REVIEW: Captain America: The First Avenger (Road to Infinity War)
Alright, let us continue The Papi Chulo RADIO Road to Infinity War (RTIW for short) review event with the fifth movie in the lineup, Captain America: The First Avenger.
[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JerVrbLldXw[/embedyt]
The first movie to feature the new Captain America and also the movie right before the biggest comic book movie of all time, Avengers. Is cap’s solo movie worth watching or should you just skip to Avengers?
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Before we get into it, it should be said that there will be spoilers if you haven’t seen it yet (Although since it’s 7 years old, you should have seen it already).
The story is, of course, an origin story for Steve Rogers (Chris Evans), who before becoming the super soldier we all know and love was a short and weak adult just wanting to join the army back in the 40s. Steve wanted nothing more than to join the army but his size and many illnesses stopped him from doing so. This all changes when Dr Abraham Erskine (Stanley Tucci), gives Steve a chance because he feels that there is more to Steve then meets the eye. Steve is then drafted into the army and begins his training. Along the way, he meets Colonel Chester Phillips (Tommy Lee Jones), and Peggy Carter (Hayley Atwell). They help Steve discover his full potential when he is injected with the Super Soldier serum. Along the way, we meet Hydra, the scientific division of the Nazi’s that study science and magic. Hydra is led by Johann Schmidt (Hugo Weaving), also known as the Red Skull. He discovers the Tesseract and uses it to create new weapons and power sources. Steve gathers a squad after a rescue mission to help save his best friend James Buchanan ‘Bucky’ Barnes (Sebastian Stan), to stop Hydra from spreading and helping the Nazis win the war. During the final mission, Steve and his squad stop Red Skull and derail his plans to nuke NYC. Although this mission causes Steve to sacrifice himself so that the war can be won but he doesn’t die, he just gets frozen in time. Fast forward to present day where Steve wakes up in a hospital room with the radio playing. Turns out this is all a rouse and Steve escapes to find himself in modern day NYC with Nick Fury (Samuel L Jackson), showing up to stop Steve and tell him what is happening.
Captain America: The First Avenger builds on the formula that previous MCU movies have now adapted and makes it shine. The story, although a flashback origin story, works really well and sets up the MCU and Avengers. The Tesseract and Captain America serve as a nice transition to the Avengers and also flesh out the MCU a lot to help it grow even more.
The acting in this movie is amazing. The whole cast is all around likeable and they all have great chemistry together. Chris Evans, Hugo Weaving, Hayley Atwell and Tommy Lee Jones are some of the big names in this movie and they bring their A game to this movie.
The CGI is also very well done in this movie. You can tell that the effects and make-up evolve with each passing MCU movie, and it really shows how much work goes into every single film. Red Skull is a highlight of this movie because when you see what he actually looks like for the first time, it doesn’t look cheap or fake at all. Red Skull looks realistic and it helps bring a sense of realism to the movie.
The best CGI in this film has to be the short and sickly looking Steve Rogers. You can just tell by looking at him that its just someone with Chris Evans face over top and it can be distracting at times. However, that doesn’t mean its a bad thing. It shows just how much they wanted to get everything right about Captain America. You can tell by at this point that the MCU was gonna be a mainstay and that it was no longer a gamble with each passing movie.
The Verdict:
Move over Thor because Captain America: The First Avenger has become my new favourite MCU movie. The story is great, the acting is awesome and the CGI is amazing. This movie has aged very well (Just like Steve Rogers am I right?) and is a great movie from start to finish. If you haven’t seen this one or haven’t watched it in a while, you won’t be disappointed.
9/10
Next up is the big one people, the highest grossing comic book and MCU movie of all time. Of course, I am talking about The Avengers.
REVIEW: Thor (Road to Infinity War)
Alright, let us continue The Papi Chulo RADIO Road to Infinity War (RTIW for short) review event with the fourth movie in the lineup, Thor.
[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JOddp-nlNvQ[/embedyt]
The first MCU movie to take us to a new place far from earth to show us a new side of the MCU. Is Thor out of this world or should it be buried with the frost giants?
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Before we get into it, it should be said that there will be spoilers if you haven’t seen it yet (Although since it’s 7 years old, you should have seen it already).
The story of Thor is an origin story. It starts by Odin (Anthony Hopkins) telling a story to his children about how the battle with the frost giants long ago. After that, we cut to Thor (Chris Hemsworth) about to be named the new king of Asgard, when the frost giants invade the castle but don’t get very far. Angry that this happened, Thor swears to take down the frost giants with Odin telling him to stay away. Thor disobeys these orders and takes his brother Loki (Tom Hiddleston), and his Warrior friends to kill the frost giants once and for all. This quickly leads to a huge brawl with Odin having to save them in the end. After this, Odin banishes Thor to earth and takes away his powers. Thor spends a good chunk of the rest of the movie on earth with the scientists that take him in. Jane Foster (Natalie Portman), and her friends slowly help and teach Thor the ways of earth people and they help Thor with getting his hammer back. After failing to get the hammer back, Thor is captured by SHIELD agents on the site and Jane and friends help get Thor out. When Thor is lost for the first time in his life, he talks to Jane and a romance slowly brews between the two. Meanwhile, Loki starts to turn everything again Thor and his father when he learns the truth about Loki being an adopted frost giant. This sends Loki into a rage and he becomes the new king of Asgard and sends the Destroyer to kill Thor. Once the hammer deems Thor worthy, he get’s his powers back, defeats the Destroyer and returns to Asgard to stop Loki and his evil plans. During the battle, Thor destroys the only way back to earth in order to save Asgard and the other nine realms from destruction.
The acting is pretty great from such a stellar cast. Chris Hemsworth and Tom Hiddleston both are awesome in this film and really sell their roles as Thor and Loki. Anthony Hopkins also does an excellent job as Odin. Hopkins can play the fatherly type very well it and is awesome to see him as Odin. I didn’t like Natalie Portman as Jane. She comes off as the girl who is always there and she just feels like a forced love interest for Thor when there are better opinions. I will also mention that Kat Demmings is in this movie for some reason trying to play a smart nerdy looking girl but he is just more dull then Natalie Portman.
The CGI has great with some few exceptions. Like when Thor files or when he is hovering, it is really noticeable that it’s just an effect and comes off as kind of hokey. If you can look past that, everything else in this movie is gorgeous. From the Destroyer to Asgard itself, you can tell a lot of time and $$$ went into the effects and it pays off in a big way.
I should also mention that Thor strikes that perfect balance between world building, action and character development. Although some character development gets lost in the movie, it focuses on the most important characters like Thor, Loki, and some of the human cast that it really gives them their time to shine.
The villains aside from Loki are kind of bland. The frost giants look and act cool but in the end, they are just there to throw you off from the real villain and they end up giving you the cold shoulder (Sorry not sorry for the ice puns).
The Verdict:
Out of the 4 MCU movies I have rewatched, so far this one is my favourite. Although I know that’s not really saying much now, just hear me out. Thor is a great movie from start to finish. The story is great, the acting is great (except for Natalie and Kat), and the effects look great. I had a blast watching this and I bet you will too.
8.5/10
Next up is Captain America’s first movie before the Avengers. Better known as Captain America: The First Avenger.
ANNOUNCEMENT: Road to Infinity War Review Challenge
After the smash hit that is Black Panther slashed the box office last weekend, it got us thinking. The next movie in the MCU is gonna be the biggest of them all, you know which one I’m talking about…
Now with all the buzz surrounding Infinity War, Papi Chulo RADIO would like to announce that we will be doing the Road to Infinity War challenge!
This means that we will be going back and watching all the MCU movies (Including The Incredible Hulk) and doing reviews for every single one of them. Starting of course with, Iron Man, the famous start to the MCU. Be sure to look out for that and all the other reviews coming soon!!
For now, here is the Infinity War trailer to help hype you up!
[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ZfuNTqbHE8[/embedyt]
Rian Johnson Prepares to Take on New Star Wars Trilogy
Rian Johnson, director of Star Wars: The Last Jedi, is set to expand the far away galaxy into a new movie trilogy.
These new movies will be separate from the continuing Skywalker saga and, according to the announcement from Lucasfilm, “Johnson will introduce new characters from a corner of the galaxy that Star Wars lore has never before explored.”
After the announcement was released, Johnson took to Twitter to share his feelings about the upcoming movie Star Wars: The Last Jedi that is set to open on Dec. 15. after all this trilogy is a huge vote of confidence from both Disney and Lucasfilm.
https://twitter.com/rianjohnson/status/928756341908430848
The announcement of this new trilogy comes as Lucasfilm is preparing for Solo: A Star Wars Story, set to come out May 25, 2018, as well as director J.J. Abrams’ Star Wars: Episode IX set to hit screens Dec. 20, 2019.
Lots to look forward to in the Star Wars universe in the next few years!
Source: The Hollywood Reporter
Sarah Paulson and Evan Peters are Playing Lovers Once Again in ‘AHS: Cult’
Ryan Murphy confirmed via Instagram that American Horror Story starts Evan Peters and Sarah Paulson will play lovers in the upcoming season, Cult.
The duo had played lovers once before during the Roanoke season and are set to have “a love story for the ages” during Cult.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BW4JzH2Airs/?taken-by=mrrpmurphy
American Horror Story: Cult premieres September 5.
Happy Jackie Washington Day! Reminder: Don’t Do Laundry!
Every July 15 is Jackie Washington Day!
Wait… you don’t know who Jackie Washington is? She’s a fictional R&B diva played by the phenomenal Jenifer Lewis in the star-studded 1999 Lifetime mockumentary Jackie’s Back. The mockumentary film is about Jackie’s comeback after years in obscurity.
The film, although a Lifetime television movie, has become a cult classic… mostly because Jenifer Lewis killed it!
According to the film, beginning in 1984, every July the 15th was considered Jackie Washington Day, a day to honor the diva in her hometown of Kinloch, Missouri.
So, since it’s July 15, let’s celebrate all things Jackie Washington with the following videos.
[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fB7Bj7bqyKc[/embedyt]
[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D4X3_fBppBU[/embedyt]
[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L7f0gE9Yf-0[/embedyt]
[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c3IBtkNyJzk[/embedyt]
And of course, you can listen to our Summer Camp team discuss Jackie’s Back! by visiting the Papi Chulo RADIO Archives or iTunes. #ShamelessPlug
Marshmallow Peeps Mystery Flavors 2016
Marshmallow Peeps are an Easter season staple. Peeps are certainly one of the best Easter candies of all time. The ooey gooey sugar-coated marshmallow confections have also made their presence known in several holidays throughout the year.
In recent years, Peeps Brand has been releasing “Mystery Flavors”. This year the company released 3 mystery flavors. They are basically white peeps that showcase a mystery flavor that the company doesn’t already market. The peeps may be color-less (so you can’t cheat and guess by the coloring), their aroma and taste sure do allow for the fun of guessing what the actual flavor could be.
I bit the bullet and decided to perform a Peep taste-test. In the name of science and whatnot… you know? So here are my results.
The instant smell, once I opened the package, of Mystery Flavor #1 was chocolate. It smelled of delicious chocolate. Knowing that the Peeps Brand already has a chocolate flavored Peep, I knew that there had to be more to this mystery flavor.
Upon actually biting into the Peep, I could tell the taste was a complex version of chocolate. My guess is mocha.
Actual Flavor: Chocolate Milk
When I opened the package of Mystery Flavor #2, the smell was immediately known. It’s weird. I always find it odd when a savory item is turned into a sugary confection. So the first aroma that I smelled was sweet. Then came the flavor… popcorn!
It’s been a long time since I’ve had the popcorn flavored jellybean, so I can’t compare it to that. But when I bit into the Peep, the flavor of sweet popcorn filled my mouth. My guess is popcorn.
Actual Flavor: Buttered Popcorn
Mystery Flavor #3 smelled very fruity when I opened the package. There wasn’t really a discernible fruit smell. Once I bit into it, I could taste the cherry flavor. But it was a strong cherry flavor. So it had to be a more complex version of cherry. My guess is black cherry.
Actual Flavor: Sour Cherry
Visit your local Walmart during the holiday season to grab your very own Marshmallow Peeps Mystery Flavor. Heck… grab them all and have your very own taste test!
