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Reviews
Power On: The Story of Xbox (2021)
An utterly genius documentary about the birth of a brand
If you're looking for a great documentary about one brand's rise to the top, then this is the one. Power On is a brilliant documentary about how the DirectX team created one of the most recognized and well-respected brands on the market. This six-part documentary series takes you all the way back to the early pre-release phases of Microsoft's video game console, showing you everything that went into making Xbox what it is today. It's the untold story about the people behind the box, and gives you an in-depth look of every single misstep, glitch, and mistake that occurred during Xbox's development cycle, and gives you a full inclusive history of the Xbox brand as a whole. But, it's not only just the history of the Original Xbox that makes this six-part documentary worth watching. The entire documentary series goes throughout not just the scrappy beginnings of the original Xbox and the team behind it, but the entire history of Xbox as a whole, from the Xbox 360's fatal hardware errors, all the way to the present time. It's not only a compelling story about the birth of a brand and the mistakes and missteps, but the entire documentary has a lot of unique and interesting animation as well as special effects which are most noticeable during the first 3 episodes, and primarily during Episode 2 when they showcase the original prototype Xbox seen at GDC 2000. Every single episode showcases a portion of the development history of Xbox as a brand in gaming, and it takes a lot of guts to admit your mistakes, as clearly noted in Episode 6 when they showcased the disappointing "New Generation" reveal codenamed Newcastle as a reveal for the all-in-one entertainment system known as the Xbox One. Ever single episode features a compelling segment about Xbox's development history, and everything that made Xbox what it is, including the day one November 15th, 2001 release of the groundbreaking FPS game Halo: Combat Evolved. To put it simply, this was a genius and compelling documentary, and as someone who has seen all the episodes, I loved it. Whether you're a gamer or not, I highly and strongly recommend you to check out this visually stunning and genius documentary. I promise you will enjoy it so much, just like I did.
Straight Outta Nowhere: Scooby-Doo! Meets Courage the Cowardly Dog (2021)
I could have NOT asked for a better crossover!
This is, without a doubt, the best possible Scooby-Doo crossover. Scooby coming face-to-face with Courage was the last thing I expected for a crossover film, considering the fact that Scooby-Doo crossover films have been... kind of stupid over the years. But alas, it happened - the best corssover NO ONE saw coming. You have two dogs, and both of them are from a Saturday morning cartoon. Both of them solve mysteries, and they are easlily scared like... pretty much all of the time. You could've not asked for a better duo! Not only that, but this film respects both TV shows, whereas Courage has to deal with real monsters, while the monsters Mystery Inc. Finds are fake, and they somehow even managed to combine these two elements of both shows and create somethig unique. And Courage really develops his character during this movie, and it's obvious that the people responsible for this took huge risks. Well, it really payed off! Oh, and not only that, but there's also so many references to episodes of Courage the Cowardly Dog and these is SO MUCH lore inside this movie, not to mention all of the nightmare fuel. However, the only complaint I have about this movie is the weird Eustace rap sequence. While it was funny, it felt like a corporate decision to cash in on a big song, which is most likely Straight Outta Compton from the black rap group N. W. A. All in all, this was THE perfect crossover/duo, and one of the best movies I have seen this year. Take freaking notes, Marvel!
Stand on It! (2020)
Best movie tribute... ever.
Coming from a long-time fan of Smokey and the Bandit, I just have to say that this movie really hit home for me. Not only that, but this really felt like a true combination of Smokey and the Bandit and Dukes of Hazzard. Of course they couldn't make it the tribute they wanted it to be with the budget they had, but John still somehow managed to make it loveable and memorable. The music of this movie is just incredible. The songs really felt like true country songs right down to the instruments and singing. Every song in this film truly felt special in its own respective way while being true to legendary country music. The acting is also really good for a movie with a tight budget. John Schneider may have played as the star of the movie, but the best acting in the movie definitely goes to Tyrus for playing Jackie Gleason's role as the sheriff. Tyrus not only managed to make the dialogue still funny, but he also incorporated new, original dialogue that was not in Smokey and the Bandit. Tyrus really played his part well, and it even looked like he had fun while doing it. But nothing in the movie could top the good stunts and crashes. The crashes were really spot-on to the movie it was tributing while being original in its own, creative way. They even somehow managed to make the backwards car jump into the pond more satisfying by jumping a police car, specifically a Crown Victoria, through a old, abandoned trailer at John Schneider Studios. But the big epic stunt of the movie took place at the Tickfaw River where they jumped the star car, a 2017 Dodge Challenger Hellcat, 100 feet over a demolished bridge right over the Tickfaw River to recreate the famous Mulberry Bridge jump in Smokey and the Bandit. Also, this movie was filmed during the 2020 Bo's Extravaganza event at John Schneider Studios in Holden, LA in July. John allowed anyone to be a part of the movie as an extra character. Not to mention that the upcoming sequel, Poker Run, was filmed at the 2021 Bo's Extravaganza event in April. Now, this movie is not perfect, but this was still a memorable film that I will surely watch over and over again. This really hits home for me, and if you're looking for a great family film to just kick back and enjoy, then this is definitely the one.
2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)
One of the most important movies of all-time.
2001 is a very important movie and very dear to my heart. No film can and ever will top 2001: A Space Odyssey. Not EVEN ENDGAME can top this masterpiece. The music was WAY ahead of its time and the sound felt like it came from the future. If you think this is boring, you have NO CLUE what a TRUE MOVIE looks and feels like. Movies these days are complete and utter GARBAGE, but 2001 will always seem to be unbeatable. If a movie ever topped 2001's amazing stuff, that would blow my MIND. I don't think it'll ever happen, though... 2001 will always be #1, NO MATTER what salty critics have to say.
Shang hai bao lei (2019)
Highly underrated.
Come on, guys! Give this movie a chance! The acting is incredible, and the CGI is overwhelming. This movie is highly underrated. There are some movies that deserved their poor ratings they got, like A CAR'S LIFE, and CHOP KICK PANDA. But this movie is a whole other story. You might think this movie is bad, and I respect your opinion, but they way I see it is different.