FIXING BASEBALL

Could Be You

Fixing BaseballFixing baseball has been a hot topic of late. This NY Post article, entitled “It’s time to debate the future of baseball” By Joel Sherman and Ken Davidoff July 12, 2017, has finally spurred me to respond:

http://nyp.st/2ui9MoO

Know What Baseball Is

Baseball must be extremely careful here. To change the sports so it matches others, just waters it down and takes away from what it is. It’s about branding and the message and decisions should always be consistent with WHAT BASEBALL IS.

The one thing baseball has done far better at than basketball or football for instance, is embracing it’s rich history. Just look at how The NBA treats the founders of the modern game, the original ABA and their players, to get  sense of how they don’t respect history. However, I’m not saying baseball should be a slave to it’s history but it is a big part of who it is, and makes baseball a multi-generational sport. Fixing baseball does not mean you have to break it.

The minor leagues are thriving so it’s not necessarily the game itself that has to change. Heck soccer is booming, connects with millennials and families (finally after many many years of trying in the US) and the scoring is worse than baseball. 2 hours of watching can result in a one goal game. And yet fans pack the stands to watch it. So why not baseball?

What Do We Do To Fix It

First:

The very first thing, in fixing baseball, is to make the stars far more recognizable. The fact that most people couldn’t pick out Mike Trout from a lineup is very very concerning. This has to change. I know there is fear in doing that, that is ingrained in baseball since the labor battles with Marvin Miller, but these players are already making obscene amount of money. That ship has passed. So promote your players, work with apparel companies on cool products (not cleats that the majority of the public has no use for), and work with the sports network on making these guys faces more visible.

Second:

The issue of steroids, which if uncontrolled, kills the strongest brand element of baseball which is it’s history. of all the sports, baseball’s records are the most important and known. We cannot allow that to be tampered with. But I have a simple solution for this. Instead of a banned product list, we do the reverse. An approved supplement database. And new ones can be sent in for approval before being allowed to be used. Think of the message it sends to the youth of today, we only allow supplement we deem to be safe. Store test results and let the players know that even if it may be undetectable now, we keep the blood stored and the punishment will be severe.

Finally, the big issue is pace of game. But here again, you do not want to do anything that takes away from the tradition and history of the game. We love comparing stars through the ages which is why we must be cognizant of that. Which is why there should be no messing with the balls and strikes etc. What we need is less time wasting, period. So pitch clocks, no stepping out of the box more than once per at bat, simple things to keep it moving. Stop the time wasting first and not only will the games be shorter, but it will give the feeling of the pace of the game itself increasing.

There are other things I would do but this is a start.

http://nyp.st/2ui9MoO

A STERLING-ESQUE NBA TRAGEDY

Could Be You
ABA vs NBA

In 1967 an upstart basketball league was formed, aimed at taking on the powerful and incumbent NBA.  That league was the legendary ABA, the American Basketball Association. The most successful independent alternative professional sports league in history. This is the league that gave us such Hall of Fame talents as Dr. J, David Thompson, the Iceman George Gervin and more. They did so by providing an opportunity for struggling African-American kids to earn a living, (one of them right out of high school), and help support their families. An opportunity denied by the powers at be in the NBA for arbitrary reasons. MLB and the NHL allows high schoolers to go right from high school and start their careers, a right given to anyone in this country but denied African American basketball players (unless they chose to go overseas). The ABA gave them the same rights given to those in more privileged situations. And because of it, they quickly became equal (some say superior) to the NBA in talent level. It also led to competition for players’ compensation due to the shattering of the NBA monopoly, and the NBA has resented this ever since.

Unfortunately for the ABA, this was before the proliferation of cable and their sports channels so the TV deals were limited, which made them struggle financially. This led to their desires to seek a merger.

During the years of existence, the NBA had to hear from the fans about players like Dr. J being in the “other” league and this caused much angst among the league. How can they claim to be the best league in the world, when some of the best players are in the ABA? This, combined with a desire to end the salary wars, incentivized them to agree to a merger with the hated ABA. The merger was completed in 1976. Four ABA teams were added to the NBA, one (the very successful Kentucky Colonels) were bought out and one other team, the Spirits of St Louis, agreed to not fight the merger, in exchange for 1/7 the media rights from each of the 4 ex-ABA teams……in perpetuity. This is known as the greatest sports deal in history. But more on that later.

As much as the NBA hoped otherwise, the ABA proved to be their equal post-merger. 4 of the top 10 scorers we from the ABA. The leader in steals was Don Buse, another ABA player. Ex-ABA teams like the Nuggets finished with the 2nd best record in the NBA and the Spurs won their divisional title. All in all, ex-ABA team have won 5 NBA championships and been to the finals 4 times.

More important than the success of the teams and the players, what the ABA has brought to the NBA has been the foundation of the style of play that has enabled the NBA to grow from a league that couldn’t even play their finals on prime time, to the billion-dollar success of today. Innovations such as the 3-point shot, slam dunk competitions, and the wide-open, in the air style of play, all had their genesis in the ABA.

At the time of the merger, the players were promised to be treated as equals to the NBA players, in all areas such as collective bargaining and pensions, yet the NBA has done little, and have taken advantage of the ABA players lack of knowledge of corporate affairs, and their inability to fight the NBA in court due to finances. Meanwhile the list of ABA players who have died destitute grows and grows, leaving the NBA to “wait it out” and let the problem solve itself. This comes on the heels of a new multi-BILLION dollar tv contract! So, are they saying they can’t afford to help? They paid off the previously mentioned Silnas (the owners of the Spirits of St Louis) 500 million dollars NOT to get out of the onerous in-perpetuity deal, which still exists to this day and has earned them more than 300 million, but to settle the other moneys owed them from cable internet etc. And they can’t help these players?

The sad thing is the players are not even asking to be treated like their NBA peers, which they were promised. And is their right. They just want  simple cost of living increases so their lousy $60-$75 per month per year of eligibility can be increased to $300 (details are in the petition). In other words, if each NBA team put in 1 million dollars (one time) the interest alone could fund their pensions, and allow some of these to put food on their table. These are not greedy players asking for millions, they are players asking to survive.

So, is this simply a case of greed? Perhaps, yet I believe otherwise.

At a legends luncheon, Adam Silver went on proudly that the NBA reached out and helped the pre-1965 players in the recent CBA. How they didn’t have to but did the right things. So, explain why they have done NOTHING for the ABA players, despite numerous promises. Now I hate when people pull out the race card but tell me this. Is this a coincidence that pre-1965 players were almost all white and the ABA players are predominantly African American? Even worse, they have no problem doing right with the BAA-NBL (pre-NBA leagues that merged into the NBA) players who were 100% white. (continued below this copy of the NBA kiss off letter)

NBA-Kiss-Off-letter

The excuses they could make and my responses.

“We have followed the letter of the law and broken none”

You had no obligation to help the pre-1965 players but did it because it was the right thing to do, supposedly. Take advantage of legal loopholes is despicable and maneuverings against these financially strapped players is horrific. As you know, the ABA was MERGED into the NBA and were supposed to be treated just like NBA players.

“We’ve set up an emergency fund for the players”

The amounts are pitiful, maybe a thousand here or there.

Again, the sad thing is, the players are not even asking for much. They are not asking for the same amounts as the NBA players of the same era, which they deserve by the way in my opinion. A lousy cost of living increase to 300 bucks per month per year of service. It could mean the world of difference for many of these players, actual food on the table. And here is the worst thing. Again, the NBA just got a new tv contract worth BILLIONS!!! All the while making money licensing the players’ names on retro shirts (without permission), and selling the legendary ABA ball. One million per team (one time contribution) could fund the entire pension issue for the remaining 149 players, on interest alone.

There is one final affront to these players who made the NBA the success it is today. They’ve not only starved them, and taken money out of their pockets, leaving many to die homeless, they’ve also taken their legacies and tarnished the memories. They’ve allowed the ABA trademarks and name to be diminished, by allowing a 4th rate (in my opinion) minor league to use it and claim to be the original ABA, of which no ABA players want anything to do with it, and allowed the fans to think that the real ABA was just like this one. The more time passes, the more  younger fans will think THIS is the ABA.

So how can the NBA make this right in my opinion? Two simple steps.

First, Adam Silver and the NBA should find the ABA pension as promised. While it is too much to expect them to give them the same pension as the NBA players of that era (though it is the right thing to do), just give them the lousy $300 per month per year of eligibility they are asking for. Again, take 1 million per team and put it in an annuity of some sort and it will earn them enough on the interest to pay the pension. And it may even be a charitable deduction for the teams.

Second, give the ABA trademarks (except for the existing 4 teams in the NBA) to the players. They made the marks what it was, they deserve to profit from them.

Adam Silver, I am begging you, do the right thing.

 

Online Petition:

https://www.change.org/p/adam-silver-and-the-nba-justice-for-the-retired-aba-players-many-of-who-are-dying-penniless

JASON BOURNE- Lots of Noise and Lots of Walking

Kady Berrebbi

 

1233835_Jason-Bourne-poster

 

Hey y’all!

I’m back after a long, unanticipated absence. I’m sorry if you were looking forward to reading my thoughts on a certain film that I missed. But fortunately, I’m here now. 🙂

This week I attended the critic screening for Jason Bourne. I will tell you that I was never a huge fan of the other films in the series but I did find them entertaining. This new one though was extremely disappointing. The trailer, which you can watch here if you haven’t seen it already, really sells the movie as an action-packed thriller. This was not the case. The trailer also gives viewers the idea that all of our questions and concerns from the previous films will be addressed and answered. That was not the case either.

I think Matt Damon’s performance was weak, but I 95% attribute that to poor writing. The entire movie all I could focus on was the fact that everyone kept frantically walking around. The most exciting thing that happened was when Bourne decided to steal a baseball cap to cover his face when aggressively pacing instead of just keeping his head down. It was ridiculous. I felt like I was watching a spoof on YouTube about this genre of movies. I know it’s stereotypical of action films to have a rushed sense about them and what not, but Jason Bourne literally seemed to center around characters chasing after each other without actually taking off into a run. They just walked and walked and walked.

Next, I’m going to briefly touch on the noise. When you think of action films, especially the Bourne series with epic fight scenes, weapons, fast cars, etc. you probably think of loud noises. Well, this one was no different. Except like I said before, it felt like a parody. The sound effects were poorly placed and the movie was just so loud. I think this was especially problematic and annoying because there was barely any meaningful dialogue. Conversations are essential to break up the intensity of an action movie and Jason Bourne was seriously lacking in this department.

The only aspect of this movie that I genuinely enjoyed was Julia Stiles. She is always spot on in everything I’ve seen her in. She doesn’t over act and her brief combat scenes seemed more authentic than some of her female counterparts.

I say you go see this movie if you have that irritating obligation to see every movie in a film series when it comes out in theaters. If you can manage to sleep guilt free at night- skip it and wait for it to come out on DVD. Or just don’t watch it all. Go put on big headphones, blast random soundtracks, and watch people walk around. You’ll have pretty much the same experience.

I love you all and I can’t wait to get back to posting regularly!

Infinite x’s and o’s,

She (Kady)

OVERALL GRADE: D+

 

WARCRAFT MOVIE

Kady Berrebbi

 

Warcraft_Teaser_Poster

Hello to my hot friends of the interwebs!

I’ve returned with another review. Unfortunately, the film I’m going to be discussing today wasn’t nearly as good as the last one I had the pleasure of watching. If you missed my review on Alice Through the Looking Glass, check it out here.

This week I attended a critic screening for Warcraft, the live-action movie based on the famous video game Warcraft.

Now, there are very few things I dislike more than video games as well as the people that do nothing but play them all day (sorry, gamer boys) so I went into this experience with little to no expectations. I had watched the trailer and read a little bit about the plot but other than that, I was sitting down to watch Warcraft with barely any insight into what all the hype was about. I won’t say I was disappointed, because it wasn’t nearly as horrible as I thought it was going to be, but I wouldn’t say it was a great movie. I try to write my reviews from an unbiased and objective perspective. I look at movies as individual films and dissect the quality of the acting, production, etc. without taking my personal feelings about the subject matter or actors/actresses into account. With that being said, I still don’t think that Warcraft was an entertaining movie to sit through for two hours. I actually do enjoy movies that take place in fantasy universes with monsters and wizards and all that trending stuff. But this one I just wasn’t crazy about.

One thing I hated in particular about Warcraft was that it wasn’t geared towards the average viewer. If you don’t already fully understand the premise of the video game, you’ll most likely be lost during the entire film. The screenplay writers seriously missed the mark as far as doing a decent job of explaining background stories or character evolution. It didn’t help that the Orcs are difficult to understand and visually it was hard to tell them all apart as distinct personalities.

If you compare this movie to others that are somewhat genre related like Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, Twilight, and any of the Marvel films, you’ll see the clear lacking of background explanation. If you’ve never read the Harry Potter books but you sit down to watch The Sorcerer’s Stone, you will be able to follow it without any issues. Because everything is explained from the very beginning. Warcraft would’ve been significantly more enjoyable for me if they had done this as well.

All in all, I think this movie is a waste of a $160 million budget. They should’ve used that money to hire better writers and actors that weren’t so boring. I’m purposely not mentioning the leading cast members because they weren’t memorable enough in their performances for me to touch on them at all. Duncan Jones, the director of this film, should be disappointed in himself. This movie had potential to be epic and it totally fell flat.

I hope this review was helpful to any of you considering going to the theater to see it. If you decide to see it for yourself, I totally understand, but I recommend avoiding the option of an IMAX screening.

Thank you for all of your constant love and support on my reviews.

Best,

Kady (She)

OVERALL GRADE: C-

ALICE THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS

Kady Berrebbi

alicettlg poster

Hello again, my fantastic internet family!

I’m back YET AGAIN with another review. I’m really on a roll with these. But it is summer movie season so I’ve been lucky to attend critic screenings almost every week.

This week I had the pleasure of seeing Alice Through the Looking Glass, the sequel to Tim Burton’s live action remake of Alice in Wonderland.

If you have yet to watch the full trailer for the film, click here and then come back and finish reading.

In some of the trailers for the movie, they advertise it by saying that Alice Through the Looking Glass is “better than the original.” And if you read my review from last week about Neighbors 2, you’ll understand why I was hesitant to believe that. But I must say that thankfully this time that statement is correct. Alice Through the Looking Glass in my opinion was better than both the original cartoon Alice in Wonderland and the 2010 live-action remake.

I was so surprised by how fantastic this film was. It was not only beautiful in terms of digital effects, costumes, etc. but it had the best emotions, best acting, and most heart I’ve seen from any movie in a while.

I’ll start with Mia Wasikowska as Alice. I wasn’t sold on her in the previous Alice in Wonderland directed by Tim Burton, but this time around she did a great job. She was empowered and seemed to really posses the same quirky traits as the oh-so-curious Alice. I always knew that she looked the part of Alice, and this time her personality was there too.

Next is Johnny Depp as Hatter. Of course the Mad Hatter is a classic Alice in Wonderland character and Depp was no disappointment in his role. I don’t even really need to elaborate much though, because when does Johnny Depp ever do a bad job at portraying a character? He was amazing. The hair and makeup for Hatter were pretty cool too. It made him a modern version without taking away Mad Hatter’s essence from the cartoon.

Now, I’m saying this as somewhat of a disclaimer. There are few people on the planet apart from maybe prolific serial killers that creep me out more than Helena Bonham-Carter. She is a gifted actress but I find her so incredibly scary. I have no idea why. I can’t even really look at her on a red carpet without the hair on my arms standing up. It’s not that I find her unattractive or anything, I just personally am very creeped out by her presence. Like if I had to choose between a character Helena Bonham-Carter plays or Hannibal Lecter to spend the day with, I’d have a tough decision to make. Her role in Alice Through the Looking Glass is the Queen of Hearts and she was awesome. Her timing is quick and her facial expressions are always spot on. Again, no surprise there. This movie truly had a stocked cast.

The last character that I want to express my utmost love and admiration for is Sacha Baron Cohen as Time. Ugh, where do I even start?! He was so unbelievably wonderful. I am having a hard time putting it into words how much I loved Time. First of all, the script for this movie is one of the most quotable and inspirational I’ve ever seen. The life lessons that were thrown in subtly really hit me right at my core. Most of these were explained by Time, and I’m sure just by knowing the name of Sacha Baron Cohen’s character you can see why he was the outlet for wisdom. I have only ever seen Sacha Baron Cohen in raunchy and crude roles like in Borat and The Dictator, so I was knocked off my feet when I realized that the funny, good hearted and smart Time was played by him. Seriously, go see the movie just to see this character. You won’t be let down.

I’m not going to touch on Anne Hathaway because I found her character to be kinda pointless. Plus, the way that she’s always pursing her lips drives me nuts.

This sequel was directed by James Bobin instead of Tim Burton and I’m convinced that is why I liked it a million times better than the first. I am in the minority of people that aren’t a huge fan of Tim Burton or his work. I wonder if my feelings towards him are exacerbated by my feelings for his ex wife….

All in all, I am so happy I got to see Alice Through the Looking Glass. I actually want to buy a ticket to go see it again. It may have weaseled its way into my Top 20.

Thank you for all of the love and support on my previous review. Hopefully this week’s positive one made up for how harsh I had to be last week.

I love you guys and I look forward to hearing what you all think of this movie. It comes out Friday May 27th, 2016.

Until next time,

Kady (She)

xoxo

OVERALL GRADE: A

NEIGHBORS 2: SORORITY RISING

Kady Berrebbi

neighbours-2-sorority-rising

Hello, babes of the internet!
I’m back yet again with another review. This one is going to be short and not-so-sweet. Folks, here it is. I know it was bound to happen but I wasn’t expecting tragedy quite so soon. This is officially my first negative review.

I’d like to start by saying that I never ever have high expectations of comedy sequels, they always suck. Use Zoolander 2 and the atrocious string of Hangover films as prime examples of this. BUT for Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising, I had a little bit of hope. The reason for this is that part of the marketing/advertising for the sequel is that it is “the best comedy sequel ever.” I’m calling bullshit. Let me tell you why.

First, if you haven’t yet suffered through the trailer for this disaster, watch it here.

I wasn’t really a huge fan of the first Neighbors but it wasn’t terrible. Rose Byrne was charming and Zac Efron and Dave Franco were slightly obnoxious but still cute in their fratty bromance. The sequel however was not funny at all. I usually enjoy raunchy humor but this movie went so far over the line. Too many disgusting comments about fraternity boys being rapists and an extreme overdose of feminism being shoved right down the audience’s throats. I spent the majority of my time at the press screening rolling my eyes and trying not to throw up instead of laughing.

I don’t even know whose acting I hated the most. Probably Chloe Grace Moretz because she was just awful. Horrible. Annoying. Irritating. I usually enjoy her acting, in almost every other film I’ve seen her in, including both Kick Ass and Kick Ass 2. But something was seriously wrong this time around. I’m sure her bad acting was exacerbated by the crappy lines written for her. Overall her character was totally unlikeable and nauseating.

Rose Byrne and Seth Rogen were “eh.” I don’t have much else to say about them. They just weren’t funny. Their timing seemed off and all they did was overreact and overact.

Please don’t get me started about Ike Barinholtz and Carla Gallo as Jimmy and Paula. They sucked.

Zaz Efron as Teddy was the only character that was remotely tolerable. He’s nice to look at and some of the cheesy lines written for him balanced out the gross “comedy” assigned to everybody else.

I think that pretty much sums it up. If not, head over to google and search for images of vomit and how you’ll probably feel looking at those pictures is how I feel about this movie.

Don’t waste your money and precious time going to see this dumpster pile of a sequel. It comes out Friday May 20th, 2016. I feel obligated to tell you that even though I really want you all to stay home, eat macaroni and cheese and watch The Carmichael Show on Hulu. Seriously, go watch it. Jerrod Carmichael had a small role in both the original Neighbors and Neighbors 2 and whenever he’d pop up on the screen I wished I was watching his show instead.

Thank you for all of your love and support. You guys rock.

XOXO,

Kady (She)

OVERALL LETTER GRADE: D-

(I’d give it an F but I got to see Zac Efron dance around shirtless)

CAPTAIN AMERICA: CIVIL WAR

Kady Berrebbi

captainart

What’s up, internet homies? I’m back with another review. Grab a snack because it’s a doozy.

This Friday, May 06, 2016, Marvel Comics’ newest blockbuster hits theaters. Captain America: Civil War is the third film in the Captain America franchise. It’s personally my second favorite, Winter Soldier being the best out of all of them for me. I wasn’t really a huge fan of the first one.

Now, let me start by saying that I’m very torn about what letter grade to give this movie. There were some elements that I was totally in love with and others that I almost hated. But I feel that if I dock the overall grade of the movie just because of the parts I didn’t like, then I’m not giving the great parts enough credit. Maybe I’ll solidify my thoughts by the time I finish writing this review.

First off, if you haven’t even watched the trailer for Captain America: Civil War, go do that and then come back. Here’s the link to watch it.

Now that you’ve done that, let’s get down to business.

This movie was poorly titled- Marvel should’ve named it “Winter Soldier and Falcon: Civil War” because both Sebastian Stan and Anthony Mackie did a hell of a lot better job than Chris Evans did and his role didn’t seem to be the most impactful in the movie. They could’ve also called the movie “Avengers 3 but with Very Important Characters Missing.” I mean seriously, everyone and their mother showed up in this flick. It was like one giant superhero orgy. The worst part about that for me was you had all these heroes; Captain America, Falcon, Iron Man, Winter Soldier, Black Panther, Vision, Black Widow, Scarlet Witch, Hawkeye, Ant-Man, Spiderman, War Machine, but then Mark Ruffalo as the Hulk and Chris Hemsworth as Thor weren’t sent an e-vite to the party?! Come on. We even got a small cameo from Crossbones AKA traitor asshole Brock Rumlow played by Frank Grillo.

The next detail of this movie that I didn’t particularly like was the Black Panther’s suit. If you are familiar at all with how he is illustrated in the comics, you’d know that his “outfit” in the film was off completely. It was more like a slightly less feminine version of a Cat Woman costume than a suit fit for the honorable bad ass Black Panther. Though I will say that as far as character portrayal/acting goes, Chadwick Boseman did an incredible job.

I’d like to take a moment to focus on the leading ladies of Captain America: Civil War. Scar Jo and Elizabeth Olsen are no doubt beautiful and talented but I wasn’t sold on them this time around. Elizabeth Olsen as the Scarlet Witch lacked a certain edge and Scarlett Johansson’s Black Widow was dry and bland compared to her usually feisty self. But who I hated most out of this entire movie, not just the heroic women of the film, was Emily VanCamp as Sharon Carter. Good grief, I don’t think I’ve ever seen a woman look less attracted to Chris Evans. She is supposed to be super into him and she really just looks unamused. Their inevitable kiss was bullshit, it came out of nowhere and seemed to be placed at about the only time they found to fit it in and it still didn’t work. It was pointless and unconvincing.

Now I’m going to move on to the things I did enjoy.

I already mentioned that Chadwick Boseman as the Black Panther did an amazing job but I’m saying it again because he was really that good. Sebastian Stan, the love of my life if y’all didn’t already know that, did an awesome job too. He played both sides well, he was convincing as the cryptic and haunted Winter Soldier as well as Steve Rogers’ BFF Bucky Barnes.

The star of the whole film had to be Anthony Mackie as Falcon. I’ve always liked him. He is great as Sam Wilson (the most loyal friend ever known to man) and he’s the perfect amount of cool when he’s all suited up. His role as a devoted hero is believable and he does a fantastic job of putting his heart and soul into the character.

Robert Downey Jr. showed some nice range in this movie. He was still tough and commanding as Iron Man but we really got to see a soft side to Tony Stark. Iron Man isn’t usually one of my favorite characters but this movie made me really appreciate the role he serves in the Avengers. This movie gave his character some interesting dimension and showed layers of emotion that I personally don’t feel the audience has seen in previous movies to date.

If you have ever read any of the Avengers comic books or you are familiar with the story lines, you’d know that Wanda Maximoff/Scarlet Witch and Vision have a bit of a romance. I’m happy that they hinted at this in the film, it was one of the few aspects of Elizabeth Olsen’s character I really loved. Paul Bettany as Vision is iconic to me in a way, his character is so dynamic and he has this “personality” that warms my heart.

Lastly, I just want to touch on my thoughts towards Tom Holland’s debut as the new Spiderman. That kid is adorable. He embodies everything Spiderman should be from the original comics. It’s nice to see Spiderman played by someone who actually looks and acts like the goofy teenager he’s supposed to be. The only thing I didn’t particularly care for was Marissa Tomei as Aunt May. Not because she did a bad job, but because Aunt May is supposed to be older. Instead she is this young and hot aunt that Iron Man occasionally flirts with.

 

So, after reading my ridiculously long review, I hope I’ve convinced you all to see it. Give it a shot, even if this kind of movie isn’t really your cup of tea. I do recommend watching both Captain America movies and at least Avengers: Age of Ultron before you venture to the theater. That will definitely help you follow along better, which in turn will allow you to better enjoy the movie. Especially if you haven’t seen them each a thousand times like I have.

Leave a comment down below letting me know if you’re #TeamCap or #TeamIronMan. I’m 100% #TeamCap, strictly because I’m on whatever side Bucky’s on. He’s just the cutest thing.

With love and warm internet hugs always,

Kady (She)

OVERALL GRADE: A-

THE HUNTSMAN- WINTER’S WAR

Kady Berrebbi

The-Huntsman-Winters-War-Trailer

Hello again, lovely readers!

I’m back with another review. I was lucky enough to see The Huntsman: Winter’s War earlier this week and I must say, I was unfortunately disappointed. Based on my previous reviews, I’m sure it’s not difficult for you to see that I am a huge advocate of Disney classics turning into these powerhouse live-action films. BUT The Huntsman: Winter’s War really taught me that these films are only enjoyable if they are done near perfectly. I know those are huge expectations but I personally feel that producers and directors of these films have so much to go off of with the original stories/novels and classic cartoons, that they should be hard to screw up.

For this film in particular, I must say thank goodness for Emily Blunt. Her portrayal as the Ice Queen was beautiful and strong. She played her stone cold character authentically and her few emotional moments had a lot of impact on the film as a whole. And a big shout out to the costume design team in charge of the film- Emily Blunt’s gowns as the Ice Queen/Freya were so ornate and detailed, it made her even more interesting to watch.

Charlize Theron’s acting was on the complete opposite end of the spectrum from how I feel about Emily Blunt. I think part of the issue I had with her character was that the script seemed to have a weak place for her from the get-go. Sure, she was somewhat necessary to the plot of the film but I also believe that she could’ve been written out almost entirely and the result would’ve been the same if not better.

Jessica Chastain and Chris Hemsworth were okay individually but their chemistry as a couple was horrible. They seemed so forced and Hemsworth looked generally disinterested in Chastain’s character, Sara. Of the two of them though, Chastain seemed to try to appear in love with Hemsworth so I will give a small amount of credit where it’s due.

Overall, I’d say this is a “skip it, or wait until it’s out on DVD” kind of film. If you were particularly looking forward to seeing this film because you loved Snow White and the Huntsman then go ahead and see it but I recommend going into it with little to no expectations.

Hope you found this review helpful, please like, share and comment!

Best,

Kady (She)

GRADE: C+ 

THE JUNGLE BOOK

Kady Berrebbi

junglebook

Hi, beautiful internet friends!

I’m back with another review and this has definitely been one of my favorite movies to review so far. I’ll tell ya, folks, if Disney keeps making movies this good then my job will just keep getting easier and easier! Seriously, Disney’s live-action rendition of the classic tale, The Jungle Book, comes out this Friday- April 15th, 2016. And I’m being 100% honest when I say that everyone and their mother, child, husband, wife, boyfriend, girlfriend, service dog, whoever, should rush to go see this movie. Especially if you were a big fan of the original cartoon then you cannot miss this one.

I’ve always been very into Disney movies, I mean who isn’t? But really, even now that I’m (unfortunately) a full-fledged adult, I can get down with some classic Disney cartoons. That’s why I was so excited a few years ago when Disney started coming out with live-action versions of their best classics. You can check out my review of Cinderella, which came out last year, here.

The voice casting for The Jungle Book was nearly perfect- Idris Elba as Shere Khan was hauntingly good as well as Scarlett Johansson as Kaa. Bill Murray was well suited to be the voice of Baloo, the hilarious and lovable bear, but my personal favorite had to be Ben Kingsley as Bagheera. I don’t know if he looked in the mirror envisioning himself as a powerful panther or what, but he nailed it!

Of course, I have to give credit to the film’s precious lead, Neel Sethi, who played Mowgli. For a child actor with little to no film experience before this movie, he did an amazing job. His emotions were believable and genuine, which I’m sure was difficult considering he was pretty much the only human in the film.

What made this film as incredible as it was though is the insane graphics. Visually the movie was impeccable, picture perfect I should say. The animals looked so realistic down to the very last movement and detail.

I saw the movie in 3D and for once, I didn’t hate it. The movie was so pleasing to the eye that I think the 3D possibly made it even better.

My last note about this film is that I’m happy it wasn’t a musical, the few short musical parts were placed in just the right spots to make it feel authentic to the nature of a Disney movie but without being too much to bear- haha, get it?

Hopefully this review sways you all to go see it- again, it hits theaters Friday April 15th, 2016.

xoxo,

Kady (The Famous She)

 

Batman V Superman Review

Could Be You
Batman V Superman
Ok I cannot wait any longer. Here is my review filled with spoilers. If you loved this movie and get hurt, feelings-wise, having someone disagree with you, do not read any further. No blind fanboys wanted here 🙂

Continue Reading →