Shazam! Fury of the Gods

The DCEU continues with Shazam! Fury of the Gods, the sequel to the 2019 DC superhero smash hit that stars Zachary Levi as the titular character, the original comic book character named Captain Marvel. This DCEU installment sees Billy Batson and his adopted siblings use their god based powers to take on the Daughters of Atlas. The three powerful beings seek to take the powers taken from their fallen families and spread out punishment towards the mortal world. While this still carries some of the energetic and over the top fun from the first movie, a lot of the writing does feel lacking. Unlike the last one, Billy stays in his superhero form far longer and thus Asher Angel only appears for at best ten minutes. The transitions between Billy and Shazam is also a bit spotty since their personalities don't match immediately, unlike the rest of the characters when they change. While it's obvious that the sequel was meant to have Black Adam, and changed due to Dwayne Johnson's control over the character, the writing does do a good job at making the Daughters work within the narrative and give very memorable performances thanks to Helen Mirren, Lucy Liu, and Rachel Zegler. David F. Sandberg's direction still has a good mixture of childlike wonder and surprisingly done horror elements. Add to that some very well done and creative action scenes that have good effects and editing thanks to Michel Aller. The highlight is of course the performances not just from the leads and villains but also the rest of the adopted family especially Jack Dylan Grazer, their own superhero personas, and Djimon Hounsou returning as the wizard. Sadly, Shazam! Fury of the Gods is not a very strong follow up, but it still manages to be very memorable and entertaining on its own right. Over all: 80%

2023 top list so far:

1. Creed III

2. Scream VI

3. M3GAN

4. Cocaine Bear

5. Knock at the Cabin

6. Shazam! Fury of the Gods

7. Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania

Deadman: Love After Death #1

Deadman is one of DC Comics' most strangest, though rather obscure, characters due to his rather seemingly limited and cliche storytelling of being a ghost able to posses people and solve crimes, but Deadman: Love After Death #1 proves there's more to him. The first of just a two part story, this comic sees the former trapeze artist Boston Brand investigating the sightings of a ghostly female trapeze artist. Being able to see each other and at times touch one another, the two ghosts fall in love after so long of not being seen by others. Due to the surroundings of where Ann was staying at, both living and ghostly forces are able to hurt and endanger to which Deadman promises he will try to protect her from and figure out how to get away. This first half of this miniseries is perfectly haunting, atmospheric, and gothic thanks to the writing, artwork, coloring, shading, character designs, and even the style of the narration lettering. With Mike Baron's writing, you get a sense of classic noir stories but with ghosts that perfectly combine with melancholic feelings and haunting dread. Kelley Jones has a style to the artwork that is highly unique due to how Deadman and other strange creatures look compared to other normal characters. Deadman has a very lanky, often highly bony appearance while some of the things he faces are very grotesque. Another aspect to Jones's work is how he uses shadows to enhance the atmosphere and make the horror aspect to this story more pronounced. The coloring from Les Dorscheid is just as striking due to managing to make so many colors seem so dark and foreboding. All the while Todd Klein's lettering not only never feels too intrusive for either the dialogue or narration, but the yellow paneling for the latter feels rather fitting for this story. With all that's been shown so far, Deadman: Love After Death #1 is certainly a powerful first half that will hopefully be concluded well in the second issue. Over all: 100%

Top list so far for 3rd set of comics:

1. Star Wars: Dark Empire #1

2. Deadman: Love After Death #1

3. Hulk Vol. 5 #1

4. Avnegers: War Across Time #1

5. The Yellow Kid

6. Action Comics Vol. 1 #674

Scream VI

Changing things up from the previous installments' suburban small town settings to the cramped, large, and loudness of New York City, Scream VI also alters its typical slasher genre by adding pulpy and more violent kills associated with Italian Giallo. A year after the last entry, Sam and Tara Carpenter have moved to Manhattan with their friends trying to move on from what happened, but due to online conspiracies Sam is often harassed about her being behind the killings. Soon after the new Core Four, as well as Gale and now FBI agent Kirby Reed, have to deal with another Ghostface killer that acts more brutally and leaved behind masks from the previous slashers. While it sucks that this is the first one in the series to not have Sidney due to Neve Campbell feeling the pay wasn't worth it, it's a nice change of pace as it helps the new cast, in particular Melissa Barrera and Jenna Ortega, shine and Courtney Cox is back and is still wonderful. Another return from Scream 2022 are writers James Vanderbilt and Guy Busick and directors Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett who work incredible well together. The writing gives us good character beats, has wonderful mysteries, and manages to come up with new ideas as well as how it pays homage to the legacy of the rest of the franchise. While the direction continues its unique style and managing to make New York City claustrophobic and terrifying with heart pounding kills and chase sequences. Without Brett Jutkiewicz's cinematography, a lot of the tension, griminess, and uniqueness wouldn't be as effective. Scream VI may have lost out on its biggest star and character, but it still managed to be such an effective sequel. Over all: 100%

2023 top list so far:

1. Creed III

2. Scream VI

3. M3GAN

4. Cocaine Bear

5. Knock at the Cabin

6. Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania

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