James' Review of THE SUPER MARIO BROS MOVIE (2023)

 

Mama mia, everyone! Its-a me, the Crazy Video Game Wizard, and we're here to talk about THE SUPER MARIO BROS MOVIE from Illumination/Universal & Niiiiiiiiiiintendo!

As you all remember, back in the 1990s, during the near-height of Mario's fame, Nintendo gave Hollywood the license to make a Mario movie. In 1993, SUPER MARIO BROS starring the late Bob Hoskins as Mario and Dennis Hopper as King Koopa was released to the world... and it failed. It was so infamous, Nintendo never attempted movie adaptations again. But during the 2010s, as they worked on a theme park with Universal, the desire to make a Mario movie was rekindled.

Collaborating with Illumination Studios, with Universal as the distributor, Nintendo worked on the new animated Mario film with Chris Pratt as Mario and Jack Black as Bowser and Charlie Day as Luigi. In April 2023, after years of work, the movie was released and made billions of dollars despite being negatively received by critics. Oh, and it was well-received by fans. The movie was so successful, a sequel is in the works.

I saw this movie on DVD in June, and, yes, it is just as good as folks say it is. Years ago, I didn't think of the idea that Chris Pratt would do something Mario-related. However, hearing his Mario voice, Chris is real great. His Mario is my favorite Chris Pratt character next to Star Lord and Owen Grady of Marvel and Jurassic Park respectively. Oh, and Jack Black was real treasure when it came to taking on the role of Bowser. Yeah, I liked him in KING KONG and KUNG FU PANDA amongst other things, but you cannot top "Peaches". BTW, I saw Jack Black's music video, and it is cool.

While the 1993 film has a place in my heart, this film makes me want to play Mario games even more, and it is a love letter to the franchise, with so many easter eggs and moments that fans love. Mario turning into a cat with the Cat Suit from SUPER MARIO 3D WORLD is priceless, and I would be thrilled to watch a Donkey Kong movie. THE SUPER MARIO BROS MOVIE is what makes me love Mario even more, and I am happy it succeeded.

Solid 9.9/10, and I'd be glad to rewatch this film down the road. By the way, the sequel will drop in 2026, and the movie's victory has opened the door to other video game films such as a LEGEND OF ZELDA movie. Oh man, you know I love Zelda. Anyways, I'll see ya'll next time.

-James M

James' review of Jojo Rabbit (2019)

 

Welcome back, everyone. Today, we're here to review this comedic movie involving Nazis and World War II called Jojo Rabbit, loosely based on a book called Caged Skies, and the story is pretty simple:

During the Second World War, Jojo Betzler (Roman Griffin Davis), who confides in an imaginary version of Adolf Hitler (played by the film's director Takia Wattiti, joins the Hitler Youth and, after recovering from an injury, he discovers a Jew named Elsa (Thomasin McKenzie) hiding in the house. As it turns out, Jojo's mother (Scarlett Johansson) is an anti-Nazi, and, the more Jojo interacts with Elsa, his patriotism towards the Third Reich begins to diminish. At one point, Fake Hitler launches into a frightening triad to Jojo, telling him how Germany relies on the passion of valiant young men and that its up to him to decide if he wants to be remembered by history or disappear insignificantly.

While it is set during one of the roughest times imaginable, Jojo Rabbit is a fun movie with plenty of comedic moments throughout, and Takia's portrayal of Hitler ranges from wacky to completely serious. By the end of the film, Fake Hitler has become a raging mess, akin to the version played by Bruno Ganz in Der Untergang. The writing is well done, and Jojo had a swell character arc, going from a Nazi fanatic to someone who cares for those the Nazis persecuted.

Jojo Rabbit deserves a 9.5 out of 10. Go watch it if you want. And don't ever forget the horrors inflicted by the forces of Nazism. Don't follow their ideals, don't give their fallen empire power, and don't honor the legacy of Adolf Hitler. Even in death, Hitler can still hurt the world, and influence many people. The Nazis, regardless if they were a political party, are monsters forever.

Farewell, folks.

-James M

James' Review of SUPERHERO MOVIE (2008)

 

Ah, superhero movies. The greatest of our time, right next to sci-fi space adventures and war movies. You've seen Marvel movies, and DC movies, but to see a superhero movie that isn't associated with those two is quite rare. And then, we have the parodies, especially the Movie movie stuff.

2008 was a big year for superhero films. Iron Man came out, kicking off the MARVEL CINEMATIC UNIVERSE, alongside THE INCREDIBLE HULK, and then, there was THE DARK KNIGHT, the sequel to 2005's BATMAN BEGINS. And, among the many other superhero films, there's this movie...

SUPERHERO MOVIE.

Made by the same folks who made the SCARY MOVIE, er, movies, SUPERHERO MOVIE is a spoof of the pre-MCU Marvel films that were out at the time with some elements of DC. It spoofed Spider-Man, Batman, the X-Men, and you get the idea. The movie tells the story of Peter Parker parody Rick Riker, who gets bit by a dragonfly and, after being in a coma for five days, he learns that he has super powers. After his uncle, a parody of Uncle Ben, gets shot, Rick becomes the superhero Dragonfly and fights injustice. Before long, he is battling the threat of HOURGLASS, an obvious Green Goblin parody, who is ought to drain the life force of almost everyone in the city to sustain himself.

Drake Bell plays Rick Riker, who is based on Tobey Maguire's Spider-Man from the Sam Rami trilogy with a bit of Christian Bale's Batman from BATMAN BEGINS and THE DARK KNIGHT, and, like Peter, he's a high-school student with a crush on a girl who is his neighbor and lives with his aunt and uncle. Fun fact, years after the movie's release, Drake actually went on to voice Spider-Man himself in the Ultimate Spider-Man and Marvel's Heroes.

Now, this movie is really, really crazy, and not just for being a spoof of Spider-Man and the other Marvel (and DC)-related movies. Throughout the film, you'll be encountering sex jokes and bathroom jokes galore. And for crying out loud, the reason Rick gets bit by a dragonfly is because his bully pushed him on top of animal dung and he tried to wash off the stain with some liquid that attracted a bunch of animals to the kid (complete with a dog humping his leg). The film is crazy for sure, but I don't think too much of things like blood, violence, swearing, sex jokes and I'm twenty-five years old!

Anyways, if you wanna watch a funny superhero movie and you're into juvenile humor, go ahead and watch, well, SUPERHERO MOVIE. Its an 8, and it can be fun, but don't expect to see Wolverine do any hero stuff. And by the way, light spoilers, the Uncle Ben parody survives, and its the Aunt May-type character who dies, which kind of predicted that Aunt May would get killed off in a Spider-Man movie years later.

Be safe out there.

-James M

James' review of REIGO THE DEEP SEA MONSTER (w. RAIGA)

 

Hey, Godzilla nerds. I'm back to discuss a kaiju movie that is NOT a Godzilla film, but its still Japanese made. This movie is REIGO: THE DEEP SEA MONSTER, and you wanna know what makes it very special?

As you know, kaiju movies like Godzilla or Rodan became known in the years after the conclusion of World War II, and monster flicks like these are usually set after the war. However, Reigo takes place DURING World War II IN THE PACIFIC THEATER. That's right, the crew of a Japanese battleship during the war battles a sea monster. Oh, and get this, the battleship is the YAMATO, which was actually a real ship.

Excluding the opening of GODZILLA MINUS ONE, this is the first Japanese-made monster movie that takes place during the events of the infamous real-life conflict that led to the nuclear age which led to Godzilla's creation in the first place, and the plot is pretty interesting. At one point, while the ship's crew are fighting against Reigo, they team up with an American whose ship was destroyed by the monster.

So, what are my thoughts on this, uh, blockbuster?

Well, REIGO is fun, when you can look past the odd CGI effects that appear in this film. It was hard to look at the CGI in the movie without getting the vibe that you're looking at video game graphics, and this is one monster movie that is not going to age well despite being a fun kaiju-related outing. When you get past the poorly aged CGI, and some questionable moments, REIGO: THE DEEP SEA MONSTER is worth your time if you want to watch it... or rewatch it if you've seen it like I have. Not much to say about the acting, even though it was funny that the American character spoke Japanese, and there was a tiny bit of English from the ship's crew member who talked to him.

9.8/10. The studio did its best. And by the way, REIGO got a freaking sequel three years later, in the form of DEEP SEA MONSTER RAIGA.

The film is set decades after the war, and I am going to be honest, this one was weird as heck. No spoilers for those who haven't seen it, and they actually made a third movie. GOD RAIGA VS. KING OHGA, which came out over five years ago as of this writing. My parents and I should see that down the line.

See you next time, folks.

James M's review of BEETLEJUICE (1988)

 

Happy Halloween, everyone. 

Today, we're talking about Tim Burton's 1988 classic known as BEETLEJUICE, starring Michael Keaton as the ghost with the most. To make a long story short, the film sees a married couple trapped in their own house after dying in a car accident and, when new people move into their former living residence, they eventually turn to a troublemaking ghost for help... leading to all sorts of insanity.

Right off the bat, I saw this film nearly a few weeks prior to Halloween and it is worth a watch during the spooky season, especially with the supernatural themes throughout from death, the afterlife and ghosts. Tim Burton knows when to freak people out with his style, and Michael Keaton's portrayal of Beetlejuice is hammy, over the top, and can be pretty disturbing in certain places. 

BEETLEJUICE is a breathtaking work of art for it's time, and my family and I really loved it. Obviously, people in 1988 did too since the movie got a sequel this year. No, we haven't seen BEETLEJUICE BEETLEJUICE yet, but Michael Keaton was a good pick to play the ghost with the most, and you have to give Mr. Burton props for how he pushed the boundaries of the PG rating this film got. My thoughts, well, it's a worthy Halloween-season Matane. 9.9/10 from me. 4.5 stars. Who could have thought films with death and ghosts would be funny?

See you next time, spook fans.

FAT MAN & LITTLE BOY (1989) vs. OPPENHEIMER (2023) -a James M review-

 vs. 

 

Greetings, fellow historians.

We're going to do something different today with this special review as we pit two movies against one another. 1989's FAT MAN AND LITTLE BOY starring Paul Newman and 2023's OPPENHEIMER by Christopher Nolan starring Cilian Murphy.

For a little explanation, both movies are about the creation of the atomic bomb during the war, and the latter is also about Doctor Robert J. Oppenheimer's life during, before, and after the bomb was created. The former, Fat Man and Little Boy, is very PG-13, while Oppenheimer is R-rated for heavy profanity and instances of nudity/sex.

Okay, so, which movie is the best?

Let us start with the 1989 film. Without delay, here we go, and I hope I don't upset the OPPENHEIMER fans.

Running at 2 hours and 7 minutes, FAT MAN & LITTLE BOY is straightforward as it covers Leslie Groves and his group's efforts on the Manhattan Project from 1942 to 1945. Now, Paul Newman is a stunning actor, and he was well-casted for the role of Colonel Groves. As for Dr. Oppenheimer, who is present in the film, he is portrayed by Dwight Schultz, and well-represented for the most part. The build-up to the bomb test is well-paced, and the film covers all the trial-and-error, with one person getting hurt at one point, not to mention Oppenheimer's affair with Jean Tatlock is covered reasonably well with a pretty decent PG13-rated sex scene shown at one point.

Over on OPPENHEIMER's side, the film isn't as straightforward as you think, especially as it goes all over the timeline from showing Oppenheimer's work on the Manhattan Project, to his education, to his affairs with the likes of Kitty Puening and Jean Tatlock, his conversation with Einstein in 1947, and his 1954 security hearing as well as a 1959 senate session. But, even as it bounces around the time periods, you still get the story of Oppenheimer's life and the Manhattan Project as well as his reaction to the Trinity test and the nuclear bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Heck, my mom had trouble enjoying it and prefers FAT MAN & LITTLE BOY. 

Now, I'm going to admit, I enjoy both of these films, but between Oppenheimer and the 1989 film, the movie that is the superior one is FAT MAN & LITTLE BOY, also my mom's choice of film, especially as it's easier to watch and you don't have to spend 3 hours watching stuff with Dr. Oppenheimer. And yet, I am willing to give the 2023 film another watch one day. Now for the scores, FAT MAN AND LITTLE BOY gets a 10.5, and OPPENHEIMER gets an 8.9.

Well, see you around, folks.

-James M

James M's review of Space Jam

 

Eh, what's up, Doc?

Yep, it's me, and I just recently saw SPACE JAM (1996) with my parents. Yup, THE Space Jam, starrin' Michael Jordan in a comical cartoony film with Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck and a slew of cartoony characters you know and love. It was a good film, very fun too. For it's time, the CGI looks gorgeous, and the animation for the toon world as well as the characters is real polished. Oh, and Lola Rabbit is cute, not going to lie. I like Wayne Knight's character as well, and it was funny that, at one point, Bill Murray got mistaken for Dan Aykroyd. You can't go wrong with such a light-hearted 90s movie. That's all I got to say for now.

See you.

-James M

James M's review of IDW SONIC #71-72

 

Yo, welcome back, Sonic nation! 

And it is time for a mini-review of IDW Sonic issues 71 and 72. So, to make a long story short, the plot is thickening when Mimic impersonates Sonic's alter ego of the Phantom Rider and unmasks Sonic in front of certain folks like the Babylon Rogues, Tangle, and Whisper. Oh, and Amy & Tails free Belle from her tied-up predicament and our pink hedgehog friend somewhat figures out who the leader of Clean Sweep Inc is. Meanwhile, that obvious someone is making plans of his own.

And this is all in issue 71.

Issue 72 sees Surge and Kit try to quit Clutch's employ, Sonic encounters Nite the Owl during one of his Phantom Rider missions, and Tails, Amy and Belle learn the true identities of the Clean Sweep mascots Doctor Yolk and Nick. Spoilers end here by the way.

I'm aware I kind of repeat myself, but these issues are undeniably spot on, and these Sonic comics, even without the non-game materials fans enjoy, remain fun to look at and own to read again and again from time to time. Both of these issues get a 9, and I salute the efforts of the writers and I'd like to thank SEGA for working closely with IDW to get Sonic right in the comics.

See ya.

-James M

James M's review of SPIDER-MAN: THE ANIMATED SERIES (1994)

 

Face front, true believers. 

It's your old friend, and I'm here with a review of the Spider-Man show that ran from 1994 to 1998. Recently, me and dad finished watching the show, and it was gorgeous for it's time. You can never go wrong with a fun superhero cartoon about the adventures and heroics of Peter Parker as Spider-Man, voiced by Christopher Daniel Barnes.

The show ran for five seasons before it was cancelled after the Spider-Wars two parter, which ended up serving as the grand finale to the overall show, and it was the last time anyone saw this version of Peter before he made a triumphant return in X-Men 97. Yeah, this show shares a universe with the other 90s Marvel shows such as Iron Man, Fantastic Four, and the X-Men, basically the original Marvel Cinematic Universe before 2008's Iron Man.

Okay, quick little summary of the series. 

After getting bit by a radioactive spider and losing Uncle Ben when someone broke into the house, Peter becomes the superhero Spider-Man and fights against crime, also leading to some complications with his personal life. As Spider-Man, he battles the likes of Scorpion, the Lizard, Kingpin, Doc Ock, Hobgoblin, Morbius, and various other villains. In his regular life, Peter works at the Daily Bugle and lives with Aunt May. Oh, and he gets a girlfriend in Mary Jane later on... until she falls into a portal during a battle between Spider-Man and the Green Goblin.

Following this, Peter has a sort of relationship with the Black Cat aka Felicia Hardy, and, eventually, MJ comes back, but it turns out she was a clone. In the show's third season, Peter meets Madame Web, who tests him, which leads to many scenarios, including one from the comics where Spider-Man meets a terminally ill kid. 

In the final season of the show, Peter teams up with Captain America, the Fantastic Four, and Storm of the X-Men, a team he met earlier in the show, to fight against Doctor Doom and other villains on a desolate planet. This leads into the two-part finale, which is basically Into The Spider-Verse before we get Into The Spider-Verse, as Peter teams up with variants of himself to save the multiverse from Spider-Carnage. Long story short, the heroes saved all of reality.

For a show in the 90s, Spider-Man is well-animated, with plenty of 2D animation and an occasional inclusion of 3D animation, and no superhero project would be complete without any action and there is a lot of action sequences throughout the series with plenty of high stakes at times. As for the other characters, no offense to JK Simmons, but Ed Asner as Mr. Jameson is really good. The soundtrack kicks butt as well, and when the music kicks in during an action scene, that's when you know things get very serious.

 I say this would be my favorite show yet, and, despite certain issues in some areas, Spider-Man (1994) deserves a lovely 10/10. Oh, and if you don't know, Peter DID find MJ. How and where? We don't know. See you next time, true believers.

-James M

James M's review of SON OF THE MASK (2005)

 

Yo. Remember that classic 90s film known as The Mask starring Jim Carrey?

Of course you do, I did a review of the movie. Well, get ready for the sequel... without Jim Carrey, but it has Alan Cumming as Loki and Jamie Kennedy as a cartoonist. Oh, and this story is going to be freaking weird, also, it came out in 2005 over 11 years after the OG movie dropped.

Alright. So, the film takes place some years after THE MASK ends and Loki shows up, looking for his mask, and terrorizes a museum. Meanwhile, a dog finds The Mask in a river and takes it to his owner, a cartoonist named Tim Avery, who is reluctant to have kids with his wife. Things change when he puts on The Mask at a party, spices things up, and, long story short, he and his wife end up having a baby... WITH CARTOONISH POWERS and this is all because Avery wore The Mask during the little guy's conception.

"LOKIIIIIIIIIIII!"

Odin calls out to his son, Loki, and tells him a child of The Mask was born. Loki looks everywhere for said child, who freaks the father out with the various cartoony antics that he does. Loki eventually finds the baby, kidnaps him, and Tim and his wife go after him. Tim puts on The Mask, has a fight with the God of Mischief, helps mend family ties between Loki and Odin, and things end on a bright happy note for the Avery family as Tim makes a cartoon based on the antics between his cartoony baby and the dog.

Okay, thoughts?

SON OF THE MASK is a mess, a fun mess, a funny, whacky, crazy mess that deserves respect. Sure, Jim Carrey did not return in this film, but SON OF THE MASK carries the charm of the original film and takes the wackiness up to eleven... and a little too far in some areas. However, it's pretty good, and I enjoyed the ride. I am sure this film has a lot of fans out there, and I wish I could see this one again at some point. 9/10. However, if you're grossed out by weird baby stuff, the baby in this movie does something pretty gross at one point.