'Godzilla vs. Kong' Is Colossal Fun

Godzilla vs. Kong is the main event that the MonsterVerse franchise has been leading toward to.   A sequel to Godzilla: King of the Monsters and Kong: Skull Island, the film depicts the long-anticipated showdown between the two iconic cinematic titans (for the record, this isn’t actually the first time this happened.  There was a King Kong vs. Godzilla Japanese film released back in 1962).

'Start-Up' Probably Has the GOAT of Second Leads (A Very Late Review)

I was greatly looking forward to watching Start-Up ever since I learned that it was being made – which was way back in 2019, when it was still under the working title of Sandbox (in my opinion, Sandbox is a more interesting title.  They should have stuck with it).  But it wasn’t the casting and pairing of Suzy Bae (While You Were Sleeping, Vagabond) and Nam Joo-hyuk (Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok-joo) that hyped it up for me.  It was because Park Hye-ryun – my favorite K-drama writer, by virtue of writing some of the best I’ve watched (I Hear Your Voice, Pinocchio, While You Were Sleeping) – wrote the script.

'Castlevania' Is an All-Time Classic

The much anticipated fourth season of Castlevania turned out being its last, which might as well.  By keeping its run relatively short, the show didn’t overstay its welcome.  It prevented itself from getting overly complicated.  However, even with just 32 episodes, its storytelling and cast still got somewhat extensive.  When season 3 ended, the show had on its hand a couple of dangling character arcs and plot threads.  It was the type of situation in which a lesser show would have easily messed it all up (see Game of Thrones).  But season 4 managed to tie each loose end neatly, give its characters solid resolutions, and deliver a strong finish.

All in all, not only does Castlevania succeed in being an amazing adaptation of a legendary video game, it has become more than that.  It has cemented itself as one of the greatest animated series of all time.

'Beastars' Gets Even Better in Its 2nd Season

So, I’ve just caught up with Beastars season 2.  It ran last Winter 2021, but because I had so many anime to watch each week already, I wasn’t able to follow it.  Nevertheless, I meant to binge it as soon as I could, and I managed to get around to doing that a few days ago.

If I had seen Beastars season 2 last Winter 2021, it would have been one of my favorites.  Only Re:Zero and Attack on Titan would have ranked above it.   Beastars was one of my favorite anime during the year it debuted (it didn’t make the top 10, but it was either the 11^th or 12^th place), but great as it was, I believe season 2 has been better.

Some More Thoughts on the 'Mortal Kombat' Reboot

So, I already wrote my review for Mortal Kombat. But I realized that there were still a few things I wanted to say about it.  Hence, I decided to compile those scattered thoughts in this article.  Just think of this as the “miscellaneous musings” section that I forgot to put in my original review. Spoiler warning.

My Enjoyment for the 'Mortal Kombat' Reboot Is Immediately Cut by Half Because Johnny Cage Is Not in It

The latest Mortal Kombat movie kicks off the second attempt for a live-action film series adaptation of the iconic fighting game.  Serving as a reboot, it features Mortal Kombat characters Sonya Blade (Jessica McNamee), Scorpion (Hiroyuki Sanada), Liu Kang (Ludi Lin), Jax (Mehcad Brooks), Kung Lao (Max Huang), Raiden (Tadanobu Asano), Kano (Josh Lawson), Sub-Zero (Joe Taslim), Shang Tsung (Chin Han), Mileena (Sisi Stringer), Kabal (Daniel Nelson and Damon Herriman), Goro (Angus Sampson), Reiko (Nathan Jones), and Nitara (Mel Jarnson).  It also has an original character named Cole Young (Lewis Tan), who actually serves as main protagonist.  The plot doesn’t depict the titular tournament yet (it’s obviously reserved for future sequels), but instead involves Shang Tsung sending out his warriors to assassinate the champions of Earthrealm before the next tournament starts.

'Earwig and the Witch' Isn't Bad, but It's Still a Misstep for Studio Ghibli

Finally.  Studio Ghibli returns after a six-year hiatus!  For its comeback, the prestigious anime studio ventures for the first time into producing a computer-animated film.  Titled Earwig and the Witch, it is an adaptation of the 2011 book of the same name by Diana Wynne Jones, who is also the author of the novel that Howl’s Moving Castle, one of Ghibli’s best movies, was loosely based on.

'The Falcon and the Winter Soldier' Is Triumphant in Upholding the Legacy of the 'Captain America' Films

The Falcon and the Winter Soldier picks up one of the potential plot threads left by Avengers: Endgame, which is, of course, when wizened Steve Rogers a.k.a. Captain America (Chris Evans) passed the torch – or rather, shield – to Sam Wilson a.k.a. Falcon (Anthony Mackie).  This TV show exists for the purpose of telling the story of Sam’s transformation into Captain America.  For even though Steve himself already chose him as successor, Sam was apparently unconvinced of the idea when he received the shield.  Thus, he needed to get a character arc where he would learn to embrace the role, which this six-episode miniseries provides.

'Scooby-Doo! The Sword and the Scoob' Has One of the Most Notably Ludicrous Plots in the Franchise

After finishing a trilogy, the Scooby-Doo! direct-to-video franchise returns to a standalone adventure with Scooby-Doo! The Sword and the Scoob.  The silly logistical plot device this time is Shaggy turning out to be the rightful heir to Camelot based on an obscure chapter of Arthurian legend involving his ancestor.  This sends the Scooby Gang to a village in England named Norville der Morgana, which is suspected to be the modern location of Camelot.  There, they encounter the antagonist of Arthurian legend Morgan Le Fay, who casts a spell that sends them back to the past during the time of Camelot, Merlin, King Arthur, Excalibur, and the Knights of the Round Table.

'Coming 2 America' Is a Satisfactory Sequel

Coming 2 America is the sequel to Coming to America.  Set three decades after the events of the first movie (which is around the same time that passed between the release dates of the two movies), it sees Prince Akeem Joffer (Eddie Murphy) getting crowned as king of Zamunda, after the death of his father King Jaffe Joffer (James Earl Jones).  Soon after assuming the throne, King Akeem immediately faces a royal crisis.  Zamundan tradition dictates that only a male heir can ascend to the throne.  However, he’s only sired daughters with his wife Lisa McDowell (Shari Headley).  This makes Zamundan vulnerable for a hostile takeover by General Izzi (Wesley Snipes), the dictator of the neighboring nation of Nexdoria.

The New 'Tom & Jerry' Movie Sucks

The most recent Tom & Jerry movie combines live-action and animation.  The animals are animated, while everything else is live-action.  In it, the iconic cartoon archrivals bring their slapstick cat-and-mouse skirmishes into New York’s fanciest hotel, where a high-profile wedding is scheduled to take place.  As expected, chaos ensues, threatening the employment of fresh hiree Kayla (Chloë Grace Moretz) as well as the actual wedding itself.

'Run Hide Fight' Makes a Smart, Gripping Thriller Out of a Delicate Subject Matter

Run Hide Fight is easily one of the most interesting movies of 2021.  Unfortunately, it didn’t get much push or love because: a.) the movie centers on a school shooting, a very dark and awkward topic; and b.) the movie is distributed by conservative media company The Daily Wire, and since the entertainment-media complex is mostly left-leaning, you go figure.

The plot follows Zoe Hull (Isabel May), a high school student who’s been struggling to come into terms with the death of her mom, causing her to withdraw herself from others, which puts a strain into her relationship with her father, veteran  Todd Hull (Thomas Jane).  One day, four of her schoolmates, armed with guns and homemade explosives, besiege their school.  Those they don’t kill, they hold hostage in the cafeteria, from where they begin to livestream their crime.  Caught in the middle of this, Zoe must keep her wits about her, grit her teeth, and rely on her tactical mind and her father’s training in order to survive and save the lives of her classmates and teachers.