Pio Nepomuceno

Transformers One was definitely more than meets the eye (TM). What easily couldve been a simple origin story was made so much more better with a clear understanding and appreciation of what made the franchise good and last 40 years. All the voice actors did great in their roles, the humor was balanced well and provided some levity, and the final act is a sight to behold on the big screen. It definitely has the potential to be the best Transformers film of all time, and I'm eager to see these versions of the beloved characters in more adventures.

With the release of Season 2, I am fully confident in saying that STAR TREK PRODIGY is not only the best of the modern Star Trek series, it is the best Star Trek series since the shows of the 90s. The Hagemans and everyone involved have created a Star Trek show that is the perfect gateway entry for newcomers and younger audiences. It honors what came before while also able to create something brand new and unique that seamlessly fits into the Trekverse. It easily joins the likes of Avatar The Last Airbender, Gargoyles, X-Men TAS & Batman TAS as children's show with a level of sophistication that does not talk down to its audience. It is disgraceful how such a good show was treated by its original network, and it was a mircale it got a new lease on life through Netflix. Fingers crossed for a Season 3.

Inside Out 2 is a fantastic followup to the first movie and a much-needed critical win for Pixar. It combines various aspects of the old with the first movie with new ideas and applications in the 2nd movie, which is very fitting for the complexity of human emotions. On the subject of emotions, both the old guard and new guard were done well. While Joy and Sadness were the primary double act in the first movie, the second movie is much more an ensemble with Fear, Disgust and Anger joining in. The new emotions Anxiety, Envy, Embarassment and Ennui are done extremely well, with Anxiety rightfully getting the spotlight in positive and negative ways. The primary conflict of the 2nd movie is one I feel people of all ages will get and understand, though I feel will hit particularly hard for adults. Whether or not Inside Out 2 is better than the first one will ultimately be up to personal preference, but regardless this was an excellent outing and is highly recommended to be seen in theaters.

The biggest strength of this film lies with the primary leads, with all three building upon the positives and negatives of their past appearances to form a really great, funny, and believable ensemble. Brie Larson's Captain Marvel works much better than in her first movie/Avengers Endgame. Iman Vellani's Ms Marvel is the GOAT of this movie, easily transitioning from her Disney+ series and stealing every scene she's in. Tenoyah Paris' Monica Rambeau strikes a good balance between the two and builds off on her character from WandaVision. The movie's action is much more dynamic and fast-paced because of the character switching, which may initially seem annoying or silly. However, as the film goes on and they work things out, it is a very welcome addition and is something not seen in any MCU film before. The story and the villain aren't anything to write home about and can be borderline confusing, alongside a handful of cringe-worthy yet beatable moments. Overall while there is quite a handful to not like about the movie, it is far, FAR from the worst of the MCU. It was an enjoyable romp in various ways, can stand as the 2nd best of the MCU films this year, is a good followup to the Ms Marvel show, is loads better than the first Captain Marvel, and makes fair use of its shorter runtime. It's at least worth one watch in the cinemas.

Even if I wasn't a huge fan of Ms Marvel and reader of the comics, this was still a very solid premiere. Iman Vellani was amazing in the role.

The three famous adjectives of Spider-Man's comics can easily apply to this film. No Way Home is AMAZING, SPECTACULAR & SENSATIONAL! Much like Spider-Verse, its huge ambition, scope, and stakes do not get in the way of how personal the stakes are. In fact, I'd say No Way Home can give Spider-Verse a run for its money as the best Spider-Film period. If you are willing to or can brave the cinemas, it is worth the big screen watch. It feels like a huge step and evolution after Holland's trilogy played the (possibly intentional) slow burn.

The BEST of Nintendo’s Battle Royale trilogy? Probably! Pac-Man 99 I feel is the easiest to pick up and play because of its classic gameplay simplicity: Move left, right, up & down, eat small dots eat fruit, avoid colored ghosts, eat big dots, eat blue ghosts. A classic formula that has remained easy to understand for 40+ years. But like so many cases, it’s easy to pick up & play, but can be complex to master. Nintendo and Bandai-Namco then 99’d it up by adding the Battle Royale aspect, and its application here is genius. It’s another aspect of your own game performance affecting your opponents. Eating the ghosts will send white “jammer Pac-Men” to your opponents to slow them down and increase their chances of losing. But of course this happens to you too. You got a lot more stuff to avoid and keep an eye out for on your board, often resulting in that great rush feeling as started in Tetris 99. Add some good presentation in graphics & sound, and you got a winner.

Episode 1 NEW WORLD ORDER was a pretty effective start, giving us a foundation for the two titular characters to work on throughout the show along with the overarching story and threat that the two will have to face. What surprised me was how "human" the story felt, as Sam was dealing with family trouble & the burden left by Steve Rogers, Bucky was dealing with his dark past, and the world was dealing with the aftermath of Endgame and the rise of the Flag Smashers terrorist group. Whether or not it's intentional, I like how the themes set up by WandaVision carried over into Falcon and the Winter Soldier. And honestly looking back on the episode, that's what I'll remember it for, because the action sequence we get at the start, while good and creative, felt like it served mainly to ease the viewers into the show and assure that this will be more along the lines of traditional Marvel Studios fare after the surreal nature of WandaVision. Because of that some may consider this a slow burn, but I feel it'll payoff later on once we get into the meat of the show when Sam and Bucky do come together to do some Avengering.

When all is said and done after nine episodes, overall WandaVision is not good. I wouldn't even call it great. I'd say that instead, plenty of the adjectives that headlined Marvel's comics can apply: Incredible, Amazing, Fantastic, Sensational, Extraordinary, take your pick! This show was wonderful! Elizabeth Olsen and Paul Bettany brought their A-game, and their acting chops combined with the strong writing and presentation will make you invested in Wanda Maximoff and the Vision more than ever before. It's as if Age of Ultron, Civil War, Infinity War and Endgame are just a hint of the true chemistry of the unusual couple. And Kathryn Hahn in her role arguably steals the show as it progresses. I certainly hope she will return in the future. The sitcom influence was an effective hook for non-Marvel fans and is an inspired creative tool when it comes to the overall production and mystery. Every decade of Sitcom I feel gets properly represented, and is shown to be much more than fluff as the show progresses. Really my only nitpicks are the episode length & count. A longer run time and perhaps 10 episodes instead of nine could've allowed everything to properly wrap up and be explored. But though there may be some cracks when you properly dissect it, as a whole it's near flawless.