Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker marks the end of the 9-film Skywalker Saga, and after Rian Johnson’s disastrous The Last Jedi, fans were really hoping this would be the film that redeemed this new trilogy and ended it on a high note. To put it simply, it did not. Instead, the trilogy ends being the same thing it has been the whole time: a jumbled mess with no direction on where to go.
I remember the lead-up to the release of the original Frozen. It’s always an exciting event when Disney releases another musical fairy tale film. It was a Disney musical, not unlike Tangled which came out just a few years prior, but apparently, Disney did not have high hopes for it. But after a great team putting everything they can into the film and a strong marketing campaign, it released back in 2013, and I remember enjoying it. Then it made over $1 billion and everyone couldn’t shut up about it. Short film after short film came afterward, including one 22-minute long short that was released in theatres before Coco. That, to me, crossed the line. Anyways, as the film became more and more of a phenomenon, the franchise grew stale really quick, and I felt a sense of resentment towards the franchise, rather than one of fondness. But what does this rambling have to do with the sequel, Frozen II? Well, I suppose one tiny shred of me thought that this film could redeem the whole franchise, take a risk and go the distance to make something incredible. I came into the theatre with low expectations, and still left disappointed at how safe and, honestly, lazy this movie felt.
Pokemon: Let’s Go Pikachu! & Let’s Go Eevee! are the subjects of much controversy, a reoccurring theme for Pokemon games as of late. I understand why, and the reasoning will be discussed, but the negatives hardly detract from what is a great nostalgia trip for Pokemon veterans like me, but will also serve as a great entry point for newer Pokemon fans. Pokemon: Let’s Go Pikachu! & Let’s Go Eevee! are a lot of fun to play through, and bring back so many memories of Pokemon FireRed & LeafGreen, the second Pokemon game I ever played.
I have been anticipating Disney+ for months. Upon learning that the entirety of the Disney Animation and Pixar libraries will be available for streaming, how can an aficionado like me not be excited? Now that it’s out, while I’m enjoying it a lot, it didn’t surprise or wow me like streaming services like Netflix have over and over again. It’s still early days, but I think that the launch should have given us more. More specifically, more original content and a more expansive and diverse library of previously released film and TV.
Jojo Rabbit is Taika Waititi’s latest film. After the success of Thor: Ragnarok, he has left the superhero movie space for a while (until the next Thor movie) and has given us a satirical comedy that is jam packed with both humour and more deep and meaningful subject matter. Jojo Rabbit walked a fine line that I did not expect it to walk, all the more reason why I respect this movie greatly and thoroughly enjoyed it.
Since I was a young child, one thing I have always wanted to see from the Pokemon franchise is a massive, main series game on a home console. Now, in 2019, I am 23 years old and finally my wish has been granted, with Pokemon Sword & Shield on Nintendo Switch. And I am happy to say that, despite a lot of valid controversy, this game does not disappoint, and is a welcome addition to the Pokemon franchise and a big step for it as well.
E3 2019 is right around the corner. This is always one of the most exciting times of the year for me, because this is where we’ll get to see all the new games that will be coming from all the major companies and developers! One of the biggest companies to announce a bunch of new games every year is Nintendo. So here, as I like to do every year, I will be predicting what will Nintendo games will be shown in their annual E3 Direct.
Today, we got the long-awaited announcement of the 8th generation of Pokemon games, Pokemon Sword and Pokemon Shield! For the first time, a true, new generation Pokemon RPG will finally be released on a home console! This is an announcement that got me especially excited since this game has been what I have wanted ever since I was a child playing Pokemon Emerald for the first time.
Last night was the night myself and pretty much every other film lover looks forward to every year, the Academy Awards. We complain about many of the decisions made by the Academy, but there’s no denying is still the most prestigious prize to be given in the art of film. This year, they went the first time in a while without a host… and I kind of hope they go without a host more often, because this was probably the most focused Academy Awards ceremony I’ve ever seen. Politics aside, this was a great ceremony.
The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part is a film that I’ve been waiting for since the first movie released. I found the first film to be one of the most imaginative animated films ever. I simply adored it. And upon seeing the sequel, it’s great to see that witty writing and imaginative storytelling again, even if the film doesn’t really feel as groundbreaking as the original.
Pixel Perfect 