Creed III

Any praise that's given towards Jonathan Majors is only for his performance in Creed III given his allegations were after seeing the movie. The third Creed and ninth in the Rocky franchise, Michael B. Jordan follows in Sylvester Stallone's footsteps by directing this entry, though it's the first that Stallone doesn't appear in, but still staying as producer due to a feud with longtime producer Irwin Winkler. A few years after retiring from boxing, Adonis Creed takes care of his family while running his own gym wherein he promotes an aspiring new fighter. Adonis soon reunites with his old childhood friend, Damian, who was recently released from prison after serving two decades for an incident wherein he saved Adonis. Damian wants to take a shot at the championship, to which Adonis eventually reluctantly agrees to and has him fight his new boxer. Due to his ruthless and dirty tactics, Damian wins but it inspires Adonis to get back in the game to not only battle his guilt of never visiting him in prison but also try to get through to his old friend. Michael B. Jordan's directorial debut is astounding as he puts together a powerful script, whose story was co-created by first entry director Ryan Coogler, has him and the rest of the cast give strong performances, gives one of the best looks and astounding choreography and editing that the franchise has ever done, and provides incredible music. With Jordan being an avid anime fan, you can definitely see that through how he shoots the boxing scenes with such an imaginative and insightful eye. His performance is just as powerful as his direction, in fact if not even better then what he did in the previous two entries. Majors's performance makes you feel for Damian and manages to make him sympathetic even while he's being the type of antagonist you should loathe. Tessa Thompson and Mila Davis-Kent both portray their roles as wife and daughter to such a believable degree. But the biggest draw comes from Phylicia Rashad as Adonis's adopted mother who gives her strongest portrayal since 1976. A lot of Jordan's work wouldn't work without the incredible cinematography of Kramer Morgenthau, precise editing of Tyler Nelson and Jessica Baclesse, and powerful music by Joseph Shirley. Even after being around for almost fifty years, Creed III proves that the Rocky franchise is capable of great surprises. Over all: 100%

2023 top list so far:

1. Creed III

2. M3GAN

3. Cocaine Bear

4. Knock at the Cabin

5. Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania

Cocaine Bear

Cocaine Bear. Right there in the name. True story of a bear getting high on cocaine but fictional twist of going on a rampage. Crazy, bloody, and over the top! Snorting bags of the stuff. Elizabeth Banks's direction owes a lot to the works of Lord and Miller, who also produce. Cast that includes Keri Russell, Alden Ehrenreich, O'she Jackson Jr., and Ray Liotta in one of his final performances. All provide strong performances. All scared out of their minds and hilarious. Covered in all that white powder. Writer Jimmy Warden gives us absolute bonkerness, bloody terror, and hilarity. Feels like it could have been crazier, though. Not enough cocaine in him I guess. Movie looks stunning. Like you could snort it! John Guleserian's cinematography is amazing and makes you think you're seeing a Georgia forrest, despite made in Ireland. Effects! Impressive looking bear. Snort that Cocaine Bear. Over all: 97%

2023 top list so far:

1. M3GAN

2. Cocaine Bear

3. Knock at the Cabin

4. Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania

Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania

Phase Five of the Marvel Cinematic Universe commences with Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, which sees Scott Lang taking on Kang the Conqueror. The story sees Scott, his daughter Cassie, and the Pyms being brought to the Quantum Realm after Cassie managed to make some contact with the subatomic universe. With the Langs and Pyms separated from each other, they must figure out how to return back home and avoid Kang's ruthlessness. The third Ant-Man film skews from the previous entries' more laid back heist comedy and into darker and more serious territory that introduces the MCU's next big recurring villain. While Jeff Loveness makes his film debut with this entry's script, he's no stranger to either comedy or comics thanks to his work on Miracle Workers and Rick and Morty and having worked on Marvel, DC, and other comic book publishers. He still captures most of the magic from the last two films, mainly in the fun, wild energy and the returning characters. With this third chapter, Loveness dives deep into the craziness that there is in the Quantum Realm, the lore of the multiverse, and the dark and foreboding nature of Kang. There are, however, just as many weaknesses to the script then there are strengths, more so than any other MCU installment. In all of the projects that there has been in this franchise, this movie unfortunately suffers the most from its humor. While some of the humor does work, there are too many times where the comedy goes on for way longer than it needs to, almost like it's trying to pad out the runtime. Two glaring issues that are hard to ignore, especially with how long the MCU has been around and how vast it's been, is the explanation by Janet of the multiverse and too many people not referring to Kang by name in an ominous manner. There's also the way the movie ends as it makes it seem it will finish in a way that will lead to Kang's future appearances and how threatening he is, but it felt like such a very obvious last minute change. One of the few directors to helm an entire MCU trilogy, Peyton Reed continues to prove why he's one of the most creative and fun for this superhero universe. His direction is well put together, the action scenes are fun, the visuals are great though some CG effects could have had more time put in, and Christophe Beck's music blends well with the look. Old and new cast members all give great performances, yes even Jonathan Majors (keep in mind I saw this and Creed III before his accusations were revealed). Paul Rudd still has charm and great chemistry with Evangeline Lilly, Michael Douglas and Michelle Pfeiffer prove that age hasn't slowed them down, Corey Stoll returns from the first film in a surprising and entertaining way as M.O.D.O.K., Kathryn Newton is fun, and Majors proves how formidable and deadly Kang can be. While Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania may not be the best start to a new phase, it's still entertaining and has one of the most unique looks for a superhero film. Over all: 78%

2023 top list so far:

1. M3GAN

2. Knock at the Cabin

3. Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania

Avengers: War Across Time #1

A storyline debut issue that was released in 2023, Avengers: War Across Time #1 is a comic that takes place right after the 11th issue of the original Avengers run that came out in late 1968. In this, Kang the Conqueror wants revenge against the superhero team for his defeat back in the 8th and 11th issues, and sends out a robotic replica of the Hulk to attack the city and defeat them. While the replica Hulk manages to put up a fight against them, the Avengers eventually manage to figure out the robot's creator and defeat it. Having already defeated Kang's robotic Spider-Man, the heroes decide to fight the futuristic villain in his own time, to which is what exactly he suspects. While this is a comic that was released in 2023, it pays homage to the style that was used back in 1968, through its writing and art. Writer Paul Levitz perfectly captures the style of that era, with often overused and overexpository dialogue and narration, but not doing too much unlike that era's constant use from panel to panel. It has dialogue by and between characters that feels more natural and modern than what was normally done in the late '60s. The artwork and coloring from Alan Davis and Rachelle Rosenberg manages to combine modern and older styles in a successful way. It has the classic and slightly squanched look of the characters from their early days, the shadow and colorful backgrounds from the '60s, but more modern details to the character's looks and lighting that is more inclined to today's style. It's a wonderful blend of what makes older and modern comics look so great and how they can fit so well. This attempt to tell a story meant to be in between the early years could be tricky, but Avengers: War Across Time #1 shows that it can be done. Over all: 100%

Top list so far for 3rd set of comics:

1. Star Wars: Dark Empire #1

2. Hulk Vol. 5 #1

3. Avnegers: War Across Time #1

4. The Yellow Kid

5. Action Comics Vol. 1 #674

Knock at the Cabin

Apocalyptic films usually are made with large scale budgets due to it involving worldwide catastrophes and a large number of people trying to survive, which is why Knock at the Cabin  is the rare one in the genre having a limited setting and a small cast that works effectively. Adapted from a 2018 novel by Paul G. Tremblay, director M. Night Shyamalan and his cowriters, Steve Desmond and Michael Sherman, craft a much more personal story interweaving apocalyptic tropes with homophobic fears. The film sees Eric and Andrew, a gay couple, with their adopted daughter Wen who are vacationing at a remote cabin in rural Pennsylvania. They are soon attacked by a group of people, with the leader played by Dave Bautista, who believe that they have received the same visions and calls that told them they must give the family a choice. That choice being that they have to decide who of the three will be killed otherwise the world will suffer the apocalypse. Shyamalan's signature odd and eccentric style perfectly suits this movie, being very moderately paced and starting out never being sure if the apocalyptic events are real or having been faked just so the group can have an excuse to hurt the family, either because they're mentally unstable or are religiously homophobic. Alongside Bautista, you've got Jonathan Groff, Ben Aldridge, Rupert Grint, Nikki Asuka-Bird, Abby Quinn, and newcomer Kristen Cui who all give powerful, though often nuanced, performances. Even when some of the dialogue is a bit clunky and some goes a bit too long, all of the cast, especially Bautista, manage to make it work. Cinematographers Jarin Blaschke and Lowell A. Meyer and editor Noemi Katharina Preiswerk all help enhance the dark mood. The movie makes good use of daylight horror while slowly getting into a darker atmosphere once apocalyptic events keep happening whenever the family refuses to choose. While the editing keeps you locked in to the suspense with the excruciatingly long takes that keeps you on the edge over what happens next. Although certain camera movements and brief shot lingers due often ruin some of that good editing, but they are rather small. If there's one genre that suits Shyamalan's trade mark is horror, and Knock at the Cabin is definitely a good example of such style, though not without its flaws. Over all: 93%

2023 top list so far:

1. M3GAN

2. Knock at the Cabin