Here’s our take on Godzilla: King of the Monsters, the third instalment in Warner Bros.’ monster universe or simply “MonsterVerse”.

Long Live the King

Godzilla, the King of the Monsters, or so the 2014 movie says. In the sequel, directed and co-written by Michael Dougherty, we see Godzilla challenged with a three-headed titan that’s almost as big and powerful as the king of the monsters is.

Behold, King Ghidorah!

Expect massive battles between King Ghidorah and Godzilla as both fight for the title of “King of the Monsters”. Step aside, humans!

At the end of Godzilla (2014), humans hailed Godzilla as humanity’s savior after killing the two MUTOs who laid waste on Las Vegas and San Francisco. But how does Godzilla fair against King Ghidorah?

An all-out battle between the two kings is a sight to behold. Thanks to Dougherty’s creative repertoire, the monster battles made for great highlights and are, without a doubt, the best points of the film.

Some Things Missing

Stranger Things star Millie Bobby Brown stars as Madison Russell, a teenager who lost his brother during the final battle in Godzilla (2014) five years prior, and daughter of exes Dr. Emma (Vera Farmiga) and Mark Russell (Kyle Chandler), both Monarch scientists.

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As great as the cast, however, which included returning characters Dr. Serizawa (Ken Watanabe) and Oscar nominee Sally Hawkins as Dr. Vivienne Graham, it lacked the subtlety and finesse that made the 2014 movie more than just a slam-jam monster show. Getting through some scenes get confusing at times simply because there wasn’t enough of an effort put in to the story line.

Skip or Watch?

Godzilla: King of the Monsters may not be as good as the 2014 version but it’s still a decent 2+ hour of monster bang. Verdict: Watch!

Bonus: The MonsterVerse

The multiverse is real, folks! At least in movies, that is. We have the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) with Spider-Man: Far From Home as their latest film, the DC Extended Universe (DCEU) with Aquaman, Wonder Woman and its sub-universe DC Black with the Joker movie, Universal Pictures’ Dark Universe which started with 2017’s The Mummy.

Introducing the MonsterVerse, a shared fictional universe that features monster films including Godzilla and King Kong. Yes, we are talking about the enormous gorilla-like creature from the 2017 film Kong: Skull Island. Yes, Kong and Godzilla exist in the same universe. And guess what, the next film slated for release under the MonsterVerse is Godzilla vs Kong which is scheduled to be released on 2020. Though, as of now, we still have not seen any promotional materials for the movie.

Here’s 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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“Sherlock” creators Mark Gatiss and Steven Moffat reunite to bring us this new take on the notorious blood-sucking creature, Dracula. If you have watched Sherlock which of course stars one of our favorite actors Benedict Cumberbatch, then Dracula should feel familiar to you (more or less). But if you haven’t, then it’s not too late to jump in.

Skip it or Watch it? Read our review to find out.

Superb Acting † Clever Script

This Dracula series has 3 90-minute-long episodes, pretty much like the Sherlock series, giving the viewers a feeling like watching a full-length feature film.

Danish actor Claes Bang delivers an endearing performance as the titular character, charming his way with his victims before going in for the inevitable kill. This performance, however, is equally matched by British actress Dolly Wells as she portrays Dracula’s arch-nemesis, Agatha Van Helsing. The unconventional nun who makes it her life’s mission to understand the ways of the beast and finding a permanent stop to his menace.

Gatiss and Moffat’s writing abilities are in full display with cleverly written script. That sermon/speech from Mother Superior during a scene in Episode 1 was filled with such intellect and realness. Count Dracula and Sister Agatha’s lines are incredibly witty and often alludes to modern-day human’s habits.

Horror † Humor

Much like its novel origins, Gatiss and Moffat’s Dracula carries about a lot of darkness and violence. There’s no shortage of that here. Episode 1 alone will prove how much of a menace the Count can unleash (so long as you invite him in) even on sacred soil.

The Dracula series is essentially a 3-part horror flick released in one outing. Fans of the horror/vampire genre are sure to appreciate this series.

But audiences will be glad to hear that the simplicity of the humor in the series will help cope with the tragedies that befell for some of the blood-sucking Count’s (mostly) innocent victims. I would say that Dracula (and of course, Claes Bang) is having the best time of his centuries-old life in this series.

That Episode 3

But no matter how clever the first two episodes of the series turned out, Episode 3, for me, seemed to be an outlier. That Episode 3 almost killed the series. Not because it’s bad, but mostly because the decisions the writers made appears to be unnecessary. The way I see it, is that the writers made the story too close to what they did with the Sherlock series. From there, lots of things didn’t quite sit well with me.

Still, there is always hope for redemption. Unless, the show does not return for a second season, then I guess we’ll have to settle for That Episode 3.

Skip or Watch?

BBC One and Netflix’ collaborate to give us this new take on Bram Stoker’s (in)famous vampire, Dracula. Season 1 is streaming on Netflix now.

The Dracula series starts out baring its fangs, but a debatable final episode almost sucks the life out of the show. Nevertheless, lead stars Claes Bang and Dolly Wells’ exceptional portrayal of Dracula and Van Helsing along with a cleverly-written script are more than enough reasons for me to recommend watching this show.

VERDICT: WATCH!

Here is my rating for season 1 of Dracula.

What did you think of the series? Give it your own rating or comment your thoughts below.

Got a movie or TV series that you would like for us to review? Drop us a message and we’ll get to it.

Vincenzo, the South Korean dark comedy mafia-themed series has come to a close on the first weekend of May 2021. With all 20 episodes now available on Netflix, the question is: Should you skip it or watch it? Read on this review to find out.

Mafia Style

South Korean superstar Song Joong-Ki portrays the titular character Vincenzo who was raised in Italy and grew up as the consigliere of the Cassano family. Following a fallout with the mafia’s new boss, Vincenzo finds his way back home in Korea in search of hidden gold.

In Korea, however, Vincenzo learns that retrieving the hidden gold will not be that easy. And he must work his way against some of the nation’s most ruthless leaders Mafia Style.

Not Your Usual K-Drama

Vincenzo veers away from the rom-com tropes that has plagued most of the K-Drama over the years. The series instead has its own unique brand of dark comedy. And I mean dark as in violent fist fights and bloody gun fights. And honestly, if not for the comedy, Vincenzo could have gotten way darker.

Initially, I thought Vincenzo would have been fine without the comedy. But as the series went along, I realized that the humor was indeed necessary, or it would have been very difficult to process the violence portrayed in the show for most viewers.

That being said, the series did so well in finding great balance between brutality and satire. Expect no shortage of executions and assassinations a la Godfather but be prepared to laugh out loud of the show’s sheer silliness.

Gold🥇

Vincenzo is propelled by Song Joong-Ki’s captivating portrayal of the titular character coupled with the wits and charms of Jeon Yeo-been’s Hong Cha-young. Yeo-been’s Hong Cha-young may seem a little over-the-top at first but she’s so delightful you’ll love her. Kim Yeo-jin impresses as the cunning Zumba-loving lawyer and so does Kwak Dong-yeon’s portrayal of the extremely dim-witted Jang Han-seo.

It is the masterful performance of Ok Taec-yeon’s psychopathic Jang Han-seok, however, that amazed me so much. Song Joong-ki’s Vincenzo draws you in but Taec-yeon’s Han-seok keeps you there.

Add to that the great gang of characters from Geumga Plaza and we get a K-Drama that is pure GOLD.

The characters are pretty solid. The plot is near perfect (except for that one borderline homophobic episode). The twists and turns in are unpredictable and wildly entertaining. Yeah, Vincenzo is GOLD.

Skip or Watch?

Vincenzo is a rare breed of K-Drama that does not rely heavily in the rom-com trope. Instead, it does not shy away in bringing its own unique brand of comedy blended with the right amount of violence. And all the while keeping that K-Drama charm that we all know and love.

Mad acting and a crazy plot. Sometimes, that’s all you need and Vincenzo proves it.

Yes, this show is a must-watch.

VERDICT: WATCH!

Here is salida|etc’s rating for Vincenzo.

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

Got a movie or TV series that you would like for us to review? Drop us a message and we’ll get to it.

As promised, Stranger Things Season 3 has officially landed on Netflix on the 4^th of July.

Sweet!

Stranger Things was a massive hit and gained a huge following when it was first released in 2016 by video streaming giant Netflix. The second season proved to be an even bigger international success, essentially cementing the show as one of the most successful and most loved series in recent memory.

Kudos to “The Duffer Brothers” for bringing Stranger Things to life.

Now, the third season is set a few months later after the events of the second season. The year is now 1985 in the once-peaceful fictional town of Hawkins, Indiana. All our beloved main characters who survived both the previous seasons return for another 8 episodes of nostalgic 80s fun and thrill.

More weird stuff and scarier monsters are expected as the end of Season 2 visibly teased.

If you need a recap of the events of Seasons 1 and 2, Netflix has enlisted Max (Sadie Sink), Mike (Finn Wolfhard), Dustin (Gaten Matarazzo), Lucas (Caleb Mclaughlin), and Will (Noah Schnapp). Watch the amusing clip below. Oh, yeah, they are all grown up now too!

Ready to binge-watch Stranger Things Season 3?

Let me know in the comments section!

These are the top 7 things we loved about Stranger Things 3!

The third season of the Spanish heist crime drama series is now produced by Netflix. Here’s our take on Money Heist Part 3 which debuted on Netflix on July 19, 2019 on the streaming giant.

Bigger and Better?

Money Heist aka La Casa de Papel (The House of Paper) originally ran for 15 episodes on Spanish network Antena 3 before Netflix acquired its streaming rights in 2017 and re-cut the film into Parts 1 and 2 with a total of 22 episodes.

Riding on the success of the first two parts, Netflix announced that it has renewed the series and just like that, Money Heist is back with Part 3, which claims to be bigger and better than the previous two parts. But, is it, though? Short answer: YES!

As expected, Netflix pulled out all the stops as far as the budget goes as evidenced in just the first few acts where several international locations were featured which, in hindsight, makes sense considering the global repercussions of the plot.

Dali Masks Back On!

When Anibal Cortes/Rio (Miguel Herrán) gets captured by authorities after a costly mistake. His lover Silene Oliveira/Tokyo (Úrsula Corberó) gathered the group once more with “The Professor”/Sergio Marquina (Álvaro Morte) going back on the drawing board to formulate a plan to get Rio back. No better way to do it than do what they do best, with another heist. This time, the stakes are much higher with the crew now including former National Police Corps inspector Raquel Murillo/Lisbon (Itziar Ituño) now labeled as international criminals. The group had to operate once more with their Dali masks on to exact another intelligently planned heist, this time, on the Bank of Spain.

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More Than Just A Heist Story

What made Money Heist such a hit among viewers is that it was never just a story of the perfect heist. It was also about getting the sympathy of the people and challenging the system, in almost a Robin Hood-ish style. Money Heist Part 3 stays true to this premise.

And speaking of staying true to its roots, it’s a no-brainer to get series creator Alex Pina back to helm the now-Netflix original. Tokyo is back as narrator.

Money Heist Part 3 proves once more that non-linear storytelling, when crafted beautifully as in this series, is just as effective as the conventional ones. Maybe even better.

Inclusion

As mentioned, production is a lot bigger and better for Part 3. It is noticeable even with the story lines as creator Alex Pina and company seemed to have dug deeper on a lot of the character’s arcs especially with fan favorites Nairobi (Alba Flores) and Helsinki (Darko Peric).

Money Heist is unlike other series in Netflix and for some, it may take a while to get used to the Spanish style of filmmaking. But stay right in and once you are part of the Money Heist crew, you’ll be dying to be inside one of those red jumpsuits with your Dali masks on.

Another defining quality of the series is its brave tackling of sensitive subjects, the female leads taking over the “patriarchy” as Nairobi puts it and the series’ portrayal of sexuality, and same sex relationships. Talk about keeping up with the times.

Bella Ciao?

Money Heist Part 3 significantly outdid the two previous parts. Like way beyond. Thanks in part to Netflix for giving the series a much-needed special treatment. And no, it’s not done yet. We’re not saying “Bella Ciao” to this revolutionary Spanish series just yet.

The characters we have come to love got more stories to tell and will be back with Part 4 most likely in 2020. And we can’t help but get excited for it.

Skip or Watch?

Money Heist 3 is up there with the best series of this age and is a real must-watch! You can’t miss out on this great Spanish series!

Here’s our rating for Money Heist Part 3.

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

Got a movie or TV series that you would like for us to review? Drop us a message and we’ll get to it.

One of Netflix’ newest foreign language series Freud is available on the streaming giant now. Should you watch it or skip it? Read on our review to find out.

NOT A Sigmund Freud Biography

First, let’s get this out of the way. Nope! Although the character is based on the founder of psychoanalysis Sigmund Freud, Netflix’ new series “Freud” is NOT a biography of the Austrian neurologist. So you may want to look elsewhere if that’s what you are looking for.

Instead the Austrian-German/Hungarian show re-imagines the life of Sigmund Freud in his youth solving mysteries with the help of psychoanalysis/hypnosis to solve mysteries in the Austrian capital Vienna in 1886. And as mentioned, it is a foreign language series so unless you can both speak German and Hungarian, subtitles are a must.

The series stars Austrian actors Robert Finster (Sigmund Freud) and Georg Friedrich (Alfred Kiss) alongside Swiss actress Ella Rumpf who portrays Fleur Salomé.

Interesting

Having said the show’s premise above, you’ll immediately think the show interesting. And you are not wrong. While the series does not give many insights to the famous neurologist Sigmund Freud, having the man solve mysteries using psychoanalytic methods sure sounds fascinating.

Séances, hypnosis, and some stimulating psychological behaviors are depicted in the show and in a lot of ways it was thought-provoking. Also, expect some kind of horror and thrills in the show. And once again, do not expect this to be realistic (at all). “Freud” is simply a fantasy mixed with little to no accuracy in its characters and plot.

Still, in some ways, it gives quite the perception on how mysticism kind of paved the way to science. Also, it serves some insight as to what or how persons with mental disorders were dealt with during the 19^th century.

Questionable

The series isn’t bad at all; however, I found the show’s decision to drag Sigmund Freud’s name in the series questionable. The series would have gone perfectly fine without having the real Freud’s name involved in any way. The show’s premise is already motivating enough for a lot of viewers (me included).

Having said those, there are a lot of opportunities still waiting to be explored in the series but the show’s “questionable” decisions may have caused some viewers to not continue on with the show.

Still, I am hopeful the series would return for another season and perhaps make good use of the opportunities it presented for itself and then maybe, just maybe, redemption.

Currently, the show has produced 8 episodes for its first season which started streaming on Netflix since March 23, 2020.

Skip or Watch?

There are some really remarkable things to watch out for in this Netflix’ “Freud” series but it can be quite a challenge and too much for most viewers to continue on with the show with its problematic characters especially the highly erroneous depiction of Sigmund Freud.

VERDICT: SKIP. FOR NOW.

Here is salida|etc’s rating for season 1 of Netflix’ Freud.

Let us know what you think of the series by giving it your own rating or commenting below. Got a movie or TV series that you would like for us to review? Drop us a message and we’ll get to it.

The third season of the hit series arrived in Netflix on the first day of 2021. Based on characters from the widely popular 80s/90s Karate Kid franchise, Cobra Kai 3 is here to jumpstart the year. Cobra Kai Never Dies.

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

2021 Gets A Jumpstart

Originally intended for release on Jan. 8, 2021, Netflix decided to move the release of the show a week early on the first day of the new year because why not? It’s long overdue anyway and we all needed something to jumpstart 2021.

Daniel LaRusso (Ralph Macchio) and Johnny Lawrence (William Zabka) are back at it again to reignite their karate rivalry. Now with the original Cobra Kai sensei John Kreese (Martin Kove) in the mix, things get more heated than ever. The valley is in danger and the Miyagi-Do and original Cobra Kai students’ lives gets turned upside down after that infamous Karate incident at the school.

Aftermath

The love rectangle between teens Miguel Diaz (Xolo Maridueña), Robby Keene (Tanner Buchanan), Samantha LaRusso (Mary Mouser), and Tory Nichols (Peyton List) set up that devastating second season finale.

Now, the students, parents, and teachers in the valley face the consequences of that event. This is where the show starts to show its true strength.

Writing has always been the strongest points of Cobra Kai and the trio of Josh Heald, Jon Hurwitz, and Hayden Schlossberg gives out an eerily accurate and timely treatment of the situation, showing us exactly what the aftermath of events like these play out. From students getting bullied even more, to the teachers not really being able to do anything, and down to the parents fearing for the lives of their kids. All of these feels a little too realistic. Add to all that a wicked sense of humor and this show is easily relatable to all viewers alike.

A Third Perspective

The first two season of Cobra Kai showed us that there are always two different sides of a story. One hero can be a villain to someone else’s story. In Karate Kid, we saw Daniel LaRusso getting bullied by Johnny Lawrence, in his perspective. But Johnny Lawrence saw it the other way around as he explained back in Season 1.

Cobra Kai 3 showed us there is another perspective yet that we had not seen. The truth.

John Kreese’ back story is explored extensively this season. Karate Kid II characters Kumiko (Tamlyn Tomita) and Chozen Toguchi (Yuji Okumoto) also return as the now-modernized Okinawa is put into the spotlight once again as the two meet with LaRusso once more for a much-needed reunion and reconciliation.

So, what exactly is the truth? The truth is there is still a lot of stuff we need to know. People will always look at things differently, including us viewers of the show. I guess we will all find out once the show is over. In the meantime, let’s enjoy Cobra Kai 3 while it lasts.

Skip or Watch?

We talked about how the first two seasons of Cobra Kai were badass. Cobra Kai 3 manages to maintain that identity while expanding on its main characters.

With a realistic script plus a wacky sense of humor, the third season of Cobra Kai checks all the boxes and lives up to the potential of its first two seasons.

Definitely, a must-watch!

VERDICT: WATCH!

Here is salida|etc’s rating for Cobra Kai Season 3.

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

Got a movie or TV series that you would like for us to review? Drop us a message and we’ll get to it.

Obi-Wan Kenobi has just wrapped up its first (and only?) season. Ewan McGregor returns as the titular character in this mini-series set in this rapidly expanding Star Wars Universe.

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

The Star Wars Universe Expands

I always figured there would be more Star Wars stories coming after the success of the first season of The Mandalorian series, which already has two seasons under its title, by the way. First with The Book of Boba Fett premiering back in December of 2021. And now, with a more well known and much beloved character with Obi-Wan Kenobi.

Set 10 years after the events of Revenge of the Sith, Ewan McGregor (Trainspotting, Birds of Prey) returns as the titular character. The show promises to take a deeper dive on the lives of the Jedi Master and his dark-side-turning Padawan Anakin/Darth Vader (Hayden Christensen) after their fiery showdown in Mustafar. The Star Wars Universe has definitely expanded its reach with the addition of the Obi-Wan Kenobi series.

Nostalgic

Obi-Wan is back. Darth Vader is back. That’s it. For most Star Wars fans, myself included, there is no need to say more. And yes, seeing both characters once again sharing the same scene and exchanging lightsaber blows just never gets old. It still gives me the shivers every time.

The Obi-Wan Kenobi series succeeds in this aspect. The overwhelming sense of nostalgia just hits different when it comes to the Star Wars franchise. Seeing our favorite characters come to life once again along with a young Luke and Leia, Uncle Owen and Aunt Beru, and the Organas is always a feast for the eyes.

Pointless?

Yet in all the wistfulness, the Obi-Wan Kenobi series still fails. Mainly because there is really nothing to it. The show was supposed to take us deeper into the life of Obi-Wan Kenobi or Ben Kenobi as he prefers himself to be called during this time period. But no, instead of answers, the show just leaves us with more ambiguity which begs the question: what is (actually) the point of this show?

Sure, the show still manages to keep things tense even when we already know the fate of most of these characters. The confrontations of Obi-Wan and Anakin who is now in full Darth Vader mode keep the audience going. However, there’s got to be more than just nostalgia here.

All in all, it feels like the audience can just watch the first episode and go straight to the finale and they still won’t feel like they missed anything. The Phantom Menace, Attack of the Clones, and Revenge of the Sith did better as far as giving Obi-Wan Kenobi a backstory. The series? Not so much.

I can’t help but feel like the producers would have been better off if they had created a series about the adventures of a young Princess Leia instead.

Skip or Watch?

Obi-Wan Kenobi heavily relies on the nostalgia brought about by the massive Star Wars franchise. Fans of the series will enjoy the show. However, it just fails to deliver to its promise of showing another side to the beloved Jedi Master. Ultimately, the series wasn’t just the one we wanted to see.

For the hardcore fans, this is a must-watch. But for the rest, maybe skip this one.

VERDICT: SKIP!

Here is salida|etc’s rating for Obi-Wan Kenobi.

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

Got a movie or TV series that you would like for us to review? Drop us a message and we’ll get to it.