You are Hidden no more

Excellent movie! I finally saw the critically acclaimed, destined to be a classic, historical docudrama, Hidden Figures (2016). This is the untold story of three African-American women, played by three fine actresses: Octavia Spencer, Taraji P. Henson, and Janelle Monae, who broke color barriers and revolutionized this nation’s place in the Space Race.

As these ladies successfully put a man into orbit and bring him back safely, they faced countless obstacles. They were utilizing math that didn’t exist yet, and their research kept changing on a daily basis. They also had their own share of personal issues to deal with. Like all people, they had family drama and relationship issues. But on top of that, being women of color, they had to use a segregated restroom, lunchroom, school, etc.

I honestly couldn’t believe people were treated like that till I watched this film. I got aggravated. There’s a moment when Kevin Costner’s character rips off the ‘Whites Only’ sign above the restroom with a crowbar. That was a heart lifting moment. This period of time in America should not and cannot be forgotten. The struggles of these women contributed to making America the world power that it is.

Along with the three main characters, we also see some fine performances from familiar faces like Kevin Costner, Kirsten Dunst, and the guy who plays Sheldon on The Big Bang Theory. Every detail of this movie is excellent: the acting, the set, the camera work, the music, the script, you name it. Everyone and their whole family should see this gem.

Image: imdb.com

Make it a point to watch the Point Break reboot

Before The Matrix (1999), there was Speed (1994), and before that, there was Point Break (1991), an action flick which made a star out of Keanu Reeves. Patrick Swayze was also in the movie. There is even a restaurant in Midtown Manhattan, named Point Break, after the movie, featuring surfboards, and the Bodhi Burger is on the menu. In 2015, a reboot was released. Today’s review is about the reboot. I haven’t seen the original Point Break in ages. And I have no plans to see it again anytime soon.

The reboot starts out with outdoor enthusiast Johnny Utah injuring himself while biking on a steep ridge. Then fast forward seven years later, Utah is a candidate for the FBI, when he recognizes a pattern involving pirates who escape by parachute. They are trying to complete the Ozaki 8; a teaching of doing eight extreme ordeals to honor the forces of nature. These thieves can’t be all that bad. Sure they took a ton of cash, but they gave it to the poor, as if they are modern day Robin Hoods.

Utah intercepted this team of four robbers in France where they were attempting a rare sea wave phenomenon. Utah finally confronts Bodhi and the other thugs, and wants to join their club. To do so, he must have a good old street fight. Utah passes the initiation, and the next challenge is flying through the Swiss Alps in wingsuits. The next day, the team climbs the snowy peaks then descend on snowboards. One of the bandits doesn’t make it out of this one alive.

Then it’s onto the next heist, where Utah blows his cover, there’s a big fire fight, where all but one of the crooks get away. A couple of the feds are taken down as well. Utah runs into the remaining two burglars while they are rock climbing by a waterfall. This time, one more kleptomaniac dies, and Bodhi is the last remaining thief. Fast forward again, seventeen months later; Utah confronts Bodhi while reattempting the wave challenge. Bodhi doesn’t make it and Utah goes home.

I have friends who refuse to see this movie because of the fact it’s a reboot of an original. They don’t know what they’re missing. Point Break (2015) was well done, it’s well written, and well played, it’s an updated version for a younger generation. It’s not just about surfing as was the original, this time there is street fighting, wing suit gliding, snowboarding, rock climbing, plus a cameo by EDM recording artist Steve Aoki. I highly recommend this movie to anyone who likes action movies and the natural elements. You won’t be disappointed.

Image: imdb.com

For a howling good time, watch Wolves

I recently had the pleasure of watching Wolves (2014) a few weeks ago. This film has a surprising cast even though it is a relatively unknown movie. The lead actor is Lucas Till, who is better known for his role in three X-Men films. Other cast members include Jason Momoa, of Game of Thrones fame; and Stephen McHattie who has had numerous appearances across film and tv, for example: 300, The Strain, and A History of Violence, just to name a few.

This flick starts out in a football field, where the star athlete, played by Till scores another victory for his team, as his school cheers him on. All is well for this up and coming, All-American boy until his parents are found murdered one night. He goes on the run, as fast and as far as he can. Traveling the highways from state to state, he runs into Wild Joe, who suggests he visit Lupine Ridge for the answers he needs.

Being an outsider, the football star is not well accepted in that small town. But he finds sanctuary as a farm hand. He also finds a sweet bartender and the sparks begin to fly. After a few days, the secrets begin to come out about everyone in town, their family connections and their dark past. Eventually, everything comes out, and the result is sheer excitement.

I’m not doing this film any justice by not revealing anything. But you should really see this for yourself. The storyline is excellent. The cast and acting were superb. The set, special effects, and wolf make up were intense. The pace and action kept me on the edge of my seat! I haven’t seen a good werewolf movie in a while, and this flick was no disappointment. I can highly recommend Wolves (2014) to satisfy your lupine appetite.

Image: imdb.com

Just another article about Stranger Things

Remember Stand by Me, The Goonies, The Sandlot, The Monster Squad, E.T. the Extraterrestrial, The Wonder Years, Ghoul, and The Little Rascals? Do you remember a more innocent time where kids could be kids and tackle adult problems like an alien invasion or monstrous infestation? I almost forgot that era, which I last witnessed in awe around thirty years ago. Stranger Things brought me back to the 80’s and you should check it out too, for a taste of the good old days.

I can’t believe I haven’t posted anything since early July. We’re going into October now. It has been way too long. But now I’m back. Summer is over, and the overwhelming heat has passed. My first post in a long time is about the phenomenon we all heard about all summer. Stranger Things is worth all the hype. I finished watching the first season on Netflix a few weeks ago, and it was excellent.

The series takes place in the 80’s in a small town, where everyone knows your name. I like small towns and the 80’s so this series already had me in the first few minutes. I loved the music playing in the background, the clothes the characters wore, and the posters on the wall. This series did a great job of recreating the particular decade.

There’s also an alien, a telekinetic girl, and a town sheriff who believes that the military are not sharing everything they know with him. This sounds a little like The X Files! I’m kidding; it sounds a whole lot like The X Files. That’s my favorite show of all time. The cast has familiar faces like Wynona Ryder and Matthew Modine. The acting is superb. The special effects are amazing. The story is well written. Stranger Things is an incredible series on so many levels. I can’t wait till Season 2 starts streaming.

Image: hellogiggles.com

Fright Night 2 (1988 vs 2013) | RIP Anton

Wow, does time fly when you’re having fun? This is my first update in more than a month! That’s because June was a very busy month for me. I am an avid fan of sports.  And June marks the end of both the hockey and basketball seasons. Some of the best athletic performances are showcased during the championship conferences in June. The Golden State Warriors had a record season of 73 and 9, beating the Bulls ’95 to ’96 season of 72 and 10. But the ring went to the Cleveland Cavaliers, who overcame a 3-1 deficit in the Finals, first time ever in NBA history, and the first victory for Cleveland. Too many more records were also broken last month. But we must leave all those moments for another conversation because July has arrived, and horror movies are on heavy rotation.

On Saturday, July 2, 2016, I found some time to Netflix and chill. By the way, John Adams wanted Independence Day to be celebrated on the 2nd of July. I think we all prefer the 4th. So after I scrolled thru the Netflix selections, I decided to watch Fright Night 2 (2013). Coincidentally, one of my all-time favorite movies happens to be the original Fright Night 2 (1988). These two movies start out pretty much the same. But after about a half hour, the similarities end as the 2013 reboot goes out there. I will attempt to compare the two movies, I could probably go on forever because Fright Night 2 (1988) is one of my favorites of all time, but I will try to keep it short.

The protagonist in both movies is Charlie Brewster. William Ragsdale played the role of Brewster in the original Fright Night films. Anton Yelchin played Brewster in Fright Night (2011), but he didn’t reprise this role in 2013. Instead, some lesser known actor played Brewster in Fright Night 2 (2013). The love interest is Alex (1988) and Amy (2013). The iconic actor, Roddy McDowall, known from the original Planet of the Apes films, played Peter Vincent, host of ‘Fright Night’ which is a fictional late night creature feature, within Fright Night 2 (1988). Some other lesser known actor played Vincent, lead investigator of ‘Fright Night’ which is a paranormal ghost hunting show within Fright Night 2 (2013). The antagonist was Regine Dandridge in 1988 and Gerri Dandridge in 2013. Brewster has some additional help in 2013, in the form of a schoolmate who goes by the name ‘Evil’ Ed.

I enjoyed how Fright Night 2 (2013) has contributed to vampire lore. According to this flick, Gerri Dandridge is actually the infamous Countess Bathory, and she has supersonic sonar abilities which allowed her to track Charlie and Amy thru the sewers of Romania. After attacking Amy and tasting her blood, Gerri realizes that Amy is a virgin, born at the stroke of midnight, during the Blood Moon, and she is the key to allowing Gerri to walk in daylight. Later in the 2013 reboot, Brewster becomes a vampire and uses his super scream powers to break glass. I won’t give away any more details. You can come up you’re your own conclusions. However, I cannot recommend Fright Night 2: New Blood (2013) unless you absolutely must see every single movie about vampires. There’s no star power, the acting is lacking at times, and the effects could have been better.

In a separate, yet related story, Russian born actor Anton Yelchin passed away on June 19, 2016 at the age of 27, in what was described as a freak car accident. Besides playing Charlie Brewster in Fright Night (2011), Yelchin also played Chekhov in the 3 new Star Wars films. And he also held roles in Charlie Bartlett, Green Room, Terminator Salvation, Odd Thomas, Burying the Ex, Hearts in Atlantis, The Smurfs 1 & 2, Experimenter, House of D, and countless others. His absence is being mourned all over Hollywood, from his family, friends, co-stars and fans. Had this tragedy not occurred, he would have been a icon in film history. May Anton rest in peace.

Image: imdb.com

Pyramids at the South Pole

The evening of Friday, May 6, 2016 started out like any other usual Friday evening. But it transformed into something spectacular. An all new episode of The Vampire Diaries came on the CW at 8pm, which was followed by an all new episode of The Originals at 9. Now these two shows alone are enough to make a great ending to the work week. But then something just short of miraculous commenced at 10pm. It was the season premiere of Ancient Aliens! This is what I call a triple treat. And I enjoyed every minute of these three momentous hours!

There’s nothing major to report on The Vampire Diaries, besides the fact that Bonnie Bennett is now a vampire huntress, who must kill all her friends. As for The Originals, the first ever progeny, Lucien Castle, and member of the Trinity, has been disposed of, at the hands of his own creator, Klaus. And despite the numerous horrible deeds that Lucien committed against the Mikaelson clan, he was still given an honorable wake. Now I’ve saved the best part for last. This dessert is the perfect ending to a great meal.

The topic of the Ancient Aliens season opener was the pyramids that have been discovered on Antarctica. Now I’ve never heard of, nor even considered the possibility of pyramids on Antarctica before, so this revelation was truly mind blowing. I always thought of Antarctica as a big polar wasteland. But evidence shows it may have once been a lively and thriving place, occupied by wooly mammoths and flowing rivers. It was even portrayed as being ice free, in the Ornonteus Finaeus map, published in 1531, before it was supposedly discovered.

But some of the ice is melting, and structures remarkably similar to pyramids are beginning to emerge. Modern man has supposedly first stepped foot on Antarctica in 1821. Since then there have been many visitors. And some of these visitors have been reporting some very strange phenomena. Witnesses have observed strange craft in the night skies over Antarctica. It is also rumored that the Nazis may have ventured onto the super cold continent during WWII. In closing, if these structures are indeed pyramids, then who made them? What purpose do they serve? When were they made? Only time will tell.

Image: beforeitsnews.com

It’s a bird. It’s a plane. It’s Sasquatch!

Finding Bigfoot went to a whole new level for its two- hour season premiere. Matt, Cliff, Renee and Bobo joined forces with a paranormal investigation group in Mount Shasta, California, in order to track down this elusive creature. The season started out on a new night as well, on Thursday, March 31, 2016, and it seems like the strangest episode in the history of this series so far. The BFRO team is tackling the theory, that Bigfoot may not be a flesh and blood entity, but a supernatural one!

In this premiere, they also discuss the possibility that Bigfoots may have been genetically engineered and brought here by extraterrestrial aliens. I have never heard such outlandish claims before on Animal Planet, so this episode was truly ground breaking. However, I have heard similar ideas of the extraterrestrial kind on other programs, airing on networks like History Channel and Destination America. It seems that Animal Planet is now heading into unchartered territory with these theories!

But back to this landmark episode: Bobo was temporarily traded to the Supernatural Bigfoot Group, where he made a telepathic connection with Bigfoot, as that other team performed an ancient ritual in a cave. It was an eye-opening experience for Bobo, as he saw things and communicated with Bigfoot, in his psychic journey. Also, an unexplainable light was also caught on camera, deep in the woods, in the middle of the night. And a strange being was observed through the thermal cam. It was eventually determined to be a mountain lion with a long tail.

I enjoyed this episode. I appreciate how the Animal Planet is now considering other, alternative explanations for this mythical beast. I also like how the BFRO team was not dismissive, but actually open-minded to even considering the paranormal possibilities. Let’s face it; the BFRO has no right calling the other paranormal investigation group insane, when the BFRO itself is a bit crazy, on some level. They haven’t found Sasquatch yet, but they are now exploring every possible avenue available, like the supernatural. And hopefully, it brings the team good luck and success in their goals!

Image: animalplanet.com

You and the Apocalypse .. Leave me out

NBC has a habit of borrowing popular trends and putting their little spin on it. In the heyday of The X-Files on Fox, the peacock network came out with a complete rip-off, on so many levels, called Dark Skies. But I’m not going into how that latter show was a clone of the former. Instead, I will cite another, more current, Fox series, titled Last Man on Earth. What has NBC aired a season later? It’s called You, Me and the Apocalypse. Is the NBC series a complete rip off? Not quite, but there was definitely some influence taken from the Fox original sitcom. Both shows are about the end of the world as we know it!

So last week I decided to watch this clone of a show. I went to NBC On Demand and found the first episode of You, Me and the Apocalypse, which aired back in September of 2015. I can’t believe I watched it for a full hour! About half way through, I checked the remaining time and couldn’t believe I had to sit out another half of this! This sitcom is all situation and no comedy. The actors and actresses are not even trying to make us laugh. By the way, the situation is nothing to laugh at. The title says it all. A comet is coming to destroy all life on the planet. But we have to find something to laugh about, in my opinion.

The show’s more notable players include Rob Lowe and Jenna Fischer. However, there is one character that I find very disturbing. There’s a female inmate with a swastika on her forehead. I couldn’t believe my eyes! Now I’m not one of those overly sensitive people that you find everywhere, as of late. I understand that the Holocaust was more than seventy years ago. But I find nothing funny about the millions of lives that were destroyed during the entire ordeal. I also feel that symbol has no place in the entertainment industry. I can’t believe people haven’t boycotted this show. Maybe it’s because the show sucks. You, Me and the Apocalypse is boring, not funny, and not entertaining.

In all fairness, there’s nothing wrong with being a clone. NBC has been very innovative and successful with many sitcoms. Friends and The Office have been redone on other networks with other titles. It’s quite possible that without those shows, we may never have had How I met your Mother and Brooklyn Nine Nine. Even my favorite show in television history, The X-Files has its origins and influences based on a show from the seventies, Kolchak: The Night Stalker. But the difference between Agent Mulder and newspaper reporter Kolchak is approximately twenty years. I believe that You, Me and the Apocalypse was not well planned, not well written, and rushed to jump on the End of Days bandwagon. Next season might be better, if the series lasts that long.

Image: nbc.com

Night of the Vampire Originals Diaries

The evening of Friday, February 26, 2016 was an exceptional evening for followers of the TVD saga. This joyous night, started at 8pm with The Vampire Diaries, and it was followed by The Originals at 9pm. Nothing special yet, because this their typical schedule ever since the new lineup on January 29, 2016. But what sets last Friday apart from the others is the fact that the two series had a crossover, and the episodes were back to back! I was filled with glee upon learning news of the event. And I was not let down!

Beginning with The Vampire Diaries, Stefan Salvatore has been marked by the sword of Rayna Cruz, a very efficient vampire hunter. In his attempt to flee, he seeks the help of Klaus in New Orleans. Klaus reveals that Rayna Cruz terrorized New Orleans for decades, and killed many vampires there too. Then Klaus banished Stefan away. At that moment, Klaus receives a phone call from Caroline. As Stefan is driving away, he gets ambushed by Rayna. She was standing over him, ready to finish him, when Klaus appeared and killed her. It was only temporary as she will always regenerate.

We now cross over to The Originals where Klaus brings Stefan back to New Orleans where he meets Freya. She works on a magical spell to cloak Stefan from the huntress, Rayna. In other events, Elijah and Klaus get abducted, their bodies unconscious as their minds visit a place occupied by Tristan and Aurora. Another spell was being conducted on Klaus and Elijah, until Stefan uncloaked himself. Rayna made a bee line to his location. She came in like a wrecking ball, and interrupted the spell being cast on Elijah and Klaus. She also killed many ancient vampires in the process. All ends well, as these two original brothers were saved. And Klaus reconciled his differences with Stefan. It was a happy ending to a happy night. It was also an awesome way to end the week. And us TVD fans really needed a evening like this!

Image: vampirediaries.com

Mulder and Scully get jiggy with it!

I was flipping channels the other night when I landed on Jimmy Kimmel Live! The guests for that evening included David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson! As expected, these two stars were promoting their iconic roles in the revived The X-Files. But as a unexpected bonus, the show previewed a teaser for the new mini-series. At least we thought it was a teaser. It seemed awesome! Agents Mulder and Scully were cautiously exploring a dark laboratory, when they stumble upon an alien, in a glass container. They begin discussing possible explanations, when Jimmy Kimmel walks in on them, and shares his own ideas. As soon as I saw Kimmel, I realized it was a parody, but I couldn’t turn away. Then the absolute unexpected happened. Both Mulder and Scully throw each other onto the operating room table. And they start making out like there’s no tomorrow! I never would have imagined such a sight in a million years. Times have surely changed since the 90’s. I must say it was great to see these two stars unleash that repressed sexual tension after all these years.

By the way, one of my facebook friends recently shared a link for the upcoming The X-Files miniseries. I liked his post and he then commented by saying that he knew I would give it a ‘Like’. The following is my reply to his comment:

Yeah I have a few all time faves. From Miami Vice and 21 Jump Street, to Seinfeld and Friends, and more recently How I met your Mother and Brooklyn Nine-nine. But when I first saw The X-Files about midway thru Season 1, I was almost 20 at the time, but I knew this was the show I’ve been waiting for my whole life. The timing of The X-Files was also unique, the internet was just becoming a household item, and at the end of each episode, fans were were logging into chat rooms to discuss the show and whatever possible hidden messages Chris Carter tried to give us. I admit I didn’t even watch the last two seasons after Duchovny left. But in its prime, The X-Files could not be touched. It was the perfect way to end the week. I even had the comic book. No other show ever satisfied my life as did The X-Files!

If the comment above does not convey how I feel about The X-Files, then I don’t know any other way to express myself. I’m am utterly elated that other people absolutely love this show as much as I do. And its return to TV is one of the best presents I could ever ask for. I am confident that I will not be disappointed. We all wish that we can forget Star Wars Episodes I to III among countless other letdowns across the board. But I have a good felling about this revamp. The mini-series currently consists of only 6 episodes. And I will be glued to the tube for all six! I can’t help but wonder how the other series on Fox will be affected by The X-Files returning to their time slot, like The Simpsons, Bob’s Burgers and Family Guy. On second thought, I don’t care. Sunday, January 24 can not come soon enough!

Image: usamagazine.com