Justice League: Crisis on Infinite Earths - Part One Part Two Part Three

 I received this trilogy on blu-ray for Christmas last year.  Part one, part two and part three details are at those links.  The 1985 comic story arc was huge back in the day with 12 issues in the main storyline and crossed over in many other comics.  There's a lot going on in this trilogy.  I haven't read any of this story since '85 so I really had no real memory of the details.  I like that there are so many characters from the DC universe.  Always fun to see those heroes you enjoyed.  It also means there is only so much screen time for many of them.  As it expected the big three, Batman, Superman and Wonder Woman, all have ample screen time but there are many other characters who actually star here.

The BLUF is heroes meet a cosmic threat that poses a risk to all the different earths that exists.  And there are a lot.  That's cool too.  We get to see different takes on our heroes and some of our favorite takes from DC are shown on their own earths - Super Friends, Animated Batman and more.  I loved that.  

In the end there are some surprises, fun interactions, and serious moments.  I don't think young fans would enjoy this one as much as I'd want.  It's a complicated story and they might not get what's going on and be confused by multiples of heroes.  I know I was confused at times.  Overall, it's a good trilogy.  I enjoyed some parts more than others but that's not surprise.  Not sure if I should have gone back to read the Crisis on Infinite Earths maxi series before watching this take.  Might have helped.  Next up on my watch list is The Penguin season 1.

Ford v Ferrari (2019)

Ford v Ferrari:  The BLUF is Ford wants to take down Ferrari in the prestigious race, the 24 Hours of Le Mans.  With NASCAR taking a break last weekend, pop and I watched this one.  I'd seen probably 75% of the movie in bits and pieces and figured we'd both like it.  And we did.  Really good story.  Matt Damon and Christian Bale do a great job.  Hard not to enjoy this movie.  You don't have to be a racing guy or even a car guy.  I think most will find it easy to enjoy.  

Spider-Man: Brand New Day (NO SPOILERS)

 My son, grandsons and I saw Spider-Man: Brand New Day on Thursday and we enjoyed.  It is probably not the Spider-Man movie we're used to.  It feels more grounded and story driven.  The youngest son said it needed more action and for a 9-year-old I get it.  There is action though.  Again, how it plays into the story might make it different from what we've seen before.  Good movie and one of our favorites in the Tom Holland era.

Masters of the Universe (2026)

 When the trailer for Masters of the Universe came out, I was excited.  Overall a good movie.  They lean into this having an '80s feel and the humor.  I've watched more of the current Master of the Universe animated offerings in the franchise.  Wasn't a big fan when I was younger.  I go back and forth from wanting this to be a more serious adaptation in tone as opposed an action comedy or just enjoying it for what it is.  As is, it is good.  I won't say great.  I like some of the visuals and the way the characters look, especially Skeletor.  Not sure if there'll be a sequel but I'm glad I watched this one after being told by a few folks to watch it.  It's on Amazon Prime Video right now for subscribers.  It may be on other platforms but I'm not sure.

Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu Movie (No Spoilers)

The Mandalorian and Grogu movie is good and I enjoyed it more than I expected.  I thought they did well adapting it to the big screen and it felt like a Star Wars movie while keeping the feel of the series.  A ton of action in the movie too.  As a Star Wars fan, I'm guarded going into movies now and this one coming from the television series gave me more pause.  But it was just fun.  The grandsons really enjoyed it and they are the toughest critics.  

The Super Mario Galaxy Movie

 Super Mario Galaxy:  I took the grandsons to this one last night and we enjoyed.  Plenty of action, fun and a good story.  I think this is better than the original that came out in 2023.  We also enjoyed that one.  This one did almost $60M over the first two days so it seems like this will be another big movie.  Again, it's fun and that's all we could ask for.

GOAT

GOAT:   Me and the grandsons watched this one this week in the theater.  We really enjoyed it.  The movies centers around a goat named Will.  He gets a chance to play roarball which is their version of basketball in this world filled with animals.  Since he's a "small" it's a very big deal as he joins the local professional team (Thorns).  It was just fun.  I liked the characters and it was paced well.  The movie has done over $140M worldwide so it must be doing something right.  Steph Curry was part of the movie development, is a producer, and also voices Lenny the Giraffe.

The Fantastic Four: First Steps

 The Fantastic Four: First Steps: Finally got around to watching this one. In the back of my head, for some reason, I don't think I really wanted to like it.  But I did.  It's a good movie.  I like how the characters, the actors, the plot and how it fits into the Marvel cinematic universe.  It also explained, or I think it did, some of the upcoming Marvel cinematic universe choices. 

The movie's focus is the Fantastic Four as an already established superhero team.  You'll note the retro feel, which is really, really cool and it's critical in how they fit into the Marvel universe.  As seen in the trailer, we also get Silver Surfer and Galactus.  I like both.  There are always cinematic choices when you do these comic characters.  I don't agree with all of them, but I like and enjoyed the movie as did my youngest grandson.  I recommend the movie.  Good stuff.

2025 Christmas Goodies

 The family really outdid themselves this year.  I'm truly blessed.  I added a new Star Wars steelbook to the collection - Rise of Skywalker.  I almost have all the Star Wars steelbook movie releases.  The Penguin will be a fun watch.  I don't have an HBO Max subscription so I need it in physical form.  The animated Crisis on Infinite Earths trilogy rounded out my movies.  Three books - The Boys (Ron and Clint Howard), Can You Dig It? and the Dr. J autobiography - are all books I'm excited to read. A Mould King Firebird model.  A Hot Topic gift card which will probably that into a The Lost Boys shirt.   Speaking of, I also got cool AC/DC shirt.  And some baseball and basketball cards.  Again, I'm so blessed and thankful. Santa was good to me.

Halloween-Horror-Spooky Movies Watched This October

 Great time of the year for me as I love spooky movies and all that goes with Halloween.  I seek out favorites, classics and new movies.  I got plenty of movie watching in this year which isn't always easy with all the sports going on.  I always seek out classics I love like Halloween, Universal Monsters, Jeepers Creepers, and Sleepy Hollow.  Amongst movies I'd never seen before, my favorites were Pearl and The Black Phone.  Some of the other new movies on the list were some stinkers but it's fun trying to find a hidden gem.  Movies marked with an "*" are movies I watched for the first time.  I hope you have a fun and safe Halloween!

Halloween (1978)

Dracula (1931)

Frankenstein (1931)

The Wolf Man (1941)

Beetleguice Beetleguice*

Slender Man*

The Black Phone*

Pearl*

The Jester*

The Babysitter

Jeepers Creepers

Jeepers Creepers: Reborn*

Butterfly Kisses*

Fear Street Anthology*

Fear Street: Prom Night*

Sleepy Hollow

Fear Street: Prom Queen

Beetlejuice Beetlejuice (2024)

 

Beetlejuice Beetlejuice came out last year and I finally got around to watching it.  I liked it.  As much as the orginal?  No.  But this one was entertaining.  It did a good job bringing back original characters while adding new ones including Astrid, Lydia's daughter, played by Jenna Ortega.  I won't over analyze this one.  I'll just say I liked it.  Happy Halloween!

Butterfly Kisses (2018)

Butterfly Kisses:  Butterfly Kisses falls into the found footage horror genre.  In this one, two college students invoke a local legend and document it on film.  Where it is different, is that a filmmaker finds the footage and tries to prove they it is real.  People don't believe him which spirals him into a bad place.  Add on top of that, the filmmaker is unlikable throwing in more questions about the footage.  The questions about the authenticity is where this sets it apart from other found footage movies.  I liked it.  It's not great but the subtle difference makes it a good watch.  The ending was not as fulfilling as I would want but it doesn't mean you shouldn't watch the movie.  Its newish take on the genre is good. 

The Black Phone (2021)

The Black Phone sequel is in theaters now, so I decided to give the original a watch and I'm glad I did.  The plot and acting are good.  I won't give too much away but it's set in the 70s amidst children being abducted and has the suspense you're looking for in this type of film.  I recommend this one.  

Jeepers Creepers: Reborn (2022)

Jeepers Creepers: Reborn isn't a movie I was aware of.  I watched this one based on my like of the first two in the series.  That was a mistake.  I should have looked up ratings.  It's a low budget movie sucking in folks like me who liked the others.  I've seen worse and I liked the premise when I read it.  It was just the plot, acting and how the movie is done that turned me off.

I enjoy the original Jeepers Creepers and Jeepers Creepers 2.  They are both flawed but I do like them.  Jeepers Creepers 3 was bad.  I guess there is a Jeepers Creepers Returns.  Better ratings than this one but after watching the trailer I'm out on it.  

Slender Man (2018)

Slender Man came out in 2018. When I saw it pop up on my horror search, I wanted to give it a try.  It is alright.  Not great. Fairly easy watch but for some reason I thought it had done better in the theater and in reviews.  Typical teens make a poor decision and bad things involving a supernatural entity ensue.  I don't see myself rewatching it.  I wasn't invested in the main characters as much I would have liked, and the plot wasn't engaging.

There is some controversy around this mythical figure as there were real life events involving Slender Man that almost cost a youth their life.  There was another movie, Mercy Black, released based on the character as well.  

Fear Street: Prom Queen (2025)

FSPQ:  I definitely wanted to do two separate posts in regard to the Fear Street movies.  This one isn't the same as those three movies and has a different tone.  It takes on the horror trope of prom gone wrong.  I liked many things about the movie while there were a few disjointed parts and pieces.  It's an easy watch and it has a classic horror vibe.  The connections to the original trilogy are subtle and they could be missed.  Watch the post credit scenes.  If you watch the trilogy then there's no reason not to watch this one but don't surprised with a bit different take here.

Fear Street Anthology: 1994, 1978, 1666

I'm not sure why I never posted something about the Fear Street anthology but it's worth the note.  This one came out on Netflix in 2021 and iss one I really enjoyed.  There were three movies:  Fear Street: Part One - 1994, Fear Street: Part Two - 1978, Fear Street: Part Three - 1666.  Residents on Fear Street are terrorized by a satanic entity.  The source of this evil goes back 300 years and is interconnected by the cities of Sunnydale and Shadyside. These movies do a good job going back through time to see how we got to where we are in 1994.  They weave this throughout the three timelines while not making it too complicated.  It's a fairly straightforward watch and enjoyable.  I thought Netflix did a good job on this one.

The Jester (2023)

The Jester:  I didn't want to scroll forever looking for a horror movie to watch and found The Jester on Roku.  It was the look of the bad guy who pulled me.  I'll say it was watchable but really wasn't that good.  Again, I like the look of the Jester himself.  The plot itself just didn't suck me nor did the characters.  The basic plot is the Jester torments two sisters after their father dies.  I just couldn't get invested.  I don't mind taking chances on horror movies.  Nothing lost here.

Pearl (2022)

Pearl:  Pearl is a prequel to X which I really enjoyed last year.  It's not a thriller.  It's a slow grind it out movie I couldn't stop watching.  And I didn't want to.  I don't think there are any huge surprises but there's plenty of suspense as the story and main character, Pearl, played by Mia Goth progress and develop.  I liked this movie.  There's suspense even though you think you know where it's going.  You want to see how it ends.  You want to see how she becomes the character we see in X.  Pearl is also a character you somehow emphasize with throughout the movie.  It gets my recommendation and is a good watch in October. 

Rust (2024)

 

Rust: Pop and I watched this recently and we really enjoyed it.  It follows Alec Baldwin as Rust who gets his grandson, after his grandson is convicted of killing a local rancher.  Plenty of good characters and the story is good as well.  Lots to enjoy here for anyone who likes westerns.  Due to the tragedy that happened during the filming of this movie, I think maybe it's release didn't get much fanfare.