nikkum-98806

I watched Thunderbolts* in theaters this Sunday, and was expecting quite a lot. I ended up leaving the theaters quite dissatisfied with what I saw. The whole plot felt rushed, and I felt as if no effort was put into developing the characters to make you feel for them. It felt like a tragic attempt at creating an action-comedy, but it fell short and ended up just being a nothing movie. The worst part is, Sentry/Void is an amazing villain in the comics, and Marvel wasted what could have been an exceptional villain.

About the actual screenplay/acting. The performances felt empty. None of the characters actually had a developed personality and all felt like cheesy-knockoffs of original marvel superheroes. Rather than trying to just recreate the old Avengers, I think they should have tried to develop a whole new line of unique characters, making them comic-accurate too.

Initially, Magazine Dreams (2023) drew my attention as a bodybuilding film. Little did I realize that bodybuilding is not what this movie is about. Instead, it is a grim narrative on the dangers of loneliness. Killian Maddox (Jonathan Majors) is a bodybuilder with intense aspirations of becoming a revered "Mr. Olympia", willing to go to extreme lengths to achieve this goal. Unfortunately, his troubled youth and his declining mental state hinder his progress and send him on a path to utter madness. Maddox only has one person in his life that he truly loves: his grandfather. Other than that, he has no friends, and no (successful) love interests either. Due to his growing loneliness, he tries to write to his hero, Brad Vanderhorn, but is ignored by him too. This film begs a necessary question: How much can a person truly tolerate being alone before they get consumed by their obsessions and thoughts? The answer that the film provides is quite dark, but also representative of what it means to be human.

Snowfall is a captivating, gritty, and utterly realistic depiction of the immensely powerful cocaine drug trade moving through South Central Los Angeles during the 1980's. Franklin Saint (Damson Idris) rises to power through a series of connects, from Israeli weapons dealers to CIA officers such as Teddy McDonald (Carter Hudson). Throughout the course of this show, Franklin is navigating the ups and downs of being a drug kingpin. While he starts raking money in, he also finds that his business is not going to go uncontested, especially by other dealers throughout LA. Overall, this show is not only entertaining, but also heavily nerve-wracking. You develop a connection with each of the characters, each going through their own unique struggles. By the end of the show, it wraps up in a controversial, but in my opinion, fitting way. Definitely a must watch, its on par with Breaking Bad, and surpasses most of the greats.