Countdown Continues…and Ends! “Captain Marvel” — Episode #1: Not Perfect but Hey, it’s a Start

Captain Marvel 2019

SC: “I actually have heard of the Scree (extraterrestrial race opposing the main character in the movie) from playing a game on my phone.” LE: “And then of course there is North Scree and South Scree.”

You know, like North Korea and South Korea? Okay, trust me, my jokes get better as we do more episodes. You gotta start somewhere, right? I mean do you think Quentin Tarantino was always a brilliant if controversial director and producer? There was time when he didn’t know a subplot from an ascot. But look at him now.

Anyhow, we released the first episode of our “The Movie Review Show” on March 16, 2019. It was Stephen’s idea for us to don our Wal-Mart ware for the 1st episode to show viewers we’re just a couple of regular working stiffs who happen to really, really love and watch a lot of movies.

Historic 1st Episode of THE MOVIE REVIEW SHOW Starring Stephen L. Craig & Lee A. Eide

In retrospect, I think my introduction of the show’s format, although fine and accurate as far as it goes, is incomplete. I explain that Stephen and I go to our local movie theater, Red Wing Cinema 8, watch a newly-released movie and then review it. That’s all true except that we have two additional segments after the review: 1) Stephen’s Recommendations and my Lee’s Jokes of the Week. So I will suggest we add that to the show’s introduction so new viewers will know immediately that we’re more than a straight movie review show.

Like Life in general, the show is a work in progress. You try to do things one way and if it seems to be working, you keep doing it that way. If it doesn’t work, then you try a different method. It’s like a giant labortory: experiment, analyze and act accordingly.

Back to our first review: After explaining format of our show, including our ratings system (10-kernel of popcorn rating system with one kernel being the worst and ten kernels the best), we showed the movie’s trailer and then launched into our review. Neither of us knew a ton about the Captain Marvel character (yeah, yeah, maybe we should have done some research before seeing and reviewing the movie) so in a way that was good. We went into it with a fresh perspective. I commented that I had some reservations about Captain Marvel being a woman because, you know, to me ‘captain’ conjures up the image of a man but I said after seeing the new version the character that I had no problem with a female Captain Marvel.

Wallpaper review from https://wall.alphacoders.com/big.php?i=974062

In essence, she’s one kick-ass, super-powerful, take-no-prisoners superhero who happens to be female. Guys, if you like strong women, this is the new superhero for you!

The film’s opening was fantastic: the Marvel logo and a homage to Stan Lee got things rolling. We commented on the grunge-centric soundtrack: we loved it, especially No Doubt’s “Just A Girl” and Kurt Cobain’s “Come As You Are”! For me, music is an essential element in life and although a killer soundtrack isn’t required for all movies, if it’s appropriate and blends in with the on-screen action, it definitely enhances the movie experience.

Credit: https://wallpapersafari.com/w/RGpMbQ

The appearance of a Blockbuster Video store is a sure-fire sign that the movie takes place in the 90’s. To be more precise, it takes place in 1995. The time period is important as the movie symbolizes the spirit of mid-90s when anti-establishment rock songs, especially feminist anthems and girl power tunes were extremely popular and reflective of that era. That’s to say, the 1995 backdrop serves a narrative purpose that goes beyond simply allowing Captain Marvel to take children of the ’90s on a jaunt down memory lane or have Carol wear a Nine Inch Nails T-shirt. It was sort of nostalgic trip for me. My wife Amy, may she RIP, and I used to live in a Burnsville townhouse located about a mile from a Blockbuster store although that was in the early 2000’s. Ah yes, the good old days, sort of.

We agreed the movie didn’t feel like a typical superhero for the first 45 minutes or so. It felt more like sci-fi as most of the action takes place in outer space. And I point out even after the action switches to Earth there are Star Wars-ish sequences like when they buzz through the canyon in the high-tech aircraft and barely avoid sure death numerous times much like Han Solo and Chewbacca in the asteroids belt.

Taken from http://www.awesomewallpapersblog.com

We were also impressed with the f/x, in particular the capitol city of Scree and the various spaceships. It was impressive and distinctive, not carbon copies of Star Trek or Star Wars franchises.

I point out the appropriateness off the Scrolls, the primary enemy of Captain Marvel and SHIELD boss Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) being shapeshifters. Beginning in the 90’s, terrorists are at or near the top of the “bad guys” list and of course part of their MO is to pretend to be God-fearing American citizens and then secretly plan and launch terror attacks. So Muslim fantatics are essentially shapeshifters.

And now for the big moment, our scores:

It was not Oscar material but definitely worth seeing for several reasons: stellar f/x, rockin’ soundtrack, topnotch cinematography, solid plot and excellent acting. My primary issue was the implausible (even for a superhero movie) ending. Stephen’s primary issue was the role of the cat that ends up possessing an extremely important artifact.

Here is a link to the episode: https://youtu.be/0Vn2AHrpi3Y

And there you go, ladies and gentlemen, the countdown is complete! Now I will go forward in time and catch up with all of our reviews (we’re up to 14 episodes with #15 fast approaching!). And as we say at the end of every episode, “We’ll be watching…for you.”

The Movie Review Show Press Release

“The Movie Review Show” hosted by Stephen L. Craig & Lee A. Eide
Press Release
For Immediate Release

Contact Info:
Lee A. Eide
leeeide@outlook.com
Phone: 651-212-3041

Stephen L. Craig
Mrgame777@hotmail.com
Phone: 651-347-0702

Link to introductory video: Intro to THE MOVIE REVIEW SHOW on YouTube (starring Stephen Craig & Lee Eide)

 

A Movie Review Show that Soars Above Just Reviewing Movies

Red Wing, MN – June 7, 2019: Stephen L. Craig and Lee A. Eide, two movie fanatics from Red Wing, MN, have launched a weekly series on YouTube that is more than the title implies.

The two movie buffs review newly-released movies and then add two features not found in similar shows:

1) Stephen’s Weekly Recommendation – the brother of well-known entertainer Deborah S. Craig, best known for her role on “The Blacklist”, starring as Marcy Park in the long-running Broadway musical The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee and creator of web cult hit Yoga For Black People (over a million hits), Stephen recommends a product, service or content not usually related to movies. Examples: “Seinfeld” and Nintendo Switch plus two men’s fragrances.
2) Lee’s Joke(s) of the Week – Jokes relate to the movie the duo reviews. For example, in episode #3 (www.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3D_xQxJGaLnow)in which they review “Pet Sematary”, Lee tells two dead-cat jokes plus a regular cat joke.

“We go to so many movies and frequently have very different opinions of them so we thought, ‘Hey, why not start our own show on YouTube’”,  says Eide.

The two Wal-Mart cashiers videotape each episode on Craig’s home computer. Some weeks, due to scheduling issues, they cannot do a show, but their goal is to complete one episode per week.

The highlight of their seven-episode run is the 5th show in which the two plus special guest David Rasmussen give their takes on the epic finale of the Avengers saga. The episode includes a magic trick by Craig and bonus jokes (a total of nine) by Eide.

The show’s tag line is “A show for reel (real) movie fans” and the two end each episode with “And as always, we’ll be watching…for you.”

###

Highlights
Episode #1 – CAPTAIN MARVEL cropped-dark-phoenix-pic.jpg

SC: “I actually have heard of the Scree (extraterrestrial race opposing the main character in the movie) from playing a game on my phone.” LE: “And then of course there is North Scree and South Scree.”
Episode #2 – DUMBO dumbo-image

#1: SC: “I was really looking forward to this movie. You’ve got Tim Burton directing with Danny Devito and Michael Keaton back together again and I thought this was a ‘can’t miss’ movie. But it wasn’t a ‘can’t miss’ movie.” LE: “Yeah, given all the big names involved and the source material you’d think it would be fantastic and it wasn’t. It wasn’t horrible but it could have been so much better.”

#2: SC: “The acting was lackluster. Even Michael Keaton’s acting wasn’t as good as it should have been. I thought Danny Devito did a good job.” LE: “Yeah, he normally plays a bad guy but in this one he plays a good guy and does a great job whereas I thought Michael Keaton (as a villain) was out of his element. I think Christopher Walken or Jack Nicholson would have been a better choice for the villain.”

#3: SC: “The animated original had a lot more love in it.” LE: “Yes, I mean next to Bambi’s mother dying, the separation of Dumbo from his mother is the most famously sad scene in Disney history and this movie didn’t devote enough time and attention to it.”

#4: In re the ‘pink elephants on parade’ scene – SC: “I would have thought do the scene fully or don’t do it all. That’s my opinion.” LE: “Yeah, I mean given his penchant for the macabre, it’s kind of surprising he didn’t do the scene fully…He kind of wussed out.” SC: “When you’re an artist, sometimes you’re going to offend people.” LE: “In the pink elephant scene, if you really want to be edgy, you would have done it more like the original. But he (Timothy Burton) didn’t do it, and I think it’s a bad choice.”

#5: LE: “No spoilers but the ending was was upbeat, spectacular, and visually stunning. You’ll leave the theater very happy.”

#6: LE: “It was an ambitious, visually stunning expansion of the darker, racist movie but lackluster acting and plot issues prevented it from being a 9.5 or 10.”

Episode #3 – PET SEMATARY fmc_mc_petsematary

#1 – SC: “Jete Laurence does an outstanding job. People should go to this movie just to see her act.” LE: “She plays a fantastic reanimated, creepy, conniving daughter.”

#2: SC: “John Lithgow does wonderful job as the next-door neighbor. He says the one line, ‘Sometimes dead is better’, perfectly.” LE: “I agree. I also loved Fred Gywnn in the original movie. He did it with more of an Eastern accent: ‘Sometimes…dead is better.’”

#3: SC: “I really, really, really liked the ending.” LE: “Me too. I think by having the older sister being killed instead of the younger son the story veers off in a different, more evil, and interesting direction…The ending is dark, delicious…and delightful.”

Episode #4 – SHAZAM shazam-image

#1 – SC: “One of the first things Billy Batson does after he gets superpowers is to go buy beer.” LE: “If I suddenly got superpowers at that age I’d do the same thing.”

#2 – SC: “Okay, which would you rather have, invisibility or the power to fly?” LE: “Okay I have flip flopped on this one. I’d rather have invisibility so I can be that fly on the wall. I figure I can already fly because we have Jetpacks but as far as I know, no one’s invented a way to become invisible. SC: “It’s close but I’ll take flying.” LE: “We can work together. You can have the aerial view while I’m on the ground checking things out.”

#3 — SC: “I give it 8.5 popcorns. How about you, Lee?” LE: “I’m gonna see your 8.5 and raise it to 10!” SC: “Wow, our first perfect score.” LE: “And maybe the last.” Fist bump ensues.

Episode #5 – AVENGERS: ENDGAME avengers-endgame-pic

#1 – SC: “Early in the movie there’s a lot of drama but not very much action.” LE: “They had to devise a pretty complex plan (to retrieve the Infinity Stones) so there is a lot of intellectual stuff going on so it’s gonna be slower paced…But it sets up what happens in the 2nd half of the movie, which is almost non-stop action.”

#2 – SC: “I wrote down in my notes that was more than a movie. It was an experience.” DR: “Yeah, the experience of a lifetime.” LE: “It was like Marvel Comics created a VR ride and it sucked you into their universe.”

#3 – LE: “It definitely didn’t feel like a three-hour movie. I thought the pacing was great. For the finale of a huge franchise like this is you needed all the time to do things right.” DR: “I would love to go back and watch this movie again to see what I missed…because that movie was huge.”

#4 – After looking up Metacritic rating (77): SC: “You know what guys, I’m gonna say this: You guys are wrong!”

Episode #6 – POKEMON DETECTIVE PIKACHU pokemon-detective-pikachu-image

#1 – SC: “At the beginning, I thought some of the acting was bad.” LE: “In general, I thought the acting was fine..but in the beginning it was, ah, uneven is probably the best way to put it.”

#2 – SC: “I thought as Pikachu Ryan Reynolds did a fantastic job.” LE: “Yeah, a cleaned-up Deadpool persona.” SC: “I loved Mr. Mime.” LE: “My two favorite characters are Torterra and Mr. Mime. Real-life mimes irritate the heck out of me but this one was funny.”

#3 – SC: “The original story of Pikachu is that of Ash and Pikachu. And I thought that story would have been better for newcomers because that way you would have met Pikachu and Ash and then how they met new Pokeman characters along the way. That’s the story everyone knows so I don’t know why they didn’t do that. Instead this a story from the video game “Detective Pikachu”. I don’t know how closely it follows the story but it is based on that game for the Nintendo DS.” LE: “Yeah I think the director Rob (Letterman) really wanted to do a film noir type movie that would appeal more to the adult audience while the main focus of the movie is on the Pokemon characters. In general I think he does a good job of balancing the two.”

#4 – LE: “Awesome F/X, a lot of humor. So basically it’s a very enjoyable movie but it does have issues.

#5 – SC: “It’s the end of the episode which means it’s time for Lee’s Joke of the Week.” LE: “Okay Stephen probably had the funniest thing with the whale vomit but I’ll give it a shot.”
Episode #7 – ALADDIN aladdin-image

#1 – LE: “This movie didn’t need to be remade but Disney knew they could make a lot of money on it. Money talks.”

#2 – SC: “I thought the lighting for the song ‘It’s a Whole New World” was poor. And the places they show aren’t that interesting. In the animated original it shows exotic places like Paris but in this one it shows like shots of the ocean. The whole scene is really dark and boring.” LE: “Apparently Disney’s new world is dark and boring.”

#3 – In re Metacritic rating of 86% and Rotten Tomatoes audience rating of 94%: “I’m not usually a big conspiracy guy but there’s something going on here. I think Disney hired a bunch of reviewers.” SC: “I think the reason it did so well is an enjoyable movie, it is a fun movie. I mean being a reviewer I was pickier someone just watching the movie on average. I thought some of the acting was poor but the average viewer isn’t gonna pay attention to that so that’s why the audience scores are so high.” LE: “I still think there’s something fishy going on.

Intro to THE MOVIE REVIEW SHOW on YouTube (starring Stephen Craig & Lee Eide)

Good day, everyone, especially hardcore movie fans who’re seeking honest, insightful and frequently humorous reviews of the latest movies.

The Anti-Superman Movie

We started the show mainly because we love to not only watch movies but also analyze movies. Specifically, we look at:

A) how well they’re constructed, B) how well they’re executed, C) how good the end result is.

NOTE: There is another show with the exact title on YouTube. To ensure you find our show, go here to obtain URL’s for every episode: https://www.facebook.com/The-Movie-Review-Show-769005923456512/?__tn__=%2Cd%2CP-R&eid=ARAYrNESUk6rIR1qnwQAi828CKhnJzTkWXEJmfebXmtOJ0lXAX6odk5nZfx57YjbuX6IKk-THMuoQOWV

Introductory Video Image


And now here is a copy of our show’s press release:

“The Movie Review Show” hosted by Stephen L. Craig & Lee A. Eide

Press Release

For Immediate Release

Contact Info:

Lee A. Eide, leeeide@outlook.com, Phone: 651-212-3041

Stephen L. Craig, Mrgame777@hotmail.com, Phone: 651-347-0702

Link to introductory video: †††

A Movie Review Show that Soars Above Just Reviewing Movies

Red Wing, MN – June 7, 2019: Stephen L. Craig and Lee A. Eide, two movie fanatics from Red Wing, MN, have launched a weekly series on YouTube that is more than the title implies.

The two movie buffs review newly-released movies and then add two features not found in similar shows:

1) Stephen’s Weekly Recommendation – the brother of well-known entertainer Deborah S. Craig, best known for her role on “The Blacklist”, starring as Marcy Park in the long-running Broadway musical The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee and creator of web cult hit Yoga For Black People (over a million hits), Stephen recommends a product, service or content not usually related to movies. Examples: “Seinfeld” and Nintendo Switch plus two men’s fragrances.

2) Lee’s Joke(s) of the Week – Jokes relate to the movie the duo reviews. For example, in episode #3 (www.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3D_xQxJGaLnow)in which they review “Pet Sematary”, Lee tells two dead-cat jokes plus a regular cat joke.

“We go to so many movies and frequently have very different opinions of them so we thought, ‘Hey, why not start our own show on YouTube’”, says Eide.

The two Wal-Mart cashiers videotape each episode on Craig’s home computer. Some weeks, due to scheduling issues, they cannot do a show, but their goal is to complete one episode per week.

The highlight of their seven-episode run is the 5th show in which the two plus special guest David Rasmussen give their takes on the epic finale of the Avengers saga. The episode includes a magic trick by Craig and bonus jokes (a total of nine) by Eide.

The show’s tag line is “A show for reel (real) movie fans” and the two end each episode with “And as always, we’ll be watching…for you.”

###

Highlights

Episode #1CAPTAIN MARVEL

SC: “I actually have heard of the Scree (extraterrestrial race opposing the main character in the movie) from playing a game on my phone.” LE: “And then of course there is North Scree and South Scree.”

Episode #2 – DUMBO

Dumbo Remake

#1: SC: “I was really looking forward to this movie. You’ve got Tim Burton directing with Danny Devito and Michael Keaton back together again and I thought this was a ‘can’t miss’ movie. But it wasn’t a ‘can’t miss’ movie.” LE: “Yeah, given all the big names involved and the source material you’d think it would be fantastic and it wasn’t. It wasn’t horrible but it could have been so much better.”

#2: SC: “The acting was lackluster. Even Michael Keaton’s acting wasn’t as good as it should have been. I thought Danny Devito did a good job.” LE: “Yeah, he normally plays a bad guy but in this one he plays a good guy and does a great job whereas I thought Michael Keaton (as a villain) was out of his element. I think Christopher Walken or Jack Nicholson would have been a better choice for the villain.”

#3: SC: “The animated original had a lot more love in it.” LE: “Yes, I mean next to Bambi’s mother dying, the separation of Dumbo from his mother is the most famously sad scene in Disney history and this movie didn’t devote enough time and attention to it.”

#4: In re the ‘pink elephants on parade’ scene – SC: “I would have thought do the scene fully or don’t do it all. That’s my opinion.” LE: “Yeah, I mean given his penchant for the macabre, it’s kind of surprising he didn’t do the scene fully…He kind of wussed out.” SC: “When you’re an artist, sometimes you’re going to offend people.” LE: “In the pink elephant scene, if you really want to be edgy, you would have done it more like the original. But he (Timothy Burton) didn’t do it, and I think it’s a bad choice.”

#5: LE: “No spoilers but the ending was was upbeat, spectacular, and visually stunning. You’ll leave the theater very happy.”

#6: LE: “It was an ambitious, visually stunning expansion of the darker, racist movie but lackluster acting and plot issues prevented it from being a 9.5 or 10.”

Episode #3 – PET SEMATARY#1

Bad Kitty in Pet Sematary

#1: SC: “Jete Laurence does an outstanding job. People should go to this movie just to see her act.” LE: “She plays a fantastic reanimated, creepy, conniving daughter.”

#2: SC: “John Lithgow does wonderful job as the next-door neighbor. He says the one line, ‘Sometimes dead is better’, perfectly.” LE: “I agree. I also loved Fred Gywnn in the original movie. He did it with more of an Eastern accent: ‘Sometimes…dead is better.’”

#3: SC: “I really, really, really liked the ending.” LE: “Me too. I think by having the older sister being killed instead of the younger son the story veers off in a different, more evil, and interesting direction…The ending is dark, delicious…and delightful.”

Episode #4 – SHAZAM

Shazam!

#1 – SC: “One of the first things Billy Batson does after he gets superpowers is to go buy beer.” LE: “If I suddenly got superpowers at that age I’d do the same thing.”

#2 – SC: “Okay, which would you rather have, invisibility or the power to fly?” LE: “Okay I have flip flopped on this one. I’d rather have invisibility so I can be that fly on the wall. I figure I can already fly because we have Jetpacks but as far as I know, no one’s invented a way to become invisible. SC: “It’s close but I’ll take flying.” LE: “We can work together. You can have the aerial view while I’m on the ground checking things out.”

#3 — SC: “I give it 8.5 popcorns. How about you, Lee?” LE: “I’m gonna see your 8.5 and raise it to 10!” SC: “Wow, our first perfect score.” LE: “And maybe the last.” Fist bump ensues.

Episode #5 – AVENGERS: ENDGAME

Avengers: Endgame Poster

#1 – SC: “Early in the movie there’s a lot of drama but not very much action.” LE: “They had to devise a pretty complex plan (to retrieve the Infinity Stones) so there is a lot of intellectual stuff going on so it’s gonna be slower paced…But it sets up what happens in the 2nd half of the movie, which is almost non-stop action.”

#2 – SC: “I wrote down in my notes that was more than a movie. It was an experience.” DR: “Yeah, the experience of a lifetime.” LE: “It was like Marvel Comics created a VR ride and it sucked you into their universe.”

#3 – LE: “It definitely didn’t feel like a three-hour movie. I thought the pacing was great. For the finale of a huge franchise like this is you needed all the time to do things right.” DR: “I would love to go back and watch this movie again to see what I missed…because that movie was huge.”

#4 – After looking up Metacritic rating (77): SC: “You know what guys, I’m gonna say this: You guys are wrong!”

Episode #6 – POKEMON DETECTIVE PIKACHU

Pokemon Detective Pikachu

#1 – SC: “At the beginning, I thought some of the acting was bad.” LE: “In general, I thought the acting was fine..but in the beginning it was, ah, uneven is probably the best way to put it.”

#2 – SC: “I thought as Pikachu Ryan Reynolds did a fantastic job.” LE: “Yeah, a cleaned-up Deadpool persona.” SC: “I loved Mr. Mime.” LE: “My two favorite characters are Torterra and Mr. Mime. Real-life mimes irritate the heck out of me but this one was funny.”

#3 – SC: “The original story of Pikachu is that of Ash and Pikachu. And I thought that story would have been better for newcomers because that way you would have met Pikachu and Ash and then how they met new Pokeman characters along the way. That’s the story everyone knows so I don’t know why they didn’t do that. Instead this a story from the video game “Detective Pikachu”. I don’t know how closely it follows the story but it is based on that game for the Nintendo DS.” LE: “Yeah I think the director Rob (Letterman) really wanted to do a film noir type movie that would appeal more to the adult audience while the main focus of the movie is on the Pokemon characters. In general I think he does a good job of balancing the two.”

#4 – LE: “Awesome F/X, a lot of humor. So basically it’s a very enjoyable movie but it does have issues.

#5 – SC: “It’s the end of the episode which means it’s time for Lee’s Joke of the Week.” LE: “Okay Stephen probably had the funniest thing with the whale vomit but I’ll give it a shot.”

Episode #7 – ALADDIN

Aladdin 2019

#1 – LE: “This movie didn’t need to be remade but Disney knew they could make a lot of money on it. Money talks.”

#2 – SC: “I thought the lighting for the song ‘It’s a Whole New World” was poor. And the places they show aren’t that interesting. In the animated original it shows exotic places like Paris but in this one it shows like shots of the ocean. The whole scene is really dark and boring.” LE: “Apparently Disney’s new world is dark and boring.”

#3 – In re Metacritic rating of 86% and Rotten Tomatoes audience rating of 94%: “I’m not usually a big conspiracy guy but there’s something going on here. I think Disney hired a bunch of reviewers.” SC: “I think the reason it did so well is an enjoyable movie, it is a fun movie. I mean being a reviewer I was pickier someone just watching the movie on average. I thought some of the acting was poor but the average viewer isn’t gonna pay attention to that so that’s why the audience scores are so high.” LE: “I still think there’s something fishy going on.”

###

That’s it, ladies and gentlemen, the end of my first blog post on THE MOVIE REVIEW SHOW site. Thanks for reading. And of course, watch our show!