Frozen II

Six years after the original film shattered box office records and gave us some new iconic Disney songs, Frozen II sees most of the characters return with an all new story and songs. Set three years after the first movie, Elsa and Anna have grown closer now that Elsa is no longer afraid of her magical ice powers. Kristoff and Anna are still together and he plans to propose to her and Olaf is given a permafrost to keep him alive even in the heat. When Elsa starts to hear a mysterious voice, it leads to everyone in Arendelle to be driven out by elemental spirits. The Trolls advise Elsa and the others to go to the Enchanted Forest wherein they learn the secrets of Elsa's powers and a dark secret about the throne. This sequel has an epic tone to it due to the large stakes involved, the expansion of mythology from the 2013 film, and the grand sweeping landscapes the characters travel through. It's a great sequel though it's nowhere near as memorable as the first Frozen mainly due to some story problems. The biggest problem is that while Kristoff and Olaf return, they don't do that much and most of the time get sidelined to focus on Anna and Elsa. Kristoff's attempt to propose keeps going wrong as he says something that Anna misinterprets happens too often and loses its appeal after a while, though a song he has in the middle is fun. While Josh Gad provides memorable quotes and some good moments, Olaf's just there most of the time and just to remind everyone that eventually change happens. However, what Kristoff and Olaf lack, the movie makes up for it with Elsa and Anna's story and the songs that accompany them. What the two go through is a great combination of heart warming and tragic as they work together but also end up going apart at a certain point. Most of the cast return, and the chemistry between them has grown so much that it's easy to see Idina Menzel, Kristen Bell, Josh Gad, and Jonathan Groff being so close to each other. The animation has not only the same feel as the 2013 film, but has also been upgraded to a point that many scenes look so real. While the new songs are great and a few are powerful, there's not one that I can say could top Let It Go. One moment that is a little silly and hard to take serious is a flashback with narration explaining how a battle was considered brutal despite not showing much and not looking that violent. Expanding on the first entry, Frozen II has a lot of flaws but makes up for them with great voice acting, memorable music, and a compelling story. Over all: 100%
2019 top list so far:

1. Jojo Rabbit

2. Judy

3. Avengers: Endgame

4. Ready or Not

5. Doctor Sleep

6. Frozen II

7. Joker

8. The Lighthouse

9. Toy Story 4

10. Hustlers

11. Shazam!

12. Spider-Man: Far From Home

13. Villains

14. Zombieland: Double Tap

15. Rocketman

16. The Current War

17. How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World

18. John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum

19. Ad Astra

20. It Chapter 2

21. Godzilla: King of the Monsters

22. Once Upon a Time In Hollywood

23. Hobbs & Shaw

24. The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part

25. Us

26. Aladdin 2019

27. Pokemon Detective Pikachu

28. Captain Marvel

29. The Lion King 2019

30. Yesterday

31. Pet Sematary 2019

32. The Upside

33. Dark Phoenix

34. Cold Pursuit

35. Glass

Jojo Rabbit

Best describes as an anti-hate satire, Jojo Rabbit is a black comedy set in a small town in Nazi Germany at the end of the Second World War. The movie focuses on a ten year old boy nicknamed Jojo who is such a huge supporter of Hitler that he sometimes imagines an imaginary and over the top version of the Fuhrer and even joins the Hitler Youth. Things change when he learns that his mother has secretly hidden a young Jewish girl named Elsa in their house and begins to question everything he's been taught as Jojo gets to learn about Jews from Elsa and her mother's activities against the Nazis. Based on a novel by Christine Leunens, director and writer Taika Waititi manages to make what could have been such a sour and depressing story and turn it into a funny but still dramatic movie that mocks Nazi Germany and the over the top eccentricities and beliefs they shared, such as constantly giving the Heil Hitler salute at any person you meet and the many things they believed about youths. Waititi, himself, plays the imaginary Hitler and the chemistry between him and Roman Griffin Davis, who plays Jojo, is perfect. It's genius just how crazy Waititi portrays him not only in the crazy things he says but also because the actor/director himself is Jewish. Even without imaginary Hitler, the film has many characters that are just as over the top but without going to overboard on how silly they can be. Many jokes land well while others don't always work, though it helps that they're very fast paced. While the shift to the more dramatic parts are a little jarring and sudden, Waititi at least takes the time to linger on them longer compared to the faster comedy so we can feel it. Jojo Rabbit is a great comedy that helps remind people just how small and weak people who hate, like the Nazis, really are thanks to a great cast, funny story, and Take Waititi's brilliant direction. Over all: 100%
2019 top list so far:

1. Jojo Rabbit

2. Judy

3. Avengers: Endgame

4. Ready or Not

5. Doctor Sleep

6. Joker

7. The Lighthouse

8. Toy Story 4

9. Hustlers

10. Shazam!

11. Spider-Man: Far From Home

12. Villains

13. Zombieland: Double Tap

14. Rocketman

15. The Current War

16. How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World

17. John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum

18. Ad Astra

19. It Chapter 2

20. Godzilla: King of the Monsters

21. Once Upon a Time In Hollywood

22. Hobbs & Shaw

23. The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part

24. Us

25. Aladdin 2019

26. Pokemon Detective Pikachu

27. Captain Marvel

28. The Lion King 2019

29. Yesterday

30. Pet Sematary 2019

31. The Upside

32. Dark Phoenix

33. Cold Pursuit

34. Glass

Doctor Sleep

The sequel to the 1980 Stanley Kubrick The Shining, which was a slight adaptation of a Stephen King novel, Doctor Sleep is also based on a King novel. With Mike Flanagan taking on a sequel to a Kubrick classic, which is not an easy task, he manages to create a film that has the spirit from 39 years ago while also giving us its own fresh take. Ewan McGregor plays Dan Torrance, the child from the original, who has grown up to be a broken man due to the trauma he still faces from what happened at the Overlook and afraid to use his shinning abilities. After spending a few years dealing with his sobriety, Dan meets a young girl, Abra, with a much powerful shine and they confront a cult known as the True Knot that either recruit or kill others that shine and absorb their powers to live as long as possible. Led by Rebecca Ferguson's Rose the Hat, the True Knot notice how powerful Abra is and are determined to go after her, which Dan and her use to their advantage once they decide to go back to the Overlook for one last fight. Flanagan makes the film his own while also still in keeping with much of Kubrick's style, including certain camera shots, editing similar to what films did back then, and the music and theme. McGregor and Ferguson give such outstanding performances, especially since Ewan himself is a recovering alcoholic and thus you really see the struggle in both Dan and his actor. Abra's actress, Kyliegh Curran, is not just a newcomer but she is amazing and is able to go toe to toe with the veteran actors she's with. Doctor Sleep does an amazing job at building up the world that was first introduced in 1980 by expanding on what shining is and the many different abilities that it can give people. While certainly not as terrifying as the previous entry it does deliver on its creepy atmosphere thanks to aspects like the cinematography and perfectly capturing the eeriness of the haunted hotel especially after it was abandoned and left to rot. Though a problem when going back to the Overlook is that there are flashbacks to the first film and certain shots that echo to the past that are unnecessary and feel forced. Even with a powerful ending and an awesome way of defeating Rose, there are hints that there could be another sequel as she points out that there are other people like her which makes you wonder how they'll be dealt with. Though a tad long, Doctor Sleep goes by quickly and everyone involved, whether behind the scenes or in front of the camera, proves that it is possible to make a sequel to a film made by someone of Kubrick's caliber. Over all: 100%
2019 top list so far:

1. Judy

2. Avengers: Endgame

3. Ready or Not

4. Doctor Sleep

5. Joker

6. The Lighthouse

7. Toy Story 4

8. Hustlers

9. Shazam!

10. Spider-Man: Far From Home

11. Villains

12. Zombieland: Double Tap

13. Rocketman

14. The Current War

15. How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World

16. John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum

17. Ad Astra

18. It Chapter 2

19. Godzilla: King of the Monsters

20. Once Upon a Time In Hollywood

21. Hobbs & Shaw

22. The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part

23. Us

24. Aladdin 2019

25. Pokemon Detective Pikachu

26. Captain Marvel

27. The Lion King 2019

28. Yesterday

29. Pet Sematary 2019

30. The Upside

31. Dark Phoenix

32. Cold Pursuit

33. Glass

Howard the Duck Vol. 1 #1

My first comic from the 1970s, Howard the Duck Vol. 1 #1 is a Marvel issue that stars Howard the Duck with Spider-Man guest starring. Released in 1976, this is Howard's first solo outing in his own title three years after he debuted in Adventures into Fear #19 and appearing a few other times in other titles. The comic has Howard, tired of being treated horribly by humans and considered a joke, contemplating suicide. He decides to climb a tower that's in the middle of the swamp so that he could jump off it from the roof. As Howard nears the top, he finds an open window and enters so he can rest from the constant climbing. He finds a woman, Beverly Switzler, chained up and is soon attacked by an attack dog that Howard is able to kill, which then transforms back into a barbarian human. Pro-Rata, the master of the barbarian dog and the one who chained up Beverly, captures Howard and forces the anthropomorphic duck and the young woman to go into another dimension to retrieve an artifact so that Rata can rule the world. At the same time, Peter Parker is assigned by Jameson to go to Cleveland to verify peoples' story about a talking duck. In the other dimension, Howard and Beverly are able to fight off various creatures and come upon the artifact. When Rata transports them back, he also ends up transporting a large flying creature that threatens everything. Soon, Spider-Man shows up and helps Howard defeat Rata and the comic ends with the two heroes parting ways, with Spider-Man chasing after the flying creature while Howard and Beverly form a partnership. Steve Garber's writing is chuck of hilarious moments that at first feel serious but in a certain way can be viewed as funny. Vol. 1 #1 manages to give us a fun one-off antagonist whose theme and gimmick outright parodies comic book villains with outlandish ideas. Pro-Rata's entire thing is that he's a magician who specializes in accounting, hence why his tower is made of credit cards, his method of taking over the world is a mystical counting machine that needs a literal key shaped artifact, and why the temple to find said artifact is surrounded by giant stone numbers. Howard's constant desire to kill himself even when he is defending himself is just the right amount of dark and funny. The comic's combination of artwork and coloring gives a very detailed world with a great combination of dark and light. Howard the Duck Vol. 1 #1 is a hilarious start for one of Marvel's most underrated characters with clever use of satire and great comedic parts. Over all: 100%
Top list so far for 2nd set of comics:
1. Batman/Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III: Crisis in a Half Shell #6
2. Batman/Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III: Crisis in a Half Shell #5
3. Batman/Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III: Crisis in a Half Shell #4
4. Batman/Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III: Crisis in a Half Shell #3
5. Batman/Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III: Crisis in a Half Shell #1
6. Batman/Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III: Crisis in a Half Shell #2
7. Howard the Duck Vol. 1 #1
8. Deadpool Kills Deadpool
9. Marvel Zombies vs. The Army of Darkness
10. Wonder Woman: Rebirth (2016) #1
11. The Tick: Free Comic Book Day 2018
12. Free Comic Book Day 2018: James Bond 007-VARGR
13. Free Comic Book Day 2018 Invader Zim: Floopsy Bloops Shmoopsy
14. The Legend of Wonder Woman (2015-2016) #1
15. Free Comic Book Day: The Legend of Korra & Nintendo ARMS 2018
16. Ant-Man (2015) Vol. 1 #1: Second-Chance Man Part 1
17. Batman/The Flash: The Button
18. The Adventures of Superman Vol. 1 #500
19. The Unworthy Thor (2016-2017) #1
20. Batman/Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II #5
21. Batman/Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II #6
22. Batman/Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II #4
23. Thor: God of Thunder Vol. 1 #1
24. Wonder Woman Free Comic Book Day 2017 Special Edition (2017-) issue #1
25. Batman/Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II #2
26. Batman/Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II #1
27. Incredible Hulk (1999-2007) #92: Planet Hulk Part One
28. Batman/Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II #3
29. Wonder Woman (2006-2011) #1
30. The Astonishing Ant-Man (2015-2016) #1
31. Star Wars: Rogue One Adaptation #1
32. Tate's Not At Comic Con Local Indy Anthology #8

The Lighthouse

A psychological horror film that mixes elements from Ingmar Bergman and Lovecraftian terror, The Lighthouse is a very claustrophobic yet sweepingly haunting look at the relationship of two lighthouse keepers in an isolated island. With Robert Eggers directing and cowriting with his brother and the two keepers played by Willem Dafoe and Robert Pattinson, everyone involved crafts such a masterful and often unsettling movie that makes you question what's really going on and doesn't answer many questions. The black and white cinematography adds to the mystic of not always being sure what you're looking at. The Lighthouse might as well have been shot in a small island with a lighthouse from the late 19th century as the production design really makes you feel like the characters are really there. Willem Dafoe is always magnificent, but Pattinson is the one to watch as he goes madder and madder until his mind completely breaks from the many stresses his job does to him and the psychological toll of only ever being with one other person for weeks on end. Though the performances and much of Eggers's direction is hurt a bit due to his pushing everyone even in the frigid conditions of where they shot it. Also, while there is great dialogue between the two and it is well written, Dafoe has such a strong accent and speaks so loudly and quickly that it gets hard at times to understand some of what he says. But, still, The Lighthouse is so original and manages to make beautiful mermaids and sea gulls terrifying. Over all: 100%
2019 top list so far:

1. Judy

2. Avengers: Endgame

3. Ready or Not

4. Joker

5. The Lighthouse

6. Toy Story 4

7. Hustlers

8. Shazam!

9. Spider-Man: Far From Home

10. Villains

11. Zombieland: Double Tap

12. Rocketman

13. The Current War

14. How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World

15. John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum

16. Ad Astra

17. It Chapter 2

18. Godzilla: King of the Monsters

19. Once Upon a Time In Hollywood

20. Hobbs & Shaw

21. The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part

22. Us

23. Aladdin 2019

24. Pokemon Detective Pikachu

25. Captain Marvel

26. The Lion King 2019

27. Yesterday

28. Pet Sematary 2019

29. The Upside

30. Dark Phoenix

31. Cold Pursuit

32. Glass

The Current War

Originally meant to be released in 2017 but delayed until now due to the original distributor, The Weinstein Company, going bankrupt amid Harvey Weinstein's allegations, The Current War is a historical drama focusing on the professional rivalry between Thomas Edison, played by Benedict Cumberbatch, and George Westinghouse, played by Michael Shannon, as they competed over their different electric systems throughout the late 1800a. During the whole thing, Nicholas Hoult portrays Nikola Tesla as he starts out working for Edison, then forming his own company that is then taken away from him, and then teaming up with Westinghouse. While the writing is pretty basic and some scenes just occurring one after another without much relevance, it does have great dialogue and very accurate to the real history. The directing by Alfonso Gomez-Rejon is superb at making the moments an invention we take for granted today seem epic. Besides the three actors playing the well known pioneers, the rest of the cast perfectly nail their roles. What truly makes this film standout and amazing is the combination of the cinematography and production design that helps The Current War not only really look like it's all set in the late 1800s with its right use of lighting and what was used and worn at the time but also so beautiful. What could have been just a run of the mill biopic is a lot more thanks to a new distributor and executive producer Martin Scorsese not only pushing for the film to be released, but for the director to also be given final cut privilege to improve it after its initial festival showing. Over all: 100%
2019 top list so far:

1. Judy

2. Avengers: Endgame

3. Ready or Not

4. Joker

5. Toy Story 4

6. Hustlers

7. Shazam!

8. Spider-Man: Far From Home

9. Villains

10. Zombieland: Double Tap

11. Rocketman

12. The Current War

13. How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World

14. John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum

15. Ad Astra

16. It Chapter 2

17. Godzilla: King of the Monsters

18. Once Upon a Time In Hollywood

19. Hobbs & Shaw

20. The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part

21. Us

22. Aladdin 2019

23. Pokemon Detective Pikachu

24. Captain Marvel

25. The Lion King 2019

26. Yesterday

27. Pet Sematary 2019

28. The Upside

29. Dark Phoenix

30. Cold Pursuit

31. Glass

Zombieland: Double Tap

Made, released, and set ten years after the original film, Zombieland: Double Tap is a sequel that's just as funny and self aware as the first movie. Being together for ten years as they survive the zombie apocalypse, the characters from the 2009 film have now seen themselves as a family even when they face their own personal problems. Woody Harrelson's Tallahassee is still the gun toting badass, Jesse Eisenberg's Columbus continues his rules of survival while also identifying the many types of zombies, Emma Stone's Wichita is still distrustful and ready to run away when Columbus proposes, and Abigail Breslin's Little Rock has grown up and wants more out of life. Compared to the first film, Double Tap gives us a lot more people with their own specialties and forms of survival. Since the director and writers from the first film have also come back this helps in expanding the world that they set ups earlier. Sure not all of the jokes land, especially ones that tend to drag on a while, but the ones that do really make it worthwhile. The new characters and their actors do a fantastic job, especially with Rosario Dawson's Nevada, that you wouldn't mind seeing them in their own spinoffs. While Zoey Deutch's Madison is an interesting addition as a dumb blonde with lucky moments, the persona she gives and a moment in the middle of the film goes a bit over the top. The new ways they kill the zombies, including at one point using a monster truck, is one of the most innovative the genre has done. Zombieland: Double Tap is a worthy sequel that may not hit notes as big as the first, but is still strong especially with such a hilarious post credit scene you never would have expected. Over all: 100%
2019 top list so far:

1. Judy

2. Avengers: Endgame

3. Ready or Not

4. Joker

5. Toy Story 4

6. Hustlers

7. Shazam!

8. Spider-Man: Far From Home

9. Villains

10. Zombieland: Double Tap

11. Rocketman

12. How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World

13. John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum

14. Ad Astra

15. It Chapter 2

16. Godzilla: King of the Monsters

17. Once Upon a Time In Hollywood

18. Hobbs & Shaw

19. The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part

20. Us

21. Aladdin 2019

22. Pokemon Detective Pikachu

23. Captain Marvel

24. The Lion King 2019

25. Yesterday

26. Pet Sematary 2019

27. The Upside

28. Dark Phoenix

29. Cold Pursuit

30. Glass