If you have seen the trailer, then you have seen the movie.

It was late at night, we wanted to watch something lite. Seeing Nicolas Cage and his stunt double mow through unremarkable opponents was just the thing we needed.

Description from The Movie Database

When Ashley and her young daughter Sarah get caught up in a criminal enterprise that puts their lives at risk, she turns to the only person who can help: her estranged father Matt, currently living the life of a retired beach bum in the Cayman Islands. Their reunion is fleeting as they are soon tracked down on the island by crime boss Donnie and his lieutenant Bobo.

Here is a link to The Retirement Plan trailer.

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I didn't know that I was going to enjoy this as much as I did.

This show harkens back to the old school gods. The fickle ones that would smite you down because of a petty slight or demand that you kill your children because the will it so.

A long way from Disney’s Hercules. There is murder (patricide, infanticide, and everything in between), sex (quite a bit), and just a whole lot of creepiness.

Honestly, I didn’t think that I would like it but I found myself caught up in the execution of the story.

I think this is definitely a show for anyone who is a fan of Jeff Goldblum. I haven’t seen all of his movies, but he certainly knows how to show someone slowly crumbling under paranoid. It’s how I imagine minions working under some comic book villain; it’s not a matter of if but when he’s going to kill you.

And that’s part of it all.

Zeus comes from a horrible upbringing, and in a lot of ways, it’s stuck with him and as the King of the Gods no-one has been able to tell him no. Not a recipe for good mental health.

The other actors round out the cast pretty well but there are quite a few times where it felt that things happened because the plot dictates it.

I don’t think we’re going to see another season of this, but I’m so happy that we got this one.

Overview

As discord reigns on Mount Olympus and almighty Zeus spirals into paranoia, three mortals are destined to reshape the future of humankind.

This movie allowed me to laugh with my friends.

I think that’s my favorite part of this movie. Just being able to sit back and have fun with it. I’ve never really considered Deadpool a serious character and honestly didn’t have a lot of expectations going into this.

If you’re familiar with Marvel movies and crude humor, than this is the movie for you.

It’s certainly the movie for me and wouldn’t mind watching it again with my friends.

Overview

A listless Wade Wilson toils away in civilian life with his days as the morally flexible mercenary, Deadpool, behind him. But when his homeworld faces an existential threat, Wade must reluctantly suit-up again with an even more reluctant Wolverine.

This is the penultimate episode!

This episode like most of the season reminds me of a smoldering fire. It’s not as flashy as it was previously but it can still burn you and there is the occasional pop as the embers break.

I’m not trying to be deep or introspective on the (super) human condition or anything, but I feel that this is one of the most sinister episodes of the season. In our efforts to feel loved, respected, or powerful, what are we willing to do? What are we willing to give up?

Season four? More like Season Snore!

But seriously, I found myself struggling to care about the series at the end. The only thing pushing me through those episodes at the end was my desire to just be done with the whole thing.

I feel that this season does a disservice to the series as it renders all the characters to one note copies of what they were in previous seasons. Why does a character do something? It’s because the plot or joke demands it and pushes the episode forward so that we can fill the runtime.

Looking back on it, I can probably sum up the season to about 4 or 5 plot points. That ultimately set us up to be in roughly the same spot we were in back in season 2. I think that’s what frustrates me the most. The fact that I invested my time in watching this when there are so many other things available.

Skip this season.

We’re getting to the home stretch of a slow burning season. I feel that this episode highlights that you don’t need to have everyone in danger to have some tension and character development.

I feel that some might be turned off by having some of the subtlety of corruption and injustice not being as hidden as it was in previous episodes. Maybe that’s why some are complaining about it being too woke. Maybe they are ok with violence being perpetrated in an over the top manner but not the systematic approach of turning people into a form of involuntary income.

Maybe.

Anyway, I liked that we get to see that although Homelander can get his supporters behind him, he’s lacking in his ability to read a room of people.

Two more episodes to go and I’m wondering how they are going to stick the landing.

You might be wondering “where is the review of episodes 2 through 4?”

Well, I accidentally binged them and I found myself in episode 5 thinking about how I hadn’t written anything about the show.

Well, if you’ve been watching the show for a while and wanted a chance for it to get back to simple plot, than this is the one for you.

You’re got a main plot line filled with gore just like in previous seasons, but with people that you normally don’t see getting their hands dirty or facing danger. I actually liked this part the best.

There’s the B plot with Homelander and Ryan bonding over helping people. For me, I’m reminded of all the criminals that heroes fight in different comic books. We have a tendency to think of them as less then. It’s ok to hurt someone because they are a bad guy.

At what point, does the punishment go to far?

Is it ok to get enjoyment out of pursuing justice?

I’d love to see how far the show goes with this thread.

Does this show stick the landing?

Um… Kinda?

To extend the metaphor, it sticks the landing but twists the ankle and has to hobble away hoping to get a chance to redeem itself in the next routine.

The show has a number of great points and attempts to do some really cool new things with the franchise that should make any Star Wars fan excited. Unfortunately, it does have some flaws when compared to other shows.

I’m trying to say it’s a good Star Wars show, but I’m still shaking off that ending.

The road to Hell is paid with good intentions. History is filled with examples of people doing things with the most noble of intentions only to find out that they made things worse.

This episode embodies that to the fullest.

This is a flashback episode where we get to see what happened on Brendok. And, yes, nothing good happened there and you cans the tension rising every scene as we all see our characters marching towards disaster. As everyone is trying to do The Right Thing.

After thinking about it for the last couple of days, I have to say Choice is a great title for this episode. As we see our characters make one choice after another, whether it’s take the time to think, seek information, or take action. Every time we do something we actuate who we are and what are values are.

In this Disney show we are seeing what happens when people are tested and what choices they make in a universe where the boundaries of what is good and bad are not easily defined.

I’m eagerly awaiting the conclusion!

I wanted to get familiar with the characters again before I watch the latest iteration coming out tin a couple weeks. And it was just as fun as I remember it.

It’s a lot of crude jokes and over the top action.

I’ll watch it again when the next one comes out.

Overview

The origin story of former Special Forces operative turned mercenary Wade Wilson, who, after being subjected to a rogue experiment that leaves him with accelerated healing powers, adopts the alter ego Deadpool. Armed with his new abilities and a dark, twisted sense of humor, Deadpool hunts down the man who nearly destroyed his life.

Violence is nothing new to The Boys series. It’s one of the more pronounced aspects of the show where the Supes demonstrate that their extraordinary abilities. Some of the more notable deaths are people being blasted by lasers, having their heads explode, or literally having someone else run through them at high speed.

Just like a horror movie, I’m able to take this and just enjoy it. It’s not like an alien is going to jump out of my chest, or a demon is going to invade my dreams and kill me in my sleep.

Another thing I realized when looking at this episode is that the murders are all methodical. These are not crimes of passion, escalation of tension, or incompetence.

That’s when it gets really scary for me.

In the world of The Boys, you could always get killed just from being a bystander. In fact, the pilot had someone being murdered for stepping off the curb. This episode shows someone who is hurt specifically because they are passionate about something they believe in.

I had to sit with that for a little bit.

I really, really enjoy the show but with all the things going on with the world. I had to take a little break before going into the next episode.

I have to admit it this version of the Jane Austen classic is pretty good. I normally avoid watching period pieces because I look at all the wealth that some of these people have and how their only concern is that they have the most fashionable clothes of the season.

I feel that this version got me because I was actually paying attention. Mr. Darcy is lonely in that his money and status has isolated him in such a way that it’s hard for him to trust. I’ve had friends who have only wanted something from me and I get where he’s coming from with his distrust.

Other than that, the rest of the cast is doing a great job and I don’t feel that I would hate it if my daughter wanted to make me watch it again.

Overview

Set in England in the early 19th century, Pride and Prejudice tells the story of Mr and Mrs Bennet's five unmarried daughters after the rich and eligible Mr Bingley and his status-conscious friend, Mr Darcy, have moved into their neighbourhood. While Bingley takes an immediate liking to the eldest Bennet daughter, Jane, Darcy has difficulty adapting to local society and repeatedly clashes with the second-eldest Bennet daughter, Elizabeth.

Still working on how I want to format these reviews… Any feedback is welcome.

We’re getting to the end of the season and there are still a lot of questions to be answered. It can be really hard to stick the landing. This episode is there to build up some tension and get us ready for those last two episodes.

Unfortunately, it feels like you could sum it up in 2-3 minutes but sometimes you need to let things sit and set up.

Oh man! Episode 4 and 5 are amazing together!

If you wanted to see something different from Star Wars than this has something for you. It’s not perfect but I really like having new ideas and new possibilities given to me.

I saw this on the flight after watching the Thriller documentary and I’m pretty happy that I did. I think it’s a good example of how you could have all the talent in the world around a project and still have things go wrong. I also feel that this is where the business of making things can also hurt the creative practice as well.

One of the interesting things about this is that they don’t have a lot of direct footage from the actors of the Holiday special, but footage of them talking about it on other shows. It also uses a video of a tap player to show that some of the interviews are recorded phone calls.

Me? Have I seen it?

No, thank you.

I’ve never seen the Holiday Special and I don’t have a desire to at this point in my life.

But I think that’s really part of the excitement about it.

Overview

In 1978, CBS aired the "Star Wars Holiday Special" the week before Thanksgiving to an audience of 13 million people. Considered one of the worst shows in television history, it aired only once. George Lucas tried to bury it and an infamous camp legend was born. This documentary unravels the mysteries behind the most bizarre Star Wars spin-offs of all time.

Here is a link to the trailer on YouTube.

I had to go back to my rating system to make sure that I was evaluating this properly.

It’s got a reputation for being bad, but the masochist in me kept chanting How bad can it be? and I had a 5 hour flight that I felt that I wouldn’t mind it if this thing put me to sleep.

I’m not going to make a video or post about this is what’s wrong with superhero movies. The failings of this movie are not related to the genre. I feel this movie falls down because I honestly do not care about the main character(s).

It feels like the movie is in such a rush to show you the next thing that the viewer might find cool, that it flashes over the parts on why we should really care about the characters.

Listen, I care that there are people who are incarcerated unjustly. I care about people who are just living their lives when bad things happen to them. I care about the world not being terraformed into a climate I can’t live in¹.

But it’s hard to care about Barry(s).

I thought about why I didn’t care. In other movies where you know that the hero is going to win, you still get a sense of danger and excitement as they eventually get to the conclusion. I’m happy when I see James Bond tart his enemies. I’m shouting with excitement when I see the Toretto Family show how fast and furious they can be.

But this, I just don’t know what it was.

Description

When his attempt to save his family inadvertently alters the future, Barry Allen becomes trapped in a reality in which General Zod has returned and there are no Super Heroes to turn to. In order to save the world that he is in and return to the future that he knows, Barry's only hope is to race for his life. But will making the ultimate sacrifice be enough to reset the universe?

Here is the trailer on YouTube.

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I’ve been enjoying this new series of Star Wars TV recently.

It’s got a mix of different Star Wars troupes and other concepts you normally don’t talk about in regards to space wizards with laser swords.

It’s not a perfect show, but I don’t need that.

It’s a reboot of a show I would watch on Saturday mornings as a kid. Back then, the violence was hidden with lasers and characters that would die offscreen. The original did have some darker moments, but you had hope that things were going to work out. This version gives you that hope and then proceeds to crush it.

When I was younger, I would jokingly yell “Moooooooorph!” when a character I barely knew died. Call it immaturity. I was ignorant of what losing someone meant. Not to say I don’t still laugh at dark humor or that every dead character brings me to tears, but now I have more of an understanding that a characters death can and should¹ have impact on the plot and other characters.

My only complaint about the show is that it runs through a lot of the different plots and themes that happened with the X-Men in the 90s. Plot lines that would take years would be addressed in a couple episodes and we don’t get a chance to sit with some of the changes for very long. If you are watching during the weekly release, I feel that it would be better so that you can really sit with what happens. If you are binging, you might feel you are missing something; like a stage in the grieving process.

Overall, this is a wonderful show that highlights that animation can convey themes with deeper meaning… even when there are big lasers.

The X-Men, a band of mutants who use their uncanny gifts to protect a world that hates and fears them, are challenged like never before, forced to face a dangerous and unexpected new future.

Monster. Of. The. Week.

But available all at once.

That being said, I did find the show entertaining as the characters struggle to make it through the series variable mix of horror and drama. Sometimes trying to make a statement and other times trying to stay alive(?).

I think the thing I liked best about the show was that it had a very strong push of what it means to be a friend. In a lot of the shows that I’ve seen, you see the friendship being the first step towards something more than friends. No spoilers, but this show has examples of when this can go goes right, wrong, and (the increasingly rare) otherwise.

And that is why I would be happy to see another season.

Two teen ghosts work alongside a clairvoyant to solve mysteries for their supernatural clientele -- until a powerful witch complicates their plans.

I was looking for something light and funny. I have been watching a combination of Fallout, Dead boy detective, X-Men 97, and a lot of reality tv.

This show is just what I needed. I’m not saying that it’s great and there is very little depth to it, but if you are looking for that I’m sure there are other shows for that.

I feel that this show knows what it is. It’s a platform to deliver some jokes that you probably have already heard some variation of and then go on. I feel that the cast knows this and endeavors to give you their best performances before the series ends after 6 30ish minute episodes.

I feel that I find a lot of good things on Apple TV+. I just don’t have time to watch it all.

Legendary highwayman Dick Turpin sets out on a series of wildly absurd escapades when he's made the reluctant leader of a band of outlaws—and tasked with outwitting utterly corrupt lawman Jonathan Wilde.

Here is the trailer on YouTube.

Hemispheric Views had another great episode of their podcast. This one was about the perfect album. Defining perfect as an album that you can listen to without skipping tracks and just enjoying. Since the initial release of the podcast, people have been blogging about what they feel is good.

I’ve thought about a couple albums but one that comes to mind right now is Louden Up Now by !!!. I bought this album while I was in college on a whim and I find myself putting it on when I’m feeling particular angsty or frustrated.

It is ** extremely explicit ** and puts my frustration into words with a beat. But, after the album is over, the anger is disrupted and I feel like I can move on.

Of course, sometimes I just feel like listening to Pardon My Freedom on repeat and letting the world just float on by.

But I feel that it’s the other tracks that jostle me out of that feeling as it becomes a little absurd with the lyrics and the beats are just erratic enough to shake me out of a funk.

It took me a while to find other information about this group online because I thought they only had one album and the fact that looking up !!! didn’t work in the search engines that I was using because of the wildcard nature of their names.

I highly encourage you to check out the listing of Perfect Albums that Robb Knight put together.

There is A LOT of hype around this show. I had ignored it when it first came out because I didn’t want to deal with the world ending because of nuclear war instead of catastrophic climate change. But, I had changed my mind when a couple of my friends recommended it multiple times. That’s how word of mouth works.

The show is good. I don’t recall points in the show where I felt a need to skip forward to where my favorite character is back on the screen. It’s 8 episodes of story and character building. You don’t need to know anything about the game franchise in order to understand it. I want to know more about the characters but I don’t find the need to look up if something is an Easter egg in order for scenes to work. Give it time and the story unfolds for you at the same time as most of the characters.

Speaking of characters, I want to shout out to Moisés Arias who plays Norm on the show. Not every character needs to be a hero or villain. It’s nice to see a character who is just trying to figure out what is going on. It takes a certain kind of bravery to go against the flow and what is comfortable. When you compare his physic against Dave Register, Norm is not what we would call a hero, but I’d like to see more characters like him in my media.

The story of haves and have-nots in a world in which there's almost nothing left to have. 200 years after the apocalypse, the gentle denizens of luxury fallout shelters are forced to return to the irradiated hellscape their ancestors left behind -- and are shocked to discover an incredibly complex, gleefully weird, and highly violent universe waiting for them.

The show started off on a high and my mind was filled with different possibilities that they could do with the different characters. What does it look like for a hero to be upstaged by a questionably better version of themselves? How do you adjust to a timeline that isn't your own? Could they fit in another dance number into the season?

I didn’t get a lot of those things.

I’m not docking them points because they didn’t do the fan fiction that I had put together in my mind.

I am docking them for … well … being kind of boring and mean.

I get it. They had a horrible childhood and are still hurting from that.

Unfortunately, this season does not give them time to grow as characters. In fact, you could say that some of them are worse and could be quantified as villains this time around.

As they say, “Hurt people hurt people” and you only hurt the ones you love.

That’s not to say it’s all bad, they have a lot of fun bits sprinkled in there, but felt myself feeling a little bit relieved when the season was over.

Back at the Academy, the Umbrellas clash with a new squad of Hargreeves siblings as a mysterious force begins to wreak havoc on the city.

The forth and final season of this show will be airing in August this year. It’s going to be six (6) episodes compared to this one being ten (10).

Before writing this review, I asked myself am I going to give this movie five stars because everyone else is giving it five stars? Am I giving it five stars because the last movie had four stars in this one it was more engaging?

Well, the answer came to me.

This movie is five stars because it is a good movie. It checks off all the boxes as far as an action movie and good cinema is supposed to have. We have a heroes journey and I feel that you did not need to know all the details of the previous movie in order to get something out of this.

I enjoyed this movie. I really, really enjoyed it. I did not see it in an IMAX theater. But for the for the first time in a very long while, I found myself wanting to go see it again in theaters. I think that if you want to see an action movie or just a Science Fiction movie or a movie about political intrigued, you cannot go wrong with this film.

One thing that the film goes into is how someone becomes “radicalized”. How does someone justify their actions and whether they’re good or bad in order to, do what they see is right.

Overall, I think I’m pretty excited by the movie and really fighting the urge to see it in theaters again.

Follow the mythic journey of Paul Atreides as he unites with Chani and the Fremen while on a path of revenge against the conspirators who destroyed his family. Facing a choice between the love of his life and the fate of the known universe, Paul endeavors to prevent a terrible future only he can foresee.