Good afternoon everyone! First off, I hope you all had a fun 4th of July yesterday. Second, today, we continue on the 007 train (or at least what are called the Eon films of the 007 film franchise), with reviewing the 1967 James Bond movie, 007: You Only Live Twice. As far as the Eon films go, it is said that this film was Sean Connery’s last time to play the role of James Bond (Connery apparently starred as Bond again in one or two of the “non-eon” 007 films). Anyway, let’s begin the review now!

Plot: After an unidentified spacecraft hijacks an NASA Spacecraft Jupiter 16, and then lands in the Sea Of Japan, James Bond (Sean Connery) is sent by MI6 to go investigate any strange activities that might be coming from the government of Japan. Can Bond find the source of what’s going on, and bring those people to justice?

Now, there’s no doubt that this 007 film seems to be better at least then Dr. No (which, that one was of course the first one to start the 007 legacy). However, while that may be the case, it’s most likely not quite as good as some of the other films like Thunderball, and films like those. To begin, there’s the whole deal about how the movie version of this story seemed to supposedly diverge from the original plot of the novel. Now, if that was the case, let me just say this! It’s not a bad thing to take liberties when basing a film on a story. In fact, if you can still make the film good, then why not do so? However, in this case, it was almost like this film made some changes that weren’t exactly the best. For one thing, it was almost like some things were crammed into this film just for the sake of being there. Sure, those didn’t make the film bad by any means. In fact, some of the good elements, which we will get to momentarily, helped make up for those disappointments. Still, you might find yourself wondering as whether or not some of those times were even necessary in the end. There also may have been a tiny bit too many characters added in as well. Also, there were some points in time in this film where this 007 movie could have possibly had the potential to make certain moments more than they were in the end. I know it may sound hard to explain now, but I think you might know what I mean if you see the film sometime after reading this review.

Alright, alright! So, thus far, I may be making it sound like this is probably one of the worst in the James Bond franchise, right? Well, like was mentioned earlier, there are still plenty of things that make up for the flaws in this film. First of all, despite the few negative points of this film, 007: You Only Live Twice still does an excellent job of engaging the viewers into the story. This proves especially true when the film takes us to Japan, and we get to learn about how the Japanese culture. Now, I’m not sure how much things such as traditional values, or other things have changed since around the time that this movie was released in 1967, and now. Still, at least it ends up being educational nonetheless. In addition to this, some of the action is phenomenal. In fact, there are times when 007: You Only Live Twice could most likely have a bit of a Star Wars feel mixed with James Bond, Mission Impossible, or action films like that. Which, that may sound interesting, considering the Star Wars films didn’t even get made, and/or released until a decade later, and onward after that. Additionally, how about the fact that when movies like this were released, we didn’t have to worry about inappropriate moments coming up? Okay, as I’m sure many of us know, back when movies like this, and others were made, it can implied that there were nude moments, or other things like that. However, compared to movies nowadays, back then, it wasn’t thrown in your face that say a person was naked, or other things like that. I mean in today’s films, we have movies that are say Rated R for example because of say cuss words like the F-bomb being a frequent word in the script, people’s whole naked bodies being shown, and things like that. Now, compare that to say if it was implied that certain people were naked in this film, IT WAS IMPLIED, AND NOT THROWN IN YOUR FACE CONSTANTLY. Because of that, it’s great to know that due to this film being rated PG, this is an example of an action film that both kids, and adults can probably enjoy equally. Honestly, it just comes to show that in today’s day and age, the quality of films has seemed to decrease as far as morals go. Oh yes, there are still some films that have morals in them. However, it’s not quite as up there as it seemed to be back in the 50s, 60s, and/or maybe even 70s. Finally, how could one not like the song that plays at the beginning of this film? It’s quite possible that some people might have it stuck in their heads.

Well, that concludes my review for 007: You Only Live Twice. Despite some of the flaws that this film had, the story is very engaging, the action is out of this world, and people can learn some very educational things in this film. I would say that if you haven’t seen this, or any of the other James Bond movies, definitely make it a point if you want either decent, or good, if not quite great action movies. There is still plenty to recommend for this film.

Final Grade: B+

Good evening everyone! I hope you all had a fun weekend, and a very fun Father’s Day yesterday. Tonight, we get back into the swing of things, as we dive into yet another installment that involves that spy, who goes by the name of James Bond. This time, this review comes in the form of the fourth installment of the 007 movie series, by the name of Thunderball.

Plot: The story takes James Bond to the Bahamas, where he must stop an agent from SPECTRE named Emilio Largo (Adolfo Celi) from using two nuclear, which Largo acquired earlier, as a ransom against NATO. With some new friends that Bond meets along the way, can he prevent Largo’s diabolical plan from taking place?

Friends, let me just be upfront with you all, and say that Thunderball may yet be one of the best, if not the best, of the 007 James Bond movie franchise. First off, the people who worked on this at the MGM studio did a great job of deciding to go a little over a hundred and twenty minutes this time around by making this film have a running time of a hundred and thirty minutes. Considering that the previous three films were around ten, or fifteen minutes under the two hour mark, one can likely consider that something special for a long while, until future James Bond movies made similar moves. Now yes, there were some moments that could have possibly felt a little random, they don’t seem to last long enough to distract the audience members from the actual meat of the story. In fact those random moments might have helped this movie along, as well as helped maybe foreshadow the events to come in this film. Hard to believe, is it not? Anyway, as far as both the good guys, and bad guys go this time around, they both seem to advance very well this time around. I mean picture this! Imagine if a guy were to go out on a date with a girl, and they both agreed that on the first date, they knew instantly that they for sure were right to marry each other in the near future (assuming the guy and girl marry, and STAY married). Okay, this may sound somewhat like a corny metaphor. However, it doesn’t seem to change the fact that that’s how quickly a good majority of these characters are developed well within around the first act, or shortly after. Heck, when you know how much of a good heart any of the good characters have, you can can catch on with that rather quickly. Same goes for the villains, you can really sense how malicious, and evil they are without having to worry about foreshadowing it throughout the film. What’s more is that the character development seemed to be taken to a whole new level in comparison with the other three movies that preceded this one. This goes not just with many of the characters shining to their full potential, but some of the relationships seem to feel much deeper, and can make you want those relationships last longer this time around. There’s also some very good creativity when it comes to certain scenes. Why? The reason for this is because, well, you might find yourself predicting a a lot of moments, only for those times to happen alternately. Trust me when I say you’ll know what I mean, if you don’t now. The Thunderball song that plays at the beginning of this film is also very fun, and catchy. I was surprised to discover that Tom Jones was in this film singing that song. Man, can you believe that he went from singing this song to singing the song, “A Perfect World,” in which he played a character called the Theme Song Guy in the Disney film, The Emperor’s New Groove thirty-five years later? Wow, considering that Disney basically bought out MGM somewhere down the road after this movie was released, it’s safe to say that perhaps Disney seemed to really like singers such as Tom Jones well enough to bringing him back for singing for a second round, or more, eh? Additionally, the action was really taken up a notch this time around too. Honestly, with the action scenes, or the rest of the scenes that were shot for this film, it may make you wonder, how many times did it take to make those scenes work well, you know? Finally, if PG-rated films were still considered okay even for young kids to watch at this point, children should be warned about how violent this film could potentially get at certain points of the film.

And that’s my review for 007: Thunderball. The movie seems to do really well with making almost everything stepping up a notch. It has fun action, and a great plenty of hilarious moments. If you haven’t seen this 007 film yet, please make time to do so. You may yet appreciate a great plenty when it comes to this film. That is probably more so than you might have the previous three films.

Final Grade: A+

Good evening everyone! We meet up here on this blog yet again! Tonight, we continue with the James Bond marathon. This time, we are in the third installment in the series. It is the one and only, Goldfinger, released in 1964. Wow, how interesting that this specific James Bond movie was released in the same year that movie musicals like My Fair Lady and the original Mary Poppins were released, eh? Anyway, here we go!

Plot: Back in the first film, the legendary fictional hero James Bond (Sean Connery) had to get a missile to continue it’s launch, followed by stopping an assassin from killing him when he was in Turkey. This time, it’s up to Bond to now stop a criminal mastermind named Auric Goldfinger (Gert Fröbe) from pulling off a stunt of sneaking into U.S. Bullion Depository at Fort Knox, Kentucky, and stealing all the valuable good from there.

Okay, this may not be a perfect film by any means, but it seems easy to tell that the makers of this film were most likely trying to improve from both Dr. No, and From Russia With Love. Sure, Goldfinger may not have quite everything that a person may want in a perfect film. Nevertheless, Goldfinger has more to offer this time around. First off, there are the special effects. Yes, it’s true that special effects had a long ways to go in order to achieve something really noteworthy. Heck, not even the original Star Wars films, which were released from the late 1970s through the early to mid-1980s, had the best of that element, not by today’s standards. However, Goldfinger seemed to be proof that special effects would begin the process of becoming better, even if it would take decades to achieve the goal of getting to where they’re at today. Next, there’s the music by John Barry. Back in the first two movies, it’s most likely safe to say that his score could have been used more frequently than it seemed to be. This time, it ended up being more of a different story. Of course you’ll here his theme music that’s been used around the beginning and end of each film thus far. But oh man, does Barry go above and beyond to use his music much more constantly. In doing so, he helps the audience be much more engaged in the story than in either of the two previous films. This seems to be especially true when it comes to the more exciting moments of this film. In addition to this, some of the characters seem to be much more fleshed out this time around. Considering that neither Dr. No, or From Russia With Love had their best strength in that particular area, that’s a big plus for Goldfinger. This appears to be true not only for James Bond himself, but also for the main villain, and/or the supporting villains. It would be no surprise if say Goldfinger had been listed as one of the greatest villains in the James Bond movie franchise, if not movie history period. One final thing to mention, as far as the positive aspects go, is that it’s great to learn some very fascinating information from this film, like where certain places are in certain nations, or states, how certain gadgets work, and other cool things as well.

The one downside to Goldfinger would be that there were one or two elements in this film that might have been a little rushed, and/or glossed over. Okay, maybe not quite as much as in the other two James Bond movies that were released before this one. Still, let’s just say that it was one or two areas that could have had a little more improvement.

And that’s my review for Goldfinger. If you were one of those people who didn’t feel like watching the 007 James Bond movies after at least Dr. No, or even From Russia With Love, well, fear not. Goldfinger ended up seeming to step up it’s game by trying to get the audience to want to more of James Bond, and see how he, and the rest of the cast can do things better. Because of this, there is much more to recommend this time around. Oh, and how about the fact that this, and some of the older James Bond movies were rated PG, eh? My guess is that G, and PG were the only ratings that existed back then? If so, that’s Very interesting. Anyway, see you guys back around again fairly soon!

Final Grade: A

Friends, tonight, we continue with the 007 James Bond franchise, as we review the second installment in this film series. Without further ado, let’s travel with the famous fictional character, James Bond, in the one and only From Russia With Love.

Plot: After some agents from SPECTRE decide to seek revenge after the death of their leader Dr. No, some assassins are assigned to kill him. James Bond (Sean Connery) is contacted by them, under the guise of them asking him to just get a special device for them, making Bond unaware of their true intentions. With the help of his new partner Tatiana Romanova (Daniela Bianchi), can Bond find out the truth, and take down the assassins who want to kill him, including an assassin named Donald Red Grant (Robert Shaw)?

Now, as I’m sure you all may recall, I watched Dr. No, and reviewed that film just a few days ago. Of course it was a good film, but there were aspects about it that could have been better, such as some better pacing, and some better character development, and some other things like that. With all of that said, did From Russia With Love improve in some areas from the first installment? Well, yes, but not by much. From Russia With Love did excel somewhat in fleshing out not only Bond himself, but characters such as Tatiana Romanova, Donald Grant, Rosa Klebb, and some of the other characters as well. As for the pacing, the movie seemed to do a much better job of showing that the people at the MGM studio were making sure that they made the story better paced than the previous film. Sure, once again, the story might have gone a little fast at times. Nevertheless, more often than not, the story seemed to know when to make things speed quickly, and when to go more slowly. As for the relationships, while some of them might be a little confusing at times, those were much better developed this time around. I mean it’s almost like you seem to sense a greater amount of chemistry in some of them that seemed to more lacking in the previous movie. As for the main villain, Donald Grant, oh ho ho, this guy is definitely not one that you want to mess with. Of course the same can likely be said about his cronies, but more so Grant himself. Oh yes, he was in the shadows to a degree, but not as much as say Dr. No himself seemed to be. Because of this, I wouldn’t be surprised if some people were to consider him one of the greatest antagonists in 007 movie history, if not one of the greatest in movie history period. Maybe that’s going a little too far, but it’s probably not that far from true.

Like I said, however, there are some aspects that could have made this movie better. First off, as I mentioned before, the way that some of the relationships are handled can be a little strange at times. It’s hard to explain, but just see the movie if you haven’t, and you’ll hopefully know what I mean. Also, there seemed to be some character arcs that may have been a little rushed, and that possibly could have been written up a little better as a result. Finally, there were some scenes that could’ve been expanded upon. I’m not sure if they are in future installments. However, if they aren’t, then that’s too bad. It doesn’t make the film bad or anything. Far from that. It’s just that this movie could have been a little better if those particular scenes had stretched out and given their respective dues a little more than they had been in the end.

And that, my friends, is my review for 007: From Russia With Love. Even if the movie was not a whole lot better than the previous installment, there is still more to recommend than there was with Dr. No. The movie has a more likable villain, better care with it’s characters overall, and a story that helps draw the audience in more than 007: Dr. No appeared to do so. In all honesty, if you want one of those more rare good sequels that improves upon it’s predecessor, definitely make a point to see this film. It’s guaranteed that you’ll be in more for a surprise than with Dr. No.

Final Grade: B+

In the beginning of the 1960s, there arose a new fictional agent who would become popular even around fifty to sixty years later. He would do many heroic deeds, most notably stop evil terrorist organizations from accomplishing their missions. Not only that, but this spy would be played by famous actors like Sean Connery, Pierce Brosnan, and Daniel Craig, along with likely other actors as well. Finally, this agent has promoted twenty-four films for nearly sixty years (or twenty-six if you count the “non-eon films”) . Yes, that’s right. Presenting to you, the one, and only James Bond. Tonight, we review the first of twenty-four to twenty-six films that Mr. Bond has starred in. The one and only Dr. No, which was released back in 1962.

Plot: After an MI6 agent named John Strangways (Timothy Moxon) is murdered by three thugs, agent James Bond (Sean Connery) is sent to investigate the murder. Not only that, but Bond must stop a rocket launch in Jamaica from being disrupted by a madman (Joseph Wiseman), and his terrorist organization. Can agent Bond pull both tasks off before it’s too late?

Friends, I must confess that I didn’t grow up watching the James Bond series as much as I should have. Yes, I did at least see a few of them, such as Die Another Day, Casino Royale, Quantum Of Solace, and Skyfall to name a few. Still, this is most likely my first introduction at least to one of the more older 007 movies that involves the famous fictional character, known as James Bond. After watching the first film of this series, how was it, you may be wondering? Well, while it is a very good film, there were some things that could have been improved upon when it comes at least to Dr. No. To start off, the pacing of the film might have probably moved a little too quickly when it comes to plenty of moments in this film. Sure, there are some times where James Bond, and some of the other characters get their fair share of development. Still, more often than not, events in this film more than likely seem to happen a little fast at times. Okay, I’m not saying that things need to be slow all the time. Still, why not do so at least to a degree, you know? It’s not just some of the story. Minus James Bond, some of the characters could have probably been a little more fleshed out. I mean even the villain himself could have maybe had more screen time. It just makes you wonder, did there seem to be an issue back in the 1960s, and maybe even for a bit after that decade, where the villains didn’t seem to get as much screen time as they should have? For crying out loud, even some of Disney’s villains, minus Cruella Deville from 101 Dalmatians, seemed to be rather underdeveloped, whether that was Madame Mim from The Sword In The Stone, or even Shere Khan from the 1967 animated version of The Jungle Book. Well, same seemed to go for villains in live-action movies as well, like the antagonist in Dr. No. In addition to this, some of the relationships could have had some more room to grow, as the film progressed, especially when it came to the one between Bond, and the, I guess one can say, ultimate love interest in this film. Don’t worry, as you watch this film, you’ll more than likely know what I mean about that. For now, let’s just say that there could have probably been a little more chemistry in that relationship, and had a little more room to grow as a result. Also, while the ending felt more resolved, you might find yourself if it was a hundred percent satisfying, or if it could have maybe been a little better.

Now, with all of that said, is this movie bad? No! There are still some good things that make up for the flaws that this movie has. To start, Sean Connery gives us a great performance as Janes Bond. Yeah, you think that he only did great in films from say the 90’s, or 2000’s, such as First Knight, The Rock, Entrapment, or Finding Forrester, think again! If you liked his performances in films like those more recent ones, you’ll probably like his performance in Dr. No, or probably in any of the other films where he plays James Bond. Of course one can’t fail to mention how good the other performances are in this film as well. Also, people will get to learn how difficult, and dangerous, it can be to be a spy. As for the musical score by Monty Norman, he seemed to make a very good musical score that helps people to tell that this was a fill that was made a long time ago, the 1960s in this case. Sure, there were moments where his music could have maybe be inserted more than it was in the end. Still, he did a great job composing with what music that we did get of his in this film in the end. As for the underdevelopment of the characters, while some of them could have maybe had a little more depth to them, they were still fairly well developed in the end. The same can be said about the story to an extent too. It’s also great that this film doesn’t seem to feel quite as dark and gory as some of the more modern James Bond movies have seemed to be. Oh yes, there is some gore from time to time. It’s just not quite as in your face as it probably could have been. How about the graphics when it comes to the beginning, or even end credits? Those are very good too, even if they might feel a little outdated when compared to the graphics of nowadays. Lastly, as far as the special effects go, while they’re not exactly the best compared to nowadays, they’re still very good.

Well guys and gals, that concludes my review for the first of the many James Bond movies. For beginning this film franchise, Dr. No may not exactly be the best of this series. Still, the movie does have some good things in it that make it very enjoyable. Granted, it could have been better, but it’s definitely good enough to be worth seeing. Well, definitely see it, if you haven’t yet, and see what you think! On that note, I’m definitely looking forward to seeing what other adventures James Bond had in his earlier days, as I continue on through watching these films all the way up to 2015’s Spectre.

Final Grade: B

Now ladies & gentlemen, I am well aware that the TV show that I’m reviewing tonight ended it’s run back in the fall of this past year in 2019. But you know what, with the 1998 direct-to-video sequel, by the name of The Lion King 2: Simba’s Pride, turning twenty-two years old come late October of this year (which I’m planning on rewatching and reviewing it as a result), this show being intertwined with the events of that sequel and the original Lion King somewhat, and, well, not to mention that the remake of The Lion King was just released this past year, I figured that it’s better late than never to give you all a review of this TV show. With all that said, let’s take some time to roam around the Pride Lands with Simba and Nala’s second-born cub Kion, and his Lion Guard in the Lion King spin-off show, The Lion Guard.

Season One Plot: King Simba (Rob Lowe) and Queen Nala (Gabrielle Union) have been training their first born cub, Queen Kiara (Eden Riegel) how to rule the Pride Lands once the time comes for her to do so. Meanwhile, Simba and Nala’s second-born cub, Kion (Max Charles) discovers that he has a roar by the name of the Roar Of The Elders. Because of this, Kion forms his Lion Guard, consisting of honey badger Bunga The Brave (Joshua Rush), hippo Beshte (Dusan Brown) the Strongest, egret Ono the Keenest Of Sight (Atticus Shaffer), and cheetah Fuli The Fastest (Diamond White). Together, the Guard must work together to thwart any dangers that are to jeopardize the Pride Lands, whether that come in the form of Janja (Andrew Kishino) and his hyena clan, villainous jackals, and any other dangers that might disturb the peace in Simba’s Kingdom.

Season Two Plot: After a cobra named Ushari (Christian Slater), a former member of the Pride Lands, and Janja’s hyena clan work together to make Kion so angry that he uses his roar in anger, and in doing so, Kion unintentionally summoning the spirit of his great uncle Scar, Scar (now voiced by David Oyelowo), Janja, and Ushari make plans to gather all the evil Outlanders, consisting of Reirei (Ana Gasteyer) and Goigoi (Phil LaMarr), and their jackal family, Kiburi (Common) and his crocodile followers, and Mzingo (Greg Ellis) and his vultures, in any attempts to destroy Simba and the Royal Family, and the rest of the Pride Lands. With the Pride Lands now in greater danger, it is up to Kion and the Lion Guard, Rafiki, Kiara, Simba, and Nala, along with help from all the other animals living in the Pride Lands, as well as aid from a few good animals that live in the Outlands, to save their Kingdom, and find out how they can send Scar back to the afterlife, and defeat his evil forces living in the Outlands once and for all.

Season Three Plot: After circumstances bring Kion and the Guard face to face with Ushari, Ushari uses his teeth and venom to give Kion a scar around his eye to match that of his great uncle Scar, in an attempt to make Kion turn to the dark side. After Rafiki (Khary Payton) tells Kion and the Guard to go to a distant land that contains a tree called the Tree Of Life, in order to destroy the venom that’s contained in Kion’s scar. With aid from Rafiki’s apprentice Makini (Landry Bender), the Guard set out to find the tree, and encounter new friends along the way, including Princess Rani (Peyton Elizabeth Lee speaking voice, and Lana McKissack singing voice), and her Night Pride. Can Kion be cured of the venom that’s contained within his new scar?

Okay, a few months before this show started to air. I had never heard of this show. However, a friend of mine that’s most likely a bigger Disney fan than I am showed me trailers of the show. So, once the first episode of The Lion Guard aired back in late 2015, I went ahead and watched it. After seeing it, I was really excited for all the episodes that would come out over the next few years. After watching The Lion Guard in it’s entirety, I found myself wondering, “Why did only the pilot episode air on Disney Channel, while all the other episodes aired on Disney Junior?” Okay, sure there were some episodes that made this show feel like it was more for younger kids than older people. Still, especially when this show gets into the second and third seasons, there are quite a few things that adults, and possibly even teens will more than likely enjoy about this particular show. First of all, there are the songs that play in each episode. Now, for the longer episodes that ran around 40 minutes, those had around maybe three to four songs, while the many shorter episodes had one, and, occasionally, two songs. While there were a few of the songs from the Lion Guard that were rather cheesy and corny, there are a great plenty that are surprisingly very catchy, ranging from “We’re The Same (Sisi Ni Sawa),” “We’re The Smartest,” and “Of The Same Pride” to name a few. Granted, they weren’t exactly as great as say the songs from Tangled: The Series/Rapunzel’s Tangled Adventure (which ran from 2017-2020). Still, you might find yourself getting in the groove with many of the songs that were written for The Lion Guard show. Next, there’s the story for The Lion Guard. Okay, of course neither this, or anything else that’s related to The Lion King universe is going to match the excellence of The Lion King. Still, the fact that this story was made from scratch, as well as taking place between Kiara’s first encounter with Kovu (voices by Jason Marsden in this show), and Kiara’s adulthood, it’s really cool what the makers of this show did. Sure, the story can be, dare I say it, corny at times, but still. Another thing to add in regards to the story is this. You know how I mentioned in places like my review for both Lion King films how there seems to be this battle struggle between good and evil? Well, especially when Scar is summoned, and becomes the main villain for part of the series, Mufasa seems to symbolize God, and good qualities of God such as goodness, unconditional love, and all those other good qualities that one can think of. As for Scar, he once again can be an excellent embodiment of the devil by acting manipulative, deceptive, and do whatever he can to lure weaker characters to the dark side if that were possible. Honestly, the fact that Scar also tries to feed characters like Kion different lies from the pit of hell, that makes a great example of a villain well done. Same can be said about some of the other antagonists in this show as well. Oh, and going along the lines of that, the whole deal with Kion’s Scar can have a great parallel to life. The reason being is the whole deal about it being discussed how Kion’s scar didn’t make him who he was. This theme can be applied to real life with how our past, present, or even future mistakes don’t define who we are in the end. Man, what amazing news that is, and will continue to be! Also going along the lines of the story, most of the characters are really, really well-developed. This goes not just for the main, or even supporting characters that are in the show from the start, but also from some of the newer characters that come in by the second, or even just the third season of this show. There are also some well-written character arcs in The Lion Guard as well. Granted, there were one or two character arcs that could have been written a little better, but one can say that even those ultimately worked in the end. In addition to all of this, The Lion Guard can probably have a little bit of a Pocahontas kind of feel to it, most notably when it comes around to the middle of the third season. One other thing to mention is that shows like The Lion Guard, or even Tangled: The Series serve as proof that a spin-off show, or continuation of an original story seem to work much better than say those direct-to-video Disney sequels that were released throughout the mid-90’s and all the way to the late 2000’s. Why? That may most likely be because of the fact that, unlike those Disney sequels, Lion Guard, Tangled: The Series, or even Big Hero 6 ended up spreading out their stories over the course of TV seasons. In doing so, this move has seemed to make their stories, and characters, much stronger and/or likable as a result. Another thing to mention is that we get a little glimpse of what life was like for Simba, Nala, and the Pride Lands following the events of The Lion King 2: Simba’s Pride. Finally, if one were to decide which was better between at least The Lion Guard, and Timon & Pumbaa (which was the first Lion King soon-off show that ran from 1995-1999), it wouldn’t be surprising if more people ended up liking The Lion Guard even more. That is especially since Lion Guard seems to have a better story, as well as superior animation. Oh, and there are points with a really beautiful musical score, including pretty guitar playing. One more thing is that there’s the message about learning to be willing to let certain things go in life. I’m not going to say the circumstances that occur in conveying this message. However, let’s just say that people can learn that we don’t need certain things in life in order to be worthy, or successful. What a great message that rings true even today!

With all of these good things about this show, is it perfect? Not quite. As I mentioned before, there were a few of the songs that were a little weird. I mean there were even a couple that sounded like something that could be sung in a teen music video, or something like that. Not sure that would necessarily be best at least for younger kids, you know? There were also one or two plot holes as well, specifically the whole deal with the lioness Zira, and her Outsider Pride. You would think that by now, we the audience would finally know how she and her Pride were connected to Scar, right? Well, sadly, that didn’t seem to be addressed that much even in The Lion Guard. Oh well. Seeing as we had three seasons where that could have been addressed, that aspect seemed like a wasted opportunity. Oh well, I guess. Oh, and here’s an additional thing! There are occasional points in time where some of the characters, such as Bunga, that are likable overall, yet can come off as a little bratty and annoying at times. Thankfully it could have been much worse, but still. Finally, and this is more of a nitpick than major problem, why is the tree that the Guard needs to travel to in the third season called the Tree Of Life? Why not call it say the Tree Of Healing, or some other name that doesn’t make it sound like animals who go there gain immortality, yet still serves as beneficial, you know? But whatever, I guess!

And that, my friends, is my review for the TV show The Lion Guard. Even though it can feel like a show for kids, adults, and probably even teens can get some enjoyment out of this particular show. It has some amazing animation for a TV show, mostly catchy tunes, well thought out characters, and some great symbolism that had carried even from the original Lion King. Truthfully, one of the main problems was the fact that The Lion Guard aired mostly on Disney Junior instead of the regular Disney Channel. That alone most likely kept this particular show from being more popular than it ended up being in the end. Well, if you haven’t seen The Lion Guard, then try to find it either on the Internet, or even Disney+, if you have that on your TV system as of nowadays. You’ll most likely be surprised with the results once you finish watching The Lion Guard in it’s entirety.

Final Grade: A-

Good evening everyone! Sorry that it’s been a little too long since at least my previous movie review. I’m not sure how I let so much time pass with that particular activity. Anyway, tonight, we are reviewing yet another movie that, like Dreamworks Trolls: World Tour, Warner Bros. decided to release straight to On Demand, rather than do what many other studios had been doing, and just postponing any movies that were supposed to come out around this time to either late this summer, or even around Thanksgiving or Christmas of this year. It is a certain animated film that’s made by Warner Bros. that was released the same day that 1998’s Quest For Camelot, and 1998’s The Horse Whisperer turned twenty-two years old (which makes me want to rewatch and review the former, finally see the latter, as well as revisit a few other films and review over the course of this year that were also released back in 1998). With that said, let’s all travel with Mystery, Inc., consisting of Shaggy Rogers (Iain Armitage plays young Shaggy, while Will Forte voices the adult version of that character), his dog Scooby-Doo (Frank Welker), Velma (Gina Rodriguez), Daphne (Amanda Seyfried), & Fred (Zac Efron).

Plot: Shaggy, Scooby-Doo, and the gang are back in action in this recent adaptation of the Hanna-Barbera show of the same name. This time, our heroes must team up with Brian/Blue Falcon (Mark Wahlberg), and his team to stop the villainous Dick Dastardly (Jason Isaacs) from collecting three ancient artifacts that could endanger the world once joined together.

Now, while this may be more in the high B range than the A range, there is no doubt that Scoob is a really fun film. In fact, unlike with Trolls: World Tour, Warner Bros. should have made the decision to postpone this film’s release date, and release IN THEATERS, especially since many other studios had been doing that with their films. I mean with Trolls: World Tour, that one seemed to feel more like a direct-to-video film. Scoob, not so much. But before we talk about the many good things, let’s first discuss the elements that could have made this film better. To begin, young Shaggy could have maybe been fleshed out a little more when it came to moments before he met Scooby, and his newer friends. Either that, or they could have maybe inserted some flashbacks as to why he seemed to act the way that he did in certain situations. Additionally, there were a couple points, where the dialogue might have been a little corny to an extent. Finally, there were one or two points where this movie seemed to borrow elements from older versions of the Scooby-Doo story.

However, despite the film having these faults, Scoob makes up for it with the many more good things that film has. First off, there is the animation is incredible. Wow, if you liked the animation from more recent films that were made by Warner Bros. Animation, such as Happy Feet, or any of the Lego films that were released in more recent years, it is guaranteed that you’ll love the animation here as well. So much so that it’ll most likely help the viewer get himself/herself immersed in the story. Next, there’s the predictability portion of this film. There are times in this film, where you might find yourself predicting certain events events to occur at different points. However, what we get instead is some really good twists that surprisingly work so well to the point where you will continue to feel engaged, as the movie progresses. Another thing to mention is that if you might think that this is an episode extended to around an hour and a half long, please do not fear. Even if that may feel like that to a degree, there is a great plenty of creativity abounding that you’ll probably care less about something like that being the case here. Also, the casting choice is really interesting. I mean you have Zac Efron from movies such as the High School Musical franchise and The Greatest Showman, Iain Armitage from Sheldon, Frank Welker, who voiced mostly non-talking animated characters over the past two to three decades, Mark Wahlberg, who has played in mostly action roles, and a few others. Honestly, because of these casting choices, and others that I didn’t mention, I wouldn’t have been surprised if this film had been successful at the box-office, if it had just gone to theaters when it was able to. As for the script, while that has one or two corny lines as far as that aspect goes, the rest of it is splendid. Not only is the rest of the script really good, but there are some extremely funny moments that are inserted in the movie. One of these times is a point that let’s just say is so hilarious that you’ll likely be laughing for a long while to come. Finally, Scoob has an excellent message about what makes a true friend, and how it’s best to stay friends to the very end if at all possible.

Well folks, that concludes my review for Scoob. Regardless of whether or not you grew up watching the Scooby-Doo show, or not, this is a film that is a must-see. There is plenty of heart in it, there’s creativity aplenty, extremely hilarious moments, and other really good points that help overshadow any negatives that this film might have. Who knows? Maybe this movie might pique one’s interest in checking out the rest of the Scooby-Doo show, or movies. Definitely check it out ASAP! Scoob is proof that it should have never skipped theaters to go straight to On Demand, unless the company felt that they had a really good reason to do so, such as financial strains, or some other reason. Well, again, see this film soon, and see what you think!

Final Grade: B+

Well everyone, tonight, I have another surprise for all of you! Remember how I reviewed a TV show just a couple months ago? Guess what! We are doing that once again! This time, we go into a more adult show that aired on CBS from the fall of 2018 through late April of this year. Surprisingly, the reason this particular show has such a short run was likely because of the second season not receiving as much viewers as the first. What a pity! Well, without further ado, let’s talk about God Friended Me!

Seasons 1 & 2 Plot: A devout atheist named Miles Finer (Brandon Micheal Hall) runs a podcast by the name of The Millennial Prophet. Sometime, along the way, Miles receives a friend request on Facebook from someone claiming to be God. Miles accepts, followed by asking to help plenty of people along the way. With the help of some new friends such as a hacker named Rakesh Singh (Suraj Sharma), and a journalist named Cara Bloom (Violett Beane), can they help prevent dangers from occurring to certain people, as well as eventually discover who the mysterious person is that’s behind the God Account?

Hmmmm! I must say that this was a very interesting show. I say that in a mostly good way too. Now, I say mostly because of there being one, or two areas where the writing on this show could have probably been a little better. But let’s talk about the good things first. To begin, the show does a superb job of showing how difficulties, and hardships in life could turn Christians (or at least people who call themselves Christians) away from their faith in God. In addition to this, God Friended Me is great at showing that even if you are a Christian, you’re not perfect. Of course we only know if one human who was perfect, and that was Jesus (which still remains the case today). Anyway, when it comes to Miles helping people, even if Miles might not realize the existence of God right away, one can tell that he might possibly head in that direction sooner or later. Not to mention that it’s cool that some of the people that Miles helps along the way may likely recognize God’s existence, even if they may not always say so. Oh, and how about the fact that Miles and Ali’s (Ali is Miles’ sister) Dad is a Pastor of Harlem Episcopal and eventually Bishop of New York? What’s more is that the show is fantastic at portraying how complicated relationships may get in life, whether they be family relationships, romantic ones, and other types. Hardly anything is sugarcoated in this area, due to this show portraying the realism of friendships, and/or serious relationships. Oh, and the show can really tug at your heartstrings sometimes. When it’s funny, more often than not, it knows when to be. Same goes for when this show has it’s serious and/or sad moments. One other thing to mention is that it’s amazing how there were own or two Bible verses brought up in this show as well.

But are there any downsides to God Friended Me? Well, I have to tell you that there is for sure one thing that keeps this show from getting a perfect A+ grade. It’s the ending for the show. Or at least certain aspects of the ending! I mean for one, there were some things that could have been fully resolved. Yes, a good majority of events from this show were fulfilled and/or resolved. However, you do want to find yourself wanting a little more. Also, there were one or two cliffhangers on this show that we never see come to complete fruition. Honestly, there should have been at least one or two additional episodes before God Friended Me decided to come to a complete close. Now that the show’s over, we may never see what happens s after Season 2 if this show. Will there be a Season 3 that ends up being Netflix exclusive like with Designated Survivor? It’s doubtful. Because of that, you may wish that there ended up being a little more before the show ended for good.

And that’s my review for God Friended Me. Despite the show not having quite everything resolved before the end, at least we get to see most of what happens. The show acts very realistic, knows what it’s tone is at different points, and has a very excellent premise. If you haven’t seen this show yet, definitely check it out either on Amazon, or some other place where you can watch all of Season One and Two of that show. It may yet make one think about the world in a very interesting way.

Final Grade: A

Welcome back ladies & gentlemen! I know that I meant to review this film shortly after watching it a week and a half to couple weeks ago. However, I had a crazy, and very busy schedule, and I was unable to. Well, better even later than never, right? Well, with that said, tonight, we review the newest animated film from the Dreamworks Animation Studio. It is the one that has caused so much controversy among many movie theaters companies after it was successful financially from going straight to On Demand. This caused controversy in that major movie theater companies, like AMC, have banned any future Universal, and/or possibly even Dreamworks films to play at any of their theaters in the future even after movie theaters are reopened again. Wow, let’s hope that other major movie studios like Warner Bros. doesn’t also get the same treatment even if their newest film, Scoob, is successful when going straight to On Demand within the next week to week and a half. Anyway, you guessed it! It is the one and only sequel to the 2016 Dreamworks hit film, 2020’s Trolls: World Tour.

Plot: Sometime after the events of the original Trolls film, Poppy (Anna Kendrick) of the Pop Music Trolls Kingdom is still getting used to her role as Queen of her Kingdom. One day, she, and her Kingdom, receive an invitation from Queen Barb (Rachel Bloom) of the Rock Music Kingdom to go on tour with her, unaware that Barb is actually planning to destroy all types of music, and unite everyone under the music genre of Rock. Will Poppy discover the deception, and stop Barb before it’s too late, or will all the Troll Kingdoms get under Barb’s control in the end?

Now, as many of us probably know, this sequel to the 2016 hit has been very even going On Demand. Some have even gone so far as to say that this film is better than the original film. Which, that begs the question! Is this sequel better than the original 2016 film? Yes, but not by much. Still, let’s talk about the highlights first. Of course there is some very good animation in this film. It’s also cool to learn a little bit more about the origins of the Troll Kingdoms that we didn’t get to know about back in Trolls 1. As for at least the main characters from the original film, they do end up getting better developed as this sequel progresses. This includes some of the main key relationships that were to carry over from Trolls 1, and into Trolls: World Kingdom. Some of the world building, particularly when it comes to some of the objects, is also very creative too. Last, but not least, some of the messages are good too, despite most likely finding yourself thinking that you could be watching far more superior movies with messages like that.

Like I said, however, there are a LOT of negatives that keep this film from being a really great sequel. First off, Trolls: World Tour falls as a result of having a great plenty of cliches. Okay, okay, now please, hear me out! I’m sure we can all agree that every film is going to have certain cliches to one degree, or another. In fact, if a film has at least one or two of those, than that should be fine. The problem with this sequel, however, is that there are quite so many of them that it keeps this film from being one of those creative sequels that could reach the same heights as say the Toy Story sequels, the really great How To Train Your Dragon franchise, or even 2018’s Mary Poppins Returns, for instance. What’s even worse is that even if some of the character development grows, especially with the original cast, the same doesn’t seem to be said quite nearly as much with some of the newcomers in this second film. Because of that, the newer characters don’t seem to stand out that much, and/or even be likable, or memorable. Same sort of goes for some of the original characters too, but not quite as much. As for the world building, while we do get some creativity in that aspect, there doesn’t seem to be quite as much buildup as we might have liked. A good example of this is that we get a glimpse of what the other Troll Kingdoms are like, but we don’t get to spend as much time in some those areas as we might like. I could maybe go on with other examples, but won’t. There’s also the deal with some of the character arcs in this film. Okay, maybe that might go with the deal of character development. However, one other thing I will say in that regards is that some of those might have felt a little too forced at times. For crying out loud, there doesn’t seem to be that much foreshadowing to some of those arcs happening. As a result, this aspect of the film makes you probably enjoy movies with more elements of that type more so (Remember The Titans, Atlantis: The Lost Empire, or Treasure Planet, anyone?).

Well folks, that concludes my review for Trolls: World Tour. It’s not exactly a bad sequel by any means. In fact, it’s at least a decent one. However, Trolls: World Tour seems to show that there is still some creativity within the company, but it’s kind of hidden within a film like this. You can likely tell that DreamWorks seemed to invest their creativity more in films like the How To Train Your Dragon films, or Abominable, or films like that more so than either Trolls, or Trolls: World Tour. In all honesty, it just comes to show that just because certain original films are successful upon their original releases, that doesn’t automatically mean that they should have a sequel. That is unless you have a really, really good follow up. Sadly, this is one of those times where the sequel at least has a decent follow up. If you’re expecting a sequel in the same league as say most of the Toy Story sequels, definitely prepare for your expectations to be shattered. However, if you’re flipping through On Demand, and are at least looking for something that’s fairly entertaining, then I guess you can’t go wrong. Well, feel free to check this film out, and see what you think!

Final Grade: B-

Everyone, today, we review a Christian themed film that is based on a true story. Two years ago, a couple people, known as the Erwin Brothers, directed another one of these by the name of I Can Only Imagine, based off of the song by Mercy Me, and their journey to writing that song. This time, they direct a film based off of some of the life of Jeremy Camp, and his journey to becoming a Christian artist, as well as writing songs such as “Walk By Faith,” “Give You Glory,” and the song that this film is based off of, “I Still Believe.” Without for their ado, here is a review of the film that’s called I Still Believe.

Plot: The movie first takes place when Jeremy Camp graduates high school, moves away from his hometown in Lafayette, Indiana to San Francisco, California, and other Evans that take place in his life after that.

Now, you may be wondering, did the Erwin Brothers do as well with I Still Believe as with 2018’s I Can Only Imagine? Well, while you may find yourself enjoying I Can Only Imagine a little more so, I Still Believe has mostly strong points as well. First off, actor KJ Apa seems to understand how Jeremy Camp most likely felt when either good, or difficult circumstances occurred in his life. Overall, he knows how to play the role of the artist very well. Same goes for Britt Robertson as Melissa, Gary Sinise as Jeremy’s father, and all the others. The only thing that may, or may not be a downside is that one may wish that someone else might have played Jeremy Camp, one that probably say sang songs in the actual key that Jeremy Camp himself sang in originally, you know? Not that it’s bad what we got in the end. Still, if you enjoyed the song “I Can Only Imagine” being played in the exact key that it was in the film I Can Only Imagine as that original tune, you might find yourself wishing that the same occurred for some of Jeremy Camp’s songs that played throughout the course of I Still Believe. Just a thought more than a criticism. In addition to all of this, the film is excellent with showing how good, but also difficult life was for Jeremy as he became a Christian artist, got married, and other things happened as well. Oh, and for those of you who don’t already know what motivated Jeremy to write the title song that this movie is based off of, let’s just say that you’ll more than likely understand where he’s coming from. Who knows? Perhaps that, along with other aspects of Jeremy’s testimony will change the life of others. One can only hope and pray, that’s for sure. Finally, there’s the whole deal about why God doesn’t always answer prayers the way that we may expect Him to. Yes, this movie does a fascinating job of dealing with that whole issue. Let’s face it, many of us, especially those of us who are Christians, have prayed for God to do something for us in our lives that He may not do. That is at least not in the way that we may expect Him to. With that said, if not right away, than by the end, I Still Believe will more than likely help people understand even more so that God allows certain hardships in our lives to occur for a reason. We won’t always understand His ways, but we can certainly trust Him, even in the most difficult circumstances. This movie will probably help people understand that all the more.

Well folks, that concludes my review for I Still Believe. It is definitely an excellent film. Even if I can Only Imagine might have done things a little better such as maybe developing some of the characters slightly better, I Still Believe had plenty of depth with it’s characters, and story overall. Honestly, after you see this movie, you’ll probably want to have a close, or closer relationship with God. Now yes, the Bible is the ultimate helpful guide for something like that. Nevertheless, I can guarantee you might want to know God more after seeing this film. Definitely watch this movie On Demand, or somewhere else if you get the chance. It’s most definitely worth your time, and will more than likely help you get a fresh perspective on God, and life overall, in the end.

Final Grade: A