The Cinematic Review-verse

Anthony Mackie as Sam Wilson/Captain America in "Captain America: Brave New World." Courtesy of Marvel. Star-spangled butt-kicking by Anthony Mackie, Danny Ramirez acting like Goose from "Top Gun", running like one was in "Three Days of the Condor", alien-like make-up on Tim Blake Nelson , a suave bad guy played by Giancarlo Esposito, and Harrison Ford going from a gruff grandpa to an angry Red Hulk are all the things that emphasize the  brave  in  "Captain America: Brave New World."  Contrary to the mixed reviews from others, I enjoyed watching  Brave New World  because of the impressive character development of Anthony Mackie's Sam Wilson/Captain America , more people of color in the cast, SFX in the case of Captain America and the Red Hulk, costuming, and musical scoring by Laura Karpman . Sam Wilson had to live up to the Captain America mantle the hard way, and he did great. Taking place a few years after The Falcon and the Winter Soldi...

Poster of ‘A Complete Unknown.’ Taken by William Beavers. Copyright ©️ 2024, Searchlight Pictures. Before watching Timothée Chalamet as iconic singer-songwriter Bob Dylan, I didn’t know much about the man aside from his birth name or his being an icon of the 60s counterculture era. While it seemed like director James Mangold retold the story of 'Walk the Line' with more R-rated language and folk music as opposed to rockabilly and country, ‘A Complete Unknown’ still had some good powerful moments. Not only did it show Bob Dylan wanting to prove he wasn’t some nobody; other famous singers such as Pete Seeger or Joan Baez, played by Edward Norton and Monica Barbaro, were helping people cope with 60's troubles such as JFK’s death or the March on Washington, through the power of heart and music. Beginning in 1961, ‘A Complete Unknown’ chronicles Dylan’s adulthood from meeting folk legend and his idol, Woody Guthrie, played by Scoot McNairy, at Greystone Park Psychiatric Hospit...

'Sonic the Hedgehog 3' poster. Copyright 2024, Paramount Pictures and Sega of America. "Start with the great fireball," Tails, voiced by Collen O'Shaughnessey, 'Sonic the Hedgehog 3.' When I saw 'Sonic the Hedgehog 3' on New Year's Eve '24, it was like a cross between 'The Empire Strikes Back' and 'Spider-Man: No Way Home.' It was like those two particular films given that Sonic the Hedgehog, voiced by Ben Schwartz, took a dark character turn while trying to ferret out Shadow the Hedgehog, voiced by Keanu Reeves. Fortunately, Blue Justice snapped out of it to save the day and hang with his friends and family. 'Sonic 3' brings back the usual lovable antics of Team Sonic and Jim Carrey, this time playing Doctor Eggman and his grandfather, and shows some emotional journeys that make Sonic mature and Eggman and Shadow less one-dimensional villains. Taking place after 'Sonic 2', Shadow the Hedgehog, voiced by Reev...

  'Here' poster. Taken by William Beavers, copyright 2024, Sony Pictures Entertainment. In Robert Zmeckis' latest directing vehicle with Tom Hanks leading the cast, 'Here' talks about a house whose land had importance from the Jurassic era to the COVID-19 pandemic, specifically being the area where Indigenous people, Benjamin Franklin's family, or Hanks' and Robin Wright's family lived and/or died. It was based on a graphic novel of the same name by Richard McGuire.  Though there were times I was thrown off by the nonlinear storytelling, the film not moving the camera away from the one spot till the end, and that it was mostly a retelling of 'Forrest Gump' (most of the same cast and crew), I actually liked the movie. It was sweet, sentimental, and poignant, and it was good to redo 'Forrest Gump' to show Hanks and Wright's characters still being peas and carrots after over 30 years. Paul Bettany (from the back), Robin Wright, and Tom H...

‘Transformers One’ poster. Taken by William Beavers. Copyright 2024, Paramount Pictures.  “What defines a Transformer is not the cog in its chest, but the spark in its core.” Josh Cooley of Toy Story 4 fame directed Transformers One , an epic, tragic, funny origin story of Optimus Prime and Megatron and their factions, the Autobots and the Decepticons , respectively. Watching Transformers One felt like watching Marvel Studios films and Disney animated classics all rolled into one, and it was the best film I’ve seen in 2024 and the best portrayal of Transformers . Chris Hemsworth voices Orion Pax/Optimus Prime in 'Transformers One.' Courtesy of Paramount Pictures. Brian Tyree Henry is the voice of D-16/Megatron in 'Transformers One.' Courtesy of Paramount Pictures. Transformers One was an origin story of Orion Pax and D-16, voiced by Chris Hemsworth and Brian Tyree Henry, as brother-in-arms before becoming Optimus Prime and Megatron. As the young automatons so...

On Saturday morning, September 14, 2024, I had the funny, chilling, and thrilling pleasure of watching James McAvoy steal the show in the latest Blumhouse production, Speak No Evil . McAvoy began as an uninhibited hipster, then brought out his inner monster on the family led by Mackenzie Davis and Scoot McNairy . Then Davis and McNairy brought the thunder in protecting their kids similar to Fox's The Gifted  TV series, and let’s just say it’s awesome that both the adults and their kids went toe-to-toe with James McAvoy. James McAvoy and Aisling Franciosi as Paddy and Ciara in 'Speak No Evil.' Courtesy of Universal Pictures. While on vacation in Italy, the Dalton family, consisting of Louise, Ben, and their daughter Agnes, played by Davis, McNairy, and Alix West Lefler , respectively, met Paddy, Ciara, and their son Ant, played by McAvoy, Aisling Franciosi , and Dan Hough . The interaction went well, despite the Dalton parents being put off by Paddy's unhinged friendly ...

Michael Keaton returns as the lead in Tim Burton's 'Beetlejuice Beetlejuice.' Courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures. Despite some good undead makeup and laughs brought back by returning Michael Keaton , Beetlejuice Beetlejuice was not a sequel that needed to happen. Most of the cast was funny and goodhearted, the new addition Willem Dafoe, in particular, but the problems were Beetlejuice being stuck in his old ways instead of evolving, and the plot was confusing. It wasn't better than the first film. Taking place almost 40 years after the original Beetlejuice, a now-grown Lydia Deetz (played by Winona Ryder ) has a daughter, Astrid, played by Jenna Ortega , Wednesday . And though not as big with the undead as in her teenage years, she is still haunted by Beetlejuice, played by Keaton. And Beetlejuice has his own hauntings to deal with now that a soul-sucking ghost, played by Monica Bellucci, has a bone to pick with him. Catherine O'Hara, Jenna Ortega, Winona Ryder, ...