Doctor Strange In The Multiverse of Madness [2022]

I finally had a chance to watch the movie. And honestly, it was great! The one thing I was really happy about was that Wanda was not one of the good guys (even though she got a bit of a redemption arc at the end). Still, she died, and frankly, I'm happy about that. Really happy. Mostly because when I watched the trailer for this, it seemed like she was going to be one of the good guys. And I just really hate her. She is one of my least favorite characters. 

But like I said, the movie was great and I really enjoyed it. Action-packed and I just couldn't stop watching. The multiple Doctor Stranges were really interesting, though (spoiler) when our Strange possessed the dead Strange, I had a bit of a flashback to the movie Army of Darkness (Evil Dead franchise) as well as the new Evil Dead game and the titular Evil Ash (main bad-guy). There was just a little bit too much of a resemblance. Including the dead Strange's clothing. 

Fantastic Beasts 3 - The Secrets of Dumbledore [2022]

So, I saw the movie over Easter. Went together with my mom, cousin, and my cousin's daughter. And even though it was with Czech dubbing, it was great. I really enjoyed it. Though the first thing out of my mouth as we were leaving, was that now I will have to rewatch it in English (without subs). Mostly because I believe that there is a chance that some things may be lost in the translation. And considering that I am really into all the related conspiracy and other theories, I just need to see it with the original audio. So that is something to look forward to. 

The movie did answer some questions that people (me including) had. It definitely stated that Ariana really WAS an obscurial and that Credence's father is Aberforth Dumbledore. Though there are still some unanswered questions. Mainly about what the heck is McGonagall doing there when she is not even supposed to be born yet. She started school after Riddle left. I checked the facts. Even though some fanfics put her in first year when Riddle was in his last. Still, Considering the movies take place around Riddle's birth, it still doesn't fit. So the only plausible explanation I have so far is this McGonagall time-traveling theory I saw on youtube. However, I don't think there will actually be an explanation for this one. I think they just forgot she is not as old as Dubmles and now don't know how to fix it so they are ignoring it. But who knows, maybe they will surprise us in one of the following movies…

Encanto [2021]

 Yesterday I have finally watched Encanto. I mean, there are so many different theories on youtube I didn't want to watch without seeing the movie... But the premise of the movie just didn't speak to me so I was putting it off. And yesterday I finally had some spare time after finishing Venom: Let there be Carnage. So I bit the bullet and I have to say that as much as people are saying they enjoyed it, there just was too much music and singing. I don't mind (and even enjoy) the occasional song in a movie but this was just too much and to me, it just felt like it totally broke the narrative. I'm not saying it should have been completely song-less, but sometimes, less is more. 

I also didn't enjoy the main character - Mirabel. Honestly, Bruno was much more interesting. For at least half of the movie, he was just shrouded in mystery. And we weren't sure if he was the villain or not. At least that's what it felt like to me. But Mirabel, that's the usual case of a girl who doesn't fit saving the world (or family in this case). And in the end, there wasn't a villain at all! And I just think it needed one. I did finish the movie but it definitely wasn't my cup of tea. It was too plain. 

Or maybe I just watched it at the wrong time. Honestly, watching something like this right after finishing Venom 2? Probably not the best idea, but what else was I gonna watch... The other Marvel movies I want to watch are still only in kino-rip quality... So Encanto it was. 

And I was just disappointed. People are saying Encanto is better than Raja. Maybe. I didn't like Raja all that much either. Just, nope. I think I'm gonna just go back to my Chinese dramas. Right now that would be Demi-gods and semi-devils. And if I feel like it, I'll tell you about it when I finish it.

Share your thoughts about Encanto in the comments if you've seen it.

Bye!

~AnnElfwind

Written on the 11th of March, 2022

Black Widow [2021]

 Black Widow. Natasha Romanoff. I've been waiting for the movie ever since they announced it last year. And I absolutely loved it. Natasha really is one of the very few female characters that I love. There are several that I like/don't hate, but the only other female character that I love that comes to mind right now is Ada Wong. Yeah, I'm weird. 

The movie fits chronologically right after Civil War. However, it can be treated like a standalone. For this specific movie at least, you don't need to know the rest of the Marvel Universe. I mean, it doesn't hurt if you do know, but I think that in this instance, it is not a must-have knowledge. 

We get to glimpse Natasha's past and her journey to literally crash that past. 

Red Room.

That's the main point of this movie. If you don't know what that is, good. Let the movie tell you. If you do know, also good. You can enjoy Tasha blowing it up. Because let's face it. If you know what Red Room is, you are probably a huge Marvel fan and already know most of the storylines anyway and are watching it simply because it is Marvel. 

Either way, the movie is insanely good and I will definitely watch it again. Hell, I'll probably watch a lot more again, not just this one, but most of the Marvel movies. And damn, I really should go and get me my own copy of Loki. But that's for another post.

We get Scarlett Johansson as Natasha, obviously. And I should probably know at least the name William Hurt. He plays Ross. As for anyone else, I don't know the actors, but the actress playing Yelena did a good job. I enjoyed her acting, but my fav character in the movie is, obviously, Natasha. 

Now, this is Marvel. That means a post-credit scene. As far as I know, that's a norm that was only broken in the Avengers Endgame movie. And Black Widow did not disappoint. I don't want to spoil the movie itself if I can help it, but I'd say the post-credit scene is fair game.
It sets the stage for the next villain. Hawkeye as Ronin. We'll see how good it is. Some of the Marvel dramas (and yes, I'm gonna use this term, I blame China and wuxia) are rather subpar. And yes, Wandavision, I'm talking about you.

Have you seen the Black Widow? Or not yet? If you did, share your thoughts in the comments, I'd love to read them. 

~AnnElfwind

Written on the 11th of July, 2021

Shortcut [2020]

This movie left me with so many questions. Most of them from the first about 30 minutes of it. We start with a random teen in a yellow jacket being chased by something somewhere in the woods. Random and won't tell you anything until much, much, later. I accepted this as the intro. I was, of course, curious about the identity of the teen, but figured that they would tell me later. No, the important questions start after it cuts to the main cast. 

We get five random teens on a bus with a driver. They are the only passengers. And this is where the questions start. 

Where is the bus coming from? 

Where is the bus going? 

Why are there only the five teens on it?