"Death Note" (2017) - Review

Be Calm Death Note Fans, Don't Write This Film's Name Down

Alright people. I have thoughts on the Netflix Death Note movie. If this post seems a bit rambling, it's because it started as a Facebook post and graduated to being a full on post on my formerly dormant blog. Lucky you I guess.

'The Leftovers' - Review: "The Book of Kevin" (Spoilers)

Hey everyone. Long time no see.

The Leftovers is back with its third (and final) season premiere. We have bearded Kevins, doomsday cults, and giant inflated Gary Buseys to cover, so let's get started. My spoiler-filled thoughts are after the jump.

"La La Land" - Review

Here's to the Fools Who Dream

Before I get started with this review... Hey everyone! Look who has returned to spew more more movie-related thoughts at you! (Good lord that's a gross image... I'm not taking it back.) What a crazy year 2016 has been! I regret not having updated this blog for as long as I have. Long story short: Google my name and you will find that I was writing for another publication for a short while before I was not able to continue. I took a quick break but now I am back on my own terms. I will be starting slowly at first and it may take a bit to get back into the swing of things, but rest assured I will compile some good "2016 IS FINALLY OVER!!" content with you.

I could not have asked for a better movie to come back to you guys with than La La Land. After a year with so much turmoil and division over nearly every possible reason there could be to be mad at each other about, here is the throwback to better times that we needed. This is a quintessential Hollywood film in the most classic sense. It is an original musical with a story that feels lifted straight out of a vintage Hollywood back lot, but with a modern sensibility that restores my faith in the power of the movie musical. It is a genre that has been dormant for far too long, save for a few adaptations of stage productions. Damien Chazelle has proven that the musical can be just as relevant today and I hope others have the creative courage to follow his lead.

"Warcraft" - Review

For the Initiated Fans Only

Oh, the never ending turmoil that is video game movie adaptations. There have only been a few that have even been close to being good. The first Mortal Kombat and Disney's Prince of Persia (even with the blatantly white-washed Gods of Egypt style cast) come to mind as movies that were almost good. In certain states of mind, if you catch my drift, Mortal Kombat is probably the greatest 90's film ever made right next to Space Jam. Every other video game movie though? Pure trash. Uwe Boll's legendarily dismal filmography is a testament to that. Remember Super Mario Bros.? Wow, that is a train-wreck. Suffice it to say, video game movies have a lot of room for improvement. So, here we are now in 2016 and for some reason Hollywood really really wants to finally get a good video game movie out there. We had Ratchet & Clank which landed with a dull thud. Angry Birds: The Movie was a little bit better, but still incredibly underwhelming despite its decent animation and its stellar voice cast. Next up is what may be the biggest, most expensive adaptation to date based on quite possibly the video game with the most beloved lore: Warcraft. Surely a franchise with lore so vast and detailed can translate to the screen successfully... right? Well... my answer is a mixed one. As a relative stranger to the source material, I cannot speak for how accurately the games have been translated to the screen. What I can voice in on is if it works as a straight up film. Sadly, it does not quite work. Warcraft is an ambitious effort with impressive aesthetics to spare, but because of an incredibly lazy and unfocused script, extremely poor characterization, and some miscasting, it falls into the camp of Mortal Kombat and Prince of Persia as an almost good movie.

"Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping" - Review

It Takes a Lonely Island To Make a Dope Movie

It is almost comical how similar the rise of The Lonely Island mirrors the rise of a certain individual named Justin Bieber. They both came from humble beginnings with a love for creation and performance. They started making content for YouTube and were eventually discovered by other famous people. That gave them the opportunities to build a fanbase and then suddenly explode into fame. The difference that I would note between the two though is that Bieber lost himself in that fame. Perhaps he became popular at too early of an age. The Lonely Island, consisting of Andy Samberg, Akiva Schaffer, and Jorma Taccone, came into their popularity a little later on in their lives and it shows in their careers. Over the 15 years they have been a group, they have never lost their particular and unique flavor of comedy music. The same inspired wit is there. The fame only brought them more resources and collaboration opportunities with other "famous people". Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping is the culmination of everything The Lonely Island is. Released simultaneously with an album of the same name, the film is stuffed with original music from the group and their trademark sketch comedy and it seems like every person they have ever met in the industry joined in for the fun. Unlike this years unfortunate Zoolander 2, Popstar never gets lost in its numerous cameos and pop culture references. Rather than the references and cameos themselves being the punchlines, they exist to supplement the biting satire that The Lonely Island have already crafted. That satire, born from The Lonely Island coming into fame and fortune as outsiders, is subversive and vicious. Because of this, Popstar is one of the best comedies of the year so far.

'Game of Thrones' - Review: "The Broken Man" (Spoilers)

This week on Game of Thrones, Bronn makes his season 6 return (yayyyyy!) and Ian McShane guest stars. My thoughts on the episode are after the jump.

'Game of Thrones' - Review: "Blood of My Blood" (Spoilers)

On this week's episode of Game of Thrones, Jaime takes a stand against the Faith Militant and a familiar face returns to the show. My thoughts on the episode are after the jump.

"The Do-Over" - Review

Sandler and Spade Go On Vacation and Do Expensive Stuff - The Movie

No.

Well, that was my short review. Need a longer one? Hit the jump to see what I could possibly say about Adam Sandler's new movie that is streaming now on Netflix.

"X-Men: Apocalypse" - Review

How the Emotional Apocalypse Is Necessary

I hold the X-Men films to a higher standard than most blockbuster entertainment. Not only did it help usher in the reality that great comic book movies could exist, but they have always been a more thoughtful and thematically risky alternative to the more light-hearted romps of traditional Marvel films, but not quite as dire as The Dark Knight films. They have always been intelligent enough to parallel real world social issues and to dig in deep with the main characters. First Class and Days of Future Past are ultimately ensemble based character studies, disguised as blockbuster entertainment. I consider those films to be recent examples of the very best of what the comic book genre can offer. Now we have Apocalypse, and while it may lack the cohesion and the emotional gravitas of past films, it is still a thoughtful and thrilling film that is not afraid to have a little fun mixed in with the apocalyptic shenanigans.

'Preacher' - Review: "Pilot" (Spoilers)

Having created and finished two of the greatest shows to air on television with Breaking Bad and Mad Men, AMC has some holes to fill in its original programming. So, here comes Preacher, which may have the craziest pilot episode in recent memory. There's a lot to digest here, so hit the jump for my spoiler-y thoughts on last night's premiere.

'Game of Thrones' - Review: "The Door" (Spoilers)

This week on Game of Thrones, Bran learned a great deal of information and we met a new Red Priestess! My thoughts on the episode are after the jump.

"All the Way" - TV Movie Review

"Everyone Is Out of Step Except For Me!"

Based on the Tony award winning play and central performance and now being adapted by HBO and much of the creative team of Trumbo, All the Way is now available to those who could no see the stage version and life is all the better for it. Bryan Cranston gives a mesmerizing powerhouse of a performance in a film filled with true life drama and humanity. While it may be a bit linear in its focus, it is still an emotionally and intellectually potent biopic with plenty of insight to offer.

"The Nice Guys" - Review

The World's Worst Detectives

There have not been a huge amount of true "original films" this year outside of the independent film market. The only thing I could think of off the top of my head was The Witch, which was able to sneak out from that market and get some mainstream attention after it received good buzz from critics (and me). We have all been spoiled by actually great blockbuster franchise films and sequels that we kind of forgot the intense satisfaction that comes from seeing something completely new that hits the mark. This week, The Nice Guys is the latest original creation to hit the mark. It is a violent and dark comedic mystery that features two top-level performances by Ryan Gosling and Russell Crowe. Director Shane Black has brought us something truly stylish and witty and that should not be ignored.

'Game of Thrones' - Review: "Book of the Stranger" (Spoilers)

This week on Game of Thrones, siblings reunite and things get heated with Dany. My thoughts on the episode are after the jump.

"Uncharted 4: A Thief's End" - Review

IGoodbye Nathan Drake

What kind of legacy do you want to leave behind? What is the history you want to create?

I do not normally review video games. To put it simply, the reason is that I do not have enough time to keep up with new releases, or the money for that matter. I also just do not have much experience critiquing games, despite being a gamer all my life. However, Uncharted 4: A Thief's End is a different kind of game for me. This is a series that I have been playing for nearly 10 years now and I consider it a big part of who I am today as far as movie and video game taste goes, as well as storytelling sensibilities when I work on my original writing projects. I have been following the development of Uncharted 4 for almost 5 years now with much anticipation, especially with the knowledge that it was going to wrap up the story of one of the best modern characters. Two months ago, I eagerly pre-ordered the giant Libertalia collector's edition for the game and this week I finally got it in my begging hands. It sort of became the reason why I was late on my Captain America: Civil War review (which you can now read here). After sitting down and playing the game almost completely uninterrupted all the way though, I can safely say that Uncharted 4: A Thief's End is not only the best Uncharted game, but a new standard for video game writing and design on level with Naughty Dog's also excellent The Last of Us.

"Captain America: Civil War" - Review

Why Can't We All Just Get Along?

Yeah, yeah. I am late with my review. About a week late. No need to remind me, but be honest. You are all still seeing this movie this weekend. You will probably still be seeing it next weekend. Maybe even the weekend after that. It would be for a good reason too. Captain America: Civil War is the best comic book movie of the year so far. In fact, it may be the best since The Dark Knight. It is that good. It is a thriller with surprising depth and pathos that covers every base it needs to. At once thoughtful and fun, it is a new high water mark for comic book films. Eat your heart out DC.

"Keanu" and "Ratchet & Clank" - Quick and Dirty Reviews (Weekend Catch-Up)

Sadly, I am not able to see Captain America: Civil War until tomorrow night (which I am incredibly excited for). So in the meantime, I figured I would share some quick thoughts on two of last weekend's big releases that I did not get a chance to review before. There is not too much to say, hence the "quick and dirty" title, but I will let you know what I thought anyway. Hit the jump for more.

'Game of Thrones' - Review: "Home" (Spoilers)

On this week's episode of Game of Thrones... Yeah. You better not go past the jump if you do not want spoilers. Several really big things happened to say the least, so let's meet again after the jump after you have seen the episode.

"The Huntsman: Winter's War" - Review

Oh Please Just Let It Go

Universal Studios really wants to step up their franchise game. The Fast and Furious series has reached record numbers of revenue and their recent revival of the Jurassic Park franchise went beyond that. Where do you go next for a potential new franchise? Naturally you go to Snow White and the Huntsman, a stand alone film that received a somewhat mixed response despite its decent box office grab. Wait, your lead actress was sleeping with the director and is not coming back for this sequel? Well, do it anyway because you've got Thor as part of your cast. You can always hire a double that looks nothing like Kristen Stewart to show her back to the audience for 3 seconds to remind us that Snow White actually exists. Somewhere. Without Snow White as your lead though, what do you do that can be fresh? A prequel movie of course! Not enough room for a full story you say? Well then, let's make it a prequel and a sequel. Both! And let's ditch the somewhat unique dark tone of the original and go for more of a swashbuckling Princess Bride vibe even though the story is wrapped all around the original film. We still need something to bring in audiences though... how about you bring Charlize Theron back from the dead (for two seconds of film) and add another really angry yell-y queen who is basically angry Elsa from Frozen! Got it. Sealed and done. You've got yourself a movie!

'Game of Thrones' - Season 6 Premiere Review: "The Red Woman" (Spoilers)

Game of Thrones is back everybody! And about time too. We finally get some answers (emphasis on "some") after last year's multitude of cliffhangers. Be warned. The night is dark and full of spoilers, so click on the jump at your own discretion. My full thoughts on the episode follows.