REVIEW: ‘Shazam’ powered by dual lead performances

Just say the word. Review!

The latest comic book adaptation from the DC library is “Shazam!” a superhero comedy directed by David Sandberg and starring Asher Angel as Billy Batson. An orphan and frequent runaway, the film opens with Batson on a mission to find his mother. When his most recent search results in no findings, Batson is taken to another foster family.

After school one day, Batson ends up transported from Philadelphia to another realm where he meets the Wizard Shazam, who’s looking to give his powers to a new champion. Batson is selected and soon receives all of the wizard’s powers, transforming him into his prime form as the new Shazam (Zachary Levi). With his new abilities, it seems to be all fun and games, but the history of the wizard brings about an antagonist who wants the powers, played by Mark Strong.

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Monday Movie Report: Casting news for Viola Davis, Dave Bautista, and more

Academy Award winner Viola Davis is has joined the cast of the “Suicide Squad” reboot and will return as the character Amanda Waller, according to Empire Magazine.

In the film series and the source material, Waller is often the head of government agencies which usually deals with superheroes and occasionally, villains. The latter is the Suicide Squad, a group of jailed criminals who’re sent out on dangerous missions. Davis portrayed the character in the original movie, too.

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Ranking the MCU: The Uniforms

I’m counting down the days to “Avengers Endgame” and in the lead-up, ranking a few things about the series. So, here’s a look at my thoughts on the various uniforms worn by both the Avengers, the Guardians of the Galaxy, and a couple others.

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Tony Stark: A character arc for the ages

Outside of Rocky Balboa and Anakin Skywalker from “Star Wars,” few characters have had as much screentime to grow and change as Tony Stark.

Of course there’s the obvious point of how Stark, played throughout the series by Robert Downey Jr., went from being a smart but rather selfish businessman to being a person who helps protect the world. however, the journey the character takes and the lessons learned are very layered and interesting to look at.

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REVIEW: ‘Captain Marvel’ soars in first film

Faster than a speeding bullet. More powerful than the locomotive. I’m talking about Captain Marvel, of course.

The latest film from Marvel just so happens to feature a hero named Captain Marvel. Her real name is Carol Danvers, though, and she’s portrayed by Academy Award winner Brie Larson. The film picks up with her living on a planet controlled by the Kree, a powerful alien empire. She’s commonly referred to with the name Vers and is a member of the Kree special ops squad, Starforce.

In the first act, it’s established that Vers doesn’t remember anything before she became a member of Starforce. However, she remains focused on her mission, which is to fight against Skrulls, another alien race perceived as terrorists by the Kree. Through a series of events, that mission eventually leads her to Earth, where she meets SHIELD Agent Nick Fury. Witnessing the Skrull situation, Fury decides to partner with Vers and the two work together on the mission. In doing so, the protagonist learns more about her past.

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REVIEW: ‘Aquaman’ is flawed, but fun

Despite rocky a rocky reception over several movies, the DC Comics Cinematic Universe still has movies coming out. The latest is this feature following the hero of the deep.

“Aquaman” takes place after the events of last year’s “Justice League” and follows the water-based hero, played by Jason Momoa, whose actual name is Arthur. Embracing the idea of being a hero, Arthur has taken it upon himself to fight crime and rescue people on the high seas.

However, while this is taking place, the politics of his estranged home Atlantis are turning dangerous. Arthur’s half-brother Orm (Patrick Wilson), who’s now a ruler in Atlantis, is fed up with humans negatively impacting the ocean and now wants to launch a war. In order to stop the potential conflict, another Atlantis royal, Mera (Amber Heard), recruits Arthur to take his place as the true king.

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REVIEW: ‘Spider-Verse’ is a fine entry to the webslinging series

Just to recap, in about 16 years, we’ve had a “Spider-Man” trilogy, a two-movie “Spider-Man” reboot, another “Spider-Man” reboot with a sequel on the way, and now an animated feature that is completely separate from everything we’ve seen before. Quite the history.

As previously stated, this latest adaptation of the comic book is completely animated and is set in a world where Spider-Man has been a longtime hero and even became a celebrity. The film’s focus, though, is on the character Miles Morales (Shameik Moore), a teenager who is just starting a private school, but still enjoys getting into mischief.

On one of those occasions, Miles is bitten by a radio-active spider, just like the actual Spider-Man. Later, the two actually meet by chance when Miles comes across some villains who are trying out a device that can open portals to other dimensions. One thing leads to another and a whole group of Spider-Man superheroes from other worlds appear. As one might guess, they all have to work together to foil the villains’ plot.

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Monday Movie Report: ‘Flash’ production delayed

Production on the standalone “Flash” movie has been delayed by Warner Bros.

According to Variety, WB is pushing back production of the film, which was to follow the speedy hero after the events of “The Justice League.” Variety reports that while the movie didn’t have a set release date, the expectation was to shoot in March 2019.

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REVIEW: ‘Justice League’ Never Rises Above Average

If “Justice League” had come out roughly 10 to 15 years ago, it may be considered a better super hero film.

However, with the existence of the Marvel series, the Nolan “Batman” films and even attempts such as what FOX has done with “Logan” and “Deadpool,” “Justice League” largely pales in comparison.

For a bit of a refresher, “Justice League” comes after the events of “Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice.” Superman is now dead and as a result, Batman (Ben Affleck) begins noticing an uptick in strange creatures causing havoc. It’s soon discovered that these creatures are appearing because of Steppenwolf, an ancient alien with conquest on his mind.

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