Author: Michael Wayne

The Irishman!

Posted on by Michael Wayne

The Irishman! Absolutely incredible from beginning to end. Director Martin Scorsese brings it all in this movie. The cinematography, score, writing, and casting is all there. Robert De Niro (Frank Sheeran), Al Pacino (Jimmy Hoffa), Joe Pesci (Russ Bufalino) each bring their own thing to the table. In the movie we follow Frank Sheeran go from truck driver to a top hitman in organized crime, and it’s incredible. The narration we hear from Frank in the beginning is very much needed because he’s giving us key background information that we need to know to better understand what’s going on, and without it, almost nothing is going to make any sense. The cinematography by Rodrigo Prieto was definitely one of my favorite parts of the movie because it helps give it the look and feel of a mafia movie. It went so well with the story they were telling, and it made the movie even more enjoyable for me. Composer Robbie Robertson does great with the score and in some scenes, it went hand in hand with the cinematography and I love it when that happens. For a movie that’s Three and a half hours long, it doesn’t drag as much as you’d think it would. It can be slow at times but that’s because they have a lot of story to tell and can’t give you all the exciting stuff all at once; the characters need time to develop and that’s another thing I think this movie excels at, you get to learn almost every detail possible about these characters. I loved everything about this movie, and I hope you all enjoyed it as much as I did. I think this movie should’ve been given a theatrical release instead of streaming exclusively on Netflix, but that’s just my opinion. This movie is definitely going into my Top 10 the year and it might even crack the Top 5. This is actually my first 10/10 perfect score!


My Rating: 10/10
ROTTEN TOMATOES: 96%
IMDb: 8.2/10

Bohemian Rhapsody Review!

Posted on by Michael Wayne

Bohemian Rhapsody! Rami Malek delivers an Oscar worthy performance as Freddie Mercury in this movie. When I first heard about his movie being made, I was worried about who they were going to cast for these iconic roles. The cast was perfect, they did a great job with casting and it couldn’t have been better. I really liked the cinematography, I think it really helped set the tone for the movie and it was really good during the Live Aid performance at the end. The soundtrack used for the movie was really good and I liked the song choices they used. I also think it was a great idea for Malek to do the singing for real instead of him just lip syncing the whole time. The movies pacing wasn’t fast but it wasn’t slow either. I would’ve like to see some more character development with more of the band members other than Freddie Mercury, and seeing them developing as a band would’ve been nice to see as well. They changed up how a few things actually happened, but I understand sometimes writers have to do that so it works for movie purposes. Other than those few things, I think this movie was absolutely incredible from beginning to end. Malek definitely deserved winning his Oscar and I would’ve been disappointed if he didn’t win it. What are your thought on this movie? Let me know in the comments! Also, I’m going to have reviews for Doctor Sleep, Ford V Ferrari, Uncut Gems, Jumani: The Next Level, Richard Jewell, and Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker posted within the next two weeks, and then I will post my Top 10 of 2019! So stay tuned!

My Rating: 7.7/10

ROTTEN TOMATOES: 61%

IMDB: 8/10

“Knives Out” Review!

Posted on by Michael Wayne

Knives out! *Non Spoiler* Very well written and really gets your full attention right from the beginning. Whodunnit’s are easily one of my favorite types of stories and Knives Out delivers big time. This movie is extremely funny, very unpredictable and has a great cast to go along with it. Chris Evans, Jamie Lee Curtis, and Michael Shannon are just a few members of this fantastic cast. I’m normally not a fan of Rian Johnson’s work but man, he does such an incredible job with this movie. The attention to detail was very impressive as we follow Detective Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig) along on with this murder investigation. The pacing was great and the movie doesn’t drag on. Johnson is able to keep you pulled in all the way through up until the very end. Steve Yedlin’s cinematography was pretty good and definitely helped set the tone for the movie. Nathan Johnson’s composition for the movie made it feel like a good mystery movie and it went well with the cinematography. This is definitely a movie I’m going to have to see multiple times I want to see if I can notice clues I didn’t notice before and because it’s a really good movie. With that being said, I definitely recommend you see this movie in theaters as soon as you can!

My Rating: 8.7/10

ROTTEN TOMATOES: 96%

IMDb: 8.1/10

“Rogue One: A Star Wars Story” Review!

Posted on by Michael Wayne

Rogue One! This was a good movie that I never knew I wanted. Gareth Edwards did a good job directing this film. I remember watching the old Star Wars films and wondering how they got the plans to the Death Star and this film shows you exactly what went down. Felicity Jones’ (Jyn) performance was outstanding in my opinion. Diego Luna (Cassian) was also great in the film and the chemistry felt natural with Jones. Alan Tudyk was a treat as K-2SO. The pacing was a bit faster than you’d expect for a Star Wars film as they are usually slow, but it worked well for Rogue One. I really like the character development because we learn enough about Jyn and Cassian to know why they are doing what they’re doing; instead of the writers just throwing it all in just a few scenes, we actually get to see those characters develop. Michael Giacchino’s score was easily one of my favorite parts of the film, especially with the scenes with Darth Vader. The cinematography was another thing I felt was really good. It was really good in the third act when the characters are trying to get the plans they need. It also complimented the big battles in the end and made them even better, like they weren’t already awesome enough lol. I think this movie is a good introduction for people who are trying or want to get into Star Wars. Also it takes place directly before “Episode 4: A New Hope”, for those who are wondering. What is your favorite Star Wars movie or moment? Let me know in the comments!

My Rating: 7.6/10
ROTTEN TOMATOES: 84%

IMDB: 7.6/10

“Rogue One: A Star Wars Story” Review!

Posted on by Michael Wayne

Rogue One! This was a good movie that I never knew I wanted. Gareth Edwards did a good job directing this film. I remember watching the old Star Wars films and wondering how they got the plans to the Death Star and this film shows you exactly what went down. Felicity Jones’ (Jyn) performance was outstanding in my opinion. Diego Luna (Cassian) was also great in the film and the chemistry felt natural with Jones. Alan Tudyk was a treat as K-2SO. The pacing was a bit faster than you’d expect for a Star Wars film as they are usually slow, but it worked well for Rogue One. I really like the character development because we learn enough about Jyn and Cassian to know why they are doing what they’re doing; instead of the writers just throwing it all in just a few scenes, we actually get to see those characters develop. Michael Giacchino’s score was easily one of my favorite parts of the film, especially with the scenes with Darth Vader. The cinematography was another thing I felt was really good. It was really good in the third act when the characters are trying to get the plans they need. It also complimented the big battles in the end and made them even better, like they weren’t already awesome enough lol. I think this movie is a good introduction for people who are trying or want to get into Star Wars. Also it takes place directly before “Episode 4: A New Hope”, for those who are wondering. What is your favorite Star Wars movie or moment? Let me know in the comments!

My Rating: 7.6/10
ROTTEN TOMATOES: 84%

IMDB: 7.6/10

Titans Season 2 Review! *Spoilers*

Posted on by Michael Wayne

Titans! *Major Spoilers At The End* This season was a huge improvement from Season 1, but it did come with it’s flaws and we will get to those. The tone for S2 was so much better and it actually made it more enjoyable to watch, but thats just my opinion. The writing was better in S2 but a good amount of the episodes in the beginning of the season take place in the past and it felt off, and some of it felt unnecessary. The cinematography was great, the blue tint was something I felt fit right in with the tone of the show and I hope they stick with it. The fight choreography was another improvement I noticed, and the fight scenes looked smooth in the scenes with Deathstroke, but the editing had too many cuts in some of the fight scenes. I like the character development for Dick Grayson, Hank and Dawn, and Rachel. Starfire and Beastboy felt almost absent from the season all together. Spoiler coming up, so fair warning. Today was the season finale and I hate saying this especially since I just complimented the writing but the finale was underwhelming at times. The finale fight with Slade Wilson felt like it lasted no longer than 5 minutes and didn’t feel like the fight we’ve been waiting all season for just to have him die. Donna troy was a character I enjoyed watching all season but her death was written very poorly and made absolutely no sense at all. With all that being said, I really did enjoy Season 2 of Titans, I know I had a few negative things to say, but I still would like to recommend this show to everyone and I would love to hear your thoughts on it!

My Rating: 7.4/10

21 Bridges Review!

Posted on by Michael Wayne

21 Bridges! Chadwick Boseman crushes it with his performance in this movie. Boseman plays a detective that is put into a manhunt for a couple of robbers. This movie takes quite a few twists and turns as a conspiracy starts to develop. This movie can be really intense and can definitely get your adrenaline going. I think the writing was well done and it paced the movie at a good speed to where we aren’t rushing through it, and we have time to understand more about each character and their motives, and that’s what I liked most in the movie. But to go along with that, there is few things you can notice if you’re paying close enough attention that can give away the plot and I think they could’ve done a little better with that. Casting was good. Boseman and Sienna Miller (Burns) went well with each other. Stephan James (Michael) does superb job with his character and you almost feel empathetic for him at moments. Paul Cameron does a good job with the cinematography and I think it went well with the tone they were trying to set for the movie. Plus I think the cinematography went well with nighttime Manhattan anyway. The gunfights were really nice, it almost reminded me of the John Wick films in a way. The films composition was well done and I think it helped bring the intensity in some scenes, not all of them but in some, especially towards the end. Director Brian Kirk, along with Producers Anthony and Joe Russo, did a great job with this movie and I think it might actually crack my Top Films 10 of 2019, but we will just have to wait and see. I definitely would like to recommend this movie for everyone that loves a good Drama/Mystery. My Rating: 7.1/10

ROTTEN TOMATOES: 45%
IMDB: 6.2/10

Captain Marvel Review!

Posted on by Michael Wayne

Captain Marvel! First off, Brie Larson is incredible in the movie. Marvel did a good job with this movie by giving us a solid origin story for a fan favorite character. The casting was good, especially with Ben Mendelson as Talos and I like that they were able digitally de-aged Sam Jackson. This movie is actually pretty funny and I enjoyed the scenes with Talos and Fury. The visuals were great and I was really impressed with the space battles. The cinematography was great and I love that Marvel as this certain look and feel to their cinematography thats consistent through their movies and that’s something I always appreciate. Unfortunately I do have a few complaints for this movie but one is from a comic book fan standpoint. The score was something I wasn’t a big fan of, I liked the music from the 90’s but I wasn’t a big fan of everything else; I’m not saying its bad but it wasn’t great either. The pacing was a bit slow, but I’m going to let it slide because we are getting to know this character and they don’t want to rush into everything without letting her character develop. Lastly, and this is my personal opinion, I didn’t like that they made the Skrulls good guys, I feel like they could’ve built up up a better story arc over the course of Captain Marvel’s movies. Hopefully there are some evil skulls out there because Secret Invasion would be amazing to see on film. Other than that, this is a movie I would love to recommend to you all if you haven’t seen it yet, and if you have seen it, what are your thoughts?

My Rating: 7.2/10
ROTTEN TOMATOES: 78%

IMDB: 6.9/10



Lady and The Tramp Review!

Posted on by Michael Wayne

Lady and The Tramp! This movie was very enjoyable. The cast was way better than I was expecting and I’m surprised this wasn’t given a theatrical release because it definitely deserves it. The CGI on the dogs was done very well and kudos to the people that put in the time and effort on working on them. Lady and The Tramp was really funny and also had its sweet moments. Tessas Thompson (Lady) and Justin Theroux (The Tramp) had fantastic chemistry and it helped their scenes flow smoothly and natural. Joseph Trapanese’ composition for the movie was great and sometimes I found myself just simply enjoying the music instead of what’s going in the movie. The cinematography done by Enrique Chediak was outstanding, there were some shots where I had to pause the movie and admire the cinematography. When the dogs weren’t CGI, they looked very well trained on what they had to do in the movie. The movie is a bit slow at times and can feel like its dragging but I didn’t mind because at the same time its developing the characters so we get to know them better. Unfortunately, Lady and The Tramp is streaming exclusively on Disney+ and you can only watch it with a subscription. I hope this movie gets a theatrical release so everyone gets a chance to see it, but I don’t see that happening anytime soon.

My Rating: 7.2/10
ROTTEN TOMATOES: 65%
IMDB: 7.1/10

Pokémon Jirachi: Wish Maker Review

Posted on by Michael Wayne

Gotta Catch Em All! This is one of the most underrated Pokémon movies out there and easily one of my favorites. This movie takes place fairly early on in the Advanced Series and I think it really helps with Max’s character development better than the show does at this point in the series. Jirachi was amazing to see. The connection it had with Max was good and emotional towards the end. The plot is predictable, and you will notice that if you grew up on Pokémon like I did, but it’s nothing that will draw you away from the movie. The pacing is fairly fast and I think that’s because it’s only a little of an hour long. I love the art style that gets used in the Pokémon movies and how it separates from the show. What I mean by that is in some scenes in the movies, that art looks almost 3D in a way. If you’re into Pokémon, then I definitely recommend this movie for you! Best watched after AG Episode 34 (Having a Wailord of a Time).

My Rating: 5.6/10

ROTTEN TOMATOES: N/A

IMDB: 5.8/10