Movie Monday: The Mask

This week for Movie Monday I’m covering a Super Hero Movie. It’s The Mask!

Plot: The plot is okay, it’s nothing all that amazing to be honest, and frankly it’s pretty mediocre to me. That being said I remember it was somewhat funny to me as a child. I’ll admit I never knew until recently that this movie was based off a comic series published by Dark Horse, and that the comics were much darker in tone than the movie ever was. That’s probably a good thing, because honestly from what I’ve read about the comics in a quick perusal they sounded incredibly dark just to be dark.

Characters: The lead character is Stanley Ipkiss who is played by Jim Carrey and he does a fairly good job with it. That being said the cast isn’t good enough to make up for the mediocre plot.

Cinematography: The special effects were fairly good for their day, but they weren’t amazing either along the lines you might expect from a high quality Sci-Fi movie. That being said those effects have aged poorly, but that’s to be expected after nearly 25 years.

Music: I honestly don’t remember much of it, except that it was very fitting for the zany tone of the movie.

Overall: A fun, but not amazing movie. If you’ve never seen it, it might be worth your time to watch if you are really bored and can’t find a better movie.

For those who like: Comedy, Super Heroes, Jim Carrey.

Not for those who don’t like: Any of the above.

Movie Monday: Hancock

This week for Movie Monday I’m covering an often forgotten film. It’s Hancock!

Plot Synopsis: John Hancock is an alcoholic American who possesses superpowers, including flight, invulnerability, and superhuman strength. Whilst performing superhero-like acts in Los Angeles, he is often ridiculed and hated by the public for his drunken and careless acts, and becomes enraged when referred to as an “asshole”. Hancock rescues Ray Embrey, a public relations specialist, from an oncoming train, which he irrationally derails to save Ray. Thankful and seeing him as a career opportunity, Ray offers to help improve Hancock’s public image…

Plot: The plot is pretty okay for the first half, but after that it gets completely ruined. Honestly the only noteworthy things about this movie isn’t the plot, which is why it’s such a poorly rated film and often forgotten.

Casting: The casting is okay, with Will Smith as John Hancock being our star and titular character. That being said the rest of the cast is only okay, so it definitely didn’t help the ratings or memorability.

Cinematography: This is probably the sole redeeming feature of this movie, but even that wasn’t enough to save the film from being completely terrible in most peoples mind.

Music: I don’t remember much, except for a particular song that plays which I never found entertaining personally.

Overall: Skip this, otherwise you’ll be wanting some brain bleach to wipe this from your memory.

For those who like: Comedy AND Drama, Superheroes, Will Smith, Decent Cinematography.

Not for those who don’t like: Any of the above.

Bookish Wednesday: Super Sales by William D. Arand

This week for Bookish Wednesday I’m covering a book I really earlier this year. It’s Super Sales on Super Heroes by William D. Arand!

Plot Synopsis: In a world full of super powers, Felix has a pretty crappy one. He has the ability to modify any item he owns. To upgrade anything.  Sounds great on paper. Almost like a video game. Except that the amount of power it takes to actually change, modify, or upgrade anything worthwhile is beyond his abilities. With that in mind, Felix settled into a normal life. A normal job. His entire world changes when the city he lives in is taken over by a Super Villain. Becoming a country of one city. A city state. Surprisingly, not a whole lot changed. Politicians were still corrupt. Banks still held onto your money. And criminals still committed crime. Though the black market has become more readily available. And in that not so black market, Felix discovers he has a way to make his power useful after all, and grasps a hold of his chance with both hands.

Plot: The plot is pretty amazing and while I won’t spoil anything I will say that I’m looking forward to the sequel. However the main plot device of this is pretty awesome so congratulations to Mr. Arand. This is a novel by the author of the Selfless Hero Trilogy so if you enjoyed those books, you’ll love this one.

Characters: Felix is a pretty awesome lead character, in that he’s not a hero. He absolutely is not a good person. He’s not malicious or anything, but he’s not a saint either. He’s just a normal guy, with a slightly not normal power. The rest of the cast is also awesome, and I honestly can say that I might have even looked forward to eating a pancake after reading this book, and I really don’t enjoy pancakes all that much. Waffles sure, but pancakes no.

Overall: This book is a great read, and while it certainly isn’t meant for kids, older teens might get a laugh or two out of it.

For those who like: Urban Fantasy, Superheroes, Villains, Drama, Action, Excellent Plot, Stupendous Cast of Characters.

Not for those who don’t like: Any of the above.

Anime Sunday: Winners of Spring 2016

This week for Anime Sunday I’m covering what I thought were the two best shows of the season! It’s my Winners of Spring 2016!

Boku no Hero Academia: While it sadly only ran for this season, it will return in the near future to continue being awesome. Madhouse always does amazing work, and while not ufotable it’s pretty darn close sometimes. The musical score was great, and while I wasn’t a super fan of the opening theme it did fit the series perfectly. Seeing Midoriya struggle to follow his dream of becoming a hero despite all his shortcomings is heartwarming and it’s always fun to watch him grow ever more confident in himself.

Re:Zero kara Hajimeru Isekai Seikatsu: My favorite show of the season hands down, Re:Zero was amazing from the first episode until the end of the season this last week. Taking the “Transported to Another World” genre and turning it completely on it’s head with it’s plot, I loved every single minute of the show, and I can’t wait to continue watching during the Summer. Subaru and his relationships with Emilia, Rem, and Ram, are awesome and I really hope to see a satisfying conclusion to that or a promise of more seasons in the future. White Fox did an amazing job with the animation, even though I haven’t really heard of them before, I think. The musical score for Re:Zero was as amazing as the animation, and I loved both the opening and ending themes just as much as the soundtracks.

Honorable Mentions:

Gundam Unicorn: For the as always amazing soundtracks from Sawano Hiroyuki. Having Aimer do some of the vocals as well was just as satisfying.

Kabaneri: The series wasn’t a huge favorite of mine, but I do enjoy the music, again from Sawano Hiroyuki. Aimer also lended her voice along with EGOIST’s chelly for the ending which was awesome.

That’s it for this week’s Anime Sunday! Next week I’m taking a look ahead at the Summer 2016 Season!

 

Anime Sunday: Boku no Hero Academia Episode 01 Impressions

This week for Anime Sunday I’m covering a series I was really looking forward to. It’s my Boku no Hero Academia Episode 01 Impressions!

Plot Synopsis: Izuku Midoriya is a regular middle school student in a world where people with superpowers known as “Quirks” are the norm. However, he dreams of one day becoming a Hero, despite being bullied by his classmates for not having a Quirk.

Plot: This first episode is all about how Deku, Midoriya’s nickname, is still trying to achieve his dream, despite being powerless in a world full of superpowers. We get to see him be emotionally crushed from an early age, and how it translates into his every day life now as a middle schooler that’s soon to enter high school. I love this series, mostly because it hits the fact that never giving up will eventually let you find a way to be happy. It’s how I’ve learned to live with severe depression, even if life isn’t perfect I keep living one day at a time, something good is bound to happen one day.

Characters: We get introduced to Deku, his mother, his idol All-Might (the most powerful hero in the world), and his estranged childhood friend Bakugo who currently bullies him more than just about anyone. It’s a heartbreaking episode, but sets the stage for the rest of the series.

Art: Amazingly well done by Studio Bones, I love their work, and while it’s not ufotable quality it’s pretty damn good.

Music: Like the art, the music is awesomely done.

Overall: If you’re not watching this, you really need to be doing so.

For those who like: Never Giving Up, Superheroes, Losers, Action, Drama, Learning About Living With Depression, Amazing Plots, Excellent Cast of Characters, Fantastic Artwork, Great Musical Score.

Not for those who don’t like: Any of the above, but really can you hate all that put together?