'Loki' Is Sheer Delight

The MCU has been knocking it out of the park with its TV shows.  Each new one ends up being better than the last, with Loki being the best so far.  However, I was honestly not very excited for Loki at first.  When I saw the trailer, it didn’t appeal to me.  It felt “off.”  The tone and aesthetics, especially those coming off the TVA, felt like it was forcibly trying to channel Doctor Who even though this doesn’t match the MCU style.  Thankfully, I was wrong with this notion.  The Doctor Who-esque feel actually worked.  It was just perfect.

ScarJo Slays as Usual, but It's Florence Pugh Who Steals the Show in 'Black Widow'

Black Widow’s solo film came a tad few years too tale.  But it’s nevertheless a welcome addition to the MCU.  Further peeling off the layers of one of the MCU’s most beloved heroines, it finally allows us to learn in detail of Natasha’s dark past as a KGB spook – the “red in her ledger” that has been alluded to before.

'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.

'WandaVision' Is Alright

WandaVision is arguably the first MCU TV show ever.  Sure, there have been Marvel TV shows before from ABC (Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., Agent Carter, Inhumans), Netflix (Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, Iron Fist, The Defenders, The Punisher), and others (Runaways, Cloak & Dagger) that claimed to be set in the MCU –  some of which even featured characters and elements that were introduced in the films.  However, the MCU films have never really acknowledged them in a meaningful or official capacity.  And thus, no matter how much these TV shows insist that they are also set in the MCU, their supposed link to the MCU totally feels non-canon.  WandaVision is surely the first true MCU TV series, because its MCU identity and association are instantly unquestionable.

'Soul' Ponders on the Meaning of Life

Like Onward, the Pixar film that was released in 2020 prior to it, Soul also has death as a major theme.  It follows Joe Gardner (Jamie Foxx), a music teacher who is passionate about jazz and has his sights on becoming a professional jazz pianist.  Soon after landing his dream gig, he accidentally falls down a manhole and dies.  Refusing to pass over to the “Great Beyond” (i.e. the afterlife) when his big break is on hand, he goes the opposite direction, and eventually finds himself in the “Great Before” – the spiritual realm where unborn souls are prepared before they start life on Earth.  There, he sees an opportunity to gain passage back to Earth by passing off as a mentor to 22 (Tina Fey), a cynical, adamant unborn soul who doesn’t want to start a life on Earth.

Chain of Thoughts: Disney Investor Day 2020

Disney had their annual Investor Day a few days ago, and they dropped a lot of major updates regarding their projects in the coming weeks, months, and even years.  I have some thoughts.

Live-Action 'Mulan' Is a Dishonor on Your Cow

The live-action movie remake of Mulan isn’t exactly awful.  It’s actually decently pretty, and it suffices as a source of diversion.  In addition, it does things well enough to the point that it can trick you into thinking that it’s more enjoyable, thoughtful, and touching than it really is – particularly if you haven’t recently re-watched the original animated movie or don’t maintain a fond retention of it, and thus, it isn’t fresh in your mind to serve as benchmark.

'Hamilton' Is a Pristine Musical, and a Powerful Story About Legacy and Grace

Hamilton is one of the best movies of 2020, and it’s not even a movie movie.  It’s a live recording of Lin-Manuel Miranda’s hit Broadway musical about United States Founding Father and first Treasury Secretary Alexander Hamilton, as inspired by the biography Alexander Hamilton by Ron Chernow.  Footage is taken from three performances of Hamilton during its June 2016 run in Richard Rodgers Theatre in Midtown Manhattan.

Hamilton has constantly been generating much buzz since its Broadway opening a couple of years ago.  It’s now deemed pop culture royalty at this point.  Thus, I had high expectations for it going in.  And as I discovered, it gives justice to all the hype and then some.

Disney’s ‘Artemis Fowl’ Movie Adaptation Is Heartbreakingly Watered Down

I love the Artemis Fowl book series by Eoin Colfer.  I encountered it right around the first time I also encountered Harry Potter, and while I enjoyed both, I thought Artemis Fowl was superiorly written – and I still do (to be fair, I haven’t read the latest volumes, though).  To stress how much I’m a fan, consider this: during my PC gaming days, my code name was “Artemis Fowl” (or rather, “@RT3M!$ FOWL”)!

Thus, as a big fan, I had always been extremely excited for an Artemis Fowl film adaptation; I felt it was long overdue that it had one.  However, the middling trailer and the fact that its release date was constantly being pushed forward gave me cause for worry.  I became all but certain that it was going to suck – or, at least, transformed into something generic.

Unfortunately, I was right with my misgivings.  Disney botched it up.

'Onward' Is a Surprisingly Suberb Family Movie

Pixar is one the best animation studios – if not the best – today.  Every time they have a new film about to be released, there’s much anticipation for it.  However, in the case of their latest offering Onward, I didn’t quite have the same excitement for it that I’ve had with most of their (non-Cars) films in the past.  A huge reason for this is that the trailers were not exactly effective in making it look appealing.  For some reason, it seemed like more of a Dreamworks Animation film than a Pixar film.

So, it was a delightful surprise to find it much smarter, more poignant, and more enjoyable than I thought it would be.  I found it quite superb.  Maybe it was because those trailers made me lower my expectations than usual, and thus, I liked it more than I should.  Regardless, it definitely has that legit Pixar spark and high quality.

With 'Rise of Skywalker', the 'Star Wars' Saga Doesn't Stick the Landing

Rise of Skywalker is the third and final installment of the third Star Wars trilogy, and the ninth “Episode” overall.  It depicts the final battle for the fate of the galaxy, with Rey (Daisy Ridley), Finn (John Boyega), Poe Dameron (Oscar Isaacs), and the rest of the Resistance on one side and Kylo Ren (Adam Driver) and the First Order on the other.  In addition, making his shocking return is the former Galactic Emperor, Palpatine a.k.a. Darth Sidious (Ian McDiarmid), who has apparently been manipulating events from the shadows all along.

Rise of Skywalker isn’t as terrible as I was led to believe it was supposed to be.  As a blockbuster spectacle, it’s actually very enjoyable.  However, as the finale for not only the sequel trilogy but to the Star Wars saga as we know it (unless, they make an Episode 10), it unfortunately disappoints.  It neglects to tie up many plot threads and themes that were brought about by its predecessors, and with those it does tie up, it does so unsatisfactorily.  And while it does have some cool, clever ideas, nothing cohesive or impactful comes out of them.  Nothing in this movie blew me away.

'The Mandalorian' Is Way More Than Just Baby Yoda

After Disney acquired Lucasfilm, I mused to myself that a cool move that Disney could do was producing some live-action Star Wars spin-off TV series – but one that’s benefiting from capable creative vision and a large budget – that would supplement its new cinematic trilogy and expand the lore of its revised canon.  I thought that games, books, comics, and even animated TV shows – which had been the franchise’s means in pursuing this purpose ever since – wouldn’t have accomplished this just as well since, as forms of media that are unlike the original’s, they couldn’t quite make the same impression of being connected with the film saga as an actual live-action production could.  Now, this objective was actually served wonderfully by Rogue One, but further exploration of the same objective through this avenue had been closed for the foreseeable future after Solo’s shortcomings.

Fortunately, Disney+ has made it possible for a live-action Star Wars web TV series to take over the work that the A Star Wars Story film series won’t be able to continue anymore after just two offerings.  Created by Jon Favreau, this groundbreaking web TV series is The Mandalorian, which excitingly is just the first of its kind (an Obi-Wan Kenobi series starring Ewan McGreggor is reportedly also on the way!).

The Setting of the Live-Action 'Lady and the Tramp' Remake Brings in Both Value and Problem

Lady and the Tramp is the last of the four live-action remakes of classic Disney animated films that have been slated for 2019.  However, what makes this one unique from all the other such movies is that it wasn’t given a theatrical release, but was instead debuted in Disney+, the new streaming service of the House of Mouse.

Just like its 1955 animated source material, the 2019 Lady and the Tramp is a love story centered on two dogs coming from different backgrounds – Lady (voiced by Tessa Thompson), an American Cocker Spaniel who’s much adored by the upper-middle-class young couple (Thomas Mann and Kiersey Clemons) that has her as pet, and Tramp (Justin Theroux), a street-smart stray Schnauzer-mutt who revels being solo and independent.

'Frozen II' Pleases, but Fails to Improve Upon Its Predecessor

I’m sure a lot of people will love Frozen II.  I’m not one of them.  Now, I don’t hate it.  I enjoyed it overall.  It’s an entertaining animated film.  But I was honestly underwhelmed.  For me, it’s just not near as compelling as the first one.

When I saw Frozen years ago, I was honestly blown away.  It was my favorite movie that year; I watched it over and over again.  I thought it had an interesting, well-layered plot that effectively subverted familiar Disney tropes.  I thought it had the perfect mix and balance of humor, heart, insight, cuteness, and thrills.  I thought it was an instant Disney classic in the 21^st century.  Also, I was smitten with Elsa, and I’ve been gushing over her ever since.

Thus, I was kind of expecting Frozen II to be nothing short of epic.  At the very least, I was expecting it to be up there with Toy Story 4 and How to Train Your Dragon 3 as the best animated features of 2019.  But as it turns out, it’s barely more rewarding than a direct-to-video offering like Teen Titans Go!  vs. Teen Titans.

'The Lion King' Remake Is Spectacular, but Somewhat Soulless

The latest output of the Disney nostalgia, cash-grab, let’s-remake-an-animated-classic-into-live-action conveyor belt is The Lion King.  The original 1994 animated feature is widely beloved, and considered by many as the greatest Disney animated film of all time.  And thus, this 2019 live-action remake was highly anticipated by fans – which is very evident from the fact that it has grossed over a billion dollars.

'Spider-Man: Far From Home' Is Beyond Amazing and Spectacular

If Spider-Man: Homecoming is amazing and spectacular, then the sequel Spider-Man: Far From Home must be beyond so, for it’s definitely a step up.  It’s a movie that only gets better and better as it progresses.  I had quite a blast with it; there was no moment in it that I didn’t like.

'Toy Story 4' Reinforces the Franchise's Standing as the GOAT

For me, Toy Story 3 was the perfect way of ending the series.  Nonetheless, when it was announced that another sequel was being made, I was immediately down with it, because: a.) it wasn’t as if Toy Story 3 was already the last we saw of Andy’s Bonnie’s toys, as they actually starred in a couple of TV specials and short films set after Toy Story 3, which essentially left the door open for another installment anyway; and b.) this was freakin’ Toy Story – the GOAT of animated film franchises.  So, from the very start, I was expecting Toy Story 4 to be extremely worthwhile.  And as it turns out, it absolutely is!

'Dumbo' Is the Weakest Disney Live-Action Remake So Far

Dumbo, which is another live-action remake of a classic Disney animated feature, has a plot that’s essentially different from the original.  This is most likely for the purpose of fitting its runtime in accordance to the modern feature standard – as the 1941 animated film only clocked for a little bit over an hour – as well as avoiding the sense of being derivative.

The movie follows a circus star equestrian named Holt Farrier (Colin Farrell) who was enlisted to fight in World War I, and while he was away, his wife and co-performer died from illness.  After the war, he returns back to the circus with a missing arm and reunites with his children Milly (Nico Parker) and Joe (Finely Hobbins).  However, Holt can no longer perform there since the circus owner/ringmaster Max Medici (Danny DeVito) was forced to sell the horses after the death of Holt’s wife due to financial troubles.  Max instead gives Holt and his children the job of looking after Dumbo, a baby elephant born with oversized ears.  Soon, they are surprised that Dumbo’s unusual ears have made it possible for him to fly, and he ends up being the main attraction and savior for the struggling circus – drawing in large crowds and the attention of shady amusement park entrepreneur V.A. Vandevere (Michael Keaton).

Live-Action 'Aladdin' Is "Shining, Shimmering, Splendid" Enough

Basically, 2019’s Aladdin is just another cash-grab attempt by Disney to remake one of their classic animated films into live-action.  Nevertheless, I was somewhat hyped for it because Aladdin is one of my all-time favorite Disney animated features, and I couldn’t help but be intrigued of how it would be pulled off in live-action.

Some More Thoughts on 'Avengers: Endgame'

I still have a couple of scattered thoughts about Avengers: Endgame that I wasn’t able to address in my review for it.  I will lay them down here in this blog post.  Spoilers ahead.