Pokémon Detective Pikachu (2019) - SPOILER-FREE Review

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Pokémon Detective Pikachu (2019) - SPOILER-FREE Review

Directed by: Rob Letterman

Written by: Dan Hernandez, Benji Samit, Rob Letterman, Derek Connolly

Starring: Ryan Reynolds, Justice Smith, Kathryn Newton, Suki Waterhouse, Omar Chaparro, Chris Geere, Ken Watanabe, Bill Nighy

Runtime: 104 min

Synopsis: The story begins when ace detective Harry Goodman goes mysteriously missing, prompting his 21-year-old son Tim (Justice Smith) to find out what happened. Aiding in the investigation is Harry's former Pokémon partner, Detective Pikachu (Ryan Reynolds): a hilariously wise-cracking, adorable super-sleuth who is a puzzlement even to himself. Finding that they are uniquely equipped to communicate with one another, Tim and Pikachu join forces on a thrilling adventure to unravel the tangled mystery. Chasing clues together through the neon-lit streets of Ryme City - a sprawling, modern metropolis where humans and Pokémon live side by side in a hyper-realistic live-action world - they encounter a diverse cast of Pokémon characters and uncover a shocking plot that could destroy this peaceful co-existence and threaten the whole Pokémon universe.

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Long Shot (2019) - SPOILER-FREE Review

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Long Shot (2019) - SPOILER-FREE Review

Directed by: Jonathan Levine

Written by: Dan Sterling, Liz Hannah

Starring: Seth Rogen, Charlize Theron, O’Shea Jackson Jr., Andy Serkis, June Diane Raphael, Bob Odenkirk, Alexander Skarsgård

Runtime: 115 min

Synopsis: Fred Flarsky (Seth Rogen) is a gifted and free-spirited journalist with an affinity for trouble. Charlotte Field (Charlize Theron) is one of the most influential women in the world. Smart, sophisticated, and accomplished, she's a powerhouse diplomat with a talent for... well, mostly everything. The two have nothing in common, except that she was his babysitter and childhood crush. When Fred unexpectedly reconnects with Charlotte, he charms her with his self-deprecating humor and his memories of her youthful idealism. As she prepares to make a run for the Presidency, Charlotte impulsively hires Fred as her speechwriter, much to the dismay of her trusted advisors. A fish out of water on Charlotte's elite team, Fred is unprepared for her glamorous lifestyle in the limelight. Sparks fly as their unmistakable chemistry leads to a round-the-world romance and a series of unexpected and dangerous incidents.

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Avengers: Endgame (2019) - SPOILER-FREE Review

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Avengers: Endgame (2019) - SPOILER-FREE Review

Directed by: Anthony Russo, Joe Russo

Written by: Christopher Markus, Stephen McFeely

Starring: Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Hemsworth, Scarlett Johansson, Jeremy Renner, Don Cheadle, Paul Rudd, Brie Larson, Karen Gillan, Danai Gurira, Bradley Cooper, Josh Brolin

Runtime: 181 min

Synopsis: The grave course of events set in motion by Thanos (Josh Brolin) that wiped out half the universe and fractured the Avengers ranks compels the remaining Avengers to take one final stand in Marvel Studios' grand conclusion to twenty-two films, Avengers: Endgame. One of my Most Anticipated Movies of the year (decade, century, and even of all-time) and part of one of the most successful sagas ever created: Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU).

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The Curse of La Llorona (2019) - SPOILER-FREE Review

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The Curse of La Llorona (2019) - SPOILER-FREE Review

Directed by: Michael Chaves

Written by: Mikki Daughtry, Tobias Iaconis

Starring: Linda Cardellini, Raymond Cruz, Patricia Velasquez

Runtime: 93 min

Synopsis: In 1970s Los Angeles, La Llorona is stalking the night … and the children. Ignoring the eerie warning of a troubled mother suspected of child endangerment, a social worker, Anna (Linda Cardellini), and her own small kids are soon drawn into a frightening supernatural realm. Their only hope to survive La Llorona's deadly wrath may be a disillusioned priest and the mysticism he practices to keep evil at bay, on the fringes where fear and faith collide.

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Hellboy (2019) - SPOILER-FREE Review

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Hellboy (2019) - SPOILER-FREE Review

Directed by: Neil Marshall

Written by: Andrew Cosby

Starring: David Harbour, Milla Jovovich, Ian McShane, Sasha Lane, Daniel Dae Kim, Thomas Haden Church

Runtime: 120 min

Synopsis: Hellboy is back, and he's on fire. From the pages of Mike Mignola's seminal work, this action-packed story sees the legendary half-demon superhero (David Harbour) called to the English countryside to battle a trio of rampaging giants. There he discovers The Blood Queen, Nimue (Milla Jovovich), a resurrected ancient sorceress thirsting to avenge a past betrayal. Suddenly caught in a clash between the supernatural and the human, Hellboy is now hell-bent on stopping Nimue without triggering the end of the world.

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Shazam! (2019) - SPOILER-FREE Review

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Shazam! (2019) - SPOILER-FREE Review

Directed by: David F. Sandberg

Written by: Henry Gayden

Starring: Zachary Levi, Mark Strong, Asher Angel, Jack Dylan Grazer, Djimon Hounsou

Runtime: 130 min

Synopsis: We all have a superhero inside us, it just takes a bit of magic to bring it out. In Billy Batson's (Asher Angel) case, by shouting out one word - SHAZAM! - this streetwise 14-year-old foster kid can turn into the adult superhero Shazam (Zachary Levi), courtesy of an ancient wizard. Still a kid at heart -inside a ripped, godlike body - Shazam revels in this adult version of himself by doing what any teen would do with superpowers: have fun with them! Can he fly? Does he have X-ray vision? Can he shoot lightning out of his hands? Can he skip his social studies test? Shazam sets out to test the limits of his abilities with the joyful recklessness of a child. But he'll need to master these powers quickly in order to fight the deadly forces of evil controlled by Dr. Thaddeus Sivana (Mark Strong).

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Dumbo (2019) - SPOILER-FREE Review

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Dumbo (2019) - SPOILER-FREE Review

Directed by: Tim Burton

Written by: Ehren Kruger

Starring: Colin Farrell, Michael Keaton, Danny DeVito, Eva Green, Alan Arkin

Runtime: 130 min

Synopsis: Circus owner Max Medici (Danny DeVito) enlists former star Holt Farrier (Colin Farrell) and his children Milly (Nico Parker) and Joe (Finley Hobbins) to care for a newborn elephant whose oversized ears make him a laughingstock in an already struggling circus. But when they discover that Dumbo can fly, the circus makes an incredible comeback, attracting persuasive entrepreneur V.A. Vandevere (Michael Keaton), who recruits the peculiar pachyderm for his newest, larger-than-life entertainment venture, Dreamland. Dumbo soars to new heights alongside a charming and spectacular aerial artist, Colette Marchant (Eva Green), until Holt learns that beneath its shiny veneer, Dreamland is full of dark secrets.

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Us (2019) - SPOILER-FREE Review

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Us (2019) - SPOILER-FREE Review

Directed by: Jordan Peele

Written by: Jordan Peele

Starring: Lupita Nyong’o, Winston Duke, Elisabeth Moss, Tim Heidecker, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Anna Diop, Evan Alex, Shahadi Wright Joseph, Madison Curry, Cali Sheldon, Noelle Sheldon

Runtime: 116 min

Synopsis: Haunted by an unexplainable and unresolved trauma from her past and compounded by a string of eerie coincidences, Adelaide (Lupita Nyong’o) feels her paranoia elevate to high-alert as she grows increasingly certain that something bad is going to befall her family. After spending a tense beach day with their friends, the Tylers (Elisabeth Moss, Tim Heidecker, Cali Sheldon, Noelle Sheldon), Adelaide and her family return to their vacation home. When darkness falls, the Wilsons discover the silhouette of four figures holding hands as they stand in the driveway. Us pits an endearing American family against a terrifying and uncanny opponent: doppelgängers of themselves.

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Captive State (2019) - SPOILER-FREE Review

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Captive State (2019) - SPOILER-FREE Review

Directed by: Rupert Wyatt

Written by: Erica Beeney, Rupert Wyatt

Starring: John Goodman, Ashton Sanders, Jonathan Majors, Machine Gun Kelly, Vera Farmiga

Runtime: 109 min

Synopsis: Set in a Chicago neighborhood nearly a decade after an occupation by an extra-terrestrial force, Captive State explores the lives on both sides of the conflict - the collaborators and dissidents. It follows a young man who participates in a conspiracy to rebel against the alien race that has invaded Earth, and enforced strict martial law on all humans.

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Captain Marvel (2019) - SPOILER-FREE Review

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Captain Marvel (2019) - SPOILER-FREE Review

Directed by: Anna Boden, Ryan Fleck

Written by: Anna Boden, Ryan Fleck, Geneva Robertson-Dworet

Starring: Brie Larson, Samuel L. Jackson, Ben Mendelsohn, Djimon Hounsou, Lee Pace, Lashana Lynch, Gemma Chan, Annette Bening, Clark Gregg, Jude Law

Runtime: 128 min

Synopsis: The story follows Carol Danvers (Brie Larson) as she becomes one of the universe's most powerful heroes when Earth is caught in the middle of a galactic war between two alien races. Set in the 1990s, Captain Marvel is an all-new adventure from a previously unseen period in the history of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU).

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