Reviews

Guillermo del Toro is a cool director. I loved Hellboy II: The Golden Army and Blade II. I'm glad he won his Oscar but like the Academy always does; they give it to the wrong movie and the wrong person. The movie is beautiful to look at and the music from Alexandre Desplat is one of the most enchanting musical scores I've ever heard since Alan Menken's Beauty and the Beast. But the premise is basic and rips off an obvious movie, Splash. Does this sound familiar? A human being falls in love with a fish creature, they run away from government and at the end, they kiss and the human is able to breath underwater. Guess James Cameron is not the only director accused of plagiarism. I can see why the film got so many lawsuits. The film's not wholly original but it doesn't take away that Guillermo del Toro is an imaginative director. Though he doesn't deserve his Oscars for this and Pinocchio. Especially when he won over better films that have become modern classics; Get Out and Puss in Boots: The Last Wish. I respect the Academy giving awards to other races and add diversity but could have they given the award to more deserving people like Jordan Peele? I still don't think Chloe Zhao deserves her award for the snoozefest, Nomadland, In conclusion, The Shape of Water is pretty to look at but the story borrows from better movies and has too many nauseating and gruesome scenes. It's not as good as Guillermo's other movies like Pan's Labyrinth.

I'm surprised this series didn't come out during or after Adventure Time ended in 2018 but we have it. When they did the Fionna and Cake episodes during Adventure Time's run, I knew they were going to do a spin-off. My thoughts on the show is it's fun and chaotic in a good way. I was surprised that they made adult. I'm OK with the mild cussing. Just not a fan of the bloody violence. Overall, the show is great and definitely recommend it. Hopefully, Cartoon Network will expand the show since it left out a lot of possibilities for more stories and what kind of universes will Fionna and Cake travel next. Also, I wonder will Fionna and Cake meet Finn and Jake in the original Ooo from the original series. I know it's a limited series but I'm sure with the acclaim it's been getting, it will become a full series. And what was the purpose of everyone liking Cheers?

Like many, I was excited for this movie since I loved Indiana Jones when I first saw Kingdom of the Crystal Skull in 2008. After I saw it on the 4th of July, I want to pretend Crystal Skull is the last movie. Dial of Destiny had a few good scenes but it was lacking in engaging fight scenes and ideas. It relied on chase scenes and that's about it. Indy didn't even get an opponent to fight like he did in Raiders with the big muscle guy or the Russian in Crystal Skull. Also, the main villain's motivation to back in time to be the next Hitler just felt cartoonish. By the way, the audience didn't clap at the end. They laugh at a few scenes but no applause. 15 years after the last film came out and this is best they came out with? I'm sorry but Harrison Ford should have read the script carefully because it needs a lot of rewrites. The one thing you have to agree is that Kingdom of the Crystal Skull is exciting, memorable and has a satisfying ending with Indy living Happily Ever After with Marion. In conclusion, it was a letdown.

When I first saw the Curious George movie in 2006, I fell in love with it. It's adorable, bubbly and adventurous. Its sequel, Follow That Monkey is also wonderful. I was looking forward to the TV Show and it is OK. I only saw a few episodes when it first aired on PBS Kids and stopped watching it. Eventually, I came back to it when all the episodes came to Peacock and my reaction is still the same. It's OK. I'm used to George going on wild adventures like he did in the movies rather than watching him learning about how machines work or being a temporary DJ. The cast like Allie and Betsy are fantastic however sometimes the episodes can be boring and loses you on the subject is teaching you. Unlike other shows like Sid the Science Kid, Elinor Wonders Why and The Magic School Bus makes every subject about science and machines fun and interesting, George doesn't has that charm and wit of what made those shows work. It's not bad. Just wish it has excitement and adventure like the films did.

Into the Spider-Verse is a fantastic movie but I can watch it once or twice. I didn't expect Across the Spider-Verse to be a great movie but oh my God. Was I wrong. I love this movie. The animation is jaw dropping gorgeous, has a ton of heart, creativity, an incredible screenplay and exhilarating pacing. When I heard it was 2 hours, I thought it would drag in some parts but no. It moves so fast, you'll think it's a short 80 minute movie. It tops No Way Home as the ultimate fanservice Spider-Man movie as it has cameos from different Spider-Man cartoons and video games. This movie was so much fun, I didn't finish my popcorn and I walked out of the theater with a smile on my face saying "Wow!" I hope it makes $1 billion at the box office. It's one of the greatest movies of all time and sequels since Toy Story 3, Incredibles 2 and Puss in Boots: The Last Wish. It will definitely win next year's Best Animated Feature at the Academy Awards. It explains the Multiverse better than "Multiverse of Madness" and "Everything Everywhere All at Once". The scene where every Spider-Man chased Miles had me at the edge of my seat and giddy. It's the most exciting chase scene since The Fugitive and Minority Report. The movie's iconic shot since the Leap of Faith scene is when Miles and Gwen are upside down and so is New York. Everything about this movie is amazing. Go watch it. Stan Lee would have loved this visual masterpiece. He would said "Excelsior!"

When I first saw the trailer for this movie, I thought it was for Wakanda Forever but it wasn't. I still wanted to see it because Viola Davis is in it and playing as a leader of strong female warriors? I'm there. And I loved it. The idea that these women were sexually abused and became warriors to attack their abusers was truly amazing to see. Viola Davis was awesome as well as her co-stars who almost stole the spotlight. It's a movie I wished a lot of people saw because it not only showed African-American women being warriors but women in general. It's what Wakanda Forever should have been and Wonder Woman. Thanks to brilliant direction by Gina Prince-Bythewood and the screenplay by Dana Stevens, it's a everyone needs to watch. I'm still bummed that it didn't received any Academy Award nominations.

Pixar has always been the animation studio I count on to make a great movie. Turning Red proved that any story with an odd premise can be a surprise hit. Unfortunately, Lightyear is not one of those stories. The animation is great but the story was lacking in characters and depth. I give the director, Angus Maclane props but I felt he focused more on the look of the film rather on the story. I know animators do focused on the animation but they also make sure it matches the story. Brad Bird, Peter Docter (except for Soul) and Lee Unkrich made sure their movies have strong stories to go with their visions and breath life. Domee Shi's Turning Red was her first movie and she did a great job. Angus, however, do better next time. I really liked SOX but if he was replaced by the aliens from Pizza Planet, it could have made sense and matched with the first Toy Story as it inspired Pizza Planet and Buzz. But I didn't write the script. It was OK but I don't think will get Best Animated Feature. Here's hoping Pixar's next movie, "Elemental" will be better.

"There was an idea, called the Avengers Initiative. The idea was to bring together a group of of remarkable people to see if they could become something more. To see if they could work together when we needed them to, to fight the battles that we never could". - Nick Fury. And producer Kevin Feige brought that idea to life 10 years ago. I remember being excited to watch the movie with my family and everything still holds up. The jokes, the fight scenes, the cast's chemistry and the incredible musical score from Alan Silvestri. It was all crafted beautifully thanks to Joss Whedon's amazing direction and killer script. Even Thanos' cameo still holds up until his scene-stealing performance in "Infinity War" and "Endgame". It still remains one of the greatest superhero movies of all time and one of the greatest movies ever made period. Just like "The Dark Knight" became an influential movie in the superhero genre, "The Avengers" is a influential movie on how to make crossovers and team-up stories the right way. Growing up in the 2000's, Sam Raimi's "Spider-Man" trilogy, X-Men and The Dark Knight were the superhero movies that had a impact on my childhood but didn't create a lot of buzz because of "Harry Potter", "Pirates of the Caribbean" and "Twilight". The 2010's became the gold standard for superhero movies as "The Avengers" and later "Endgame" broke box office records and the MCU became the new "Star Wars". Marvel continues to excite, thrill and bring something new that I can't wait for the next groundbreaking hit. Happy 10th Anniversary to Earth's mightiest heroes and its legacy will continue for years to come. Excelsior! - Stan Lee.

For years, a rumor about The Proud Family coming back seems like it was never going to happen but it did. The result is amazing. The Proud Family is one of my favorite shows growing up in the 2000's and it was one of the rarest shows that kids and adults can enjoy. It was also one of the first animated shows to have an African-American family. My opinion on the revival? I love it. It still has clever humor, the voice cast is amazing as always and it never slows down of surprising me with each episode. The designs are also perfect. It's still has its heart and soul. I agree that the theme song is all right. I don't know why Disney didn't call Destiny's Child back or even use the original song again but the show is still great. I like that BeBe and CeCe are given more screen time and truly deserved it. I also like Maya and KG. They're really cool. I am looking forward to season 2 to see what more surprises Bruce W. Smith has cooked up. Of all the revivals and spin-offs we have been getting, thank God this is good. If other studios try to revive childhood shows from the 2000s, hopefully it will still have the same heart and soul as this. I'm still waiting for Teen Titans season 6 and W. I. T. C. H. Season 3. It's a wonderful revival and I recommend watching it.

I'm sure that everyone was skeptical about the idea of a girl turning into a red panda as Pixar's next movie but it really surprised me. Meilin was a lot of fun. Her personality was relatable and breaking the fourth wall was wildly entertaining. Her friends were amazing and supportive, the film's animation was vibrant and colorful like something out of a anime which is a first for Pixar and the themes of motherhood was so universal. "Finding Nemo" was a beautiful movie about a dad protecting his son. "Turning Red" is like "Finding Nemo" but about a mom and daughter. While "Brave" was telling a story about a mom and daughter relationship, it was lacking on the themes and the characters were bland to me. In "Turning Red", you felt the characters' emotions and the message is was telling. It had a lot of great female representation and finding out that it was led by Pixar's first female team made it more groundbreaking. DreamWorks did that with "Spirit Untamed" with a female led team and it was totally wasted. Pixar gave Domee Shi the freedom to have a female team on her movie and you felt all the hard work they put in the movie. I say "Bravo" to that. It was an amazing follow-up to "Bao" and did not disappoint. You're going to love it.

When I first saw "Spirit: Riding Free" in 2020, it blew me away. I saw "Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron" for the first time in February 2021 and I loved it. When "Untamed" was announced, I was excited. Until, the trailer was dropped and saw that it's the first episode of the show stretched into an unnecessary movie. When I saw the film, that's exactly how I felt. It was unnecessary. The animation felt it was done by the people who did Paramount's "Wonder Park" rather than DreamWorks. The writing was just lazy. The co-writer and TV show developer Aury Wallington did a great job with "Riding Free" but this is a low point for her. Why turn.an already established origin story into what feels like a 1 hour direct to video movie? I mean really? All I can say, it's not going to get nominated for an Academy Award.

I loved Digimon since I was 12 and I was definitely excited about this movie. After "Adventure tri" started out strong but went totally sideways in the last three movies, I was hoping "Last Evolution" was going to be great. Unfortunately, it wasn't. Sure it was action packed, funny and heartfelt but there so many plot holes. Like, how did the kids' phones become their Digivices and how come Tai, Matt and Sora were the only one who get lose their Digimon while the others kept theirs? But the worst thing is they bring back the team from season 2 which had me pumped because they're my favorite Digidestined team but they shoehorned them in the movie and didn't even join the fight. So, that was cold. It's supposed to be a conclusion to both seasons 1 and 2 but it felt wasted. I don't know how the director compared it to "Toy Story 3" which that was satisfying. This wasn't. I like to think "A Million Points of Lights" from season 2 is the real conclusion. The franchise needs something really awesome to get their popularity back because this was disappointing.

When "Nomadland" came out, there was a lot of Oscar buzz about it being "fantastic" and "amazing". I saw the trailer and it felt like it was focusing more on the scenery instead of the story. I saw the movie and it was so boring. Frances Mcdormand deserved her Academy Award in "Three Billboards". But for this movie? The studio or her husband bought it. She showed little emotion in the sad scenes, there were way too many tracking shots that dragged the film which felt more like a student film than an actual movie and it was the most boring movie I ever saw since "2001: A Space Odyssey, Arrival and The Last Airbender". I know Cartoon Saloon's "Wolfwalkers" wasn't nominated but that should have got Best Picture and Spike Lee had way better direction in "Da 5 Bloods". All I can say to Chloe Zhao is don't mess up Marvel's Eternals. This movie is not giving me a lot of hope that she's the right director for an anticipated movie of this year. In conclusion, it's boring. Don't watch it. It was just waste of film and Viola Davis was so snubbed for "Ma Rainey's Black Bottom".

"Luca" is so far Pixar's best movie of this decade. I loved it better than "Soul" because it felt like a family movie, not a complex film to challenge kids. And it had a lot of warmth like "Onward" which I also loved. It's a sweet movie and the character designs reminded me of Aardman Animation's "Wallace & Gromit". Giulia is the best character in the movie. She reminded me of Ellie from "Up". She's my favorite female character from Pixar so far. It also reminded me of "The Little Mermaid" when Luca was picking up things from the surface like Ariel did. Overall, I loved it. I wish it came out in theaters because the whole world needs to see it and the last Pixar movie that made a profit was Toy Story 4. If "Luca" came out in theaters, it would make $700 million. And it came out 11 years after Toy Story 3 did because both films came out on June 18. The writers honored that film's legacy.

Xiaolin Showdown is one of the greatest shows ever made. It's clever, funny and awesome. When they announced that a continuation was coming, I was excited. Unfortunately, after I saw the five or six episodes, I was so disappointed. The jokes were disgusting, renaming the Shen Gong Wu is as worst as the mispronunciations of Aang and Sokka's name. Thanks a lot, Shyamalan. The voice acting was lacking. Even with the great Tara Strong voicing Omi again wasn't enough to overshadow the new voice cast that didn't honor their successors. Christy Hui created such a legendary show and she dropped the ball with this nonexistent spin off. Ping Pong was a great character but come on. His element is wood? It could have been lightning or something cool. Xiaolin Showdown will always be superior though the series finale was a head scratcher. Instead of having one last epic Xiaolin Showdown, Omi goes back in time to stop Hannibal Bean from turning Chase Young evil. He succeeded but he eventually has to restore the timeline making the whole finale, well, a waste of "time." I don't know if Christy Hui got into a fight with Warner Brothers that led to this spin off but I want to redo the finale of Xiaolin Showdown into a movie and pretend Chronicles doesn't exist. Kinda like when Terminator Dark Fate wanted audiences to forget that Salvation and Genesys. Hopefully, I can save our childhood before its permanent. Overall, don't watch it. It's garbage and an insult to its predecessor.

When I first saw the first season, I thought it was adorable. I liked Shimmer and Shine's personality and the songs were very catchy. After the second season, it was like the show lost its magic. When they switched to CGI from Flash Animation, I wanted to like it but it felt so empty. The new seasons lacked heart, the episodes put me to sleep even though they're written by amazing writers like Rich Fogel (Superman, Justice League), Greg Weisman and Kevin Hopps (Young Justice, The Spectacular Spider-Man) and Zeta was a forgettable villain even though she was voiced by one of my favorite voice actresses, Lacey Chabert.(Eliza Thornberry) but she sounded tired. What would have made the next seasons perfect is to keep the same animation and premise. Shimmer and Shine are genies in training, learning from their mistakes to become better. The next seasons could have taught kids that we all make mistakes and we learn from them to do better. But they dropped the ball hard. I would just the first season since that's where the show was perfect. I hope one day I will meet the creator and say "What happened?" I have no problem against CGI. It's a great tool for movies and TV. But when your show has established animation and you change the format in the next season, you're not going to get the same results. It will decline faster like a heartbeat flatline. The first season gets an A, 5 stars. Its other seasons gets 0 stars. Overall, the show gets 4 stars because I still respect the first season. Just watch that on repeat and pretend the other seasons don't exist.

First of all, oh my God! What an episode! So many twist, turns and surprises. The episode was so amazing. To those who haven't watched it yet, let's just say it ends on a cliffhanger. Infinity War style. That's all I'm going to say.

I respect Studio Ghibli's movies but this one I can't respect. From its slow pacing, a main character I wanted to like but couldn't and an ending that wasn't worth the wait. The main character Earwig didn't even know her real name or met her real mom til the every movie. To be honest, I rather watch Kiki's Delivery Service and Mary and the Witch's Flower then rewatch this could have been better movie. Also, Kiki and Mary had more heart and better storytelling.

A show created by Craig McCracken is enough to get me excited especially since I grew up watching The Powerpuff Girls and Foster's Home For Imaginary Friends. So, Kid Cosmic is a fun show with its clever storytelling and great characters about a boy named Kid who finds five cosmic stones and assembles a team of people he knows to become heroes. Each episode is a lot of fun and will get you pumped for season 2 like each Marvel movie gets you excited for the next movie. It's a great show for superhero fans and fans who grew up in the 2000s when Craig McCracken's shows ruled television. Also, if there's a character that won me over, it's the little girl Rosa. You'll see what I mean. This show is like The Avengers but it's more like a wonderful tribute to comic books.

I was 9 when I was first saw it and I enjoyed it. 12 years later, I still enjoyed it. To me, the writers had better dialogue than George Lucas did on the prequel trilogy. Ahsoka quickly became my favorite character in the whole franchise and was a lot of fun to see her in action. I don't know why people and critics trashed this movie. To me, I've seen worst animated movies with horrible dialogue and this film does not fall in the category. Also, what scene was Ahsoka annoying? Her dialogue was perfect and her character development with Anakin was perfect. I think people need to rewatch it because if there's any Star Wars movie that I thought was bad, it's The Last Jedi and The Phantom Menace.

When I first saw "Song of the Sea" in 2017, I couldn't wait for the studio, Cartoon Saloon to make their next masterpiece and the wait was worth it. The animation is awe inspiring, the writing is fantastic and the characters are spectacular. It's time for this studio to get the love and respect they deserve. I don't if the Academy Awards are happening next year but this movie so deserves Best Animated Feature. If possible, Best Picture. Tomm Moore and his team are as visionary storytellers as Pixar and proves hand drawn animation can still be impactful.

Steven Universe will always be a landmark in animation history. The same goes for this movie. Like the show, incredible writing, dope songs and a lot of scenes to make your jaw drop. This movie should have been released theatrically so it would get an Academy Award nomination for Best Animated Feature and Song. What's a real head scratcher is that Cartoon Network released Teen Titans Go to the Movies in theaters which no one asked for but didn't release this gem of a movie. Cartoon Network really is slipping. Steven Universe: The Movie would have made a huge profit like $700 million especially the big fan base it has and there were no other movie coming in September so it could have had two months to itself until Frozen 2 in November. If it was nominated for Best Original Song, I would have nominated Here We Are in the Future and Other Friends. Rebecca so deserves everything she gave us with this amazing show and movie. Thanks for everything, Ms. Sugar.

I loved all the Madagascar movies and their holiday specials. But I never pictured the Penguins or King Julian get their own show. They were great in the movies when they're interacting with Alex, Marty, Melman and Gloria but the idea of them having their own show was a little puzzling to me. The Penguins' show and movie was OK but I didn't feel the same comedy magic they had from the Madagascar movies. Definitely Alex, Marty, Melman and Gloria deserve their own show because they are the heart of the franchise and the idea of them being toddlers is a good idea because I want to see how their friendship started before the movies and the show is very cute and funny. The child actor who plays Marty sounds just like Chris Rock but as a kid. They made some great casting choices. It's a fun show for Madagascar fans but the only thing I don't like is sometimes it'll have musical numbers. But it's still a great show.

As a fan who grew up watching the Kung Fu Panda movies, I was so impressed with the show "The Legend of Awesomeness" as it had twice the action and comedy the franchise is known for. As for "The Paws of Destiny", same thing. Great action and clever comedy. I thought it was about time Po got his own students to train and Nu Hai is my favorite student. Reliable, a great leader and cute. It's a great show if you're looking for something entertaining to watch. Hopefully, season 3 will be on it's way soon. I had a lot of fun with this show.

The idea of a crossover with Rugrats and The Wild Thornberrys sounds awesome but what's disappointing is that there was barely any character development between the characters. The posters had Tommy and Eliza getting along but that never happened in the movie. It's the first Rugrats movie where the comedy was dull and relied on Bruce Willis to bring the laughs which he was hilarious and the only thing great about the movie. Susie didn't add anything which was another letdown since she always adds something in an episode. The leopard that Nigel was looking for just disappeared and never came back which made her debut add nothing to the movie. It's no wonder it's the lowest grossing and reviewed Rugrats movie. It needed a lot of rewrites and less juvenile humor. And to think the script was written by Kate Boutilier who co-wrote the best Rugrats movie, Rugrats in Paris and solely wrote The Wild Thornberrys Movie which was amazing and should have got a Best Animated Feature nomination. I guess even the best writers can make a dud. Maybe a A Grown Up and The Wild Thornberrys crossover could clean up the mess.