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RESIDENT EVIL: WELCOME TO RACCOON CITY THOUGHTS

2021-11-27T01:49:00.000-08:00

Video game movies never live up to what the game were, everyone knows this. Yet when you see they are doing a movie for a game you loved, you get excited and want it to be as good as the game. You have a great story and characters. Everything is laid out for you to make a awesome movie. And everyone once in a great while you get a good one, the first Silent Hill for example. This movie...is not one of them.

It's hard to believe with such great characters and story of Resident Evil that you could screw up and make a bad movie. Yet director and writer Johannes Roberts did that very thing. You would think before making a movie based on a video game, you would at least maybe played the game or even watch a play through on YouTube. Throwing in some nostalgia to the time period and some iconic game plots and items don't make up for just throwing the characters in this movie and calling it Resident Evil.

This movie takes place in 1998, same as when the game came out. Here is the synopsis:

Welcome to Raccoon City, once the booming home of pharmaceutical giant Umbrella Corp. The company's exodus left the city a wasteland, a dying town with great evil brewing below the surface. When that evil is unleashed, a group of survivors must work together to uncover the truth behind Umbrella and make it through the night.

I get when changing from game to movie you can go scene for scene, and I don't expect that. One of the issues with this movie is that they tried to cram in both Resident Evil one and two into one movie. That is a lot of lore to cover for one movie. In this movie they take story lines and twist them.

Without trying to get into spoilers, Chris and Clair in the game and movie lose there parent at a young age. The difference between the game and movie is that in the movie they have them living as orphans in Raccoon City. Chris becomes all about the town and is basically raised by Dr. William Birkin. Now Chris never meets Dr. Birkin, they are from two different games. Chris was not in the second game where he appears.

So many more different things, but my biggest problems is how they portrayed Leon S. Kennedy! Now you can say I am bias about this because he is my favorite character in the whole series. I hated the actor they chose for him, he looks nothing like Leon. I can look past that. But I can't look past how they made a character that is a strong, smart, witty, and bad ass person as Leon is, and made him a bumbling idiot. In this movie he can barley handle himself or a gun. He is a rookie in Raccoon City cause he shot his partner in the butt and his daddy, who is some powerful somebody, got him transferred instead of getting fired from the force.

They make it seam like he can't handle a gun and needs to be saved all the time. The complete opposite of his character. And it is getting old, this trend of having to make men a weaker character needing to be saved by a woman as how Clair had to keep saving Leon. In the game both Clair and Leon are both strong people who can take care of themselves. We can have both a strong male and female lead characters. One don't have to be better then the other to seem more modern.

Also, don't get me started on how they did Albert Wesker. Such a big and important character, and you just throw away all his important back story and make up a new one.

Now as I said before about throwing in some nostalgic, there was some good things. Putting in keys shaped like the special keys in the second game. The similarities to the police department. Adding the Raccoon City Orphanage. When they opened a box for a weapon and it was the same as the storage boxes as the game. And of course throwing in the "Jill Sandwich" reference was all great.

Even though they do a better job keeping to events from the first two games more then the Resident Evil movies starring Milla Jovovich, they once again stray from the source material two much. Acting was subpar at the most. The little girl they got to play Sherry Birkin had no emotes at all.

As a fan of these games I just want to keep the heart of the game's story and characters. As the director or actor in a video game movie I say this, play the games or watch/read up on the source material. Not just to make a good movie, but because us fans of the games deserve it for making it popular enough to make a movie out of it.

MAKING POZOLE FOR DINNER FOR THE FIRST TIME

2021-01-10T22:28:00.003-08:00

I am half Mexican and half White and love to cook. I love trying to do recipes of food I have never cooked before. Don't really have a style of cooking, I really like just trying to challenge myself to trying to cook food I love. One of my favorite things to cook is Mexican. One thing I have never made before, but have great memories of my grandma making, is pozole. Now my grandma is still around, but I don't live right next door to her anymore.

Since my grandma don't cook all the great food she did when I was younger, I have started doing it myself and of those things is pozole. I remember coming over to my grandma's house with the whole house smelling so good from the food she cooked. Sitting down and her bring me a big bowl of pozole with some corn tortillas some freshly cut lemons to squeeze on top with some chopped onions and oregano.

If you are wondering what pozole is a Mexican soup made with pork and hominy. It can also be made with chicken, but we have always had it with pork. There is also different kinds like green, red, and white colored soup. Red is the one that I like the best, and is the way grandma made it. There is not a lot that goes into the soup, but the process takes some time. Since the soup was just pork and hominy I thought it would be a super fast and easy....wrong. Well easy but not fast.

Making the sauce was something I was not expecting to be such a chore. I was thinking it was just put this or that in the water and it would turn out red and with flavor. Had to clean and roast some guajillo peppers, then put in some boiling water. Then put that in a blender with some garlic and slat. Pour that into the water with the pork that was browned already and hominy and let cook for 2-3 hours. Now of course there was some other items that went into the water like more garlic, bay leaves, and other seasonings.

It came out pretty good if I do say so myself for the first time trying to make it. My brother in-law who never had tried pozole before really liked it. Both my parents and in-laws really liked it, and of course my wife. My dad's only criticism was the same as my own, and that was that the pork could have been seasoned better. All they kept telling me to put was salt, and I could have added more then I did. I also think that next time I will add other seasoning to give it more flavor.

That is part of the fun when cooking, is figuring out how you can make the recipe better and your own thing. I have done that with other things I cook. One of the soups that everyone loves when I cook is albondigas, another Mexican soup. When I first started cooking that soup the recipe had me do one thing, but I have changed things here or there to make it my own and how I like it. I will continue to cook different types of food that I like. Even though I do stick with a lot of Mexican dishes, I am not afraid of trying to make food that is not in my wheel house.

2020...WHAT A YEAR

2020-12-27T04:00:00.002-08:00

Sitting here thinking back about this crazy year of 2020. You never really know what a new year will bring you. You always hope for the best, but life is crazy and loves to throw curve balls at your plans. Hell, I was suppose to have my twentieth high school reunion this year, and that didn't happen. I can only speak for myself, but not all of this past year was bad. There was a lot of good that happen along with the bad during, dare I say it, Corona Virus pandemic.

I started January a little sick, which I do believe was the Corona Virus. Had a cough for like three weeks and had a fever for a couple of days. This past for me, but the wife had it way worst. She was told it was a upper respiratory infection by the doctors, which people were told they had before they found out about the virus big as big as it got here in America. We both got through that and are fine, but to think that back when we got sick, we just thought it was some random sickness going around....if we only knew what was coming. We also found out we had to leave the place we was living at cause the owner wanted to sell the house.

February got to see my best friend's little brother get married. I have known him since he was five years old. It was crazy see this little guy, who is taller then me now, getting married. Been around him most of his life growing up. It was also great getting to see the rest of there family that I had not seen in a while.

March was one of my favorite months as I went with my wife's family to Disneyland for our niece's fifth birthday. I had not been to Disneyland since 2007. It was a long over do trip since I am a huge Disney fan. Had a blast on the rides and seeing both my nieces having a awesome time. Got to see the new Star Wars Land, which is great. Ran into two high school friends while walking around the park. And I don't know how many times we went on Pirates Of The Carrabin. Sadly the Haunted Mansion was shut down for repairs. Still did not stop all the fun that we had on the trip. Also meet up with a fellow Woody Show fan. He lives down in the L.A area, and we met up after talking on Instagram and Twitter forever. The following week is when they started shutting everything down for COVID, so we had just made it.

Also the wife and I moved into our new place shortly after getting back from Disneyland. Now the reason this is a big deal is that we was living with my parents. I have said this before on this blog, but I got hurt at work and was out of work for four years with three surgeries within those four years. So we had to move back in with my parents and it took awhile to get back on our feet. When we found out that we all had to move at the start of the year, we decided to move on our own away from my parents. My brother in-law moved in with us and its been really good for the wife and I.

Not a lot happen over the summer since everything was shut down. I did turn thirty-eight in May. With everything being shut down, all the concerts we had planned got canceled and everything else was closed down.

I did sadly lost my Uncle Keith to cancer in June. Found out he was had it in May and had high hopes that he would be able to beat it. And then it took over and we lost him a month later. Sadly I have not been as close to my uncle, aunt, and two cousins for awhile. I hate myself for not trying to keep more in touch with them prior my uncle's death. I know it goes both ways, but still, I could have put in more effort. Because of all this COVID crap, we could not get together for a funeral or even a memorial. I miss you Uncle Keith, and sorry for not reaching out more.

August was not the best of months for me. I think all of the lockdown stuff finally hit me. I had a rough month that I really didn't talk about. A hit a depression that lasted the whole month. I finally broke down and talked about it on my podcast that is about the paranormal, yeah I kind of went off script on that episode. I just really needed to get some stuff off my chest, and it helped a little. Not one to share my feelings, and I let a little of that go in that episode. I will add a link to that episode if you would like to hear that one blow.

Just A Normal Conversation

One of the best times of the year happen in October when I had all three of my nieces at my place and we had a little dance party. That is a memory I will cherish forever.

November was a blast! I flew out to Indiana and got to hangout with my friends Josh, Alyx, and Brett from the PTO Unlimited Podcast. This was a trip I had planned pre COVID, and they had flights running again when my trip was suppose to happen, so I still went. First time visiting the mid-west and had never been that far east before. I also got to meet and hanging out with my boy Kyle from the Back In Time Podcast for the first time who happens to live in the same town as my friends from the PTO Unlimited Podcast.

Was in town and staying with Josh and Alyx for a week. We recorded a podcast, played some game while live streaming, and more. Got to meet other friends at the same time, Rick and Rob. Went to a bar and the last night I was there and sang Karaoke. Was out so late that night, I got to the airport right when the plane was boarding. But I wouldn't of had it any other way, was such a great time and I can't wait to see them in person again.

Now we are here in December and we just celebrated Christmas. And it was a really good one over all. Hung out with my family and my wife's family. Got to watch my nieces open presents and ate great. My wife and I decorated the house and got a real tree this year. Living with my parents, the started using a fake for the past eight or more years. So we knew we wanted to get a real tree this year. And I am not at all disappointed in it at all. Even made tamales this year!

This year has not been the greatest, but not been the worst either. Of course the lost of my uncle comes first. Not being able to go the the movies or the concerts I had planned sucked. Places we loved to go to either might close down or did cause of the shut downs, but still had a pretty good year. I never lost any work hours like so many people have this year. Kept working through it all. Got my own place again with my wife after getting back on my feet. My friend Kyle and I started a new podcast about weight loss called Chafing The Dream. Got to meet live long friends for the first time in person, and over all we are in good health. Of course hoping for a better 2021, but not just for me and my family, but for everyone. And Joe Dirt says, "We got to keep on keepin' on".

WONDER WOMAN 1984 (SPOILERS)

2020-12-26T11:39:00.006-08:00

Finally after all this time because of COVID, we get to watch the second Wonder Woman movie. Thanks to the HBO Max app, I get to anyways. Of course I would rather watch this on the big screen and not my home tv, but cause of the current situations with the theaters it is what it is.

I really enjoyed the first Wonder Woman, even though the CGI ending was a little hard to watch. Over all it was a great movie portraying one of the greatest DC Comics characters. I have a lot of thoughts on this long awaited squeal.

So much that I did a video on my thoughts along with my friend Brian. Was just a lot easier to express my thoughts on video then on here. So please go and watch the video for my full review.

MIKEY (1992) REVIEW

2020-10-21T23:07:00.005-07:00

I remember the first time watching this movie with my cousin when I was ten or eleven at my grandma's house. See back in the day there was something called a "Black Box". Well my cousin Ernie and I use to watch a bunch of movie that would probably shouldn't have been. Mikey was one of the those movies. I was scrolling through on Amazon Prime when I saw it sitting there under the free movies. My eyes lite up when I saw it and knew that I wanted it to be my first blog post after a few months off.

Mikey is a 1992 American psychological crime slasher. Stars Brian Bonsall as Mikey, a adopted young boy with seems innocent. His teacher Shawn Gilder, played by Hellraiser's Ashley Laurence, starts to suspects Mikey is not so innocent. Mikey show his new family what kind of violent psychopath he really is.

I have not watched this movie in about twenty years, yet was still entertained the whole time. Rated R cause of the violence, Mikey over all is not a bloody or even gory. It is not needed in this movie, but a little more blood would have been nice. What makes this movie good is how well Brian Bonsall played Mikey. Turning being innocent or psychotic on and off so easily. Making you wonder when and who he was going to turn on.

Mikey was banned from release in the United Kingdom following the James Bulger murder in 1993 in Liverpool. The murder was of a two year old boy by two ten year old boys. The BBFC refused to issue a release for the movie, it is still banned from the United Kingdom till this day.

Mikey is a different kind of slasher/horror movie then your normal supernatural killer movie. Mikey is a smart slasher movie that I like cause its so different. As much as I love the Freddy Krueger, Jason Voorhees, Michael Myers, Chucky classic slasher movies, this brings a fresh take on the whole genre. Its a good movie if your looking for something different in the slasher/horror department. And speaking of Freddy and Jason, one of there tag lines for the movie is, "Remember, Jason and Freddy were kids once, too." Which always makes me smile, don't know why I like that so much, but I do.

HAUNT (2019) REVIEW

2020-08-01T00:59:00.000-07:00

I just got done watching Haunt on the Shudder horror app. Haunt is a 2019 movie that is an American slasher film that debut first at the Popcorn Frights Film Festival and later got a premiere at FrightFest over seas. Then finally got a limited release by Momentum Pictures. Directed by Scott Beck and Bryan Woords, and had Eli Roth as a producer. All reviews have been mostly positive from critics and audiences. I have been interested in giving it a chance, so when my wife suggested it, I put it on.

The movie Haunt takes place on Halloween in Illinois. A group of friends are out partying for Halloween when they go out looking for a good haunted house. They find one that promises to feed on there darkest fears. The group soon finds out that this is no normal haunted house and must try and survive a horrifying nightmare.

I have mixed feeling about this movie but before I get hate, let me explain. I really enjoyed this movie for the plot, kills, and originality of the story and characters. Had some great gory kills, yet was not over the top with the gore. I jumped with a few great jump scares, which is always a big plus for me. Haunt does not take a hour to set up the characters and gets right into the plot of friends looking for a good time. Pretty much everything you want in a horror movie.

The issues I have with the movie is, and I will try do this without any spoilers, the way the characters act in the movie. I get the whole cliche of a "dumb teenager" in horror movies, but this goes over the top. When they had weapons to defend themselves they get ride of them or leave them behind. They added parts to the movie to make you feel for a certain character that was not necessary at all. I am guessing they are trying to get you to feel more for that character, but if they had all that removed it would not have changed the main plot at all. In horror movies there is always some dumb decisions made, but more then one takes the cake in the movie. And how can they play that bad version of Rob Zombie's Dragula at the end of the movie?

With all that said, the things that I didn't like did not out way the things I did like. I would definitely give this another watch. If you are wondering what those things are that I didn't like or thought could be taken out, I can discuss in the comments with you, just ask.

Overall Haunt is well worth the watch. Entertaining with some good scares and story. A good choice for a nighttime movie with popcorn and scare. Available for rent on Amazon Prime, Vudu, and YouTube. Free on the Shudder app.

INMATE #1: THE RISE OF DANNY TREJO DOCUMENTARY

2020-07-15T22:29:00.001-07:00

I just got done watching the documentary dedicated to the Latino actor Danny Trejo. In the documentary they talk about Danny's life which includes his time as a alcohol/drug user and time in prison. How he overcame the diversity and struggle growing up in his home town of Pomona in Southern California to the star we know today. From armed robber to boxing champ at San Quentin to the being on the big screen. And how he gives back to teach and give people hope in there life.

The Only Things That Were Available To Me Were Either Be A Laborer Or Be A Drug Dealer. So I Became An Armed Robber. It Was A Lot Simpler.

Danny Trejo saw the path he was on and where it was headed and made the changes he need to become the man he is today. But he did not forget where he came from and tries to help not only the neighborhood that he grew up in, but people in general to be better. Telling his life experiences to people in prisons, high schools, troubled youth, and people struggling with substance abuse. His goal is to help as many people as he can, telling people to learn through his mistakes.

Never miss a moment!I would rather shoot for the moon and miss than for the gutter and make it!-Danny Trejo

I fully enjoyed this documentary! Danny Trejo is someone I have followed on the movie screen for a long time. Every time I see that he is going to be in a movie, I get excited. He is one of my favorite actors. He is a big and hero not only in the Latino community, but to anyone that is struggling in life. He proves that you can over come with faith and a goal. Also anyone who suffers from alcohol and drug abuse can rise above it. I highly suggest watching this documentary that can be found on Amazon Prime for $5.99.

MY SPY REVIEW

2020-07-05T22:02:00.000-07:00

A movie I was looking forward to see this year was the movie My Spy. Sadly due to the COVID-19 outbreak, it was not able to come out in theaters. It was suppose to debut in theaters around March 2020. Amazon Prime did get the rights to play the movie April 8th, 2020. Starring Dave Bautista, Chloe Coleman, and Kristen Schaal, My Spy is a action comedy directed by Peter Segal. Now as I said, I was looking forward to this movie, but a friend of mine thought it did not look entertaining. In fact I texted him I was going to watch it and I got a sick face emoji from him.

My Spy sees CIA agent JJ on a surveillance operation when he is caught by nine year old Sophie. JJ makes a deal with Sophie in exchange for not blowing his cover. Sophie has JJ show her how to become a spy. JJ who thinks this will be a easy task, soon finds out that Sophie is not easily outwitted.

I fully enjoyed this movie. I was laughing throughout this whole movie. Bautista is a really good actor. Every time I see him in the movie, he becomes one of my favorite things about the movie. Stuber that came out in 2019 was okay, it had its moments, but Bautista is what made that movie. My Spy tops that one all around.

One thing about this movie though is that I wish they would have built up the villain of the movie. I liked that they stayed focused on JJ and Sophie, but the whole reason JJ is there is to get info on the villain just to have in in a total of ten minutes of the movie. They could have change the mission he was on to get to the same end of the movie.

Besides some cussing, which I didn't think was all that bad, this is a good funny movie you could watch with your family or just as a comedy by yourself. Bautista is good in a comedy and action role, and you get both in this movie. It really sucks that this movie did not get a real theater debut, I really think it would have been a good box office hit. It is definitely worth the watch, and is free if you have Amazon Prime.

YOU SHOULD HAVE LEFT REVIEW

2020-06-30T22:07:00.000-07:00

I just finished the latest movie from Blumhouse Productions, You Should Have Left. Starring Kevin Bacon and Amanda Seyfried, the movie is based off a book of the same name that came out in 2017 by Daniel Kehlmann. I came across the trailer earlier this year and was instantly interested. It looked creepy and like it would be a good thriller. A lot of paranoia and shadiness leads our characters down a path that sets the course of the movie.

When Theo and Susanna go to Wales for a getaway with there daughter Ella, they think it is a good way to reconnect with themselves and marriage. Then strange things start to happen to Theo and Ella. They soon find out that the house the rented for there getaway has a dark past.

I enjoyed this movie for what it is. Kevin Bacon was good as he always is, and is paired well with Amanda Seyfried. Is it the best thriller out there, maybe not, but it is a entertaining movie. There is a mystery around Theo and his past, and as it starts to catch up with him. Now I do wish there was more going on in the first act like there was in the last. It does feel like the first part of the movie drags a little. It is a good movie to checkout maybe when the price for rental goes down from the twenty dollars it is at now.

COME TO DADDY MOVIE REVIEW

2020-06-16T22:46:00.001-07:00

Come To Daddy is labeled as a comedy horror, but I would say it is more of a horror thriller. I first heard of this movie from my cousin Brian who host the Terrible Terror Podcast. After showing me the trailer I was hooked and wanted to see it. One thing that I loved about the trailer is that it gives nothing way from the movie. And there is a BIG twist that I am so happy did not get spoiled.

Starring Elijah Wood as a privileged man-child, (Norval), who gets a letter from his father who left him as a kid over thirty years ago. The letter only says that Norval's father wanted to see him, but didn't say why. In hopes to reconnect with this father, Norval shows up to find that his dad is not all that he hoped he would be. An abusive alcoholic, Norval starts to wonder why he is there in the first place.

This movie is the kind of thriller that makes you think the movie is going in different directions a few times. You are lead to wonder if this is a slasher, paranormal, or a psychical movie. And I enjoyed it the whole time. I did not see the twist that happens coming at all. Elijah Wood puts on a great performance as a unsure adult that has major daddy issues. Could use a good haircut, sorry had to mention the horrible hair he had.

It's hard to really get into this movie without talking spoilers. I do believe this movie is worth a watch. It's not the same old story you see over and over again. A little slow at the start, yet keeps you wondering where the story is going and how it's going to end.

My cousin Brian did a review on Come To Daddy on his podcast. He does do a full spoiler review on the episode, but is well wroth the listen. So please, make sure to check that out! I will add it below.

Listen to "Come to Daddy" on Spreaker.

THE TURNING MOVIE REVIEW

2020-06-07T22:58:00.000-07:00

Released in January of 2020, this movie was a passion project for executive producer Steven Spielberg. The Turning is a supernatural horror film that takes place in 1994. I missed this movie in the theaters, even though it did peaked my interest when I saw the trailer. Plus it was starring Finn Wolfhard from Stranger Things and IT. The movie is based on the 1898 ghost story by Henry James' The Turning OF The Screw.

The Turning is about a young nanny named Kate who takes a job to take care of a little girl who's parents had passed on. After moving into the little girl's mansion home. All seems to be well until little girl's brother shows up from boarding school. Shortly after strange events start happening plaguing Kate. Kate starts to wonder if the mansion is haunted or if its all in her head.

I was not a fan on how it ended. As I was watching the movie I was wondering where they was going with it. Are the kids really dead this whole time, was it all in Kate's head, was the older brother evil, or maybe the kids are being possessed. As the movie went on there was a few possibles. Movie has two different endings and I read that the ending they used is not the true ending.

For the ending that was used, I wish they would have put more into Kate's fear of being like her mother. That would make more sense for how it ended. I try to stay away from spoilers so I will leave it at that, but the way it did end made less sense since they did not explore that more. I can't say that I was not entertained during the movie, but the ending really made me go,"WTF", and not in a good way. This is more then just a supernatural horror, they try to get into your head with everything going on, and I think they missed the mark on that. Not sure if I would give this another watch. Finn Wolfhard is the best thing the movie got going on.

2010'S DEVIL MOVIE REVIEW

2020-06-04T22:00:00.000-07:00

Devil is another movie from 2010 I wanted to see when it came out but never made it to the theaters to see it. When it came out on DVD a few friends had seen it and told me it was not worth a watch. Now I am a person who is a firm believer in forming your own opinion when it comes to movies. Yet it took me ten years to finally sit down and watching it.

A story by M. Night Shyamalan, this movie is categorized as supernatural horror film. In this movie five strangers enter a elevator minding there own business. Suddenly the elevator gets stuck. The five trapped passengers start to get paranoid and weary of each other. But when one of them is murdered when the lights go out, everyone is a suspect. Was it one of the others or something else all together?

I really liked this movie for more then one reason. All the actors did a good job throughout the movie. It keeps you entertained wondering who is doing this and why. Also the thought of being stuck in a small space with four other people and no way out gives you the chills. Even if you're really not claustrophobic, which I can be at times, you will get that nervous itch seeing people being stuck together so close. The paranoid build up can be seen from scene to scene after each time the light would start to go out, and everyone knew something bad was about to happen. Now could you see some of the twists coming, yes, but there was one I didn't see at all. And when I caught it, it left me with my mouth dropped open.

2019 MA MOVIE REVIEW

2020-06-01T21:53:00.000-07:00

Back in May of 2019 Blumhouse Productions released the movie Ma. Listed as a psychological/suspense horror staring Octavia Spencer, Diana Silvers, Juliette Lewis, and Luke Evans. I remember seeing the trailers for Ma and thinking, this seems different, I definitely want to check it out. Well Godzilla King Of The Monster came out at the same time, and well Godzilla won for that weekend. Next thing I know, its a few months later and it was out of theaters. With me just getting the HBO Max app and it being on it, I saw that as a perfect opportunity to check it out.

The plot of Ma is a middle-aged woman befriends some high school teenagers after they ask her to buy alcohol for them. Offering her basement as a place to party after getting busted out in the open, the high school kids think they found the Holy Grail for a place to get drunk. All Ma asks is no cursing, don't go upstairs ever, and you must prove that your sober before you leave. Oh yeah, and to call her Ma. All seems great until Ma starts obsessing over the teens, making some of them second guessing who Ma really is.

Over all I did enjoy this movie even though I feel like they did missed the mark on a few things. There are flash backs to Ma when she is in high school that help you understand why is the way she is. And the movie is halfway is a revenge movie, even though it don't start off that way. And that is where I can see they missed that mark. If anything this movie should have been a revenge thing from the start. Instead we get a woman desperate for attention, and when they teenagers start to figure out Ma might not be the person she seems to be, things turn ugly. They should have focused on one or the other and not thrown both at you.

I just feel like they went from everything is great with them partying in the basement to they are starting to get creeped out by Ma to fast. Yet even after they all say never to go there again, go back for a friends birthday party. If anything I wish there had been more things that made them wary of the person Ma is. And the fact that when not only the teenagers and parents start figuring things out, it takes forever for them to call the cops.

I do have to say that Octavia Spencer who plays Ma was the best thing about this movie. I also really liked the best friend character in McKaley Miller who plays Haley, but that mostly cause she speaks her mind and tells it like it is, reminds me of someone I see when I look in the mirror. The rest of the kids just seem blah, just there to be there. Oh and the pastor's daughter....a waste of a character, what was that all about?

BIRDS OF PREY REVIEW

2020-05-27T06:29:00.000-07:00

Harley Quinn has always been a favorite character of mine from the DC Universe since she debuted in the cartoon Batman: The Animated Series. I was excited to find out she was going to be brought to the big screen when she was in the Suicide Squad, which is not everyone's favorite movie, but I thought it was okay. With her popular soaring even more after Margo Robbie portrayed her in the Suicide Squad, it was a no brainier to have her star in her own movie. And with the big competition DC has in what Marvel has done with there superhero universe, it also makes sense to expand there's with spin off movies like this one.

In Birds Of Prey Harley and The Joker have broken up which leaves Harley open to being attacked by her enemies. When with The Joker, she had immunity, but now running solo had a huge target on her back. She is also trying to show people she should be feared, and that she is more then The Joker's girlfriend. Harley's biggest threat is The Black Mask and his right hand man Victor Zsasz. When she starts to get out numbered, she will find unlikely allies in three dangerous women in The Huntress, Black Canary, and Renee Montoya.

I am going to get right to the point on how I feel about this movie......I hated it! I could not stand how they told the story. The movie keeps going back and forth between flashbacks to tell the story. Then they don't even come back to the same spot they left from, and then do another flashback to explain how they got to the point they are at now from the last flashback. The flashbacks are way to long also. I was excited when I heard about this movie coming out, but that changed from the first trailer. Right away I felt like this movie would struggle, and it did. The movie moved along so slow, and that partially because of the use of the whole flashback scenes.

Now about the characters! I din't like how they portrayed Black Mask, but I hated how they portrayed Victor Zsasz. Black Mask is suppose to be this brutal iron-fisted crime load, but comes off as silly. Victor Zsasz is such a great comic book character. He is a sadistic/psychopathic serial killer who carves a tally mark into his own skin every time he kills someone. In Birds Of Prey he is just some henchman who is more of a bumbling idiot who get pick pocketed by some random kid. I also feel like Huntress was just a after thought thrown into to have an extra powerful woman in the "Birds Of Prey" gang.

I get that they are trying to show "women power" in this movie, but down grading every male character or making it look like every guy on earth are evil is just dumb. There is nothing wrong with a strong female lead, and don't mind seeing it in movies. It was just not done right in the movie. And no appears by The Joker didn't help, even if it was just a scene where they are breaking up.

My most hated superhero movie is Iron Man 3. Anyone who know me, knows the hate I have for that movie, and is in my opinion is the worst Marvel movie of the current Marvel Universe. I can at least watch it, and throw my hate for it as I do. I was bored watching Birds Of Prey. I don't think it has any rewatch value at all.

GRETEL AND HANSEL MOVIE REVIEW

2020-05-24T21:09:00.000-07:00

When I saw the previews for Gretel and Hansel knowing the fairy tail it was based on, I thought to myself, "This should be good, no way they could screw up this movie". A movie based on the tale of two children wondering through the woods and coming across a house made of candy and cake with a witch who wants to fatten up children to have for supper, that has horror all over it. Now you throw in Sophia Lillis that was great in both IT movies, showing she has some good horror chops and possibly a scream queen in the making, they are stacking up for a great horror movie.

Gretel and Hansel does tell there own story with similarities to the fairy tale. After the death of there father and there mother going crazy threatening to kill Gretel and Hansel if they stay home, the kids are forced to leave and fend for themselves in the woods. Wondering the woods hungry and scared, they come across a house filled with food and no one around. After sneaking in to the house, the owner appears and seems to be friendly and wanting to help the two sibling. But looks could be deceiving and they soon start to wonder what they got themselves into.

With all those great elements stacked up for what should be a great horror movie, it fell flat hard. This hour an a half movie felt like it was three hours. They try to rely on some jump scars at the beginning of the movie that where not jump worthy at all. There are scenes, I get that they seem to be setting up things later in the movie, by dropping hints for some foreshadowing that where not necessary. I found myself falling asleep and waiting for a jump scar, something gory, a creepy feeling....anything! But the movie left me with two feelings, bored and happy. Happy you ask? Yes, happy that I didn't pay for this movie in the theaters, and had watching it on a Netflix DVD rental.

Now having said all that, it was a beautifully shot movie. The woods, the house, and some other scenes that would give away the movie looked great. There was one scene that could have been real creepy and looked good, but left me wanting more then what they gave me. This is a movie I did not enjoy, but I will always encourage you to form your own opinion.

2010'S THE CRAZIES REVIEW

2020-05-23T10:31:00.000-07:00

I just got done watching the movie The Crazies from 2010. It's a movie that I was always interested in seeing, but never took the time to watch it. Really surprised that I missed it in the theaters since it is a movie right up my ally. As I sat at home flipping through movies on Amazon Prime, I came across it and thought, why not finally watch this movie. My wife and brother in-law had not seen it either, so seemed like a good pick to throw some popcorn in the microwave and sit back watch and enjoy.

The Crazies takes place in a farming town where for some reason the town folks one by one start to well, go crazy. At first they think it could just be random, but when more and more of the towns people start killing loved ones for no reason, the sheriff starts to worry. After finding a dead pilot, and a large plane that crashed in a near by swamp, all hell breaks lose. The sheriff, his wife, the wife's co-worker, and the deputy try to escape the town to get help. But the Crazies are not the only ones trying to stop them from leaving town!

I really wish I had seen this movie sooner. I was entertained the whole time watching this movie. It could have had some more kills by "The Crazies", but the kills we did get where good. There is a certain kill in a car wash scene that is my favorite kill in the whole movie. Only other way besides more of the kills would have been if they had made it a little more bloody, but that's just how I like my movies. I don't need crazy gore, but a little more blood would have been nice. Only other gripe I had was the lead female, she was annoying.

Another reason I like this movie is because of the similarities I see between the movie and the video game Days Gone that came out in 2019. I don't want to say to much that would give away the movie or the game, but if you have played the game and seen this movie, you will know what I am talking about. The Crazies are not zombies like they are in Days Gone, but there still aspects that are identical. And I really would like to know if they got the idea for the game from The Crazies.

If you have not seen this movie, it is worth the watch. So pop some popcorn, kick your feet up, and enjoy The Crazies, and let me know if you think it help up from ten years ago.

THE BABADOOK REVIEW

2020-05-21T20:56:00.002-07:00

I just got done watch the Australian psychological horror movie, The Babadook. Now I know I am a little late to the party since this movie came out in 2014. My bother kept telling me to check it out, and how much he loved it. Then I recently watched the movie Z on the Shutter movie app. A few reviews I saw about Z (Z 2020 REVIEW) compared it to The Bababdook. I was even getting asked on Instagram how they compared. Since I had not seen it yet, I knew that I had to watch it and see why people compared the two.

If you have not heard about or seen The Babadook, originally premiered at the 2014 Sundance Film Festival. Directed by Jennifer Kent, starring Essie Davis(Amelia) and Noah Wiseman(Samuel) as mother and son. On the way to the hospital to give birth to Samuel, Amelia's husband gets in a car accident with only Amelia and Samuel surviving. Six years later Amelia is a single working mom struggling with depression and the stress of having to raise difficult child on her own. Samuel always thinks there are monsters around and makes traps and weapons to defend his mom. When confronted with fear he reacts with violence. This pushing away fellow classmates and Amelia's friends.

One night Amelia goes to read Samuel a bedtime story, he picks a book he has never seen before about a monster called The Babadook. From that night forward, things get worse for the two as The Babadook slowly drives Amelia crazy as she slowly mad. Is The Babadook real, or is Amelia just mentally ill?

This movie started off so slow for me. Our internet went out for about ten minutes and when it came back on and I saw we was only thirty four minutes into the movie, I was shocked! It felt like was had been watching the movie for over a hour. Having said that, I did enjoy some aspects of the movie. Essie Davis was the best thing about the movie. There is a scene where is chasing her son, and her mannerisms made the scene more creepy and also made you more involved into what was happening with the characters. Here acting was on point.

Noah Wiseman made me want The Babadook to come kill him or take him away the whole time! His character was SO annoying. Now thinking back, he did do a great job, cause you feel for Amelia and her sanity with how Samuel was crying, screaming, and was overbearing the whole movie. I spoke with some friends that have seen the movie, and they said the same thing, they hated Samuel's character. But like I said, thinking about it more and more, that is the whole point. To make you feel the stress of Amelia's life.

I guess I did like the movie a little more then I first felt after watching it. I still don't like the long slow start, and the ending I feel could have also been a little stronger. I would still say that this movie is worth a watch, at least once.

Z (2020) MOVIE REVIEW

2020-05-18T21:51:00.000-07:00

On May 7th on the Shudder horror app, the movie Z premiered. It caught my eye right away as something I might be interested in checking out. Written by Brandon Christensen and Colin Minihan, also directed by Brandon, Z is a horror movie that will keep you entertained. Starring Keegan Connor Tracy as Beth, Jett Klyne as Josh, and Sean Rogerson Kevin.

The plot of the movie is when eight year old Joshua starts talking to an imaginary friend named Z, his parents Beth and Kevin don't think much of it. Most kids have an imaginary friend at some point right? When Joshua starts acting up and goes from being a innocent little boy to a dark trouble maker that even his friends are to scared to be around, his mom starts to worry. Kevin thinks that Beth is over reacting to everything and questions her sanity when she thinks she sees Z and that he is more then an imaginary friend. Beth starts to remember things from her past when going through the house of her recently pasted mother. She to starts seeing things and believes that Z might be more then just an imaginary friend. The drawing Joshua makes on his wall of Z further the worry Beth has that Z is dangerous.

I really enjoyed this movie. The story is one that has been told before and I did see some of the twist coming, but is told in a different way. You wonder through out the movie if Z is imaginary, real, or even if Beth is just the one hallucinating the whole thing with her own metal illness. Like any horror movie they rely on jump scars, but there are more then jump scars that make it a good horror movie. The suspense of trying to figure out what is really going on will keep you watching till the end. The ending is not my favorite, but still didn't ruin what I thought to be a over all good popcorn Saturday night lights out movie. Z wants to play, but will he play nice?

MOVING TO OUR OWN SPOT

2020-05-04T15:51:00.001-07:00

   At the start of the year in February we got the news that the owner of the house we were renting was going to sell it. We had ninety days to get out and find a new place. Now lets go back a little, I had to move back in with my parents back in 2006 after I had a work injury that would put me out of work for four years. Within those four year I had three surgeries on my right wrist. Needless to say I have not been in a good spot financially to live on my own in California.


Within this time frame I had also gotten married. Did not feel great having to live with your parents with a new wife in your parents garage. But if I was going to rent out a room, might as well be with family. My wife at the time did not have a high paying job working retail. I was a heating and air/ appliance repair tech and made enough money that she could keep working those jobs and we were good money wise. I was working for a company that does not take care of there injured employees and would rather blame a random accident on the person getting hurt then to just be worried about there injured worker.

   Being out of work for four years and not bring in money, bills and debt built up. Got to the point that I stopped paying my student loan and some credit cards to make sure I could pay the rent my parents asked me for and to pay my truck payment. When the workers comp ended, the truck got reposed. I got put in a pit of debt, and living in California, while beautiful, is way to expense to try and live on your own when not making good money. I did get a settlement, but that all went towards a new truck.

   Both my wife and I have way better jobs now, and had planned to move out by 2021 after we got few things paid off. Credit score is way better, and other then my car payments and normal bills like cell phone and insurance, things are pretty much under control. We just wanted to make sure we was more on top of thing before we got our own place.

   Finding out that we had ninety days to find a new place put a big monkey wrench in our plans. Luckily we got a place not to far from where we where, and my brother in-law moved in with us to split the rent. Got to clean out my storage that we have been paying on for a little over four years. That is going to be nice to save that extra money, and we can use if to help lower some of those car payments faster. Still got a few boxes left to unpack at the time of writing this, but that all will be done soon.

   One thing that makes me laugh is a bunch of friends and family saying things like,"Must feel good to FINALLY be on your own". Well this is not the first time I lived away from my parents and on my own. I had to move back in with them after I got hurt. And yes it may seem to be as old as I am and just now moving out again, but I only moved back in with them at the time cause I had no choice. No way did I want to spent half my twenties and thirties still living with my parents. I just went with the hand I was dealt. It was apart of my life that I had to deal with, and I have had people think it was sad that I was living at home. Oh well, I did what I had to do.

   It does feel great though, coming home to MY place and just kicking my shoes off, not worried about other people in the house other then my wife. And yes my brother in-law, but he is hardly home and its different situation then the one with my family. Life is not like the movies/TV where you just move out, find a place, and everything is hunky dory. Real life throws curve balls at you, and its how you handle those curve balls that make that helps build character. After twelve years of marriage, we have our own place, its been a journey, but that is what life is.

WEB OF LIES: LOVE AT FIRST TEXT

2020-05-04T10:23:00.001-07:00

Back when this aired, I made a reaction video to the stupidity of this girl. I has become one of my most popular videos. If you have not seen the episode of Web Of Lies called Love At First Text and watched my video and don't believe me, then go check it out for yourself. It will rack your brain with how she acts! and she calls herself a mom!

RUDE PEOPLE AT DISNEYLAND

2020-04-16T10:25:00.000-07:00

This was from a resent rant talk I did on the It Be Like That Podcast. I rant about my resent trip to Disneyland.

The Grudge 2020 Review (Spoilers)

2020-01-06T16:29:00.000-08:00

Just saw the new remake of The Grudge and had to record my reaction in this new episode. There are spoilers!! Please let me know your thoughts.

Listen to "The Grudge 2020 Review (Spoilers)" on Spreaker.

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The Haunted Mansion

2019-11-24T18:18:00.000-08:00

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!! In this episode I talk about The Haunted Mansion, the famous ride at Disneyland!

Listen to "The Haunted Mansion" on Spreaker.>

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FIGHTING FOR A HEALTHIER ME

2019-08-16T12:55:00.000-07:00

Earlier this year I went to the doctors to get my ears looked at, they had been giving me trouble for a while now. Being someone who don't like going to the doctors unless I really need to, I off going when I should have gone in sooner. As always, they weigh you when go you go in and check your blood pressure. As always, and this makes my brother and father mad cause they have high blood pressure, I did not. My weight, well that is another thing all together.

I have been trying to lose weight for a few years now. Going to the gym, walking, and trying different diets. I gain a lot of weight over the course of four years when I had hurt my wrist and had to had three surgeries over that four year span. I honestly didn't even realize that I had gain so much weight, which might sound weird, but its true. It is as if I woke up one day and...BOOM, I was over two hundred pounds overweight.

Not like I have been a skinny kid my whole life, I have had weight issues since I was young. Was made fun of a lot up through Jr. High, to the point that when I got into shape playing football and track and field I still thought I was fat. I look back at old pictures of myself during my senior year and seeing what good shape I was in, and makes me think how I held myself back thinking I was still overweight. I am more comfortable in my body now way overweight, then I was when I was in high school.

With years of bad eating habits I got from my parents and the fact that I love fast food, I was not on the right track. Let me make it clear, I don't blame my parents for my weight. They did set me off with some bad eating habits, but as I got older I knew how I was eating was not healthy, yet kept on eating what I wanted. I use to work for a furniture company and ate fast food almost everyday. I kept myself pretty even with my weight from moving up and down stairs and getting in and out of the bobtails everyday. The metabolism of a teenager/early twenty year old also was a big help keeping my weight in check.

Fast forwarding to that doctors appointment, I found out that I was at the most weight that I have ever been in my life. I knew I had to do something, and something fast! I am not that old at thirty seven, but I am not that young either. The older you get, the harder it is to lose a lot of extra weight. The doctor suggested I go to a orientation for weight loss surgery. I was reluctant to go, I never thought I would need to do something like that, but after talks with family and friends, I went. A little info never hurt anyone.

After going to the orientation, I came up with a plan with my doctor. We set up a diet plan, that can be testing! I have also step up on my exercise by walking everyday and going back to the gym at least 3-4 times a week. I did have a little set back in June, but over all from January to June I have lost a total of thirty five pounds. The doctor wanted me to lose forty pounds before he would do the surgery from when I met with him after the orientation, so from that time on I have lost twenty six pounds.

As I get closer to that goal, I think of all the things I have had to miss out on wanting to do. Such as going to amusement parks and other fun activities that my weight would prevent me from doing. I have gone to places and seen the chairs and worried about if the chair could hold me up. That is one of the biggest fears to have, going to a friends wedding for example and hoping, even praying that the chair does not break. Yes that has happen. I am tried of having that fear, its not a way to live. Skipping out on sports events or concerts if there was no lawn seating. I don't want to worry about things like that.

It is time to get control back of my weight and not letting it stop me from living life the way I want to. I might hit bumps in the road, but I will not let it stop me from reaching my goals. I am not doing this for anyone else but me! I know my family cares and wants me to lose weight, but I need to do this for me and not worry about anything else. Time to stay strong and time to defeat and overcome this weight.

PARANORMAL PATIVITY PODCAST EPISODE-ANNABELLE

2019-07-16T22:07:00.000-07:00

In this episode I talk about the possessed doll Annabelle that is locked away in the Warren's occult museum. Listen to "Annabelle" on Spreaker.