John's Journal

Hello everyone, and welcome to a new installment of Rise and Fall. This where we take a look at movie franchises that used to be king of the hill, only to hit rock bottom later. And today's Rise and Fall is going to focus one of the worlds most popular superheroes who also happens to be one of my personal favorites of all time. I am talking of course, about your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man. Folks, I think it's safe to say that somebody like Spidey needs no introduction. He has been a beloved cultural icon for well over 50 years and he's still going strong to this day. And now that he's officially a part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the wall crawler is on a roll. But there was a time when Spider-Man's cinematic career wasn't doing too well. And we're here to see just how bleak things looked back in the day. So let's get started. The Origin Let's take a trip back to the late 2000's shall we? After the release of the much ...

Hey guys! 2018 is here and what better way to start off blogging this year than reviewing what is easily Marvel's most anticipated film to date (aside from Infinity War )? That's right folks! Today I'm reviewing Black Panther . Taking place directly after the events of Captain America: Civil War,  Prince T'challa returns home to the nation of Wakanda to be crowned king after his father was tragically assassinated. But things soon get heated when a man known as Killmonger soon challenges T'challa for the throne of Wakanda. Now T'challa is put to the test as now not only does he have to keep his nation safe but the world as well. Guys ever since Black Panther made his cinematic debut in 2016, the world has been hyped to see him in his own solo outing. But now that the Black Panther has arrived, is this a movie worthy of a king or this an over hyped piece of kitty litter? Let's find out. The Good Hoo boy where do I begin? First of all let's talk ab...

Hello ladies and gentlemen. It's been a minute but now I am finally back to blogging. Today, we are going to talk about a video game franchise. One that I have been a loyal fan of for many years. I am talking of course about the Pokemon franchise. Gotta catch em all! Now why am I talking about Pokemon today you may ask? Well it's all about the potential of new types. Now for those of you who don't know, types are properties for Pokemon and their moves. They work in a rock paper scissors style format so that there can be advantages and disadvantages during battles (ex: Water beats fire, Grass beats water, etc.). So far there are 18 elemental types but that hasn't stopped fans from making types of their own over the years and today I'm going to take a look at the 4 most common fan made typings, what I think their strengths and weaknesses should be and if they can make sense enough to work in the actual games. And if you don't see your favorite fan made type...

Hello everyone and welcome to a new list. As most of you know there has been a huge push for diversity in media. Especially in the world of superheroes. By now it's a well known fact that most superheroes are white, but thankfully as time went on there have been more superheroes of color introduced and have made their names known. And as a long time comic book reader I can say from experience that the excitement felt from seeing heroes that look like you is one of the most dynamic emotions one can experience. So for Black History Month we are going to honor the brothers and sisters that use their amazing gifts to fight for truth and justice. So without further ado, here are my top five favorite black superheroes. 5. Cyborg "BOOYAH!" Starting off this list is the perfect blend between man and machine, Cyborg. Victor Stone was originally a high school football star who was at the top of his class and had scholarships coming at him in every direction. Unfortunately he...

Hello everyone and welcome to a new installment of Rise and Fall. In this series, we take a look at movie franchises that used to reign supreme only to hit rock bottom. And today we’re taking a look at yet another animated film franchise that I adored in my childhood, but unfortunately I don’t have the highest opinion of it nowadays. I’m talking of course about the Ice Age franchise. For those of you who don’t know, Ice Age is the flagship franchise of Blue Sky Animation Studios and second only to Shrek when it comes to the title of highest grossing animated film franchise of all time. But in spite of it’s massive success, the series has been experiencing a slump lately in terms of critical and audience reception. Why is that? Well first of all let’s go back all the way to the beginning. The Origin Way back in the 1990’s, Disney was kicking ass and taking names in an era known as the Disney Renaissance, with highly successful animated musicals such as Aladdin and The L...