Shazam!

Technically the first superhero named Captain Marvel but kept from naming him that due to a legal issue with Marvel, Shazam! is the seventh installment in the DC Extended Universe. It tells the origin story of abandoned teenager Billy Batson who is given god like powers by an ancient wizard to fight the personifications of the Seven Deadly Sins and their chosen champion, Dr. Sivana. This is by far the best film in the DCEU, even beating out Wonder Woman, and definitely one of the most fun superhero ever made. Asher Angel as Billy and Zachary Levi as the adult superhero persona are perfect in their roles, along with the rest of the cast all having great performances. A lot of the comedy is on point, and helps make it such a fresh spin on the genre whenever they focus on Shazam doing odd things to impress people before committing to fully helping people. The action scenes and effects are done really well, even if the design of the Deadly Sins are a little generic. Unlike the first few Extended Universe films, Shazam! isn't afraid to be lighthearted, fun, comedic, and self aware of what kind of film it is. What really works is just how accurate the film is to the comics, such as the costume and even sillier aspects like the appearance of of the Rock of Eternity. There are some negatives in Shazam!, the most obvious being that whenever the ancient wizard finds someone to test whether they're worthy, he never erases their memory of the event. Over all: 100%

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. Captain Marvel
5. The Upside
6. Cold Pursuit
7. Glass

Captain Marvel

Captain Marvel is the first female led film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, with Brie Larson in the title role. Set during the 1990s, Larson's character, calling herself Vers, is a Kree soldier whose past is unknown to her until she is kidnapped by the shape shifting Skrulls and escapes to Earth where she starts to regain her lost memories. Allying herself with a younger and less experienced Nick Fury, Vers comes upon what led to her memory loss and energy powers, a conspiracy by the Kree, and what the Skrulls want. With the directing duo of Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck in the helm, their past work in small independent films is known as the film's strongest aspect is the acting and the chemistry between Larson and Samuel L. Jackson that makes it a really great buddy film. While it has some great action scenes, Marvel has a few moments that don't feel as well done especially for an MCU film. Much of the first quarter of the movie is very slow and takes a while before it really starts to get good. Since it is set in 1995, there are numerous references to the time period such as a Blockbuster and slower computers, though not too many things that distract except for a few song choices. The story is well done, even if a lot of it tends to be too similar to past MCU films during its first phase. As always, the comedy can either work really well or can be grating and forced, including the reveal of a stray cat being an alien. The biggest weakness that hurts Captain Marvel is that there are many things and ideas that could have been utilized but are wasted, such as having a younger Phil Coulson and Ronan but barely appearing throughout it, seeing more of Kree society, and no mention of how Skrulls could disguise themselves as huge figures like Tony Stark knowing his genius could be useful. While silly, the way Fury loses his eye I don't see as a huge deal since he always lies to make something more epic and thus fits a bit with the character. Over all: 95%

2019 top list so far:
1. How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World

2. The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part

3. Captain Marvel
4. The Upside
5. Cold Pursuit
6. Glass

The Legend of Wonder Woman (2015-2016) #1

Another of the free digital comics to promote the Wonder Woman movie, The Legend of Wonder Woman (2015-2016) #1 is another retelling of the Amazons' origins. The story starts out with how Hippolyta and her sisters became immortal, how she nearly lost after falling in love, her wanting of a child leading to Diana being created by the gods, and how as a child Diana felt a change was to occur soon. Even if the story has been told numerous times before, the poetic and brisk style of the writing makes it unique. The style of the artwork feels so fresh and has a quality to it that nearly feels like it would make for a great animated film. What I like most when reading it was its honest take on the tragedy that being immortal can bring when it deals with Diana's mother's personal life and what it meant for her people. 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. Ant-Man (2015) Vol. 1 #1: Second-Chance Man Part 1
6. Batman/The Flash: The Button
7. The Adventures of Superman Vol. 1 #500
8. The Unworthy Thor (2016-2017) #1
9. Batman/Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II #5
10. Batman/Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II #6
11. Batman/Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II #4
12. Thor: God of Thunder Vol. 1 #1
13. Wonder Woman Free Comic Book Day 2017 Special Edition (2017-) issue #1
14. Batman/Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II #2
15. Batman/Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II #1
16. Incredible Hulk (1999-2007) #92: Planet Hulk Part One
17. Batman/Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II #3
18. Wonder Woman (2006-2011) #1
19. The Astonishing Ant-Man (2015-2016) #1
20. Star Wars: Rogue One Adaptation #1
21. Tate's Not At Comic Con Local Indy Anthology #8

How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World

The third and supposedly last film in the trilogy, How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World sees a new threat facing the Dragon Riders of Berk as Hiccup and Toothless search for the Hidden World, home of all the dragons. Most of the voice cast from the first two movies return, all except for T..J. Miller due to the controversies surrounding him. The voice work does an incredible job not only in making the performances from Jay Baruchel and America Ferrera believable but also showing how well the chemistry works between the characters. As before, the animation is beautiful, detailed, and Roger Deakins's consultation on the cinematography once again makes it stand out from many other animated films. F. Murray Abraham voices the villain, Grimmel, and despite the motivation being a tad similar to that of Drago from the second entry and other villains from the show, his methods and performance makes it so memorable. Scenes that show of the amazing animation and cinematography the most are those that involve Toothless falling in love and spending time with a female version of his species, known as a Light Fury. While the story is well told, some of the ending felt rushed and some decisions weren't as well thought out. It does feel like they introduced so many concepts that would have been interesting to look at, such as Berk as a dragon and human utopia, but are hardly utilized or seen. The action scenes are well done, especially when Riders fight Grimmel by themselves after he captured their dragons, and all done in a way that's not over the top as most action scenes are done today being very subtle and quick. What makes this and the entire franchise as a whole unique is that it's a children's animated film series that takes its story serious and doesn't talk down to the young audience while still being fun and comedic, even if not all the jokes land. Over all: 100%

2019 top list so far:
1. How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World

2. The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part
3. The Upside
4. Cold Pursuit
5. Glass

Cold Pursuit

Liam Neeson stars in Cold Pursuit, a black comedy action thriller that's a remake of a 2014 Norwegian film with the same director. The film deals with a snowplow driver at a Colorado ski resort whose son is killed by drug lords and sets out to kill them in revenge. One thing that bothered me about the film is the oddly slow and surreal pace that felt like it was trying to be too artistic. Also I wish we got to see more of the family life for Neeson's character as it jumps quickly to his son's murder and then to his wife leaving. The way certain events happen feel really odd, out of nowhere, and out of place such as the main villain's relationship with his own son or the ending itself. Despite those issues, there are still some really great things such as Neeson's performance and how he's a regular guy that doesn't really know how to perform his revenge really well. The cinematography is superb at showing how beautiful and expansive a snow covered Colorado is, even when they shot in Canada. What starts out as tragic eventually becomes a really funny running gag wherein every time someone dies it then cuts to a black screen that shows the name of the dead, their mob nickname, and a symbol of their religious belief. A lot of the action scenes are done well, but especially those by Neeson's due to how unfamiliar he is with weapons and fighting. Over all: 72%
2019 top list so far:
1. The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part
2. The Upside
3. Cold Pursuit
4. Glass

The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part

While being the fourth Lego movie, The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part is the first to be a direct sequel to the 2014 film. Taking place five years later, the Lego figures from the first film adopt a post-apocalyptic lifestyle so as to avoid another Duplo invasion. Due to Emmet's happy go lucky nature, the Duplos come in and take Emmet's friends and he has to travel into space to rescue them. Much like the first film and its Batman centric spinoff, this entry manages to make an engaging and fun story out of the Lego construction toys. Though Phil Lord and Christopher Miller don't return to direct, they still produced and wrote it and thus their signature fast paced comedy with numerous references to pop culture is all there. The voice acting by Chris Pratt in dual roles, Elizabeth Banks, Will Arnett, Stephanie Beatriz, and Tiffany Haddish all provide incredible and amusing voice acting. Much like before, the animation is brisk and detailed to the point that even fire and smoke is made from Lego pieces and done in a way that resembles stop motion. One thing going against The Second Part is that while it has a great story with some fun and memorable moments, it's not as powerful as the first film. Over all: 99%
2019 top list so far:
1. The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part
2. The Upside
3. Glass

Ant-Man (2015) Vol. 1 #1: Second-Chance Man Part 1

Ant-Man (2015) Vol. 1 #1: Second-Chance Man Part 1 is the last of the free digital promotional comics for the second Ant-Man film. The comic, made and set before the other Ant-Man comic, is mostly of Scott Lang retelling how he became Ant-Man while trying to get a job from Tony Stark to support his daughter. Perfectly balancing drama and comedy with some really great artwork, Scott has a lot of charm with his positive demeanor even when things go wrong for him. Unlike other comics I've read, the use of narration is done a lot better since it's more about recent events rather than covering every aspect of Lang's life that is already known while also doing jokes to give it some feeling. This perfectly answers a few questions I had when I read the Astonishing Ant-Man issue, though gives me some more. What makes this issue one of the strongest is that it shows that a superhero based story doesn't need to rely on huge action moments, though it does have a few, and instead focus on the struggle of a father to find a job and see his child. 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. Ant-Man (2015) Vol. 1 #1: Second-Chance Man Part 1
5. Batman/The Flash: The Button
6. The Adventures of Superman Vol. 1 #500
7. The Unworthy Thor (2016-2017) #1
8. Batman/Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II #5
9. Batman/Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II #6
10. Batman/Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II #4
11. Thor: God of Thunder Vol. 1 #1
12. Wonder Woman Free Comic Book Day 2017 Special Edition (2017-) issue #1
13. Batman/Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II #2
14. Batman/Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II #1
15. Incredible Hulk (1999-2007) #92: Planet Hulk Part One
16. Batman/Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II #3
17. Wonder Woman (2006-2011) #1
18. The Astonishing Ant-Man (2015-2016) #1
19. Star Wars: Rogue One Adaptation #1
20. Tate's Not At Comic Con Local Indy Anthology #8