Two months from the day of this writing, Avengers: Endgame will be released at theaters, and you can bet your comic book collections that I will be attending the midnight premiere of it.  Even though the Marvel Cinematic Universe will continue to introduce new superhero movie franchises for years to come, the story arc that began a little over a decade ago with Iron Man will come to end in, well, Endgame.  And as I ride on the hype train for the next two months, I'm going to be watching all 20 of the films Marvel Studios has produced thus far, sharing my quick thoughts on each one.  Without further ado, here are the original six films that started it all:

Iron Man--This movie, when it was being made, should not have turned out half as good as it is, and it still remains one of Marvel's best films.  The characters are funny and charming.  The film finds a nice balance between humor and drama, and the story about redemption and transformation is wonderfully told.  Not a bad way to start a movie marathon.

The Incredible Hulk--Well it's not 2003's Hulk film, so it's got that going for it.  But I do like the monster movie vibe of this film, and it's always fun to see the grumpy green Goliath smash up whatever is in his path.  It's enjoyable, but doesn't have the same charm or the memorable characters of other films on this list. 

Iron Man 2--This film has more suits, more one liners, more villains, more plot lines, more characters, and more references to the universe at large.  If this sounds like the movie is overstuffed, you would be right.  But it also means there's more Iron Man, and that's not necessarily a bad thing.

Thor--Great date movie, as no woman can resist staring at Chris Hemsworth, and the guy can enjoy the spectacle of a Thor comic book come to life. And Natalie Portman's not bad either. 

Captain America: The First Avenger--This is my personal favorite of the bunch.  I love the WWII aesthetic of the film, and the characters are well-written and likable.  It's not only a great superhero movie, showcasing why one of Marvel's oldest characters remains one of their most beloved, but it's a great tribute to comic books and the hope and inspiration they've given readers since the 1940's.

The Avengers--One word: marvelous. 'Nuff said.

The holiday season is a great time to catch up on movies you've missed, and I watched quite a few during the break, both those on DVD and in theaters.  Here are the ones I've seen and my quick thoughts on them.

Venom—Don’t be fooled by the title of the film.  It’s not about the comic book villain.  It’s actually referring to how your body will react while watching this piece of garbage as if you were injected by actual venom, though I imagine being injected by actual venom is more pleasant.

Bumblebee—IT. DOESN’T. SUCK.  I can’t believe I wrote those three words about a Transformers movie.

Aquaman—Do you like exposition in your movies and characters that won’t shut up about a trident?  Or how about suspending your disbelief to the point of shutting down your brain completely, preventing it from trying to process logical explanations of what you are viewing?  Do you want to see an octopus that can play the drums?  Then DC has made a movie for you, and honestly, it’s pretty fun.  Really dumb.  But fun. 

Alpha—It’s a boy and his dog/wolf story, set in beautiful landscapes that would make Peter Jackson shed a tear--complete with single file walking shots.  Definitely not a cat-lover movie, but maybe worth a watch if you want to snuggle with your dog for a couple of hours with nothing else to do.           
 
Mary Poppins Returns—The songs aren’t as catchy or as memorable as the original film, but it’s still a jolly holiday spending time with Mary.
 
Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse—2018 was a special year for Spider-Man fans.  Two new Spidey comics debuted, both off to a great start, and his PS4 game was nominated for Game of the Year.  To top it all off, the best Spider-Man movie was released.  Yeah, I said it.  It’s the best one yet.  It’s full of humor and heart and has a great message for everyone and anyone.  ‘Nuff said.
 
The Star—As far as Hollywood Christian movies are concerned, this won’t insult the religious crowd unlike other films *slowly turns head to give a shameful glare to Exodus: God and Kings*.  Kids can learn about the Christmas story in a cute way by seeing it from silly animals' points-of-view, and the adults can play the “whose-voice-is-that-I’ve-heard-that-voice-before” game where you try to guess every celebrity in the movie before the credits reveal the answers.
 
They Shall Not Grow Old—It’s hard to be impressed with “movie magic” anymore with so many movies being special effects extravaganzas, but this might have been the first time my jaw hit the floor and I said aloud, “Wow.”  I don’t know how, but director Peter Jackson has breathed new life into century-old footage, restoring them and giving them HD color.  Some shots are so well restored it looks like it was filmed yesterday.  It's a touching documentary about the soldiers, told by the soldiers, and now we get a clearer picture to the world of the soldiers.  History has come to life like never before and is definitely worth a watch for anyone interested in the subject matter. 
 
Wonder—If you want to go “awwwww” and have a smile on your face and just feel good about being a human being, then gather the family together for a wonderful film full of tender moments and important lessons.

What movies did you see during the holiday season?  Were they good?  Were they bad?  Or did you watch A Christmas Story for the umpteenth time?  Let me know in the comments!

During the flight to Africa for our production of "Reap What You Sew," I binged watched several movies while stuck in a plane for over 30 hours.  Instead of giving full reviews for each film, I thought I'd make this a little more fun by giving short expressions on how I felt of each movie.  If you like this rapid fire review and want me to do another one, please let me know!  If there are a series of movies you want me to do for that, also let me know!  Ok, enough context.  Let's review!

The Post:  Tom Hanks as Cranky Old Hanky and Oscar-winner Meryl Streep as Oscar-winner Meryl Streep take on the government through printing newspapers.  And that's about as exciting as it gets.  Great for journalism classes!

Ferdinand:  Do you know the adorable short story of Ferdinand the Bull?  Well, here's an hour and 48 minute version of it filled with extremely loud and obnoxious new characters who tell jokes that an 8-year-old boy told to his buddies at lunch and got a few giggles out of them.

The Shape of Water:  It's like Free Willy, if the boy and the killer whale became lovers.

The LEGO Ninjago Movie:  It's a LEGO movie.  It has laugh-out-loud jokes and gags and a heartwarming message for the kids.  It's not as clever as the original film nor as nostalgic driven as The LEGO Batman Movie, but it did its job--it made me laugh and gave me a fun time.

Blade Runner 2049:  More like "Bored Runner."  There are better ways of lulling yourself to sleep.

Isle of Dogs:  It's a Wes Anderson movie, which means you will either a) find this film charming and funny or b) absolutely strange and awkward or c) play the "Name That Celebrity Voice" game throughout the film and see how many you can get correct before the credits reveal the answers.

Exodus: Gods and Kings:  Ridley Scott offers us a great prequel to his Gladiator film filled with dazzling special effects and epic war scenes and...oh hold on.  I'm being told this is based on the book from the Bible.  For some reason, I don't remember any mention of Moses arguing with an angry little British boy that says his name is I Am in the Bible, nor do I remember Moses holding a sword to Rameses' throat telling him to let his people go.  Yeah, I'm pretty sure this is a prequel to Gladiator.  

     Much like life, Jurassic Park keeps finding a way to live on, and you all know the drill at this point: stupid people want to mess around with dinosaurs, the dinosaurs escape, crazy things happen, and the main characters survive.  The end.  It's another Jurassic Park movie, and if you've enjoyed the series up to this point, hold on to your butts because Jurassic Park 5/Jurassic World 2 is a fun and crazy ride.
     Let's get this out of the way.  You are not going to see this movie for what little story there is in this film.  You're interested in the dinosaurs and Chris Pratt's wittiness.  So how are they?  The dinosaurs are awesome, but other than a couple of humorous one-liners and a moment of physical comedy, Pratt isn't as funny this time around.  In fact, it's really not a funny movie.  Of course, you probably didn't expect it to be a comedy anyway.  So what kind of a movie is it?  It's two kinds actually, and you shouldn't be concerned about a blend of styles.
     It is a monster movie first and foremost.  The first scene makes that very clear.  These dinosaurs loom about in the shadows and take any opportunity they can to devour their human prey.  The newest director for the series J. A. Bayona (A Monster Calls) wonderfully conveys a sense of dread and horror when these creatures come out to attack, while at the same time remembering the fondness we had when we first saw the original film.  He invokes a right blend of nostalgia while also doing new things to the 25 year old series, which brings me to my claim that it's two kinds of a monster movie rolled up into one.  At first glance, you would think this is a remake of sorts to The Lost World: Jurassic Park, much like how Jurassic World was basically Jurassic Park set in current times.  After all, the dinosaurs are brought to our continent just like in the original sequel, but it handles the similar scenario differently in a way that I was pleasantly surprised by.  When this movie begins, it's more of a big, bombastic disaster movie with the island blowing up and the dinosaurs going into a state of panic, which is totally fine for a movie like this, but then the dinosaurs are moved to a giant mansion, making it into a haunted house kind of movie.  On paper, this might not sound very exciting, but the final result creates a very intense, claustrophobic sense of fear, making this one of my favorite moments of the franchise.  It reminded me of the classic Resident Evil video game where you were trapped in a mansion and didn't know what monstrosity was around the corner, not knowing if your gun will be affective against whatever awaited you.  The new dinosaur, the Indoraptor, isn't any more than your typical scary monster, but it serves its purpose as being a ferocious beast for the characters to figure out how to escape from.  Ultimately, this film knows that the series is at its best when it's trying to be scary, and it offers great intense moments to compliment what came before.
     I would like to note that Bayona made a very smart decision to include practical effects and animatronics whenever possible throughout the movie.  Where the previous filmed relied heavily on animated creatures, this one uses a nice blend of CGI with robotics.  Seeing Blue thrash about on a surgical table as Pratt gently pets its head and Bryce Dallas Howard sitting atop the T-Rex's neck adds extra depth to the actors' performances as they interact with the dinosaurs physically.  Because of this, it actually makes you question when a dinosaur is a cartoon or a robot, giving more realism to the setting. 
     Even though it's not the best script of all time, the actors do give a fun performance throughout the film, especially when interacting with the animatronics.  The newer characters will either annoy you or add to the dumb fun the movie was already offering to you.  For me, the new additions to the cast made me chuckle a couple of times, and the little girl helped make the dinosaurs both more terrifying and sympathetic, offering a new insight to these creatures we've come to expect death and destruction from.
     If you've enjoyed the Jurassic Park films up until now, then you know what you're in for, and that may be a good thing.  It is a fun monster movie that entertains and makes you feel like you are riding a roller coaster, and as long as you don't expect anything else from it, you'll have a good time watching it. 

Here are 5 reasons you should see A Quiet Place:

​1) It's Unique
     In this day and age, there are noises all around us, and when things get quiet and still, it actually becomes unsettling because we instinctively think something is wrong or not working. In the spooky world of A Quiet Place, the opposite is true. The monsters that exist in that world respond to sound. So as long as the people stay quiet, they are safe. It was something I had to get used to in the movie. Naturally, I was tense at the beginning when the characters were taking light steps and moving slowly and carefully, but I came to accept it as the norm for them. And when something made a noise, that's when things get scary. It's a horror experience like nothing I've seen in a movie before. It's such a simple concept, but it has a big effect.
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2) It Doesn't Treat You Like An Idiot
     Now, I bet you're wondering how the characters communicate to each other if they can't talk. Well, it turns out the family of the movie had a deaf daughter before the monsters came into being, and so they knew sign language, which they used to their advantage. It's little things like this that make the movie clever in its storytelling, and the best part is that they don't have to explain these actions to you. They trust you can figure it out. They do explain some rules about how the monsters work, but other than that, the movie doesn't waste any time explaining the world and why things are happening (I'm looking at you Justice League.). The story keeps progressing, and it holds your attention from beginning to end.

3) The Cast
     If you don't recognize John Krasinski's name, well you probably know him as Jim from The Office. You know, the funny, sarcastic prankster. Well this time around, he's a serious father who's trying to keep his family safe. It's weird to see him not cracking jokes, but you know what, he pulls it off. I sincerely believed him as a character and actually forgot he was Jim from the The Office at one point. Not only does he star in it, but his real life wife, Emily Blunt, plays his wife in the movie. Of course, we all already knew Emily was a great actress, and seeing these two together on screen is so great. It's a wonder why they haven't played husband and wife in other movies before; their chemistry is so natural and compelling that you can't help but feel for them. What makes these two even better on screen together is the fact that John directed this movie while starring in it, and you can tell that he and his wife had long conversations together about what their characters need to do and how they could pull it off. I imagine this gave them freedom to act how they pleased, and with this comfortable position, they could give the best performance that they could. Not only do we get to see these two wonderful actors perform, but John casted a real-life deaf girl to play the deaf girl in the movie. She was a real delight to watch, and her disability allowed her to channel her real-life struggles into the character. It was wonderful to see someone with a disability shine on the big screen.

4) It's About A Family
     A lot of horror movies focus solely on the monsters and the scares that the story is either nonexistent or craptastically bad *cough* Halloween *cough* Friday the 13th *cough*. This movie though actually has a lot of heart in it. The movie isn't about the monsters terrorizing people; it's about a family going through struggles of trust, responsibility, and jealousy. The moments I got emotional didn't revolve around the horrible attacks from the monsters; it was when the family shared heartfelt moments with each other that brought out emotions in me. This is a horror movie that has a story to tell and a message to share, which brings me to my last point.

5) Its Message
     There's a moment in the movie where John has the camera right in front of Emily, and she says as she looks directly into the camera with teary eyes, "What are we if we can't protect them?" The character was talking about being a parent amidst the crisis, but because she was looking directly at the audience, it felt like maybe, perhaps, she was actually talking to us. With so many awful events happening with children recently, it seems as though that they are growing up in a world full of monsters. And the movie teaches us that the way we protect our children is through supporting them, sacrificing for them, and, above all, loving them. Love is how we face our fears. Love is what beats the monsters. Love is what saves the world.