Captain Marvel (Film Review)

Captain Marvel shares many similarities with Thor.  It’s an action-drama involving extraterrestrial super-beings, planetary escapades that end up revolving around Earth, and utilizes fish-out-of-water comedy with its protagonist.  Captain Marvel stands out from Thor in two noteworthy ways—its period and its protagonist.  The film takes place in the 1990s, effectively making it a backstory for how the Avengers Initiative came to be along with other smaller details such as how Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) lost his eye (spoilers, it’s comedically…underwhelming).  The 90s setting, in general, is quite an impressive replication, though it can get a bit heavy-handed with the nostalgia. The film also uses a combination of makeup and CGI to make actors Samuel L. Jackson and Clark Gregg look convincingly younger.

A Complete Analysis of Iron Man Part 1: The MCU’s Beginnings, The Rise of a Fallen Star, and The Perfect Opening (Film Analysis)

In 2005, Marvel Entertainment took out an over 500-million-dollar loan with plans to launch their own film studio and get in on the ever-increasing cinematic superhero craze.  With the creation of Marvel Studios in conjecture with Paramount Pictures to market and distribute their films, Marvel began plans to release a series of (hopefully) modestly profiting superhero films based on some of their less world-renown properties (since their biggest names like Spider-Man and The X-Men already had their film licenses sold to other studios) that would be connected through recurring characters, setups, plot points, and post-credit scenes—ultimately leading to a collaboration of all these B and C-listers into one massive, blockbuster extravaganza of a film that would be based on The Avengers comic series.

Happy Death Day 2U (Film Review)

Sequels are well known for trying to repeat their predecessor’s formula, but Happy Death Day 2U takes this a step further by using the original film’s Groundhog Day loop premise and actually repeating the same day, again, on loop.  That’s literally the definition of insanity, so how the hell does this seemingly uninspired sequel not only make it work but improve upon nearly every aspect of the original?

The Fault in Our Stars Revisited: At Times Cheesy, At Times Lovey-Dovey, and At Times Powerfully Relatable (Film Analysis)

Look, I’m not going to sit here and write that The Fault in Our Stars isn’t cheesy, or sappy, or lovey-dovey at times.  The film has these aspects, it embraces them to the point of occasionally being cringy.  Two teenagers making out in the Anne Frank House while those around them clap and cheer is not what I consider quality writing.  The thing is, The Fault in Our Stars is still effective with its story, and at its highest points, downright powerful.  That’s because beneath the cheese, and sappiness, and lovey-dovey affection, are two very human characters portrayed by two talented actors—and its these actors who keep The Fault in Our Stars enjoyable and fresh during the lowest of times and potently compelling during its better-written scenes.

Blue Valentine or: A Potent Tragedy and Cautionary Tale on Relationships (Film Analysis)

Blue Valentine is a tragedy about a dysfunctional married couple who finally lose the last lingering sparks in their relationship.  It is a sad, yet potent film that offers a cautionary tale on the don’ts of building a sturdy relationship.