The Cinematic Review-verse

‘Zootopia 2’ poster. Courtesy of William Beavers. It took 9 years and change, but Hopps and Wilde came back to the case in ' Zootopia 2 .' With good returning of the clashing chemistry between Ginnifer Goodwin and Jason Bateman's Judy Hopps and Nick Wilde along with great scoring by Michael Giacchino , great new additional cast members such as Ke Huy Quan , Andy Samberg , and Patrick Warburton , and great vibrant animation, it was a fun zoo out there thanks to Disney. Taking place a week after the original film, Judy Hopps and Nick Wilde, voiced by Goodwin and Bateman, have to help a pit viper named Gary De'Snake , voiced by Quan, uncover a conspiracy involving the weather walls separating the different towns in Zootopia. Not only that, they must also contend with their compatibility as coworkers in law enforcement. Nick Wilde, voiced by Jason Bateman, and Judy Hopps, voiced by Ginnifer Goodwin, in a therapy session in 'Zootopia 2.' Courtesy of Disney and mo...

After over 10 years of the magical Robin Hood act, it was good to laugh at a third appearance of the Four Horsemen with ' Now You See Me: Now You Don't .' With humorous companionship between original and new castmates, excellent magic scenes, and great heist music scoring by Brian Tyler , ' Now You See Me 3' was the best in the series. Over 10 years after outsmarting Walter Mably and Arthur Tressler from their last bout, the Horsemen, played by Jesse Eisenberg , Woody Harrelson , Dave Franco , and Isla Fisher , team up with younger aspiring magicians, played by Dominic Sessa , Justice Smith , and Ariana Greenblatt , to expose Veronika Vanderberg , played by Rosamund Pike , a diamond mining mogul who plans to launder money for war criminals with a diamond known as the Heart. Even if the Horsemen used a bunch of technology and trickery, Dave Franco's character Jack Wilder was right when he said that with the trouble with the COVID pandemic and AI and such, ...

Character poster of Glinda the Good Witch , played by Ariana Grande (left), and Elphaba Thropp,  the Wicked Witch of the West , played by Cynthia Erivo (right) from ‘ Wicked: For Good .’ Courtesy of Universal Pictures . Good evening, readers. Tonight on the Cinematic Review-verse, I will be reviewing ‘ Wicked: For Good .’ I enjoyed Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande ’s lovely singing from the heart throughout the film, and I liked how Erivo’s character of Elphaba Thropp was once again conflicted about her mantle of the Wicked Witch of the West . However, I was thrown off by the plot twists and Easter eggs referring to the original Wizard of Oz film. In ‘Wicked For Good,’ Elphaba and Glinda , played by Erivo and Grande, are taking on their respective roles as the Wicked Witch of the West and Good Witch . While trying to discover if either of them deserves true happiness, there’s also some mysteries involving their classmates from Shiz University , Madame Morrible , played by Mic...

Good evening, readers. Here is what I thought of ' Wicked: Part One ' last year: As I said in the video, I didn’t like Glinda the Good Witch, played by Ariana Grande , at first because of the whole self-absorbed ditzy blonde act. After watching the film again this week, my further assessment of Glinda is that she seemed like 'Clueless' and Regina George.  But as the film went on, Glinda proved to be a well-meaning friend to Elphaba , played by Cynthia Erivo,  and was determined to put her in a better light at Shiz University . As for Elphaba, she was like Elsa from 'Frozen'-misunderstood, couldn't control her powers, really just wanted acceptance and friendship. In that case, at least she wasn't the one-dimensional Wicked Witch of the West for most of the film. I liked their rapport, such as their dissing each other in ' Loathing ' or Elphaba's reluctant letting Glinda beautify her in ' Popular .' They were like Mike and Sulley in ...

  Sydney Sweeney as former professional boxer Christy Salters in the film ‘Christy.’ Courtesy of Black Bear Pictures. In a combination of ‘Rocky’ and ‘Fighting with my Family,’ Sydney Sweeney lead the way in ‘ Christy ’, a biopic about female former professional boxer Christy Salters . I really liked Sweeney’s performance as Christy when she empowered herself in and out of the ring. I also liked the scoring and cinematography, specifically during the fighting. The film started off with Salters’ boxing career taking off as she finished high school in the late 80s. Her brother seemed to be the only one who supported her, until she proved herself to doubtful trainer and her future husband Jim Martin , played by Ben Foster . As her career of successful knockouts went on, Christy took a turn for the worst when Jim’s paranoia and controlling behavior with her professional and home lives made her act like she was in her own psychological thriller. Christy Salters, played by Sydney Sweene...

Poster for 'Sarah's Oil.' Courtesy of Amazon MGM Studios. Naya Desir-Johnson triumphed as the eponymous character of Sarah's Oil . She channeled intelligence, comic relief, and proud spirit in her role as child oil baron Sarah Rector. I also enjoyed Zachary Levi's role as Sarah's business partner Bert Smith with his Southwestern charm and protectiveness over Sarah. You'll also appreciate the performance of Sonequa Martin-Green as Sarah's mother,  the costume designing by Michael T. Boyd, the scoring by Kathryn Bostic, and the filming in Oklahoma where the story took place. In the early 1900s, Sarah Rector, played by Desir-Johnson, was granted land that, unbeknownst to people of power at the time, had crude oil gushing underneath the infertile land. With help wildcatter from Bert Smith, played by Levi, and her family, and eventually others in Oklahoma, Sarah shows certain racist people that she will stop at nothing to drill for that oil and make a great l...

Poster of Predator: Badlands . Courtesy of 20th Century Studios. Good evening, readers. Friday night, November 7th was when I watched Predator: Badlands , my first time watching any Predators movies, and I was impressed. The post-apocalyptic outer space atmosphere, the special effects for the alien creatures, and the tense yet charming chemistry between Elle Fanning and Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi were all what made Badlands a good movie to watch. Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi as Dek from Predator: Badlands . Courtesy of 20th Century Studios. Dek , a Predator from the planet Yautja , played by Schuster-Koloamatangi, went off to kill a creature called the Kalisk on the planet Genna after his father, played by Schuster-Koloamatangi in a dual role, killed his brother for sparing him in combat. Dek crossed paths with Thia , a damaged Weyland-Yutani Corporation synthetic , played by Fanning, and was forced to bring her and a creature named Bud on his quest to kill the Kalisk and pro...

Allison Williams and McKenna Grace in ‘Regretting You.’ Courtesy of IMDb.com and Paramount Pictures. On October 25, I had the pleasure of watching ‘ Regretting You ’, based on the book by ' It Ends with Us ' author Colleen Hoover . Screenwriter Susan McMartin wrote it well with dialogue that described real-life grief situations, and there was great acting from Allison Williams , McKenna Grace ,  Dave Franco and Mason Thames .  Williams played Morgan Grant, the mother of Clara, played by McKenna Grace. Morgan’s husband Chris, played by Scott Eastwood, and sister Jenny, played by Willa Fitzgerald, both die in a car crash, rocking Morgan, Clara, and Jenny’s husband Jonah, played by Dave Franco, to their cores. On the side, Clara is trying to gain independence from her controlling mother and figure out her plans for after high school and her romance with classmate Miller Adams, played by Mason Thames. The writing for ‘Regretting You’ should be praised because it reflected real-li...

Jeremy Allen White as Bruce Springsteen in 'Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere.' Courtesy of 20th Century Studios. In another 20th Century Studios musical biopic drama, Jeremy Allen White took the lead as New Jersey 's Bruce Springsteen in 'Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere.' It seemed similar to other biopics such as the ones about Bob Dylan and Johnny Cash, with a hint of Bart Millard, but it's the passion and characterization in White's portrayal accompanied by a colorful characters and powerful heartland rock songs that made it a great film in its own right. And it makes me want to listen The Boss a bit more. 'Springsteen' switches between the late 50s and early 1980s, chronicling Bruce's overcoming childhood trauma from his abusive father, played by Stephen Graham, and creating his Nebraska album. There's also the matter of his burgeoning romantic relationship with single mother Faye Romano , played by Odessa Young . White did a ...

  Tron: Ares poster. Courtesy of Disney. Tron: Ares was a sequel that didn't need to happen, but light-cycled well, anyway. From Jared Leto humanizing another Dillinger-brand living weapon to the gumption from Greta Lee to the amazing special effects to the great industrial and electronic scoring by Nine Inch Nails , it did a little justice to the original 1982 classic. Years after Tron: Legacy , rather than just bringing humans into the computer, ENCOM founder Ed Dillinger's grandson Julian, played by Evan Peters , sets up an AI named Ares , played by Jared Leto , as part of a plan to bring living technology into the real world. Unfortunately, under Julian's authority, those programs can only last a few minutes in the real world, but he's determined not to let that stop him from becoming a powerful tech billionaire. Ares teams up with ENCOM CEO Eve Kim , played by Greta Lee , to take down Julian and another rogue program named Athena , played by Jodie Turner-Smith . Ar...

Poster for 'Roofman.' Courtesy of Paramount Pictures and Miramax. Channing Tatum played Jeffrey Manchester, an ex-Army Reserve soldier and divorced dad who had a penchant for details and thieving. He was known as "The Roofman" for breaking into his targets by drilling into their roofs. It was like Tatum channeled Sam Dawson and Scott Lang into one as his character managed to find a way to sneak out of prison underneath a truck with skills from prison shop, then make a home in a corner in a 2004 Toys 'R Us.  It was pretty funny and amusing how Jeffrey sort of took control of the store after closing. How he snacked on M and M's, skated around on Heely-like shoes, he acted like a grown man with a kid's bedroom with inflatables and Spider-Man merchandise, and he kept security with baby monitors. It was also kind of funny how he made money out of stealing and pawning a bunch of video games. While trying to get out of the country after fleeing to the store, Jeff...

Photo courtesy of William Beavers. Hello, readers. In Dwayne Johnson's latest acting/producing work, he starred as former wrestler/mixed martial artist Mark Kerr in Benny Safdie's 'The Smashing Machine.' At first, I wasn't too impressed because of Kerr's hunger for victory and blood in the fighting ring. But as he recognized that drugs were messing up his life and he went in to rehab, I liked Kerr's characterization and Johnson's performance of him. I felt that Johnson and his character reminded me that fighters are human beings that want to do their best out of the ring. I also liked Emily Blunt's performance as Kerr's girlfriend Dawn Staples. Blunt gave emotional power in her character trying to reason with Kerr and make sure Kerr looks out for her own wellbeing. Though I could see it was not easy when there were times when they would argue and Kerr would snap their door in half in frustration. On the other hand, it was nice to see that they co...

Hello, viewers. I watched #superman2025 again, and while I kind of wished for more dating between #clarkkent and #loislane, and maybe a different villain besides #lexluthor despite a great portrayal by #nicholashoult , I still enjoyed the acting, fighting, drama, #imapunkrocker by #teddybears and more!   Please subscribe to my Blogger page, YouTube, Medium, TikTok, and Letterboxd!

  #togethermovie starring #davefranco and #alisonbrie was a 7/10 for good bickering rom com moments between the two but confusing plot about body fuse horror. Please like and subscribe, and it’s on all my media, including my Letterboxd: https://letterboxd.com/WBEntCrtc/films/reviews/ . Thank you.

Good afternoon, readers/viewers. On July 26, 2025, I had the pleasure of watching The Fantastic Four: First Steps. I really like what they did. Though I wish there was a little bit more crime-fighting and action to build the momentum of the Fantastic Four, the overall film was a great combination of sci-fi, fantasy, and family drama.  This time, it wasn't just about the Fantastic Four fighting off the one guy to save the world. It was about them overcoming their differences and working together like one of those family sitcoms, or something like that. In the end, I give it 8.5/10 for great visuals, family drama, work between the main cast, and scoring by Michael Giacchino. As I said, I just wish there was a little more action on the team's part. I'm very curious what you all have to say. Please subscribe to my  blog , YouTube,   TikTok , and  Medium , and tell me what you think. Thank you, and have a great day. #williambeaversv, #CinematicReviewverse, #fantasticfourf...

Superman (2025) poster. Courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures. James Gunn's iteration of  Superman  was a well-thought-out film. I give it a 9.4/10 for both the occasional references to the Christopher Reeve film from the late 1970s and for standing out with different presentations of the iconic Man of Steel and his colorful supporting characters. This was my first time seeing David Corenswet, but he was great acting out the drama and heroism in the lives of Clark Kent and Superman. It was also great to see Rachel Brosnahan bring some gumption and humor to her role of Superman's love interest, Lois Lane, and it was great to see former X-Men actor Nicholas Hoult bring some vigor to his role of Superman's ruthless archenemy, Lex Luthor. In this Superman, it stood out by skipping the intro of Kal-El leaving Krypton as a baby and instead showing Superman, played by Corenswet, in his third year of protecting Metropolis and the world. In his quest to prove Superman a threat to humani...

Poster of ‘Mission: Impossible- The Final Reckoning.’ Taken by William Beavers. 'Mission: Impossible- The Final Reckoning' was a combination of thrilling and emotional as Tom Cruise went on one last ride with his usual merry band of IMF teammates to save the world from a rogue AI. Cruise really liked to keep it interesting with his own stunts, ranging from diving towards a rusty submarine under frozen waters to hijacking a biplane in a confrontation against a villain played by Esai Morales. 'The Final Reckoning' was very emotional, not only because of the lengths Hunt went through to save his friends, but because Cruise and his castmates had tears of joy putting this together and tying up almost 30 years of movies that start with a self-destruct message. Taking place two months after the first battle in 'Dead Reckoning Part One', Ethan Hunt, played by Cruise, and his teammates Grace, Luther, and Benji, played by Hayley Atwell, Ving Rhames, and Simon Pegg go on o...

Ben Wang as Li Fong in 'Karate Kid: Legends.' Courtesy of Sony Pictures. Good evening, readers and viewers.  Yesterday afternoon, I had the pleasure of watching 'Karate Kid: Legends.' It was so wonderful how they bridged together Jackie Chan and Ralph Macchio's worlds in the 'Karate Kid' franchise, made beautiful representation of Chinese culture and New York City living, displayed wonderful drama and heart in Ben Wang's role as main protagonist Li Fong, showed cute and funny chemistry between Wang's character and Sadie Stanley's character, how he offered his own funny training montage with Joshua Jackson's character, and how the heroes and villains fought like champs with fast-paced martial arts kicking, punching, chopping. 'Legends' was a great combination of drama, action, comedy, and coming-of-age, and I give it a 9.5 out of 10. Taking place years after Chan's Karate Kid, Li Fong, played by Wang, and his mother, played by Ming...

Jeffrey Wright as Thelonious "Monk" Ellison in 'American Fiction.' Courtesy of Amazon MGM Studios. Good afternoon, everybody. Since I'm learning more about screenwriting, specifically the kind that wins Academy Awards, I decided to give 'American Fiction' another go. At first, I wasn't into it, maybe because I didn't like the whole offensive racist tropes or drama between Jeffrey Wright's character and his family. But now, I see that the appeal of the film is that it shows how adults of different colors are still learning how to deal with said racist tropes and put a positive spin on stereotypes of fictional people of color, while also handling their own internal drama. Tracee Ellis Ross as Lisa Ellison and Leslie Uggams as Agnes Ellison in 'American Fiction.' Courtesy of Amazon MGM Studios. Sterling K. Brown as Clifford "Cliff" Ellison from 'American Fiction.' Courtesy of Amazon MGM Studios. 'American Fiction'...