MARIAH's THOUGHTS on Wonder Woman 1984 (WW84) 2020

Genre:

Action/Adventure/Fantasy

Rating:

PG-13

Release Date in theaters and HBO Max:

December 25 2020

Run Time:

2 hrs 31 mins

Directed by:

Patty Jenkins

Based on the Characters by:

DC Comics

Screenplay Writtten by:

Patty Jenkins, Geoff Johns, David Callaham

Story by:

Patty Jenkins & Geoff Johns

Executive Producers:

Rebecca Steel Roven Oakley, Richard Suckle, Marianne Jenkins, Geoff Johns, Walter Hamada, Chantal Nong Vo and Wesley Coller 

Producers:

Charles Roven, Deborah Snyder, Zack Snyder, Patty Jenkins, Gal Gadot and Stephen Jones

Production Co.:

Atlas Entertainment

DC Comics

DC Entertainment

Stone Quarry Production

Warner Bros.

Distribution Co.:

Warner Bros.

Social Media:

   

Cast:

Gal Gadot, Chris Pine, Kristen Wiig, Pedro Pascal, Connie Nielson, Robin Wright

(For full cast and crew on IMDB)

Plot Summary:

Fast forward to the 1980s as Wonder Woman’s next big screen adventure finds her facing two all-new foes: Max Lord and The Cheetah.

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*My Thoughts*

“The 80’s never dies,” is what I would like to say.

 

Wonder Woman 1984 is an action, adventure movie based upon the poplar DC comics character, Diana Prince. This movie is phenomenal in which it contains multiple character inner conflicts that tie together. It didn’t feel like a traditional or linear story line. To start, a glimpse of Diana Prince’s childhood is played in the form of an athletic competition. Here Diana is taught a lesson about truth and sincerity. Skip ahead and Diana lives a normal life. She lives in solitude until she meets coworker Dr. Barbara Minerva, a rather awkward but warm and friendly woman. Through her, the movie begins to build suspense when Maxwell "Max Lord" Lorenzano decides to enter their workplace at the Smithsonian and become friendly with Dr. Minerva. He steals the Dreamstone which connects these three characters and acts as the catalyst of the movie. It is a gift from the gods that grants the holder any one wish, but like every tale in mythology and lore, all magic comes with a price.

 

Wonder Woman 1984 packs a lot of information into its one hundred and one-minute run time. Each of the three aforementioned characters wishes for something deeply rooted in their insecurities and pasts; three simple wishes turn into a worldwide catastrophe. Diana, who is still grieving the loss of Steve Trevor, wishes for more time with him. Dr. Minerva wishes to feel less inadequate and to be more amazing, to be special. Which brings us down to Max Lord who is a rather predictable con artist and antagonist. Throw in the dream of becoming important and respectable, these three wishes create a domino effect that involves the wish of every person on the planet. Even with these different stories playing together, they can be intertwined into one final showdown.

 

The fallacy of WW84 would have to be that the deuteragonists, also antagonists, seem shallow. They don’t hold a candle to their comic book counterparts. A younger Max Lord came from an abusive father, poverty, and he was often bullied for it; hence, his desire for riches and greatness. Barbara is intelligent and sweet but desires more strength and beauty. She is timid and cannot even garner the attention of her male coworkers but will get the attention of a drunkard in the middle of the night. In the end, they are defeated and their loss leaves much to be desired. Max and Dr. Minerva are skimmed over, like they won’t be seen again.

 

WW84 is also an interesting movie because of the subtle messages it places into the plot. Dr. Minerva and Max represents feelings of self-consciousness and loathing, the desire to take the easy way out of a difficult situation. Diana represents a knowledgeable, courageous, but not infallible woman that anyone can aspire to become. She is a creation of Zeus and raised to be a warrior, but she is still susceptible to grief and loneliness and it shows. Her wish costs her godly powers, diminishing her strength throughout the movie until she realizes that she needs to let go and the lesson her aunt Antiope had taught her years ago comes circling back. Truth and sincerity play a major role in the climax and final fight. The world’s people may wish for something that they desire, but everyone simply can’t get what they want without causing more pain and chaos. Diana brings this lesson from her past into the present and teaches it to the world. How she does it exactly should be left for the viewer to find out.

My rating:

MARIAH's THOUGHTS on The Curse of La Llorona (2019)

Genre:

Horror/Thriller/Mystery/Suspense

Drama

Release Date:

April 19, 2019

DVD/Blu-Ray Release Date:

August 6, 2019

Run Time:

1 hr 33 mins

Rating:

R

Directed by:

Michael Chaves

Screenplay by:

Mikki Daughtry, Tobias Iaconis

Producers:

James Wan, Richard Brener, Gary Dauberman, Dave Neustadter, Walter Hamada, Michelle Morrissey

Production Co.:

Atomic Monster, New Line Cinema

Distribution Co.:

Warner Bros.

Social Media:

   

Cast:

Linda Cardellini, Roman Christou, Jaynee-Lynne Kinchen, Raymond Cruz, Sean Patrick Thomas, Patricia Velasquez,  Tony Amendola, Marisol Ramirez

See Full Cast List on IMDB

Plot Summary:

The timeless Hispanic legend comes to terrifying life in “The Curse of La Llorona.” She is The Weeping Woman and those who hear her death call in the night are doomed. She creeps in the shadows and preys on the children, desperate to replace her own. In 1970s Los Angeles, La Llorona is stalking the night—and the children. Ignoring the eerie warning of a troubled mother suspected of child endangerment, a social worker and her own small kids are soon drawn into a frightening supernatural realm. Their only hope to survive La Llorona’s deadly wrath may be a disillusioned priest and the mysticism he practices to keep evil at bay, on the fringes where fear and faith collide.

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*My Thoughts*

Note: This review contains NO spoilers

The Curse of La Lloronoa is a movie based upon the Latin American folktale of the same name. In the folktale, Llorona was a woman who caught her husband cheating and subsequently decided to drown their children. While the origins of Llorona stay the same, the movie itself was bland and forgettable. The premise of the conflict was a mother trying to protect her children from the evil spirit of Llorona. While ghost stories like these can have their own interpretations and twists, subsequently changing over and over again, The Curse of La Llorona doesn’t offer anything new to the supernatural genre.

The story follows social worker and single mother, Anna Tate-Garcia who first encounters Llorona’s curse through one of her clients. Llorona having drowned and killed the clients’ two children then moves on to Anna and her kids, Chris and Samantha. In order to escape Llorona, Anna tries to enlist the help of Father Perez of the church to help her, but he cannot without the Vatican’s approval. Instead Anna is directed to former priest Rafael Olvera, who helps spiritual cases in his own way.

Interestingly enough, Father Perez is the same priest who dealt with the porcelain doll, Annabelle, making a link to the Annabelle movie series. Aside from that small aside, The Curse of La Llorona doesn’t leave many lasting impressions. It includes the same clichés: priests, a vengeful ghost, a terrified family, and a faith healer to save the day.

My Rating:

JASMINE's THOUGHTS on Justice League (2017)

Genre:

Action/Adventure

Fantasy/Science Fiction

Release Date:

November 17, 2017

DVD/Blu-ray Release Date:

March 13, 2018

Run Time:

1 hr 59 mins

Rating:

PG-13

Directed by:

Zack Snyder

Screenplay by:

Chris Terrio, Joss Whedon

Production Co.:

Atlas Entertainment, Cruel and Unsual

Distribution Co.:

Warner Bros. Pictures

Social Media:

   

Cast:

Ben Affleck, Gal Gadot, Ezra Miller, Jason Momoa, Henry Cavill, Jeremy Irons, Amy Adams, Ray Fisher, Ciarán Hinds

See Full Cast List on IMDB

Plot Summary:

Fueled by his restored faith in humanity and inspired by Superman’s selfless act, Bruce Wayne enlists the help of his newfound ally, Diana Prince, to face an even greater enemy. Together, Batman and Wonder Woman work quickly to find and recruit a team of metahumans to stand against this newly awakened threat.  But despite the formation of this unprecedented league of heroes—Batman, Wonder Woman, Aquaman, Cyborg and The Flash—it may already be too late to save the planet from an assault of catastrophic proportions.

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*My Thoughts*

Well, it has been a while for me to be posting reviews. So... okay... I am finally getting to this review.

I enjoyed this! Sure, there was a lot of mixed reviews, mostly not-so-good ones. But, I enjoyed watching this. At different points of the movie, I thought it felt clipped. The CGI effects were good. The story was was okay, not outstanding. The humor and drama was balanced. Casting of these iconic superheroes, I would say, is on point (of course, that's just me). The cast chemistry worked. The characters were likeable and developed enough for this movie. The action was not lacklustered. It did get the "blood pumping." Yah, action was not disappointing. Otherwise, Justice League was very entertaining and fun to watch.

Sure... Justice League fell short in a lot of critics' reviews, but as a fan, I enjoy watching favorite/iconic superheros come to life in live-action films. I like the casting. I like that these films are entertaining, funny, with the right amount of drama and action. I am looking forward to watching all the character solo films and the next Justice League films.

My Rating: