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Showing posts from August, 2021

Gender Flipped Familiar RomCom That's As Forgettable As The Original. (He's All That).

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Once again, Netflix has made yet another rom-com coming of age story but this time around, it gender flips an old story and also making it more relatable towards this current generation that is constantly influenced by influencers on Tik Tok and Instagram lives. He's All That is basically a modern retelling of the 1999's She's All That, starring Addison Rae, an insta-Tik Tok star in her debut role, and Tanner Buchanan from the Cobra Kai series on Netflix.  Like its adapted source, the film doesn't change major themes within the familiar narrative which neither manages to disappoint audiences nor does it allow it to be considered 'fresh'. Addison Rae stars as a teen influencer, Padgett Sawyer who catches her up and rising singer boyfriend cheating on her, which coincidentally and (NOT) accidentally gets filmed due to her need to document every single event in her life. Her life falls apart as her sponsorships start to be skeptical about promoting an influencer wh

What If...? Episode 3: What If... The World Lost It's Mightiest Heroes? (Spoiler Review)

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Yet another week has passed alongside a new episode of What If. However, episode 3 really left a bad taste in our mouth with this particular graphic scenario. In a good, shocking way, of course. This all-new episode introduces an alternate universe where members of the Avengers were all murdered before they ever assembled. Yes, I am not kidding here. Marvel Studios went there. The Avengers are murdered one by one throughout what fans call 'Fury's Big Week' in the most brutal ways possible.  The episode is the show's most original after last week's T'Chall's focused episode, considerably a better treat for the fans who refuse to ever live in a scenario where they died early on. This shocking entry attempts to show us a world where our OG six... well, five get killed off right before they reach the level they were supposed to be at by the time they assembled in 2012's Avengers movie that kicked off the possibility of crossing over such larger than life cha

Predictable Nolan-Esque Jackman Thriller

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Day and date releases have been affecting box office earnings lately, but it has provided options for audiences to watch movies they're excited for in the comfort of their homes (A luxury or curse we, Malaysians don't have since we lack the Premier Access feature on Disney Plus Hotstar and the wonders of HBO Max). With the exception of HBO Max's day and date releases, audiences get a chance to catch Hugh Jackman's latest thriller, Reminiscence.  With a directorial debut by Lisa Joy, one of the executive producers of Westworld, the film channels the likes of Inception and Westworld, to make an original yet familiar neo-like storyline that tackles the many possibilities of how memories can be used as tools or can be exploited. The film tells us the story of Nick who runs a business with his friend, Watts to allow people to relive memories, whether it's to find lost things or remember lost ones. This method is also used to uncover crime scenes and Nick is forced into a

The Retooled, Convoluted Origin Story for Snake Eyes (Snake Eyes: G.I. Joe Origins)

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  The G.I.Joe franchise has been put on hold since Jon M.Chu's sequel didn't do well in the box office back in 2013. Now, with the franchise being retooled -- or at least that's what everyone thinks is the plan here -- with Henry Golding headlining, brings about an original take on the origin of the most mysterious and silent members of G.I. Joes'.  This origin story, however, changes the narrative established in the movies released almost a decade ago but it still manages to be compelling enough to get audiences to be interested to watch this improperly told origin story. Albeit it's larger-than-life ninja-like action scenes that prove themselves great to watch, Snake Eyes, unfortunately, suffers from not simple storytelling but instead a very convoluted one when it could have been a little simpler.  Instead of feeling like an authentic Asian ninja clan flick, it feels more like a double-crossing spy thriller instead. Its no Black Widow but the film tries very hard

DCOM's Spin. (Spoiler Review)

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Disney Channel's large roster of original movies has been entertaining children and young teens for decades. Nobody can forget DCOM's most successful trilogy, the High School Musical franchise that put the likes of Zac Efron on the Hollywood map. Does Spin have the chance to put its star, Avantika on Hollywood's radar instead of Bollywood? DCOM's latest entry, Spin tells the story of an Indian girl named Rhea, who has spent most of her teenage life working at her family's restaurant, run by her father who is avoiding being matchmade again after Rhea's mother passed. After seating her crush at a dinner table, our relatable teen meets Max in high school again and the two bond through her talent of making great mixes/playlists and his talent in being an aspiring DJ. After recommending him to be a part of her friend's school function, the two create a great DJ mix for him to perform for the school activity.  However, Rhea is swamped with helping Max, helping her

What If...? Episode 2: What If... T'Challa Was Star Lord?" (Spoiler Free Review)

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What If...? returns with an all-new episode that finally shows off the originality we Marvel fans know and love while also paying tribute to a hero who was taken away from this world too soon, Chadwick Boseman. After last week's premiere, T'Challa's iteration of Peter Quill's Star-Lord is a short Marvel story to remember and with this episode, this MCU canon animated show is heading in a direction a;; Marvel fans were hoping for beforehand.  The Watcher takes us to observe yet another branch timeline where Yondu Udanta, leader of the Ravagers is sent to Earth to pick up orphaned Peter Quill but instead picks up the young Prince of Wakanda, T'Challa instead. 20 years later, T'Challa is a new and improved Star-Lord, one that is less of a scoundrel and is a Robin Hood-like hero of the never-ending reaches of the galaxy. Also, unlike Peter Quill, Star-Lord is actually quite famous.  The highlight of the episode is, as corny as it sounds, hearing the voice of Chadwic

What If...? Episode 1: What If... Captain Carter Was The First Avenger (Spoiler Free-Review)

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It has been a month since the Multiverse has been unleashed through (SPOILER ALERT!) the reckless actions of Sylvie from the Loki finale and now, The Watcher is giving us a chance to observe alongside him different versions of various events within the Marvel Cinematic Universe and ponder the question 'What If...?'. Marvel Studios' all-new project may be animated, giving audiences no reason to watch it but think again. As of a few weeks ago, according to A.C. Bradley, head writer, and Bryan Andrews, Head Director, What If is officially MCU canon, confirming this is yet another show vital to Phase 4's main narrative.  Now, that I've introduced what this show is, it is time to talk about this dazzling premiere episode. What If introduces us to this vast Multiverse with wondering What If... Captain Carter was the First Avenger? This premiere episode shows us an alternate timeline where Peggy Carter is injected with the super-soldier serum instead of Steve Rogers. Allow

The Squad Delivers A Gory Yet Worthy Return (The Suicide Squad)

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  The DCEU hasn't always made movies that have been considered to pass with flying colors according to critics and some fans, as much as the MCU does (but then again, many internet trolls believe that Disney pays critics to write good reviews). In 2016 when Zack Snyder was still in charge of most of the DCEU, Suicide Squad was harshly received albeit the introduction of Margot Robbie's iconic portrayal of Harley Quinn and Viola Davis' Amanda Waller, which led audiences not wanting to watch any attempt of a sequel to such a bad movie.  However, this sequel also works itself as a reboot by bringing back only three members from the original roster as it introduces a whole bunch of underrated DC villains to be featured in THE Suicide Squad, without caring how much the title will definitely confuse fans as to which movie is which. Ignoring that fact, Amanda Waller has apparently been continuing the Task Force X program for quite a while now and we just happen to be witnessing a

A Disneyland-Based-Attraction That Hits The Right Notes (Jungle Cruise)

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Disney has made their fair share of movies based on Disneyland rides, with one of them being a large franchise while the rest of them didn't stick the landing well enough for larger audiences to appreciate such as Brad Bird's underrated Tomorrowland adaptation. Jungle Cruise is Disney's most recent attempt to adapt one of Disneyland's oldest rides into a swashbuckling adventure that stars Dwayne Johnson, Emily Blunt, and Jack Whitehall.  Jungle Cruise takes place in the 16th century where Dr. Lilly Houghton (Blunt) and her brother, McGregor, attempt to steal an arrowhead from the Royal Society explorers which happen to be the key to finding the Tree of Life that produces Tears of the Moon, with its petals containing healing abilities. The siblings head to the Amazon and meet Frank (Johnson), who helps them in finding the 'Tears while a German aristocrat from the Royal Society chases them to get the petals for himself.  Jungle Cruise is the summer adventure you don&#

F9 Dials Up The 'Furious Franchise With Old Mistakes

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                          I have never been exactly a fan of the Fast and Furious franchise but after many attempts to properly binge the franchise, I have finally succeeded, and turns out, they are not all bad. They have been hit and miss here and there but there is a reason why this long-winded franchise has continued to entertain audiences for the last two decades. With that aside, after a long month of waiting, F9 finally is out to be rented or downloaded for all FF fans who didn't get to watch it in theatres due to the pandemic showing no sign of ending anytime soon.  For those who are wondering, there are officially 10 movies in the franchise but why is this called Fast and Furious 9 (or F9 for short). Well, 2019's Hobbs and Shaw is actually a spin-off and not considered part of the main set of movies - and is secretly a new way to expand the franchise, make more money, and have a way to include Dwayne Johnson within the franchise without him interacting with Vin Diese