JOHN WICK CHAPTER 3 - CEREBELLUM

A funny thing has happened in the 5 years since the first John Wick found an audience by being a curious action throwback with a singular sense of style and unique world - a landscape that had for a decade been dominated by the quick cuts and shaky shots following the success of the Bourne franchise sat up and took notice of the brain child of Chad Stahelski, David Leitch, and Derek Kolstad. Here was a lean, focused beast of long shots, wide angles and deliberate and clear edits, like the action films of the '90s with a modern twist.

Since then, the filmmakers have had a knock-on effect on the biggest action films of Hollywood (directing second unit on Captain America: Civil War and taking over Deadpool 2 and the big-budget spinoff of the Fast & Furious series) and the film that started it all became a franchise that still distinguishes itself from its action brethren.

And with John Wick Chapter 3: Parabellum, it's hard to imagine a higher peak.

AVENGERS: ENDGAME - All Good Things

Short answer: they did it.

Not only is this a worthy end of the line for some characters of the MARVEL Cinematic Universe and an immensely satisfying finale to the "Infinity Saga," but if this were the last film (at least for a while) to even bear the name "Avengers," it would almost feel right.

SHAZAM! - Simply Marvelous

It seems unreal that only 3 short years ago, DC couldn't seem to figure out how to launch an answer to the MARVEL Cinematic Universe with two of the biggest superheroes of all time. Now, after the DCEU that stumbled out the gate with Batman v Superman has morphed into something completely different in the wake of Wonder Woman and Aquaman's success, the comics titan has taken one of their more off-beat and weird properties and delivered what is somehow both a familiar throwback while also being singular in the genre and helping to carve out a new space in the superhero sandbox, while also completely re-contextualizing what "a DC movie" can be.

You Are Probably Wrong About CAPTAIN MARVEL

As is becoming a seasonal regularity, the biggest media event in the world right now is the new release from MARVEL Studio's ongoing Cinematic Universe, this time their first female-fronted film - Captain Marvel. Even if you haven't seen the film yet and don't generally follow This Stuff, you're probably aware that Carol Danvers' debut is both a landmark and an unfortunate battleground.

While the film is an absolute smash hit, it's been the target of "fan" backlash for months (if not longer) leading up to its release, largely engineered by the same sort of sad hateboys who still can't stop complaining about The Last Jedi. The film's audience ratings were targeted by trolls for mass tanking (a practice by which user engagement scores are manipulated to make it look like a thing is massively unpopular just because A Number On the Internet says so), and while critical response has been undeniably positive, it's slightly muted compared to the past several entries in the MCU. Even the praise has been largely tinged with a brush-off of "well, it's solid enough, but it's just a standard MARVEL origin movie." It's a sentiment I've heard in various forms from a lot of, well, mostly dudes.

And I'm here to call bullshit on that.

THE LEGO MOVIE 2 - THE SECOND PART (is Harder)

In the 5 years since The LEGO Movie, creative team Phil Lord and Chris Miller have - 

Wait. . . it's Been 5 years since the first LEGO Movie?

REALLY?

. . .I need to sit down.

The Yearly Countdown: Fantastic Films of 2018

Now that the nominees for the 2019 Academy Awards have been announced, we can get down to the business of discussing the actual Most Good, Important, Kick-ass Movies of the Year.

No, it's not just the best list because it's mine.

. . . Ok, yes, it is. But you clicked anyway, so you may as well keep going.

AQUAMAN - The Wet and the Furious

Well, the good news is that we finally have a good King Arthur movie for the first time in a very, very long time.

The bad news is NOPE, JUST KIDDING - IT'S ALL GOOD NEWS BECAUSE THIS IS A KING ARTHUR MOVIE WHERE AN OCTOPUS PLAYS THE DRUMS.