The Best of The 2010s (SPOILERS)

Well here we are, the end of the decade. There have been several amazing films to come out of this decade, some of which you'll see on my list. Probably the hardest one I had to make, I really tried my best to pick the ones that I felt the best about. To make this fair, I picked two films from each year that I saw and felt had the best chance of deserving a place on the list. I'm sure they'll be disagreements, but hey, opinions are opinions. Reviews for movies I've covered will be linked, and be sure to check out my lists for the best movies from 2017, 2018, and 2019. Now let's begin:
 20. The Revenant
 19. Rise of The Planet of The Apes
 18. Alpha
 17. Deadpool
 16. The VVitch
 15. Star Wars: The Force Awakens
 14. The Wolf of Wall Street 
 13. The Irishman
 12. Prisoners
  11. Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows Part 2
 10. Django Unchained 
 9. The Dark Knight Rises
 8. Coco
 7. Logan
 6. Whiplash 
 5. Dawn of The Planet of The Apes
 4. Avengers: Infinity War
 3. How To Train Your Dragon
 2. Joker
 1. Toy Story 3

And that's a wrap on the 2010s. What a decade it has been! Here's to what the 2020s have in store. As always, tune in for more posts coming your way and till then...

The Best of 2019 (SPOILERS)

Well, we are about to each the end of the 2010s, and what a decade it's been. Before we take a look at the best that this decade has had to offer, let's take a look at some of the best the year of 2019 had to offer first. 2019 was an interesting one in that it started off pretty good before meandering in the middle then blowing me out of the water by the end. As such, this was a pretty hard list to make. Reviews for the movies I've covered will be linked here, and be sure to check out my lists for the best movies of 2017 and 2018 in the links below:

• The Best of 2017
• The Best of 2018

Now let's begin:
 10. Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker

 9. Once Upon A Time...in Hollywood

 8. Avengers: Endgame

 7. IT: Chapter Two

 6. Toy Story 4

 5. How To Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World

 4. Doctor Sleep

 3. Marriage Story

 2. The Irishman

 1. Joker

And that's it for this list guys. Tune in for my Best of The 2010s coming up!

Spider-Man: Far From Home (SPOILERS)

I LOVE LED ZEPPELIN...

After the emotional roller coaster Infinity War and Endgame took us fans on over the course of 2018 and 2019, the MCU decided to press down on the break and takes things slow with a little adventure starring our friendly-neighborhood Spider-Man...or is he Iron Man? Anyway, with the release of Spider-Man: Far From Home, Tom Holland's tenure as the web-slinging superhero continues to grow. It's safe to say that he's here to stay, at least for now. That being said, how does his latest venture stack up? Surprisingly not that well if I'm going to be honest. While the film has received incredible praise elsewhere, I cannot find myself enjoying this film as much. Let's start with what I did like about and then get into why Spider-Man: Far From Home is one of the most disappointing films of the year and one of my least favorite Spider-Man films by far:

UPS

1. The cast is great, even if they're stuck with not so great material. Tom Holland remains as endearing as ever as the titular hero even if the movie fails to reward his efforts. Jacob Batalon may not have been given as much to do this time around, but he still remains just as lovable as he was in Homecoming. If I had to pick two real standouts aside from the one I'll mention in my next UP, I'd have to go with Zendaya as MJ and Tony Revolori as Flash. Zendaya really gets time to shine this time around, and the romance between MJ and Peter is easily far superior to the practically non-existent one between him and Liz. Flash really surprised me in the best possible way. As opposed to the stuck-up, one dimensional jackass he was in Homecoming, Far From Home dials back on his jerkiness to add more layers to his character, making him more likable and even sympathetic when you witness the little moments that detail the relationship with his parents. Now of course, there is one who stood above them all, and that's none other than...
2. Jake Gyllenhal as Mysterio. Going into the movie, the sole thing that absolutely sold me on this film was how Gyllenhal would portray this classic villain, and boy did he deliver. Despite the awkward reveal of his true nature and his rather lazy motivation, Gyllenhal's performance allows the character to really shine, making him charming and likable when he puts on the facade of a noble, charismatic hero then twisting it around to reveal the true slimeball he is at heart. Of course, the scene where he throws Peter into a whirlwind of mind-trip illusions is easily one of the most unique and inventive sequences in the entire MCU and he manages to do something no other villain has done in a Spider-Man film by revealing Peter's identity to the world! Yeah, Mysterio truly left his mark.
3. It is and forever will be a true, honest to God blessing to have J.K. Simmons back as J. Jonah Jameson. At the end of the day, he truly is irreplaceable.

DOWNS

1. This movie hasn't really changed Peter in my eyes. By the end, he still remains the same young, dorky, happy-go-lucky kid that he was back in Civil War. He hasn't matured, he hasn't felt the weight of consequence, and he certainly hasn't learned that with great power comes great responsibility, which is ridiculous since I felt Homecoming did such a great job in that regard. If I'm going to be frank, Mysterio was only delaying the inevitable by revealing his identity since Peter did such a terrible job keeping it a secret in the first place. All in all, this allows me to jump into my second point...
2. Not letting Spider-Man come into his own. It's nice to see him integrated into the MCU, but can't we have a movie that's just about Spider-Man and not feel the need to connect it to the overall universe. I mean, I like all the appearances from characters like Nick Fury or the Skrulls, but I came here to watch Spider-Man, not see set-up for the next string of movies coming in Phase Four. And finally, stop comparing him to Tony! When going into this, I was interested to see how Peter would process Tony's death and how that would affect his story going forward, but the direction the movie went with was not something I ended up being fond of. Again, it all comes down to the fact that the producers of this film don't seem to want to let Peter become a hero on his own, relying on the need to compare him to Tony and make it out like it's his destiny to take his place instead of being...well, you know, SPIDER-MAN! What's worst of all is that they seemed to get the memo and show a scene in which Peter and Happy have a heartfelt talk about how Peter should not get riled up over trying to live up to Tony and instead be his own hero. It was such a great scene and gave me hope that this would truly shape Peter into the hero he was always meant to be...and then Happy blasted AC/DC and it all flatlined again. 
3. It may just be me, but it seems like the characters were written to be quip machines. Of course, not every character is like that, but I found it very distracting that every single scene has a character saying or doing something that was meant to usher in laughter. Of course, this being the MCU, it was inevitable that we were going to be showered with a dose of humor, but still, for every joke and quip, I think there needed to be more room for more dramatic moments that allowed the characters to show off more facets to their personalities, and that simply wasn't there. 

OVERALL

Apologies for my mini rant of sorts. I just wasn't pleased with how this film turned out and feel that the MCU is taking Spidey in a direction that doesn't do him justice. With the bombshell the movie left us with in the first post-credit scene, I hope we can get a more personal and dramatic story that allows Tom Holland's acting chops to kick in full gear and give us all the heart and soul we have come to expect from a Spider-Man film because as of right now, I'm just not feeling it. 

And that's it for this post, guys. Tune in for more coming your way :)

In The Mind Of: Tony Stark/Iron Man (SPOILERS)

I am Iron Man...

Back in 2008, a group of people got together to bring to the screen the story of a man who created a metal suit and used it to become a superhero. In their journey, they cast an actor who went through a myriad of troubles throughout his long career. With so much stacked against it, it seemed as though the story of Iron Man was doomed to fail. Fast Forward to 2019, and not only has Robert Downey Jr.'s career experienced a huge upswing, but that story of the rather obscure Marvel superhero started what may be one of the biggest movie franchises of the decade, if not all time. 

Throughout his tenure in the MCU, Tony Stark has experienced quite the journey. Starting off as an egotistical jackass who made a profit from selling weapons of mass destruction, it's when Tony ends up on the receiving end of being held captive and tortured that he realizes how truly corrupt business dealings have become, most of which on account of his longtime friend and associate, Obadiah Stane. As a result, he turns over a new leaf and dedicates himself to using his technology to help others, becoming the superhero known as Iron Man. 

Though Tony does gradually evolve into a better person because of his change of heart, he still remains a heavily flawed person, and it takes people like Pepper, Rhodey, and Steve Rogers to give him the reality check he needs. He experiences heavy hardships throughout this time as well, be it heavy bouts of PTSD, discovering the truth about how his parents die which in turn causes a massive rift between him and Steve, and a monumental defeat at the hands of the Mad Titan Thanos. 

Even when all the odds were stacked against him, Tony still managed to find peace amid all the chaos by starting a family with the woman he loved. It is here where he makes the ultimate sacrifice. Choosing to help reverse the damage done by the Snap so that every one can have their happy ending, there is only one way for things to truly go back to normal and stay that way: Tony's death. With the snap of his fingers, he finally puts an end to the nightmare that has plagued him so long, and with reassurance from Pepper, finally rests in peace knowing everything is going to be okay.

Tony Stark has had one of the most moving, compelling, and profound arcs I have ever seen in the realm of fiction. All of this was capped off by Robert Downey Jr.'s electrifying performance, proving that no one could ever play the role the way he did. As such, though his story ended on an absolutely perfect note, the MCU will never be the same without his presence every now and then. 

I love you 3000...

Top 10s for The MCU (SPOILERS)

With Endgame having been recently released, I feel it fitting to do some Top 10s for the MCU up until this point. With so many great movies, moments, and characters, this was truly challenging to make, but here we go regardless:

NOTE: There will be some ties in the Top 10 Movies list. I just couldn't choose between some.

Top 10 Moments
 10. "Come on Spider-Man" (Spider-Man: Homecoming)
 9. "Bucky?" (Captain America: The Winter Soldier)
 8. "Death was better than Bondage" (Black Panther)

 7. "We are Groot" (Guardians of The Galaxy)

 6. "He may have been your father, but he wasn't your daddy" (Guardians of The Galaxy Vol. 2)
 5. "I am Iron Man" (Iron Man) 4. The First Assemble (The Avengers)
 3. The Snap (Avengers: Infinity War)
 2. "He's my friend/So was I" (Captain America: Civil War)
 1. The ENTIRE final act (Avengers: Endgame)

Top 10 Movies
 10. Thor Ragnarok
 9. Black Panther
 8. Thor
 7. Captain America: The Winter Soldier
 6. The Avengers/Avengers: Age of Ultron
 5. Spider-Man: Homecoming
 4. Iron Man
 3. Captain America: Civil War
 2. Guardians of The Galaxy/Guardians of The Galaxy Vol. 2
 1. Avengers: Infinity War/Avengers: Endgame

Top 10 Characters
 10. T'Challa/Black Panther
 9. Scott Lang/Ant-Man
 8. Peter Parker/Spider-Man
 7. Thanos
 6. Loki
 5. Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow
 4. Steve Rogers/Captain America
 3. Thor
 2. The Guardians of The Galaxy
 1. Tony Stark/Iron Man

And that's it for theses Top 10s, guys! Tune in for more on the way :)