Looking Back at the Films of 2025 Part Six - The Life of Chuck and Elio

We're back with the films of 2025. As you can read above it's about Life of Chuck and Elio, so let's all dive right in.

Why the Delay?

Now if you read my Supergirl review then you were probably expecting this review yesterday on Monday. Well on that day my dad needed my help getting water barrels. Now you'd think that'd be an easy thing, which is was but my man was it pretty long trip. So long that by the time I got home it was like 7:30pm and I wasn't even done watching Elio yet. So I needed to push this review back a day.

Why Didn't I See The Life of Chuck?

Truth be told I was planning on see this. Then I realized I already had a very busy schedule what with planning to review Predator: Killer of Killers, Ballerina, and the next part of the Road to Fantastic Four: First Steps. So I had no choice but to push this movie to this segment. Which sucks because I really do like Mike Flanagan's movies.

What is The Life of Chuck?

The Life of Chuck is a fantasy drama based on Stephen King's 2020 novella of the same name. Studios such as Intrepid Pictures, FilmNation Entertainment, QWGmire, and Red Room Pictures did production while Neon was the distributor. Mike Flanagan both wrote and directed.

The story is, we see the formative years of a man named Charles "Chuck" Krantz. We see how some tragic moments in his life, during which he sees both the ups and downs that life gives you. Chuck will experience many firsts in his life, and in the end he'll have to decide if he wants to be in the dark or live life to the fullest.

My Thoughts

The Good: Let's start off with Tom Hiddleston's performance. It's pretty impressive because he's screen time is relatively limited. But he brought so much emotional depth and quite charisma that it made the adult version of Chuck feel like a full character. There's also a very interesting structure to the movie. I wasn't at all expecting us to start off at Act Three and then end on Act One. Now that could've broke the movie but it became a very interesting watch. Especially since you can have putting the pieces together and find out which character connects to the third act and why. The last thing I'll praise is the emotional core. The story is a beautiful telling of both the beauty and fragility of everyday life. I would go into more spoilers, but I don't want to give too much of the story's plot and themes away. It's just such a fantastic story.

The Bad: I've got nothing.

The Okay: It's the pacing. Sometimes scenes do progress slower than others, but thankfully a lot of scenes do forward nicely.

Final Verdict: Great.

Why Didn't I See Elio?

When I saw the trailer in theaters and all of the TV spots, I thought this was just gonna be very generic. Which is sad because their was a time when I wouldn't have want to miss a Pixar movie, but since the late 2010's Pixar just doesn't have the same magic it use to. We get either a sequel and whenever we do get something original there's just something missing in those movies when compared to the other films. Sure the animation is always on par, but story wise it's just not the same. So I decided to skip out on Elio and see 28 Years Later instead.

What is Elio?

Elio is an animated sci-fi adventure that was produced by Pixar Animation Studios and distributed by Walt Disney Pictures. The people who wrote the screenplay were Mark Hammer, Mike Jones, and Julia Cho and directed by Adrian Molina, Domee Shi, and Madeline Sharafian.

The story is, an eleven year old boy named Elio has been kidnapped by aliens after they mistakenly think he's Earth's ambassador. Now he must navigate his way through this crazy, survive a huge crisis, and find out where it belongs.

My Thoughts

The Good: The animation is nice but that's really no surprise, this is a Pixar flick after all. But sadly the animation can't save this. I'll also give this movie credit. When it comes to bad kids films this one is the least awful of the many ones out there.

The Bad: Let's start off with the art style. Why does Pixar still use this style? I was criticized with Luca and later on with Turning Red. Nobody wants the bean mouth art style anymore! It's generic and should've died in the late 2010s. Then there's Elio. He's just a bad character. He's always stealing from people and if you can ignore that, there's also the fact he's supposed to be an outcast yet he's still very social. I get just because you're an outcast don't inherently have poor social skills, but the movie is trying really hard to make you say "Oh poor little Elio 🥺." And when we're not dealing with Elio then we're dealing with truly stupid characters. One example is the aliens think Elio is Earth's leader, but earlier they just saw him get his ass kicked by bullies. Wouldn't they think that's not Earth's leader because he's getting beaten up? Lastly the story just uses one cliché after another. One of those being Elio befriend an alien who get this, is also an outcast. Yeah, really shattering storytelling aren't we?

The Okay: I've got nothing.

Final Verdict: Bad, But Harmless.

Well that's a wrap. Come back on Monday, Jul 6th, for a brand new Is It True? For that one I'll be tackling a Star Wars fan theory. Until then, try to keep yourself cool while going through this absolute bullcrap of a heatwave week. Get an AC, a fan, go to your local pool or lake for a bit, dunk yourself in a bathtub full ice or all the above. The point is, just stay cool.

Supergirl (2026) Review

 

Alright, we got another film set in the DC Universe. Will this one be any good, will be decent like last year's Superman, or is it as bad as some reviews say it is?

Supergirl (2026) is a comic book movie that takes influence from the 2021 comic miniseries Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow. It also serves as the second film in the DC Universe. Production was done by DC Studios, Troll Court Entertainment, and The Safran Company with distribution by Warner Bros. Pictures. The movie's written by Ana Nogueira and directed by Craig Gillespie.

The story is, Kara was enjoying celebrating her 23rd birthday. But things took a turn when she meets a revenge seeking girl named Ruthye wants someone to help her find and kill a man named Krem of the Yellow Hills for the murder of her family. At first Kara doesn't want any part of this, but when her dog Krypto is poisoned by Krem she joins up with Ruthye to find Krem and cure Krypto. During this journey Kara also wants to stop Ruthye for letting revenge take her over, but can Kara truly help her when she's a mess herself?

Initial Reaction

My expectations for this movie were low. Mainly because so far Gunn's DCU hasn't been all that spectacular despite what grifters and influencers would have you believe. Everything with this new DC cinematic universe has either been decent or bad. It also doesn't help that character of Supergirl just can't catch a break on the big screen. First there was the laughably bad 1984 Supergirl film. Where the main villain's focus is she wants to bang her handsome gardener....I'm not joking that's basically that villain's motive. Then there was The Flash back in 2023. Now I didn't hate that movie it was decent at best, yet at the same time a huge box office bomb. It also didn't help that Milly Alcock the star of the movie apparently didn't learn anything from Rachel Zegler. Cause she decided to shot her mouth off and go on and on about how fans are sexist and they don't want to see a female play a superhero. And all of that other bull. So yeah. Supergirl (2026) has quite a lot going against it.

Cons

One problem with the movie is the villain Krem of the Yellow Hills. What a forgettable bad guy. There's nothing about him that'll stand out from other comic book movie villains. He is bland, he is boring, and he's generic. It also doesn't help that instead of giving him his comic book design which was this.

Now some of you could argue his design probably doesn't look memorable as well. But I'll this over the movie Krem who looks like a rejected Ravager from Guardians of the Galaxy.

Then there's also the look of the movie. Aside from maybe one or two shots, there was nothing about the cinematography that popped out at me. It looks bland and every planet Kara and Ruthye go to pretty blend in with each other. Almost to the point where I wouldn't be surprised if people mistaken Kara and Ruthye being on the same world despite the movie showing them traveling from place to place. It also doesn't help that this would've been a perfect opportunity to bring the colors that were in the comic book [Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow] to the big screen. But nope, we either get shades of brown or colors that don't stand out at all. Remind me again how James Gunn's DCU is the colorful one yet Zack Snyder's DCEU films were the ones lacking color?

Then we have the writing for the characters. We lack of there of. There's barely any develop for them. Ruthye despite being the reason why Supergirl is part of this adventure, barely has a story. Her story much like the comic miniseries is about how she should let hate and revenge consume her and she shouldn't kill people. But aside from one argument with Kara/Supergirl, it's never truly touched upon. Then we have Supergirl herself. While we get to see her trauma about surviving the destruction of Krypton and seeing her family die, but the end of the movie everything she lectures Ruthye about (or barely lectures her on) she does herself! So basically this version of Supergirl is a massive hypocritic.

• Mix

I've got nothing.

• Positives

The only praise I can give is Milly Alcock and Jason Momoa's performances. Despite the bad material, Milly is still able to give a pretty good performance. On the other side, Momoa was actually pretty entertaining in the film despite his role not being as big as the marketing would let you believe.

Supergirl (2026) may not be in my top ten of worst comic book movies, but it's still not worth seeing in theaters. Just wait until it's on HBO Max (which giving the box office numbers will probably be very soon) or rent it for like four dollars.

A Few Words

Hey! Before I give my final rating there's something else I wanted to say but it's mainly just a theory and not something I can confirm which is why it's not in the negative category of this review.

So with that out of the way I have a theory that James Gunn is more than just a producer for this movie. I believe he either shadow co-wrote, shadow co-direct, or both when working on this project. Why? Because while I'm not the biggest fan of Craig Gillespie's work I've seen some of his stuff. Those being the 2011 remake of Fright Night, I, Tonya, and Cruella, none of those movies reminded me of stuff James Gunn would do. And what has Gunn been known to do as of recently? Have humor that clashes with the tone of a movie, needle drops both with popular songs and songs that aren't so popular, and making stuff feel like Guardians of the Galaxy one way or another. And what does Supergirl have? All of the stuff I just listed.

Let me remind you this is only a theory and not something that's a true. Now do give you may rating.

My final rating is, Bad.

How is that after Wonder Woman superhero films or tv shows starring females have only gotten worse? Anyways, that's all for now. Come back on Monday, Jun 29th, for part six of Looking Back at the Films of 2025. Until then, enjoy the rest of your day.

Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow Review

 

Before Supergirl the movie comes out, it's time to review the comic the film takes influence from.

Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow is a 2021 eight issue comic book published by DC Comics. It was written by Tom King and drawn by Bilquis Evely.

The story is, Kara Zor-El aka Supergirl is being burned by grief by the fact that during her teenage years she lived through the horrifying experience of seeing Krypton's destruction. Meanwhile, a young alien girl named Ruthye Marye Knoll is seeking vengeance after her father was killed in cold blood by Krem of the Yellow Hills. Soon Kara and Ruthye crosses path during which Krem attacks and shoots a poison arrow at Krypto. Now Kara wants to save Krypto, but she also wants to save Ruthye from being consumed by revenge.

A Few Words

Now going into this I figured this was gonna be my more tougher reviews. Not because I think this comic is super complex, but because Tom King is a very divisive writer. I've seen people either praise him, hate him, and rarely feel just okay with the guy. So I was actually a little scared of what would happen if I either gave King credit where it's due or criticize him. Then I quickly got over it and decided to get it over with regardless of what other people think of my opinions.

• Negatives

I got nothing for this part. So just move to the next.

• Mix

The biggest mix bag is Tom King's writing. Now before any of you Tom King Haters cheer remember this is the mix section and not the negatives section. Anyways, let's get into the good aspect. Many have criticized King's writing for focusing on trauma and such. Now I can understand this criticism, sometimes focusing on trauma doesn't suit every single character. But I actually liked because we get to know more of why Supergirl hasn't moved on from the destruction of Krypton. Exploring the horrors she saw before the planet finally exploded. But a lot of times the story isn't focusing solely on grief and trauma. We also get themes of compassion vs. fury, healing, and mercy. And we also see how Supergirl and Ruthye go from simple mentor and student to friends. But then we have other aspects that aren't that good. For instance, we have an unreliable narrator. Now there's nothing wrong with that, but by the end of the story I was a tad bit confused. So you'll have to do some re-reading and research later. Now I find stuff like that fun, but others might find that frustrating. There was also the swearing. No take a sigh of relief I'm not going politically correct. Superheroes should be allowed to curse, especially if they're in rated T for teen stories or mature stories. But they thing is swearing is an art form in and of itself. You gotta know when to use it correctly. Tom King or at least in this comic I've read isn't using it correctly. So whenever Supergirl swears it can be a little cringe.

Then there's the pacing. Now King to my knowledge isn't a fast pace writer in the vein of Mark Millar, Robert Kirkman, or Geoff Johns. He's best known for taking it slow. Which can work for many cases. And it does work here in some parts, other parts can be slower than they needed to be.

• Positives

The one true praise I'll give is Bilquis Evely's art work. She did an amazing job. The worlds have their own style to them so you're not gonna mix them and there's also some good alien designs too. But what really makes Evely's art pop is the colors done by Mat Lopes. Just look at this.

Regardless how you feel about this story you can't deny that looks sweet. Hell if you remove the text that'd make for one sweet wallpaper.

So if you haven't figured it out by now then you've come to the correct conclusion that I don't hate this story. Do I think it's perfect? No. But at the end of the day I wasn't infuriated by what I read. I actually did enjoy a lot of it. Not all of it, but quite a few parts.

My final rating is, Okay.

So that's all for now. Come back on Saturday, Jun 27th, for my review of Supergirl (2026). Until then, enjoy the rest of your day.

Road to Avengers: Doomsday - Emperor Doom Review

 

We once again return to the Road to Avengers: Doomsday. Let's see what Doctor Doom is up to this time.

Emperor Doom is a 1987 comic book published by Marvel Comics and can be found in Marvel Graphic Novel issue #27. David Michelinie wrote the story with Bob Hall being the artist.

The story is, Doctor Doom has captured the mind controlling villain The Purple Man and has enhanced his powers so he can control the world and be its ruler. The only hero not infected is Wonder Man, and it's up to him to free his fellow heroes and put a stop to Doom's plans.

• Negatives

I've got nothing.

• Mix

It all boils down to the story, more importantly how it's structured. The biggest flaw is it's very rushed. When Doom takes over, we just a couple of pages saying "Oh because of Doom this nation is no longer at war this nation. This economic problem was solved within a week. And let's not forget this country is eating well when previously there wasn't any food to go around". So the impact of Doom finally getting what he wants just have much of an impact as it should've. However, there's a lot of good stuff going on. One of those being Wonder Man, a lesser known Marvel character, is giving the spotlight. Sure I would've wanted my boys Captain America or Iron Man to save the day, but sometimes you do gotta let the bigger name characters take a step back and let someone else be the main character for awhile. But the biggest praise I'll give is the story around Doctor Doom. The basic idea is yeah he got what he wanted...but he's still unhappy. Most villains would cheer they didn't get a rebellion, but Doom is disappointed he didn't get any rebels. Which is a brilliant element to adds more depth and nuance to Doctor Doom. I loved reading about how he's profoundly bored that he got an easy win. It was great stuff.

The other mix bag is Bob Hall's art. It was bad by any stretch, but at the same time there's nothing really memorable. Sure he has strong sequences and it's nicely polished. But even when writing this review I can barely remember a lot of panels.

• Positives

If there's one praise I'll give it's how you can just stand and read this story without any extra baggage. This story easily could've been a huge crossover event with tons of tie-ins, but instead it's just a story with a clear beginning, middle, and end. No prior reading necessary, no tie-ins as I previously mentioned, and no sequel crossover event afterwards. Just one whole story and nothing else.

Despite some issues here and there, I still really loved this. Mainly because of Doctor Doom having a crisis about how he didn't get a real fight to achieve his goal. That aspect truly saved this story.

My final rating is, Good.

That's all for now. Come back on Thursday, Jun 25th, for yet another comic book review. Only this time I'll be reviewing Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow as a way to get ready for the upcoming Supergirl movie. Until then, enjoy the rest of your day.

Toy Story 5 Review

 

A brand new Toy Story film is out, and this time (and as the marketing's been saying) it's toys vs. tech.

Toy Story 5 is an animated adventure comedy-drama and the fifth film in the franchise. Pixar Animation Studios produced while Walt Disney Pictures distributed. Andrew Stanton directed and wrote the screenplay along with Kenna Harris.

The story is, Bonnie now eight years old was trying to bond with other kids but they're all far more focused on the tablet called Lilypad Lily. Bonnie soon gets her own Lilypad but Jessie and the gang fear Bonnie is becoming addicted and it's not helping her with her social life. Now it's a fight between toys and technology, and Lily doesn't plan to go out easily.

Initial Reaction

Now originally I was worried going into this because 1) Pixar just hasn't been the golden boy for the longest time. And 2) I was worried that the story was gonna be favoritism. Maybe the writers were gonna be "Tablets evil! Bad! No! Toys are superior!" or the stort could just blame suck regardless with no favoritism at all.

Cons

I got nothing for this section. So just go to the next part.

Middle Ground

One mix bag was the hunor. Now 99.99% of the time it's actually pretty funny. There's a lot of jokes that actually worked. But we also have this new character named Smarty Pants. Who's a toilet-training tech toy. Take a wild guess what a majority of his jokes are related to. I mean his character isn't annoying or anything, but man the writers were really stretching it with jokes and gags about toilet training things.

The other gray area is the story. Now there is loads of good. The story touches on things such as the previously mentioned toys vs. screens, childhood anxiety, fear of obsolescence, moments where you think you're the problem, and the rewards of real friendships and play. A lot of that did hit me. Those were really good elements to the story. But at the same time the story is juggling a lot. We've got Jessie's story arc, Woody and Buzz are still buddies but they are competing for deputy, you got the Toy Gang going up against Lily, and you also got the hi-tech Buzz Lightyears and their story.

Pros

Let's get an easy one out of the way. I'm referring to the animation. Whether the story is amazing, great, okay, or bad Pixar never fails when it comes to the animation. And the animation in Toy Story 5 is no different. Whether it's the contrast between the physical toys or the sleek tech, wear and tear details on toys, or dynamic action and imagination scenes, the animation is a feast for the eyes.

The last thing I'll praise is the voice cast. Whether it's the returning stars of Tom Hanks and Tim Allen with their great chemistry, Joan Cusack bringing out Jessie's fiery yet vulnerable cowgirl charm, or newcomers such as Greta Lee who brings a new disruptive and nuance element, the voice cast is once again a strong aspect. The cast whether old or new bring energy, humor, and emotional depth to the movie.

While I don't see it being ranked high over the beloved classic three films, Toy Story 5 is actually a pretty enjoyable experience despite some slight issues here and there.

My final rating is, a low Good.

Okay that'll wrap things up. Come back on Monday, Jun 22nd, for the next installment of my Road to Avengers: Doomsday. Until then, enjoy the rest of your day.

Scud: The Disposable Assassin - Heavy 3PO Review

Alright, I'm reviewing another comic that has nothing to do with superheroes or supervillains. So let's dive in.

Scud: The Disposable Assassin is a 1994 sci-fi comedy comic first published by Fireman Press before Image Comics started publishing reprints. Heavy 3PO collects the first four issues which were written by Rob Schrad, Mondy Carter, and Dan Harmon with Schrad providing the art.

The story is, Scud is a robot assassin people can buy from vending machines and complete any task you want them to. One Scud model was bought to kill a mutant named Jeff but during this mission he finds a sticker that says once he completes his mission he'll be forced to self-destruct, ensuring his survival he wounds Jeff which puts Jeff on life support. Now Scud must take a series of hit jobs to make sure both him and Jeff stay alive.

• Negatives

I don't have anything to say. So just move onto the next part.

• Mix

There's two slight issues. One of them being the writing. Now the concept is really good and there's a lot of crazy stuff. Like how Jeff is a mutant with a plug for a head and mouse traps for hands, zombie dinosaurs, and robots that basically combine into a Megazord. There's also a lot of comedy from things ranging from rapid fire dialogue to dark comedy to some gross out moments. It's ridiculousness in the best way. But sometimes it does feel like we just jump around from place to place with no connective tissue. For instance, issues two and three have Scud caught up in a prison break arc then by issue four we're right in the middle of Scud working with some mobsters with absolutely no set up or explanation. I get this is shooting for more of a "fly by the seat of its pants", but a little info doesn't hurt.

The next aspect is Rob Schrad's art. Now Schard's art isn't by any means bad. It has a very fun and kinetic energy to it. So it's never boring. However the layouts could've used some work. Sometimes the layouts are hard to follow. There were times when I had to pause for a brief moment to understand what was going on and what dialogue connected to what someone said to another character.

• Positives

One true praise I can give is the pacing. This is an easy read to get through. I was able to read all four of these issues in under an hour.

While I had some issues I think this is one of those moments where the good outweighs the bad.

My final rating is, Good.

Okay, that's gonna do it for me. Come back on Saturday, Jun 20th, for my review of Toy Story 5. Until then, enjoy the rest of your day.

Disclosure Day Review

 

Alright! We got a brand new Spielberg movie four years after his last big hit The Fabelmans. So let's dive in and hope that four year hiatus was worth the wait.

Disclosure Day is a sci-fi thriller that's produced by Universal Pictures and Amblin Entertainment the former of which was also the distributor. Steven Spielberg directed and also wrote the story with David Koepp.

The story is, as the world is focused on being on the brink of World War III, a secret corporation called Wardex is tracking down cybersecurity Daniel Kellner after he stole classified files that contain 80 years of information covering up alien visitations and experiments. Meanwhile, meteorologist Margaret Fairchild is developing some sort of psychic abilities that link her to Kellner. Together they race to broadcast the truth and reveal the existence of aliens to the world.

Initial Reaction

I've been looking forward to this movie since it was called something like "Untitled Steven Spielberg Sci-Fi Movie". When I first discovered that I couldn't wait because Spielberg is one of the greatest directors to ever live. Then I saw the trailers, posters, and other bits of marketing and I just couldn't wait for what Spielberg had in store for us.

Cons

I've got nothing.

Middle Ground

The biggest mix bag is there's more wonder then there is danger. What I mean is the villains of the story don't have a lot of menace to them. They've got a lot going for them, such as their gear like the alien tech they're using and their tracking systems. They or I should Wardex's boss Noah Scanlon has a very reasonable motive for why he doesn't want the info getting out, and that's he believes he thinks if everyone knew of the existence of aliens society would collapse more so then it already is in the face of a possible World War. But despite all of that going for Wardex and Noah, they never brought that sense of dread. And this probably stems from the fact that Spielberg and Koepp seemed more focus on the wonderous side of the story then providing more of a dangerous threat with Wardex.

Pros

Let's start off with the biggest praise and that's Emily Blunt's performance. She was awesome. She really brought a depth as well as wonder and vulnerability. One moment that stands out in my mind is her character [Margaret] is freaking and panicking on a train and she needs to be calmed down, and Blunt acting was incredible, to the point where I actually felt bad for Margaret. Now despite the fact that our villains don't have much depth to them, I did enjoy the other thematic depths. The film explores things empathy, truth vs. secrecy, and faith amid both the possibility of other worldly beings and tensions rising towards a war. It was great aspect to the story when it could've been a simple chase film. The last thing I'll praise is (and I bet you totally didn't see this coming) Steven Spielberg's directing. Once again his signature style shines through. Whether it's sweeping long shots, fun action sequences, or emotional highs, Spielberg continues to show he hasn't lost a step when it comes to directing.

While it's not as strong as Spielberg's previous aliens films such as Close Encounters of the Third Kind or E.T., Disclosure Day still had a lot of entertainment value to it.

My final rating is, Okay.

Well that's gonna wrap things up. Come back on Monday, Jun 15th, for yet another comic book review. Only this time I won't be reviewing a superhero comic. Until then, enjoy the rest of your day.