Sam Lagrimas (Sera23)

I have watched the previous recent JP movies. None were as entertaining and engaging as Rebirth. The cast were amazing. There were more thrilling scenes and seat gripping moments that makes you want to root for a character to survive their encounter with the myriad of carnivorous dinosaurs after their life or wish a dinosaur would just eat them out of spite. Then there was one beautiful powerful moment where you truly felt immersed in the raw beauty of dinosaurs. That was a defining scene I loved. Definitely reminiscent of the First JP movie and it delivered. I had fun. It was unexpected but I really loved it. I recommend it for friends and families with older kids. 10/10.

My favorite Christmas animation movie. Finally a good Christmas Carol rendition with just enough color and songs to tell the life and story of Ebenezer Scrooge. It has now become a tradition at our house to watch it every Christmas day.

They say this movie had mixed reviews. Well they can shut it because I enjoyed this better than the first one! Spoiler Alert! The film is even more epic! With Moana getting her own crew to find Motofetu, an island that was sunk by an evil power hungry God to keep the island people separate and end their story! Oooooh. Did I mention she has an adorable lil sister now? So our heroine has to save the world, meet Maui along the way and battle against obstacles and monsters just to save the day! What I love about this film is that there are no dull moments. The pacing is certainly filled with so much twists and turns that kept me interested throughout the film. What it lacks is catchy songs but the ones in the film are good enough to carry the transitioning of the story. (I just found out later that "Get Lost" and "Can I get a Cheehoo" from M2 can be catchy enough when you reply it several times.) Another is enough character development for the supporting characters aka the crew. Heaven knows Moaui and Moana has good CD in this film but what about the crew? Would love to see a follow up short film on their life, their story and their fears. But hey, there is only so much you can cram into a movie. Overall 8/10! It was a fun movie to watch!

I went in not expecting much from this.... I mean the trailer is about a robot lost in the wild. How interesting can that even be. Well, I was wrong. The film was all about a connection forged by unlikely souls who just wanted to be loved and became a family. Of sacrifice and acceptance. And of course, it had a lot of heart and poignant and powerful moments that resonated within each of us and it caused me to shed a tear more than once. Not a gonna spoil anything but this film is worth seeing with your family. It will make you believe again. How beautiful connections are.

For the die hard fans of the hit animated show ATLA, I was one of those who highly anticipated this live action series. And I was both impressed and disappointed. (Long rant ahead....and spoilers) The bad part of this series is the little details missed to establish a connection with the characters. I am one of the fans who loved how Aang immediately saw Katara's face when he first opened his eyes (which establishes their romance later) and Sokka's "sexist" jokes as this was a big part of his character and it also something that would have greatly improved his character development as he travels around the world. And I am still not sold on Azula, she is portrayed as the "perfectionist" and ruthless Fire Nation princess in the cartoon series and never showed an ounce of insecurity or fear of her brother taking everything she has worked hard for. While same goes with Ty Lee and Mai Ling who were also out of place for me (because of how epically they were introduced as part of Team Azula in the cartoon) It even took me time to digest how much more humane Ozai was and how he defended his son to his daughter. (That never happened in the cartoons) In terms of little details, the series missed so much that would have made sense later in the series and the characters I originally loved from the cartoon has a few changes on their portrayal. It took me some time to get used to the changes of the locale and how Team Avatar met a few key supporting characters and adversaries but this is not too bad for me given how many episodes there are plus time constraints. (E.g the dancers in the cave and Sai and Teo) Now on to the good news. This was a series clearly aimed at an older audience so I loved how they made a dramatic portrayal of the Air Nomad Genocide in the first few minutes before the introduction. It shows just how much was at stake and established how Aang ended up as the boy in the iceberg. The bending and choreography was amazing and shows very well at the first few minutes. Way better than I had ever hoped. I can tell they invested well to make it looked so fluid and believable as benders are a huge part of this series. The actors who portrayed Team Avatar did a good job at portraying their roles (still kinda miss a funnier Sokka tho) but the character I was impressed by was Prince Zuko. His anger and single minded goal of capturing Aang as well as his relationship with his Uncle Iroh were and still my favorite scenes. The Northern Water Tribe Siege impressed me with the pacing and also how they changed the douchebag Han into a more honorable warrior and that way I can accept how he passed away. They also gave Yue more character development than just being the Water Tribe princess and Sokka's first love. Shame we did not see her as an apparition as the new moon spirit. (Another missed opportunity) The environment and series settings had me falling back in love with ATLA all over again and made me rewatch the cartoon series all over again. Overall, despite the jarring changes and a few character assassinations, I mostly enjoyed this new interpretation and have come to terms with how this live action series is not a blow by blow retelling of the cartoon series but a new interpretation that has the heart of the original. So I am hoping for a next season to see just how far it will go. My score 8/10 The series can get even more epic from here.

I don't get it. Why did this flop? It is not bad! Putting aside the fact that I am not a fan of Amber Heard anymore. I think this movies was funny, action packed and the brother interactions between Arthur and Orm were the highlight of the film. Granted they could cut a few scenes out to make the 2 hour run time even less and had a more epic villain fight scene but overall, I think this was great. Love the Orm redemption arc.

I have seen my fair share of Live Action Adaptations. Most fall flat while others are just cringe. Only a handful were entertaining and stayed true to the elements of the manga that birthed them. Hence this is why there is something called the Live Action Curse. BUT One Piece blew the curse out of the water! I have been an OP fan since I began with the Anime (yes episode 1) and then stopping at Water 7 arc (that was years ago) to binge on the manga. So as a fan of this decade long world. I must say BRAVO! The world building, narrative, pacing, storytelling and the wonder and exuberance OP is know for has been embodied in just 8 episodes. No second was boring. The action and fighting sequences (which I was apprehensive about) made me think of Pirates of the Caribbean and the casting was stellar! I admit having reservations about Inaki Godoy as Luffy BUT his energy and boyish charms only get better as you watch. Makenyu IS Zoro, enigmatic and a talented swordsman who is really cool from the get go, Emily Rudd portrays Nami well and I felt her pain during the Arlong Park Arc, Jacob as Usopp (while missing his long trade mark nose) nails the part as well and I grew to love him and lastly Taz as Sanji was perfection without going too overboard on the charm as he cooks his way into my heart. Other castings I adore were Coby ( this boy is just so cute!) and Helmeppo (and their enemies to friends character development). Vice Admiral Garp (who is serious one second and laughing maniacally the next) and Mihawk (seriously I got goosebumps seeing him and his fighting scene onscreen for the first time)! They did take out a lot of details and rearranged a few things to keep this entire saga to 8 episodes but I would say that it did not feel empty despite the changes. Only die hard fans know which minor characters and sequences were cut off. But the results are satisfactory. Why mess with success? There is always the next season (please be longer than 8 episodes) To end this positive review. The childhood memories of each Straw Hat Pirate were sprinkled through other series very well and it ties up rather well at the end of episode 8. Final Verdict: This is the golden standard for making a live action series. Absolute fun to watch for older kids (just cover their eyes from a few ahem scenes and blood and self harm stuff) and adults alike! NETFLIX DON'T YOU DARE CANCEL THIS SERIES! I NEED S2, 3,4,5,6 NOW! ODA SENSEI! I WILL NEVER DOUBT YOUR STAMP OF APPROVAL ANYMORE! Fun fact: try watching it in Japanese dub. It actually worked really well for me.

One word. METAL. Watch it. It was a great movie! Approved!

No Spoiler Review. One of the best Marvel Superhero Trilogy that closes the curtain on GoTG Saga in a way that only James Gunn can. I was laughing, I was crying, I was cursing at one point and I was so happy and sad to see that this ragtag group of superheroes once again went out into the galaxy just to do what they do best.... Save a friend. Save the world. Make Allies. And look cool while doing it. Aside from the first GoTG. This has to be my next favorite one out of the trilogy. Some really great stuff. A fitting end to a beloved trilogy I never knew I would love ten years ago when I step into the cinema.

Just finished watching Wakanda Forever and although it was not super wow like the first Black Panther film. It was a more poignant and grounded film centered around Shuri, T'Challa's sister and her own journey towards handling her grief when he died. This film surprised me. It is not boring but leaves you oddly satisfied and hopeful for Wakanda's future despite its....numerous trials and loss. The characters are all awesome (Okoye, M' Baku, Agent Freeman, Riri aka Ironheart, Aneka ) even Namor has his own reasons to be the villain in this story. His story was also colored by his past. Wakanda Forever! A fitting sequel to the first and loved how they honoured Boseman. It was perfect.