Preacher

I love Preacher, it is amazing, the way it looks, the way it unfolds, the characters, the dialogue, the violence, not the adaptation....oh yeah the Preacher i love is the comic, the show bored the fuck out of me for the most part. I loved the pilot, LOVED it, the second let me down, the third was meh, as were the rest. There was one episode that i enjoyed between the pilot & the finale but it wasn't anything great like the pilot was. The finale was a mess, i respected the ambition of the god stuff, i liked the bleakness of the events following god, hell i even liked the diner scene and the Saint of Killers closing scene, but it wasn't enough to save the season. Will i watch it next season? Who knows, i may watch the premier, but if it sucks i am going to throw in the towel, for sure not super stoked for it, nor did the end leave me wanting more like a finale should.

Sharknado 4

So the first Sharknado i found to be an odd choice for a cultural phenomenon, i mean there were plenty of SyFy movies that could have struck a chord but none did like this. The film itself was fun and bad flick, the second one however was fully aware of itself. To me the second is the best in the series,it knows exactly what film it is and doesn't hold back, the third one, did the same but a lil bit too much. I found that it tried a bit too hard but i rewatched it prior to the latest and found it just as fun as the second, the erm, second time around. I love the cameos of these films, the third ties in with Z Nation, the newest ties in to Lavalantula, and in turn Lavalantula tied into this series, and the sequel to that looks pretty fun too. As for the latest, same ole same ole, which is a good thing, it is exactly what i wanted, blood, jokes, cameos, Seth Rollins yo, references, Christine was cool but Nuke Em High was my highlight...oh hai Lloyd Kaufman! if they do a fifth i hope it is just as balls out if not the most balls out of the bunch, this is a series that could work with escalation.  It attracts actors and celebs, embrace it, let em in, have em play themselves, have em play against type, have em play theur usual shtick, then kill em off, choose one to be featured as a possible main character, kill em off in the final act, have a HUGE name get killed in the first scene. They know their audience, give us dumb yet fun references, but don't go all Scream(the TV series) on it, do it in a unforced way. Let the blood flow, it has been a bloody series already,  let it stain! Hell, put it in theatres and go all out with over the top gore, cause honestly this was more fun that a lot of the shit in theatres at the moment!

Nerve

A lot seem to think Nerve on paper is a crappy idea of a film, I found the premise & trailer to be high concept, the film didn't disappoint. The Nerve portion was well done and i like that whomever ran it, was anonymous(wait a minute), but when Nerve gets hacked, it seems a lil weird, like certain aspects don't seem like they need hacking, regardless it is a minor nitpick. The acting is solid, the music is pretty cool, the film reminded me of Unfriended meets Pokemon Go meets Chaturbate meets The Purge meets the Hunger Games. Like if you want a fun flick to watch, that you don't have to think about and has a super fast pace, watch this, don't be a pretentious smug fuck, cause honestly, this is more entertaining than most comic book films this year.

Cabin Fever.....yep, it is basically the original

So the original Cabin Fever was released to theatres 13 years ago, and has had a underrated sequel and a terrible sequel, now we get the remake. To review this film poorly would look bad upon the original as this is basically that, only not as well crafted. The first scene is the same, then we get a Shinning shot & music, so i thought, hmm perhaps this will be a cool misunderstood horror love letter. Nope, nope it wasn't, the rest of the film is the original only with terrible acting and a lot of rushed scenes. Shot for shot is awful, don't do it, do something different with it, that or wait 30 years, oh wait, it didn't work for Psycho so it will not work here. The original had douchebag characters but atleast it was of the time and you could get behind Rider Strong being one of us, that and small parts like those of Giuseppe Andrews & Eli Roth were memorable cameos & characters. Strong's character is a douche here, and highly idiotic, i blame the actor), Andrew's is gender flipped but doesn't pack the punch, Roth's character here is an embarrassment, and all the weed talk feels out of place. The rednecks are awful, like they are rushing their lines and not sure what film they are in. The pancakes kid, what the fuck, you turned a weird character into a rushed ploy. I hated this movie, i had the original on at the same time to check out how close they were.....pretty damn close, really fucking close, close, close is what i will say, few tweeks here & there, but not good tweeks, tweeks for the worse. Just watch the original, it was a breath of fresh air for a 15 year old back in the day, this one is like someone said, hey, lets make a fan film remake of that, only we blow dogs for quarters so we will fail, and hey, i get it, i have failed in film, but fuck, no, just no, All the "shocks" we have seen, all the tits we expected, we knew who lived and died, and sure, the end is not the same, but the end is just it, and end, nothing weird like the original., and that stinger, what purpose did it serve? Who was taking all those pics? Is there now a man hunter for not Rider Stronger? Hopefully we will not find out in a sequel.

The Killing Joke

I love Batman, he is easily my favorite superhero, and a lot of that has to do with his rogue gallery of villains, most of which is the Joker. I love the Killing Joke comic, i love Alan Moore, his take on it may not be quite like Frank Miller's Dark Knight Returns but it is a easy & fast read, dark & twisted, a perfect Joker tale, and one that shows his possible origin, something that has been changed and disputed for decades, people like to say it is a combo of various backstories, some prefer it to be left a secret, but it  shows how tragedy can lead to insanity. A lot of times adaptations, especially direct adaptations like this, can be too direct, other times they barely register as a adaptation, to me this was a damn close version, it wasn't as dark as the comic but i am glad Warner decided to make this, and on top of that release it to theatres. It could open up the doors,because plenty of DC animated films deserve to be released in theatres, they are great, street a head of Marvel in my mind, make them around 90 minutes and release one or two a year, sure this was a Fathom event but baby steps, perhaps next is a legit wide release. It twas not on par with most of the animated Batman flicks but it is still a worthy entry in their library of animated films in general.

Stranger Things

I saw the trailer for this a month ago, figured, fuck, another show, meh i might watch the pilot, it will be another Hemlock Grove, i will like it but it will not hook me, well 24 hours after watching the pilot, i viewed the finale! It helps that it is only 8 episodes, to me that is perfect, too many shows are slow in the middle, they will have a great first 2 and great last 2 but with a boring batch in the middle, regardless if it is a 24, 16, 13 or 10 episode run. A lot of series are serialized now a days, which i love, i think it makes shows better, but even something like Lost(my favorite show of all time) or Breaking Bad(my second favorite) feel like series. This feels like a 6 hour film, to some you may say, ugh, 6 hours? It flies by, it is fast paced, well humored, well acted and full of 80's love. Imagine if Steven Spielberg had produced a film directed & scored by John Carpenter, that is Stranger Things! Had this been a film it would have starred Tom Atkins! So far this clocks in neck for neck with Mr. Robot as my favorite series of 2016, though Mr. Robot still has about 10 or so episodes left, so this could end up being number 2, but even so, it is a series i will watch again, i will gladly watch it again, i mean it would take 6 hours or so to watch all 8 episodes. So many times a Netflix show will hit and it will take me 2 or 3 weeks to finish, i i didn't want to do that here, these were not episodes, this was a film. A film of wonder, a film of celebrating their inspirations, a coming of age film filled with an amazing soundtrack. It doesn't play by the rules either, the protagonist doesn't always get the girl, characters don't cross paths just because they need to, it feels organic and real, even with such a fantastical element. This is E.T. meets the Poltergeist, and there are homages galore, and for a cinephile it is glorious, there are points where you expect them to do certain homages but they don't, which works for the shows advantage(the one i am thinking deals with an alien on a bike flying in the air). Horror movie posters, f/x talk on The Thing,  punk rock & new wave, Star Wars, and if you're into D&D, they have that covered to! Much like Wayward Pines i would like for this to be a single season series, but unlike Wayward, i think if it does get a second,  that it will succeed, cause it wont be a second season, it will be a sequel to a film!

Lights Out

Horror shorts alot of times are better than features, especially now a days. Too many feature scrape by the bare minimum and look cheap  & crappy, shorts you can put all your energy into a 20 film or less film and be super effective. The glorious aspect is turning shorts into features, i have attempted and failed, but Lights Out succeeds, the film feels like a short film(and i am not speaking of the run time) as it uses a small cast, few locations and it never really drags. It is a pretty creepy flick, and has pretty solid acting from all involved, the scares are mainly all jump scares that don't lead to danger but when it does it means something, it plays with your mind, much like it would if you thought you legit saw something in the dark. It could have gone the supernatural route but only walked that line, it could have been a slasher but only hinted at it, we got a decent hybrid with a David Fincher ending(if you have seen the film, you will know what Fincher flick i mean)

Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt

When i first saw the trailer for this i thought, meh, looks fun but no my cup of tea, then i kept reading how weird the show was, and how if i love Community I would love this too. Well i am not in love with it but it is indeed a bonkers & fun series, like super super fun, and even more bonkers(but not as fun & bonkers as Community) . Take a premise like Blast From the Past, add in a kidnapping, a cult, and you have this. The first season was awesome, the second was spotty, but everyone, EVERYONE, does an amazing job, even guest actors. This doesn't exist on a plane of reality, it is a fictional Simpsons esque world but live action.

Star Trek Franchise Ranked

This is easily the biggest list thus far, the amount of films in the Star  Trek series is huge! 37 years strong and still amazing!

1. The Wrath of Khan
The mood changed in this film, it was darker than the series and the Motion Picture. THe stakes are high, and the acting sells it. Not only is Ricardo Montalban amazing in the role of Khan but William Shatner delivers his best performance ever! This is a product that needed previous films, not Trek, but Sci Fi in general, without Empire Strikes Back, this film may not have been as awesome, they may have watered it down.

2. Star Trek 2009
This is how you do a reboot, time travel, change lime lines, adjust, start a new! To me every actor represented the characters perfectly except for Uhura ,not saying Zoe Saldana isn't good in the role, just the character doesn't seem like the original, but oh well, Karl Urban steals the show for sure as Bones!

3. The Voyage Home
This one felt like an episode of the series to me, being on Earth, saving Whales, it fits perfectly for a viewing now a days.

4. The Undiscovered Country
To me this was a perfect send off film, a great swan song!

5. Beyond
This was a love letter to Trek, to Leonard Nimoy and was one of the funnest in the franchise. A lot say it looked too bro, fuck that, this was a fun ass summer blockbuster. Many complained about the choice of Justin Lin, to me after seeing it, he was a great choice. he handles action great!

6. The Motion Picture
Is it slow? Yes, but i find it to be oddly inspired by 2001 and they attempted to make a smart sci fi film, and at the core, that is what Trek is,, smart yet simple.

7. THe Search for Spock
Was the end of the second film a cop out? No, it wasn't, they teased it at the end, today it would have been a stinger. Sure a lot of the film is cheesy but i dig it.

8. First Contact
Easily the best of the Next Generation films!

9.  The Final Frontier
Is it the most hated? By many it is, it isn't a good film if you dissect it, but it has its charm.

10. Generations
The swan song from The Undiscovered Country was a lead in to this changing of the guard film, the first Trek i saw in theatres.

11. Insurrection
SO many hate this film, but i think it had some great action sequences.

12. Nemesis
I loathed this film the first time i saw it, then about 3 years ago i stumbled across it on tv, gave is a shot and dug it, it was about 12 years between viewings.

13. Into Darkness
I dug it when i first saw it, but ugh....this film has a terrible pace, plus just flat out admit it is Khan, don't hide it, insult your audience that way.

Ghostbuster(2016) AKA Stop Hating on Remakes

So here it is, the film that many of us have been bashing for a couple years, for some it was a bitter old remakes are awful cars, others used the feminism is wrong scenario, for me the trailer looked awful and unfunny, in fact the humor felt forced and un organic like in the originals. You know what, i was partially correct, alot of the jokes fall flat, atleast in the first part, but i will say this, Kristen Wiig eases into the Venkman esque character, starting off rather square and becoming an awkward flirt and doesn't force it, Mellisa McCarthy is not annoying as shit as she usually is, Leslie Jones didn't get on my nerves like she did in the trailer, Kate McKinnon steals her scenes, and is a total babe, Chris Hemsworth is her only competition, the dude rocks it and has perfect comedic timing. The cameos were all awesome, the effects were well done, the story is fun, the film is fun, in fact it may be on par with the second one, which i like, i know many hate that aswell.

Speaking of the sequel, people think this remake is pissing on their childhood, just as many said the same thing after watching the second one, and also, how is ones childhood ruined, did the original mean that much? It meant alot to me, if i hated it, oh well, i still had the original, fuck the remake, but alas it was fun, alot of fun. Those that are against women in lead roles can fuck off, be more open minded, those that found the trailer unfunny, hey, so did I, guess what, i enjoyed it. Now i am not saying if you see it, you will like it, as i said a lot of the jokes fall flat, so that is a valid reason, but if you go into it wanting to hate it or bring up stupid reasons for hating it, maybe you are just bitter? Cause i notice alot that hate on remakes just to hate on them, when in fact, many remakes are pretty damn awesome! Sure most are not the Thing, the Fly or Invasion of the Body Snatchers(the three remakes to top the originals) but most aren't bad. Fuck, look at Dawn of the Dead, George Romero's is on my top 5 favorite films of all time, the remake is pretty kick ass, Halloween, sure it divides many but it is not bad(the sequel is but i respect the ambition), Hills Have Eyes had a kick ass remake, Friday the 13th is fun, hell Christopher Nolan's Batman trilogy is a reboot and brought us possibly the best comic film of all time. Sure we have crap like Nightmare on Elm ST and Day of the Dead but over all most remakes/reboots are not bad, so don't go into this holding that pussy on a pedestal, there isn't one, you still have the VHS or DVD of the first ones, watch them instead if you want, but don't ruin the fun others might have with this, cause most haters will hate it blindly.

Swiss Army Man

Wow, just wow, holy hell is this an amazing film, on paper it is a macabre Cast Away, and it is at times, but with more brains than said film, in the wrong hands it could have been a juvenile idea, but instead it has more hearth than any film this year. Paul Dano yet again delivers  a fantastic performance, Daniel Radcliffe again shows that he is not Harry Potter. The bond these two form is scary yet touching, Dano's characters past is sad yet not, it makes you think that our own lives aren't so terrible. The film shows the gems & treasures of life, whether it be bonds, conversation, dancing, Jurassic Park or just being free in nature. There is a whole world out there, explore it, don't be afraid to talk to someone, embrace being weird. This is easily on my top 5 of the year so far, this film is inspiring in life and for filmmakers everywhere, yet that is the sadness, that many of us haven't made a great film, and if we did, it would not be as great as this!

Mike & Dave Need Wedding Dates

This film is getting some horrid reviews and i don't get it, i found this to be hilarious. Funniest film since The Night Before in my opinion, Zac Efron once again steals the show, the dude ranks up there  with the Rock and Justin Timberlake as a charismatic entertainer that will steal scenes in and demand attention. Adam Devine does his usual Workaholics routine and it works here, Aubrey Plaza isn't her usual brooding character(a character i love, oh April Ludgate, you are perfection) but instead runs with her new role and gets a touchdown. Anna Kendrick(wow, i just LOVE both of these girls) is a quirky weird girl again but a slightly more trashy one, but trash you want to pick up and cherish. Yes the film is full of raunch but like most Rogen joints(yes i know he has nothing to do with it) raucnhy flicks have heart, and this film does. Alot of what Plaza says to Devine at the end hits home to me, and is kind of uplifting in a way. I laughed alot during this flick, i will watch this again and more than likely laugh again. Efron is the man, Plaza & Kendrick are my loves, the film was funny, so yeah, awesome flick, fuck the haters.

Match of June

http://www.wwe.com/shows/wwenxt/nxt-takeover-end-2016-06-08/article/shinsuke-nakamura-austin-aries

De Palma

De Palma is an interesting doc, as it doesn't follow anyone, it is a sit down with Brian De Palma and him discussing his career. He goes throught the low budget days of Murder a la Mod, Greetings, The Wedding Party, HI Mom & Get to Know Your Rabbit, his auteur days with Sisters, Phantom of the Paradise, Obsession, Carrie, The Fury, Home Movies & Dressed to Kill. He goes into troubles with budgets, locations, screen writers, rating boards, PC groups & studios with Blow Out, Scarface, Mission Impossible,  and everything in between. He is super likable, a tad self sure but modest about his films detractors. He goes into relationships with George Lucas, Steven Spielberg, Francis Ford Coppola, Martin Scorsese, Robert De Niro, David Koepp & Bernard Herrmann. It is great for aspiring film makers to see, as it gives us hope, fuck being liked, do your own thing. He knows his stuff, his love of Alfred Hitchcock is amazing, his thoughts on Scarface's hip hop influence is funny & the stories he tells about the making of films, especially Sean Penn & De Niro(Casualties of War & Untouchables respectively)  are interesting. Studios will interfere, critics will hate, box office will be poor, actors will give shitty performances, but keep on trucking.