'Straight Outta Compton' Might Turn Out Being as Groundbreaking as N.W.A.

Straight Outta Compton is the surprise movie of the year.  No one was expecting this movie to be this much well received.  I also like the movie, but probably not as much as the general acclaim that it’s currently receiving.This movie is a biographical film about N.W.A., the revolutionary hip hop group that originated from Compton, California.  It chronicles events from how Ice Cube, Dr. Dre, Eazy-E, MC Ren, and DJ Yella formed the...

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Strong Performances Help 'Southpaw' Overcome a Hackneyed Plot

Southpaw is a boxing drama starring Jake Gyllenhaal as Billy “The Great” Hope, the undefeated junior middleweight champion of the world.  With his loving wife (Rachel McAdams) by his side serving as his chief adviser, Billy enjoys a successful career, the love of his family, and a lavish lifestyle.  However, tragedy strikes when a brawl breaks out during a charity event and his wife is accidentally shot in the chaos.  Broken down,...

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'Magic Mike XXL' Offers the Same Stuff from the First Movie

The thing I liked about the first Magic Mike movie is that it wasn’t just an excuse to have a feature-length show of male sexy dances that women can go gaga for (as how it was being promoted).  It has that aspect, of course, but it’s more than that.  It surprisingly has dramatic depth, an actual well-thought plot, and great performances from the cast.  I love how Rotten Tomatoes worded its evaluation of the movie: “[it allows] audiences...

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Instead of ‘Minions’, It Would Have Been Infinitely Preferable to Have a ‘Despicable Me 3’

The immense popularity of the Minions from the Despicable Me movies led them to star in this spin-off movie.  The plot of Minions is basically a prequel – set years before they met and got employed by Gru.  The movie shows us the Minions’ passage through history as they seek to serve the baddest of the bad.  However, from a T-rex to Napoleon, they continuously fail in keeping a master.  The Minions, unable to accomplish the purpose...

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‘San Andreas’ Is Solid in the Spectacle, Shaky in the Storyline

The premise of San Andreas is pretty simple: the shifting of the San Andreas Fault causes a massive, vicious earthquake across western USA, and Chief Ray Gaines (Dwayne “the Rock” Johnson), a search-and-rescue helicopter pilot for the Los Angeles Fire Department, has to fly amidst all the chaos and destruction to rescue his teenage daughter (unbelievably played by 29-year-old Alexandra Daddario) and estranged wife (Carla Gugino).San Andreas has a...

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LeBron Made Me Curious About 'Trainwreck', but It's John Cena That Surprised

Trainwreck is not the kind of movie I usually go see.  But I got intrigued of it because of LeBron James.  There were some praise being thrown regarding his performance, and it really got me curious.   I wanted to verify the hype.The plot: after her reprobate father impressed on Amy Townsend (Amy Schumer) as a young girl that monogamy isn’t realistic, she lives her life as an adult boozing, partying, getting high, and sleeping...

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'Inside Out' Rivals 'Toy Story' Movies As Pixar's Magnum Opus

If I will be writing now my list for best movies of the year, Inside Out will take the number one spot.  Of course, it is possible that I would still get to see a movie this year that I will deem better.  However, if I’m rating movies, I will give Inside Out a perfect score – an A+, or a 100%, or five stars out of five.  So it would take something so awesomely flawless to unseat Inside Out.  And looking at the movies left this...

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Part 1 of Live-Action Movie Dishonors ‘Attack on Titan’

Prior to watching this, I had already got warning from some sources that those who love the anime would likely hate this live-action movie.  This used to be a movie I was really excited of seeing; I was presuming that it was going to be, at the very least, as awesome as the essentially faithful Rurouni Kenshin live-action movies.  But because of the negative buzz, I already lowered my expectations so that the blow of disappointment will...

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Brilliant Hungarian Drama 'White God' Makes the Case for an Oscar Category for Best Animal Acting

White God (Fehér isten in its native tongue) is technically a 2014 Hungarian film.  But for the rest of the world, this counts as a 2015 film.  Hence, it qualifies to be considered when I make my list of best movies at year end.  And it’s a solid contender for a spot.The movie centers on a mutt named Hagen who is separated from his guardian, Lili, when her estranged father refuses to pay the excessive fine imposed on owning mixed-breed...

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June to August 2015 Worship Services

Here are footage of some praise and worship songs sang during Joy Church's Sunday services from June to August.  Video credits: Ms. Sally Kim.  Btw, to those who aren't aware and cares to know, I play the keyboard in Joy Church's band.  I'm situated in the back, so I don't get too much exposure in these videos.  I don't mind.June 21...July 12...July 19...August 2...August 9...August 16...click here for more vid...

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Please Keep These 'Lego DC Comics' Direct-to-Video Movies Coming

In 2013, Lego Batman: The Movie – DC Superheroes Unite, a direct-to-video animated movie inspired by the Lego Batman game franchise, was released.  I extremely enjoyed it (it didn’t make my list for best 2013 movies for I saw it in 2014).  And I guess I’m not the only one pleased by it because Lego and DC decided to make more movies like this.  The short film Lego DC Comics: Batman Be-Leaguered (which I only saw earlier this year)...

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Season 2 Downgrades 'True Detective'

The plot of True Detective season 2 centers on the investigation of the murder of Ben Caspere, the city manager of the fictional city of Vinci, by a task force made up of representatives of three different police departments.  The three main investigators of the case are Vinci Police Department detective Ray Velcoro (Colin Farrell), Sgt. Ani Bezzerides (Rachel McAdams) of the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office CID, and California Highway Patrol...

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August 2015 Crusade & Evangelistic Concert

An evangelistic crusade was conducted last August 7 at Joy Church.  These were the first two songs of the opening praise and worship...Then, the next night, August 8, an evangelistic concert was conducted at Barangay Rizal, Legazpi City.  These were two of the numbers we performed...click here for more vid...

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'Shaun the Sheep' Is Yet Another Stop-Motion Animation Gem

“If it’s a stop-motion animated movie, then it must be good” is a presumption that have always held true to me through the years.  Yes, like traditional hand-drawn animation, stop-motion animation has a soft spot in my heart and appeals to my old-school sensibilities.  But it’s not only that.  I truly haven’t encountered a bad widely-released stop-motion animated feature before.  Of course, not all have the makings of a classic...

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'Terminator Genisys' Wastes a Brilliant Reboot Concept

Terminator Genisys is the fifth installment of the Terminator franchise.  It was an attempt to drag the fallen franchise out of the muck.  Unfortunately, Genisys further dragged it deeper into it instead.The plot of Genisys reboots the Terminatortimeline.  Just the same with the first movie, Kyle Reese is sent back in time by John Connor to ensure his existence by protecting his mother, Sarah Connor, from a Terminator that is sent...

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Top 10 Crossovers

Crossovers happen when two (or more) characters or properties are joined together in one story or project.  And the best kinds are those you don’t expect to happen because they belong to different fictional universes and/or different companies; hence, when it does happen, it’s pretty mindblowing.Here are my favorites...Honorable Mention: JUSTICE LEAGUE/TRANSFORMERSBefore we start with the number 10 spot, I want to give an honorable mention to...

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'Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation' Feels Like a Perfect 007 Film

In my opinion, this fifth Mission: Impossible installment is the franchise’s best yet.  Seriously, this franchise ages as gracefully as its star, Tom Cruise (can you believe that he’s already in his 50’s!) – both only get better with age.Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation sees the return of Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) and his IMF colleagues Benji Dunn (Simon Pegg), William Brandt (Jeremy Renner), and Luther Stickell (Ving Rhames; the only character...

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'Sound! Euphonium' Is a Charming Concert Band Drama

Sound! Euphonium (also known as Hibike! Euphonium) is a 13-episode anime series that details the drama and development behind Kitauji High School’s concert band.  There are plenty of characters, but the story focuses on freshman Kumiko Oumae.  She has been playing the euphonium for seven years; however, she’s not necessarily masterful of playing the instrument nor dedicated to it.  But through the progress of the story, she gains new...

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