Roy Tang

Programmer, engineer, scientist, critic, gamer, dreamer, and kid-at-heart.

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Aug 2021

  • THE SUICIDE SQUAD spoiler-free review:

    • great, fun, violent, hilarious, possibly best of DCEU so far
    • trailers have spoiled waaaay too much of this movie
    • first act was ok, second act felt a bit meh, third act was great
    • hard to comment on actor performances without spoiling things, but Daniela Melchior was great and Idris Elba took the role seriously
    • there is a post-credits scene

    Full review on the blog later

Apr 2021

Mar 2021

  • #WandaVision spoiler-free review: Overall, I really liked it, and I think they did well with the one-episode-per-week format. The show certainly would not have been this hyped if it all came in one drop Really difficult to not spoil. If you have somehow avoid being spoiled by the internet until it all dropped, good for you! A very emotional story of Wanda dealing with the aftermath of Infinity War/Endgame good usage of the sitcom tropes fantastic performance by Elisabeth Olsen lots of fan service for comic book fans to dig into.

    read more (137 words)

Mar 2020

Jan 2020

Dec 2019

  • RISE OF SKYWALKER Spoiler-free review:

    • the movie is fine and entertaining to watch
    • It’s a Star Wars movie, so you pretty much know what to expect, space wizards and space battles and such
    • pacing is frantic in the first act, and a bit in the second. Abrams has a lot of things he wants to do and limited time to do it, so things happen in rapid succession
    • the third act is basically an ode to Return of the Jedi, as a parallel to The Force Awakens’ ode to A New Hope. In fact, there is a lot of fanservice for original trilogy fans sprinkled throughout the movie.
    • it is not the best ending I could have imagined for the sequel trilogy, but it is an ending
    • there are a few twists and turns in the movie, but because it’s Star Wars, you largely know what to expect from the overall plot
    • magugustuhan ba ni Mama: The movie is generally family-friendly (outside of the violence), but my mom doesn’t like space battles and she would probably be confused by the rapid pace of events and all these characters she’s not familiar with, so no.
    • I watched in IMAX 3D, but I don’t think there was much noticeable 3D, the movie is probably perfectly fine without IMAX
    • there is no post-credits scene
    • I think I liked The Last Jedi more than this one

    I have a bit more spoilery comments posted here.

    Comic does not reflect my viewing experience

Oct 2019

  • JOKER spoiler-free review:

    • very dark movie, not like any previous superhero movies at all; don’t bring your kids
    • it is violent and potentially disturbing, but strangely not as much as the hype made it out to be
    • Joaquin Phoenix definitely gives a pretty good performance, but IDK about the supposed “Oscar-worthy” hype
    • some of the shots feels like the director definitely had a lot of fun bringing this story to life
    • I would have liked less connection to the Batman mythos so that this movie is more stand-alone. I mean, it is pretty much stand-alone, but it does remind you where it’s set and direct connections to the Mythos exist
    • I think a lot of the story and plot elements are handled well, any concerns I have would largely be nitpicking
    • No post credits scene
    • i didnt watch in imax and don’t think it would be relevant
    • magugustuhan ba ni mama: sure NO
    • Ultimately, I still prefer that Joker’s origin story remain undetermined, as it makes him more akin to a natural force of chaos, but I accept this movie as a version that even canon Joker could have told and that might have been believable
    • it’s definitely a better movie overall than Suicide Squad, Man of Steel or Dawn of Justice or Justice League, but it’s also a different completely type of movie, so the comparison is difficult
    • I still like Ledger’s Joker the best, the character is best opposite Batman

Apr 2019

Mar 2019

Jan 2019

  • BUMBLEBEE Spoiler-Free review!

    - attached image summarizes the plot. loljk (credit: Transformers (1985 - Marvel) #2)
    - I’m a big Transformers fan, more G1 than Bayverse (I didn’t even watch the last Michael Bay one). If you are like me, you will probably enjoy the film
    - if you grew up in the 80s like me, you will enjoy the film a bit more. Props to the 80s soundtrack
    - the plot is simple, straightforward and unambitious, unencumbered by any of Bayverse Megatron’s super-complicated plans that he has been plotting for million of years in case he gets stranded on earth
    - not having a plethora of autobot and decepticon characters to develop on each side means the transformers are more distinctive and easier to identify, a big problem I had with the later bayverse films
    - i didnt understand some scenes where it looked like the characters were talking to some kind of human soldier but I can’t see him?
    - foolish humans!
    - there is a “mid-credits” scene; I say “mid-credits” because they really only show the director credit before immediately going into the “mid-credits” scene
    - magugustuhan ba ni mama: no, she’s not into giant robots. the movie is family-friendly, other than the violent explosions
    - after the movie, I went to the CR to pee, and I overheard two kids talking: “Ano pangalan nung autobot na pula? Christopher?” “Cliffjumper!”

    BUMBLEBEE Spoiler-Free review!
- attached image summarizes the plot. loljk (credit: Transformers (1985 - Marvel) #2)- I’m a big Transformers fan, more G1 than Bayverse (I didn’t even watch the last Michael Bay one). If you are like me, you will probably enjoy the film- if you grew up in the 80s like me, you will enjoy the film a bit more. Props to the 80s soundtrack- the plot is simple, straightforward and unambitious, unencumbered by any of Bayverse Megatron’s super-complicated plans that he has been plotting for million of years in case he gets stranded on earth- not having a plethora of autobot and decepticon characters to develop on each side means the transformers are more distinctive and easier to identify, a big problem I had with the later bayverse films- i didnt understand some scenes where it looked like the characters were talking to some kind of human soldier but I can’t see him?

Dec 2018

  • Into the Spider-Verse spoiler-free review


    - this is a great animated comic book movie, it makes me happy
    - I may have been a bit overhyped by the early reviews, but it was very entertaining, funny and had brilliant presentation, melding the medium of movies with comic books in a way that has never been seen before
    - again, the presentation is fantastic, the animation is great and intentional and the funky alternate universe stuff is represented well
    - IDK if I would call it the best comic book movie of all time, or even the best Spider-Man movie of all time, but definitely one of the best animated movies of all time, for a comic book fan (highly specific lol)
    - in fact, much respect to the writers who dared to bring this story to life. imagine the challenge of pitching a story idea to Sony about not just one new Spider-man, but several alternate universe versions of them. It’s not exactly comparable to a Disney movie plot after all, but they pulled it off
    - between this movie and the PS4 game, I’m happy that Miles is making further inroads into the cultural zeitgeist
    - Miles appearance here reminds me of Hey Arnold’s black friend lol
    - maybe I would have appreciated the movie a bit more if I was into hip-hop or such
    - comic book fans will be happy to know that this movie does not follow the actual Spider-Verse comic book arc along with its convoluted background of the inheritors. The plot and the opposition are much more straightforward
    - Will Mama like it? Well …like all animated movies, with enough viewings at home by my nieces/nephews, maybe.
    - This movie has the best post-credits scene of all time

    Into the Spider-Verse spoiler-free review 
- this is a great animated comic book movie, it makes me happy- I may have been a bit overhyped by the early reviews, but it was very entertaining, funny and had brilliant presentation, melding the medium of movies with comic books in a way that has never been seen before- again, the presentation is fantastic, the animation is great and intentional and the funky alternate universe stuff is represented well- IDK if I would call it the best comic book movie of all time, or even the best Spider-Man movie of all time, but definitely one of the best animated movies of all time, for a comic book fan (highly specific lol)- in fact, much respect to the writers who dared to bring this story to life.
  • Aquaman Spoiler-Free review!

    • I came in with low expectations (given DC’s history), but the movie turned out pretty good, even though it wasn’t the best comic book related thing I’ve seen this week (see previous post)
    • it’s fun and action-packed, some fun set pieces and action sequences. Lots of CGI (as can be expected)
    • the plot is fairly predictable, I’ve seen similar story arcs for this character more than once, things pretty much happen as you expect
    • also the plot kinda feels a bit like black panther, except in reverse? does that make sense?
    • the first act felt a bit longish, but not really draggy or anything, it’s just that there’s a lot of set up to be done
    • the director’s horror movie background shines through a bit in one of the sequences around the second act
    • I had the urge to pee about 1 hour in, but I had to hold it in until the end of the movie, I didn’t want to miss stuff. So much water didn’t help!
    • Arthur’s dad looks like a Pinoy lol
    • I didn’t watch in IMAX3D, but I suspect there’s a lot of 3d given the volume of CGI
    • there is one mid-credits scene
    • I’d say it’s family-friendly even though there is quite a bit of bloodshed
    • magugustuhan ba ni Mama. Eh, maybe? Not really her type of movie, but maybe if I explain it a bit?

    Spider-verse this weekend!

    Aquaman Spoiler-Free review!
 I came in with low expectations (given DC’s history), but the movie turned out pretty good, even though it wasn’t the best comic book related thing I’ve seen this week (see previous post) it’s fun and action-packed, some fun set pieces and action sequences. Lots of CGI (as can be expected) the plot is fairly predictable, I’ve seen similar story arcs for this character more than once, things pretty much happen as you expect also the plot kinda feels a bit like black panther, except in reverse?
  • Arrowverse Elseworlds crossover spoiler-free review!

    - if you’re not aware, episode 1 - Flash S05E09, episode 2 - Arrow S07E09, episode 3 - Supergirl S04E09
    - I don’t usually review TV show crossovers but TBH I can’t recall any other any TV show crossovers and I just really, really enjoyed this one
    - basically a love letter to DC comics fans, a celebration of dc comics/TV/movies from the past four decades, and apparently a prelude of things to come. Non-comicbook fans might not be as happy as me lol
    - all three episodes were great (middle episode slightly worse because Arrow lol), I was smiling all the time and apploauding all the references

    - frankly not everything made sense, but I’ll forgive it (I mean, have you *read* crisis on infinite earths? lol

    - bonus: for more zaniness, also watch this week’s Legend’s of Tomorrow, they didn’t want to be outdone!

    - I also watched Aquaman today, and that was fine (review later) but I decided to write a review of this crossover first!
    - tonight’s reading list (image attached)

    Arrowverse Elseworlds crossover spoiler-free review!
- if you’re not aware, episode 1 - Flash S05E09, episode 2 - Arrow S07E09, episode 3 - Supergirl S04E09- I don’t usually review TV show crossovers but TBH I can’t recall any other any TV show crossovers and I just really, really enjoyed this one- basically a love letter to DC comics fans, a celebration of dc comics/TV/movies from the past four decades, and apparently a prelude of things to come.

Oct 2018

  • Daredevil Season 3 spoiler-free review

    • This season is amazing. I was planning on watching the season over a period of 3-4 days. Instead I ended up finishing it all in one day, ending at 3 in the morning. The pacing was tight and there was no good place to stop as you always wanted to know what happens next
    • The entire cast gave great performances
    • Wilson Fisk comes out strong to carry the season, looming over Hell’s Kitchen and presenting a sinister, cunning, and apparently unstoppable criminal mastermind
    • Wilson Bethel’s Ben Poindexter is seemingly unbeatable in combat and gives us some great fight scenes and a fantastic performance
    • Ugh, I wish I could write spoilers lol
    • I used to consider Daredevil S1 to be the best of the Marvel/Netflix seasons so far; I think I have to crown a new champion
  • VENOM spoiler-free review:

    • I wasn’t sure if I would watch this, given the poor critical response, but it’s an ok movie overall, fun to watch but nothing to write home about (though I wouldnt spend extra for Imax). I would say comparable with Thor: Dark World or Iron Man 2
    • the first 15 mins or so felt draggy, but after that things happen quickly
    • overall plot slightly predictable, and not too long, very straightforward
    • a tiny bit of humor thrown in, not enough to make it feel like an MCU movie
    • not sure if there’s something with the sound editing or some of the actors weren’t delivering their lines properly, but I had trouble with understanding the lines in some scenes
    • the Venom symbiote seems to have some extra powers here (as compared to the comics)
    • Tom Hardy does a good job here, I feel like he was having fun during this movie
    • There is a mid-credits scene and a post-credits scene
    • Would Mama like it? Hard no.

Jul 2018

  • Ant-Man and the Wasp Spoiler Free Review!

    • this movie is great; it’s fun and and action-packed and there’s even more Luis than you thought you wanted; go watch it
    • it’s like the first movie, except better and more fun
    • best new character: FBI Agent Jimmy Woo played by Randall Park (sorry Michelle Pfeifer)
    • there are two mid/post-credit scenes. One of them is better than the other
    • I watched in Imax. Some scenes were nice, but it’s probably more of a nice-to-have
    • Magugustuhan ba ni Mama: Pwede, but kelangan ng kasama to explain things. Baka ok lang pag tagalized na sa tv

May 2018

  • Deadpool 2 SPOILER-FREE REVIEW:

    • entertaining enough; kind of a popcorn movie. i kinda liked the first movie better
    • if you watched the first movie, you kinda know what to expect in terms of tone and humor and all
    • dont bring your kids. but if it matters to you, there is significantly less sex in this movie than the first one
    • the plot did go in ways i was not expecting
    • i did not watch in imax, it seemed fine
    • there is a mid credits scene. well, scenes. like five of them strung together
    • there is no end credits scene but there is a… small bonus near the end if you pay attention
    • would i recommend na panoorin ni mama: definitely not

Apr 2018

  • Avengers Infinity War Spoiler Free Review:

    • I’m amazed that so little of this movie has been widely spoiled
    • movie was fantastic. the movie somehow managed to do everything it needed to do while not doing disservice to any of the bazillion characters involved.
    • the plot moves quickly. there is no good time to pee.
    • there is one post-credits scene.
    • very happy to have watched in imax

Feb 2018

  • BLACK PANTHER spoiler-free review!

    • it’s a fun, action-filled romp and Wakanda is amazing
    • tchalla was ok, killmonger and nakia were great, shuri was badass
    • some of the actions scenes didnt seem too well-shot/edited, making them hard to follow
    • I realize I’m saying this about a universe where there are talking raccoons and magic hammers, but some of the Wakandan tech push the boundaries of my suspension of disbelief
    • my expectations were probably set a bit too high what with some people saying it’s the best MCU movie since Iron Man or calling it revolutionary or eye-opening
    • off the top of my head I’d say I consider Civil War, Spider-Man Homecoming and Thor Ragnarok better than this one
    • I understand that it’s revolutionary in the sense that it’s a major hollowood motion picture filled with a cast of mostly african descent and that some of the characters are motivated by real world racial issues. But the plot itself was typical for an MCU first movie (maybe I’ve seen too many MCU movies? lol). I dont think it presents the issues it covers under any new or revolutionary context. I guess I kind of went in hoping to be impressed on the level of The Dark Knight or such, but I was disappointed in that regard. It’s a very straightforward movie
    • I didn’t watch in Imax, which I kind of regret, as I can imagine some of the scenes being pretty good
    • Magugustuhan ba ni Mama: Possibly, pero baka mahirapan sya intindihin accent ni Chadwick Boseman
    • There’s a mid-credits scene and a post-credits scene

Jan 2018

  • Black Mirror S4 spoiler-free review! (episodes listed from most enjoyed to least):

    4.6. Black Museum (reminds me of White Christmas)

    4.1. USS Callister (fun, but I was annoyed by how infeasible the technical premise was)

    4.4. Hang the DJ (kind of telegraphed the ending)

    4.3. Crocodile (felt like a police procedural)

    4.5. Metalhead (would have probably appreciated it more if it wasn’t a Black Mirror episode)

    4.2. Arkangel (kinda boring and draggy)

    Overall I liked S3 a lot more

Dec 2017

  • THE LAST JEDI Spoiler-free (promise) review:

    • great movie, but there was this weird draggy part around the middle that they maybe could have done away with
    • my brother whom I watched with says he thinks it was the best Star Wars movie ever. I’m not sure
    • Adam Driver needs to either speak up or work around his accent a bit
    • because we didn’t plan this movie outing so well, we ended up with terrible seats (i.e. very first row, slightly off-center) in the Imax theater. I think the Imax was fine, but being so up close made for some weird angles sometimes and sometimes the 3d didn’t work so well from where we were seated. And medyo nakakapagod sa mata. Never again!
    • walang post-credit scene lol

Nov 2017

  • JUSTICE LEAGUE Spoiler-Free Review:

    • Movie was OKAY. Started out fine, build-up was good, kind of surprised with what happened in the middle, then a disappointing conclusion
    • Movie was SHORT. IMDB says 120 minutes but my watch told me it was < 2h. Probably could have spent more time putting the team together or setting up the characters or such
    • the movie does pander a lot to comic/DC fans; Batman/Superman themes play in the background when they first appear; References to some other DC characters during the exposition, etc
    • Ugh Steppenwolf so boring and terrible
    • I think Ezra Miller and Gal Gadot were the best here out of the lead roles.
    • A number of fight scenes reminded me of Injustice
    • the best part of this movie was the Black Panther trailer that I somehow hadn’t seen or heard of yet
    • for some reason the other comic book movie that came to mind was X-Men Apocalupse
    • Gary Oldman should play JJJ in the next Spider-Man so that he and JK Simmons will have effectively role-swapped
    • one mid credits scene for fun and one end credits scene as a portent of things that may come later
    • Imax was okay. There was one scene where I instinctively moved my head to avoid an incoming projectile
    • Magugustuhan ba ni Mama: It’s very much a fantasy action movie so probably not.
    • we still get Batman with guns and Superman who threatens to kill
    • no title drop and no Superfriends reference = LAME

Oct 2017

  • THOR RAGNAROK spoiler-free review:

    • a fun, action-packed romp that shakes up the Thor status quo significantly
    • easily the best of the three Thor movies
    • a number plot points are fairly predictable, yet still fun
    • the Marvel formula is generally action mixed with witty banter here and there, and it’s what we get here, although some of the jokes feel like they’re stretched a bit too much
    • some great-looking cinematic scenes here and there. One particular flashback scene looked really great
    • I kind of like how the older franchises need to be some sort of team effort nowadays. Like Civil War, this felt a bit like some kind of mini-Avengers crossover – in space!
    • speaking of space, one of the positive things about this installment is that they didn’t feel the need to tie Thor’s adventures to Earth anymore (not that the movie is 100% Earth-free), and they get to go a bit wild with space and aliens and all that
    • I understand the need to highlight Hulk’s involvement as part of the film’s marketing, but man, it would have been so awesome to just find out right then and there
    • This movie had that Star Wars: Last Jedi trailer I was trying to avoid D:
    • 1 mid-credits scene and 1 post-credits scene
    • I think Imax was good for this movie. The 3d wasn’t too much and it definitely made some scenes pop. The film is a visual delight so I think the larger screen is important too
    • Magugustuhan ba ni Mama: Probably not. Maybe I should stop including this section kasi parang same na parati ang answer. Unless for some reason I decide to watch some Tagalog romcom

Aug 2017

  • DEFENDERS spoiler-free review and episode guide:

    (Okay, maybe a teensy little spoiler in that image - but I couldn’t resist lol)

    • this series moves forward each of the four protaganists
    • you get to see most of the supporting cast come back and maybe even get a teeny bit of development in
    • the plot is reasonably tight, i had a few minor nitpicks but now i can’t even remember most of them
    • Maybe it’s just the fanboy in me, but I was really excited when they met each other for the first time
    • Jessica Jones still the best character
    • Iron Fist still the weakest point (see the image), but it’s not as bad as it was in his own series. It helps that he’s not surrounded by the weird Meachum family and has a better ensemble to work off of. I also really enjoyed how enthusiastic he was at getting a team together
    • fight scenes are pretty good (at least better than in the Iron Fist series - also it’s still weird that Daredevil fights a lot better than Iron Fist. He must have been a real slacker during that decade in Kun’Lun)
    • I suspect you can come in cold without watching any of the previous series, they do bring up their backstories a lot
    • I’m disappointed that there was no title drop

    Episode guide:

    ep1 ok ep2 great ep3 great ep4 great ep5 draggy, this was the weakest ep for me ep6 ok ep7 good ep8 great. there’s a post-credits scene

    DEFENDERS spoiler-free review and episode guide:
(Okay, maybe a teensy little spoiler in that image - but I couldn’t resist lol)
 this series moves forward each of the four protaganists you get to see most of the supporting cast come back and maybe even get a teeny bit of development in the plot is reasonably tight, i had a few minor nitpicks but now i can’t even remember most of them Maybe it’s just the fanboy in me, but I was really excited when they met each other for the first time Jessica Jones still the best character Iron Fist still the weakest point (see the image), but it’s not as bad as it was in his own series.

Jul 2017

  • Spider-man Homecoming Spoiler-free review:

    • This movie is amazing. Possibly best in all MCU so far. It’s fun, it’s exciting, unexpected things happened. Maybe not watching the trailers helped lol
    • Covers a lot of ground the previous Spider-man movies didn’t. Helped along by not needing to rehash the origin story for the Nth time
    • Lots of great call outs for the comic book fans
    • I was worried about the Vulture, but it was handled very well. Keaton is great here.
    • This movie is tightly coupled to the MCU yo. IDK how they’re going to handle it if Sony breaks it off after the two-movie deal. By they I mean Sony. Obviously MCU can just ignore him forever afterwards.
    • TBH I was also really worried about the MCU coupling and having too much Iron Man in the movie, but it turned out okay. Maybe could have had a little bit less Tony Stark.
    • IMAX? Probably not worth it.
    • there’s a mid-credits scene and a post-credits scene.
    • Magugustuhan ba ni Mama? Possibly! There’s some shaky cam footage near the start that can be a bit nauseating though

Jun 2017

  • Wonder Woman spoiler-free review:

    • First act was best, second act was okay, third act/resolution a bit weak (and really kind of super obvious/predictable)
    • The parallels with the first Captain American movie, especially in the 3rd act, are uncanny
    • great battle/stunt choreography, especially in the first act
    • Gal Gadot, Chris Pine, Robin Wright gave excellent performances
    • Definitely better than Man of Steel/Dawn of Justice
    • Not better than TDK/Logan. Come on people!
    • Magugustuhan ba ni Mama: Possibly!
    • Post-credits scenes: None

Mar 2017

  • Right. I watched Logan yesterday.

    LOGAN Spoiler-Free review:

    • great movie. Best of the Wolverine trilogy, easily
    • the tone is very different from any previous X-men movies. I’d say it’s closer to something like John Wick
    • good send-off for Jackman and Stewart, since this is their last movie in these roles. Stewart finally given more acting to do than just sitting in a chair being bald and pretending to think at you
    • very, very violent and lots of swearing. Don’t bring your kids
    • no, it doesn’t really follow the Old Man Logan comicbook storyline
    • need to listen closely to dialogue to figure out what is implied to have happened to the X-men
    • Post-credits scene: I was told there wasn’t any, and I really had to pee, so I didn’t wait for it -_-
    • Magugustuhan ba ni mama? Probably not!
    • IMAX or not? I did not go IMAX, and I don’t think the movie would have been significantly improved by IMAX or 3d

Feb 2017

  • Arrival spoiler-free review:

    • first half a bit boring
    • Forrest Whitaker is hard to understand
    • not sure if it was just the cinema I was at, but the audio and the lighting seemed quite bad at some points
    • that being said, the movie was ok. I think it’s comparable to, but not as good as, Interstellar
    • if you watch it with people who don’t pay attention, you’ll have to explain stuff

Dec 2016

  • ROGUE ONE Spoiler-free review:

    • it’s great. As a Star Wars fan, I was very happy with the movie!
    • K-2SO best droid ever
    • a lot of great shots that really show the scale of things: star destroyers, the death star, etc
    • a fun, great movie to watch, with the tension rising almost throughout the entire movie.
    • You already know how it ends, but the tension is so well-done that you’re worried that history might change!
    • IMAX? The big screen was a plus, but the 3d wasn’t much. IMAX optional.
    • Magugustuhan ba ni Mama? Probably not, madaming itatanong.
    • Mid/post credits scene: None.
    • R1 > TFA (!)

    (I edited in a bunch more details after the original post)

Oct 2016

  • DOCTOR STRANGE Spoiler-free review:

    • Wow. Great visuals and fight-scenes, very trippy. Possibly the best fight scenes in all the MCU movies so far. You might get dizzy with all the things spinning around though
    • Plot is typical of a MCU origin story. Hero’s journey, some light comedy bits, etc.
    • I was expecting them to go a different way with Mordo (if you’ve read the comics you know what I mean), but I’m happy with how things went down
    • Stakes are high, but failure is not final
    • The actors were great; I haven’t seen a lead this good for a role since RDJ’s Tony Stark. Swinton’s Ancient One, Eijofor’s Mordo, and even Wong’s Wong were great
    • Doctor friends: Tell me if the medical parts were BS hohoho
    • Magugustuhan ba ni Mama: Probably not. She doesn’t like this kind of thing, and the dizziness thing is bad too
    • IMAX or not? I think the 3d parts weren’t too exaggerated or critical, but the visuals might feel a bit flat and not as impressive if you don’t go IMAX
    • Midcredits scene? Yes
    • Postcredits scene? Yes
  • Luke Cage spoiler-free review:

    • this is an unapologetically very black show. It highlights black culture, black music, black history, and so on
    • gang violence, sleazy politicians, corrupt cops
    • most of the cast give great performances
    • rosario dawson’s role seems to get bigger with each additional series
    • lots of great easter eggs for comic book fans
    • might have been an episode or two too long
    • I did not like the ending too much, though I can see why they might have gone that way

Aug 2016

  • SUICIDE SQUAD Spoiler-Free Review:

    • a fun, wild ride. Explosions and gunfire and creepy tentacles abound
    • just don’t expect too much from the plot or characterization. There was more than one scene where I was like WHY WOULD THEY DO THAT?
    • I liked the soundtrack
    • very much a Deadshot/Harley movie, other characters not given much back story
    • I still like Ledger’s joker over Leto’s. Leto’s portrayal is like crazy gangster
    • I had no idea who the big bad was going in, so that’s something. Task Force X completely over their heads
    • hard to compare to the other DC movies so far, as it goes in a completely different direction
    • one mid-credits scene, no post-credits
    • magugustuhan ba ni Mama: Probably not. Also, madaming tatanungin

May 2016

Apr 2016

  • Captain America Civil War spoiler-free review:

    • great fight sequences, start to finish
    • the newcomers were great, airport big fight sequence had a great surprise (and not the one you already saw in the trailer - although you might have already been spoiled if you pay attention to certain toy lines), although I feel like a couple of the characters were pulled in to the conflict in a way that was a bit weak, but it’s still pretty good overall
    • the plot was ok. Justification for the civil war was ok. Some surprises. The villain motivation was slightly mediocre, but that wasn’t really the focus of the movie anyway
    • Martin Freeman’s role felt totally superfluous - it did not seem necessary to cast Martin Freeman
    • the movie kind of ends with the MCU and the Avengers in a weird place, some people might not like it
    • better than: Winter Soldier. The plot kind of develops in the same way but everything is on a much bigger scale now
    • there are two post-credit scenes, one in the middle and one at the very end
    • Imax worth it? Probably. Not very ostentatious use of 3d, but most of the fight sequences have it. You might get dizzy if you’re not used to it
    • Magugustuhan ba ni Mama? Maybe, but I’d have to keep explaining who these characters are

Mar 2016

  • Batman vs Superman Dawn of Justice Spoiler-Free Review:

    • (Edit) OK lang panoorin, wag lang magexpect na super ganda ang story. Entertaining naman mga fight scenes :p
    • not a fan of Affleck’s Batman. Too gun-friendly, and he doesn’t really show a Bruce Wayne persona. He’s dark and brooding and grim in and out of the suit
    • Jeremy Irons as Alfred was ok, but he looks like Tony Stark
    • Eisenberg’s Luthor is not the same as any of the previous Luthors. He’s a manic genius, closer perhaps to the Riddler
    • a number of plot details don’t really make any sense. Need to suspend disbelief quite a bit
    • Snyder is too in love with his slow-motion scenes trying to make everything dramatic
    • there are a number of sequences that don’t mesh well together, like Snyder is randomly jumping between scenes that don’t cohere
    • in fact, there are particular scenes that feel like “WTH is this scene for, Snyder is just indulging himself now”
    • it’s like Superman needs to realise that Lois Lane is more trouble than she’s worth
    • yay cameos of future JLers
    • the actual BvS showdown looked great, and went pretty much the way you’d expect
    • Gal Gadot as Diana Prince/Wonder Woman was great
    • I liked the final battle sequence
    • many, many things pointing towards the eventual JL movie
    • IMAX? Probably not worth it. Not too much 3d stuff
    • Post-credits scene: NO. Or so the internet tells me, we didn’t bother to wait
    • I can see why the reviewers kind of ripped the movie apart. They definitely need to work more on tightening up the movies, but overall this was better than Man of Steel I think.
  • Daredevil Season 2 spoiler-free review:

    • Punisher and Karen were great
    • Matt and Elektra, kind of weird, but I guess it’s okay
    • great fight scenes and cinematography as usual
    • the plot is less tightly focused than compared to S1, there’s a lot of things going on at the same time.
    • it starts a bit slow, but picks up later on, then slow down a bit again and picks up again
    • they pick up some leftover threads from S1, all the surviving major players make an appearance
    • the Daredevil costume feels so weird, and it feels like it sometimes changes in shading/composition across episodes (it makes it harder to draw lol)
    • there’s some romantic tension being formed but it feels a bit off or maybe even forced
    • I want to complain about some (minor) things, but it’s hard to do that without you know, spoilers lol
    • ending felt weaker than S1

Feb 2016

  • Here we go, DEADPOOL spoiler-free review:

    • definitely not for kids; violence, sex, nudity, you name it
    • as you’d expect of a Deadpool movie, lots of jokes, one-liners and fourth wall-breaking. It’s a barrel of laughs
    • the plot is mostly straightforward
    • some really nice shots and set pieces
    • lots of references and fan service
    • great supporting cast; hope to see them again in the sequel
    • Colossus and Negasonic Teenage Warhead were great
    • I kind of want to read more Deadpool comics now
    • This movie is better than: Ant-Man (sorry Scott!)
    • Magugustuhan ba ni Mama: NO
    • Post-credit scene: YES

Dec 2015

  • As is tradition, my spoiler-free review of The Force Awakens:

    • rewatching the original trilogy immediately before this one was well worth it
    • wow a lot of beautiful shots and landscapes, from beginning to end
    • the heart of the true Star Wars fan will skip a beat every time the background music comes up
    • it feels like coming home. A lot of familiar elements, interspersed with the new. A nice way to transition into a new trilogy
    • I often wonder what it must have felt like to watch the original Star Wars: A New Hope in the theaters back then. This is how I imagined it to be
    • Try not to think about the fact that Episode VIII won’t come until 2017 :D
    • quite possibly the best movie of 2015
    • on the ride home I was like: Ten ten tenetenenten tenetenenten tentenenten … (okay, maybe I was like that before the movie too)
    • …yeah, it was ok :D

Jul 2015

  • Ant Man spoiler-free review: The first half felt a bit off, with some exposition coming off as forced and the pacing a bit awkward. Things picked up later on and while the plot was not entirely unpredictable there were a number of fun and surprising tangents. Overall a fun and entertaining movie with enough stuff for comic book Marvel fans to enjoy, probably close in quality to the first Iron Man movie, if not better

Nov 2014

  • Dragon Age: Inquisition spoiler-free review: First off, the game is vast. There’s a ridiculous amount of quests, collectibles and stuff to do. Exploring feels a bit like Kingdom of Amalur where you can’t go far without encountering something to pick up or bad guys to fight. The fighting is a bit more arcade-y than Origins (I did not play DA2 so I cannot compare); I only really switch to Tactical view when fights get tough, the action mode is good enough maybe 60-70% of the time. A real time-sink, this one.

  • Interstellar spoiler-free review: Entertaining movie if you have a good suspension of disbelief and accept the science at face value. Some of the science and timelines are questionable (or maybe I missed some details possibly because I was talking Doctor Who with someone at the same time - some things might clear up on rewatch). Most of the black hole and relativity stuff was well-executed though. The twist at the end I could pretty much spot coming a mile away. CASE and TARS are very entertaining; I wouldn’t recommend the movie to my mother, for pretty much the same reasons I wouldn’t recommend Inception. Interstellar might be harder to grasp than Inception overall. Explores themes of relativity and human loneliness. Some surprise actors appeared! Very much a Nolan movie