DB Reviews- Star Trek Beyond

My next review is for Star Trek Beyond, the 3rd installment of the most recent trio of Trek films. In this film, Captain Kirk and his crew are stranded on a planet that's ruled by a ruthless dictator who was a former Starfleet captain who's looking to get rid of Starfleet. It's in theaters now as of this post.

I felt that this movie was more like a film from the Next Generation series. The costumes for the main villains almost resembled the Borg, while the henchmen wore suits that were almost Iron Man like. The action was also like the action in a Next Generation movie. I liked TNG, so that was a plus for me.

I think Leonard Nimoy chose his Spock successor wisely. Zachary Quinto took the Vulcan mantle and made it his own! He brought the style of Spock, a style that Nimoy created, to a new generation while keeping true to the character that Nimoy brought to small tvs in the 60s. He even gave us a bit of emotion when he learned that Ambassador Spock, Nimoy's character in these new films, passed away, following what happened in the real world.

They even honored Nimoy by using a photo of the original 60s show cast. I thought that was nice, but some people might find that a bit confusing, since the stars of this film were supposed to be playing the roles the stars of the TV show used to play.

Chris Pine plays a good Kirk, though he does not have the same voice as William Shatner did in the TV show. Pines portrayal of Kirk was professional. He was in control during the pivotal scenes of the film. Pines Kirk knew that he and the crew were in trouble and he was prepared to get them out of it! What I'm saying is that I thought Pine did a good job as Kirk in this film.

The story was good. It was written in the Next Generation style, with action and a plot that was easy to follow once you get it.

Overall, I give this film 4 stars. The acting was great, the story was good and the film itself reminded me of the films of the Next Generation Era, the era that came after Kirk. This film even brought back the USS Franklin, which may have been seen in TNG!

My review: GO SEE THIS FILM!

DB Reviews- Ghostbusters 2016

image by befreestlouis.com

Over 30 years ago, a group of scientists (Dan Aykroyd, Bill Murray, Harold Remis, Ernie Hudson) took on the evil of the paranormal world and took it down! Now, a new team of scientists takes the mantle! Welcome to my review of the reboot of one of pop cultures most successful franchises, Ghostbusters! 

Melissa McCarthy and Kristin Wiig lead a new team to battle evil ghosts haunting New York in this. I must say, they did an OK job. Not only did they take over fo Aykroyd and Murray, they also acted like Aykroyd and Murray's characters from the original film. I'm not a big McCarthy fan, but I do think this was some of her better work. Wiig did OK too in this film. I thought that her character in the beginning of the film wasn't all that good, but when she joined the Ghostbusters, she stepped up! 

I could definitely tell that Kate McKinnon played the Egon of the group, with her character's knowledge of all the tech that the Ghostbusters used throughout the film. She did pretty good at that. I felt that her character was a bit too wonky though, but in the science realm (which was Egon's thing too), she did excellent! 

Leslie Jones was the Winston Zeddemore of this new group. I liked her character. She was energetic and willing to help the Ghostbusters in any way she can. Jones's character was hired just like Zeddemore from the original film. I think I could see Jones in the future with movies. Probably comedies. 

The one character that I felt wasn't too great was the receptionist, played by Chris Hemsworth (aka Thor). I felt that this character was too "dumb" for Hemsworth to play. He was better when he got controlled by a ghost, but other than that, I think this wasn't a Hemsworth worthy role. However, this was pretty much the only big thing that I didn't like about the film. Some of the jokes were a bit dirty, but not as bad as Hemsworth's receptionist. 

The thing that put this film over the top for me was all the little references to the original film. They had every single original Ghostbusters film thing you can think of in this film! Dan Aykroyd, Bill Murray, Ernie Hudson, Sigourney Weaver, and the original receptionist all made cameos! Slimer was in this and he even got a girlfriend (lucky ghost)! Also, a head bust was made of Harold Remis to honor his memory. The only thing missing was Rick Moranis! Even the Marshmallow Man made an appearance in the form of a balloon. Also, Ray Parker, Jr's song was in it! They had to add that! It wouldn't be a Ghostbusters movie without that hit song! 

Another thing I liked in this film was that the writers decided to use the ghost in the Ghostbusters logo as the final big ghost the Busters had to fight. Really nice! This was the part played by the Marshmallow Man in the original film. This thing was more fierce then the Marshmallow Man, mainly because technology today is more advanced then it was back in the early 80s. 

The special effects were on point! The guys who handled the effects certainly did their homework cause they knew what color should the streams be, how the ghosts were presented, etc. I give their work 2 big time streams up! 

The story itself was easy to follow, especially if you saw the original film. Why? Because it seemed to match itself to the original film with every step. They had a big ghost at the end, they had a ghost battle at a hotel during an event (albeit the events differed) and they started with one professor being fired before the Busters even began! Dejavu for fans of the original? Possibly. 

Overall, I give this film 4 "ghostly" stars! The cast was good, the set replaced Times Square and even the story was easy to follow. Who you gonna call? Definitely this team of Ghostbusters! Thanks for reading! 

DB Reviews- The BFG

Hello, movie goers! It's me, DB, and I'm back to bring you another cool review. This time, I'm reviewing the BFG!

Before I get to the review, I must talk about the theater where I went to see this film. The Showcase Cinemas had a brand new style of theater, which was based on those 4D shows you see in theme parks. It's called Showcase MX4D and it's tagline was "Unlock Every Dimension". Boy, does it mean it!

I took this at the theater. 

Whoever thought of bringing the idea of 4D shows into regular theaters was a genius! This made watching the BFG fun! Not only will you see the film in 3D, but you'll also feel the effects (air puffs, water and strobe lights) hard! I recommend you go to your nearest Showcase Cinemas location and try it out! 

Now,on to the review. 

This image came from pop.inquirer.net

First off, let's talk about the story. It's a simple one that's about a young girl who befriends a tall, dream catching giant. That girl teaches the giant to stand up for himself when the bigger giants bully him. I thought that was good, though the beginning could use some work. Younger children could be a bit frightened by the giant in the beginning. 

Also, the girl helps the giant save London, England from an attack by the same bigger giants seen before. He does so by warning the queen by issuing a dream into her head using a trumpet and some visual effects (which I'll talk about later). That part of the story was good, I thought. It kept the movie going and it added a little action to this fantasy tale. Not the blow-up kind of action, but still. 

Next, the acting. I'm not sure if the little girl (Sophie) will get another role, but who knows. I thought Mark Rylance was pretty good as the BFG himself. He was a little nasty in the beginning, but as his character started to become the true BFG, so did he. I think he could line up more work in the future, especially with Disney. 

Now, let's talk about the visual effects of the film. I thought they were stunning! I would not be surprised if this film got an Academy Award nomination for best visual effects. If it does, then I hope it wins! These effects were amazing! Colorful, even and there were plenty of colors used to represent the dreams the giant catches! 

Let's add this to Steven Spielberg's list of better films. It's not as good as ET, but it still fits the bill as a good Spielburg movie! Spielberg has made tons of other films in the past as well, such as Jurassic Park, Schindler's List, and Jaws. I'd say the BFG beats Jurassic Park because I don't like films with blood in them. 

So overall, I'd give this film 4 stars because of the directing and the visual effects, especially the effects! 

Thanks for reading! Catch you for my next review! 

DB Reviews- Independence Day Resurgence

Image courtesy of the web.

So, after 20 long years, we finally get a sequel to one of the world's most famous sci fi movies ever made! Is it worth seeing? Oh yeah! But, is it as good as the original film? Oh heck no! Before I go on with this review, I warn you! If you haven't seen this film yet, then stop reading this review and go see it before you read!

If you haven't seen the original film (another film I highly suggest you see), then you may be a bit confused with the plot. You won't know what the characters are talking about when they say the War of 1996! That's why I suggest you see the original before seeing this film.

This film makes tons of nods to the original, from the storyline to the scenes themselves. The story is a continuation of the plot of the original film. It takes place 20 years after the events of the original (which the characters in this film call the War of 1996). I thought that was a cool idea because it fits the timeline in the real world, since the original film came out 20 years ago! Since then, the people of that Earth used the alien tech they found in the original film to form the ESD, or earth space defense, or something like that. With that, the people managed to transform the Earth into a futuristic world, much like the worlds in Tomorrowland and the Terminator. I liked that a lot!

The tagline in the poster says "We had 20 years to prepare. So did they." I thought that tagline fit this movie perfectly because, even with all that tech, the humans still had to find a way to bring down this alien threat! I have to give props to the folks who worked on the special effects for this project. They did one heck of a job giving us a bigger, badder evil alien spaceship! This thing was HUGE! They must've had to do a lot of programming and editing to get this ship to be that big! Plus, the Alien Queen reminded me of the monsters that Rita Repulsa would send down to Earth to fight the Power Rangers! I would've loved to see the Megazord fight this thing!

Even though I've been gushing on how AWESOME this film was, it pales in comparison to the original! The original set the bar very, very high when it comes to action sci fi movie standards! This film, even with all the cool action scenes, didn't come close to that bar. It didn't have Will Smith, which might be a turn off for some of the viewers of the original film, but it did have highlights of President Whitmore's speech to the troops on July 4th from the original film! I liked that speech a lot! I thought it was one of Bill Pullman's (who played President Whitmore) best lines!

Speaking of Mr. Pullman, he returned to the role in this film. I thought he was ok at best in this film because he seemed to have some trouble dealing with the aliens inside his mind. I think he was a bit crazier in this film then he was in the original and I don't think that suited him well. He did better as the President in the first film.

Another returning character was Jeff Goldblum's David Levinson. He seemed to be the same David from the original film, which I thought was good for him. Goldblum had played some memorable characters in his career, including Mr. Levinson in this franchise and his role in Jurassic Park. I don't remember his character's name in Jurassic Park, however.

This film had some new faces too. I thought the best new faces in this were Liam Hensworth and Jessie Usher. I especially liked Usher's role as Hiller's son. I think he could use more roles like this. He has a bit of potential to be the next action star in Hollywood. Hemsworth was a good fighter pilot in this movie. I think he could be the next Hollywood heartthrob.

The story had a Marvel like plot twist, announcing that the humans were allies with the aliens enemy. It was definitely a different twist then the one about the aliens consuming our natural resources in the first film. I liked this twist because I'm a Marvel fan!

I liked the inclusion of the new robot character from another planet in this film. That robot was the enemy of the aliens.  Who knows, perhaps it could get  as famous as R2-D2 or C-3PO, or maybe even BB-8, someday.

Overall, this film was AWESOME! I'm definitely picking this up when it comes out on Blu-Ray and Digital HD! I give it 4 stars overall! The plot was good and the acting was pretty good too. But the special effects are what made this movie so amazing! It doesn't beat the 1st film, but it's too good to miss!

DB's Orlando Vacation Vlog

Hello everyone. This is my Orlando Vacation Vlog. I hope you enjoy it! It's from my Youtube channel (http://www.youtube.com/c/davebeckelvis)



This videos and photos taken for this Vlog were taken at least a month BEFORE the tragic events at the Pulse Nightclub in Orlando. I would like to send my thoughts and condolences to the families and friends of the victims of that tragic shooting.



Again, I hope you enjoy this Vlog. This features some of the great attractions Orlando has to offer, from Disney to Universal and beyond. I hope that this vlog series gives you joy and happiness, especially during this tragic time. I also hope you consider this vlog series helpful when you're deciding on what to do during your vacation to Orlando.



This series features just some of Orlando's great attractions. There are plenty more things to experience!



Orlando is still a great city, especially to visit on vacation! #OrlandoStrong!

DB Reviews- Now You See Me 2

Hello once again! It's me, DB, and today, I'm gonna give you my review of Now You See Me 2, the sequel to last year's hit film Now You See Me. This review does contain spoilers, so if you haven't seen the film first, stop reading and go see it! Then, you can come back here to read my review. 

The image is from Wikipedia. 

In this film, the now famous Horsemen must stop Owen Case from stealing everybody's data via his new software. They have to deal with new baddies (including one played by Daniel Radcliff) and put their nemesis (played by Michael Caine) back behind bars. 

I like this plot, even though it had more twists and turns then a roller coaster ride. I do think those twists and turns are what made this plot good. It's a movie about magic, and with magic, you never know what could happen! This film had one surprise after another! If you haven't seen the first film however, then you may want to see that one, well, first. That way, you'll get more of a sense of what's going on during the second film. If you see this film before the first one, then you'll get confused a lot! 

The acting in this film was good. I thought that Jesse Eisenburg was much better in the role of Atlas then the role of Lex Luthor in Batman v Superman. He's more serious in this role, which I think suits him better then his wacky version of Luthor. I would like to see him in more roles like Atlas in the future. 

Woody Harrelson can now add "hypnotist" to his acting resume. The audio effect for his character when he's hypnotizing someone was really good. Also, the writers came up with some great lines for his character to use when he hypnotizes someone. 

I agree with my mom in saying that Daniel Radcliffe was a bit out of his element in this movie. He's more of a Harry Potter kinda guy then a Voldemort kinda guy in my opinion. I know he's trying new roles to improve his action repertoire, but I think he should stick to what I think he's good at and that's playing more teen heart throb action roles like Harry Potter. 

The effects were awesome in this film! Not only was the audio effect for Harrelson's character good, like I mentioned before, but the effect for Eisenburg's final solo trick was excellent too! The people that added that effect that stopped the rain into the trick did an awesome job! I also think the finale was well done too! That plane trick even had me fooled! I could see David Copperfield do a replica of that trick during one of his shows. Speaking of which, I was thinking. Did they have any actual magicians on set to help them with all the tricks? I wonder...

Overall, I give this film 4 stars. It's not as good as the 1st one, but it's still very good! I highly recommend this film to any fans of Eisenburg, Harrelson, or magic in general. I hope they make a 3rd installment soon, cause I'd like to see that! 

DB Reviews- Finding Dory

Hey all! Welcome to my new DB Reviews blog! In this blog, I'll be sharing with you my reviews of movies and restaurants around the Boston, MA area. 

My first review is Disney/Pixar's newest release, Finding Dory. Finding Dory is the sequel to Disney/Pixar's smash hit Finding Nemo, the hit movie that followed Marlin and Dory's adventures to find Marlin's son Nemo. 

The story for Finding Dory is slightly different. This time, Nemo and his dad Marlin must venture out to California to find Dory. Meanwhile, Dory is on an adventure of her own. She's trying to find her family. 

Image from comingsoon.net

Now let's get to the review. 

First off, I liked the plot. It's pretty much the same plot as Finding Nemo, but with a few twists. Dory searching for her family is one of those. Another thing that the plot does is that it shows how Dory's short term memory loss can be one of her strengths instead of her weakness. She didn't let her memory loss slow her down in the search for her parents and her memory improved throughout the course of the film. That was something I really liked. 

The plot did mention a lot of nods to Finding Nemo, the original film. A good example is the pipeline  that Dory uses to call to Destiny when she was younger. This was at the Seaworld-inspired Marine Life Institute. Like Nemo in the first film, Dory uses the pipes at the Institute to escape to the ocean. Nemo used the pipes at the dentist office in the first film. 

One of the parts of the plot I liked the most was when Dory found the line of shells outside her home. This is a great tool to help anyone remember the way back to a certain place. In Dory's case, it was her original home. Her parents decided to use this on their new home and that set the stage for the key reunion scene in the film. 

Next, let's take a look at the voices. I thought Ellen DeGeneres did good reprising her role as Dory. She definitely knew what her character was like in this film thanks to her experience from the Nemo film. Albert Brooks brought back Marlin. He also brought back Marlin's overprotective side from the first film too. That's something that the writers could've worked on, since Marlin started that way in the first film. I think that's something for the writers to do when (and if) there's a 3rd film in the franchise. 

The new characters in this film were good too. I especially liked Destiny and Hank. Hank was determined to get to Cleveland to stay at the aquarium there, but Dory taught him that the ocean wasn't such a scary place after all. Destiny, like Dory, had a disability. She was nearsighted, but that didn't stop her from helping her friend get out and back into the ocean. Her neighbor, Bailey, had to help her with her swimming. By doing that, he was also able to gain his ability of echolocation back. That's another win right there! 

I liked this film because the characters did not let their disabilities stop them from doing what they did! 

The direction was good, with Andrew Stanton at the helm. The animation was excellent too! I originally felt that the use of "What a Wonderful World" during the truck crash was weird, but my mom explained after the film that the truck was releasing the fish back to the ocean, part of the Institute's moto. That's why the song was used in that scene. 

Overall, I give this film 4 1/2 stars. It may not beat Nemo, but it was definitey unforgetable! 

Finally, we did have a ton of cameos from the characters from the first film. Crush, Squirt, Mr. Ray, and even Willem Defoe's character all made appearances. Even the seagulls that said "Mine" had a cameo! Totally sweet!