Stacy's Blog Has Got It Going On

"He may have been your father, boy, but he wasn't your daddy." -Yondu Udonta As the Guardians continue to make enemies across the Galaxy, they run into a mysterious being called Ego (Kurt Russell) who claims to be the father of Peter Quill (Chris Pratt) and he has a plan for his son.  The Guardians will have make some new friends and recruit old enemies if they want to figure out Ego's true motives. What Works: Like the previous film, this movie works because of the chemistry between the cast.  I love watching them interact with each other.  It's almost always hilarious.  The Guardians have a great team dynamic and it helps that they aren't traditional heroes.  They are an interesting bunch and are all played to perfection. It's great that Yondu (Michael Rooker) gets a bigger role this time around and it's shocking how much emotional material he gets.  Rooker gives an amazing performance and his arc is incredible.  I have some ...

"Forget everything you think you know." -Mordo After a car accident cripples his hands, neurosurgeon Dr. Stephen Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) tries every method he can think of to regain his mobility.  Out of options, he turns to the teachings of the Ancient One (Tilda Swinton) and studies the Mystic Arts.  He soon discovers he is very gifted and faces a choice; return to his previous life or stop the darkness threatening to consume the world. What Works: Doctor Strange is by far the weirdest of the Marvel movies and could stand completely on its own.  It introduces a bunch of new a crazy elements to the MCU and I love it.  It's the Rick & Morty of Marvel with weird dimensions, time loops, and all manner of absurdity.  It's a breath of life into the universe and I can't get enough. Benedict Cumberbatch is perfect as Doctor Strange and somehow manages to be more arrogant than Tony Stark, yet still likable.  He brilliantly walks...

"Yee-haw?" -Kovu Having taken his rightful place as King, Simba (Matthew Broderick) banishes the lions that were loyal to his treacherous uncle, Scar, and has a daughter of his own, Kiara (Neve Campbell).  As she grows up, Kiara yearns for independence and befriends one of the banished lions, Kovu (Jason Marsden).  Simba reluctantly allows him to join the pride, but can't help but wonder if he can trust Kovu or if there is a sinister plot to overthrow his rule. What Works: I wasn't expecting much from a straight-to-video sequel to a classic film.  That usually is not a recipe for success, but I enjoyed this film.  What helps is that it's not a carbon copy of the original.  This is a wholly new story with different themes, but the same characters.  That's exactly how a sequel should be.   I was actually interested in the story between Kiara and Kovu.  It's a classic tale, two characters who are in love, but can't be ...

"Long live the king." -Scar In the Pride Lands, King Mufasa (James Earl Jones) raises his son, Simba (Jonathan Taylor Thomas), to become the next King.  However, Mufasa's treacherous brother, Scar (Jeremy Irons), initiates a coup against the King and forces Simba to flee his home.  Now Simba will have to grow up and face his uncle in order to become the King he was born to be. What Works: The Lion King is one of my favorite Disney movies, but it had been almost 10 years since I had seen it.  Let me tell you, it absolutely holds up.  It's an utter blast to watch and it's a ton of fun.  It's interesting to watch it now as an adult.  As a child, I mostly related to young Simba, but it's a very different film watching him grow up and become and adult. The animation is absolutely stunning and has aged incredibly well.  The film looks spectacular and I don't see why this film needed a remake when it looks this good. The music is...

"Do you know what happens to a toad when it's stuck by lightning?  The same thing that happens to everything else." -Storm U.S. Senator Robert Kelly (Bruce Davison) attempts to pass registration that would force mutants to publicly release their identities and powers.  Two factions of mutants attempt to combat this.  First is a diplomatic group led by Charles "Professor X" Xavier (Patrick Stewart).  The second group is much more violent and is led by Holocaust survivor, Erik "Magneto" Lehnsherr (Ian McKellen).  As Magneto attempts to turn the leaders of the world into mutants, two other mutants, Wolverine (Hugh Jackman) and Rogue (Anna Paquin), find themselves caught in the middle of the conflict and have to choose a side. What Works: I love the themes and societal critiques of the X-Men series.  This series stands apart from other superhero films because of these elements.  They are fascinating and I love the different schools ...

"Can you move your seat up?" -Bucky Barnes When a mission goes wrong in Nigeria, the governments of the world call for some oversight over the Avengers.  Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) thinks the team should go along with it, but Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) refuses.  The tension builds after another terrorist attack with Steve's friend, Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan), painted as the target.  Soon the Avengers are forced to pick sides and risk destroying themselves more quickly than any enemy they've faced. What Works: My favorite parts of the first two Avengers movies are the sequences where our heroes face off against each other.  I love the tension of the laboratory scene in the first Avengers and the battle over the creation of Vision (Paul Bettany) is the best scene in Age of Ultron .  I just find it far more interesting to watch the good guys fight each other.  To get an entire movie with this type of conflict is fantastic.  ...

"Tomorrow's a big day." -Pelle After experience a tragedy in her family, Dani (Florence Pugh) is invited on a trip to Sweden by her emotionally distant boyfriend, Christian (Jack Reynor), and his friends.  They visit the home of their friend, Pelle (Vilhelm Blomgren), a commune that is having a nine-day festival.  Though Pelle's community is welcoming, there is something sinister in their motives and it might already be too late for Dani and the others to leave. What Works: Like in his previous film, Hereditary, director Ari Aster manages to cultivate a complete sense of dread throughout the entirety of the film.  From the get go, you know something terrible is going to happen and this movie is not going to end well.  It's impressive that the dread, fear, and anxiety remain present throughout the entire run-time.   The cinematography is truly spectacular.  Midsommar is one of the most beautiful movies I have ever seen an...

"We won't be able to come for you." -Governor When her father (Barry Pepper) goes missing just before a hurricane hits, Haley Keller (Kara Scodelario) goes searching for him.  She finds him seriously injured in his crawlspace and both become trapped by alligators.  As the floodwaters start to rise and the storm becomes more powerful, Haley has to find a way to get her and her father out before they drown or get eaten by alligators. What Works: This type of movie is my absolute favorite type.  I love survival-horror movies where a small group of characters are trapped in a location and have to find a way to survive with the limited resources at their disposal.  It's 100% my favorite genre and on that level, Crawl does not disappoint.  It's pretty much just two characters trying different ways to survive.  It's pretty much exactly what I wanted. The action sequences are pretty fun and exciting.  Some of them are spoiled in the ...

"Don't ever apologize for being the smartest one in the room." -Quentin Beck While on a class trip in Europe, Peter Parker (Tom Holland) is planning on finally telling MJ (Zendaya) how he feels about her, but is interrupted with an assignment from Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson).  Peter is torn away from his trip to help Fury and a mysterious new superhero, Quentin Beck (Jake Gyllenhaal), to stop a group of dangerous beasts called Elementals. What Works: The best part of the movie is far and away Mysterio.  He's my favorite Spider-Man villain and I was extremely excited to find out he was going to be in this movie and he did not disappoint.  Gyllenhall gives a wonderfully charismatic performance and he is a blast to watch every time he is on screen.  I couldn't get enough of him. The illusion sequences with Mysterio are amazing to watch.  They are incredibly visually stimulating and ooze pure creativity.  They are a bit more bonkers th...

"You really think a black suit is going to solve all your problems?" -Agent O After seeing an alien and the Men in Black without having her memories erased as a kid, Molly Wright (Tessa Thompson) has becomes obsessed with joining the organization.  After infiltrating the New York headquarters, she is given the chance.  Molly becomes Agent M and is sent to London on a mission.  She quickly becomes embroiled in a intergalactic conspiracy and can't trust anyone because there is a mole in MiB. What Works: I liked that this movie was a bit of a whodunit.  We get three agents, H (Chris Hemsworth), High T (Liam Neeson), and C (Rafe Spall) and we know from early on that one of them is a mole, but I genuinely didn't know who it was going to be.  It's one of the only elements in this movie that works. Agent H has a couple of romantic entanglements with alien creatures which I think is an interesting character trait.  I wish the major one, Riz...

"Baskin-Robbins always finds out." -Dale After being released from prison, Scott Lang (Paul Rudd) returns to burglarizing so he can afford to pay child support.  Scott's skills get him recruited for a heist being planned by Hank Pym (Michael Douglas) to stop his former protogé from making a breakthrough with shrinking technology.  To pull this off, Scott must become the shrinking superhero, Ant-Man. What Works: Ant-Man is a silly movie that is kept grounded by Paul Rudd.  He gives an incredibly charismatic performance.  He's funny, but he also carries some emotional weight.  All he cares about is being a part of his daughter's life and he'll do anything to achieve that goal.  It's a sweet relationship and Rudd gives us one of the most likable protagonists in the MCU. I love how small the stakes are in this movie.  It's a refreshing change of pace from Age of Ultron.  This is a heist movie with superheroes in it....

"Negative possibilities are multiplying as we speak." -Griffin An old enemy of Agent K's (Tommy Lee Jones), Boris the Animal (Jemaine Clement), escapes from prison and travels back in time and kills K which causes causes the whole universe to change.  Now facing the destruction of Earth, Agent J (Will Smith) has to travel back in time to stop Boris.  J has to find a way to survive 1969 and the younger version of K (Josh Brolin). What Works: Men in Black III is a return to form to series after the awful second film.   III was actually a lot of fun and really exciting.  Time travel can be difficult to pull off, but the filmmakers do a good for the most part.  It's an engaging story and I was very much along for the ride. Josh Brolin is probably my favorite part of the film.  He absolutely nails playing a young version of K.  I wouldn't have surprised to find out if he and Tommy Lee Jones were actually related.  He's got th...

"What is a Game Boy?!" -Agent K Serleena (Lara Flynn Boyle), a shape-shifting alien, arrives on Earth looking for the Light of Zartha, which has the ability to destroy planets.  Agent J (Will Smith) realizes that the only being that knows where the Light is happens to be retired Agent K (Tommy Lee Jones).  With very little time before the Earth is destroyed, J has to find K, restore his memories, and stop Serleeena from getting the Light. What Works: I hated this movie, so this section will be brief.  I liked the opening of the film which gives us the background plot in the form of an old TV-show hosted by Peter Graves.  It's a clever way to deliver exposition.  I also liked the role reversal of Will Smith recruiting Tommy Lee Jones into the Men in Black.  Finally, there is one very funny moment where K inadvertently destroys a minuscule civilization.  It's a quick joke, but I cracked up. What Sucks: This movie attempts...

"You got some...Arnzt...on you." -Hurley "Exodus, Part 2" picks up with Jack (Matthew Fox), Kate (Evangeline Lilly), Locke (Terry O'Quinn), Hurley (Jorge Garcia), Rousseau (Mira Furlan), and Arzt (Daniel Roebuck) just after arriving at the Black Rock.  Her job complete, Rousseau leaves them to get the dynamite for themselves.  While trying to teach the others how to safely transport the dynamite, Arzt accidentally blows himself to bits.   On the way back, the group is attacked by the monster and Locke is nearly dragged off.  Jack and Kate manage to save him even though he told them to let him go claiming it wouldn't have killed him.  They get a look at the monster and see it's made out of black smoke. After arriving at the hatch, they prepare to blow it open, but Hurley notices the numbers he used to win the lottery, which he believes are cursed, engraved on the side of the hatch and tries to get them to stop.  Locke lights the fuse an...

"A person is smart.  People are dumb, panicky, dangerous animals and you know it." -Agent K After discovering that alien life exists on Earth, James Edwards (Will Smith) is approached by Agent K (Tommy Lee Jones) of the Men in Black, a secret organization that keeps the existence of aliens hidden from human civilization.  James is recruited into MiB and becomes Agent J, his previous identity completely erased.  As J learns the ropes, a murderous alien (Vincent D'Onofrio) arrives on Earth disguised as a human and the survival of the planet is put on the line. What Works: The chemistry of Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones is the best part of the film.  The two of them work well together effortlessly.  I love K's dry sense of humor and J's energy is infectious.  They are awesome lead characters and extremely easy to root for. Vincent D'Onofrio should have been nominated for Best Supporting Actor for his performance as the bug.  The physic...

" I let her out." -Daniela Rios One year after bringing Annabelle into their home, demonologists Ed and Lorraine Warren (Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga) leave their daughter, Judy (Mckenna Grace), with a babysitter, Mary Ellen (Madison Iseman), while investigating a case overnight.  Unfortunately, Mary Ellen's friend, Daniela (Katie Sarife), tags along and releases Annabelle from her case.  Now the girls have to find a way to survive this night of horrors and get Annabelle back where she belongs. What Works: It's nice to finally get Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga into the spin-off films.  They are by far the best parts of the Conjuring universe and the only characters I really care about.  They only get about a half-dozen scenes, but that's better than nothing. There are also a handful of creepy moments throughout the film.  Most of the scares are jump-scares, but there are a few that are more subdued, especially the ones involving a w...