RJ Writing Ink

My Top Ten Favorite Movies of 2019

It feels fitting that the final year of the 2010s gave us some of the biggest films of the decade. I’m working on a list of my favorite movies of the decade, and a lot came of them came out in 2019. Thus, in the spirit of the New Year, I decided to look at my favorite films of the year. Without further ado, here are my picks for my favorite movies of 2019.

However, let it be noted that some of my picks are films I reviewed in the past. As such, I will keep my writing as brief as possible. In addition, I won’t be counting entries like the Invader Zim and Rocko specials.

Dragon Ball Super: Broly (Jan.)

Since his debut in the DBZ films, Broly’s been the enemy fans wanted to see join the canon. In other words, seeing him join the canon story felt like a dream come true. However, the film got marred by controversy when Broly’s VA Vic Mignogna got fired over sexual harassment allegations. Given that most of Broly’s lines consist of screaming, though, and that they got Johnny Yong Bosch to replace Vic, I don’t see it as a big loss.

Captain Marvel (March)

In my review of this film, I called Captain Marvel the final piece of the MCU’s puzzle for the Infinity Saga. After all, I had a feeling that Captain Marvel would play a major role in the final battle against Thanos. As such, I was eager to learn her MCU origins and the origins of Nick Fury. While I wish they had included more references to 90s culture, I think this movie did a solid job of getting us pumped for Endgame.

Shazam! (April)

The next entry the DC Extended Universe, Shazam! tells the story of Billy Batson, an orphaned teenager who only wants to find his long-lost mom. However, he ends up being tapped by an ancient wizard with magic superpowers that turn him into a full-grown man. As a result, he has to save the world from an evil bald guy obsessed with that same power due to his childhood insecurities.

The plot of Shazam! seems cliche and unoriginal, but I wound up enjoying it. It’s lighthearted, yet knows when to be serious. More importantly, though, it moved away from Zack Snyder’s terrible taste in colors and attempts to overly serious. If DC had done this since the start, then maybe they wouldn’t be playing catch up to Marvel. That’s right, I said it; not sorry.

Avengers: Endgame (April)

This film was the big one for 2019; the box office records say so! Considering how it was the culmination of eleven years of films, Endgame had a lot riding on it. Thankfully, Marvel knew what it was doing and gave the fans a story for the ages. While the three hour run-time can be a little much for some, it’s justified with how much story they pack into it. In addition, the climax of the film ends up being one of the greatest moments in cinema history. I still remember how every cheered in the theater.

Detective Pikachu (May)

Welcome to Ryme City, a place where humans and Pokemon live together in harmony. Everyone except for Tim Goodman, who comes to town after learning his Detective dad disappeared. Depsite not wanting anything to do with Pokemon, he ends up teaming up with his Dad’s Pikachu, who he can somehow understand. Together, the two uncover a conspiracy that threatens all of Ryme city.

I’m pretty sure that I wasn’t the only one who got worried about a live action Pokemon film. After all, films based on video games have bad track records. However, to my delight, I discovered that Detective Pikachu knock it out of the park. They faithfully adapt the beloved world of Pokemon into live-action. In addition, Ryan Reynolds owns it as Pikachu!

Toy Story 4 (June)

When I heard that there would be a Toy Story 4, I got worried it was a cash grab by Disney and Pixar. Thankfully, I was happy to learn that it wasn’t. While the ending’s bittersweet, as many good stories are, and I felt many of the veteran castmembers got neglected, I still liked this film. It felt good to say that Pixar could do more with the franchise that gave them their big break.

Spider-Man: Far From Home (July)

After the whirlwind of events in Avengers: Endgame, I got worried about the future of the MCU. What could they do that could top the Infinity. Fortunately, Marvel showed us the future in Spider-Man: Far from Home, and its bright. The entire film centers on passing the torch from the original actors to the next generation as the MCU prepares for its future. As long as Disney and Sony keep their acts together, I think the MCU will be seeing a future led

Steven Universe: The Movie (September)

I know this was a TV-based movie, but if you read both of my reviews for the film, then you know I don’t care. Set after the events of the original show, Steven Universe: The Movie shows an older Steven dealing with a new threat. At the same time, he tries to come to terms with the fact that no matter how good things get, there may always be problems to solve. In my opinion, Rebecca Sugar gave us an animated Broadway Musical, and it is glorious.

Joker (October)

After all these years, we finally have another actor worthy of playing the Clown Prince of Crime. In this standalone DC film, Joaquin Phoenix plays Arthur Fleck, a mistreated soul with mental issues in a city that doesn’t care about him. With one tragic act, Arthur’s life spirals out of control until he transforms into one of the greatest villains mankind’s ever dreamt up.

This film’s rightfully deserving of his status as the highest-grossing R-rated film in history. While it’s a slow burn, Joker gives us a very realistic look at how a real life version of the Clown Prince could be created. As dark and depressing as it was, I loved the movie. In addition, I now consider Joaquin Phoenix as one of the rare few worthy of playing the Joker. He deserves all the praise in the world.

Klaus (November)

This film came out on Netflix less than a month ago, yet it’s one of the best Christmas movies I’ve seen in years. Set on an Arctic island in the 18th century, Klaus tells the story of Jesper, a lazy and unmotivated postman tasked with setting up an office in the most unfriendly town on Earth. Then one day, he runs into a reclusive toymaker named Klaus, and offers to help deliver the toys he makes to the children in town. As a result, this unlikely pair gives birth to the legend of the jolly man himself, Santa Claus.

The brainchild of Depsicable Me creator Sergio Pablos, Klaus gives us a return to the traditionally animation style of old. The result is a breath-taking, colorful, and heartwarming story about how an act of kindness can change the world for the better. It’s honestly one of the best Christmas films I’ve seen in years, and I hope it goes down as holiday classic.

Happy New Year

Agree with my picks? What movies were your favorite in 2019? Let me know in the comments below.

Click here to see more stuff recapping past years.

Click here to see my reviews for various films.

Captain Marvel Review

The year 2018 was a big year for superhero movies, and Marvel reaped the most benefits. Black Panther gave us a cultural icon, Into the Spider-Verse gave us the best Spider-Man film yet, but the movie with the biggest impact was the one Marvel had spent years building towards, Avengers: Infinity War.

Needless to say, Infinity War was a huge hit, with the ending leaving fans in shock. Even if you haven’t seen it, you’ll probably have seen this meme that was inspired by the ending:

So, yeah, it didn’t end well for the heroes. But the post-credits scene offered us hope as Nick Fury sent a message to someone with this symbol on them:

Sadly, we’d have to wait another year to see the sequel, Avengers: Endgame, and there were two more MCU movies out between then. While Ant-Man and the Wasp was fun, its overall purpose was to put Scott Lang in position for his role in Endgame. All that’s left is the Marvel Universe’s trump card, and the person who I think will have a huge role in defeating Thanos, Captain Marvel.

Ironically, despite being one of the strongest superheroes in the Marvel universe, and even sharing the company’s name, those who wear the title of Captain Marvel aren’t as famous as heroes like the Avengers. Nor have they had an easy life. The original was a Kree warrior who became one of the universe’s greatest heroes, but whose career was cut short when he died of cancer.

The next one, the son of the original, went temporarily insane and destroyed, then remade, the entire universe.

As for Carol Danvers, just click here and you’ll see. Given the history behind the character, you can bet I was excited for Captain Marvel. And, even though this is coming later than most, I just wanted to give my review for the origin film for the Avengers trump card, Captain Marvel.

The Plot

I’ll just go over the bare bones of the plot for this. Taking place thirteen years before Iron Man, the film stars Carol Danvers, an amnesiac soldier with the ability to fire energy blasts from her body. Part of an elite squad in the Kree Empire, Starforce, she fights their shape shifting enemies, the Skrulls. But when a mission goes wrong, she gets separated from her comrades and stranded on Earth with the Skrulls in pursuit. Teaming up with a younger Nick Fury to get home, Carol instead discovers her past on Earth as well as secrets that change everything she thought she knew.

The film’s plot seems like a mixture of past Marvel films. It has the sci-fi, retro pop culture elements of Guardians of the Galaxy (some of the Kree from GOTG appear in younger forms) and the spy-thriller elements found in Captain America: Winter Soldier. If you have seen the source material and the other films, you can expect what will happen in Captain Marvel. While this makes the plot a little bit predictable, it doesn’t make it any less fun. When it comes down, isn’t that all that matters?

Our Two Heroes

I will be upfront about my opinion on Carol Danvers: I like her. She’s strong, confident, and she doesn’t take crap from anyone. As shown in flashbacks, she has had to spend her entire life having people look down on her because she’s a girl, or just make passes at her. So how does she respond? By being as sassy as hell, and it is awesome to watch.

Some of my favorite moments with Carol have to do with her dealing with guys who tried hitting on her. In a flashback, some loser tries to show her the meaning of the word “cockpit”, and she beat the guys face in. When a biker tried to hit on her, she stole his bike.

I see why some people would complain about Carol being portrayed with a feminist agenda in mind. She doesn’t always act strong and tough, though. The movie reveals that, deep down, she’s troubled by her insecurities about her past, or the lack of one. It reminds us all that, for all her power, she’s still human and has to deal with those problems.I liked Carol Danvers, and that’s enough for me.

Nick Fury

Of course, this film wasn’t just about Carol Danvers. It was as much an origin story for another character, one that we’ve already known for years: Nick Fury.

The Fury that we see in this film hasn’t turned into the cynical, tough-as-nails spy. He thinks that the most important days in his career are behind him with the Cold War ending, but the events of this film open his eyes.

His adventures with Carol teach Nick that there are threats in the cosmos that he couldn’t begin to comprehend; threats that ordinary people won’t be able to stop. It also taught him how much a single, extraordinary person can do in the face of impossible odds. When you look back on the MCU with Captain Marvel in mind, Fury’s actions show how much of an impact Carol had on him. The end of the film even shows that she’s what inspires the concept of the Avengers.

At the same time, the film also makes a notable effort to humanize Nick Fury, much to the audience’s amusement. The trailer showed us that Fury’s a cat person, but did you know he loves the 60s singing group the Marvelettes, and can sing a good rendition of their hit “Please Mr. Postman”. Or how he got his eye-patch. Rumor has it that he lost his eye when the Kree destroyed it for refusing to talk. The truth is actually funnier.

The point being, this film did a great job at giving fans the origins to one of the most important characters in the MCU.

References and Easter Eggs

Being that this film was set in the 1990s, you can bet that there were millennials who were on the hunt for references to 90s culture alongside the normal Marvel Easter Eggs. Here are a few of the 90s pop culture reference I liked the most:

• Blockbuster- I remember seeing the trailer for Iron Man at my local Blockbuster 11 years ago, and now it doesn’t exist except for one store somewhere in the US.
• Internet Cafes- I don’t remember these, but they look like ancient. We still have them today, but I think now they’re called Starbucks
• Slow Computers- Thank god our computers are a thousand times faster than they were in 1995.
• The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air: Never saw the show during its run, but I know it was one of Will Smith’s defining roles. Loved how casually Monica Rambeau mentioned the show.

The thing I remember the most about the 90s, though, was sadly not referenced in the film: 90s Nicktoons. Growing up, Nickelodeon was where I watched my daily fix of cartoons. Granted, some of the ones I really liked didn’t come out until after 1995, but they at least could have included a Rugrats cameo.

Stan Lee Cameo

But the biggest easter egg was always going to be the one that would bring tears to our eyes: Stan Lee’s posthumous cameo. It’s still hard for fans to accept that Stan’s really gone, and unless Marvel decides to just include images of him in future films, 2019 will probably mark the last of his cameos. Aside from the opening paying tribute to the film, Captain Marvel had one of Stan Lee’s best cameos. And it got very meta.

1995 saw the release of Kevin Smith’s film, Mallrats. At the time, it didn’t perform well in the box office, and critics bashed it pretty hard. Since coming out on home video, it has become a cult classic. One of the more memorable moments is when Stan Lee appears as himself to offer romantic advice to one of the main characters. In a nod to this, Stan’s cameo in the film has him practicing his lines for Mallrats while riding the subway. It’s a moment that equally nostalgic and makes fans want to chuckle at the joke.

My Verdict

I don’t care what the haters have to say, I don’t care what the other critics have to say about this. I liked Captain Marvel, and I thought that it was a well-written way to lay some extra groundwork for the MCU. It basically answers the question few may have thought to ask: what inspired Fury to create the Avengers? Now that we know, the MCU is better as a whole. It may not have lived up to the stakes that were set by Infnity War, but to be fair, nothing Marvel does between then and Endgame would live up to it. This movie is like the last piece to the eleven-year long saga that Marvel has been building up to. This film is the calm before the final storm that will rip through the MCU in one month, and I am grateful for that.

Some people may complain that Captain Marvel isn’t good enough to stand on its own as a film, but the MCU has proven that it doesn’t have to. It’s part of a larger universe, and it fits into it very well.

I Give Captain Marvel a 4/5

Click here to see my reviews for various films.

2019 will be upon us in a matter of hours, and there is already so much to look forward to. It is a tradition of mine every time the new year rolls around to look over all the things that I have to look forward to in 2019. Now that I have this blog, I thought “why not share it with everyone?”

Then I suddenly realized that a lot of the things I have to look forward to in the new year involve the end to stories that I have followed for years. So I decided to call 2019 “The Year of Endings”.

Dragon Ball Super: Broly

BROLY’S LEGEND FIRST BEGAN IN 1993, WITH BICEPS BIGGER THAN GOKU’S HEAD AND A HEART THAT LONGED TO BE FREE!

Broly Chronicles, Team Four Star

This is the Dragon Ball film that fans have waiting for. The reason can be summed up in a single, five-letter word: B-R-O-L-Y.

Debuting in the 1993 film Broly: The Legendary Super Saiyan, Broly has proven to be among the most popular villains in the Dragon Ball franchise. This is in spite of the criticism to his backstory, which Team Four Star has summed up as being “really dumb”. So when it was announced that a reworked version of Broly was going to be the main villain in the next Dragon Ball film, fans went bananas. It premieres on January 16th in the US, and I got tickets for opening night. And you can bet your bottom dollar that I’m going to write about it after I’m done! If the reviews are any indication, though, I am not going to be disappointed.

Kingdom Hearts III

To say that I have been waiting for this game would be an understatement. It has been six years since Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance. That’s the same amount of time since Square Enix first announced this game. On top of that, it’s been nearly fourteen years since Kingdom Hearts II came out. So, I have been waiting for a long time.

I’m gonna get that game, then I’m going to play it until I beat it on the hardest difficulty. It’s as simple as that. And I hope that it is one of the best games that I have ever played, or I am going to feel an empty hole in my heart for the rest of my days.

Captain Marvel

First referenced in the post-credits scene of Avengers: Infinity War, she is going to be playing a big role in Avengers: Endgame. Before that happens though, Marvel is going to take us back to the origin of Captain Marvel.

Taking place in the 1990s, the movie is going to give us the origin story of the titular hero as she uncovers the secrets to her past as she protects Earth from an intergalactic war. It also shows more about the past of Nick Fury and how he came to know Captain Marvel. Plus, Phil Coulson will be coming back! He’s been plenty active in Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., but the last time he was on the big screen was in the original Avengers movie. This will be a welcome return.

With this being the only film left before Endgame, there’s a lot riding on this film. Knowing Marvel and Disney, I am not worried. It’s going to be weird seeing Blockbuster again, though.

Avengers: Endgame

Dear god, where do I even begin with this. There’s not enough time in the day. This is part two to the story that the MCU has been building up from since the very beginning. Everything we have seen, everything that has happened, has all led to this moment. Infinity War ended with the Avengers be completely defeated by Thanos as he wiped out half the universe. This movie is going to be about picking up the pieces and figuring out how to fix things. The stakes have never been higher.

I know that Thanos’ actions will be largely undone. The fact that there’s another Spider-Man film coming makes that clear. Still, there is no guarantee that not every hero is going to make it out of this movie alive, which makes it all the more agonizing to have to wait for. If you’ve read the comics this is based on, you can get a bit of an idea of how this might end, but I am still excited to find out.

This film is going to mark the end of the MCU as we know it, with a new status quo being set up afterwards. It’s the end of an era for Marvel. Perhaps the most bittersweet thing about this film is that it will be one of the final confirmed appearances of Stan Lee doing his cameo. Something in my gut told me that the story of Thanos and the Infinity Gauntlet was always going to be Stan Lee’s final cameo, and I was right. It’s fitting that the finale to this stage of the MCU will include a final appearance behind one of the men who created Marvel. I think I might cry when I see him.

Game of Thrones Season 8

For nine years, Game of Thrones has shocked and captivated audiences around the world. I could spend an entire blog talking about how big the show has become. But the Song of Ice and Fire will be coming to its end in April 2019. And it is going to be one of the biggest events in television history.

So many questions are going through my head about the final season: who is going to live? Who will die? Will Westeros survive the White Walkers or not? Given the show’s history, I will not be surprised to see some of the remaining characters die, but we simply don’t know which ones will! Everyone is on the chopping block in the finale; literally everyone. While I wish for either Jon or Daenerys to make it out of the show alive, I am trying to make peace with the fact that they may not.

There’s only one thing I want more than anything in the final season: to see Cersei Lannister die. If she dies, I hope it’s by one of the following:

• Jaime Lannister kills her himself.
• Arya Stark kills her
• If she is pregnant, she dies giving birth to a dwarf.

While I’d love for her demise to be violent and painful (she deserves it), I’m hoping it’s option three for ironic reasons. The best kind of reasons. If Westeros freezes over, I’ll at least have the satisfaction of seeing her get what she deserves.

Star Wars: Episode IX

The new Star Wars Trilogy will be coming to an end in 2019. Disney is keeping a really tight ship in regards to that, though, so I don’t have anything to show of it. What I do know is that it takes place one year after Episode VIII and that it claims it will be the final chapter of the Skywalker saga. I don’t know about that, but if this is the finale to Star Wars as we know it, then it’s going to have to work extra hard.

I’ve been on the fence about the sequel trilogy since the beginning, to be honest. I thought that Return of the Jedi was already a great way to wrap up the story of the Skywalkers. That, and the franchise had been carried on by books, TV shows, and video games that spanned into the future of the original cast and thousands of years into the past. It felt like a waste to see most of that shoved to the side. So I have taken the sequel trilogy with a grain of salt.

I also didn’t like how they turned Luke into, in my own words, a whiny old man. He was almost the complete opposite of the Luke I watched and read about as a kid. I just hope that this is going to be good.

End of the Road

The end of the road is always a bittersweet moment, but one that we have to deal with, eventually. I have so many things to look forward to in 2019, and many of them involve endings to stories that I have followed for years. Mind you, they are not ending for good. Game of Thrones already has a prequel series planned. I think Square Enix will continue Kingdom Hearts someday. And I know that Disney is not going to give up on Star Wars or the MCU. They already have the next Spider-Man film set for July.

It’s going to be an interesting year for everyone, and I honestly can’t wait to see what 2019 brings us. So, from me to you, HAPPY NEW YEAR!