Reasons I'm Excited for Captain America Civil War

Captain America: Civil War hits theaters in less than a month! Ya'll excited? Since he is my favorite Avenger, and overall superhero next to Batman, yes, I am!

This place will be in full red, white, and blue swing throughout April - you've been warned!

There are so many reasons why I can't wait for this epic showdown between Tony and Steve to go down. Here are just a few. Let's do this!

The Walking Dead S6x15 East

Photo Credit: The Walking Dead / Gene Page

After barely catching a breath back at Alexandria, two crucial members of the community decided to leave: Daryl races out to trail Dwight in revenge for Denises' death, and Carol who is unable to stay with Team Family. Jettisoning off into danger, the safe zone is divided. Below includes spoilers of the series so far. You've been warned but hope you enjoy!

Allegiant (2016)

Imperfect human nature resorts to chaos. Chicago's remaining leaders Evelyn (Naomi Watts) and Johanna (Octavia Spencer) wage war to protect the remaining population's best interests left behind by Jeanine's violent ruling. Tris and her co. venture outside their city's barricades and discover the truth behind the faction system: the Bureau of Genetic Welfare uses pure test subjects like Tris to correct human weaknesses and fortify a perfect genetic disposition. All is not what it seems in this "safe haven".

The next leg of the Divergent franchise journey plants us further way from the prequels than anyone could've imagined. Unlike the first two series where Tris was challenged to find out what it means to be Divergent and how it's a blessing, here she simply lacks drive. More incited wars don't outrage her. A new nemesis's dubious priorities fail to illicit alarm. She's more inviting to settling down outside of Chicago without real motivation to do so. Tris has suffered and sacrificed in the face of her city's adversity. Yet in her own biggest hour of need, she surprisingly isn't passionately engaged to the outside world or its lasting ramifications. Shailene Woodley doesn't do a bad job, but she is capable of giving a deeper performance. Considering the premise hinders on her to look beyond what society expects, the film's fault is Tris not conquering anything memorable.

While Tris isn't the starring player in this third installment, her counterparts are. Four is the one responsible for all the action and emotional turmoil. In recognizing his home falling apart at the seams and knowing instinctively the Bureau is not what it seems, he goes on his own quest without Tris (but for her) and it's still interesting. Theo James has natural charisma and turns a typical muscle head/love interest into a vulnerable and bad-ass male lead.

In addition to Four's solo mission, family, friends, and rivals gain more layers too. Though Tris isn't a force of nature like she was in the past, her friends have room to seek redemption, deepen friendships, or lead a revolution even if it's not the best choice.

Allegiant isn't all bad. Even in favoring the films much more than the books, major plot threads were mashed together with successful pacing. The script may not satisfy book loyalists. But I was surprised by how much of they original material was kept in tact. The film seamlessly splits between two main characters and locations, which keeps the story refreshing. Like its predecessors, the production design remains inventive. Utilizing special effects to tie the futuristic Chicago to its deserted surroundings, the film is still eye-catching.

As much as I liked Allegiant, it does suffer the same fate of many young adult first-parters. One book provides enough material for one adaptation. But the studios are obsessed with making a cash grab and split a book into two parts. Like The Hunger Games' Mockingjay, they want to lure audiences to wait for the "good or better stuff".  It would be best if studios utilized all of what a book offers and throw it full force into one worthy epic conclusion. Ultimately, we have one more movie to go. Ascendant is completely unknown yet exciting territory. Hopefully the series rises victoriously over the finishing line, not limping across it.

Rating: ★1/2☆

The Walking Dead S6X14 Twice as Far

Photo Credit: The Walking Dead / Gene Page

We're back at home in Alexandria, but there's really nothing to do but try to settle in. Feeling safe behind the walls makes Team Family antsy. A war coming their way is not enough. So let's go further, beyond the walls, twice as far as we've ever gone before just to survive. Below includes spoilers of the series so far. You've been warned but hope you enjoy!

5 Signs Your Favorite Character Might Die

From Game of Thrones, The Walking Dead, Pretty Little Liars to Lost and True Blood, a character's death is something all fans have experienced.

Episode after episode we tune into where our favorite hero or baddie is headed next, or we're interested in an extra floating around in the background. Our love and curiosity beckon us to ask: What will become of them?

Unfortunately, most of the time it's an inevitable death. One day a television show writer is playing Pin-A-Plot on a Character. An intriguing anti-hero or conflicted sidekick or mysterious henchman faces something more terrifying than the True Death, a machete, or a stray bullet: it's the stroke of a pen or a tapping of the keyboard. Through the power of Lady UnLuck and the writers' trying to drive us crazy, someone we love/love-to-hate has gotta say good-bye, au revoir, adiós, sayonara!

To save geeks some heartbreak, here are five signs our favorite characters might die. 

1. They Have an Opinion
A conflict arises. The good guys or baddies deliberate what to do next. Our favorite character suddenly has a minimal vote and gives an opinion. It lasts for more than one line of dialogue, gradually moves into logic reasoning and pleading for their voice to be heard. Oh my gosh, we realize: he or she walks, talks, is actually a human being and not an ignored extra. Well, they might as well not have spoken at all. They're not disposable but not immortal either. As they ride off into the sunset, the writers usually just wrote off their amazing storytelling potential.

2. They are Given a Monologue
Every once in a while our chosen favorite interacts with a main cast member. It may be to swap a joke or two. Until they suddenly have a monolog. We learn about how they were raised and if they were a single child, or how to load a weapon (before said character is hit with a 'stray' bullet'). For five minutes they may actually have a human-to-human connection with someone; we start shipping and thinking of meta, and is that the sound of canon? Next thing we know, all hell breaks loose - the bad guys invade the good guy's territories. Our favorite gets stranded in the wild to be pigeonholed into their demise. That monolog sends our feels into a tizzy and makes us wonder what could've been.

3. They Want to Contribute
The story is heading into a dark zone. Characters are threatened by outside forces or their own personal inner demons. A light's gotta come through their bleak future somehow. Enter our character, and he or she wants to contribute - they want to be a respite from emotional turmoil and create positivity in the collective miserable whole. ADIOS, happy helper. Thanks for your kindness and generosity, but no thanks - sadly, you're not gonna be around long enough to see how much you had an impact on your friend's journeys.

4. Their role is actually reduced
Very few and rare reasons call for a character's involvement to suddenly lessen. Some reasons include an actress is pregnant or a personal emergency for the actor arises. But also, there is just a plain and simple truth that the writers or actors lose interest. A character pops up time and time again. We may even know a thing or two about their actual personal history. But suddenly they'll re-emerge in a flash and do one or a combination of the things above. Try not to get too attached; the writers could just be setting us up for a dose of reality - nobody is safe.

5. Foreshadowing comes a knockin'
So our peeps are hanging out with the main crew. They speak their minds. They've had monologs. Their own arcs progress and they contribute to the progression of other arcs. Then we're watching an episode, and flashbacks are a central part of their story. It's like a whole episode is just for them.OUR DREAM COME TRUE. Then, we notice all the little details we've cataloged over the years coming back at full force. It's almost like a visual obituary of their time on the show, how the character's guilty conscience is trying to teach a lesson of reflection or change. Like a redeemed jerk or a good guy treading to the dark side (they have cookies after all). It's called foreshadowing. The pavement of their arc is gonna end at the edge of a cliff and the only thing we'll have left is Memory Lane. Good-bye awesome person. We love you.

*sobs wildly into the void where my beloved favorite characters have died*
The list is far too long.

Obvious Child (2014)

Photo Credit: Obvious Child / A24

An unapologetic comedian Donna Stern airing her personal obstacles in joke-form - everything from drunkenness, breaking up with her boyfriend, her unplanned pregnancy, and subsequent abortion.

In the leading role, Jenny Slate is entirely natural in giving a beautiful and unadulterated portrayal. She owns the show by exuding such a raw vulnerability with both comedy and when her character is in a true crisis. It's one of my favorite performances in recent history.

Matched with Jake Lacey as her more composed and quieted counterpart, their relationship is an oddity in the romantic genre. Their companionship takes their one night stand and gradually grows into an unexpected crossroads. They both have great charm and wonderfully easygoing chemistry.

The relevant debate on abortion, pro-life, and pro-choice aren't funny nor does the film make Stern's circumstances out to be humorous, though Slate is downright hilarious. The script and story aren't necessarily new, but the film is funny, thoughtful, and poignant while touching on a widely debated issue.

Not everyone will agree on Stern's choice, but many women will connect with her unplanned pregnancy and the choices afterward as well as couples and young adults. The story is approached in a personal, realistic, and unaffected way that makes the film memorable and light-hearted enough to be considered a comedy more so than a drama. In a very impressive feat, director and writer Gillian Robespierre successfully creates a much raunchier, slightly mature Juno for the 20-something crowd.

Rating: ★★☆
Have you seen Obvious Child? What are your thoughts?

The Walking Dead S6x13 The Same Boat

Photo Credit: The Walking Dead / Gene Page

Rick's group descended into murder territory with last week's No Way Out. After successfully wiping out Negan's compound, or one aspect of it, the group's ready to get some final answers out of one last survivor. Then, Carol and Maggie were kidnapped by more Negans. Good guys or bad guys, walking dead or alive - we're all in the same boat. Below includes spoilers of the series so far. You've been warned but hope you enjoy!

The Fandom Struggle is Real with Divergent

Since the epic finale of Harry Potter and Twilight, several young adult franchises tried to compete against the next-best phenomenon The Hunger Games. The list of franchises failing to get beyond a first installment is insane: Beautiful Creatures, The Golden Compass, The Mortal Instruments, Vampire Academy, Ender's Game, The Host, The Giver - to name a few.

A lack of interest by movie goers matched with negative reviews by critics is what has killed these potential series. Except for Divergent - the young adult series authored by Veronica Roth. Successfully making its way into a third installment despite less than favorable reviews is a major feat. Though it's not a universal favorite between reviewers and fans, and reached the same phenomenon level as Hunger Games or Potter, it's survived somehow.

I, for one, love the Divergent series. With the three-quel on its way to theaters, I realized how much my fandom for the series is quite ambivalent; a mixed bag of feelings towards the books and their adaptations.