"Everyone! Remain calm! The Crypts are perfectly SAFE!!!!! I repeat, the CRYPTS ARE SAFE!!"
Sam: "Bran, why are you out here?"
Bran: "Winterfell doesn't have any ramps."
Just watched Mamoru Hosoda's new film Mirai and enjoyed it a decent amount. Beautifully made film with a lot of heart-warming themes, a very cool future/past interweaving dynamic and good development. Unfortunately, the biggest problem with this film is that it was kind of boring. No matter the amount of other great elements in a movie, if it is not entertaining, it's going to struggle a bit in my mind. I prefer Hosoda's other works to this where there is a bit of a more over-arching plot and driving story arch. Still, this is a nice movie to watch especially with your family.
I just got back from a preview showing for the new Spider-man movie, and WOW. It is LIT (pardon my language). Soooooo funny with tons of personality and a surprisingly great depth of emotion in quite a few scenes (some tears may have been shed). I love this new take on the comic book hero origin movie and the entire film just screams originality. I wasn't 100% sure on the animated look before, but it really fits into the entire setting and "alternate dimensions" premise of the movie later, which injects a ton of creativity and potential into this new film.
After Sony released Venom, I thought that they should just stop trying with the Spider-verse. However, this new film and universe gives me a completely different perspective. I can't believe something like this came from Sony...
I finally watched A Star Is Born, and boy... was I just blown away. This film is a literal whirlwind of emotions culminating in one truly tragic ending. I was hyped for this movie for months, and it definitely lived up to expectations (even exceeded them). I was totally floored by the performances of Lady Gaga and especially Bradley Cooper who completely disappears into his role of Jackson Maine (in a good way). The soundtrack to this movie is just spectacular with some of the best ballads that I've heard in a long time in both "Shallow" and "I'll Never Love Again". That first scene where Gaga and Cooper perform together on stage is just a revelation.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bo_efYhYU2A
While this is a story that has been done many times (literally, this is the 4th remake), Cooper's version is just masterfully built and developed amazingly well even though it does run a bit long. It was over 2 hours long (135 mins), but at times I actually wish that it could have been longer due to how much I connected with the characters. It's a true "modern take" on a classic tale. And definitely prepare to cry as well. My god, the last 20 minutes of the movie were just... beyond brutal. If you've ever dealt with or really known/loved someone with addiction and/or depression problems, this movie hits so close to home that it is scary.
A Star Is Born is an instant classic and a definite Oscar favorite in multiple categories. If you told me that in 2018 the guy who played Sack in Wedding Crashers 13 years ago would direct and star in an emotional and moving film like this, I'd call you crazy. I'm definitely going to watch this again, but those last 15 minutes of the movie truly were gut-wrenching. Maybe I'll just stick with listening to the soundtrack over and over again... :P
I watched Maquia: When the Promised Flowers Bloom last night and it was definitely a great and powerful movie. Well worth the trip and wait to watch it. It is an absolutely beautiful looking movie with some amazing characters, pretty interesting setting/world-building, and fantastically developed emotions and themes throughout. It was definitely a real tearjerker at times, especially towards the end.
There were a couple plot holes and things that were left unclear as to how and why they were happening/happened, but they were more minor concerns and quips on my end (don't really want to spoil them). They don't really hold you back from enjoying the movie. The ending was definitely an emotional whirlwind (I just didn't like one little part with Leilia), but well worth the journey and very well done overall. If your theater is still showing screenings this week (like in NYC) definitely check it out while you can. If not, pray for the BD release to come ASAP.
Very surprised by how good and faithful this adaptation has been so far. Bravo to Zero-G. I've gotten used to the slightly different base character design art but the "Titan faces" are perfect, so no need to worry! VAs are pretty solid so far, and I can't wait till more of the characters are introduced. The comedic timing was pretty good and I'm excited to see how more of the manga is adapted.
As for those "worried" about the humor or jokes getting stale, don't worry too much. This is the first episode and they've only introduced a few of the characters, so there isn't much else to rely upon until we really get into the main story arc that is to come. If the anime follows the manga faithfully (which it looks like it will), the character development, relationships and dynamics will get much more fleshed out and you'll learn to love these characters (faults and all) like I have.
Anyway, can't wait for the Miss Izu arc to start next!!!!
Got back from watching Ant-man and the Wasp. I really enjoyed this one. I loved how it was its own adventure and relatively self-contained in terms of the MCU. I actually really liked the original Ant-man a lot more than I thought I would when I saw it, so it's no surprise that the humor and tone of the sequel works for me as well. Paul Rudd definitely plays a solid Ant-man and I love me some Evangeline Lilly, who is the star of this one. Even the secondary characters of Ghost/Ava, Foster (and others) were pretty well fleshed out and had good backstories and development to them.
What really made me like this movie was that it had a very good "end game"/goal to strive toward (don't want to spoil it too much), so it made the adventure, journey and conclusion that much sweeter. It's definitely better than some of the other MCU movies where they just inject a rando bad guy trying to destroy the world for some nefarious reasons.
I definitely recommend checking this out if you liked the first at all. If you haven't seen the first, you'll miss out on a ton and not have a good idea of the what is going on emotionally and what is at stake. The original Ant-man is a great movie as well, so this just gives you another excuse to watch it :P
Wow. This was a lot better than what I was expecting. It's not the greatest movie ever, but a ton of fun for sure, and brings back a good amount of the charm of the original movie. Blows the sequels out of the water for sure.
Damn. Just got back from watching Hereditary and I don't think that I've uttered "Holy shiiiiiiiit" under my breath so many times during a single movie. This movie took creepiness to the next level and really delivered as a horror flick with minimal "jump scares". I'd definitely recommend watching this with a nice big audience because it's without a doubt an "experience" you won't forget.
From the title of this episode, the letter from Hikaru to Daigo should have probably been the "best" part of this episode, but I found some other parts more entertaining. While it was still a pretty decent letter with a good Hikaru montage, I already expected it and it wasn't the greatest thing ever. The girls were actually a much better highlight in this episode. I loved Izumi's reactions to Toshi and Shimizu "together".
https://image.tmdb.org/t/p/original/otr6KRyLVd5hkPPrEbv6QwblpFA.jpg
The part with Sakura wanting to play baseball and getting permission was handled so much better in the anime than in the manga. Gave it a lot more "ooomph" and emotional impact, and showed that Sakura is interested in baseball beyond just the "boy she likes".
https://image.tmdb.org/t/p/original/vvlQOsh9ydE5O7ffMVdKJP4iLWT.jpg
The next episode will definitely be entertaining and what I'm looking forward to. Sakura joining in on the training sessions is going to be excellent :D
Another good episode again. Earlier this week I actually read ahead in the manga of what was translated so far, so I can now definitely say that the anime is doing a GREAT job adapting the source material. They're padding out scenes and definitely adding a lot more substance to the original source material and its various scenes. That is most apparent in this episode in particular. I really like how they added the extra scenes with Hikaru and Daigo to give the "send-off" that much needed emotional impact that was a bit absent in the manga. The Goro-Toshi past montage was pure money as well.
Looking forward to seeing more of the relationship between Daigo and Toshi evolve, and can't wait for some upcoming Sakura action as well ;)
YES! This was the episode that I was waiting for with the perfect Koyanagi-Kabakura moment(s) at the end. It was one of my favorite scenes from the manga and adapted very well here as well. I just love the way Kabakura calls her a "cow" with no hesitation. Amazing to have to have 2 great couples in just one show.
https://image.tmdb.org/t/p/original/zeD5UpFTT6sI9MDWvnaFysuVH0y.jpg
Also, they had the Sailor Moon R/DBZ bit in the beginning which is just absolute gold. One of my favorite shorts from the manga as well.
https://i.imgur.com/G4EHkom.jpg
Finally, I've been waiting but they finished the official OP and it looked pretty badass. Goes along very well with the new Lyn song "Break In to Break Out" which is absolute fire. I can't wait to get the full release of the song. Would love to be able to somehow use it in the official game as well as some kind of DLC.
As for the episode itself, it actually adapted the Palace and Kamoshida boss fight pretty well. We even got a taste of Persona fusion and whatnot. It was definitely "video gamey", but not bad. The dialogue and emotional moments were pretty well done. Gives off a lot of the same feelings and emotions from when I played the game. And we got some nice cameos as well including Tae looking extra fine. Now, I just need a little more Makoto in this to make it all complete.
Another fun episode, and we got an even greater taste of the Daigo-Hikaru dynamic and a little preview of some of the rivalries that will form. I actually like the setup here so far and this is the first baseball anime that I've watched where the main protagonist isn't OP or has some hidden skill. Although I guess Daigo's hidden skill could be his "love for baseball".
We see the path on which Daigo becomes the catcher for Hikaru. While this episode had some decent moments, I'm really looking forward to the next one where Daigo undergoes special training under Kaoru-sensei. I hope we get a nice and long anime series out of this as I'm really enjoying it thus far.
I love this show. Sooooooo good. I've already read all of the available manga and knew what to expect, but this adaptation has been perfect thus far. Narumi's reactions, faces, emotions, and little blurbs ("Messiah", "danna") are just amazing. I love her more than just the regular super-cheerful MC girls. And the Naru-Hirotaka pair work so well because Koyanagi-Kabakura are just a great couple foil for them as well. We're going to start finally getting a lot more Hana-Tarou moments coming up which will be amazing as well.
As for Naru's faces this episode, I don't know which one was my favorite. They were ALL so good, especially the ones involved with Comiket.
https://image.tmdb.org/t/p/original/ytr3rL9iBGWrFxY4ymZrv0IaHh9.jpg
https://image.tmdb.org/t/p/original/rO47EJ3h7QDVj8cmH4teAUBv9qi.jpg
https://image.tmdb.org/t/p/original/oNwO51qBGYt5gJonvEeyVJs7DsC.jpg
Just watched Beirut in theaters staring Jon Hamm. Fun movie. It was basically 2 hours of Don Draper in the Middle East brokering a hostage deal (and drinking a shit ton of alcohol). You can't go wrong with that formula.
ERINA-SENSEI!!!!! We need more, please!!
Hmmmmm. Don't really know how to feel about this series so far. Very generic thus far, and I don't have a good sense of where things will be going. Ishino was a nice girl to introduce, but very cookie-cutter as well. She became "friends" so fast with Tsutsui though. That development was just way too quick.
I'm still not sure if that whole doctor/hospital/moving-in-6-months thing was a red herring or not for a Your Lie in April type of sickness thing with Iroha. I mean, I guess that I could read ahead in the manga, but I do not care about this series enough. I'm still kind of weirded out by the cat-eared guy, Ito.
Hopefully this gets better...
Dang. Good thing that I waited to watch this. Episode 1 was filler/recap crap. Episode 2 was a little better, but it still felt like it had recap elements to it (always showing everyone's quirk name, etc). At least things should be getting good in the next episode with the League of Villains finally doing some work.
I'm definitely interested to see how far this third season will get with 25 episodes. I don't think that we'll be able to get to it in this 3rd season, but I am absolutely looking forward to the "Eri" arc being animated. That's gonna be completely boss.
Not bad. I finally caught up with the first two episodes, and I like the setup so far. I was a bit worried that this would get started just like a lot of other baseball anime/manga series, but this can definitely work. Nice characters thus far and throwbacks to the original Major with not too much Goro so far (in a good way). I see where things are starting to go with the 2nd episode at the end with both Daigo and Hikaru. This is actually a pretty good way to set things up with the protagonist not actually being a baseball god from the get-go. The Sakura girl is pretty cute too (and she's voiced by Kana Hanazawa), and I loved her look of complete disdain when Daigo told her off.
https://i.imgur.com/JtDBGNG.jpg
My only complaint so far would be Shimizu/Kaoru's voice just sounds weird. It's the same VA, but she just sounds so raspy other than when she's angry/screaming.
Whoa. That OP is just pure FIRE. Damn. That got me so pumped up for the rest of the show. Persona games/shows always know how to make one flashy intro and that one was awesome. Loved the continuation of this episode as well. Things from the game were really well adapted, and I liked how naturally most things flowed. The battles with Personas are a little bit too video-game-esque but that's just nitpicking. I'm really excited to see first Palace all come together at the end.
Morgana sounds and acts awesome. Even Ryuji isn't too annoying so far. And Ann in that bikini... ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)
Wow. Off to a great start with the first episode of Persona 5 The Animation. I'm not sure if the story/flow of the newest game just lends itself better to being animated, but this anime adaptation is really smooth so far. The animation looks good and things don't just seem "like a game" so far. I'm really liking what A-1 is doing with the anime so far. Really excited for some awesome Phantom Thieves moments and for some of my favorite girls to enter (we saw a lot of little cameos thus far).
Just watched the first episode of this series and wow... I definitely enjoyed this a lot. Love the characters of Narumi and Hirotaka and how things get going right off the bat at the end of the first episode. I can envision quite a bit of shenanigans ensuing with these two protagonists and the two other secondary characters (Hanako & Tarou). Otaku love is always a gold mine!
A Gentleman and a Scholar. Nothing more needs to be said of this Legend among Legends.
Really enjoyed this new comedy. I had really high expectations for it, especially after hearing all the positive buzz on it after SXSW and watching the hilarious trailers. However, if you are thinking about watching this movie, DO NOT WATCH THE TRAILER/S and go into this clean. You'll enjoy the movie and jokes much more. They really used up some of the best jokes and moments in the movie to make the trailers (which were epic) and getting those parts spoiled is not the best way to enjoy a new comedy.
Wow. Well that sucked even more than I was expecting for a season finale, and I had low expectations in the first place with how disappointing this entire second season has been. I can maybe guess it was probably better in the LN, but all the arcs in this second season were pretty bland to begin with story-wise. I don't see how they would be that much better in the novels. I love isekai light novels but Overlord is definitely one series that I never really liked too much (even the first anime season), and I will definitely not be reading the LN any time soon.
As for the third season, I'll probably still watch it when it airs in the summer as 20 minutes a week for 13 episodes isn't that much time. Still, I'm definitely not going to invest any more time in this series than that though.
I went to go see Unsane tonight. Daaaaaaaamn. Soderbergh did a great job here. I can't believe the entire movie was shot on an iPhone. Crazy psychological thriller, and I really didn't know what was real or not for a good portion of the movie.
Definitely do NOT take a girl who is afraid of stalkers to see this movie. She will have nightmares for days after seeing this. Guaranteed. I even got freaked out as a guy.
If I hadn't read the Light Novels already and been a fan of this series, I'm sure that I would have rated this show a bit higher, but I can't take back what I already know and have read. This anime adaptation is woefully inferior to the LN, and leaves us wanting more with so many details and explanations left unanswered. The pace is far too quick for its own good, and all developments and nuance from the original source are thrown to the wind due to that. 4/10 for the anime adaptation at best.
For any that enjoyed the show, I highly recommend reading a volume or two of the light novel. It's an infinitely superior experience for sure, and very enjoyable.
So rushed. And that ending... ReLIFE? More like ReYourName.
