Tuesday, April 30, 2019

Avengers: Endgame

To call Avengers: Endgame an epic and truly breathtaking piece of cinema history is not enough to describe the sheer brilliance, truly awe-inspiring, and the daring nature this movie goes through after over a decade of giving audiences over twenty movies that all told a grand epic story that this one concludes. After the two previous entries, this is the first film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe to be set after the events of Infinity War as it deals with the surviving members of the Avengers and Guardians of the Galaxy figuring out how fix the universe due to Thanos wiping out half of the population with the Infinity Gauntlet. With the help of Captain Marvel and what Ant-Man went through in his second film, they travel the universe, time travel, and obtain the Infinity Stones. In the end they manage to not only defeat Thanos but also undo what he had done, though not without costs or sacrifices. For a movie that's a little over three hours long, there's so much in this that for any other film would feel cluttered, but Endgame manages to fit it all perfectly that you just want more by the end. The ideas they implement throughout the movie are so daring that they could have ended up going wrong in so many ways, but thanks to the Russo brothers' direction, the writing, and the performances by everyone involved it all works the way they expected. Even if it sounds crazy, this movie deserves to be nominated for Best Picture, while Robert Downey Jr. and Chris Evans should be rewarded for their powerful performances. Though the movie manages to finish storylines from the last ten or so years, there are aspects that will be crucial to the future of the MCU and events that foreshadow future stories and they are done in a way that was more subtle than how the series used to do at the start. There are jokes and comedic parts that work more than the ones that don't, the characters all go through very realistic traumas and struggles that make them relatable even if you don't agree with certain choices, and the effects of this film are the best that the franchise has had. Even the small things are well appreciated and are done as a love letter to the fans, like bringing back past actors or having a reference to one of the shows. By far the best thing that Endgame has to offer that is so iconic is the final epic battle that starts with Iron Man, Thor, and Captain America taking on Thanos, which then culminates with his army fighting not only the Avengers, but also Captain Marvel, Asgardians, the Guardians, Doctor Strange and other sorcerers, Wakandans, and Ravagers. If all that doesn't convince you to see this, keep in mind that it has a 96% percent score on Rotten Tomatoes and made a billion dollars on its opening weekend alone. Over all: 100%
2019 top list so far:
1. Avengers: Endgame
2. Shazam!
3. How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World
4. The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part
5. Us
6. Captain Marvel
7. Pet Sematary 2019
8. The Upside
9. Cold Pursuit
10. Glass

Saturday, April 6, 2019

Pet Sematary 2019

Having previously been adapted thirty years ago with its own sequel, the 2019 Pet Sematary takes some different approaches to either the Stephen King novel or the 1989 version but still very faithful to its source material. Jason Clarke plays Louis Creed, a Boston doctor who moves his family to a small Maine town that harbors a dark secret. When his daughter is killed, Creed learns that there's an old cursed burial ground and uses it to bring her back to life, but using it has horrible consequences. There are many times where it feels certain scenes are way too slow and thus the pacing is very uneven. Even with weak pacing, there are certain moments that work really well at displaying very horrifying scenes that are hard to forget. Pet Sematary 2019 really knows how to set a dark tone, with a perfect atmosphere even if some of the story has issues that are never addressed to well, such as why the Creed family is constantly haunted by images even when they're far from their home. The best thing that makes it a very memorable horror movie is the strong performances from not only Clarke, but the rest of the cast as well such as John Lithgow and great emphasis on Jete Laurence as Louis's daughter not only when she's alive but when brought back to life. Over all: 92%
2019 top list so far:
1. Shazam!
2. How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World
3. The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part
4. Us
5. Captain Marvel
6. Pet Sematary 2019
7. The Upside
8. Cold Pursuit
9. Glass

Thursday, April 4, 2019

Free Comic Book Day: The Legend of Korra & Nintendo ARMS 2018

With the first half telling a small story after the final season of The Legend of Korra and the other half  being a precursor to the Nintendo Arms video game, Free Comic Book Day: The Legend of Korra & Nintendo ARMS 2018 this is a small comic with very simple but well told stories. This comic is a mixture of many firsts, such as my first continuation from a different medium with the animated Korra to a comic book after it ended, first Avatar: The Last Airbender related comic, my first from Dark Horse, and the first time reading a comic related to a video game as well as a Nintendo property. The Korra story has her and Meelo find pets after the city was evacuated, while the ARMS story leads up to Spring Man's fight with 599 other contenders to become the best. As before, they're small but have enough going on to keep you invested, even if you haven't caught up or don't know much about them. The artwork for either stories are well done and capture the styles from which either of them originate. One makes you wish the show never ended, while the other makes you want to play the video game. Over all: 100%
Top list so far for 2nd set of comics:
1. The Tick: Free Comic Book Day 2018
2. Free Comic Book Day 2018: James Bond 007-VARGR
3. Free Comic Book Day 2018 Invader Zim: Floopsy Bloops Shmoopsy
4. The Legend of Wonder Woman (2015-2016) #1
5. Free Comic Book Day: The Legend of Korra & Nintendo ARMS 2018
6. Ant-Man (2015) Vol. 1 #1: Second-Chance Man Part 1
7. Batman/The Flash: The Button
8. The Adventures of Superman Vol. 1 #500
9. The Unworthy Thor (2016-2017) #1
10. Batman/Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II #5
11. Batman/Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II #6
12. Batman/Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II #4
13. Thor: God of Thunder Vol. 1 #1
14. Wonder Woman Free Comic Book Day 2017 Special Edition (2017-) issue #1
15. Batman/Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II #2
16. Batman/Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II #1
17. Incredible Hulk (1999-2007) #92: Planet Hulk Part One
18. Batman/Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II #3
19. Wonder Woman (2006-2011) #1
20. The Astonishing Ant-Man (2015-2016) #1
21. Star Wars: Rogue One Adaptation #1
22. Tate's Not At Comic Con Local Indy Anthology #8