The Fate of the Furious

Another summer movie i had the chance to see, and yes, it has been out for weeks now. So what! I wasn't going to see it, but the people I was with, talked me into it... Did this movie blow it's engine of suck, or did i enjoy the furious ride? Lets find out:

The Fate of the Furious- Ah yes, the infamous franchise that keeps making billions of dollars world wide, which is the reason why this freaking thing is still going, and is rumored to continue to a tenth installment. It went from a street racers, using over the top methods to rob trucks to, where they are literally international spies... i shit you not!

Plot- Dominic Toretto (Disel) and Letty  (Rodriguez) are living their lives out in the streets of Cuba, where a mysterious woman (Charlize Theron) approaches Dominic, and she has something from his past and holds it over him. He is forced to work for her becoming an international terrorist, so its up to the crew to take him down.

Ok, so many things bugged the hell out of me...here are just a few of them:

First, all of these freaking people have become superheroes with powers, not yet revealed to the audience. I say this, because, how the hell do these people NEVER get hurt? Either jumping out of cars going 90 mph, punching AND DENTING steel, and the freaking Rock takes rubber bullets from a shotgun close range. I don't care what kind butterfly curls you're doing in the gym. No, it doesn't work that way....sigh.

Second, I've driven over black before, and nearly died. These freaking people are able to drive on top of an entire frozen lake or whatever, going fast enough to travel back in time, and they are good to go.

Third, Tyrese Gibson's only purpose in these films is to scream the narrative for the other characters. "There's a tank on my ass!" "It's cold as hell here!" "They SHOOTING rockets at us!"

Lastly, so Dominic goes rogue...they hire street racers, a cop, and an ex-terrorist to hunt him down??? Do we not have any trained agents in the government for this kind of shit?

Final Verdict- 5/10- They are getting worse and worse with this series.It is a guilty pleasure, but on cable or Netflix, not spending 13 dollars on a movie ticket.

More movies to see this summer, until then this is Phil Goes to the Movies, so you don't have to!

The Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2

Hey, its that time again! It's summer blockbuster season, and this season seems to have some whoppers coming for us! Well, I'm here to conqueror a sequel following a surprise Marvel hit. Did it remain as good as the first, or fall into that usual "meh" sequel? Let find out:

The Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2- Oh, man. i remember seeing the first movie, not knowing what to expect, and I couldn't stop laughing from the casts' chemistry and one liners. Plus, all the mind numbing action sequences being thrown at me. The first film appeared to have it all for everyone to enjoy. Now, Marvel seems to still be going strong with their movies as they enter what they refer to as "Phrase 3".

Plot- Well, the Guardians are doing their thing by taking jobs from other worlds to be paid for their services. One mission they finish, Rocket decides to steal from them, which leads to a chase through space, and takes them to meet Ego (Kurt Russel). Here Peter (Chris Pratt) finds out about his heritage, while the team shows they have grown closer together.

Honestly, I love this cast, their chemistry and humor works on every level, and the action sequences were top notch. The only thing really lacking in this movie was a strong main plot. It felt more like if this was a series on Netflix, and this was just a random episode. The villain is completely forgettable, and these types of movies ONLY strive when you have a great villain. NOT HERE! It was worth seeing in theaters, but it was lacking something from the original.

Final Verdict- 8.4/10, great cast and humor, but really needed something more for this film to stand on its own.

That's it for now, see you guys for more reviews. This is Phil Goes to the Movies, so you don't have to!

Logan

Dear lord, who knew saving for Disney for the holidays and now planning a wedding would drain all your fun time funds...Well, now you know why I have been away for so long, but I am back baby, here give you the reviews you desire... you need! Enough about me, lets get to the review shall we:

Logan- Well, another movie starring Hugh Jackman, playing Marvel's most iconic character of all time. Unfortunately, for us fans, this is Hugh Jackman's and Patrick Stewart's final performance as their mutant characters, since 2001, and we have to say good bye, as they pass the mantles. Going to be extremely hard to imagine anyone else playing these two characters in the future.

Plot- Logan has aged, and appears to be in constant pain all the time. He takes care of Charles Xavier, due to his old age is having trouble controlling his powers of telepathy. They live out in the middle of no where in New Mexico, but a mechanical hand man, named Pierce (played by Boyd Holbrook) is snooping around asking if Logan has been in contact with a woman, named Gabriela, lately. The woman surfaces asking Logan to take this young girl to North Dakota for a price, but Pierce and other men are chasing our heroes for the girl.

I really liked this movie. The heart was there, and the banter between the cast seemed so natural, making it easier to connect with the audience. The movie is a R rating, so it wasted no time in dropping "F" bombs and slicing people up brutally. It is the true way Wolverine fans have wanted to see the character since 2001. Dear god, the amount of henchmen sliced and diced in this film...whew! The young actress, Dafne Keen, plays a great part, and when she goes into berserker mode, RUN!

The one thing I did notice about the film was, you needed to do your homework on the premise of the story before going into it. Explaining things like, why Logan's healing factor is crapping out? why most of the mutants aren't around anymore? I could see that being distracting to people going into the film because, those things are NEVER addressed in the movie, other than Logan is old now.

Final Verdict- 8.5/10, Loved interaction with the characters, and the movie really had heart to it. Plus, you get to see Wolverine and X-23 really rip things up together. recommend highly to see in theaters.

Ouija: Origin of Evil

It has been awhile since the summer blockbusters have ended, and the holidays are approaching fast. One holiday in particular, Halloween, and some horror films grace us in theaters for the spirit of things. Well, one scary movie seem to stand out to me, and I went to see it... what did I think? Lets find out:

Ouija: Origin of Evil- This is the sequel to the 2014 film "Ouija", which was a lack luster to say the least. It had all the clichés a horror movie is known for doing. You know the ones that insult our intelligence, such as splitting up, or the hot chick twisting her ankle of a freaking lone twig causing her to fall down. This time around things were different, and this movie didn't do any of those things. I'm guessing movies like "The Conjuring" are setting the bar higher for horror films to follow, and I am very grateful for that, honestly. The characters making actual decisions real life people would make, for example safety in numbers.

Plot- The plot takes place in the 1960s, where a mother and her two daughters live in Los Angeles. The family is trying to put their lives back together after their father/husband passes away. They work together to make a living by performing a séance scam business. After consulting with her oldest daughter, the mother decides to add an Ouija board, as a new prop, to the séance. The youngest daughter begins to play with alone, so she can speak to her late father. Unfortunately, its not her father she's speaking to, and all hell begins to break loose in the home.

I thought the movie was well done, and scared me many times. The most creepiest part of the film was the youngest daughter played by Alexis G. Zall. The scene when this poor child, now possessed by a demon, very naturally tells her older sister's love interest, in great detail, a person experiences while being strangled. The actress did an amazing job of being a creepy lil thing.


Final Verdict- 8/10, definitely worth seeing in theaters. The story and acting is pretty good, and the scares are there for you to enjoy this Halloween season.

That's it for now, this is Phil Goes to the Movies, so you don't have to!

Sausage Party

Hello, beautiful people, the summer block buster season coming to a close, I wanted to get a few more movies in before it ends. This film always stood out when the pre-movie commercials played. Lets find out if it was worth my money, or should I have just bought a sausage to eat instead....

Sausage Party- This film takes the premise of "Toy Story", but with food, plus every other household product someone can find in a supermarket. How food and other products interact in the world when no one is looking. The same band of people that have brought some really funny movies such, "Pineapple Express", "This is the End", and "Super Bad". Now there are here lending their voices in a strictly adult cartoon.




Plot- Food and other daily products believe they are here for the "gods" or people to take them away to the great beyond (outside of the store). Frank, a sausage, is excited because its the 4th of July, and him and his buddies will be chosen by the gods. Instead, the truth of supermarket products' fate is revealed, it is up to Frank and his friends to expose the truth.


Ok, no way am I a prude in any shape or form, but this movie, even got to me at times. The shock value was for the laugh, but the jokes came off more like, "Did, they really just go there?" The characters were NOT likeable at all. It was a bunch of hotdogs, not sausages, they only call them sausages so the title of the film works... They are freaking hotdogs! Their whole purpose is get into the buns, which are all girls....did I mention these vagina looking things all have breasts too? Yeah... It was just one sexually pun after the next...


Again, I curse a lot, when I tell a joke or want to be funny, but the way these characters spoke reminded me of children getting a chance to curse when the adults are gone. Here's an example, "Hey, Frank, how the fuck are you? You fuck that fucking bun yet or what? You shithead!" There is a way to blend in foul language to make it funny. If this was a real person, you would probably say to them,"Hey, relax guy. Take it down a notch." I really don't remember a time I laughed hard other than a few chuckles. Plus, there is a food ORGY at the end of the movie... no, that's not a typo. An actual food orgy!

Final Verdict- 2/10, waste of time. Shock value wants to be funny, but went too far. Watch this drunk on Netflix if you're really bored. Drink every time they say the word "fuck", and you will be dead!


More reviews to come, for now, This is Phil Goes to the Movies, so you don't have to!

Suicide Squad

It has been many weeks since I have reviewed anything in theaters; because, there was nothing worth spending money to see, and I work hard for the cash.... that's why I review these films to save your money as well. So many block buster flops this past July, which I knew by the trailers those movies would be trash, but finally after waiting since last November this film as come out. Was it worth the wait, or did I want to commit suicide after watching it? Lets dive in:

Suicide Squad- Originally titled, Task Force X in DC comics printed in 1987 with a different cast of villains. When the new 52 came along in 2011, the comic was renamed Suicide Squad with most of the popular DC villains known today. It was an original concept to force meta-human villains to do impossible missions for the side of good. The comics really gave a better back ground to each character, making them far more than just the two-bit crooks they were in other titles.




Plot- Government official Amanda Waller (Viola Davis), wants to put together a team of meta-humans, she feels she can control to due her very bidding to service her country. The purpose of this is in case there is an evil Superman, Miss Waller will have her counter super team. One of the members of the team goes rogue, and begins their attempt to destroy the world. The squad is sent to stop this villain, even if they want to or not.


Here is the question, how do you have character development for each of the members of the team, and still have a well paced movie? "Suicide Squad" does this beautifully! Many films should take notes. Each character had a story to tell, and yes, the flash backs were small, but they got to the point and were heart felt. You can see each one of these villains paid in more ways for their crimes. The emotions were there, when some of the characters wanted to atone for their mistakes. They appeared as humans, with dreams of their own.... not that asshole you want Batman to stomp out. You could relate to them, hell, before the movie is over you're rooting for them! That's THE biggest reason why this film works so well. Not to mention the casting was so so so well done.


Harley Quinn (Margot Robbie), Deadshot (Will Smith), and Joker (Jared Leto) steal the show every scene they were in, and the big question loomed over the film's head from start to finish. Was Jared Leto a better joker than Heath Ledger? Honestly, it doesn't matter because the Joker was reinvented every time he went against Batman. He is that deranged of a character! Yes, Jared Leto played an excellent Joker.




Final Verdict- 9/10, finally, a fantastic film for the summer. Good see this movie! The acting and action scenes are so well done.


A few more movie I might have to see before the summer block buster season comes to a close. Until then this is Phil Goes to the Movies, so you don't have to!

The Shallows

Hey, everyone, last time I did the kiddie underwater adventure, "Finding Dory", and now I am doing the adult underwater adventure, in the form of an intense thriller. Is this the modern day "Jaws", or was it another flop like that movie "Open Water." Lets find out:

The Shallows- Oh, the very thought of being eaten alive sends chills down my spine, I don't know about you readers. Not to mention being out of my element, like the open waters. Swimming is tough enough, if you don't do it regularly, and then to have something the size of a Buick trying to make you it's lunch. God knows, shark week on the Discovery Channel definitely added a lot to my fear of sea water. Then of course, Steven Spielberg destroyed me as a child with his mechanical puppet shark. Plus, the music from that film seems to creep inside my mind the second I plunge into sea water....even lakes, yeah, my phobia is that bad!


Plot- Nancy, played by Blake Lively, is on vacation with a friend in Mexico. Nancy is heading to a hidden beach, where her mother used to surf when she was pregnant with our main character, so Nancy is wanting to go there to be closer to her mom. Thinking about her mother, who died from cancer, she enters the water to surf, and it is true paradise. Until she stumbles upon a whale corpse, and she starts to head back to shore. She is attacked by a great white shark, and she swims to a small patch of land. From here is woman vs nature with her will to survive.


The movie does a really great job with character development in the first 10 minutes. You learn everything about Nancy, and why she's here at the beach, her being a medical student, and her dealing with her mother's death. The tension is elevated, to an eleven, the second she enters the waters. Each stroke of her hand through the water you think this is where the shark strikes. The anticipation is nerve wrecking, and you really feel for this character.

Final Verdict- 6.5/10, it was a good movie, but not worth the price of a theater. This is one of those great Netflix kinda movies, where everyone talks about at the office around the water dispenser.

From here on I am only going to review the films I want to see until "Suicide Squad" comes out, because movies are expensive, and there are like two more I want to see. That is it for now, this is Phil Goes to the Movies, so you don't have to!