Category: Cinema

The Garfield Movie 2024 – The Animation Movie Featuring Chris Pratt as Garfield

Posted on by Marjorie Lopez

abandoned kittebThe Garfield Movie released for theatre viewing last May 22,2024, was generally received by early movie audiences as a fun and heart-warming animation of the famous comic strip character Garfield (Chris Pratt). Many call it a clever film as it captured creator Jim Davis’ humor, being the core of his comic strip legacy.

Prologue Brings Touching Flashback Scenes of Garfield’s Dark Moments as a Kitten

There are some frightening images of flashback scenes depicting Garfield’s past as a kitten abandoned by his father (Samuel Jackson) in a dark alley. Nevertheless, the film is still considered suitable for all ages. The prologue’s touchy theme provides the background on how young Garfield made his way into Jon’s life, who was eating at a nearby Italian restaurant.

Jon (Nicholas Hoult) took pity on the forlorn-looking kitten that he allowed it to devour his entire pizza and to subsequently take in the kitten as his roommate whilst naming it Garfield.

The film moves forward with action-packed scenes showing Garfield being snatched away from his pampered lifestyle. Although Garfield held a deep resentment for his alley-cat father Vic, his catnappers forced him to carry out a heist to help Vic get out of his present predicament.

Director Mark Dindal Only Had Chris Pratt in Mind as Voice Actor for Garfield

Director Mark Dindal, a famed animation film maker, has been working on the movie for years. Since its inception, Dindal already had Chris Pratt in mind as the actor who will give voice to his Garfield animation character. Jim Davis gave his hundred percent approval, rating Chris Pratt a 10 out of 10 choice as voice actor for Garfield.

Chris Pratt is no stranger to voicing animation characters, with the American actor having recently portrayed the famous Italian plumber Mario in the highly successful 2023 movie, The Super Mario Bros. Movie.

Tom Cruise’s MI7, Crossed Paths with “Barbie”, an Unlikely but Powerful Competitor

Posted on by Marjorie Lopez

Times have indeed changed because “Barbie” the “girl movie” and “Oppenheimer” the war film had beat at the tills, the seventh Mission Impossible installment. MI 7 – Dead Reckoning Part 1 had grossed only $15.5 million on opening day, which was an unprecedented outcome. The tables had turned in favor of “Barbie,” as the movie raked in $70.8 million on opening day alone. At the end of the second week, “Barbie” and “Oppenheimer” combined had already hit the one billion dollar mark.

Even if “Oppenheimer” took in only $10.5 million at the theaters on opening day, the movie was able to make the one billion dollar mark by the 2nd week.

Unexpectedly, Mission Impossible 7’s 2nd week Box Office showing was pegged at a total of $139.23 million, which barely reached the movie’s $290 million budget; to at least hit a break-even outcome.

Why Did Mission Impossible 7 – Dead Reckoning Didn’t Do Well?

Here’s the thing, first day moviegoers can make or break a movie’s first weekend performance. Those who plan to watch a movie during the weekend will read reviews and take word-of-mouth advice into consideration. Apparently, MI7 garnered very little support from the first week audience because the Tom Cruise film was not showing signs of picking up in the succeeding weeks, both locally and internationally.

Saving the World Again from a Powerful Al Enemy

Perhaps moviegoers have seen and watched more than enough of real world violence, pandemic outbreaks and train destructions. Seeing Ethan Hawk and his team do some impossible stunts to prevent bad things from happening, already has a fantasy-like appeal.

Barbie on the other hand is a fantasy film from the very start, in which Barbara had the chance to live her life in a creative imaginary world. At the end of the movie, she decided to return to her human form and human world. The plot alone sounds fun and appealing because many can relate to the storyline.

“Jurassic World: Dominion” – Conclusion of the Jurassic Trilogy

Posted on by Marjorie Lopez

“Jurassic World: Dominion” touted as the conclusion of the Jurassic World trilogy, the story carries on as the aftermath of the 2018 “Jurassic: Fallen Kingdom.” The circumstances take place four years after the destruction of Isla Nublar, in which humans have no choice but to co-exist with the dinosaurs. The plot woven by Colin Trevorrow and Derek Connolly apparently didn’t sit well with critics, as it only demonstrated how the Jurassic film franchise has already run its course.

The return of the three main characters of the 1993 original Jurassic Park, namely Dr. Ellie Sattler (Laura Dern), Dr. Alan Grant (Sam Neil) and Dr. Ian Malcolm (Jeff Goldblum) did’t help make the plot less incredulous than it is. Still, the critics’ overall negative score is deemed as the lowest of all Jurassic films, audience ratings were high if this Universal movie is to be judged for its entertainment value.

The storytelling aspect was good enough, and the fight scenes were exceptional but not all are sterling. The background music was excellent especially in some of the more emotional scenes.

“Jurassic World: Dominion” Plot

As all Jurassic plots go, an unscrupulous company has taken interest in getting hold of the dinosaurs and learning about the cloning technology developed by Sir Benjamin Lockwood. This time a genomic research company called Biosyn, is using the dinosaurs in conducting research and experiments to come up with groundbreaking medical solutions and applications.

It so happens that former Jurassic World employees Owen Grady played by Chris Pratt and Claire Dearing played by Bryce Dallas Howard are working for an organization known as the Dinosaur Protection Group.

The two are also protecting Maisie Lockwood, the cloned granddaughter of Sir Benjamin Lockwood. To make the storyline more interesting, Blue, Owen’s trained velociraptor gave birth to an offspring. Since Biosyn came to learn about Maisie’s and Blue’s existence, the two were spirited away to some remote location in italy. What transpires and how the events transpire during the 2 and a half hours run time is for the audience to see.

 

Red Notice: A Movie High in Entertainment Value it’s Definitely Worth Watching

Posted on by Marjorie Lopez

Netflix’s Red Notice starring Ryan Reynolds, Gal Gadot and Dwayne Johnson takes viewers on a rollercoaster ride filled with adrenaline-pumping twist and turns. Regarded as the streaming platform’s most expensive films to date, it offers unexpected but fast-paced scenes that leave the audience captivated .

The genuine camaraderie between Johnson and Reynolds is one of the selling points the movie, which gives movie watchers a feeling of light-heartedness. On of that aspect, Gadot’s elegance in performing her stunts makes her appearances the most awaited scenes as they are quite enchanting.

The energy of the trio is what completes the film as a high value form of entertainment regardless of whatever loopholes critics find in the plot.

Red Notice Plot

This action-adventure comedy was created by writer-director Rawson Marshall Thurber, which revolves around Cleopatra’s priceless bejeweled eggs. Ryan Reynolds who plays Nolan Booth is known for being the second-best art thief with Bishop, played by Gal Gadot as the top ranking thief.

At first, Bishop partnered with FBI special agent John Heartly (Dwayne Johnson) in catching Booth before the latter gets to steal Cleopatra’s second egg from the museum. However, since honor among thieves can be questionable Bishop’s motive in helping Heartly is to make sure that she keeps her spot at the top would not hold water. As a result, Heartly ended up teaming with Booth when he gets framed from his own investigation.

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Is the Movie Worth Watching?

Action movie lovers would definitely love Red Notice and would definitely vouch for it as worth watching. Some cinephiles would beg to differ mentioning that everything, except for the stunts and Gal Gadot’s beauty are subpar. Particular mentions were made on how the plot’s twists and storyline was predictable, as it took inspirations from Ocean’s Eleven, Mission Impossible, and a bit from Money Heist.

Disney and TCS Hit Pay Dirt with Ryan Reynolds Starrer “Free Guy”

Posted on by Marjorie Lopez

Apprehensions over the release of “Free Guy” amidst the increasing spread of the Delta variant was assuaged after the movie’s Thursday’s night premier showing. The Ryan Reynolds starrer produced by Disney and Twentieth Century Studios (TCS) hit pay dirt with $2.2M in box office ticket sales from the premier alone.

 

More can be expected since the movies is set to honor a 45-day theatrical showing worldwide before it hits the Disney Plus Premier streaming channel.

When compared to “Jungle Cruise”, which Disney also released for premier viewing last Thursday, “Free Guy” was just a little short of the $2.7 million raked in by the Dwayne Johnson/Emily Blunt family-oriented movie. Actually, “Jungle Cruise” only has a one-day theater engagement as it immediately became available at the Disney Plus Premier channel.

Another point of comparison is with Ryan Reynolds’ pre-pandemic August release “Hitman’s Bodyguard” that Reynolds co-starred with Samuel Jackson, which scored $1.65 million on opening day.

About “Free Guy” the Movie

Directed by Shawn Levy, a Canadian writer and film director best known lately as the producer-director of the hit TV series “Stranger Things”, “Free Guy” is a sci-fi action comedy created by Matt Lieberman, who co-wrote the screenplay with Zak Penn.

 

The “Free Guy” plot is about a bank teller named Guy who came to discover that he was just a non-playable background character in an open-world video game called “Free City” The video game however is about to be shut down by game developers Millie (Jodie Comer) and Keys (Joe Keery) but thanks to Guy, he was able to breathe new life into it when decided to rewrite the game’s storyline by becoming the hero.

“Free Guy” viewers who have seen the movie have given it an Audience Rating of 95% at Rotten Tomatoes.

“I Care a Lot” Rosamund Pike’s Best Actress Golden Globe 2021 Win

Posted on by Marjorie Lopez

One of Netflix’s most watched new original movies is “i Care Lot,” a Rosamund Pike starrer, for which she won then Golden Globe 2021 Best Actress Award.

It’s a riveting tale written and directed by J. Blakeson who was inspired by news that revealed the ugly truth about some of America’s nursing homes and guardianship system. The movie is a success, because to avoid the story from being too depressing, Blakeson added a twist by featuring an old lady with ruthless friends belonging to a covert mafia-like Russian organization.

Summary of “I Care a Lot” Plot

The plot revolves around a conwoman named Marla Grayson who exploits a society that looks to guardianship-as-a-service as a humane approach to providing great care to elderly people who can no longer care for themselves. Although not all are operated by Maria and her cohorts, some systems cater to vulnerable elderly folks who have no nearby children or family members who are actually interested in their real conditions while living under the control of care homes.

Marla operates in cohort with a doctor who does the selecting of a candidate the group calls “a cherry.” The doctor will make guardianship the best alternative for a person with financial means who’s not too fragile, but already showing signs of dementia. That way a judge will be able to issue a court order declaring the elderly no longer capable of taking care of herself and therefore needs someone to look after her, including her finances.

As soon as the judge signs the order, Marla steps in and presents herself to the elderly person as the court-appointed legal guardian; whilst immediately whisking her or him away to a private nursing home where elderly patients are supposed to be pampered and treated like royalty.

Just like in some real life cases, the contrary happens because its best that the elderly dies as soon as Marla is able to get hold of their patients’ finances. After all nearly demented senior is incapable of making the right decisions, for them to be able to live comfortably in a plush nursing home.

The twist to the real-life story happens when Marla meets her match in a nice old lady named Jennifer Peterson, played by actress Dianne Wiest. Although Jennifer is suffering from borderline dementia, she is still functional and active. Moreover, Jeniffer lives on her own, without a husband, children or any relative who would be interested if she lives longer or not. However, it turns out that she has powerful friends connected to a Russian mobster played by Peter Dinklage.

How the movie goes and ends is something viewers have to see for themselves. Some were disappointed that the movie still didn’t come up with potential solutions on how people living alone in their old age can be protected against unscrupulous people driven by greed like Marla. It simply warns people with aged parents in nursing homes to not be too trusting, which is something that everyone is already well aware of today.

“Just Mercy” – The 2019 Movie that Depicts the Black Lives Matter Narrative

Posted on by Marjorie Lopez

“Just Mercy” is a compelling true-to-life film written by civil rights lawyer Bryan Stevenson that could explain why millions support the ongoing protest rallies.

 

Since this Warner Bros. movie was released only in December 2019, the story and its message about systemic injustices against black Americans is still fresh in the minds of those who have seen the movie.

So much so that when videos went viral, showing how a white police officer killed George Floyd in broad daylight and in plain view of the public in downtown Minneapolis, the uproar came not only from black Americans but from all races and colors, including white Americans.

To date the cries for injustice over George Floyd’s death has turned into a global protest of how America’s justice system has very little regard for the lives of black citizens. Although many contend that not only Black Lives Matter (BLM), but All Lives Matter, the story of how Walter McMillan was unjustly arrested, tried, prosecuted and sentenced to death, explains the difference.

Jamie Foxx who portrayed Walter McMillan and Michael B Jordan who reprised Bryan Stevenson’s role, were immediately seen in Minneapolis during the early days of the now 3-week long BLM protest rallies.

Who is Walter McMillan and How Did He Suffer from America’s Systemic Injustices

Walter McMillan, was an African-American from Monroeville, Alabama, who was falsely accused of murdering a young woman, but was saved from a death sentence by civil rights lawyer Bryan Stevenson.

Stevenson together with his Equal Justice Initiative staff, led by Eva Ansley (Brie Larson), were able to gather evidence that the Monroe police force, under Monroe County Sheriff Tom Tate had arrested and incarcerated McMillan based on trumped-up charges.

It turned out that the main witness who testified that McMillan was the killer, was under investigation for crimes committed in another county, but was coerced by the Monroe police to falsely testify against McMillan. The trial lasted only a day and aa half, with the jury putting more weight on the suspected felon’s false testimony, over the statements of other black citizens who testified that at the time of the murder, McMillan was with them during a church fish-fry gathering.

The all-white jury pronounced Walter McMillan guilty and had sentenced him to life imprisonment. However, presiding Judge Robert E. Lee Key, decided to override the jury’s life sentence, which he commuted to death by electrocution.

Civil Rights Lawyer Stevenson Succeeded in Appealing for the Release of MacMillan

The crime and McMillan’s sentencing took place in 1986, while it was only in 1988 that civil rights attorney Stevenson and the EIJ had the opportunity to undertake legal actions in appealing McMillan’s case.

After six years of looking for evidence that supported McMillan’s innocence, the wrongfully convicted African American was set free in 1993. Based on the pieces of evidence that the EIJ had gathered, Atty. Stevenson was able to convince the Alabama Court of Appeals that McMillian was imprisoned and sentenced to death for a crime that he did not commit. .

After his release, Mcmillan actively participated in movements that aimed to educate African Americans about legal systems. His public appearances drew attention to other wrongful convictions, which resulted to the exoneration of more than a hundred fifty wrongfully accused black Americans.

Sadly, the trauma suffered by McMillan while in death row led to the development of dementia in the last two years of his life. In 2013, Walter Mcmillan passed away at age 71 years old. Sheriff Tate on the other hand, remained with the Monroe Police Force, up to his retirement in 2019.

“Just Mercy” is highly recommended to those who would like to have a clear understanding of the reforms being sought by the Black Lives Matter protesters throughout the country and in other parts of the globe.

“Contagion” Depicts Threats of Covid-19

Posted on by Marjorie Lopez

“Contagion,” is a must watch 2011 movie in order to get a clear picture of the Covid-19 threats the world is currently facing. The medical action thriller shows how virus pandemic puts the entire world on edge. Directed by Steven Soderbergh, the movie describes conditions that could trigger and worsen the effects of a fast-acting virus, which could lead to the loss of millions of lives.

Health Science Experts Laud Contagion’s Realistic Plot

Health science experts who have seen the movie laud it for its realistic plot. Rebecca Katz, Georgetown University’s Director of the Center for Global Health Science and Security, commented that

”The movie shows the interconnectedness between the environment, the animals and humans” … “showing how virus transfers and combines between animals and of how an emerging infectious disease can jump to humans.”

Later, with a mere handshake between the chef who prepared the infected pig and an American female guest, the latter becomes a new carrier of the virus. She spreads the undetected virulent organism everywhere she goes; whilst infecting everyone with whom she comes in contact.

Relevance of Other “Contagion” Narratives to What is Currently Happening

U.S. president Donald Trump tries to suppress panic felt not by the general public, but of the stock market investors who have been continuously selling off their stocks. Anxious that the Covid-19 pandemic and the resulting weakening of the financial markets will hurt his chances of being re-elected, Trump tries to convince the American people that the coronavirus is under control and that a vaccine is underway.

In “Contagion” this was portrayed by local government officials who did not heed the warnings of the scientist sent out to investigate the mysterious virus. Their refusal to acknowledge the presence of a highly infectious virus in their midst, was tied to their reluctance to use resources in carrying out an emergency public health response.

The movie also explains why it takes a long time before a vaccine can be developed and tested as effective. The scientist who was able to identify a potential vaccine took the risk of inoculating herself, in order to reduce the time it takes to test the vaccine on consenting infected patients.

Fortunately, the scientist’s vaccine worked; but production time and methods of dispensing are also matters to consider.

Certain rules of order on who should first receive the treatment had to be observed. In the meantime, even as production of the vaccine was underway, the narratives indicated that the worldwide death toll continued to rise Since the outbreak was pandemic, the vaccine and its production cannot immediately reach all the millions infected by the virulent virus.

A New Universal Pictures Monster “The Invisible Man” is Coming to Scare You in 2020

Posted on by Marjorie Lopez

Universal Pictures is forging on with its Dark Universe movies; this time pitching “The Invisible Man” as its next monster feature. Yet unlike the first Dark Universe offering two years ago, the action-adventure film “The Mummy” starring Tom Cruise, the 2020 “The Invisible Man” is more of a horror sci-fi thriller.

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In this upcoming Dark Universe entertainment, the titular character is obsessed with a woman named Cecilia Kass. As a backgrounder, Cecilia was able to wrangle out of a violent relationship from a wealthy and at the same brilliant scientist. However she later became the target of some unseen force that seemed to be stalking and constantly watching her, right after her former partner and tormentor had committed suicide.

Award-winning actress Elisabeth Moss is Cecilia Kass, while her brilliant but oppressive scientist husband is played by Oliver Jackson-Cohen. The revealing part is that Oliver Jackson-Cohen also plays the title role as the malevolent invisible man. Obviously, this explains why Cecilia Kass is in his radar. The plot thickens, though, once his invisible-stalking and tormenting of Cecilia makes the latter look mentally unstable.

The movie therefore will likely be scaring moviegoers out of their wits once jackson-Cohen’s character transforms from a vicious controlling figure into a sinister invisible being; more capable of committing horrific acts under the cloak of his invisibility. One noteworthy scary scene shows Cecilia looking vulnerably naked in the shower, while a handprint on the glass partition will indicate that something invisible is watching her.

About the Original Invisible Man and How He Came to Be So

The idea of an invisible character was first conceptualized by H.G. Wells in a science fiction novel with the same title. Wells narrated a creepy story about a scientist who immersed himself in the study of optics so he could devise a way to change the refractive index of a body to that of air; preventing light absorption and reflection is said to be a way of making a particular body invisible.

“The Invisible Man” of the Dark Universe is an adaptation of this H.G. Wells character, and a reboot of a 1933 movie with the same title. Universal Pictures will release the new monster film for screening in U.S. theaters on February 28, 2020.

Spider-Man: Far from Home – Literally a Breathtaking Movie; Both Thumbs Up!

Posted on by Marjorie Lopez

Spider-Man: Far from Home officially hit the silver screens for general viewing last July 02, 2019, and it appears not a single viewer went home disappointed. So far, everybody seems to agree that by far, it is the best Spider-Man movie ever. Its performance at the tills during the first week is proof enough that it is a superhero movie worth watching. Many are predicting it will outperform 2017’s Spider-Man: Homecoming, and even the highest-grossing Spider-Man franchise, the 2007’s Spider-Man 3.

Never mind if the prediction does not come true. What is important for moviegoers, particularly those not really into superhero flicks, is that word-of-mouth about the movie being good, is for real. Here are some of the reasons why:

Lots of Breathtaking Action Scenes Made to Look so Convincingly Real

The action scenes are so intense that those viewing the movie in 3D, will almost have the urge to get up and go; lest they get caught up in all the mayhem and destruction. Well, that is actually the problem when superheroes and supervillains meet because the innocents and incidentals are the ones who get hurt. Oops, getting carried away,.. Nearly forgot, they were all special effects and CGI .

Lots of Humor and Amusing Scenes

The humor factor is one trait that fans love about Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) superhero entertainment. No need to get into details here, because it will only spoil the fun; but expect a lot from the supporting cast especially among those included in Peter Parker’s Europe field trip. Some nice surprises will definitely lighten and brighten up the mood, after going through Spider-Man’s brooding scenes over the death of Tony Stark.

Superb Acting Skills from Both Main and Supporting Actors

Spider-Man: Far from Home is Tom Holland’s fifth vehicle as MCU’s Spider-Man/Peter Parker, for which he has consistently demonstrated being the best actor to play the dual roles. Considering that he is already in his 20s, Holland can still get away with his projections of a high school youth, who experiences difficulty in combining moral and social obligations with the responsibilities of a superhero. Holland looks so natural and normal with his acting, he does not make grief and emotional struggles too agonizing to watch.

There is great chemistry between Holland and Zendaya, so it is okay for the movie to play up their romance a little bit. The nice thing about the romantic angle is that gives Zendaya better purpose for being in the movie. Her MJ is gutsy, not the usual “damsel-in-distress” who Spidey agonizes over, while locked in the heat of a battle with the more important super villains.

Jake Gyllenhaal,is definitely the right actor to play Mysterio as he looks every inch a superhero. He does justice to his Quentin Beck role by fooling not just S.H.I.E.L.D.’s Nick Fury; but also most of the audience who did not hear through the grapevine that Gyllenhall is set to play an anti-hero role. After all, it is part of Gyllenhaal’s acting prowess, combining intensity in his hero role-play with a pathetic underdog aura, leaving it to viewers to decide whether to side with him or not.

The movie ends leaving everyone satisfied but should be reminded not to get up from their seat just yet. There are must-see middle and end credits to watch, just so they know MCU has more plans in store.