Shazam! (2019)

Let's start off by stating the obvious, the dialogue is bad, really lame and cheesy. The question is whether this was intentional. I like to think the writers were fully aware and actually revel in the tonal awkwardness. That said, I don't think the trailer is a very good representation of what the movie actually is. There is no reference of the central conflict between superhero and villain in the trailer. The movie provides origin stories to both. We're sort of mislead into thinking the movie is about a kid with the power to turn into an adult, which is kind of lame. And that's certainly part of the gimmick. But there is a broader mythology that I was unfamiliar with. Points for casting. There were some genuine laughs. And points for the human part of the story. They could've just made an interesting story about a foster family, but it's a little more than that.

Captain Marvel (2019)

Marvel's first movie to feature a female hero is a trip back to the 90s. 90s nostalgia is apparently in right now following Bumblebee. The 90s music was a really nice touch--of course there is some Gwen Stefani. The use of music is actually reminiscent of a movie I think they were indeed trying to emulate: Top Gun. Our hero is an aspiring air force fighter pilot (they didn't let women fly back then). And the cat is named Goose, like the character from Top Gun.

Brie Larson is phenomenal. The movie fortunately does not fall into the trap of many an action movie. There is no love interest. I think it is telling that the first Marvel movie with a female hero does not focus on romance. The Bechdel test is passed in the beginning of the movie. And Samuel L Jackson's supporting part is a lot of fun. We're familiar with much of the Avengers lore, but this movie brings us back and fills in some of the gaps we didn't know existed. And Jackson is a great singer too.

Serenity (2019)

One minute into the movie, I went "Oh damn, is this a fishing movie?" I walked in knowing nothing about this movie. And I was not ready for a fishing movie. This turned out to be much worse than a fishing movie. There is a small nugget of inspiration in the idea but it's done so poorly. It could have had interesting things to say about free will and consciousness but it doesn't go there. The writing is god awful. And the acting by ACADEMY AWARD WINNERS is embarrassing; they must have paid Anne Hathaway and Matthew McConaughey quite a bit of money. This has The Room written all over it. Maybe one day this will become a cult classic known for being bad.

Blood Diamond (2006)

This movie is a little strange. It defies categorization to its detriment. It is sort of an action thriller--Leonardo DiCaprio on a quest with a gun. But it deals with very serious, depressing themes that are not well-served in an action thriller: civil war, conflict diamonds, refugees, child soldiers, mercenaries and smuggling. There is a strange sequence featuring the child soldiers blasting 90s hip hop and shooting heroine and it is edited in a way that makes it looks like they're having fun, which is wildly inappropriate for the subject matter. The tone is very strange. Every nice moment is capped off with action--you're not given any opportunity to enjoy it. The movie severely undermines the important role of the press in conflict zones as Jennifer Connelly is a pawn in Leonardo DiCaprio's game, really just serving as a love interest and a distraction. The white savior narrative is also unwelcome. Everyone with real agency in the movie is white in this movie that takes place in Africa. Leonardo DiCaprio plays a man from Zimbabwe; he introduces himself as Rhodesian. He puts on a white South African accent; I can't really tell if it's good or bad. The dialogue is either brilliantly in dialect or very offensive. DiCaprio is certainly very committed. Djimon Hounsou is actually the star of the movie, in my opinion.

Furious 7 (2015)

The seventh (that's right, seventh!) installment of the Fast and Furious series takes place post-Tokyo Drift.  It has the same message about family, the glamorous high life, diversity (spoiler alert: they kill off the Asian) and fast cars.  The only difference is they aren't fugitives anymore.  And this one is probably the most ridiculous in its stunts. But perhaps what is so ridiculously insane is the stunts were real, with minimal CGI.  They actually threw these nice, expensive cars out of a plane.  That was a pretty incredible sequence that was exhilarating and well edited.  There are some terrific action scenes. They know what they do best: car sequences, though I could've done without the non-auto fighting scenes.  The Rock has a fighting scene early on, and then does not reappear until the end rather comically.

Of course, we know that this was Paul Walker's final film before his untimely death.  This fact looms over the entire film.  I kind of got the sense that the intention was for Walker's character Brian to die. Brian, himself, speaks a number of foreboding lines that seem to foreshadow his death, but I suppose it would have been a bit harsh and disrespectful to have his character die.  Especially towards the end, you can tell that the stand-in for Brian is not, in fact, Paul Walker, but one of his siblings, though they do look strikingly similar.  Walker does get a fitting send off at the end, with Wiz Khalifa's "See You Again" over a montage of clips from the previous films in the series that remind you just how far this franchise has come.

  

How To Train Your Dragon 2 (2014)

The sequel to the children's favorite from 2010 does not disappoint.  In fact, it builds on the intriguing world created in the first film, including a new game of Quidditch on dragons.  The Vikings of the fictional town of Berk, much like those of the real world, begin to explore and consequently encounter new lands and peoples.  This movie takes a slightly darker, more mature turn than its predecessor, appropriately growing up with its audience.  With Pixar taking a break this year, Dreamworks picks up the slack with Pixar-level emotion.  It is highly imaginative film and the animators keep up with incredible artwork.  Who knew dragons could be drawn in so many different ways?  And the image of the giant Bewilderbeast is a brush stroke of brilliance.