5 Favorite Moments at SDCC 2017

The geekiest weekend on the calendar known as San Diego Comic Con has come and gone. Fandom across the galaxies and comic book universes was lit as studios delivered sneak peaks for some of the most anticipated movies and tv shows. There was so much to look out for and get excited about for the next year (or more). These were my five favorite announcements from SDCC. What trailers or teasers excited you the most? Feel free to share in the comments!

Bright on Netflix

"Humans, Orcs, Elves... everybody is just trying to get along. Get ready for the world of Bright", seems to be a wild new movie ready to drop on Netflix in November.

*By the director of Suicide Squad* I'm out.
*stars Will Smith* YAAASSSSSS.

I went from mildly disinterested to LET'S DO THIS in about five seconds.

The Defenders

Four of Marvel's biggest misfits are coming together to stop a villainous sect from destroying NYC. Jessica Jones, Daredevil, Luke Cage, and Iron Fist are facing off against the sci-fi queen herself Sigourney Weaver. Sign me up! We're also finally seeing the Punisher in his full costume, sparking even more excitement for Jon Bernthal's first season as the anti-hero Frank Castle.

Stranger Things Season 2

Netflix promised the next descent into the upside down would be bigger and more bad-ass than ever before. The thrilling new trailer for season two definitely proved that. There's even more eighties nostalgia as everyone deals with opening the curiosity door. I know where I'll be this Halloween!

Thor: Ragnarok trailer

So this is what a Marvel movie on crack looks like! The Hulk and Thor duel in gladiatorial games while trying to stop Hela ( goddess of death played by queen Cate Blanchett) from destroying Asgard. Oh, and Jeff Goldblum 'cause why not.

Black Panther trailer

When the trailer above dropped a few months ago for Black Panther's solo flick, I was already stoked. At San Diego Comic Con, Marvel released a trailer with new footage which sparked an adorable, ecstatic reaction from the cast and a standing ovation from the fans in attendance. It's said to be one of the craziest best reactions for a first-reveal. I can't wait to see it eventually. February 2018 can't come soon enough!

The Circle (2017) is too square to spark excitement or thought

STXfilms / EuropaCorp

Set in the not too distant future, the Circle is on its way to ruling the world; think Google meets Facebook on crack as a global empire in charge of our personal and professional business. Mae (Emma Watson) takes us into the company, as a new skeptical employee who becomes more motivated to share her life for the greater good. It's not long before she's usurped into TrueYou, an initiative to share her human experience without an iota of censorship. Logging into weekend activities to stopping human rights threats with frowning (sending emojis) to tyrants makes her more popular, but is it worth being tracked and used as a piece of data instead of a person.

The story doesn't too sound too far-fetched when we consider how social media and the internet is used every day from building brands off our personal adventures, to sharing parts of our private lives with strangers to acting as warriors for certain issues. Adapted from the novel by Dave Eggers, The Circle could certainly ask a lot of interesting questions about technology and how we use it, or it may be used against us, but fails to make a convincing, even entertaining case about the line between transparency and privacy.

At first, Mae's connection to the Circle seems safe enough. As a customer service rep, she has to keep her numbers high, even though her work ethic is monitored by all of her co-workers. And then the Circle's campaigns start pushing invasive agendas like streaming their user's lives 24/7 and inciting witch hunts using GPS and smartphones. No one really knows what it's like to live on their own as we're all connected like a cult with no escape. But instead of pushing the promising thriller of the book, Mae's descent comes across as TEDX talk on QVC.

In part, it's difficult to separate Emma Watson's conscientious, notoriously private reputation from the character. She hits a fair stride in the beginning when Mae isn't fully convinced in what the company has to offer, finding their "voluntary" participation laughable and crazy. But when Mae's increasingly comforted by her millions of followers, the story doesn't know what to do with her motivations. At one moment, she expresses that her biggest fear is unfulfilled potential, but her ascent to the top and trying to make the Circle better, thus a more dangerous Big Brother, doesn't feel layered or motivated by any deep drive.

Unfortunately, the script doesn't set up anyone or anything to stand in Mae's way. As creators of the Circle, Tom Hanks and Patton Oswalt are pretty much Steve Jobs stand-ins, making the rounds every half hour to pitch a flashy idea that benefits the greater good but robs people of their individual identity. They aren't treated nearly as bad as other actors: Mae's parents, played by the late Bill Paxton and Glenne Headley, offers emotional stability outside of her work life, but Karen Gilliam as Mae's workaholic best friend is nowhere to be seen. The ever charismatic John Boyega has huge ties to overthrowing the Circle that could've easily upped the ante (as would Gilliam) but is so underused, it's embarrassing. Almost all of her connections could offer tension because they're similar or contrast what she's doing with the Circle, but none of them are used to their advantage.

When a book is adapted to the big screen, it's expected for characters and scenes to be left on the cutting room floor. What's not typically expected is that the adaptation goes out of its way to stay neutral on an issue that could have hard, defined lines. The stakes never effectively rise despite a number of people affected by the Circle through Mae, so the whole movie comes across as a long episode of Big Brother.

The Circle comes across as a day-in-the-life movie, going through the motions of its heroine risking autonomy to be loved, if even that. The story tries to illuminate the lack of divide between reality and what we portray online but fails to incite drama or excitement. Instead of a thought-provoking Orwellian thriller, the movie is so square, our real world is scary enough on its own.

Rating: ☆☆☆ 

Have you seen The Circle? What do you think?

The Walking Dead Season 8 Trailer Reaction

San Diego Comic Con is underway for 2017, and obviously, one of the biggest announcements to look forward to what The Walking Dead has in store. Unlike season seven's dreaded trailer reveal last year, season eight looks absolutely killer. It's actually the first time in a long while I'm excited for what's ahead for Rick and the gang, and couldn't wait to start a trailer reaction.

This post contains spoilers. Here is the full trailer 'cause there's a lot to talk about!

Colossal (2016) smashes monsters and humans together in the weirdest way possible

Neon

Some of the best monster movies aren't just about gigantic creatures causing mayhem and wiping out cities, but people who aren't what they seem or are struggling to clean up their own disasters. When both manage to face-off against each other, it can make for a crazy, powerful combination.

Unemployed writer and alcoholic Gloria (Anne Hathaway) struggles to admit that her life is an absolute trainwreck. After her boyfriend kicks her out, she retreats to her hometown and reunites with a childhood friend Oscar (Jason Sudeikis). When viral footage exposes a Kaiju creature in Seoul mimicking her actions and behavior, she's finally forced to face the issues wreaking havoc on her as an adult.

Having gone into this gem not knowing a lot of the story's surprising twists, it's difficult to talk about what I love and disliked without spoiling the best and most important parts.

Something I can say, without hesitation, is that the leading lady is absolutely stunning. As a sharp, layered and fiery character, Gloria is a refreshing, beautiful mess. Tangled in drunken stupors to the point she blacks out or sleeps all day, it takes something otherworldly as well as human for Gloria to see how life has gotten so damn bad. Once she realizes her connection with the Kaiju creature, and what means in stopping both problems both at home and abroad, Gloria's determined to pick herself up no matter how many time she gets knocked down. Hathaway hasn't stepped out of the spotlight, but this is by far and away a hugely welcoming return for her. She gives a marvelous grounded performance, always keeping Gloria funny, endearing, and down-to-earth.

Blending different ideas into a comedy-indie-monster-flick, Colossal is one of the most polarizing movies to break through in a long time. Some fans love every aspect of it, while others feel Gloria's journey of discovering the root of her problems a little too forced. For me, the story genuinely resonated, but the script's own uniqueness comes gradually out of left field, which can make the ending feel a little dragged down. While the premise seems familiar enough, director Nacho Vigalondo infuses a lot of different ideas to create something that entertains and makes you think.

More metaphorical and supernatural than a big studio blockbuster, Colossal is one giant step away from the monster movies we typically think of. No matter how much I loved the performances, the story spends as much on its special effects and showy battles, as it does the character's strive for understanding and sobriety. Gloria's link to Seoul never seems to be exactly what you expect, showing that some of us can turn into the worst and best versions of ourselves. Going from indie to unassuming romance to unexpectedly destroying those assumptions, the fight between human and monster is ultimately an epic, bad-ass showdown.

Rating: ★★★

Have you seen Colossal? What did you think?

Pitch Perfect (2005) falls flat on its girl power promises

One of the things that excited me about Pitch Perfect was its reputation as a feminist movie. From the trailers and posters I had seen, I intuitively felt like I knew what the movie was going to be: singing and girl power told with a humor that left a lot to be desired. Finally jumping on the bandwagon, I honestly tried to keep an open mind. But nothing really prepared me for the onslaught of mixed messages.

Taking centerstage, rebel queen Becca (Anna Kendrick) wants to be a DJ more than anything. After she begrudgingly accepts her father to pay tuition for college as a backup plan, she joins an all-girls acapella group that's trying to recover from major embarrassment at a prestigious competition. With different ideas and musical styles, she knows she can lead them to victory. But in order to help them to success, she has to earn her spot alongside other newbies and learns that being by herself isn't as necessary as she thinks it is.

For its leading lady, the story sails along as she moves from a loner closing off everyone around her to finding her voice and place in the Barden Bellas. The group itself is filled with misfits just like her, reaching for success everyone hopes to achieve. But knocking down the movie's awesome music and hit-and-miss comedy is that the rest of the girls don't fare in originality or depth.

Everyone around Becca exists to reassure us what trope they represent. The girls might not need men to sustain them, and refreshingly, a majority of their musical prowess is about hitting those high notes and making their dreams come true. As much as that empowerment shimmers with inspiration, supporting characters weaken that united front because they're one-dimensional stereotypes: the ugly dorks, the tomboy, the slut, the fat one, the rebel, the control freak, the lesbian, the ice queen, the kooky foreigner. The movie is not as inclusive as it thinks it is. The proof is in the posters.

Pitch Perfect thinks it's a lot smarter than it is in showing how girls are treated differently in college and the arts than boys. Double standards run rampant with the club's rules to plant cringe-worthy innuendos. While Kendrick gets to play her role as deadpan as possible, her peers are exaggerated caricatures with glimmers of "normal" quirkiness. For instance, the girls aren't allowed to have sex, or even show interest in boys, or they'll be kicked out, except for one girl who sleeps around and everyone openly considers her as a slut. The beacon of eccentricity Rebel Wilson fabulously plays Fat Amy, but she really doesn't do anything besides point out her own weight so the controlling, perfectionist, skinny chicks don't. As the white female characters are backed into skinny, fat, or sexy corners, the minorities aren't treated better as ice queens, kooky foreigners, and the lesbian who comes onto everyone whether they want it or not.

Annoyingly, the movie doesn't know how to make the characters funny without making them gross, raising the question of why female-driven comedies try to be ten times raunchier than men. As the all-boys acapella groups naturally act dorky, selfish, shy, awkward, etc., the girls are forced to make uncomfortable puke and sex humor seem relatable. For every down-to-earth connection or moment between the girls, the writer employed word-vomit dialogue that felt random and induced second-hand embarrassment. Given that this is an all-female led movie in and about entertainment where boys run the show, it would've been nice to see more originality, smarter risks, and deeper sentiments.

In its better moments, humor and heart find their place. At its core, the women are sarcastic, determined, ambitious, loyal, and headstrong, and do their best with the roles they have. Their journey doesn't pit themselves against each other or use others as rungs on the ladder to a-ca-success. In Kendrick's favor, the adorable cups song put her on the map, and Becca is a great role model. Her story is packed with a lot of layers, but it would've been nice if the group had the same vulnerability and growth.

To be honest, Pitch Perfect is fun, if you can look pass a lot of problems, and I can see myself watching it if happens to be television. (But I'm hesitant to see the sequels since I've heard the characters don't get better). The sisterhood and camaraderie of the group give the cast some material to do the best they can, while the musical sequences are purely catchy. Ultimately, if Glee and Mean Girls didn't throw up all over the story, its potential might not have fallen so flat.

Rating: ★½☆☆
Watch instead: Heathers, Mean Girls

Have you seen Pitch Perfect? What do you think?

10 Favorite Memories of Harry Potter (so far)

Harry Potter's been alive and well for two decades. While celebrating the 20th anniversary, I started wondering what bewitching memories I've been lucky enough to experience since I was a kid. From reading the books for the first time to visiting the theme parks, it's been one magical journey so far. Let's take a dip into my own little pensieve with a tour of my ten favorite memories as a Potterhead. What are your favorite memories of Harry Potter so far? Feel free to let me know in the comments!

What Harry Potter Means to Me

On June 26th, 2017, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone turns officially turns twenty years old. As a devout Potterhead, I tried thinking back to the time when I was a kid during the very beginning of the series J.K. Rowling had created. I don't remember much about the nineties, and maybe that's a good thing, just by the lack of coherent trends that took place then. The memories that came to mind was just how much Harry Potter means to me, and the weird road it took from pre-fan to a hardcore one.

Unlike an almost entire generation, I didn't grow up with Harry Potter in a typical way - dressing up and queuing at bookstores, anxiously reading each new adventure, chatting and befriending other Hogwarts students on forums and websites until the new book was released. Ultimately, being apart of the fandom culture that is so much more well-known and celebrated today in the open.

As a pre-teen, my little town was very hush hush about the wizarding world. In classes, kids who were given permission by their parents to read the books were as odd as the ones who were forbidden. My classmates chatted about their favorite characters, but it all felt very off-limits; that even though it was allowed, it was still wrong. It didn't help matters much that the quiet protest at school was only amplified on the news with groups hailing the Rowling's fantasy saga as 'evil' and 'satanic' burned copies, and the increasing controversy that the series was recruited impressionable children into worshipping the occult.

Either from the library or my mother, somehow I managed to finagle Sorcerer's Stone, Chamber of Secrets and Prisoner of Azkaban. I don't remember reading them in secret, one after another, but being shy, I hardly ever vocalized what or how much I loved the books. If my mom took me to the mall, of which Warner Bros. used to have stores filled with Loony Toons, Animaniacs, and Harry Potter merchandise, I'd usually oggle everything knowing it was too expensive to buy but secretly wanting it anyways. She knew I was interested, but we didn't really know how much by a long shot.

Then, the one time I really expressed my love of Harry, everything changed.