William Tarver

Honestly, Prey is a breath of fresh air in the current cinematic landscape of movie franchises, especially now that its been overrun by Marvel movies. Set over 300 years before the first predator movie with Arnold Schwarzenegger, a well-trained Comanche woman has to now protect her tribe from a highly skilled extraterrestrial that hunts humans for sport, fighting against wild animals, and colonizers (basically white people) to keep her people safe. The whole cast is amazing, especially Amber Midthunder, and the action sequences do not disappoint, especially in the second and third act. It's also nice to see Native American representation, especially in science fiction, that doesn't display them as people who are very savage or overly spiritual. I like how she proves to the audience that she is a worthy challenge to the Predator instead of immediately, albeit unrealistically, going from zero to hero once the alien threat arrives. The special effects are extraordinary, especially for the Predator's weaponry. As for the cinematography, it's, dare I say, out of this world?.... (Okay that was a bad outer space pun) Also, there's a scene where one of the characters recites an iconic line from the original 1987 Predator. Trust me, you'll hear it. The predator himself looks superb, and it's the first time a Predator hunts on planet Earth. This, in my opinion, is the best Predator movie since the first two with Arnold Schwarzenegger and Danny Glover back in the 80s and blows the 2010 Predators and 2018 Predator out of the park (My god, the 2018 movie was so bad). This movie is up there with the first two Predator and Alien movies in my opinion. If you're a fan of science fiction or the alien and predator movies, watch this movie, it's not as long as the others and it's definitely worth your time.

This is the best Spider-Man movie ever in my opinion. This movie has the best live-action portrayal of Peter Parker and perfectly displays that behind the mask is a man struggling with everyday issues. It's a movie with a flawed hero who has problems like everyone else, which was Stan Lee's initial intent of the character. He's always late for work, he doesn't have the girl he wants, his aunt is getting evicted from Peter's childhood home, his best friend hates him now, and he's forced to live in a rundown apartment because that's all that his paycheck. All the stress and pain in his life is causing his superhuman abilities to fluctuate. Things get even worse for Peter when Dr. Otto Octavius is transformed into Dr. Octopus, and blames Spider-Man for the accident and seeks revenge. Spider-Man 2 is a perfect display of a week in the life of Peter Parker. The week is framed from the creation and fall of Dr. Octopus, but it's main focus is on the life and troubles of Peter Parker. His life is first, the (solid) plot is a secondary focus. The acting and characters are great, though Mary Jane is annoying at times. The special effects and CGI aged really well, albeit better than the fiirst movie and the more recent Marvel movies. The fight scenes are awesome and the movie is not too heavy on the action. Spider-Man's costume is given a major update. The humor is well-timed, and everyone didn't become class clowns cracking jokes every 3 minutes like the new Marvel movies. Sam Raimi put his heart and soul into this movie, making sure it was just as good, if not better, than the first one. He wanted to make a film that casual audiences and Spider-Man fans will both love. My only issues are that Harry Osborn's dialogue at one or two parts of the movie feel a bit forced and cartoonish, and that Mary Jane constantly latching on to somebody just because they're with her at the moment & later she moves to another person is something that I just disliked about Kirsten Dunst's Mary Jane. She was a better person in the comics than portrayed here. Other than that, it's great. Spider-Man, J. Jonah Jameson, Mr. Ditkovich and his daughter, Dr. Octopus, Aunt May, Mary Jane Watson, Harry Osborn, Betty Brant, Joe Robertson, they're all great. This is one of the best Marvel movies ever, and it's way better than the new cringe-fest humor Marvel movies.

This movie's just as good as Marvel's first X-Men movie, if not, better. The plots, inspired by the Marvel Comics' X-Men story, "God Loves, Man Kills", concerns the genocidal Colonel William Stryker leading an assault on Professor Xavier's school to build his own version of Xavier's mutant-tracking computer Cerebro, in order to destroy every mutant on Earth and to "save" the human race from them, forcing the X-Men to team up with the Brotherhood of Mutants, their former enemies, to stop Stryker and save the mutant race. The acting was better than usual for a superhero film at the time. The execution of the the story, special effects and make-up are phenomenal. Characters like Nightcrawler, and Pryo are given the proper adaptations they deserve. The frenemy relationship between Professor X and Magneto is accurate. Some key plot points differ from the source material but it is handled in a way that doesn't ruin the overall story. The X-Men outfits are given a slight update as well as Magneto's outfit. The makeup for Mystique looks even better than it did in the first movie, as well as the dialogue. Superheroes like Beast and Shadowcat make cameos as well. Wolverine figuring out his past is a well done subplot and doesn't take away from the story. Certainly one of my favorite childhood Marvel Superhero and science fiction movies that still holds up today. This beats 80% of the MCU movies out of the park. Can't say the same for the third installment, though.

This has to be one of the best animated films ever. I am so glad Annapurna Pictures and Netflix saved this movie from being shelved in the cold Disney vault. This film was originally a production of 20th Century Fox's Blue Sky Studios, and it was going to be their greatest movie yet. Unfortunately, Disney shut down Blue Sky after they purchased Fox, and cancelled the movie just because, as per usual, Nimona's Queer Romance Made Disney Executives "uncomfortable", and tried to toss the project. Hilarious, considering this is the same company with The Owl House, which is heavy on same sex couple representation (not a bad thing). Luckily, the production teams were able to market it to Annapurna Pictures and Netflix and complete the project. Set in a sci-fi/medieval fantasy world, Ballister is framed for the murder of the queen of their futuristic kingdom in an awards ceremony sabotage, and is set out for answers and revenge. Nimona, who is living amongst society as an outcast, is looking to take down the oppressive overlords of this society, and enlists Ballister to help her, after coming across a bounty for him. Seeing a "villainous spirit" in Ballister, as he is facing similar treatment for his commoner origin and the murder of the Queen, Nimona hires herself as his new sidekick. I'm so freaking glad that this movie didn't cave in to the soccer-mom guardians of the world. Much like the graphic novel it's based on, this film is rich with queer subtext, from Ballister's complicated feelings with his former friend Ambrosius, to Nimona embracing her gender fluidity and gender nonconformity. I also love how this film criticizes organized religion, shows that hate is generally taught, and even makes frequently clever commentary on people who choose to live in their small world bubbles and refusing to accept change, progress, and nonconformity to societal expectations. There's also the story arc involving Nimona's rage and depression towards the society refusing to accept her because of her abilities and nonconforming identity. There's also allegories to being non-binary and a scene in which a character tries to commit suicide due to the continuous hatred the face. This is certainly one of the greatest science fiction and fantasy films of all time, as well as one the best animated movies ever. I'm happy to hear the positive buzz surrounding this movie, and I hope this gets a Blu-Ray and/or DVD release. As a straight guy, it's satisfying seeing more mainstream LGBTQIA+ representation. Also, I'd definitely recommend reading the graphic novel. It's in the same position as James O' Barr's "The Crow", where the graphic novel's just as great as the movie and vice-versa. Also, DO NOT CONFORM!!!!!

This is my second favorite movie from Cartoon Saloon. In 1650 Ireland, a world were the Irish view wolves as a curse and something to be eradicated, Bill Goodfellowe and his daughter, Robyn, go to Ireland to get rid of the wolves permanently. In an attempt to follow in her father's footsteps and kill a wolf, Robyn meets a wild native girl named Mebh, their friendship leads her to discover the world of the "Wolfwalkers" and is eventually transformed into the very thing her father is tasked to destroy. The cast is excellent, especially Honor Kneafsey, Eva Whittaker and Sean Bean. The animation is really great, and has a sketching feel to it, without looking sloppy. The color and location design is awesome and feels refreshing. It perfectly balances out funny, action-packed, incredibly emotional, and violent moments It does a good job of keeping a sense of danger and consequence established quite early on that keeps you invested. The last 37-40 minutes of the movie are really, really good and albeit with an unexpected ending. The friendship between Mebh and Robyn is well played, as well as the authoritative persona of Lord Cromwell, and Robyn's strict father, Bill Goodfellowe. The movie's got a nice soundtrack as well. It's now one of my favorite movies of all time.

This Time It's War. In this 1986 blockbuster, Ellen Ripley, the sole survivor of the events of the first Alien movie, awakens from 57 years of cryosleep to find out that the corporation she worked for, Weyland-Yutani, colonized planet LV-426, the planet in which the alien Xenomorph that wreaked havoc on the Nostromo originated. The corporation eventually loose contact with the colony, and must team up with a squad of colonial marines to see why. Upon arriving at LV-426, the marines find only one survivor, a nine year old girl named Newt (Carrie Henn) of an intrusion, However these battle-hardened marines with all the latest weaponry soon figure out that the colony has been wiped out by the hundreds of aliens that have invaded the colony. Now Ripley plans to save Newt and eradicate the alien species once and for all. This movie has amazing visual and special effects, from the looks of LV-426 and the Sulaco ship to the designs of the Colonial Marine weapons and the Xenomorphs. The acting is so good. The movie does a perfect job of blending together science fiction, horror, action, and suspense. This movie solidifies Sigourney Weaver's Ellen Ripley as one of the most badass female characters in cinematic history. Nobody in this movie is useless. Everyone is crucial to the story. This movie has a truckload of memorable quotes and scenes. Artist HR Giger's work comes to life here in the demonic depiction of aliens and their habitat. This movie got Sigourney Weaver nominated for an Oscar for her tremendous performance as Ripley. Every female in this movie's awesome, even the alien queen. The Xenomorphs are still menacing to this day. I love how this movie has strong female characters in a variety of ways. Vasquez is a physically tough, military minded woman, Ripley is intelligent and trying to learn how to be a fighter and more military minded, and Newt is smart and good at hiding because she isn't physically strong and cannot fight. This movie inspired so many other Science Fiction movies and TV shows and even made A L I E N an actual franchise, with movies, video games (like Alien VS Predator 99 and Alien: Isolation), t-shirts, statues, and even an upcoming television series. The film received a number of awards and nominations, including an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress for Weaver at a time when the science-fiction genre was generally overlooked by snobby academy awards.