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Kathy vs. TK’s Review of CAPTAIN MARVEL – Rated PG-13

/ Matinee Chat with Kathy Kaiser / Leave a comment

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This Review is brought to you by Kathy Kaiser and contains NO SPOILERS

CAPTAIN MARVEL – Rated PG-13 – 2 hrs. 4 mins.

DIRECTORS:  Anna Boden, Ryan Fleck

WRITERS:  Anna Boden, Ryan Fleck, and Geneva Robertson-Dworet

STARRING:  Brie Larson, Samuel L. Jackson, Jude Law, Ben Mendelsohn, Annette Bening and Clark Gregg

As we venture back to a Marvel prequel, circa 1990’s, we meet Vers (Brie Larson), who arrives on earth as a Kree warrior, although she seems to have intense feelings and flashbacks, pointing towards Earth is where she has belonged all along. When she mounts her attack against the alien, shapeshifting Skrull leader Talos (Ben Mendelsohn), it seems that S.H.I.E.L.D. officer Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) is going to come along for this joy ride, as he is convinced that Vers may be the long-vanished Air Force Pilot Carol Danvers, but with some newly acquired strength and abilities, that no normal human has ever possessed before.  When Danvers former alien mentor Yon-Rogg (Jude Law) brings his fellow aliens down to earth to set things straight with her, and the Skrulls too, it seems that Earth is about to be caught in the crosshairs of an alien war, unless Captain Marvel can access here extreme powers, to save her friends, and the rest of us too…

I give CAPTAIN MARVEL a rating between MUST SEE ON THE BIG SCREEN and WAIT AND CATCH THIS MARVEL FILM ON DVD.  Now regardless of what I am about to share, if you are a Marvel fanatic, and wait with bated breath for the next film to arrive each and every time, then who am I to tell you not to run to your nearest theater to catch this next installment.  But, with that said, I was saddened by the fact that even though I enjoyed Larson as the most powerful superhero, male or female, like EVER…I was not as enamored by the mediocrity I felt about of this film as a whole.  It’s sad really, that Marvel films have taken us to such incredible heights with their storylines, and intense, well casted characters, that keeping up the momentum, and increased greatness that we are anticipating with each new release, literally cannot be achieved indefinitely.  So even though this film isn’t bad, and Larson’s attempt at given a realness to this female superhero should be mentioned, CAPTAIN MARVEL not only didn’t WOW me, it just felt like it was a means to an end, giving us the forum to get Captain Marvel into the AVENGERS: End Game Saga, which will be bittersweet at best come April. I also must convey, that CAPTAIN MARVEL doesn’t come close to the excitement, thrills and kick-ass badness of Gal Gadot’s portrayal in 2017’s WONDER WOMAN either, which actually saddened me a little bit too.  I must also share that Jackson, Gregg and Mendelsohn’s performances were okay too along the way, and Law’s portrayal of “is he good or not” Yon Rogg Character played out well too, but I just didn’t love this installment, no matter how hard I tried.  So, with that conveyed, like I stated earlier, if MARVEL’s your deal then please, you aren’t going to be happy until you go see CAPTAIN MARVEL on the big screen, so better get a move on…but if you aren’t that enamored with Marvel’s super hero reign, and you aren’t in any hurry to drop your cold hard cash to catch Brie Larson in action, I suggest you wait and catch CAPTAIN MARVEL on DVD when its released; just make a point to definitely see it before you venture to out to see AVENGERS: End Game when it hits on April 26, 2019.

***And lest me not forget to share that in typical MARVEL FASHION, there are two post credit scenes with this film, so get ready to sit tight and settle in for a while once this film comes to an end, as you don’t want to miss the set-ups for AVENGERS: END GAME, if you leave the theater too soon…

 

This humble opinion is brought to by you T. K. Edwards

CAPTAIN MARVEL  – Rated PG-13  – 2 hr. 4 mins

Director by:  Ryan Fleck & Anna Boden

Cast:  Brie Larson, Samuel L. Jackson, Ben Mendelsohn, Jude Law, Djimon Hounsou, Lee Pace, Annette Bening, Clark Gregg

Carol Danvers becomes one of the universe’s most powerful heroes when Earth is caught in the middle of a galactic war between two alien races.

NO SPOILERS BELOW – STAN LEE WOULD NOT APPROVE

Right off the bat, I’m going to tell you to see this movie in theaters because I am a huge fan of the Marvel Cinematic Universe and in my humble opinion the only way to truly appreciate them is to go to the theater and see each & every one on the big screen.  Now…that being said, CAPTAIN MARVEL is not the MCU’s strongest film, but it’s not their weakest either. It certainly is a great introduction to a character that most of us are not as familiar with as let’s say Spiderman or The Incredible Hulk. Captain Marvel is definitely deserving of her own movie and I am so happy in the direction Marvel is now taking its audience.  Their stories are becoming more adventurous and sci-fi, but at the same time each one is being recognized as a serious film and not some sort of goofy piece of movie fluff. If you need proof of this all you need to do is take a look at the cast of each of these films. Amazing actors are bending over backwards to be in these tremendous stories and that makes comic book movies more than just a “fad”.  A certain famous director (which shall remain nameless – but I can tell you he is NOT a fan of Netflix movies winning Oscars) has been quoted as saying comic book movies are going to fade off into the sunset just like the Western genre has and my response to that is…”umm, no they’re not!” Comic book movies are here to stay and the MCU will continue making more because these stories are not only relevant, but they also can be so much more than just a person in a cape.  Look at what BLACK PANTHER accomplished! A comic book movie with a story that is entirely personal to the director, but also connected to a larger film universe. What Marvel has done is unprecedented and cannot be copied. CAPTAIN MARVEL is a perfect example of how the Marvel Cinematic Universe will continue to make terrific films, to take chances on characters they believe to be special and to show all the “naysayers” out there that comic book movies are here to stay.  Until next time, thanks for reading.

P.S. – There are 2 post credit scenes.  Make sure you wait until after all the credits have rolled before you leave the theater.  You’re welcome! Oh and this movie has the best cameo I have seen in all of the MCU films to date.  Movies buffs like me will understand why I love it so much. LMAO. Keep a very sharp eye.

Kathy vs. TK’s view of READY PLAYER ONE – Rated PG-13 – 2 hrs. 20 mins.

/ Matinee Chat with Kathy Kaiser / Leave a comment

Ready Player ONe

READY PLAYER ONE – Rated PG-13 – 2 hrs. 20 mins.

Director:  Steven Spielberg 

Writers:  Zak Penn & Ernest Cline 

Based on the Novel by Ernest Cline 

Starring:  Tye Sheridan, Olivia Cooke, Ben Mendelsohn, Lena Waithe, Simon Pegg, TJ Miller, Mark Rylance, Philip Zhao and Win Morisaki

Set in the futuristic world of 2045, we meet gamer Parzival, leaving his real world as Wade, and venturing into the virtual reality world of the Oasis as often as he can to escape the harsh reality of his real life.  Lucky for Parzival, he’s met some pretty cool dudes along the way in this alternate universe – like his friend Aech (Lena Waithe), and Daito (Win Morisaki) and Sho (Philip Zhao) too.

When the creator of the OASIS, Halliday (Academy Award Winner Mark Rylance) unexpectedly passes away, he opens up a game war amongst all his followers ~ and the prize???  An Easter Egg that will give its owner total power over Halliday’s virtual reality universe, and make them keeper of the inspirational finding that Halliday has uncovered over his years of research. But with new gamer Art3mis (Olivia Cooke) now entering the game, and all of Sorrento’s (Ben Mendelsohn) minions converging into this virtual war too…the race is now really on, like Donkey Kong, to see who can crack the codes, to become master of this virtual world…

I give READY PLAYER ONE a rating of MUST SEE ON THE BIG SCREEN ~ Spielberg managed to bring together the nostalgic feel of the 80’s, and meshed it into the virtual reality world of today, in a fascinating, exciting, and very heartwarming way!  Sheridan is superb as Wade/Parzival…finding that the real world may end up being way better than he ever thought possible.  Cooke, Rylance and Mendelsohn are also perfectly cast, bringing their own vibrant and realistic presence to their roles.  I’m not sure if it was my love of the entirely reminiscent soundtrack, or if it was the overwhelming feeling that Spielberg’s storytelling was coming full circle ~ as portions of this film seemed reminiscent of how I felt watching ET, A.I. and Jurassic Park, right down to the epic music sequences throughout. I truly think you are going to have to watch this film more than once to catch all the incredible goodness that is strewn throughout.  It was also enjoyable to experience the positive message intertwined throughout the frames of READY PLAYER ONE purposefully placed there for viewers to take away, just like every other Spielberg film we’ve come to love over the years.  I mean, if your children love video games, and you, like me, grew up loving the 80’s, then rally the troops and head out to catch READY PLAYER ONE this holiday weekend ~ you’ll be totally excited that you did 🙂

Kathy Kaiser

This humble opinion is brought you to by T. K. Edwards

READY PLAYER ONE

Director by:  Steven Spielberg

Cast:  Tye Sheridan, Olivia Cooke, Ben Mendelsohn, Mark Rylance, Simon Pegg, T.J. Miller

In the not so distant future, a group of gamers hunt for an easter egg inside a virtual reality program that will give them instant fame and fortune, but an evil corporation is after the same egg and will stop at nothing to find it.

BELOW MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS…CONTINUE READING AT OWN RISK

Ready Player One was fantastic!  Steven Spielberg is by far one of my favorite storytellers/directors of all time.  Talk about someone who has morphed their craft with the changing of the times. He is not scared to try things that are new in the world of major motion picture film making, while still holding on to his usual style and tone that audiences have now grown to love.  Ready Player One does an amazing job of combining pop culture, realistic special effects, and live action. Spielberg’s camera angle choices always stop my heart because they are always incredible and come out of nowhere. You can tell he was having a ball making this film and the evidence is up there on the screen as proof.  As far as the pop culture icon references (i.e. King Kong, Back to the Future, Tears for Fears, Terminator 2, etc.) he didn’t add them just to add them. He placed all of them very casually and without focusing too much on one or the other. It felt like while I was watching Ready Player One, I was on my own easter egg hunt for all of my favorite icons.  I can’t wait to own this movie because I’m going to search through each frame to find something new every time I watch it.

Now, on to our players…

Tye Sheridan was great.  The first time I saw him was in the movie Mud and I knew that wasn’t going to be the last time I saw him.  Same goes for Olivia Cooke. I saw her in Bates Motel and knew she was going to be a name to look out for. Both of them have a Spielberg casting quality to them.  You see them in Ready Player One and truly believe you could place them in any other Spielberg film. This was a hard movie to do and both Tye and Olivia brought everything they had to their roles and NAILED them home.  Ben Mendelsohn is another brilliant casting choice for this film. He’s been hiding as a bit of a supporting actor in his films, but Ready Player One is going to change all of that. He does a fantastic job as the movies antagonist and proves, once again, his range as an actor has no limit.  In conclusion (if you haven’t guessed already…LOL), my suggestion is to GO TO THE THEATER and see this one on the big screen. Go see it twice because I guarantee you will not see EVERYTHING the first time you watch it. Annnnd…I also suggest you buy this one when it comes out on blu-ray (not dvd…this one deserves to be seen only on blu-ray or better).  Until next time, thanks for reading.

Matinee Chat Podcast – Vol # 22 – Giving listeners a chance to share YOUR REVIEW OF KRAMPUS and Reviews of CHI-RAQ and New DVD Releases of MISSISSIPPI GRIND and AMY

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Amy-poster

Chi Raq

 

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