Ladies & gentlemen, once again, we dive into yet another movie review sooner rather than later. And this shall be awesome as, after this, we shall finally reach the milestone of 350 film reviews. I definitely am overly excited about this, and I hope you are too. Tonight, we review an action thriller film that was released just a few months ago, in October of last year, but I never got the chance to see in theaters until last week. Yes, tonight, we review the one and only thriller, Black & Blue, starting Naomi Harris, Tyrese Gibson, and a few others.

Plot: Shortly after a rookie cop named Alicia West (Naomi West) returns to New Orleans to be a cop there, she witnesses the murder of an unarmed drug dealer, and gets framed for it. After teaming up with a store owner named Milo Jackson (Tyrese Gibson), can they together find the real culprit, and clear Alicia’s name once and for all?

Although this action thriller may have a story that may feel a little fast paced at times, it is also one that is very well-structured. Basically, Black & Blue can almost feel like a more adult version of something like Who Framed Roger Rabbit, or even a movie version of any TV show season of 24. That is except for the fact that Black & Blue has to be consolidated into a movie, instead of stretched out into a TV series. However, let’s of course remember that people love watching movies too, not just TV shows. Anyway, a lot of the characters are well-developed. Sure, maybe there are a couple that could have had somewhat better character arcs. Still, for how they were written up, the movie did a very good job in that area. In addition to this, there is plenty of good suspense. Well, when a movie is supposed to be an action thriller, I suppose one should make a lot of that stuff, you know? There’s also a lot of really great chemistry between the two main leads, Alicia and Milo. Same can likely be said about some of the other characters, most notably when it comes to the villains. Additionally, Black & Blue does a fantastic job of showing how just because one is a cop, doesn’t mean that cops can always be trusted. Yeah, let’s remember that there are some cops who might be criminals behind closed doors. Of course, this doesn’t just apply to the police department. There have been people throughout history who have done evil things in secret as well, corrupt church leaders (Middles Ages, anyone?), people who have worked in grocery stores, you name it. With that said, the film does a fantastic job of teaching us that you have to be careful about who you trust, or distrust. As for the score by Geoff Zanelli, he also has a really good score, particularly when it comes to moments that may make you jump on the edge of your seats from time to time.

And that’s my review for Black & Blue. Overall, this movie does a really noble job of having some good moral lessons that we need to constantly learn in our lives. Not only that, but the action is awesome, and the characters are very well thought out for the most part. If you’re into action films, specifically thrillers, Black & Blue is most definitely a must watch. It is well executed, and one that maybe you might want to watch more than once from time to time.

Final Grade: A

P.S. Next up, my 350th review!

Good evening everyone, and here we are again, with yet another movie review. Tonight, we are going to be diving into a film that was in a group of animated films during the 1990s, known famously, or infamously as the “Disney knock-offs“. What do I mean by that term, you may ask? Well, as I’m sure most of us know, we had the period during the 1990s decade that was called the Disney Renaissance, that started with The Little Mermaid in 1989, and ended with Tarzan in 1999, as well as included other mostly great Disney films such as Beauty & The Beast, Aladdin, The Lion King, and films like those. However, what not nearly as many people likely know, unless you were a kid who grew up around the 90s, was that there were other companies such as MGM, Warner Bros., New Line Cinemas, and 20th Century Fox, for instance, that also came out with mostly lesser known animated films that, more often than not, tried a little too hard to act like the Disney films that were coming out around that time. Non-Disney animated movies that came out during this time included movies like Rock-A-Doodle, an animated remake of The King And I, The Pebble & The Penguin, Quest For Camelot, and tonight’s review, The Swan Princess. Sadly, most of these animated films that attempted to have a Disney kind of film were met with mostly mixed to negative reviews. Thankfully, there were at least a couple of these films, such as 1997’s Anastasia (made by 20th Century Fox), and 1998’s The Prince Of Egypt (made by Dreamworks), that got better reactions from critics, and audiences alike. With all that said, what is the Swan Princess, those of you who have never heard of it may ask? Well, it was an animated film that was released in theaters in 1994, just a few months after Disney’s highest grossing animated film, at the time, The Lion King. It was directed by a former animator at Disney named Richard Rich. Now, before we officially dive into the review, I’ll give you some background information about Richard Rich that I learned from other movie reviewers like Rachel Wagner, and Logan Ridenbaugh (aka Hewy Toonmore). Before starting his own animation company known as Rich Animation Studios, he helped direct Disney films like 1981’s The Fox & The Hound, as well as 1985’s The Black Cauldron. After that, Rich left Disney and formed his own animation company known as of course Rich Animation Studios. Not only did he direct The Swan Princess, but he also directed a few other animated films like Trumpet Of The Swan, The King & I, and I believe one or two other films. Interestingly enough, Rich also made his own set of animated Bible episodes that consisted of events from the Bible like Moses, Abraham & Isaac, The Death & Resurrection Of Christ, and others like those. Now, without further ado, let’s finally glide into the review of The Swan Princess.

Plot: Prince Derek (Howard McGillin), and his fiancé, Princess Odette (Michelle Nicastro speaking, and Liz Callaway singing voice) are pledged to be married and rule in Derek’s kingdom. But before this can happen, Odette gets abducted by an evil sorcerer named Sir Rothbart (Jack Palance), and her father, the king of his kingdom, along with some of his soldiers, are killed in the process. Rothbart then takes Odette to his castle, places a curse on her that turns her into a swan during the day, and human at night when the moon shines. Now, upon hearing this, can Derek find Odette, make a vow of everlasting love to her, and defeat the evil Rothbart once and for all?

Alright, so there were a couple reasons that I wanted to go ahead and revisit The Swan Princess around this time. One of them was that, a few years ago, my You Tube friend Rachel Wagner reviewed this film, and mentioned at one point during that review that she thought that this film was better than the 1998 Warner Bros. film Quest For Camelot. I then commented on that review, saying that I was basically surprised, and said that maybe I should rewatch both movies to see if I agreed, or disagreed with her on that. Which, that leads to my second reason. Upon hearing that the newer animated Scooby Doo movie, also made by Warner Bros., was originally gong to be released on May 15th of this year, when Quest For Camelot, and a Touchstone film named The Horse Whisperer (which I plan to finally watch sometime this year) turn twenty-two years old, I figured why not plan to watch Quest For Camelot around May or June of this year? Now, since Scoob is being delayed to likely later this year, due to the Coronavirus pushing some films from their original release dates to mostly later in this year, I’m debating whether or not to still watch Quest For Camelot sometime in May or June, or wait until it gets closer to the newer release date of Scoob. That is being played by ear as of right now. Anyway, my point is, I wanted to watch both Swan Princess and Quest For Camelot mostly to compare the two films.

Now that I’ve finally seeing this film again after so many years, does it still hold up even today? Well, in some ways, it’s sort of understandable as to why The Swan Princess became popular at least on video, and eventually turned into a franchise that consisted of a lot of direct-to-video sequels following the first movie’s theatrical debut. However, in others, one can argue that The Swan Princess might be a little overrated. First of all, about half to three quarters of the songs are little too sappy and strange. Okay, there were maybe one or two that were okay. However, the rest of the songs seemed rather pointless, and most of them may make you feel like they were inserted in there just for the sake of labeling this animated film as a musical, and/or even a Disney knock-off. It almost makes one wonder why this film didn’t just go the route of say Universal’s Balto (which came out a year after this film) and only have one or two songs, but have no songs after that, or better yet, no songs at all. Not only were most of the songs a little stupid, but even some of the characters were a little weird as well. Additionally, there were slightly too many characters, one or two of which seemed to be on the film just for the sake of pure comic relief, rather than serving as a better purpose to the plot. Okay, I’m not saying that comic relief characters are a bad thing by any means. However, if characters like that are going to likely make a distraction from the meat of the story, then that’s where it’s a little big of a problem, you know? Additionally, there were a couple plot holes in this film. There were also some of the jokes. Some of them were okay, but there were others that didn’t seem to make sense at least for the time period that this film was set in.

Luckily, however, unlike with 1996’s All Dogs Go To Heaven 2, there were at least a few more good things that came out of The Swan Princess. To begin, there was a very good message about learning to love others for their good qualities and values, and NOT just for their looks, or beauty, or things like that. Sure, that was done in the 1991 Disney movie Beauty & The Beast as well. Still, this movie did well with going more of a newer route with that message. There’s also some of the comedy. Granted, that may go with the whole deal about the jokes in this film. Still, one other thing to mention is that some of them would have worked a little better if some of those funny moments weren’t included in the mostly forgettable songs. As for the fact that this film wasn’t all that original, at least one can tell that The Swan Princess was trying to be very creative at times. But one of the biggest highlights of this film is the villain, Rothbart. Honestly, this guy could have maybe been taken out of this movie, and served as say a second-in-command to someone like perhaps the villain Malagant from the 1995 Columbia Pictures live-action film First Knight, or some movie like that. He’s developed well, he’s cold-hearted, and is not a bad guy that you want to piss off. As for the animation, while that’s not the best, it’s certainly okay at most. When you’re watching a film like this one, you can probably tell that you’re watching a movie that was directed by Richard Rich. He seems to have this style of animation that you can that when you watch this, or other works that he was involved in, you can probably tell that you’re watching one of Rich’s films. Finally, there’s the music by Lex de Azevedo. He seems to have this rather calm and peaceful type of music that can probably be distinguished very easily. There’s beautiful piano playing, and other factors that make Azevedo that make him stand out from other musicians, and/or other musical composers.

And that’s my review for The Swan Princess. Sure, it’s not quite one of the strongest animated movies. Still, if you’re flipping through On Demand, and you don’t care what you watch if it’s fault entertaining, then I guess you can’t go wrong with it. Well, feel free to give The Swan Princess a shot, and see what you think! And hey, on the brighter side, at least most of the non-Disney animated movies that were released after this one seemed to get somewhat better and better.

Final Grade: B-

P.S. Next up, Movie Review # 349, followed by the milestone of 350 reviews!

Ladies & gentlemen, with the whole you know what pandemic going on, I think we can agree that we need something even mostly positive to talk about, eh? Oh, and I just want you all to know that that because of this Corona Virus occurring, and so many businesses closing, as well as a lot of people suggesting that we not go to public places all that much, I may not be going to the movie theater to see newer films at least for the next month, maybe even month and a half, depending on how this crisis pans out in the weeks to come. It shall be played by ear for sure. However, I do plan to watch, or rewatch some older films, including ones in a certain movie marathon that I plan to begin in the next week or two, hopefully. So there’s that! Well, with that announcement out of the way, let’s march onward in Disney/Pixar’s newest offering, which is appropriately titled Onward.

Plot: On youngest brother Ian Lightfoot’s (voiced by Tom Holland) 16th birthday, he is given a wizard’s staff by his oldest brother, Barley Lightfoot (Chris Pratt). Shortly after, Ian and Barley try to use a magical item in the staff to bring their deceased father back from the dead for the next twenty-four hours. But when the spell falls short, and our two main leads have to travel to find another item like before to put into the staff, and bring all of their father back within the time limit, will they succeed in their quest, and will Ian get his chance to see his Dad that he lost when he was a baby?

Okay, when I first heard that Disney/Pixar was finally making their first original film since 2017’s Coco, I was very excited to hear about that. I also was, and still am, glad that both Disney/Pixar, and possibly even Walt Disney Animation Studios are straying from making sequels to original films at least for a while, if not for good. Anyway, I was also thrilled to find that both Chris Pratt and Tom Holland, who, as I’m sure many of us know, both played Marvel characters Star Lord and Spider-Man in the Marvel superhero films, would be playing the main leads in this film.

Now that this movie has finally arrived, and I saw it not this past weekend, but the weekend before, did this film turn out well? Well, not quite. Oh yes, it was still a mostly good film, but Onward was surprisingly not without it’s flaws. First off, what was with the studio making a potential LGBTQ reference in this film? That is especially since Disney/Pixar apparently admitted to inserting a reference somewhat at the last minute, you know? Honestly, it sounds like with movies like this, the upcoming Jungle Cruise, and maybe quite a few other films from any of the Disney studios making hints of gay, or LGTBQ characters being put into films that are aimed for both children and family, I don’t know about some of you guys, but it’s quite possible that I may end up researching which Disney films have that kind of stuff, and being more cautious of which Disney films, or movies period, that I may see, or not see in the future. Again, that shall be played by ear. However, even then, regardless of something like that being in this movie or not, the general concept of this story doesn’t feel quite as original like with Pixar’s other films (or even Disney Animation Studios’ films for that matter). I mean as you watch this movie, you can more than likely tell that there are certain elements that were done much better in family films of this type even as far as a few years ago, or more. That is especially when it comes to things such world building and character development for some of the supporting characters. Truth be told, if there was an opportunity for Disney/Pixar to step out of their comfort zone by making an animated film around 120-140 minutes, if at all possible, this would have been it. I mean, you can still develop the main leads really well too, but why not try to make an effort, if at all possible, to do the same with the world building, and story overall, you know? But oh well! There also seemed to be a couple plot holes as well.

Well, enough of the negatives in Onward. Did this film have good things in it? Well, as I mentioned in the beginning of this film, it did. First off, there were some very creative elements in this film that felt very original, despite the lack of originality that this film had. What’s more is that there are times when you feel like Onward is going to be one of Disney/Pixar’s more predictable movies. While that may sometimes be the case, there are other times when some twists are thrown in here and there that help keep the movie on it’s feet. In addition to these aspects, Onward helps provide some good lessons about how we should learn to be satisfied, and grateful for the things that we do have in our lives. As for some of the songs, while you will be hearing music that exists in real life, it somehow seems to work much better than it did in say the 2005 Disney film Chicken Little, or some film like that. Oh, and some of the additional voice acting, in addition to Pratt and Holland, that is, is fantastic. Finally, if you liked say sibling relationships in say animated films like Lilo & Stitch and Frozen, you’ll enjoy it really well here too. Not only is the relationship written well, but it’s one that can be allegorical to relationships in real life.

Well folks, that concludes my review for Disney/Pixar’s Onward. Sure, it may not be one of Pixar’s strongest films. Nevertheless, there’s plenty to recommend in this film. I would say definitely see this film in theaters if you can. However, before I suggest that, I think that will depend on a couple things. One of course being how the Corona Virus pans out in the weeks to come. Second is how strongly you feel about LGBTQ characters being added in a family movie like this, and/or if you believe that seeing movies like this, or maybe even future ones, might affect our children in the future. Anyway, see you guys around, even if it’s just with more older films at least for a few weeks.

Final Grade: B+

Everyone, as I mentioned in my weekend post last night, I plan to review the new Disney/Pixar film Onward soon, as I just saw that film last weekend. However, before I do, we are first reviewing a certain TV show that aired on Disney channel a few years, and just came to a close as of almost a couple weeks ago. It is based on the Disney’s 50th Animated Feature, Tangled. It is the one and only Tangled: The Series/Rapunzel’s Tangled Adventure, which aired from March 2017, and just ended around early March of this year. Man, does time fly! Well, onto the review!

Season 1 Plot: Following the events of the 2010 Disney film Tangled, Princess Rapunzel (Mandy Moore) is getting settled into her new life in the kingdom of Corona. Not only does she seem to have a good relationship with her parents, the King and Queen of Corona (voiced by Clancy Brown and Julie Bowen respectively), as well as is in a relationship with Eugene Fitzherbert (Zachary Levi), but she makes new friends as well, including her new handmaiden Cassandra (Eden Espinosa). With all that being the case, will Rapunzel take her duties seriously, while also continue to be the free-spirited princess that she has been?

Season 2 Plot: After Princess Rapunzel, and her family and friends discover that crystal rocks from the first season are pointing in a direction that Rapunzel is supposed to go, Rapunzel, along with Eugene, Cassandra, the horse Maximus, and a few other of Rapunzel’s decide to take the long journey to where the rocks are leading Rapunzel to. As they journey along this path, will Rapunzel surprisingly discover her destiny in the end?

Season 3 Plot: After events don’t go according to plan, Princess Rapunzel and the gang must stop and ancient demon named Zhan Tiri from destroying the Kingdom of Corona, and maybe even the rest of the world. Will they be able to stop her in time before it’s too late?

Now, if this show hadn’t come out say sometime before 2016-2017, I’m not so sure that I might have been as likely to watch a show like this. The only reason being is that I haven’t watched a whole lot of cartoon shows since I want to say maybe around my early to mid teen years, sometime like that. However, after a friend of mine told me about another show that aired mostly on Disney Junior by the name of The Lion Guard (which was basically a spin-off show of the 1994 Disney film The Lion King), and that one looked good from some of the commercials, I first got hooked on that show when that started airing first with the TV movie back in late 2015, followed by The Lion Guard airing more in early 2016. A year later, when I heard that Tangled: The Series/Rapunzel’s Tangled Adventure around the springtime of 2017, and that it was going to be a spin-off, and/or continuation of the 2010 Disney film Tangled, I was very excited to watch that show on Disney Channel. I watched every episode that aired from March 2017 through March 2020.

After completely watching the show from beginning to end, was it good? Well guys, I have to be honest especially with those of you who never watched the show by saying that I was very surprised by how good the show was in the end. I mean yes, there were some episodes here and there that were maybe a little cheesy from time to time. Still, I there’s no denying that the makers of this show seemed to put as much effort, and heart into this show as possible. Granted, some of the episodes were a little corny, as well as maybe a couple songs that might have not been that memorable, especially when compared to the songs from the actual movie Tangled from 2010. Still, overall, the songs were surprisingly very catchy for music from a Disney Channel show. Quite honestly, if a good majority were to be installed in say an actual movie sequel to Tangled, if one were to have been released, most of them would have more than likely worked really well. In addition to all of this, there’s also the animation. Wow, wow, wow! When you compare some of the animation on some of these Disney Channel shows, especially ones that are based on a theatrically released Disney animated film, to say the cheaper animation style of say movies and shows that were made by Disney Toon Studios from over a decade, or two ago, it is so impressive to see how much the animation has revolutionized over the years. And sure, people may compare the newer hand-drawn animation of this show to the CGI animation that was in the 2010 Disney film Tangled. However, even if the animation from the movie Tangled and the show will differentiate from each other, there’s is definitely no reason to trash either style of animation for either the movie or show, you know? Next there are the characters. Holy cow! First off, they are all written well, and are executed to the best of their abilities. Rapunzel and Eugene are the same likable and lovable characters that we grew to love and enjoy over this past almost decade. Same goes for the animal characters such as the horse Maximus, Pascal the chameleon, and the pub thugs that were in the original film. As for the newer characters like Rapunzel’s parents, Cassandra, the alchemist Varian, and any of the other newer ones, they end up having so much depth and development to each of their characters. So much so that one can easily tell that they were made for a story that would last over the course of a however long any TV series is supposed to run. Not to say that some of the newer characters couldn’t work in an actual movie as well. It’s just that a TV show, or series, seems to help either old characters, or new ones, to grow and develop in each of their character journeys more, you know? This goes not only for the heroes, and heroines in the show, but also for some of the villains as well. One of the best villains of the show was probably Zhan Tiri. She serves as such great symbolism for the devil. She masquerades as an angel of light, so to speak, and can act so manipulative and deceptive that she can easily brainwash certain people into any lies that she spreads that some will likely believe whatever she says as a result. What’s more is that Zhan Tiri, along with the villain from the Veggie Tales episode Larry Boy & The Fib From Outer Space, and of course the devil (who, unlike the other two characters that I mentioned, is an actual person, whether some people choose to believe that or not) serve as great examples as to why working on the side of evil is NOT a good idea in the first place, and never was to begin with. As for the story that is written for the series, it oddly enough works very well. In fact, one could probably argue that Tangled: The Series/Rapunzel’s Tangled Adventure serves as a great example of how some sequels might work better as a TV show series than a movie length feature. I mean as I watched even more recent episodes of this show from a few months ago from shortly before and after Frozen 2 was released, part of me sort of became curious as to whether or not Frozen 2 might have worked better as a TV series on Disney Channel as well instead of just a full-length feature film/sequel. Okay, don’t get me wrong, Frozen 2 was still a good film, no doubt about it. However, some of us can probably agree that while that was the case, certain aspects like the story, developing especially the newer characters, and the world building could have maybe worked a little better if stretched out to a TV series length, like two to three seasons as well, or something like that, you know? With that said, while Frozen 2 was still very good, you might find yourself liking the Season 1-3 series of Tangled: The Series/Rapunzel’s Tangled Adventure a little, if not a whole lot better. One other thing to mention is that the voice actors do a phenomenal job with playing their respective characters. That goes especially for Mandy Moore, who voiced Rapunzel in both the 2010 movie, and in this show. Can you imagine how much time she most likely had to spend with not only her work on this show, but also playing her role as her character Rebekkah in the live-action show This Is Us (which started airing in the fall of 2016, and that one at least still is continuing to air for however much longer)? I can only imagine how much her hands seemed to be tied up as a result. Well, at least she seemed to succeed in performing in both of those roles to the best of her ability. Finally, there are really good messages throughout the course of this show about learning to not give on your dreams, and not letting your past mistakes/sins define either your present, or your future.

And that’s my review for Tangled: The Series/Rapunzel’s Tangled Adventure. The show seems to show how much animation has come a long way over the years. That is even if animation made for TV will not have the same great quality of animation as an actual movie may. Still, shows like this, and The Lion Guard (which aired from 2016-2019) serve as really good examples of how, when a story, most specifically one that is a continuation of it’s original source, is stretched out to a TV series length type, it can have plenty of room to either develop older characters even more, or even newer ones for the first time. Also, there is some really good music, for the most part, and both old, and new characters that can grow on you as you watch this show from beginning to end. If you watched 2010’s Tangled, but never this show that aired from March 2017 through March 2020, this is one that undeniably a must-see. Even if you don’t have On Demand, maybe try to download the Disney Now app, or even Disney Channel app, whichever may work best, and watch this show from beginning to end. I certainly had fun with this show, and I’m sure so will many of you as well!

Final Grade: A

Good evening everyone, and welcome to another session of me reviewing movies, and either recommend them, or advise against people seeing a certain film. Not to mention that we are now less than five reviews away from Movie Review # 350 (which yes, again, I think I have a film picked out to review for that special occasion when that day comes). Either way, tonight, we review a movie that happens to be based off of a popular video game, and TV franchise. The character of these video games has appeared in games that were made for video game consoles such as Sega, Nintendo Game Cube, and consoles like that. Not to mention that he is a character that is featured in some of the more recent Super Smash Bros. video games as well. That’s right! It is that beloved hedgehog character that has grown on many of us video game buffs over the years. Released on February 14th, 2020, the movie is appropriately titled Sonic The Hedgehog.

Plot: After using a special portal to get himself transported from his home planet to ours, Sonic spends time on Earth enjoying life there. But ten years later, when the villainous Dr. Robotnik tries to hunt the blue alien down, can Sonic, with the help of a local police sheriff named Tom Wachowski (James Marsden), and his wife, a veterinarian named Maddie (Tika Sumpter) defeat his archenemy once and for all?

Now, when I was kid, and more of a video game nerd then than I may be to a certain degree now, I wasn’t quite as into any video games that were about Sonic The Hedgehog as probably many people around my age were. Sure, I did play Sonic games with friends that had the Sega video game system. Nevertheless, I was more into video games like Super Mario, Donkey Kong, Star Fox, The Legend Of Zelda, and video games like those. However, after renting the Game Cube video game Sonic Adventure 2: Battle back in my early teen years in the early 2000’s, I would say that I became a little more invested in video games that were about the blue alien creature after that. So much so that I sometimes would play him as a character on Super Smash Bros. video games (unless I played a different character). Years later, when I saw trailers for this new film, I was very excited to see this movie, even though it looked like some of the other Sonic characters weren’t going to appear.

After seeing this film recently, was it good? For the most part, yes it was. Now, by that, I mean that there are a couple points that could have more than likely made this film a little better. First of all, the beginning of this film may have moved a little too quickly. In fact, while we get to see and hear a little bit of Sonic’s back story in the beginning, one can easily tell that his origin story could have maybe added in an extra five to ten minutes, if not more, simply to have a little more depth to Sonic’s character. The other problem is that some of characters in the supporting cast might feel a little too generic like your typical cynical sibling, or characters like those.

But is this movie bad? Heck no! In fact, if you liked a movie such as Detective Pikachu (which was another video game and TV franchise that was just released last year), you’re bound to enjoy Sonic The Hedgehog too. Sure, Detective Pikachu may have done some elements better, most notably when it comes to mostly excellent character development and world building. While Sonic The Hedgehog was not quite nearly as strong in areas like those, those areas are still very strong for the most part, along with other elements that make this movie really good. Next, there is the main cast of this film. Still, one or two of the main characters might feel a little stereotypical on the surface. However, as the movie progresses, you grow to love and appreciate the main characters of this film more and more. That is especially when it comes to the main character Sonic. First off, let’s give credit to Jim Fowler, and the filmmakers of Paramount Pictures and Sega for choosing to listen to the fans about changing the design of Sonic to look much closer to his original design. That is especially even if that meant waiting an extra three months to release this film. Sure, changing Sonic’s design meant not having him look as realistic as much as he would have otherwise. Still, with the movie having plenty of human characters, why should that have to be an issue, you know? One other thing to enjoy about Sonic’s character is that he is very genuine about how he feels in regards to whatever he goes through. When he’s happy, he’s not afraid to express it. Same goes for when he’s sad and depressed, or has other emotions like those. Anyway, you have James Marsden as Tom Wachowski, and his wife Maddie. Sure, Tom might have more development of the two, but you still appreciate them both regardless. Oh, and as for James Marsden, if you liked him in roles such as 2007’s Enchanted, or possibly even 2011’s Hop, you’ll probably like his role in this role too. However, one of the other best characters in addition to those three is most definitely Jim Carrey’s character Dr. Robotnik. While watching this guy on screen, all I could wonder is why the villain in Fox and Blue Sky’s Spies In Disguise wasn’t as well developed as Robotnik. As a result, it’s almost like one could picture a family comedy like The Emperor’s New Groove, except with a slightly better villain, and a story with more spice and flare added to it.Additionally, plenty of the jokes are funny, well-timed, and very memorable as well. In addition to all of this, there are some good messages in Sonic The Hedgehog that may hit people hard at home. Some of these might include questions such as to whether or not we make decisions for the right reasons, or the wrong ones. What’s more is that some of the visual designs, and animation is very good too. There are also some Easter eggs, and references to the games that appear throughout the course of this film. Oh, and one more thing to mention is that when the film ends, and goes into the end credits, make sure to stick around at least for a few minutes afterwards. There’s a mid-credits scene that you don’t want to miss.

And that’s my review for Sonic The Hedgehog. Yes, the movie could have maybe ran an extra 15-20 minutes that’s more typical than most family films. I mean come on, even Disney Animation seems to make their films a little longer than ninety minutes nowadays. Thankfully Sonic The Hedgehog didn’t have a shorter running time, but took in time to develop as much as possible, even if it could have improved in a couple areas. And praise God that Sonic’s design was changed, especially since this movie might not have been as successful otherwise. Well, whether you have been a big video game fan, or not, this is one film that you should try to check out nonetheless. The story is heartwarming, the plot is very good, and there are a few other reasons to make it a point to see this film. Even if you haven’t played any video games that are about this character, Sonic, there should still be a way to get into the story of this film. Yes, this movie may be enjoyed a little more by people who grew up with Sonic games. Still, non-Sonic people should be able to find ways to enjoy this film as well.

Final Grade: A-

Good evening everyone, and welcome to another session of movie reviewing! Tonight, we review a movie that happens to be based on a novel that was written a long time ago. It stars people like Harrison Ford, and a few other people, as well as animals! Released just recently, we proudly present my review of The Call Of The Wild, produces by 20th Century Studios (yeah, apparently, that’s what it’s called now, instead of 20th Century Fox). Go figure!

Plot: Set during the late 19th Century Gold Rush, Buck lives in Santa Clara, California with his master. But one night, he gets abducted by dognappers, and taken to the Yukon in Alaska. As he endures the cold winters, while also making friends with John Thornton, and a team of sled dogs, will Buck be able to maintain his spirit in the end?

Many of you have probably heard of the book The Call Of The Wild, if not read it as well, have you not? Well, if you haven’t, then you should read the book before seeing the movie very soon. Well, whether you have read the book or not, some of you at least hopefully know that a movie came out recently. That begs the following questions. First off, did the new movie do the original book justice, and was this film better than a movie adaptation like say the 2018 Disney film A Wrinkle In Time? Well, let’s start things off by saying that the book of any story is almost always going to be superior to any film, or even play adaptation any day. However, there’s no denying that the movie version of The Call Of The Wild is still a very enjoyable story. Also, in all honesty, if you were one of those people who thought that 2018’s A Wrinkle In Time was either okay, or you just hated that one with a passion, you’ll more than likely feel a whole lot better with The Call Of The Wild. Sure, the movie took quite a few liberties. However, even if that’s the case, this film seems to stay very true to the source material. Additionally, The Call Of The Wild seems to have a feel of family films like Iron Will, Balto, or, to a lesser degree, maybe even Spirit: Stallion Of The Cimarron. There is such a good amount of depth, and heart to this story. What’s more is that Harrison Ford does well with both acting, and narration whenever he provides that. The movie also has a fantastic score by John Powell. Man, whether or not you’ve seen movies like How To Train Your Dragon, or live-action films that he’s provided a musical score for, there’s no doubt that Powell can make music just as good as someone like Hans Zimmer, John Williams, and quite a few other music composers. In addition to all of this, the movie does great with showing how both difficult, and also how hopeful things in life seemed to be during this particular time period in history. Finally, The Call Of The Wild will more than likely help teach people some very valuable lessons about life in general.

The only downsides to this movie are that, for one, the animals maybe could have actually been live-action animals. Not to say that they look bad. Still, when this is supposed to have real humans, and things alike that, why not have the animals be a little more realistic, you know? Also, there were maybe one or two things from the novel that probably could have been kept in the movie as well.

And that’s my review for The Call Of The Wild. Despite having me or two flaws in the movie, the film version of The Call Of The Wild is very much worth seeing. It has a good story, amazing scenery, a mostly good story, very good messages, and quite a few other elements that make this film worth your while. Even if this film could have added a couple more things to this movie that were at least included in the book, there’s still plenty of elements that make this movie worth your while. Try to see this one if you haven’t! You won’t regret it!

Final Grade: A-

Well guys, today, we review a movie that I first mentioned nearly a couple weeks ago that I would be reviewing. It was a movie that I came across on TV that I sadly never made it to the movie theater for. Well, better late than never, right? Anyway, released in 2018, let’s go ahead and review Green Book, starring Viggo Mortensen and Mahershala Ali.

Plot: Set in the year 1962, in New York City, a Italian nightclub employee named Frank “Tony Lip” Vallelonga (Viggo Mortensen) is temporarily out of a job after the Copacabana Night Club is closed for renovations. However, Frank gets interviewed, and hired, by an African American pianist named Don Shirley (Mahershala Ali) to drive him to gigs across the Midwest and Deep South, with the intent of returning back to New York on Christmas Eve. As they go on the journey for the next six months, will both Frank and Don be able to confront obstacles such as racism, and overall learn lessons from each other, and other people as well?

Wow, if you are one of those people who hasn’t seen this film that was released a year and a half to couple years ago, let me tell you that you should ASAP. Green Book does well with portraying life, and the struggles that went on back in the 1960s, and even afterwards. Not only that, but one of the things to enjoy about 2018’s Green Book is that instead of trying to have another Remember The Titans, the 2015 biography of Martin Luther King Jr., or something like that, we get to see the whole deal about racism, and other struggles that went on in this particular area through a different lenses. Honestly, it may make us wonder what started the whole racism deal in the first place. Was it because certain whites didn’t like black people around the time of the Civil War, and that seemed to carry on many years following that war? Also, why were African people so discriminated by Caucasians? These, along with a few others, are questions that people may ask as they watch this particular film, if they haven’t been wondering that already. Still, that’s not the only thing to enjoy about Green Book. There’s also the fact that the movie portrays Italian culture, as Viggo Mortensen’s character Frank, as well as Frank’s family were mostly, if not fully, Italian. Oh, and you may find yourself really in awe by the acting that occurs throughout this film. For instance, Viggo Mortensen doesn’t seem to just act like himself. He seems to immerse himself in his character, and actually act like an Italian and/or New Yorker. The same goes for Mahershala’s character Don, Linda Cardellini’s character Dolores, and many of the other actors and actresses’ respective characters. There’s also a lot of great depth with both the story, and characters. That is especially for Frank and Don. The movie additionally can also teach people how we should learn to try to listen to others, and try to see things from other people’s perspectives, instead of us just making the rest of the world see things from our perspective alone. In addition to all of these specific areas, the movie stays true to the time that this movie took place in the 1960s. Oh, how about this movie being a great reminder certain points about how we should extend kindness and gratitude to others? Finally, if anyone wants to learn how to have conversations with other people through face to face, or even letters in a more clean and healthy way, then this movie is a perfect place to learn it.

Well folks, that concludes my review for for Green Book. It is a really outstanding film that does well with portraying the struggles of racism, as well as helps people learn some very valuable life lessons from this film. The acting is phenomenal, from both the main leads and supporting cast, and you are certainly bound to also find yourself immersed in the overall story as it progresses. Have you seen Green Book yet? If not, know then that it is a must see, hands down! No doubt are people more than likely going to have a really fun time with it.

Final Grade: A+

Ladies & gentlemen, for today’s review, I was not originally planning to rewatch it as recently as I did. In fact, I was supposed to get a couple friends of mine introduced to Aquaman. However, the copy that I checked out didn’t work, unfortunately. As a result, we searched for films to watch, and agreed upon this film from 2004, National Treasure. With that said, let’s dive into this treasure hunt of a film!

Plot: Set in modern times, Benjamin Gates (Hunter Gomez as young Ben Gates; Nicholas Cage as adult Benjamin Gates) is told by his grandfather John Gates (Christopher Plummer) of a fabled treasure that was built and protected first by the Knights Templar, then Freemasons, followed by America’s Founding Fathers. Though his father (Jon Voight) is skeptical of the idea, Ben Gates decides to find it with assistance of friends Riley Poole (Justin Bartha), and Dr. Abigail Chase (Diane Kruger). Can they find it before certain traitors to Gates family find it first?

Okay, considering that this came out nearly a year and a half after 2003’s Pirates Of The Caribbean, there’s no denying that director Jon Turteltaub, and his team seemed to do a mostly great job of making a really fun story. Why? Well, to begin, while National Treasure might act as an action adventure to a degree, the film is not your typical Mission Impossible, Get Smart, or movies like that. In fact, this film seems to do a surprisingly outstanding job of acting more unique and different from your typical action movie. Not only that, but National Treasure also does a splendid job of basically trying to be it’s own kind of film too. Sure, there are maybe some times where the film could have felt as if might have had a Disney cartoon sort of feel. However, if this movie had been an animated film, this movie could have easily become proof that a Disney animated film didn’t need to have things such as your classic side character, or things like that. However, of course this film was live-action. Man, let’s just say that Disney did seem to really step up their game with their live-action films like this one, 2003’s Pirates Of The Caribbean, 2005’s Chronicles Of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch, & The Wardrobe, and quite a few other of their live-action movies that came out around this time period. Also, there are points in time where the script is fantastic, most notably when you hear some funny lines from characters like Riley, or even some of the other characters in this film. Additionally, as you watch this film, you find yourself asking if it’s worth taking certain risks to find earthly treasures. There’s that, and how far should one be willing to go to become famous for something, you know? Not bad questions to think about as you watch this film, eh? Anyway, the story, overall, also does a really good job of knowing of how long it’s running length needs to be, how well developed it’s story needs to be, and how much character build-up there needs to be as well. Honestly, as I watched films like this, and 1964’s Mary Poppins in more recent years, I’ve found myself wondering, why has Disney never made an animated film with a running length of around 120-140 minutes (except for Fantasia back in 1940)? Is it because of the fact that, unlike live-action movies, animated movies take more work from drawing certain scenes, or other factors? Well, whatever the reasons, it’s safe to say that because Disney has been known to take certain risks before, as well as films like National Treasure being made, maybe the company should have either made films with a running time of a couple hours, or slightly over that, either around periods like the early 2000s, or perhaps should give it a shot sometime in the near future, if necessary, as well.

With all of that said, is there anything bad about this film? Well, the only downside to National Treasure is Sean Bean as the villain of this film. Okay, okay, hear me out for a moment! Sean Bean is not a bad actor. In fact, he has done well with his acting skills. 2004’s National Treasure is no exception. However, part of the problem here is that Bean seemed to play the same type of character in movies like this, 2001’s Lord Of The Rings to a lesser degree, and apparently quite a few other movies throughout the 2000s, if not before. Well, evidently, rumor has it that Sean Bean himself seemed to eventually get tired of playing that same type of character over and over again for the most part. Because of this, some of us can likely agree that maybe Bean should have maybe played a different role in this film, and maybe mixed up his roles with other films as well.

And that concludes my review for National Treasure. The film does well with acting like a stand alone film from your typical action movie. Not only that, but National Treasure has a good score by Trevor Rabin, some really hilarious moments, really well-written characters, and a very fun story overall. If you want to see a sort of action movie that acts more different and more light-hearted from this genre of a film, then all the more reason to make sure to see this one of you still have yet to. You’ll more than likely have a really fun time with National Treasure.

Final Grade: A

Ladies and gentlemen, here is the first of a few film reviews to come! Today, we review the newest DC Comics to come to the big screen as of recently. The one and only Birds Of Prey.

Plot: After recently going through a terrible breakup with the Joker, Harley Quinn (Margot Robbie) adopts a hyena, and stays at an area within a Chinese restaurant owned by Chinese owner Doc (Dana Lee). Shortly after, Quinn notices crime boss Roman Sionis (aka Black Mask, and played by Ewan McGregor) trying to take advantage of a teenager named Cassandra Cain (Ella Jay Busco), as well as attempting to cause trouble for Gotham City. If they work together, can Harley and Cassandra, along the potential help of other new friends that they come across, bring down Black Mask, and his schemes once and for all?

Now, there are quite a few things to enjoy about Birds Of Prey. First off, there is the action in this film. Honestly, whoever choreographed the action scenes in this film did very well with them. Why, because some of those times are just really hilarious. So much so, that they may likely be some people’s favorite moments. You might also like some of the cartoonish animation that occurs around the beginning of Birds Of Prey. There’s also some of the character development. Okay, some of if might be a mixed bag, as some of them might stand out, while some others are probably a little stereotypical, and most likely don’t seem to stand out quite nearly as much as a result. One of more developed characters would be Roman Sionis (aka Black Mask). Considering that we most likely haven’t seen this actor as a villain all that much in other movies, if at all, this may yet be a big change for long time actor Ewan McGregor. There are also some good messages about learning to work together with others, no matter how easy or difficult that may be.

However, this may be where the pros end, as there seem to be more downsides to this film. For one, as I said before, there are some characters that don’t seem to stand out quite nearly as much, and may not be quite nearly as likable, or memorable as a result. Also, while there are some good messages in this film, there are some others that may yet send mixed, or even negative messages. One of those may include the whole deal about how some people may think that money, or business overall, is more important than doing what’s right. Seeing as there might be kids out who might be watching this film at a little too young of an age (even though really young kids technically shouldn’t be watching an R-rated like this one yet), kids will probably be taught the wrong messages as a result. Thankfully, for adults, and maybe even teenagers, it might be another story, but still. Also, is it just me, or have movie producers who have made movies like this, and other superhero films, seemed to have gone more by the book, instead of taking more liberties with films like Birds Of Prey, or evening others for that matter? Honestly, the makers had an opportunity to make a film in which they could make things be different with certain characters, and they chose not to. Not to mention that there seems to be this message about how being at least a lesser criminal of some kind is okay, even though it’s actually not. Okay, I get that certain characters are written a certain way in comics, novels, and things like that. However, why not seize an opportunity to make some characters different, or have more redemption arcs, or things like that, you know? Whatever, I guess.

And that’s my review for Birds Of Prey. If you’re interested in seeing a film that has a few quality elements here and there, feel free to check it out! However, maybe see it at the dollar theater, when it’s cheaper, or even on video. Birds Of Prey is not a bad film. It’s just that the areas where you may find yourself ambivalent about this film will more than likely outweigh the points where you may find yourself feeling good about it. Also, if you have really young kids, wait until they’re teenagers, or even older, when they have much better critical thinking skills, to show them a film like this. Well, on the brighter side, even though 2016’s Suicide Squad also seemed to have some mixed messages in it, at least that one had a couple more good quality elements in it than this year’s Birds Of Prey seemed to have.

Final Grade: C-

Ladies & gentlemen, I have yet another surprise for you all. You know how I reviewed the video game The Legend Of Zelda: Majora’s Mask a couple weeks ago? Well, today, we are diving into something a little more different than normal once again. It is an Opera Live performance of a classic play that was written by an author by the name of George Gershwin. Presenting to you all a review of the one and only classic opera play, Porgy & Bess!

Plot: Set in the early 1920s, in a fictitious black tenement by the name of Catfish Row (which is based on Cabbage Row that is located on the waterfront of Charleston, South Carolina), a female named Bess meets an older gentlemen named Porgy, who she falls in love with. But Porgy is not the only one who has his eye on her in return. Two other men seek Bess’ hand: Bess’s ex-husband, and another man, who wishes to take Bess to New York City for his own selfish gain. With this being the case, will Bess’s new love for Porgy stand strong in the end?

Now, for those of you who are very familiar with the story of Porgy & Bess, you probably know how the story goes. However, for those of you who aren’t familiar with this old classic opera play, let me just say that this is a play that you should check out really soon, say at any other time that this play is likely to show in the near future. First off, the costume designs are really fantastic. Not only that, but this show really captures what life was like down in the south during the days of the 1920s. There’s also the brilliant choreography. I’m not sure how many hours that the performers put in to make sure that they got their dance moves right. However, from the looks of it, one can tell that the performers probably put in countless hours to make sure that they got their moves right. However, one of the more important things that Porgy & Bess portrays is how easy it is for us human beings to be sucked into all sorts of temptations in life. Honestly, that is another factor that really makes Porgy & Bess great is how it teaches us how we need to learn overcome any struggles that we may face in life. It’s also amazing how Porgy & Bess doesn’t cut out God, and Christian values overall. In fact, it’s also great to see how many of the people in this film chose to love God with all of their hearts, soul, and strength. This is something that a lot of people in America have seemed to forget in today’s day and age. Well, all the more reason to enjoy this show. Oh, and it’s cool how all the people succeed in singing, specifically singing opera. One final thing to mention is the ending of this show. Without spoiling anything, let’s just say that the ending is a cliffhanger. Now, I have to confess that when I was younger, I was not a fan of stories that had no sequels, that ended with a cliffhanger. In fact, I was a little ambivalent about novels such as The Giver having that type of ending. However, over the years, especially after seeing Porgy & Bess, I’m okay about it, mainly because of realizing that maybe the author wants to leave people guessing as to what happens after the story ends. I guess it’s not always a bad way to go, eh?

Well folks, that concludes my review for the Opera Live Performance of Porgy & Bess. It is a story that does well with incorporating Godly values, timely messages, and also does well with portraying the difficulties of life during the 1920s. Definitely see Porgy & Bess if you haven’t. It is so understandable as to why it remains timeless even a century after this story takes place.

Final Grade: A+