Avengers: Endgame

PG-13
Starring: Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Hemsworth, Paul Rudd, Jeremy Renner, Scarlett Johansson, Josh Brolin, Gyneth Paltrow, Brie Larson, Tom Holland, Benedict Cumberbatch, Anthony Mackie, Chadwick Boseman and all of the rest. (Too many to list).
Running Time: 3 Hours and 1 Minute

WOW... where do I begin? Well with three hours of captivating entertainment, I can assure you that you will not be disappointed!!
As you probably know, the Marvel Cinematic Universe has been in existence for over 11 years with the original “Iron Man” debuting in 2008 (can you believe it)?
“Avengers: Endgame” is the 22nd film in the series.
After the final scenes of the previous movie “Avengers: Infinity War”, where a majority of the main characters seem to virtually disentegrate into thin air before your very eyes, you really have no idea what to expect or just how this movie is going to begin.
 My oh my the genius of The Directors, Anthony and Joseph Russo (who are brothers) is not to be underestimated!! “Endgame” is just astounding, a truly emotional rollercoaster with its ups and downs and unexpected twists and turns. From sincere heartfelt emotion to a lot of clever humor and just plain fun moments, this movie has it all. For those of you who are true Marvel Cinematic Universe afficianados, just be prepared to be mesmerized and transported to the journey and memories of a lifetime!!!
I feel like with the popularity and notoriety of these movies being what they are, that there is almost a sort of reverence about them. Therefore I just want to give my followers the chance to see it and experience it for themselves! I hope you will go into it with no expectations and just enjoy the ride you are about to encounter!
When it is all done and said, it really does feel very final. Almost a little too realistic!
I personally, thoroughly enjoyed this movie. It answered many questions and explained what to look forward to in the future.
Parents be advised: This movie is rated PG-13 as are most of the MCU movies. I think if your children are familiar with these movies and they are comfortable with them, then they will be with this one as well. I usually recommend these movies for children 13 and above. I know this is going to be such an enormous blockbuster that everyone is going to want to see it. It has just about the same amount of mild profanity, super-hero situations and super-villain violence as do its predecessors.
I am giving “Avengers: Endgame” four bags of popcorn hands down!!!

SHAZAM

PG-13
Starring: Zachary Levi, Asher Angel, Mark Strong, Djimon Hounsou, Jack Dylan Grazer, Cooper Andrews, Marta Milans,  Faith Herman, Grace Fulton, Ava Preston, Jovan Armand and Evan Marsh
Running Time: 2 Hours and 12 Minutes

“What a happy surprise” were my sentiments after I screened “Shazam” Tuesday night. I found Zachary Levi who plays the adult Shazam to be a pure delight! This movie was just plain fun! It was sheer entertainment, a real true to form popcorn movie. We live in such a crowded “Super-Hero” overload Universe these days that is was really refreshing to have something so new and original to feast our eyes and senses on!
When teenager Billy Batson (Arthur Angel) (who also did a great job as Billy) finds himself without a family and running away from foster home after foster home. He becomes more and more obsessed with finding his biological mother, Marilyn Batson (Caroline Palmer) after straying away from her at a carnival at a very young age never to see her again, fast forward and suddenly he is a teenager.
He is thrust into a very unusual situation while riding on the subway, and finds himself alone at a high rate of speed suddenly arriving at a cave-like place where The Wizard Shazam (Djimon Hounsou) has been waiting and anticipating his arrival. He is overwhelmed with the information that the wizard has just told him!!! The wizard tells him he has been waiting for someone “pure in heart” to assume the sacred role of “Shazam” The Wizard!  Shazam stands for: S-The wisdom of Solomon, H-The strength of Hercules, A-The stamina of Atlas, Z- The power of Zeus, A- The courage of Achilles and finally M- The speed of Mercury.
Suddenly he is back on the subway speeding away from the wizard in complete disbelief of what had just occurred.
Billy is not content with his life and doesn’t feel like he belongs anywhere. As a last ditch effort he is put into a type of group home with several other kinds of misfit kids and sent off to another new school along with these new kids he is living with. He immediately is singled out by a couple of tough kids and has to defend himself.
As time goes by Billy finds out he is somewhat different from the other kids, he actually finds out that he has some pretty cool super powers that he is not quite sure how to control. He realizes that by saying the word “Shazam” he can transform himself, super-power bright red suit and all into a hero that he never dreamed he could be!!! He has no knowledge of superheroes and  he suddenly finds himself thrust into the middle of. His newfound brother Freddy (Jack Dylan Grazer) is a superhero genius who would love nothing more than encountering a true superhero! When Billy turns to Freddy for help, Freddy ends up being his best buddy.
Eventually, Billy is forced to confront the evil and diabolical villain, Dr. Thaddeus Sivana (Mark Strong). He is one very, very angry villain determined to destroy everything in sight! When he singles out Billy/Shazam... all catastrophe breaks loose!
This movie has it all... action, comedy, villain, bullies, some scary smoky monster guys, clever humor and just fun imaginative drama. The CGI effects were very cool too.
I found myself enjoying this superhero movie more than I have some of the very serious and ultra popular Marvel Cinematic Universe movies.
Parents be advised: This movie is rated PG-13. It is filled with dramatic scenes but nothing I feel would be too disturbing for children. I would recommend this movie for children ages 10 and above. Some mild profanity, bullying and some scary monster guys are intimidating. Also an intense scene at a winter carnival where Shazam and The Villain fight it out.
I am giving “Shazam” Three and a half bags of popcorn.

DUMBO

PG
Starring: Colin Farrell, Michael Keaton, Danny DeVito, Eva Green, Nico Parker and Finley Hobbins
Running Time: 1 Hour and 52 Minutes

“If you have a heart, Dumbo will steal it”, that was my very first impression after screening this movie. This is the live action remake of the original 1941 Disney classic movie.
Having been a fan and owning the original Disney animated Dumbo on VHS, I wasn’t quite sure how Director Tim Burton was going to take this live action rendition?
He actually followed the original story very closely however, he sensationalized the dramatic scenes causing them to be even more dramatic!
For those of you who are familiar with “ Dumbo”, you will know that the story pulls real hard at your heartstrings. This version also did just that! I told my self I was going to be just fine unless...
they played the song “Baby Mine”, from the original movie which of course they did and I was toast! That song always gets me!
This story takes place in 1919 during World War I, when Holt Farrier (Colin Farrell) returns home from the war to be with his children, Milly (Nico Parker) and Joe (Finley Hobbins) shortly after his wife has passed away and missing an arm. He returns back to the life he had left behind, the Circus or to be more exact, The Medici Brothers Traveling Circus under the direction of Mr. Max Medici (Danny DeVito). This time around though, it will be much more challenging!
The female elephant, Mrs. Jumbo had just given birth to a beautiful little blue-eyed baby elephant they named Dumbo because he was born with extraordinarily large ears.
The circus people did not know quite what to do with this unique little fella. The two children, Milly and Joe had become very fond of little Dumbo and discovered he had a very unusual talent... he could fly because of his huge ears!!! In the beginning he was very awkward but as time went by he became more adept at it and with coaxing he was finally able to master it. When an owner of another much bigger circus, V. A. Vandevere (Michael Keaton) found out about little Dumbo’s unique talent he decided to contact Max Medici and bribe him to take part ownership in the Medici Brothers Circus. Max agreed and things start to take a tailspin! The very first thing he does is separates Dumbo from his mother and chains her up in a train car, Dumbo and his mother are not allowed to see each other which causes them both to have broken hearts! He forces Dumbo to literally, new heights pushing him way beyond his comfort zone.
This movie truly will steal your heart. I don’t think there was a dry eye in the theater. It is a sweet and precious story that will move both you and your children. Also, the movie ends on a very positive note as well.
Parents be advised: This movie is rated PG and it is very dramatic. There are scenes that are difficult to watch that might be too intense for children. Plus there are some scary scenes when things go haywire and the circus starts to fall apart and burn. There are two sections of the circus, one is “Dreamland” which is a pretty fancy theme park and the other one is ”Nightmare Island” which has very heavy Tim Burton overtones. I would not suggest this movie for kids who are sensitive to animals being treated poorly!
I am giving “Dumbo” three bags and a half bags of popcorn.