Respect

Jennifer Hudson plays Aretha Franklin in Respect, a biographical musical about the early life and career of  the influential and inspiring soul and gospel singer. The movie goes from Aretha's childhood as we see her singing skills grow, her baptist father's parties involving well known gospel singers, her parents' divorce, and becoming pregnant very young to then growing up befriending Martin Luther King, signing on to her first record label, dealing with her first husband's abuse, finding success with Atlantic Records, becoming an alcoholic due to being overworked, sobering up, and finally producing her 1972 gospel album which was her most successful. While the film is pretty standard for a musical biopic and the writing is nothing too spectacular, it is well written and you do get to know a lot about Aretha's life so as to understand what she went through. Even when the storytelling isn't all that great and at times standard, Hudson's performance as Aretha, and even Skye Dakota Turner as the younger version, are always shining when present. Of course that's not to say that Hudson is the only great actor in this as you do have Forest Whitaker, Marc Maron, and a surprisingly serious Marlon Wayans as Aretha's abusive first husband. Being a musical biopic, another great aspect is of course the songs from Aretha's early career as well as Kris Bowers's score. Director Liesl Tommy doesn't do anything too outstanding in her filmmaking but does manage to capture the eras of when the film is set thanks to Kramer Morgenthau's cinematography and the production design. So while Respect does nothing new, what it does do is give us a well made biopic to one of the most well loved and respected singers of the 20th century with strong performances. Over all: 98%

2021 top list so far:

1. In the Heights

2. The Green Knight

3. The Suicide Squad

4. Free Guy

5. Nobody

6. Black Widow

7. A Quiet Place Part II

8. Respect

9. Raya and the Last Dragon

10. Jungle Cruise

11. Cruella

12. Wrath of Man

13. F9

14. Snake Eyes

15. Old

16. Space Jam: A New Legacy

Iron Man (2020-) #1

In Iron Man (2020-) #1, Tony Stark has decided to restart his life after so many setbacks in his life and get back to the basics of being Iron Man. To do so, Stark distances himself from his own business, sells off his Malibu mansion for an apartment in Manhattan, and begins to use new armors reminiscent of his early stuff. While teaming up with Hellcat, the two confront the villain Unicorn who has stolen a book from the Public Library. When they see that the book is a Gutenberg Bible and Unicorn rambles about working for a god, a bolt of lightning hits Tony and although it doesn't kill him it does incinerate the book. While it may be difficult for new readers to understand much of what goes on due to needing to read past stories, this comic is still worth reading. Christopher Cantwell's storytelling does enough to not make you confused for Tony's reasonings behind his new attitude. There's still a lot of backstory that's not expanded on, but you forget about it thanks to the well written drama and a great start to a new mystery introduced at the end of this issue. CAFU's artwork and Frank D'Armata's coloring create a perfect art style that resembles less of a typical comic style and more of a series of paintings. Iron Man (2020-) #1 is the start for a new series for the Armored Avenger that sees a significant change in the title character's life and through great writing and art, gives a very memorable and well made start to a new story. Over all: 100%

Top list so far for 3rd set of comics:
1. Mighty Morphin Power Rangers FCBD 2018 Shattered Grid Special

2. Countdown to Infinite Crisis #1

3. Iron Man (2020-) #1

4. Free Comic Book Day 2018: Riverdale

5. Free Comic Book Day 2018: 2000 A.D. Regened

6. DC Universe: Legacies #1

7. Free Comic Book Day 2017 I Hate Image

8. Shang-Chi (2020-2021) #1 (of 5): Brothers & Sisters Part One

9. Champions (2020-) #1

10. Infinite Frontier (2021) #0

11. Green Lantern Vol. 2 #76

12. DC Retroactive: Green Lantern - The 70s #1

13. Star Wars: Doctor Aphra (2020-) #1
14. Showcase (1956-1978) #17
15. Werewolf By Night (2020-) #1 (of 4)

16. Free Comic Book Day: Bongo Comics Free For All 2018
17. Free Comic Book Day 2017: Riverdale
18. Marvel Comics (1939) #1

Free Guy

Having a few similarities to Ready Player One, Wreck-It Ralph, and The Matrix, Free Guy stars Ryan Reynolds as a NPC named Guy in a video game based off of the Grand Theft Auto franchise. Not being aware that he's just a character in a video game, Guy doesn't notice how repetitive everything in his life is specially when everything all around him is chaos due to the actions that the players are doing. That is until he notices one particular player, named Millie, who unknowingly makes him aware of the video game he's been living in. The two then team up in order to prove that the code to make this game was stolen from her from a greedy and eccentric game developer. While stories like this have been done before, this movie's mix of fast comedy, balls to the wall action scenes, and drama relaying to creating unique life towards artificial intelligence is how this film really stands out. Alongside Reynolds pulling off his usual charm but with more idealistic qualities than his other roles is Jodie Comer as Millie, Joe Keery playing the other designer of the game, Lil Rel Howery as Guy's best friend, and Taika Waititi in one of his most over the top and fun performances as greedy developer Antwan. Every single person in the cast brings a lot of energy and charisma to their characters, the same goes towards the smaller roles and even quick cameos. One thing that really makes the video game world feel so real that you're highly invested in this digital landscape is the combination of the production design and effects. There's also some of the score from Christophe Beck that perfectly compliments many scenes and the use of some memorable licensed songs that actually fit into the plot. Much like Player One, this movie has a lot of references to other video games and other forms of pop culture. But, it doesn't rely too much on those references and are done sporadically instead of filling up every frame of the shot for one to catch. One huge praise that one can give to the script is how serious and detailed it takes with the concept of video game coding and never having to over explain to the audience. If there are any faults to the script, though just a few, is that some parts of the ending have a few obvious cliches and not all of the jokes and comedic bits stick and can get too long. While Free Guy may not have one of the most original ideas, the originality comes from how it uses its comedy and story concept to create a great satire with some important messages. Over all: 100%

2021 top list so far:

1. In the Heights

2. The Green Knight

3. The Suicide Squad

4. Free Guy

5. Nobody

6. Black Widow

7. A Quiet Place Part II

8. Raya and the Last Dragon

9. Jungle Cruise

10. Cruella

11. Wrath of Man

12. F9

13. Snake Eyes

14. Old

15. Space Jam: A New Legacy

Fathom Events-Rifftrax Live: Hobgoblins

Riiftrax, a comedic commentary group riffing on mostly bad movies that succeeded their previous show of Mystery Science Theatre 3000, teams up with Fathom Events to release live screenings of their riffs. Their most recent effort was for the 1988 Hobgoblins, a low-budget indie movie that is both a rip-off and parody of Gremlins and other small creature films. While the live broadcast I went to was delayed a bit due to technical issues, there wasn't that much that was missed. Didn't get to see the exact start, but it started just a few minutes in and the movie itself still gave enough information to already bring me in. Even if this didn't have the Rifftrax crew's usual comedic deliveries, the movie itself is already hilarious due to how over the top, nonsensical, and obviously cheap it is. But still, the works of Michael J. Nelson, Kevin Murphy, and Bill Corbett certainly enhance on the comedy. Whether they compare the hobgoblin puppets to that of a drunk Nick Nolte or point how certain scenes are obviously filmed at a school, their quick riffs never disappoint. So even if I didn't get to see the very beginning of this screening, this was still highly entertaining and makes me exited to one day attend a future Rifftrax event.

The Suicide Squad

After proving he can make two movies based on little known Marvel characters be hugely successful with the two Guardians of the Galaxy films, James Gunn does the same with DC characters by switching from the MCU to the DCEU for The Suicide Squad. While a followup to the first film in 2016, this entry is way different from its predecessor in so many ways, such as through its storytelling, tone, and visual style. The film sees the eponymous team being sent to the fictional South American nation of Corto Maltese wherein they have to deal with its corrupt government, as well as their own teammates, in order to deal with secret experiments. Gunn is a director who's not afraid to make comic book based movies and have the most insane and obscure subjects from them become part of the movies. The fact that Warner Bros. let him do whatever he wanted for this film, after hiring Gunn to do whatever project he wanted, and he chose to do a hard-R rated extremely violent but also silly sequel to one of the weakest entries in the DCEU just shows the great tenacity that Gunn has and how that shows with this entry. Compared to the first film, this one is absolutely insane and filled with so much absurdity, love and respect to the source material, and filled with enough debauchery to make the original seem tame. Gunn's love for obscure and often silly characters means we get to have adaptations of characters that would have been considered too much for live action, such as Polka-Dot Man as played by David Dastmalchian and the giant alien starfish Starro the Conqueror, and he manages to make them believable. While not everyone from the first movie returns, with some exception including Margot Robbie, Viola Davis, Joel Kinnaman, and Jai Courtney, much of the new cast brings their absolute best, such as Idris Elba as Bloodsport, John Cena as Peacemaker, Daniela Melchior as Ratcatcher 2, and Sylvester Stallone voicing King Shark. Whether anyone in the large cast appears all the way through or briefly, every single one gives strong performances. But the standouts that steal the movie are Margot Robbie, as expected due to her performance as Harley Quinn, and Cena as Peacemaker for just how over the top his character is and the insanity that goes in playing someone who believes in extreme violence to bring peace, which is no surprise that he got his own spinoff show. Besides the cast and Gunn's writing and directing, the editing, cinematography, music, and effects that went into this movie is just as fresh and engaging. Editors Fred Raskin and Christian Wagner combine comic book like cuts and chapter titles with great pacing to make a huge improvement from the first while giving this one its own identity. The effects are incredible and not only make characters like King Shark and Starro feel real, but give us some of the most fun use of gore and violence in any superhero movie. The cinematography from Henry Braham gives us some of the most fresh looking and absolutely beautiful shots that the DCEU has ever given us. John Murphy's score has a great mixture of drama, comedy, warmth, tragic, and even epic music combined with great use of licensed songs that compliment what's happening onscreen. That's not to say that it's completely flawless, of course there are some things wrong but they don't detract as much. My biggest gripe would be that although I loved how a lot of characters died, there were two that I thought were a mistake to kill off. For anyone worried that they don't want to see this movie because of how they felt about the first, there's no worrying as The Suicide Squad is not only a huge improvement over the first but another sign of the DCEU learning from its past. Over all: 100%

2021 top list so far:

1. In the Heights

2. The Green Knight

3. The Suicide Squad

4. Nobody

5. Black Widow

6. A Quiet Place Part II

7. Raya and the Last Dragon

8. Jungle Cruise

9. Cruella

10. Wrath of Man

11. F9

12. Snake Eyes

13. Old

14. Space Jam: A New Legacy

The Green Knight

The Green Knight is a medieval fantasy that's based on a 14th century poem that tells the story of Gawain, King Arthur's nephew who is challenged by a mysterious and magical warrior named the Green Knight. After Gawain cuts off the Knight's head, the warrior picks it up and tells his opponent that in a year to look for him and accept a similar blow. After a year passes, Gawain, though reluctant and fearful, sets off on his quest to meet with the knight and throughout the journey gets caught up in other adventures and meets peculiar people. If any movie could be best described as a poem told through the lens of a camera this would be one of them all thanks to David Lowery's detailed direction, superb script, and slow but well-paced editing. Dev Patel, who plays Gawain, absolutely shines in this movie as he's able to play someone who wants to be considered a hero, but often then not tends to show how cowardly and selfish he can be. There's also the Green Knight himself, played by Ralph Ineson, who often gives such a profound and terrifying performance despite so little screen time. Just as shining as the cast, the true to life production values, superb cinematography by Andrew Droz Palermo, the minimal but well done effects, and the haunting score from Daniel Hart all elevate this production even further. If anyone expects a very standard hero story should look somewhere else as what this movie depicts with Gawain is far from a chivalrous knight of the Round Table. He often agrees to do simple, though personal, tasks by others and expects some grand reward in exchange. Often times his behavior does alleviate the movie from becoming too dramatic and gives it some good comedic moments. Another unique thing to take away is the absolute beauty when it comes to the scenery wherever Gawain goes, as he traverses the mountains, meets giants, and travels throughs lush forests. King Arthur has been the source to many stories told through the years, but The Green Knight shows there's more to tell about those around him than the standard Round Table or Excalibur. Over all: 100%

2021 top list so far:

1. In the Heights

2. The Green Knight

3. Nobody

4. Black Widow

5. A Quiet Place Part II

6. Raya and the Last Dragon

7. Jungle Cruise

8. Cruella

9. Wrath of Man

10. F9

11. Snake Eyes

12. Old

13. Space Jam: A New Legacy

Snake Eyes

A reboot to the G.I. Joe films and Hasbro's toy based franchise, Snake Eyes is the origin story to the silent ninja. Henry Golding stars as the title character wherein after his father is murdered as a child, Snake Eyes travels the world in search of the killer as he gets recruited by the Yakuza, joins an ancient ninja society, and gets in the middle of a rift between the Joes and Cobra. As standard with the previous films back in 2009 and 2013, this one isn't what one would call smart but it's at least fun. The story is very standard but tells itself really well, especially when Snake Eyes goes through the training to be accepted into the Arashikage clan. Though how it portrays the main character himself is very questionable as it often feels like we should be rooting for him when we really shouldn't due to his actions, and that the character who eventually becomes Storm Shadow is treated like a villain despite him being right. While the story is interesting, revealing that the Joes and Cobra are already well known organizations is a missed opportunity due to not being about their origins. Though often filled with cliche and over expositing dialogue, it's honestly not that bad and the actors all make it work. Despite Snake being a character known for not showing his face and being silent, Golding at least gives a good performance that makes you wonder how a sequel would lead to that. Though a big complaint is that he doesn't get to where his trademark suit until the very end as sequel bait. The other cast members, that include Andrew Koji and Samara Weaving, all give strong performances but the ones that steal the film are Iko Uwais as Hard Master and Peter Mensah as Blind Master. Being a movie about a ninja society there is of course well choreographed fight scenes, whether hand to hand or with weapons, but a few get bogged down through constant camera movement and over editing. One of the biggest achievements that this movie has is through the combination of the production values and cinematography to perfectly capture the settings that are meant to be seen on screen. Despite taking some questionable liberties from what the franchise has done, being rather formulaic, and a main character with dubious morals, Snake Eyes still has the fun energy that the last two films are known for but with a more serious tone that elevates it just enough from them. Over all: 73%

2021 top list so far:

1. In the Heights

2. Nobody

3. Black Widow

4. A Quiet Place Part II

5. Raya and the Last Dragon

6. Jungle Cruise

7. Cruella

8. Wrath of Man

9. F9

10. Snake Eyes

11. Old

12. Space Jam: A New Legacy

Jungle Cruise

Much like the Pirates of the Caribbean films before it, Jungle Cruise is a Disney movie inspired by one of their most famous attractions, and much like Pirates it does add more lore and mythology into its story than the ride had. Set in 1916, Dwayne Johnson plays Frank, a steamboat captain who gives tourists rides throughout the Amazon River, while Emily Blunt plays Lily Houghton, a botanist who hires Frank to help her and her brother trek the river in search of a mythical tree with healing properties. All throughout the adventure they have to contend with a German aristocrat, played by Jesse Plemons, who wants the tree to help Germany win the first World War and immortal conquistadors who have been cursed for hundreds of years due to their own search. The film has a mixture of many adventure stories, not just the Pirates series, but also the Indiana Jones and Brendan Fraser Mummy movies. While the story is familiar, some of the way it is told is still fun and does have some surprising moments that are cleverly hinted throughout. The cast, also involving Jack Whitehall and Edgar Ramirez, is fantastic with Johnson and Blunt's chemistry being spot on. While there are three people involved in the screenplay, it does have a good story with some witty lines, even if some jokes are a little corny but at least appreciated when some of them come from the ride itself. The action scenes are all well choreographed and exiting, though often falter due to a lot of heavy CGI use. Director Jaume Collet-Serra creates a modern action movie with some old school sensibilities thanks in large part to Flavio Labiano's cinematography and James Newton Howard's scoring. The idea of creating a movie based on an attraction may seem a little crazy, but Jungle Cruise is one of the exceptions that as long as you make the story fun and engaging then it shouldn't matter what it's based on. Over all: 96%

2021 top list so far:

1. In the Heights

2. Nobody

3. Black Widow

4. A Quiet Place Part II

5. Raya and the Last Dragon

6. Jungle Cruise

7. Cruella

8. Wrath of Man

9. F9

10. Old

11. Space Jam: A New Legacy