Movie Review: SHAZAM! FURY OF THE GODS...

Earlier today, I watched Shazam! Fury of the Gods at AMC theaters.

The film was as funny as the original Shazam! movie in 2019, but it was also disappointing to know that Zachary Levi's superhero will never confront his arch-nemesis, the anti-hero played by Dwayne Johnson in last year's Black Adam, on the big screen. Heck, Dwayne Johnson even refused to appear in the end credits for Fury of the Gods—and forbade any of the Justice Society heroes in his movie to show up in the Shazam! sequel, either.

On the plus side, another major DC character showed up in Fury of the Gods...with Gal Gadot's Wonder Woman appearing at the end to prevent the movie from having a totally-dreary ending. Gadot's cameo was revealed in an official Facebook ad for Shazam! a few days ago, so you can't really blame me for spoiling this for ya!

Time for a question or two: Did Anthea (Rachel Zegler) actually move all of those skyscrapers around in that scene where Freddy Freeman (Jack Dylan Grazer) confronts the two other Daughters of Atlas (Helen Mirren and Lucy Liu) on a rooftop—or was that all an illusion? If that was real, then I'm guessing a lot of Pittsburgh folks either lost their lives or at the very least got really dizzy from Anthea's shenanigans.

And why was Michelle Borth cut from Fury of the Gods? I had no idea that Grace Caroline Currey played Mary Bromfield and Superhero Mary until I went on IMDb to check the cast list after I left the theater.

Anyways, I wish Zack Snyder's DC Extended Universe was still intact for Fury of the Gods to have any meaningful impact to it, but oh well. I'm still excited to see The Flash hit the big screen this June!

Movie Review: BLACK ADAM...

Earlier today, I watched the DC Extended Universe's (DCEU) newest flick, Black Adam, at AMC theaters. Needless to say, it was a very action-packed film!

Dwayne Johnson plays Teth-Adam, who—like Billy Batson (portrayed by Zachary Levi in the 2019 film Shazam! and next year's sequel, Shazam! Fury of the Gods, respectively) centuries later—is a superhero that was bestowed a plethora of god-like powers by wizards who considered him to be the "champion" humanity needed.

Unlike Billy Batson, however, Teth-Adam didn't start off as a superhero...but as an angry demigod who first sought revenge against the tyrannical king of Kahndaq during its ancient days, and then against anyone who basically pissed him off after he was awoken from his 5,000-year sleep in Kahndaq's present day.

Like the live-action Venom films by Sony Pictures and Marvel, Black Adam does a nice job of depicting Teth-Adam's brutality while also retaining the movie's PG-13 rating.

At one point early on in the flick, Adam nonchalantly flings a hapless mercenary into the air as if he was a baseball. In the subsequent shot, we see that the mercenary's arm—which Adam grabbed when he threw him—is still in one of the demigod's hands, severed and all!

There are lots of other great moments in Black Adam where Teth showed his badassery (most of them featuring his use of lightning against his enemies), but one thing I really liked about the movie is that the film made sure to remind the audience that it's part of the DCEU. It's clearly obvious Amanda Waller (once again aptly played by Viola Davis), who we first met in 2016's Suicide Squad, is the Nick Fury of the DC cinematic universe...only with less morals.

And let's not forget the Justice Society as well as other protagonists and antagonists who were introduced in Black Adam. Aldis Hodge was formidable as Hawkman, Pierce Brosnan was noble as Dr. Fate, Noah Centineo was hilarious as Atom Smasher, Sarah Shahi was headstrong as Adrianna Tomaz, Quintessa Swindell was very reliable as Cyclone, Bodhi Sabongui was idealistic as Adrianna's son Amon, Mohammed Amer was also hilarious as Adrianna's brother Karim, and Marwan Kenzari was dangerous as both Ishmael and Sabbac.

I'm not sure if I'd rank Black Adam among the top films of the DCEU (where 2017's Wonder Woman, Zack Snyder's Justice League cut and the first Shazam! reside), but I will say that it's definitely entertaining.

If you watch Black Adam, stay for the end credits! You won't be disappointed...and the DCEU has a bright future ahead of it considering what that cameo entails. Carry on.

Movie Review: THE SUICIDE SQUAD...

Several hours ago, I went to my local AMC theater to watch The Suicide Squad...the newest cinematic installment in the DC Extended Universe (DCEU).

Needless to say, The Suicide Squad was very entertaining! Unlike 2016's Suicide Squad—whose original dark tone was minimized with humor added at the last minute, as a response to backlash caused by the dreariness of that year's Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice—The Suicide Squad already had a nice blend of humor, gore and emotional elements in it thanks to director James Gunn, who previously saw comic book movie success at Marvel Studios with 2014's Guardians of the Galaxy (GotG) and its 2017 sequel.

The biggest strengths of The Suicide Squad were the cast members and their amazing performances. Margot Robbie was back as the energetically unstable Harley Quinn, Joel Kinnaman returned as the stoic Colonel Rick Flag, Jai Courtney (briefly) reprised his role as Captain Boomerang, and the ultra-talented Viola Davis once again played the tough-as-nails but conniving Amanda Waller.

The newcomers in The Suicide Squad were commendable too...with Michael Rooker (who already worked with Gunn on the GotG movies) as Savant, Nathan Fillion as T.D.K., Flula Borg as Javelin, Mayling Ng as Mongal, Pete Davidson as Blackguard, David Dastmalchian as Polka-Dot Man, Sean Gunn (James' brother and another GotG veteran) as Weasel, Daniela Melchior as Ratcatcher 2, Peter Capaldi as Thinker, Julio Cesar Ruiz as Milton, Alice Braga as Sol Soria and Sylvester Stallone (who appeared in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2) as the voice of King Shark.

And of course, The Suicide Squad's badass group of villains-turned-heroes was led by the formidable Idris Elba as Bloodsport, and John Cena as the ironically-named Peacemaker.

The Suicide Squad was filled with lots of awesome and equally-violent action sequences, with the final confrontation pitting Bloodsport, Harley Quinn and Co. against Starro the Conqueror highlighting the delightfully-absurd nature of James Gunn's take on this DC comic book property.

Along with the 2017 Wonder Woman movie, 2019's Shazam and Zack Snyder's cut of Justice League earlier this year, The Suicide Squad is an excellent addition to the DCEU. Even though it won't be connected to DC's cinematic universe, here's hoping that 2022's The Batman will be as well-made as the films mentioned above. Godspeed, Warner Bros.

On This Day in 2011: Remembering SUCKER PUNCH...

Two years before Zack Snyder inaugurated the DC Extended Universe with 2013's Man of Steel, his fantasy-action flick Sucker Punch arrived in theaters nationwide. Today marks a decade since I watched this movie at the multiplex. Sucker Punch is an interesting film...which is basically about a character (played by Emily Browning) who resorts to losing herself in an alternative reality while being forced to commit demoralizing acts at a facility where she is being institutionalized by her abusive stepfather. In her fantasies, the girl—known as Babydoll—pictures herself fighting against the forces of evil alongside other women (portrayed by Jena Malone, Vanessa Hudgens, Jamie Chung and Abbie Cornish) who are also being held at the facility.

Sucker Punch is a pretty dark, trippy and stylized film...which, of course, would be a nice preview of what was to come as Snyder was years away from directing an ensemble movie featuring Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman and other DC Comics superheroes. That is all.

Photos of the Day: Images from the SNYDER CUT...

Happy Monday, everyone! Just thought I'd share these screenshots from Zack Snyder's Justice League after I watched it on HBO Max yesterday (yes, in just one viewing). I actually enjoyed Joss Whedon's 2017 theatrical version of Justice League, so I was obviously very impressed by Snyder's 4-hour iteration of the DC Extended Universe's (DCEU) second ensemble film (after 2016's Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice). So what did I think of the new cut, you ask? My notes:

- Resume development of Justice League 2...and re-hire Henry Cavill as Superman and Ben Affleck as Batman, immediately! And give Snyder a raise.

- Even though this was made possible primarily due to the Snyder Cut's 'R' rating, the way that Steppenwolf was defeated in this version is way more satisfying than his downfall in Whedon's film. To be blunt: Steppenwolf went out like a total b***h while Superman arrived like a boss in the Snyder Cut's climax.

- (Spoiler Alert) If Wonder Woman 3 has a villain who's remotely worthy of getting decapitated by Diana Prince's sword like in the Snyder Cut, then this sequel will be a huge improvement on Wonder Woman 1984!

And again:

- Bring back Henry Cavill as the Man of Steel and Ben Affleck as the Dark Knight, respectively. Zack Snyder revealed in Justice League that there is so much potential for the DCEU if future movies are made based on what Snyder conveyed in his latest comic book epic. Carry on.

Video of the Day: Zack Snyder's JUSTICE LEAGUE Cut Is Coming Soon...

"We live in a society where honor is a distant memory. Isn't that right, Batman?" So are the words of Joker (Jared Leto) as he confronts Batman (Ben Affleck) in Zack Snyder's version of Justice League...which arrives on HBO Max (through which I watched Wonder Woman 1984 last Christmas) next month. Can't wait! I actually enjoyed Joss Whedon's version of Justice League when it hit theaters in 2017, but seeing as how the film was originally shot with the vision of Zack Snyder (who also helmed 2013's Man of Steel and 2016's Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice) in mind, I'm excited to see this iteration on my computer soon.

Justice League arrives (again) on March 18.

WONDER WOMAN 1984...

So earlier today, I signed up with HBO Max so I could view Wonder Woman 1984 online. This is actually the first new major motion picture that I watched since the Oscar-nominated World War I epic 1917 and Bad Boys for Life back in January...obviously due to movie theaters being closed because of the coronavirus pandemic. (I'm tempted to buy Christopher Nolan's Tenet on DVD even though I haven't viewed that film yet.) So what did I think of WW84, you asked? It was okay. It definitely had a much lighter tone than the original 2017 film—which isn't really a good thing. (If The Empire Strikes Back had the same tone as the Patty Jenkins sequel, the original Star Wars trilogy wouldn't have been the classic that it is today.) The main cast (Gal Gadot, Kristen Wiig, Pedro Pascal and Chris Pine) did a fine job; if you're a fan of Disney+'s The Mandalorian, then you'll be impressed by how Pedro Pascal's portrayal of Maxwell Lord is absolutely different from his portrayal as the bounter hunter Din Djarin in the hit Star Wars streaming series.

Even though Wonder Woman 1984 left much to be desired, I'm still excited for Wonder Woman 3—which is now in development by Warner Bros. But I am totally excited for Star Wars: Rogue Squadron, which will be helmed by Patty Jenkins and is slated for a Christmas 2023 theatrical release! Can't wait... Happy Holidays!

Robert Pattinson is THE BATMAN...

Congratulations to Robert Pattinson for being cast as the next Dark Knight in Matt Reeve's The Batman film trilogy (the first movie will be out in theaters in 2021)! I never saw Twilight or any of his other flicks, but I'm giving Pattinson the benefit of the doubt in that he'll kick ass as the new Caped Crusader. All of the fanboys criticizing this decision by Warner Bros. can shut the f**k up until they actually see Pattinson in this role. These geeks were most likely the same people who started an uproar when Heath Ledger and Gal Gadot were cast as the Joker and Wonder Woman, respectively. We don't need to discuss how their movies turned out (a posthumous Oscar for Heath Ledger as Best Supporting Actor, and Wonder Woman being the only post-The Dark Knight trilogy film that was both critically-acclaimed and a huge box office hit). Again— Until you see Pattinson don the Batcowl, shut the f**k up!

Happy Friday.

Images of the Day: WONDER WOMAN 1984...

Just thought I'd share these images, plus the cool fan-made artwork above, that's been gracing the Internet since Wonder Woman 1984 began filming about a week ago. The photos below come from director Patty Jenkins and star Gal Gadot themselves. It's interesting to see Chris Pine's Steve Trevor back from the dead (If you didn't see last year's Wonder Woman, then MY BAD. Spoiler alert!), but I definitely can't wait to see how Kristen Wiig will look as the villainous Cheetah. Wonder Woman 1984 hits theaters nationwide on November 1, 2019.

And yes, I'm fully aware that pics for this December's Aquaman have been publicly released as well. Black Manta (who I admittedly never heard of till last week) looks pretty cool. Happy Tuesday!

Back in the Day: IRON MAN Is Unveiled to the World...

Ten years ago today, the first Iron Man film arrived in theaters nationwide and began a franchise that currently spans 19 movies and culminated in the record-breaking success of Avengers: Infinity War last weekend. Back in 2008, it was Warner Bros. and DC's The Dark Knight that took the box office crown that year (with the Chris Nolan movie earning $535 million domestically and $1 billion worldwide)...but Iron Man's "modest" success (it made $318 million domestically and $585 million worldwide) was only a precursor to the major financial windfall that the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) would enjoy over the next decade.

While Warner Bros. strives to achieve the same kind of success with its future DC Expanded Universe movies like it did with last year's Wonder Woman (we'll see if Justice League 2 ever gets made, even though I enjoyed the first film last November), Disney and Marvel Studios can only ponder about the amount of box office gold they will achieve once Infinity War completes its epic run in cinemas, with this July's Ant-Man and the Wasp and next March's Captain Marvel (and of course, the still-untitled Avengers 4 next May) lurking on the horizon. But this blog entry is about the flick that started it all.

Much props should go to Robert Downey Jr., Gwyneth Paltrow, Jeff Bridges, Terrence Howard (I hope he's not beating himself up too much over the amount of money he could've earned if he wasn't replaced by Don Cheadle as James Rhodes / War Machine before 2010's Iron Man 2), Clark Gregg and director Jon Favreau for allowing the MCU to become what it is today. Oh, and let's not forget about Samuel L. Jackson—whose end credit appearance as Nick Fury and his immortal words "I'm here to talk to you about the Avengers Initiative" would lead to cinematic history. That is all.

Photos of the Day: Meet CAPTAIN MARVEL!

Just thought I'd share these pics giving us our first look at Brie Larson as Captain Marvel. In the images above and below, Larson is wearing a green suit that is speculated to have been taken from a Kree warrior named Mar-Vell, who will be played by Jude Law in the movie. (You'll know who the Kree are if you're a regular viewer of the Marvel series Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., on ABC TV) And in the last two photos of this entry is the Oscar-winning actress wearing a flight suit as she boards an F-15 Eagle fighter jet at Nellis Air Force Base in Nevada. Awesome stuff.



Lookin' forward to Captain Marvel when it hits theaters nationwide on March 8, 2019. And of course, I can't wait to see Carol Danvers join Captain America and Co. in the fourth, currently-untitled Avengers film that arrives in cinemas less than two months later...on May 3. I hope Brie Larson will be as bad-ass a heroine as Gal Gadot was in Wonder Woman! That is all.

The 2018 Academy Award Nominations...

Earlier today, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences unveiled the list of nominees who will be up for Oscars during the 90th annual Academy Awards on March 4 (airing on ABC TV at 5 PM, PST). Out of all the Best Picture nominees for 2017, I saw Christopher Nolan's Dunkirk, Martin McDonagh's Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri and Jordan Peele's Get Out. I think that Three Billboards will be the Best Picture winner (it was a great film; I'm glad that Frances McDormand is nominated for Best Actress, and Sam Rockwell as Best Supporting Actor), though I wouldn't be surprised or disappointed if Guillermo del Toro's The Shape of Water won instead. Much props to Peele for earning a Best Director nod for his horror-comedy flick Get Out—which received a total of four nominations [which also includes Best Picture, Actor (for Daniel Kaluuya, below) and Original Screenplay]. I hope Peele's comedy sketch buddy Keegan-Michael Key isn't too envious!



In regards to the technical categories, Blade Runner 2049 (which I watched twice at the theater) is up for five awards: Best Cinematography, Visual Effects, Sound Mixing, Sound Editing and Production Design. Star Wars: The Last Jedi is up for four Oscars: Best Visual Effects, Sound Mixing, Sound Editing and Original Score. Considering that these first three nominations are up against Blade Runner 2049, I reckon The Last Jedi will come up empty in those categories. And I'm surprised that John Williams has been nominated for the two Disney Star Wars films that he worked on... His work on The Force Awakens and The Last Jedi were well-done (I like the themes for Rey, Kylo Ren and the Resistance), but the Star Wars prequels had more memorable tunes in The Phantom Menace's "Duel of the Fates," Attack of the Clones' "Across the Stars" and Revenge of the Sith's "Battle of the Heroes." But enough dwelling on the past. I hope that Williams will close out his third Star Wars trilogy when it comes time to composing the score for Episode IX next year. And he gets an Oscar nomination for that as well!



And lastly, it's unfortunate that Wonder Woman came up completely empty-handed this morning. Wonder Woman was a watershed in being a movie directed by a woman, starring a woman, and telling the story of a superhero that empowered women. Sorry, Patty Jenkins and Gal Gadot. But hey— As a Los Angeles Lakers fan, I'm glad that 5-time NBA champion Kobe Bryant got an Oscar nomination for a film that he worked on last year! Go to this Blog entry to read more about it. Happy Tuesday!

Photos of the Day: The New TOMB RAIDER Is Revealed...

Just thought I'd share these new pics revealing Alicia Vikander as Lara Croft in next year's Tomb Raider. The Oscar-winning actress (who appeared in such movies as Ex Machina, The Danish Girl, Jason Bourne and The Man from U.N.C.L.E.) will officially fill in the shoes of fellow Academy Award winner Angelina Jolie—who played the pony-tailed, gun-toting adventurer over a decade ago—when the reboot debuts in theaters on March 16, 2018. Based on the poster above, Ms. Vikander looks like she's trying to give Linda Hamilton and Gal Gadot a run for their money by toning up as much as Hamilton did to portray Sarah Connor in Terminator 2: Judgment Day, and Gadot as Wonder Woman, respectively. Much props to Vikander, her fellow actresses, and the ass-kicking heroines they played on the big screen!

Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice...

Check out the newest trailer for Zack Snyder's upcoming film that (hopefully) paves the way for The Justice League to finally make its long-awaited appearance on the big screen less than two years from now. The shot above of the Man of Steel, Wonder Woman and Batman as they take on a mutated version of General Zod (or should I say, Doomsday) definitely increases my interest to see Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice next March. And I reckon Jesse Eisenberg's wacky take on Lex Luthor (which I dig) will eventually be made more interesting once he reveals himself to be the bald-headed arch-nemesis of Superman that he is. But yea, seeing the Dark Knight and Kal-El duke it out until Doomsday shows up on the scene will be a treat to watch. Along with Gal Gadot kicking ass as the warrior princess of the Amazons...obviously. You can view the trailer at the very bottom of this entry.

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