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Showing posts from 2020

Pixar's Take On What Our Soul Apparently Needs (SOUL)

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Disney Pixar has made countless of movies that have made us laugh, cry and learn life lessons we didn't know we were learning. Pixar, yes, is known for their animated movies being targeted to children but they also happen to garner much attention from adults as well. From the hits like Finding Nemo, The Incredibles and Toy Story, Pixar continues to change lives with the power of storytelling using the wonders of 3D animation.  Pixar's latest original film is Soul, which was was supposed to release in November but was left hanging in air after the current condition of the world (I am super done mentioning the pandemic in my reviews but it keeps causing stuff to happen in the movie industry. It has be mentioned) but was finally postponed a month later, being released on Disney + in the US and international markets in theatres -and to be streamed everywhere else, wink wink) for the holiday season.  I have been interested to watch Soul since I found out that it was made by one of P

Wonder Woman 1984

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Unfortunately, nobody got to find themselves in the wonder that is cinemas. With only Birds of Prey, Onward, Tenet and Mulan shown in theatres, only two and a half of them got me to enjoy the big sounds and theatrical screens. Finally after another a month of lockdown done in certain parts of Malaysia and parts of the world, Wonder Woman has finally been released at international markets before its debut in US.  Wonder Woman 1984 was supposed to be released earlier this year in two different release dates that were eventually cancelled due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Finally, I got to watch it, in IMAX moreover, which made me so happy. For 2 hours 35 minutes, Wonder Woman has decided to give us the best Christmas gift anyone else could ask for, especially for people who basically live in the cinema (me being one of them).  So, how did the movie go? People have been saying that it does not stand in the same pedestal as its predecessor but I still thought it was a great sequel. The movie s

A Great Musical To Ease a Stressful Year (The Prom)

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  You guys know who Ryan Murphy is right? Well, he is considered the King of TV these days with most of his shows being massive hits. From American Horror Story to Glee, Ryan Murphy has broke many television records in multiple American networks, one of them being Netflix, everyone's favorite streaming service (apart from the many streaming choices these days). This year alone has been a big year for Murphy on Netflix with season 2 of The Politican starring Ben Platt, Ratched starring Sarah Paulson and now, feature film The Prom.  The Prom is based on the hit Broadway musical about a queer girl named Emma, who wants to ask her girlfriend to the prom but prom is cancelled because the community refuses to have their children attend a prom that has a 'homosexual couple'. News travels to flunking Broadway stars Dee Dee Williams (Meryl Streep), Barry Glickman (James Corden), Broadway wannabe, Trent Oliver (Andrew Rannelis) and Chicago chorus girl, Angie Dickinson (Nicole Kidman)

Finally an Enjoyable, Original Disney Movie That Makes The Holiday Season Better (Godmothered)

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Yes, you guys. Finals season is finally over (Well, its over for me) and I can finally start watching movies for the rest of the holiday season. One of them would be one I recently watched during the past weekend and that is Disney +'s all new original movie, Godmothered starring Jillian Bell and Isla Fisher.  Yes, you are probably judging the movie by the look of the poster or if you have seen the trailer then you probably thinking of missing this one but I don't think you should, especially if you are a fan of underrated Disney films. Godmothered centers around a Fairy Godmother to be, Eleanor (Jillian Bell) who wants to get her very first assignment and make a girl's dream come true. She finally comes across a letter by 11 year old Mackenzie Walsh making a wish and she travels to Massachusetts to meet her only to find out that 'Mack' is now a middle-aged widow with two kids. There is more to the story but I shall not reveal more.  Godmothered awfully reminded me

The Marvel Portion of Disney's Investors Day

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Hello everyone. I have been gone for a number of days 'cause of exams and studying. I still have an exam due tomorrow and then its all over but I cannot contain the excitement that I had just went through this morning waking up to Disney's Investors Day. They announced a whole lot of movies and tv shows that will premiere in theatres and air on Disney + in the coming years. The category I was more excited about was the Marvel part of the show and they did not disappoint. I am gonna be posting possibly everything that has been announced but for now, in this current blog that you are reading, is all about Marvel.  1) Black Widow (May 7, 2021) Black Widow was delayed twice in the last year and it is said to be premiering ( cause they're adamant on a theatrical release) on May 7th, next year on the big screen. We all know the details we are supposed to know which is that the movie based on the timeline between Civil War and Infinity War, where Natasha Romanoff made herself scar

Tales of Arcadia: A Guide to Del Toro's Visually Stunning Animated Franchise

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  For those who have never heard of the Tales of Arcadia, it is a interconnected franchise of three animated shows that take place in a fictional town called Arcadia. Apparently this town holds secrets to worlds that involve trolls, aliens and ancient wizards, trying to keep the world intact. This series of shows are created and produced by the legendary director Guillermo Del Toro who have helmed monster movies like Pan's Labrynth and Shape of Water. It is honestly not surprising to learn that something as rich and as weird as these trio of shows were created by a guy like him.  The Tales of Arcadia is honestly one of the better animated shows out there and I consider it one of Dreamworks best animated properties and that includes the movies too.  Now, why am I here talking about this? Well, if anyone out there who has no idea that these shows were connected whatsoever or have no idea in what order to watch them.. you can check it out right here my opinions towards the show and ho

A Bombastic Christmas Musical (Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey)

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  Yes... I have written yet another review because clearly I have nothing else to do when I actually have so much to do. It is always good to write, especially for me. Therapeutic writing aside, I am here to give you guys my review of yet another Netflix feature (Jeez, they have been releasing a lot of stuff lately), Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey. This came out on the weekend that just passed, but it's okay. I'm not freaking that I am missing out on premiere dates.  Anyways, Jingle Jangle is not only magical family Christmas movie, but it's also... takes in a deep breath... a MUSICAL. *gasps*. Yes, you guys. I know many of you ain't fans of musicals but I am going to write my review nonetheless.  Jingle Jangle is about this inventor named Jeronicus Jangle (I know, right?) who is quite famous in his town until one day, one of his trusted employees, who always feels small at the presence of the inventor, ends up stealing Jeronicus' designs and uses them to become

Christmas Rom-Com for Book Lovers (Dash & Lily)

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  I hate that I am so late to so many new shows lately with my swamping assignments but glad I finished this one in three hours. Before you panic, Dash & Lily is not a 3 hour movie. It is an 8-episode christmas teenage rom-com based on a book by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan. The show takes place throughout December about how these two teens, in a way, start falling for each other.  The all-new Netflix show stars Austin Abrams (If you don't know him, then clearly you haven't seen any other teenage based movie in the last few years, whether it is rom-com or a weird horror movie) and Midori Francis, who has always played the side character, are the ultimate darlings of this show which is kind of obvious since they are leads.  I actually ended up liking this cliche but memorable love story, in a certain way, because it was different. And also David Levithan was apart of this so... It is like I was meant to like it. There have been a few movies made based on his books but not

The Queen's Gambit

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  I'm so glad I am back to writing, especially writing a review about the most talked about tv show of the year. Queen's Gambit is the all new limited series that released on Netflix almost two weeks ago. Unfortunately, I got around to watch it this last whole week and I understand what everyone has been talking about. Before we get to that, this show is about an orphan, Elizabeth Harmon who gains an interest in playing chess and becomes a world-renowned chess player. That's the gist of it but there's more... not gonna say more.  Queens Gambit has been garnering universal acclaim with a rare 100% score on rotten tomatoes alongside many reviews raving about the all new limited series. Watching it myself, the show is definitely gripping, left me on the edge of my seat and its the ultimate motivational story about becoming great at something nobody else expects you be great at. With 7 hours of content, creators Scott Frank and Allan Scott has made possibly yet another grea

An Explosive Love Story (Spontaneous)

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  A movie that depicts our situation very well these days, Spontaneous is an original dark rom-com that manages to make something new out of it. Spontaneous leaves a mark that only a cult classic can make and that is a sense self-realization and heartbreak.  The film takes place in a town called Covington when a senior from the local high school explodes in front of Mara Carlyle. After that, a pandemic begins amongst the seniors when they realize their lives might end soon. In the midst of the bloody horror, Dylan professes his love Mara via text message. Well, only you can guess what happens next. Love blossoms.  Starring Katherine Langford in the lead role, the 13 Reasons Why breakout star shows off her acting skills once again, further proving that she is not done with her movie career after her scenes got cut from the final outing of Avengers Endgame. Her chemistry with counterpart Charlie Plummer was fun, cute and worth rooting for in a world where teenagers combust.  The tone of

Netflix's Start to More Ambitious Animated Films (Over The Moon)

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  Pearl Entertainment's latest collaboration with Netflix is yet another animated epic where this time around, focuses solely on Chinese folklore of the Moon Goddess. Netflix is not known for its animated features but Over The Moon deserves to be recommended in the handful number of animated properties presented by Netflix such as the likes of The Willoughby's and the epic Tales of Arcadia franchise of TV shows created by Guillermo Del Toro.  But enough about that, the film takes place in, where I'm guessing to be, China and is about a girl named Fei Fei whom is struggling with her mother's death and also of her father finding love with someone else. This leads to her trying prove the myth of Chang'E, that she is still lost in the Moon looking for her lover, Hou'Yi. In the process, she also wants to prove to her father that one should never give up on the person they love, even if they're gone.  Over The Moon, awfully is familiar compared to most heart-wrenc

When Monster Apocalypse meets Coming-of- Age Drama (Love and Monsters)

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  Honestly, looking at the poster of this movie along with its unappealing title may give you a feeling that it might seem dumb or not worth watching because that's what I thought too until I saw the trailer for it a few weeks ago. I had totally forgotten it's release date until I saw it released in the list of new movies that came out this weekend. I was mostly excited that Dylan O'Brien was going to be in it but the movie way beyond the awesome Dylan O'Brien acting in it, you have no idea how good it actually is.  Love and Monsters takes place in a post-apocalyptic future where amphibians, reptiles, insects have been mutated, enlarged and took over the Earth leaving the human race to slowly and eventually get extinct. The film is solely focused on Joel Dawson's point of view, a sixteen year old teenager who is lives in a colony that resides in one of the many bunkers that inhabit the remaining humans that are alive. In this particular bunker, everyone has a signif

Boys In The Band

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  Ryan Murphy has graced us with many tv shows for more than 15 years already and around 2018, Netflix managed to get Ryan Murphy to write and produce a whole new set of tv shows and movies for the streaming service while it they also featured most of his greatest hits like Glee and Amerincan Horror Story. Since the first season premiere of The Politician, Ryan Murphy has given us a sophomore season, a Limited series based in 1940's Hollywood, a origin story to one of the meanest Nurse's in literary history and now this, a film based on a play that was revived two years ago after only been played outside Broadway 50 years ago due to its what was thought of as a "provocative" storyline back in the 60's.  Boys In the Band, after winning its Tony Award, was pitched and was given to be produced by Ryan Murphy, the King of Television in our modern age, to adapt this iconic pro-LGBT non-musical play. The film brings back the cast members that played their respective rol

Haunting Of Bly Manor

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Two years after Mike Flanagan scared our astral forms out of our bodies through the creepiness that was Haunting Of Hill House, he returns with yet another story which takes place in yet another creepy mansion with horrors waiting the moment you enter the doorway. The Haunting, I'm assuming, will be Mike Flanagan's answer to Ryan Murphy's American Horror Story for its anthological reasons and use of horror victims that writers and directors enjoy torturing with creepy visuals and haunting figures. Based on The Turning of The Screw and also other works by Henry James, Bly Manor is a guarantee better adaption of the source material compared to The Turning film that was released earlier this year starring Mackenzie Davis and Finn Wolfhard.  Haunting Of Bly Manor, unlike Hill House is basically filled with failed love stories that end tragically. Mentioned in interviews, Bly Manor will be as emotionally orientated as its predecessor but in the sense of romance instead of famili

Enola Holmes

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  The game is afoot once again with the familiar name, Holmes. Although this time around, it is not the famous detective we all know love, dear old Sherlock. It is instead his long lost sister that no one knew about. Enola Holmes (Millie Bobby Brown) is a not the typical 16 year old girl that was brought up as proper lady but instead a... modern lady. After being taught by her eccentric mother (Helena Bonham Carter) in the fields of science, excessive reading and a bit of martial arts here and there, Enola Holmes stands as a woman ahead of her time.  This new Netflix original based on a book series that was clearly not written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, is one to remember. In the Holmes lore, Enola definitely will be a female inspiration to all little girls out there but there are so many female role models nowadays. Which to pick? Who's the best? Well, we don't have to pick sides. I suppose this the case because Millie Bobby Brown is here to stay in her latest feature being an

Julie and The Phantoms

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  If you have never met me, then you have no idea of my love for musical movies or TV shows. This love for musicals I thought had started with High School Musical (just this movie that I watched when I was younger.) but it actually started way earlier. Unfortunately, I am not here to talk about musicals in general. Also, there is a reason why I decided mention HSM in this particular review.  Netflix recently released a Disney-centric 9 episode show called Julie and The Phantoms based on a Brazillian Nickelodeon show that lasted only for a season. This new guilty pleasure is excutive-produced by the one and only Kenny Ortega, director of the HSM trilogy and the Descendants trilogy, two of Disney Channel's biggest franchises.  From watching the show, you can feel the your youth being pushed out of your moody, adult persona's that you've adopted since life got hard (or at least that's what I felt when I watched the show). Apart from it being a great family show, Julie and

Mulan is FInally Here

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  It has been months since Mulan was supposed to be out in theaters until it was so rudely interrupted by the Covid-19 pandemic. 6 months later, Mulan is finally here. Disney's latest live action remake is also yet another anticipated release alongside Tenet. But did it live up to the expectations? Alot of mixed reviews has been circulating but honestly, the Olive Opinion is the only one that matters to me.  Mulan was good. Not bad, not great but just... good. The film yes, had countless breathtaking shots and the visuals for this movie was incredibly eye-popping but those were the only bombastic things about this movie. The script was constantly safe and I kept hoping for an awesome one-liner but was instead given only one or two inspiring speeches. Don't get me wrong, I am not exactly hating on the movie, I was just expecting more and unlike most, I kept an entirely open mind when entering the cinema.  Everybody else was very disappointed that were no musical numbers and no M

Phineas and Ferb... And Candace Are BACK!!

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  It's official EVERYONE!! Phineas and Ferb have returned along with Candace, Isabella, Perry The Platypus and many of everyone's favourite characters from the beloved Disney Channel show that was released in 2007. Gosh I feel so old. After a few years since the grand time-loop season finale, the gang has returned to go against the universe. I never would have imagined watching a much longer Phineas and Ferb movie. Across the 2nd Dimension was epic and as emotional enough but I was wrong. Candace Against The Universe managed to break the fourth wall once again.  The best part about this animated revival of one of Disney's properties was that this entire movie was centered around Candace. With the addition of how teenagers question their significance in the world, Candace realizes how small she has been feeling all summer with how her mother always never gets to see what Phineas and Ferb had built on the backyard. Only to prove her wrong, Candace gets abducted by aliens that

Time Manipulating Through Epic Proportions ( Tenet )

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  It has been months since I had step foot in a theater and now, with discipline and social distancing heavily respected, cinemas have been open for over two months but there were never any good movies that I really wanted to watch (except Peninsula but I can live with that). I have finally returned to the comforts of a cinema to watch the one and only Tenet, one of the most anticipated movies this year due to the fact that it was delayed twice because of the Covid-19 quarantine. Now, that we finally can watch movies again, Christopher Nolan's latest mind-boggling adventure is now available to be deducted and solved. Unfortunately, since Nolan's movies are so complex and such puzzle cases, I may need to watch this movie again to understand it at its fullest. For now, without giving too much away, is my review towards Tenet.  I can't say much except that Tenet is movie about manipulating time forwards and backwards and it does not have anything to do with Time Travel. People

Gen Z Step Up (Work It)

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  Netflix continues to provide us, homebodies, with more cringey movies that we can't help but love... especially with the all new Netflix Original Work It starring Sabrina Carpenter and Jordan Fisher. Work It is a dance movie that used to be the rage of the early 2000's (which I would know since I basically have seen almost every teen musical, dance, rom-com during the 2000's)  Work It reminds of an all new generation's serving of Step Up. If any of you have heard of Step Up, you are the best. If you don't, what side of pop culture are you living in? Step Up was the hit dance movie of the 2000's which not only introduced Channing Tatum and Jenna Dewan to the world but also was the beginning of an epic love story for them - which ultimately ended up with the both of them getting a divorce, but that is not the reason why I am talking about this.  Work It is possibly bringing back Dance movies and I'm not sure if I am up for it. Even if my feelings are that wa