Mary Poppins Returns

Mary Poppins returns to the Banks' family after a twenty year absence. It is now the 1930's and she once again must help Jane and Michael, along with Michaels' three children to find their way.

I read in the New York Times that "for those looking for nostalgia they will love the new sequel, for those looking for another Oscar winner, they will find a spoonful of artificial sweetener."  I couldn't agree more.

Emily Blunt is fantastic - absolutely brilliant.  The script however is just a scene by scene rewrite.  It's a homonym really...you know, it sounds the same but is spelled different. Also the songs are cute but totally forgettable. No one is walking out of the theatre with the music stuck in their head, pining for the soundtrack, and to be honest when the screenplay is almost a carbon copy, one can't help but wonder, why they didn't use the original music and just change the lyrics.

**1/2 Rentable - but worth seeing on the big screen 

Rated PG (for thematic elements) 

Bumblebee

A prequel and reboot of the Michael Bay Transformers movies.

It isn't amazing but it is a fun prequel and full of nostalgia, as it is set in the 80's. By far the best film in the Transformers series, probably because Michael Bay didn't direct it, only produced it.

**1/2 Rentable

Rated PG-13 (for language and violence) 

Aquaman

One of the DC comics lesser known heroes makes his way into the newest Justice League origin flick.

I know nothing about Aquaman other than he wears a yellow and green outfit and talks to fish while riding a giant seahorse - at least that is all I remember from the cartoons when I was little. That being said, I went into this movie with an open mind ready to be introduced to the underwater hero.

Ahem.

So this wasn't my favorite. It was like Avatar meets Jurassic Park with some Star Wars mixed in and a dash of Thor with a mediocre plot and a poorly defined timeline. DC has managed to abandon the "dark" theme and set design, embracing their colorful comic roots but that also led to a corny and predictable script on all accounts and once more, the storyline and itinerary seems to be improbable even for a comic book.

The costumes and special effects are pretty amazing and the transition to the classic comic book regalia is pretty cool (although I did like the modern motif in Justice League) it just doesn't all come together and the timetable of this and Justice League is weak if not confusing. As an origin story it was a huge let down and didn't even come close to Wonder Woman, which is the only DC movie that actually holds its own and can be classed amongst the Marvel films.

It is spectacular eye candy - I will give them that. 💋

** Rentable

Rated PG-13 (for violence and language) 

Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse

A bizarre twist to the Spider-Man series, this animated episode combines all versions of the comic books into one. Clever comedy and amazing graphics add up to probably the best Spider-Man movie made thus far - no matter how random.

*** Must See for Spider-Man and Marvel zealots

Rated PG (for violence, language and mild crude humor) 

Ralph Breaks the Internet

It's a cute sequel that has a few brilliant moments wrapped in a mediocre storyline. Make sure to stay to the very end of the credits.

*** Must See for Disney People

Rated PG (for violence and mild language) 

Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald

Not nearly as quaint or clever as it's predecessor which stood on it's own, not just as a prequel to the Harry Potter series. This new addition although interesting is very long and feels much more like another Harry Potter episode rather than part of the magical world before Potter.

**1/2 Rentable

Rated PG-13 (for violence, thematic elements and mild language)

Bohemian Rhapsody

A fantastic bio-pic that portrays the man behind Freddie Mercury and how Queen came to be.


**** Oscar Worthy

Rated PG-13 (for language, drug content and suggestive and thematic material)