kingstoken

Moana 2:

My brother and I went to see Moana 2 on Thursday, it was cute, it was fun spending time with Moana and Maui again (although it takes about half the movie for them to be reunited), and I think it had a positive message to kids about needing community. That being said, it's not as good as the original, although sequels rarely are. They introduced a bunch of new characters, some of which were better then others, the one new character I really liked, Moni, he was such a Moana and Maui fangirl and a bit of a himbo. Also, Moana has a new baby sister in this one, a few years has past since the last film, and I know they would probably never have done it, but I think it would have been so much cooler to have seen Moana as a mom, and when she is called to go on this dangerous mission it would have been such a harder decision for Moana. Anyways, I don't think Disney is ready for a mom princess, but could have been interesting.

(Also, side note, it cost $16 each to see the matinee, and this was the non-3D one, because 3D sometimes makes me nauseous. Like no wonder no one is going to the movies anymore if it cost that much.)

The Franchise:

I binge watched The Franchise the last couple of days and enjoyed it. It's about a film crew trying to make a superhero film, it is clearly a spoof on Marvel. It's a comedy, but it can be a little dark at times, like it makes fun of a lot of stuff you hear about Hollywood and the big franchise movies in general. It covers steroid use, treatment of women by the toxic media/fans, product placement, having to suck up to China, interference from corporate executives, etc. Richard E. Grant is in it and he plays like such a jerk, but it is fun to watch him to do so. The cast is pretty top notch. I don't know if most of the characters are good people, but they do a good job at making some of them sympathetic.

Anyways, I don't know if I sold it well or not, but if you have HBO (or Crave in Canada) I think its worth the watch.

I watched Don't Look Up today, it's funny, but also very sad, and it made me really anxious watching it as well. It seemed a little too real at times, there were parts of it where you felt like you might be watching a documentary. It felt like a very real response to our current world, and an examination of how humans just deal with things terribly sometimes. Some people are saying that it makes humans look dumb, but I don't think that is the case, I think it is more about how the rich and powerful have all the control, and distract us from real discussions.

I really grew to like some of characters, and I wanted them to win in the end, but I knew that wasn't going to happen.

The cast is just jammed packed, and I think all the actors did a great job. DiCaprio and Lawrence do a good job as the leads, and the secondary cast is amazing. Meryl Streep does a fabulous job of playing a narcissistic president, and Jonah Hill as her idiot son. The actor who plays a Jobs/Musk type of character is a little too eerily spot on, and Ariana Grande who is essentially playing herself was a delight.

I'm torn about if I should recommend this or not. I think it's good, but if you have anxiety about the world maybe skip this one, but if your in a good place than maybe give this one a watch.

I watched Thor: The Dark World today for the first time, basically because they mentioned some events from it in the Loki series so I thought I better watch it. I had always avoided it because of how bad everyone said it was, it being the worst Thor film, so on and so fourth, and I am surprised that I really liked it.

The third act was a little predictable, with the lets save the Earth from another huge big bad, portals, massive ships, etc. One other point, Jane and Thor as a romantic couple still don't do it for me, no offense to the actors, but they just do not have that type of chemistry with each other.

However, I really enjoyed the first 2/3 of the film, I especially liked the lets sneak Loki and Jane out of Asgard part, and Loki and Thor tricking the Dark Elves. I also really appreciated some of the emotional moments between Loki and his mother, and Loki and Thor, although they didn't give them much time to breath, although they rarely do in these action films. I do think it is probably the weakest of the three Thor films, but it is still an entertaining film. I kind of wish I watched it before now and made my own judgment.

I watched Brokeback Mountain for the first time today, I know where have I been, I remember hearing tons about it back in the day, because it was nominated for all sorts of awards, but I never got around to watching it. And man, that is one devastating movie, I had been spoiled for the major twist at the end, so I thought I was prepared, and would be fine, nope, I still cried. The film does a great job of getting you invested in these characters lives, and you just want them to be together and happy, but the time, and place, and Ennis' own internal issues were against them. It was heartbreaking really.

On a side note, the make-up team did an amazing job of subtlety aging the the actors, so it looks a span of twenty years has passed, especially Heath Ledger, they gave him that crinkly skin of someone who has spent a lot of their life outdoors, I've seen that skin on a lot of farmers through the years. It is a little uncanny seeing it, because he never lived to be forty years old.

Anyways, I'm glad I watched it, but I don't think I'll watch it again, it is a little too sad for me.

Today I watched the first three Star Trek films, and can I say I love them so much, but most especially Star Trek 3: The Search for Spock. You know, I think I saw, all or part of, the Wrath of Khan before, and of course the iconic scene in the radiation chamber, but I didn't really remember it, it's been too many years. The first film was more about showing off their visual effects capabilities, and the second was action packed, but the third film was a great mix of action and character driven moments. I love it so much, because it has so much heart, the whole gang working together to save Spock. They increased the parts for Scotty, Uhura, Sulu and Chekov, and really showcased their characters in ways the first two movies didn't. Their breaking out Bones from the Starfleet jail and stealing the Enterprise was a fantastic caper. I loved McCoy in this film. Everyone always talks about the Kirk & Spock relationship, and it is a huge part of the story, but so is the Bones & Spock relationship, like look at this gif

Like ah, it hits me right in the heart. Off topic, but I've been rewatching a lot of the original series this past week, and can I say that I have become a full on Spones shipper, like I always kind of shipped the triad of Kirk/Spock/Bones, but on rewatch I find myself leaning more heavily towards Spock/Bones, which I never did before, but I love their bickering like an old married couple dynamic. Anyways, if it hadn't been for this pandemic I probably wouldn't have watched these films, but I am so glad I did.

I watched The Old Guard today, I enjoyed it. It was an action movie, so lots of hand to hand combat, shooting unnamed minions, and typical movie violence, but with the added twist of the heroes being essentially immortal. The thing that makes it different from other superhero/action movies is that it has two canon same sex relationships, one m/m pairing in the present timeline and one f/f pairing in flashbacks. I've seen online that a lot of people are loving it, and understand why, but I think if it didn't have the LGBT representation it probably would have been another fun but forgettable action flick. Also, the main storyline was wrapped up, but the end was left open for a sequel, which I would totally watch.

( A tiny bit of discussion for those that have seen it )

I saw Frozen 2 on Friday. I have to say I enjoyed it, it was nice to be with these characters again, Elsa, Anna, Kristoff, Olaf and Sven are all really sweet and likeable characters, and there is the addition of some cute new characters, a little fire lizard and a water horse, which I am sure small children are going to love. The expanded mythology was interesting, they explored themes of colonization without going too deep, so that it is still accessible to young kids. I also liked that the parents got added backstory, it was both sweet and sad. I will admit that I did cry at one point, no spoilers, but, for those who have seen it, all I will say is the scene in the caves.

A lot of people online are saying that it is better than the first one, and this is where I am going to disagree. I liked this film, but the first film was iconic and super memorable, and I just don't think that the second one has the same impact. However, it is still worth a watch.

Canon Recs

Most of my main fandoms are from major canons that almost everyone knows, like Game of Thrones, Stranger Things, etc, so I am going to try and rec some things that may be a little lesser know.

Books:
The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Harcastle - it takes the classic cozy mystery and mixes it with the groundhog day trope and other elements that make it a very unique read. (Warning: there is some fat shaming)
Koko Takes a Holiday - pulpy sci-fi with a badass heroine and a sensitive hero. I liked the first book so much I have been afraid to read the sequel, because I am afraid it won't be as fun. (Warning: it does contain a scene involving suicide)
Mary Balogh - this is just an overall rec for the author, if you like historical romance then check her out, her books are not really hot and steamy, but she does spend a lot of time building up relationships, I especially like her novels featuring mature heroines.

Graphic Novels:
Hawkeye Comics (Marvel): the Matt Fraction run and the sequels by Kelly Thompson. The amazing team of Clint Barton and Kate Bishop, and how they are superheroes with no superpowers. (Heads Up: this Clint and MCU Clint hardly share even a passing resemblance)
Unbelievable Gwenpool (Marvel): a young woman from our world that gets stuck in the Marvel comic book universe and decides to become a superhero, very funny in places, and her only superpower is her knowledge of comics and the Marvel Universe, plus her love of large guns.
Lake of Fire (Image): what if insect aliens had landed during the middle ages? This reads like an old fashioned action movie from beginning to end (Warning: for violence)

Movies:
Destination Wedding: Winona Ryder and Keanu Reeves! Who fight like an old married couple pretty much from the moment they meet, more of my thoughts here
Entanglement: a film that you think is going to be the typical manic pixie dream girl saves depressed guy, but then it goes somewhere different (Warning: for depictions of mental illness)
Sabrina (1954): Most people have seen the remake, but give the original a try, seeing this film as a teen made me fall in love with Audrey Hepburn
African Queen: there are elements of this film that are problematic, but I do love the dynamic between Humphrey Bogart and Katherine Hepburn, a religious spinster who ends up paired with a drinking, good times boat captain. Also, Bogart plays a Canadian, but obviously sounds American (Warning: for inaccurate depictions of Africans at the beginning of the film).

Television:
Murdoch Mysteries: a detective at the turn of the last century in Toronto, Canada, who must solve mysteries, usually murder, with the technology of the time. This show is well known in Canada, but might not be so well known else where.
Heartland: another Canadian show, about a young woman living on a ranch in Alberta, and her special connection to horses
Major Crimes: Police procedural and sequel to The Closer, focusing on Captain Sharon Rydor. I am still deeply unhappy with how this series ended, but the series overall was really great.

Finally saw Aquaman today, and I enjoyed it, despite the fact that I usually don't like "chosen one" stories. I love Jason Momoa, but I think what really sold me on it was the supporting cast. I liked Mera, and by the end of the movie I was kind of hoping that she would be named Queen of Atlantis, she was brave and fair, and understood their history. She would have made sense as ruler, instead of someone who gets the position based solely on birthright.

Hats off to the kid playing child Aquaman, and the young man playing teenage Aquaman, they both did great considering they only had one scene each, especially teen Aquaman when his voice broke a little saying "Doesn't she love me?" when talking about his mother. Speaking of Aquaman's mother, Atlanna, Nicole Kidman was really wonderful, I loved her in the scenes with Aquaman's father, they were so soft and sweet together, and again they really conveyed a loving relationship, even though they had only a few scenes together. The real VIP of the story is is Aquaman's dad, Thomas, who spent 30 years looking for Atlanna, even though they had been told that she had been executed, he never gave up hope or stopped loving her.

Not to say the film didn't have flaws, like the forementioned chosen one/king by birthright, also the brother against brother and evil/power hungry brother aspects of the story were all a little cliched, but overall an entertaining film.

I watched Destination Wedding today, and I must say I kinda loved it. It wasn't at all what I was expecting, I thought it was a typical romantic comedy, I believe that is how they marketed it, but that is just not the case. It is about two people, who are weird, cynical and flawed, who unexpectedly get together. Even though both Winona and Keanu have chemistry, this movie is not at all sexy, in fact it hilariously had one of the worst sex scenes ever. They also bicker on and off throughout the entire film, like they are already an old married couple. I laughed quite a bit. If you're looking for a romance that is a little different, I highly recommend.