Avatar way of the water

Avatar Way of the Water is the sequel to the first movie. Avatar. The background of this is sequel begins with a man named Jake sully. The time period is in the future and Jake Sully is in the military. He is on a mission going to another planet called Pandora. The goal of the military is to mine precious items on the planet, but the native species there, called Na’vi, doesn’t like this because the people are destroying their land. In an attempt to make spies inside the natives tribe, the humans create a vial that makes a person, have their consciousness transported to the body of a replicated body of a Na’vi native. These people inside these bodies are called Avatars. Jake is chosen to be a spy, and as he learns more about the natives, he realizes what the humans are doing to them is wrong and joins the Na’vi. He falls in love and mates with a female Na’vi. At the end of the first movie, he permanently becomes a Na’vi creature and assumes the position of tribe leader. The second movie has a run time of 3 hours, but it really doesn’t feel that long. In the sequel, Jake Sully, now called tsuyek Suli, has two sons, a daughter, and an adopted daughter. A human named Spyder who took the side of the Na’vi is like a part of the family too. Suli’s old enemy, a human general who fought with him in the first movie, returns as an Avatar. His threat gets closer and closer, until he reaches the tribe and harms his children. Suli gets his children back, but decides that they have to leave the tribe because he is the reason for the attack and wants to keep the tribe safe. He leaves with his family and they are reluctantly accepted into a water tribe far away from their land. They slowly adapt to “the way of the water”, but the kids are having trouble fitting in. The general eventually finds them and brings his team of humans and war machines to fight Jake. This movie was an amazing thing to watch on screen. There were many different creatures, stunning graphics, and characters that feel so real. The ending was great and had an interesting post credits scene. I think that movie was really good and I would recommend anyone to watch this movie. Again, it is three hours, but is worth it and the time flies by. In conclusion, Avatar: Way of the Water is a movie I highly recommend.

Where the Crawdads Sing (movie review)

Disclaimer: I tried my best not to spoil anything, but there still may be some accidental spoilers

Overview

This movie is directed by Olivia Newman and based on the novel “Where the Crawdads Sing” by Delia Owens.

Story

This movie adaptation is actually very similar to the book, with some parts condensed. It is about Kya, an outcast girl whose family left her when she was a little girl, so she had to learn to take care for herself in the Marsh. It takes place in the 1960s, and switches between 1969 and before the trial. After falling for two very different guys throughout her life and throughout the story, Kya’s life takes a turn.

When the popular Chase Andrews is found dead in the forest, everyone immediately suspects Kya, and the story goes back and forth between the trial and what happened before. Kya, after being alone all her life, finally, but slowly, starts letting a few people into her life.

She has no idea what will happen, and no idea what it will lead to. She has to make a life-changing decision about a threat to her livelihood. Both parts of the story, the trial, and the history are vivid and intriguing. It has an amazing plot, twist, and storyline.

Conclusion

Controversial opinion: I like the movie a bit better because the book gets kind of slow at some points, but I loved both!

10/10

Review: Where the Crawdads Sing (Movie)

In 2022, director Olivia Newman turned Delia Owens 2018 murder-mystery novel, Where the Crawdads Sing, into a thrilling coming-of-age movie. The movie is set in Barkley Cove, North Carolina, in the 1950s and 60s and follows the life of Kya Clark, or as the townsfolk know her as, the Marsh Girl. In the marshes of the deep south, abandoned by her family, Kya Clark becomes the suspect in the murder of the towns infamous Chase Andrews.

Where the Crawdads Sing is a well-made movie with a story and characters that will keep you heavily invested. The acting in this movie is sensational; the cast did a remarkable job in showing their characters depth and emotion. Daisy Edgar-Jones is brilliant and gives an amazing performance as Kya. To me, the story had an unpredictable plot twist with several red herrings thrown in. The movie leaves you at the edge of your seat and unsure of what is going to happen next. A warning though, this movie is not a “feel-good” type film; there are some triggering scenes and viewers might be advised to watch with caution. By far, the best part about the movie is the cinematography and soundtrack. Enhancing the film is the excellent cinematography of North Carolina swamplands which accurately depicts the life the mid 20th century south.

The critics have been slamming this movie because of how the film condensed certain chapters from the book and they felt the scenes were rushed. I haven’t read the book, but it is now on my list. Personally, I love watching the movie before reading the book because I don’t have high expectations of what I anticipate to see.

If you enjoy murder-mystery plotlines and appreciate beautiful cinematography, I recommend seeing Where the Crawdads Sing. I would rate this movie an 8/10.

All 11 Star Wars Films Ranked From Worst to Best

11 – Solo; A Star Wars Story

In my opinion, this film was an unnecessary addition to the franchise and was quite boring. Solo is a very long movie, but compared to the other films, it’s actually a little short. Although I was bored by the film over all, there were a few scenes and aspects I enjoyed, such as the mudtroopers and the idea that unrefined coaxium will explode because it’s so unstable.

10 – The Empire Strikes Back

Wow, what a boring movie. I’m willing to cut this movie some slack, given it was made in 1980, but still, even the attack on the rebel base on Hoth with the giant AT-ATs was very slow. I found the part where Luke trains with Yoda on Dahgobah mostly okay, except for the scene in the cave with the Darth Vader apparition. Also, with all of his training, wouldn’t Luke have realized that his friends being captured was Vader trying to trap him?

9 – The Force Awakens

This one was actually pretty great. There was a good amount of action, mystery, suspense and even some drama. But it just doesn’t have as much as the others. It was pretty close but this film missed 8th by a hair.

8 – The Last Jedi

Also a great film, It’s just that one character sent the entire movie spiraling downwards. Rose. She’s a completely useless character. The Rey/Finn/Poe trio was perfectly fine the way it was and yet they still added Rose. If she wasn’t in the movie, it would have easily made the top 3.

7 – Rouge One; A Star Wars Story

I really liked all the different kinds of stormtroopers. shore troppers, death troopers, scout troopers, etc. The only problem I had was that ALL the characters except for Darth Vader and Princess Leia got incinerated, blasted, or blown up.

6 – A New Hope

A great film. Especially considering it was made in 1977.

5 – The Phantom Menace

Another good movie. Lots of action, but I strongly disliked how quickly Qui-Gon Jinn was killed. He was a good character and I would have loved it if he had more screen time. But still, overall, a good movie

4 – Return Of the Jedi

Well done. I greatly enjoyed the rancor pit scene as well as the sail barge scene that followed. And being a fan of awesome, gigantic explosions, of course I appreciated the second Death Star exploding into a gazillion little pieces.

3 – Attack of the Clones

This film has one of my favorite, if not my absolute favorite, scenes. The Genosian Colosseum Battle. I just love the dozens of lightsabers twirling and swinging to deflect the hundreds of lasers aimed at them. And then, the huge republic gunships dropping in from the sky. So yeah, I like it.

2 – The Rise of Skywalker

OH MAN! All that action! It’s wonderful! And the drama between Ben and Rey, that’s pretty good too. I also really liked the tension between Rey and Poe. But probably my second-favorite quote of the entire franchise comes from this film. “They fly now.” -Poe Dameron, December 20, 2019.

1 – Revenge of the Sith

Five words. Anakin Skywalker and Order 66. I am a HUGE Anakin fan, so naturally I loved this film. And the level of drama that the Order 66 scene brought was insane. Other parts I liked were Obi-Wan spying on Count Dooku, Anakin and Obi-Wan lightsaber dueling with Dooku, R2-D2 lighting a pair of super battle droids on fire, and much more.

(Note: This is just my opinion.)

If you want to, you can comment your order down below.

All 8 Harry Potter Movies Ranked From Worst to Best

The beloved Harry Potter film series consists of eight movies that each superbly illustrate a book from the series. The outstanding directing and the stunning costumes and sets are just a few aspects of what makes these films stand out amongst other movie adaptations and series. Here is my personal ranking of the eight Harry Potter films:

8. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (second in series)

The movie is highly entertaining and contains a lot of action from start to finish (most notably the flying car scene at the beginning). It also introduces us to one of the silliest and most universally loved characters of the series, Dobby the House Elf. On the other hand, I felt that the tone throughout the movie was quite awkward and uncertain at times. Since the tone was predominantly humorous and silly, the audience was unsure whether to feel amused or scared when apparent serious moments arose. Perhaps the director did this intentionally in order to emphasize the awkwardness that comes with growing from adolescence to young adulthood. In any case, I think the overall tone of the movie could have been more consistent.

7. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (fifth in series)

Unlike in the preceding movies, Voldemort and the Death Eaters make frequent appearances throughout the film, so the audience gets to watch epic duels between them and the other characters. The directing in these scenes is notably well-done; as a viewer, I felt as though I was there with them. One of the downsides of this movie is the blue-gray filter used in post production. Although it contributes to the foreboding mood, it is quite distracting and considering the quality of the film otherwise, I think the same effect could have been achieved over the audience without it. Another downside is that it felt very rushed; there was constant action from start to finish, and the plot rapidly unfolded from the very beginning. Ironically, it is the second shortest Harry Potter movie, yet the longest book in the series. Lastly, the romance in the film is very awkward and seems unrealistic and unnatural. I understand that the makers of the movie wanted to emphasize the awkwardness and hesitation associated with teenage romance, but it makes those scenes in particular difficult and uncomfortable to watch as an audience member.

6. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 (seventh in series)

This movie is the first of two parts of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. The movie follows Harry, Ron, and Hermione as they undertake the quest to defeat Voldemort. The tension and suspense leading up to the final battle between good and evil builds immensely over the course of the movie. The quality of the directing, picture, and camerawork in this movie is better than ever! Notably, there are numerous scenes in which the camera angles show us things from one of the protagonists’ perspectives, which engrosses us during these particular scenes. Although the content of its plot are relevant to the development of the series’ overall storyline, I believe it could have been condensed with Part 2 to create one movie; the revelations and discoveries they make do not required an entire film of their own. The significant length of the film can be attributed to its slow-pace; several scenes are too long and dragged out. In addition to being slow-paced, a considerable portion of the movie takes place in a dreary forest where the three friends camp while in hiding. They seemed to be at the camp for the majority of the movie, and the tent is one of the few settings that I can vividly recall. All in all, these aspects of the film make viewers frequently lose interest throughout.

5. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (fourth in series)

Unlike the preceding films, this movie is quite mature and the tone of it is relatively consistent. The director successfully creates a dark, suspenseful, and foreboding mood due to the constant action, dark lighting and costuming, and skilled camerawork. There is rarely a dull moment in this film so it keeps your attention the whole way through. The only thing I really disliked about it was how especially violent and depressing it was, even more so than the book. Personally, I felt there could have been more lighthearted moments to balance this out and make it more enjoyable to watch.

4. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone (first in series)

As the first film in the series, it sweeps you off your feet and captivatingly introduces you to the wizarding world. The magical, lively score by John Williams complements the film and contributes to the silly yet mysterious mood. The excellent lighting adds to the specific mood the director is trying to create in each scene. Notably, in the scene where the new students arrive at Hogwarts, the lighting inside of the school is warm and soft, which emanates a welcoming and friendly tone. The childish humor, lively and dynamic characters, and entertaining action make it a great movie for people of all ages to enjoy. Although it is an excellent movie in its own right, it does not match up to the advanced quality of other movies in the series.

3. Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince (sixth in series)

This movie has the perfect balance between drama and action. We witness Harry and his friends reach a greater level of maturity and delve into learning about Voldemort and the horcruxes. It also spotlights the special bond between Harry and Dumbledore who embark on a treacherous quest later in the movie. Shocking revelations and discoveries, and momentous duels hook the viewers and have them on the edge of their seats. The cons of this movie were relatively minor. One of which was was the awkward romance, specifically between Harry and Ginny. There did not seem to be any chemistry between them, and the awkward interactions were difficult to watch as a viewer. Another negative aspect of the film was Professor Slughorn. His silly demeanor negatively stood out against the film’s serious mood. It seemed as though he did not belong in the film. Lastly, the dull filter used over this movie made it very displeasing to the eye. The dreary coloring was especially ugly and unappealing, which made it a bit distracting.

2. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 (eighth in series)

The tension built up over the course of the series explodes in this mature, epic finale! The intense emotion, dire steaks, and momentous battles tug on the viewer’s heart strings! The special effects create a breathtaking spectacle which captivates the audience and leaves them in awe. The quality and features of the camerawork make you feel as though you are in the midst of the chaos at the castle. My only complaint about this movie was how underwhelming the final stand off between Harry and Voldemort was. It seemed too easy of a victory on Harry’s part; as if it were attributed to just sheer luck rather than skill and courage he had obtained from seven years worth of dedication to training and preparing for that moment.

1. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (third in series)

In my opinion, this is by far the best film in the series! The tone is consistent throughout, foreboding and serious but with humorous moments appropriately placed here and there. In addition to the series’ main plot line concerning Voldemort, the protagonists become intertwined in a separate mystery regarding Sirius Black, an Azkaban escapee rumored to be on the hunt for Harry. The audience anxiously anticipates a confrontation between Harry and Sirius Black, keeping them actively engaged in the film. We also meet the new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor, Professor Lupin. Lupin acts as a mentor to Harry and teaches him how to defend himself against the ominous Dementors. These dark creatures significantly contribute to the foreboding and dark mood of the film. With shocking twists and enthralling action, this movie takes the top spot as the best Harry Potter film in the series!

Be sure to comment YOUR ranking of the 8 Harry Potter movies!

The Batman review

The Batman recently came out on March 4th of this year and I would like to give my thoughts on it it. First of all I think overall the film is amazing, but I think its biggest accomplishment was keeping me engaged for its entire runtime (it’s almost 3 hours) so I can commend the film for doing that. In the movie we follow a younger Batman who has only has only had to deal with basic street thugs gets tangled up in the crimes of the Riddler, a criminal who takes out Gotham Cities elites and now Batman has to stop him

The casting in the movie is also very good with Robert Pattinson doing a great job as Batman and a mediocre job as Bruce Wayne; Zoë Kravitz does a good job as Catwomen; Paul Dano was the stand out actor (for me) giving a very scary performance as the Riddler that definitely helped keep me engaged in the film. The actors, outside the main three, also do a great job like Jeffery Wright as Jim Gordon and Collin Farrell as Penguin. Outside of the cast I also think that Gotham City has one of the best portrayals here out of all of the Batman stories with it looking run down which provides a unique look and feel for it.

The pacing of the movie is also pretty good. The film never really feels boring and does not have any scenes that don’t serve any purpose, everything happens when it should happen. My personal favorite scene had to be the opening which without going into spoilers was amazing; it was well thought-out and it sets the tone for the rest of the movie. I also think that the sets of the movie are very good and they stay in the same tone with the rest of Gotham City and having a lot of detail behind them.

One of the things I was not expecting was for Batman to have a character arc. I won’t say what it is, but it was fun to see unfold and defiantly surprised me! It was enjoyable and interesting to watch. Another thing I liked was Batman and Riddler’s relationship because they play off of each other very well.

One last thing I would like to talk about before I go would be the likely sequel to the movie. I really hope that for the sequel they use Scarecrow; I feel like his fear gas could provide some cool visuals. They could also use Hush who has not seen a cinematic experience yet and I think with the right actor they could make him a really good villain. But if you saw the ending to The Batman you already have an idea of one of the next villains which I am very excited to see him!

The Batman is probably the best cinematic interpretation of Batman next to The Dark Knight. The film does everything right with amazing visuals, music, and acting. The Batman is fantastic!

10/10 reviewed by Charglez

Food Inc. Review

This Film was nominated for the Academy Award and the Independent Spirit Award in 2009, both for Best Documentary Feature.

Food Inc. is a documentary made to expose the corruption of big food companies. The film goes on to explain that about four food companies control the entire meat industry.

I have organized three key points that the film uses to show just how bad these big companies are.

1. Taking Advantage of Small Farmers
2. The Shift from Grass Fed to Corn
3. Using Illegal Immigrants from Mexico

First off, food industries hire farmers to raise the animals after completing a contract. However, the companies take advantage of this by forcing upgrades on small farmers in order to get increased production. The farmers then have to borrow money from the bank leaving them in debt and money gone to the company.

Secondly, companies have been forcing corn on the food industry because of its low cost and high production. However this led to an enormous increase in e coli outbreaks. Though it does not always happen, it is often too late to recall meat before people die. This is especially bad knowing that this problem can be avoided by not using corn. Worst of all, the government can’t even shut down these companies after repeated outbreaks.

Lastly, illegal immigrants have been known to be used in factories and such. However, did you know that companies are actually sending buses to Mexico to pick up immigrants. The government is surprisingly okay with this. That is because they make deals with companies to take a few immigrants at a time to not lower production yet see their quota met. All and all companies are getting money and workers are being sent away with none.

Please take this review with a grain of salt. The documentary did seem biased but, there were still facts. Overall I would rate the film a solid 3/5 stars. It was very intriguing but a little one sided.

Five Feet Apart

This afternoon I watched Five Feet Apart. The story follows a love story between Stella Grant and Will Newman who are two teenage patients with Cystic Fibrosis (CF). Before meeting Will, Stella was very routine with her treatments and always followed the rules. The day they meet, Stella walks past Will’s room and overhears his conversation with his friends. Will notices this and follows Stella to the NICU (newborn intensive care unit). Instantly he starts flirting with her until Barb, who is their nurse comes to tell Will to come back to his room and reveals to Stella that he also has CF although I definitely found this part quite predictable. As the story progresses it starts with Stella helping Will with his med cart until they find themselves falling for each other. Creating the basis for the title of the movie, Stella decides that CF has taken too much from her so she proclaims in a video that she will no longer stay six feet away but five feet apart. Stella and Will break the rules to embrace each other meanwhile, Barb is against this and tells them to stay away from each other. After celebrating Will’s eighteenth birthday Stella’s best friend Poe (who also has CF) passes away. When I watched this scene I almost cried and the timing for it definitely added to the sadness because before this happened Poe had told Stella about how he and his boyfriend Michael were going to meet his parents. Stella’s grief allows her to realize that she has been living for her treatments and not for herself. She decides to see the lights and Will goes with her. When they stop at a frozen pond Stella falls in and comes very close to death. Fortunately, Will saves her but in the process of doing so, he is forced to give her mouth to mouth to save her life. They go back to the hospital where new lungs are available to be transplanted to Stella. At first, she wants to deny them but Will convinces her to take the lungs. The movie ends with Will bringing lights to Stella because she never got to see them. After, Will leaves because his treatments weren’t successful. While it isn’t shown that he died at the end it is implied that he did.

I thought this movie was very emotional while dealing with grief, love, life, and sickness and also emphasized the emotional need and importance of physical touch. While watching I saw myself relating to the grief that Stella feels for her sister, Abby who had died in previous events, this led me to have more of a feel and understanding for Stella’s emotions. Also, it was super cute watching Will and Stella develop their feelings for each other and seeing their romantic gestures towards each other, especially all of the drawings Will made for Stella. Overall, this movie was very emotional and had a great plot although it may have been a bit cliche in some parts. I would rate Five Feet Apart a 9/10.

Halloweentown II: Kalabar’s Revenge

Yesterday I rewatched Halloweentown II: Kalabar’s Revenge. The second installment in the Halloweentown franchise takes place exactly two years after the first movie. While hosting a party on Halloween night, Marnie meets a boy named Kal, who steals her grandmother’s spellbook. Aggie and Marnie then go to Halloweentown to retrieve her other copy of the spellbook, only to notice that something in Halloweentown is very wrong – someone has casted a “grey spell” on the town and everyone has turned into boring humans. They find out that Kal is Kalabar’s son seeking revenge and that he plans to turn everyone in the mortal world into what they are dressed up as for Halloween. Marnie and Luke, a goblin from the first film, spend the whole film trying to find Aggie’s spellbook, while Dylan and Sophie try to reach their mother to tell her what is happening. The family opens the portal after Halloween and they save both Halloweentown and the mortal world! Kimberly J. Brown, Debbie Reynolds, Judith Hoag, Joey Zimmerman, and Emily Roeske all reprise their roles as the family of witches (and a warlock). Phillip Van Dyke also reprises his role as Luke and he is great. I was not a fan of Daniel Kountz, who played Kal; He was a horrible actor, and the way he spoke really annoyed me. Blu Mankuma played Gort, a collector of lost objects. Marnie, Aggie, and Luke spend most of the movie at his place, with no luck in finding the spellbook. Anyway, he was great in this role. This movie gets a lower rating because, throughout the movie, the entire family was unnecessarily rude to Sophie for no reason! This movie is the most memorable one in the franchise and the one that comes to mind first when I think of this series so bonus points for that! 

Halloweentown

A few days ago, I rewatched Halloweentown. This movie takes place on Halloween night, when 13-year-old Marnie and her younger siblings are told they can’t go trick-or-treating. When their mysterious, Halloween-obsessed grandmother decides to pay them a visit, the three siblings follow her home, much to their mother’s dismay. They find out that their grandmother, Aggie, is a witch from Halloweentown, as are they and their mother! Aggie is worried that her neighbors in Halloweentown are disappearing and she wants to train her oldest grandchild, because if she doesn’t, Marnie will lose her powers. When their mother, Gwen, goes to Halloweentown in search of her children who snuck out, she finds that the mayor is her ex-boyfriend and that he’s responsible for the residents of Halloweentown disappearing and his goal is to take over the mortal world. The family defeats him and then goes back to the mortal world and starts their training. Kimberly J. Brown played Marnie and honestly, she wasn’t good in this role. She was annoying and whiny. Aggie was played by Debbie Reynolds, who was perfect for this role! Joey Zimmerman played Dylan, Marnie’s skeptical younger brother. Though his character could be frustrating, he was casted perfectly. Marnie and Dylan’s younger sister, Sophie, was played by Emily Roeske, who was good in this role. Her character was immediately a better witch than Marnie and didn’t get nearly enough credit. Gwen was played by Judith Hoag and she was great! Robin Thomas played Kalabar and he was a good villain, though it was obvious something was off about him from the beginning. This movie is super cheesy but very nostalgic so I really enjoyed it, though it’s not the best in the franchise. I also learned that this movie came out in 1998, and it is the fourth Disney Channel Original Movie.