Amanda Weidensjö

***This review will contain spoilers*** Summary: A half-demon paranormal investigator questions his defense of humans when a dismembered sorceress rejoins the living to wreak brutal vengeance.  I grew up watching the Hellboy movies so Ron Perlman is my Hellboy. The second movie ended with a cliffhanger of both Hellboy and Liz expecting twins. I'm disappointed we didn't get a follow up to that but instead we got a reboot.  Within the first five minutes, I knew this was going to be a tough watch. What made the original movies great was the serious themes and Del Toro (Director and Writer) knew when it needed some comedic relief. This one, however, everyone has to crack a joke or be funny every single scene. Even when flashing back to Hellboy's origin, it's all gimmicky and gives off a almost cartoonish feel to what should otherwise be a dark and occultic moment.  This was a two hour movie that was tough to watch other than a handful of scenes that piqued my interest. I di...

 ***This review will contain spoilers*** Summary: It's open season on Harley Quinn when her explosive breakup with the Joker puts a big fat target on her back. Unprotected and on the run, Quinn faces the wrath of narcissistic crime boss Black Mask, his right hand man, Victor Zsasz, and every other thug in the city. But things soon even out for Harley when she becomes unexpected allies with three deadly women- Huntress, Black Canary and Renee Montoya.  Someone needs to come and slap me across the face for not having seen this movie sooner! This movie exceeded beyond my wildest expectations! I loved Margot Robbie’s portrayal of Harley Quinn and even though the Suicide Squad movie wasn’t all that great, one shining star was her and her totally embodying Harley. Jared Leto as the Joker? Well…not so much. I’ve always been such a huge fan of DC comics growing up and I used to watch the animated Batman series on video cassette…yeah I’m that old! I’m so happy that as an adult I’ve bee...

Summary: Forever alone in a crowd, failed comedian Arthur Fleck seeks connection as he wakes the street of Gotham City, Arthur wears two masks -The one he paints for his day job as a clown, and the guise he projects in a futile attempt to feel like he's part of the world around him. Isolated, bullied and disregarded by society, Fleck begins a slow descent into madness as he transforms into the criminal mastermind known as the Joker.  This movie has taken me many years to actually see it because when it first came out, the trailer didn't seem all that interesting to me and after watching it in its entirety I still feel the same way. I'll try to focus on what I did like first before I pile on all the things I did not like about this movie. And unfortunately, it's most of the movie.  I will start off by saying that this cast was phenomenal and they played their part extremely well. They worked well together and not one person was out of place. From De Niro to Cullen they a...

 ***This review will contain spoilers*** Summary: We all have a superhero inside of us it just takes a bit of magic to bring it on. In 14 year old Billy Batson's case, all he needs to do is shout out one word to transform into the adult superhero Shazam. Still a kid at heart, Shazam revels in the new version of himself by doing what any other teen would do - have fun while testing out his new found powers. But he'll need to master them quickly before the evil Dr. Thaddeus Sivana can get his hands on Shazam's magical abilities. Opening Scene:  It's not very often where we get the background of a villain in the opening scene of the movie. But it worked beautifully the way it was done. We get to see what caused Thaddeus Sivana to grow with hatred over the years. Sivana is in a way a victim of circumstance. He had a father who spoke down to him and a brother that wasn't shy to show his disapproval and on top of it Thaddeus is transported to a magical wizard who says he...

 ***This review will contain spoilers*** Summary: Once home to the most advanced civilization of Earth, the city of Atlantis is now an underwater Kingdom ruled by the power hungry King Orm. With a vast army at his disposal, Orm plans to conquer the remaining Oceanic people and then the surface world. Standing in his way is Aquaman, Orm's half-human half-Atlantean brother and true heir to the throne. With help from royal counselor Vulko, Aquaman must retrieve the legendary Trident of Atlan and embrace his destiny as protector of the deep.  Opening scene: Now that is how you make a killer opening scene! We're given just enough backstory on Arthur and his parents without feeling exhausted going through 20+ minutes opener exploring who and what he is.  I'm very impressed with the visuals and CGI of the movie. It's so beautiful and captivating. For Atlantis being adapted to the big screen (not animated) it certainly does it justice. Jason Momoa is not my first or even hundre...

 ***This review will contain spoilers*** Summary: Figuring they're all expendable, a U.S. intelligence officer decides to assemble a team of dangerous, incarcerated Supervillains for a top-secret mission. Now armed with government weapons, Deadshot, Harley Quinn, Captain Boomerang, Killer Croc and other despicable inmates must learn to work together. Dubbed Task Force X, the criminals unite to battle a mysterious and powerful entity, while diabolical Joker launches his evil agenda of his own.  I'm not a fan of the intro to this movie. It was close to twenty minutes and that is just too long. I love Viola Davis and she is a fantastic choice to play Amanda Waller, however, the movie should have started with her since her plan to control these villains is the entirety of the plot. it felt redundant starting the movie with a montage of Dead and Harley Quinn to then have another montage of them when Waller was going over the team members in detail. What made it obvious that those t...

 ***This review will contain spoilers*** Summary: With the imminent destruction of Krypton, their home planet, Jor-El and his wife seek to preserve their race by sending their infant son to Earth. The child's spacecraft lands at the farm of Jonathan and Martha Kent, who name him Clark and raise him as their own son. Though his extraordinary abilities have led to the adult Clark living on the fringe of society, he finds he must become a hero to save those he loves from a dire threat.  I've watched a few of the DCEU movies over the last decade but to be honest I haven't really gotten a chance to watch all of them. And with James Gunn heading every DC project I have full confidence that he will usher in a new era of movie making. He's produced and directed some of my favourite childhood movies and growing up I was a DC kid and boy as an adult it has been embarrassing just how bad DC movies have gotten. Recently, they released the trailer for Superman and it looks really go...

 ***This review will contain spoilers*** Summary: Jonas Taylor leads a research team on an exploratory dive into the deepest depths of the ocean. Their voyage spirals into chaos when a malevolent mining operation threatens their mission and forces them into a high-stakes battle for survival. Pitted against colossal, prehistoric sharks and relentless environmental plunderers, they must outrun, outsmart and outswim their merciless predators. Opening scene: Set 65 Million years ago during the Cretaceous period. We see the Tyrannosaurus Rex chasing 'Snappers' or Rauisuchians who then gets eaten by a Megalodon. I quite liked this opening because it visually showed us the circle of life during that time period.  Sequels always tend to be worse than the original movie and alas this movie is not an exception. The first movie was phenomenal because it gave us so much action, we got attached to the characters and it felt like I was on the same journey as them. This go around man there w...

 ***This review will contain spoilers*** Summary: Four years after the destruction of Isla Nublar, dinosaurs now live and hunt alongside humans all over the world. This fragile balance will reshape the future and determine, once and for all, whether human beings are to remain the apex predators on a planet they now share with history's most fearsome creatures. Opening Scene: After the events at the Lockwood estate, we are given an update on the free roaming dinosaurs and how they and the humans have adapted to co-existing. As expected, a black market bloomed to take advantage of these poor creatures. Of course, to help fight the illegal poachers Biosyn genetics was awarded sole collection rights to the dinosaurs to test them for pharmaceutical purposes. I don't know if it was done on purpose but the CEO of Biosyn; Lewis Dodgson strikes a remarkable resemblance to Bill Gates. Funny how they both say they do thing to 'help' humankind yet their net worth increases by the b...

 ***This review will contain spoilers*** Summary: Three years after the destruction of the Jurassic World theme park, Owen Grady and Claire Dearing return to the Island of Isla Nublar to save the remaining dinosaurs from a volcano that's about to erupt. They soon encounter terrifying new breeds of gigantic dinosaurs, while uncovering a conspiracy that threatens the entire planet.  I have been a fan of the Jurassic films since I was a little child. And being born in the 90's I have watched the original trilogy so many times I have lost count at this point. I absolutely loved the first Jurassic World film when it came out and am so happy they came out with a sequel. I will say sometimes sequels have a hard time surpassing the original film and quite frankly this one while being great just was not as good as the first Jurassic World movie.  I am happy that the story finally continues, however, I wish they would have been a little more original. A volcano erupting on the isla...

 ***This review will contain spoilers*** Summary: Grace couldn't be happier after she marries the man of her dreams at his family's luxurious estate. There's just one catch -- she must now hide from midnight until dawn while her new in-laws hunt her down with guns, crossbows and other weapons. As Grace desperately tries to survive the night, she soon finds a way to turn the tables on her not-so-lovable relatives. Ready Or Not is definitely a unique movie with a never before scene plot (at least to me). Movies lately have been such a shitshow with things being either rebooted, recycled or just a similar plot with shitty acting. There's never any original material but this movie is definitely something I've never scene before. And I've seen a lot of movies. (correct me in the comments if you've seen a movie similar to this before)  I love that the movie's opening scene is when the Le Domas brothers were young and the family was hunting the newly married ma...

 *This review will contain spoilers* Summary: British Operative Peggy Carter Joins the nascent S.H.I.E.L.D organization in search of the 'Zodiac' key. Agent Carter also battles her misogynistic, bureaucratic Boss, Agent Flynn.  I know that this is meant to be a short film of 15 minutes or less but I thought they would have used up the time effectively. All that really happened was Carter being judged and undermined by Agent Flynn, she ended up going on a dangerous mission by herself to retrieve a vial? After her successful mission, Howard Stark calls through the hotline and asks Agent Flynn to tell Agent Carter she is going to become the head of Shield.  That's it. Nothing else. I have no clue what the heck the Zodiac key is from this one shot. All I know that Agent Carter had a hard time by her fellow colleagues and she kicks ass in the field. If we really wanted to jumpstart something here a little more info on the Zodiac key would have been the best thing to do. Peggy ...

***This review will contain spoilers*** Summary: Scientist Bruce Banner desperately seeks a cure for the gamma radiation that contaminated his cells and turned him into the Hulk. Cut off from his true love Betty Ross and forced to hide from his nemesis, Gen. Thunderbolt Ross, Banner soon comes face to face with a new threat, a supremely powerful enemy known as the Abomination.  No matter how many times I've watched this movie I never get bored of it. It's a solid movie through and through and even over a decade later it is still a better movie than some of the newer ones being produced. Now that's saying something!  Edward Norton portrayed Bruce Banner perfectly, he was able to demonstrate his emotional tortured side of the aftermath of the Hulk, while also demonstrating the gentle side of Bruce. He carried the movie well and was a natural! Honestly, the entire cast was amazing. Liv Tyler was beyond gorgeous, brought Betty Ross to life in an amazing manner and wasn't an...

 ***This review will contain spoilers**** Summary: Paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren take on one of the most sensational cases of their careers after a cop stumbles upon a dazed and bloodied young man walking down the road. Accused of murder, the suspect claims demonic possession as his defense, forcing the Warrens into a supernatural inquiry unlike anything they've ever seen before.  Opening scene: Ed and Lorraine are helping a little boy named David with an exorcism. The demon leaves David alone, unfortunately, Arne invites the demon into him. As if the night couldn't get any crazier, Ed ends up having a major heart attack that was caused by the demon possessing the little boy's body.  This was such an intense and well done movie. I feel that's a theme with reviewing the Conjuring movies. I always say they were well done and executed perfectly. But in all honesty, I loved every single one of them including this one. In this movie, we're expanding and...

 ***This review will contain spoilers*** Summary: Determined to keep Annabelle from wrecking more havoc, paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren lock the possessed doll in the artifact room in their house. But when the doll awakens the room's evil spirits, it soon becomes an unholy night of terror for the couple's 10-year old daughter, her babysitter and her friends.  Opening scene:  Ed and Lorraine take the Annabelle doll but on the way home their car mysteriously breaks down in front of a cemetery and a spirit tries to kill Ed by pushing him in the path of a truck. The doll is a beacon for spirits and not even a couple of minutes into their artifact room and other spirits were acting out.  This movie was exactly what I was asking for! I always wanted the universe to expand to show more of these old cases that the Warrens worked on in the past and to expand some more on the artifact room. This movie was spot on amazing, had great actors and the story was rea...

 ***There will be spoilers in this review*** Summary: When a young nun at a cloistered Abbey in Romania takers her own life, a priest with a haunted past and a novitiate on the threshold of her final vows are sent by the Vatican to investigate. Together they uncover the order's unholy secret. Risking not only their lives but their faith and their very souls, they confront a malevolent force in the form of the same demonic nun from the Conjuring 2 as the abbey becomes a horrific battleground between the living and the damned.  Opening scene: Taking place in 1952, we are automatically being reintroduced to the same demonic entity; Valak that the Warrens fought. The demon is hunting down nuns in an abbey and wrecking havoc on their lives. The haunting is so severe that one of the nuns takers her own life to escape the demon and prevent it from possessing her body.  From start to finish, this is a frighteningly well done movie. It brings all the elements from the previous con...

 ***This review will contain spoilers*** Summary: It's been 29 years since someone lit the black flame candle and resurrected the 17th century Sanderson sisters, and they are looking for revenge. Now it is up to three high school students to stop the ravenous witches from wreaking a new kind of havoc on Salem before dawn on all Hollow's Eve. Opening scene: We are transported to 17th century Salem and see the 'origin' of the Sanderson sisters. Even as young girls they are just as feisty and headstrong as their adult selves. The sisters didn't want to be split up by the order of Reverend Trask. The sisters wanted to stay together so instead they runaway to the Forbidden forest and come across Mother Magic and given the book. Not just any book but THE book.  This sequel has long been awaited by many people for decades. The first movie is older than me and even I was hoping for a sequel. The lure of the first movie was how dark and twisted it could get. It wasn't af...

 ***This review will contain spoilers*** Summary: Former toymaker Sam Mullins and his wife, Esther, are happy to welcome a nun and six orphaned girls into their California farmhouse. Years earlier, the couple's 7 year old daughter Annabelle died in a tragic car accident. Terror soon strikes when one child sneaks into a forbidden room and finds a seemingly innocent doll that appears to have a life of its own.  At the start of the movie I was skeptical because we already knew how Annabelle was created from the first movie so what more could they possibly add to her story? The first half of the movie was dull and insufferable. There was no real development to the story, I do like movies that have a slow buildup but each scene adds to the story. This movie didn't have that. There was nothing exciting about the opening scene that hooked me in and having a bunch of girls move into a house didn't add anything either.  I found the Mullins story and experiences after their daughte...

 ***This review will contain spoilers*** Summary: Lorraine and Ed Warren travel to North London to help a single mother raising four children alone in a house plagued by malicious spirits.  Opening scene: We are introduced and given some background to another one of the Warren's most famous cases; The Amityville haunting. This has been made into so many movies that I hope when it gets adapted in to the Conjuring universe that it's actually well made and not like some that made it look like a low budget movie.  Yet again they hit this out of the mark. Whole new story but executed really well like the first one. Typically, sequels tend to suck because they try to redo the first movie again which tends to be the first mistake. With sequels, it's best to flip the script and do something different from the first one which I'm happy to say is what they did for the second conjuring movie.  We're in a whole different country, a new family being plagued by demonic forces but...

 ***There will be spoilers in this review*** Summary:  Members of a satanic cult invade the home of a man and his pregnant wife and turn a vintage doll into a conduit for ultimate evil.  Opening scene: We get the same flashback from the conjuring about the 2 nurses experiencing paranormal activity when one of their moms gift them the Annabelle doll.  I am thoroughly impressed with this movie. I didn't expect it to be as good as it was. It has all the right elements from the sound, music, script, characters etc. Everything was really well thought out and I truly appreciate that in a movie.  I love watching horror movies, especially, if there is a supernatural element to it. However, I've come across a lot of them that were complete garbage. Either the story is rushed or there's no plot or the acting is extremely terrible. But this movie really ticked all the boxes for me. I had this constant sense of dread and foreboding. I held my breath and at times a little sc...