James' Movie Blog

Charlie Chaplin can be argued as one of the greatest comedic geniuses of all time. By using silent comedy through expressions along with physical emotions, as well as telling a good story, Chaplin made a name for himself by creating some of the greatest movies ever made. And making audiences laugh in the process. And there is no better example of Chaplin's comedy than his 1925 masterpiece “The Gold Rush”, a wonderful little movie that not only blends both comedy and drama very well, but still holds up to this day. Even after almost 90 years since its release, the movie still gets a good laugh out of audiences who watch it. “The Gold Rush” is a glorified masterpiece in comedy that more than delivers the distinct and unique style that Charlie Chaplin was known for. The story involves a lone prospector (Chaplin) going out into the wilderness of Alaska during its infamous gold rush. While trying to find great success, the prospector meets up with Big Jim McKay (Mack Swain), an...

A little imagination never hut anybody, right? Well, what if that imagination became real? That's the premise of the new film “Wonder Park” from Paramount and Nickelodeon Movies. The end result: this is something that you don't want to ride on. The movie feels bored throughout its 85 minute run time, as well as being predictable and easy to follow. Sure, the movie does look creative enough, but aside from that, there is little that this film has to offer audiences. “Wonder Park” feels like a run down attraction that the owners of the park are trying very hard to get people's attention. The story involves a young girl named June (Brianna Denski) who comes up with an imaginative amusement park called Wonderland with her mom (Jennifer Garner). However, once June's mom gets sick, and leaves the picture for a while, June starts to realize that that Wonderland is nothing more than a fantasy. With her mind now super serious, June soon ventures out in the woods, and st...

It's tough to end a series. Especially one as beloved and praised the How to Train Your Dragon franchise from DreamWorks. The first film back in 2010 stunned audiences, and the second one in 2014, took a more darker route. And now, with “How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World” being the third and final installment, it appears that the people behind this movie have really stepped up their game. Their are only a few minor setbacks to this film, but that doesn't obstruct the final film in this amazing franchise any more than it does. “How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World” is a nice conclusion to a good franchise, even though it is a shame to see it end like this. The story takes place one year after the events of the second movie. Hiccup (Jay Baruchel) and his dragon Toothless have managed to create a utopia where vikings and dragons coexist. However, this leads to a dragon hunter named Grimmel (F. Murray Abraham) involved, and now Hiccup must take up the res...

In 2010, DreamWorks Animation produced a movie entitled “How to Train Your Dragon” which became an instant success. Now, four years later, a sequel has come around. And “How to Train Your Dragon 2” is definitely an improvement over the first film. This movie does everything right for all the good reasons a sequel should do. There are a few minor setbacks, but, they are nitpicks; the rest of the film is quite impressive, and an advancement over its predecessor. “How to Train Your Dragon 2” improves what the first one did in many ways possible. The story picks up nearly five years after the first one. The vikings of Berk now have a massive supply of dragons that they have tamed and own. This is all thanks to Hiccup (Jay Baruchel) who is now a twenty year old adult who still likes to have fun with his dragon Toothless. However, he still likes to explore the world, and see what it can offer up. One day, while riding with his friend Astrid (America Ferrera), they encounter a group...

Dragons have always had a fascination with storytellers and audiences as their presence always brings charm, intrigue and fascination. Pretty much every fantasy film and television series that includes dragons as part of the story has them. Unfortunately, there really hasn't been a story about why a dragon does what it does. That is until 2010's “How to Train Your Dragon”. Based off a series of books of the same name, the movie delves more into the psychology of what dragons are and what they do. Sure, some elements of the story are pretty clichéd, but for the most part, the movie is quite good. “How to Train Your Dragon” is a great lesson on how these mythical creatures can be understood. The story takes place on the island of Berk with its inhabitants being vikings. The citizens are being attacked by dragons of various shapes and sizes. An eager young viking named Hiccup manages to capture on of the most deadliest of dragons: a Night Fury. Unfortunately, Hiccup canno...

In the 1960s, the spy genre was a trope that was pretty common during this particular decade. More specifically, in the early 60s. This is most notably the case with the James Bond film series, and look how popular that franchise is. However, on television, the spy genre lent itself to many heart-pounding adventures. One series that used the spy genre well on television, is “The Man from U.N.C.L.E.”, a show that pitted American and Russian spies during the Cold War in thrilling adventures of espionage. The movie adaptation of this show is a mediocre spy flick, at best. While the movie isn't bad, it's also not good; somewhere in-between. “The Man from U.N.C.L.E” is a formulaic spy movie that does offer some action, but heavy on the technical babble. The story has two spies: one American, and one Russian trying to stop a nuclear warhead from launching. These two spies are Napoleon Solo (Henry Cavill) from America, and Illya Kuryakin (Arnie Hammer) from Russia. Together, ...