Tag: Action-Adventure

Catch This Cat If You Can! The Amazing Maurice Sneaks Into Limited Engagement.

After running around Europe, this bad cat is ready to challenge the title of who’s bad. ;)

The Amazing MauriceThe Amazing Maurice is not easy to catch because not many theatres are screening it. After running around Europe, this bad cat is ready to challenge other animated miscrent felines in “the New World.” Unlike Garfield, this streetwise tomcat has something up his paws! When people spot him, he’s running a racket with Keith the pied piper, and a specific family of rats! That’s not good. It’s a great premise for a movie to see how he redeems himself, but for part of the tale, what we see is just how much of a con artist that he is.

Pacing issues makes this film feel longer than it should, and where it finds its feet is with Malicia (Emilia Clarke), the narrator who is also in this story. I like how she talks about the various literary devices used to keep her tale and the rodent’s moving forward. Without her, I probably wouldn’t feel as invested. She’s quite the character too, and the best laughs come from her than those who make up the main cast.

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DreamWorks Puss in Boots: The Last Wish is Beautiful Purrfection!

Puss in Boots: The Last Wish is well worth the wait because production for this sequel wasn’t rushed and we have a tale that truly expands past what we know from past films

uss in Boots: The Last WishMild Spoiler Alert

What can a cat do when he runs out of his nine lives? In Puss in Boots (Antonio Banderas) latest adventure, The Last Wish, he has to seek a force beyond nature to grant him a new set of regenerations, like Doctor Who, to continue adventuring. Instead, his goal is to find a wishing star in true fairy tale fashion to regain those he lost in years prior. This simple premise keeps the story going forward because, throughout Puss’ adventure, he has to be careful in everything he does. Thus, any wrong step he makes might be his last. And along the way, there’s enough danger so he’ll have to consider taking that road more travelled. He never realised how reckless he’s become and all he ever wanted was to be remembered.

What makes this second outing better is that it delivers a fantasy not completely driven by concepts from Lewis Carrol and Aesop’s fables. As a result, this movie feels more like a good ol’ fashioned Pirates of the Caribbean style adventure, complete with some crazy encounters along the way. And what I enjoyed more is that I love the bad guys featured in this film! Here, we get a narrative that understands why Goldilocks stayed with the three bears. To see them become her henchmen makes sense even though we don’t know their whole story about turning into a crime family.

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Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny. Full Trailer Drop and Analysis.

The Dial of Destiny can either mean the search for Stargate’s Dial Home Device, or just another instrument that can turn back time.

Indiana Jones and the Dial of DestinyIndiana Jones is back, and his latest quest concerns a mysterious Dial of Destiny. It’s tough to say if that’s an archaeological relic or some ancient alien tech, but I’m hoping for the former, since the fourth film wasn’t beloved by every fan.

Although the trailer does not hint at much, we see him remembering things from the past and perhaps putting more emphasis about missing those adventures on the high seas. His concern for present events doesn’t seem to matter. As for his future, it’s nice to know he’s there to either be involved in some mess concerning the Apollo 11 landing and the return of those famous astronauts. Perhaps it is about some conspiracy that NASA does not want in the public eye.

But for those who’ve followed the lore concerning the US Government giving (former Nazi) German scientists amnesty after World War II ended, the plot being advertised is no surprise at all. But as for how historically accurate this tale will depend on rocket engineer Wernher von Braun getting involved. Amusingly, he’s an accepted Disney spokesman; He appeared in the 1955 television special Man and the Moon to explain why humanity must reach for the stars. He’s worked at NASA and as for whether he’ll influence Voller (Mads Mikkelsen), also a former Nazi, to do covert things for him, nobody knows for sure. This character might be played by Thomas Kretschmann, the only other German actor listed in the early credit reveal.

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Does The 3rd Outing of Tad The Lost Explorer and the Emerald Tablet Have to Be His Last?

Sadly, most of what’s presented in Tad The Lost Explorer and the Emerald Tablet is not all that memorable.

Tad The Lost Explorer and the Emerald TabletBlink, and it’s easy to find Tad The Lost Explorer and the Emerald Tablet has come and gone. Thankfully, finding it on Roku saved the day, since not everyone may have been aware of its limited run in the States at AMC Theatres. 

Not everyone is aware of this Spanish film franchise, either. That’s because the time between releases is very long. The first self-titled movie was released in 2012. The Secret of King Midas was in 2017 and this latest in 2022. The graphic novels on which the films are based never got translated to English, and that’s why it’s never been on the radar for many. Had it been given the proper love by some publisher in the States, I’m sure no one would complain about enjoying a comedy-archaeological-adventure similar to Jackie Chan’s Adventures.

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Hear Black Panther’s Roar in Wakanda Forever. Thoughts and A Review Concerning The MCU’s Future.

Black Panther Wakanda Forever is about legacies, and who shouldn’t be forgotten.

Black Panther Wakanda ForeverSpoiler Alert

Five years feels like a long time to get Black Panther Wakanda Forever out to screen, and the wait is worth it. That’s because Chadwick Boseman passed away and the screenplay had to be retooled to not only honour this actor but also recognise the legacy he left behind. I had huge expectations, and was not disappointed.

The world is less one hero, and part of the plot concerns how to move on. A year has passed since T’Challa’s death. Queen Ramonda (Angela Bassett) lost her son and has no time to cry, and Princess Shuri (Letitia Wright) is burying herself in her work, trying to regrow the flower destroyed from the first film. Those who consume its nectar gain the power of the Black Panther.

Meanwhile, other nations are making a power play. They want Vibranium, a rare metal which helped this nation turn into the superpower that it is. However, Queen Ramonda says no and warns that nations will go to war to possess and use its power not for the greater good–much like everything the introduction from the first film revealed. This country even fought for it until the tribes finally united.

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Jing Wong’s Mercenaries from Hong Kong Unleashed in 2K for Fantasia 2022!

Jing Wong’s Mercenaries from Hong Kong Get Unleashed in 2K for Fantasia 2020 and where can we find it playing next?

Mercenaries from Hong KongAnother old Chinese movie playing at Fantasia 2022 is Shaw Brothers’ Mercenaries from Hong Kong. The 2K restoration screened over the weekend and I hope a home video rerelease is planned. It’s a must for any collector and enthusiast of vintage Hong Kong action cinema.

To note, not even I have seen every movie that’s been released during this time. There’s plenty of works that have never crossed the Pacific to screen in North America, and back then, the only source to find these works meant frequenting video rental shops in Chinatown. But they do not import every film unless they bootleg. Alas, these operations have become a thing of the past. These days, we search YouTube for trailers and visit YesAsia to make a purchase. To note, the DVD is out of print and not everybody has a player for the outdated VCD format. Perhaps this recent restoration might mean a new release is coming.

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