Movie Review: Terminator: Dark Fate

Been a while since I got around to reviewing some movies on this page, but there's definitely "No Fate But What We Make" in trying to get back into what you need to do - and there were a couple of blockbuster films I've seen in the past few weeks that were hotly anticipated and finally are playing in theaters. Most of them are sequels to established franchises that were hits back in the early 80's - and one of them is the long-running Terminator film franchise - which once again brings the cyborg killer robots back to our present to wipe out the hope of a possible post-apocalyptic future, but not without some heroes and protectors to help out and kick their asses as well.

Thanks to 20th Century Fox Philippines, I got to see the latest film in the series in "Terminator: Dark Fate" last October 24th - which brings back Arnold Schwarzenegger as the iconic T-800 cyborg. This time however, he's joined by other returning series veteran Linda Hamilton - who reprises her role as the older and badass Sarah Connor. Her return coincides with the comeback of legendary filmmaker James Cameron - who directed the first two successful Terminator films and is joining this new venture as a producer. Dark Fate is meant to be inserted as a "fresh start sequel" that ignores the events of Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines, Terminator: Salvation, and Terminator: Genisys. This is a movie catered to the fans of the old aging franchise - but does it deliver the goods? Here are my thoughts... And of course SPOILER WARNING if you want to catch the movie yourselves.

Movie Review: Joker

"Desperate Times calls for Desperate Measures."

That old expression sums up many things in life, but it also perfectly describes the feeling and atmosphere you'll get from "Joker" - the newest entry by Warner Bros. in their expanding DC Films line-up that, while based on one of their most notorious comic book villains, is not a part of the DC Extended Universe at all. Instead, this is a stand-alone movie meant to launch a new series of "DC Black" films - which will be darker, grittier, and more in line with mature and serious storytelling - which fits quite well with the atmosphere exploring the rise of Gotham City's future Clown Prince of Crime.

As one of the movies I was very much looking forward to before the year ends, "Joker" earned a lot of hype and positive buzz for weeks - premiering in this year's Venice Film Festival and winning the top prize of the show in the coveted "Lion" award.  I finally got my chance to see the film just before October set in, with Warner Bros. Philippines holding a special press screening this past September 30 (and just when I returned from my trip to Europe and the UK to boot!). Suffice to say - it BLEW MY MIND. While this is a film focusing on Batman's eternal nemesis and I'm a big fan of The Dark Knight to boot, he doesn't even exist in this film - and the primary focus is solely on the man that will eventually spiral down to a life of madness.

All it takes is one bad day... And that is explored in this artistic masterpiece of a psychological thriller film.

Movie Review: It: Chapter Two

Sequels have a lot of expectation and hype riding into them that it makes for quite the unpredictable ride. Rarely does it manage to overshadow the experience the viewer has with the first movie, and on the flip side it can also act as an extension of said experience to bring more answers or closure to the journey we take watching a story unfold. Thankfully director Andy Muschietti knew that much and what he was signing up for when he took on the job of helming Stephen King's popular 1986 supernatural horror novel "It", and the 2017 movie adaptation proved to be the proper introduction to the "main course" that would this year's "It: Chapter Two" - which sees "The Losers Club" all grown up and returning back to their childhood hometown 27 years later to put an end to the demonic clown that preyed on their fears once and for all.

Thanks to Warner Bros. Pictures, I was able to catch the much anticipated sequel (along with some nifty new trailer surprises) this past Monday, and I was more than ready to see Pennywise the Dancing Clown come back and deliver some unsuspecting horror induced fun. It took two years for audiences to wait out what would happen when friends return to confront their "Boogeyman" from the past... And what happens when old memories locked away resurface and forces you to literally confront your past? This film answers it all along with scares that are DEFINITELY not for the faint of heart  - so be warned when walking into this along with a solid adult rating!