Category: Entertainment

Moms and dads need entertainment and these posts, for one reason or another will do just that

Ganbatte!, breaks down the secret sauce to being happy

Come get some. For Bruce Campbell or Joe Rogan fans, that phrase is as empowering as they come. For only three words, that phrase, to those who are down with the character Ash from the series can mean almost anything. Ganbatte is a Japanese phrase that loosely translates to ‘do your best’, but that’s where things can get lost or watered down in translation. In reality ‘ganbatte’ is an encouraging way of thinking that can power a society, and more specifically you. That phrase may be a bit too ‘chicken soup for the empowering phrase soul’, but hear me out. Even if you know nothing about Japanese language or culture, Ganbatte! The Japanese Art of Always Moving Forward is a book that upper-middle readers through senior citizens will grasp something from.

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Ganbatte! is a unique book that occupies the space in the business thought/motivational/life improvement/cultural studies shelf at the store. Western audiences can somewhat equate its meaning to some sports analogies, but “ganbatte” is much stronger, personal, powerful, and impactful.

vague in definition, but, ganbatte can help anyone

The Suicide Squad is a relentlessly enjoyable, graphic ride

A caveat must be added to that title, The Suicide Squad is relentlessly enjoyable as a rated-R movie for audiences that know what to expect from such a film. That’s worth saying because I mentioned to my wife that this was a wildly enjoyable movie, but that she would have hated it. Our son started to pepper me with questions, asking if he could watch it and what aspects of the film he would like the most. Having an 11-year-old see a film that is a solid R-rated movie is a personal choice. For him, the violence in the film would’ve been far too much and he would not have understood most of the film’s context or its numerous, very funny sequences. Back in the day, the 11-year-old version of me would purchase a ticket to a generic family film and then sneak into The Suicide Squad. But this is a brave new world; what’s more likely to happen is that kids will watch it on HBO Max, brag to their friends that they saw it, but not really understand what makes The Suicide Squad such a great film.

The Suicide Squad is a brilliant mash-up of superhero tropes, graphic violence, horror and foul language for action movie fans.
Believe the hype, this is gonzo, I can’t believe that they made this-fun at the movies

Jungle Cruise control to a great first act and overall fun, but flawed film

There are many reasons why people could love or dislike Jungle Cruise. It stars Dwayne Johnson! It’s based on a theme park ride. It’s based on a theme park ride! Your negative reasons for liking it could easily be someone else’s reason for enjoying it. As a former WDW park employee, I can see many things to love about Jungle Cruise. The first act is jammed with subtle, meta winks to the audience as the film blurs between movie and self-realization that its premise is an audio-animatronic ride based on puns and adventure. That same period of the film is also wildly entertaining and will remind older movie fans of Raiders and Romancing the Stone.

As the film goes on, it will crib too much from those films, but more on that in a moment.

Jungle Cruise, we can’t really dislike you, but we wanted more

Black Widow spins a frustrating web of low-end MCU

For my James Bond fans, imagine showing someone who has never seen a 007 film Skyfall, and then showing them from the campier Roger Moore era movies. The difference in those films is vast, some people enjoy both equally, while others see one as being a better movie than the other. That sums up Black Widow when compared to other action films or MCU movies. This is a movie that would’ve felt more at home if it were released in 2018. That schedule would’ve also allowed audiences to forgive the numerous flaws that live within the film. However, it’s been ages since we’ve been to the movie theater so let’s all go, unless it’s available on Disney + in a couple of weeks for no extra charge.

Black Widow/Natasha Romanoff (Scarlett Johansson) in Marvel Studios’ BLACK WIDOW, in theaters and on Disney+ with Premier Access. Photo courtesy of Marvel Studios. ©Marvel Studios 2021. All Rights Reserved.
Natasha, you deserved better

Space Jam: A New Legacy, not as bad as you’ve heard

Life is all about expectations, isn’t it? Having heard that that Space Jam: A New Legacy was an abomination and the worst thing since sliced rotten bread I was prepared to be complacent in a Warner Bros. train wreck. However, Space Jam: A New Legacy firmly had the pulse of kids aged six through nine in its advertising, so I gamely took our youngest to the theater to see it. Don’t get me wrong, the film is a complete hot mess that attempts to mash up every single Warner Bros IP into a package that will entertain everyone. The result is that there are a couple of funny jokes amid countless movie scenes, puns, or characters that younger audiences won’t get or appreciate.

Heed the warnings, unless you seek a subpar film for kids only

The Spongebob Movie: Sponge On The Run, a porous, unfunny mess

It must be tempting to take a long-running show, especially an animated one, and make a movie or two from it. The potential profits can certainly be greater, but the work in making, at the minimum, a 90-minute movie is daunting. From the studio’s perspective, if the show has been on the air for a decade or so then audiences, especially those younger ones will forgive an hour and a half that’s subpar. While it might be a slog for parents, they should know better and simply allow the kids to experience some ‘big kid’ time as they see said film for themselves. That’s the way that audiences should look at The Spongebob Movie: Sponge On The Run. Those in the audience who are six to eight years old will be mildly amused and those who are nine and up will find a couple of things to laugh at but will be bored overall.

It’s hot, the kids will be happy, but only a little bit
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