Dammit Barry!

Sorry, I couldn't resist.

The Flash is the newest and one of the final installments of the original DCEU before James Gunn officially reboots it. It features the return of celebrity criminal Ezra Miller as Barry Allen/The Flash, alongside Michael Shannon as General Zod, Jeremy Irons as Alfred, Ben Affleck as Bruce Wayne/Batman, Kiersey Clemons as Iris West from Zack Snyder's Justice League, and Michael Keaton as an alternate universe Bruce Wayne/Batman, while introducing Sasha Calle as Kara Zor-El/Supergirl.

Barry Allen continues his work as the Scarlett Speedster but carries a heavy weight on his shoulders due to the trauma of witnessing his mother's murder and his father, who he knows is innocent, being framed for said murder. Once he discovers he can use the Speed Force to go back in time, he uses it as an opportunity to save his mother. Unfortunately, his actions cause a cataclysm of events where there are no metahumans and General Zod comes to invade the Earth. In order to save the world Barry needs the help of an alternative version of himself, an alternative version of Bruce Wayne, and the girl of steel.

Honestly, I was very iffy on whether or not I wanted to see this movie, mainly due to Ezra Miller's problematic history with the law in recent years. But I wanted to see this movie because it had Michael Keaton returning to, arguably, his most iconic role. Thankfully, this film turned out to be a good time, regardless of the film starring a controversial lead.

So first positive, and I hate to do so, but I got to give credit to Ezra Miller. They did a great job portraying two different versions of Barry Allen/The Flash. Yeah, they might be a troubled piece of shit human being, but they still are a great actor. The portrayal of these two Barrys was amazing. We have the older, more experienced Barry and his younger eighteen-year-old rookie self. Both play off each other very well. There's even a moment where older Barry gets annoyed with younger Barry's antics and just lashes out at him. To me, that felt like a real moment. Honestly, I think if any of us met our younger selves we'd be annoyed too.

Now let's talk about Michael Keaton's epic return as Batman. For some, this man was their Batman. Me, my Batman will forever be Kevin Conroy (RIP), but Michael Keaton is a close second. He's the man I think of when I think Batman. And to see him dawn the cowl and cape after thirty years is something to behold. He was easily the best part of the movie and a total scene stealer. Hell, I won't lie, but seeing him in the suit, saying that iconic line, "I'm Batman", and then hearing Danny Elfman's theme in the background triggers my nostalgia and puts a big-ass smile on my face.

The humor was on point. There were a lot of jokes that got a good laugh out of me. It's not MCU style of humor but it doesn't have to be.

The action sequences are good too. I liked seeing what the Flash can do with his super speed and it really shows off how fast the Flash truly is. Keep in mind that the man is technically faster than Superman himself. So, seeing him run around while the world is in slow motion, rescuing people and punching bad guys, was a delight.

Addressing the negatives let's start with the CGI. I'm not sure what happened but the CGI in this one was extremely iffy. I mean there were some moments that looked fine like Flash running through the Speed Force. But then there were a ton of moments where the character models had a very uncanny valley look to them. Maybe all their budget went into making the double Barrys because in other areas, even the Flash's suit, it did look great.

Another negative is that the two main Kryptonians, Zod and Supergirl, don't have a ton of screen time. Both characters seem to appear during the third act of the film, and we aren't given much character development from them. I mean you have Michael Shannon reprising as General Zod. You'd think they'd do more with him. But nope, he just appears in the movie, and he's not really the main antagonist in this film.

Keep in mind that this movie is supposed to be a loose adaptation of Flashpoint, which is an event comic that I really enjoyed, however I cannot help but say that this isn't a good adaptation of Flashpoint. I mean it has some of the core elements from that story: Barry changing the past to save his mother, him needing an alternative Batman's help, dealing with an end of the world situation, and ultimately rebooting the universe for better or worse. However, it all feels very messy. If you want a solid adaptation of that check out the animated film Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox.

Regardless, this is a fun movie to watch, and I enjoyed watching it from start to finish. I would recommend giving it a watch.

Positives:

-Good performances

-Dual Barry's

-Michael Keaton's Batman

-Humor

-Cool action sequences

Negatives:

-Iffy CGI

-Need more of Supergirl and Zod

-Poor adaptation of Flashpoint

Final Grade: B-

So those are my thoughts on The Flash. Have you seen it? What were your thoughts on it? Please be kind, leave a like and comment, and check out more reviews here on Prose!

Best Quote:

Bruce Wayne/Batman: "You wanna get nuts? Let's get nuts."

#HarrySituationReviews #film #opinion #DC #superhero #action #scifi #timetravel #multiverse #Batman

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is the latest Marvel film in the MCU, serving as the final entry in the Guardians of the Galaxy trilogy. James Gunn returns as writer and director, alongside Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Dave Bautista, Pom Klementieff, Karen Gillan, Bradley Cooper, and Vin Diesel as Star-Lord, Gamora, Drax, Mantis, Nebula, Rocket Raccoon, and Groot respectively. Also joining the cast are Will Poulter as Adam Warlock and Chukwudi Iwuji as the High Evolutionary.

After a fight that leaves one of their own in critical condition, the Guardians must band together and steal information and tech that can potentially help them. However, that will require stealing from a powerful but maniacal geneticist known only as the High Evolutionary.

It's funny how Disney initially fired James Gunn years ago over some tasteless tweets in the man's early days. I'm glad they reconsidered their actions because I don't think Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 would have been as amazing if it was done by somebody else.

Praise goes to each of the cast members. Pratt, Saldana, Klementieff, Gillan, Bautista everyone. They all delivered tremendous performances. I love all these actors and I'm happy to see them reprise their roles, even if it is likely this is the final time they'll be portraying these characters.

I also gotta praise the main antagonist in this film, the High Evolutionary. Obviously, Marvel (as well as other comic book movies) have had a habit of setting up lame and forgettable villains. The High Evolutionary is a standout villain in Phase 5, next to Kang the Conqueror. Chukwudi Iwuji did an amazing job portraying this narcissist with a major god complex. He also portrays him to be very unsettling at times. Sure, the actor does go a little over the top in his performance, in particular during his character's freakouts, but honestly that helps portray how unstable and unsettling the character is. There's one scene that highlights this during Rocket's flashback when the High Evolutionary screams at young Rocket for being able to solve one of his problems. Why? Because he cannot conceive or tolerate the idea that something he created, something he considers inferior and irrelevant, could actually be smarter than him, the creator.

Heck, one of the lines I liked in this movie came from the villain when one of his henchmen realizes how insane he's become and then mutters something along the lines of "Oh my god." But then the High Evolutionary just explodes at them like, "There is no God! That's why I stepped in!"

Which leads into a pretty dark stuff that was introduced into this film versus other entries in the MCU. Oh yeah, this movie gets dark in some areas, particularly with Rocket's backstory and how the character connects with the main antagonist. It shows scenes of animal experimentation and animal abuse and it's actually a little disturbing. But good on James Gunn for having balls to show this stuff.

Don't worry, the dark stuff balances out nicely with the good amount of comedy scattered throughout, and my god, there were a ton of funny lines in this movie. There were a lot of great jokes and great one-liners. Also, we finally got a full F-bomb in an MCU movie. After years of censoring themselves or implying it, they finally dropped it, and it worked, and it actually got a good laugh from me. Although, personally, I believe a certain character in the movie should have been the one to drop the F-bomb, but this works too.

But to go along with the great laughs are some great superhero action sequences. This is one action packed sequel, and I loved every second of it. My favorite action scene involved all of the guardians in a hallway fighting off a bunch of thugs and CGI monsters with Beastie Boys blasting in the background.

I will say, despite all the positives I just listed, there is one major problem and that's the inclusion of Adam Warlock. It's not Will Poulter's fault. I think he does a great job in this movie, and while I do like him in the movie, I just feel that the character is completely out of place. I mean, the film really doesn't do much with him, and he doesn't really have any real character motivation. He was hinted in one of the post credits in Vol. 2 but was mainly forgotten for the past five or six years since that film's release. It's like James Gunn finally remembered this character and tried to find some way of introducing him in this movie. Honestly, if they introduced him earlier in the MCU, say like in Infinity War or the Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special, we probably would have gotten a better idea of his character.

Overall, James Gunns gave us a solid conclusion to the Guardians of the Galaxy saga, and I really wish him luck now that he's given full control of the DCEU.

Positives:

-The whole cast

-The villain

-Dark elements

-Great laughs

-Great action

Negatives:

-Adam Warlock

Final Grade: A-

So those are my thoughts on Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. Have you seen it? What were your thoughts on it? Which Guardian has been your favorite? Please be kind, leave a like and comment, and check out more reviews to come, here on Prose!

Best Quote:

High Evolutionary: "All I wanted to do was make things... perfect."

Rocket Raccoon: "You didn't want to make things perfect. You just hated the way things are."

#harrysituationreviews #film #opinion #MCU #action #scifi #superhero #comedy #fantasy #AGrade

My gf is actually the best, like sorry but you all suck in comparison. They are so epic and kind and lovely and funny and give the best hugs and are just generally the best to be around, if i'm being truly honest.

They are also on a winning streak fr

Thank you for coming to my MIKE Talk

Technically, Mr. Sunshine is not a movie, but I'm choosing to still review it since it's one of the most beautiful shows (in every aspect) I've ever watched.

I consider myself to be an open-minded individual, but when my daughter approached me about watching a Korean drama on Netflix called, Mr. Sunshine, I was admittedly hesitant. I had never been one to watch much Asian related drama, so I wondered if it would hold my attention, especially considering the entire movie or show encompassed 22 episodes. "Just watch until the middle of the second episode. You'll know the moment," my daughter insisted. "If you're not hooked at that point, you can stop then." Well, I took up the gauntlet and didn't look back. The storyline was slightly confusing at first as it laid the story's foundation, but it was compelling enough to gain my continued interest. Sure enough, about half way through the second episode, I knew precisely when the pivotal moment occurred: I was undeniably hooked.

This drama has to be one of the most beautiful love stories I've ever watched, and the real kicker is that the two main characters never, ever once kiss, despite 22 episodes. Still the cinematography, acting, story, and people are quite captivating, and the story and characters linger with me to this day. Since then, I have expanded my horizons and watched more than three dozen Korean based dramas. I'm here to say it's a whole new world - and new appreciation - for me.

If you have not watched Mr. Sunshine, do yourself a favor and give it a go. It's mesmerizing through all collective episodes and definitely one of Korea's Kim Eun Sook's best screenplays. I give it a 10 out of 10, but would love to give it even more.

Jinkies! That's a lot of hate for this show!

Velma is an adult animated mystery series streaming on HBO Max. It features the voice talents of Mindy Kaling (who is also the series' executive producer), Constance Wu, Glen Howerton, Sam Richardson, Jane Lynch, Wanda Sykes, Stephen Root, and Frank Welker.

The series centers around Velma Dinkley (voiced by Mindy Kaling) as a brilliant but cynical high school student as she tries to solve a major mystery: who has been killing her fellow classmates? In order to solve this mystery, she'll need the help of Daphne Blake (voiced by Constance Wu), the popular mean girl; Fred Jones (voiced by Glen Howerton), the spoiled rich kid; and Norville Rogers (voiced by Sam Richardson), Velma's best friend who has a crush on her.

So, this show has been gaining a lot of buzz lately, and not in a good way. But you know what they say: bad publicity is also good publicity. At least that's how the writers and executives see it anyway. Even before its premiere the show has garnered some negative feedback. And when it finally premiered, much to no one's surprise, this show was widely hated by everyone. Even critics didn't have a ton of positive feedback for this series.

But ignoring all the negative reception it has garnered I still wanted to go into this series with an open mind and give my personal thoughts into the series. Well, if I'm talking about this show now after having to sit down and watch the whole season, I can confirm that the show is really, really bad.

What I really don't like about this series is the complete bastardization of each of the characters. All of these characters have been written in a way that makes them unrecognizable to their counterparts. Like I said earlier, Daphne is this mean girl archetype, who also sells drugs on the side. She also has this side story about wanting to find her real parents, which feels so irrelevant to the main story. And outside of that, she really has nothing going for her aside from what I mentioned. She's only there to exist in the series, and that's the worst thing you can have for a character.

Fred is the complete opposite of his counterpart. Instead of being a likeable, nice guy leader who has somewhat of a dorky personality, Fred in this series is an entitled, self-absorbed man-child, who can't do anything basic like cut his own food. Also, the series has a habit of bringing up the fact that Fred has a small penis. He's mainly the series' punching bag solely because he's an entitled rich white guy. I mean, I don't have any love for them either, speaking as a white guy myself, but I don't need to be constantly reminded why they suck in every episode.

The only character that is somewhat decent is Norville, whom you may know better as Shaggy. For the record, Norville is Shaggy's real name. However, he is the one character who is written to be extremely different from his counterpart. There are no signs of him being cowardly, no signs that he's a foodie (aside from a snack blog that he has for one episode), and he's written to be this pathetic simp for Velma. He's also, for some reason, very anti-drug. I'm not sure what they're trying to get at with that. I mean there's that whole in-joke among fans that Shaggy is a stoner, but that's the thing, it's just an in-joke. It's not canon with the character.

But the worst offender is the titular character herself: Velma. She comes off as rude and cynical, with an extreme holier-than-thou attitude. However, the whole school and even the whole town seem to hate her and it's not hard to see why. This version of Velma is a complete bitch. She puts herself above others, she mistreats her friends, she's quickly judgmental about everyone, and she's just awful. There's nothing I like about her, and she has zero redeeming qualities. I get that they're trying to make her akin to characters like House or Daria, but the only problem is that, despite their attitudes, House and Daria are likeable characters, and they understand that they're not perfect people. Velma is not likeable, which makes it hard to root for her. It really begs the question why I should be invested in this character if she's so despicable.

What's really strange is that Daphne, Fred, and Norville all seem to crush on Velma (and vice versa) throughout the show, and I can't figure out why. All these characters have nothing but pure venom for each other. Why would any of them have a crush on Velma? Why would Velma crush on any other them? Hell, why would any of them like each other as friends? This four are supposed to make up the Scooby Gang but they don't act like friends.

I should also mention that all the main characters, aside from Fred, have been race-swapped. Velma is Indian American, Shaggy is African American, and Daphne is Asian-American. Honestly, the race changes make no difference to me. Hell, Velma in other incarnations has been either part Asian-American and Latina in the recent animated theatrical film. I only bring this up because the show constantly brings up race as either a commentary or tasteless joke. It's also worth noting that one of the main writers for the series, Charlie Grandy, is white, and based on what I've seen so far, he's completely clueless on how to write a diverse cast of characters.

The worst thing a comedy show can be is not funny, and unfortunately, Velma commits that very sin. Velma's idea of comedy is making meta references to classic tropes and then committing those exact same tropes. This show gets way too crazy with trying to be meta. The tries to act like it's self-aware without any sort of subtlety. Also, remember when I mentioned earlier that Fred in this show has a small penis? Get used to hearing that over and over again.

Now you're probably noticing something is off about my review. I've mentioned the names of Velma, Shaggy, Fred, and Daphne. I bet you're wondering why haven't I brought up Scooby-Doo? That's because Scooby-Doo isn't in the show at all, and the reason for his absence is ridiculous. According to the creators, the reason Scooby-Doo isn't in this show is because they thought the idea of a talking dog was childish and couldn't work in an adult cartoon. Childish? Gee, I wonder what's more childish: a talking dog or a scene where two cockroaches fuck in a high school locker room? Or in the very next scene of the same said locker room, it shows of gratuitous nudity of Daphne and other teenage girls? Yeah, that's not childish at all. Also, did they forget that Brian Griffen from Family Guy exists?

Despite all the negative points I've made about this show so far there are a small handful of positives I can give. The first positive is that the animation does look good. I mean the character designs, the settings, the backgrounds, it all looks very well done. The stand outs are the different hallucinations that Velma tends to have throughout the series. Oh yeah, did I forget to mention that Velma has a tendency to hallucinate about her missing mother as some sort of specter? Why this happens I'm not sure, but when it does happen the animation really shows.

The voiceover performances are pretty good too. I can't comment too much on it because, for the most part, it just sounds like celebrities just voicing themselves instead of putting more effort into, however, with the material they've been given they do a good enough job. I will say that the standout is Glen Howerton as Fred, as at least he tried so sound like a caricature.

Also, I do admit I do find the mystery of what happened to Velma's mother intriguing. Velma's mother is a mystery writer who went missing when Velma was young and has been a driving force for her. It's something new and different for the franchise that I can totally get behind. Too bad it's overshadowed by the main mystery of a murderer killing teenagers and taking their brains, which is the least interesting aspect of the series, and it often gets forgotten in a few episodes to make way for uninteresting and unfunny storylines. Also, too bad I don't care for Velma as a character at all, otherwise the mystery of her missing mother might have been a worthwhile selling point for the series. And if you're wondering if these two mysteries are somehow intertwined, you're absolutely right. Now you don't have to watch the show!

I've seen people actually call this show worse than High Guardian Spice. Personally, I don't think it's that close to being bad. At least Velma has a story. At least Velma has good animation and voiceover. However, much like High Guardian Spice, I'm not sure who the intended audience is. Who was this show made for exactly? Obviously, this show was never intended for kids with the use of graphic violence, language, and nudity. Obviously, it was aiming for an adult audience, however the writers went out of their way to insult said audience by making fun of adults that watch cartoons. Wait a minute, I think I figured it out. I know who this show was intended for. Them! It was made specifically for the writers and producers of this show. They made this show to make themselves feel good. The show was intended for their mindset and their kind of humor.

What makes it more frustrating is that they knew general audiences would hate this show. They knew people will hate watching the show and review bomb it (which btw, that's really childish, don't do this). They knew people will watch it out of spite, which is why it became HBO Max's most watch series, which guaranteed them a second season. Way to go everyone. You played right into their hands. You know, what would ensure them that nobody likes their show? You know what will ensure that they don't get a second season? DON'T WATCH THE SHOW!

Overall, is Velma a bad show? Yes. It's a badly written, unfunny show with completely unlikeable main characters that the audience is forced to watch. Is it the worst thing related to Scooby-Doo? Personally, I think so. I've been a big fan of Scooby-Doo since I was a little kid. It doesn't matter how many times Scooby and the gang solve the same mystery over and over again; it just goes to show that the character, as well as the franchise, still works, and personally I'll never grow tired of it. Is it the worst show ever made? No, I've seen worse. This doesn't even compare to High Guardian Spice, although I'm sure there are some that will argue that Velma is worse than High Guardian Spice, but you know to each their own. Does it deserve all the hate? Probably, but probably not. I'll let you be the judge of that.

Positives:

-Good animation

-Solid voiceover

-Intriguing mystery about Velma's mother

Negatives:

-The writing

-Unlikable main characters

-Meta humor/storytelling

-Lack of subtlety

-The overall mystery

-Complete bastardization of the Scooby-Doo franchise

Final Grade: D

So those are my thoughts on Velma. Have you seen it? What were your thoughts on it? What's your favorite Scooby-Doo show that's way more entertaining than Velma? Please be kind, leave a like and comment, and check out more reviews here on Prose!

Best Quote:

Norville: "You do know what 420 is, right?"

Velma: "Yeah. That's code for adults who still watch cartoons."

#harrysituationreviews #tv #opinion #streaming #HBOMax #animation #ScoobyDoo #mystery #murder #comedy #horror #ThisShowSucks

Kate and Leopold is my favorite romantic film.It’s a 2001 film starring Meg Ryan and Hugh Jackman. A jaded advertising executive gunning for a promotion falls in love with an old-fashioned gentleman who has traveled from the 19th century by means of a rip in the fabric of time discovered by Kate's ex-boyfriend (Liev Schreiber). It makes my heart smile every time I watch it.

Some other romantic films that I thoroughly enjoy include: When Harry Met Sally (Meg Ryan and Billy Crystal), While you were Sleeping (Sandra Bullock and Bill Pullman), Pretty Woman (Julia Roberts and Richard Gere), Hope Floats (Sandra Bullock snd Harry Connick, Jr.), An Officer and a Gentleman (Debra Winger and Richard Gere--my mother watches the end (only) every time it comes on television), 50 First Dates (Adam Sandlar and Drew Barrymore)...and a childhood favorite and the first soundtrack I ever purchased, Grease with John Travolta and Olivia Newton.

My title combines two of my favorite love songs from films. Both were written by the inimitable Dolly Parton. Ms. Parton wrote I will always love you in 1974 as a farewell to her business partner and mentor Porter Wagoner, when she decided to pursue a solo career. Whitney Houston sang it for the1992 romance/drama, The Bodyguard. The film was okay (I'm partial to romantic comedies and happier endings), but I love the song.

Ms. Parton sang From Here to the Moon and Back with Kris Kristofferson in the 2012 film, Joyful Noise. She wrote it for her husband, Carl. Doesn't get any more romantic than that... Unless we count my singing and recording it for my husband. He keeps the recording on his laptop and listens to it when he travels on business without me. Now, that's romantic.

As far as I can see, what's changed is that the writers at the helms of the video game adaptations now are people who are more likely to have played, and/or grown up playing the games, in the case of Sonic and the Pokémon franchise. It's the difference between a cash grab and a passion project, but the finished product lies somewhere in between. I think the curse will stay lifted so long as the writers for projects like these are passionate and knowledgeable about their sources.