What You Might Have Missed Watching Logan

Frst off, this is not a review of the film, but if you didn't already know, I absolutely love this movie. So there! consider it reviewed!

There is absolutely nothing I hate more than those stupid click bait articles. You know, the ones titled "Every single easter egg you missed in (insert movie) because your'e so stupid!" The titles aren't always that rude, but they definitely come across that way, to me at least. This isn't one of those articles, I promise. This is just a collection of things that I, myself noticed watching Logan. I refuse to call them "easter eggs" because often times they aren't even hidden. They're just there, and we don't notice them because we don't have the context, or we didn't read X-Men #191 from 1983. (I mean, I probably did, but I'm a super nerd. More like an inward nerd, I guess. You won't catch me at ComiCon anytime soon.)  So, here are some things I noticed in Logan, that maybe you noticed to, or maybe you have a different interpretation of, or maybe you noticed something else. If so, I'd be more than happy to discuss them please feel free to drop a comment!

WARNING: This is going to contain some MEGA-spoilers. So if you have not seen Logan please stop reading now, and return when you've seen it. You've been warned.

1. Logan drives all over

At first glance, the beginning of this film all seems to be pretty contained in the El Paso/ Mexican border area. When in fact, evidence suggests that Logan drives quite a ways. All over Texas, in fact. The first evidence of this is in the very first scene of the film when Logan is sleeping in the back of his limo at a rest area just off of a major highway. The next piece of evidence was a bit fun because I actually had to go and look it up. When Gabriela first meets Logan, he is driving someone from a funeral. The sign at the entrance of the cemetery reads "Georgetown Cemetery". The setting is rainy and much more green than anything you would see in West Texas, so I took to google to find out if there was a cemetery in El Paso called Georgetown Cemetery, and did you know the only Georgetown Cemetery in Texas is actually in Georgetown, Texas. A whopping 8 hour drive from El Paso. Fun fact! My aunt Karen lives in Georgetown, Texas!

2. They're waiting for you at the Statue of Liberty

The first time we are introduced to Charles Xavier in "Logan" we learn very quickly that something is not quite right with the once great mind of the X-Men founder. Toward the middle of his conversation with Logan he tries to tell Logan that he's been communicating with a new mutant and that they are waiting for Logan at the statue of liberty. Logan dismisses Charles' claim and replies "The statue of liberty was a long time ago." Fast forward to the second time we see Gabriela in the film she and Laura are staying at the "Liberty hotel" in El Paso.


3. Logan was telling the truth... from a certain point of view

Several times throughout the film Donald Pierce, the leader of the Reavers, refers to mutants as "Mutes" or "Muties" This is meant to be a derogatory word for mutants. Much like the N-word. As he's interrogating Caliban he says "You used to work for my team. You helped us round up all those mutes.", and later demands that he help track down "one more mute" for him. Flash forward to much later in the film when Logan is helping Will Munson get his water working again. Mr. Munson turns to Logan and says "How long has your daughter been like that", confused Logan answers "like what?" Will then says "a mute". Then Logan hesitantly says "Since the beginning" Now, it's very obvious that Will was inquiring about the fact that Laura doesn't speak, but in terms of what "mute" means in this world, and since Laura was born a mutant, Logan wasn't lying! Chalk this one up to clever writing!

4. What happend in Vegas... Never happened in Vegas

This one is pretty simple. I've spoken to a few people and even read a couple of articles that cite Logan, Charles, and Laura staying at a casino-hotel in Las Vegas. Yes, when they pull up the area does very much have a Las Vegas feel, but we soon find out that it's actually in Oklahoma City. For starters, they're traveling from El Paso to North Dakota. Las Vegas, Nevada is 1000% out of the way, and two, the radio broadcast indicates that the incident took place in Okahoma City. More on that radio broadcast in a bit...

5. A subtle nod to "Django Unchained" 

It's no secret that "Logan" is an incredibly violent film that very much has a western feel to it. Remind you of another film? Django Unchained, released in 2012 is also an incredibly violent film that also happens to be a western. In the film when Django and Dr. Schultz are about to start their journey into the mountains of North Dakota the song "I got a name" by Jim Croce plays over a montage of their journey into the snowy terrain. Back to Logan. When our trio stops in at a gas station at the beginning of their journey to the mountains North Dakota "I got a name" by Jim Croce is playing over the store's sound system. Coincidence? I mean, it's possible, but either way it's pretty cool.


6. X-24 and the Dark Wolverine
This one is probably the biggest stretch, but hear me out.

One thing I've been hearing a lot is that X-24 is completely made up and he does not exist in the comic books. That's true... to an extent, but in a way he is Wolverine's son. Wolverine very much does have a son. His name is Daken, the Dark Wolverine. Daken was actually Logan's natural born son. His mother? Yukio Yashida of Japan. Yep! Daken's entire backstory is depicted in the second solo Wolverine film, "The Wolverine", but we never actually get to see Daken come into the world, or exist at all. Daken's mother dies during childbirth and when Daken is a teenager he is introduced to Norman Osborn (yes, that Norman Osborn, the Green Goblin). Osborn convinces him that Wolverine violently murdered his mother and sets him down a path of revenge. He comes to hate his father, so much that he is obsessed with one thing; destroying him. Now, that's completely different from what we see in the film "Logan" as X-24 is a clone of Wolverine, and not a natural born son, but there are similarities. Daken's appearance is nearly identical to Logan's the only real differences being that he has very short hair and a tattoo that runs the entire length of his left arm. The real evidence to my argument comes in Wolverine's first encounter with Dark Wolverine where the first words Logan says to his son are "What the hell are you?", the same words Logan utters to X-24 in the film. While X-24 might not BE Daken, I at the very least think his existence in the film is a nod to the comic book character known as the Dark Wolverine.

7. The New Mutants and Magneto's son? 

When Laura finally makes it to "Eden", she is greeted by her fellow young mutants who have all escaped Transigen and made their own way to North Dakota. Now, none of these characters are recognizable except for their mutant powers. While they are clearly the test tube babies of popular mutants like Ice Man, and Dazzler, the only one with a recognizable name is Rictor who is a character for "The New Mutants" which later became "X-Force" one of many less popular spin-off of the successful X-Men comic book franchise. Not only is his name Rictor, but for a split second we get to see his file while Logan is reading over it in his hotel room. His genetic code was taken from Eric Lehnsherr, or as we know him; Magneto. Making Rictor the test tube baby of the master of magnetism, himself.




8. Charles Xavier killed the X-Men

Earlier today I watched an interview where Patrick Stewart explained that there was a draft of the script where this was very clearly explained and not as ambiguous, but was changed because the story needed to focus more on Logan and not so much on what Charles did. Either way, from the beginning of the film we know something happened. We find our heroes living in exile. Charles sleeps in an overturned water tower in an abandoned smelting plant south of the Mexican border. In the film's first interaction between Charles and Logan, Logan repeatedly tells Charles that there are no more mutants, and breaks Charles' heart when he says the words "You always thought we were part of God's plan, but I think we were God's mistake" to which Charles sternly rebukes him calling him a disappointment. He then explains that when he found Logan he was a cage fighter and an animal, and that he took him in and gave him a family, to which Logan responds "They're all gone now". Then a very concerned Charles begins pleading with Logan "What did you do? Why are we here? Why are we hiding?" At this point it becomes very evident that something happened to X-Men, something tragic." We're lead to believe that Logan may have somehow killed the X-Men. Later, when Donald pays Logan a visit at his home, he begins inquiring about Charles and asks where Logan is keeping him then at a point in the conversation he says "Did you know his brain is classified as a weapon of mass destruction? Damn shame what happened back east." Later  in the film Charles has a seizure leaving everyone within an undisclosed radius to be paralyzed, it's important to note that Logan and Laura are unaffected due to their mutation, their regeneration abilities. Everyone else is rendered motionless, unable to move, unable to breathe. Upon escaping from the Reavers and leaving the hotel, Logan is listening to a radio broadcast that is very significant. The news describes the incident at the Oklahoma City hotel and how it is very similar the Westchester incident over a year ago that "killed over 700 mutants including the X-... "At this point Logan turns the radio off and with a concerned look on his face looks at a sleeping Charles in the back seat. In the final moment before his death Charles tells Logan that "tonight was without a doubt the most perfect night I've had in a long time" then begins to cry saying that he doesn't deserve it because he did something unspeakable, and he never knew because Logan wouldn't tell him. The pieces are all there and when you put them together it's fairly clear what happened. Xavier's school is in Westminister, he had a seizure causing the X-Men to die from the effects of it. Logan survived because he is less effected. Charles then became a wanted man, and Logan ran away with his dearest friend and went into hiding to protect him.

So there you have it! Just a few fun tid bits I noticed in "Logan". As I said, some of them are more obvious than others, some of them may not even be a real thing. What do you think? Did you notice anything else? Think I'm wrong? Let me hear it! I really like this movie, and I would love to open some dialogue. Feel free to leave a comment explaining your findings or your thoughts.

Trailer Reactions - Logan

OLD MAN LOGAN! Okay, I'm really excited for this movie. I love Spider-Man, but Wolverine is a close second, and "Old Man Logan" is easily my favorite Wolverine series. Did I mention I was excited? I can't express that enough. This film set to release early next year is strongly based on "Old Man Logan" a 12 issue mini-series put out by Marvel just a few years ago. Part Mad Max, part Metal Gear Solid 4, Old Man Logan takes place in the future. About 50 years from today. Whenever today is. The world is in a post-apocalyptic state. On a fateful night 50 years ago villains managed to rise up and defeat all super heroes in one blow. Nobody really knows what happened, but the world is void of heroes and villains like Mr. Sinister, Red Skull and a former Avenger/now bad guy rule everything. After the fall of the heroes, Wolverine went into hiding and became a farmer keeping who he once was a secret to everyone, including his own family. Until one day he is reunited with an old friend who talks him into taking a job that ends up being far more than Logan bargained for. If you have not read "Old Man Logan" you really should. It is without a doubt one of the best series Marvel has put out. I imagine the movie will be much more tame considering in the comic Logan fights bears, dinosaurs and zombies on his journey.

I don't know exactly what "Logan" will be about, but it's evident that it documents the fall of the mutants, the rise of the reavers and an introduction to Wolverine's female clone known only as X-23, who later takes the mantle of Wolverine in her own series "All New Wolverine".  With Johnny Cash providing the perfect score, the trailer with Logan who appears to be the caretaker for a very old and frail Charles Xavier. He houses Charles in an old oil container that from the inside looks like the ghost of Cerebro. It becomes clear the world is not a happy place. Logan and Charles live in the middle of the desert far from any comforts of a first world life. The trailer could have ended there and if my excitement were fire it would have been thoroughly doused in gasoline.  from there it only gets better!

 Something to be aware of, it has been confirmed that this film will likely receive an "R" rating. Sorry kids. For Wolverine fans, you will finally be getting a movie that accurately depicts the violent and gritty atmosphere of Wolverine.

Trailer Reactions- Spider-Man: Homecoming

It's really happening! The Spider-man/Iron man buddy movie we always never knew we wanted... or something. Immediately, from the two minutes trailer-cut footage one thing is very apparent. Spider-Man is fun again. I think with their #1 character back in their hands (kind of), Marvel is out to fix people's number one complaint about every previous Spider-Man film. Spider-Man is supposed to be fun, Spider-Man is supposed to be chatty, Spider-Man is supposed to be a smart ass who taunts and pokes fun at his opponents relentlessly. Yes, Toby McGuire's take on Peter Parker was far too introverted and Andrew Garfield's was... there, I guess. So, I won't go as far as to say we finally have a "good" Spider-Man film, but we are definitely going to have a fun Spider-Man film. And hey, if I'm totally wrong and the movie sucks the film's initials are "SMH", so Marvel can always pull a "hey, we subliminally told you so!"

Before I get too far into this, I feel it important to explain my qualifications on the matter. I love Spider-Man. Quite a bit. I exited my mother's womb loving Spider-Man. When I was very young we didn't have a ton of money to spare, I'm grateful for the necessities I had, but as a kid I wanted nothing more than a Spider-Man action figure to play with. I would ask my brother, Adam, to draw and color pictures of Spider-Man for me so I could cut them out with scissors and play with them as action figures. You can imagine they would get damaged easily, so asking my brother to draw them was a common occurrence. With this paper cut outs of Spider-Man I would act out different heroic scenarios that usually involved beating up my brother, Curt's Star Wars action figures or webbing my sister's Barbies to death. As I grew up I would often skip lunch in school as to save the lunch money I had received from my parents that morning, and any opportunity I got I would purchase Spider-Man comic books at the neighborhood pharmacy. In my adolescence, I spent all my money from the same source on Depeche Mode CD's, but that's neither here nor there. In my lifetime I've purchased some 700-800 comic issues of Spider-Man in some form of fashion, many of which I still have. Including the "Maximum Carnage" arch, and the "Life Theft" arch, which we will get to in a bit.


Another thing that I think is going to happen with this film is it's going to upset a lot of comic book "purists". You know, the annoying people who hate movies because they aren't true to the book? Sadly, they might have a case here, but there appear to be some things that are directly based on the comic books. Let's talk about the inaccuracies first. For starters, Spider-Man and Iron Man were never buddies, and in no way was Tony Stark ever a father figure to Peter Parker. The two characters never actually teamed up until Marvel's mini series "Secret Wars" in 1984, at that point in the comics, Spider-Man was a twenty-something, and Iron Man wasn't even Tony Stark. For a time, Jim Rhodes dawned the red and gold iron man suite and took up the mantle of Iron Man. Also, Spider-Man was never  really an Avenger. In actuality when he did team-up it was most often with Daredevil and spent quite a bit of time hanging out with the X-Men. In fact there are far more Spider-Man/ Wolverine buddy comics than Spider-Man/Iron Man comic books. And why not? In terms of comic sales Spider-Man, X-Men and Wolverine are the most popular Marvel comic books of all-time, So, there was a lot to be gained by teaming Marvel's two most popular franchises. Often.

One complaint I've already heard is "The Vulture doesn't look like that!" I beg to differ. Pictured here is the Vulture in his high tech Birdman suit that he actually developed from Skrull technology in the aftermath of the Kree/Skrull war.  

I actually took this picture with my phone from the pages of The Amazing Spider-Man #388. Also known as "Life Theft: Part 3 of 7". A mini series in which it is revealed that the Vulture actually killed Peter Parker's parents. No, not Uncle Ben, his actual parents, Richard and Mary Parker. Wait... I mean, Spoiler alert! Forget what you just read. I have a strong theory with evidence to back it up that "Spider-Man: Homecoming" will be at least loosely based on the "Life Theft" arch. Now, If you've seen this trailer, Michael Keaton's Birdman costume might look somewhat familiar to you. It definitely did to me. It looks to me that the vulture developed his costume from old Chitauri parts. Now, the Skrulls are not the Chitauri, but they did fight the Avengers in downtown New York City, leaving the bowels of the city heavily damaged. After the battle the vulture managed to get his hands on some of the technoligy left behind and was able to upgrade his suit into the metalic, armor-like suit you see to your left. In addition, in the trailer Michael Keaton utters the words "Don't mess with me, because I will kill you and everyone you love". That line is LITERALLY taken from The Amazing Spider-Man #377, in which the Vulture utters those same words to Spider-Man. While we already know this film isn't going to include a Spider-Man origin story, if this film is based on the story line I before mentioned it very well may shed some light to audiences what actually happened to Peter's parents. I mean we all know what  happened to him, right? (If you don't, that's fine, just don't ever talk to anyone. Ever.

So what about things we didn't see in the trailer?

Donald Glover.We know Donald Glover is going to be in this film. There's a lot of speculation, but a lot of people seem to think he is going to play Miles Morales, who would become Spider-Man much later in the series. Who Donald Glover is actually playing is a mystery.

Jon Bernthal. Several months ago, it was confirmed that Jon Bernthal would have a small role in this film as the Punisher. Yes, the very same Punisher that appeared in Daredevil season 2.

Carnage. At San Diego ComicCon last year, a teaser was released to a ComicCon only audience.When Is ay only I mean only. You cannot find it in any format on the internet. Filming of this teaser was strictly prohibited, and yet... oh wait, you can find it cause  it leaked. In a video taken from a cell phone. As you can imagine it's very poor quality (Like hobbit barrell scene quality), but at the very end of the teaser there is indeed an appearance from Carnage. Kleetus Cassidy, himself. It is very evident that the Vulture is THE villain in this film, so it's very unclear what role Carnage will play. Heck, that shot could even be a post-credit scene of some sort. Let's pretend Carnage is a big piece of the story. If we're pulling from the "Maximum Carnage" arch, it would be very difficult to explain the origin of Carnage without the presence of Venom. Is Venom going to be in the film? We have no idea, but what we do know is too many villains in "Spider-Man 3" made it too convoluted and ultimately lead to the film's demise. I doubt Marvel Studios would make that mistake again.

At the end of the day, the trailer for "Spider-Man: Homecoming" made me very excited for the movie, which is literally the job of a trailer. So, good job, "Spider-Man: Homecoming" trailer! 

DOCTOR STRANGE

If you're looking for the perfect blend between the visual effects of "Inception "and the gritty origin story of "Batman Begins", but none of the substance that makes either of those films interesting. Look no further than "Doctor Strange". If you read just the opening line and nothing else you would think I hated this movie. I didn't hate it, I just didn't like it. It's okay. Here, let me explain.

So, one thing you have to understand abobut Doctor Strange is that he's very, well, strange. He's unlike any Marvel hero we've come to know. He has a unique way of dealing with things. So when I was anticipating this movie, I was very excited to see those unique elements. I was incrediblby disappointed. That's not to say I didn't enjoy this moive. The enterainment value is definitely there. I'm going to rag on this film a bit, and then I'll have some good to say, I promise.

Marvel has established a formula. It's working for them so far. It worked with the Avengers films. It worked well with the Captain America films, two of the Iron Man films and essentially everything they've released with the exception of the Thor films (Which, I hate, but that's another story.) Marvel does not stary from this formula in Doctor Strange. At all. This is the one film I was really hoping they would do something different. Something a little strange is the film's title would suggest. Alas, they did not. They stuck to their money making formula which goes as follows.

1. The first film is always always always first half origin sotry, and then epic earth shattering, city crumbling kung fu, explosion filled action.

2. The films must always feature an under-written and basically unecessary female love interest. If you're going to give an actress 15 minutes of screen time, why not get someone cheaper than Rachel McAdams? Why not that cute girl in the Verizon commercials?

3. There must be a reference to the Avengers. Or two. Or three. Or 10. (We get it. it's the same universe. This concept is not new to us anymore.)

4. Spoiler Alert! There must always be a cameo from an Avenger. Yes, there's one in here too. While that might get alot of Marvel fans excited, which I totally understand, I was really hoping this would be somewhat more isolated from the other 12 storylines in the Marvel universe.

5. COMEDY! The movie must be filled with quippy one liners throughout. Even when the characters, or the actors playing them aren't funny. *cough* *Thor* *cough* Everyone in the Marvel Universe is a witty A-hole who use piercing comebacks to make the characters around them feel stupid.

6. A post credit scene or two hinting at the next Marvel Universe film must happen.

I'm sure there are more that I haven't noticed yet, but you get the idea. Doctor Strange includes all of these and does not veer from this path for even a minute. That was probably my biggest disappointment. I get it, that has nothing to do with the movie in it's own right, but there's more. The whole film is very special effects heavy and the plot itself is very shallow, which doesn't always, or ever actually make a great film. There are funny moments, but alot of the comedy feels forced. For instance when the chubby librabrian introduces himself to Doctor Strange as "Wong". Doctor Strange looks at him and says "Just Wong?.... what like Beyonce" *pause for laughter*. I think he might have even looked at the camera. I may be imagining that. I swear, I was waiting for a graphic to pop up on the screen reading "Laugh Now". That's not the only example, but yes, it's forced and doesn't feel natrual as it does in Civil War, and that, folks, is the difference between good writing and adequate writing.

So what did I enjoy about "Doctor Strange"? I actually was very impressed by the performance of Peppermint Cumbersnitch as Steven Strange. Yes, he's witty, yes, he's arrogant, and on the surface he looks like Tony Stark 2.0 (Tony Stark with wizard powers!), but early in the film you genuinely have a dislike for the character. Early on, you almost feel the urge to root against him because he is such a huge Di... Uh, jerk. As the story progresses you can sense his desperation, and his desire to make things right again. That is 100% Benderlin Cumberbun (trust me, the writing didn't help him.) As for the visual effects. Yes, they are quite stunning, quite mesmerizing, absolutely beautiful. Original? Not so fast. Just take everyting inception did and fold it in half until the world looks like a giant kolidescope. Yes, I know I'm making fun of it and complimenting it at the same time.  Finally, the ONE things that is unique about this movie is how Doctor Strange handles the climactic situation ( I can't really call it a battle.) Unlike using his new found ability of kung fu to defeat the giant purple piece of bacteria with the corderoy face. (likeI he does to all the other bad guys.)He tramps him in a never anding time loop and bargains with him.  I did really appreciate that.

Overall, this is a very enjoyable film. You have to hand it to Marvel, they know what they're doing, they know what people want and they keep shoving down our throats, and we love it! It could be worse! (Suicide Squad)! If I had 5 stars to give, I would give it 3. I would recommend it, but don't go into expecting anything different or original.

HUNT FOR THE WILDERPEOPLE

 So far in 2016, by far my two favorite movies have come from New Zealand. David Farrier's "Tickled" and now the brilliant Taika Waititi's highly anticipated "Hunt for the Wilderpeople". It delivers in a big way. To put it simply, this film is really good. I mean really really good. No, listen. You should just take a gander at the score it got on rotten tomatoes. Go have a look, I'll wait.... Yeah? Yeah, it's that good.  A genuinely powerful message executed in a blanket of off-kilter hilarity Wilderpeople is the follow up to Waititi's 2012 indie hit "Boy" that we both deserved and needed. I may be going on a limb here, but we may have a front-runner for Best Motion Picture at the Oscars, at the very least a dark horse contender. A cast full exceptional performances from some familiar faces including Same Neil, you remember him, he's Dr. Grant from Jurrasic Park, Rhys Darby as Psycho Sam, you know Rhys Darby, he's Murray from Flight of the Conchords, and of course, Mr. Taika Waititi makes an appearance himself. None of these performances, however can eclipse the heartfelt and genuine performance of the film's lead, newcomer Juliann Dennison who at 13 years old brilliant portrays the legenday Ricky Baker. If you're not sold just think of your favorite Pixar Movie. Up? It's Up, isn't it? This is the closest thing to a live action version of Up you can get! Grumpy old man wants to be left alone, lonely ethnic kid wants to be loved and accepted, by complete accident they embark on a journey that leads to everlasting friendship and trust, and there you have it! I highly recommend this film to anyone who wants an uplifting, enjoyable experience. If you're not into those things, might I suggest watching tonight's Presidential debate. 

Marvel Hands Taika Waititi The Reins To Thor, And It's Probably Going To Be Really, Really Good

There's nothing quite like the feeling of knowing two of your favorite things are coming together. For example, at some point when I was a kid my two favorite things were Michael Jackson and the film "Teenwolf". So you can imagine my excitment when I discovered "Thriller". Anyone who associates me on any kind of level knows that I absolutely love Marvel comics, and in association I am very impressed with the quality of movies they've been pumping out in the last several years. Also, anyone who reads my stuff knows that I am fast becoming a fan of the work of Taika Waititi. So, you can imagine my excitment when I heard the news that Marvel has hired Taika Waititi to write and direct the next installment of the Thor franchise "Thor: Ragnarok". So, who is Taika Waititi, and why should even the most casual of Marvel fans be excited? I'm here to break it down for you. Here's everything you need to know about the third most popular man in New Zealand before you see "Thor:Ragnarok":

He's an accomplished filmmaker. This isn't his first rodeo. In fact, the next Thor film will be Waititi's 6th major full-lenght film, following "Eagle vs. Shark", "Boy", "What we do in the Shadows", and "Hunt for the Wilderpeople". He was also heavily involved in production of "Flight of the Conchords" the hit HBO television show, writing and directing severl episodes, and making severl appearances in uncredited roles throughout the show's two season run. Though, he's yet to be recognized by the Film Academy, he has won several prestigious awards for his writing and directing.

He sticks to his roots. Taika Waititi's films are all carry a weight of personal importance to him. He has mentioned this many times, and it really shows in his films. All of his films are shot on-site in either Austraila and/or native country of New Zealand, and "Thor: Ragnarok" is no exception as filming began in New Zealand a few months ago, and recently shifted to Brisbane, Australia.

His films are packed with familiar faces. To date, all of Waititi's films have featured a performance from himself, and at least one main cast member from Flight of the Conchords, main cast members being Jemaine Clement who starred in "Eagle vs. Shark" and "What we do in the Shadows", Brett McKinzie who made appearances in "Boy" and "Hunt for the Wilderpeople" and Rhys Darby who appeared in "What we do in the shadows" (as a werewolf, nonetheless), and"Hunt for the Wilderpeople". Will this trend continue in "Thor"? We can only hope!

His films are brilliantly written and beautifully executed. All of his films come across on the surface ans witty and quirky, but contain alot of substance, and lessons to be learned beneath all of this. He's very capable of managing characters who develop naturally, and who's dialogue come across as fun, and memorable. 

Don't be surprised of "Thor: Ragnarok" is the best of the Thor films. Equipped with a stellar cast (I mean, they got Jeff Goldblum, that's not fair!), and a fantastic writer/director. I'm beyond confident in this gentleman's ability to make a quality film, and I'm a fan of what Marvel is doing. hiring compitent writers and directors to make their movies. Another home run for Marvel!

BOY

"You could be happy here....we could grow up together"- E.T. The Extra Terrestrial

Every once in a while, there will come a film that speaks to you, touches you, teaches you, and ultimately helps you see things a little differently. For me, this is one of those films. Could it be for you? Don't you want to find out? Sometime back in 2012, while "The Avengers" and "The Dark Knight Rises" were taking the box office by storm, I happened upon this little indie gem in a red box outside of a 7/11 at a time when I was in the midst of personal despair, and it remains the best single dollar I've ever spent. Original, offbeat, charming and above all else unforgettable, With lessons to be learned, and morals hidden in every nook and cranny,"Boy" will capture your heart and never let go.

With a low budget and limited resources this film delivers in a big way with an  exceptional, screenplay from the mind of the third most popular man in New Zealand, Taika Waititi. Armed with what has become my favorite opening sequence of all-time, and all-round great perfomances from every cast member young and old, "Boy" stands as one of the best films of the decade. Seriously, the first 3 minutes of this film are so good, you can't possibly tear yourself away. Witty dialogue and out of the ordinary situations will keep you laughing, but make no mistake this film is very capable of reaching deep inside of you finding your heart strings and tugging on them. Stellar perfromance from the film's young stars, James Rolleston (Who was 11 at the time) and Te Aho Eketone (6 years) are without a doubt some of the best acting you will ever see come out of such small bodies. Accompanied by heartfelt and sincere Waititi himself who plays the boy's estranged father, it's safe to say the acting gets an A+.

The film isn't without it's technical flaws, but it's strenths shine so bright that they are easily masked. If you're looking for something different this film is for you. So be warned,this film is something different. To give a general synopsis, it's a story about a fantasy-prone pre-teen and his little brother who is convinced he has super powers who spend their spare time talking to their pet goat and harvesting marajuana with their misfit group of friends after school. So, as I said, it may be a little too off-kay for the popcorn movie-goer, but it's far more accessable than Waititi's directoral debut "Eagle vs. Shark", which is....original, yet odd. Mostly odd. Okay, I'm being generous, it's bonkers.... but I liked it!

Now available to anyone with access to a Netflix account "Boy" is right at your finger tips, and I highly recommend it! What are you waiting for?