My Personal Follow-Up: Dubs vs. Subs

Before my formal introduction to anime, I unknowingly watched my first anime movie by the name of Kiki's Delivery Service that often played on the Disney Channel (when it was awesome). It had easily become one of my favorite Hayao Miyazaki films. When one of my best friends introduced me and another best friend into the wonderful world of anime back in 7th grade, majority of it was subbed. Back then, I was oblivious to the divide in the anime fandom, until I entered high school and Toonami exploded. And thus this is my personal follow-up to our first Muddy Cult Gathering about Dubs vs. Subs.

If you've read our discussion (or plan on reading it), you'll notice that I didn't say too much about what side I'm on, but pretty much...I don't have a preference toward either. That might sound a bit anti-climatic, if you haven't clicked on the link above. Of course, I have an explanation for this. I watch a lot of shows on a mostly daily basis. When I start a new show in my rotation [fyi, these are shows that are not new/currently airing], I check out my options if they are available. I'll watch two episodes subbed and two episode dubbed, then decide from there. How do I decide? Voice acting usually. If it sounds pleasing to my ears and suits the character, then I'll watch it whichever way. Of course, there are a few exceptions to the rule where I like both versions about equally. So, let me break it down in categories, then maybe you'll understand what I'm talking about.

Review: Doubt

Title: Doubt (2007)
Author(s): Tonogai Yoshiki
Genre: Mystery, Shounen, Psychological
Volumes: 4

Sometimes when I'm shopping in Barnes Noble, I look at potential new series to get into, even though I really shouldn't. Being the bibliophile that I am (and subconscious hoarder), I can't resist involving myself in a new fictional world. This is one of them that I happened to come across.

There's a game going around Japan called 'Rabbit Doubt'. The premise of the game is that all of the players are rabbits in a colony, and one amongst them is randomly chosen to be a wolf that infiltrated the group of rabbits. Every round, the wolf kills off a rabbit, and every round, the group tries to figure out which of the rabbits is actually a wolf in disguise. Sometimes the kids who play this game decide to meet up in person, and Yuu, Mitsuki, Rei, Hajime, Eiji, and Haruka have done just that. Unfortunately, one of them has decided to take on the mantle of the wolf and has already killed once. Who is the wolf, and can they be stopped before everyone meets a very unpleasant end? [Source: MyAnimeList]

If you know me, it's no surprise that I would be into something like this judging by the cover. So, I've briefly talked about this series in my first impressions of Judge, but I'll reiterate and expand on my thoughts about this series. I really enjoy survival games, from Hunger Games to Battle Royale. Something about the concept is very exciting and with the right psychological elements and well established suspense, you can easily create a very enjoyable piece of work. So, what did I think of this mystery chase of horror?


Upon reading about halfway of the first volume, I was instantly hooked to what was going on with our group of characters and figuring out who the wolf was among them. [note: Yen Press printed a 2-in-1 version of the series and this is the version I own] When I start getting involved with a mystery along with the story's characters, that's a very good sign that I'm really going to enjoy myself. Like most stories, you're going to find yourself liking and disliking people, which obviously affects your decision making on who the "wolf" could possibly be. There's plenty of action to keep you hooked into all the twists and turns of the story. The story does a great job of keeping the reader on their toes and questioning who the culprit could be along with the characters. Another thing I enjoy is that it doesn't rely on gore, but focuses on this guess who cat and mouse chase. There's some interesting obstacles our group of "rabbits" must face to figure out who the wolf is and escape, such as the individual barcodes that can be used only once to unlock doors. This limits their choices of exploration to escape alive together. There's also a couple or so surprises to throw you and our characters off the real wolf's trail.

As much as I enjoyed the premise enough to continue to read more of Tonogai Yoshiki's works, Judge and eventually Secret, I will admit that by the time I got to the second book (volumes 3 and 4 in the original print), the story did drag a little longer in certain places. The slow areas fortunately, and obviously, didn't turn me off from reading further as I still felt very invested in the remaining cast of characters and ultimately revealing who the wolf is. Somehow I ran across a borderline spoiler that didn't reveal the conclusion or anything, but more so an expression of disappointment. Unfortunately, I understood that slight disappointment when the wolf was revealed and partially with the open ended resolution to the story. Without knowing the premise of Judge, I assumed that it was a continuation, but it ended up being a separate story all together with a slightly similar survival game vibe.

Despite my disappointment toward the end, I still would recommend Doubt to survival horror game fans. The story keeps you thinking and the characters really make you feel involved with figuring out this murder mystery. There's not too much gore, but it does have some very effective horror imagery/gimmicks to it to keep you satisfied on how messed up this game is. Even though the story drags toward the latter half, you'll still feel the need to keep going and find an escape from the madness with our characters.


Rating: 4/5

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Quick Anime Review

High School of the Dead (2010) | Rating: 3.5/5
After completing both Hellsing and Hellsing Ultimate, it was time to replace it with another horror type anime in my rotation. I've heard of this show before and have seen the popular "matrix boobs" gif of it on Tumblr, so I knew what I was getting myself into. The show doesn't hold back on its zombie epidemic and gets right into the action. I enjoyed the variety of characters we're given, even though it's practically a harem kinda vibe going on for our two male leads. The story has some good pacing and even splits up our group of characters temporarily. They face many trials that seem unwinnable, but they manage to get out like badasses. As much as I enjoyed this series, I do have a couple complaints. While I was aware of the fanservice existing in this series, it seemed to increase over time with gratuitous upskirts, unrealistic boob physics, and...pretty much any kind of shameless eye candy for the fanboys (or girls). This fanservice can be distracting to the awesome female cast that actually have some redeemable qualities that make me want to be part of their gang. [See BlipMasta5's rant] Fortunately, it does calm down a little toward the end. Also, I wish there was a more human threat to our cast of high schoolers, like they build up one of the teachers Koichi Shidou as this creepy teacher that would throw off anything and when they run into him toward the climax of the show, nothing big really happens between him and the group. It's just a bit of a let down in that area. Nonetheless, I really enjoyed this thrill ride of zombies and destruction, despite the gratuitous fanservice. Hopefully, that second season actually happens in the near future.



Super Lovers (2016) | Rating: 3.5/5
I am no stranger to shounen ai (boy love) and yaoi and I believe I've mentioned that here. If you're just finding out and you're surprised, then now you know. Going into this show, it sounded like it would be cute, but I was kinda surprised by the shounen ai element...at least how it's presented. It shouldn't come to any shock to me that this was a brother x brother kind of story. It's not as "traumatizing" as shotacon Boku no Pico, but more like Papa to Kiss in the Dark. Yes, I've watched both of these. Don't judge me! In other words, it's fluff and really they do play with the brother aspects as far as trying to domesticate and culturally teach Ren in Japan. He learns how to trust people as well as the meaning of love and family, even if it's unconventional. Getting into this story, I thought it was cute. This little boy is adopted into a new family and most of his time is spent with their pet wolves. He believes he is one of them, until his new older brother comes to visit in the summer and tames his wildlife ways, then he makes a promise to show him around Japan where he lives. When Ren surprises Haru by moving in, that's when I became confused and somewhat surprised by their more than brotherly love. It took me some time to accept that that's where the story was going and now...I'm looking forward to the second season. Obviously, this series isn't for everyone, but this pseudo-incest didn't cross too much of a taboo line for me.



Anne Happy♪ (2016) | Rating: 4/5
Lately, I've been going through MAL's convenient list of seasonal series, which also include specials, OVAs, and movies, and adding series that sound interesting. Upon watching the first episode of this series, I had no idea why I added it to the list as it was extremely cutesy and girly, but...I did not regret it. In fact, I got Ophelia into this fun little series of friends dealing with their bad luck. It's a slice of life comedy that puts these girls into the Happiness Class to turn their luck around. They are ranked by who has the worst luck too, which at first I thought was silly, but it happens to bring them together and cause a stronger bond. Our cast of characters use their strengths and weaknesses to overcome each task in their own way, whether they actually pass or fail the test. I can understand if some people thought the show was silly and that our main character Hibari doesn't quite fit in with her misfit friends, but I enjoyed it and it made me excited and happy to watch each episode every week, especially when Ophelia got into it. It also kinda reminded me of Aiura. Sidenote: I would love to have my own Timothy.



Bungou Stray Dogs (2016) | Rating: 3.5/5
This is another new series from the Spring 2016 season and the premise sounded pretty interesting. When I first jumped into the show, I felt a little uncertain whether I would enjoy this or not, because the plot seemed a bit unclear in places. From the first episode, I figured we would be following Atsushi as he figures out his powers and runs away from whatever is chasing him, but by the second episode it shifted slightly to something else. Yes, we do get to watch Atsushi discover himself and find his place in the ranks of Osamu Dazai, his partner Doppo Kunikida, and the rest of the supernatural detectives in their special agency, but it isn't your typical crime of the week kind of mystery series. Sure, they solve a few cases, but it's more of a supernatural action series more than anything with an interesting brand of comedy, which is supposedly apparent in the manga. I was unaware that these characters were based on Japanese novelist if it wasn't for TheAnimeMan, which would explain Dazai's comical suicide fascination, but if you were just as unaware as I was, you will still find it humorous due to well thought out execution and timing. While the plot seems kinda loose and tends to wander off, I still managed to find myself very entertained by our super powered detectives and figuring out the somewhat overarching mystery of the port mafia. Despite the flaws in the story, I really think it was the characters that kept me hooked and their interactions with each other. Fortunately, I get to rejoin them again in the second season and hope that the story gets a tighter grasp on its goal.



Kagewani: Shou (2016) | Rating: 4.5/5
The action and thrills continue in this second season. Much like the first season, the show continued to be addicting and very much fulfilling in each 8 minute episode. Banba becomes the hunted this time around and his journey becomes increasingly more difficult compared to the first season. Now that he has a kagewani inside of him, he must constantly keep a balance on his newfound powers and humanity. In this season, he not only has to continue to fight and understand the origins of kagewani, but he has deal with more human threats and possibly being arrested for something he didn't do. I continued to have a lot of fun with Banba and company and the final couple episodes did not disappoint. I'm hoping that this series will receive a third season as I really don't want this journey to end just yet.


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Fair Shake Review: 5 Miles from the Spotlight - Eric D'Alessandro

5 Miles from the Spotlight - Eric D'Alessandro

(Genre: Mockumentary/Documentary & Hip Hop/Rap)

Eric D'Alessandro came to my attention back in 2012 when his viral video "What Happened to Rap?" came out and I immediately had to investigate his YouTube channel. I learned soon that he's been doing music and comedy for quite a while and fell in love with his series, "The Eric Show", that showcased everything he's about. Then after 2013, he rarely uploaded until he eventually stopped altogether and I would wonder what he's been up to here and there. I missed his humor and talent as an emcee and decent singing. Suddenly, I caught a tweet in my timeline with a trailer from Eric's account and I got filled to the brim with excitement to see what was in store.

The trailer teased the soon coming movie and album that were to answer what the followers of Eric wondered about for so long. To start off the experience, we go into the movie available on his YouTube channel. It's a mockumentary of sorts that reenacts Eric's life away from his online stardom. Though some parts are embellished a bit for laughs, it still chronicles Eric's tough time coming to terms with him needing to chase success with his creativity. He also uses the film to express his feelings about his love/hate relationship with his hometown, Staten Island. He explores the stereotypes and mentality of the city and how it affects him as person who wants to be a breakout star without cutting ties by moving away.

He clearly portrays his ambitions, never aligning with the typical 9 to 5 lifestyle expected from the environment he was raised in. Still he explains how he never wanted to be pigeon-holed as strictly a YouTuber either as he's been a creator before the platform existed and mainly one means to showcase his creations. This puts stress upon many of his relationships from family, friends, & his girlfriend and is seen throughout the film as well. Eventually, though he comes to realize that he must leave the city he loves to actually reach his dreams as he plans to represent his hometown along the way.

During his upswing in the film, he begins to make music again and what's attached to the movie is this album. Among the tracklist are songs about Staten Island, his goals as an entertainer, and showcasing those skills through wordplay, vocals, & introspection. The production ranges from current hip hop to early 2000's rap with his rhyme style similar to Jay-Z, Logic, and Eminem. He can go hard and hype with anthems like "Everything Alright" & "This is Staten Island", then a straight punchline heavy emcee with "Keep Going (Go Part 2)" & "I Just Don't Give a F*ck (Remix)". His word painting comes naturally with "The Guys from Here" & "The Girls from Here". This album clearly demonstrates his music versatility.

Overall, I must say this pairing of media was very well done. I can certainly see the music having the most accessibility, but the movie most likely can be enjoyed by people who are new to Eric also. I loved getting a glimpse into his life through both formats, yet I must say that if there's one thing I would recommend checking out first as a newcomer would be the track "Insight". It is almost like a soliloquy that embodies everything that Eric is about over some brilliant instrumentation than rather cinematic. If you're into a charismatic, goofball with loads of talent, then I must suggest you get Mr. D'Alessandro less than 5 miles from the spotlight by giving it a listen!

"Make it Through" these related links:

5 Miles from the Spotlight (The movie)

What Happened To Rap? (My introduction)

The Eric Show Ep. 12 (I Hate Radio DJ's)

The Eric Show Ep. 22 (Family Takeover)

F*cking Problem Remix (First non Parody I heard)

Quick Movie Review

Robot & Frank (2012, USA) | Rating: 4/5
Around the time this movie came out, for some reason I thought the story was about this elderly man living with a robot assistant because he had Alzhemier's or something, but that isn't the case at all. After reading Ophelia's review, I figured I needed to check it out since our tastes are very similar. I popped into the player and found myself slowly enjoying myself. Frank's personality somewhat fits the usual grumpy old man against technology, but there's more to this grumpy old man. He has a not so innocent past of being an infamous burglar and not having the best of relationship with his adult children. The film focuses on his relationship with his new live in robotic assistant and the spark of inspiration to take on one last thief. The acting is great and I loved watching these characters interact and react to this unusual situation. It presents a good balance of drama and comedy and the ending brought me as much joy as it did for Frank. I highly recommend this one!



Barbershop: The Next Cut (2016, USA) | Rating: 3.5/5
After 12 years (not counting the spin-off Beauty Shop), they decided to make another installment to the franchise. Was it necessary? No. But was it bad? No. This movie and the following have both already been quickly reviewed by BlipMasta5 and, once again, I'm just behind on reviewing. I think I saw this before it left the theater as it was just me, my friend, and four other people there for the show. I enjoyed the previous installments, so I expected more of the same. For the most part, it still fits into the franchise's framework, despite not having all of its cast back. I thought I would have my review up for Chi-raq to compare this too, but you'll just have to take my word for it until I get around to it. The news of police brutality and the rise of fallen African Americans is nothing new or unfamiliar to the movie's demographic or American citizens, so the storyline took advantage its platform and star power to promote the message of community support and honestly, I think it did a great job with its message. While at times it does have its father knows best moments with Ice Cube and Common's characters and plot conveniences, it's effective and entertaining. In general, it doesn't hold back with its social commentary just like the first Barbershop and that's what makes this movie so honest and true to reality, especially black culture. A short comment on Nicki Minaj's acting and character: I admit I'm not particularly fond of her as an artist, I think she should stick to music. Her speaking voice is a little annoying and she didn't quite add too much to the story, other than the usual infidelity catalyst for Common and Eve. Oh, and to be blatant eye candy for anyone who came to see the movie for her.



The Jungle Book (2016, USA) | Rating: 4/5
So, Disney is doing this thing where they're going back and making their classics into live action films for some reason. Also, Warner Bros. was planning on releasing their own adaptation of this story next year, but pushed it back another year probably due to the massive success of this film. I hadn't seen the animated version in a really long time, but I still remember enough to compare that version to this recent one and it definitely deserved its success and praise. The story was extremely immersive with its highly realistic settings and enjoyable characters. I'm still in disbelief that that was in a film studio. The touch of musical elements from the animated version worked mostly well into the narrative and the pacing was good. My mom and I really enjoyed this experience together and Shere Khan was quite the impressive threat. I was a little frightened by him. Small bits of criticism was that there were moments where the animals didn't look real and I think they could've utilized Scarlett Johansson more. She had such a small part; it felt like a waste of an interesting character. Andy Serkis has some big competition in 2018.



Sisters (2015, USA) | Rating: 2.5/5
Tina Fey and Amy Poehler are a match made in heaven. They've always shared an astounding chemistry together no matter what they do and this film is no exception. I didn't doubt their dynamics at all, but the premise remained too silly for me to shelve out any money. Even though it was silly, it was still a fun movie, but it focused more on the party element and put the actual story on the back burner. I guess this movie is geared more towards college students and adults trying to hold onto their youth or whatever. While party movies can be somewhat fun to watch, we've had a bulk of them years ago with Spring Breakers, Project X, etc. Honestly, Trainwreck did a better job balancing adult humor and fun than this movie. Sometimes some of the jokes tried too hard to be edgy and cool and it just felt awkward. It's like if your mom tried to hang out with your friends and threw some borderline offensive or sexual jokes. It's uncomfortable. Nonetheless, the movie isn't terrible in the least, there's simply not a lot of content and consistent adult humor.



Krampus (2015, USA) | Rating: 3/5
Sometimes you need a little campy holiday horror to brighten up your day. This cheese fest has been compared to the iconic Gremlins and I can see the similarities. Its humor and holiday spirit are on the right track and I can see this being the almost Gremlins of this generation. For me, it won't be as memorable as Gizmo and company, but I did manage to have fun with these characters dealing with their dysfunctional problems while trying to survive Krampus' reign of terror. There's plenty of late 80s/early 90s influence throughout this film and I think that's what makes it enjoyable. Realistically, I don't see myself returning to this movie, even though I would like to fully wrap my head around the conclusion; I do believe this would be a great holiday watch for horror fans.


If there's something you want me to review (or want a more in depth review of the movies above or previous ones), check out this post on how you can submit requests.

Movie Review: Hail Caesar!

Directed By: Joel Coen , Ethan Coen

Written By: Joel Coen , Ethan Coen

Starring: Josh Brolin, George Clooney, Alden Ehrenreich, Scarlett Johansson, Channing Tatum

Rating: PG-13

Genre: Comedy

Runtime: 106 minutes

When going into Hail Caesar!, it's best to keep in mind that the Coens are best known for being quirkly filmmakers. They're responsible for a variety of films such as O Brother Where Art Thou, No Country for Old Men, Fargo and The Big Lebowski. It wasn't surprising to see that they'd gathered an all-star cast in a homage to 1950s cinema. Hail, Caesar! is set in 1951. This was an era rich in drama and full of potential ideas for a film. Some of the greatest actors were made famous during this time.

This was a time when the film industry was in flux. The Supreme court had ordered that movie studios would no longer be allowed to own their own theatres. This ruling would change the way movies were produced, distributed and shown. Television was in the budding stages and threatened to steal audiences away from theatres. Why go out to see a picture when you could stay home? The other big problem came from the Cold War and the Red Scare which were both well underway at the time. Hollywood fought back against these problems by creating films meant to be an escape from the world as it was. Westerns, choreographed dance and aquatic films, musicals and yes, Roman epics. 

Hail Caesar! follows a day in the life of Eddie Mannix, a Hollywood fixer for Capitol Pictures in the 1950s, who cleans up and solves problems for big names and stars in the industry. But when studio star Baird Whitlock disappears, Mannix has to deal with more than just the fix. - [IMDB]

Eddie is a fixer for Capitol Pictures. He solves the problems that are hindering the production or promotion of the studio's films. It's his responsibility to make things run smoothly even when his actors go missing or find themselves involved in a scandal. It wouldn't be so bad to watch Eddie run around trying to solve things. There were likely people employed by the studios to take care of these little problems before they blew up. Scandals back then could be anything from having an affair with and getting pregnant by a married man (which nearly ruined Ingrid Bergman's career back in 1949) to having sex with someone important to get a role.

If the movie had focused only on Eddie trying to fix these scandals, it might have been much more streamlined. Among those scandals is one involving DeeAnna Moran, Scarlett Johansson's character, and her pregnancy. She's unmarried and unsure of who the father is. The aquatic film has synchronized swimming and a mermaid costume. It's quite the pretty set with Johansson making a lovely mermaid. 

It's the side plot involving George Clooney's character, Baird Whitlock, that really drags the speed of the film down. Whitlock is quite the famous face, so much so that the epic Roman spectacle they're producing depends on him. When he's kidnapped, the studio has no other choice except to try to find him. A scandal involving the actor could lead to the picture failing later on. I thought it was these scenes that seemed the most boring or slow moving for me.

The character that really stole every scene he was in was Hobie Doyle, a singing cowboy. Alden Ehrenreich is absolutely adorable. Hobie is usually only in Westerns, riding horses, singing and spending time roping things. When there's a shortage of available leading men, Hobie is moved to a period drama helmed by a stuffy director named Laurence Laurentz. Laurence, played by Ralph Fiennes, has trouble with Hobie as the cowboy isn't used to posh dialogue. I ended up wishing there was more of Hobie's scenes especially when he's set up with a Carmen Miranda type actress named Carlotta Valdez.

He does have some involvement in wrapping up the plot with Eddie and Baird's kidnapping. However, I felt like if the whole film had been about Eddie, Hobie and perhaps even DeeAnna, it would have been much more interesting. Channing Tatum's scenes as a musical dancer could have been left as just those few scenes. Instead, the Magic Mike star is given a bigger role in the overall plot. Channing might be a fan favorite, but I don't think he's a strong actor outside of frat boy comedies and dancing his firm butt off.

Ultimately, I wonder whether I'm the only one who found this a bit boring. It's clearly a hit with the critics. Don't get me wrong. I'm a huge fan of classical Hollywood. I've watched countless movies from that era, some much better than others. Yet, there was something lacking in this. The magic of 1950s Hollywood isn't quite captured nor did the Coens really try to. I will look forward to seeing what Alden Ehrenreich can do though.

Rating: 3/5

Quick Update: Tokyo in Tulsa

Fair Shake Review: Bobby Tarantino - Logic

Bobby Tarantino - Logic

(Genre: Hip Hop/Rap/Trap Rap)

I was introduced to Logic through one of my favorite review YouTube channels almost 5 years ago. Ever since then, I looked forward to his yearly release schedule as it ranges from boom bap to trap rap. As a student of the game, his growth has been evident as you can hear his influences from the 90's greats and his contemporaries blend into the incredible emcee he is today. Therefore, I've been an avid fan of his versatility and knew he was working on two projects through his social media. He mentioned that one would be to turn up to, while the other would be more classic hip hop and conceptual. To much people's surprise though, he released the party-oriented mixtape after premiering 3 singles in a three week period.

This mixtape, Bobby Tarantino, definitely captures exactly what he intended to do. Logic's producer, 6ix, created a spectacular soundscape to fit the house party vibe of the radio today. This set the stage for Logic to write tracks to make you want to bounce and even catch some witty lines in between. He also manages to fit in some meaningful lyrics on tracks like "Slave I" and "Slave II" and be introspective on "44 Bars" & "Deeper Than Money".  It breaks it up with some comedy and set pieces with an "unintentional" preview of the concept album. Also the comedic return of his mixtape character, "Marty Randolph", makes for a funny break from the tracks that you want to dance on "A Word from Our Sponsor".

I really enjoyed this entire project, save for "Wrist" featuring Pusha T. This track is a conceptual turn up track where both Logic and Push take the roles of drug dealers (though that's not a stretch for Push). That's mainly my small gripe with the song as it has Logic describing this character, even if he's not necessarily glorifying the lifestyle. It just felt slightly out of place, like when Drake tries to play the tough guy. Other than that, the mostly trap rap production throughout the project was enjoyable. But I was extremely pleased with the A Tribe Called Quest-esque ending with "Deeper Than Money".

I'd like to say that Logic is a very accessible hip hop artist and this project doesn't hurt my thoughts on that. Though this mixtape, more than others, leans more to listeners who prefer more hype hip hop akin to Travis Scott, current Kanye, & Childish Gambino. Yet, he certainly brings lyrics in a palette closer to J. Cole and Kendrick Lamar on their less conscious material. Also if any of you got a kick out my Pryde recommendation from before, give this project a listen and I'm sure you won't be disappointed by Logic's "Flexicution"!

Links to the man behind "The Jam":

Flexicution (The first single)

The Making of Flexicution (Ooh...the process)

Logic on Bobby Tarantino (Interview with HardKnockTV)

TND's The Incredible True Story Review (The last album review)

DEHH's The Incredible True Story Review (The last album review)

DEHH's Young Sinatra Review (My introduction to Logic)

Eff with him on SnapChat (Lol. @youngsinatra301)

Review: Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice

Starring: Ben Affleck, Henry Cavill, Amy Adams
Directed by: Zack Snyder
Language: English
Rating: PG-13
Running Time: 151 minutes

With the release of the DVD coming soon, I decided to jump ahead on my neverending list of movie review catch-ups to cover one of the most anticipated flicks of the year. I'm sure plenty of you Cult followers already have heard the many reviews of this movie upon its release in theaters; I know I have before seeing it about a week after opening weekend. After watching it in theaters, I knew I would have an absolutely fun time reviewing it for you.


While Superman battles with General Zod in Metropolis, Bruce Wayne steps onto the scene to help his company's workers through the destruction and witnesses the chaos surrounding him. Feeling infuriated with Superman's reckless actions, Bruce Wayne and the citizens of Metropolis decide whether Superman is a hero or a menace. Of course, Bruce Wayne takes matters into his own hands as Batman. Meanwhile, Clark Kent and Lois Lane deal with the controversy from Superman's fight eighteen months ago and LexCorp mogul Lex Luthor tries to harness Superman and General Zod's powers for his own benefit.

After the dark and lengthy Man of Steel, I once again was not excited for this movie, but I held a tiny bit of hope that Zack Snyder would learn from his mistakes. Upon seeing the previews for this movie, it seemed like more of the same with additional problems. The Marvel Cinematic Universe has been very successful over the years and Warner Bros. attempted to play catch up in this sequel/prequel to Man of Steel and the upcoming "Justice League" movie, which is obviously a terrible mistake. Of course, I will go into this a little later. In short, this film did not prove to be promising and the reviews reflected that. Even my mom, who saw it before me, was not impressed by this addition to the franchise. So, were there any positives to this movie?


Yes, actually. While some people were skeptical of Ben Affleck's Batman due to his history in Daredevil, I totally forgot about that movie and had some faith he would be a great Bruce Wayne. I wasn't so sure about Batman, but he did a pretty good job. I quite enjoyed Batfleck and I look forward to more of him. Even in Man of Steel, I really had no problems with Henry Cavill's Clark Kent/Superman. I think he does exceptionally well with what he's given and I enjoyed watching him and Ben Affleck interact with each other, whether the costumes were on or off. Hopefully, their chemistry continues to build positively in any upcoming DC movies. Despite initial criticism of Gal Gadot's casting as Wonder Woman, she did pretty well in my book. She was both beautiful and strong and definitely held her own throughout this movie. I think the three of them make a decent team so far and hopefully the chemistry will get better with time (and maybe a better script). Man of Steel presented some hard to watch fighting scenes and this movie does improve with the lighting and slowing things down enough to process the action. The fight scenes between the Dark Knight and the Man of Steel were very exciting, tense, and kept the adrenaline high. Aside from bringing the brightness up a few notches, the visuals remain appealing, although I still think the dark, grittiness you would see in Nolan's trilogy doesn't quite suit this movie. With some adjustments, I enjoyed Jeremy Irons' portrayal of Bruce's loyal butler Alfred. He really made the character his own and different than Michael Caine's performance. And...that's about it. Now for the fun part!

Quick Movie Reviews

Devour (2005, USA) | Rating: 2/5

This direct to video B-horror has a premise that could have been quite interesting. Jake Gray and his friends become involved in an online live action roleplay game called The Pathway which spirals out of control in a deadly way. However, the premise falls apart when the writer decided to add a Satanic cult into the mix. The only upside is that Jensen Ackles, known for his role as Dean Winchester in Supernatural, does a decent job as confused college student.  The overall product could have been much better if they'd streamlined the plot from the beginning and focused simply on the game's consequences.

Unfriended (2014, USA) | Rating: 3.5/5

This movie was previously reviewed by Miko here. I agree with her opinion on the movie. When I went into this movie, I was ready to hate it or be disappointed. It was surprising how decent it was. Generally, I multitask while watching things. It's simply the way my life works. There's rarely a moment to focus on simply one thing. With Unfriended, I found myself putting down the laptop in order to pay closer attention to what these kids were doing. Our society is so dependent on messengers, Skype, Facebook, etc, that it's easy to imagine this sort of thing happening to you. What would keep a former friend or enemy from popping up on your feed to torment you? The supernatural elements were surprisingly good. I won't go into detail, but this certainly wasn't a Paranormal Activity type of film. There was doubt about who billie227 was. Did Laura come back or is it a friend using her account?

Return to Sender (2015, USA) | Rating: 2/5

Miko has already reviewed this one too. Once again, I agree with her. Miranda, the character Rosamund Pike plays seems like the same person she played in Gone Girl. However, the downfall here comes with the characters not being fleshed out properly. Amy, Pike's character in Gone Girl, was a full person with thoughts and motivations. Miranda's only motivation is that she was raped before a blind date. This could easily be enough motivation to go after her attacker. However, the writers decided to throw in a twist about her late in the film that simply made no sense with what we'd already seen. There's no way to feel anything for Miranda with the way she was written even though Pike is a good actress.

Wind Chill (2007, USA/UK) | Rating: 2/5

The film starts with the girl, Emily Blunt's unnamed character, looking for a ride back to her hometown for the Christmas holiday. She's told by a friend to look on a ride share board. Sure enough, there's someone offering a ride to where she needs to go. The guy, also unnamed, has his car loaded with all his possessions. She's told he's been evicted from his apartment and is going home as well. However, as the ride progresses, it becomes clear that he knows far too much about her to be a complete stranger. The first hour of the film continues this way and would have been a fairly effective stranger danger/stalker flick. The filmmakers decide to give you supernatural elements for the last half of the film that are at odds with what they've previously set up. These last bits are simply too much at odds with everything else. It's not a bad B-horror overall. It would have been better served with sticking to the beginning premise.

The Girl in the Photographs (2015, USA) | Rating: 2.5/5

A bored young woman in a sleepy town begins to find gruesome photographs of murdered women placed where she can find them. Are they real or staged? Is there a serial killer or simply a creep lurking? The trailers for this one seemed interesting. I ended up having to rewatch this one because I fell asleep part of the way through. There's nothing wrong with the cinematography. The problem ends up being all in the plot. The overall idea is sound, but poorly executed. Some of the characters are interesting, but others are outright annoying or boring. Katherine Isabelle, a horror movie darling, has her talents wasted. If she'd played the main character, it might have been much more interesting.