Mia and the White Lion (Movie Review)

“I really hated the movie, but I liked the message at the end.” That is what I told Alana when we left the theater at Universal City Walk. We just saw Dumbo a few days ago and were planning on either seeing Shazam or Hellboy. With our AMC Stubs A-List, we try to go to the movies as often as possible. Even though we love fun blockbusters, most of our favorite movies end up being smaller releases like Jiro Dreams of Sushi. I’m a sucker for anything related to nature or animals. When I saw they were playing Mia and the White Lion, I ldid a bit of research to find out more. The description gave me Life of Pi vibes; I had to see it. (I know Life of Pi had a tiger and not a lion.)

Mar292018

Isle of Dogs Movie Review

Three word review of Isle of Dogs: quirky yet entertaining. Alternate: must love dogs.

It’s also quite charming, endearing even. I’m not a huge Wes Anderson fan. I couldn’t sit through Life Aquatic (though Fit loves it) or the Royal Tenenbaums, although I did enjoy The Grand Budapest Hotel. Fantastic Mr Fox looked intriguing, but not enough to see it, apparently. I’ve missed all of his other works, but after seeing Isle of Dogs, I might reconsider watching his older films.

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Mar272018

Pacific Rim Uprising Movie Review

There was a lot of excitement leading up to Pacific Rim. The 2013 release of the first Pacific Rim directed by Guillermo del Toro allowed the creative mastermind a huge budget which would be needed to create such a large-scale blockbuster. With a star-studded cast and a composer as the top of their game, what could possibly go wrong? Any nerd that loved transformers, Gundam, Godzilla or nearly anything in the realm of science fantasy fiction would surely love this, right?

Well, that was the problem. Expectations were far too high and nearly everyone that it aimed to please was, to some degree, disappointed. The result was a relatively poor domestic box office performance, although the overseas audience (especially in China) agreed with the fresh score on Rotten Tomatoes, enjoying the sheer entertainment value the film brought.

Fast forward to 2018 to the sequel, Pacific Rim Uprising, and expectations were far lower. Without legendary creator Guillermo del Toro, composer Ramin Djawadi and the first movie’s lead actor, we felt the film took a much different approach. Using a much smaller budget, they decided to use John Boyega’s skills to create a much more charming experience. The result was a film that made its budget back on opening weekend, dethroning Black Panther, despite its much lower score (~25%) on Rotten Tomatoes.

Dec152017

Non-Spoiler Review of Star Wars: The Last Jedi

Wow. What a night. I’ll (try to) keep this short and sweet. Have no fear–there will be no spoilers here. First of all, we are lucky enough to live in Hollywood and we were able to walk to the “strip” where the premiere was happening. We saw the movie at Disney’s El Capitan theatre–an intricate, marvelous set up. There were people everywhere, the streets were blocked off, there was a 20 foot AT-AT and other amazing props. The hype and energy were tangible. I dressed up as Rey for the premiere and I’m so glad I did–I got lots of comments on my costume and some people even wanted photos with me! Anyhow, there is nothing like seeing a Star Wars movie on opening night–the energy is fantastic, palpable, and contagious. You know everyone is a huge Star Wars fan and dressing up like Rey does not make you a nerd in this crowd.

Anyhow, let’s get to the good stuff. Here is my review of Star Wars: The Last Jedi.

Nov122017

Thor: Ragnarok Review

On our drive up to Idyllwild, we were hoping that we’d run into a convenient situation where we’d be able to see the new Thor: Ragnarok in theaters, and we were fortunate! I did, however, waste a significant amount of time trying to explain what I thought would be the back story to this film. The MCU (Marvel Cinematic Universe) is quickly growing and for anyone who doesn’t know the comics or watch the movies many times, you can get lost in the timeline. I had to remind Fit that Thor and Hulk were not in Civil War, so these two movies were most likely taking place at the same time and leading towards The Avengers: Infinity War, along with Ant-Man and Guardians of the Galaxy 2, and who knows what else.

Jul162017

#4 Greatest Movie of All Time

Here we are…#4 greatest movie of all time on our Top 10 Movies of All Time list! We’re getting into the good ones now, the ones that mean the most. The title may be a little misleading…these aren’t necessarily the greatest movies of all time, but they’re the ones our Braintrust loves the most. Each braintrustee has their own criteria, it may have to do with the characters, storyline, soundtracks, acclaim, and/or nostalgia. A little late to our movie countdown? Have no fear. If you missed the others, here are #5, #6, #7, #8, #9, and #10.

Kai – “Interstellar”

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Jul092017

#5 Greatest Movie of All Time

BOOM! We are halfway through our Top 10 Movies of All Time list! I suspect it’s only going to get better and better with each coming week as we near the cherished #1 movie. If you missed the others, here are #6, #7, #8, #9, and #10. Are we going to see some duplicates coming? Maybe! If you want to know more about the people behind the list, take a look at the braintrust. Feel familiar? Okay, let’s go!

Kai – “The Fifth Element”

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Jul022017

#6 Greatest Movie of All Time

Here we are for another round of our top 10 movies of all time! What number are we at today? #6! If you missed the others, here are #7, #8, #9, and #10. Want to know who is behind this zany list? Check this post out to see our incredible braintrust for these movies. I look forward to this every week to find out what movies are going to grace the list. It also tells you a little something about each person. Alright, let’s check out #6 of our Top 10 Movies of all Time list!

Kai – “Pulp Fiction”

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May092017

Groot’s Review of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2

I am Groot! I am Groot, I am Groot, I am Groot… I am Groot. I am Groot. I AM GROOT! I am Groot; I am Groot. (I am Groot) I am Groot, I am Groot. I… am Groot. I am Groot. “I am Groot.”

I am Groot? I AM GROOT! I am Groot… I am… Groot. I am Groot! I am Groot. I am Groot.

Apr022017

Beauty and the Beast (2017) Movie Review

Tale as old as I am, for the most part. I was so anxious about this release that I didn’t want to watch the trailers. I didn’t want to talk about it. I didn’t want to see it. We’ve seen countless remakes and different adaptations in our lifetime, but I never saw this coming. Beauty and the Beast sits at the very top of my list of favorite movies, holding the number one spot for as long as I can remember. And no, not the top Disney movie, or animated movie… the top movie, period. Conan the Barbarian sits at number two; think about that for a minute.

We saw it at the El Capitan (owned by Disney) in Hollywood so we go to see lots of props and such…and someone dressed up as Gaston (in Fit’s Halloween costume)