I'm a film critic on this page.: 2019

This will be a quick review.

The Rise of Skywalker delivers on the emotion, action scenes, character development, visual effects, a strong direction by J.J. Abrams, a well written story, plenty of good plot twists, and strong performances from Adam Driver, Daisy Ridley, and Ian McDiarmid to send off this great franchise on the best note possible.

Out of 4 stars I would give it...

4 out of 4 stars

Saturday, December 21, 2019

2019 Action Awards

Best Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Qn_spdM5Zg

Best Quote: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iCMcSx1as3c

Best Fight: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OO0l9Yuhc0o

Best Villain: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hUa74geXW6c

Best Motion Capture Performance: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ANuJ4m5m1kc

Best Voice Performance: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IeS-q3YgKsk

Best Visual Effects: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JXTdArIvggI

Best Animated Movie: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qj4LEr0ANis

Best Screenplay: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V4UIINTgURY

Best Supporting Actress: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w8mACCMsBs4

Best Supporting Actor: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4KgUo0MV4Zs

Best Actress: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O3sywgBD6Lw

Best Actor: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D5zqwrKAGcw

Best Director: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X4v7z-zzfwQ

Best Superhero Movie: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NPY5Iq-tCvk

Best Picture: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JZWtuAIM1Ak

Best Movie Scene of 2019: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O4k_jUIZNfw

Friday, December 20, 2019

2019 Action Award Nominations

Best Trailer: Captain Marvel, Pet Sematary, Star Wars Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker, IT: Chapter 2, Crawl,

Best Quote: First Name Mr. Last Name Glass (Glass), Sometime Dead is Better (Pet Sematary), You Could not Live With Your Own Failure. Where Did that Bring You? Back to Me (Avengers Endgame), The Dark Side of the Force Is a Pathway to Many Abilities Some Consider to Be Unnatural (Star Wars: Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker), It's Easy To Fool People, When They're Already Fooling Themselves (Spider-Man: Far From Home)

Best Fight: Thor, Iron Man, and Captain America Vs Thanos (Avengers: Endgame), Spider-Man Vs Drones (Spider-Man: Far From Home), Rey Vs Kylo Ren (Star Wars: Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker), Alita Vs Grewishka: Underworld Fight (Alita: Battle Angel), Hobbs and Shaw Vs Brixton Lore (Hobbs and Shaw),

Best Villain: Thanos (Avengers: Endgame), Jafar (Aladdin) Quentin Beck/Mysterio (Spider-Man: Far From Home), Darth Sidious/ Emperor Sheev Palpatine (Star Wars: Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker) Brixton Lore (Hobbs and Shaw),

Best Motion Capture Performance: Josh Brolin (Avengers: Endgame), Will Smith (Aladdin), Mark Ruffalo (Avengers: Endgame), Rosa Salazar (Alita: Battle Angel), Jackie Earle Haley (Alita: Battle Angel),

Best Voice Performance: Ryan Reynolds (Pokemon: Detective Pikachu), Alan Tudyk (Aladdin), Tom Hanks (Toy Story 4), Tony Hale (Toy Story 4), Keanu Reeves (Toy Story 4)

Best Visual Effects: Star Wars: Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker, Avengers: Endgame, Godzilla: King of the Monsters, Spider-Man: Far From Home, Alita: Battle Angel

Best Animated Movie: How To Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World, Toy Story 4, The Angry Birds Movie 2

Best Screenplay: Aladdin, Star Wars: Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker, Spider-Man: Far From Home, Knives Out, Shazam!

Best Supporting Actress: Lashana Lynch (Captain Marvel) Scarlett Johanson (Avengers: Endgame), Millie Bobby Brown (Godzilla: King of the Monsters), Zendaya (Spider-Man: Far From Home), Nasim Pedrad (Aladdin)

Best Supporting Actor: Adam Driver (Star Wars: Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker), Marwan Kenzari (Aladdin), Jake Gyllenhaal (Spider-Man: Far From Home), Chris Evans (Knives Out), Ian McDiarmid (Star Wars: Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker)

Best Actress: Brie Larson (Captain Marvel), Naomi Scott (Aladdin), Vanessa Kirby (Hobbs and Shaw), Isabela Moner (Dora and the Lost City of Gold), Daisy Ridley (Star Wars: Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker)

Best Actor: Robert Downey Jr. (Avengers: Endgame), Tom Holland (Spider-Man: Far From Home), Daniel Craig (Knives Out), Zachary Levi (Shazam!), Asher Angel (Shazam!)

Best Director: J.J. Abrams (Star Wars: Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker), Guy Ritchie (Aladdin), Jon Watts (Spider-Man: Far From Home), Rian Johnson (Knives Out), David F. Sandberg (Shazam!),

Best Superhero Movie: Captain Marvel, Dark Phoenix, Spider-Man: Far From Home, Avengers: Endgame, Shazam!

Best Picture: Aladdin, Toy Story 4, Spider-Man: Far From Home, Knives Out, Star Wars: Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker,

Best Movie Scene of 2019: Kylo Ren Opening Scene ( Star Wars: Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker), Captain America Wields Thor's Hammer (Avengers: Endgame), Pikachu interrogates the Mime (Pokemon: Detective Pikachu), J. Jonah Jameson Appears (Spider-Man: Far From Home), Hugh Ransom Drysdale Arrives and Starts a Fight With His Family (Knives Out),

2019 Movies I've Seen

Glass (3 out of 4)

Captain Marvel (3 out of 4)

Shazam! (3.5 out of 4)

Avengers: Endgame (3 out 4)

Pokemon: Detective Pikachu (2 out of 4)

Aladdin (4 out of 4)

Godzilla: King of the Monsters (2.5 out of 4)

How To Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World (3 out of 4)

Toy Story 4 (4 out of 4)

Spider-Man: Far From Home (4 out of 4)

The Lion King (2 out of 4)

Alita: Battle Angel (3.5 out of 4)

Fast and Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw (3 out of 4)

The Angry Birds Movie 2 (3 out of 4)

47 Meters Down: Uncaged (3 out of 4)

Knives Out (4 out of 4)

Dora and the Lost City of Gold (3 out of 4)

Star Wars: Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker (4 out of 4)

Star Wars: Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker: Review

WARNING, MAJOR SPOILERS AHEAD!!!!!!!!!!!!

The 42 year journey ends, and while I wish it would've done one thing differently, it was still a satisfying ending.

The opening to the film surprised me, due to how quickly they brought back Emperor Palpatine. Adam Driver's facial expressions in this opening were some of his best acting in this series. Ian McDiarmid's long awaited return was worth the wait in this film, as his acting was still excellent.

The reveal that General Hux was a spy for the Resistance was a great twist. And when Finn and Poe found out that he was only doing this so Kylo would lose made me laugh so hard. I was stunned at how quickly soon afterwards Hux was killed by Allegiant General Pryde, but it was necessary so as to keep the story flowing.

The reveal that Rey was the granddaughter of Palpatine stunned me to no end. I was not expecting that at all, but it explained why she was so powerful with the force. So while Kylo was right about her parents being nobody special, her grandfather was the important character in the series.

The death of Leia surprised me as well, due to the way that she died. Chewbacca finding out and his expressions were very emotional. Daisy Ridley's acting in this scene was excellent, as was Adam Driver's.

The redemption of Kylo Ren, due to his mother dying, was a great scene, due to Harrison Ford showing up. Ford's last scene between him and Adam was some of the best acting, as Ben rejected his Sith identity and became the daughter of Han and Leia once more.

Rey going into exile on Ahch-To was a great scene as well due to Luke Skywalker's spirit arriving and comforting her due to her fear of becoming her grandfather. Luke giving Rey Leia's old lightsaber was a huge suprise, and seeing Luke lift his X-Wing out of the ocean was a great callback to The Empire Strikes Back.

As I said above, I only had one problem with this movie, and it was that I felt the movie's final space battle was a bit anti-climatic. I was really expecting a lot more from this. Episodes 4 and 6, and even 3 had great space battles, but this did not sit well with me.

The confrontation between Ben and the Knights of Ren was a great scene also. Ben defeating the Knights of Ren was a great part, as he was the one who trained him, so he would have had no problem taking them down so easily.

The confrontation between Rey and Palpatine was a great scene also. Palpatine unleashing unlimited power on the fleet was a great scene, as it showed the true power of the dark side, and explained that every Sith Lord's spirit lives on in Palpatine.

Rey hearing the voices of all of the dead Jedi, and gaining their power was fan service galore. As Palpatine fired force lightning at her, she blocked it with her lightsaber and fired it back at Palpatine, and declared herself a Jedi, killing him.

The scene where Ben finds Rey's dead body and holds her nearly brought me to tears, due to the soundtrack and Adam's acting. Ben, wanting to atone for his actions as Kylo and feeling that he had nothing left to live for, transfered his life force into her. Rey awakened and kissed Ben, before he died and his body disappeared, becoming one with the force. The death of Ben was very emotional, and Daisy's acting was great in this scene as well.

The ending where Rey goes back to Luke's old homestead on Tatooine to bury Luke and Leia's lightsaber was a very emotional scene. I loved Rey's new lightsaber also, due to its color, and the fact that it was her staff. I also loved the part when a villager asked her name, and upon seeing the spirits of Luke and Leia, she calls herself Rey Skywalker.

I loved the decision to have Rey call herself Skywalker, due to the fact that A. Luke and Leia basically took her in and adopted her into their family. B. Ben gave her his life force.

The lightsaber fights in the film were very unique. I loved the battle between Rey and Kylo on the ruins of the Death Star.

The return of Lando Calrissan was great as well. I was really suprised that they did not kill him at end. Billy Dee Williams gave another great performance also.

C-3PO's role in this film was great. Anthony Daniels' performance throughout the Star Wars Saga has been a very underrated performance I feel. 3PO's one liners in this film were great also.

Overall, despite a lackluster final space battle, Star Wars: Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker sends the beloved series out on a great and satisfying high note due to its emotion, fan service, J.J. Abrams strong direction, return of familiar faces, incredible visual effects, a great musical score, strong lightsaber duels, and strong performances from Adam Driver, Daisy Ridley, and Ian McDiarmid.

Out of 4 stars I would give it...

3.5 out of 4

Thursday, December 19, 2019

Action Award Update

Hello everyone,

Quick update: Say I give Star Wars Episode 9 some wins from my awards such as Best Fight, or Best Quote, I will just type it in, due to it not being out on DVD yet. But when it does come out on DVD, I will update the 2019 Action Award with the scenes.

Have a great weekend!

Upcoming Posts

Tomorrow: Star Wars: Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker Spoiler Review!!! (Between 3 and 4 AM, if I am not too tired),

Tomorrow: 2019 Action Award Nominations

Saturday: 2019 Action Awards

Sunday: Top 10 Best Movies of 2019

Sunday: Top 10 Best Trailers of 2019

Sunday: Top 10 Best Films of this Decade (2010-19)

Have a great weekend everyone, and remember

May the Force Be With You!!!

Friday, December 6, 2019

Ford V Ferrari: Review

This review will be brief, because my cold came back. UGGGGGGG so tired of being sick, espically since Star Wars is coming out in 13 days.

While the pacing is bad, and the film is a bit too long, Ford V Ferrari delivers on the heart surrounding it, a strong direction, outstanding racing sequences, plenty of funny moments, and strong performances from Christian Bale, Matt Damon, Josh Lucas, and Jon Bernthal, to deliver a fun film for fans of racing movies.

Out of 4 stars I would give it...

3 out of 4 stars

((I will not nominate this movie for any of my action awards, as my awards only feature fictional movies, not true story movies or faith based movies.)

Knives Out: Review

This review will be brief, because my cold came back. UGGGGGGG so tired of being sick, espically since Star Wars is coming out in 13 days.

Rian Johnson certifies himself as a great director in this fun murder mystery film that feautres a strong direction, plenty of funny moments, a true mystery surrounding the story, and strong performances from Daniel Craig, Chris Evans, and Michael Shannon. My only problem with the movie, was that sometimes the film had a bit too much cussing, but it barely affected the movie.

Out of 4 stars I would give it...

4 out of 4 stars

Midway: Review

This review will be brief, because my cold came back. UGGGGGGG so tired of being sick, espically since Star Wars is coming out in 13 days.

To heck with the critics, Midway is a fun ride that makes you appreciate our veterans more, and features some intense action scenes, strong visual effects, plenty of heart surrounding it, and strong performances from Patrick Wilson, Woody Harrelson, and Dennis Quaid.

Out of 4 stars I would give it...

4 out of 4 stars

(I will not nominate this movie for any of my action awards, as my awards only feature fictional movies, not true story movies or faith based movies.)

Tuesday, November 26, 2019

Shazam!: Updated Review

This will be brief, as I do not want to write a long review of the movie again.

While the action scenes are lackluster, Shazam delivers on the heart surrounding it, well written humor, hilarious dialogue, a great origin story for the character, a great direction and tone for the character, some surprisingly dark moments, and strong performances from Zachary Levi, Asher Angel, and Jack Dylan Grazer to deliver a well done and very underrated superhero movie.

Out of 4 stars I would give it...

3.5 out of 4 stars

Monday, November 25, 2019

Dora and the Lost City of Gold: Review

Despite its flaws, Isabela Moner's charm and sweetness make for a fun family friendly film.

The story line had its flaws, it really felt like a mix of Lara Croft: Tomb Raider, and Indiana Jones 1 and 3. While I was surprised that the main guide in this film turned out to be evil, the third act of the film really felt like they copied a lot of other films.

The acting was what you would expect from a semi low budget movie, but Isabela Moner stood out, and she has proven herself as a more than capable actress. I was also surprised at how many big name stars it had in it also, namely Michael Pena, Temuera Morrison, and Benicio Del Toro, sadly the film sort of underused all of them.

The humor in this film was great, as was the music. I laughed at the opening when Dora kept acting like she was talking to an audience, great humor right there. The music was actually very good, and very catchy. Visuals were solid also, pretty much what you would expect from a film based off of a kids television show.

Overall, despite some flaws in its third act, and the underuse of some of its big stars, Dora and the Lost City of Gold delivers on the family friendly fun, hillarious humor, catchy music, and a strong performance from Isabela Moner to make this a fun movie for the whole family.

Out of 4 stars I would give it...

3 out of 4 stars

Tuesday, November 5, 2019

My Review of "47 Meters Down: Uncaged"

The sequel to 47 Meters Down improves in almost every way on its predecessor.

The story line was a huge improvement over the original, in terms of why the girls go scuba diving. While you had an idea of what might happen, the ending really stunned me, because no one was hallucinating at all.

The acting was solid, but it should have been much better. I did not recognize any of the actresses or actors, and the actresses looked more like models than actresses. I just felt that there should have been more star power in this film like there was in the first film. The characterization in this film was solid as well, but I felt that it was better than the first film, as I felt more bad for the characters.

The suspense was great in this film. I yelped while during some of the jump scares, and I normally do not do that during movies, last time I did was when Lady in the Water was on Tv. The CGI on the sharks in this film I felt were great as well. They looked very creepy, and the idea of blind sharks that focus on only hearing was a great idea, suspenseful wise.

Overall, while suffering from its lack star power and its semi predictable story line, 47 Meters Down: Uncaged improves on the first film in terms of its suspense, better ending than the first film, impressive looking CGI sharks, and solid acting, to produce a rare good shark movie sequel.

Out of 4 stars I would give it...

3 out of 4 stars

Friday, November 1, 2019

My Review of "The Angry Birds Movie 2"

The Angry Birds Movie 2 heavily improves on the first film in every way.

The story line was too typical and predictable. I pretty much knew what would happen in the whole thing. I did love the introduction of Chuck's sister, Silver, she was funny and well written. All the characters were funny also.

The voice acting was great, the voice actors seemed to be enjoying themselves more in this one than they did in the first film, in my opinion. Bill Hader, Jason Sudeikis, and Rachel Bloom were great. The humor in this film was much better in this one as well, I was dying of laughter in some scenes.

The animation was great as well. While Disney still has them beat, this film managed to hold its own. I hope that they do not make a sequel, this was the perfect way to end it.

Overall, despite a bad story line, The Angry Birds Movie 2 delivered on the humor, strong voice actors, itroduction to Silver, and great animation, to produce a fun film that easily improves on the first film.

Out of 4 stars I would give it...

3 out of 4 stars

Thursday, October 31, 2019

My Review of "Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs and Shaw"

Minor Spoliers Ahead!!!

Hobbs and Shaw delievers on the stupidity and humor.

The story line was predictable, but it also had a lot of heart around it. David Leitch's direction was solid as well, but not as good as it could have been. The story also left the possibility for a sequel, which I hope gets made, because it has the potiental to be better than this one. The runtime for the film was a bit too long as well.

The acting was great. Jason Statham and Dwayne Johnson's chemistry was great, and I was laughing so hard at so many parts. Vanessa Kirby was able to hold her own very well, and her chemistry with Jason and Dwayne was very good as well. Idris Elba did a great job as the villain, shame they killed him off. The cameos by Ryan Reynolds, Kevin Hart, and Helen Mirren were surprising and great twists.

The action scenes were well done also. The final battle between Jason Statham and Dwayne Johnson Vs Idris Elba was very well done, loved every second of it. The car chase scenes were great as well, very unrealistic, but still funny. The visual effects were great also.

Overall, despite a very predictable story line and too long of a runtime, Hobbs and Shaw delivered on the humor, plenty of heart surrounding the story, strong chemistry between its three leads, a strong performance from Idris Elba as the villain, setting up some exciting new sequels, very well done action scenes, stupid but hillarious stunts, and jaw dropping cameos from Ryan Reynolds, Kevin Hart, and Helen Mirren, to make it a fun, but not perfect, action film.

Out of 4 stars I would give it...

3 out of 4 stars

Wednesday, October 2, 2019

My Review of "Alita: Battle Angel"

Alita is a step up in the Sci-Fi genre, in a whole lot of ways.

The story line was great, as it had a good premise, plenty of intrigue, and lots of emotion. Robert Rodriguez's direction fit the film perfectly, and it sets up some very intriguing sequels. I just hope that Disney will allow it, and not cancel them.

The acting for the film was great, as was the characterization. Rosa Salazar showed that she is a very talented actress, and that she has a bright future ahead of her. My only problem with the characterization is that they underused Mahershala Ali's character, as he is a great actor and would've been a great villain, had they had him more.

The visual effects were outstanding, no doubt some of the best and most realistic visual effects I have ever scene. The advancement in visuals for films is incredible. Motion capture is getting more realistic, and I hope that it continues to be used more in films.

The action scenes were well done as well. I was most concerned about how exciting these would be in, such as Motorball, and when Alita actually fights more Cyborgs on the streets, but my concerns were put away after the first fight scene.

In terms of sequels, if they do a sequel and have Edward Norton as the main villain, I will not hesitate to go and watch the sequel, this was a great casting choice and I just really hope Disney allows for more sequels.

Overall, Alita: Battle Angel is an excting and emotional Sci-Fi film. While the underuse of Mahershala Ali is a disappointment, the film's outstanding visual effects, strong story line, incredible action scenes, set up for exciting sequels, and a strong performance from Rosa Salazar, are more than enough to make up for it, while producing a great film that heavily exceeded my low expectations for the movie.

Out of 4 stars I would give it...

3.5 out of 4 stars