'War Machine' Is a Witty and Insightful Satirical War Film

War Machine is a Netflix original movie starring Brad Pitt, who plays a United States Four-star General tasked to end the war in Afghanistan.  Greg Pulver, Topher Grace, Anthony Hayes, Emory Cohen, RJ Cyler, Daniel Betts, John Magaro, and Aymen Hamdouchi play the loyal members of his staff.  Ben Kingsley, Tilda Swinton, Will Poulter, and Russell Crowe are also in this movie with minor roles.

'Queen of Mystery' Reimagines Sherlock Holmes as a Korean Housewife

Queen of Mystery, or Mystery Queen, is a K-drama series revolving around Yoo Seol-ok (Choi Kang-hee), a prosecutor’s wife whose lifelong dream is to become a police detective.  Hence, she likes investigative TV shows and mystery novels, and has been extensively reading and researching about anything relating to crime-solving.  All these help her in becoming a keen, intelligent lady detective.  However, she is unable to pursue her passion due to her demanding mother-in-law, who tends to underestimate her and expects her to focus on being a good housewife.  But after impressing a young police substation chief with her skills, she starts assisting him in a couple of petty cases around the neighborhood – unbeknownst to her mother-in-law, of course.  This leads her to cross paths with a rugged police detective named Ha Wan-seung (Kwon Sang-woo).  They start off as clashing rivals, but they eventually work together on solving mysteries.

'Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales' (a.k.a. 'Salazar's Revenge') Is Flawed but Fun

The fifth Pirates of the Caribbean movie, subtitled as either Dead Men Tell No Tales or Salazar’s Revenge, follows a down-on-his-luck Captain Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp) being hunted by the vengeful, pirate-hating Spanish Navy Captain Armando Salazar (Javier Bardem), who along with his crew and ship had clashed with a young Jack many years ago, which resulted to them being turned into ghosts and trapped in the Devil’s Triangle.  But having finally escaped, Salazar is determined to kill Jack along with every single pirate in the seas.  The only way Jack can ever defeat the undead Salazar is if he gets his hands on the mythical Trident of Poseidon.  And in order to so, he must team up with Henry Turner (Brenton Thwaites), son of former allies Will Turner (Orlando Bloom) and Elizabeth Swann (Keira Knightly), and Carina Smyth (Kaya Scodelario), an astronomer/horologist who is frequently accused of witchcraft due to her intelligence.  Meanwhile, Captain Hector Barbosa (Geoffrey Rush), to save his pirate business, is forced to aid Salazar in searching for Jack.

Top 10 Female Gunslingers in Fiction

In my two lists for fictional gunslingers, no female characters were able to make the cut.  Yet, there are indeed some cool female gunslingers out there, and they deserve their own list.

To make this list, these broads don’t necessarily need to be from a “Western”, but the fact that they wield guns should have been a notable factor in defining and celebrating their characters.  Moreover – as with the implied standard of the past two lists – their preferred weapons must be handguns (though it’s okay if they also use other auxiliary weapons occasionally), since the term “gunslingers” are more associated with revolvers or pistols (there’s nothing technically incorrect about a gunslinger using a rifle, but it just doesn’t feel right).

10.) DOMINO

Domino, who is prominently associated with the X-Force, is a mutant that possesses “subconscious telekinetic probability manipulation.”  It means, on her feet, her subconscious is telekinetically manipulating tiny, random things to happen in the vicinity – which, on their own, are very improbable to occur – in order to affect events in her favor.  Simply, this gives her “good luck” and her opponents “bad luck.”  On top of this, she’s a highly proficient sharpshooter, making her very reliable in combat.  She’s adept in using different kinds of firearms, but she’s often portrayed with using handguns.

'John Wick: Chapter 2' Is an Awesome Sequel

John Wick: Chapter 2 is the sequel to 2014’s most surprising action gem.  This time around, super-assassin John Wick (Keanu Reeves) is just beginning to re-settle down to a life of retirement, when he’s once again forced out of it by Italian mob boss Santino D’Antonio (Riccardo Scamarcio).  Soon, he finds himself reluctantly immersing once more into the secret, colorful criminal underworld he intends to leave behind, treading on another path of revenge while the world’s most dangerous killers are on his heels.

'Kill Switch' Has Some Decent Sci-Fi Action Thrills

The dazzling, talented Dan Stevens.  Parallel universes.  Unlimited clean energy.   Boats and trains randomly dropping from the sky.  First-person shooter view (a la Hardcore Henry).  High-tech killer drones.   Saving the world.  If all those phrases sound good to you, then you might enjoy the science indie film Kill Switch (also known as Redivider).

Top 10 Fictional Heptads

See the previous lists in the series:

- 2-member teams

- 3-member teams

- 4-member teams

- 5-member teams

- 6-member teams

I will be closing this series of lists on small-sized ensembles with one for heptads or septets – i.e. seven-member teams.

Honorable Mentions: The League of Evil Exes (Scott Pilgrim vs. the World), The Humunculi (Full Metal Alchemist Brotherhood), The Ant Hill Mob (Wacky Races, The Perils of Penelope Pitstop), The Shichibukai (One Piece)

10.) SENSUI SEVEN

In Yu Yu Hakusho a.k.a. Ghost Fighter, ex-Spirit Detective Shinobu Sensui formed the Sensui Seven to help him in his vision of letting the human world be overrun with demons.  Understandably, current Spirit Detective Yusuke and the rest of Team Urameshi set off to stop them.

Aside from Sensui a.k.a. Dark Angel, the team is made up of Itsuki a.k.a. Gatekeeper, who has dimensional powers; Sadao Makihara a.k.a. Gourmet, who devour others to gain their powers; Tsukihito Amanuma a.k.a. Gamemaster, who can bring video games to life; Kaname Hagiri a.k.a. Sniper, who can make projectiles out of erasers, pebbles, knives, and other objects; Kiyoshi Mitarai a.k.a. Seaman, who can summon water monsters, and later switches sides, joining Yusuke’s group; and Minoru Kamiya a.k.a., who can manipulate biological chemistries.

'Fist Fight' Is a 'Three O'Clock High' Rip-off

Back in the 90’s, one of the movies I saw during my regular HBO binging sessions was an 80’s teen movie called Three O’Clock High.  It’s about a meek high school student named Jerry who inadvertently pisses off a new student named Buddy, who happens to be a bully.  As a result, Buddy challenges Jerry into a fight after school – 3 o’clock – at the parking lot, and the news spread across the student body.  Jerry then spends the next six hours trying different ways to avoid it, including reasoning, running, and bribery.  However, in the end, he finally gets fed up with how pathetic he is, mans up, and decides to fight Buddy.  In the aftermath, Jerry earns the respect of Buddy.

'Hounds of Love' Is a Horrifying, Uncomfortable Watch

Hounds of Love is an Australian crime horror film set in mid-1980’s suburban Perth about a sadistic, murderous couple who abduct young girls to torture and ultimately kill.  Vicki, who has sneaked out from her house to go to a party, becomes their latest victim.  Chained on a bed, the horrified teen must observe her captors and figure out a way to drive a wedge between them before they get around to murdering her.

The Charming Novelty of 'The Boss Baby' Wears Off Quickly

I found the trailers for The Boss Baby charming.  The concept of a baby having the mentality of an adult, shady executive and voiced by Alec Baldwin seems to be hilariously adorable on paper.  A lot of the trailer’s featured gags worked.  I particularly liked the meta-joke referencing Baldwin’s role in Glengarry Glen Rose.

'King Arthur: Legend of the Sword' Is a Fun Mess

King Arthur: Legend of the Sword is writer-director Guy Ritchie’s take on Arthurian legend.  It portrays Arthur (Charlie Hunnam) having to grow up in a brothel and be raised by prostitutes after his parents – the King and Queen of England – are murdered by his uncle Vortigern (Jude Law).  With Vortigern usurping the throne, Arthur is left unaware of who he truly is.  His upbringing and tough environment develops him into a proficient fighter and to be street smart, and he basically becomes a mob boss in Londinium (medieval name and site of London).  But fate would lead Arthur to reunite with Excalibur – his father’s magical sword, which is now rightfully his – setting him off towards the path of saving England from his power-hungry uncle’s tyrannical rule and becoming who he’s destined to be: King Arthur.

'Voltron: Legendary Defender' Is a Nostalgic, Addicting Reboot of a Notable 80's Cartoon

Voltron: Defender of the Universe is one of the most notable 80’s cartoon reruns I had watched when I was a kid in the 90’s.  Outside of Power Rangers and Super Sentai, it was my first encounter with the “piloted, themed vehicles combining into a giant robot” trope.  However, when its reboot Voltron: Legendary Defender first aired last year, I wasn’t too enamored to check it out immediately.  It took me a few months after season two ended (last January), and after seeing high praises for it here and there, before I decided to check it out and binge its 24 episodes so far.

'Before I Fall' Is a Competent Stuck-in-a-Time-Loop Drama

Ever since Groundhog Day introduced and perfected the “being stuck in a time loop to relive one day over and over again” premise, only two movies – Source Code and Edge of Tomorrow – came close in really innovating the concept.  Even so, they didn’t quite utilize it in the same pleasing and flawless manner that Groundhog Day did.

Now, this year’s Before I Fall is the latest movie to attempt making something fresh and interesting about the reliving-a-day-repeatedly concept.  Did it succeed?

'A Silent Voice' Is an Amazing Arthouse Anime

A Silent Voice, also alternatively known as The Shape of Voice, is an anime film revolving around a forlorn, socially inept high schooler named Shoya Ishida.  In elementary, he used to bully a deaf classmate named Shoko Nishimiya, and because of the constant torment that she received from him, she had to transfer to another school.  Though Ishida is her prime bully, the other students also contributed in varying ways to create an environment of persecution for her.  Still, the blame was promptly and fully put on Ishida by the class and teacher.  As a result of this, his friends abandoned him, and he became a social pariah from then on.

Regularly shunned and bullied well into high school, Ishida is left emotionally and psychologically wrecked.   He develops severe social anxiety and self-loathing, and he even arrives to a point where he considers committing suicide.  But one day, he reunites with Nishimiya, and learns that she’s still dealing with the social and emotional problems brought by her disability.  Desiring to redeem himself for his past sins, he manages to find the courage to befriend her.  From that point, the two begin a journey of friendship, healing, and rediscovery for the beauty of life.

The Documentary ‘Batman & Bill’ Tells the Story of an Unsung Hero (the Secret Co-Creator of Batman) and Another Man’s Batman-like Crusade to Bring Justice to His Legacy

Being a huge fan of Batman, and comic books for that matter, I’ve been familiar with this fact for a while:  Bob Kane – who had been exclusively credited for being Batman’s sole creator for many, many years – apparently had a secret collaborator, and his name was Bill Finger.

'Riverdale' Is Awesome and Special Because of Bughead

The debut season of the new, addictive teen drama Riverdale has just ended.  And it left a lot of questions.
(SPOILERS)

‘Their Finest’ Is a Touching, Pleasing, and Meaningful Movie About the Production of a Touching, Pleasing, and Meaningful Movie

Their Finest is a British war drama about a team of Ministry of Information filmmakers tasked to make a propaganda film that is based on the remarkable news story of twin sisters who sailed their father’s boat to take part in the miraculous Dunkirk evacuation.  The central character is Catrin Cole (Gemma Arterton), a scriptwriter hired by the Ministry to provide the “woman’s touch” on their films.  For this project, she’s partnered with the cynical, veteran scriptwriter Tom Buckley (Sam Claflin).  As they clash wits as well as develop respect and affection for each other, they maneuver through the hassles of that particular time’s filmmaking process – like constant script revisions ordered by higher ups; handling problems with the cast, including a vain ex-matinee idol named Ambrose Hilliard (Bill Nighy); and the constant bombings of the Germans – so that an epic movie that would successfully boost the morale of a nation at war can be made.

The Deterioration of 'Sleepy Hollow'

In 2013, a TV series called Sleepy Hollow – an absolutely batshit reinvention/adaptation of a short story written by Washington Irving (i.e. “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow”) – kicked off.  Surprisingly, it turned out being highly entertaining.

If There's a Playoffs MVP, It Should Be Kawhi Leonard

Russell Westbrook is the friggin’ 2016-2017 season MVP.  But if there’s a 2017 playoffs MVP award, it should go to Kawhi Leonard.

Top 10 Fictional Hexads

So, yeah, I’ve decided to extend my series of lists for small ensembles in fiction, though it’s a bit questionable to still call an ensemble “small” when it has beyond five members.  Anyway, regardless of its validity to be part of that series, this list serves to identify the hexads or sextets or six-member groups in fiction which I found most interesting.

10.) THE DRAGON WARRIOR AND THE FURIOUS FIVE

As the main protagonist of the Kung Fu Panda franchise, the martial arts-loving but clumsy Po turns out being the foretold, mythical “Dragon Warrior.”  Though the Furious Five – a quintet of China’s best martial arts masters (based on the Five Animals Southern styles of Chinese martial arts) – initially doubted that he’s the Dragon Warrior, Po earned their respect and friendship by displaying great heart and aptitude.  Thus, once Po finally began comfortably exhibiting the qualities of the Dragon Warrior, the Furious Five eagerly acknowledged him as their master and embraced the role of associates.

Each one is a very capable martial artist, but they are more entertaining and formidable when fighting as a unit under the direction of Po.

Top 20 Sentient Robots

The word and term “robot” came from the Czech play R.U.R. or Rossumovi Univerzální Roboti (Rossum’s Universal Robots), though its depiction of robots (created from synthetic organic matter) was way different from what the term means now (mechanical origin).  Originally portrayed in fiction as automated machines performing preset labors, storytellers made them more interesting by asking the question, “What if they became sentient?”  Since then, robots in pop culture have not only become more fascinating because of the element of self-awareness infused on them, but have become a consistent means for fiction to tell about the human condition as well as explore cautionary and thought-provoking themes about artificial intelligence.

This list is consisted of the most fascinating sentient robots in fiction, based on my opinion.  “Sentient” here means the robot must have an extent of performing “free will”, whether limited or absolute.  Thus, robots requiring to be directed by humans in real time – like mechas (which I’ve just recently made a list of) and remote-controlled robots like Atom in Real Steel – are obviously excluded in this list.  Also, only those that are still apparently robotic in appearance are considered; thus, cyborgs (like the Terminator and RoboCop) and androids (like Rockman and Vision) are disqualified as well.

Honorable Mentions: Irona (Richie Rich), GERTY (Moon), H.E.L.P.eR. (The Venture Bros.), R. Giskard Reventlov (The Robots of Dawn, Robots and Empire)

20.) X-J9 a.k.a. JENNY WAKEMAN

My Life as a Teenage Robot isn’t necessarily a notable, widely beloved cartoon.  However, it delivers undeniable fun as it focuses on a robot equipped for world-saving adventures but whose heart’s desire is to simply live a normal teenage girl life.

Top 10 Human-Piloted Giant Robots

There’s always a point in a boy’s life where he gets to adore robots.  And the most exciting ones are probably the towering, human-piloted mechas or vehicular robots.  Here are the ten of such that I got to love through the years, and even once daydreamed of piloting.

10.) LEOPORDON

Okay.  This is a goofy pick.  And it’s probably only here because of its relation to Supaidāman a.k.a. the Japanese version of Spider-Man in the 70’s (for I love everything Spider-Man, and I enjoyed its participation during Spider-Verse).

Supaidāman and Leopardon would be the inspiration for the Super Sentai franchise and its iconic “giant robots”, which in turn would be the basis for Power Rangers and its Zords.  So, yeah, in a sense, we can say that we owe the existence of the Power Rangers to Spider-Man.

Wait, What?! Roland Doesn't Wear a Cowboy Hat?! Looks Like 'The Dark Tower' Movie Is Gonna Suck.

So the first trailer of The Dark Tower has been released, and it essentially confirmed what I had feared since I saw the set pictures and promo stills: Roland Deschain won’t have a cowboy hat.

Bummer.  This movie is gonna suck.

'Gifted' Is Not as Brilliant as Its Child Heroine, but Is Thankfully as Endearing

Gifted tells the story of seven-year-old prodigy Mary Adler (McKenna Grace) who gets caught up in a custody battle between her uncle Frank Adler (Chris Evans) and grandmother Evelyn Adler (Lindsay Duncan).  The former wants to let her have a normal childhood – attending public school, gaining friends her age, and having time for fun – which he believes his late sister would have wanted for her.  Meanwhile, the latter believes her intellect would go to waste that way, and thus, she wants her to be specially tutored, setting her up for a life devoted to mathematics.

'The Space Between Us' Is Pleasant

The Space Between Us is a science fiction romance film that centers on Gardner Elliot, who is birthed by the lead astronaut (Janet Montgomery) of the first ever mission to colonize Mars.  His mother dies during childbirth, and his existence as the first person born on Mars is kept a secret by Nathaniel Shepherd (Gary Oldman), CEO of the company that launched the mission to the Red Planet, to avoid a PR disaster.   In the next 16 years, Gardner receives a very unconventional upbringing from the 14 remaining colonists, and grows up into an ever curious, intelligent young man (Asa Butterfield).  While using the Internet to research the home planet that he has never stepped on as well as the identity of his unknown father, he chats with a street smart girl named Tulsa (Britt Robertson), whom he becomes friends with.  When Gardner finally gets the chance to go to Earth, he meets Tulsa in person, and they proceed on a road trip to look for his father.  But just as a romance is starting to blossom between them, it’s revealed that Gardner’s organs are incapable of withstanding the Earth’s atmospheric pressure, and in order to survive, he must quickly return back to Mars.

Well, the premise is interesting.  But how is the rest of the movie?

In 'Scooby-Doo! Shaggy’s Showdown', Shaggy Discovers His Wild West Roots

I never seem to grow out of my fondness for Scooby-Doo that I just have to watch any new direct-to-video movie despite understanding from the get-go that it isn’t going to be great.

This latest one, Scooby-Doo! Shaggy’s Showdown, sees the Mystery Inc. quintet getting invited by Shaggy’s distant cousin to visit her Crazy Q Dude Ranch.  There, they learn that the place is apparently haunted by the ghost of Shaggy’s ancestor, Dapper Jack, a ruthless outlaw during the Wild West.  This sets up the Scooby Gang for another mystery-solving adventure.

As a Monster Movie, 'Colossal' Is Deeply Delightful and Original

Colossal is… well, let’s just say that I think this movie is awesome enough and deserves to be watched.   I won’t give much of a synopsis, as I think knowing as little as possible going into it is very advantageous.  If you haven’t seen the trailer yet (it’s actually a bit spoiler-y), I suggest you don’t watch it anymore.  Just directly go and watch the movie instead.  Heck, unless you’ve seen it already, I would even recommend that you stop reading this review (come back and do so when you finally did).   Just go watch it.

Still, here are some basic details, if you still care to have some idea of what it’s going to be about:

Top 10 Moments of the 2016-2017 NBA Regular Season

The 2016-2017 NBA regular season has been an exciting one – probably one of the best we’ve ever witnessed.  As usual, there were tons of spectacular moments.  But here are my ten most favorites.  (Note: I will also be doing a list for the playoffs when it’s done.)

10.) When Devin Booker Scored 70

When I read the news that Devin Booker scored 70 points against Celtics, I was stunned.  If anybody from today’s generation of players can ever come close to Kobe’s 81-point game, I expected it to be someone like Stephen Curry or Russell Westbrook.  But Devin Booker?  Sure, he’s shown promise, but never did I expect that he has this in him.

'Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2' Isn't as Polished and Novel as the First One, but Still as Awesome

Guardians of the Galaxy was my favorite movie of 2014.  For a lengthy stretch, it was my pick for best MCU movie ever, before that spot was taken last year by Captain America: Civil War.   Hence, though I tend to be excited for all upcoming Marvel movies, I had a special kind of anticipation for its sequel.

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 follows the lovable quintet of space-adventuring misfits – Peter Quill a.k.a. Star-Lord (Chris Pratt), Rocket (Bradley Cooper), Gamora (Zoe Saldana), Drax (Dave Bautista), and Baby Groot (Vin Diesel) – as they once again find themselves in trouble when they earn the ire of an alien race called the Sovereign, led by the High Priestess Ayesha (Elizabeth Debicki).  Their plight becomes more complicated when several players join the fray: former adversaries that have scores to settle with them, namely Yondu Udonta (Michael Rooker), the Ravagers, and Nebula (Karen Gilian); an alien empath named Mantis (Pom Klementieff); and Ego (Kurt Russell), Peter Quill’s estranged father.  Eventually, a galactic threat is revealed, and the Guardians of the Galaxy are forced to expand their roster – by adding Yondu, Nebula, and Mantis – in order to combat it.

Russell Westbrook Is the Friggin' MVP

In the first round of the 2017 playoffs, the Houston Rockets eliminated the Oklahoma Thunder in 5 games.

So what?  Russell Westbrook is still my choice for MVP.