Moana Review

Moana

Maui: "The chicken lives!"

     "Moana" is directed by Ron Clements ("Aladdin", "The Little Mermaid"), John Musker ("Hercules", "The Princess and the Frog"), Don Hall ("Big Hero 6", "Winnie the Pooh"), and Chris Williams ("Big Hero 6", "Bolt") and stars Auli'i Cravalho as Moana, Dwayne Johnson as Maui, Rachel House as Gramma Tala, Temuera Morrison as Chief Tui, Nicole Scherzinger as Sina, and Jemaine Clement as Tamatoa.

Oh, wow. The casting is way too perfect.

     To save her people and her island home from a curse, Moana sets sail to find the demigod Maui to make him return Te Fiti's heart back to goddess Te Fiti. This would in turn give more life to Moana's island so they can eat and lvive. On their journey, Moana and Maui will face a cornucopia of mythical creatures and to save the Te Fiti islands from being cursed for eternity.

Deadly living coconuts with armor and weapons are one of those creatures.

     First thing's first: the music pairs delightfully well with the animation. I've never seen an animated movie with singing and dance numbers match up with its animation as perfectly as "Moana". I can say that the classic animated Disney movies like "Hercules", "Beauty and the Beast", "Mulan", or any of those films encapsulate the animation and the music phenomenally, but the truth is that "Moana", because of the location style, blends the two aesthetics to make it one. The choice to have Lin-Manuel Miranda help out with the music and the singing was perfect. Hell, he made Dwayne Johnson's voice sound like butter! I never knew the guy had a voice like that! What can't the guy do? The lush island environment is so colorful that it's almost like music. It probably is music to animators, but it shows on screen and I'll let you know that I can see that the animators took their time to massage each motion of a human and the movement of water. Disney does what they do best: animation. They stick the landing with the music and the animation. Another upside is that I don't think we'll have another "Let It Go" with kids singing the song every 20 minutes. God, that was just annoying.

I'm sure if I showed Lin-Manuel Miranda these stills, he could make a musical just out of the limited info given to him. He's that talented.

     The sweetness of "Moana" wasn't overbearing, which surprised the hell out of me. I thought that I would for sure have some sort of trouble taking in a high-pitched innocent voice singing about cleaning. Good thing that there was none of that. Nothing in the overall plot was new or eye-opening, but I wouldn't expect this sort of movie to incorporate anything ground-breaking. It was fantastic for what it set out to be: a lovely musical about tropical mythology. Maybe that is kind of new, now that I think about it. I still don't think that there are any risks involved in the directions the filmmakers took "Moana" though. I could potentially see a risk in making a film about Pacific Islanders. I'm ecstatic that it worked out fine though. We've seen the Caucasian protagonist, the Asian protagonist, the African-American protagonist, but we haven't seen the Pacific Islander protagonist until now. It's been a long time coming. Not to make this a race thing, but I feel like there was always room for that area in race so I'm proud of Disney for coming to their senses. Hopefully, we get a Latina princess on the big screen soon and not just on Disney Channel.

I had no idea that a Latina Princess existed in the Disney Universe. You learn something new everyday.

     "Moana" makes it clear that Disney knows how to make great princess movies that are fun for kids and adults. The surprising amount of musical numbers and funny, non-stereotypical Disney characters astonished me as to how much I liked them. How well the animation combines with the music is just the cherry on top, too. I didn't mention this either, but I want to point out that Moana, as a princess, is quite possibly one of my favorite princesses. Yeah, I said it. I have a list of which ones I like and Moana is in my top five. Sorry, not sorry. I spotted minimal differences in how this princess story went about to many other stories, but I think "Moana" does the formula justice and thoroughly engages the audience with the above mentioned Disney princess movie factors.

4.7/5

PRO

• Animation is lush and beautiful
• Music is fun, catchy, and pairs well with animation
• Moana is a great addition to the list of princesses
• Pacific Islander theme

CON

• Plot doesn't surprise me; predictable, but in a fun way 

"Moana" is rated PG for peril, some scary images and brief thematic elements

Click here to watch the trailer

"Moana" is in theaters now

     Thanks for reading, everybody! I really do appreciate it. Please subscribe to my blog and follow me on Facebook and Twitter to receive updates on new reviews and trailer drops. Also, if you've already seen "Moana", comment and let me know what you think of it. Thanks again!

!!!UPDATE!!!

!!!UPDATE!!!

Hey everybody!

     Sorry for this update, but here at the States, it's a national holiday. I won't be posting a Check This One Out! this week, but I will post perhaps two reviews this week. For sure, be on the lookout for my "Moana" review this Saturday. Thanks for understanding! Happy Holidays to everyone, no matter what you celebrate!

-C Lo

Always be T-Hankful  :D

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them Review

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them

Newt Scamander: "My philosophy is: worrying means you suffer twice."

    "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them" is directed by David Yates ("Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix", "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince", "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1" and "Part 2") and stars Eddie Redmayne as Newt Scamander, Katherine Waterston as Tina Goldstein, Dan Fogler as Jacob Kowalski, Alison Sudol as Queenie Goldstein, Colin Farrell as Percival Graves, Ezra Miller as Credence Barebone, Carmen Ejogo as President Seraphina Picquery, Samantha Morton as Mary Lou Barebone, Ron Pearlman as Gnarlack, Jon Voight as Henry Shaw, Sr., Josh Cowdery as Henry Shaw, Jr., and Ronan Raftery as Langdon Shaw.

Three muggles walk into a pub...

     The wizarding world in 1926 America is on the cusp of being exposed to the No-Majes (non magical people) due to unexplained beasts and dark wizards roaming the New York City streets. Enter a magical creature enthusiast, Newt Scamander, with his suitcase filled with magical creatures and all hell breaks loose in the city. His case accidentally is opened by soon-to-be-friend of Newt, Jacob Kowalski, a No-Maj who gets sucked into this new underground world that wizards and witches have been hiding. Investigator Tina Goldstein lets Newt know that he is in big trouble for bringing creatures into the city and could potentially be executed. She, Newt, Jacob, and Queenie, Tina's sister, now are forced to run around the city that never sleeps to find and capture these creatures before someone hurts them. Eventually, a dark and evil force interrupts their hunt to safely put the creatures back in the suitcase: Gellert Grindelwald. This force may be their biggest challenge yet to help save the city and the world.

This guy. If he ever comes near me, I swear I'll punch him in the bill and then pet him.

     Well, if "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them" can teach people one thing, it's that a movie doesn't have to rely on previous information based in the same universe. This film takes place about 70 years before the "Harry Potter" stories were ever a thing. This means that a chance could've been taken to remind us that those books/movies will happen. Almost like they HAVE to make sure that we aren't too stupid to follow the story in the film we're watching. Good thing that "Fantastic Beasts" doesn't do that. It takes it time to consider what parts could work by bringing in the lore from the "Harry Potter" plots and what parts could use original and creative ingredients. J.K. Rowling wrote the screenplay to this film. It's eye-opening to see what how versatile this woman's creative mind is like. Congrats to Miss Rowling and the crew for creating an atmosphere like no other: a world of literal magic. She and director David Yates, who also is committed to making a good movie on its own, bring characters and creatures to life in interactions that would, for sure, fail in any other hands. Seeing Eddie Redmayne magnificently portraying a humble, yet hurt individual and Dan Fogler portraying the everyday, yet incredibly likable No-Maj holding a plant-like creature (that's cute as hell, by the way) makes me feel like a kid. It really makes me want to go home and draw or describe monsters that are kind and scary. "Fantastic Beasts" simply brought out the kid in me that wants to imagine.

This picture doesn't do his delightful aura justice. The little guy is amazing!

     Now, I'm only describing the "Beasts" part of "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them". What I unfortunately couldn't get over was that this movie is basically two movies on one. Films that take that approach can accomplish feats like that, but in here, it feels like plot is a bit overwhelming with material. "Fantastic Beasts" is trying to create a franchise like "Harry Potter". There are going to be five of these movies. FIVE! For the most part, I can say I'm excited, considering that every "Harry Potter" film to me was great (some better than others, but still great). I'm just worried that the upcoming sequels of this film will lose track of how to progress the plotline further. This is fault of J.K. Rowling, but not because of a creative issue, rather because of a technical issue. All in all, I had a tremendous amount of fun with "Fantastic Beasts", though. The point of how the main plotline will go with the villain that terrorizes the wizarding world needs to be addressed to fit the it's particular film's surroundings. In this case, the surrounding elements of the story were the creatures being let loose in New York City.

Tina: "Shh. No one will notice our mistake."

Me: "Yeah, well, I can see you pretty clearly."

     "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them" captured a memory in  me that makes me happy to see a beautiful imagination run wild. J.K. Rowling truly knows how to set up a world and it's belongings. The talent in portrayals of the characters are on par with the quality of the creature designs, let alone the interactions with them that are sometimes cute or horrifying in the best ways possible. Hopefully J.K. can just get it together with her building of Grindelwald's plans to kill people and I'll be a cheerful muggle, or No-Maj to us Americans.

4.5/5

PRO

• Another imaginative creation of J.K. Rowling
• Performances of actors/actresses (and creatures) are charming
• Lore of "Harry Potter" films isn't necessary to carry this movie 

CON

• Structure of two main plots doesn't work here

"Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them" is rated PG-13 for some fantasy action violence

Click here to watch the trailer

"Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them" is in theaters everywhere now

     Thanks for reading, everybody! I really do appreciate it. Please subscribe to my blog or follow me on Facebook and Twitter to receive updates on new reviews or trailer drops. Also, if you've already seen "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them", comment and let me know what you think of it. Thanks again!

Check This One Out! - V/H/S/2 ***EXPLICIT***

Check This One Out! - V/H/S/2

Jen: "Don't let go of me!!!"

     "V/H/S/2" is directed by Simon Barrett (directorial debut), Jason Eisner ("Hobo with a Shotgun"), Gareth Evans("The Raid 2"), Gregg Hale ("Say Yes Quickly"), Eduardo Sánchez ("Seventh Moon"), Timo Tjahjanto ("Headshot"), Adam Wingard ("You're Next") and stars Lawrence Michael Levine as Larry ("Tape 49"), Kelsy Abbott as Ayesha ("Tape 49"), L.C. Holt as Kyle ("Tape 49"), Adam Wingard as Herman ("Phase I Clinical Trials"), Hannah Hughes as Clarissa ("Phase I Clinical Trials"), Jay Saunders as the Biker ("A Ride in the Park"), Devn Brookshire as the Biker's Girlfriend ("A Ride in the Park"), Fachry Albar as Adam ("Safe Haven"), Hannah Al Rashid as Lena ("Safe Haven"), Oka Antara as Malik ("Safe Haven"), Andrew Suleiman as Joni ("Safe Haven"), Epi Kusnandar as Father ("Safe Haven"), Samantha Gracie as Jen ("Slumber Party Alien Abduction"), Rylan Logan as Gary ("Slumber Party Alien Abduction"), Riley Eisner as Tank ("Slumber Party Alien Abduction"), Cohen King as Randy ("Slumber Party Alien Abduction"), Zachary Ford as Shawn ("Slumber Party Alien Abduction"), Josh Ingraham as Danny ("Slumber Party Alien Abduction"), and Jeremie Saunders as Zack ("Slumber Party Alien Abduction").

It's kind of hard to tell who some people are since they have red stuff all over them.

     Two private investigators, Larry and Ayesha, are tasked with finding a missing student, Kyle, whose whereabouts might be in his house. On the search, they discover a set of video cassette tapes. Ayesha is told by Larry to watch them because maybe there is a clue somewhere that they could use in the VHS tapes that could lend a hand. What they don't know is what's on the video tapes. Each tape Ayesha watches, we watch. This is more of a segment based movie with four movies being watched by one person: "Phase I Clinical Trials", "A Ride in the Park", "Safe Haven", and "Slumber Party Alien Abduction". Each tape is increasingly darker than the last and when it comes down to it, Kyle is perhaps missing due to something else much more sinister than what the investigators had originally thought...

Hmm...going to the hospital when you get a bloody nose after watching a couple of fucked up videos or stay and finish the videos at an abandoned house...tough decision.

     I don't know how to put "V/H/S/2" into words that will make sense in a put-together sentence so I'll just say words: Blood! Cringe! Vomit! Grotesque! Intriguing! More blood! Actually, gore! Disgusting! Fucking insane! Fun! I might be underdoing it when I say that, but damn, this movie is fucking intense in the most fun way possible (depending on one's queasiness). What I find especially interesting about this movie is the way this series of films tells it stories. I say series because this is the second in its three film franchise. I chose to review the second one because the segments caught my eye the most, no pun intended. You'll get that joke after you see the first segment. There is a story outside of the VHS tapes shown with their individual plots. It's like VHS-ception except with crazier shit going on. This is primarily a horror movie and, while adding the shock factor of gore, the non-cliché scares are ABUNDANT. The movie is shot through a hand held camera view, which might bother some people, but from my experience, "V/H/S/2" is the film that I consider the most effective in this mode. Surprisingly, more than "Cloverfield" or "The Blair Witch Project". I feel like the V/H/S franchise will be alive for a while. Who knows? Up-an-coming filmmakers could get a crack at breaking into Hollywood with this type of film. If anyone has seen a little experimental film called "The ABCs of Death", this will remind you of that. However, I'll pick "V/H/S/2" over that one any day. I just had more fun with ghosts being seen from a surgery gone wrong, a zombie hoard attacking a little girl's birthday party, a cult trying to bring demonic beings into our world, and aliens. Yeah. All with the added benefit of over-the-top deaths. The acting is just fine, but it's not a movie you go into thinking that the acting ensemble is going to win a SAG award. The point of seeing a movie like "V/H/S/2" is to be surprised with how much the filmmakers get away with using monsters and other supernatural beings to brutally kill humans. It's just fucking awesome!

Oh shit, that happens to me every time I eat an old burrito! What? I'm not going to let a burrito go to waste. Fuck no.

     "V/H/S/2" is not a movie you should be showing kids under 10 years-old. 11 years-old? Watch this movie! I'll warn you that it's not for the faint of heart. Seriously. You'll probably get nightmares for a good while. This film is a shock value film, but the direction that the individual filmmakers took with their own segment is so different from one another that I felt like I was watching four episodes of "The Twilight Zone" compiled together and was too graphic to be shown on television. In other words, "V/H/S/2" lacks boring subject matter and instead creates a film that viewers will call a spectacle of violence. I'm sorry if you now have a different interpretation of me. What can I say, I just like my dark stuff.

Aaaalright. Well, that guy may be a bit too much for me. That's creepy beyond fucking creepy.

"V/H/S/2" is rated graphic and bloody violence, grisly images, sexual material, nudity, and language

Click here to watch the trailer

"V/H/S/2" is now available on DVD, Blu-ray, and digital download

     Thanks for reading, everybody! I really do appreciate it. Please subscribe to my blog and follow me on Facebook and Twitter to receive updates on new reviews and trailer drops. Also, if you've already seen "V/H/S/2", comment and let me know what you think of it. Thanks again!

Arrival Review

Arrival

 Louise Banks: "We need to make sure that they understand the difference between a weapon and a tool. Language is messy and sometimes one can be both."

     "Arrival" is directed by Denis Villeneuve ("Sicario", "Prisoners", "Enemy") and stars Amy Adams as Louise Banks, Jeremy Renner as Ian Donnelly, Forest Whitaker as Colonel Weber, Michael Stuhlbarg as Agent Halpern, Mark O'Brien as Captain Marks, and Tzi Ma as General Shang.

She's contemplating whether to call Superman or not.

     Mysterious alien ships of unknown origin arrive at 12 different locations throughout the entire planet. Two days into figuring out the purpose for their arrival, the United States military calls upon acclaimed linguistics professor Louise Banks to help decode and understand the language/method of communication the aliens are using. All the nations are working together to figure the aliens' purpose, but when misconstruing information is taken by some nations, the world finds itself on the brink of a global warfare. Thinking it may help end the intensity of countries ready to fight, Louise takes a huge risk that may or may not pay off for her and for humanity.

Oh, c'mon! Really? That, of course, says "Warning for America: a pumpkin being your leader will divide you all." Pssh! That's elementary stuff, right there.

     It's difficult to remember a film that has made me feel something extraordinary and think so much about life in recent years. "Arrival" is a film that does this and more. It's crazy to think that a movie about an alien invasion does this, but it surprisingly does. To be fair, "Arrival" isn't a movie specifically about aliens and how humans deal with them. It's a movie about the core of humanity and characterization. In the forefront of the movie is Amy Adams' Louise Banks, who, throughout the entire film, we learn more about her past, present, and future. We follow her struggle with family and her struggle with the burden of saving the human race. Two completely opposite issues, yet the film mixes them incredibly well. My jaw dropped when credits started rolling. Oh my goodness, I just couldn't contain my happiness for how cinema isn't throwing out the same bulls**t every week. When we get movies like "Arrival", we get to see the growing nature of screenwriting, directing, and acting. I can, without a doubt, see Amy Adams being nominated for best actress at the Academy Awards. Not only was it her that did a fantastic job in her portrayal, but the whole cast did a spot-on job with what they were given. No flaws in the acting.

She can already taste the glory!

     I'm one of those film lovers that holds the script above all other components of a film. To many, that may or may not be their way of thinking, but I feel that way. "Arrival" is complex , yet beautiful in the way it expresses its themes and dialogue. It's a film that, for sure, is meant to be seen more than once. I can't wait to grab a notebook and take many notes on what the details are in the characters' conversations. One of the biggest topics that "Arrival" tries to get through to the audience is that of language and communication barriers. Jeremy Renner's Ian Donnelly put it perfectly when he said that Louise "approaches language like math". I'd have to be a smart motherf***er to understand and speak the amount of languages that Louise does, but I'm sure that there are plenty of people that can. That's why the actions of a team, led by Louise, trying to comprehend the aliens' "written"  and verbal way of communication is so interesting. We, as humans and not as an audience, learn while the characters learn. Nobody knows the answer. It's a language barrier that can lead to mistakes and disaster, but the way screenwriter Eric Heisserer adapted Ted Chiang's story into a remarkable film is beyond words. It's beyond creativity. It's beautiful.

Math joke: What do you call a number that can't keep still? A roamin' numeral! Thank you, I'm here all week!

     While all of these elements of "Arrival" were a highlight of my enjoyment, I cannot overlook the fact that this is a film directed by favorite up-and-coming director: Denis Villeneuve. This guy has been on my radar since "Prisoners". Even though "Enemy" had come out earlier, I hadn't heard of him since "Prisoners". I saw "Enemy" after seeing that one. Nevertheless, I'm ecstatic that he's come out with a movie that has exceeded my expectations. I heard, from what critics and viewers have said at film festivals, that this movie was supposed to be good. I never thought I could be surprised even more from a movie that has gotten praise like this. Congrats, Denis. Your work has made me hopeful for other filmmakers who want to explore regions of genres while still maintaining their signature mark. I mean, if you look at the surface picture of "Prisoners" and "Arrival", they're two very different movies in the world their held in; one has a mysterious kidnapper and murderer and the other has aliens arriving at Earth with unknown intentions. Still, they contain their dark undertones of the uncharted territory. Nobody knows what's going to happen in the next scene. His vision for what how the film looks even compliments his tendency for the unexplored. Props to the cinematographer too. Damn, is this film gorgeous to look at. I'm so excited for Denis' project: to direct the sequel to "Blade Runner"! I feel like the studios have picked a perfect fit for a film that uses Noir and Science-Fiction to present a dark and fascinating future. Here's to the future of film talent!

Ah, s**t! I think he heard me! Do your thing. I don't want to bother you.

     It's difficult to explain what more I like in "Arrival" without giving away spoilers, but take my word for it: it's a great movie. It's not very often that a film makes me wonder about humanity and its struggles. When it does that, it's more than a film. It's art. "Arrival" is a work of art that's entertaining, using slow burn methods for telling a captivating story, and thought-provoking. Help this film garner more attention than it has. I don't know what the outcome of a film like this will do in the box office, but whatever it is, it won't be good enough. I can already tell you that "Arrival" is catching the eye of the film academy and already is going to be on my top ten of the year.

5/5

PRO

• Thought-provoking themes
• Engaging character study alongside Amy Adams
• Script handled with complexity and beauty
• Cinematography is gorgeous
• Denis Villeneuve directs another film for the ages

CON

• None

"Arrival" is rated PG-13 for brief strong language

Click here to watch the trailer

"Arrival" is in theaters now

     Thanks for reading, everybody! I really do appreciate it. Please subscribe to my blog and follow me on Facebook and Twitter to receive updates on new reviews and trailer drops. Also, if you've already seen "Arrival", comment and let me know what you think of it. Thanks again!

Check This One Out! - The Spectacular Now

Check This One Out! - The Spectacular Now

Sutter: "The best thing about now, is that there's another one tomorrow."

     "The Spectacular Now" is directed  by James Ponsoldt ("The End of the Tour", "Smashed") and stars Miles Teller as Sutter, Shailene Woodley as Aimee, Brie Larson as Cassidy, Jennifer Jason Leigh as Sara, Mary Elizabeth Winstead as Holly, Nicci Faires as Tara, Masam Holden as Ricky, Dayo Okeniyi as Marcus, Kyle Chandler as Tommy, and Bob Odenkirk as Dan.

For all your high school needs, just call Saul-- er, I mean, Dan at the local tailor shop!

     Senior year in high school has hit our protagonist Sutter in the face with a big bang after a party after his alcoholic binge: waking up on shy Aimee's front lawn. As the charming and laid back senior, he develops a friendship with her that blossoms into a romance. Indirectly peer pressuring Aimee into drinking and following "winging it" lifestyle, slowly but surely Sutter's shallowness for not caring about anybody but himself shows and he sees it. One event that he's been looking forward to for a long time changes him. The only problem is if he will take these problems in his life, be that depression or alcoholism, and turn them around to pursue a healthy and happy future.

Ah, s**t. This reunion isn't going to go well. Hang in there, Sutter!

     It's movies like "The Spectacular Now" that make me hopeful that things will get better with all the s**t that happens in my life. I'm not going to compare my issues to other peoples' issues because it's not fair. Our problems are just different. In "The Spectacular Now", Sutter has the issue of realizing that he really does have psychological extremities. What I absolutely loved about this film is that, for the whole movie, it's a slow realistic pace to that revelation. We see him and Aimee grow together through ups and downs, all in the span of one year. When I cry, I cry because a main character is relatable and I can see myself in that situation; the everyday Joe. Everybody, not only Sutter, is the opposite of what a 'movie' character is: honest and real. This inclusion into the story is why I recommend "The Spectacular Now" to everyone. It's a find-yourself type of movie that, with great performances and a great adapted screenplay, truly engages someone to reflect on their own life. Miles Teller usually does his consistent douchebag character, "The Spectacular Now" is no exception. However, he gets the added benefit of a turn-around that us, as an audience, are expecting, but not to hit as hard as it did. Even though he acted and portrayed that popular dumb jock in high school that everyone was either charmed by or hated, you still follow his journey into wanting to change. That's where the screenplay comes into effect. The dialogue is genuine and doesn't hold bars into high school drama. For the people who have been through or are in high school, some similar events that are shown have or will happen. I admire the honesty that is shown through Shailene Woodley's Aimee, Brie Larson's Cassidy, Mary Elizabeth Winstead's Holly, Jennifer Jason Leigh's Sara, and Kyle Chandler's Tommy. All of these characters surrounding Sutter make "The Spectacular Now" so immersive to the point where you'll feel enough to be openly emotional. Yeah, go ahead and cry! It's all good by me!

Young romance. It'll either be good or bad. Hopefully yours will be/was awesome!

     "The Spectacular Now" is an authentic view into the lives of hurt people. It doesn't matter that their teenagers in high school. These people could be toddlers or elderly, for crying out loud! It still doesn't take away from the script being, well, spectacular. You get to see into the soul of a person's surfaced personality. I'll make the analogy of a doctor performing surgery: a doctor (director) cuts into the skin of a person (Sutter) who needs help and you can see, with every move the doctor makes, the person being revealed a bit more. When the surgery is done, the doctor patches up all the wounds, cleans the person up, and they eventually feel better. In "The Spectacular Now", this is too true. It's a tender film that takes it time to reveal all the reasons a person is hurt to have them realize that they are hurt. Anyone who has been in some sort of emotional pain, and have been stuck in denial, should watch this (I'm assuming almost everyone has).

Don't be afraid to be young, though. Think of your future and your present. Be happy!

"The Spectacular Now" is rated R for alcohol use, language and some sexuality -- all involving teens

Click here to watch the trailer

"The Spectacular Now" is now available on DVD, Blu-ray, and digital download

     Thanks for reading, everybody! I really do appreciate it. Please subscribe to my blog and follow me on Facebook and Twitter to receive updates on new reviews and trailer drops. Also, if you've already seen "The Spectacular Now", comment and let me know what you think of it. Thanks again!

Doctor Strange Review

Doctor Strange

The Ancient One: "You think you know how the world works. You think this material universe is all there is. What if I told you the reality you know is one of many?"

     "Doctor Strange" is directed by Scott Derrickson ("Sinister", "The Exorcism of Emily Rose", "The Day the Earth Stood Still") and stars Benedict Cumberbatch as Dr. Stephen Strange, Tilda Swinton as The Ancient One, Chiwetel Ejiofor as Mordo, Mads Mikkelsen as Kaecilius, Rachel McAdams as Christine Palmer, Benedict Wong as Wong, Michael Stuhlbarg as Dr. Nicodemus West, and Benjamin Bratt as Jonathan Pangborn.

Benedict Cumberbatch didn't even need to change out of his pajamas to get into costume. He just rolls out of bed with a cape, boots, and jewelry.

     Neurosurgeon Dr. Stephen Strange is on top of the world of neuroscience as he arrogantly pushes everyone he knows around. An unfortunate car accident causes Strange to lose much mobility of his hands, thus leaving him useless in the only world he knows about. Through word of mouth, he finds a place in Kathmandu, Nepal called Kamar-Taj where he can heal his hands to go back to work. After a long trek there, he is shown much more than just a hand heal: he learns of and sees multiple universes. Crazy, right? Master of astral projection and her mind, The Ancient One takes Strange under her wing so he can learn the mystic arts of bending reality. The masters at Kamar-Taj see Strange's potential that he can be the one to save the world from an ex-student of The Ancient One named Kaecilius. Kaecilius is trying to destroy all of the fortresses that hold down the Earth from being reached by a powerful entity known as Dormammu. He would bring our world into the Dark Dimension, where time doesn't exist and all can live forever. Against breaking the rules of nature, Strange, The Ancient One, Mordo, and Wong are placed in a situation to save the Earth or have it be immersed in a dimension far more dangerous than our own.

Dormammu and the Dark Dimension is just a codename for the 1978 TV movie "Dr. Strange". Doctor Strange, protect us from Dr. Strange!

        Marvel is going far beyond what they have ever done on screen, with "Doctor Strange". It is visually captivating. F**k, it's trippy as hell. I felt like I was hallucinating at some points of the film because of how the movement through different dimensions was portrayed. The CGI is complex, yet it's beautiful in what they showed. I can't explain to you in words how amazing the physical journey with Stephen Strange felt when small details started to shift to make an environment unrealistic in the most realistic way possible. Does that make any sense? Yeah, believe me, I think it's just a movie that's definitely worth a watch. Surprisingly enough, "Doctor Strange" doesn't even feel like a traditional Marvel movie with cameos from other superheroes or only a blatant set up for the next Marvel movie. Granted, "Doctor Strange" is a set up to "Infinity War" just like all the other Marvel films, but it's subtle in how it does that. It's a film that takes it time to set up a character that will have a great impact in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), making it a great movie by itself. We get to watch Stephen Strange grow from a narcissistic ass to one of the most powerful heroes in Marvel lore. It's the same formula that we see in Marvel movies, but with the added benefit of magic and Benedict Cumberbatch in the forefront.

Here's only a couple of the mind-boggling images that "Doctor Strange" poses is out there. Amazing stuff.

     Even though, "Doctor Strange" has its magical and mystical uniqueness, it still does follow that MCU format: the cocky or uninformed person we're supposed to care about has something tragic happen to them, they're forced to go through a change that can better themselves and other, finally giving us our superhero. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy this formula, but there has to be some sort of expansion on the type of storytelling Marvel Studios is going for or else it'll get old. Some people probably have had it by now to the point that they can already guess the entire plot. I also have to clarify on more thought that has kept bothering me since I left the theater: "Doctor Strange" is way too similar to the 2008 "Iron Man" film. I do understand that this is another introduction to the MCU and certain steps have to be taken from getting to point A to point B, but scenes like Tony Stark's love interest, Pepper Pot, bafflingly perform surgery on Tony Stark is beat for beat like Stephen Strange's love interest, Christine Palmer, bafflingly perform surgery on Stephen Strange. It's uncanny, when you think about it (or see it). Still, this doesn't take away from the fact that "Doctor Strange" nailed that formula on the head. I'm astonished at how different this movie is as compared to director Scott Derrickson's other films. The only other movie that he's directed that is fresh on Rotten Tomatoes is "Sinister", which I enjoyed, but I feel that other horror movies in recent years can easily top that. This is just completely out of the ordinary on his filmography and I commend him for doing a fantastic job. His direction for complex material involving Strange's powers is marvelous, pun intended.

A little too much of the same...

     If anything, watch "Doctor Strange" for how mesmerizing of an experience it is. I still am having trouble containing all of the cool visuals that exist when Strange jumps from place to place, universe to universe. The idea of time is toyed with in this film as well. We all know how difficult it is to incorporate that into any story, let alone a superhero story with someone who can control time (Strange's Eye of Agamotto). It was handled in a smart way with loops galore. On top of that, this could be one of the funniest Marvel movie to date (my top pick is still "Guardians of the Galaxy"). One could complain all they want about Marvel's familiar storyline in "Doctor Strange", but there isn't any denying that it accomplishes it with style and vigor. I truly feel that "Doctor Strange" can top my top five in my favorite Marvel movies (from all studios) of all time. Go and get strange!

4.6/5

PRO

• Amazing and complex visuals
• Otherworldy mystic powers is unique to MCU
• Scott Derrickson's directing and Benedict Cumberbatch's portrayal of the titular hero

CON

• Uses same formula that Marvel is used to

"Doctor Strange" is rated PG-13 for sci-fi violence and action throughout, and an intense crash sequence

Click here to watch the trailer

"Doctor Strange" is in theaters everywhere now

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