TV miniseries Review: Marvel Disney+: ****The Falcon and the Winter Soldier (2021)

 This is wonderful extension of the Captain America saga, as the title changes hands.  At first Sam Wilson isn't sure if he can take up the mantle of Captain America, so gives up the shield.  Bucky, who was the Captain's best friend is disappointed.  The government gives the shield and title to John Walker.  

Our heroes are confronted by a group of super soldiers called the Flag Smashers.  They are feeling life was better off during the period of the blip, when resources weren't spread so thin.  Now there are millions of people who have reappeared and are basically homeless, or putting others out.  Karli Morgenthau is the leader of this group.  With their super strength they are formidable combatants. The Falcon and Bucky are out to track them down.  They are joined in the hunt by Zemo and Sharon Carter.  John Walker, Captain America tracks them down by following The Falcon.   

After taking the last dosage of super soldier serum, John Walker disgraces the shield.  This leads to a major confrontation between he, and The Falcon and Bucky.  The Falcon is now ready to take up the mantl of Captain America.  

Subplots include Isaiah Bradley, who was given serum some 30 years prior, but his African American status lead to his incarceration for 30 years while the experimented on him.  Joaquin Torres is The Falcon's liaison in the military.  Another subplot is Sam Wilson's family's struggling business, and Bucky coming to terms with his past as The Winter Soldier, where under mind control he killed many people.  In the end the government is going to. do better to reconcile with the ideas of the Flag Smashers.

Anthony Mackie as The Falcon, Captain America, Sam Wilson.

Sebastian Stan as Bucky Barnes, The Winter Soldier.

Erin Kellyman as Karli Morgenthau, leader of the Flag Smashers.

Wyatt Russell as John Walker, Captain America, U.S.Agent.

Daniel Brühl as Baron Helmut Zemo.

Danny Ramirez as Joaquin Torres.

Emily VanCamp as Sharon Carter, Power Broker, a former SHIELD agent.

Carl Lumbly as Isaiah Bradley

Movie Review: *****The Black Widow

 This movie is delightful.  It is able to take a look at the Romanoff family from a different point of view, and gives us the back story for the Back Widow and for her sister, Yelena.  The family--which was put together to train the girls to be widow fighters includes Natasha (Scarlett Johansson), Yelena (Florence Pugh), mother Melina (Rachel Weisz) and father Alexei (David Harbour).  They were part of the enhanced network created by Dreykov (Ray Winstone).  In fact Dreykov has created an army of widows, and controls them through chemicals.  This movie is a struggle for the two sisters to get their lives back; and to deal with their past.  The movie is very well done how they combine family issues, from the pseudo family  and the humor is very good.  It takes a different view of the Marvel Universe.

In Theaters: ****^Spider-Man: Far From Home

The new Spider-Man movie doesn't fail to impress.  We have a new super hero/villain, Mysterio (Jake Gyllenhaal).  Tom Holland continues as Spider-Man.  Zendaya is MJ.  Other notable characters are Nick Fury (Samuel Jackson) and Happy Hogan (Jon Favreau).  I think Zendaya steals the show, and the romantic scenes between she and Spider-Man seem to steel the show.  But then we also have illusion and almost dream-like scenes that bit Spider-Man against himself, and against a train.  But the biggest struggle is keeping the Peter Tingle or the sixth sense. 
But I love the part where the hands of Peter Parker and MJ creep closer and closer together. 

Movie Review: ***Split (2016)

***Split (2016)  This movie is a bit slow for a Shyamalan, but our villain, superhero is well done.  When he starts bouncing between personalities is when the acting is really noted.  A person with multiple personalities kidnaps three young woman.  James McAvoy portrays our split personality.  Betty Buckley who is just a bit too trusting but suspects something is wrong.  Anya Taylor-Joy portrays a young lady who appeals to the child of “Split.”  This movie is headed for a tragedy from the beginning.  I must admit, I prefer the sequel, “Glass.”

In Theaters: Dark Phoenix (2019) X-Men

X-Men Series

****Dark Phoenix (2019)  This movie plays on an alien power getting inside of Jean (Sophie Turner) and creating all kind of havoc.  Of course there are aliens who pursue Jean wanting the power for themselves, and the X-Men who are wary of Jean and her new powers.  The lack of control leads to the death of Raven (Jennifer Lawrence) and other similar mishaps.  With her new powers Jean starts to remember her past as it really was, not as it was manipulated by Professor Xavier (James McAvoy).  Of course the other X-Men get involved.  At one point Magneto (Michael Fassbender) is intent on killing Jean for her having killed Raven.  Other X-Men include Beast (Nicholas Hoult), Cyclops (Tye Sheridan), Storm (Alexandra Shipp) and Nightcrawler (Kodi Smit-McPhee).  I really enjoyed this movie.  I am not sure why people have been staying away.  Perhaps Xavier is a little too self-loathing in his part in Jean’s past, but we come to understand what is actually happening we hat past that.  This movie seems to give us a future look at what has happened to the X-Men.  However one problem with the X-Men movie series is the timeline is all over the place.  Great fun none-the-less. 

In Theaters: ***^Shazam

Her is a teenager turn superhero.  This movie also takes at crack at the importance of family, even if that family is a foster home.  It is only in family, that Shazam fulfills his true potential.  We have an evil villain who is pretty good in being the champion of the seven sins.  He turned out to be a pretty bad dude.  Asher Angel plays Billy as a youth, and Zachary Levi plays him as the superhero Shazam.  Mark Strong portrays the evil Dr. Sivana.
This is not the usual DC comic fair.  This movie is lighter and funnier than a traditional DC comic.  SUperman however does make a cameo towards the end of the movie.

In Theaters: *****Captain Marvel (2019)

Captain Marvel (2019) We left the theater and Tony announced this was his favorite movie ever.  I wouldn’t go that high, but it does put a new twist on the Avenger series.  Her is an Avenger before the Avengers.  Captain Marvel (Brie Larsen) is a human, who was taken to space and her memory distorted.  However she returns, chasing who she thinks are the bad people, some shapeshifter aliens.  However she discovers that what she believed is not so.  This makes for an interesting twist.  In they end, she serves those she hunted.  Captain Marvel has special powers from absorbing the blast of a light speed engine which was made with a special stone.  The alien race that kidnaps her tries to tell her these powers have been granted by them.  But as will happen the truth wins out.
Nick Fury assists her (Samuel Jackson) and from this the idea of Avengers is born. 

Marvel Universe

In Theaters ***^ Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018)

In Theaters ***^ Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018)

This is an animated feature.  We are given not only Peter Parker (Chris Pine), Spider Man (who actually dies at the beginning of the movie) but several versions of Spider-Man, including Miles Morales (Shameik Moore) who is newly bitten by a radioactive spider and is learning how to be Spider-Man; Peter B. Parker (Jake Johnson) who is an older version, and comes from a different verse; Spider-Woman (Hailee Steinfeld) who is Gwen Stacey but Spider-Woman in her verse; Peni Parker (Kimiko Glen) a Japanese version with a robot; Spider Man Noir (Nicholas Cage); and a porky the pig version (John Mulaney).  These spidermen team up to defeat King Pin (Liev Schrieber), whose manipulations of inter-dimensional technology to bring his family back, may rip apart the universe.  Another twist is that Miles Morales' uncle (Mahershala Ali) works for the King Pin.  There is some great fun and action here, and also confrontation of your fears. 

In Theaters: **^ Once Upon a Deadpool (2018)

X-Men series

Once Upon a Deadpool:  This is the Marvel Superheroes gone rank.  This movie is suppose to be milder than the “R” rated version, but it had enough garbage in it the same.  Watching Deadpool (Ryan Reynolds) grow a new bottom half of his body was just gross, although they were trying to make fun of it. This part was not in very good taste.   They also used the bleeping thing to make people sound like the were saying bad words etc.  The story line involves the X-Men and Deadpool and some recruits rescuing a young man, Firefist (Julian Dennison) with X-Men like powers from Cable (Josh Brolin) who is from the future.  Deadpool is convinced he can save  the youth from a life of evil, in which he murdered Cable’s wife and child.  Cable is from the future.  This movie is only for Marvel purist, otherwise the implications are too much.  This movie has Fred Savage recreating his role  from Princess Bride but this time as an adult.

Movie Review: **Venom

Venom is a popular Marvel Comic.  Eddie is a hard nose reported, and in doing an interview with Carlton Drake (Riz Ahmed) industrialist, he uses secret files of his girlfriend (Anne (Michelle Williams).  Eddie (Tom Brock) become enmeshed with the symbiode Venom when he visits the industrial complex of Carlton Drake who has brought to earth three alien creatures, trying to expose him for performing experiments on humans, killing most of them. When Eddie and Venom are combined there is quite a struggle, but over time Venom decides he likes humans.  This leads to and attempt to undo the plans of Drake, and Riot (a symbiode that has combined with Drake.)  They want to bring millions of creatures to earth so they can feed on the population. 
Too much violence for me.  I just can't stand the thought of people getting their heads bitten off and eaten. 

Movie Review: ****^Black Panther (2018)

Black Panther (2018)

This is the movie many have called the best of the Marvel Movie.  I have to agree this movie is very good, and it has lots of action.  The premise is an African kingdom, Wakanda, is a hidden.  The kingdom sits on a deposit of vibranium, a mineral which enhances strength as well as healing and weapons.  The five tribes are united under T'Challa (Chadwick Boseman).  However the Jabari tribe resists, and their champion, N'Baku (Winston Duke) is defeated in a challenge.  But a greater threat from the past lurks on the horizon.  Killmnger, (Michael B. Jordan) a cousin, acutally defeats T'Challa.  His father had been murdered when he tried to sell vibranium to arms dealers, against the kingdom's laws.  Killmonger has trained as a special ops fighter, and has also been supported by vibranium.  He wants to change the policy of keeping hidden, and lead his kingdom from a position of strength, and facilitate distribution of vibranium for military purposes to Africans around the world.  But with T'Challa gone, who is there to oppose him.  The world will be different.
This movie is very exciting.  It has some great action as they different tribes war with each other.  The success of this movie, may be an important factor as to why the final battle of Avengers: Infinity Wars takes place in Wakanda.  

Marvel Universe

Movie Review: ***^Ant Man and the Wasp (2018)

The Ant and the Wasp (2018)  Except for the graphics representing the sub atomic world, (looks like a Doctor Who promotion) this movie is very good.  There is lots of play with tiny vehicles, which look like match box toys but blow up very large.  Ant Man is portrayed by Paul Rudd.  His non-ant character is under house arrest for using his powers without authorization.  During much of the movie and ant takes over his life, sleeping, playing the drum, taking baths etc.  The wasp is portrayed by Evangeline Lilly.  She and her father (Michael Douglas) are trying to rescue their mother (Michelle Pfeiffer) who has been in the subatomic world for many years.  There is cute play on staying out of jail while actually using superpowers to complete the rescue.  In addition there are two groups of people trying to get the equipment from them.  A group of thugs and a couple people, Dr. Bill Foster (Laurence Fishburne) and Ghost (Hannah John-Kamen), hoping the equipment will help restore Ghost from a half-life due to contact with sub-atomic particles.  This movie makes for a very exciting ride. 

Marvel Universe

Movie Review: ****The Ant-Man (2015)

Movie: The Ant Man

This is a fun movie.  I seem to love all the Marvel Comic movies.  Marvel Comics seems to always hit home runs with their movies, and this is in the same.  Scot (Paul Rudd) is a cat burglar.  He has recently been released from prison and wants to go straight to regain visitation with his daughter.   But he needs a job and money for an apartment.  Baskin Robbins lets him go when his past becomes known.  He finally takes a burglary job, and finds the only thing in the vault is a suit of some kind.  He tries it on, and discovers the suit makes him small.    He later finds out that he was permitted to steal the suit as he was actually being recruited by the suit’s creator Dr. Pym (Michael Douglas).   Dr. Pym needs help to thwart the efforts of his former assistant who forced him out of the company, Darren Cross/Yellow Jacket (Corey Stoll).  Helping Dr. Pym is his daughter, Hope (Evangeline Lilly) who is the inside person as she makes it look like she has abandoned her father for Cross.  Also helping the Ant Man are the ants, of several different varieties. 

Great action, and clever script.  Ant Man vs Yellow Jacket is a great series of confrontations.  Ant Man’s daughter gets involved by the Yellow Jacket and he has to save her. 

Marvel Universe

Movie Review: ****Justice League (2017)

Something is coming and with Superman dead, who is going to keep things in order.  Batman (Ben Affleck) is desperate to build a team.  He puts together a pretty good team with Aquaman (Jason Momoa), The Flash (Ezra Miller), Wonder Woman (Gal Gadot) and Cyborg (Ray Fisher).  It is still not enough as they face Steppenwolf and his minions who feed on fear.  Steppenwolf is seeking three boxes with incredible power.  Batman and his team use the box they possess to bring Superman back to life.  His body did not decompose even though he was dead.  Something about his cells.
This movie is fun.  There is plenty of action and struggle, and teamwork.  Each gets to be a hero and save others.

	Ben Affleck	...	Batman / Bruce Wayne
	Henry Cavill	...	Superman / Clark Kent
	Amy Adams	...	Lois Lane
	Gal Gadot	...	Wonder Woman / Diana Prince
	Ezra Miller	...	The Flash / Barry Allen
	Jason Momoa	...	Aquaman / Arthur Curry
	Ray Fisher	...	Cyborg / Victor Stone

Movie Review: ****^Thor Ragnarok (2017)

Lots of interesting action in this movie, and lots of heroes.  Hela (Cate Blanchett) is back.  She is the oldest daughter of Odin (Anthony Hopkins), and served at his side during Odin's warring period.  However as Odin became more peaceful, and Hela wished to continue warring, she was confined.  Now she is back, and the first thing she does is destroy Thor's hammer and then banish Thor (Chris Hemsworth) and Loki (Tom Hiddleston) to a throw away world.  There Loki takes up politics, and Thor becomes a gladiator and set to face The Hulk (Mark Ruffalo).  The Grandmaster (Jeff Goldblum) of the games likes his champion and makes sure Hulk wins.  But the Hulk takes Thor to his room, where Thor plans his escape with Hulk and Valkyrie (Tessa Thompson) his captor, who is also from Asgard.  They refuse, but he leaves anyway, towards Hulk's space ship to get off the planet.  Hulk follows him.  Hulk has been the Hulk steady for over two years, but in the spacecraft he hears the voice of Natasha Romanoff, and converts to Bruce Banner.  Then Loki and Valkyrie also show up, but they need a better vessel to get through a worm hole, and Loki helps them steal a vessel, but he has turning over Thor on his mind.  This is thwarted, and he is left with the escaping slaves of the planet.  Thor makes it back to Asgard, just in time, as Hela has control, and is about to wrest the sword controlling the bridge from Heimdall (Idris Elba).  This paves the way to a great struggle.  Hela is just too powerful, except for maybe against, Surtur, who according to prophesy will destroy Asgard.
This movie takes a plot change at the end, and desperate measure are needed to rescue the people of Asgard.
Tony and I saw this, and we had a good time.  Loved the action, and the characters, and also the banter between Thor and Hulk.

Marvel Universe

Movie Review: ****^Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017)

I really enjoyed this movie, and in my opinion it is one of the better movies of the summer.  The interaction between Spider-Man (Tom Holland) and Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.) really makes this film go.  Then there is the bad guy, Vulture (Michael Keaton) who just happens to be the father of Peter Parker's date to the prom, Liz (Laura Harrier).  Keaton is into dealing arms which were left behind by the aliens when they were defeated by the Avengers.  However, as the government controls a larger and larger share of these items, Vulture and his mean have to resort to stealing.  Spider-man comes upon their plot defending New York.  In the meantime Stark Enterprises downplays the reports from Spider-Man and his ability to help as a teen.  However he is the only person who can save the world from Vulture.
There was a time when Spider-Man was in the good graces of Stark Enterprises, who provided him with a fancy outfit with computer enhancement.  However after a bungle they take this away, and Spider-Man is left to his homemade suit.
Side-kick  Ned is played by Jacob Batalon and Spider-Man's aunt is played by Marisa Tomei.
I love Michael Keaton in the movies.  In this case he makes an excellent villain.  Combine that with the Stark/Avengers angle this movie is very good.

Movie Review: ***^Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets (2017)

This is a movie based on a French Comic, which is why I had never heard of the characters.  However the plot is very interesting.  It involves a welcoming station some 400 years into the future.  This center has people form all over the universe.  However it has an area which has been sealed off form review of the administrators.  This film has federal agents, Valerian and his partner (Dane DeHaan and Cara Delevingne) who must uncover what is going on before everything goes to pot.
This is an incredible special effects show, and has some incredible action.  In the middle they put in a pole dancing scene which really doesn't need to be there.  There are many interesting creatures which always fascinate me.  Overall this film is passable.  I read someplace it is not doing well domestically despite a big budget.  It hopes to make up for this in the foreign market.  The director also directed Fifth Element, Luc Besson.

Movie Review: Daredevil

This is a movie based on a Marvel Comics character.  Ben Affleck plays Daredevil (aka Matt Murdock), who as a boy was blinded by toxic waste.  However the waste enhanced his other senses.  His sense of sound gives him radar like abilities.  He also has increased sense of smell.  He in fact becomes a Spider Man like character defending the city.  He falls for Elektra (Jennifer Garner), who is a master of martial arts.  She is the daughter of a criminal boss; who wants his daughter to be prepared.  Both Elektra's mother and Daredevil's father were killed by the same man.  Now that man is coming for Elektra and her father.  Her father wants to leave the crime business.  Elektra and Daredevil spar a few times, and Elektra is every bit his equal.  The assassin Bullseye (Collin Ferrell) and the crime boss Kingpin (Michael Clarke Duncan) make formidable opponents.  In fact Bullseye does manage to kill the father, and Daredevil is blamed as he uses his special cane.  This sets the movie on a spiral that is very unexpected.
This movie touches the theme of whether or not a super hero can have a normal life.  Can they have people they love?

Movie Review: Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015)

Marvel Comics is out with another Avengers, and this is as exciting as the first.  I thought I might hit overload with all the action taking place.  However this movie also has some humor and some drama mixed in.  We discover that Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner) has a family.  The Hulk (Mark Ruffalo) is still caught up with "I can't trust myself," and Iron Man (Robert Downing Jr.) is not willing to listen to anyone's advise, which gets him in  trouble as Ultron (James Spader) is born.  Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson) is in love with the Hulk, and using this love to control him, at times.  We learn more about all of the Avengers, (other than Hawkeye) when they are put under mind control by a new nemesis, Scarlet Witch (Elizabeth Olsen).  Another nemesis is the the witch's twin, Quicksilver (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) who has incredible speed.  Thor (Chris Hemsworth) also deals with past issues so he is more effective in the present.  Captain America (Chris Evans) is everyone's favorite leader.  He too deals with issues of having outlived his time.  We are also introduced to a new character, Vision (Paul Bettany) who is the physical version of Iron man's computer, Jarvis.  Fury (Samuel Jackson) also shows up, and his support is needed in the end.  This movie is lots of fun as our heroes try to save the world with as little collateral damage as possible.

Marvel Universe

Movie Review: ***^The Rocketeer

I remember really enjoying this movie, and Natalia and Mark really enjoying it when they were little.  However in watching it again, I wasn't as impressed.  This is a hero vs Nazi spy movie, and on that level it works.  However it lacks some of the punch and story line some subsequent movies have.  Cliff (Billy Campbell) is a test pilot, who dreams of participating in air races.  His dream goes south when his prototype plane crashes after he is shot by a fleeing criminal.  The criminal is also caught, but not before hiding his bounty in a plane in the hangar.  Turns out he had stolen a new people propelling rocket.  He and his friend, mentor, Peevy (Alan Arkin) test the prototype, and decide to use it.  This only gets them into trouble.  First the criminals who want it, and the Nazi spy, Neville Sinclair (Timothy Dalton) who is paying them to steal it.  Then also the federals who want to recover it.  You add to the mix Cliff's pretty girlfriend, Jenny (Jennifer Connelly) and you have the makings of a pretty fun jaunt.  It is kidnapping the girl that turns things in the Nazi spy's favor, but when they criminals discover who they are working for, things change.  This movie even adds a German dirigible, which crashes into the Hollywood sign and destroys the "land" ending.  This movie is fun, but just lacks that extra oomph.