Justin and I saw Power Rangers on March 25, 2017! Growing up in the 90s, Mighty Morphin Power Rangers was one of the most intriguing things to be a fan of. Luckily, I grew up with the original era of Power Rangers, which is what this movie is based off of. Power Rangers was always a constant favorite among me and my brothers. We watched the series, we saw the movies, & we went to the Radio City: Power Rangers Live special on stage. We had the figures, the zords, etc. I have been waiting for years for a new version of Power Rangers borrowing influence from the original MMPR storyline. In 2017, it was high time that Power Rangers was made in a new light, with a more serious tone, and the results were simply amazing!
This movie is split perfectly. The first hour delves into character development & storytelling that make us care about the characters: Jason, Kimberly, Billy, Trini (don't call me Didi), & Zack. The second hour provides fans with incredible Rangers action.
The overall acting in this was really well done. Dacre Montgomery, Naomi Scott, & RJ Cyler have the most character development of the five, however, Becky G (who I've been a fan of for years as I like her music) & Ludi Lin were fantastic in their roles as well. Each of the characters has an interesting back story to make you care more about them. I think Cyler gave the best performance as Billy (he really gets to you on an emotional level in so many scenes), but Naomi Scott as Kimberly & Dacre Montgomery as Jason were simply excellent in developing their characters and making their characters feel real. Becky G gave more depth to the Trini character, and reshaped it into a new version of the character. Great work on her part! I loved how sassy she was throughout the movie. Lin was kind of the comedic glue of the five, which makes sense as Zack was usually like that in the series. Each of the characters has complexity & flaws, which makes them easier to identify with. I felt like these five actually were friends on screen. They were all different in their own ways, but they also were able to put that aside to come together for the greater good. Elizabeth Banks did so well shaping the Rita Repulsa character. This Rita was more cerebral, and so much darker than we're used to. Banks played it over the top, which worked so well as that's how Rita is in general. I was really impressed with the performances in this movie. Everybody made each character come off the screen, and put their all into shaping the characters for a new generation.
The battle sequences were simply excellent. The morphing sequences, the zords, the battle with Goldar & Rita, etc. were all amazing to watch on screen. Everything resembled the original series, but had a little bit of an updated twist to it that worked extremely well. The graphics looked great, and the battles felt like a real struggle. The zord battle with Goldar and Rita is one of the most incredible sequences you'll find. The zords charging forward as the Power Rangers theme blasted through the theater was a truly awesome moment.The Megazord looked awesome and was the perfect symbol to show that these five started from total strangers with nothing in common (except, for the fact that they are ostracized by those around them) into close friends that happen to save the world.
Great performances by Dacre Montgomery, Naomi Scott, RJ Cyler, Becky G, Ludi Lin, & Elizabeth Banks, excellent character development, amazing graphics for the Ranger outfits and the Zords, awesome battle sequences, and the ability for a Power Rangers movie to make you shed a tear make this a definite 5/5! Easily one of my favorite movies of 2017! Look out for some cameos at the end of the battle scene! Also, there's an end credit scene that definitely looks like it's setting up for a sequel! I can't wait to get this on DVD!
Saturday, March 25, 2017
Thursday, March 23, 2017
Beauty and the Beast Review
Justin and I saw Beauty and the Beast on March 23, 2017! I wanted to see this over the weekend, but every theater around me was sold out. I've always been a fan of Disney animated movies. If I had to rank my Top 5 animated movies, I'd say Beauty and the Beast is my second favorite after The Little Mermaid, with Aladdin, The Lion King, and Hercules rounding out the Top 5. I was so excited to finally see this movie today, and after seeing it, I liked it even more than I was anticipating. It's definitely one of my favorite movies of 2017! Beauty and the Beast has always held a special place in my heart, because, it makes me think of my mom and dad. Belle is my mother & The Beast is my father! I always joke about it with my brothers, but it's how I feel when I watch the characters interact. Also, I saw the play they have at the MGM theme park in Orlando, and I think of my mother singing Beauty and the Beast at the top of her lungs to annoy a woman in front of her, because she kept giving nasty looks at me and my brothers, Jake & Justin. Much like Belle, Mom is/was fearless. Much like The Beast, my dad is loud, sometimes temperamental, but has a great heart and does everything he can to protect those closest to him. Don't mess with him!
The new live action movie borrows influence from the 1946 fairy tale, the 1991 animated movie, and the Broadway play. It combines all of these elements into a magical adventure that does Beauty and the Beast justice. I'm definitely considering picking up the soundtrack and the commemorative Beast & Belle dolls for this movie.
I think the cast did a phenomenal job all around. I think everybody that knows me is aware how big of an Emma Watson fan I am. Here she is once again bringing life to a favorite character of mine in Belle. What an excellent performance in terms of acting and singing. I was blown away by her voice in Belle/Provincial Life. I liked how fealess they made Belle. While Belle has always been a fearless character, Emma Watson and Bill Condon took it a step further. She's such a proper, sophisticated, talented actress! Paige O'Hara even acknowledged Watson playing her as a great choice.
I loved the design of the Beast. The CGI never bothered me. At times, they even made the CGI look like actual prosthetics and make-up. I thought they matched the voice of The Beast from the animated movie extremely well. The Beast looked intimidating, and was a great composite of two forms of the finished Beast in the animated movie. The dancing sequence with The Beast & Belle was choreographed well, and the costumes were exquisitely made.
Luke Evans & Josh Gad did a fantastic job as Gaston & Lefou respectively. Evans seemed to really get into the character, which is great, because Gaston is supposed to be over the top. Gad was humorous and provided more depth to the Lefou character than we're used to, which I liked. His interactions with Emma Watson were great. Other supporting cast members like Ian McKellen, Emma Thompson, & Ewan McGregor provided great voices for Cogsworth, Mrs. Potts, & Lumiere.
Watching this movie, I can recall scenes straight from the animated movie. It was fun sitting back and watch them unfold in live action. I think Belle/Provincial Life, Be Our Guest, & Something There were performed really well. They were fun, and made you think about those memorable scenes. The battle with the enchanted objects vs. the villagers, and the scenes with Beast, Belle, & Gaston on the castle balcony were really well done. They expertly used the CGI and live action and created a visual masterpiece.
The performances, the music, the effects of the castle & the enchanted objects, the interwoven stories, the costumes, and the overall aura of Beauty and the Beast make this a definite 5/5 for me. I thoroughly enjoyed this.
The new live action movie borrows influence from the 1946 fairy tale, the 1991 animated movie, and the Broadway play. It combines all of these elements into a magical adventure that does Beauty and the Beast justice. I'm definitely considering picking up the soundtrack and the commemorative Beast & Belle dolls for this movie.
I think the cast did a phenomenal job all around. I think everybody that knows me is aware how big of an Emma Watson fan I am. Here she is once again bringing life to a favorite character of mine in Belle. What an excellent performance in terms of acting and singing. I was blown away by her voice in Belle/Provincial Life. I liked how fealess they made Belle. While Belle has always been a fearless character, Emma Watson and Bill Condon took it a step further. She's such a proper, sophisticated, talented actress! Paige O'Hara even acknowledged Watson playing her as a great choice.
I loved the design of the Beast. The CGI never bothered me. At times, they even made the CGI look like actual prosthetics and make-up. I thought they matched the voice of The Beast from the animated movie extremely well. The Beast looked intimidating, and was a great composite of two forms of the finished Beast in the animated movie. The dancing sequence with The Beast & Belle was choreographed well, and the costumes were exquisitely made.
Luke Evans & Josh Gad did a fantastic job as Gaston & Lefou respectively. Evans seemed to really get into the character, which is great, because Gaston is supposed to be over the top. Gad was humorous and provided more depth to the Lefou character than we're used to, which I liked. His interactions with Emma Watson were great. Other supporting cast members like Ian McKellen, Emma Thompson, & Ewan McGregor provided great voices for Cogsworth, Mrs. Potts, & Lumiere.
Watching this movie, I can recall scenes straight from the animated movie. It was fun sitting back and watch them unfold in live action. I think Belle/Provincial Life, Be Our Guest, & Something There were performed really well. They were fun, and made you think about those memorable scenes. The battle with the enchanted objects vs. the villagers, and the scenes with Beast, Belle, & Gaston on the castle balcony were really well done. They expertly used the CGI and live action and created a visual masterpiece.
The performances, the music, the effects of the castle & the enchanted objects, the interwoven stories, the costumes, and the overall aura of Beauty and the Beast make this a definite 5/5 for me. I thoroughly enjoyed this.
Saturday, March 4, 2017
Logan Review
Justin and I saw Logan on March 4, 2017! When it comes to Marvel, the only universe I truly like is X-Men! Wolverine is in my Top 5 superheroes of all time! The X-Men trilogies are two of my favorite superhero movie installments. What Logan accomplishes is transcendence from a comic book movie to an action adventure, modern day western incorporating elements of the X-Men storyline based off the Old Man Logan comics. This is an amazing achievement in comic book movies, and is easily the best movie of 2017 thus far.
Hugh Jackman has done an amazing job in the role of Logan/Wolverine since 2000. Seventeen years in the role has shown Jackman make the character an extension of himself. In X-Men, Wolverine seems invincible due to his accelerated healing and adamantium skeleton. In Logan, we see a completely different side of him. He's battered, broken, vulnerable, and suffering with every step physically and emotionally. This was a performance that I personally would nominate for a Golden Globe or Oscar. Forget that it's labelled a comic book movie. Jackman's work in this movie really hits you hard. He's trying to navigate through the world feeling what human beings feel on regular basis: pain. He's struggling to deal with that. He's struggling with his health. You have to remember that nobody quite knows how old Wolverine really is. His bones, even with the adamantium skeleton, would be extremely brittle by 2029, which is the year this movie takes place. It's a performance that really combined the anger and rage brought out by his mutant side blended with the compassion and loving side in his human heart. It's a layered, complete performance that was the perfect swansong for the character. He has a mission of protecting Laura Kinney, Charles Xavier, and the future of mutants throughout this movie, while maintaining his health and sanity.
Where Logan is the focal point, we can't discount Patrick Stewart's performance as Charles Xavier. He was great in the original trilogy, and Days of Future Past, but his work here was some of the best work of his career. Xavier acts as a father figure for Logan. We watch Xavier suffer much like Logan is. He's the one telling Logan how to cope. He's the one telling him he still has a purpose (protecting the next generation of mutants and taking them to Eden), even if he's hard on him throughout the movie. He knows there's more to Logan, and it's been that way ever since he stepped into Professor Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters. Logan has actually cared for Xavier more than any of his pupils in my opinion. While somebody like Cyclops or Storm were leaders and listened to his advice, Logan always showed how much he cared by coming back to the mansion or what he's currently doing making sure Xavier doesn't suffer in his older years. I like their bond. It makes sense that both would get frustrated at each other, but at the same time love each other to their core. You can sense it on all fronts.
Jackman was excellent. Stewart was excellent. However, the person that stole the show for me was Dafne Keen as Laura Kinney a.k.a. X23! This young actress came on the screen with such presence and fire that everybody in the theater was immediately enthralled. She already has a life time of pain and anger built up in her young life. The expression on her face tells us this. Her movements are quick and sudden, with deadly purpose. Each movement is necessary to protect herself and those around her. She's a survivor-extremely resourceful and extremely intelligent and assessing the situations around her. She has so many elements of Logan in her, but at the same time, her core is not as damaged as Logan. She is a brilliant, young actress that has a bright future. I was so amazed by her interactions with Jackman and Stewart. To me, it felt like a little family working together. You had Keen acting as the fragile daughter, Jackman acting as the father, and Stewart as the grandfather. There was so much natural chemistry between them. Everything just seemed to come naturally for Dafne. I loved the dialogue scenes with her and Jackman. I was really into their conversations in the car on the road to Eden, and during the finale of the movie (which absolutely brought me to tears).
This is a movie where performances of our heroes were some of the best you'll find in any comic book related movie. The action sequences were excellent-brilliantly choreographed, with magnificent brutality. The slice and dice combination of Wolverine & X23 is amazing to watch unfold whether it's in the compound at the beginning, the farm, or in the woods. I think they did a brilliant job of incorporating some subtle comedic elements-such as the dinner scene. I was laughing so much at Laura eating her potatoes with her hand, and Logan handing her a fork. This is an in your face, serious comic book movie that gives Marvel an edge that it sorely needed.
The performances, the action sequences, the mission, the dialogue, and the overall intense nature of Logan makes this a 5/5. It's one of those movies that will make you feel so many emotions-you'll laugh and you'll damn sure cry at what you see. I definitely did at least 3 times watching this. It's just an amazing movie that hit all the points it was supposed to and then some!
Hugh Jackman has done an amazing job in the role of Logan/Wolverine since 2000. Seventeen years in the role has shown Jackman make the character an extension of himself. In X-Men, Wolverine seems invincible due to his accelerated healing and adamantium skeleton. In Logan, we see a completely different side of him. He's battered, broken, vulnerable, and suffering with every step physically and emotionally. This was a performance that I personally would nominate for a Golden Globe or Oscar. Forget that it's labelled a comic book movie. Jackman's work in this movie really hits you hard. He's trying to navigate through the world feeling what human beings feel on regular basis: pain. He's struggling to deal with that. He's struggling with his health. You have to remember that nobody quite knows how old Wolverine really is. His bones, even with the adamantium skeleton, would be extremely brittle by 2029, which is the year this movie takes place. It's a performance that really combined the anger and rage brought out by his mutant side blended with the compassion and loving side in his human heart. It's a layered, complete performance that was the perfect swansong for the character. He has a mission of protecting Laura Kinney, Charles Xavier, and the future of mutants throughout this movie, while maintaining his health and sanity.
Where Logan is the focal point, we can't discount Patrick Stewart's performance as Charles Xavier. He was great in the original trilogy, and Days of Future Past, but his work here was some of the best work of his career. Xavier acts as a father figure for Logan. We watch Xavier suffer much like Logan is. He's the one telling Logan how to cope. He's the one telling him he still has a purpose (protecting the next generation of mutants and taking them to Eden), even if he's hard on him throughout the movie. He knows there's more to Logan, and it's been that way ever since he stepped into Professor Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters. Logan has actually cared for Xavier more than any of his pupils in my opinion. While somebody like Cyclops or Storm were leaders and listened to his advice, Logan always showed how much he cared by coming back to the mansion or what he's currently doing making sure Xavier doesn't suffer in his older years. I like their bond. It makes sense that both would get frustrated at each other, but at the same time love each other to their core. You can sense it on all fronts.
Jackman was excellent. Stewart was excellent. However, the person that stole the show for me was Dafne Keen as Laura Kinney a.k.a. X23! This young actress came on the screen with such presence and fire that everybody in the theater was immediately enthralled. She already has a life time of pain and anger built up in her young life. The expression on her face tells us this. Her movements are quick and sudden, with deadly purpose. Each movement is necessary to protect herself and those around her. She's a survivor-extremely resourceful and extremely intelligent and assessing the situations around her. She has so many elements of Logan in her, but at the same time, her core is not as damaged as Logan. She is a brilliant, young actress that has a bright future. I was so amazed by her interactions with Jackman and Stewart. To me, it felt like a little family working together. You had Keen acting as the fragile daughter, Jackman acting as the father, and Stewart as the grandfather. There was so much natural chemistry between them. Everything just seemed to come naturally for Dafne. I loved the dialogue scenes with her and Jackman. I was really into their conversations in the car on the road to Eden, and during the finale of the movie (which absolutely brought me to tears).
This is a movie where performances of our heroes were some of the best you'll find in any comic book related movie. The action sequences were excellent-brilliantly choreographed, with magnificent brutality. The slice and dice combination of Wolverine & X23 is amazing to watch unfold whether it's in the compound at the beginning, the farm, or in the woods. I think they did a brilliant job of incorporating some subtle comedic elements-such as the dinner scene. I was laughing so much at Laura eating her potatoes with her hand, and Logan handing her a fork. This is an in your face, serious comic book movie that gives Marvel an edge that it sorely needed.
The performances, the action sequences, the mission, the dialogue, and the overall intense nature of Logan makes this a 5/5. It's one of those movies that will make you feel so many emotions-you'll laugh and you'll damn sure cry at what you see. I definitely did at least 3 times watching this. It's just an amazing movie that hit all the points it was supposed to and then some!
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