Stubs - Yesterday

Yesterday (2019) Starring: Himesh Patel, Lily James, Ed Sheeran, Kate McKinnon. Directed by Danny Boyle. Screenplay by Richard Curtis. Produced by Tim Bevan, Eric Fellner, Bernie Bellew, Matthew James Wilkinson, Richard Curtis, Danny Boyle Run Time: 116 minutes. United Kingdom. Color. Musical, Fantasy

Being a life-long Beatles fan, I was intrigued by the first trailer for this movie and I’ve been looking forward to seeing it ever since. This seems to be the summer for rock fantasy musicals. Earlier this year was Rocketman, which more-or-less told the Elton John story but not really. Now this, which re-imagines the music of The Beatles in a modern world setting.

Second Look - Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen

Note: The following review contains spoilers for Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen and potentially other Transformers stories.

Following the success of the 2007 Transformers film, a sequel was inevitable. This sequel, Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (ROTF), was released in 2009 to negative reviews, not helped by the script being one of many victims of a then-recent Writer’s Guild of America strike. Though I reviewed this film already, I’ve been wanting to re-review it for a while as I wasn’t sure whether the thoughts presented in it were entirely my own. For this, I decided to watch the movie again, this time via the Walmart-exclusive Big Screen Edition Blu-ray; though I’m not one to actively support Walmart, this set is unique in that it also includes the IMAX footage, a rarity amongst home video releases. Upon what is approximately my third or fourth viewing of this movie, I can safely say that, even as a Transformers fan, I genuinely did not enjoy it.

Toy Story 4 - To Infinity and Beyond

Following the success of the original Toy Story (1995), Pixar made a name for themselves in the world of animation and continued to pump out multiple successful movies, which, of course, included two sequels to the first film, Toy Story 2 (1999) and Toy Story 3 (2010). Now, about 24 years later, Pixar has released what seemed like an unnecessary sequel in the form of Toy Story 4. I didn’t feel very enthusiastic about this one going in, as I had thought that Toy Story 3 served as a good conclusion emotionally and had no idea how they could continue the story. Well, as it turns out, they found a way to do that and make a surprisingly good movie out of it.

Meet the Robinsons - Keep Moving Forward

When I first saw trailers for Meet the Robinsons, I wasn’t really sure what to make of it. I was aware it had been based on a William Joyce book I vaguely recalled reading, A Day with Wilbur Robinson, though I didn’t know how well the book could be translated to feature length. I didn’t end up seeing the movie in a theater when it first came out in 2007, though I had been reminded of its existence when taking a handful of college animation courses. I had recently taken a Disney XD airing as a chance to finally watch the movie, to which I found it to be a bit better than I initially expected.

Review Hub - Men In Black

Originating from a Malibu/Marvel comic, The Men In Black by Lowell Cunningham, the original Men In Black film proved to be a massive success, in part due to the chemistry between lead actors Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones. Despite the mixed reception of the second film, the film series would prove to be a successful franchise, even including its own Saturday morning cartoon adaptation, Men In Black: The Series. After another go many years later with the original duo, a soft reboot was made involving a different main cast, that being Thor: Ragnarok's Chris Hemsworth and Tessa Thompson. While the future of the Men In Black franchise is a little uncertain, we will continue to review any future installments on this blog that we feel interested enough in seeing.

Below is a list of links to every Men In Black review on this blog, presented in order of release.

Men In Black

Men In Black II

Men In Black 3

Men In Black: International

Stubs - Men In Black: International

Men In Black: International (2019) Starring: Chris Hemsworth, Tessa Thompson, Rebecca Ferguson, Kumail Nanjiani, Rafe Spall, Laurent Bourgeois, Larry Bourgeois, Emma Thompson, Liam Neeson Directed by F. Gary Gray. Screenplay by Art Marcum and Matt Holloway. Based on The Men in Black (Comic Book) by Lowell Cunningham. Produced by Walter F. Parkes, Laurie MacDonald  Runtime: 115 minutes. USA Color  Science fiction, Action, Comedy

Even if you agree with Rick Sanchez's critique of Men In Black II as a "joyless cash grab," there is some room left for new stories. At least that's the hope of director F. Gary Gray and the cast of Men In Black: International, that opened this past Friday.

Second Look - Tangled

I’ll admit that when I first saw Tangled, the 50th entry in the Disney Animated Canon, back in 2010, I wasn’t very enthusiastic about it going in and didn’t have a high opinion of it when I walked out of the theater. This movie also happens to be a victim of my early reviewing style, which hadn’t quite developed yet. In an attempt to re-review it about nine years later, I re-watched it through a 3D Blu-ray with only vague memories and a rough retelling from Kingdom Hearts III to go on. With so much time between viewings, I found that I enjoyed it a lot more the second time.

Batman vs Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

Batman is no stranger to odd stories, but none quite like IDW’s Batman/Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles comic from 2015, a crossover between the two titular franchises. I had read it at the time and enjoyed it, so I was very curious to see the recent animated adaptation, Batman vs Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. This film represents an unlikely crossover between not only the two titular franchises, but also an unlikely deal between Warner Bros. and Nickelodeon, considering their status as rival companies. Fortunately, the end result is well worth the price of admission.

Trover Saves the Universe (PS VR)

Following the announcement of Trover Saves the Universe, from the mind of Rick and Morty co-creator Justin Roiland (and developed by his studio, Squanch Games), I wasn’t sure exactly what to make of it. I did, however, warm up to it over time once I got a better understanding of its plot and characters, which made it sound as though I might get an experience similar to Rick and Morty. Upon actually getting to play the game, I can safely say this game met those expectations and possibly more.

Stubs - Rocketman

Rocketman (2019) Starring: Taron Egerton, Jamie Bell, Richard Madden, Bryce Dallas Howard Directed by Dexter Fletcher Screenplay by Lee Hall Produced by Adam Bohling, David Furnish, David Reid, Matthew Vaughn Run time: 121 minutes. UK/USA Color Bio Fantasy Musical

Rocketman opened this past weekend and will no doubt be compared with last year's rock biopic, Bohemian Rhapsody. Both films cover music from roughly the same period of time, center on real-life men who come out as gay and were directed by the same man, Dexter Fletcher, though he only finished the Queen film when Bryan Singer became problematic. Both films also take liberties with the reality of their subjects, but that's where the comparisons end.

Stubs - Blondie Johnson

Blondie Johnson (1933) Starring: Chester Morris, Joan Blondell, Allen Jenkins, Earle Foxe, Claire Dodd. Directed by Ray Enright. Screenplay by Earl Baldwin. No Producer Credited. Run time: 67 minutes. USA Black and White Drama, Crime

Joan Blondell arrived in Hollywood in 1930, appearing in one film, The Office Wife, but she didn’t really get noticed until she appeared with James Cagney in such films as Sinners' Holiday (1930) and Other Men’s Women (1931), The Public Enemy (1931) and The Crowd Roars (1932). She would also appear next to Barbara Stanwyck in Night Nurse (1931) and with Warren William, Ann Dvorak and Bette Davis in Three On a Match (1932), to name a few of the films she made in Hollywood’s pre-code era.