TOP GUN MAVERICK MOVIE NIGHT

Finished out this Veteran's Day with a Family Movie Night watching TOP GUN MAVERICK courtesy of Paramount Home Entertainment providing me a free Blu-ray of the film. The summer blockbuster movie of 2022 is now available to add to your home entertainment video library on 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray and Digital formats. TOP GUN MAVERICK is rated PG-13 by the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) for sequences of intense action and strong language. Who is ready to fly into the danger zone with Tom Cruise?!

After more than 30 years of service as a top naval aviator, Pete "Maverick" Mitchell (Tom Cruise) is where he belongs, pushing the envelope as a courageous test pilot. Yet, Maverick must confront the ghosts of his past when he returns to TOP GUN to train a group of elite graduates and comes face-to-face with Lt. Bradshaw (Miles Teller), the son of his former wingman "Goose." Bitter rivalries ignite as the pilots prepare for a specialized mission, which will require the ultimate sacrifice from those chosen to fly it.

Of course, being a home video release there is bonus content to enjoy in addition to the feature presentation when watching TOP GUN MAVERICK on 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray and Digital. Bonus content includes a number of featurettes and two music videos:

Cleared for Take Off -- Witness the most intense film training program as the cast prepare themselves for filming while pulling multiple G's in a fighter plane.

Breaking New Ground: Filming Top Gun Maverick -- Prepare to take flight as you go behind-the-scenes with the cast and crew of Top Gun Maverick on a journey to capture the most spectacular aerial sequences ever.

A Love Letter to Aviation -- Tom Cruise shares his passion for aviation as he pilots his own aircraft, a vintage World War II P-51 Mustang, which would have been the Top Gun aircraft of its day.

Forging the Darkstar -- Pushing limits beyond Mach-10, the future of aviation is unveiled through an impressive experimental aircraft specifically designed for the movie.

Masterclass with Tom Cruise: Cannes Film Festival -- Tom Cruise discusses his incredible career at the 75th Cannes Film Festival. 

"Hold My Hand" Lady Gaga Music Video -- Watch Lady Gaga's music video for her standout hit on the Top Gun Maverick soundtrack.

"I Ain't Worried" OneRepublic Music Video -- Check out the music video to an original new song from OneRepublic.

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BATMAN THE LONG HALLOWEEN MOVIE

Warner Bros. provided a complimentary Blu-ray of BATMAN: THE LONG HALLOWEEN PART ONE to ageekdaddy.com. Views and opinions expressed are honest and my own.

One of the best Batman stories of all time has been adapted into an animated motion picture. Inspired by the iconic mid-1990s graphic novel created by Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale, BATMAN: THE LONG HALLOWEEN PART I begins as a brutal murder on Halloween prompts Gotham’s young vigilante, the Batman, to form a pact with the city’s only two uncorrupt lawmen (Police Captain James Gordan and District Attorney Harvey Dent) in order to take down The Roman, head of the notorious and powerful Falcone Crime Family. But when more deaths occur on Thanksgiving and Christmas, it becomes clear that, instead of ordinary gang violence, they’re also dealing with a serial killer – the identity of whom, with each conflicting clue, grows harder to discern. Few cases have ever tested the wits of the World’s Greatest Detective like the mystery behind the Holiday Killer.

This is such an epic story that it is being divided into two DC Universe movies. Part I is available now on Blu-ray and Digital. Part II is being released on July 27, 2021 for Blu-ray and Digital. Both Part I & Part II will be released in 2022 as one movie available on 4K Ultra HD. 

These movies are sure to be a fan-tastic addition to your home entertainment video library for anyone who appreciates DC Comics super hero adventures. I can't wait to see how this animated movie compares to the print story. While Warner Bros. live-action DC films have been a bit of a flop the studio has done a tremendous job with its direct to video cartoon style superhero universe of movies. So I'm really geeked to watch BATMAN: THE LONG HALLOWEEN PART I.

BATMAN: THE LONG HALLOWEEN PART I has a runtime of 85 minutes and the Motion Picture Association of America has rated it PG-13 for violence, bloody images, language and some smoking. The DC Movie Universe has demonstrated with its outstanding lineup of animated films that cartoons aren't just for children producing flicks aimed for teenage and adult audiences that mature comic book fans crave. This movie is sure to show the gritty and violent side of the Dark Knight's vigilantism.

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THOR RAGNAROK

Marvel Studios has taken all the best aspects of reading a comic book and projected them onto the big screen with their newest theatrical release THOR: RAGNAROK.  Full of exciting action sequences, stunning visuals, witty banter and physical comedy, THOR: RAGNAROK is a fantastic adventure to behold.  The spot on portrayal of a comic book story though includes both the strengths and weaknesses of the print medium.  Alas like many comic books it really doesn't have a very good plot and the movie is bolstered instead by its fight scenes, humor, and wonderful imagery.

Despite its weak storyline, if you are a fan of super heroes and science fiction this is a movie you won't want to miss seeing because its gladiatorial scene between the Incredible Hulk and Thor really is an exhilarating experience.  It is a great battle with tremendous special effects that make you forget these characters aren't real.  The Hulk and Thor duking it out gets your adrenaline pumping plus provides some laughs.  This is obviously not a serious dramatic film, but if you are looking for a rip roaring good time THOR: RAGNAROK is sure to satisfy and absolutely well worth the price of admission to the movie theater.

The movie is rated PG-13, but I took my 8 year old twins to go see it and there wasn't anything we saw that triggered parental concerns from my perspective.  The Motion Picture Association of America assigned that rating for intense sequences of intense sci-fi violence and suggestive sexual content.  I think this rating is primarily due to two things: (1) a main character suffers a very traumatic, appearance altering injury and (2) there is a prominent naked image of the Hulk's rear end.

In regard to the sexual content in the film, it flew right past my kids without them really paying it any notice.  They've probably encountered more provocative stuff on television sitcoms but parents may want to know about these scenes in advance.  For a moment the Hulk's bare rear end is shown and other character's react to seeing his front side though that isn't seen on screen.  Thor jokingly exclaims "that is in my mind now" implying that he's seen the Hulk's penis without saying the word. In another scene, characters steal a spaceship and one of them remarks the person they stole it from used the vessel to hold "orgies" in.  Also a character makes an allusion to masturbation in another scene.

The violence in the movie isn't beyond what is standard for the Marvel cinematic universe but one of the main characters does suffer a life-altering injury that could be traumatic for some young viewers to witness.  The injury isn't particularly gory but could be troubling for children to look at.  There are also some undead warriors in the movie that are meant to be scary but my kids and I agreed they actually appeared rather goofy to us.  Of course some children may be scared by them.  Nothing in the movie seemed to bother my kids though and there were no nightmares triggered by anything in THOR: RAGNAROK after we got home for the night.  In fact as the movie concluded, my son jumped out of his seat exclaiming "that was AWESOME!"

When it comes to the end of the movie credit scenes that Marvel movies are known for there are two of them.  One is midway through the credit scroll and is a tie-in to the upcoming Avengers movies so it is worth waiting to see.  The other one comes at the end of the credits and involves Jeff Goldblum's character.  This post-credit scene is amusing but you could probably skip it and not feel like you missed out on something.

In THOR: RAGNAROK, Odin's first child, Hela, emerges from an ancient prison she's been held in and is intent on getting revenge, taking control of Asgard and ruling the universe.  As Thor attempts to stand in her way, he is hurled across the galaxy and crashes onto a planet in far off space.  Imprisoned by the planet's inhabitants, Thor is forced to fight in a gladiatorial competition against his former ally ... the Incredible Hulk.  Can Thor win his freedom and stop a seemingly invincible foe in his sister Hela or will he be smashed to death by the Hulk within the gladiatorial arena?

Because THOR:RAGNAROK provided an entertaining and enjoyable outing to the movie theater for my kids and I it has earned A GEEK DADDY nod of approval.  It is the best of the three stand alone THOR movies and makes a nice addition to the Marvel cinematic universe.  If you enjoy super hero movies make sure to fly to a theater to take this one in.  We saw it in 3D and I'll give that a nod too.  Often times 3D detracts from a movie in my opinion, but for THOR: RANGAROK these special effects complimented it very well.



Here are some fun facts about THOR: RAGNAROK from A Geek Daddy's friends at Marvel Studios:

• Ragnarok translates to “the end of the universe” in Norse mythology

• Director Taika Waititi not only directs, but also plays a new CGI character in the Marvel Cinematic Universe named Korg (introduced by Marvel in a 1962 comic book). Waititi is well known for not only directing, but acting in his own films.

• Other characters from the Marvel comics being introduced to the Marvel Cinematic Universe in THOR: RAGNAROK include the villainous Hela (Cate Blanchett), introduced in 1964; the fierce warrior Valkyrie (Tessa Thompson), debuting on the comic book pages in 1971; Skurge, the executioner (Karl Urban), a 1964 comic book debut; and the Sakaarian dictator Grandmaster (Jeff Goldblum), first appearing in the Marvel comics in 1969.

• Cate Blanchett’s, Hela, one of Thor’s most formidable enemies from the comics, is the first leading female villain in any of the Marvel Studios’ feature films to date. 

• The world of Sakaar in the story where the Thor / Hulk gladiatorial match takes place is like nothing ever before seen in any of the previous Marvel Studios’ films. Its design was inspired by the comic book illustrations of Jack Kirby, who co-created “Thor” (with Stan Lee) in 1962. Sakaar is the world ruled by Jeff Goldblum’s dictatorial character, Grandmaster in the film.  It was also the setting for a popular Marvel Comics storyline titled "Planet Hulk" that has the Incredible Hulk exiled from Earth and stranded on this strange world.

For more information about the movie, visit marvel.com/Thor

9/11 MOVIE OPENS IN THEATERS SEPTEMBER 8, 2017

September 11, 2001 is one of those moments in American history that the people who lived through the day will always remember where they were at the moment the terrorist attack happened and when the twin towers fell.  It was a pleasant sunny morning and I had just turned on the TODAY SHOW on the television set while eating a bowl of Raisin Bran of cereal for breakfast before heading out to work for the day.  They had reported that it was believed a small plane had just accidentally crashed into the World Trade Center and were showing a live feed of fire coming from one of its towers.

Suddenly from a corner of the screen I saw another plane come into the frame and crash directly into the second tower.  This was no accident!  Then news of the Pentagon attack came out and that an F-16 from our local Air Force base had just been sent out to catch another plane headed towards Washington D.C.  They brought out a television at work so everybody could stay informed about what was going on.  Amid the conversations about how they might save the people on the upper floors, we were flabbergasted and horrified to witness the World Trade Center towers implode and disintegrate before our eyes.

Suddenly the optimism that we were in the beginning of a new century turned into pessimism that the country was going to be dragged into a long conflict against radicalism and that no place would be safe against these dangerous extremists.



On September 8, 2017 a new film titled 9/11 starring Charlie Sheen and Whoopi Goldberg based upon the original play, The Elevator, will open in movie theaters across the United States.  9/11 is based upon a true story chronicling what happens to five people who find themselves trapped in a World Trade Center elevator the morning of September 11, 2001.  They are forced to band together and fight against all odds to escape from the impending horrific collapse. During these critical minutes, a story of courage, faith, and the will to live unfolds.

In the World Trade Center, a billionaire sits in his attorney’s office awaiting a divorce hearing against his wife. In a west side apartment, a bike messenger kisses his 5-year old daughter and sings her “Happy Birthday” before leaving for work. A maintenance man gets dispatched to help a tenant with his lock. In an upper east side apartment, a young model musters the courage to break up with her sugar daddy. As random as random can be, these individuals step into a crowded World Trade Center elevator.

Wrapped up in their own world, they all ride silently hearing only the sound of the elevator giving notice of each floor. When the elevator stops on the 34th floor, it empties leaving only these five behind. Moments later ... their world changes as the collision of a jet into the North Tower incapacitates the elevator.

 Joining Sheen and Goldberg on the cast are  Luis Guzman (The Taking of Pelham 1,2,3), Gina Gershon (Showgirls), Wood Harris (Justified), Jacqueline Bisset (Dancing on the Edge (BBC), Welcome to New York), Olga Fonda (The Vampire Diaries) and Bruce Davison (X-Men).  Directed by Martin Guigui, 9/11 is rated R for its language by the Motion Picture Association of America. Some of the proceeds from the movie will support the charity Tuesday's Children.

In conjunction with the film's release, A GEEK DADDY is hosting a #Remember911 giveaway that includes an autographed movie poster by Charlie Sheen.  Complete the entries on the form below for a chance to win before 11:59 pm ET on 9/10/2017.  Must be a U.S. or Canadian resident over 18 years old to participate.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
For more information about the movie, visit www.911movie.film

Disclaimer & Rules:  A Geek Daddy has not been financially compensated for this endorsement or hosting the giveaway but was provided the same items being provided as a prize for personal use. The prize is provided by 9/11 Movie and A Geek Daddy is hosting the promotion as a benefit to our readers. Must be a US or Canadian resident over the age of 18 to participate.  One entry per mailing address and winner will be randomly selected from all eligible entries.  If you have already won this prize through another blog participating in this promotion, your entry will be disqualified.  By participating in this promotion you waive any liability of any kind against the publisher of this blog. Winner is subject to eligibility verification. No P.O. Boxes allowed for delivery of the prize. 9/11 Movie will be responsible for shipping the prize to the selected winner.  A Geek Daddy is not responsible for delivery of the prize.