Geeky Regards

The market is littered with every type of superhero story and comic book adaptation available. You can find one on almost any channel, streaming service or studio that makes pretend for a living. Superhero projects are the modern day western - they come built in with a guaranteed audience.  It used to just be Marvel and DC in the game, but now all types are making their way to a screen. The Boys on Amazon Prime is the latest example of that, and it is unlike anything you've seen in the genre before.

Sometimes movies supersede being merely entertainment and become and event. The Avengers  films are like that . So are Star Wars movies . But outside of that genre, there are only a handful of "event" films. Quentin Tarantino's movies are "events". His latest,  Once Upon A Time... In Hollywood,  is an unexpectedly sweet fairy tale that serves as a love story to 1960s Hollywood.

The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy  is getting a TV series adaptation on Hulu. Hitchhiker's has been adapted to screen before with different results. The last one was a movie in 2005 starring Martin Freeman. The book is one of my favorite books ever, and the story means a lot to me. So I am going to do a fancast of the TV series. Actors who I think would be great as the characters. This is a pipe dream, so I am obviously not expecting this to happen. The only criteria I have is that the people I choose are alive and currently working in the industry. I am only going to do some of the more prominent roles, because casting every  character in the series will be tedious.

At San Diego Comic Con this year, Marvel announced their Phase 4 slate. The Infinity Saga ended with Avengers: Endgame , and Phase 3 ended with Spider-Man: Far From Home . So let's talk about what the future holds for the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

The Lion King is very special to a lot of people. So the concept of a hyper-realistic CGI remake had people talking. Let's get this out of the way though: Regardless of what you think of this one it doesn't "ruin" the original. The 1994 classic will always stand on its own in a bubble, regardless of what comes after. The sub-par sequels didn't tarnish that film. Neither should this.

Trailers are a work of art on their own, and sometimes they can be better than the actual movie (see  Suicide Squad ). But for the most part, trailers do a great job selling the movie they are for. So let's look at a trailer and see what we can glean from it.

Trailers are a work of art on their own, and sometimes they can be better than the actual movie (see  Suicide Squad ). But for the most part, trailers do a great job selling the movie they are for. So let's look at a trailer and see what we can glean from it.

Point Blank  reunites Captain America: The Winter Solider  stars Anthony Mackie and Frank Grillo for a fun (albeit predictable) action romp. The Netflix original is a story about the lengths people will go for their families and that there is a lot of gray area in being "good" or "bad".

Trailers are a work of art on their own, and sometimes they can be better than the actual movie (see Suicide Squad ). But for the most part, trailers do a great job selling the movie they are for. So let's look at a trailer and see what we can glean from it.

Spider-Man's second solo outing in the MCU is the first follow up to the massive universe-changing event Avengers: Endgame . The film is bigger in almost every way than Spider-Man: Homecoming , and the shadow of Iron Man looms large. Iron Man gave Far From Home its story, but he also prevented the film from reaching its full potential. There will be some light spoilers throughout. I suggest not reading until you've seen the film. Bookmark this, and come back later!

Netflix is becoming more and more known for their original IP. One of the biggest things to help with that identity was the launch of Stranger Things . The show was an incredible mix of 80s nostalgia, child wonder, and sci-fi horror. The second season, tried some new things with mixed results, but was overall entertaining ( review here ). The third season got back to basics, which resulted in the strongest season to date.

The first half of 2019 had some interesting films released, both theatrically and on streaming platforms. There was a 5 or 6 week stretch that I was at the movies every weekend - sometimes twice in the same weekend. Below are my favorite films from the first half of the year. There are 3 honorable mentions, and then my 10 favorite.