RonJammin

(from March 2023) Reflecting on the video rental days at Blockbuster, Hollywood Video and more. Plus the rise of Netflix, renting Showgirls at the local library & more!

(from March 2023) While Chadwick's T'Challa was certainly missed in this installment, Ryan Coogler and cast did a good job with what could have been a great movie. Balance is undone by camerawork, some shots and more details I discuss during this review.

(from March 2023) I'm gonna cover everything in my Star Wars journey. It began with the 1997 Special Edition Re-release in theaters of the original trilogy, and everything since! Reviewing the trilogies, spinoffs, tv series, reflecting on random memories, the video games, there's so much to cover! I'm sure I'll have additional episodes as time goes on, despite the failings of the recent sequel trilogy. Plus, I showcase my SW character impressions!

Listening back, I realized that there was a dismemberment in ANH during the cantina scene, in which Obi-Wan sabers the alien's arm off. For some reason, that didn't bother me, just the human getting his hand chopped off!

(from March 2023) This episode we dive deep into what it's like working for delivery apps - UberEats, Postmates, Grubhub, Amazon Flex, Spark and Doordash. The pros, the cons, and more! Whether you're a potential gig worker, a current one or a veteran, I think you'll enjoy hearing the stories, advice and insights into what it really means to be an indie contractor. There are alot of factors when it comes to the job, I do my best to break down everything.

(from March 2023) Reflecting on the early, infant days of ol' Youtube! From the site changes over the years to my experiences on the site, in this episode we dive deep into how Youtube has evolved, and look back on some historical moments and other random stuff. Learn how "Mission: Impossible 3" first led me to the site...

(from February 2023) While Adonis Creed lost the first fight against Viktor Drago then beat him in the second fight, I think he will lose to Damien in III, which I also think will feature one big fight at the end, with montages throughout of other fights showcasing Damien's rise. While it appears this film is strong enough without even a Rocky Balboa cameo- it seems the fourth entry may have even more heart, with Viktor and Rocky helping train Adonis for his rematch.

But, all of this depends on what went down between Donny and Dame that split their friendship. Maybe we'll end up rooting for Damien? Can't wait to see this in theaters next month, so glad the trailers didn't spoil anything!

(from February 2023) Recorded 1/31/21! Forgot about this episode, was going through my files and realized there's quite a few that I haven't finished or simply not released. I was always curious why they felt the need to bundle Jean Grey's Phoenix storyline with something else. Famke's Jean was brilliant in X2, and even despite all the characters and stories going on, she really shined because of the finale. So why 'the cure' in 2006s X-Men: The Last Stand, and the D'Bari in 2019s Dark Phoenix? Jean doesn't even do much destruction, and isn't the focus. The D'Bari could make for its own movie, and perhaps have The Phoenix return to help our heroes fight them off, after having her own storyline. Same with the cure, but for gosh sakes why are they afraid to give Jean's Phoenix her own movie?!

I wonder what plans Singer had during or after making 2016s X-Men: Apocalypse, if he wanted to finally deliver his version? Think about the recent tray of X-Men movies, with villains like Sebastian Shaw, Trask, Apocalypse, while they had their teams- they were the ultimate threat in those installments. Apoc was in the title of the movie, not bundled with another subplot. So why call it Dark Phoenix when you are focusing more on the D'Bari?

(from February 2023) My podcast RonPodcast featured an episode from 10 years ago talking about the then-upcoming Clerks III! The long-awaited sequel finally arrived last year, and while it had some surprising and shocking moments... there's alot I would have changed, scenes that should've been longer, pacing issues, and unlike 2006s Clerks II, there's really no one to root for in this chapter. Dante hasn't moved on, Randal isn't likeable, Elias doesn't get to shine like in II because for some reason Smith felt he needed a sidekick that adds nothing to the story, rather than have him bounce stuff off our Clerks and Jay and Silent Bob. It's a heartbreaking movie full of great performances, but doesn't wrap up everything like it should. 1994s Clerks was the foundation, Clerks II uplifted everyone to a better and more promising place, then III came along and sucker punches you right in the gut.

That being said, there's some good stuff throughout. It's very entertaining upon first viewing because you don't know the end result, which some trailers end up spoiling. Jay and Silent Bob were perfect, definitely a step up from 2019s Reboot. The cameos were wasted potential, the NFT addition didn't go viral, nothing really stands out but if you hate these characters and movies- I think you'll like this installment.

(from February 2023) Tom was everyone's friend. Right before MySpace I was using AOL Instant Messenger to communicate with friends. While it was cool, designing and customizing your own profile page was even more exciting. I'll always look back at 2006 fondly, when I discovered both MySpace and Youtube. This episode I dive deep into those days when social media was in its infancy stage, the stuff I cringe at, what I miss and more. The mass exodus to facebook may have seemed rather sudden considering the only several years MySpace got to shine, but I'll clarify why it happened and why it wasn't really a shocker- except pretty much everyone leaving the nest, including Tom himself!

(from September 2022) Sigourney Weaver & Stephen Lang returning to the sequel but not in the exact same roles! Was Tom Sully murdered by Colonel Miles and it was covered-up? Will the humans contaminate Pandora's water supply in a last effort to evacuate the tribes so they can obtain the Unobtanium rock? and more! Avatar: The Way of Water is set to hit (US) theaters on December 16th, 2022! After many delays, at least we have a trailer to confirm the wait is almost over...