Category Archives: Movie Reviews

Spider-Man: No Way Home is just OK… Please change my mind.

Like most people, Spider-Man has been a big part of my childhood and young adult years. I grew up watching the Rami films and often imagined myself jumping from building-to-building shooting webs. As a teenager I reconnected with the Web-Slinger by watching The Amazing Spider-Man films, and then going into college, I quickly became hooked on the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s version of Spider-Man. At my first college musical audition I wore my favorite Spider-Man jacket, infact, I wore that some Spider-Man jacket all through-out college and despite it having a few badly patched holes in its pockets, I also wore it to watch Spider-Man: No Way Home.

I was excited for Spider-Man No Way Home, albiet I was a bit concerned going into it. I wanted all my concerns to be invalid and to exit the theater feeling like I’ve just witnessed the greatest Spider-Man movie of all time. However, that is not my story. I left the theaters a bit disappointed. And so far, I seem to be in the minority.

At the time of writing this, Spider-Man No Way Home sits at a 94% fresh in Rotten Tomatoes Critics Score and its audience score is even higher. Everyone I’ve spoken to about the movie seems to adore it and many would even rank it above Infinity War and Endgame. I wish I could say the same, but for some reason I can’t. Perhaps I was a bit tired, or perhaps I overanalyzed its flaws. But something felt off for me and I wanted to figure it out.

I’m currently trying to learn what makes a story good, and the hard part about this is that art is subjective. I’ve had arguments with my friends over this, while certain things in life are objectively good or bad, there can be things that suit one person’s taste and is sours to another. I wouldn’t quite say No Way Home was sour to me, but I will say that it didn’t meet my expectations. Perhaps that is half the problem.

I’m not here to convince you that Spider-Man No Way Home is a ‘bad movie.’ Art is subjective; however, I want to lay out the reasons why it missed the mark for me and hopefully hear some opposing viewpoints to help me enjoy the film more. Also, while I have some major critiques, I also absolutely adored certain aspects of the movie, so I will be taking about that as well.

Since I’m viewing this article as more of analysis, it will be full of spoilers. So, if you haven’t seen the movie, here is your official… SPOILER ALERT!!!

Continue reading →

Hamilton Review

Once again, the musical ‘Hamilton’ is sweeping across pop culture throughout our nation. The hit musical, which first was seen exclusively on Broadway, can now be seen from the comforts of your home through the magic of Disney+. (By the way, what I say ‘our nation’ I am speaking of my own, that is the USA, if you are outside of the States, and I know some of you are, hello! I am glad you’re here! Is Hamilton as big as a hit outside of the States?)

While Hamilton, due to some of its themes and language, may not be the most family friendly musical to watch in Disney’s streaming service, it is nevertheless a beautiful and powerful story of ambition, tragedy, as well as forgiveness. My intention is to briefly point out a few of the themes I noticed in the musical that I think make it one of a kind.

Since the musical has already been streaming for over a week, there will be a few spoilers in this post, so if you still haven’t seen it yet I recommend watching it first before reading. If you have already seen it, and don’t care for hearing major spoilers, by all means, continue reading below.

Continue reading →

PIXAR’S “ONWARD” – A Spoiler Free Movie Review

Pixar’s latest movie “Onward” has found a new home on Disney+ after its short run in theaters. Onward’s exit to the smaller screen is not because it is a lackluster movie, but rather due to the current and unfortunate state of our world. While I would have loved to see this movie in theaters, I am extremely thankful that Disney released it on Disney+ early. For anyone itching to see something new during this time of Social Distancing, I think Onward will satisfy.

What follows is my short, mostly SPOILER FREE review! I will include a section at the end with spoilers, but, don’t worry, I’ll giving you plenty of room to get out of here before hand! Have you seen Pixar’s Onward? If so, what are you thoughts? Feel free to share it in the comments below!

Continue reading →

Sonic The Hedgehog Review

I remember the first Sonic The Hedgehog trailer. It was terrifying.

Then the news came out that Sonic was getting a redesign after the internet went into flames over how he looked. Still, most of us thought, “Oh… ok. So the Sonic movie might still stink, but at least he won’t look like some nightmare creature.”

But then the movie came out and people started saying it was a good movie. That’s when I got excited.

You see, as a kid I was always a fan of Sonic. I’d would often play the first few levels of Sonic The Hedgehog 2 on the Sega Genesis over and over again (because, honestly, I could hardly make it past the Chemical Plant Zone)! Also, every Saturday morning I would sit in front of the TV to watch Sonic collect Chaos Emeralds and battle Dr. Eggman in the show Sonic X! So when I heard that the Sonic movie was actually good, I just had to go see it myself! And so, a group of friends and I got together, went to the theater, accidently chose a showing with closed captioning, aaaaannnnnnnnddddd…

WOW! I am going to be completely honest. That was a lot better than I expected!

Overall I think Sonic The Hedgehog was a really good, character focused movie that manages to tap into it’s video game nostalgia while being something completely new. I’m going to try to keep this post spoiler-free incase you haven’t seen it yet.

Continue reading →

Five Observations from Frozen 2

Recently I watched Frozen 2 with a large group of friends (which was amazing) and I really wanted to write a post about it. Instead of doing a full review, this time I figured I’d save myself (and in turn, you) some time and write five short observations that I had while watching the movie. I’ve never exactly done this before, so I guess you could say I’m taking a step “into the unknown.”

Be Warned! Heavy Spoilers Below!

Continue reading →

Rise of Skywalker: A Messy But Fun Conclusion to the Skywalker Saga.

Star Wars Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker may be a mess, but it’s a fun mess.

I write this review both as a movie goer but also as an avid Star Wars fan. I have read a number of novels, played a bunch of video games, watched all the movies, been hooked on TV series such as The Clone Wars and Rebels, and have been greatly enjoying the ongoing series called ‘The Mandalorian.’ With this in mind, I recognize that my appreciation of this movie may greatly be influenced by my fandom, for better or for worse. But for me, I think it was for the better.

Be Warned! Very Vague Spoilers Below!

Continue reading →

Mr. Rogers’s Friend: How Creative License Creates an Authentic Message. (Part 2)

Last week we looked at the recent movie ‘A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood’ which featured Tom Hanks as Fred Rodgers and followed the character Lloyd Vogel and his conflict with his father. This week we are going to take a look at the article that inspired the movie as well as what the author has to say about it today.

In actuality, Lloyd Vogel does not exist. He never fought his father in a fight that ended with a black eye. The real man, Tom Junod recognizes this, Lloyd Vogel is a fictional character inspired by a real life person. But, as Tom Junod implies in his recent article from the Atlantic, that despite having a story that was creatively different, ‘A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood’ still contained a story that captured the core of who Mr. Rogers was.

Continue reading →

‘A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood’ Part 1: A Much Needed Nostalgia Trip into a hurting, but hopeful world.

This is part one of a two part blog series, the first installment will act as a movie review while the second one will dive into the story behind the movie. Please enjoy!

‘A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood,‘ is a beautifully done movie, directed by Marielle Heller, that dives deep into the friendship between Lloyd Vogel (inspired by the real-life journalist Tom Junod) and the children’s TV show host Fred Rogers. The movie is ‘inspired by’ a real life story and features an invaluable lesson that we all need to hear. Minor spoilers ahead!!!

Continue reading →