Posts

Showing posts from January, 2020

Movie Review: Anaconda (1997)

Image
       Do you like cheese? I surely like cheese. Maybe too much can bad for your system, but it is meant to be enjoyed. And when it's nostalgic? Well, that's just a winning formula right there.      Anaconda is an adventure monster film following a documentary film crew in the Amazon rainforest that ends up being wrapped into a dangerous scheme by a snake hunter (Jon Voight) seeking, as the title would have you believe, a giant anaconda. A cast also features some well-known faces such as Jennifer Lopez, Ice Cube, Eric Stoltz, Jonathan Hyde, and Owen Wilson.      This is the type of film that I ate up back when I was a child. Anaconda has two things that I still retain a soft spot for. Snakes and monster movies. Even the ones that are really, really bad. This film and its sequels would be a childhood passion of mine even when I began to realize these movies may not be as perfect as I once did. Not because I don't enjoy watching this film. But as someone who is slowly

Movie Review: Joker (2019)

Image
          I promise that for the sake of this review that "We live in a society" memes when be kept to the bare minimum. That doesn't mean the temptation doesn't exist, however. In fact, it is quite the opposite. Admittedly while Todd Phillips's smash hit could be thematically reduced to that one phrase, I've found it much more interesting to discuss how Joker explores that message and thus the film's title character.    Starring Joaquin Phoenix as the clown prince of crime, this psychological thriller follows the downward spiral of a failed stand-up comedian Arthur Fleck, whose trying to find something akin to happiness in the seemingly broken Gotham City. He makes a critical decision that may end up dragging the city into a descent of madness along with him. For intents and purposes, this film serves to provide a possible explanation for how a man like Joker could exist.       Anything that centers on this character is always going to get my atten

Movie Review: Godzilla (2014)

Image
         To celebrate the upcoming Godzilla vs. Kong set for release this November, I've decided to take a look through the previous installments of Legendary's Monsterverse series. So it would be remarkably short-sighted on my end to not review the film that gave the series the shot in the arm that the franchise desperately needed.      Directed by Gareth Edwards, Godzilla serves as a reboot of Toho's long-running franchise centered around the cinema's most iconic big green lizard. The narrative centers on a soldier (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) caught in the midst of the conflict of gigantic proportions between Godzilla and two parasitic monsters titled Mutos. All while he is trying to find his way home back to his family. The cast also includes other faces such as Ken Watanabe, Elizabeth Olsen, Juliette Binoche, Sally Hawkins, David Strathairn, and Bryan Cranston.      America has dabbled with the series before in the 1998 film of the same name. Releasing to a v

Godzilla review coming tomorrow!

The blog update is going to delayed until tomorrow. Sorry guys, there is some stuff I need to take care of. Tuesday and Wednesday will bring things right on track I can assure you.

Movie Review: Beowulf (2007)

Image
     Keep a memory of me, not as a king or a hero, but as a man: fallible and flawed.      Based  on the Old English epic poem, Beowulf follows the tale of a great warrior who fights terrifying beasts in a path that would lead him to become king. However, as the film progress, we learn that Beowulf's nature may not be as sincere as he lets on.      One of the most interesting things about this film is how it chooses to interpret the poem. Without going too deep into spoilers for the uninitiated, the poem, while extremely important to understanding Old English literature, made for a rather simple narrative. Not that it's inherently flawed in regards to how it functions as a poem, but when translating to film, Director Robert Zemeckis and screenwriters Neil Gaiman and Roger Avery went for a more deconstructive approach. By cleverly choosing to frame the story as fiction vs. reality, Beowulf is not only a very entertaining piece of fantasy action but a surprisingly r

Movie Review: The Prince of Egypt (1998)

Image
     The Prince of Egypt  is an animated musical drama that comes from Dreamworks Animation. Starring Val Kilmer, Ralph Fiennes, Michelle Pfeiffer, Sandra Bullock, and Jeff Goldblum, the film adapts the book of Exodus following the story of Moses from his days as a prince of Egypt to the man who would ultimately lead his people of slavery.       Nostalgia can be a funny thing—that moment when you look back and reflect on what may have been simpler times. I'm sure they are many who remembered the past fondly because it seemed like everything it should be at the time. Of course, this can never last forever. Things change. People move on. And then you wonder why life can't be the same as it once was.     For Moses, however, the cracks in his simple life start emerging when the reality of who he is starts to sets in. A prince of a mighty empire came from the same lowly slaves he looks down upon. Surely it must be some sick joke, or has the inevitable finally arrived? A

New Schedule: For real this time!

Decided to make a real big change to my schedule. Aiming for three posts a week. Not because I want to rush out reviews to meet a deadline, but I want to push myself to staying committed to this blog. The quality of my content will not be diminished by this change as I can assured you. If I didn't think it would turn out good, I wouldn't have done this. But in turns this means a lot more things to look forward to in the next 6 weeks also! Stay tuned and I hope anyone who reads my works gets something good out of it. Thanks. And for the last time, here is my roster up until the end of February. Jan 22: The Prince of Egypt Jan 24: Beowulf Jan 27: Godzilla 2014 Jan 29: Joker Jan 31: Kong: Skull Island   Feb 3: Parasite Feb 5: Godzilla: King of the Monsters Feb 7: MEME REVIEW One Year Anniversary Feb 10: Dunkirk Feb 12: Dune 1984 Feb 14: Deadpool Feb 17: Escape from Tomorrow Feb 19: Frances Ha Feb 21: Mortal Kombat Feb 24: Star Wars Feb 26: Donn

Update: Posts to expect in the next six weeks

Image
          Huge update for anyone following my blog, I've have officially created a schedule for the next six weeks on what to expect from my blog. Most of it is stuff I'm already familiar with, but I plan on mixing up in the months afterwards.      It's really is a lot of fun to be writing again, and even if I'm not the best at it, anyone that actually takes the time to read through my works has my most sincere gratitude.

Movie Review: City of God (2002)

Image
     We came to the City of God, hoping to find paradise. Many families were homeless due to flooding and acts of arson in the ghettos. The bigwigs in government didn't joke around. Homeless? Off to the City of God! There was no electricity, paved streets, or transportation. We were too far removed from the picture-postcard image of Rio de Janeiro.        As spoken by the film's narrator, Rocket, the  City of God, within its first ten minutes, already summarizes what type of route it will take with its story. And if you haven't caught on yet, it's not a pleasant one either. Co-directed by Fernando Meireless and Kátia Lund and based on the novel of the same name, this crime story loosely based on true events chronicles the rise of organized crime within the suburbs of Rio de Janeiro, as tensions between rival gangs escalate to an all-out war.      Though not numerous, I've seen a few individuals here and describe the  City of God as the Brazilian Goodf

Movie Review: Roar (1981)

Image
     Hey everyone, I have a great idea! Let's make a movie involving the use of over a hundred untrained big cats like lions, tigers, leopards, cougars, and cheetahs! Oh, and throw some elephants in for good measure. What could possibly go wrong?      Well, if you follow Roar production, the short answer would be many, many things. Directed and written by Noel Marshal and the animals (Yes, the film does give them credit for those roles.), the story centers on a man who lives with lions, tigers, and other big cats in Africa. When his family attempts to visit him, they instead have to fear for their lives as they found his house inhabited by several animals.      It is an injustice of me to discuss Roar without bringing up its notorious production. Promoted as the most dangerous movie ever made, Roar's 11-year production saw its cast and crew (Most of the stars were Marshal family) faced many dangerous situations, with many of them being severely injured. For instance, c

Quick update: 2020 Plans

Hello everyone! This is just your Regular Joe over here. I'm hoping everyone is having a happy new year. I just wanted to give you all a quick update over what I've had plans for this current year. As you may noticed, I've just posted my first review on this blog since a month ago, and I want it to make clear that review should only be the first to come. I plan on making weekly updates with reviews or analysis over movies (And likely tv shows and video games later down the line)that I hope will make for some interesting reading. As always, I've always taken feedback and requests for reviews into consideration so if there are any of the two you want to provide, please feel free to do so. Thanks for giving me a look!

God's Not Dead (2014) Movie Review

Image
Everyone talking about the movies released in the 2010s that made the happiest. Meanwhile, I choose to revisit the one that made me feel like the most miserable person on planet earth when I look back on cinema from the past decade. What a wonderful world. God's Not Dead is an American Christian Drama directed by Howard Cronk and stars Kevin Sorbo, Shane Harper, David A. R. White, and Dean Cain. Freshman university student Josh Wheaton attends a philosophy class, where Professor Radisson requires all students to submit a signed statement staying "God is dead" and never existed. When Josh refuses (due to his own beliefs), the Professor challenges him to defend his position, leading to a series of confrontational presentations between himself and the professor, with the class as jury. For the sake of being honest with both you and myself, yes, I am nowhere close to this film's intended audience. Far from it, actually. That being said, my own biases on th