The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (1998) Video Game Review

This is my favorite video game of all time. It's very special to me. I didn't have a Nintendo 64 as a kid as I instead had a Playstation. Initially, my favorite video game was Spyro the Dragon (1998) on Playstation, from when I was 6 years old in 1999, up until I was 10 in 2003. By that time, I got a Gamecube for Christmas, and what came with it was a Legend of Zelda compilation disc called The Legend of Zelda: Collector's Edition. 

It featured four "classic" Zelda games: The first two Zelda games on NES, The Legend of Zelda (1987) and Zelda II: The Adventure of Link, as well as the two on N64, Ocarina of Time and Majora's Mask (2000). The first Zelda game I ever played was actually Majora's Mask. I played Majora's mask at a friend's house back in 2nd grade, and I was quite impressed by the world building and gameplay. Not so much the time limit though. In fourth Grade, when I was 9 years old, I got A Link to the Past on Gameboy Advance and played that quite often. But my Zelda fandom really started when I started playing Ocarina of Time on the Zelda compilation disc on Gamecube. This game blew my mind. It made me realize I'd been missing out on a classic.

The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (1998) is a 3D open world action/adventure video game developed and published by Nintendo and originally released exclusively on the Nintendo 64. It's set in the fictional kingdom of Hyrule, ruled by an unnamed king and his daughter the titular Princess Zelda. You play as Link, a young warrior who resides in the Kokiri forest and was raised by the Kokiri, a race of child-like elf people dressed in green. They're watched over by a guardian called the Great Deku Tree, a wise and elderly anthropomorphic tree who speaks. The Deku Tree, near death, summons Link to go on a quest to save the kingdom of Hyrule from a great evil and sends Navi the fairy to accompany him. After leaving the Kokiri Forest, you explore an overworld consisting of different areas. 

There's Death Mountain, a fire-themed area, Zora's Domain, a water-themed area, and Gerudo Valley, a desert-themed area. There's also the graveyard, where you encounter ghosts and zombies. Along your quest, you fight a variety of enemies ranging from skeletons and spiders to fire-breathing dinosaurs and more. Your main weapon is a sword, but you get other weapons, like a sling shot as well as bombs and a bow and arrow. Your health meter consists of hearts. If you get hit a couple of times, you lose a heart. Lose all of your hearts and you die and the game's over. You can catch a fairy in a bottle that can revive you after you die. 

You can collect key items by exploring dungeons and defeating bosses. You meet a set of different quirky characters. There's Navi, the fairy who accompanies you. She gives you hints on what you're supposed to do. Every now and then, she'll call you by going "Hey! Listen!" (this has become a meme). There's Darunia, the leader of the Gorons, and Ruto, princess of the Zora. They become important to your quest. There's also Saria, who you become good friends with, and Mido, the bossy leader of the Kokiri.

There's Princess Zelda, who summons you to assist her on her plan to save Hyrule. Then there's the main villain Ganondorf. Ganondorf is the king of the Gerudo, a race of gypsy thieves who reside in the desert. He has a lust for power and will stop at nothing to get what he wants. Ganondorf kidnaps Zelda, and you have to save her.

That's about the gist of it.

The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (1998) is an excellent game. It's got great and fun gameplay and a great narrative as far as "video game storyline" go. It's visually stunning and the graphics, while blocky, are impressive for the time. It's very imaginative in terms of the world building and characters. Its also got great music. There's not a single thing I didn't like about it. 

It does have some tough spots here and there, but they can be overcome with strategy. The combat system is unique and has paved the way for hack and slash games in the future. This game has left a huge impact on me, as it inspired me to go on real life adventures and to become a fiction writer (haven't gone anywhere with those lol). I can also identify with Link, as he's left-handed and a silent protagonist. I'm also left-handed and I'm a man of few words. Those are the reasons The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (1998) is my favorite video game of all time. I look at this game as not only a classic, but in fact a masterpiece.

I give The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (1998) a solid 10/10.

Have you ever played The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (1998)? What did you think? Let me know in the comments.

As I post this, The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (1998) is currently available to play on the Nintendo 64 app as part of the Nintendo online membership + expansion for Nintendo Switch.

Nerve (2016) Movie Review

Nerve (2016) is a sci-fi techno thriller adventure flick directed by Henry Joost and Ariel Schuman and written by Jessica Sharzer. It’s based on the young adult novel by Jeanne Ryan. It stars Emma Roberts, Dave Franco and Juliette Lewis in major roles.

It’s centered on an online “truth or dare” type game called “Nerve” where you choose to be a watcher or a player. The players take on all kinds of dares, each more dangerous than the last, and get rewarded with money. The watchers, well, pay to watch the players. The plot follows our protagonist Venus Delmonaco (Emma Roberts). Venus (or “Vee” for short) is a senior in high school who lives in Staten Island. 

She wants to leave town and go to college, but since her older brother had just died tragically, she and her mom are mourning their loss so she doesn’t tell her. Vee finds out about this Nerve thing while scrolling through her emails on her laptop, but at first refuses to participate. Her best friend Sydney is a player on Nerve and has become very popular in the game. Sydney criticizes Vee for not being very adventurous, which drives Vee into becoming a player. Vee’s first dare is to kiss a complete stranger, which is when we’re introduced to our deuteragonist Ian (Dave Franco). 

We learn that Ian is also a player. Ian serves as Vee’s love interest and the two form a dynamic. Vee and Ian take on all kinds of dangerous dares together. There’s also Ty, who’s basically the villain of the movie for the majority of it. Ty appears to take drastic measures to win the game and get himself out, even if it means sabotaging the main characters.

We learn that Ian and Ty have a past and have both been trapped in the game after a tragedy occurred in which a friend of theirs was killed in a dare. Since then, they’ve both been trying to get themselves out of the game. Sydney appears to be jealous of Vee throughout, but eventually drops out and helps the latter afterward. That’s about the gist of it without giving too much away.

I watched Nerve (2016) back when it came out on DVD, and I wasn’t sure how I felt about it. I rewatched last weekend on Amazon Prime, and I’d say I enjoyed it overall. It’s pretty intriguing and entertaining and has some intense moments. I liked Vee and Ian’s dynamic. I liked the scene where Vee and Ian had to run out of the department store in their underwear. That was a fun scene. I think Emma Roberts and Dave Franco both did a pretty good job with their roles.

I do have a few minor nitpicks. There were parts where it tried to be funny but didn’t make me laugh or anything (not a comedy, obviously). I thought the part where Isn’t danced and sang at the diner was a little cheesy. I felt it got a bit too political in the climax, and I won’t tell you what happens in the end, but it made me go “huh”? I’d also like to comment about the tattoo scene. As Vee is getting her tattoo, there’s death metal music play and she makes a comment about the music saying, “I really don’t like that noise at all!” (direct quote), and as a metal head myself, I’m a tiny bit offended. Those are minor nitpicks though.

All in all, I think Nerve (2016) is pretty good as far as young adult techno thrillers go.

I give Nerve (2016) a solid 7/10.

So, have you seen Nerve (2016)? What did you think? Did you like it? Did you not like it? Did you think it was okay? Let me know in the comments.

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As I post this, Nerve (2016) is currently streaming on Amazon Prime and MGM+.

Bucky Larson: Born to Be a Star (2011) Movie Review

Bucky Larson: Born to Be a Star (2011) is a romantic sex comedy about the porn industry. It stars Nick Swardson in the leading title role, as well as Christina Ricci and Stephen Dorff in supporting roles. It was directed by Tom Brady and written and produced by Nick Swardson and Adam Sandler.

It follows our protagonist Bucky Larson (Nick Swardson), a mentally challenged man who has buck teeth and a small “you know what” and lives with his parents. After being fired from his job at the local grocery store, Bucky hangs out at his best friend’s house where they watch pornography flicks to cheer him up. While watching these films with his friends, Bucky recognizes his mother and father and learn that they were porn stars. This is when Bucky finds his destiny and aspires to be a movie star. So, Bucky moves to California to pursue an acting career in the porn industry.

Along the way, Bucky meets a nice girl named Kathy (Christina Ricci) who works as a waitress at a sketchy local diner. Kathy serves as Bucky’s love interest and the two form a dynamic. We learn that Kathy was once a five star waitress until an incident occurred where she accidentally spilt hot soup on an elderly woman’s lap and put her in the hospital. Kathy helps Bucky find a place to stay and has him move in with a mean roommate who yells at him. Bucky helps Kathy regain confidence in chasing her dream of being a five star waitress.

There’s the porn director Miles Deep, whom Bucky works for. While filming, Bucky gets an uncontrollable orgasm and ejaculates on set. This initially makes Miles reluctant towards having Bucky act in his films again. But after seeing the film go viral on the internet, Miles gets an idea for the future of his films. There’s also Dick Shadow (Stephen Dorff) who’s basically the villain of the movie. He’s a professional porn actor whom Bucky encounters. He bullies Bucky and is even seen flirting with Kathy. Dick invites Bucky to his party only to humiliate him by stripping him naked and pushing him into the pool. He also tries to outdo Miles Deep when making deals with the same producer.

I won’t tell you exactly what happens at the end, but I’ll say that it’s “about the journey, not the destination”. This movie was marketed as an over-the-top sex comedy about the porn industry, which it kind of is, but it’s really more of a romantic comedy.

I watched Bucky Larson: Born to Be a Star (2011) for the first time over the past weekend after seeing it on Amazon Prime. I know this movie was panned by critics when it debuted and even bombed at the box office (grossing only $2.5 million against a budget of $10 million). It has its defenders but it’s still hated by pretty much everyone to this day (it currently holds a 3% critic score on RT with a 25% audience score). 

That being said, I actually enjoyed this movie. It’s stupid and absurd, yes, but I think I enjoyed it for that. I found it quite funny and laughed quite a bit throughout. I also liked Bucky and Kathy’s dynamic. I thought it was sweet. I’ll say though I found the villain Dick Shadow rather underdeveloped as he wasn’t really of that much threat to our main characters.

Overall, I thought Bucky Larson: Born to Be a Star (2011) was pretty decent as far as raunchy romantic comedies go.

I give Bucky Larson: Born to Be a Star (2011) a solid 7/10.

So, have you seen Bucky Larson: Born to Be a Star (2011)? What did you think? Did you like it? Did you not like it? Did you think it was okay? Let me know in the comments.

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As I post this, Bucky Larson: Born to Be a Star (2011) is currently streaming on Amazon Prime and Tubi.

Smile (2022) Movie Review

Smile (2022) is a supernatural/psychological horror film written and directed by Parker Finn. It’s based on the 2020 short film “Laura Hasn’t Slept”. The movie was distributed by Paramount Pictures and stars Sosie Bacon on the leading role. It got very positive reviews from critics when it first premiered and was a box office hit. It’s spawned a sequel called Smile 2 (2024).

The plot follows Rose (Sosie Bacon), a therapist working at a mental hospital dealing with patients with schizophrenia and suicidal tendencies. One day, one of her clients told her story and then gives her a creepy smile while slitting her own throat. Rose’s boss (Kal Penn) then suggests that she takes the week off, as it appears she’s going through trauma. Rose then starts hearing and seeing things that no one else can and sees people smiling at her. We later learn that there’s an unknown evil entity that forces people to commit suicide and takes the form of the previous victim while targeting the next victim with a smile. 

This entity is now after Rose as this chain has been passed down by her last client. She tells her fiancée and her sister about this, and they both think she's crazy. So, Rose looks up to her ex-boyfriend, and the two work together to stop this monster once and for all. I won’t spoil the ending here, but Rose tracks down the chain back to its roots, and confronts the monster, and it gets crazy from there. That’s about the gist of it.

I watched Smile (2022) for the first time this year and I really enjoyed it. It’s pretty freaky and intense, as well as very creative and original. It’s very well acted and well directed. It’s got great cinematography, and some cool bizarre shots. It has a chilling atmosphere, is quite unsettling, and doesn’t rely too heavily on cheap jumpscares. 

I see why this movie got positive reviews. For a directorial debut, it's quite impressive and I look forward to seeing what director Parker Finn has in store in the future. I can't really think of anything negative to say about this movie, though if I had one minor nitpick, it's that it was just a tad longer than it needed to be. It's exactly 2 hours in length, though I feel couldn't been trimmed to about an hour and a half. That's just a "minor nitpick.

Overall, I think Smile (2022) is a very solid and well-done horror flick that's worth checking out (especially if you're into both supernatural horror and psychological horror).

I give Smile (2022) a solid 9/10.

So, have you seen Smile (2022)? What did you think? Did you like it? Did you not like it? Did you think it was okay? Let me know in the comments.

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As I post this, Smile (2022) is currently streaming on Disney+, Hulu, and Paramount+.

The Third Saturday in October (2022) Movie Review

The Third Saturday in October (2022) is an independent horror/slasher film written, produced and directed by Jay Burleson. It's part of a two-part film project called the "Third Saturday in October" series along with The Third Saturday in October Part V (2022) (which I previously reviewed). There's no 2, 3 or 4, as these films are supposed to play out like a lost slasher franchise from the 80's. Like with Part V, The Third Saturday in October was filmed on location in Alabama (Athens/Elkmont area and Mobile). These movies aren't that well known, but I think they're starting to find a cult audience.

The Third Saturday in October (2022) is set in 1979 in the fictional town of Hackleburg, Alabama. It centers around an annual college football game called "The Third Saturday in October" which is a rivalry game between the Alabama Mobile Seahawks and the Tennessee A&M Commonwealth. During this, a psycho killer by the name of Jakkariah Harding, who survived his execution the night before, is at large and murders unsuspecting victims (particularly the group of people who watch the game). Very little is known about Jakkariah Harding (or "Jack Harding" for short), though it's mentioned he was a drifter and may not really be human. He's seen with a messed-up eye and usually uses a pair of pliers as his signature weapon, though he uses a variety of different weapons (like a chainsaw for instance). He also drives a hearse around and appears to have a thing for cats.

We've got a set of different characters. There's the detective Ricky Dean Logan and his girlfriend/partner Vicky Newton. There's the father/daughter duo Barry Hill and Heather Hill. Heather is a 20-something who lives with her dad and works at the local burger joint Bronco Burger. Barry and Heather have a tradition where they watch The Third Saturday in October together and are convinced that if they don't its bad luck. We've also got our supporting characters/victims. There's Denver, a strange girl with a cocaine addiction and wears pajamas everywhere. She also likes to jam out to her favorite songs as she's usually seen dancing. There's also Uncle Deeter and his girlfriend Bobbi Jo, who like to skinny dip. There's Ned (nicknamed "Neddy Teddy") and Pam. Then there's John Paul who appears to be Heather's love interest.

After having just met John Paul, Heather agrees to join him and his group of peculiar friends to watch the football game, breaking her and her dad's tradition. She tells her dad this, and he's at first reluctant, as he's skeptical about his daughter going with a guy she just met, as he could be a serial killer (Ted Bundy to be exact). Soon after though, Barry gives Heather permission. However, during the game, the killer slips into the house that John Paul and the others are hanging out and kills them one by one. Then Heather, Barry, Ricky Dean Logan and Vicky Newton work together to stop the killer. That's about the gist of it really. 

I really enjoyed The Third Saturday in October (2022). Like Part V, this is also a brilliant take off on old school low budget slasher movies. It's got a great vintage aesthetic, great cinematography, a chilling atmosphere, a great soundtrack, an interesting storyline and likable characters, and great kills. It's also funny, freaky, intense, well-acted and well directed. It looks about exactly as if it were a slasher flick made in the late 70's/early 80's. However, personally, I liked Part V a bit better. 

I do have one nitpick, and that's regarding the character Heather Hill. She's the supposed "final girl" but a rather disappointing one at that. She's kind of a damsel in distress as she relies on her dad to save her. She can't even use a gun, so she gives it to her dad. Like come on. She makes Maggie and PJ from Part V seem tough in comparison. Come to think of it, Heather's dad is kind of all she's got. She has no other "family" that I'm aware of. There's literally not mention of her having a biological mom (It's not that important but I thought I'd point that out). 

Other than that, I think The Third Saturday in October (2022) is a very good indie horror flick and quite impressive given its low budget and production value.

I give The Third Saturday in October (2022) a solid 9/10.

So, have you seen The Third Saturday in October (2022)? What did you think? Did you like it? Did you not like it? Did you think it was okay? Let me know in the comments.

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As I post this, The Third Saturday in October (2022) is currently streaming on Tubi, Plex, Fandango at Home, AMC+ and Shudder.

The Third Saturday in October Part V (2022) Movie Review

The Third Saturday in October Part V (2022) is an independent low budget slasher film written, produced and directed by Jay Burleson. It’s part of a two-part film project along with The Third Saturday in October Part I (2022) called the “Third Saturday in October” series that’s meant to play out like a lost slasher franchise. They’re filmed on location in the state of Alabama, particularly the Athens/Elkmont area as well as Mobile. These movies are not that well known yet, but I think they’re slowly finding their cult audience. I watched both of these movies last year the day they became available on digital, and I really enjoyed them.

The Third Saturday in October Part V (2022) is set in the fictional town of Hackleburg, Alabama and is centered on a group of young teenagers/adults handing out to watch a big football game. The game is a rivalry game between two fictional college football teams: The Alabama Mobile Seahawks and the Tennessee A&M Commonwealth. This takes place during the Third Saturday in October, which coincidentally is the day in which a psycho pathic serial killer named Jack Harding emerges and slaughters his victims in gruesome manners. He uses a set of pliers as his signature weapon, though he's also seen using different items. Jack Harding is seen wearing a black tux, a red tie, black gloves and a skull mask. He also jams to his favorite songs while murdering his victims, so he's a pretty entertaining villain/killer.

Our main characters are PJ, a little girl whose parents are Tennessee A&M fans and Maggie, the teenage babysitter entrusted to look after PJ (I call Maggie a "teenager", but I think she's supposed to be a 20-something). Maggie brings PJ along to watch the game with her friends. PJ is dying to eat at a local diner called Catfish Cabin (a real restaurant located in Athens, Alabama), and this is a subplot that gets brought up throughout the movie and eventually has a payoff ("kind of" a spoiler but you could already see it coming). We've got some other entertaining characters. There's Peter, a jock bully whose kind of full of himself and is also the one hosting the party at his house. He also attempts a threesome with a couple of the girls and let's just say it goes horribly wrong. 

There's Lester, an overweight and handicapped guy on a wheelchair who is currently undergoing physical therapy. He's a diehard Alabama Mobile fan and is convinced that his team can't win unless he watches them. Lester and Peter appear to be "frenemies" as they're seen bickering. Peter makes fun of Lester and Lester gets triggered to the point that he goes so far as to pulling out his pocketknife at him (the knife is seen again later on as one of Jack Harding's weapons). There's Neil, Lester's physical therapist whom Lester invited to the party and who shows up dressed as a coach. There's Holcomb, Maggie's best friend, and George, Maggie's ex-boyfriend who is friends with Lester and Peter. There's also Sharon, Angela, Amy and Betsy. There's a little thing where Sharon is craving a pizza. So, she asks Peter and his girlfriend to order a pizza, but they ignore her, so she does it herself (this leads to one of the "kills"). After the kill count at Peter's place, Maggie and PJ have an encounter with the killer, so the two work together to take him down. I'm not going to directly spoil the ending, but it does sort of end on an anticlimactic/ambiguous note (in typical horror fashion). That's about the gist of it.

I love this movie. It's a brilliant take off on old school slasher flicks like the original Halloween (1978) and the original Friday the 13th (1980). It's very entertaining, unsettling, funny and has a really neat vintage aesthetic. For B movie horror standards, it's very well done. It's well directed well-acted (for the most part), has great cinematography, a great soundtrack, great kills, and likable characters. I really liked Maggie and PJ's dynamic. The actress Kansas Bowling did a great job with the role of Maggie. I think even the girl who played PJ, Poppy Cunningham did a great job considering her age. What really stood out for me about this movie is that it was filmed on location in Athens, Alabama and Catfish Cabin was involved. I grew up in Athens, Alabama and Catfish Cabin was my favorite place to eat as a kid, so for me that was pure nostalgia (the Catfish Cabin thing may have been local product placement, but I don't care). I don't know what the budget was for this, movie but I want to say it's a bout less that $1 million.

Interestingly, Part V is the movie in this series that you're supposed to watch first as it's meant to capture the feel of watching a horror franchise out of order. Part I acts as a prequel to this. I may get to reviewing Part I some other time, but I wanted to focus on Part V here. Anyway, for what it is, and for low budget indie horror standard, I think The Third Saturday in October Part V (2022) was impressive. Some people on the internet say it's a "failed experiment on nostalgia", but I beg to differ. I think it's a successful experiment on nostalgia in my eyes. Anyway, I love this movie, and I highly recommend it if you're a fan of low budget slasher movies with a vintage aesthetic.

I give The Third Saturday in October Part V (2022) a solid 10/10.

Now with that out of the way, I'd like to comment on a minor inconsistency. We know that Lester is handicapped and undergoing physical therapy. A couple times throughout the movie, some of the guys at the party try to get Lest upstairs, and they really struggle and eventually give up. However, at the part when a couple of the girls tie Peter up to his bed, they get Lester up there to spite him. The girls were somehow able to get him upstairs with ease, with the wheelchair and all. It's not explained how they managed that, and it was a little weird. It's not a nitpick. Just a strange inconsistency.

So, have you seen The Third Saturday in October Part V (2022)? What did you think? Did you like it? Did you not like it? Did you think it was okay? Let me know in the comments.

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As I post this, The Third Saturday in October Part V (2022) is currently streaming on Tubi, Plex, AMC+ and Shudder.

Casper (1995) Movie Review

 

Casper (1995) is a supernatural horror comedy that's based on the Casper the Friendly Ghost cartoons and comic strip. It stars Bill Pullman and Christina Ricci in major roles. This movie got mixed reviews from critics but was otherwise a box office hit and spawned a couple of direct-to-video spin-off prequels (Casper: A Spirited Beginning (1997), Casper Meets Wendy (1998) and Casper’s Haunted Christmas (2000)). Over the years this movie has gotten a bit of a cult following and is now considered a classic. I watched this movie on TV a couple times as a kid and I enjoyed it myself. 

The plot follows Dr. James Harvey (Bill Pullman), a psychologist and widowed father, and his daughter Kathleen Harvey (Christina Ricci). Dr. Harvey has been fascinated with the paranormal since his wife passed away, and part of the plot is him trying to find a way to reconnect with her in the afterlife. The Harvey's move into an abandoned house which is reported to have ghost sightings and is deemed haunted. In that house lives Casper, a ghost child who means well, and his mischievous uncles Stretch, Fatso and Stinky, dubbed the "Ghostly Trio". The Ghostly trio care for Casper, but they also take advantage of and pick on him. 

Now I didn't watch that much of the Casper cartoons as a kid. I saw maybe a few of the shorts. But I think in the original cartoons, the Ghostly Trio were the villains as I recall, but here they're more like the anti-heroic comic relief. Kathleen, or "Kat" as she goes by, is trying to fit in in this new town, though she gets picked on by a mean girl at school named Amber. Due to a mishap, the school Halloween dance gets postponed, however Kat and the other students agree to have the dance take place at the haunted house that Kat moved into, after learning about its history and recent sightings. 

Amber tries to sabotage the party, but to no avail. Kat meets and befriends Casper, whom she's scared of at first, but the two eventually form a dynamic, and are even shown to be "more than friends". We learn that Casper died of pneumonia after playing outside in the snow for too long, and that his father was a genius inventor who worked to find a way to bring his son back. This is a major plot point as part of the conflict is centered on Casper and Kat figuring out a way to bring the former back to life. We've got our main villains, Catherine "Carrigan" Crittenden (Cathi Moriarty), the main antagonist, and her bumbling sidekick Paul "Dibs" Plutzker (Eric Idle). 

Carrigan and Dibs set out to find and steal the treasure hidden within this house, even if it means sabotaging the main characters. That's about the gist of it really. 

I recently rewatched this on Amazon Prime, and I'd say it's a pretty decent family friendly horror comedy. It's funny and has an interesting story and likable characters. I thought it was interesting that Casper himself is given a tragic backstory that wasn't addressed in the original cartoon as far as I know. For being the first live action movie based on a cartoon to feature cartoonish computer animated characters, it's not bad. It's not a perfect movie, as the plot is predictable and simplistic, and at times the movie is a bit cheesy. 

For instance, there's the whole thing with Casper asking Kat "Can I keep you?" Like, who even says that? What does that mean? Also, (this is a spoiler, but you could already see it coming) I didn't care for the part when Casper is briefly brought back to life for the dance. I get that it was supposed to be a pay off, but compared to his cartoon ghost form, it felt out of place to me. Carrigan and Dr. Harvey's ghost forms were also pretty cheesy. The whole thing where the ghost of Dr. Harvey's wife serves as a "fairy godmother" made very little sense. I'm not complaining because I didn't like the movie. I'm complaining because I didn't love it. 

Anyway, I generally enjoyed Casper (1995) for what it is, and having seen and enjoyed it as a kid, I have kind of a soft spot for it despite its miss steps.

I give Casper (1995) a solid 7/10.

Have you seen Casper (1995)? What did you think? Did you like it? Did you not like it? Did you think it was okay? Let me know in the comments.

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The Fall (2006) Movie Review

 

The Fall (2006) is an independent drama film with a fantasy/adventure twist. It's directed and co-written by Tarsem Singh (credited as "Tarsem"). It stars Lee Pace and Justine Waddell in major roles. Interestingly, this movie was filmed over a 4-year period in 22 different countries. It first premiered in festivals in 2006 and had a limited theatrical release in 2008. It got mixed reviews from critics upon initial release but has found an audience over time and is considered a cult classic. The movie hasn't been released on digital or streaming for quite some time and the DVD and Blu-ray have even gone out of print, making it a rare film. It has however been picked up by the small streaming site MUBI, in which it's found a new home. I stumbled upon this movie when I was 18 years old back in 2011, and I was immediately fascinated with it.

The film is set in Los Angeles in the 1920's. The plot follows Roy Walker (Lee Pace), a stuntman who fell and broke his legs during the making of a film and is left paralyzed. His girlfriend then left him for Sinclair, the actor whom he provided the stunts for. Roy is then hospitalized and has given up on life and is even having thoughts of suicide. Meanwhile, Alexandria, a 5-year-old Romanian girl with a broken arm, tries to deliver a note to Nurse Evelyn, a nurse at the hospital whom she's become very good friends with. The note, however, landed on Roy's lap. Alexandria notices this and that's when the two interact for the first time. 

Alexandria and her mother were immigrants who traveled to America following an attack by vandals in which her father was killed in the process. She fell while picking oranges and broke her arm doing so. Roy and Alexandria' injuries were both results of a fall, leading the two to become friends and form a dynamic. Roy tells Alexandria a story in the form of an epic fairy tale centered on a group of bandits who swear revenge on an evil Spanish governor. Alexandria visualizes the story and imagines her friends (including Roy and Nurse Evelyn) as the characters. 

Unbeknownst to Alexandria, Roy is using this story to manipulate her to get him a bottle of morphine pills to attempt suicide, while lying that they're sleeping pills. However, Roy becomes more affectionate towards Alexandria over time. Alexandria, throughout the course of the film, even slowly puts together that Roy is on a suicide mission and shows a bit of concern for him. Also, the events in the fairy tale parallel what happens in the real world. Another accident occurs while Alexandria is fetching the morphine pills, and that's when Roy eventually spills the beans. You won't want to know about it here, but the fairy tale takes a dark turn, and Alexandria helps Roy realize that life is precious, and he rethinks the whole suicide thing. That's about the gist of it really.

The characters in Roy's stories are for the most part based on real people. There's Charle's Darwin, the naturalist and his monkey friend Wallace, based on Darwin's real life partner Wallace. There's Otta Benga based on a real-life ex-slave. Earlier on, he tells Alexandria a story of Alexander the Great. There are probably some other historical references I may have missed. That was a nice little touch.

The Fall (2006) is an excellent and very well done film. It’s like a dark R-rated fairy tale for adults. It’s insanely creative and unique, as well as thought provoking, and features a solid storyline and likable characters. It’s got great visuals, a neat art style and some emotional moments as well as a few funny moments. I’d go as far as to call this an underrated cinematic masterpiece. 

It has great performances by Lee Pace and Justine Waddell and even the little girl Cantica Untaru, who played Alexandria. I can't name a single problem with the movie. Though if I had to change one thing, it would be the side characters. Many of the supporting characters were pretty underdeveloped. Particularly that of the character Walt. Walt is kind of an antagonist who sabotages the main characters, but hardly anything is known about him. Supposedly, he claims to be sick even though he's not and throughout the movie he's trying to get attention. He even goes so far as to stealing Roy's medication. Other than that, though, he's really not that involved in the plot. It's not even known what became of him in the end. I felt they could've done a little more with this character.

I think Tarsem did a great job directing, and of all his films, I'd say this is the closest to a solid movie and just might be his magnum opus. The Fall (2006) stands as one of my favorite movies of all time, and I see why it has a cult following. It currently has a 63% score on Rotten Tomatoes, but I would've rated it much higher than that. I can't say the same about his other directorial films. I enjoyed The Cell (2000) okay. I enjoyed Immortals (2011) when I saw it, but it's been years, so I don't know if it holds up. Mirror Mirror (2012) was "eh". I kind of liked Self/Less (2015). I don't think any of those movies came close to The Fall (2006), so I guess you can say Tarsem is a "one-hit wonder"

I give The Fall (2006) a solid 10/10.

So, have you seen The Fall (2006)? What did you think? Did you like it? Did you not like it? Did you think it was okay? Let me know in the comments.

You can check out my video review on YouTube:

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As I post this, The Fall (2006) is currently streaming exclusively on MUBI.

Transformers One (2024) Movie Review

Transformers One (2024) is an animated sci-fi action flick from Paramount Pictures directed by Josh Cooley. It's based on the popular Transformers action toy line by Hasbro and serves as a prequel to the franchise. It stars Chris Hemsworth, Keeghan Michael Key, Scarlett Johansson and Jon Hamm in major voice roles. To keep this as spoiler free as possible, its set in the planet Cybertron and follows our main characters, Orion Pax (Chris Hemsworth), D-16 (Bryan Tyree Henry), B-127 (Keeghan Michael Key) and Elita-1 (Scarlett Johansson), a group of miners who mine an energy source called "energon" for their leader Sentinel Prime (John Hamm). Orion learns about the thirteen Primes who were killed in a war against an alien race called the Quintessons and lost an artifact known as the Matrix of Leadership. The absence of the Matrix caused the energon rivers to dry up.

The four hitch a ride to the surface in search of the Matrix to restore the planet. Along the way, they meet Alpha Trion, a former Prime who survived the war. Alpha Trion reveals that Sentinel Prime isn't who he says he is and has been secretly working with the Quintessons. So, our heroes conceive a plan to take down Sentinel Prime and save Cybertron.  Orion Pax and D-16 are shown to be best friends at first and the plot is focused on their dynamic. D-16 however is shown to have other plans and betrays the other main characters leading him and Pax to become archrivals. That's about the gist of it without giving too much away. 

I went and saw Transformers One (2024) this past weekend and it was pretty awesome. It's got great animation, a great origin story with interesting twists, likable characters, very funny moments, and really cool action scenes. I’d say it’s an emotional roller coaster and I’d argue that it’s better than any of the live action Transformers movies. I can’t think of any problems with the movie. I’m not going to directly spoil it, but if you’re familiar with the Transformers lore and characters, you’ll pretty much know what’s coming, so I guess you can argue that it's a little predictable in that sense. Then again, it IS an origin story, so that's to be expected. I think the way the plot is set up is very well presented, and I'll say that the climax really had me at the edge of my seat.

I highly recommend this movie, especially if you're a Transformers fan. I'd say see it in theaters while you can, because even though it's gotten very positive reviews from the critics, it's not doing too great at the box office. Or wait and watch it on home media or streaming, whichever you'd prefer.

I give Transformers One (2024) a solid 10/10.

So, have you seen Transformers One (2024)? What did you think? Did you like it? Did you not like it? Did you think it was okay? Let me know in the comments.

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As I post this, Transformers One (2024) is currently playing exclusively in movie theaters.

Transformers (2007) Movie Review

Transformers (2007) is a sci-fi action flick directed by Michael Bay, produced by Steven Spielberg and distributed by Paramount Pictures. It’s based on the popular action toy line from Hasbro. It stars Shia Lebouf and Megan Fox in the leading human roles and also features Peter Cullen and Hugo Weaving in supporting voice roles. It got mixed to positive response from critics but was otherwise a huge hit with audiences and a massive box office success. It spawned a movie franchise consisting of four sequels and a couple of spin-off prequels.

The plot focuses on a war between two clans of sentient mechanical beings, the Autobots and the Decepticons, from the planet Cybertron. The war is centered on the Allspark, an ancient mysterious cube that has the power to bring inanimate technology to life but can also bring an end to it as well as humanity if fallen into the wrong hands. Young teenager Sam Witwicky (Shia Lebouf) gets caught in this conflict due to being in possession of an old pair of eyeglasses (which belonged do his great great grandfather) that have coordinates to the Allspark. This leads to Sam being hunted down and chased by the Decepticons as they want the Allspark to take over the universe. Sam meets and befriends the Autobots and together they come up with a plan to fight off the Decepticons and save the world.

We have a set of different characters. I mentioned the protagonist, Sam Witwicky. There's Sam's love interest Mikaela Banes (Megan Fox), who knows a lot about cars due to her dad being a mechanic (or as she puts it, a "real grease monkey") as well as a convicted car thief. She previously dated a jock bully whom she later dumped, and she and Sam develop a dynamic over the course of the film. Mikaela's car theft skills come in handy throughout the movie as she assists Sam on his mission. 

Sam's parents, Ron and Judy Witwicky are the human comic relief. Now we've got the Autobots. Optimus Prime (Peter Cullen) is the leader of the Autobots and can transform into a semi-trailer (Optimus Prime resembles his original action figure counterpart pretty closely, albeit with a more updated look). There's also Bumblebee, who transforms into a Camaro and whom Sam encounters at the used car outlet, the former serving as a guardian to the latter. Bumblebee is unable to speak due to his voice chip being damaged in battle but can use his car radio as an alternate source of communication. He's basically the Iron Giant if the Iron Giant were mute and could turn into a car. 

We also have Jazz who can turn into a Pontiac, Ratchet who can turn into a Hummer, and Ironhide who's the weapons expert who can turn into a GMC pickup. Then we have the Decepticons who are the bad guys, led by our main antagonist Megatron (Hugo Weaving). Megatron had been frozen for over 70 years and was the one who hatched the plan to get a hold of the AllSpark to take over the universe. After those years, the AllSpark was rediscovered and since then, the other Decepticons, led by second-in-command Starscream, carried on this evil plan, until Megatron is eventually unleashed. That's about the gist of the whole thing.

I saw this in theaters when I was 14 and I really enjoyed it. Rewatching it now, I still have a soft spot for this movie. It's a pretty decent sci-fi action flick with some cool action scenes, funny moments and an interesting lore. It basically plays out like Independence Day but with robots. The acting and directing are decent. It’s not a perfect movie by any means as the storyline is rather formulaic and there’s very little character development. But for what it is, it's quite good.

I can't say the same about the sequels. I kind of liked Revenge of the Fallen, but it was a little overstuffed. I didn't like Dark of the Moon, Age of Extinction or The Last Knight. I really enjoyed Bumblebee and Rise of the Beasts though (Rise of the Beasts is probably my personal favorite of the Live-action CG Transformers movies). I may review those movies in greater detail, but I wanted to focus primarily on the first one. All in all, Transformers (2007) is pretty good, as far as big budget blockbusters featuring giant robots go.

I give Transformers (2007) a solid 7.5/10.

So, have you seen Transformers (2007)? What did you think? Did you like it? Did you not like it? Did you think it was okay? Let me know in the comments.

You can check out my video review on YouTube:

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As I post this, Transformers (2007) is currently streaiming on Amazon Prime and Paramount+.

An American Tail (1986) Movie Review

An American Tail (1986) is an animated family musical adventure film directed by Don Bluth, produced by Steven Spielberg and distributed by Universal Pictures. It's Bluth's second directorial feature and his first to be from a big-name studio and producer. It got very positive reviews from critics and was a box office success. It spawned a theatrical sequel An American Tail: Fievel Goes West (1991) as well as a couple of direct-to-video sequels and a spin off TV series. I had Fievel Goes West on VHS as a kid and watched it countless times before I knew it was a sequel, so I have a soft spot for that movie. I saw the first American Tail movie maybe one time at school during extended care, so this wasn't as nostalgic to me as Fievel Goes West.

The original "An American Tail" movie follows a family of Russian mice called the Mousekowitz family. They consist of Papa, Mama, their daughter Tanya and son, our main protagonist, Fievel. They have a cat problem (cats represent communists), so they travel to America as it’s a free country and they believe there are no cats there (they sing a whole song about it). So, they hitch a ride on a cruise ship, then a storm comes in which Fievel gets separated from the rest of his family. Fievel gets to America safely, particularly New York, and sets out to get back with his family while also surviving the streets of New York. 

Fievel finds out however, that there are in fact cats in America, as he encounters a gang of cats led by our main antagonist Warren T. Rat. Warren T. Rat is an evil cat who disguises himself as a rat to earn the trust of the mice as part of his plan to take over. Fievel makes a few friends along the way. There's Tony, a streetwise mouse who treats Fievel as a surrogate brother and nicknames him "Philly". There's also Bridgit, a female mouse who serves as Tony's love interest. Then there's Tiger, a part of the cat gang who isn't like the other cats. For a cat, he's shown to be much more friendly, and he even shows sympathy towards Fievel as he refuses to eat mice (he mentions he's a vegetarian but will eat fish now and then). With a little help from his friends, Fievel comes up with a plan to save the mice and chase the cats out of the country. That's about the gist of it.

I generally enjoyed this movie. It's got beautiful animated that's quite impressive for the time, and great attention to detail. It's also very funny at times and emotional at other times. It's got likable characters. Even the songs are pretty good for a "non-Disney" animated musical. I think the part where Fievel controls the big mouse mecha was pretty cool (the rotoscoping was especially neat). I wouldn't say it's a great movie by any means. 

I thought the story was rather simplistic and predictable. I found the twist with Warren T. Rat being a cat the whole time to be blatantly obvious. I wouldn't call it one of Don Bluth's best or at least I wouldn't call it my personal favorite of his. My favorite Don Bluth film is The Secret of NIMH (1982). I think The Secret of NIMH and The Land Before Time (1988) were both better than this. But for what it is, An American Tail (1986) is a pretty good kids' cartoon.

I give An American Tail (1986) a solid 7.5/10.

(It's been years since I've seen Fievel Goes West, so I may have to rewatch that one to see how it compares to this.)

There's one more thing I'd like to comment on. Don Bluth is known for having a dark an edgy style to his animated films. However, I'd say An American Tale is one of his tamer films. At least I think it's tame in comparison to The Secret of NIMH (1982), The Land Before Time (1988) and especially All Dogs Go to Heaven (1989).

That's my 2 cents on An American Tail (1986)

Have you seen An American Tail (1986)? What did you think? Did you like it? Did you not like it? Did you think it's okay? Let me know in the comments.

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As I post this, An American Tail (1986) isn't currently streaming for free anywhere, but i'ts available on Digital Purchase through Fandango at Home, Amazon, Apple TV, and YouTube.

Friday the 13th (1980) Movie Review

Friday the 13th (1980) is a low budget horror/slasher film distributed by Paramount Pictures, directed by Sean S. Cunningham and written by Victor Miller. It got mixed reviews from critics but was a box office hit, exceeding its budget of $550,000. It spawned several sequels and is known for being the start of the Friday the 13th franchise. The franchise has gotten a strong cult fan base among horror fans despite the movies not being critical hits, and the character Jason Voorhees has become a horror icon. I watched these movies for the first time in 2010, when I was 17 years old, and they're what got me into the horror genre.

There's not a lot to say about this without spoiling it, so I'll do the best I can. The original Friday the 13th movie focuses on a group of camp counselors in Camp Crystal Lake which is nicknamed "Camp Blood" due to tragic events occurring at that camp. A young boy had previously drowned in the lake years prior, and two teenagers were massacred two years after that. Since then, people have been convinced that the camp has a death curse. The counselors get murdered one by one by an unknown killer, and the killer's identity is revealed by the end of the movie. That's about the gist of it.

We've got a set of different characters/victims. There is Steve Christy, the leader of the camp counselors, and there's Alice (Adrienne King), the main protagonist. Alice is an aspiring artist hired as a camp counselor, and she's the one who survives throughout the massacre. Then there's Bill, Marcie, Brenda, Jack (Kevin Bacon), Ned and Annie. There's also Crazy Ralph, the local eccentric who claims to be a messenger of God and tries to warn people that if they go to "Camp Blood", they're doomed.

I think the original Friday the 13th (1980) was a brilliantly well-crafted slasher flick, and as far as low budget horror goes, it was quite impressive. It features established characters/victims and chilling/unsettling atmosphere with mystery and suspense. Throughout the movie you don’t even see the killer (except the hands) and you don’t even know who the killer is until the end. That’s how you do a slasher movie. I like to think of this as a cross between Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho (1960) and John Carpenter’s Halloween (1978). 

The second movie, Friday the 13th Part 2 (1981) carries on this trope to an extent, whilst connecting directly to the first film. This time however, you have a good idea of who the killer is, so it kind of spoils the suspense. It’s still a pretty entertaining slasher flick though. For the rest of the series (except for Part 5), you already know who the killer is from the get-go, so the mystery is pretty much gone. (I’m not saying the killer’s name for a reason, by the way.)

Friday the 13th Part 6 (1986) is arguably considered the fan favorite because it's the smartest one and basically a satire of the franchise as well as the slasher genre. While that movie is enjoyable, I'd say my favorite is still the original. Part 6 and Part 4 are both pretty close up there. Part 8 (1989) was a lame disappointment, but I'll get to that in another video. This one is a bit of a slow burn, but I really like the suspense and the chilling atmosphere (like I mentioned earlier). 

I do think the first Halloween (1978) and Nightmare on Elm Street (1984) films are superior. But for what it is, and given the budget, I think the original Friday the 13th (1980) is a very impressive slasher film, and I'd even go as far as to calling it an underrated horror masterpiece. I highly recommend this one if you're into low budget teen slasher flicks.

I give the original Friday the 13th (1980) a solid 10/10.

So, have you seen the original Friday the 13th (1980)? What did you think? Did you like it? Did you not like it? Did you think it was okay? Let me know in the comments.

You can check out my video review on YouTube:

Okay, now I'm going into spoiler territory, so if you haven't seen the movie, you may want to stop reading right now.

****SPOILER****

If you were to ask who the killer is in Friday the 13th, anyone would probably tell you it's Jason Voorhees. However, in the first movie, the killer is unnamed and pretty much completely hidden throughout the movie except for the hands. In the last 30 minutes, Alice, the final girl is approached by a middle-aged woman who introduces herself as Mrs. Voorhees (Betsy Palmer). She appears nice at first, but then she reveals that the boy who drowned was her son Jason. The tragic loss of her son caused Mrs. Voorhees to go insane, and she blamed the counselors and killed them. 

It's implied that she's been killing people who set foot in the camp ever since, thus revealing herself to have been the killer all along. This was a very brilliant twist. I remember seeing this on TV back in 2010 with my mom and Dad. I knew very little about Friday the 13th prior besides the character Jason, and when it got to this twist, my jaw dropped. I didn't see it coming. Anyway, the two have a fight, and Alice decapitates Mrs. Voorhees with a machete (this item of which is a staple in later Friday the 13th films) and escapes on a rowboat. 

Alice wakes up the next morning on the rowboat as the police show up. It seems like everything is going to be okay. But just then Jason, the aforementioned boy who drowned in the lake, is back from the dead and attacks Alice and pulls her into the water. Alice then wakes up in the hospital and tells the nurse and doctors about Jason, but they think she's being crazy. This implies that Jason is still out there, thus ending on an ambiguous note (in typical horror fashion). See THAT is how you do a teen slasher flick, and that's why the original Friday the 13th (1980) is my personal favorite in the series. I think Betsy Palmer did a great job playing the psychotic Mrs. Voorhees.

I'd also like to comment on a couple of things. There's one inconsistency I noticed, where Mrs. Voorhees mentions she's a good friend of the Christys. But earlier on, during Steve's death scene, Steve doesn't seem to recognize the killer. You'd think he'd recognize her face about anywhere considering they go way back. There's also a goof I noticed when Mrs. Voorhees gets Decapitated. If you notice, after she loses her head, her fingers are still moving around. I thought that was kind of weird.

I may eventually get to reviewing the other Friday the 13th movies in greater detail, but for now I just wanted to focus on the first one.

Well, that's my 2 cents on the original Friday the 13th (1980).

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As I post this, the original Friday the 13th (1980) and its sequels aren't streaming for free anywhere, but they're available on digital purchase through Fandango at Home, YouTube, AppleTV and Amazon.

Beetlejuice Beetlejuice (2024) Movie Review

Disclaimer: This review is based primarily on my memory of seeing the movie in theaters, so forgive me if it comes off a bit short. 

This is a movie that's new in theaters so I'm going to try to make this as spoiler-free as possible.

Beetlejuice Beetlejuice (2024) is a dark fantasy gothic horror comedy directed by Tim Burton that serves as a sequel to the cult classic Beetlejuice (1988). It stars Michael Keaton, Winona Ryder and Catherine O' Hara, who reprise their roles from the first film, as well as new cast members like Jenna Ortega and Willem Dafoe. It also features Danny Devito in a brief cameo role.

It's set years after the first movie and follows our protagonist Lydia Deetz (Winona Ryder) who's now older and works as a talk show host for the supernatural talk show Ghost House. While filming the show Lydia is haunted by visions of the evil entity Betelgeuse (Michael Keaton) who haunted her and her family's house years prior. Lydia got the news from her stepmom that her dad died tragically and then tries to reconnect with her estranged teenage daughter Astrid (Jenna Ortega). After the funeral, Lydia’s boyfriend and producer Rory proses to her and she agrees while not being entirely on board. Meanwhile, in the nether realm, there's an evil soul sucker named Dolores who’s been awakened and hunts down Betelgeuse.

Dolores was Betelgeuse’s ex-fiancée whom he turned down, and now she’s looking for payback. Dolores is shown to be a much greater threat than Betelgeuse himself, so she’s the main antagonist. Astrid meets a guy who appears to be nice but also has sinister intentions and kidnaps her. Lydia hears word about this and is left to summon Betelgeuse to help save her. Betelgeuse agrees in return that they get married (just like in the first movie) and that she helps take care of his problem with Dolores. That’s about the gist of it without giving too much away.

I went and saw the movie in theaters, and I really enjoyed it. It's very entertaining, funny and scary, and features a very interesting expansion of the world building that was established in the first movie, as well as some nice call backs. Michael Keaton and Winona Ryder have still got it in the leading roles. I like that Betelgeuse himself serves as an antihero for the majority of the movie (while in the first movie, he was the main villain), so that was interesting. I'll say though, the story was a bit all over the place as there were a couple of plot holes that hardly went anywhere. 

Like for instance, the part where Astrid gets kidnapped gets resolved pretty quickly and after that she’s just along for the ride. Also, there’s the plot hole with Willem Dafoe’s character, which “kind of” ties in with the main plot. Even the main conflict with the soul sucker is a plot hole within itself. I also thought the lip-syncing gag was a little cheesy (the first one also had a lip-syncing gag, but here it dragged on for a bit longer than it should’ve). There’s this one part (minor spoiler but nothing crucial to the plot) where Betelgeuse is lip syncing to a piano ballad, while holding a guitar. It doesn’t really make any sense on the count of it being a piano ballad with no guitar playing. Like, why was the guitar even there? 

Overall, Beetlejuice Beetlejuice (2024) was quite good. I thought the original Beetlejuice (1988) was better, but this was still a pretty solid follow-up. If you're a fan of Tim Burton and/or the original Beetlejuice, I'd say check this one out.

I give Beetlejuice Beetlejuice (2024) a solid 8/10. 

So, have you seen Beetlejuice Beetlejuice (2024)? Did you like it? Did you not like it? Did you think it was okay? Let me know in the comments.

You can check out my video review on YouTube:

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As I post this, Beetlejuice Beetlejuice (2024) is currently playing exclusively in movie theaters.

The Road to El Dorado (2000) Movie Review

The Road to El Dorado (2000) is an animated adventure comedy from DreamWorks. It got mixed reviews and bombed at the box office, but over time it’s gotten a bit of a cult following. The Rotten Tomatoes consensus reads “Predictable story and thin characters made the movie flat”, and having watched the movie myself, I’d have to agree with that consensus. I watched this movie one time as a kid and thought it was okay at best. I watched it again just recently as an adult after finding it on Netflix and my opinion is pretty much the same.

The plot follows our two main characters Tulio (Kevin Kline) and Miguel (Kenneth Branah), two con men who are fugitives escaping from Spain. They set out to find El Dorado, the fabled city of gold. They find El Dorado and find that it's inhabited by a tribe of Mayans. The Mayans see Tulio and Miquel as gods. The two see this to their advantage, so they pretend to be gods to earn the people's trust and get their hands on the gold. 

There's Chel (Rosie Perez), a Mayan girl who figures out they're not gods and wants in on their scheme so she can escape the city and explore the outside world. Then there's Tzekel-Kan (Armand Assante), the movie's main antagonist. Tzekel-Kan is sadistic and has a harsher way of pleasing the gods, like human sacrifice for instance (which was typical Mayan tradition). The Mayan chief has a more peaceful way of offering to the gods and disapproves of Tzekel-Kan's way. This leads to Tzekel Kan testing Tulio and Miguel to see if they're actually gods. He eventually puts together that they're not gods and tries to kill them. He even uses dark magic to summon a stone jaguar after our main characters. 

I know there are people out there who have a soft spot for this movie, and to be fair I don’t hate it. I don’t even think it’s that bad, but it’s not particularly good either. Plus, compared to DreamWorks’ previous attempt at hand drawn animation with The Prince of Egypt (1998), The Road to El Dorado is a bit of a downgrade. It has its moments here and there. It’s funny and entertaining, and the songs are catchy (I think Elton John did a pretty good job with the songs).

The animation is pretty good for DreamWorks standards. I thought the part with the stone jaguar was pretty cool (kind of like something out of Power Rangers). However, I wasn’t too impressed with the story and characters, not to mention it borrows too heavily from a certain Disney animated film from 8 years prior. 

Tell me if this sounds familiar:

Our main characters are thieves on the run from the law and pretend to be something they're not for fame and riches. Then a girl wanting to escape the city tags along with the main characters and even serves as a love interest to one of them. Then there's a servant to the chief who practices dark magic and figures out they're not what they say they are and wants them killed. There's also an upbeat song number with a trippy multi-colored layout. It's a complete knock off of Aladdin (1992). Like, why would they do that? Come on DreamWorks!!

I found the primary protagonist Tulio a bit unlikable. He comes off as greedy and self-centered. I mean he and Miguel both appear that way, but at least Miguel has a change of heart near the end. Chel feels like a knock off of Princess Jasmine but without much of a point. Tzekel Kan is basically a direct rip-off of Jafar, but with very little influence on the plot (aside from being the motivational tool behind Tulio and Miguel’s scheme). Referring back to Aladdin, Jafar had way more involvement in the main plot. Heck, he was even the first major character introduced and made it clear that he means business. This “Tzekel-Kan” guy just appears out of nowhere.

Also, our main characters haven't really changed in the end, and they haven't really learned anything. I guess Miguel learned one thing. He does eventually realize that he and Tulio may have gone too far with their scheme. Besides that, they don’t give us much of a reason to root for them. Aladdin and Abu were thieves stealing from the market, but we can at least see where they’re coming from. 

Tulio and Miguel are just two greedy con men. There’s that one bit during the climax (minor spoiler) where Tzekel-Kan is in cahoots with Hernan Cortes and his army, and they set out to ambush El Dorado. The Chief gets word about it and that’s when our main characters have to save the Mayans by closing the entrance. But that gets resolved too quickly and left me thinking “That was it?”. 

There are a lot of things I liked about the movie, but the storyline wasn't really one of them and there’s very little character development. That’s why I think the movie failed. I'm sure there's a good movie in there, so I want to say this movie is okay. The fact that Aladdin was one of my favorite movies as a kid, I'm kind of annoyed by the fact that DreamWorks copied and pasted from that movie but also kind of missed the point in what made it work. I'd expect more from the studio behind The Prince of Egypt (1998), and I think this is one of DreamWorks Animation’s weaker movies. I’m not complaining because I didn’t like the movie. I’m complaining because I didn’t love it. I'd say this movie is average. I think it's an okay way to pass the time.

I give The Road to El Dorado a solid 6/10, which is being generous.

I'd also like to comment that for a kid's movie, the main characters aren't very good role models. They're seen gambling and even cheating in gambling games as well as cheating in sports. Not a very good influence on kids. One more thing to comment on is when they get shipwrecked, Tulio goes "Holy ship!!", like instead of that "other word". DreamWorks, I know you like being edgy, but this is a PG cartoon post 1999. Parents are going to take their kids to see this, so maybe try to actually keep it PG? Come to think of it, DreamWorks also did this in Ruby Gillman: Teenage Kraken (2023) with "I'm a mother flipping mermaid!". Take it down a notch, will you DreamWorks? This isn't 1980 you know.

That's my 2 cents on The Road to El Dorado (2000)

Have you seen The Road to El Dorado (2000)?  What did you think? Did you like it? Did you not like it? Did you think it was okay? Is your opinion similar to mine? Let me know in the comments.

You can check out my video review on YouTube:

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As I post this, The Road to El Dorado (2000) is currently streaming on Netflix.

Beetlejuice (1988) Movie Review

Beetlejuice (1988) is a dark fantasy gothic horror comedy directed by Tim Burton and written by Michael McDowell. It stars Michael Keaton in the title role as well as Winona Ryder, Alec Baldwin, Geena Davis and Catherine O’ Hara. This was Tim Burton’s second directorial film and his first to be based on an original concept. It got very positive reviews from critics when it first premiered, and it was a box-office hit and has since gained a strong cult fan base. It even spawned a spin-off cartoon series in the 90’s. This movie is also known for its use of two Harry Belfonte songs, Day-O and Jump in the Line.

I remember watching the Beetlejuice cartoon as a kid on Cartoon Network, but didn't know it was based on a live-action movie until much later on. I watched this movie in 2016 after stumbling upon the DVD at the Walmart bargain bin. It was actually my first time watching it in its entirety. Before that, I saw parts of it on TV. I watched it again just recently to prepare for the new sequel Beetlejuice Beetlejuice (2024).

The movie follows a family of three who move from New York and into a house in a suburban area. However, the house is haunted by a ghost couple who died tragically and are protecting their house by scarring people off. They summon a bio-exorcist named Betelgeuse (pronounced "Beetlejuice", hence the film's title), by saying his name three times. However, this turns out to be more than they bargained for, as Betelgeuse has bigger plans.

We have a set of different characters. There’s our protagonist Lydia (Winona Ryder), a teenage goth girl who’s also an aspiring photographer, as she’s seen taking pictures throughout the movie. She’s shown to be strange and peculiar and can see things that no one else can see, like ghosts. There’s the ghost couple Adam Maitland (Alec Baldwin) and his wife Barbara (Geena Davis). Adam and Barbara died earlier on in a tragic accident in which their car fell off the bridge and they drowned. 

In the afterlife, they can’t leave their house, so they try to protect their home from trespassers. They befriend Lydia, who can see them when no one else can. There's Delia (Catherine O' Hara), Lydia's stepmom who is a sculptor. Delia helps the family reshape the house in a wave of postmodern art. Then, there’s Betelgeuse (Michael Keaton) the main antagonist. He's a ghost who's very mischievous, and also rude, perverted and self-centered. 

As a bio-exorcist, he helps the people who summon him, but only does so for his own benefit, so that he can lift his curse, and wreak havoc upon the world, and doesn't care who gets hurt in the process, so he's basically the villain. He shows interest in Lydia, and agrees to help her, but in return that they get married. So, the climax involves Betelgeuse forcefully trying to marry Lydia, while Barbara figures out a plan to save her. That's about the gist of it.

Beetlejuice (1988) is an excellent movie. It’s very funny and scary at the same time, as well as very well directed and acted. Winona Ryder and Michael Keaton both did a great job with their roles. It has a very solid storyline and likable characters. It’s also insanely creative, unique and original. There’s not a single thing I didn’t like about this movie, and I’d even go as far as to call it a masterpiece. 

I give Beetlejuice (1988) a solid 10/10.

So, have you seen Beetlejuice (1988)? What did you think? Did you like it? Did you not like it? Did you think it was okay? Let me know in the comments.

You can check out my video review on YouTube:

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As I post this, Beetlejuice (1988) is currently streaming on Max (formerly HBO Max).

The Prince of Egypt (1998) Movie Review

The Prince of Egypt (1998) is an animated biblically inspired epic family movie from DreamWorks Animation. It stars Val Kilmer, Ralph Fiennes, Michelle Pfeiffer and Danny Glover in major voice roles. It's based on the story of Moses from the book of Exodus. It got very positive reviews from critics and was a box office success and is considered a classic. I saw this movie in theaters when I was 5 years old. It was actually the first movie I remember seeing in theaters and it was quite an experience. Looking back on it now, I have to say this is my favorite DreamWorks animated feature. I rewatched it just recently as an adult after finding it on Netflix and I'd say it's aged like fine wine.

There will be spoilers here but considering that everyone's familiar with the story of Moses, I don't think they'd be considered "spoilers".

The movie's conflict involves a tribe of Hebrews in Egypt being persecuted by the Egyptians under the rule of the Pharoah Seti. Seti has a philosophy that sacrifices must be made for the greater good. A mother sends her newborn son away in a basket on the streams of the Nile to save him from the persecution. The baby is then found by the Pharoah's queen Tuya, and she names him Moses (Val Kilmer) and they raise him as their own. 

Seti and Tuya's biological son Rameses (Ralph Fiennes) serves as Moses' adoptive brother and two form a dynamic. Moses, being promoted to Prince of Egypt (hence the film's title) is favored by Seti and Tuya, and this makes Rameses jealous of the former. This leads to Moses and Rameses being rivals throughout the movie. Moses then has an encounter with two Hebrew siblings, Aaron (Jeff Goldblum) and Miriam (Sandra Bullock). They reveal to Moses that they are his long-lost brother and sister. 

Moses at first doesn't believe them, and then Miriam sings the lullaby that their mother would sing when Moses was an infant, which he finds strangely familiar. Moses then learns the shocking truth about his life and then flees the palace. He gets stranded in the desert and gets rescued by the tribe of Hebrews, led by their high priest Jethro (Danny Glover). Jethro gives Moses a pep talk in song form to look at his life through Heaven's eyes. Jethro has a daughter named Tzipporah (Michelle Pfeiffer), who serves as Moses' love interest and the two are later married. 

Years pass and Moses adapts to the Hebrew lifestyle and develops a faith in God. Then one day, Moses has an encounter with God who speaks to him through a burning bush and sends him on a mission to let the Hebrews go. Moses returns to the Egyptian palace to find that Rameses has taken his father's place as the new Pharoah. As Pharoah, Rameses sticks to his father's harsh ways as part of Egyptian tradition, but also does so out of spite for Moses, so he ends up being the main antagonist. He spares Moses as he's like a brother to him. 

If you know the story of Moses, you already know that Rameses is the "bad guy", though in this movie, he’s given a bit of humanization. There are two Egyptian high priests named Hotep (Steve Martin) and Huy (Martin Short) who work for Rameses and serve as the secondary villains. They're like bumbling villainous sidekicks that also have a sinister side to them, and even have their own villain song. As Moses is performing the Miracles of God, Hotep and Huy cover it up by demonstrating that these "miracles" are the work of their Egyptian gods. They're basically personifications of propaganda.

Moses demands Rameses to let the Hebrews go, but Rameses refuses as his heart is hardened. Then we get a montage of the ten plagues being unleashed, each time Rameses refuses to free the people, in which the Egyptian Priest convince him it's the wrath of their gods. Then there's the Passover, where God sends the angel of death to kill the people's first-born children. Moses and his people brush lamb blood on their door frames to keep out the angel of death. However, Rameses doesn't follow this, and his son dies.

Heartbroken, Rameses angrily agrees to let Moses, and his people go. So, Moses leads the Hebrews out of Egypt and parts the waters of the red sea to get across. Here, we see a neat breathtaking view of the ocean, where we see fish and a whale. However, a vengeful Rameses sends his men after the Hebrews ordering them to kill them all on sight. To save his people, Moses closes the waters behind him. 

The soldiers all drown, but Rameses survives as he's washed back to shore. The Hebrews are all safe, much to Rameses' dismay as he's last seen crying out to Moses in anger. Moses looks back one last time and tells Rameses "Goodbye, brother" and moves on. He and his people embark on their journey to the promised land. The movie ends with Moses walking out of Mt. Sainai with the ten commandments.

The Prince of Egypt (1998) is an excellent and very well-done animated film. It's got great animation, a very solid storyline, great voice acting, and very good songs. It's also very faithful to the original Bible story. There's nothing about The Prince of Egypt (1998) that I didn't like, and I'd even go as far as to calling it a cinematic animation masterpiece. I think for being Dreamworks' first attempt at a hand-drawn animation, it was quite impressive.

I haven’t seen all of the DreamWorks animated features. I enjoyed the first two Shrek movies, and I loved Puss in Boots: The Last Wish (2022). I’d say those are pretty close up there. I haven’t Seen Home (2015) or Abominable yet, so I don't have an opinion on those. I've seen the first Kung Fu Panda and the first How to Train Your Dragon, but not the sequels. The Road to El Dorado (2000) was okay in my opinion, but I found it a bit too derivative of Disney’s Aladdin (1992). (I think I’m going to review that one next.)

Spirit was pretty good. I kind of like Sinbad, but it was a little weird. I’ve seen all three Trolls movies, and they were pretty good. I thought Ruby Gillman Teenage Kraken (2023) was decent. I liked Joseph: King of Dreams (2000), but that’s a direct-to-video spin-off so it doesn’t really count. Shark Tale (2004) was “eh”. Antz was pretty good, but it's been a while so I may have to rewatch it.

I recently watched Shrek the Third (2007) and Shrek: Forever After (2010) and they were okay. The first Puss in Boots (2011) was pretty good. I enjoyed both Croods movies. That’s about all of the DreamWorks animated films I’ve seen (not including the ones from Aardman).

This movie, however, is very special to me for a few reasons. 1. It’s one of the first movies I saw in theaters. 2. I’ve always been fascinated with the story of Moses as I’ve grown up hearing it in Sunday school. Also, I support hand-drawn animation. So, those are the reasons why The Prince of Egypt (1998) is my favorite DreamWorks animated film. For you it might be Shrek (2001), but to each their own.

I give The Prince of Egypt a solid 10/10.

Have you seen The Prince of Egypt (1998)? What did you think? Did you like it? Did you not like it? Did you think it was okay? Let me know in the comments.

You can check out my video review on YouTube:

If you enjoy my posts, you can follow my blog and check out (as well as subscribe to) my YouTube channel.

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As I post this, The Prince of Egypt (1998) is currently streaming on Netflix.