A Madea Family Funeral (2019)

A joyous family reunion turns into an unexpected nightmare when Madea and the gang find themselves planning a funeral in the backwoods of Georgia (Source- google.com)

Trailer- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=id61hcbdMZA

Rating- PG-13
Genre- Comedy
Warnings- swearing/mild sexual visuals/drug use

                                             
NOTE: I talk about my experiences watching Tyler Perry movies in the introduction, so if you want to skip to the actual review, please scroll until you see this: READ HERE.

Well all bad things must come to an end, right?

It wouldn't feel right of me to let this final Madea movie pass on without saying a few words, and this post will contain a lot of words. Now will they be good or bad? I'm not sure at this point, because at the time I wrote this introduction, I didn't see the movie yet.

Normally, I write everything down right after I watch a movie but I felt motivation to get my thoughts out about the Madea franchise and my experience growing up with it.

If you're new to my blog, I have mentioned in my BOO! A Madea Halloween review that I have watched Tyler Perry films throughout my life. Although Perry is also known for his television shows, other movies not including Madea, and his plays back in the day, it was mainly the Madea films that left a staple in my childhood (although looking back on it, maybe a child shouldn't have watched films depicting abuse, gun violence, or mentions of sexual assault...but that's besides the point)

For me, Perry movies were always so heartfelt and impactful; my first memory regarding this was when I should've been about eight years old and I watched Diary of a Mad Black Woman in theaters. I remember how wet my face was with tears streaming over the sheer power of the acting displayed on screen that made me sympathize with the characters.

The acting, the music, how the movie took its time to show characters evolve and become opposite of what they were in the past, or show us why they didn't want to change, was all so enthralling to my little mind. I would later go on to want to become a novelist and create stories with value like Perry did.

But in recent years, Madea movies have shown less of this value and it's not just because I got older.

                                  

         (This scene is from the film, Madea's Family Reunion)

People can argue about how his old films may've not been as great as fans made it out to be, but what I can say is that at least you felt the heart behind the story. I can rewatch any of his old movies and still get goosebumps at the realistic conflict that not many people want to address like marital abuse, drug addiction, etc. or laugh at the comic relief that was Madea or even learn something valuable from Madea, as she wasn't just someone to laugh at but a mentor as well. Your stern but supportive grandmother, if you will.

Diary of a Mad Black Woman (2005)
Madea's Family Reunion (2006)
I Can Do Bad All by Myself (2009)

All of these (and maybe a few I'm forgetting at this time) have a soft spot in my heart not just because I grew up watching them, but because it revealed the thoughtful side of Perry. The side that while may be a bit outrageous at times and go on too long with certain stereotypes, he still gave you quality material overall to show that he cared about the value of his work for his dedicated audience.

There are two movies of his that I'd put in my middle pile of not great but not horrible which would be Meet the Browns and Madea goes to Jail (2009) but at least I can still bear to watch it whenever I am bored and have nothing better to do, yet since all of these movies have passed the decline of quality in Perry's Madea related works has gone sharply downhill.

Madea's Big Happy Family (2011)
A Madea Christmas (2013)
and of course, BOO! A Madea Halloween (2016)

All this and a few more, I'm sure, have depicted signs to me that Perry's love for Madea movies has gone south. The soul that resonated within his old films no longer seems to be present in his latest movies. The acting nowadays is usually too over the top or too mean spirited, with each character either being a boisterous chatterbox who always has some wacky line to say or a disrespectful and nasty individual who you want to punch the minute you see them on screen.

Instead of the elongated slow jazz or RnB musical numbers that exemplify the essence of a scene taking place on screen, the musical scores in recent years are something out of an episode of a silly cartoon show. There are more goofy instrumentals that play in the background with maybe a couple of decent RnB songs in the beginning and the end of the movies to remind us that these movies are about love and family, even though most of it showed an entirely different story.

Yes, Madea movies for me follow the quote of, "you either die a hero or live long enough to see yourself become a villain," with the films turning out to be the so-called villain in my book. At this point, I'm not sure what people see in Madea films anymore: Is it to support Perry? Is it because it's still funny somehow? Or is it to see how awful it can lower the bar of filmmaking?

Perry has certainly risen above the ashes of a troubled upbringing to become one of the most beloved filmmakers known to man, which is why it hurts my heart to see his passion for his work go so haywire. Yet, even with all of that, A Madea Family Funeral was not going to be something I missed out on.

While I refused to see the sequel to BOO! A Madea Halloween, I chose to watch this one in theaters because it's the last Madea related movie. Supposedly.

I wanted it to come full circle for me, from that 8 year old girl who grew up with Perry's works to the 22 year old woman having the power to speak my mind about what I thought about this final tale of Madea.

READ HERE

Did the movie make me shout amen for finally breaking out of Perry's odd string of faulty films, or did I watch the end credits thanking God that this franchise was going to be dead forever?

The plot of A Madea Family Funeral was about the shenanigans that would ensue after a family member passes away.

This film actually did make me laugh at several points, which is much better than how I reacted to BOO! A Madea Halloween where all I did was get annoyed and almost fall asleep. At least here, there were some strong lines that were very funny and I kept in my head to possibly use on my own someday and some scenes that when the shenanigans were at an all time high, I was laughing along with the audience.

I can tell that Perry uses the comedy of unbelievability to his advantage, where something is so outrageous that you laugh at it because you can't believe that it's happening. It usually happens very quickly, like someone punching someone else or a car blowing up after someone says everything will be okay, so we're naturally taken off guard and laugh as a response to that shock.

Other than that...this was a mess.

                               

The plot itself felt too simplistic to have it run for 1 hour and 42 minutes, but you could really tell that the movie was trying to reach that time length with how much it derived away from the actual plot. The person that the funeral is being held for is not given a lot of background to understand who he is until after he is told to have passed on, so the shock of him being dead doesn't hit me as hard as I think Perry expected it to. In addition, the family that is being focused on in this movie has never been introduced in any previous Madea movie before so seeing them grieve serves no sympathy on my end because I don't know who these people are and how strong a bond they had with the individual.

The only way I would know is through them talking about it which is another negative on this movie because it brings up the classic 'show don't tell' rule, where it would've benefited the movie if we saw more scenes of the family interacting together with the would-be deceased person instead of jumping back to long dialogues with Madea in the gang- which I'll get to later.

The characters are all types of people that I've witnessed before in Perry movies that at this point only seem to be there because it's typical of a Perry movie to have a sensitive man or woman who is being betrayed, the mean family member who is given barely any dimension to their character, or the matriarchal figure who is taken advantage of till she stands up for herself. This is a common complaint of Perry movies where the character tropes are overdone, and it shows in this movie as well. Can't we just have a normal family for once?

However, the family's inner dilemmas could've been better to watch than sticking with Madea and the gang which consist of Uncle Joe, Aunt Bam, Hattie, and a newly inducted member Uncle Heathrow who along with Madea and Joe, is acted by Perry himself. Perry's straight-man character, Brain, is often tagged along with the gang but it's really the elderly characters that take the cake for most annoying part of the movie.

There's another phrase that is often used called, 'less is more', where the less you do of something it's actually better and provides more value to something. That's the rule Perry should've taken for writing these characters. The elderly characters steal the show but do it in the worst possible way, by having constant dialogue back and forth about different things that annoy them to joking about the same topics in other movies like Madea being a man, smoking weed, and sexual innuendos in general and this feels like it goes on forever. I think I was 15 minutes into the movie and nobody was even claimed to be dead yet. It was mostly just Madea and the gang riffing of one another, taking over moments that could've been used for more serious scenes.

                           
I get that it's a comedy movie, but even Mean Girls (2004) and Deadpool (2016) had its darker moments and that's what made the comedy even more special because the audience knows it won't always have that. But with this, you could have the family sobbing over the family member being dead and Madea would charge in with a joke, it throws the whole vibe off! I seriously believe that there was no moment longer than 2 minutes that contained a purely down-to-earth serious moment for the characters, except for one.

One scene that plays near the end of the movie delivers a messages that I think Perry wanted to portray in the mist of all of the chaos that was a really powerful and opened my eyes to the sacrifices some people make for their loved ones. But even then, the scene is interrupted by the elderly characters reacting loudly to what people were saying as if they were the audience themselves. There is no breather from these antics, and it made me disappointed for the people involved in that big scene because it looked like one that could have been performed better in a different movie.

This big dramatic scene doesn't come out of nowhere as much as it felt in BOO! A Madea Halloween, where one of the characters suddenly reveals a big family issue that was never mentioned in the movie. Here, it's still out of place but looking back on it there was some build up to that climax, even if it was shrouded until the unnecessary chatter.

Perry also included scenes of dialogue where he would use Madea and the gang as the "voice of reason" when all it did was make me question whether or not Perry wanted me to agree with them or not. A lot of what they say is questionable, and it doesn't help that they constantly bring up the fact that they used to be pimps, hoes, drug dealers or murderers in their younger years. I can't tell if what they said at times was to just make the audience laugh or to really give insight, but either way it wasn't delivered right because it was cluttered with all this other improvised back-and-forth.

Seriously, I noticed that there was a 5 minute talk between them all then it cut to the family for like 1 minute and then it returned to the group talking again for even longer! All of that free space could've developed the characters that we actually needed to learn more about.

When I say that Perry's love for Madea went down, I didn't feel entirely right saying that. I'm sure he still loves writing about Madea for audiences, but the way in which he goes about gaining more publicity for it is damn near disrespectful. Like I said before, older films of his aren't perfect. I'm sure I'll go back and watch them someday and point out some very serious problems, but even then the difference between the older Madea and the new Madea is night and day. Maybe someday I can review those movies so you get a better sense of what I'm talking about, but that's not a promise.

                              

A Madea Family Funeral was a poor end to a legendary character. If this really is the last movie, which I doubt, then this was not a thrilling conclusion for Madea in the slightest. She came off as incredibly annoying and redundant along with her friends, and the other people we're supposed to care for are stereotypes of other characters I've already seen. Everyone treats the dead person as a joke, which even for a comedy was pretty inappropriate and the parts where it did feel like things were taken seriously, it stuck out because it didn't feel like it made sense. I could say that at the very least there were several funny zingers in the mix and there were beneficial messages as well scattered amongst the rubble.

Would I watch it again? No. Would I recommend it? No.

I'll tell you now, if Perry does create another Madea movie after this I don't think I'm going to watch it because once you say it's over, then it's over, and honestly this franchise has felt over for a long time now. Before I give my score, I want to end this review with a speech given in Madea's Family Reunion by a character named Myrtle who was played by Cicely Tyson. Myrtle announced this speech among black men and women who she witnessed acting like fools beforehand: being loud with one another, acting promiscuous and ghetto in front of children.

The speech was to remind them that they are better that how they act and they must be good role models to others and to themselves because they have more worth than what other people expect them to be. This speech makes me think of my own thoughts on the evolution of Madea: from strict but lovable mentor to inappropriate and rude so-called gangster. This character deserved better, and while there may not be a redemption, I hope to see future writers give their characters the respect that they deserve. If they're meant to be mean and nasty then fine, but portray them intelligently, not just to create chaos for the sake of chaos.

With that being said...Good Bye Madea...

Note: This is not the full speech

"As we marched up the road this afternoon, what we saw were young men gambling, fighting, cussing. Women with no clothes on gyrating all over on this land...The man and woman who were born here gave birth to this generation. They were slaves. They worked this ground, but they bought it from the widow of the slave owner and that's the kind of blood we having running through our veins. That's the stock we are made of... 

What happened to us? Who are you? Do you know who you are? What happened to the pride and the dignity and the love and respect that we had for one another? Where did it go? And how, how do we get it back?...Young black women, you are more than your thighs and your hips. You are beautiful, strong, powerful. I want more from you. Take your place. 

I want every single one of you, young man, young woman, turn to the next person standing alongside of you. Grab them and hug them and tell them that you love 'em...That's how you start from this moment. When you leave this reunion today, you take that with you."

I give A Madea Family Funeral a 2 out of 5 stars.



SPOILERS AHEAD!!!
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The story goes immediately to these group of people and a few minutes in, I'm not sure how some of them are related to one another. Is the one that doesn't like Gia the sister of Jessie or just a friend? Is Sylvia and Will related to the family in any way or are they a couple supporting their friend's parents' anniversary?

"Mom and dad are so cute together, They have the best marriage, etc." Can you make dialogue any more obvious that something bad is going to happen to the mom and dad?

Oh boy, here come to pain in the movie- Uncle Heathrow. Came strolling it right on time.

My mom was really not feeling the fact that Perry was using Heathrow's character as a joke for his stoma. Meanwhile, I was just smiling through the pain.

It's Madea and the gang...in the same circular position like in the halloween movie where they talked for more than 5 minutes straight about Brain's child abuse...they're not going to do that again are they?

Oh my god, they are! It's not about the abuse but their back and forth has been going on forever! Just move on!

"It's faux" "faux what?" "faux dollas" That was pretty funny. There are a lot of gem lines like that.

Never in my years of watching Madea have I heard either Madea or Joe mention that they had a brother.

Why show the scene of the mom and dad arriving just for them to leave right away? The scene doesn't last long and I learn nothing of the parents other than what they look like. Couldn't they have just extended the scene just a little bit so I can get a better sense of who the father, Anthony is? Because by the end of the movie he's much more than he seems, but there is very little clue to this other than, "I'm going to a hotel." The worst part is, they make this scene short to return to Madea and the gang who we just saw talk for minutes on end!

"You flirt then we all going to jail" another gem line! I wonder if I can keep a tally of them...

Okay Perry...where are you going with this? Your character, Brain, who you play without any makeup (so, you) is arguing with everyone else that black people get shot because they don't obey the law. Then Madea and them argue back that it's because you stay and wait for the officer and that's how you get shot, and because of this Brain needs to drive away before the cop arrives to the car. What I feel like Perry is trying to say is that Brain is in the wrong and Madea is in the right, but then Madea doesn't have good advice clearly, yet Brain is too stubborn to imagine that black people have been killed for no reason a lot of times. Am I supposed to agree with a side?

What took the cop, Willis, so long to approach the car? He ordered them already and then there was a big discussion on how to handle the police. What was Willis doing during that huge gap, just sitting there drinking coffee?

I don't know how to feel about that cop scene, with Willis being overly dramatic about Brain keeping his hands on the wheel. On one hand, I've seen other movies or shows make fun of serious issues like this in an even greater manner that I was fine with. On the other hand, what the hell? Willis arrives already steamed up (even though he sounded calm in the car) and yells at Brain with his nostrils flaring and eyes bulging out (which btw, bad acting), and this is supposed to prove a point that people should break the law and leave a scene? Okay, let me look at it as a pure comedy and not what I expected it to be in the past...it's still not funny. Again, the acting is horrible and everyone is too over the top that not one person has a bunch of sense (and yes, I'm including Brain because he suddenly gets all high and mighty in this scene). Also, with two long talks with the same people back to back it's not enjoyable to see yet another back and forth talk that is redundant and childish. It's just the same thing:

"Keep your hands where I can see them, now reach for something. Don't reach for that!"

"You should've left"

and repeat.

"I'm really perturbed!," the way Brain said that line after the cop left was funny. 3.

"They got all that ass whooping from change," Uncle Joe, you just keep the gems coming!

Obvious infidelity is obvious.

So you can tell that your dad is in the next room because of how he's moaning? Eww.

Another five minute talk, this time about the way Anthony died, giving no time for A.J to grieve over the loss of his father. There has been not one serious moment yet, and this is shaping up to be this most comedic of the Madea movies: A Madea Family FUNERAL.

Take three shots every time there's a long period of discussion between Madea and the gang. You'll be having your own funeral.

Jesus, a man just died and there's no serious moment! Comedies still have serious moments to not overwhelm you with too much humor. I know that sounds weird, but too much of anything gets stale after a while and the more they converse about the funny way Anthony died the more stale it gets and the more disappointed I am.

(playing on the word, hotel) "These hoes don't tell" Our first gem from Madea everybody! Where are we at, four?

Why was Jessie just standing outside looking at A.J and Reneé argue? It was a heated one and your brother is outside with a woman yelling at her and you don't at least call out, "Is everything okay?" until after the woman leaves?

Of course Jessie wants A.J's to be his best man! Because A.J has always been like a father to him when Anthony wasn't around, wait...Where do we see that? Where have we ever seen A.J being father-like to Jessie? Where have we seen Anthony not being that way to Jessie? If Anthony was so bad, why does the family care about him? All of this is TOLD to us, not SHOWN, and that makes a huge difference.

You should've been there in the theater when Will (who is played by David Ortega) came on screen shirtless and the women were hollering over him. I heard this line in particular, "DAMN! I forgot about my boyfriend for a second."

(the capital letters is representing Perry using his normal deep voice)
"Your daddy is DEAD" Again with the joke about Madea really being a man...

"People died who have never died before," I laughed at that one. Gem number 5.

"Better my name in the program than on the cover," I want to use that line someday Heathrow, because that was clever! 6.

The joke about funerals being long can be funny, but they really overdid it with having us believe people would be there for 9 hours. The trailer makes it look like the funeral was going to be the most fun part of all of this, but the movie describes how boring it is to sit through. Since this joke goes on for too long, the long funeral doesn't get funnier it's just more telling of the movie as a whole.

Pam's speech about "You do all you can do" is when I have to reach the word limit on an essay.

In the commercials, Madea says that the funeral was going to be lit but all through it people complained that it was too long. Madea is a terrible planner.

My favorite scene was the people rushing out of the church after the casket popped open, but I got to ask, "Who just runs out of the church?!" I get the friends and lovers Anthony had, but the family too? Wouldn't they check on the body to see if it's okay?

The mom conveys a powerful speech about how she was "weak" because of love after A.J blames her for staying with their dad. It got a round of applause near the end and everything, but this is another reason why it's better to A- lay off the comedy, and B- show don't tell. For A, there has constantly been jokes about Anthony being a cheating and perverted man which lowers the sadness of his death and makes him out to be a laughingstock to the audience. So when this scene shows up, it feels out of place and from another movie. Why should I care about how this man was or how he treated this woman? While I could infer that that was an issue in their marriage, no part of me felt bad for the lady until this moment because I'm more focused on how many more sex jokes can be made. For B- again, if they had just expanded the first and only scene Anthony was shown alive, we could've gained insight in their relationship. I'm not saying Anthony should've been shown hitting the wife, but an indicator in his living days to reveal the true man he was.

"You wanted your daddy so badly, you ended up with someone just like him," Damn!

"Don't call me unless somebody die," I want to use this line too. I'm losing track of the amount of Gems...

"He calling from Hell!" You know the drill.

Mike Tyson cameo!

For a supposedly final Madea film, that ending was boring.
I was expecting one more cameo from Heathrow.

Total Gem lines: 9

I doubt this is the last Madea movie, not just because this will probably make a lot of money and encourage Perry to do another one but also because it doesn't feel over. If this was the final movie of a character I've developed for over 14 years, there should be some sort of dedication to the person. A line at the end saying, "Thank you for following Madea's story" or a montage of Madea's best moments, or at least a dialogue where someone asks what Madea is going to do in the future and she's like she'll travel the world or something. This ending is more focused on characters we barely knew and Madea is the facilitator. I feel like an appropriate ending to a Madea film is to have it center around her life, in a more serious way of course, and then at the end she may finally tell Uncle Joe that she loves his and is grateful they lived so long together as siblings despite their bickering or something in that regard. The ending just felt a little rushed and incomplete. Not at all the sort of closure I would expect from the last movie of a beloved character.

Spiderman: Into the Spider Verse (2018)

Miles Morales becomes the Spider-Man of his reality and crosses paths with his counterparts from other dimensions to stop a threat to all reality (Source- Imdb.com)

Trailer- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sR46T7pSTvQ

Rating- PG
Genre- animation/action/adventure
Warnings- flashing lights

Well this wasn't the type of movie I was expecting this year.

When I think of Spider-Man, I would've never thought of him being together with different sorts of people from other universes. The more I think about it though, there is probably some comic in the thousands of issues out there that talk about this exact scenario, but it's still odd to think about. And also, highly intriguing. I was always fascinated with the idea that we could have alternate versions of ourselves, and the trailer for this movie was to put in the simplest of terms- so cool!

But, being the cautious person I am, I wasn't sure that an animated Spiderman movie would bode well with audiences at this time or if it would hold up to be successful like the live action Spiderman related films that recently appeared like 'Spiderman: Homecoming' or 'Avengers: Infinity War.'

I went into this movie feeling excited for it but also doing my best to not let my excitement get the better of my judgement. So, I have to ask you if you think this movie gave me a new, awesome Spiderman origin story to follow or did it just trap me in its web of lies?

The plot for 'Spiderman: Into the Spider Verse' is as follows: The audience follows Miles Morales (Shameik Moore), a teenage boy from Brooklyn who is bit by a radioactive spider and discovers that he is one of many Spider heroes from multiple universes. Morales is introduced to these unique individuals, but they have to work together to stop a force that plans to destroy all of their worlds.

One of my concerns going into this film is that it would be too much. I saw the trailer beforehand, so I knew of how many characters would be introduced and it worried me that there wouldn't be enough time to explain them all. But the film provides clever ways to compensate for this. There is a clear hierarchy of importance with the characters we are introduced to, with Morales being at the top and as the movie goes on we're witnessed to new people who decrease in importance. This doesn't mean that the movie did bad in showing their new characters; in fact, this makes things better.

With that many people, if they were all shoved in with equal development it would crowd your brain and make it hard to focus on the story. So, what was needed to be said was said, and I was satisfied with that. For the characters that weren't touched upon as much, there wasn't really a reason not to change that. A sequel would be nice, but if I never saw those characters again then I wouldn't feel like I was missing anything. After all, the story was about Morales- who by the way is my favorite character.

I don't think it's often for me to like the star of a movie, but with Morales I knew I would like him once he came on screen. I had one of those moments that many children probably have where you look at the screen and think to yourself, "That is me. I am being represented." Granted, I am not a teenage boy living in Brooklyn, but certain elements reminded me of myself and home.

His character was so diverse from his cultural background to his personality. He sometimes has trouble showing emotion, but he's not dark and brooding. He has some good friends, but he's not the best with the ladies. Morales just reminds me of someone who I could just hang out with, and is not a stereotype, which elevates this movie to a whole different level.

His arc was well put together too, although sometimes really hard to watch because I felt his pain as he tried to live up to be a new Spiderman in his universe. I could sense how I would react in those situations, and it made it all the more real for me. So once the audience notices Morales started to understand his powers, it makes things all the more fulfilling because there was a lot of effort put into getting to that point.

The other spider heroes were well done too, and I've grown to like each of them by the end of the movie. They're all distinct from one another, but the story somehow makes them connected in their origin story which is a running gag in the movie that I found to be funny. A couple of spider heroes came off as really wacky, but thankfully the movie doesn't focus so much on that and as a result I was able to like them more than what I was expecting. The comic reliefs were great when needed, and certainly plays on the different types of spider heroes we've gotten over the years, but I'm glad the writers knew it was better to let the main story take its course without too much interference from side or minor characters (wherever you'd put them, if you saw the film).

The villain of the movie was a typical villain in appearance but their background showed that they too had a heart in need of mending, even though the way they go about it isn't the best. It's also someone that some people have seen in the Spiderman universe already if you're a big fan of the series, so it's no one new. Still, there are a couple of plot twists are thrown in here and there throughout the story that make sense, so they're not just thrown in for dramatic effect.


The animation was my biggest concern going into this because I wasn't used to it. I knew it was going for this comic book style, but I feared it would make the characters look more stiff in their movement or a little too cartoony to take seriously- if that makes sense. However, the film plays on the animation excellently, even blatantly including comic book panels at times to direct the plot forward as well as present how the series of events would be addressed.

My favorite play on the comic book designs was how they would write up the sound effects made in the background like "Bam" or "Chirp" or how a character would think aloud and the thought bubbles would pop up behind them. It made me feel like a kid again reading comic books in my bedroom, even though that barely happened! It just gave me this warm feeling of joy.

The soundtrack was also crazy good! A lot of the music felt reminiscent of Brooklyn too, that urban hip-hop beat. It helped me connect with the New York that was presented on screen. For those that never been to New York, particularly Brooklyn, the way that it was presented in this movie gives you a good idea of what it's like- the good and bad of it all. Also, be on the look out for some funny easter eggs when they are in New York, because they show Times Square a number of times and every time there was something new to catch.

I feel like this review was much shorter than my other ones, but I can't recall anything else that I could say about this movie. If you look in the spoiler section I mention a few things I'm not particularly fond of, but they don't overshadow how fun this was to watch. If I had to say a few complaints, I'd comment on how at times scenes that weren't involving fighting went by really quickly and some transitions felt too choppy.

I would also recommend taking precautions if you or anyone you know is prone to seizures before watching this movie as the introduction and ending has long durations of flashing and vibrant colors and the final battle scene has a ton of bright, flashing colors as well.

I don't think this is a movie that should be connected to the big Marvel universe that we are following with Tom Holland's Spiderman, but it's a great movie to share with the whole family. I would watch it again if someone asked me to do so, and buy it for DvD if there were kids roaming around my house- which there aren't. The protagonist is very likable as are the other characters, the music and animation felt innovative, and it looks like it's a great shape for a possible sequel.

I give 'Spiderman: Into the Spider Verse' a 5 out of 5 stars.

Share my Link Video that's on my Youtube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IJxoClFNsOU



SPOILERS AHEAD!!!
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One expectation I have for this movie is that I want them to address Peter Parker and Gwen Stacy's relationship in his universe. I feel like it's not something that you can just brush aside. Gwen freaking died in his universe! If they don't mention that somehow I'll be upset.

The introduction is really cool, but gosh did it fly so fast with those colors. I don't know if people who are prone to seizures should see this movie.

Did I see that correctly or was Mary Jane the one upside down in the famous kissing scene? Why in the world would she be tied upside down in an alley way? The only one who could do that is Spiderman, so did he purposely put her in that position so they could have a cool kiss scene?

Miles has a Latin mom? I know his last name was Morales, but I didn't expect them to add a Latina speaking Spanish in the movie. It reminds me of my own mom how she went back in forth with English and Spanish, and in that moment I felt how many other children must have felt where they feel like the character on screen. It was a warm moment for me.

Oof, that transition where Miles is cut off while saying "In a minute" felt really choppy...

That was an awesome moment where Miles passed by his friends and you hear different languages being spoken. It feels like my own town.

Uncle Aaron, eh? If anyone's going to die in Miles' universe, it has to be the uncle. The uncles always die...

I love the tiny jokes the kids are cracking right after Miles was forced to say I love you to his dad. Very reminiscent of real life and how people are jerks.

Having your shoe untied is a trend actually. I know of someone who does that.

Miles was late again to class? Isn't this his first day?

So, is it going to be a thing where Gwen exists in Miles' universe but she also exists in another universe and Miles bonds so much with Spider Gwen that he goes on to date his Gwen?

This "Hey" exchange between Miles and Uncle Aaron feels awkward to me, but I guess that what makes it funny because everyone else was cracking up. I laughed too, but it was more to follow the crowd.

Funny moment where Miles just kills the spider nonchalantly. That would be me.

Why IS that girl so tall? (Pfft, I should talk. People talked about my height a lot growing up)

Miles freaking out is seriously a great representation of anxiety. Is this the consequences of being Spiderman (or woman)? Established anxiety?

Damn, King Pen, those shoulders are thick!

Why is Peter Parker blond? There is not one version of Peter that I've seen that has him with that blond of hair.

*Sees Peter Parker killed by King Pen* ....He's fine.

Guess Miles' dad feels like crap now that their Spider man is dead.

Stan Lee cameo! Ugh, seeing cameos of him after his death makes it more powerful.

You wonder, huh...superheroes have to save the world all the time, and one day, they will die like the rest of us. It makes you think, they are (sometimes) human too and we won't have them forever, so we should cherish them for as long as we have them. Gosh, is this foreshadowing for 'Avengers: Endgame?'

I'd probably be that person to say, "I don't think he was talking about you personally. It's more like a metaphor."

When Miles ran back down the staircase, I thought back to the movie Venom where Venom mocks Eddie for not jumping off the building.

Did you see Peter B. smash the glass in his origin story montage? He's Jewish!

I made sure to look around Times Square to find some references and here are a few I saw. They had a billboard ad of Stephen Curry, a parody of Shaun of the Dead titled something like From Death till Shaun and Bridesmaids was replaced with Baby Showers.

That's New York for you. People could drop from the sky and people wouldn't give a damn about it.

You see, I thought Peter B. Parker was the original Peter Parker from what I interpreted in the trailer.

Even though Peter B. is supposed to be the lower rate version of Peter Parker, I personally think he looks better. I think it's the stubble that gets me.

I had a feeling Miles would've gotten the power of a bigger memory since Peter B. memorized a code.

I really like that science lady's character design. It's different. Also, is she crushing on Peter B.?

Nope, she's not. She's Dr. Oct. That's so cool!

I thought Miles and Peter B. were going to smack right against a tree as they were swinging together.

Okay, so Gwen's universe has her feeling guilty over her Peter's death. But hold up, you mean to tell me that 16 year old Peter was that ripped? Maybe even younger than that, because if you remember by the end of the movie Gwen says she's older than Miles by 15 months, but not before saying that he was 15- meaning that she is 16. No 16 year old could be that ripped! Well...

Aunt May is so cool in this universe!

Nicholas Cage is the noir Spider man? Guess this makes up for him not being Superman.

Why do I get the feeling that I'm not going to like the spider pig?

That line from Noir Spider man about, "I light a match to try and feel something" is amazing.

Spider Gwen is a ballet dancer? I didn't catch that in her origin story. I thought she was in a band.

The other spider heroes pressuring Miles to get up made me really anxious and left a bad taste in my mouth. Again, a resemblance of anxiety with all of these voices yelling at you and you don't have the strength to get back up because of it.

Why are these spider heroes such jerks? Yes, the talking behind Miles' back was meant as a joke, but it just made me annoyed with them. I've truly enjoyed Miles and if anyone hurts him, I will hurt them.

Uncle Aaron is the henchman! Why else would he visit the apartment? Also, I would've found it funny if he just sat and watched tv in his costume.

I thought Dr. Oct was going to kidnap Aunt May, to which I would've reacted like, "Oh come on! Again?!"

That photo of Peter Parker on the wall in his suit and glasses is so adorable.

Why was the villain's words translated but not the mother's if they both speak Spanish? *gasp* Did they do that because it was only AFTER Miles got bit that the comic book affects started happening? If so, nice choice.

Uncle Aaron is not going go so far as to try and kill Miles. There's no way. Oh good, I was right-oh no! Well, I did say all uncles die in Spiderman films...

Uncle Aaron's final words weren't all impactful to me, but then again, when you're dying all of a sudden it's hard to conjure up this excellent speech before your last breath.

Now the father is going to try to kill Miles? This just doesn't end...

I wish there was more interaction with Miles' roommate, like how Ned was to Peter in Spiderman: Homecoming.

I hate the feeling of being ostracized by other people because you're different, which is why this whole "You're not ready, Miles" arc isn't as pleasing to watch as I think it should be. I get it, and I also get why I feel this way.

It's nice to see a big police officer like Miles' dad get emotional for the audience. Crying isn't weak, folks!

Couldn't Miles just grab one of the Spider man suits that look most like what he wants? No, because we need him to ruin a suit with spray paint to show that he's an individual. I'm reaching, I know.

I was never a fan of Mary Jane (at least the Kristen Dunst's version) but they made her likable in this one. I know, she got like two scenes of her talking, but...maybe that's what was needed? I'm sorry Mary Jane fans!

The back and forth about the "bread" was hilarious.

The other Spider heroes are going to need Miles when they're all glitching like that. I bet that will be what saves them.

I didn't catch what Peter B. said the first time when he reunited with Miles, but I managed to figure it out and he said, "Wait, do I want kids?" and that made me a tiny bit upset. I'm not the biggest fan of story arcs that involve someone who doesn't want kids learning that he actually does want kids, because I feel like it's telling people who don't want kids that, "You just don't want any because you're insecure about yourself, you don't think you can do it, and once you get this experience then you'll come around." There are people that will never want to be a parent and that doesn't make them damaged or a bad person for thinking that way, so Peter B. could have still had his issue with his Mary Jane but without the, "she wanted kids, I didn't" part.

Was it necessary for Penny's robot to die during this fight? We don't get as much time with her along with Noir Spiderman and Spider Pig, so this death feels lackluster.

*Sees Spider Gwen and Miles talking before she returns to her universe* ...Oh, just kiss why don't cha?

Is it wrong for me to think that the position Miles and Peter B. were in was romantic? NOT BETWEEN THEM! Hear me out, the way Miles literally held Peter B. over the edge to save him (and also prove a point) but I just pictured this intense rescue scene between two lovers and it was really cute to imagine. Maybe I'll draw it.

I just love how Peter B. was dead set on dying to save the universe, but Miles just flips his own words on him and Peter B. is like, "Yup, you're good." Like, no! If my math teacher said I was going to fail a test because I didn't study, and I respond like, "I just need to take a leap of faith" he won't be like, "You're right, you'll do fine by yourself." I'll still fail...I'm reaching again.

What was the point of King Pen seeing his wife and son in the train? They were holograms (or whatever you call it) but he treated them like they were real. Why? They're clearly not there. My mother commented on that scene though saying that he thought his family was re-forming into existence again, which got me thinking that the point of that scene was to reveal that even if King Pen's family returned, it would just revert back to the last time he knew them which is where he was discovered attacking Spiderman.

That face Miles made when he was hugging his dad when the eyes of his mask got all small was adorable.

So Peter Parker is really dead in this universe? That sucks.

Was that Gwen contacting Miles at the end? That was an ending that knows it wants a sequel.

I stayed for the first after-credits scene with the Stan Lee dedication which was lovely, but I left before the other one and that was a big mistake...It was amazing. If you missed it too, it's on Youtube.

Ralph Breaks it Internet (2018)

Six years after the events of "Wreck-It Ralph", Ralph and Vanellope, now friends, discover a wi-fi router in their arcade, leading them into a new adventure. (Source- Imdb.com)

Trailer- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_BcYBFC6zfY

Rating- PG
Genre- animation/comedy
Warnings- none

This is one of the movies I was most excited to watch this year, and it has finally arrived. Ralph Breaks the Internet or as I like to call it, Wreck it Ralph 2, appeared in theaters on Thanksgiving week and kids and adults alike fulled the rows of seats alongside me. The concept of this movie's universe is enough to attract a lot of people with its unique interpretation on video games and the internet; I know it did for me. Coupled with the vibrant, electric-like aesthetic of the internet world and the clever easter eggs that one can spot if they have a watchful eye, this sequel has thousands of fans excited for what clever story was in store. Yet, sequels have a tendency to be lackluster compared to their predecessor and sometimes just totally irrelevant to the original storyline. 

This sequel is no exception to those risks, and while I sat and watched this Disney film I wondered if it'd actually be as great as the internet said it would be or would it break my heart?

The movie stars video game villain, Ralph (John C. Reilly) and Sugar Rush racer, Vanellope Von Schweetz (Sarah Silverman) as they have become best friends since the first movie and are now going on a new adventure into the unknown referred to as: The Internet. Through this journey, they learn about the wonders of this technological world and meet some interesting characters who lead them to discover more about themselves and their desires in life. 

I went into this not thinking that anything poignant would come out of the story. From appearances, this sequel appears to be just a cash grab to sell more Disney related merchandise. I didn't think it'd be a horrible thing, but nothing as great as the one that came before it. But I was proven wrong. I almost enjoyed this sequel more than the first film. The animation is excellent and easy on the eyes and the creativity is astounding to me. 

There were a lot of fun moments that made the kid inside of me jump with joy, plus a lot of funny jokes that a lot of people would understand ranging from references to websites to comments on the internet world and jokes on other popular video game characters. My favorite thing about this sequel is that there was really no plot twist. What you see is what you get, and by that I mean that there is no secret villain or characters who are not what they seem, it's really just Ralph and Vanellope exploring the internet and themselves as characters. Somewhat like a coming-of-age movie for the leads, and it was very pleasant to watch- for the most part.

The new characters that come into this universe are all likable and more than likely already for sale in the Disney store in time for Christmas. I remembered all of them no matter how much screen time they had in total, and yet with every new character the movie lost some great ones. 

If you were a fan of Fix-It Felix (Jack McBrayer) and Sergeant Calhoun (Jane Lynch) then this is not the sequel for you because they are barely in this at all. It's like a slap in the face because they had a lot more screen time together in the first movie and their story was really cute. I was looking forward to learn more about how they managed to grow together, and if anything we only get a snippet of that through exposition and the rest is history. If there's another sequel for this, which there probably will be, I think they will expand their characters more, and this is just the springboard to jump into something even greater, but I can't count on a third movie to this franchise. As of right now, I am disappointed in these characters' lack of involvement in the overall story.

Thankfully, Ralph and Vanellope were still strong leads to follow throughout the story and the lessons that you learn between the two of them is unlike anything I've learned before. I admired how smooth the transition was from this creative and hilarious escapade to a moral that was all too relatable and powerful. Ralph and Vanellope have two different ideas for how they want their lives to go, and because of searching the internet they discover what that is- which still differs from what the other wants, but the movie spreads the message that that is perfectly okay and is in fact healthy to have opposite dreams and allow each other to pursue them.

With that being said, Ralph was a major creep in this sequel! What he intends for himself and Vanellope is really sketchy if it were the real world. That may just be my dark mind talking, but the way in which Ralph feels about Vanellope reminds me of a man-child who can't go on without a little girl by his side. Is that what the writers wanted us to think actually? Because as I said, this felt all too relatable in a sense that I've witnessed this before.

I used to have a "friend" who would fall apart at the mention of me wanting to hang out with someone else, and another one who sent me this cruel email about how distant I've been from him and that I'm a selfish person because of my actions.

It's more common than people may realize that some people force themselves on others for their own desires without the consideration of that person they want to be with. I've even seen some movies where particularly the female has to put her dreams on hold because her boyfriend or friends are not happy that she's not with them all of the time, and that always gave me a bad taste in my mouth. So to depict that toxic relationship to children in a way they can understand was such a great thing to witness.

Ralph Breaks the Internet was amazing to watch for how funny and intelligent it was in many aspects. From the easter eggs to the morals, this is a wonderful movie to watch with the family. I would absolutely watch it again. Although some of my favorite characters disappeared, the new characters helped me overcome that sadness. I'd give this franchise a pass in being fine with one more sequel, but that's it!

I give Ralph Breaks the Internet a 4 1/2 out of 5 stars.

Video Link on Youtube- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BeJc5bJ-atE


SPOILERS AHEAD!!!
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Chun Li looks amazing! A little thin for someone with muscular legs, but not bad at all.

The way that Vanellope talks about how she craves more out of her life even though she loves Sugar Rush is the equivalent of how someone has a 9 to 5 job and is bored with how predictable it becomes and wants more outside of that.

Oh my god, it's Sonic! I am such a fan. This is making my 12 year old self so happy right now.

I spotted a zombie walking off in the background. He comes up a little later on. He's the cutest thing.

Taffyta, I thought you'd be nicer after the first movie. Do you need to be fearful of being executed again?

I see where this is going. Ralph is the one who causes the main problem in the movie because of that track he made.

So this is where Slaughter Race comes in, the players from Sugar Rush will go there.

If the characters in Sugar Rush go to other games, how will that affects the real world? Wouldn't people spot them in other games and get concerned that the games have a virus and shut down those as well?

I don't know about Feliz and Calhoun taking in the racer kids. Not because of the obvious, but more so that it seems a bit out of character, for Calhoun especially. But then again, love makes you do crazy things, like adopting 15 children.

Why was Ralph's transport bubble thing red? Does that mean he'll infect the internet? (boy, would I come to realize how on the money I was by the end of this movie. This doesn't confirm that this is why it was red though)

Those avatars are so cute. I want to make art of my own depicting how I might look as one of those avatars.

Ebay sounds so foreign to me. I've never used it in my life, and it doesn't seem like many people do according to what I see on social media.

Hah, Miranda Sings! A lot of people laughed at the scene where her avatar got crushed.

Gord is the cutest thing I've ever seen and equally the most terrifying thing as well. That arm stretch he does makes me think of the Don't Hug I'm Scared Youtube series.

Shank's hair is to die for.

What's so bad about Shank and the gang, Ralph. I would think as someone who likes to wreck it, he'd be more on board with them.

Hey, Yesss showed a Fortnite video for a second!

You know something? Ralph on a goat's body may look stupid, but it would be a meme nowadays. Look at what they did with Shrek.

I want to go to that Disney place. There's Pixar and Marvel! Oh, I see Iron Man back there. I am squealing inside.

Stan Lee! Mmh...my heart...

That moment we've all been waiting for, the princesses scene.

Why are they all so aggressive? Jesus...I mean, when you think about it, someone did just magically appear in their room and the trauma of either being kidnapped, poisoned, or otherwise made them get tougher skin.

You just know they're going to milk the hell out of those princess pajamas at Disney stores worldwide. Here are a few favorites of mine that I've spotted: Cinderella's G2G shirt, Moana's shiny shirt, Snow White's poison apple shirt, Anna's finish each other's sandwiches shirt, and Belle's Beast Friends Forever shirt.

What did Merida say? I actually want to know. *Looks it up* Ahh, according to Imdb.com, it says, quote: "I gave my mom a cake, she turned into a big bear. My old man tries to do her in. If that's not a pure mess, I don't know what is."

Never read Youtube comments. Never.

A spilled cup of water is enough to made me laugh a lot.

Yeah Ralph, you don't want to lose your best..."friend." But the way you're acting is really disturbing. A grown man angry that a little girl is not around him 24/7 and she wants to have her own life instead of spending all of her time with him? Yeah Ralph. You don't want to lose your "friend." Got ya.

I get it, okay? He was a villian all of his life so not a lot of people liked him until Vanellope did. The thought of losing her would crush him...

As long as the virus does not spread outside of Slaughter Race everything will be fine, which means everything will not be fine because the virus will spread outside of Slaughter Race. Crazy, no?

Aww, I get it...searching for insecurity. This is about our insecurities as human beings and how it can destroy us from the inside out. That's deep...

This friendship break up is not as bad as the first movie. The first movie was just chilling to me, whereas this is just...meh. Although I would be mad like Vanellope was over what Ralph did.

So Ralph is the villain of this movie all along...makes sense. He was born a villain, made into it.

Seeing the multiple Ralphs crawling up the buildings is so funny to me. Like ants!

Is this the time where Fix-it Felix and Calhoun step in to help save the day? Because where the hell are they?!

"How to find your ex-girlfriend's house" and the way that avatar looked walking away, with that serious face...yeah, he going to kill someone.

These Ralph things remind me of zombies (I can hear it now. Of course they were depicted as zombies, Jen! This isn't a surprise!) and whenever there's some zombie aspect or possession thing inside of movie I get the chills. I hate the idea of someone being controlled.

Pinterest!

I wasn't expecting the movie to go down this route of, "allow your friend to follow their dreams and don't bring them down with your toxic possessiveness," but I like it a lot. Not a lot of things depict this and I've seen movies, shows, and so on that stray off this lesson and make it seem nice that one person gives up their dreams for someone else's desires. I knew that wasn't a good thing, and those things leave a bad taste in my mouth. Good for you, Ralph Breaks the Internet, this could change many mindset's on how they treat one another.

I'm also glad that Ralph is the one who stops the monster, which as they explain in the movie, is his own insecurity.

Aww, this is like a long distance relationship now.

Sonic! You've come back, and reading in a book club with Ralph and Zangeif? That is the cutest image I've ever seen.

The advice on how to raise perfect kids was funny and cute.

There's going to be another sequel to this. Something is going to happen where Vanellope has to return to Sugar Rush and Shank drives one of the cute little cars. I bet on it.

Funny writers! They knew I'd wonder why they didn't have that famous Pancake Milkshake scene in the trailer. Also, side note, the mother in the end credits scene says, "Mo." Is that short for Moana?!

Holiday Movie Suggestions 2: Halloween

WARNING: The following movies I am reviewing are all extremely inappropriate for children. If you were hoping for recommendations for a family movie night, then this post is not for you. Feel free to read my first Holiday Movie Suggestions for Halloween back in 2016 for more kid friendly material. Thank you!

This year, Halloween landed on a Wednesday- smack dab in the middle of the week. So, I'm sure a lot of people celebrated the spooky holiday during the weekend, but if you're still in the spirit to rattle your bones with some creepy movies then you came to the right place. The following movies I'll be talking about aren't necessarily made specifically for Halloween, but could be watched around this time if you're looking to be disturbed. I have seen all of them fully.

I was to stress that these movies can be very shocking for most viewers, but I picked them because as  a viewer myself, they stood out to me. Whether they be for good or bad reasons, you'll discover shortly. I'd suggest watching any of these if you're looking to be scared, and not just a quick jumpscare. Like, contemplate life and human decency- terrified.

*All movie summaries are from Imdb.com*
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OLDBOY (2003)

After being kidnapped and imprisoned for fifteen years, Oh Dae-Su is released, only to find that he must find his captor in five days.

Trailer- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2HkjrJ6IK5E

Rating- R
Genre- action/drama/mystery
Warnings- disturbing imagery/extreme violence/body mutilation/swearing/attempted sexual assault/sexual content

'Oldboy' is an adaptation of a comic by the same name that was created by Nobuaki Minegishi. This movie is directed by Chan-wook Park and written by Garon Tschiya, and is about a man named Dae-su Oh (Min-sik Choi) who is suddenly freed from incarceration after over a decade. After his release, he vowed to kill the man who put him in his entrapment in the first place. 

Make sure that if you want to watch 'Oldboy' that you're checking out the original Korean version made back in 2003. While this is the only version of the story that I've watched, I've heard that Spike Lee's version in 2013 lacks what makes the original so great. This story will leave you speechless; you may think you know where it is heading but by the time you're done with it, it will stay with you for a while. I don't think it's anything enlightening where you learn a lesson about your own life, but rather makes you think of how disturbing everything gets as the story movies on.

The character is very tragic, but is no victim. He gets out of prison ready to fight and there are a lot of gruesome and well executed fight scenes that an action fan will love. The choreography is stellar, and it made me want to get out of my bed and kick some butt too. With violence usually comes some bloody and wince-inducing scenes and that's exactly what this movie gives you, so if you're uneasy by that idea then this isn't the movie for you. There are also sexual scenes including nudity and an intense, prolonged sex scene that could make one uncomfortable if they're viewing this with other people, so be aware of that before you even consider watching this for family movie night.

This is such a gritty, intense film that might leave you screwed up and numb by the end of it with its psychological twists. It might also make you confused as well depending on how you interpret the ending. I think it's worth it though; I'd recommend at least one viewing by yourself or maybe with some close friends who can bare a few uncomfortable moments. 

I give 'Oldboy' a 5 out of 5 stars.

TEETH (2007)

Still a stranger to her own body, a high school student discovers she has a physical advantage when she becomes the object of male violence.

Trailer- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LCGbdgm0B_Q

Rating- R
Genre- comedy/fantasy/horror
Warnings- disturbing imagery/extreme violence/swearing/body mutilation/sexual content/sexual assault

(Description on Poster: Every rose has its thrones)

'Teeth' is an American film that was directed and written by Mitchell Lichtenstein and it is one of the strangest horror comedies I've ever watched. When you think you've seen it all, something comes along to prove you wrong and at the time I watched this 'Teeth' was that movie that made me question whether I should admire or be disgusted at the writer's creativity. 

You can probably take a good guess by the poster and summary what the lead character's advantage is when fending off desperate men, and it's just as uncomfortable and shocking as you can imagine. This movie follows the life of Dawn (Jess Weixier) who is an active member of her high school chastity club, but after an encounter with a boy she discovers that she is the living example of a deadly myth.

I see this movie as an odd cautionary tale by how often Dawn is placed in uncomfortable situations with the male population. There are countless scenes where Dawn is learning more about her ability because of how often she is being assaulted by people. This alone can drive many people away from this movie as a lot of these scenes are visual on screen, and I remember part of myself regretting watching this. 

You just grow a distrust for any man on the planet by the time you're done with this film, but since this is a comedy I think what the writer was going for it an exaggeration on what actually occurs in real like and what people in those situations would love to do to their assaulters. If you take it that route and see this more as Dawn being a strong female character, then this movie can become very enjoyable for you. 

While the violence is enough to make you want to close your legs tighter together, some of the attacks are just so ridiculous based on the reactions of the victims and even Dawn, that it could illicit a laugh or two. I could definitely see how this is a comedic film, but for me, I was was growing sick seeing the constant mistreatment of the main character happening over and over. Still, it is a fairly cheesy movie that is out of this world that could be a laugh riot for you or a group of friends. Just note that this might deter you from having any sexual relations for a couple of days.

I give 'Teeth' a 3 out of 5 stars.

DEADGIRL (2008)

Two high school boys discover an imprisoned woman in an abandoned mental asylum who cannot die.

Trailer- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zU1oTQGRHCw

Rating- R
Genre- horror
Warnings- disturbing imagery/extreme violence/swearing/body mutilation/necrophilia/graphic sexual assault

'Deadgirl' comes from the mind of writer, Trent Haaga and is directed by Marcel Sarmiento and Gadi Harel. This is a movie that would be alarming to the average viewer as it focuses mainly on someone who is not even alive. Two teenage boys discover a female body in an abandoned building that they come to realize while she is animate, she is also dead. What the boys decide to do with that body may leave you with your stomach churning- I know it did for mine. 

I don't know what I was expecting really; I had a feeling that this would dive into some dark areas of humanity that scares me the most because of how real some of the events in this movie can actually happen. The story follows each of the boys as they conflict over what should become of the dead girl, and the girl herself is the victim between their dispute. The story eventually expands to other characters who have their own intentions for the girl, and this ultimately ends up being this macabre observation on how easily people are swayed to act upon their impulses with the promise of pleasure.

This too is a movie where by the end of it you'll be disgusted with all of the male characters and wish nothing but hell for them. It desensitizes any sort of humanity they have, and unlike 'Teeth' it is not done as a way to be funny. It just is. 

The setting is awfully dull with dark aesthetics taking place mostly in the building where the dead girl is found. There are a lot of bloody scenes and scenes that are simply gross in its nature. You could probably imagine what would be gross about having a dead girl "alive" and all. There's also several scenes including terrible images of assault- physical and sexual.

I would recommend watching this if you have a strong stomach to brace for the duration of this movie. I wouldn't watch it again because I remember being so angry by the end and wondering why was it all necessary. All I could think of is the fact that people can be down right evil, and this is an example of how being vulnerable can motivate those people to commit heinous acts. This movie will leave you with a bad stomach, distrust for the male population, and a lot more questions asked than answered. 

I give 'Deadgirl' a 1 1/2 out of 5 stars.

ZOMBEAVERS (2014)

A fun weekend turns into madness and horror for a bunch of groupies looking for fun in a beaver infested swamp.

Trailer- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xR-SMWo0hHI

Rating- R
Genre- comedy/horror
Warnings- disturbing imagery/extreme violence/swearing/sexual content

(Description on poster: You'll all be damned!)

'Zombeavers' is a comedy horror flick that was directed by Jordan Rubin and also written by him, along with Al and Jon Kaplan. Judging by the title, I knew that I was in for a wild ride. You cannot tell me that you'd expect something serious from a title like 'Zombeavers' and you never do. 

It's about some stereotypical teenage friends who go on vacation to have fun on a campsite when they're suddenly faced with killer beavers. The beavers were actually terrifying to look at; obviously they look fake, but it still gives off a chill down my spine. Because of this, there are some bloody moments and moments where the victims of the beavers undergo some transformation that is even more scary to look at. However, you probably wouldn't care about who dies because what's usually associated with stereotypes? Little to no character arc.

These characters are carbon copies of either the typical get drunk and have sex teenager or the pure innocent virgin teenager. There's no in-between, but this movie does have a couple of plot twists that worked to its favor. Nearing the end, I wasn't sure about where this story would lead and with a story about killer beavers, it's not that hard for the movie to keep your attention. 

There was poor acting, but I'm sure that was just attributing to the comedy aspect of it. It might make you laugh, but I'm personally not a fan of acting that tries really hard to be bad that it's just bad acting in general. There is certainly at least one sex scene that is- again- used for comedic purposes but is still a little visually graphic. I would recommend this movie if you want to get a good laugh out of teenagers biting the dust to some animals. As funny as it can be, it's nothing a child should watch. It's better to watch with some good friends who you could joke with and rant about how you'd survive better than any of the characters in this film.

I give 'Zombeavers' a 1 1/2 out of 5 stars.

RAW (2016)

An innocent teenager, studying to be a vet, develops a craving for human flesh.

Trailer- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gFlXVX2af_Y

Rating- R
Genre- drama/horror
Warnings- disturbing imagery/extreme violence/swearing/cannibalism/sexual content

(Description on poster: What are you hungry for?)

'Raw' is a French movie that was directed and written by Julia Ducournau. It follows Justine (Garance Marillier) a girl just beginning her first year at a veterinary college when she is overcome with the desire for human flesh. I remember that it took me until the very end of the movie to figure out why in the world the lead would suddenly crave this, but if you were to watch this a second time the clues are several and nearly obvious. However, in relation to the first time I watched this I felt puzzled by the whole situation and the characters' actions didn't help at all.

In this universe, being a cannibal is uncommon yet everyone including Justine treats it as if she just got a paper cut and is just waiting for it to heal itself. I was shouting internally for her to just visit a nurse and see what the cause was for this behavior, but that never even crosses her mind. On top of that, practically every character you meet is unlikable and makes the viewing of this movie rather draining.

However, since I know that there are hints to the truth behind Justine's hunger for other human beings, I do like the mystery behind it. That mystery motivated me to continue watching and figure out what was happening- or rather why it was happening. Once the ending comes along, if you were as clueless as me then it would hit you like a bullet.

Even so, it's like a cycle: with one good thing about this movie, it brings me back to my faults with it. Once you know the twist, you wonder why certain characters acted a certain way in the first place. What happens to Justine could have been better avoided, but it's not, and that leaves me annoyed.

There's a lot of scenes that involve blood and dead animals, plus harm done to the human body, making it a lot of body mutilation for one movie. There are also some intimate scenes and a graphic sex scene that could make even the most sex positive person uncomfortable.

I watched 'Raw' because I heard a lot of praise for this movie, and while it's not the worst thing in the world, it just didn't sit well with me. The character motivations are unpredictable, the plot is mostly just build up to the twist which makes you question everything you just watched, but the cinematography is well done and some scenes provided a good sense of tension that still stick with me now.

I give 'Raw' a 3 out of 5 stars.

The Hate U Give (2018)

Starr witnesses the fatal shooting of her childhood best friend Khalil at the hands of a police officer. Now, facing pressure from all sides of the community, Starr must find her voice and stand up for what's right. (Source- Imdb.com)

Trailer- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3MM8OkVT0hw

Rating- PG-13
Genre- crime/drama
Warnings- disturbing imagery/minor language

This is a movie that was used to encourage people to speak out against racial injustice, and nowadays a lot of people need that push to fight for their rights more than ever. I don't think for a second that our modern day world is worse than the past, or else I'd be more likely to be discriminated against for my multiracial background or even killed without anyone having a shed of sympathy for my soul. However, that doesn't mean I think everything is perfect- there's still a lot of things society must fix. 

Racism is still alive and 'The Hate U Give' demonstrates how this plagues our society, how those fighting for justice could both promote or hinder their cause, and how the actions of an individual can help change the world- no matter how big or small.

We see this story play out through the narrative of Starr Carter (Amanda Stenberg), a teenage girl who struggles to figure out how to stand up for her best friend after he was killed by a police officer. She wonders how to balance between fighting for her friend and staying hidden for her own protection. To what extent can she exert herself to the media to talk about this tragedy without compromising her own safety? The audience and I were there to watch the events unravel and find out for ourselves, and also see if this movie addressed the issues in a mature manner.

Keeping that in mind, did the movie give me an enlightening experience or is it something that I hate with a passion?

This movie was an adaption from Angie Thomas' book of the same name that was published last year in 2017. As far as the movie version goes, the plot was well crafted, with just a few hiccups. These hiccups ranged from minuscule to why did that even matter to the story. As I mentioned earlier, Starr turns to activism after the death of her friend, but most of the movie follows the build up to that point. I really appreciated how the film addressed the inner turmoil of Starr and showed that even till the very end of the story, you can tell she has hesitation with the lengths she willing to go towards to protest. 

One of the major reasons why Starr doesn't want to speak for Khalil is because of her fear of being judged, since she attends a private, mostly caucasian high school. Not only does she face the grief of losing a friend, but the worry that others will perceive her differently because of it. She feels the need to battle between the side of her that lives in her neighborhood riddled with looming threats from gangs in the area, and the side of her that she forces herself to be a more polite and quiet person at school to not have students react to her negatively. I would imagine that some people would find this behavior to be unreal, like who needs to change themselves for two groups of people?

I think deep down everyone knows this feelings to an extent. Think of it from a very basic level: the way you act at work is normally different from how you act at home. That is Starr, but much more intense. These problems that Starr goes through as a consequence of being a witness to the shooting felt all too real and got me a little bit emotional by how Stenberg portrayed Starr's character. 

With that being said, I wasn't a fan with something that she did in the story. These are one of the hiccups that left me with a bad taste in my mouth, and while I can't reveal it in this non-spoiler section, it is something that I can say has me wondering what the intentions were for adding that part in. It happens early on in the story, and it just seems to ruin Starr's character for me. I still don't know what it was supposed to add to the dynamic of the plot, or if the result of what Starr did cut out at the last minute. Let me put it this way: If the shooting didn't occur, then what Starr did would have been made into a bigger deal that the way it was dealt in the movie.

The characters who supported the movie like Starr's family was likable yet different unlike any family I've seen portrayed on screen. They had their own set of problems in their dynamic, like having children who didn't have the same pair of parents and starting a family at an early age. I liked how they had that going on, yet they were not shamed for it. It showed that families who go through similar things such as that are not destined to have a toxic life together, but can improve from the mistakes made in the past. 

Starr's friends however came off as more cookie cutter stereotypes that reminded me that this was an adaptation of a young adult novel. You have the friend who always wants to fight people, the friend who is clueless to the racial injustice in the world, and just students in Starr's school that use slang to sound black (even though there is no way to sound black, white, or any other race). It was a little annoying to say the least, as they come off more and more predictable the longer you watch the film. Starr does have a love interest though who breaks out of the stereotype. I ended up really liking him; my expectations on how he would handle Starr's dilemma was far from what really happens and that pleasantly surprised me. 

The character who ends up dying by the police officer was also not so bad. To put it lightly, he is revealed to not be such a perfect person, but I think that's a point that the writer was trying to make. Since this person dies by an officer, it is easy to vilify the victim due to his history rather than focus on the fact that he was the one killed and not the officer. Trust me when I say that what he portrays in the film wasn't always the smartest things to do, but the movie is trying to tell us that that alone isn't deserving of death. 

The movie also depicts how the way people fight for a cause can also show them to be more of the villains of their own cause than the people who are actually fighting against them. It shows how causing physical damage to the community (example- smashing car windows, yelling in people's faces) isn't the best way to go about getting what you want. A final thing that I was surprised that the film even brought up with the officer's point of view on things when interrogating someone in general and why being defensive to them could put someone in more danger, and why they need to ask you a lot of questions before letting you go. I see that the story was giving two sides of the spectrum and it's absolutely important to hear from both sides. 

Which leads me to another hiccup.

A lot of these scenes, while necessary, came off a little forced. It was like I was hearing a public service announcement on why black people were discriminated or how you should act when you're pulled over. Each of these scenes were explained very carefully and resonated with me. I don't want to sound like I think it's wrong to teach your viewing audience about these things, but I must admit it was a little amusing how it suddenly jumped from the film to, "remember that you must always do this and that." It's like when you're watching a television show, and a character goes, "I could never leave home without my Dasani water. It is the best water that you could ever carry with you," doesn't it take you a little out of the story? 

Nevertheless, this doesn't totally destroy the message that the movie. At least with this issue, I totally get why it had to be done. Sometimes people need to be reminded of the gravity of how serious racism is and how alive is still is on this Earth. I think this is a nice movie to watch if you want to learn about the social issues still roaming in our society, why it happens, how it happens, and what we could do about it. Since this was adapted from a young adult novel, there's not much to worry about as far as anything sexual or violence. 

Aside from the actual shooting that propels the story, there's nothing extremely bloody. There are a couple of swear words here and there, including the N word that you could hear playing in the background during one of the scenes but that's mostly in the beginning of the movie. This is a movie best seen with anybody who is emotionally mature enough to handle issues like this, because it could drive you to discuss these sort of issues and whether or not you agree with the actions that took place in the story. I wouldn't watch it again, but I could see this being played yearly for other people- like a teacher plays it in class to discuss racism and the like. 

I give 'The Hate U Give' a 4 out of 5 stars.

Youtube Link Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=evm5pIY9iys

SPOILERS AHEAD!!!
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I hope their father repeated his lesson to baby Sekani. Does he think the baby will remember what to do when he's pulled over? (I'm like half joking here, I'm sure he repeated it to Sekani at some point)

My mom really didn't care for the public displays of affection between the mother and father. Every time it happened (which was only like two times) she sounded so disgusted. It was funny.

Some people may think that it's not that hard to just be yourself in both your neighborhood and at school, but as a afro Latina who lives in a dangerous neighborhood and went to private schools, I can say that it is difficult. You feel like you need to be someone else, more proper. At the same time, no matter how proper you are, you don't feel like you fit it.

I can tell that this came from a young adult novel. Yes, people can appropriate culture, but I don't think it's always this noticeable with how these kids are talking. Maybe I'm just ignorant that way.

Why does every movie need a romantic interest? And better yet, her boyfriend is white. So I'm guessing now that he's not going to understand what she is going through and it's going to be too much for him, so he'll leave her. Only to realize that he was wrong and he'll come running back saying that he'll help with her activism against racism.

Are girls that obvious with their disdain for people? Those two girls glare straight at Starr as she's kissing Chris. She's just darker skinned, she's not a monster!

Starr reminds me a lot of myself, how out of place she feels at the party. It's like you should be at home because you're around your people, but you're not.

I should listen to more Tupac, he does have some powerful messages in his songs.

What happened to Natasha? Did she become a teen mom? That's the vibe I'm getting.

Is Khalil going to throw himself on Starr? Is this the route the story is taking to not make him feel like a complete victim when he dies?

Starr, you have a boyfriend! How are you going to admit that after you kissed Khalil? This made me like Starr way less than I did starting in. If this scene is revealed to Chris, I feel like that would just make things more muddled in the whole story.

I know that some people don't cooperate easily with police, but in this day and age, if you're an African American people especially, why would you argue with the police so much? This is a universe where the killing of innocent black people is a normalized weekly occurrence. What are you doing, Khalil?

I liked how Starr's actress reacted to the shooting. It didn't feel forced or underwhelming, it's actually how anyone would react. It made me a bit emotional.

Was it necessary for the uncle to bring up that he cared for Starr while the father was in jail? It's not very helpful to the situation at hand, but I have a feeling that it was addressed better in the book than how it was suddenly brought up in the movie.

I forgot Khalil's grandmother had cancer. This makes things even sadder, but hey, life is like that.

I can't say that I know how Starr feels when it comes to wanting to stay hidden so her friends at school don't pity her, but I can say that I would probably want the same thing for myself- to not have all the attention on me. It's sad because I know why I wouldn't want to. It's not so much than I think people would pity me, but more so the issue that comes up later on in this film- that you'll be targeted.

I feel bad for Chris now. I think he's going down the genuinely wants to help Starr out route and Starr is totally blowing him off. She's coming off like a insensitive girlfriend. I know that sounds awful considering what she goes through, but remember she cheated on Chris. If Khalil didn't die, that would've been made a bigger deal and probably the nail in the coffin that makes Starr and Chris break up.

When Starr's friend say, "Hey Daddy!" to King, I thought that wasn't her daddy, but her daddy. You know what I'm talking about.

Okay, this fried chicken joke confuses me. I know why it's offensive and I also know why Hailey said it because the movie briefly shows them eating chicken earlier. On that note, was this to show how Hailey has racist tendencies or how Starr is easily offended? Because they're both justified in their actions, and if you think about it, Starr might be more in the wrong because she got angry at Hailey for making the joke. Hear me out, if I just had chicken with my friends and then one of them made a joke about it, I'd connect the two and realize that they're not playing on racial stereotypes. Then again, Starr just lost a close friend so her mind was fuzzy. Ultimately, I think the part just threw me for a loop.

Also, this is one of the many moments where Starr and Hailey will have these repeated stand offs like this: Hailey: *says racist comment* Starr: *whips her head at her angrily* ...what? This occurs at least three times.

I see what the story is saying: The policeman shooting Khalil was undoubtably wrong and the justice system is failing Khalil, yet the way that his supporters protest for his justice comes off unorganized and violent. Of course people are angry, but from the looks of it, their rallying won't do any good if they look like they'd rather fight people for what they want rather than peacefully protest. I know that even peaceful protests don't get heard sometimes, but I understand what the movie is trying to promote.

Now this other scene confused me even more, when one of King's goons fatally shot Natasha. Who the hell kills a child for playing in the street, in the daytime? I wouldn't argue that children get killed for stupid reasons, it happens a lot unfortunately. However, the way Starr talks about it seems so forced. "Yeah, my friend Natasha and I were playing in the street and someone shot her dead because we wouldn't get out of the way." Like, the guy didn't just ask them to move at first? That's such an extreme move.

That blurred vision in the interview is not helping Starr. I would know right away, if she was my friend, that that was her.

I'm betting that the father dies while protecting his family but he'll be framed as the bad guy.

Overkill with forcing the dad against the window so his family can see him getting arrested, huh? I know, I know, things like this happen...

I hate to see Sekani cry...

Why is the dad so angry with the kids? He's placing his anger on the wrong people.

Oh, that's why he was upset. I still like the dad...

Okay, I get white kids saying slang to sound cool and being ignorant to racial injustice. However, white girls playing basketball games is going too far! I know not one white girl who plays basketball games!

"Police lives matter" The way Hailey says her lines sounds so forced, like she's saying the typical ignorant lines that people say. Maybe that's the point...

I like the other friend; she hasn't spoken a lot but she doesn't seem to be like Hailey. I hope she gets a big moment where she stands up for Starr.

"He kissed me a second time that night" Starr, if Chris hears that he'll break up with you. If I were Chris, I'd do it regardless of the events that occurred. Again, if Khalil didn't die that kiss would have been brought up and Starr would have lost Chris.

Oh my God, Starr is wearing sneakers to the prom. What a social problem; we must stare at her obviously so we reveal our disdain!

(Kind of the quote from the movie) Chris: I see you, Starr/Starr: You only see my skin color/Chris: I see you.../ Chris' repeat of his statement wouldn't make me feel better, it would just make me think he didn't know what else to say and is convincing me that what he said makes sense.

Hey, I have a family member named Chris. It's not just a white name!

The father will die or the brother will. More likely the brother in my opinion.

It's nice for the uncle to explain to Starr why the police have to inspect people pulled over, their intentions for asking certain questions. It gives the audience a chance to realize that with good cops, they're not trying to invade your space, but rather protect yourself or the people in your car. With good cops, which leads me to saying how it's also interesting for the movie to show how even black people could be against their own race while being blind of it like the uncle was. I like this scene a lot.

People were laughing at the scene where Starr is threatening Hailey with the hairbrush. I must admit, it did come off more funny than it was intending to be.

I am so impressed with how they handled Seven's mother. It took me until Starr told her "thank you" that I realized that her yelling at her kids to leave the house was because she wanted to protect them from King. That's an amazing mother right there. Also, the way they cut the scene off before we see what King does to the mom is so chilling to me. Great work.

Are the drivers really King's goons who will try to kill Starr and Seven? I got a bad feeling about this.

Oh come on, are they really going to kill Sekani? No one wants to see a child die, but I don't know...maybe it would make this movie more impactful if Sekani is killed. It shows how we corrupt our children with racist and gun violence and such an early age. A tragedy that could never be restored- oh, they're not going to kill him. Good.

I was expecting Seven's mother to have bruises on her face or something at the graduation.

So...does Chris just never find out about Starr's kiss with Khalil? Does he know that if Khalil was still alive Starr probably would have cheated on him more? Will there be a sequel to explain this? Probably not. I'm angry.

There were a lot more Harry Potter references in this than I expected.