REVIEW: Jessica Jones Season 2 Episode 3
Alright, time for Episode 3. Will this episode maintain the momentum or will this crash and burn?
[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hSvnepZS26s[/embedyt]
Warning: Spoilers Ahead! Turn back now if you haven’t seen the episode!
The story picks up where Jessica (Krysten Ritter), and Trish (Rachel Taylor), are on the beach disposing of Simpson body. Simpson also had a car with a bag full of weapons which Trish decides to take as protection. Later on, Trish brings in a shrink at her apartment in order to help Jessica with her memories. Of course with Jessica, it goes nowhere and she leaves Trish’s apartment where Griffin (Hal Ozsan), comes knocking on the door. Meanwhile, Jeri (Carrie-Anne Moss), gets a surprise visit from her board. They discuss the fact that Jeri hasn’t disclosed her illness and the board wants to kick her out. Later on, Jessica gets back to her office where Malcolm (Eka Darville), hands Jessica an eviction notice. Jessica is rightfully pissed and goes to Oscar (J.R. Ramirez), to talk about it. Oscar tells Jessica that she has 30 days to move out and he is afraid of her after what happened with Wizzer. Meanwhile, Trish and Griffin have a fight about what Trish did and they decide to take a break from their relationship because of everything going on. Jessica does more investigating on IGH and her past. She later goes to bed that night and has a nightmare about the meat faced man and there is also tints of Purple surrounding the area (Will Purple Man come back?). Malcolm is able to find dirt on Oscar and Jessica wants him to go question the landlord about it.
Meanwhile, Jessica heads back to IGH search for some clues and she finds a door with the name Dr. Leslie Hansen. Trish picks up Jessica and the two of them talk about what Jessica found and what happened with Griffin. Trish and Jessica head to Hansen’s apartment where they find the place cleaned out. An old man comes to tell them that someone came and moved everything down to the basement of the building. Trish and Jessica head down to the basement where they find a furnace with a burned head inside. Meanwhile, Malcolm goes to the house of the landlord and tries to get him to do something about Oscar when he refuses and slams the door on Malcolm. Later on, Jessica and Trish go to the morgue and plan the head in the storage and put it into the system without anyone noticing. They get one of the employees named Maury and Trish wants him to call her when the ID comes in, in exchange for a favour of course. Later on, Jessica plans to get Oscar out by clogging her toilet as a distraction so she can snoop around his apartment. She runs into his son and when Oscar gets back, he is understandably pissed about Jessica breaking in. Jessica and Oscar talk and Oscar says that he is the one who painted a picture of the landlord’s boyfriend and has done nothing wrong.
Meanwhile, Trish is watching the videos that the Wizzer made when Griffin comes back and scares Trish. The two of them talk things out and Griffin sneaks a USB drive onto the computer. The next day, Jessica wakes up to find Jeri at her door and she hands Jessica a notice that Chang is looking to sue. However, Jeri rips up the notice and instead, she wants Jessica to look into her board partners so Jeri can stay in the company. Jeri then reveals that she has ALS, and wants Jessica to help her before she dies. Later on, Trish wraps up an episode of Trish talk and she gets a call from Hansen herself, asking her to meet her alone later on that night. Jessica wants Trish to not go to her because Jessica thinks it dangerous and she will go instead. Trish insists on going but Jessica sends TMZ a tip that she is dating Griffin and will leave the paparazzi all over her and she also sends Malcolm to block Trish from leaving. Later that night, Jessica goes to Ruddy’s and Hansen comes and the two of them sit and talk. Hansen reveals that she did work for IGH and she was one of the doctors that gave people powers, including Jessica. Meanwhile, Malcolm makes it to Trish’s apartment where she gets a call from Maury saying that the skull was in-fact Hansens. This causes Trish to freak out, her and Malcolm then plan to go to Jessica to tell her what’s going on. They devise a plan that Malcolm will lead the Paparazzi away so they can sneak past. Jessica and Hansen are still talking with Jessica saying that she is going to stop her from making any more super-powered people. The is leads to a mini fight and then a chase where Jessica meets up with Trish and Malcolm outside the building. A lone Paparazzi is grilling Trish when Jessica takes his camera and finds that he got a shot of Hansen before she lept away.
This episode really does raise the stakes tenfold and this episode is like a non-stop bombshell drop after another. After watching this, everything is starting to come together and the conflict is starting to move along at a nice pace. So far this season is able to achieve a steady momentum and has not been boring at all.
The acting in this episode also keeps up with the other episodes and is really great. Even Maury is a great addition to the cast being the Mourge worker and Hansen proves to be scary and also intimidating.
The only downside is the whole Trish and Griffin stuff. I just can’t seem to latch on to what is going on between the two of them. However, it seems that Griffin is hiding something and maybe he is working for someone who is planning to take down Trish or Jessica.
The Verdict:
AKA Sole Survivor is another step in the right direction and really does pick up the momentum this season started out with and brings it to a whole new level. This episode raised the stakes for our Alias crew and I can’t wait to see what happens next.
9/10
Next up, let us see how Episode 4 will play out.
Review: The Disaster Artist
Oh hi, Mark! The based on a true story film about the worst film ever made finally hit Blu-Ray this week! Does this Golden Globe award-winning film live up to the hype or is it just like The Room?
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WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD!! PROCEED AT YOUR OWN RISK!!
The movie is a biography of The Room and how it was made. So, I won’t go too in-depth into the story because it’s better to see what happens then describe it.
The story of the film is about Tommy Wiseau (James Franco), and his best friend Greg Sestero (Dave Franco), first meet after an acting class and the pair hit it off, becoming best friends while time goes on. We then see the pair move from San Francisco to LA to try and make it big there. When they can’t get any acting gigs for months, Tommy and Greg get fed up and decided to make a movie to show the world how it’s done. Tommy writes the script to their movie called The Room. The par assembles a crew together and makes their movie a reality. It takes a couple of months of shooting multiple takes, a lot of fighting, yelling and also some nudity. However, Tommy is able to get his movie finished and ready for everyone to see. On Opening Night, Tommy debuts the movie to a semi-packed theatre. Everything seems to be going well until everyone starts to laugh hysterically at the movie. Tommy seems to think it’s because they don’t like it but, it’s actually because the movie is so bad it’s good.
The acting in this movie is absolutely amazing. James Franco does such a fantastic job playing the weird and outlandish Tommy that he alone is a reason to watch this movie. I have never seen him take on a role so weird in his career that, and to have that risk pay off in a huge way is such an achievement. Dave Franco also does a great job as Greg and he really does complement his brothers acting so well that they really give the movie life.
The rest of the supporting cast is also great and this movie has some actors in it that you will recognize like Seth Rogen, Alison Brie and Zac Efron just to name a few.
Now, I have seen a lot of biographies and those types of movies in the past. However, The Disaster Artist has to be my new favourite. Simply because I can honestly believe what happened in this movie. Tommy Wiseau is a really weird dude but he doesn’t take crap from no one. With how weird Tommy is, it gives a sense that the events that happen in this movie are not dramatized at all and everything actually happened.
I love how at the end they also do a shot by shot comparison between both of the films and it really shows how much they wanted to re-create Tommy’s original vision that it comes off as a great tribute. The Room has become such a cult-classic now that when The Disaster Artist was announced, I was kind of scared. Now, I can say that not only does this movie complement The Room, it also shines on its own and is just such a great story to see unfold.
The Disaster Artist isn’t looking to poke fun at Tommy and his movie. It wants to show how it was made, and how it affected everyone involved with the production of the rumoured six million dollar disaster of a movie. The Disaster Artist isn’t looking to trash Tommy’s movie, it celebrates it instead and gives us a rollercoaster of a ride that is exciting and thrilling to watch.
If I were to describe The Disaster Artist, it would be an amazing tribute and one that I can’t recommend enough.
The Verdict:
The Disaster Artist really surprised me when I finished watching it. It is such a heartfelt, funny, entertaining and emotional look into how The Room was made that it leaves you with a sense of how everything went down. The acting is absolutely amazing in this movie and it really does help make the movie even better. The movie is also able to balance out the runtime with the story so nothing feels left out. Overall, if you haven’t seen this movie or if you haven’t heard about the story behind The Room, do yourself a favour and check this movie out.
9/10
Now I want to watch The Room now more than ever after watching this.
REVIEW: Justice League
Today is the day, Justice League finally released on Blu-Ray and it is packed with bonus features! One of the most important being scenes we didn’t see in theatres.
[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r9-DM9uBtVI[/embedyt]
Is Justice League worth the watch or is the DCEU dead?
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WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD!! PROCEED AT YOUR OWN RISK!!
Before I get into it, I will say that I think that the film is a mess. The fact that it’s only 2 hours long when Batman V Superman gets to be a 3 hour or 2/30 hour movie depending on which version you watch, really hurts this film so much. It gets to the point where you feel like there could have been more done with it if WB would have just given the directors more time to work with.
Anyways, rant over. I’m not gonna go too much into detail with the story because it is kind of simple and I want to get this review out fast so I can go back to working on other reviews.
The movie is about Batman (Ben Affleck), gathering together the Justice League after encountering a Parademon. Batman slowly gathers all six members including Wonder Woman (Gal Gadot), Aquaman (Jason Momoa), Flash (Ezra Miller) and Cyborg (Ray Fisher). Batman brings the league together in order to stop Steppenwolf (Ciarán Hinds), who is gathering the three Motherboxes he needs to create the unity. The unity is what happens when you combine the three Motherboxes together so that they can transform wherever they are into Apokolips. Steppenwolf has already gone to Themyscria and Atlantis for two of the Motherboxes and sets his sights on the third, which is with Cyborg. After the Justice League battles Steppenwolf for the first time and gets their asses kicked, they decided to use the last Motherbox they have to resurrect Superman (Henry Cavil). They succeed in bringing back Superman but he isn’t very happy about it. He fights the team and kicks their asses until Lois Lane (Amy Adams), is able to stop the fight and Superman takes her away back to Kansas. Steppenwolf gets the last Motherbox while the Justice League is distracted by Superman, and combines the three to start the Unity. This leads the Justice League to travel to Russia and stop Steppenwolf from transforming the world. Steppenwolf clearly has the upper hand and when all seems lost, Superman joins the fight and helps the League win and save the day. After they stop Steppenwolf, everyone goes their separate ways and it seems like the world is saved…… until the next invasion.
The acting in this movie is great, Justice League has a well-rounded cast with everyone doing a great job. Even when they had to come back for multiple reshoots, you can tell they are enjoying themselves and no one looks out of place (Except for Steppenwolf, he is bad).
The villain in this movie is just ugly and bad. Steppenwolf is not a good choice for a villain, he is a C-List villain who feels like a cheap version of Darkseid. Just seeing Steppenwolf makes you wish that we got Darkseid instead of the ugly Steppenwolf.
The editing in this movie can also feel very jarring and choppy at times. When you watch the movie, you can tell that some scenes were really cut up to save time and this makes them feel rushed and it really does hurt the film. That is the overall feeling you will have when watching and after the movie is done. WB really did screw things up with Justice League and was so desperate for a hit that they ended up making fools of themselves instead.
Now, let us move on to the special features. Justice League is packed with specials but the biggest one that is a selling point for the movie are the extra scenes that were not shown in theatres. There are 2 scenes, one where Superman goes to his fortress and we get to see his different suits (Including the Black Suit!), and the other one showing Superman going to Alfred. The second clip was shown in the trailers but of course, it didn’t make the cut. These scenes are short and feel like they are tacked on just to sell the movie to fans who want more (Like me). I feel like they should have just put these in the actual film because they are so short and cool that they would have fit right in without taking away too much from the movie itself.
Overall, it’s really hard to recommend this movie. I would still recommend it and out of all the DCEU movies we have gotten, this one is my favourite (Sorry Wonder Woman, you are second). I really do like what we got from the movie and I think that it’s fine on its own. However, for the people who have been burned too many times from the DCEU, I don’t see how this movie will change your mind. I still say to give it a watch but, I’m not gonna force you too.
The Verdict:
Justice League is a mess, it really hurts to say that as a DC fan. However, I have seen the movie enough times now that I feel I can say that but, I do enjoy the movie. The story is simple, the heroes are great, and the CGI is also good. The villain sucks and the runtime also sucks because it feels like there is more to this movie that the studio doesn’t want to give us. With that being said, Justice League is still a fun time and I would still recommend you pick it up if you haven’t seen it or have already watched it. Just don’t go in expecting the best movie in the world because this movie doesn’t reach that league.
7/10
Let’s hope that WB can learn from their mistakes and make the DCEU or just DC movies in general, great again!
REVIEW: Jessica Jones Season 2 Episode 2
Alright, time for Episode 2. Will this episode maintain the momentum or will this crash and burn?
[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hSvnepZS26s[/embedyt]
Warning: Spoilers Ahead! Turn back now if you haven’t seen the episode!
We pick up with Jessica (Krysten Ritter), at a bar doing her favourite thing in the world, drinking. While there, Jess meets up with a stranger who tells her she a has a nice ass before the two of them go to the bathroom to have sex. The next day, Jess goes to a funeral home to investigate more on Dr. Kozlov. She later finds out that Kozlov is actually dead and when she snoops around the house. We then cut to Trish (Rachael Taylor), who is out to brunch with her new boyfriend when her mother, Dorothy (Rebecca De Mornay), drops by and drives the boyfriend away. It then turns into an awkward mother-daughter brunch where Trish asks her mother for contact info of a former director Trish used to work with, Max. Dorothy gives it to her and they both exchange some hateful comments to each other. While this is happening, Jeri (Carrie-Anne Moss), picks up a hooker. We cut back to Jess who is still snooping when she is attacked by a guy in a wheelchair. Jessica then learns that the man who killed Kozlov is none other than Will Simpson (Wil Traval). Will was presumed dead but Kozlov took him in and tried to fix him after he lost it last season and now Kozlov is dead. Jessica is furious after learning this and tries to call Trish with no answer. Jessica goes back to her home and does more digging on Wizzer and Will when she finds keys in Wizzers bag, keys to Wizzers apartment. Jessica then gets a visit from the police, they are looking to bring her in for questioning about what happened to Wizzer. Jess tells them to go away because she is working and they don’t have a case against her. Meanwhile, Trish calls Malcolm (Eka Darville), for help with a task she is planning to do. Jessica goes to Wizzers apartment and finds a laptop with videos of Wizzer talking on them. She also finds a mongoose in the apartment that got loose and is hiding in the bathroom.
Meanwhile, Trish and Malcolm arrive on a movie set where Trish goes to Max and she wants to talk to him. We cut to Jessica coming back to her office where she digs more into Wizzers computer and finds a connection that he was trying to get a hold of Trish so he can tell her his story. Jessica starts to panic when she tries to call Trish again and she doesn’t answer. Trish is waiting in Max’s trailer when she puts her plan into action, asking Max for access to Hospital records through Max’s connections or she would blackmail him with stories about them sleeping together. While they are talking, Malcolm is recording the exchange so Trish can use it against him. Jessica get’s fed up and goes to Trish’s apartment where she only finds Griffin (Hal Ozsan), who is also freaking out about not being able to find Trish. Griffin tells Jessica that she met with her mother at lunch and wanted information from her. Malcolm finds Max who is leaving the set and punches him in the face to scare him. Trish is still on the set when she finds Will is there and she shoots him in the leg. Jessica goes to Dorothy and she interrogates her on what Trish wanted and Jessica finds out where Trish is. Jessica finally makes her way to the set and finds Trish has Will tied up. They both start to question Will and he tells them that someone is after him and he only wanted to protect Trish from IGH. After spilling the beans, the lights cut out and someone comes kills Will.
This episode continues the momentum of the new season and creates a really interesting new villain. I thought that Will Simpson was going to be the main bad but with him presumably dead, he is off the table. I didn’t mention that when Jeri picked up the hooker, it led to one big orgy with 2 other girls as well. This was the least interesting part of the episode because it didn’t really advance the plot and it was just purely eye candy for the viewer.
The acting in this episode was very well done with everyone on point, even including the Mongoose. There was a lot more emotional scene in this episode with Trish revisiting her past and it clearly didn’t sit well with her. It really shows the lengths that Trish is willing to go too for Jessica and you can tell she really wants to help her discover her past.
Only 2 episodes in and I really like where the season is headed. The writing is great and it really does set up the whole mystery with IGH very well and I can’t wait to see what will unfold out of all this.
The Verdict:
AKA Freak Accident is another great episode for the new season of Jessica Jones. We got to learn more about the true motivations of both Wizzer and Simpson and this really helps their characters become less forgettable in the end. Also, we got to see a lot more emotion from Trish and Jessica in this episode and it really helps sell what the characters are going through. I am really excited to watch more and things are really heating up.
9/10
REVIEW: Jessica Jones Season 2 Episode 1
It’s finally here! Season 2 of Netflix’s Jessica Jones. After an explosive and intense first season, Season 2 decides to go for a more personal story about Jessica and her true origins. Does the first episode help set the tone?
[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hSvnepZS26s[/embedyt]
Warning: Spoilers Ahead! Turn back now if you haven’t seen the episode!
Season 2 takes place after Season 1 and The Defenders, Jessica Jones (Krysten Ritter), is now a well-known PI and along with her assistant Malcolm (Eka Darville), they are both running Alias Investigations. Jessica is on a case where a pizza lady wants to know what one of her co-workers is doing and why it takes so long for him to do his job. Jessica finds out the delivery boy is sleeping with his clients (Classic). Jessica goes to receive the payment and show the evidence when the manager wants her to kill the guy and she goes into a whole spiel about how she is not a murder. Next, we cut to Trish Walker (Rachael Taylor), who is at a party playing her Patsy character in order to get information for Jessica about her past. She gets the evidence and shows it to Jessica later that night when Jessica scolds her for bringing up the past. The next morning, Jessica and Malcolm open up for business and hear a bunch of cases. One about Lizard People (Classic), one about a missing person and the last one is about a guy who calls himself the Wizzer because he has speedster powers when he is scared. Jessica doesn’t take any of them and then we are introduced to Chang (Terry Chen), who comes to their office with an offer to buy out Alias because Chang is also a successful PI. Chang doesn’t want Jess to steal his customers away and the two get into an argument.
Next, we cut to Jeri Hogarth (Carrie-Anne Moss), accepting an award and her board scolds her. Next, we see Trish finishing up her show and her boss comes down to tell her that the ratings are tanking and that Trish should go back to talking about superheroes or do more clickbait like articles. Trish talks to her boss and says that she won’t get Jess on the show because she doesn’t want to exploit her. Next, we cut to Jess trying to get dirt on Chang so she can knock him down a peg. Chang sees her outside and Jess flips him the bird. Jess goes back to her place where Trish and Malcolm are their and Trish brought with her a box with Jessica’s family member ashes. This causes Jess and Trish to fight about Jessica’s past and why she doesn’t want to go back and investigate it. Later that night, Jess sits in silence and finally gets the courage to look at the contents of the box and finally agrees to digging up the past and investigate it. Later the next day, Jess is finally able to get something on Chang by looking at a website of one of Chang’s clients and is able to get a dog back for them. This causes Jess and Change tension which leads Jess to beat on Chang. Jess is arrested at the scene and is bailed out by Trish. Chang later goes to Jeri and tells her she wants to sue Jess for what she did. Later on, the Wizzer comes back to Jess’s office scared out of his mind. This causes Wizzer to finally show Jess he actually has speedster powers and he knocks over Jess’s brother’s ashes and this leads to a chase outside the building that leads to the Wizzers death when part of a construction scaffold collapses on top of him. This is the final push that Jess needs to actually start investigating her past. Jess goes to IGH (Industrial Garments & Handling), which looks abandoned and she starts to have flashbacks to when she was brought in. She slowly realizes that this is the place she got her powers, along with Wizzer and we see that someone else was created there as well but aren’t sure who it is.
Right off the bat, Jessica Jones maintains the momentum that the first season set and decides to go a different direction. This time around, instead of looking for someone to kill because they were bad, Jessica is finally deciding to get answers to her mysterious past and this will lead her to finally discover who made her super.
The acting in this episode was great, everyone is on point and even the newcomers make a great first impression. Chang feels like he is going to be a thorn in Jessica’s side and I can’t wait to see how that is going to unravel. Kristen Ritter also does a great job of showing us a more emotional and vulnerable Jessica now that her investigation is more personal this time around.
The Verdict:
AKA Start at the Beginning is a great first episode to this new season. It sets up the conflict and the main plot for the season nicely and it’s great to see the hard edge Jessica back again for another season. If you watched the first season already, you are probably gonna watch season 2 anyways but, for those who haven’t, I highly recommend you to catch up on what you have missed.
9/10
Next up, Episode 2 of course.
REVIEW: Black Panther (Road to Infinity War)
Alright, let us conclude The Papi Chulo RADIO Road to Infinity War (RTIW for short) review event with the last movie in the lineup, Black Panther.
[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xjDjIWPwcPU[/embedyt]
It’s finally here!! Black Panther is finally in theatres and after Black Panther clawed his way onto the big screen in Captain America: Civil War, fans were hyped to see how Black Panther’s solo outing would turn out. With all the hype and buzz around this film, does it succeed or does it come down with cat scratch fever?
WARNING! SPOILERS AHEAD!! SHIELD YOUR EYES IF YOU HAVEN’T SEEN BLACK PANTHER YET!
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Right off the bat, Black Panther continues the streak Marvel has been on with their movies for the past few years and Black Panther is another hit. The movie has the perfect balance of action, heart, entertainment and pacing. However, the movie does have it faults which I will talk about later.
The story takes place after Civil War with T’Challa (Chadwick Boseman) becoming the new king of Wakanda after his father’s death at the hands of Zemo. T’Challa goes through all the rituals and everything seems to be going smoothly until Ulysses Klaue (Andy Serkis) resurfaces and tries to sell Vibranium (The strongest metal in the MCU) when he is caught and imprisoned. Then, Erik Killmonger (Michael. B. Jordan) breaks him out and the two villains team up to try and bring down the Black Panther to steal all the Vibranium in Wakanda.
The story is simple and easy to follow so you don’t need to have read the comics to know who Black Panther and Wakanda is. The movie does a great job of explaining the lore around Wakanda and Black Panther.
However, one bad thing I can say about this movie is how it handles both villains, Killmonger and Klaue. First, halfway through the movie Killmonger actually kills Klaue so that he can get into Wakanda to execute the rest of his master plan. This came out of left field since Klaue is one of Black Panther’s big villains, and Andy Serkis does such a great job in the role that killing him feels like a strange choice. Also, Killmonger also dies in the end which is saddening because he was such an interesting and compelling villain that you end up rooting for him near the end. Michael. B. Jordan also did such a fantastic job as Killmonger that he is easily the best villain in the MCU right now (Sorry Loki). Now that Killmonger was killed, it ruins any potential of him coming back and facing against Black Panther again (Although who really stays dead in comics nowadays?).
The acting is outstanding in Black Panther. Chadwick Boseman (T’Challa) brings his all to his role and so does the rest of the cast. The chemistry with everyone in the cast can be seen and it really helps make the characters more fun and believable. After watching the movie, you will love T’Challa’s family and guards so much that you wish that maybe they may get their own solo movies or one-shots in the future?
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The CGI for this movie is amazing and really eye-catching. The scenes where T’Challa goes to the ancestral plane are really breathtaking and give off some serious Lion King vibes with how they are presented.
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Wakanda is fantastic and stunning to look at and it also looks like a great place to live. This movie did such an amazing job showing off Wakanda and the community around it that it really does feel like a special and sacred place. The technology that is in Wakanda really comes to life and some of the gadgets are really outstanding and awesome. The tech looks so futuristic and amazing that it will leave you wanting some of Wakanda tech for yourself! I mean just think of the possibilities!
I should also mention that the waterfall fight scenes are also beautiful to look at and really has a grand sense of scale that leaves you wanting more. Also, the fighting is also very brutal and awesome to see. Props to the stunt people for the movie.
The music for the movie blends in with the tone/theme of the movie and it also stands out on its own as well. Kendrick Lamar produced and wrote the songs for Black Panther. Lamar has been on a roll in the rap game over the last few years with his music winning Grammys. Lamar brings his A game and produces some great music that is very catchy and shows that he was the perfect choice for Black Panther.
The Verdict:
Black Panther is a great movie from start to finish. The story is simple and compelling, and the characters are entertaining and loveable. The main villain is the best that we have seen in the MCU. However, it should also be said how they handle the villains in this movie is also misguided. The CGI is also very well done and it really helps enhance the movie. Overall, everyone gave their all into making this movie, and it really shows. Believe the hype and go see Black Panther.
9.5/10
Now excuse me while I go make my way back to Wakanda for the second time. Also, I’m going to need some time to rest before we get to the biggest MCU movie to date, Avengers: Infinity War.
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REVIEW: Thor: Ragnarok (Road to Infinity War)
Alright, let us continue The Papi Chulo RADIO Road to Infinity War (RTIW for short) review event with the seventeenth movie in the lineup, Thor: Ragnarok.
[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ue80QwXMRHg[/embedyt]
We are on the second to last film for the RTIW event folks! Today’s review is going to be a good one because we are checking out the third movie in the trilogy of Thor. After The Dark World left a bad taste in our mouths, will Thor: Ragnarok redeem Thor or will he burn in the flames of Ragnarok?
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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 came out last year, you should have seen it already).
This is going to be my longest review because I love the film so much and there is a lot to talk about. Alright, with that out of the way, it’s main event time!
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The story picks up where we hear Thor (Chris Hemsworth), monologue while stuck in a cage with a skeleton. I want to say that Thor is in hell but it is never really said where he is. Anyways, the bottom of the cage opens up and Thor is dangling on a chain in front of Surtur (Clancy Brown). Surtur tells Thor about Ragnarok, a prophecy that will end Asgard and have it start a new. Before Surtur can finish Thor, Thor busts out of his chains with his hammer and fights Surtur and his hellspawn while a dragon also fights Thor as well. Thor defeats Surtur and grabs his crown before reaching the Surface. Thor tries to call for Heimdall (Idris Elba), but he is banished from Asgard. There’s a new gatekeeper in town, Skurge (Karl Urban), he is showing off his stuff to some ladies when he finally hears Thor’s cries for help and he teleports Thor back to Asgard, along with the head of the dragon causing the Bi-Frost to be covered in blood and brains. Thor goes to see Odin (Anthony Hopkins) when he sees that everyone gathers for a play about Loki’s (Played by Matt Damon during the play), death and celebration of his life. Thor is able to see through this ruse and reveals to everyone that it’s actually Loki (Tom Hiddleston), himself. Thor questions Loki about where Odin is and this takes them to Earth where we see the retirement home that Loki supposedly put Odin in being demolished. Loki is then taken away by a portal and Thor is left with a business card on the street with an address, 177a Blecker Street. The home of Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch). Thor meets with Strange and Strange agrees to help Thor find Odin, who is now in Norway. Before Strange sends Thor on his way, he gives back Loki, who has been failing for 30 minutes in a pocket dimension. Strange sends Thor and Loki on their way to Odin and the three of them have a heart to heart before Odin passes away. Odin warns them that Ragnarok is coming and their long-lost sister, Hela, The Goddess of Death (Cate Blanchett). Odin passes away and Hela is free from her prison that Odin kept her in. Hela then confronts the two brothers and destroys Thor’s Hammer and fights them. Loki calls down the Bi-Frost and Hela knocks them both out and emerges in Asgard.
Meanwhile, Thor lands on a planet known as Sakaar. Some of the locals try and capture Thor for food but we meet Valkyrie (Tessa Thompson), who is drunk and kills the locals to steal Thor for herself and take him away. We cut back to Asgard, where we see Hela starts her invasion by killing off most of the Asgard Soldiers and ships. While that is taking place, Heimdall who is still alive takes the Bi-Frost sword so that no one else can use it. Back on Sakaar, Thor is strapped to a chair and is taken to the Grandmaster (Jeff Goldblum), and Valkyrie sells Thor to Grandmaster so he can become the next fighter in his Contest of Champions. Thor is thrown into a circle prison and we meet Korg (Taika Waititi), Meek and Doug (Oh wait, Doug’s dead). Korg talks to Thor and tells him about how things are and gives him some encouragement to fight the champion. Back on Asgard, Hela and Skurage go through the vault and find the Eternal Flame. Hela tells Skruge that her army and pet wolf are buried beneath the vault and she goes down with the flame to bring all of her soldiers and wolf back to life. Back on Sakaar, Thor and Korg are getting ready for the contest when Thor learns that Valkryie is from Asgard and was apart of the Valkyrie, a force of female warriors who were the toughest of Asgard. Thor is then taken away to be processed and he also get’s a haircut.
Thor is then put into the gladiatorial arena where he finds out who this champion is. The champion of Sakaar is none other than, HULK (Mark Ruffalo). This excites Thor to see a friend from work and he goes off explaining what has happened to him in the past few days. Hulk doesn’t care and this is the big fight between Thor and Hulk goes down. It’s a real smackdown of gods but when Thor seems to be on the winning edge, he is then stopped by Grandmaster who zaps him because Thor has a chip in the side of his neck that Valkyrie put on him and Hulk ends up winning with one big ground pound. Back on Asgard, Hela dubs Skruge as her Executioner and when they plan on attacking the nine realms, they realize the Bi-Frost sword is gone. Hela wants Skruge to rally the citizens in order to find the sword. Meanwhile, on Sakaar, Thor wakes up from being knocked out by Hulk and finds himself in Hulks living quarters. Thor looks around and finds Hulk in the bath where Thor wants to know how Hulk got to Sakaar. Of course, since we last saw Hulk in Age of Ultron, he was in the Quinjet which was flying out to space and Hulk landed on Sakaar from the Quinjet. Hulk shows Thor that they Quinjet is outside Hulks place and when Thor tries to go to it but learns that he is being kept there by the chip in his neck. While Hulk goes out for training, Thor contacts Heimdall and talks to him through a vision communication power that Heimdall has. Thor learns about what is going on at Asgard and tries to tell Heimdall he is coming back home to stop Hela.
The next day, Hulk and Thor talk to Valkryie. Thor tries to convince her to help him escape and get back to Asgard. Valkryie doesn’t want to leave and Thor is able to distract her and get the device that controls the chip and is able to take the chip off. Thor escapes through the window and goes to the Quinjet. Before Thor can do anything, Hulk comes and smashes up the Quinjet before seeing the same message from Black Widow from Age of Ultron. This causes Hulk and Banner to fight over control and Banner is able to win the fight with Thor watching and helping Banner out by telling him what happened and where he is. This causes the Grandmaster to send out a message to the people asking them to look for Hulk. Then, Grandmaster tasks Loki and Valkryie with finding both Thor and Hulk. They both have one hour to do it and this causes them to fight with Loki learning Valkryie’s past and making her see visions of her past fight with Hela. We then cut to Thor and Banner talking to each other about what is happening and the fact that Banner was stuck as the Hulk for 2 years. While they are on the run, they stumble on a crowd of locals who are celebrating the Hulk. This causes Thor and Banner to get lost but, they soon find each other and Valkryie also finds them as well. She takes them to her place where she has Loki chained up to a chair. They interrogate Loki and they all devise a plan to go save Asgard. They need a ship strong enough to go through the Devil’s Anus and survive the gravity of the Wormhole so they can fly to Asgard.
The first part of their plan, break into Grandmasters Vault full of ships and take one. This plan causes the people of Sakaar to start a revolution. Loki tries to double cross Thor and he sets off the alarm but Thor put the Chip on Loki and leaves him on the ground to be Electrocuted for as long as the machine can. Once Thor gets the ship, words get’s to the Grandmaster who sends out a public alert. Grandmaster sends his right-hand Woman, Topaz (Rachel House) and a squad of ships to stop Thor. Valkyrie comes in with her ship and shoots down some of their ships before getting her’s destroyed. Valkryie survives and starts to hop from ship to ship destroying them by hand. Thor does the same thing and leaves Banner to drive their ship alone. Banner presses a button which causes fireworks to come out and that ends up killing Topaz. Korg and his revolution team find a ship in the vault and bring Loki along with them. Team Thor rejoins on the ship and escape Sakaar through the Wormhole and get to Asgard. On Asgard, Skurge has gathered up the citizens of Asgard hoping for someone to tell him where the Bi-Frost sword is but no one wants to tell so Skruge gets ready to execute a citizen when someone finally reveals the location, and Hela goes to the place where Heimdall is keeping the Refugees. Once Hela gets there, she finds no one and Heimdall is telling everyone to move to the Bi-Frost.
When Thor makes his return and gets Hela’s attention back at the palace. She rushes back to the palace where she and Thor fight each other while Valkyrie and Hulk fight off Hela’s army, and wolf that is going to kill the citizens at the Bi-Frost. During the fight with Thor, Hela manages to cut Thor’s eye, leaving him with only one eye, just like his father. Loki comes in with Korg and is able to get the citizens of Asgard on their ship while everyone fights. Everything seems to be looking good when Hela is able to come back from Thor using his lighting powers. However, Thor makes a plan to use the Eternal Flame to resurrect Surtur and cause Ragnarok while everyone gets on the spaceship. Hela’s arm manages to get on the ship and Skruge finally decides to stop hiding and help save the people while also dying in the process. Loki goes to the Vault and puts Surtur’s head on the flame and he is reborn and starts to destroy Asgard. Everyone manages to get on the ship and leave behind Hela and Surtur to fight it out. Once they are out in orbit. They make a plan of where to go next after Asgard’s destruction. Everyone agrees to go back to earth. Before they can, they are stopped by Thanos’s giant ship.
Alright with the story section out of the way, let’s break it down:
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The acting this movie is simply outstanding. Every single person brought their best to this movie and it really pays off because everyone does their part and no one feels wasted at all. That is one of the movies biggest strengths, no one in this movie feels out of place. Everyone is in this movie to serve their purpose and some will even leave you wanting more. Like, Korg, Grandmaster and Valkriye (Where are their solo movies, Marvel?). Besides, who doesn’t love Jeff Goldblum?
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The CGI is outstanding and very colourful (A Weird thing to say but I’m saying it anyway). Sakaar is beautiful, Hulk is awesome, Thor’s lighting powers are great and the huge arena fight with Hulk and Thor is absolutely stunning. This movie is just full of colourful visuals and great looking sets. Sakaar looks like a real planet and the people also look very alien and real. It almost feels like they are trying to top Guardians of the Galaxy and they succeed.
Everything about this movie just screams visually stunning and entertainingly fun. The story of this movie is simple and easy to follow which is also great. What makes this movie special though is all in the execution, this movie is filled with jokes and action and all of them hit and not a single one of them miss. This movie is able to strike a very amazing balance and it knows when to make you laugh or excite you with what is happening. This is a huge leap from the last Thor movie and it also changes Thor and his world in a huge way that makes him both a badass and a very relatable hero. Thor is still a god mind you but, he is the most human of his people and that is what makes him so likeable.
Thor has gone from a headstrong warrior to a king who is now looking for a new home for him and his people. Whether or not he finds it before Thanos get’s through with him is gonna have to wait till Avengers: Infinity War. Thor may have rejected the throne at first but, now he finally understands why he has it and it’s nice to see his journey come to a close in such a stylish and entertaining fashion.
This has to be one of the best Marvel movies ever made (Sorry Black Panther).
The Verdict:
Wow, Thor: Ragnarok is a triumph. Not since The Avengers have I felt that a movie transcends being a movie and turns into an event. Thor: Ragnarok is a movie that has non-stop laughs, action, drama, spectacle and heart. Everything in this movie is perfected and Thor: Ragnarok is easily the best Marvel/MCU movie to come out ever. This movie will be studied and people will try and replicate the formula for this movie. However, there can only be one true king, Hail the king of New Asgard and long live Thor.
10/10
Next up, the last movie we are going to look at in the RTIW. The most recent one to come out and it also has a king in it, The King of Wakanda that is! Of course, it’s Black Panther.
REVIEW: Spider-Man: Homecoming (Road to Infinity War)
Alright, let us continue The Papi Chulo RADIO Road to Infinity War (RTIW for short) review event with the sixteenth movie in the lineup, Spider-Man: Homecoming.
[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8wNgphPi5VM[/embedyt]
Now, with Spider-Man officially in the MCU, he deserves his own solo movie. Although this Spider-Man is another reboot, this also isn’t an origin story as well. Think of it as a continuation of Civil War. With that being said, does Spider-Man: Homecoming do Spider-Man justice? Or should this movie be squashed like a bug?
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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 came out last year, you should have seen it already).
The story begins with a flashback to after The Avengers and we get to see something we haven’t seen in a superhero film, what happens after a battle and who cleans it up the mess? Well, the answer is Adrian Toomes (Michael Keaton), and his group of scavengers. During their cleanup, a group from the government called Damage Control comes in to take over the job. Before clearing out, Adrian’s team manage to steal some alien tech in order to make weapons and gadgets out of them. Fast forward 8 years to before the airport scene in Captain America: Civil War. We see Peter (Tom Holland), being driven around by Happy (Jon Favreau), and Peter is filming his adventure to Berlin, his hotel room, filming himself during the Airport fight and then filming his return home with Tony (Robert Downey JR.). Once Peter puts the camera down, he is dropped off back home with his new suit and Tony tells him to stand by for his next mission. 2 months later, Peter is still going about his daily life, going to high school and also going around Queens in his new suit. One night Spider-Man runs into a group of thugs with Avengers masks and they also have some of Toomes’s new alien tech. A fight occurs and it ends with one of the weapons malfunctions and destroying the bank and a shop nearby. Peter goes back home where he soon discovers his bestie Ned (Jacob Batalon) has his LEGO Death Star in hand and drops it when he sees Peter with his Spider-Man costume. Ned now knows Peter’s secret and they argue back and forth with Ned agreeing to keep a lid on it. Aunt May (Marisa Tomei) comes into Peter’s room and says they are going out for Thai food. May asks Peter what’s wrong because he is down and Peter says that it’s his internship with Tony. Aunt May responds to her saying she is starting to dislike Tony because he keeps overworking Peter.
The next day during gym class, Peter hears his crush Liz (Laura Harrier), talking about how she likes Spider-Man and Ned lets slip the fact that Peter knows Spider-Man. Liz then invites both Peter and Ned to her party later that evening and asking if Peter can bring Spider-Man along. Later on, Peter and Ned go to Liz’s party and Ned asks Peter to put on the Spider-Man costume and swing on by to the party. Peter puts the suit on but sees some explosions in the distance and get’s distracted by that and goes towards that point to investigate. This leads Peter to under a bridge where we see an alien weapons deal going down. Peter intervenes and this ends up in a chase were Peter is hanging on the side of the van when he is able to pull one of the weapons from the van and toss it on someone’s lawn. Before Peter could actually stop the van, we see Vulture come and pick him up and take him several feet into the air. Peter is able to escape and release his parachute but then lands into a lake where he almost drowns. Iron Man saves him at the last minute, brings him to shore and gives Peter a pep talk. During the pep talk, we find out that Tony isn’t in the suit because he is down in India. Peter later goes back to retrieve the weapon that was dropped so he can study it.
The next day in shop class, Peter and Ned take the weapon apart and manage to keep the core of it intact, before they could leave school, some of Toomes’s goons come to the shop to take back the core. Peter puts a tracker on one of the goons, Peter goes back home with Ned and they track Toomes’s movements. They both discover that Toomes’s is headed for Maryland. Peter then goes to school the next day wanting to join back in with the decathlon team because they are headed to Washington for the nationals. While at their hotel, Everyone else sneaks out to go to the pool during nighttime while Peter sneaks out to follow Toomes. He discovers that Toomes is going to steal from a Damage Control truck headed back to its HQ. Peter and Vulture fight on top of the truck when Peter gets knocked out and locked in the truck. When Peter wakes up, he discovers that he is in a lower vault of Damage Control and tries everything to get out. Peter finally manages to get out but he misses the nationals altogether but his team still wins. Before he could meet back up with his friends. The alien core that Ned put in his backpack explodes while they are in the elevator of the Washington Monument. Peter suits up and tries his best to save his friends. Peter manages to get inside the building and the elevator and save everyone before he swings away. Back in New York, Peter learns his suit records everything and is able to identify one of the guys that were under the bridge, Aaron Davis (Donald Glover). Peter tracks him down to a parking garage and learns that Davis was looking to get weapons so he could escape his neighbourhood while also telling Peter that Toomes and some buyers will be on a Ferry later that day.
While on the Ferry, Toomes and his squad show off his product to Mac Gargan (Michael Mando), when the deal is interrupted by Spider-Man and also the FBI. Toomes gets his Vulture suit on and he fights Spider-Man on the Ferry. One of the weapons Vulture was using explodes and cuts the Ferry in half. Spider-Man tries his best to save it but is saved at the last minute again by Iron Man. After Iron Man repairs the ship, Tony and Peter have it out on a rooftop where Tony is actually there this time and after his fight with Peter, he takes the Suit he gave Peter back. After this, Peter goes back to his normal life and tries to leave the Spider-Man andInternshipp days behind him while he focuses on school and also getting a date for the Homecoming Dance. Peter confesses his feeling to Liz and asks Liz to the dance and she says yes which makes Peter very happy.
When Peter goes to Liz’s house later that night, he finally meets her father, ADRIAN TOOMES. This puts Peter on edge while at her house and when Toomes offers to give them a ride to the dance, he starts to pick up on the fact that Peter is Spider-Man. Before Toomes lets Peter out of his car, Toomes gives Peter a speech about how he needs to stay away from his work of he will kill him. Peter goes to the dance and when he finds Liz, he apologizes to her and runs away because he wants to stop her father. We later find out that Toomes has one last job in mind, stealing from the moving day plane with all of Tony’s stuff on it. Vulture gets to the plane and everything seems to be going smoothly until he sees that Spider-Man tagged along with him and they both fight on the outside of the plane. While fighting on the outside, they both manage to destroy most of the plane and the plane crash lands on the beach. They continue their fight until Vultures wings explode when he is trying to steal some tech. Toomes survives this and Peter makes sure to gift wrap Toomes and all of the plane cargo for Happy and the police to find. Later on, we find out that Liz is moving away with her mom to Oregan because it will be safer there than New York. Happy finds Peter at school and tells him to that Tony wants to see him at the New Avengers Base. Tony scolds but congrats Peter on what he did to Toomes and Tony shows Peter a new suit while also giving him an invitation to join the Avengers. Tony also says that there are real reporters waiting outside so that Tony can make the announcement but, before that can happen Peter declines the invitation to join and leaves Tony dumbfounded. Peter later gets home to find a paper bag with the suit that Tony made for him and when he puts the suit on, Aunt May sees this and ends the movie by saying, “What the F***!”.
The acting in this movie is simply spectacular (Sorry, not sorry). Tom Holland does an amazing job and has really cemented himself as the new Spider-Man. Michael Keaton is excellent as a villain and really knows how to balance being charming but scary at the same time. Robert Downey JR isn’t in this for long but he still does a great job. I was afraid that since they got RDJ, he was going to be in it a lot. Good thing he is only there when he needs to be a mentor/father figure to Peter. Everyone else does an amazing job as well. The only bad thing I can say is that Liz just feels one-dimensional as a love interest and a character. They should have spent more time developing her character so that we can actually have a good reason why Peter likes her so much.
The CGI is spectacular as well (I can’t help it with the spider puns). Everything looks visually stunning and Vultures suit really looks amazing and it makes me want one because it’s so awesome. The Spider-Man suit (Even the homemade suit), looks awesome as well. I would have loved to see Peter put on the Iron-Spider suit in this movie but we are gonna have to wait till Avengers: Infinity War (Hint, hint).
The Verdict:
This is the best Spider-Man movie out of all them. Marvel finally was able to do justice to the character when they were able to share the rights between Sony. Spider-Man: Homecoming is an all around fun and entertaining movie that really get’s it right. The villain is scary but also charming, the story is easy to follow and the cast is amazing. If you have gotten sick of Spider-Man movies or you haven’t seen it yet, this is a breath of fresh air and I can’t recommend this movie enough.
9.5/10
Next up, it’s main event time! We are nearly done the RTIW event, and what better time to see how Thor is in his third and best adventure yet, Thor: Ragnarok.
REVIEW: Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (Road to Infinity War)
Alright, let us continue The Papi Chulo RADIO Road to Infinity War (RTIW for short) review event with the fifteenth movie in the lineup, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2
[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dW1BIid8Osg[/embedyt]
With the first Guardians being a huge success, you know Marvel had to make a sequel. Now, the guardians are back for another adventure full of action, humour and a rockin soundtrack. Does the sequel live up to the hype or does it crash and burn?
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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 came out last year, you should have seen it already).
The story begins with a flashback to 1980 where we see Ego (Kurt Russel), is driving along with his new love Meredith Quill (Laura Haddock). They crusin along the countryside when they make a stop at a DQ to go out to the forest so that Ego can show Meredith a plant he planted that he promises will grow into something beautiful one day. Flashforward to the present where we see the Guardians on the planet Sovereign. They are on a mission to stop a big monster who plants to drain their batteries. The Guardians engage the monster while Baby Groot turns on the tunes and dances his cares away. The Guardians slay the beast and collect their reward, Nebula (Karen Gillian). Rocket (Bradley Cooper), steals some of their smaller batteries when no one is looking and this later comes back to bite the Guardians in the butt. Ayesha (Elizabeth Debicki), and the Sovereign soon figure out they stole some batteries and they send their fleet to kill the Guardians. When all seems lost, a mysterious ship comes and destroys all the Sovereign ships. The Guardians soon crash land on a remote planet where the same ship that helped them earlier also lands with them. We soon find out that on that ship is Mantis (Pom Klementieff), and Ego who claims to be Peter’s real father.
We then cut to Contraxia where Yondu (Michael Rooker) and his Ravagers are relaxing at a hotel/brothel. A bunch of other Ravagers come to the same place but then leave in disgust once they find out Yondu is there because Yondu betrayed them and broke the Ravager code when he took in Peter as a young boy. Later, some of Yondu’s crew talk bad mouth Yondu and this plants the seeds for a mutiny. However, The Sovereign come and request to speak to Yondu about a job. We then cut back to the planet Ego and the Guardians are on and they talk to Ego about who he is and where he is from. Peter (Chris Pratt), still in shock about Ego being his father still doesn’t believe him. Ego offers to take some of the Guardians to his home planet to show Peter his origins. While they leave, Rocket, Groot (Vin Diesel), and Nebula stay behind with the broken ship so they can try to repair it. Later on in the night, the Ravagers find Rocket and crew and try to ambush him, Rocket sets up a bunch of traps to stop them but Rocket get’s captured in the end. It’s here that the Mutiny finally happens when Taserface (Chris Sullivan), shoots off Yondu’s fin and becomes the new leader of the Ravagers. They put Rocket and Yondu in their holding cells, Nebula joins the New Ravagers and they also take Baby Groot.
Meanwhile, Ego and Mantis take Peter, Drax (Dave Bautista), and Gamora (Zoe Saldana) to his home planet which we find out is actually Ego and his Human form is an extension of himself. He goes into detail about how he is a celestial and that his mission was to create life on other planets to help extend his life. We cut back to the New Ravagers where Nebula is given a ship and Baby Groot is being used for entertainment. When Baby Groot is walking around, he stumbles upon Rocket and Yondu and he agrees to help them back Yondu’s Prototype fin in order to control his Arrow and escape. After many failed attempts, Kraglin (Sean Gunn), finally helps Baby Groot get the Fin to Yondu because Kraglin is still loyal to Yondu. Once Yondu puts on the fin, they all escape and manage to get an escape ship before blowing up Taserfaces ship. Before Taserface dies in the explosion, he contacts the Sovereign and gives them the coordinates to where Yondu is headed so they can kill all of the Guardians at once.
Back on Ego’s planet, Gamora is frustrated with Peter because she believes there is more than meets the eye and walks off to blow off some steam from fighting with Peter. While out in the field, Gamora is ambushed by Nebula with her ship. This leads to a chase and fight scene where the sisters finally have it out and share their feelings with each other. While in a cave, they discover something evil, a bunch of Skeletons of Ego’s other children. This is where we finally learn Ego’s true intentions. Ego plant himself on every planet so he can control everyone and everything. He wants Peter to help rule by his side, but after once Peter learns that Ego put the Tumor in his Mother, he refuses and starts to fight his father. This leads to all of the Guardians coming together and coming up with a plan to kill Ego. Rocket builds a bomb using the batteries he stole and get’s Baby Groot to plan it at the centre of the planet (AKA Ego’s Brain). The Guardians try their best to fight Ego while also fighting off the Sovereign who track them down and they destroy the Sovereign ships and get back to the task at hand, destroying Ego. The bomb finally goes off and all the Guardians make it out except for Peter and Yondu. Yondu is able to rescue Peter but pays the ultimate sacrifice when Yondu rockets Peter out to space and gives his air shield to Peter so that Peter can live. This hurts Peter and everyone mourns for Yondu, even the Ravagers who banished Yondu honour his sacrifice in the end.
The acting in this movie is on par with the first Guardians. You can tell that everyone has a formula down and the cast does an amazing job. Except for Taserface and the Sovereign. The Sovereign seem like they are going to become a huge pain for the Guardians but, they come off as bland and one dimensional (I don’t know if this was intentional or not but I’m making a note of it anyway).
The CGI is, of course, your standard MCU budget now. However, you can tell a lot more work and love was put into the effects in this movie. The scene where Yondu, Rocket and Kraglin make the jump to Ego is hilarious and is a highlight of the CGI. Also, all the ships, battles and even Ego himself are amazing. Another shoutout goes to the de-aging of Kurt Russel. Marvel really does know how to make actors look young again and it is impressive to see.
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 isn’t better than the first one. However, this isn’t a bad thing, most movie sequels try and top the original one. Vol. 2 instead just tries to stick to the formula of the first one and tell a more personal story then a universe exploding one which is one the movie’s strengths. Everyone wanted to know who Peter’s father was and this is the story of Peter’s father and how Peter deals with that revelation.
The Verdict:
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 doesn’t try to top its first movie. It instead decides to answer the question of who is Peter’s dad? The movie succeeds in giving us more Guardians and a very personal story about Family and Fathers. The movie does suffer from killing off both of the main villains again (But who will really remember Taserface anyways?), the parts with Ego do tend to drag on a little bit and Mantis doesn’t get much development before she joins the team. However, if you can look past those flaws, you will find another awesome mix of an adventure with the freaking Guardians of the Galaxy.
8.5/10
Next up, After making his debut in Civil War and winning over audiences everywhere, it’s time for the webhead to get his own solo movie in the MCU, Spider-Man: Homecoming.
REVIEW: Doctor Strange (Road to Infinity War)
Alright, let us continue The Papi Chulo RADIO Road to Infinity War (RTIW for short) review event with the fourteenth movie in the lineup, Doctor Strange.
[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lt-U_t2pUHI[/embedyt]
With the Avengers now split and everything changed once again. It’s nice to know that Doctor Strange is here to give us a break and give us his origin before moving forward with the new status quo. does this new movie deliver or is it dead on arrival
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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 2 years old, you should have seen it already).
The story starts with a flashback when we see Kaecilius (Mads Mikkelsen), with a group of his followers behead a librarian in order to steal pages from one of the mystic books that also contain dark magic in them. This leads to a trippy fight with Kaecilius running from The Ancient One (Tilda Swinton). We then cut to Steven Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch), who is a brilliant doctor who also has a massive ego. After a successful surgery, he then talks to his friend Christine (Rachel McAdams), who is also a former lover of Strange because she talks to him about dating and other things when another doctor comes to them with an x-ray showing that someone has a bullet stuck in their brain. They rush to surgery and Strange is able to get the bullet out. Later we cut to Strange in his fancy apartment (Complete with Spinning Watch display/drawer) when he gets into his Lamborghini and drives off when he gets a call from one of the doctors and starts to give him cases he can work on. Being distracted, Strange gets into an accident causing him to end up in a river. He is later rushed to Surgery when he wakes up to discover that he has destroyed his hands.
While Strange is recovering, he tries to look for options to fix his hands when no doctor will take his case and nothing else will work. He learns of a mystical place that can heal all from a former patient, Jonathan Pangborn (Benjamin Bratt). Strange uses every last resource he has in order to travel to Nepal in search of the palace known as Kamar-Taj. When he is cornered in an ally with some thugs, a mysterious man who has been following him saves him and takes Steve to wear he seeks. We later find out that this man was Baron Mordo (Chiwetel Ejiofor). With Strange in the right place, he talks to the Ancient One asking her about what kind of medicine do they have and she tells him that it’s magic that Strange will never understand. Strange grows frustrated at all of this and the Ancient One finally gives Strange a taste of what power she possesses. When the magic trip is over, Steve wants to be taught by the Ancient One how to perform magic and she rejects him.
Steve is then kicked out and left on the doorstep when he begs to be let back in. Mordo talks to the Ancient One and they both agree to let Strange back in and teach him the ways of Magic. We spend a good chunk of the movie on Steve’s training and at first, he can’t seem to get a grasp on it but then slowly but surely he starts to learn very quickly. Going through all the books, learning all the spells and surprising/harassing the new Librarian Wong (Benedict Wong). However, Strange is hungry for more, he sneaks into the library and gets the Eye of Agamoto. This is an artefact that allows the wearer to manipulate time but it’s really an Infinity Stone. While using the Eye, he is also looking through the forbidden text and restores the lost pages to see what Kaecilius took. Mordo and Wong discover what Strange is doing, they scold him for it and tell him that the power is too much to handle.
With Steven doing more training, one session is cut short because Kaecilius attacks and Steve is then transported to the New York branch of their safe houses. A battle ensues in the safe house and we finally get to learn more about Kaecilius. He then tells Strange that the Ancient One draws her power from the Dark Dimension just like him. While distracted by this new knowledge, Strange is stabbed by one of Kaecilius’s goons and teleports himself to the same hospital that he used to work at. Christine then has to save his life while Strange fights in Astral form with one of the goons who is also in his Astral form. Once Strange is healed, he goes back to the safe house and meets with Mordo and the Ancient One. This is when Strange tells Mordo about the info he just got and both of them start to question everything about the Ancient One. Before they could finish their conversation, Kaecilius comes for Round 2 and this time they take the battle all across New York. Using their powers, they bend, mould and reshape the world around them. This leads the Ancient One to step in and fight her former student and his goons head-on when she is then stabbed. Strange rushes her to the hospital and hopes to save her but she dies right before they both go into their Astral forms and have a nice heart to heart.
This all leads to one final battle in Kong Kong where Kaecilius seems to have the upper hand and destroys the last safe house in order for the dark dimension to consume everything. Strange is able to stop this by using the Eye and reverses time so that the destruction can be stopped. While time is being reversed, everyone gets into a fight. Just before Strange can restore everything, he is stopped and then he gets the idea of going into the Dark Dimension to fight the greatest evil of them all, Dormammu. Dormammu is the one who rules the Dark Dimension and Strange is able to stop him by putting him in a time loop. Once Strange is able to get him to bargain with him, he escapes and Kaecilius and his goons are sucked into the Dark Dimension with him. The day is saved and Strange becomes to new Sorcerer Supreme.
The acting in this movie was great. Almost everyone did a great job and you can tell that the cast had fun making this movie. This is one of the more weird MCU movies but everyone did their part to make it enjoyable for us to watch. However, Rachel McAdams didn’t do a great job and she comes off as one-note and forgettable.
The CGI is hands down the best part of the movie. Once you get to the scene where the Ancient One has Strange go on a mind-bending trip, it is truly something out of this world. Even when they are bending the world around them it is a visual treat to see. This is some of the best effects I have seen from a Marvel movie ever and it will surely stick with you when you watch this movie.
The Verdict:
If you are looking for something different from the MCU and Marvel, you have come to the right place. Doctor Strange is a fun, entertaining and very trippy movie that anyone can enjoy. However, the movie does suffer from the MCU villain problem because once again the villain is killed off. Also, not everyone gets enough time to be fully fleshed out. If you can look past these flaws, then a great time awaits you.
8/10
Next up, once again we take a trip into space with our favourite band of idiots, Guardians of the Galaxy 2.