The third instalment in the Jumanji franchise and a direct sequel to Jumanji (1995), Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle took us back to the game. Get yourselves re-acquainted with the franchise before the release of Jumanji: The Next Level. 

Charming and Humorous

The all-star cast which includes MCU alum Karen Gillan, Jack Black, and the power duo of Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and Kevin Hart headline this 2017 sequel to the classic, Jumanji. The late Robin Williams’ 1995 film which was one of our favorite films growing up gets a charming and humorous treatment.

Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle’s cast entertains wonderfully with the cast’s chemistry visibly clear. We can only imagine how much fun the cast had making this film.

Hart and Johnson who we recently saw on Fast and Furious Presents: Hobbs and Shaw deliver their unique harmony as both deliver knock-out performances right on the get-go. Jack Black, meanwhile, is as hilarious as ever playing today’s typical teenage girl. Outshining them all, however, is Karen Gillan’s Ruby Roundhouse, kicking and dancing her way through every action scene.

Every single one of the cast is given their own shining moment but Karen Gillan is the absolute show-stealer here. Ruby Roundhouse was such a perfect role for Gillan.

Surprisingly Better Than The Original

Most people including fans of the franchise did not expect a lot out of this film. But, surprise, surprise! Welcome to the Jungle is surprisingly better than the original, at least in our opinion. Of course, the late Robin Williams allure is incomparable but somehow, this new ensemble managed to make things work and get the film to stand on its own feet. 

Yes, the plot was stupid, but it was a whole lot of fun, too. Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle proves that sometimes stupid and fun work too. This is brainless comedy at its finest.

All About The Fun

The original Jumanji was a standout in terms of visual effects. The same can be said to this sequel. Effects have been upgraded significantly and are pleasing enough.

There isn’t a lot of plot or storyline in this film. After all, it is a videogame. What’s great about it, however, is that it managed to be exactly like a videogame – it was all about having fun. Don’t expect anything fancy or serious or those save-the-world type film.

Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle made us feel like we are in the game itself. It is here to entertain. You watch it, you have fun, and then it’s “Game Over”. Pure entertainment! This film just hits all the right marks on how entertainment should be, be it in films or videogames.

Skip or Watch?

Our jaws literally hurt laughing after watching this movie and that should be enough to convince anyone that Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle is a must-watch.

The third sequel Jumanji: The Next Level is coming to Philippine theaters on Dec 4^th so perhaps it’s time to re-watch Welcome to the Jungle now and then decide whether the third sequel is for you or not.

Here is our rating for the movie.

Let us know what you think of the movie by giving it your own rating or commenting below.

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Days after a photo of Jared Leto’s Morbius character leaked online, Sony Pictures Entertainment dropped the first trailer for Morbius, the second film to Sony’s Marvel Universe.

Morbius Trailer

Scheduled for release this July 2020, Sony’s Mobius starring Oscar winner Jared Leto has dropped its first trailer. And boy, it looks exciting.

The Morbius film will be based on the Marvel comic book of the same name created by Roy Thomas and Gil Kane. It follows a scientist suffering from a rare blood disease named Michael Morbius, whose attempts to cure his condition with DNA from vampire bats turned him into a “pseudo-vampire” gaining superhuman strength, speed, flight, and other abilities while needing to digest blood and having strong aversion to light.

Morbius/Spider-Man Crossover Coming?

If you’ve seen the trailer through till the end, you probably recognized another major Spider-Man villain, Vulture, played by Michael Keaton whose character appeared first in Spider-Man: Homecoming but no longer appeared in the sequel.

Yes, that’s Vulture! Who else could it be?

And if that’s not clear enough, then take a closer look at this still photo from the trailer.

Turn your focus to the poster on Jared Leto’s Morbius character side and you’ll see a picture of Spider-Man with the words “MURDeReR” written over it.

But, wait! A closer inspection to the poster reveals that it actually looks a lot more like Tobey Maguire’s Spider-Man and not the more recent one played by Tom Holland.

So, does this mean we’ll get to see Spider-Man in the Morbius film? Well, we’ll know for sure once the film gets released. For now, we’ll just leave it to your imagination.

Sony’s Marvel Universe

With Sony Pictures still holding the rights to Spider-Man and other comic book characters the superhero is associated with, it’s a no-brainer for the studio to capitalize on its more successful franchise.

They started in 2018 with the release of Venom, starring Oscar nominated actor Tom Hardy. And while the film was panned by critics and divided audiences, it still made an eye-popping $856 million worldwide and essentially launched a franchise. Thanks in part to Tom Hardy and the film’s potential ties to Spider-Man.

Oh, wait! If not Spider-Man, maybe we’ll see Venom instead?

Let’s find out together on July 2020!

Are you excited about the Morbius film? How about its potential crossover with Spider-Man or Venom? Let us know in the comments.

Netflix’ newest workplace comedy web series, Space Force, which is about a group of individuals tasked in establishing the United States Space Force is available on the streaming platform since May 29, 2020.

Should you skip it or watch it? Read on this review to find out.

Cast

Before you get all too excited, yes Space Force is a real department in the US but the show Space Force on the other hand is not. The show is more of a parody of not just the Space Force department but also how being a government employee works.

Top-billed and co-created by the one and only Steve Carell (General Mark Naird), Space Force is also a reunion between him and “The Office” show-runner Greg Daniels, also serving as co-creator.

Also included in the cast is Hollywood veteran John Malkovich (Dr. Adrian Mallory) in a role I don’t think I’ve seen him play before. Then there’s Ben Schwartz (F. Tony Scarapiducci) fresh off his success as the voice of Sonic in the 2020 film Sonic the Hedgehog, Silicon Valley star Jimmy O. Yang (Dr. Chan Kaifang), Tawny Newsome (Capt. Angela Ali), Friends alum Lisa Kudrow (Maggie Naird), and Booksmart star Diana Silvers (Erin Naird).

Deep Characters, Uncommon Themes

Needless to say, the cast was awesome. But what I found interesting the most are the characters that they play which kind of imitates reality. Well, not exactly, but you have a decision maker, a scientist, an assistant, a social media manager, a kind of rebellious teenage daughter. And all of the main characters’ backgrounds were explored although it was for a short time for some. Still, it feels to me like the show really invested on the show’s characters. This is saying something considering it is only a 10-episode season. And I am hoping that the show will dive deeper into the characters in the next season. Hey, I still don’t get why General Naird’s wife is in prison.

Another great thing about the show is it explores themes that are not typical of a comedy show or any type of show really. Open marriages, space politics, workplace politics, and politics in general are just some of the themes tackled in the show. Not a lot of shows show these themes or at least not in the way Space Force does.

Dramedy?

But the show’s strength, for me, lies in the fact that it’s not a full-on comedy show. It’s also more of a drama and a good drama at that. Space Force does so well of blending in drama into its own brand of comedy. We’ve seen Steve Carell do his thing in both comedy and drama and of course, he’s good at both.

His impression of General Mark Naird is no different as well as John Malkovich’ Dr. Mallory. I absolutely enjoyed both their acting on the show so much. It’s not the same as their other works but this almost perfect combination of comedy and drama that both leads give and take is one of a kind.

The show is definitely on to something here with this dramedy genre.

Skip or Watch?

Space Force is not the typical comedy that we are so used to seeing Steve Carell in and if you are expecting the usual, this may not be for you.

Still, for me, this show is worth the watch because of two things. One, the characters are deep and two, the themes are not common. It may not be a laugh-out-loud type of comedy (there’s some drama here, too) but it sure is entertaining.

VERDICT: WATCH!

Here is salida|etc’s rating for Space Force.

Let us know what you think of the movie by giving it your own rating or commenting below.

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Night Teeth flashes its way into Netflix on October 20^th. The vampire thriller directed by Adam Randall promises to give a fresh take on the genre.

But the question is, should you skip it or watch it? Read on this review to find out.

Admirable Cast

Night Teeth follows the story of a freelance chauffeur Benny portrayed by Dominican actor Jorge Lendeborg Jr (Spider-Man: Far From Home). Benny’s night takes a darker turn when he finds out that his passengers Blaire (Debby Ryan) and Zoe (Lucy Fry) are actual centuries-old vampires.

Rounding up the cast are Army of the Dead star Raúl Castillo, Game of Thrones star Alfie Allen along with Transformers star Megan Fox together with Bad Boys For Life star Alexander Ludwig.

Stylish

As expected, the cast do an admirable job. But the same cannot be said to the screen action or lack thereof. The action is basically non-existent with most of the stuff happening behind the camera. I, for one, expected this to be a lot bloodier. It is a vampire movie after all. But no, the audiences only ever see the aftermath. That is some stylish direction, though, so points for creativity. But it still makes the film feel cheap. Lack of budget, perhaps? Maybe yes, maybe not. But add to that the boring script and the movie becomes quite a mess.

Night Teeth does start out with an interesting premise though and actually kind of lives up to its promise of giving the vampire genre a fresh take but only up to a certain point. And it’s just not quite good enough.

Predictable

There’s always a great degree of annoyance when you basically know or at least have an idea of how a movie is going to end midway through watching it. That annoyance leads to frustration when you actually end up right. Night Teeth is one of those movies. It won’t even be halfway through the film when you start realizing how the movie ends. The movie is so predictable you could only wish you were wrong. Unfortunately, you’re not. The plot is just so obvious it makes no sense to continue watching it except maybe for the hope that it does end another way.

Perhaps, I’ve just watched too many movies. I know I have. But for a movie to be this predictable is still quite a letdown.

Skip or Watch?

Night Teeth dishes out some interesting new ideas in the vampire genre. But the predictability of its narrative and the absence of actual action will leave audiences feeling a little lethargic towards the end.

It is watchable, sure. But there’s really nothing worth noting in this film.

The vampire genre is in need of a refresh. Sadly, Night Teeth cannot do just that.

That said, skip this one!

VERDICT: SKIP!

Here is salida|etc’s rating for Night Teeth.

Let us know what you think of the movie by giving it your own rating or commenting below.

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Netflix’ Point Blank, the American remake of the 2010 French action film of the same title, has been streaming on Netflix for a month now. We finally had the time to watch the movie and here’s what we think.

Cast

Stars Anthony Mackie and Frank Grillo, who you may recognize better from the Captain America films as The Falcon and Rumlow/Crossbones respectively, headline this American remake of the 2010 French film now produced by streaming giant Netflix. Their Point Blank characters seem to have continued their grudge match from the MCU films, at least in the first half of the film. And given their history, the chemistry between the two film leads is quite admirable.

You could see quite clearly that both stars know and enjoy working with each other very much. Both leads gave their characters just the right amount of playfulness but would sometimes end up as comedic, which in my opinion contributed to what was the downfall of this film.

Marcia Gay Harden, better recognized in her recent role as Dr. Leanne Rorish from the well-loved but short-lived hospital drama Code Black, surprises with her sound portrayal of a corrupt cop baddie.

Leaves You Feeling Blank

From what we’ve read online regarding the original French film, there was a lot of opportunity to get this movie right but this American remake gets marred often-meaningless dialogue and mediocre storytelling.

Here’s the thing, when you watch a movie and you had to google the plot afterwards because you didn’t quite get it, then you still end up confused because the internet was of no help, it’s either you’re not paying attention or the movie is just not that good. In this case, it’s probably the latter.

We did get quite some action and the premise was really interesting. It’s just a little disappointing when you expect for the film to continue to expand its bubbles and soar higher but along the way it somehow manages to burst itself with clumsy storytelling that would leave you googling for answers and still leaves you feeling blank.

To be honest, this movie kind of made us wanted to see the original French movie. And we just might, in the future.

Skip or Watch?

Maybe just skip this one especially if you’ve already watched the original French film. However, if you don’t mind the pointless writing and storytelling, this film is still a good film with quite some good action and great casting.

Here’s our rating for the movie.

Be sure to let us know your thoughts on the movie by leaving a comment and/or giving the film your own rating.

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The 8-episode Disney+ series, The Mandalorian, is a sure-fire hit and is already beating Netflix’ most streamed show.

Sanctuary

Chapter 4 entitled “Sanctuary” dropped on the streaming platform on the 29^th of November. Gina Carano’s character Cara Dune finally makes an appearance alongside the titular character (The Mandalorian) played by one of our favorite actors, Pedro Pascal (Game of Thrones, Narcos) and of course the most-talked about character on TV right now, the 50-year old Baby Yoda.

Yes, he’s 50 years old and a baby! That doesn’t make any sense, but anything is possible in the Star Wars universe. Baby Yoda is literally the cutest thing on TV right now so don’t argue.

Boom Mic Spotted?

Eagle-eyed fans, however, have spotted a seeming production error on the episode. Well, it’s not very clear for us but a boom mic apparently floated on the top-right portion in one of The Mandalorian and new character Omera’s intimate scenes. The supposed error comes near the 14-minute mark of the episode.

It’s a blink and you’ll miss it moment. Still, even if you don’t blink, your eyes would be glued at Baby Yoda anyway.

Anyone else catch the boom mic in The Mandalorian at the top right of episode 4!? 😱 pic.twitter.com/dgYePSlhpD

— BLURAYANGEL 🦇 (@blurayangel) November 29, 2019

Well, on the bright side, this proves that fans are really paying attention to this Star Wars expansion coming from Iron Man and The Lion King (2019) director Jon Favreau.

The “GoT Coffee Cup” Comparison

Fans have caught on and are now comparing it to the recent Game of Thrones coffee cup blunder with some claiming that this boom mic fiasco is more tolerable than the misplaced coffee cup in GoT.

Well, a blunder is a blunder. These things happen all the time with most getting caught during editing. Still, blunder or not. We know you all love the show.

The Mandalorian episodes 1 to 4 is streaming on Disney+ now with the last four episodes scheduled to be released every week until December 27, 2019.What do you think of this “boom mic” blunder from the 4^th episode of The Mandalorian? Was it better or worse than the GoT Coffee Cup fiasco? Let us know what you think in the comments.

Will Ferrell and Rachel McAdams team up as the duo Fire Saga in the musical comedy, Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga.

Based on the real annual international song competition, Eurovision Song Contest, which pits contestants from different countries (mostly in Europe), in a competition for best original song, the film follows the duo of Will Ferrell and Rachel McAdams collectively known as Fire Saga in their journey to joining and maybe winning the popular contest

Should you skip it or watch it? Read on this review to find out.

Ferrell+McAdams

Born and raised in a small fishing town in Húsavík, Iceland, Lars Erickssong (Ferrell) dreams of winning the Eurovision Song Contest ever since as a kid and with the help of his childhood friend(zoned) Sigrit Ericksdóttir (McAdams), the duo is finally given a chance to perform and qualify for the annual Eurovision Song Contest.

Yeah, I know what you are thinking. Ferrell’s Lars must be one crazy man to not fall in love with Sigrit played by Rachel McAdams. And you’re right! Lars is actually crazy, maybe. Then again, this movie is aiming just that.

Ferrell’s wit and charm is equally matched by McAdams comedy chops. It truly is a joy to watch the two. I was thinking hard how the pairing would work but from the minute both leads were in the same frame, I know they’ll be good.

Jaja Ding Dong

Directed by David Dobkin (Wedding Crashers, Clay Pigeons) who as you can see is no stranger to directing comedies, does a great work on this one along of course with the charming Dan Stevens (Alexander Lemtov) and Pierce Brosnan. Both actors play unusual roles with Stevens as a musical genius and Brosnan as Ferrell’s father. Yeah, I know. It’s kind of weird seeing the former James Bond playing the paternal figure and even weirder is that he is playing dad to Ferrell’s character.

What hooked me the most, however, are the songs. Well, this is the Eurovision Song Contest, after all and the songs should be great. And in that aspect, the film delivers. There are a lot of original songs featured in the film, all great.

But what would probably linger the longest in your head is the song “Jaja Ding Dong”. Written by songwriters Gustaf Holter and Christian Persson for the movie and dubbed as supposedly a traditional bar song in Iceland, Jaja Ding Dong will give you major “Last Song Syndrome (LSS)”. Its melody is just outrageously catchy and the lyrics which actually have some sexual innuendos in it are so fun it even eclipses Fire Saga’s original songs.

Skip or Watch?

Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga is exactly what you think it is – a comedy that will make you laugh. Hard. The pairing of Will Ferrell and Rachel McAdams may seem like a strange decision to a lot of people but the resulting on-screen chemistry is just difficult to argue. Both leads clearly relish their roles.

There are not really a lot of flaws in the film except maybe being too long. But I’m sure none of you would really mind as this movie is ridiculously entertaining with its great punch lines and the LSS-inducing stupidly catchy songs.

VERDICT: WATCH!

Here is salida|etc’s rating for Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga.

Let us know what you think of the movie by giving it your own rating or commenting below.

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It’s time, The Mandalorian Season 2 has just premiered its season finale on Disney+ living up to all the hype.

Should you skip it or watch it? Well, I think you know the answer to that one already. But in any case, read on this review anyway.

Beyond Bounty Hunting

The first season of The Mandalorian series started good and ended with a bang last year. So it only makes sense to bring it back for Season 2. And why not? The Mandalorian and the child aka Baby Yoda’s story is far from over after all.

In last year’s iteration, we saw Din Djarin played by my personal favorite Pedro Pascal, take his bounty hunting skills across the galaxy leading him to The Child. Things then take on a kind of repetitive turn with him jumping from planet to planet defeating bad guys and upgrading his armor in the process. The pace then quickens towards the finale and ends with a wild cliffhanger that had fans and myself begging for more.

Finally, the time has come. Season 2 of The Mandalorian series now goes beyond bounty hunting as the new season surprises with major reveals. There is a sense of greater purpose now to Din Djarin’s adventures. In this new season, you’ll get to re-acquaint with some old characters and more importantly, know their stories. We’ll also get to meet new faces each with their own purpose in the story. The Mandalorian has really gone beyond bounty hunting this time.

Pedro Pascal Delivers

Series creator Jon Favreau returns along with most of the cast from the previous season with Gina Carano (Cara Dune) and Carl Weathers (Greek Karga) leading the pack. Of course, Pedro Pascal returns as the titular character.

And this time, we get to see more of him and not just his Mandalorian armor. Oops! Spoiler alert! Well, it’s about time he showed his face anyway. As expected, he delivers once again. Helmet on or helmet off, Pedro Pascal is such an excellent actor. Despite the strict (and confusing) Mandalorian rule of not removing their helmets, Pascal still conveys all the right emotions in each scene using only his voice. That’s right, just his voice, and he still delivers. Pedro Pascal is just too good of an actor.

Lives Up To The Hype

Season 1 created a lot of buzz in all media platforms. First with Baby Yoda, whose name we finally got to know this season. Then, that ending with Moff Gideon wielding that darksaber had all the Star Wars fans completely lost their minds.

Understandably, there was a lot of hype leading to the second season. Everyone waited and waited amid the pandemic. And finally, it’s here and fans will be pleased to know that The Mandalorian Season 2 lives up and perhaps even surpass all the hype that surrounded it.

Although, I have to admit, I got worried on the first episode thinking that the show might end up in that repetitive pattern of planet-hopping from the first season. Thank goodness, I was wrong. Once the show has established its footing, there’s just no stopping it. Every episode is so well-written and directed beautifully. Then again, it should be expected with big names sitting in the director’s chair. With Peyton Reed (Ant-Man), Bryce Dallas Howard (Jurassic World), and Robert Rodriguez (Alita: Battle Angel), to name a few.

That finale alone is sure to give you some literal goosebumps.

via GIPHY

This is the way…indeed!

Skip or Watch?

The Mandalorian simply is a darn great show. Period.

VERDICT: WATCH!

Here is salida|etc’s rating for The Mandalorian Season 2.

Let us know what you think of the movie by giving it your own rating or commenting below.

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Army of Thieves, the prequel to Zack Snyder’s Army of the Dead, debuted last weekend on Netflix. Matthias Schweighöfer returns to direct and star in this heist comedy plus zombie film.

Should you skip it or watch it? Read on this review to find out.

Army of the Dead Prequel

The well-received Army of the Dead from Zack Snyder gets a spinoff featuring one of its beloved characters, Dieter. The master safecracker played by Matthias Schweighöfer gets a second shot at the big screen with his own feature, Army of Thieves.

Set before the events of Army of the Dead, we find Dieter then known as Sebastian Schlencht-Wöhnert being recruited by Game of Thrones star Nathalie Emmanuel in a series of heists involving three safes created by legendary locksmith Hans Wagner. There aren’t a lot of zombies on Army of Thieves yet. But events from Army of the Dead are mentioned in passing with Vegas being the only place overwhelmed with the undead as the film happens.

Appealing and Delightful

Zack Snyder restored hope for the dying zombie franchise (pun intended) with Army of the Dead by making the genre cool again. Army of Thieves, on the other hand, looks to revive the heist genre by mixing it up with comedy and romance. The movie feels kind of like The Italian Job but with a sillier but delightful approach.

Army of Thieves is somewhat more appealing though with just the right amount of romance and not exactly weighty storylines. This formula seems to work so much that you might even find yourself grinning mostly throughout the movie. And that says a lot about the film. Entertainment is what we are all here, after all.

Matthias Schweighöfer is a Revelation

It was a step in the right direction to bring back one of Army of the Dead’s more entertaining characters in Dieter. Army of Thieves gives the character its due by linking him to his own story.

Director and actor Matthias Schweighöfer shines on this one. The story of the transformation of Sebastian to Dieter indeed merits his own standalone film.

As director, Schweighöfer lets us see some refreshing and intriguing visuals. Gone were Zack Snyder’s trademark slow-motions and that’s fine. Those were not necessary in this film. Schweighöfer makes this film his own. Fresh, appealing, and absolutely delightful.

As a star, Schweighöfer is just as good. His oozing charm is through the roof. Coupled with Nathalie Emmanuel, their on-screen chemistry is invigorating.

Now, as both director and star? Matthias Schweighöfer is a Revelation!

Skip or Watch?

German Director-Star Matthias Schweighöfer proves he’s right up there with some of the best directors in the business. Fueled by some fresh direction and charming performances from its cast, Army of Thieves stands apart from the main feature Army of the Dead.

That said, Army of Thieves should be on your watch list.

VERDICT: WATCH!

Here is salida|etc’s rating for Army of Thieves.

Let us know what you think of the movie by giving it your own rating or commenting below.

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