Fanboys Anonymous

Welcome to the first of what I'm hoping will be an ongoing series here at Fanboys Anonymous, dubbed Ending the Marvel Universe, wherein I'll be giving you my ideas of how I feel particular characters from Marvel Comics should wrap up their stories.

Before getting into anything, let's establish some ground rules for this first edition.

What I'm attempting to do here is approach each character from a "grand scheme of things" overall perspective, rather than any particular version of the character. For instance, the version of Peter Parker from the Marvel Cinematic Universe is different from Superior Spider-Man, which is different from the 90s animated series and so on. However, I feel like there are some fundamental tropes that should stay a constant, and I like to keep all of those in mind while thinking of these scenarios.

Also, as much as I like playing around with What If scenarios, I also want to make sure this doesn't feel like a Deadpool Kills the Marvel Universe type setup. This isn't "some dystopian world where wouldn't it be interesting if XYZ happened?" Rather, this is my idea of "if I had the ability to script the beginning, middle and end of this character's arc, how would I conclude their story with the very last piece of the puzzle?"

On top of that, since we're dealing with more than one particular character at a time, we need to rope in their supporting cast. If I am doing an Ending the DC Universe story for Batman, I want to tell you how I think Alfred Pennyworth's story ends and so on.

So with all of that out of the way, let's start with someone who is very much at the forefront of this type of idea at the moment, after Avengers: Endgame - Iron Man.


My idea of Tony Stark is very much what we got in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. He's a playboy, a total jerk with a massive ego, very quick-witted and funny, who happens to have a heart of gold (and some metal fragments) that fundamentally drives him to be a superhero, rather than a supervillain, as he could have very easily gone the opposite direction and become someone like Dr. Doom or Dr. Octopus.

Stark isn't someone I think needs to die a sacrificial death. In the MCU, it made sense, given Robert Downey Jr.'s contract and such, but in the comics and other media, you aren't constricted by that type of environment. Instead, I think Stark's death is a prolonged one.

In my mind, the Marvel Universe works in such a way that the Scientist Supreme idea is pretty neat, but that title should go to Reed Richards. To me, he is THE smartest out of the typical characters (obviously excluding folks like The Living Tribunal), but there are others who are insanely intelligent in their own right. Shuri, Peter Parker, The Tinkerer, Amadeus Cho (maybe my #2 or #3 if you count Doom as #2), etc.

Bruce Banner's specialty is biology and gamma radiation. Hank Pym's is molecular physics and he just so happened to have developed an affinity for ants out of necessity. Beast is brilliant. High Evolutionary is absurdly intelligent. Mr. Sinister is and so on.

Tony Stark is THE guy when it comes to mechanical engineering. That is where his expertise lie and where he presents the biggest contribution to the Marvel Universe. Basically, if you want something to be built, he's your guy. He's responsible for quinjets and the Avengers headquarters in all incarnations. He's the guy to build Ultron or find a way to destroy it, not Pym. Stark's empire is weaponry made out of technology and his legacy should be technology that isn't necessarily all weaponry.

Tony lives a long life. He does everything in his power to keep his vitals going well into advanced age. He's not a biologist, so he's not able to cure death or anything crazy, but he's able to slowly keep replacing body parts of his with mechanical organs to keep himself going longer and longer.

Eventually, Pepper Potts, who is in control of Stark Industries/Enterprises, passes away from natural causes. She isn't driven by the same type of motivations as Tony and doesn't want to become more robotic and all, and she's also more at peace with death. Tony makes sure she's comfortable, and they have a great life together.

They have children. Possibly a boy and a girl, named Anthony Howard Stark and let's say Morgan Pepper Stark. I'm not sold on the names 100%, but that doesn't matter as much. More on them, later.

Happy Hogan retires from any kind of labor and dies a normal death, probably from hypertension or heart failure or whatever due to his weight. That sounds sad, but it's just the way most people go, and of course, he's missed.

Rhodey retires from active service and becomes the head of the weapons division of Stark Industries. After all, they're still going to create weapons, right? They're just more responsible about it all. Eventually, when Rhodes passes away, he is given many honors for his military contributions and his role as an Avenger.

Kenjiro Fujikawa takes over for Pepper Potts as CEO in control of Stark Industries when she leaves. Eventually, the business is divided between Rumiko Fujikawa and Tony Jr and Morgan. Let's even go so far as to say that Rumiko and Tony shack up and have a daughter they eventually name Kiri if we want to tie in that comic or something.

What's Riri Williams doing with all this? Well, she's the person who takes up the mantle of Ironheart when Tony stops being Iron Man and before his kids can get involved in that side of things. Riri is a prodigy and someone who is bankrolled by him. Let's say Harley Keener is, too, if we want to bring him into the mix. He could be Iron Lad. I don't know. The point is, Ironheart is out there as the superhero aspect and she names herself that in honor of Tony's impetus for being Iron Man.

But that's not all, as I love the Iron Legion concept and the Guardsmen, so more than anything, Tony Stark doesn't want one singular Iron Man or Iron Woman, he wants robots to be able to do the work for them so nobody is actually getting hurt. Who controls those, as well as most of the production side of the company? A triumvirate of J.A.R.V.I.S., Friday and H.O.M.E.R.

And that is where we wrap things up. How does Tony Stark's story end?

Eventually, he's basically a brain in a jar, having become more machine than man, and he not only realizes this, but he realizes that his time is up when there is something like an inoperable brain tumor or whatever (possibly a tie-in to Ultimate Iron Man). So he does the one last thing he can do, which is to download his consciousness into an artificial intelligence so he'll always be with his kids.

Tony becomes the new J.A.R.V.I.S. and he may even be silly enough to give himself a name similar to that, like S.T.A.R.K. being Sentient Tactical Autonomous Robotic Kompanion or Synthetic Thought Analysis Resource of Knowledge or whatever.

Tony's consciousness is downloaded into all the computers and he's going to live forever, theoretically speaking, so he can continue to watch over the world and contribute in that way long after his body has given up on him.

And just before he passes away and the uplink is complete, he sees Ho Yinsen giving him peace that he didn't waste his life, as well as his mom and dad who are proud of him, his best friends Rhodey and Happy, and his wife, Pepper, all welcoming him from the great beyond.

That is how I would end Iron Man's story.

Welcome to another edition of WEEK IN GEEK here at Fanboys Anonymous—a rundown of some of the events, news and stories that went down over the past few days in the geek culture spectrum.

Here are some of the topics I felt like voicing my opinions about:

Zoe Saldana Was Almost Cast as Lois Lane in Man of Steel

I've always thought Amy Adams wasn't a good choice for the part, and I feel like Zoe Saldana might have been better. However, if she did that, she might not have done Guardians of the Galaxy, so we got the better end of that deal. Who knows who would have been Gamora in this other universe?

Rey's Father is Han Solo...Maybe...No?

A rumor going around is that it will be revealed that Han Solo had Rey with another woman, not Leia, during a short time when they were separated, and that's why Ben is so pissed at him. Not only would this be a pointless change, it's also a stupid means of doing something that doesn't solve the real problem. The issue many have with Rey is that she's absurdly powerful for no reason other than "bad writing, fuck you if you disagree, that must mean you hate women." If she were a Skywalker, that would explain why she's so powerful, because it's in her blood. But in order for that to happen, she needs to be the offspring of Luke or Leia, NOT Han Solo.

At this point, I'm hoping if they aren't going to say that she's Ben's sister as a byproduct of Han and Leia, that they make her Ben's lover and she ends up having Ben's kid and THAT kid is the subject of the future of protecting The Force, and they use "Skywalker" as a new name instead of "Jedi" or something. But to be honest, I have no faith in any of the Star Wars movies anymore.

However, it's supposedly already been debunked by Pablo Hidalgo by the math of it all, which, of course, we knew (but only through books, because these movies can't explain anything anymore and require tons of books and comics to explain what everything is).

Matthew Vaughn's Idea for Superman Trilogy

The entire first film being Krypton and Superman growing up there as an adult before coming to Earth? Bad idea. That flies directly in opposition of one of the absolute core aspects of his character, and whenever people do that, it makes me wonder why they think they should be making these stories. If your intent is to do something different for the sake of different, but you're presenting it as anything other than "What if..." or whatever, then you're just wrong. That's why you'll never hear me pitch the idea of a Spider-Man series where Peter Parker grew up with Uncle Ben being perfectly alive, or a Batman pitch where Alfred is some car mechanic named Big Al....stupid...

Idris Elba's Rumored Suicide Squad Character

There had been talk before that he was taking over the Deadshot role, which went away. Then, rumors of Deathstroke or Sportsmaster. But now, what I believe to be the most credible, is that he could be Bronze Tiger.

That makes SO much more sense to me, and I say bring it on.

Spider-Man: Far From Home Trailer Leaks

The Manfredi mob? Silvio Manfredi? Very cool!

Welcome to another edition of 6 Flicks Picks, wherein I list all of the upcoming films that are scheduled to be released in the United States for the month which is about to begin and break down which ones I'll be watching in theaters, which ones I'll wait to rent at home, and which ones I'll be skipping out on entirely. After going through the list, I'll choose which six films stand out to me as the ones I want to see the most, even if there are more or less than six that interest me.

Note: The list below is based primarily off the expanded nationwide USA release dates on IMDB as well as some other random outlets if possible, so some information may be different. If I am missing some of the limited releases or the dates conflict in some fashion, please let me know in the comments below and any adjustments and corrections will be made!

Without further ado, another new month means another new set of films, so what's coming soon to theaters in June 2019?

Dark Phoenix

Synopsis: Jean Grey begins to develop incredible powers that corrupt and turn her into a Dark Phoenix. Now the X-Men will have to decide if the life of a team member is worth more than all the people living in the world.

Will I watch? = Yes

The Secret Life of Pets 2

Synopsis: Continuing the story of Max and his pet friends, following their secret lives after their owners leave them for work or school each day.

Will I watch? = Maybe

Late Night

Synopsis: A late-night talk show host suspects that she may soon be losing her long-running show.

Will I watch? = No

Pavarotti

Synopsis: A look at the life and work of opera legend Luciano Pavarotti.

Will I watch? = No


Men in Black: International

Synopsis: The Men in Black have always protected the Earth from the scum of the universe. In this new adventure, they tackle their biggest threat to date: a mole in the Men in Black organization.

Will I watch? = Yes

Shaft

Synopsis: John Shaft Jr., a cyber security expert with a degree from MIT, enlists his family's help to uncover the truth behind his best friend's untimely death.

Will I watch? = Maybe

The Last Black Man in San Francisco

Synopsis: A young man searches for home in the changing city that seems to have left him behind.

Will I watch? = No

The Dead Don't Die

Synopsis: he peaceful town of Centerville finds itself battling a zombie horde as the dead start rising from their graves.

Will I watch? = No


Toy Story 4

Synopsis: When a new toy called "Forky" joins Woody and the gang, a road trip alongside old and new friends reveals how big the world can be for a toy.

Will I watch? = Yes

Child's Play

Synopsis: A mother gives her son a toy doll for his birthday, unaware of its more sinister nature.

Will I watch? = No

Them That Follow

Synopsis: Set deep in the wilds of Appalachia, where believers handle death-dealing snakes to prove themselves before God, Them That Follow tells the story of a pastor's daughter who holds a secret that threatens to tear her community apart.

Will I watch? = No

Toni Morrison: The Pieces I Am

Synopsis: This artful and intimate meditation on the legendary story- teller examines her life, her works and the powerful themes she has confronted throughout her literary career.

Will I watch? = No


Annabelle Comes Home

Synopsis:Determined to keep Annabelle from wreaking more havoc, demonologists Ed and Lorraine Warren bring the possessed doll to the locked artifacts room in their home, placing her "safely" behind sacred glass and enlisting a priest's holy blessing. But an unholy night of horror awaits as Annabelle awakens the evil spirits in the room, who all set their sights on a new target-the Warrens' ten-year-old daughter, Judy, and her friends.

Will I watch? = No

Yesterday

Synopsis:A struggling musician realizes he's the only person on Earth who can remember The Beatles after waking up in an alternate timeline where they never existed.

Will I watch? = No

The Other Side of Heaven 2: Fire of Faith

Synopsis: Missionary John H. Groberg returns to Tonga in the 1960s with his wife and their five young daughters. When their sixth child is born with a serious illness, the Grobergs face their ultimate test of faith, only to find themselves surrounded by the love and prayers of thousands of Tongans. Barriers of inter religious strife are soon broken down as all unite in hopes of a miracle that will save the baby's life, as well as the life of a Tongan minister's son.

Will I watch? = No


Which films make the cut?

#6 and #5. Rocketman and Godzilla: King of the Monsters — Technically, these come out May 31st, but I'm cheating and adding them into here because technically, I'm not going to get a chance to see both on the same day and June 1st would be when I would have a chance to go and see one or the other. Ha. That's how you get around picking another one of these duds. I'm not into Child's Play. I don't like the quirk of The Dead Don't Die. I haven't seen The Secret Life of Pets 1, so I can't see the sequel yet.

4. Shaft — I had seen the previous Shaft film, so why not?

3. Men in Black: International — While this franchise isn't something I'm inherently super duper fond of, they do have value and this does look like it could be fun.

2. Dark Phoenix — Boy, the X-Men films have been really hit or miss, haven't they? I have little to no faith in this, but it's still an X-Men movie.

1. Toy Story 4 — Don't make me cry. Don't make me cry. Don't make me cry.

On the latest edition of the Fanboys Anonymous REVIEWPOINT podcast, host Tony Mango breaks down the hits and misses of Godzilla: King of the Monsters by discussing what worked, what didn't, and whether you should see it or skip it.

Members of the crypto-zoological agency Monarch face off against a battery of god-sized monsters, including the mighty Godzilla, who collides with Mothra, Rodan, and his ultimate nemesis, the three-headed King Ghidorah. When these ancient super-species-thought to be mere myths-rise again, they all vie for supremacy, leaving humanity's very existence hanging in the balance.

Make sure to subscribe/follow on whatever platform you're listening, leave your comments on the videos or this post, share this with your friends and geek out with us!

Even if the show's quality dipped down from time to time, The Big Bang Theory was on the air for 12 seasons, so the finale had a lot to live up to.

After having watched the last episode, I felt mostly satisfied with the conclusion of nearly everybody, but very disappointed with how Raj's story wrapped up. Or, rather, didn't.

Raj's character arc throughout the show went from a guy who couldn't speak to women to someone who could and was searching for love to no avail. He needed to end with some sort of happy finish that showed that his efforts wouldn't be in vain.

Instead, his finish was a throwaway joke that he was on a date with Sarah Michelle Gellar, who is married (to Freddie Prinze Jr.). There's no hint that the future will be different for him than any other episode of any other season. He's still alone, he still has no prospects, nothing.

And I feel like this would have been SUCH an easy thing to fix, which bugs me so much that I felt the need to write this up, as it's still in my mind this long after that last episode aired.

How do you fix it? You just change Gellar to a completely random woman.

Raj sits next to someone on the plane that he has maybe two bits of dialogue with. One little exchange. There's a bit of flirtation, wherein he mentions that the last time he was going to get on a plane, he was going to propose to someone he wouldn't have wanted to spend his life wife, and that Howard showed him how he needs the romance he's always been hoping for.

There could be a connection with this random woman, wherein he'd feel a romantic spark with the idea in mind that he could have met the love of his life on the plane ride to the Nobel ceremony...and she'd somehow be presented in a way that the audience would get it.

Then, she's the one who is his date at the ceremony, and there could be a throwaway joke about how Sheldon thanks her in his speech even though he doesn't know her name yet or whatever.

That way, it's hinted that Raj has a future with this woman and that they'll forever have a story to tell about how they met and how romantic it was.

Now was that so hard?

On the latest edition of the Fanboys Anonymous REVIEWPOINT podcast, hosts Tony Mango and Caroline Oliveira breaks down the hits and misses of Brightburn by discussing what worked, what didn't, and whether you should see it or skip it.

What if a child from another world crash-landed on Earth, but instead of becoming a hero to mankind, he proved to be something far more sinister? With Brightburn, the visionary filmmaker of Guardians of the Galaxy and Slither presents a startling, subversive take on a radical new genre: superhero horror.

Make sure to subscribe/follow on whatever platform you're listening, leave your comments on the videos or this post, share this with your friends and geek out with us!

Welcome to another edition of WEEK IN GEEK here at Fanboys Anonymous—a rundown of some of the events, news and stories that went down over the past few days in the geek culture spectrum.

Here are some of the topics I felt like voicing my opinions about:

Westworld Season 3 Trailer

Oh hey, I don't know what's going on. Must be just like season 2! To be honest, I'm still excited for this, because the first season was so good. Even though the second was needlessly complicated, I'm hoping they've learned their lessons and this will get back on track.

Toy Story 4 Trailer #2

"I've known that guy my whole life...two days!"

They didn't need to have any trailers for this. Based on the strength of the previous 3 movies, I was going to see it by default.

Black Mirror Season 5 Trailers

Smithereens: Sounds like a baby boomer is complaining about people using phones all the time nowadays.

Striking Vipers: I have no idea.

Rachel, Jack and Ashley Too: Not into Miley Cyrus, but the evil Alexa thing is interesting.

Once Upon a Time in Hollywood Trailer

Al Pacino looks younger right now than he did the past few years. That's good.

This doesn't quite feel like a Quentin Tarantino film to me, and to be honest, if this wasn't a movie with his name on it, I don't think I'd be interested. But since it's a Tarantino film, I'll see it.

True Lies TV Series for Disney+

I can see some potential for this to work, or at least to try. However, part of what made the original something people were into was Arnold, and I assume he won't be in it. Recasting or making up a brand new set of characters in a rehash/reboot/sequel type scenario is probably going to feel really recycled and lame, especially since it's hard to imagine this won't get tiresome if the seasons are too long.

Ghostbusters High

Dan Aykroyd has written a prequel of the three main characters (because obviously, Winston isn't part of the crew until the first film) meeting each other in 1969 New Jersey, with the intent to create a television show out of it.

In theory, I'm down...but let's see what happens with this new Ghostbusters III first.

Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker Vanity Fair

Creatures. Desert. Vague content. Yeah, it's a Star Wars photo shoot that means nothing.

Terminator: Dark Fate Trailer

Terminator 2 is my favorite movie of all time. Don't fuck this up. You're gonna fuck this up, aren't you? Yup.

WHERE. IS. JOHN. CONNOR? Getting more and more worried that this movie is going to pull some bullshit about him being killed off and not the "real" savior or something.

Sonic the Hedgehog Delayed

Now, the movie is coming out Valentine's Day 2020 to allow more time for them to redesign the character. That makes a lot more sense than the November release date they were going for before. Hopefully, it'll be worth it.

On the latest edition of the Fanboys Anonymous REVIEWPOINT podcast, host Tony Mango breaks down the hits and misses of Aladdin by discussing what worked, what didn't, and whether you should see it or skip it.

Young Aladdin embarks on a magical adventure after finding a lamp that releases a wisecracking genie.

Make sure to subscribe/follow on whatever platform you're listening, leave your comments on the videos or this post, share this with your friends and geek out with us!

Batman vs. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles is the latest in the line of animated DC direct-to-video films. Is it worth the watch or it is something that should be skipped?

Batman vs. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
Directed by Jake Castorena
Written by Marly Halpern-Graser

STARRING:
Troy Baker (Bruce Wayne / Batman, The Joker), Eric Bauza (Leonardo), Darren Criss (Raphael), Baron Vaughn (Donatello), Kyle Mooney (Michelangelo), Ben Giroux (Damian Wayne / Robin), Rachel Bloom (Barbara Gordon / Batgirl), Brian George (Alfred Pennyworth), Jim Meskimen (Commissioner James Gordon, Jonathan Crane / Scarecrow), Andrew Kishino (Oroku Saki / Shredder), Cas Anvar (Ra's al Ghul), Keith Ferguson (Baxter Stockman, Harvey Dent / Two-Face), Tom Kenny (Oswald Cobblepot / Penguin), Carlos Alazraqui (Bane), John DiMaggio (Victor Fries / Mr. Freeze) and Tara Strong (Harley Quinn, Pamela Isley / Poison Ivy)

Here are some specific thoughts that ran through my mind during the course of the film as a stream of consciousness:

• Gotham loves its blimps.
• In the context of this story, Barbara totally confused me as April O'Neil until they said the name.
• Why did they choose to give Batman the blue and gray outfit?
• Bruce drinks out of a Superman mug? What a surprisingly non-egotistical thing to do.
• I feel like the dynamics of this team-up should be that Batman gets along best with Leonardo, Barbara with Donatello, Dick Grayson with Mikey and Damian with Raph.
• The aesthetics of Penguin and his goons is very campy, but works.
• Wait a sec, is that one goon supposed to be Krang?
• YOOOO that Foot Soldier getting the ninja star to the head was not expected.
• Glad they didn't job Batman out to Shredder just so the turtles could be the only ones capable of taking him down.
• Full-on Baxter Stockman. I like it.
• Ubu rarely shows up. Nice to see him alongside Ra's al Ghul.
• So homeboy turned into a wolf. If they don't have another that turns into a snapping turtle, I'll be surprised.
• Donatello's head is weird.
• Love Damian being a violent jerk who is underestimated.
• A decapitation, too? Goddamn. Some violent deaths in this kids' movie.
• I want some road pizza.
• Troy Baker is the second best Joker voice behind Mark Hamill.
• Damian's voice is annoying. Too mousey.
• Pink Floyd reference...I don't know if I love it or hate it.
• Jason Todd's death is canon in this, which is very cool.
• Way too much sauce on that pizza if every bite causes them to have an entire mouth covered like that.
• Joker Shredder is wicked.

Most of these animated films are 90 minutes of very generic action and a thin plot. This was certainly that. But hey, it was fun to see Batman and the turtles team up. Childhood me from the 90s would have FREAKED to see this, and it probably would have been one of those films I would have watched nonstop. At least for nostalgia purposes, if you're into these characters, you should definitely check it out.

Welcome to another edition of WEEK IN GEEK here at Fanboys Anonymous—a rundown of some of the events, news and stories that went down over the past few days in the geek culture spectrum.

Here are some of the topics I felt like voicing my opinions about:

Charlize Theron Turned Down Hippolyta in Wonder Woman

Supposedly, Theron was offered the role and turned it down (seemingly out of a bit of offense that she would be Wonder Woman's mom as opposed to Wonder Woman). Frankly, I think it's for the best. She's a great actress that could do wonders (pun intended) in a lot of roles, but I don't think either of those would have been a good fit for her.

Connie Nielsen did the role justice. She's not an unknown, but she's not as recognizable of a face as Theron, and it would have been a bit distracting seeing Theron in the role.

Maleficent: Mistress of Evil Teaser

Yeaaaah....no.....

Black Mirror Season 5 Trailer
Black Mirror can pretty much do no wrong at this point, after so many episodes. I have no idea what's going on with these teasers, and I don't want to know. Just hook me up.

Batman: Hush Trailer

I'm down with just the name Batman in the trailer, let alone that it's Hush. The trailer didn't wow me, but there was nothing that kept me from still being excited.

Honey, I Shrunk the Kids Reboot

Why? Just because it's a named entity from the time frame people my age were kids? There's no need for this.

Chris Rock Rebooting Saw

Why? Wasn't there enough of these movies? Is it really that hard to think of a new series than to just slap the Saw logo on it and hope people see it?

Welcome to another edition of WEEK IN GEEK here at Fanboys Anonymous—a rundown of some of the events, news and stories that went down over the past few days in the geek culture spectrum.

Here are some of the topics I felt like voicing my opinions about:

Avengers: Endgame Surpasses Titanic

The movie is now the #2 highest grossing film of all time worldwide and is approaching Avatar's record super fast.

Oddly, it still has a long way to go before it surpasses The Force Awakens for the domestic total, and we could see it become the worldwide top before it beats out the USA one. Strange.

I sincerely hope Endgame beats literally every possible record. Avatar doesn't deserve that top spot, nor does The Force Awakens, and the MCU really is the king of all franchises and should be the benchmark.

Who Was Katherine Langford in Avengers: Endgame?

Apparently, not Kate Bishop, but the older version of Morgan Stark, who would have appeared to Tony in a soul world vision (similar to how Gamora popped up and talked to Thanos). Morgan would have given Tony his blessing for sacrificing himself and it would have served as a means to tell him that everything will be okay.

I wish they would have included this! That would have been such a good parallel to compare his goal and that of Thanos, and their relationships with their daughters. That's a shame we didn't get to see it. But just because we didn't see it on screen doesn't mean it isn't still canon, as that could have been what Tony saw in a momentary flash before he had passed away.

Headcanon, quite literally in his head.

Spider-Man: Far From Home Trailer

VERY cool. I'll be honest, I still absolutely hate some things about this version of Spider-Man, like Michelle "MJ" Jones and Flash Thompson, and how they're missing Harry Osborn, and how...you know what, another rant for another time. This is about the positives.

Carrying on after Iron Man's death is a great story. Bringing Nick Fury and Maria Hill in is great. Having Mysterio be masquerading, I think, as someone from another world is a good idea, cause when he reveals that he's actually just a con artist, then that's even cooler.

Did I spot a Crusher Hogan poster? Very cool detail!

The overall feel of this and everything about it, for the most part, I really dig. Sign me up. Wait, I already bought my ticket, so I guess I'm already signed up.

Possible Role for Palpatine in The Rise of Skywalker

Rumor has it they'll reveal that Snoke was possessed by Palpatine and Matt Smith's character will be the next vessel, before eventually going into Kylo Ren, who will convert to the light and reject Palpatine and restore himself as Ben Solo.

If they go this route, that's at least a method of TRYING to fix some of the problems, but it doesn't fix everything. It still means Anakin and Luke were failures. It still means they couldn't do a trilogy without just repeating the original trilogy. It doesn't help fix Rey's character. So on and so forth. But it's at least a start.

Disney's Film Slate Dates

There are a lot of interesting things to take away from this information of the upcoming 2020-2027 release schedule.

New Mutants has been moved AGAIN. I don't know why they don't just rename this to "Mutants" and put it on Hulu.

Avatar's sequels are being pushed back AGAIN too. I'm wondering if this means James Cameron is perpetually waiting for a new type of technology to be what sells these movies, just like how the first film only made as much money as it did because of the 3D gimmick. But if that's the case and these movies can't stand on their own and need some 4D or whatever type bonus thing to entice people to see them, then that's awful and they shouldn't make the movies, but do something new and different.

Gambit is RIP. Saw that one coming. That's a shame, though. Channing Tatum had a lot of potential for that.

Star Wars is taking some time off. Maybe that's to recalibrate what their plans are and actually, I don't know, plan something in advance? They should have done that from the beginning and didn't and now they're paying the price.

They're still advertising this March 27, 2020 Mulan movie, but I'm not seeing much in the headway of that. Curious.

Also curious how Jungle Cruise is going to be different from just being a combination of Jumanji and San Andreas or something.

Cruella is going to be stupid, I bet. December 23, 2020 is a good release date for it, though.

"Untitled Indiana Jones" for July 9, 2021. Interesting.

It: Chapter 2 Trailer

Creepy. Great casting. I'm curious what they've changed this time around.

Michael Rooker for King Shark?

Yes please!!! That would be awesome!

Lethal Weapon Cancelled

Why didn't they just cancel it after season 2 with the whole switch from Clayne Crawford? You can't have Lethal Weapon without Martin Riggs. He IS the Lethal Weapon. Stupid. If they had tried to recast him with Sean William Scott, it would have still been a problem, but maybe it would have worked. Replacing the character itself is a different story.

On the latest edition of the Fanboys Anonymous REVIEWPOINT podcast, host Tony Mango breaks down the hits and misses of Pokémon Detective Pikachu by discussing what worked, what didn't, and whether you should see it or skip it.

Ace detective Harry Goodman goes mysteriously missing, prompting his 21-year-old son, Tim, to find out what happened. Aiding in the investigation is Harry's former Pokémon partner, wise-cracking, adorable super-sleuth Pokémon Detective Pikachu. Finding that they are uniquely equipped to work together, as Tim is the only human who can talk with Pikachu, they join forces to unravel the tangled mystery.

Make sure to subscribe/follow on whatever platform you're listening, leave your comments on the videos or this post, share this with your friends and geek out with us!

Lucifer is back with season 4, this time on Netflix! This means instead of having one episode per week, we get to have our dose of the show in binge form, and that's exactly what I'm going to do.

As such, welcome to what I like to refer to as my running episode commentary breakdown, wherein I will be documenting my thoughts as I watch every episode. Throughout the season, I'll be adding notes as a stream of consciousness of sorts, giving you a feel of what's going on in my mind. Then, once it's over and the season has concluded, I'll wrap everything up with my overall thoughts.

I invite you to follow along as best you can and to leave your thoughts in the comments below just the same!

Episode 1 - "Everything's Okay"

• They always have good choices in music on this show, and I love Creep. Great way to start things off.
• I'm glad they're not forgetting that Maze and Trixie didn't end in the best light.
• I like that they're acting like Chloe is okay with it, but we know that can't possibly be true. That's a better direction than having her go straight into hysteria.
• Two honey stands in the same farmer's market? No wonder there's a problem. Who the hell needs even one of them, let alone competition?
• Door knobs? If there was a serial killer with that gimmick, he would have to have catch phrases and slogans like saying "knock knock" to his victims. 
• I immediately don't trust this "cop"
• BOB THE KNOB. LMAO.
• They should have Chloe be hesitant to let Trixie around anyone, like a good mom.
• Still don't trust the cop.
• "Horror? Disgust? Mild arousal?" haha
• Awww, poor Amenadiel needs to be needed.
• Stigmata, maybe?
• GREAT moment with Amenadiel helping Dan get some closure. Loved that.
• Chloe's going to be looking for a way to kill Lucifer, isn't she? Like a holy mission? That's a good angle. I like that.
• Very solid first episode here. It's the same as the show was, with no real differences except maybe some better production quality, possibly. That's perfect.

Episode 2 - "Somebody's Been Reading Dante's Inferno"

• That's awesome Lucifer's been on the radar of exorcists and such. Why wouldn't he be, you know?
• Cute little vial
• I'd probably like Judd on this reality show for being a complete asshat.
• It's weird that they still have commercial breaks without commercials. Don't get me wrong, I'm glad there aren't commercials. It's just weird still.
• Gary Coleman's in hell?
• Ella's perpetually adorable.
• Rice and coconut, I'm fond of. Snails...I'll pass on that meal. 
• Creepy Amenadiel is great.
• Well that "homeless" woman is going to Hell.
• Cool devils don't turn around when there are explosions behind them.
• So why is Lucifer's suit perfectly fine?
• Linda's pregnant, isn't she?
• Did Chloe leave the vial? I guess I'll find out by the end of the episode.
• Wow, they didn't wait any time at all for Linda to confront Amenadiel about that. I thought they would have at least dragged that out until the end of the next episode. They must be really using this 10-episode structure to its fullest. Curious why Eve hasn't shown up yet, though.

Episode 3 - "O, Ye of Little Faith, Father"

• "Your sex holes are never going back to normal" - Maze is a treasure. 
• Trixie looks so much older, it's nuts. What is she, like, 42 now?
• End of Days is better than some of Arnold's movies, though. Did you see Collateral Damage?
• Kudos to Linda for recognizing that a proposal isn't the way to fix these fears about the baby. Far too many people do that. 
• Ha. Apple. I get it.
• It's 7:45am and I haven't slept yet. It's time for me to get some rest. Big fan of this season, though, and I'm excited to keep this going.

Episode 4 - "All About Eve"

• "He was decapitated?!" - haha I love Ella 
• Eve is hot, but that was a weird introduction
• Wait, so why was Eve in heaven instead of hell?
• Maze being so protective of Linda and her kid is cute
• I love how quirky Eve is.
• So the forbidden fruit is Lucifer's dick? LOL
• Sandy Bumford haha. That sucks. 
• Linda is so much the heart of this show. I've loved her character from the very beginning.
• I just noticed Ella's taco shirt, "every now and then I fall apart". I love it.
• I do hate in shows how people just walk into someone's place to stumble across them doing something like kissing someone else and then have that whole drama. It's too fabricated.

Episode 5 - "Expire Erect"

• That sandwich doesn't look like the answer to me. I think I'd rather have pizza.
• Jeez Eve...O__O
• He got tired!!!!!!! I loved that pun.
• Good ol' Nameless You.
• I want a burger.
• Are they really thinking about hooking up Maze and Dan? It would pair everyone off except for Ella, but I don't know how they could pull that off. 
• Look at Eve not being catty or bitchy or anything. Big fan of that.
• Heeeey Eve and Ella making out. Oh stop rolling your eyes. I'm a guy and I'm only human.
• Damn! Another great Amenadiel moment with the "No wonder your dad is so proud of you." How great must that be, to know from an actual angel that your dad is in heaven and that he's watching over you and all? I'd love to have that reassurance.
• So is Eve now going to be so afraid to lose Lucifer that she'll try to kill Chloe so that he isn't vulnerable ever again? That's my assumption. We have to do something to paint her in a negative portrait.

Episode 6 - "Orgy Pants to Work"

• Call me old fashioned, but that orgy doesn't seem like it would have been a fun time, no matter how hot Eve is.
• It just dawned on me that even though I'm not binging this straight through, this is SO much easier to binge than something like Iron Fist or Jessica Jones.
• But I'm confused about the sudden skip of "many months later" outside of how they clearly need to speed up the pregnancy.
• I'm thinking maybe the next episode is when we get Adam?
• "Fetch me the goat"
• Okay, family tree time. So Adam and Eve had Cain and Abel, Adam's first wife was Lilith, who is Maze's mom, and Eve shacked up with Lucifer, who is the son of God and The Goddess of Creation, who also had Amenadiel and other brothers and sisters, including this new chick who looks like a cross between Anna Akana and Lady Sif. Lucifer's totes going to be with Chloe, who is the mom of Trixie, and the ex-wife of Dan, who used to be with Lucifer's mom, kind of. Also, Amenadiel's got a baby on the way with Linda, who fucked Lucifer. Okay, I'm caught up, and poor Ella is not involved in any of this.
• Nudist Ella. This episode is a win from that alone.
• Oh damn, I didn't see that cop's death coming.
• Vigilante Lucifer makes sense. Vigilucifer.

Episode 7 - "Devil is as Devil Does"

• Oh wait, Lucifer didn't kill Julian?
• The Man with the Golden Gun! Huge James Bond fan, and that is one of my guilty pleasure favorites (C-tier level, meaning I know it's fundamentally not as good as an A-tier one like GoldenEye or Casino Royale, but it's totally a stupid fun ride) 
• On this Tiernan dude looks like he could be the devil with just those eyebrows alone. Jesus.
• Maze is fucking with Linda.
• Told ya.
• Stop being a bitch, Remy. 
• Nice going, Detective Douche. You almost got your daughter killed.
• Ella and Dan? Nope. Not a natural fit.
• Welp. Those are certainly some devil wings. Suuuuuuuuuuucks.

Episode 8 - "Super Bad Boyfriend"

• Godfather Lucifer. Ha.
• Super giddy Eve is fucking great. This actress nails it.
• Blonde girl is totally the villain. It's usually that first person, which is pretty predictable, so I hope I'm wrong.
• Why do I feel like Caleb is a goner the moment he and Amenadiel met?
• That's got to be Maze's stunt double, right?
• Cliche bad husband to Lucifer is to be a bro who likes fantasy sports and all hahahaha
• Addressing race issues with the police. Good decision to call some attention to.
• Well, I guess I'm not wrong about Lexi, unless that's the whole switch where it turns out there's another thing. There's still 15 minutes left.
• Knew it. There was no way Caleb was making it out of this episode alive.
• The real truth is that your hell is knowing that you were a bad person and having to learn to become a better person through the experience of all these humans, because each person's hell is their own self-hatred, right?

Episode 9 - "Save Lucifer"

• No shit someone must have stolen the thumb drive.
• Eve as Decker > Decker
• Not a good cover of Wonderwall. 
• Lucifer never goes by Sam, does he?
• Charlie. Good name. But you should name him Charles and nickname him Charlie. Middle names...hm...maybe that's where Sam comes into play?
• I wonder how they would have dealt with this makeup if they were still on Fox. Did the budget go up? It might not have, which might be why Netflix picked them up in the first place.

Episode 10 - "Who's Da New King of Hell"

• The new king of Hell should be Tiernan. They still didn't fully take care of him.
• "I thought you were on my side." / "...I was." - textbook.
• That knife wouldn't have made that sound. 
• Discount Sean Penn from Carlito's Way
• D.B. Woodside just said Charlotte instead of Charlie, I think.
• I don't think that lighter would heat up the milk that much.
• I can't help but feel like Chloe could die somehow. It makes more sense for Eve to, though.
• Amenadiel with the Rock Bottom (or Book End if you're more of a Booker T fan)
• Is this woman the T-1000 or something?
• If you could just tell everyone to go home like that, why didn't you do that from the start? That was easy.
• I guess they liked Eve enough to keep her alive in the hopes they bring her back for another season, if they're renewed. Maybe that's when we'll see Adam, too. And Maze's mom, Lilith?
• Proper angel wings. Nice touch. After all, he's supposed to be a legit angel and not a demon.
• Super fake looking CGI with that throne.

WRAP-UP THOUGHTS:

Absolutely fantastic season. Possibly the best one. I feel like this show really knows what the fans want and doesn't bully them around or toy with them.

In particular, I really liked this 10-episode season structure, where everything was kept tight. At times, I could see exactly where they would have stretched it, had they done double the episodes, and I don't think it would have been necessary.

For instance, Caleb would have been at least 3 to 5 episodes, if not longer. That whole subplot of the drugs would have gone on and on and reached the same conclusion. I'm guessing the first 10 episodes would have dragged out the idea of Linda's pregnancy. Those missing months would have been like 6 filler episodes of repeating the same lessons. Dan's story with Charlotte was already stretched pretty thin as it was. Ella probably would have had a whole episode dealing with a church group or something random just to hit that mark some more. So on and so forth.

But that wasn't necessary. We didn't need 3 episodes about Remiel just to get to the same point, especially because she was a weak addition to the cast.

More Eve being Eve would have been fun, but sometimes, less is more. Maybe it would have gotten annoying if it was another 8 or so episodes worth of that, you know?

I think they did a fantastic job with this season. They kept it the same show as before, rather than turning it into something it wasn't just because they had the option of trying something new for the pure sake of it, and they tightened everything up to be a better, more effective story arc for everyone involved.

I'm very much anticipating a season 5 with Lilith as the head of all the demons who are trying to mess with people on Earth, as well as possibly some Adam and Eve shenanigans, and maybe even an appearance from Abel? Who else could we bring in from The Bible? I don't know. I never read the thing. Noah? Job? Some clarification on who actually helps all these football teams win the Super Bowl?

Great job on season 4. Many thanks to Netflix for saving the show, even if it's just for this one season, but hopefully, for many more!

Avengers: Endgame was advertised in both title and marketing as the culmination of many different stories for our beloved characters, and for all we know coming out of that movie, it seems to actually have delivered on that promise.

Several heroes and even some villains met their demise or were written out of the franchise with an ending of sorts, and while that may just be a wrap, I'm not entirely convinced of this.

In fact, there are some character we know for sure will be returning in some fashion, due to the pipeline of future projects in the works.

So how will those characters return and what are the options for how the Marvel Cinematic Universe could potentially bring back all of the characters who have been written off?

Here are my theories on where we go, now that they're gone.

Vision

This is the easiest one. Shuri finishes working on repairing his brain like she was trying to do during Infinity War.

That's it. He's a computer. All you need is a new motherboard, a new hard drive, and whatever other parts are necessary to run his operating system, and then you just transfer the old files and you're good.

Maybe Scarlet Witch's connection to the Mind Stone and her powers can help be the jumper cables which are the missing element to the formula, and that's where WandaVision (hate that title) can pick up from.

Natasha Romanoff

Everyone has gone on record multiple times in saying that there is no way to bring Black Widow back. She's gone for good. Forever. Finito. The end. That's it.

I call bullshit on that.

If they returned the stones to the time they got them, does that not mean that Natasha's soul is lingering in something of a limbo status, kind of like what happened in some fashion with Gamora? (More on her later)

If you say she died so they could have Hulk do the snap, then who died for Tony Stark's snap? He didn't, as he died from the wounds of that action, not that he traded his soul. We're missing something there.

If you say that she died so they could take the stone, then when Captain America put it back on Vormir...somehow...that reverses the process, as it needed to be put back in exactly the same time that they took it, or else they've changed the past and created a different timeline, and if they've done that, then the entire purpose of the scene with The Ancient One was moot because they failed.

So how do they bring Natasha back? Well, I don't think it will happen in the Black Widow movie, as that will likely be a prequel, but if they ever decide to, they can just have her be un-snapped and living as an amnesiac.

Think of it somewhat like Bucky. She'll have faint glimpses of her past life, but no real memory of who or what she is, because she's gone through a reboot process of sorts and she's not quite all there yet.

Then, someone comes along to bonk her in the head or do some sort of magic and fix her, and voila.

But that brings me to...

Gamora

She's in a very similar position to Black Widow, but not quite. Nobody is replacing the stone to when Thanos took it. He took it, he used it, that's not being reversed.

But we have Gamora in the Soul World speaking to Thanos and asking him "Did you do it?" and "What did it cost?"—two things which denote consciousness, in some form.

We also have the 2014 Gamora, which makes absolutely no sense to me, but I'm almost giving up trying to wrap my mind around any of that continuity and mathematical balancing act that likely has no real answers.

So here's what I'm thinking. Adam Warlock was teased at the end of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 and it's doubtful they did that with no intention to follow through with him.

In the comics, Warlock is incredibly tied to the Soul Gem, and I think a variation of that is in store for Vol. 3 as a means to explain how he was "created" by Ayesha.

The Sovereign are surrounded by gold in every way, as well as literally being gold. Even the anulax batteries (I mean, harbulary batteries) are gold and super powerful.

What if the method in which The Sovereign are able to harness this insane power for the batteries, as well as create perfect beings, is to tap into the Soul World and access the energies of the Infinity Stones by proxy?

If so, Adam Warlock's connection to that could grant him the power to do a merging of the minds between Gamora's 2014 self and the consciousness that was thrown off the cliff by Thanos.

That way, the Gamora who is alive and well is not the same physical being that was killed by Thanos, but she's got the same memories and ends Vol. 3 remembering her love for Star-Lord and the rest of her family, as well as the events of Endgame.

Tony Stark

If you're looking for a means to bring Robert Downey Jr. back into the fold in any capacity, he can be the voice in the suit for Peter Parker's next costume, or a guiding JARVIS artificial intelligence that Morgan Stark can interact with.

Eventually, if they want to do Ironheart and make it Morgan instead of Riri Williams, then he can easily voice the essence of Tony Stark without having to worry about his age or being in shape or anything like that.

But if you're talking about how to bring Iron Man back as an actual person by undoing his death, I think you need to get wacky with the timeline again in some fashion with a character who has the ability to heal Tony and bring him back to life.

I don't think that's happening, though. I think the AI route is the one and only way they'll use him, save for maybe something like watching "old footage" of something and having Downey do a cameo in that fashion, but the character would still be dead.

Steve Rogers as Captain America

Technically, Steve Rogers isn't dead, he's just old and retired, having passed the mantle of Captain America to Sam Wilson.

All it takes to change that is to have someone de-age Steve, and all it takes for that is someone with the power or technology to de-age someone.

The super soldier serum inside him has kept him alive this long, and there's no telling how that would interact with some other kind of serum or someone's powers tapping into that and rejuvenating his cells or something.

Again, I don't think this will happen, but it's much easier to do that than to mess with the timeline some more, since he's still alive right now.

Heimdall, Loki and the Asgardians

They're not coming back, most likely, but if they did, I think it would be through some passage through Hel and/or Valhalla, winning their souls back, like has happened in the comics in the past.

The Villains

Thanos, Ebony Maw and company aren't coming back. There's no reason for them to. Thanos is the only one worth bringing back and his story is finished with no real possible other things to do.

This includes 2014 Nebula. She's dead. We don't need her. We have the heroic Nebula.

The Snap's Collateral Damage

It hasn't really been addressed how just because half the universe was wiped out from the snap itself doesn't mean those were the only deaths.

If the pilot of an airplane was snapped away, it's likely the whole airline crashed and everyone on board died. Plenty of people got into car accidents because of that. Parents died and left their infant children with nobody to take care of them. Doctors disappeared, making it harder to help cure the ill. People killed themselves because of losing their family members and friends.

Those people won't be brought up, most likely, because it's just too sad to keep mentioning for the rest of the MCU's existence and it's a hard concept to fully wrap your mind around when you're in a movie that will ultimately still boil down to superheroes punching villains.


For now, those are my thoughts on the possible ways to bring back the dead or "dead" characters, but my mind could change at any point with future films or new information.

How do you think the MCU would bring these people back? What other ideas do you have?

Welcome to another edition of WEEK IN GEEK here at Fanboys Anonymous—a rundown of some of the events, news and stories that went down over the past few days in the geek culture spectrum.

Here are some of the topics I felt like voicing my opinions about:

Bond 25 Cast Reveal

Returning Cast = Daniel Craig, of course. Ralph Fiennes is still M, so that's good. Ben Whishaw is still Q, awesome. Naomie Harris is still Moneypenny, fantastic. Rory Kinnear is still Tanner, thumbs up. Jeffrey Wright is returning as Felix Leiter and I'm excited about that. Léa Seydoux is back as Dr. Madeleine Swann which is good for continuity and means she's SO dead.

Rami Malek = The villain. Okay. I'm cool with that. Let's see how that goes.

Ana De Armas = likely the main Bond girl. I haven't seen her in anything (yes, I haven't seen Blade Runner 2049). But she's certainly attractive, so that's a step in the right direction.

Billy Magnussen = Apparently, I've seen him in a few things (Bridge of Spies, The Big Short, Black Mirror and The People v. O.J. Simpson). I don't remember him as anything but Kato, off the top of my head. But hey, cool. He looks like he could practically be a new James Bond. Maybe he'll be another 00 agent?

Lashana Lynch = Having only seen her in Captain Marvel, I liked her in that, but I don't have a gauge of what she'll be doing here. So thumbs up for now.

David Dencik = No idea who he is. He looks like a villain, though.

Dali Benssalah = Never heard of him.

Lord and Miller's Sony TV Universe

Phil Lord and Chris Miller have signed a five-year deal to develop a television series based on Sony's access to the Marvel characters. Not much to go on with that, but I think this could be both a good thing and an absolutely horrible thing.

I trust Lord and Miller. They're not the problem. The problem is Sony, and the fact that the proper MCU doesn't have control over these characters. So whenever another new movie or project is announced, I feel hesitant to trust that it will be good. Even Spider-Man: Homecoming has tons of flaws that bug the hell out of me, and I have to assume it's Sony's fault, not folks like Kevin Feige (even though they're not infallible).

When a production house wants to do things like Black and Silver, or a Kraven spin-off film, I don't trust that their television side of things will be any better (similar to how FOX was working with the X-Men franchise and gave us those shows).

However, since this is TV instead of film, I'm more willing to give it a shot. I'd rather see a Spider-Man television series, for instance, than another movie that isn't in the MCU. It's all tough to say until more information is put out there about the characters they plan on using, what the series is, and so on.

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 3 Starts Filming Next Year

Rather than 2021, they'll start production in 2020. That's awesome news. I wish they would have already started it a while back so that Vol 3 could be coming up soon after the next Spider-Man, particularly as we haven't heard about Doctor Strange 2 or Black Panther 2 or any of the other release dates.

Also, the working title is Hot Christmas. I wonder why...

Sonic the Hedgehog Trailer

The Paramount stars being the rings was a neat touch.

...Gangsta's Paradise? (Note: That is on my top 50, maybe even top 25 favorite songs of all time, so that's not the issue. The issue is WTF is it doing here?)

Why does Jim Carrey not look like Robotnik? Oh wait, okay. Wait, did they just spoil what is probably the end of the movie with that glimpse into his future appearance?

What the hell is this??

Update: It's since come out that director Jeff Fowler says the criticism of the design in the character is actually going to be taken to heart and they'll be changing how Sonic looks. How are they going to do this in six months? I don't know, but at least it's a good sign that they listened. Maybe they should have put out a photo of the concept art well enough in advance to have gotten ahead of that storm, though?

Ghost Rider and Helstrom Coming to Hulu in 2020

Two television shows, one about Ghost Rider and one about Helstrom, are going to be on Hulu.

I know nothing of Helstrom. I can't weigh in on that character or series.

With Ghost Rider, I might be in the minority, but I don't like the Gabriel Luna version of the character or Robbie Reyes in general or anything like that.

I'm also hesitant to fully trust the idea of a television series about Ghost Rider in general, as it needs enough of a budget to have GOOD CGI and not just what we got for Agents of SHIELD. That wasn't good enough for a show revolving around this character.

I'm interested in these, but I'm not too hopeful. Remember, Cloak & Dagger is supposed to be in the MCU just the same, and I still haven't even bothered with Runaways. Jeph Loeb is taking control over this just as much as with the other television shows like the Netflix ones, and while those had some great aspects, they were largely problematic. This isn't Kevin Feige and company. This is the other branch. You know, the ones who did Inhumans...

Peter Mayhew Passed Away at Age 74

RIP Chewbacca. Legendary character that never would have been fully brought to life without Mayhew's influence and care.

Welcome to another edition of 6 Flicks Picks, wherein I list all of the upcoming films that are scheduled to be released in the United States for the month which is about to begin and break down which ones I'll be watching in theaters, which ones I'll wait to rent at home, and which ones I'll be skipping out on entirely. After going through the list, I'll choose which six films stand out to me as the ones I want to see the most, even if there are more or less than six that interest me.

Note: The list below is based primarily off the expanded nationwide USA release dates on IMDB as well as some other random outlets if possible, so some information may be different. If I am missing some of the limited releases or the dates conflict in some fashion, please let me know in the comments below and any adjustments and corrections will be made!

Without further ado, another new month means another new set of films, so what's coming soon to theaters in May 2019?

Long Shot

Synopsis: When Fred Flarsky reunites with his first crush, one of the most influential women in the world, Charlotte Field, he charms her. As she prepares to make a run for the Presidency, Charlotte hires Fred as her speechwriter and sparks fly.

Will I watch? = No

UglyDolls

Synopsis: An animated adventure in which the free-spirited UglyDolls confront what it means to be different, struggle with a desire to be loved, and ultimately discover who you truly are is what matters most.

Will I watch? = No

The Intruder

Synopsis: A psychological thriller about a young married couple who buys a beautiful Napa Valley house on several acres of land only to find that the man they bought it from refuses to let go of the property.

Will I watch? = Maybe...probably not

El Chicano

Synopsis: A pair of twin brothers from East L.A. choose to live their lives differently and end up on opposite sides of the law.

Will I watch? = No

Meeting Gorbachev

Synopsis: The life of Mikhail Gorbachev, the eighth and final President of the Soviet Union in chronological order.

Will I watch? = No

Bolden

Synopsis: A mythical account of the life of Buddy Bolden, the first Cornet King of New Orleans.

Will I watch? = No

Shadow

Synopsis: Life and intrigue in an ancient Chinese court.

Will I watch? = No

Clara

Synopsis: An obsessive astronomer and a curious artist form an unlikely bond which leads them to a profound, scientific discovery.

Will I watch? = Maybe


Pokémon Detective Pikachu

Synopsis: In a world where people collect Pokémon to do battle, a boy comes across an intelligent talking Pikachu who seeks to be a detective.

Will I watch? = Yes

The Hustle

Synopsis: Anne Hathaway and Rebel Wilson star as female scam artists, one low rent and the other high class, who team up to take down the dirty rotten men who have wronged them.

Will I watch? = No

All Is True

Synopsis: A look at the final days in the life of renowned playwright William Shakespeare.

Will I watch? = No

Poms

Synopsis: POMS is a comedy about a group of women who form a cheer leading squad at their retirement community, proving that you're never too old to 'bring it!'

Will I watch? = No

Tolkien

Synopsis: Tolkien explores the formative years of the orphaned author as he finds friendship, love and artistic inspiration among a group of fellow outcasts at school.

Will I watch? = No

The Biggest Little Farm

Synopsis: Documentarian John Chester and his wife Molly work to develop a sustainable farm on 200 acres outside of Los Angeles.

Will I watch? = No

My Son

Synopsis: The disappearance of his child sends a man on a dark path to find the truth.

Will I watch? = No

The Silence of Others

Synopsis: The Silence of Others reveals the epic struggle of victims of Spain's 40-year dictatorship under General Franco, who continue to seek justice to this day. Filmed over six years, the film follows the survivors as they organize the groundbreaking 'Argentine Lawsuit' and fight a state-imposed amnesia of crimes against humanity, and explores a country still divided four decades into democracy. Seven years in the making, The Silence of Others is the second documentary feature by Emmy-winning filmmakers Almudena Carracedo and Robert Bahar (Made in L.A.). It is being Executive Produced by Pedro Almodóvar, Agustín Almodóvar, and Esther García.

Will I watch? = No


John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum

Synopsis: Super-Assassin John Wick is on the run after killing a member of the international assassin's guild, and with a $14 million price tag on his head - he is the target of hit men and women everywhere.

Will I watch? = Maybe...if I see the other 2 first

The Sun Is Also a Star

Synopsis: A teenager finds love at a difficult time in her family's life.

Will I watch? = No

A Dog's Journey

Synopsis: A dog finds the meaning of his own existence through the lives of the humans he meets.

Will I watch? = No

The Third Wife

Synopsis: 19th century rural Vietnam, fourteen-year-old May is ready to become the third wife of a wealthy landowner. Little did she know that her hidden desires will take her by surprise and force her to make a choice between living in safety and being free.

Will I watch? = No

The Souvenir

Synopsis: A young film student in the early 80s becomes romantically involved with a complicated and untrustworthy man.

Will I watch? = No

Trial by Fire

Synopsis: The tragic and controversial story of Cameron Todd Willingham, who was executed in Texas for killing his three children after scientific evidence and expert testimony that bolstered his claims of innocence were suppressed.

Will I watch? = No


Aladdin

Synopsis: A kindhearted Arabian street urchin and a power-hungry Grand Vizier vie for a magic lamp that has the power to make the deepest wishes come true.

Will I watch? = Yes

Booksmart

Synopsis: On the eve of their high school graduation, two academic superstars and best friends realize they should have worked less and played more. Determined not to fall short of their peers, the girls try to cram four years of fun into one night.

Will I watch? = No

Brightburn

Synopsis: What if a child from another world crash-landed on Earth, but instead of becoming a hero to mankind, he proved to be something far more sinister?

Will I watch? = Yes

Ad Astra

Synopsis: Astronaut Roy McBride travels to the outer edges of the solar system to find his missing father and unravel a mystery that threatens the survival of our planet.

Will I watch? = Maybe? There's no trailer...

The Tomorrow Man

Synopsis: Ed Hemsler spends his life preparing for a disaster that may never come. Ronnie Meisner spends her life shopping for things she may never use. In a small. These two people will try to find love.

Will I watch? = Maybe

Echo In the Canyon

Synopsis: A look at the roots of the historic music scene in L.A.'s Laurel Canyon featuring the music of iconic music groups such as The Byrds, The Beach Boys, Buffalo Springfield, and The Mamas and the Papas.

Will I watch? = No

Halston

Synopsis: Prodigiously talented, Halston reigned over fashion in the 1970s and became a household name. But everything changed in the Wall Street era. With his empire under threat, Halston took the biggest gamble of his life.

Will I watch? = No


Godzilla: King of the Monsters

Synopsis: The crypto-zoological agency Monarch faces off against a battery of god-sized monsters, including the mighty Godzilla, who collides with Mothra, Rodan, and his ultimate nemesis, the three-headed King Ghidorah.

Will I watch? = Yes

Rocketman

Synopsis: A musical fantasy about the fantastical human story of Elton John's breakthrough years.

Will I watch? = Yes

Ma

Synopsis: A lonely woman befriends a group of teenagers and decides to let them party at her house. Just when the kids think their luck couldn't get any better, things start happening that make them question the intention of their host.

Will I watch? = Maybe


Which films make the cut?

6. Ad Astra — I was tempted to put Ma on this list, but even though I can't find a trailer for Ad Astra, the description is more interesting to me. Also, I'm sure if I had seen John Wick 1 and 2, then #3 would be on this list, but I just haven't gotten around to watching those.

5. Rocketman — I have no personal attachment to Elton John, but it looks interesting, and I was into Bohemian Rhapsody despite no connection to Mercury.

4. Godzilla: King of the Monsters — As a kid, I always liked Godzilla movies, even though they were cheesy as hell, so of course I'll see this. But even ignoring that, this movie looks visually beautiful. Mothra alone, c'mon.

3. Brightburn — "What if Superman grew up to be evil?" You have me sold.

2. Pokemon: Detective Pikachu — X.

1. Aladdin — Along with The Lion King and Toy Story, Aladdin is tied to be my favorite animated movie of all time.