instead of breaking up with her years ago, so that even the married with children lifestyle can be a struggle. We see how Jack and Kate despite being in love and married can occasionally argue, we see the sacrifice they made for the sake of their children, at one point Jack takes alternate Kate to a fancy restaurant and she says "are you sure you can afford this". Which to any of you married guys or women out there probably understand that feeling and/or maybe have said that sentence. The only reason why the more family man was told to be the better life is because Jack was in denial and needed to learn that's what he was doing to himself. He was in a constant state of denial. Which isn't a bad lesson. Cause unless you're dead set on not getting married and having kids, then yes, it's true. A bachelor life with fast cars, lots of money that's yours alone, and sleeping with has many women as you want, can only bring you so much happiness.
The last thing I'll praise is the performances from Nicolas Cage and Téa Leoni. While we all love it when Nicolas Cage goes absolutely over the top crazy, it was pretty nice to see him at one point he does play a more serious and focused character. But even thought he's character of John Campbell is focus on his career, loves his money and loves his Ferrari, we also see Cage bring out John's more caring side where he loves Kate and kids that could've been his own. Now I have seen Cage play more serious in his more recent films, Pig being the first one that comes to mind, but I hope one day in the near future he's involved in a big theatrical release that shows this more dialed back side to his acting. Then there's Téa Leoni. The best way to describe her performance is brings warmth and wit to Kate Reynolds. But there's also quite strength to when Leoni has to bring out Kate's motherly side. So if anything she's the emotional anchor to the whole story. And when these two are together I actually felt like they were an actually married couple once we enter the alternate world or "the glimpse" as it's called in the movie.
I actually think you should give The Family Man a watch this Christmas season. Yes it was flaws, but it's still pretty good.
My final rating is, Good.
Well that about wraps it everything up. Come back on Saturday, Dec 6th, for my review of Five Nights at Freddy's 2. Until then, enjoy the rest of your day.
