77. Blair Witch (1/5)
76. The Witch (1/5)
75. Zoolander 2 (2/5)
74. Warcraft (2/5)
73. Nine Lives (2/5)
72. My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2 (3/5)
71. Independence Day: Resurgence (3/5)
70. Elvis & Nixon (3/5)
69. The Finest Hours (3/5)
68. The Boss (3/5)
67. Howard Lovecraft And The Frozen Kingdom (3/5)
66. Whiskey Tango Foxtrot (3/5)
65. Where To Invade Next? (3/5)
64. Mike & Dave Need Wedding Dates (3/5)
63. The Boy (3/5)
62. Pete's Dragon (3/5)
61. Barbershop: The Next Cut (3/5)
60. The Huntsman: Winter's War (3/5)
59. The BFG (3/5)
58. Swiss Army Man (3/5)
57. 10 Cloverfield Lane (3/5)
56. Bad Moms (3/5)
55. Ratchet & Clank (3/5)
54. London Has Fallen (3/5)
53. Ouija: Origin Of Evil (3/5)
52. The Infiltrator (3/5)
51. Sausage Party (3/5)
50. Demolition (3/5)
49. Neighbours 2: Sorority Rising (3/5)
48. 13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers Of Benghazi (3/5)
47. Ghostbusters (3/5)
46. Everybody Wants Some!!! (3/5)
45. Pride And Prejudice And Zombies (3/5)
44. Keanu (3/5)
43. Angry Birds Movie (3/5)
42. Triple 9 (3/5)
41. War Dogs (3/5)
40. To Hell Or High Water (3/5)
39. Lights Out (3/5)
38. Snowden (3/5)
37. Yoga Hosers (3/5)
36. Sully (3/5)
35. Nerve (3/5)
34. Digimon Adventure Tri: Chapter 1: Reunion (4/5)
33. Doctor Strange (4/5)
32. Batman: Bad Blood (4/5)
31. The Accountant (4/5)
30. The Conjuring 2 (4/5)
29. Sing (4/5)
28. Fastball (4/5)
27. Don't Breathe (4/5)
26. Jack Reacher: Never Go Back (4/5)
25. Alice Through The Looking Glass (4/5)
24. X-Men: Apocalypse (4/5)
23. Finding Dory (4/5)
22. Jason Bourne (4/5)
21. Central Intelligence (4/5)
20. The Secret Life Of Pets (4/5)
19. The Nice Guys (4/5)
18. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out Of The Shadows (4/5)
17. Moana (4/5)
16. Justice League Vs. Teen Titans (4/5)
15. Popstar: Never Stop, Never Stopping (4/5)
14. The Jungle Book (4/5)
13. Green Room (4/5)
12. Zootopia (4/5)
11. The Purge: Election Year (5/5)
10. Batman: The Killing Joke (5/5)
9. Miss Peregrine's Home For Peculiar Children (5/5)
8. Now You See Me 2 (5/5)
7. Suicide Squad (5/5)
6. Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (5/5)
5. The Magnificent Seven (5/5)
4. Captain America: Civil War (5/5)
3. Deadpool (5/5)
2. Batman Vs. Superman: Dawn Of Justice (5/5)
1. Kubo And The Two Strings (5/5)
Showing posts with label Captain America: Civil War. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Captain America: Civil War. Show all posts
Thursday, 26 January 2017
Sunday, 10 July 2016
Special: Captain America: Civil War/Finding Dory/The Conjuring 2 Mini-Reviews
Synopsis: With many people fearing the actions of super heroes, the government decides to push for the Hero Registration Act, a law that limits a hero's actions. This results in a division in The Avengers. Iron Man stands with this Act, claiming that their actions must be kept in check otherwise cities will continue to be destroyed, but Captain America feels that saving the world is daring enough and that they cannot rely on the government to protect the world. This escalates into an all-out war between Team Iron Man (Iron Man, Black Panther, Vision, Black Widow, War Machine, and Spiderman) and Team Captain America (Captain America, Bucky Barnes, Falcon, Sharon Carter, Scarlet Witch, Hawkeye, and Ant Man) while a new villain emerges.
My thoughts: Not nearly the action-thriller The Winter Soldier was, but it provides more no holds barred action than the typical Marvel film (Avengers films excepted) but although this can be construed as Avengers-lite it is anything but, giving us the struggle of humanity we come to expect from the man-out-of-time films of Cap. Not the best Marvel-flick but still worthy of a spot on the mantle.
Final verdict: 5 new Avengers out of 5.
Synopsis: Dory is a wide-eyed, blue tang fish who suffers from memory loss every 10 seconds or so. The one thing she can remember is that she somehow became separated from her parents as a child. With help from her friends Nemo and Marlin, Dory embarks on an epic adventure to find them. Her journey brings her to the Marine Life Institute, a conservatory that houses diverse ocean species. Dory now knows that her family reunion will only happen if she can save mom and dad from captivity.
My thoughts: Not Pixar's finest film, though I'm admittedly not as fond of it's predecessor as most others. Dory is colourful and fun but although I wasn't invested emotionally in the characters or their problems as much as I usually am when Pixar makes a film. I feel like it was a step down from Nemo, and certainly a step down from last summer's Inside Out but it proves that Pixar can competently make sequels for films not named Toy Story.
Final verdict: 4 shells out of 5.
Synopsis: In 1977, paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren travel to London, England, where single mother Peggy Hodgson believes that something evil is in her home. When Peggy's youngest daughter starts showing signs of demonic possession, Ed and Lorraine attempt to help the besieged girl, only to find themselves targeted by the malicious spirits.
My thoughts: Wasn't a huge lover of the first film and expected about the same, but just like director James Wan's Insidious franchise, he made me a believer with the 2nd installment. You usually don't see horror movies running 2 hours but The Conjuring 2 did and it's paced fantastically and had me on the edge of my seat throughout and even had a series of good scares placed perfectly for maximum effect. The acting came off a little campy, though this is a horror film. It's unfortunate Wan didn't stick with his "less is more" style as the budget of $40 million was twice as high as his previous high for a horror flick (The Conjuring and Dead Silence) and seriously dwarfs the combined $16.5 million spent on the 3 Insidious films combined (though he didn't direct the third installment).
Final verdict: 4 supernatural spirits out of 5
Sunday, 15 May 2016
Special: Marvel Cinematic Universe Ranked Worst To Best
With Captain America: Civil War hitting theaters last weekend the MCU now features 13 films and what better time than now to rank them? Okay maybe pre-Civil War at the conclusion of phase 2 would've been cleaning but semantics... On to the ranking!
13. Iron Man 2
Iron Man 2's biggest flaw was Whiplash... Not that he isn't a good character, in fact I thought Mickey Rourke's take on physicist Ivan Vanko was quite good. The problem then? He wasn't the main villain! Instead Sam Rockwell is, that's right Scary Sam himself. We get one showdown between Iron Man and Whiplash and it's in the first half of the movie... Snooze!
12. Thor
Thor was a fun fish out of water story, unfortunately it didn't do much else well. Sure they could've done some Norwegian God epic, but we knew when Marvel hired Shakespearean actor-director extraordinaire Kenneth Branagh to helm it we we're getting something different, and a lot of times different is a good thing.
11. The Incredible Hulk
I stand by the fact that Ed Norton made a great Bruce Banner, unfortunately this film underwhelmed and led to the re-casting which brought in Mark Ruffalo. Too bad the script was all over the place as was the films tone... And Liv Tyler? Really? No amount of Norton and Roth could overlook the fact that they decided to cast Steven Tyler Jr. in this film,
10. Thor: The Dark World
Nothing more than a popcorn flick... But I go to the movies to be entertained and eat popcorn so it's not all bad I just can't say I left the film saying "wow I really loved what they did there" or "when the director shot that I got chills" like the movies above it on this list.
9. Captain America: The First Avenger
"...I had a date" of the feels! Let's be honest this film is so campy but it makes the proceeding Cap films better by understanding the nature of Bucky and Steve's relationship... But again it's oh so campy.
8. Iron Man 3
Bumbling actor Ben Kingsley's Mandarin aside, Iron Man 3's only real flaw is the fact that it didn't have any real consequences. Sure Tony wanted to save Pepper but I mean it's not like he was going to kill her. The iron legion was confusing but their appearance in Ultron made them make sense at least.
7. Guardians Of The Galaxy
I didn't love Guardians as much as the rest of the world did but I can't deny that's it's not a great movie. The upbeat soundtrack, the characters that you buy into each and every move they make because you're so invested in them which keeps the plot moving because you want to see them succeed for various reasons depending on which Guardian you're looking at. Great space opera, but the bottom line is space opera's aren't really my thing so when I want to see comedy in the MCU I'd look to...
6. Ant-Man
Ant-Man is a fun ride, everyone including crotchety Michael Douglas is perfectly cast. Sure there are some minor flaws but nothing that you can't look past with ease. Although this movie turned out so magnificently I can't help but wonder what would've been had Edgar Wright stayed on course and helmed this flick... Probably would've found itself in the Top 5 but how high could it of gone? We'll never know.
5. Avengers: Age Of Ultron
I know this movie had it's detractors... Hell I was one of them. After the first viewing I pointed out all the flaws I seen which made for an underwhelming experience. But watching it a second time a few days later I was able to appreciate it for what it was, warts and all. It still was inferior to it's predecessor on the great movie scale but at least Ultron seemed to be a villain that would actually require all of The Avengers to stop (sorry Loki), so at least that was believable.
4. Captain America: Civil War
The newest entry into the MCU! Only time will tell if this movie trends upwards or downwards after a couple of viewings but right now it's firmly in the Top 5. I don't get the Avengers 2.5 argument, sure they were mostly all there and had a fight at the airport but other than that it was basically the Cap stars (Widow, Falcon, Cap, Bucky) and Iron Man. It's a mature take on it's content like it's predecessor but this was still lighter fare, which is fine... It is the Russo's specialty after all.
3. The Avengers
Alright I admit that I'm likely reaching with this one. Sure The Avengers is not a bad movie but is it a top 3? Most would argue no. But dammit, I can't help but feel good about it. We waited four years to get to the point where Hulk, Cap, Thor and Iron Man would team up against a major earth threat (Loki? Really?). In any event the event did not disappoint as The Avengers broke all kinds of box office records and showed us that Marvel is not slowing down anytime soon!
2. Iron Man
People seem to forget as time passes how incredibly important Iron Man, it wasn't just the launching point of the MCU but had it of been a dud we likely would've never gotten the MCU. Remember Disney did not yet own Marvel so the Marvel Studios folks were co-producing with Universal at the time and although the dream was to eventually have an Avengers film they needed to make money first so they took out a 225 million dollar revolving loan to produce it. Had Iron Man of bombed I'm sure they would've scrapped the idea altogether. Fortunately it was an incredible success at the time that only Batman and Spider-Man films had any degree of recent success. Too bad it wasn't strong enough to beat our #1 film.
1. Captain America: The Winter Soldier
The Winter Soldier was old school action at it's finest. The CGI was at a minimum compared to it's counterparts giving us hard-nosed action. All this with a backdrop of a political thriller proved that the Russo brothers knew how to handle a Marvel franchise. The Iron Man franchise had tried to dabble in the political thriller waters and has mostly failed so The Winter Soldier was a breath of fresh air setting up the notorious Hydra agency led by a diabolical and suave Robert Redford. Not to mention our first look at Sam Wilson's Falcon, a role that seems to be turning into the Nick Fury of old since he pops up everywhere.
13. Iron Man 2
Iron Man 2's biggest flaw was Whiplash... Not that he isn't a good character, in fact I thought Mickey Rourke's take on physicist Ivan Vanko was quite good. The problem then? He wasn't the main villain! Instead Sam Rockwell is, that's right Scary Sam himself. We get one showdown between Iron Man and Whiplash and it's in the first half of the movie... Snooze!
12. Thor
Thor was a fun fish out of water story, unfortunately it didn't do much else well. Sure they could've done some Norwegian God epic, but we knew when Marvel hired Shakespearean actor-director extraordinaire Kenneth Branagh to helm it we we're getting something different, and a lot of times different is a good thing.
I stand by the fact that Ed Norton made a great Bruce Banner, unfortunately this film underwhelmed and led to the re-casting which brought in Mark Ruffalo. Too bad the script was all over the place as was the films tone... And Liv Tyler? Really? No amount of Norton and Roth could overlook the fact that they decided to cast Steven Tyler Jr. in this film,
10. Thor: The Dark World
Nothing more than a popcorn flick... But I go to the movies to be entertained and eat popcorn so it's not all bad I just can't say I left the film saying "wow I really loved what they did there" or "when the director shot that I got chills" like the movies above it on this list.
9. Captain America: The First Avenger
"...I had a date" of the feels! Let's be honest this film is so campy but it makes the proceeding Cap films better by understanding the nature of Bucky and Steve's relationship... But again it's oh so campy.
Bumbling actor Ben Kingsley's Mandarin aside, Iron Man 3's only real flaw is the fact that it didn't have any real consequences. Sure Tony wanted to save Pepper but I mean it's not like he was going to kill her. The iron legion was confusing but their appearance in Ultron made them make sense at least.
7. Guardians Of The Galaxy
I didn't love Guardians as much as the rest of the world did but I can't deny that's it's not a great movie. The upbeat soundtrack, the characters that you buy into each and every move they make because you're so invested in them which keeps the plot moving because you want to see them succeed for various reasons depending on which Guardian you're looking at. Great space opera, but the bottom line is space opera's aren't really my thing so when I want to see comedy in the MCU I'd look to...
Ant-Man is a fun ride, everyone including crotchety Michael Douglas is perfectly cast. Sure there are some minor flaws but nothing that you can't look past with ease. Although this movie turned out so magnificently I can't help but wonder what would've been had Edgar Wright stayed on course and helmed this flick... Probably would've found itself in the Top 5 but how high could it of gone? We'll never know.
5. Avengers: Age Of Ultron
I know this movie had it's detractors... Hell I was one of them. After the first viewing I pointed out all the flaws I seen which made for an underwhelming experience. But watching it a second time a few days later I was able to appreciate it for what it was, warts and all. It still was inferior to it's predecessor on the great movie scale but at least Ultron seemed to be a villain that would actually require all of The Avengers to stop (sorry Loki), so at least that was believable.
The newest entry into the MCU! Only time will tell if this movie trends upwards or downwards after a couple of viewings but right now it's firmly in the Top 5. I don't get the Avengers 2.5 argument, sure they were mostly all there and had a fight at the airport but other than that it was basically the Cap stars (Widow, Falcon, Cap, Bucky) and Iron Man. It's a mature take on it's content like it's predecessor but this was still lighter fare, which is fine... It is the Russo's specialty after all.
3. The Avengers
Alright I admit that I'm likely reaching with this one. Sure The Avengers is not a bad movie but is it a top 3? Most would argue no. But dammit, I can't help but feel good about it. We waited four years to get to the point where Hulk, Cap, Thor and Iron Man would team up against a major earth threat (Loki? Really?). In any event the event did not disappoint as The Avengers broke all kinds of box office records and showed us that Marvel is not slowing down anytime soon!
People seem to forget as time passes how incredibly important Iron Man, it wasn't just the launching point of the MCU but had it of been a dud we likely would've never gotten the MCU. Remember Disney did not yet own Marvel so the Marvel Studios folks were co-producing with Universal at the time and although the dream was to eventually have an Avengers film they needed to make money first so they took out a 225 million dollar revolving loan to produce it. Had Iron Man of bombed I'm sure they would've scrapped the idea altogether. Fortunately it was an incredible success at the time that only Batman and Spider-Man films had any degree of recent success. Too bad it wasn't strong enough to beat our #1 film.
1. Captain America: The Winter Soldier
The Winter Soldier was old school action at it's finest. The CGI was at a minimum compared to it's counterparts giving us hard-nosed action. All this with a backdrop of a political thriller proved that the Russo brothers knew how to handle a Marvel franchise. The Iron Man franchise had tried to dabble in the political thriller waters and has mostly failed so The Winter Soldier was a breath of fresh air setting up the notorious Hydra agency led by a diabolical and suave Robert Redford. Not to mention our first look at Sam Wilson's Falcon, a role that seems to be turning into the Nick Fury of old since he pops up everywhere.
Sunday, 1 May 2016
Special: Top 10 Movies To See This Summer
Release Date: July 8, 2016
Synopsis: Taking place in a Manhattan apartment building, Max's life as a favorite pet is turned upside down, when his owner brings home a sloppy mongrel named Duke. They have to put their quarrels behind when they find out that an adorable white bunny named Snowball is building an army of abandoned pets determined to take revenge on all happy-owned pets and their owners.
9. Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising
Release Date: May 20, 2016
Synopsis: Mac (Seth Rogen) and Kelly (Rose Byrne) are ready to make the final move into adulthood. But just as they thought they have reclaimed the neighborhood, they learn that their new neighbors are even more out of control than the last. To evict them, they're need help from their ex neighbor (Zac Efron).
Release Date: August 19, 2016
Synopsis: The true story of two young men, David Packouz and Efraim Diveroli, who won a $300 million contract from the Pentagon to arm America's allies in Afghanistan.
7. Alice Through The Looking Glass
Release Date: May 27, 2016
Synopsis: When Alice wakes up in Wonderland she must travel through a mysterious new world to retrieve a magical scepter that can stop the evil Lord of Time before he turns forward the clock and turns Wonderland into a barren, lifeless old world. With the help of some new friends, Alice must also uncover an evil plot to put the Queen of Hearts back on the throne.
Release Date: May 20, 2016
Synopsis: A private eye investigates the apparent suicide of a fading porn star in 1970s Los Angeles and uncovers a conspiracy.
5. Now You See Me 2
Release Date: June 10, 2016
Synopsis: One year after outwitting the FBI and winning the public's adulation with their Robin Hood-style magic spectacles, The Four Horsemen resurface for a comeback performance in hopes of exposing the unethical practices of a tech magnate. The man behind their vanishing act is none other than Walter Mabry, a tech prodigy who threatens the Horsemen into pulling off their most impossible heist yet. Their only hope is to perform one last unprecedented stunt to clear their names and reveal the mastermind behind it all.
4. The Purge: Election YearRelease Date: July 1, 2016
Synopsis: It's been two years since Leo Barnes (Frank Grillo) stopped himself from a regrettable act of revenge on Purge Night. Now serving as head of security for Senator Charlie Roan (Elizabeth Mitchell), his mission is to protect her in a run for president and survive the annual ritual that targets the poor and innocent. But when a betrayal forces them onto the streets of D.C. on the one night when no help is available, they must stay alive until dawn...or both be sacrificed for their sins against the state.
3. Suicide Squad
Release Date: August 5, 2016
Synopsis: A secret government agency run by Amanda Waller, named A.R.G.U.S creates a task force comprising super villains, the "Suicide Squad". They are assigned to execute dangerous tasks in exchange for shorter prison sentences.
2. X-Men: Apocalypse
Release Date: May 27, 2016
Synopsis: Since the dawn of civilization, he was worshiped as a god. Apocalypse, the first and most powerful mutant from Marvel's X-Men universe, amassed the powers of many other mutants, becoming immortal and invincible. Upon awakening after thousands of years, he is disillusioned with the world as he finds it and recruits a team of powerful mutants, including a disheartened Magneto, to cleanse mankind and create a new world order, over which he will reign. As the fate of the Earth hangs in the balance, Raven with the help of Professor X must lead a team of young X-Men to stop their greatest nemesis and save mankind from complete destruction.
1. Captain America: Civil War
Release Date: May 6, 2016
Synopsis: After another incident involving the Avengers results in collateral damage, political pressure mounts to install a system of accountability, headed by a governing body to oversee and direct the team. The new status quo fractures the Avengers, resulting in two camps, one led by Steve Rogers and his desire for the Avengers to remain free to defend humanity without government interference, and the other following Tony Stark's surprising decision to support government oversight and accountability.
Honourable Mentions: Finding Dory, Teenage Mutant Ninaj Turtles: Out Of The Shadows, Pete's Dragon, Money Monster, Jason Bourne
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