Movie Money Refinanced: Episode XX What a week to go off the air. Everything was announced in the last two weeks! James Gunn returns to Guardians of the Galaxy, Toy Story 4 had a trailer, Avengers Endgame had a trailer, Aladdin had a trailer, Once Upon A Time in Hollywood had a trailer. EVERYBODY HAD A TRAILER! Somehow, we managed to talk about all that news, plus a little bit more, and STILL squeeze in the top 5. Don't ever say I didn't do anything for you.
'Us' (2019): A Sophomore Success Horror has had its fair share of creatures. Creatures from black lagoons, wolfmen, and men in masks. Each one iconic in their own light, but the best ones give us some insight to how we view the world, and in some cases ourselves. The latter is the primary terror for the Wilson family, whose countryside vacation comes to a violent end with some unlikely visitors. Themselves. The film has, quite frankly, a mesmerizing first act. The level of tension and intrigue crafted in these first few scenes is comparable to some of the best in the genre. Even in showing the Wilson family as happy as can be, there’s an inescapable sense of dread that follows them. Executed with cinematography that feels instantly iconic, and punctuated perfectly by Michael Abels’ profound score. Still, all the atmosphere in the world is worth nothing without characters to care about. To that end ‘Us’ massively succeeds. Fittingly, the characters feel like reflections of people. Without delving into stereotype, the classic american family is one you grow to love in ‘Us’. Which makes it all the more terrible to watch them chased down by scissor wielding doppelgangers. The family’s charm is matched only by the terror of the antagonists. The cast is pulling double duty in the film, and gives us 4 different demons, each unsettling in their own way. Whether it’s the imposing monstrosity of Winston Duke’s physique, or the…
Movie Money Refinanced: Episode XIX With news being a little light this week, it's a good thing this is such an interesting top 5. Captain Marvel proves once again that Marvel is captain of the box office! We give a mini review of the new superhero movie, talk about the new 'Game of Thrones' trailer and the look at the live action Sonic the Hedgehog. All that and the top 5 election debacle!
'Captain Marvel' (2019): The Best Marvel Hero Yet. Blasting her way onto cinemas on international women’s day no less, Captain Marvel is the first female led superhero film to come out of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. It may have taken 11 years to get here, but the intergalactic hero has been around for a lot longer than that. Set in 1995, ‘Captain Marvel’ is the story of the noble warrior hero known in the film as “Vers”.After a routine mission goes awry, complete with flashes of a forgotten past, Vers finds herself stranded on earth, a strange place that feels all too familiar. After she’s discovered by a remarkably de aged Samuel L Jackson, playing a young Nicholas Fury, the two embark on a mission to defend earth against the nefarious Skrulls. The shapeshifting sworn enemy of the Kree. As far as visual effects go, 'Captain Marvel' is pretty stunning to look at. With practical make up to make Gene Rodenberry envious, and digital effects to make George Lucas blush.All this complex backstory and I didn’t even mention the artificial intelligence that transforms into the subconscious desires of whomever meets it. In what should be surprising to no one, ‘Captain Marvel’ is able to tie in all these details without making it feel overwhelming. It does just enough to get you invested in the larger conflict and spends the rest of the time getting to know its main character. As Vers uncovers…
Tyler Perry's A Madea Family Funeral (2019) Review:Ding Dong The Witch Is DEAD For a moment, the wool was pulled over my eyes. As the film began, I watched as 4 grown adults planned an anniversary party for their parents in their senior years. The characters on screen reveal their connection to one another in subtle ways, and wonderfully sow the seeds for what will be future familial conflict in the film.For a moment, it seems Tyler Perry has rediscovered the relative quality of his earlier films. There is mention of the titular Madea, but only as a side character. One character even dreads her arrival for the evenings festivities, to which another responds, "Yeah they might be a lot, but they're family. And they're funny!". It almost feels like the self awareness one would need to send off an iconic character in her supposed last film.Too bad it only lasted for a moment. After only 4 minutes, 'Tyler Perry's A Madea Family Funeral' reveals just what kind of movie it's going to be. It does this with the introduction of Heathrow, the brother of Madea played by Tyler Perry. Heathrow is a legless parapalegic, with one upper tooth, and speaks using an electrolarynx. He's obnoxious, and serves only as a wild card to make the other characters react. That's the balance of the film. At one point it provides a decent family drama, only to be interrupted by a disruptive element,…
How To Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World (2019) Review:A Fantastic Finale Throughout the history of cinema, there have been several monumental friendships. Sam and Frodo. Thelma and Louise. Bill and Ted. Now, the world has to say goodbye to one more, as ‘How To Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World’ concludes the age old legendary companionship of a boy and his dragon. Once again animated children's films must teach the youth of the world that nothing gold can stay, and everything they love will eventually disappear.Set one year after the events of ‘How To Train Your Dragon 2’, the film follows Hiccup and Toothless each settling into their roles of royalty. Hiccup, the new chief of Berk, a now dragon-viking utopia, and Toothless the dragon alpha, the winged creature to which all others humbly submit. At last, there is peace, but not all are comforted. Hiccup’s pro dragon immigration agenda doesn’t sit well with local hunters. Enter F. Murray Abraham's Grimmel the Grisly, a bounty hunter who specialises in hunting one dragon in particular: Night furies.As Hiccup and Toothless brace to challenge the world, they also come to terms with their lives without one another. Mostly driven by the appearance of a “Light Fury”, which enamours the hopeless romantic in Toothless. This was something that at first glance is little more than a gimmick. After all, when the series thus far has been rooted in life or death scenarios, the slapstick…
Movie Money Refinanced: Episode XVIII This week on Movie Money Refinanced, Shawna turns a year older! And after a week of misfortune Damian's luck turns the other way. We also discuss every piece of news this week, from the Rotten Tomatoes Captain Marvel debacle, to the Shazam trailer that dropped just today. And of course, the top 5 box office.