Star Trek Beyond

Released on the 50th anniversary of when the original series first began, Star Trek Beyond is the 13th film in the franchise. Written by Simon Pegg, who plays Scotty, and directed by Justin Lin, Beyond deals with the crew of the Enterprise attacked by a more advanced alien army led by a former Federation captain thought lost nearly 100 years earlier. The film is a great addition to the lore and mythology of the Star Trek universe, though for a film made to celebrate the half a century that the franchise has been going through Beyond doesn't really show as much as it should. It's still a great and breathtaking movie, with an amazing story, memorable villain played by Idris Elba, and numerous original ideas never seen before in any of the other movies. There are moments that are very sad to watch due to the deaths of both Leonard Nimoy and Anton Yelchin. Over all: 97%

Top list so far:

1. Zootopia
2. Deadpool
3. Captain America: Civil War
4. Finding Dory

5. Star Trek Beyond

6. Indepence Day: Resurgence

7. The Shallows
8. The Nice Guys
9. 13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi
10. Kung Fu Panda 3
11. The BFG
12. Ghostbusters 2016
13. Hail, Caesar!
14. X-Men: Apocalypse
15. Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice

Ghostbusters 2016

Remaking or rebooting a film can be tough to do, but remaking or rebooting a classic film and turning it out good is even harder. The 2016 reboot of Ghostbusters is one such example, as the original 1984 film is so loved and adored by both fans and critics that many complained the minute it was announced that it was being made. Directed by Paul Feig, Ghostbusters has an all female crew for the new ghost hunting team, as played by Kristen Wiig, Melissa McCarthy, Kate McKinnon, and Leslie Jones. The reboot has a lot more horror elements to it than the first two films, but the comedy is a bit lower than the first two though it still has some great moments. Unlike the first two films, the main villain starts out as human with a very interesting plan that involves him actually killing himself and turning into a ghost near the end. Wiig's character has some great background information regarding what lead her to be involved with ghosts, which the original characters never really delved with. My biggest complaint is that there are moments wherein the characters keep outtalking each other, like the cat in the bag, that goes on for too long. Over all: 82%
Top list so far:
1. Zootopia
2. Deadpool
3. Captain America: Civil War
4. Finding Dory
5. Indepence Day: Resurgence
6. The Shallows
7. The Nice Guys
8. 13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi
9. Kung Fu Panda 3
10. The BFG
11. Ghostbusters 2016
12. Hail, Caesar!
13. X-Men: Apocalypse
14. Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice

The BFG

Video review on: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mpmtqMdGGDk
The BFG is a fantasy adventure film directed by Steven Spielberg, produced by Disney, and based on the 1980s Roald Dahl book. The film follows a young British orphan girl as she befriends a giant she calls the Big Friendly Giant, or BFG, as he takes her to his home and she helps him gain confidence when dealing with other giants, way bigger than BFG. Though it can be very sweet and imaginative to watch, it can at times feel slow and dragging in certain moments. What I found to be odd and just out of nowhere was the ending in which BFG and the little girl, named Sophie, visit the Queen of England to get the help from the military to help deal with the bully giants, though because it's true to the book I praise it. Two of the biggest things that make the film so great are the two leads' performances and the effects. Mark Rylance, who plays the BFG, and Ruby Barnhill, the 12 year old girl who plays Sophie, give such great and true performances, which is a given when it comes to a Spielberg film. The effects of the film, especially when it deals with the small girl interacting with the giants is absolutely amazing. Even if the film may not have done good at the box office, it's still a classic and a great addition to Spielberg's resume. Over all: 84%
Top list so far:
1. Zootopia
2. Deadpool
3. Captain America: Civil War
4. Finding Dory
5. Indepence Day: Resurgence
6. The Shallows
7. The Nice Guys
8. 13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi
9. Kung Fu Panda 3
10. The BFG
11. Hail, Caesar!
12. X-Men: Apocalypse
13. Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice

The Shallows

Starring Blake Lively, The Shallows is a survival horror film wherein Lively plays Nancy Adams, a medical student, visiting a secluded beach in Mexico that her recently deceased mother had surfed at one point before she was born. The main story centers around Adams, after no one else is around in the beach, ending up bitten and hunted by a shark as she stays safe by climbing a dead whale, an isolated reef, and then a buoy all throughout two days. The Shallows can be slow in some moments but it still very suspenseful and scary, and Lively delivers an amazing performance through the fears and bravery she shows. Something very surprising about the film is that for a PG-13 film, there is a lot of blood and very detailed shark attack wounds, especially when Nancy stitches together the bite with her jewelry and makes a tourniquet out of her surfing uniform. It does have a few funny moments that involve an injured Seagull that shares the same reef as Nancy. As a side note this is my first film directed by Jaume Collet-Serra and he does a magnificent job, and since I've never seen Jaws or any other shark film, not counting animated films, I looked at this film with original views and found it to be great. Over all: 96%
Top list so far:
1. Zootopia
2. Deadpool
3. Captain America: Civil War
4. Finding Dory
5. Indepence Day: Resurgence
6. The Shallows
7. The Nice Guys
8. 13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi
9. Kung Fu Panda 3
10. Hail, Caesar!
11. X-Men: Apocalypse
12. Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice

Batman/Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #4

The fourth issue of the Batman/Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles crossover deals with a bit less action than the previous entry and focuses more on drama. After failing to stop the Shredder, Splinter makes sure that he and his sons, along with Batman, are better prepared by training with each other. Raph, after his injury by the Shredder, is untrustworthy of Batman and just sees him as a spoiled rich kid who doesn't understand what's going on. As he's walking alone in the rain, Batman shows him the place where his parents were murdered to let Raph understand how serious he takes it. All the while, Shredder has teamed up with Ra's al Ghul to take over both worlds and manages to bring Casey Jones over, and manage to take the vials of mutagen he had for the Turtles and ending with the two heading for Arkham Asylum. This issue does a great mix of both drama and action, with special mention to the moments of Raph understanding Batman. Splinter getting the better of Batman during training and proclaiming he's still not a master shows how even after nearly 80 years, Batman can still be outwitted. The small glimpse of Arkham, with a wonderful cameo by Joker, is at first a great joke but is really great when you learn it foreshadows the ending of the issue and what might happen in the last two issues, not to mention Don mentioning he's had help with making mutagen from Cyborg and the rest of the Justice League makes for a great moment where they could get help from other heroes like Superman or Flash. Over all: 100%
Top list so far:
1. Batman/Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #4
2. Batman/Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #3
3. Batman/Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #2
4. An Innocent Guy
5. Batman: The Killing Joke
6. Batman/Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #1
7. Batman: The Long Halloween
8. Deadpool Kills the Marvel Universe
9. Crisis on Infinite Earths
10. Star Trek/Planet of the Apes: The Primate Directive
11. Star Trek: The Next Generation/Doctor Who: Assimilation2
12. Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. #1
13. The Dark Knight Returns
14. Cartoon Network Super Secret Crisis War
15. Marvel Masterworks: The Avengers Vol. 1
16. Civil War
17. The New Mutants #98