Aladdin (2019)

Fun fact: due to the nature of most Disney movies as musicals, there have been MANY stage adaptations for popular films done by the House of Mouse. Iconic among them is the Broadway version of "Lion King," but there are fair tries to capture the spirit of the animated films with such productions as "the Little Mermaid" and "Aladdin."
Why do I bring this up?
Because to appreciate the live-action reboot of "Aladdin," you have to go in expecting a version of the classic animated film that's quite different, but still encapsulates the essence of the story and characters...albeit with beaucoup budget and a lot of visual flair.

Y'all know the drill: a poor orphan living on the streets does parkour, steals stuff with ease, possesses a silver tongue of manipulation, but has a heart of gold...a diamond in the rough; a princess sheltered all her life escapes to see how the 99% live and meets said orphan, and their shenanigans lead to his capture, where he is given an offer he can't refuse: help the king's advisor get a seemingly ordinary lamp. Hijinks ensue when the boy finds a wise-cracking shape-shifting genie within, and this duo must woo the princess and foil a dastardly plan.

The movie takes our expectations, our knowledge that it will never live up to the original 'toon, and embraces that; it has its own unique energy and look that gives this yarn a different spin while it acknowledges the original story.  But for all the advances, there are at least 2-3 steps backwards. The instrumentation on the songs are improved, but the vocalists aren't as fantastic. The city & locales really do look like actual places instead of sets, but even then, the scope isn't as grand or majestic. (The Cave of Wonders was particularly underwhelming since one step into the treasure room and there should've been so much gold the entire color palette should've changed from dark blues to solid yellow, but nope...still predominantly rocks) There are new characters and some pre-existing characters have their motivations expanded, but that comes at the expense of the characterization of other characters. Finally, while there are many magical feats and visuals to astound, the climax in general felt remarkably underwhelming with the villain hardly creating anything fantastic to combat the hero.

Overall, an entertaining flick on its own merits, but when compared to the original, what I have unabashedly called my favorite Disney animated movie ever, you could see there was an attempt to put that particular genie back into its bottle, and they failed. 'Twas a valiant effort at least.

There it is; the impetus for Princess Jasmine getting her own "girl power anthem."

Avengers: Endgame

And there came a day unlike any other, when nearly every superhero in the universe fought as hard as they could to stop a madman's genocidal plan.
And they lost.
Some paid with their lives, and some carried the survivors' guilt and then some.
This was "Infinity War"
So how will these heroes rectify this injustice?
Well, TAKE IT AWAY AKU!


Yeah that pretty much covers it.

"Avengers: Endgame" is the 22nd movie in the undeniable, and frankly inescapable entertainment juggernaut that is the Marvel Cinematic Universe. And boy-oh-boy if you thought you had to pay attention for all those movies for "Infinity War," the time-traveling aspect means that not only will it take its audience on a wonderful nostalgia trip, but the characters themselves get wonderful closure for certain things left unsaid or not done in those movies. And because the formula for the best laid plans always includes "SOMETHING GOES WRONG," their present is affected big time by a slight mishap in the past.

After the last movie was more focused on explaining the motivations of the main villain, we are shifted back to the heroes, specifically, the main six who kickstarted this team-up venture back in 2012. Strongest performances go to Robert Downey Jr. and Jeremy Renner, respectively as a Tony Stark with the BIGGEST case of motivating guilt since he signed away his autonomy in Cap'Merica 3,  and Clint Barton, who in the wake of unspeakable evil has taken up the blade in a killing spree that would make the Punisher proud (wonder if HE survived the Snap?). The emotions acted out, the action & history their characters encapsulated, and the sacrifices they are willing to make gives you adequate cause to root for them. Not saying the other 4 of the core Avengers have leaps and bounds character development, but really, how can you not after 11 years of movies? Captain America starts to be wistful of what he lost, Black Widow realizing her family has always been this odd assortment of freaks, the Hulk & Banner reach a strange inner peace, and Thor...realizes his failures and after a bit of a slump, finds his fighting spirit again. The 2ndary characters continue to develop, and for some, I am genuinely curious about their futures in the MCU, and for others, I am content with their stories being over. Cameos from old movies are also a-plenty so remember to keep a cheat sheet if you forgot some people.

Blending a post-apocalyptic grimness, with a humorous romp through their own history, and ending in a truly climactic battle reminiscent of anything from "Lord of the Rings," "Braveheart," "Last Samurai," or "Star Wars," this experience is a fine cap-off to a saga from several different storytellers in this new mythology played out on the silver screen.

Yes, even there was surprising Thor 2 nostalgia thrown into the mix!

For a creative overview from a fellow movie-reviewing friend, go here.
For a review (SPOILER-FILLED) with a multitude of goofy voices, go here.