Thor: The Dark World (2013)

So it's pretty crazy that four years ago this was one of the first movies I ever reviewed. Nice to come back to it, so here we go with the new PoC format for reviews! Please note, I'm writing these as if I had just seen the movies.

T   H   O   R

THE DARK WORLD

                  Thor: The Dark World brings Chris Hemsworth back into the Marvel Cinematic Universe with an even bigger boom than its predecessor. Picking up off of where The Avengers left off, we get to see what Thor has been up to since New York. He's been cleaning up the Nine Realms and establishing himself as a good king after his father Odin passes.
                  Meanwhile, darkness is a-brewing. Malekith is a Dark Elf who wants to return to a time

where there was absolutely no light, and to do so, he needs the Aether (aka the Reality Stone). And coincidentally, it inhabits Jane Foster's body. So Thor needs to get the Aether out of Jane's body and beat Malekith, all while making sure the Nine Realms don't fall into complete darkness.
                  One of the most interesting aspects of this movie is the role of the supporting characters. They're not there simply to smile and wave and cower in fear until the hero does his job. They each have something they can do to contribute to saving the Nine Realms, and they join Team Thor. Their roster: Dr. Erik Selvig (who has continued down a scientific path making him seem like an absolute lunatic), Darcy (who is still Jane's intern, but now has her own intern), Loki (who's been locked up for the past year thanks to his actions in The Avengers), Sif and the Asgard crew, and Heimdall.
                  Jane, after foolishly touching the Aether thanks to a dimensional rift caused by "The Convergence" of the Nine Realms, is brought back to Asgard by Thor in order to figure out why Heimdall couldn't see her, because Thor wanted to do his daily stalker check up on his girlfriend. The

Asgardians can do nothing about the Aether, and before much more can be said about that, Malekith attacks and Odin's wife protects Jane until the death. Jane is taken away, and Thor decides to go after Malekith with the help of Loki.
                  While they're getting out of Asgard, Loki thinks it's a good idea to shape-shift into some of Thor's friends, including Captain America!
                  It's a nice touch of humor before the big brawling action goes down. With Loki's help and sacrifice, Thor gets Jane back, but the Aether is set free and in the hands of Malekith. So Thor and Jane go back to Earth and find Selvig and Darcy, and devise a strategy that can use the power of the Convergence to their advantage.
                  They figure out that the epicenter for the entire thing is in Washington, D.C., and go there to prepare for Malekith's arrival. Thor confronts the Dark Elf, and after a rather eventful brawl, the Convergence passes with Avenger-esque destruction, and Malekith is defeated.
                  Thor returns to Asgard to notify his father that Loki died in their battle against Malekith, and to also say that he does not want the throne, saying "I'd rather be a good man than a great king." Understanding that Thor will not take the throne no matter what, Odin says he cannot give his son a

blessing, but if he were proud of the man his son had become, "even that I could not say. Go."
                  Thor thanks Odin and leaves, and before the screen cuts out, Odin turns into Loki (or rather Loki turns back to himself) and says "No, thank you."



                  Leaving us on a thread only to be picked up by Thor: Ragnarok, Thor: The Dark World is a successful, witty, and entertaining continuation of the story Marvel Studios seeks to tell as they enter Phase Two of a plan we as viewers could only dream of.

Ratings:
Family Friendliness - 7.5/9 Realms (8/10) Marvel continues to deliver a fun and action-packed movie with minimal, if any, blood. There is a scene with Dr. Erik Selvig running around naked in a field, but it is pixelated out. Nonetheless, you can tell he is not properly clothed.
Storyline - 8.5/10 Dark Elves The story seems to feed a little off of The Avengers with the idea of an alien race seeking universal domination, although the characters involved are inspired by Norse mythology and of course Marvel comics. Not overly complicated, but not a mindless movie, The Dark World delivers an interesting story unique to its titular protagonist.
Story-Action Balance - 9/10 Thrones Despite all of the fighting and violence that breaks out due to Malekith's evil plan, there is a fair amount of story-driven screen time. The action that ensues is intense and gripping, but it isn't overkill to the point where you become desensitized to it. Any punch thrown is a meaningful one, and the duration of back-and-forth blows is appropriate.
Overall - 8.5/10 Hammers


Bibliography:
"Thor: The Dark World Thor and Jane" <http://wiproo.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/Thor-2-The-Dark-World-Official-Photo-Thor-and-Jane-Kiss-Asgard.jpg>
"Thor: The Dark World Captain America cameo" <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9oieI1UOEe4>
"Thor: The Dark World Malekith" <https://www.popoptiq.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/Thor-The-Dark-World-Malekith.jpg>
"Thor: The Dark World Loki in Odin's Throne" <http://24.media.tumblr.com/e7f70b6d9475512b86fc9b320fe5a807/tumblr_mvyoygYo5q1shrn3uo2_500.gif>

Wonder Woman

So far, the movies that DC has made haven't been able to deliver a really satisfying experience. The only ones worth noting are Man of Steel (until the neck snap) and this (until final boss battle). But luckily for you, DCEU fans, Wonder Woman has saved your cinematic universe. Let's just hope they can keep the trend going.

W O N D E R   W O M A N

                  I will admit, this was a very cool movie. There were lots of laughs and plenty of action sequences that are sure to make you raise your eyebrows. It was an overall great film.

                  It starts out with Diana's narration of her story: "I used to want to save the world". But that

all changed because, y'know, war. But anyway, we see her being raised from childhood to adulthood. She has this yearning to become a warrior of Themyscira, but her mother won't allow her to learn to fight because "she will never need it." Psych, cause not long after, Themyscira is discovered, and many warriors die.
                  As you can imagine, that pisses the queen off and she wants to kill the first dude that stepped foot onto her hidden island: Steve Trevor (Chris Pine). Isn't it interesting that Captain America and this dude are both named Steve and both played by dudes named Chris? Betcha didn't catch that one before. You're welcome.
                  Using the Lasso of Truth, the queen finds out that Steve is an American spy assigned to British intelligence (not that she knows what that is). His job was simply to report back to HQ on the Germans' progress behind their mask of wanting an armistice. Turns out that Germany is really trying to create a new type of gas that will render gas masks ineffective, under the direction of a scientist simply known as "Doctor Poison."

                   Doctor Poison is very close to cracking the code to her new super weapon, but she keeps falling short. And when Diana hears about this doctor, who works for General Ludendorff, she believes that Ludendorff is Ares, the God of War. Because who else would initiate a World War, said to be "the War to end all wars?" That's Ares' ultimate goal: for mankind to destroy themselves.
                   So Diana sets out with Steve to find Ares and kill him. Along the way, unnecessary characters are met, beautiful scenery is shown off, and Diana learns about snow. For a DCEU film, this was by far the best, and honestly saved the dying DCEU. I'd recommend seeing it, but don't expect an Avengers level type film, and you will surely be impressed.

W O N D E R   W O M A N

Ratings:

Family Friendliness - 8/10 Bracelets I was very surprised. Aside from the trench warfare and disturbing gas sequences, Wonder Woman was not as dark as its Man of Steel stand-alone counterpart. It was very much lighthearted, with Diana being oblivious to a great many things, and the characters having to help her along as she sort of stumbles through London. But once she hits the battlefield, that's where she really shines.

Story Action Balance - 8/10 Swords The movie is very story driven, much unlike Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice, which was just trying to justify its pitting together two titans of the DC Universe and having them basically sissy fight. That was not the case for this film. Story and characters drove this home. The only thing I'd change is the final battle sequence, where Diana faces Ares. That kind of got out of hand, but other than that, Wonder Woman was a very enjoyable movie experience.
Acting - 7/10 Shields Gal Gadot delivers a stellar performance, and so does Chris Pine! I mean, with an all-star cast, what else can you expect? Characters, although they drove the story like I said in the previous rating, were kind of dry. It seems like not a lot of effort was put into them. Diana and Steve were the centerpieces of the film, which is understandable, but I would have liked some more interaction and development of supporting characters. Because let's be honest, we all love a funny comedic relief, right? And it seems like everyone was that besides Ares.
Story line - 7/10 Tiaras Basic, but dependable, Wonder Woman's story was an origin, and one following very closely to the comics. I was real happy about that aspect. What brought this rating down was Diana's consistent urge to be in a battle and just kill Ares, which kind of got annoying.
Overall - 7.5/10 Stars  I stuck to the math on this one because I wholeheartedly agree with it. DC definitely stepped up their game, but they need to keep doing this type of work, and better, if they want to have a successful cinematic universe.


Bibliography:
"Wonder Woman Trailer" <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Q8fG0TtVAY>
"Wonder Woman Steve Trevor" <http://media.comicbook.com/2017/06/wonder-woman-steve-trevor-1001688-1280x0.png>
"Wonder Woman Fight Scene" <http://www.anenglishmaninsandiego.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/WWfight.png>

Star Wars: Battlefront II Trailer

Yoo, there's so many good video games coming out this year. I really wanna pre-order this one, "Middle-Earth: Shadow of War", and "Call of Duty: World War II". Just shut up and take my money.

S  T  A  R    W  A  R  S

B  A  T  T  L  E  F  R  O  N  T     I  I

                  I really enjoyed the first game, I'm not sure about you guys. The only thing I didn't really like was the overheating system with all of the weapons, and how I couldn't go prone. Maybe that's just the Battlefield player in me.
                  But seeing this new trailer just had me like "whoa." I didn't even freak or anything, I just sat on my bed in absolute awe because... it was like a remastered version of the Playstation 2 or Xbox 360 Battlefront II, and man. The only thing I could think was, "I need this." You best believe I'm about to be pre-ordering this game as soon as I pre-order Middle-Earth: Shadow of War.
                  Alright, first thing's first. The engine footage was phenomenal. And gee, it really hit me that you can literally play across all eras with the most iconic characters of the entire freaking Star Wars universe!
                  And I also like that they're taking the perspective of the Empire's soldiers after the Death Star is destroyed. It doesn't exactly follow the original Battlefront II story, which was also cool, but it's still the view from those who are loyal to the bad guys and just want to follow their orders.
                  I think you're really going to be able to feel the impact of the Death Star's destruction and the devastation that everyone under the Empire felt. It'll be a really interesting take, and I'm sure gonna be routing for the bad guys this time around. I mean, who won't be?
                  Then... THE MILLENNIUM FALCON!!! Then space! Then Luke! Don't tell me you're not hyped because if you say so you are lying. Just stop lying to yourself, because this is going to be one sick game. But please developers, let us have actual rounds and let us go prone!
                  I'm so excited to play across all the eras. I really want to play in The Force Awakens era as like Rey or Finn or something. It's gonna be sick.



Bibliography:
"Star Wars: Battlefront II Trailer" <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DDzmjP6-1Zo>
"Star Wars: Battlefront II Millennium Falcon" <http://assets1.ignimgs.com/2017/04/15/swbfii-reveal-screenshot-2-1492279586547_1280w.png>
"Star Wars: Battlefront II Wallpaper" <https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/2/23/SWBF2_box.jpeg/250px-SWBF2_box.jpeg>

Star Wars: The Last Jedi Teaser

S T A R  W A R S :
T H E  L A S T  J E D I

                  Wow, I dunno about you all but I did not see any of this coming. Well, take that back, I saw Rey getting trained by Luke coming from a mile away, but the rest of the trailer was a lot darker than The Force Awakens.

                  I'm curious as to how the Jedi are going to end and what that means for the rest of the series, since I heard that there's potential for another trilogy after this one. Now, the Jedi in terms of them being the guardians of the galaxy won't cease to exist, but I wonder if Luke is referring to a rebirth of that identity, just under a new name.

                  Now since this is a teaser, there isn't really much to go on in terms of plot. It's all just action sequences and really cool and overly dramatic voice overs. But the other thing I'm curious about is the scene with Kylo Ren's broken helmet. Is that because of a battle sequence or because he got pissed and had another tantrum or did his master get mad at him?

                  I guess we'll all have to wait until the actual trailer to see anything more, but I'll drop an interview video with Daisy and Mark down below. Enjoy!

Bibliography:

"Star Wars: The Last Jedi Trailer" <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gn0WzX3OcAU>

"Daisy Ridley Interview Star Wars: Episode VIII" <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wJlGkptRfVg>

"Mark Hamill Interview Star Wars: Episode VIII" <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q7OH7bBoEC4>

Spider-Man: Homecoming Trailer

Alright folks, this is Trailer 2 for PoC to review! I am so stoked.

S P I D E R - M A N:

H  O  M  E  C  O  M  I  N  G

TRAILER

                  Alright, I'm not sure if y'all are aware, but I am a huge Spider-Man fanatic. Something for the ladies to know, if you just wanna see me blabbing and geeking out, ask me anything about Spider-Man and I will go on an hour rant. I promise you.

                  But we're not here to talk about me, we're here to talk about Tom! First off, I love the fact that Marvel has really shown him to be such a nerd, but one that hints at a struggle to balance being a kid and a hero. And this is kinda like "Spider-Man: Year One", which I really like. DO NOT

GET ME WRONG, I absolutely loved the original Spider-Man Trilogy, Tobey Maguire was my childhood. The Amazing Spider-Man series was phenomenal. Even though Andrew Garfield was kind of a stretch for me at first, he ended up being one of my favorite actors. And I think the same can go for Tom. I'm giving him a chance, and I can't wait to see what they're gonna do with him!

                  First thing we see is Peter running into a back alley and whipping out the suit. And oh my goodness, if you didn't like the whole loose-to-fitting suit feature, just stop reading because that was so freaking cool. I think everyone can agree (especially cosplayers) that that's something that Spidey has needed. It's such a tight suit! So he just keeps it under, but this is cool because it's strip, throw on,

fit button, BOOM, Spider-Man.

                  Next thing is a swinging sequence. I've always loved every single swing sequence we've ever been shown, and this is no different. Spider-Man's agility, seamless swinging, and even his funny character is shown in the next few seconds. I guess what I woulda liked more is the realism of the actual swinging.

                  Not sure if you are completely aware of this, but in The Amazing Spider-Man 2, the first time we see Spidey in his new suit, his swinging seems to be heavily rooted in physics. His angel dives give him his momentum to swing far and to swing high. There was even a camera that showed his perspective of the swinging, and every time he came to the bottom of the web, there was a slight lurch. WHICH IS TOTALLY ACCURATE. If you think about it, that lurch would dislocate any regular human shoulder because of the G-Force, but since Spider-Man is enhanced, there's still the lurch, but he can handle it.

                  In this trailer, I didn't see any realism in the swinging motions. Nonetheless, the sequences are cool.

                  Thirdly, we see Peter and Tony together, and Peter is wondering about how he's going to

play a role as an Avenger. Which is pretty cool, but he seems eager to join the team. In the comics, Peter has been eager to join teams before, but in the end, he's always ended up solo because he believes that's the best way he can operate. Even in the new comic series The Amazing Spider-Man (2017) he primarily works alone, even though he's got a giant corporation behind him. The company is simply there to back him.

                  Then Peter decides to be sneaky and climb on the ceiling of his room, which he obviously fails at, which is pretty funny. So he accidentally lets his buddy in on the secret that he's the Spider-Man. Cool!

                  "Can you summon an army of spiders?" Man, I'm telling you, I'm gonna love this kid. He's gonna be so funny. But also, he's going to be a good support for Spider-Man in his times of need. Which I think every hero needs. Think about Tony and Rhodes! They've got it good.

                  "I stole his shield" was probably one of the coolest scenes they showed. Cuz yeah, this movie doesn't take place too long after Civil War. So he's still proud of that.

                  Alright, I geeked out too much, but now we see Vulture. And oh my god, I didn't believe in Michael Keaton, but he is gonna be a hella good villain. And the Vulture suit just looks scary in general. It's dark green, he's got freaking talons, and he's got crazy tech that blows everything up.
                  All in all, I am very impressed with this new trailer and I can't wait for the film.

S P I D E R - M A N:

H  O  M  E  C  O  M  I  N  G

Arrives in Theaters July 7, 2017

Bibliography:

"Spider-Man: Homecoming Trailer" <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BGHGZjDguqw>

"Spider-Man: Homecoming" <https://i0.wp.com/media2.slashfilm.com/slashfilm/wp/wp-content/images/spider-man-homecoming-trailer-34.jpg>

"Spider-Man: Homecoming" <http://cdn2us.denofgeek.com/sites/denofgeekus/files/2017/01/spider-man-homecoming.png>

"Spider-Man: Homecoming" <https://www.movie-list.com/img/posters/caps/spidermanhomecoming.jpg>

"Spider-Man: Homecoming Vulture" <https://m.elitestatic.com/m/54ad0d380f854d0e/spiderman-homecoming-trailer-16.jpg>

Justice League Trailer

I'm sure you guys are seeing this everywhere, and that's great! I just wanted to show it off a bit and then I'll do my own little review of it. I've decided that this blog is going to expand to trailers, posters, reviews, drawings, and anything that's cinema related because hey, it's all a piece of cake.

                  Alright, I'm not the biggest fan of the DCEU, but I have to admit that this trailer is pretty sick. I really enjoyed all of the different scenes, and so far, it looks like the movie is going to be exectured well. Hopefully Zack Snyder doesn't mess it up like Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice.

                  Okay, the first thing that struck me was that the beginning of the trailer is set in a very similar region like that of Batman Begins. Now maybe that's a coincidence, but c'mon, you can't tell me that the icebergs and everything don't remind you of Christian Bale's first climb to meet Ra's al Ghul. Alright, so Bruce Wayne gives some voice-over about a threat coming to Earth, to which Diana

responds that it's already here.

                  I'd like to know how Bruce Wayne is even aware that a threat is coming from off-world. Now, granted, he's rich and he's probably got a secret satellite floating up in space, but that's something I'd like explained.

                  Okay, next thing that comes up that I think is worth a mention is the little box that morphs into a sort of Blue Beetle/robot bug looking thing that is obviously bad. I don't know much about DC, but based off of what people have been saying, I guess it's some minion of Steppenwolf? Don't kill me DC Fan boys.

                  Up next! We have Aquaman, who I must admit looks like an absolute boss. His costume I think was done very well in the sense that Zack Snyder tried to modernize it. The trident is something I wouldn't want to be on the other side of.

                  Cyborg! I dunno, I'm used to the Teen Titans version of Cyborg, so I'm not really digging

the whole skinny Cyborg look, but I like how he's still got the one red eye and that his mechanical figure is definitely a force to be reckoned with.

                  Now, the Flash is probably going to be my favorite character in this film. He's quirky, fast, and weird. Kinda like me. But I like that he's going to be sorta the comic relief in the movie. He's basically everyone's kid. Annoying, but they keep him around. The suit looks stunning, and I really like what they are doing with his zooming and how there's a blue electric aura around him whenever he goes super speedy-like.

                  Alright, next up: Diana's next line in the voice-over. "They said the age of heroes would never come again." Who's "they?" Cuz last I checked, everyone likes a hero. I guess it's just one of those catchy and cool lines that every movie tries to throw in to make it more appealing, y'know?

Probably just to give it an epic feel. If that's it, I dig it.

                  "Justice For All" are the captions we get, which... I guess. But it doesn't seem to pertain to anything. Another epic buff most likely.

                  I think my favorite part of this whole trailer was the dialogue between Barry and Bruce: "So what are your superpowers again?" "I'm rich." Haha, basically. It's good that DC can make fun of themselves a little bit.

                  Right after that, the remix of "Come Together" didn't really click with me. If they had left it with the original version, it probably wouldn't have fit the trailer, but I still didn't like the new singer and heavier chords. It's just not right, and as an 70s and 80s fanatic, that kinda turned me off.

                  But the trailer saves itself by showing A LOT OF ACTION. Oh my gosh, this is definitely going to be a jam-packed movie. I just hope they don't overstuff it like they did BvS, that was just too much. I want a lot of punching, cool one-liners, and stunning visual effects, which is what Zack Snyder seems he's going to be delivering.

                  Overall, I was very impressed with the trailer, and I can't wait to see what they're going to do in the three hour frame they're formatting the movie in.

Bibliography:

"Justice League Trailer" <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OiAmnKUaNmc>

"Justice League Batman" <http://www.newsarama.com/images/i/000/194/215/i02/Batman_JL.jpg>

"Justice League Movie Wonder Woman" <http://cdn1.themovienetwork.com/sites/themovienetwork.com/files/justice-league-movie-image-wonder-woman-600x311.jpeg>

Jjustice League 2017 Trailer Flash" <http://cdn3-www.comingsoon.net/assets/uploads/gallery/justice-league-teaser-trailer-screenshots/screen-shot-2016-07-23-at-4-43-51-pm.png>

Logan

Alright folks, this is my first post under the name "Piece of Cake"! The revolution is happening...

L    O    G    A    N

                  The movie begins with Logan in the back of a limousine sleeping. There's a banging on the vehicle and he stumbles out, apparently drunk. This is actually the first time we ever see James Logan Howlett drunk. There's three young men that are trying to take off the chrome plating from his tires. He tells them that they're not going to be able to get the chrome plating, so they shoot him. He

gets back up and then they start beating him up, but he just gets to slicing and dicing.

                  This is also the first time (of many) that we see blood flying and skin being ripped open. It's a pretty graphic scene, and afterwards, Logan drives to the hospital and picks up some medication. It's not for him, though. Oh, BTW, there's a dude with a robotic hand just creepily watch Logan pick up the medication. We see that he drives somewhere near the El Paso/Mexico border, where Charles Xavier and Caliban are camping out.

                  Logan walks into the rusted shack that Caliban and he stay in, and Caliban says "It's your turn", handing Logan the medication for Charles. So Logan goes over to a fallen and rusted water tower and gives Charles his medication. There's a slight complication, though. Charles has a seizure that emits powerful brain waves that can paralyze and eventually kill anyone not of a strong mind. Therefore, mutants not like Logan and humans can die pretty easily.

                  These seizures happen because Charles suffers from Alzheimer's Disease. However, that doesn't mean that his powers are completely taken away. He can still reach out with his mind, but it's just more under control so that he doesn't kill everyone. Later on in the film, we learn that the first seizure Charles had killed seven of his students at the X-Mansion. It's known as the Westchester Incident. From then on, Charles's mind has been deemed a Weapon of Mass Destruction by the President of the United States.
                  Still however, Charles is talking about the Statue of Liberty and saying that people are waiting for him. But the Statue of Liberty fight against Magneto was close to thirty years prior to this film. But wait, what I didn't tell you is that as Logan goes around getting money as a Limo driver, he meets a woman at a cemetery who is begging him for help. "Only you can help me," she says.
                  So this comes up later because the man who had the robot arm (Donald Pierce is his name) is looking for that same woman. But he says that she has something that belongs to him. This turns out to be X-23, also called Laura. She is a clone of Wolverine made by a company called Transigen. Laura's only 11 years old, but she's an absolute animal.
                  The gist is that Laura, Logan, and Charles embark on a journey to North Dakota towards a place called "Eden" that is rumored about in X-Men comics. It's supposed to be a safe haven for the remaining mutants in the world, which, as far as we know, is down to four: Logan, Laura, Charles, and Caliban. But that number suddenly increases when we find out that Transigen has not only been working on a Wolverine clone, but they've been working on cloning the other X-Men, and even Magneto, in order to create an army. Isn't that always the case nowadays?
                  And we also find out that all of the other mutants are dead because of, you guessed it, Transigen. The head scientist who oversaw the creation of X-23 was also the one who isolated the X-Gene in mutants. By isolating it, he was able to create a formula that could kill that gene. He implemented it into things like corn syrup, therefore distributing it all over the world and stripping

mutants of their powers. As a result, there hasn't been a mutant birth in over five or six years.
                  I'm not going to tell you what exactly happens, but just know that this is the wildest ride we've ever been on with Hugh Jackman as the Wolverine. It's the most human we've ever seen him, and the most we've ever seen him invested into someone. And he's willing to lay down his life for Laura in the end. It's definitely a tear jerking, funny, brutal, and heartwarming story that you will never forget. Thanks Hugh, it's been one helluva ride.

Bibliography:

"Logan Tribute to Hugh Jackman" <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wlWUn9I_KQA>

"Logan Movie" <https://c.slashgear.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/Screen-Shot-2016-10-20-at-9.36.11-AM.png>

"Logan Movie" <https://i.ytimg.com/vi/HhFP0V6n7aY/maxresdefault.jpg>

"Logan Movie Wallpaper" <http://rcysl.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Logan-2017-Wallpapers-Great-Collection.jpg>

"Logan Movie X-23" <http://cdn1.thr.com/sites/default/files/imagecache/scale_crop_768_433/2017/03/logan_2017_22-h_2017.jpg>

Logan

(NON-SPOILER REVIEW) Y'know, walking out of the theater, I realized that Hugh Jackman has been portraying the character of Wolverine for as long as I've been alive. A character that I grew up with has passed on to a place that  I cannot go. That really hit home for me. And I'm sure it will hit you, too.

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                  Hugh Jackman wields the claws for the last time in the most touching and intense journey that we have seen yet. He is caring for a sick and dying Charles Xavier with Caliban as he himself is slowly dying. The fact that he's constantly getting shot at doesn't help at all. Logan drives a limousine in El Paso, Texas. The year is 2029 and, as stated in the Logan trailers, mutants are gone. And we never really know what happened to them.

                  Through the limo business, he's hoping to leave the US and go to Canada, where it's safe for them. As it is, many people believe that all the mutants are dead. They've most likely heard stories, but since they're not as often seen, they're almost like an urban legend.

                  Donald Pierce comes to Logan asking about a woman by the name of Gabriella. He wants her daughter and will stop at nothing to get Laura (aka X-23). This launches Logan, Laura, and Charles onto a cross country journey on the way to North Dakota. Their challenges never stop however, and Logan and Charles are pushed beyond their limits in Hugh Jackman and Patrick Stewart's last times in their iconic characters' shoes.

Ratings:

Family Friendliness: 1/10 NOT, I repeat NOT, for anyone below the age of 13. It has extreme blood, gore, and plenty of cursing. I mean, all of it works nicely to bring a more human element to Hugh Jackman's character, but you'll definitely want to fasten your seatbelts for all of the intense sequences of violence.

Story-line: 9.5/10 You will be on the edge of your seat, biting your nails, bawling your eyes out, and laughing along as we see Logan come the closest he's ever been to having a family since X-Men Origins: Wolverine.

Story-Action Balance: 8/10 I was very impressed with how there was actually a story to carry Logan from the borderland of El Paso to the edge of North Dakota and even into Canada. At almost every moment where there was blood shed, there was a good reason for it. The gore wasn't thrown in simply to give us a "HELL YEAH" moment when Logan got slicing and dicing, although there were plenty of moments like that. The blood was show how Logan's life has been full of killing, and he's had to live with that for almost 200 years. And really, it's sad when you think about it.

Acting: 8/10 As always, Hugh Jackman and Patrick Stewart put on stellar performances. I can't think of a better way for them to end their almost two decade long careers as X-Men.

Intensity: 9/10 UNREAL. I almost peed my pants quite honestly.

Re-watch Probability: 9/10 I don't care if I will cry every single time I watch this movie. I'm going to watch it over and over again until I'm sick of it (which is most likely impossible) and I will KEEP WATCHING IT.

Overall: 9/10 The actual ratings would come out to 7, but who cares about math, right? Hugh Jackman gave us all the Wolverine we deserved and I am happy that he played the part so well. You had a good run Hugh. I enjoyed every second of your films and I'm sad to see you lay the claws down. But you laid them down in the best way Logan knew how: with a brutal but victorious fight. I can't wait to see you in future films, and I'll be with ya till the end of the line.

Bibliography:

"Logan Trailer" <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Div0iP65aZo>

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (In-Depth)

Alright, so this is the in-depth edition of the movie. Enjoy!

WARNING! SPOILERS AHEAD!

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A    S T A R    W A R S    S T O R Y

                  Jyn Erso is the daughter of Galen Erso, an engineer of the Death Star. The film begins with Jyn as a child. She's running towards her home, and an Imperial Aircraft is approaching the surface. Jyn gets home and packs up quick and light, and her mother does the same. Saw Gerrera

contacts Jyn's father, Galen, telling him to hide Jyn and her mom.

Jyn Erso

                 Jyn and her mom begin going to a bunker, but Jyn's mom tells her to continue on. Galen faces off with Director Orson Krennic, the lead director of the Death Star's construction, and Krennic tells Galen that he's gotta come back to finish the Death Star's plans. But before he can concede, his wife pops up and challenges Krennic. Krennic's Stormtroopers kill Galen's wife, and in the brush, Jyn watches it go down.

                 So she books it to the bunker and stays until Saw Gerrera comes to pick her up. Fast forward about ten or fifteen years and Jyn is in an Imperial camp. She's about to be transported in an Imperial truck when a gang of Rebels busts her out.

                 The Rebels are led by Cassion Andor and his Imperial turned Rebel droid, K-2SO. Cassion hears rumors about the Death Star, and is worried. After he busts Jyn out of her transport truck, he takes her back to the Rebel base, where they learn that Jyn actually has a significant role in helping the Rebellion against the Death Star.

                 The Rebels decide that they should go to see Saw Gerrera in order to find the location of

Galen Erso. If they find Galen, they can get the plans to the Death Star, and destroy it. However, the man at the head of the operations isn't interested in leaving Saw or Galen alive. He orders Cassion to kill both when he has the chance.

                 Elsewhere, there's an Imperial pilot deserter. He goes to see Saw to tell him about the Death Star with a message from Galen, but Saw isn't too sure. So he uses this giant eel thing that can read people's thoughts, and he finds out that the pilot was telling the truth.

Saw Gerrera

                 Almost immediately, Jyn and Cassion arrive. Saw's men take them into custody, and Jyn requests that she see Saw Gerrera. They take her to Saw, and Saw tells her that he got a message from Galen. They watch it together, and Galen reveals that he's put a weakness into the Death Star to allow the Rebellion to destroy it. However, it's so small that the Empire would never be able to find it in time.

                 The Death Star has been completed in the mean time, and the Emperor doesn't want a planet to be blown up yet, but in order to display its power, it flies on over to the planet where Saw is. They figure out that the deserter went there, and in order to take him and Saw Gerrara out, they're going to blow it up. They fire in the general area of that city, and while Jyn finishes the message from her father, the city begins to collapse.

                  Cassion busts out of the prison with K-2SO, the deserter pilot, Chirrut Îmwe, a blind man who's in touch with the Force, and his friend Baze Malbus. They get an Imperial ship and pick Jyn up, but Saw stays behind. As they fly away, the city is literally blown up right behind them, and the blast radius can be seen from space.
                  Now, the mission is to find Galen Erso. They fly to the planet where Galen is, and Cassion prepares to kill him. Jyn's plan is different: she wants to see him and find out exactly where the structural weakness is in the Death Star. When the crew lands, Cassion and the deserter go to scout

Galen Erso

the area, and they find a group of engineers preparing to meet an Imperial ship.
                  Galen is the head engineer, and he meets Krennic. Krennic wants to know who put the weakness into the Death Star, and Galen admits his fault. Before Galen can be killed, a Rebel bomber flies in and bombs the platform, killing most everyone on it. Krennic survives and escapes, while Galen slowly dies. Jyn rushes to her father's side.
                  "Stardust. I have so much to tell you."
                  Those are Galen's last words to Jyn, and 'Stardust' is pretty important, so please remember that, because that's the name of the Death Star plans. Jyn gets back to the ship and they escape, leaving to the Rebel base. There, a council is held to decide whether or not to pursue the Death Star plans. The unanimous decision is no.
                  That doesn't stop Jyn or Cassion, and they take the captured Imperial ship they flew in. Coming along is a small band of rebels, willing to die for the plans. The Rebel Tower asks them to identify who they are and their permissions to leave the base. The deserter gets on the comm and says

"Rogue. Rogue One."
                  They fly away, and they reach the Imperial base where all of their files are stored. They get in successfully, and Jyn and Cassion are able to make it into the file house. Things go a little nutty, but the important part is that the rebels got the plans. The cost was high, but just as the rebels are getting away, Darth Vader boards the ship. He freaking annihilates so many Rebels and just misses the ship that leaves carrying the plans and Princess Leia. So now you'll know why Darth Vader is so pissed at the rebels playing dumb as to where the plans are.

R    O    G    U    E      O    N    E:

A    S T A R    W A R S    S T O R Y

Bibliography: "Rogue One: Jyn Erso" <https://images.moviepilot.com/image/upload/c_fill,h_470,q_auto:good,w_620/re1igeovr2p4ulftkoif.jpg>

"Rogue One: Saw Gerrera" <https://pmcdeadline2.files.wordpress.com/2016/08/rogue-one-star-wars-saw-gerrera.jpg>
"Rogue One: Galen Erso" <http://screenrant.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/Rogue-One-A-Star-Wars-Story-Trailer-3-Galen-Erso-in-rain1.jpg>
"Rogue One: Darth Vader" <https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/sB_LW6ipPI14wBDPrH68Cg--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjtzbT0xO3c9NjEyO2g9MzA2/http://slingstone.zenfs.com/offnetwork/75c0d1502cb8ab8fd6e615c0aa560aaa>

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story

Well folks, it's been a bit, and I wasn't able to do my "PoC's Christmas" Special like I wanted to, but hey, we got a new Star Wars movie we can take a gander at. So enjoy! I'll do a non-spoilers edition, and then an in-depth edition.

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A    S T A R    W A R S    S T O R Y

                  Rogue One is a thrilling prequel to Star Wars: A New Hope, and is full of surprises that makes you wonder how the rebellion was able to pull of the feat that led to the destruction of the dreaded Death Star.

                   Jyn Erso is the daughter of one of the engineers of the Death Star, and is the key to finding those plans. She joins Cassian Andor, his former Empire droid turned Rebel K-2SO, Chirrut Îmwe, and Baze Malbus to lead an attack on the planet holding the Empire's files of all of their projects. Their raid is successful, but how it becomes so is a crazy adventure that you won't want to miss.

Ratings:

Family Friendliness: 6/10 Blasters  Now, of course, there isn't blood at all, but there is a lot of death. The Death Star's power is shown on an incredible scale, and only a fraction of it is used twice throughout the film. Both instances show massive destruction, and it's awful to see. You don't see the people die, but the implied amount of lives taken makes the Death Star all the more frightening.

Story-line: 9/10 Planets Everyone knows the gist of the story: the Rebellion attacks the Empire and gets the plans in a daring attempt to save the galaxy. Their effort is greatly rewarded, and the plans come at great cost. The story's execution is beautiful, and there are many references to A New Hope.

Story-Action Balance: 8/10 Droids  The story is kind of meant to be a sitting on the edge of your seat type, but there are little breaks that make the overall intensity of the film bearable. The droid K-2SO makes it pretty funny with his overwhelming amount of sarcasm.
Visuals: 9/10 AT-ATs  Spectacular visuals. The CGI in this film is incredible, and it all looks so crisp.
Overall: 8/10 Stars  The movie isn't better than The Force Awakens in my opinion, but it is definitely a movie worth the price of admission. I would highly recommend you going to see it.



Bibliography: "Rogue One: A Star Wars Story Trailer" <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=frdj1zb9sMY>

Doctor Strange

W A R N I N G ! ! ! SPOILERS AHEAD, READ AT YOUR OWN RISK

With that out of the way, onto the review!

D  O  C  T  O  R    S  T  R  A  N  G  E

                  Stephen Strange is a world-renowned surgeon who jams out to classic 70s and 80s music while performing extremely difficult procedures with ease. He's got the biggest ego you could possibly imagine, but he's brilliant. Right in the beginning of the movie, he performs an almost impossible surgical procedure in order to save the life of a man that was shot in the head. Yes, with a

bullet.

                  All of that changes however, when he gets into a devastating car accident. He's rushed to the ER and operated on, and when he wakes up, his hands are absolutely destroyed. They look terrible, and the doctor tells him that his hands' nerves are too badly severed. Therefore, he can never operate again. His hands are constantly shaking, and there's nothing he can do about it.

                  Naturally, he wants to fix himself. So he starts doing research. He finds out about theoretical procedures that could cure the nerve damage in his hands. He squanders his wealth on seven of those different experimental procedures; and they all fail. Then, he finds one man that tells him about someone called "The Ancient One." This person can fix him, Strange is told. So, using the last amount of money he has, he takes a plane to Nepal and finds the Ancient One.

                  When he finds the Ancient One, she tells him that she can teach his soul how to find harmony and balance, therefore healing his body. Strange is outraged by this fairy-tale and demands that she operate on him, when she casts his astral form out of his body. He still doesn't believe, and then the Ancient One sends him on a wild and brilliant journey of cinematic effects. They are definitely worth the 3D Ticket price.

                 He is launched out from those different dimensions and lands on the floor at the Ancient One's feet and says, "Teach me."

                 So his training begins, and his incantations are perfect, he is a brilliant book worm and will read books for hours, poring over their information. He learns the spells word perfect, gets the hand motions down, but nothing ever happens. To fix that, the Ancient One takes him to Mount Everest

and tells him to build himself a portal back to the Sanctum (Temple in Nepal where the Ancient One resides). Within two minutes, he does it. Otherwise, his body would have gone into shock, and he would have died within an additional five minutes from hypothermia.

                 One day, as he's in the library, he looks at a specific book that you will be able to quickly identify because of the beginning minutes of the movie. It's a good ride, so I won't spoil that for you. But basically he's looking at it, and then uses the Eye of Agamotto to manipulate time. He tests that power on the apple he's eating.

                For those that don't know, the Eye of Agamotto is a magical relic, created by Agamotto, the First Sorcerer Supreme of Earth, if my knowledge is correct. And yes, the theories are true, it is indeed the Time Stone. Whether or not it is the Time Stone itself is still a mystery, though.
               Strange goes on reading the book, and then he comes across the name "Dormammu." Wong, the Librarian, and Mordo, the Sorcerer Supreme's best student, bust into the library and freak out.

They tell him to never utter that name again and that Dormammu is no power to trifle with.
From there, the action picks up as Kaecilius, a former student of The Ancient One that stole some pages from a book at the beginning of the movie, starts attacking the different sanctums of the world.
                The Sanctums, as Wong and Mordo explain, are the three magical places that place a barrier over the Earth to keep Dormammu and other evil entities out. So while the Avengers fight aliens, the Sorcerers fight battles within the mystical realm.
                Eventually, Kaecilius storms all three (New York, Hong Kong, and London) and Dormammu begins his descent in Hong Kong. Strange, bearing the Eye of Agamotto and the Cloak of Levitation, reverses time so that the collateral damage can be minimized. But before he can complete the spell, Kaecilius and his goons break from it and start causing trouble. So what Strange

does is he goes up into the Dark Dimension and finds Dormammu.
              If you haven't already seen the memes, this is where Strange says multiple times: "Dormammu, I've come to bargain." After Strange dies about 80 or so times, Dormammu gets pissed and finally agrees to leave Earth alone if he can get out of the time loop.
So yeah, that's basically the film. Make sure you stay for the after credits, though. They set up "Thor: Ragnarok" and the second "Doctor Strange" films.

D  O  C  T  O  R    S  T  R  A  N  G  E

Ratings:

Family Friendliness: 9/10 Sanctums There wasn't much in this movie to really point out that would be really worthy of noting. I mean, there's violence obviously, and then there's a lot of graphic injuries especially in the beginning when Strange is all screwed up because of the car crash. There's minimal swearing, and overall, it's a pretty fun movie.
Story-line: 7/10 Magic Books Overall, it's the typical story. This guy has got an issue and a big ego, wants to fix the problem, then ends up becoming a great hero that saves all of humanity. But the fact that it's magic makes it amazing. 
Story-Action Balance: 8/10 Spells There was a nice balance between the actual plot and then the action that ensues as a result of the story is nicely played out. The visuals are stunning, and I'll even give those visuals a rating below.
Visuals: 9/10 Sorcerers Nuff said, just watch it.
Comic Accuracy: 8/10 The origin story is spot on, except for the fact that the Ancient One was not a woman, Mordo was originally a bad guy already when Strange came along, and that Strange did not face Dormammu until he was about 10 years into his training. But then again, Marvel can't cover ten years of training in about two and a half hours. Other than that, swell movie!
Overall: 8/10 SEE IT



Bibliography: "Doctor Strange Trailer" <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kNdM7b1Lm04>
"Doctor Strange" <http://www.twincities.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/doctorstrangereview.jpg>
"Doctor Strange: The Ancient One" <http://cdn.collider.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/doctor-strange-tilda-swinton.jpg>
"Doctor Strange: Mordo" <http://screenrant.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/Doctor-Strange-Movie-Mordo-and-Strange-Banner.jpg>
"Doctor Strange: Kaecilius" <https://typeset-beta.imgix.net/rehost/2016/9/22/b9a22007-da46-4913-89c7-eff981e66f85.jpg>
"Doctor Strange: Dormammu" <https://images.moviepilot.com/images/c_limit,q_auto,w_710/deiyyyc5akea97zypabu/doctor-strange-challenges-dormammu-credit-disney.jpg>