Greg's Cinema Collection

Movie Reviews!! Plain and Simple! It comes down to the viewer to interpret a work of art.

[gregavilathecritic]

Godzilla: King of the monsters is the very best godzilla movie I have ever seen!! I grew up watching the big dude. I have posters of Godzilla and have seen every single one of his movies. This is the accumulation of all the great godzilla moments rolled up into one great summer popcorn movie. I would put it on an equal level of entertainment as when transformers 1 first hit the movie theaters.

King of the monsters has the best CGI I've seen to date for any Kaiju movie. It is so groundbreaking and visually stunning I couldn't take my eyes away from the screen. Cinematography was gorgeous to look at. This movie hits and lands everything correctly about Godzilla. From it's lore to the music, I cannot stress enough how perfectly this movie was made to any and all Godzilla fans that are out there.

However, King of All monsters is the polar opposite of the Godzilla (2014) movie. From a regular viewer's perspective, this movie is all muscle and very little brain. The characters choices made in this movie are questionable. The leads are underdeveloped. The comedic meta relief is annoying at times but funny other times. The story is lackluster.

But if you're a true Godzilla fan, you'll know that none of the pervious stories are worth remembering. It's all about the action and fighting when it comes to Godzilla. And this one delivers.

Godzilla fan rating: 10/10 👍

Regular rating: 7/10 👍

[gregavilathecritic]

"Booksmart" is the directorial debut of Olivia Wilde. It is a perfect modern day highschool/coming of age story being told about 2 nerds who never partied a day in the life, realized they were losers throughout high school, and look to play catch-up on one wild night out.

Firstly I wanna say it is a huge sigh of relief to finally see a lesbian character who has came out before this story is told. I think it's very refreshing to see a person just be themselves and acting like they normally would, by having crushes, hitting on, and making out with girls.

Secondly, this movie is FUCKING HILARIOUS… there are so many knee slap moments that will have you dying throughout the movie.

I feel like the second half of "Booksmart" is the better half of the movie. I felt the first half was a little bit lacking but it picks up very well after these girls hit the party. I would highly recommend anyone to go see this movie if you wanna laugh your ass off. 9/10 👍

[gregavilathecritic]

The secret life of pets 2 is undeniably made by illumination studios, as it lacks the focus needed to tell a complete story. The sequel to a toy story knock off is so full of nonsense and wackiness, I felt exhausted during and after leaving the film. Pets 2 bounces back and forth from 3 different story-lines. One that follows max, one follows snowball(Kevin hart), and the other follows Gidget. These stories are so full of "ok now look at this moments" you realize that this film actually has not one main storyline. It's just a grab-bag of plot points the screen writers had to hit after following the success of the first film. Don't get me wrong, this film has moments of cleverness and heartfelt that make you smile a lot of times. But just lacks the focus to tell a complete story. 6/10 👎 for adults 👍for kids.

[gregavilathecritic]

Produced by James Gunn, This movie is the one if Superman was evil or if you are a comic book nerd, Ultraman. The movie doesn't waste any time on explaining what planet this "Superman" is from which is fine in my opinion because really I came to this movie to see Superman being a dick and I got exactly what I wanted. Brightburn is very gory and graphic but will hit a good note with horror genre fans. This is that 1% what Ben Affleck Batman was talking about in "Batman v Superman". What will we do if Superman was evil? How will we beat him? How will the world change knowing that an evil God like being exists in the world.? All I can say is Batman better gear up because this kid is going to put up a fight better than Henry Cavil Superman did. The acting is lacking, it's not the movie's strong point The editing also is pretty lackluster, they could have done a better job. The movie jumps from scene to scene like crazy.

I will say the strongest point of this movie is the third act. You get to see what you waited to see the whole time. 6/10 (see this if as a last resort movie to see, or a great Netflix movie)

[gregavilathecritic]

Detective Pikachu was not super effective. If it was a Pokemon type it would be a normal Pokemon type or any of those other Pokemon tropes you want to throw at this movie. This is just an average kids movie.

Ryan Reynolds is by far the best character or actor that they could've chosen to be in this movie as he delivers what he promised in the trailers, a comedic kids movie that has some adult humor that definitely will fly over kids heads but keep you entertained enough to be hooked into the movie. Justice Smith's acting is a lot better than what I've seen him do before as he delivers a compelling acting experience in the movie.

The plot to this movie is very goofy and cartoony, the evil villain's plan is something that could be drawn up on a Saturday morning cartoon just like Pokemon was. The movie's plot is very similar to "Pokemon: the first Movie". It's crazy how that movie came out in 1999 and I can still remember the major plot points of that movie. The nostalgia is real. And I think that's what Legendary Entertainment was shooting for.

But you didn't come to this movie for the plot you come for the cinematic experience of seeing Pokemon being brought to life onto the big screen and they accomplished it. I'll give credit to where credit is due the CGI in this movie is superior than what I thought it would be.

I wouldn't mind seeing more Pokemon movies similar to this one. I know their plan is to start a cinematic universe like Marvel did and create their own thing. This is a solid beginning to what could be a franchise of the future.

I recommend this movie for all Pokemon fans maybe if you haven't seen Pokemon before in your life or you have no idea what Pokemon is, I would suggest waiting for the DVD to check it out. 5/10 👍

[gregavilathecritic]

Hellboy (2019) Movie Review

Hellboy (2019) is a reboot of the Guillermo Del Toro's movies that came out in the early 2000's. I'm a fan of those movies, but I went into the reboot completely free of any expectations that the legendary Del Toro had set back then. But, Hellboy (2019) is a freaking mess. This movie is pleagued with choppy editing, bad CGI, and a confusing plot. There is so much exposition being told rather than showed in the movie that I'm convinced this should've been a straight to DVD movie.

So this is another King Arthur movie. I don't understand what is Hollywood's obsession with King Arthur. Maybe when a screenwriter is out of ideas or is just lazy, they use the mythical figures of Merlin, King Arthur, and Excalibur to set up the story for a movie. With that being said, King Arthur is NOT NEEDED IN A HELLBOY MOVIE. Michael Bay was guilty of using this route as well. Transformers: The Last Knight might have been one of the worst movies I have ever seen. It also used King Arthur to cheaply set up a story for a movie.

Hellboy's only redeeming quality is the acting of David Harbour. He did a satisfying job of playing Hellboy on the screen. I just wish he was given a better opportunity to showcase his talents.

I was forgetting about major parts of this movie as it was happening, but I was still able to understand the movie, as nothing exciting was actually happening during the duration of Hellboy. Hellboy was a dreadful cinematic experience and o wouldn't recommend anyone to see it in theaters. 1/10 👎👎

[gregavilathecritic]

"Shazam!" Movie Review

DULL! PREDICABLE! LACKING! CAMPY! These are the words I would use in describing my "SHAZAM!" movie experience. But you can also describe Shazam! as COMICAL! GOOFY! and COMPASSIONATE! Shazam's best qualities are what carries the movie throughout the 2hr and 12 min run time that somehow feels longer than it actually is.

In this critic's eyes, I believe that DC does a better job at creating and telling a unique and complete storyline for there solo superhero movies. Marvel on the other hand, does a better job at creating "team-up" superhero movies. DC has fallen short with Shazam! for the new trend they've set with both Aquaman and Wonder Woman.

Shazam starts off strong. It differs from what was shown in the trailers and starts the story off with something I wasn't expecting. Than the movie goes down a path of discovering the value of family and friendship. It deslivers a great message in that sometimes even when you're looking the hardest for something, it was right in front of you the whole time.

What let me down in Shazam! was the dialogue. Most of the time I blame bad acting and call it out when I see it in a movie, but this time I don't blame the actors for how it was scripted.... I blame the poor writing in Shazam for making this movie feel longer than it needed to be. At times the dialogue being spoken was so dumbed down or so oversimplified, I began to fall asleep during the movie. Zachery Levi acting is spot on, he plays a great kid being stuck in a grown-up superhero's body. Heck there is even a nod to BIG in Shazam! now that I was not expecting. The weak writing is most apparent whenever Mark Strong has to speak. He is stuck spouting out campy supervillain lines whenever the movie calls for it and it really is a disappointment to see a seasoned veteran actor having to spot out terrible dialogue to keep the movie going.

Overall my Shazam cinematic experience was mediocre. While at times it was entertaining, other times it almost put me to sleep. This is a movie you can see once and forget about it the day after. 4/10

[gregavilathecritic]

“Temptation Island” Season 1 Review

I’m not usually one for watching reality TV shows. Yes, I do know they are all actors on the show and they make the show more dramatic by editing lines and all that jazz. But I must say, "Temptation Island” was highly entertaining. “Temptation Island’s” concept is just so amusing. Couples that are dating are separated on different villas at Maui, while being surrounded by hot singles. This is the perfect recipe for disaster and DRAMA!! Couples that have been dating for years are put to the test, just to test out how loyal they are to one another. The payoff is somewhat worth it, if you and your partner make it through the month long experiment, the couple wins $64,000. For season 1, most couples failed at maintaining loyalty, but a lot of them grew from this experience and moved on to better things. Like most reality TV shows, it reflects self discovery, self growth, and desire to strengthen the bonds that tie us to one another in a relationship. I highly recommend this show. 8/10

[gregavilathecritic]

“Won’t you be my neighbor?” Movie Review

"You've made this day a special day, by just your being you. There's no person in the whole world like you; and I like you just the way you are." -Mr Rogers.

For millennials growing up in the 90′s, I think it’s highly likely that some of you, if not all of you, knew who TV icon and national treasure that was Mr. Rogers and his show “Mister Roger’s Neighborhood” which aired on PBS daily. Looking back, I can recall the numerous times that I would watch Mr Rogers, as it was the only thing that would entertain me on my Grandma’s TV because we didn’t yet have cable at the time. Watching his TV show as a boy always made me feel special, and that was Mr Roger’s message: “You are special. You don’t ever have to do anything sensational for people to love you.”

This bio-documentary does a phenomenal job of telling the story of Mr. Rogers’ life. He was a man that had the brain of a child, and wanted to spread love and happiness through any avenue available to him. He would play the piano, sing songs, used ventriloquism with his hand puppets to connect with children and make them feel cared for. When his showed aired in the 60′s-80′s he would go on TV and try to clarify to children what was going on in the world. For example, when Bobby Kennedy was assassinated in 1968, he would air a special episode of “Neighborhood” and act out a scenario where his puppet tiger would ask “What does assassination mean?” This is unheard of nowadays. No program would ever want to cause “harm” by discussing real life events on a children’s TV show. Mr. Rogers reasoning behind this was, if adults never told/explained children anything, they would be left to there imagination and no telling what would come out of a children’s mind if someone wasn’t there to help explain it to them.

Common rumors spread about Mr. Rogers is that he was “gay”. Or maybe you heard this one “He was a NAVY SEAL and the reason why he wears that sweater is to cover up all the tattoos he got while serving his country.” Both of these statements are false. Mr. Rogers was a Presbyterian minister who was happily married and had 2 children. I believe these rumors manifested from the hate groups that oppose Mr. Rogers and his teachings. They didn’t hate Mr. Rogers because he was gay, they hated Mr. Rogers because he tolerated gays. In there minds, no one can be that happy all the time and be normal. He really was such a national treasure and beloved man. Mr. Rogers accepted everyone for who they were. 

I can go on for hours and try to explain why this man changed America, enriched our lives, and showed compassion for children. If you want to know more I 100% advice you to watch this movie. I was able to watch it for free on PBS and recorded it. I’ll leave you with my favorite Mr. Rogers quote: “Think about somebody who has helped you along the way, for one minute think. Let’s just take some time to think of those extra special people. Some of them may be right here. Some maybe far away. Some may even be in heaven. No matter where they are deep down you know they’ve always wanted what was best for you. They’ve always cared about you beyond measure, and have encouraged you to be true to the best within you.”

10 /10!!!!!!!!

[gregavilathecritic]

“Bohemian Rhapsody” Movie Review

Any lover of Queen will appreciate this movie, as I did enjoy it. Brian Singer did a good job of showing how influential Queen was to the music industry. When no one believed in them, the members of Queen believed in themselves and stuck to there beliefs no matter what people were telling them. They even have Mike Myers acting as the asshole music producer saying that no one will ever listen to ‘Queen’ and the song ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ will be a flop. To any of you that have seen “Wayne’s World”, you already know how brilliant that scene is.

"Bohemian Rhapsody" focused more on the musical aspect of Queen. It dares to go behind the scenes and gets into the nitty gritty of how complicated music production can become. The movie features all the great hits, nothing is left out. Heck people were clapping as soon as the movie ended. I'm glad Singer showed some of the darker sides of Freddie's life and all that came with it. It was very sad to see what he went through in life and I felt satisfied of how he was portrayed during this movie. Rami Malek deserved that Best Actor Oscar Award, hands down. He played a convincing and compelling Freddy Mercury role.

A few complaints though, I sometimes felt events being shown very streamlined. Singer chose to fly by events in history, sometimes skipping years in an instant. The concert felt a bit rushed by the editing team (not sure how they ended up with an Oscar for best editing, maybe it was because the studio fired Bryan Singer midway through production and the editing team was left slapping this thing together) and even with the streamlining, this movie felt long as hell. 7/10 👍

[gregavilathecritic]

“Overlord” Movie Review

Shout out to one of my Best Friends, Uli, for getting me a free preview ticket. Overlord is one of the most gory and gritty movies I've seen in a long while. This movie is not for the faint of heart I'll tell you that much. There is so much chaos and destruction going on, it would make Tarantino proud. The costumes and make-up design is top notch, everything looks so real. J.J. Abrams put a lot of effort and accomplished top notch accuracy for a WW2 movie, which I greatly appreciate. Overlord isn't necessary a horror movie but it has enough “in your face” scare tactics to make you feel uneasy. Wyatt Russell has a promising acting career in front of him. He has the same facial expressions as his Father, Kurt Russell, had when he was the same age.  8/10 👍

[gregavilathecritic]

YouTube Red’s “Cobra Kai” Season 1 Review

I FINALLY got a free YouTube Premium trail and was able to binge the living hell out of the new Cobra Kai TV show. If any of you are able to get a free trail, watch this show right now!! The new Cobra Kai kicks so much ass! The show's modern day writing mixed with it's 80's throw back theme is funny as hell and makes for great TV. The tribute Cobra Kai pays to Mr Miyagi will bring a tear to your eye or you're just not a human being. It really is amazing how spot on the production company captured the innocence that was “Karate Kid” almost 34 years later.  I cannot wait for the next season! 10/10

[gregavilathecritic]

“Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindlewald” Movie Review

What a heavily convoluted movie. This new Fantastic Beasts is so packed full of fluff that it is clear as day JK Rowling needed to make a book first of everything that is happening in Fantastic Beasts. The problem with the second Fantastic Beasts is that a lot of world building needs to happen during these theatrical installments. And while you're world building your main characters kind of take a passenger seat to the movie they're being featured in. Newt and Dumbledore felt like side characters in a Wizarding World movie! Nagini has so little impact in the movie that if you cut her scenes out you wouldn't miss anything at all. If you're a hardcore and dedicated Harry Potter fan (books and movies) you might actually enjoy this movie. To the average movie fan though, I can say you will leave the film confused and wanting explanations. While I did enjoy the ending, Warner Bros needs to sort out this mess they put themselves in. 5/10

[gregavilathecritic]

Netflix’s “Outlaw King” Movie Review

This is Netflix's attempt to hop on that Game of Thrones hype train. That's all I could think about while watching this movie. More accurately I would describe this movie as Braveheart 2.0. It even has freaking William Wallace in it! For all the Chris Pine fans out there you even get to see this guy in the nude, twice. No wonder why this thing went straight to Netflix. 4/10 👎

[gregavilathecritic]

“Aquaman” Movie Review

I have the feeling that most people think that the Aquaman movie was gonna be more of the same of what we saw in Justice League. A buff action hero spitting out corny 1 liners. I'm so happy at what Jason Wan was able to accomplish with this movie. He took a sample of what we saw in Justice League and was able to tell a compelling and complete story. Jason Wan does an amazing job building the character of Aquaman and showing how he needs to grow to become King of Atlantis. Aquaman is visually stunning. I didn't want to take my eyes off the screen for a second because the amount of CGI detail is breathtaking and stunning. This movie is an accomplishment for Wan as much as it is for WB. They nailed this movie perfectly. 8/10 👍

[gregavilathecritic]

"Bumblebee" Movie Really

To much like the Iron Giant for me to say anything else positive about it. Almost a cookie cutter copy of it too. It definitely isn't as ridiculous as Michael Bay movies. And now Hasbro has come and said it is officially a "reboot" of the franchise....Great. At least it was a very pure transformers movie. 5/10

[gregavilathecritic]

"Glass" Movie Review

As you all should know by now, Glass is the 3rd installment in the M Night Shyamalan movie series. Like everyone else, I was caught completely off guard that M Night would try to create a sequel to one of his best movies ever, Unbreakable (2000), along with his recent success, Split (2016). Watching Glass however, I felt like I was watching the perfect representation of M Night's film career on screen. Amazing beginning, questionable middle, disappointing ending.

So to better explain what watching Glass is like, the first hour - hour and a half is like you're watching the best parts of both Split and Unbreakable. There is a lot of talking and character development being made. James McAvoy is back showing is incredible range of acting that he displayed in Split. Everytime he was on screen, the movie crowd would lose there minds, laughing at how incredible he is playing a split personality. A truly talented actor. Bruce Willis picks up where he left off in Unbreakable and hasn't skipped a beat.

Samuel Jackson on the other hand, felt over the top. His villainous character is more eccentric than what I remember him being in Unbreakable. Heck, he even gets a villain costume with an emblem at the end.

If you have watched any M night movie before, you know he always has to put his twist in at the end of the movie to make you lose your mind. But this twist ending however does not do the movie any favors. I can see now why critics left this movie in disbelief and feeling played for a fool. I cannot recommend any fan of Unbreakable or Split to watch this continuation of the franchise, as you will leave the theater full of questions and in disappointment. 4/10 👎