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Reviews
Tropic Thunder (2008)
Great comedy, sadly can't be made today
Tropic Thunder is one of the defining films of late 2000s comedy, and it shows. Many of the jokes present in the movie are ones that anyone raised after that time period would find offensive like the use of the "r-word" and the many stereotypes of Southeast Asian stereotypes, but that shouldn't hinder anyone from checking out this film. Even anyone born after 2008 will find this offending, they are definetly going to have a laugh. From the fake movie trailers as the cold open to the performance of Tom Cruise, there are many gags that won't age in the hearts of moviegoers. Suffice to say, even if the movie can be called outdated, anyone can find something to enjoy with this one, with the movie being further elevated by the performances of Ben Stiler, Jack Black, and Iron Man himself Robert Downey.
One Piece (2023)
First amazing anime adaptation
It isn't too common for a live action adaptation of a beloved manga or anime get so many things right and be enjoyed by fans of the original story. While it certainly has it qualms, namely changes to certain parts of the story and it being rather dark for One Piece, I will let it slide this time around. By now we all story Monkey D. Luffy, a young man who sets to become king of the pirates after gaining the power of rubber, but not before assembling a crew. But this series manages to feel like watching the first season of the anime all over again albeit from a slightly altered perspective, and it is a must watch for those new to the series. I was hyped for this before it came out, and it lived out to it for the most part. I would say the highlight had to be the costume design, as every costume designed by Oda himself in the original,. All in all an incredibly enjoyable adaptation that will be loved by newcomers and On Piece fans for years to come.
Nicki Minaj: Anaconda (2014)
Enjoyable music video
Now I know someone is definelty gonna hate on me for saying this stuff, but Nicki Minaj's Anaconda is a landmark music video of the mid-2010s. The video, based on Minaj's hit sample of "Baby got Back", proves to be quite the mini-movie as it showcases impressive transitions and filming techniques that will immediately transport the viewer to the jungle setting of the video. This was coming from a time where Nicki was stating she would move away from the pop-rap direction of Super Bass and Starships in favor of more traditional hip-hop, and it certainly shows as the song exemplifies several characteristics of hip-hop such as it's use of sampling and the lyrical content, made fresh by Nicki's unique flow.
In conclusion while certainly not for the family, is still a must watch for music enthusiasts everywhere.
Akira (1988)
Fantastic Cyberpunk classic
Truly not enough words to describe those animated magnum opus. This film, based on Katsuhiro Otomo's famous manga, captured rverything a good animated movie should be and change the film industry forever. With scenes that range from ethereal(like seeing Akira for the first time) to the disgusting and visceral( ie Tetsuo's transformation), the movie showcases an impressive attention to detail, especially for an 80s anime film with every frame drawn and animated throughly. Characters in the film are also superbly written with even the villains who are not completely unlikable, as Tetsuo comes off as more an insecure teen trying to prove himself rather than a maniacal madman. In short, this film set the template for anime in the coming decades and continues to be remembered by tributes in the international film industry.
Alien³ (1992)
Trash sequel
Oh man, where do I start with this one. To think this movie came after the peak sequel that was aliens. Alien 3 is legendary in that it sets the curse of the bad threequel coming right after the amazing second movie. This film somehow managed to fool and infuriate everyone by deceptively marketing film as if it were set on Earth. This could have been a great direction to take the third film with the promise of the iconic alien continuing its rampagebon the blue marble, setting up a possibly epic finale. But the movie was unfortunately, subject to rewrites post marketing which is how the film ends up on the dump planet. Speaking of which, the possibly interesting setting is very underwhelming and lacks in terms of interest characters. On that note, Alien 3 kills off all the beloved characters from the previous film, not even poor, innocent Newt gets the axe before the movie starts. Now there are some scenes that serve the story well, namely Ripley observing Newt's dead body and Ripley's sacrifice at the climax of the film. But with these things accounted for, it's important to address just how bad the franchise fell off after this film, as the closest we ever got to the heights of Alien and Aliens was the passable prequel Prometheus. In conclusion, this film sucked and the movies haven't fully recovered.
AVP: Alien vs. Predator (2004)
Biggest letdown of the 2000s
Imagine it's the year 2004, one of the most anticipated movies alongside Spider- man 2 is set to be released. It's the crossover between alien and predator, the two most well known cinematic aliens. The idea of the predator fighting xenomorohs had been a thing quite some time, teased since Predator 2 with an Easter egg. Sadly, this movie dorsnt quite live up to its premise. First and foremost, the decision for the film is rather questionable given the first Alien and the first Predator basically defined what r-rated science fiction films were meant to be, and this doesn't do either franchise justice. Second, the scares also fall surprisingly flat with the only real moment of intensity being when a freaking penguin emerges from the shadows. But there is some merit to it, in that the fight scenes are well-made and the film does do a good job at giving a backstory as to why the titular characters are in battle. But otherwise, it was a rather meh crossover.
Ghost Squad (2015)
Kids want a fun ghost-filled adventure? Don't watch this movie!!
I remember now. It was 2016, I was almost ten years old, and back then I would watch anything that was on the screen. Sadly, one of those movies was this one. At first glance, Ghost Squad promises a paranormal comedy romp with heart and humor, but that's not what you get with this movie. In the opening credits, we see all manner of different monsters like the one's in Goosebumps including ghosts, aliens, and even a giant praying mantis like in that film. As a kid, this intro was hype and had me thinking these monsters would appear. How naive I was. Instead, all we get are three losers sitting in a condemned building with the monster, turning out to be of all things, the ghost of a Herman Shepard that belonged to the mafia. This would be a good idea for a sidekick villain in any other movie, but this is really what our protagonists trifle with and later become friends with. What a disappointment this was for nine year old me. On top of that the movie is also incredibly tedious and will make anyone over the age of twelve tap out after thirty minutes. So if you're looking for a supernatural comedy for the whole family, go watch Goosebumps instead, and avoid this garbage.
RWBY: Confessions Within Cumulonimbus Clouds (2023)
The best one yet
The episode does a great job setting up conflict. The B-plot with Jaune as the rusted knight is very engaging but it doesn't compare to what happens later in T he episode. During a scene where Blake and Yang are struck on two bridges, they have a discussion about their real feelings. Yang confesses that she thinks she loves Blake, they then reunite on the platform and share their first kiss. This scene in particular was cathartic, as it was probably the most popular ship in the fandom, and it only made sense. There is also the fact that the romance was depicted with some complications, yet they never went and killed either of the two as many great shows including the Last of Us have done. In short, a great ship was made canon in a way that was actually amazing.
Velma (2023)
Terrible, just terrible
For starter's the first episode literally begins on a scene with high school girls in a shower with unfunny commentary on how pilot episodes on shows have more nudity than the rest of the series. It's like Euphoria if every scene had an unfunny commentary on the current situation. Second, none of the main characters are like able especially in the case of Velma. She is mean to every other character in the series and doesn't make any efforts to improve herself. This also sadly applies from Fred who is degraded to a rich either boy with body insecurities. Third, as mentioned before, the show handles teen sexuality very poorly.
Fourth, with the complete lack of Scooby Doo, who everyone and their loves, the show has left out any potential redeeming qualities. And finally it is just rampantly unfunny as it constantly uses meta humor in all the wrong ways and doesn't even try with other materials. A fart joke would be infinitely better compared to what we see in the series.
I thought She-Hulk had it bad, but at least it didn't completely hate on its audience and source material. So in other words. Velma is a series with no respect for its audience or any parties involved and it doesn't help that many other, better shows got the axe in favor of this.