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The Valero Verdict: Avengers: Endgame

| Richard Valero

Welcome to another edition of the “The Valero Verdict” movie review. In this I will give you a quick movie review with a couple of bullet points of which I either liked or disliked. I will end the review with rating of the movie and a short overall thoughts.

On the docket today, only the most anticipated movie of well probably EVER!!!! The conclusion of what has been a masterful series of movies, Avengers: Endgame.

This is 1000000000000000000000% SPOILER FREE.

  • Wow. That is the first thing I can really put on here. It was an emotional roller coaster that just was so mind blowing good on so many levels. The movie peeled back layers that I didn’t even know I needed to be peeled back.
  • Robert Downey Jr. is one of/if not the greatest casting of a comic book character of all time. If you look at every character and it can range from the Joker to Superman to even Captain America, you can see others in those roles. Iron Man/Tony Stark was made for RDJ and this movie he showed why. RDJ is masterful in this movie and he takes us on a ride from the first moments on the screen to his last moment.
  • It’s funny in ways you didn’t expect it to be funny. All the Marvel movies have their own sort of laughs but this one brought some strong comedic value while not taking away from the core of the film.
  • You know the story, you know whats going to happen but yet you find yourself watching a title fight and cheering every step of the way.

The Verdict:

***** out of ***** PERFECTION

The Russo brothers directed a masterpiece. The expectation level for me for this movie was like no other and I was completely blown away by this film. From start to finish you witnessed 3 hours (didn’t feel like it) culmination of 22 movies come together and take you on a magical ride across the Marvel Universe.

Markus/McFeely deserve just as much credit here for their outstanding writing on this film. The cast, really need I say more?

You laugh, you cry, you cheer, you laugh so more, you cry some more and after it’s all said and done, they left you wanting more even after 3 hours.

Mrs. Valero Verdict: AMAZING!!! Perfectly Written.

Should You See It?: ABSOLUTELY!!!!!! Caution: I didn’t think I would ugly cry more during this than I did last week during Breakthrough. This was the greatest experience I have ever had inside a movie theater. I truly can’t wait to see it again, and again and again.

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Tell me what you thought of the movie, hit me up on here or talk to me on Twitter @RickyValero_

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The Valero Verdict: Shazam!

| Richard Valero

Welcome to another edition of the “The Valero Verdict” movie review. In this I will give you a quick movie review with a couple of bullet points of which I either liked or disliked. I will end the review with rating of the movie and a short overall thoughts.

On the docket today, Shazam!. Normally I would say something fancy here about the movie being highly anticipated or anything at all. How about we say, Could DC finally make a good movie?

  • Grazer/Levi/Angel connection as Shazam/Freeman/Batson is spectacular. Grazer himself having to have the chemistry between both of the key characters was very pivotal in this movie and he was great.
  • Zachary Levi was a fantastic Shazam. You got the perfect dose of confused, witty, sarcastic, warm and funny all wrapped up in one.
  • The weird playing of Slow Hands by Nail Horan in the background of the family dinner. Did someone actually listen to those lyrics prior to editing it into the film? It was just weird.
  • Story telling was spot on. Sanberg did a great job of putting the pieces together. I really enjoyed his investment into the characters and making you care about them.
  • My biggest problem was the ending, it felt like it was never going to end. It dragged out for maybe 15 minutes too long.

The Verdict:

*** 1/2 out of ***** stars

This was a strong movie, and a really shocking feel good movie. I liked the different lighthearted approach to the Super-Hero genre. It is one we really haven’t seen before. The chemistry between the leads was great, Mark Strong was a great villain and outside the 9 hour ending, the movie was a lot of fun. (Also DC finally making a good movie was a joke, calm down)

Should You See It?: Yes, and I think you should take the entire family. It was a whole lot of fun and a great feel good story for the kids to enjoy as well.

Tell me what you thought of the movie, hit me up on here or talk to me on Twitter @RickyValero_

The Valero Verdict: Aquaman

| Richard Valero

Welcome to another edition of the “The Valero Verdict” movie review. In this I will give you a quick movie review with a couple of bullet points of which I either liked or disliked. I will end the review with rating of the movie and a short overall thoughts.

On the docket today, Aquaman. The very highly anticipated DC movie starring Jason Momoa.

  • This story was a complete rip-off of Black Panther.
  • This movie really tried way too hard to be funny, like it got embarrassing at some points.
  • The colors were pretty.
  • The action was a bit lackluster, the “big fight” scene in the water was just horrendous, at times you didn’t even know who was who during the fight.
  • Momoa was okay, but honestly he didn’t really have much to work with here. The screenplay was not very good and they didn’t put him in position to succeed at all.
  • Arthur? I feel like you could go back in time and get a better Super-hero name for this guy, this is what I think when I hear Arthur.

The Verdict:

* out of ***** stars

A loaded cast with a terrible script, while colorful and pretty to look at (Add Momoa to that if you’d like) the film feels like one big dud. Aquaman is one of the characters that belongs in ensemble movies but not his own standalone film.

Should You See It?: Absolutely NOT. Especially on Date Night, don’t be like “You can stare at Jason Momoa for two hours”, THEY WILL LEAVE YOU. Just no.

Tell me what you thought of the movie, hit me up on here or talk to me on Twitter @RickyValero_

Thor: The Dark World Review

| Richard Valero

Thor: The Dark World is one of the most anticipated films of the fall by quite a few (including myself). I am a huge fan of the Marvel films as they all have been well done. But with all the success I have been concern that maybe they will just start throwing movies out just to make the movies. So I went to see the movie yesterday in 3D and below I give you my 7 things I did or didn’t like about the film.

thor%20the%20dark%20world%20poster

Chris Hemsworth – Thor
Natalie Portman – Jane Foster
Tom Hiddleston – Loki
Anthony Hopkins – Odin
Christopher Eccleston – Malekith
Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje – Algrim/Kurse
Rene Russo – Frigga
Idris Elba – Heimdall
Jaimie Alexander – Sif
Ray Stevenson – Volstagg
Zachary Levi – Fandral
Tadanobu Asano – Hogun
Stellan Skarsgard – Dr. Erik Selvig
Kat Dennings – Darcy
Jonathan Howard – Ian
Chris O’Dowd – Richard

Plot:
 Faced with an enemy that even Odin and Asgard cannot withstand, Thor must embark on his most perilous and personal journey yet, one that will reunite him with Jane Foster and force him to sacrifice everything to save us all.

Thor: The Dark World Review

1. Alan Taylor (Game of Thrones) came on board to direct the sequel of the Marvel hit Thor. I really enjoyed the 1st one and I had high hopes and he didn’t let me down either. Taylor did an amazing job of bringing all Nine worlds together and making sense while he did it. The story was great, the acting was superb and he took it all together and made one hell of a film.

If you watch the 1st film and the 2nd the transformation of Thor (Chris Hemsworth) is unreal. Taylor did a great job of turning Thor into a real Super Hero; he did a great job following up the Avengers in what really brought Thor to the table more so than the original film.

He also put together some great meaningful scenes between Thor, Odin, Loki and Frigga. I applaud him for the way he brought the interaction between Earth and back to Asgard and back to earth again. At no point in this film were you not anticipating what was going to happen next.

2. Chris Hemsworth as Thor: Like I stated earlier the transformation of Thor from Thor to The Avengers to Thor: the Dark World has been amazing. Hemsworth is putting himself in that group of fellow comic book actors as not being able to see anyone else play the role of Thor.

He brings so much to the table as Thor: He brings the good-looking, good acting, nice witty charm and the believability of being an ass kicking Superhero. He has easily turned a character that I didn’t like that much into something I enjoy and look forward to seeing on the screen again.

3. Tom Hiddleston as Loki: He has turned Loki into one of my favorite Comic-Book villain ever portrayed on the big screen. Though his on-screen time in this was not as much as in the previous two movies, he still shined when he was on the screen. He is such a talented actor that brings so much to the Loki character. They really have to find a way to try to get him in the 3rd movie if there will be one.

4. Visually Stunning: All the Marvel movies have been great to see on the eyes but I think this one was one of the best. Across the Nine worlds (those we got to see) was just truly amazing to see. Asgard is at the top of the list for sure.

5. The Supporting Cast: As you can tell on the list above the cast in this film is insane. Whether it’s Anthony Hopkins as Odin or Idris Elba as Heimdale each supporting role has some great scenes throughout the film. Natalie Portman is a great actress and fits the role of Jane Foster really well; she is a type of actress that they really lacked in the Lois Lane (Amy Adams) character in Man of Steel. Not saying she should’ve played it but Portman brings so much more to the table as Foster than Adams did as Lane. Rene Russo (Frigga) has some key pivotal scenes in the movie that made you truly care about her character.

The smaller role like Chris O’Dowd (Richard) plays an intern to Darcy (Kat Dennings) who both had some good lines in the film.

6. The 3D aspect – Well I am finally off my high horse about films in 3D (for now anyway). Thor: the Dark World was well worth seeing in 3D even if it’s just see the stunning view of Asgard but they did a good job of using the 3D in this films and hope more films follow this trait.

7. Action Scenes: This was filled with some action packed fight scenes that were lacking in the 1st film. Thor with the opening scene (which can be seen in the trailer) knocking the crap out of that big villain was great. Then you had the fighting between the worlds that was really cool as well.

8. We had two funny cameos that you need to look out for. (Not spoiling them).
Also make sure you stay for the after the 1st set of credits and the 2nd set of credits.

The Final Verdict

4 ½ out of 5 stars

Alan Taylor brought us the best Comic Book movie of the year. This was an action packed ride that had you from the start to the finish. The way he was able to bring all nine worlds together and make it matter was great. Chris Hemsworth and Tom Hiddleston bring so much to this franchise and I would like them to hop on board for a 3rd film as well.

One of my must see movies of the fall didn’t disappoint one bit.

Thor: The Dark World is in theaters now.

34 Movies I Will See in 2013

| Richard Valero

2012 was a great year in Film, From Argo to Flight to 21 Jump Street to Django Unchained. It was filled with some really good movies. 2013 is lining up to be another fun year at the box office.

Gangster Squad(Jan. 11th) – Wasn’t a fan when the moved it the 1st time, so excited to see it finally.

Side Effects(Feb. 8th) –  Channing Tatum really broke out in 2012, looking forward to seeing him take on this serious role.

Identity Thief(Feb. 8th) – I first saw this trailer a few months ago. Really looking forward to seeing this.

A Good day to Die Hard(Feb. 14th) – Bruce Willis always brings good things to the table in this series. Adding Jai Courtney who I really liked in Jack Reacher as Willis son. This should be another good movie to add to the franchise.

Snitch(Feb. 22nd) – The Rock seems to find these low-key kind of thrillers that always turn out pretty good.

The Incredible Burt Wonderstone(March 15th) – Carell & Buscemi look funny together. I also really hope Jim Carrey can make a comeback.

Place Beyond the Pines(March 20th) – Ryan Gosling in any movie gets me excited. Add Bradley Cooper & Ray Liotta with an interesting plot. Should be in for a good treat.

GI Joe: Retaliation(March 29th) – The 1st of the series was very underrated and I enjoyed it. Adding the Rock & Bruce Willis should only make it better.

42(April 12th) – one of the greatest baseball players ever, a great story and what should be a great movie.

To The Wonder(April 12th) – Ben Affleck and Javier Bardem adding the Director of The Tree of Life Terrence Malick. I cannot wait for this to come out.

Oblivion(April 19th) – Seeing the trailer for it for the 1st time yesterday, peaked my interest a little bit. Could be a dud but I am willing to give anything Tom Cruise is in a chance.

Pain & Gain(Apil 26th) – The trailer doesn’t do the movie justice, but potential of the Rock & Wahlberg is endless.

Iron Man 3(May 3rd) – scared to many franchises are planning to try to go dark like Nolan did with Batman. But should be good regardless.

Great Gatsby(May 10th) – Another movie I was disappointed it was moved from its December release date. DiCaprio is great in anything he is in, I also am a big Carey Mulligan fan.

The Hangover III(May 24th) – The 2nd was a huge disappointment but I will be giving this another chance based on the cast alone.

Fast Six(May 24th) – the 5th of this serious was my favorite of them all. The Rock added a nice touch and with Michelle Rodriguez back. I have no doubt it’s going to be an action packed movie.

Now You See Me(June 7th) – I first saw the trailer for this the other day. Never heard of it, but this movie looks like its right up my alley. Big fan of Eisenberg as an actor.

The Internship(June 7th) – Vince Vaughn & Owen Wilson teaming up again, count me in.

Man of Steel(June 14th) – easily my most anticipated movie of the summer. I am not the biggest fan of Superman, but with Snyder directing & Nolan putting his touches on it. I will be excited to see this.

This is the End(June 14th) – The cast in this movie alone should make anyone want to see this. The trailer was hilarious and no doubt a possible comedy of the year.

World War Z(June 21st) – Big fan of the book as well as big fan of Brad Pitt. This blockbuster looks like a must see.

White House Down(June 28th) – Jamie Foxx as President & Channing Tatum as the Secret Service agent. You can be sure to count me in.

The Lone Ranger(July 3rd) – Johnny Depp playing yet another character in his collection. It’s either going to be dumb or really good.

Grown Ups 2(July 12th) – This can’t be any worse than the 1st one right? I’ll see it regardless based on the funny people in it.

R.I.P.D(July 19th) – Huge fan of Ryan Reynolds, an interesting plot that could turn into a good movie.

The Wolverine(July 26th) – Hugh Jackman is up there as one of my on-screen comic book characters. Comes back again as Wolverine, count me in.

300: Rise of An Empire – 300 was one of the greatest movies I had ever seen in theaters. Visual masterpiece it was, highly anticipating this movie.

The To-Do List(August 16th) – Aubrey Plaza is a really good actress, this has a making of being an underrated hit in the theaters.

Runner Runner(Sept. 27th) – Affleck & Timberlake in a movie together about gambling, why isn’t it coming out sooner.

Delivery Man(Oct. 4th) – Vince Vaughn realizes his trips to the sperm bank led to 533 children, sounds like a classic.

The World’s End(Oct. 25th) – Simon Pegg, Nick Frost & Edgar Wright. Need I say more?

Thor: The Dark World(Nov. 8th) – Chris Hemsworth and company were really good in the 1st film. I have no doubt they will back it up with another good movie.

The Hunger Games: Catching Fire(Nov. 22nd) – The 1st one was fantastic movie, can the sequel be just as good?

Monuments Men(Dec. 20th) – Clooney, Damon, Murray & Craig = Must see movie of the fall.

Honorable Mention – Texas Chainsaw(Jan. 4th), Broken City(Jan. 11th), 21 & Over(March 1st), Dead Man Down(March 1st), Kick Ass 2(June 28th), Red 2(August 2nd) & 2 Guns(August 16th)

There are a lot more movies I want to see this year but those are the top 34. Am I missing something? What movies do you want to see in 2013? Let me know, comment below or tell me on twitter (@rickygangster)