The Cinematic Review-verse

The Fate of The Furious was an excellent eighth edition to the fast-paced and furious-fueled franchise. Vin Diesel and Dwayne Johnson led an amazing ensemble cast, the explosions were lethal, the plot and technology blew my mind, the jokes were comical, this franchise truly HAS gone fast for 16 years, and t his time, a cyberterrorist named Cipher (Charlize Theron) comes into Dom's (Diesel) civil life and coerces him into betraying his family on a threat that will plunge the world into darkness. But, his family will not stand for this and will bring back the Dominic Toretto they know and we love. Sill, it wasn't that easy to watch a film without Paul Walker as Brian O'Conner, but I loved watching it anyway. I can't wait for who knows what comes next for the crew!

Photo Courtesy of traileraddicts.com Logan  was a spectacular yet tragic ending for Hugh Jackman's 17 years as Wolverine. Even with Professor X, he's still confronting his own demons and finding what it truly means to be an immortal hero. Combined with all the language, violence, and drama, Logan is an action-packed, shock-and-awe, kind of movie, and I love it. Set long after X-Men: Days of Future Past, Logan is now older, weary, and his adamantium is poisoning his body, leading him to finally wither and pass away. But, he must bring back the fight for one final time when enemies from his past come to attack him, an older Professor Xavier, and what may be left of the mutants. While trying to savor his health, he must also deal with the needs of a clone of his (Dafne Keen). With robust action, excellent new casting additions, effective makeup and visuals, and a superb score by Marco Beltrami, this film really brought a fitting ending for Hugh Jackman as Wolverine. 

Photo Courtesy of imdb.com The Lego Batman Movie deserves a 4/4 star rating. In this spinoff of The Lego Movie , Batman (voiced by Will Arnett) is still a major crime-fighter, but doesn't know how to be a part of a team or even a family. But, it takes a village, not just a Batman, to save Gotham City from the evil, creepy-smiling Joker (voiced by Zach Galifianakis). And maybe his butler, Alfred (Ralph Fiennes), adoptive son and sidekick Robin (Michael Cera), and Barbara Gordon (Rosario Dawson) can teach him a thing or two about not flying solo anymore. Combining elements of family, comedy, and taking down bad guys brick by brick, Batman truly HAS aged phenomenally! Can't wait for a sequel!

I'd say that Vin Diesel sure had his share of thrills bringing Xander Cage back after 15 years in this movie. After years of hiding out, Cage (Diesel) was finally found and recruited by the government to help stop a device that controls satellites to crash-land in any part of the planet. He does this with the most extreme team ever. All that action, stunts, and lovely women by his side, it was great to spend my 19th birthday watching this one. This'll be one great movie to bring up to him on his 50th birthday this year!

Monster Trucks was like How to Train Your Dragon; a teenager sought to change his whole future by befriending an unseen creature who could be his one-way to ticket to fame! High-school student Tripp (Lucas Till, X-Men: First Class ) befriends a squid-like creature he dubs, "Creech", and hides him under his truck to save him from the authorities. Through visual effects and a great set of co-stars, Lucas Till sure rides wild and free in this animated feature directed by Chris Wedge of Ice Age !

I saw Hidden Figures yesterday, and I was astounded! To watch these three women defy every aspect racial, scientific, and personal, was really worth it!

Photo courtesy of joblo.com Moana was a comedic and musical thrill produced by Walt Disney Animation Studios. In this film, Moana (Auli'i Cravalho) is the daughter of the chief of Motunui, a Polynesian village that is low on food supply and medical options. She sails off to bring the once-beautiful life back to her home, encountering dangerous marine life and the shape-shifting demigod Maui (Dwayne Johnson) in the process.  Moana showed that a young teenager had no fear in bringing lost honor back to her land, confronting gods and everything bigger than her, and she was a very bold heroine. The film had a bright and lovely landscape, perfect animation and styling, and an encouraging musical number, with songs by famed playwright Lin-Manuel Miranda and Opetaia Foa'i. For my favorite songs of the soundtrack, I'm going to go with "How Far I'll Go" and "You're Welcome". I encourage audiences to see Moana,   where the main characters can teac...