Bohemian Rhapsody (2018)

Queen is one of those bands that even if you don't like them you know all of their songs. Queen was a band but Queen was also much more than that. Freddie Mercury was an icon, a legend to so many.

When Bohemian Rhapsody got announced I was wary. There were so many ways it could go wrong. Do they focus on Freddie's eccentricities too much that the music gets lost? Do they focus on the music and cast a shadow over the monolith of a man that was Freddie?

Thankfully the filmakers found a good balance. This was a great movie and not just for the soundtrack which was amazing. The casting was spectacular, Rami Malek obviously put so much care into the role and at times is almost able to fool us (The Live Aid performance). Gwilym Lee and Lucy Boyntonas Brian May and Freddie's best friend Mary were amazing.

I loved the scenes with Freddie and Mary, they had such great chemistry.

Go see Bohemian Rhapsody and sing along.

Mary Queen of Scots (2018)

 

Mary Queen of Scots is my favorite historical figure and so when they annonced this movie, before I even knew anything about it, I was excited. The casting was suberb and the trailer had me hooked. I got the posters early and hung them at my work. We even got the standee. I was getting hyped for this movie.

They cut short a lot of the detail surrounding Mary and her rule but I felt like they captured the intrigue and the desperation. These were two women ruling over men in a man's world. The movie takes care looking at the lives of these two women obviously favoring Mary over her cousin Elizabeth.

There are historical inacuracies which were to be expected but mostly they got the spirit right. Mary Queen of Scots is a stunning historical drama that keeps you on the edge of your seat to see who will prosper.

Bumblebee (2018)

 

I grew up on Transformers. My brother and I used to watch the show on saturday mornings over bowls of cereal. I used to watch the animated movie whenever I got a chance and while that movie remains my favorite bit of Transformers Bumblebee is on the same tier.

This was intended to be a prequal and you can certainly see the pieces they put in to support that. I however think it's in their best interest to use Bumblebee as a launching pad for a reboot.

It has everything Transformers fans were asking for. It has callbacks to the original look and feel of the show with bits and pieces of refrences to other media. I would have gladly sat through two hours of the war on cybertron.

Bumblebee is the heart of the autobots and he always has been. The way he grows and interacts with Charlie is perfect. John Cena was a bit over the top but that is how he has always been so I wasn't expecting anything else.

Til' all are one!

Welcome to Marwen (2018)

The trailer was interesting but I knew little to nothing about this film or what to expect.

The animation and transition from real life to the world of Marwen was fantastic. The story is inventive and inspiring. I related a lot to Mark, the main character played by Steve Carell. I have always poured a bit of myself into the worlds I create whether it be in a game of D&D or a novel I'm writing.

Marwen was a breath of fresh air. It flowed well and engaged me the whole time. If you like quirky stories check out Marwen.

Spider-Man: Into the Spider-verse (2018)

 

The Spider-Man films have been very hit or miss. The original trilogy with Toby Mcguire was troubled though Spider-Man 2 was a masterpiece. The only things I liked out of the Andrew Garfield flicks was Emma Stone's Gwen.

The animation style used in Spiderverse was fresh and part of the reason I was excited to check it out. Spider-Man is not my favorite hero but being a Marvel fan he's always been around. The real reason I was excited to see this flick was Spider-Gwen. The Spiderverse was an interesting story in the comics and Gwen was my favorite part.

Spiderverse takes place in the ultimate universe of Miles Morales. If you'e confused have no fear, everyone's origin is explained quickly and concisely. 

This is my second favorite Spider-Man movie right behind Homecoming. It's fresh and new, full of heart. 

Aquaman (2018)

 

 

Not big on DC, but man do I like Jason Momoa. Out of all the Dc I read the few things I liked were Batman and Aquaman. Late 90's Aquaman was entertaining, I started reading it because a friend had recomended it to me. The DC movies for the most part have been awful for the most part, the most notable exeption was Wonder Woman but the momentum for that character was quickly dashed in Justice League.

This movie was a huge success. I would say it still doesn't compare with Wonder Woman but it was close enough to note. This is an origin story but it's more than that. It felt less like a straight forward superhero story and more of an epic adventure.

The casting was superb and the CGI was improved from what we had seen in the trailers. Jason Momoa takes on the mantle of Aquaman with ease. Amber Herd was spectacular here and she brought a lot to the film.

Creed II (2018)

I'm big into boxing and the Rocky movies are what started it for me. It's got the hits, it's got the drama. The series has evolved over the years, we followed Rocky Balboa from The first Apollo Creed fight to the tense showdown in Russia between Balboa and Ivan Drago (We don't talk about Rocky V).

Rocky was done for decades, he had thrown in the towel. Rocky Balboa saw him do what no one thought could be done or should be done, Rocky was back. While Rocky Balboa was not widly liked it was neccisary.

In 2015 we saw Adonis Creed heir to the throne come out and stun the world. Michael B Jordan had the Charisma of Apollo and the heart of Rocky as Adonis (He added a bit of his own ferocity.)

Now there is a challenger, Things didn't end well for Ivan Drago and his son is hungry. These titans square off to face eachother but it wouldn't be a Rocky movie without drama. Both of these fighters are motivated by the past not just theirs but their fathers. One has everything to lose and one has lost everything.

If you liked Creed you NEED to see this movie. If you're just curious I highly recomend it.

Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald (2018)

 

Unfortunatly I was sick and so didn't get to test this movie early. Someone knew Queenie was my favorite part of Fantastic Beasts. I was told her story in the sequel and how bad it was. I can tell you now that they were not entirely right. 

Fantastic Beasts 2 revolves around the same characters though honestly the focus is less on Newt and more on the villain Grindelwald. The film was fun and a bit darker than the previous one (one of the reasons I liked it.) 

The pacing was odd and sometimes it felt like the script was cobbled together by a group of people who knew nothing of the characters and themes. This was a decent movie but it lacked greatness. Queenie and Jacob were still my primary focus and their story was thouroughly engaging. 

If you liked the first one, you should continue the story but if you're new to the series this is far from the first place you should start.

First Man (2018)

 

My brother was a space fanatic. We watched the launches, we watched the movies. He wanted to go to Space Camp so bad. We always looked at the stars, not just in reality but in our media as well.

I was excited to see First Man, I really was. Without going into too much detail, First Man is hardly a movie about space. It's a movie completely focused on Neil and not all of it is how we'd like to think of him. I don't know enough to know whether it is accurate enough. If Buzz Aldrin acted like he did in the movie I would be supremely disappointed. 

I would avoid this one like the plague. Not even Ryan Gosling can save it.