Every single one of us out there, have a dream of some kind. They drive us, they guide us and everyone out there seems to understand the peace and joy that comes to us on an internal level when we are finally able to live them day in and day out, often times as a career.

But not all dreams have to be giant. Sometimes the things we seek are simple in nature. It could be we want to be loved by someone special in our lives. It could be we want to finish something we walked away from years ago. Or, it could be something as simple as validation in our respective field, and the latter of those possibilities is recounted in the 2015 Biopic, The Walk.

The plot for this film takes us back in time to 1974, to recreate the iconic moment when 24 year old wire walker Philippe Petit, set up a wire between both towers of the then recently completed World Trade Center and walk between them on a fine August morning, and well, the plot really is just that simple. Everything in this film is building and leading to the grand day when he walks between the Towers and while that initially seems like it could be a let down, it most certainly is not. 

This is a motion picture that actually features a lot of charm, and that's largely in part thanks to the wonderfully manic performance of Joseph Gordon-Levitt and his portrayal of Philippe. You're simply drawn into Philippe's life by way of his honesty and simple view of the beauty of the world and quite frankly, with the simplicity of his dream. He doesn't long to walk on the moon or become the next big thing in Hollywood. He just wants to be remembered as the best in his field and a stunt such as this cements his status as just that and finally validates years of struggles and setbacks in his life.  That alone makes this film entertaining and fun but really, the big pay off in this story is the iconic walk between the Towers because it is simply breathtaking.

Sure you know it's CGI. Sure, you know it’s a reenactment, but thanks to the wonderful direction from Robert Zemeckis, by Philippe's third or fourth step onto the wire, you're holding your breath over the majesty of the act and the fulfillment of a dream come true and really, that makes any slow spots or weaknesses in the story fade away. It's a feel-good ending from a feel-good story and oddly enough, it kind of leaves you pumped up to go out there and do something with the dream gnawing at the back of your mind. Because if this man was willing to risk life and limb without a second thought to achieve his dream...what the heck is holding us back? Either way, this is a delightful little movie to watch and definitely worth your time.

Thankfully, few of us have ever been faced with a situation where we are forced to live off the land and survive until help comes. Granted, we've likely all given it thought because hey, you never know. A drive out in the woods can turn into quite the nightmare if the car was to run out of gas and the battery on our cell phone was depleted. 

But even in those extreme situations, some rudimentary survival knowledge comes in handy so that we can build a fire, eat and do what whatever we need to do in order to make it either home alive or subsist long enough for help to arrive. But what if we were in a situation where help was either going to arrive slowly or never arrive at all, and we were taxed with limited supplies. How would we survive? Well it is a question that is explored in depth in The Martian.

The plot is fairly simple, sometime in the future, manned missions to Mars are a regular thing and when a horrific storm forces the crew of Ares III to evacuate the planet, astronaut Mark Watney is lost in the storm and presumed dead when his vital signs disappear. But as it turns out, Mark survived the storm and is now alone on Mars, with no way to communicate with his crew or Earth to let them know that he is okay, and it will be up to him to find a way to reach out to humanity and survive on a dead planet where nothing else is alive, save for himself. 

This is a film that received all kinds of praise upon its initial release and that's because of one simple fact, this is a damn good motion picture for so many reasons. First and foremost, it's a phenomenal story. You're instantly vested in Mark's journey because the odds are truly against him. He's millions of miles from home, with no help, no support and well, you want to see the man survive and the film does a great job of raising the stakes because Mars is one hostile world where anything can happen to Mark at any moment and while one might think that would make the plot dark and brooding, it is anything but, since there's actually plenty of laughs to be found alongside inspiration. 

Much of the comedy comes by way of Matt Damon's portrayal of Mark Watney since his video journals on Mars are absolutely delightful to watch and provide levity exactly when needed. But the inspirational part of this film comes from a pair of story elements. First from the fact that Mark never gives up. He goes through quite a harrowing journey but never once does his belief in salvation or rescue waver and there's something to be said for that. Second is the fact that everyone rallies behind this man once the world and his crew discover that Mark is alive and well. No one wants to leave this man behind and to see that kind of value put on a single human life is refreshing to say the least.  Either way, this is truly a marvelous little film, one filled to the brim with wonderful science and wonderful heart and one that is simply not to be missed.

​Whether we like to admit it or not, war is something that completely captivates and fascinates mankind. We pour over the reasons as to why a war began in the first place and analyze the fallout of it when the fighting ends, and despite our best effort to understand it and prevent it, war continues, as does our fascination with it, especially in popular media.

Countless books have been written about war, and a myriad of films to go with it, each of them asking various questions about the human element and experience when it comes to conflict. Because when all is said and done, few of us truly understand war, since so many of us either learn about past conflicts in school or on our own time or we observe current conflicts through the comfort of social media or television. Which means the war films that find a way to connect with us, and draw us into the thick of it, hold a special place in cinematic history, and our hearts, as was the case with Saving Private Ryan.

Released in 1998, this is a film that instantly became a modern classic thanks to its frank portrayal of the Second World War. The plot, we all know, so there is no need to discuss that in any detail. Instead, it's more important we look at the thematic concepts the film worked hard to bring to light that few other war films had ever attempted before. One of them being that war is indeed hell. While this is a message that many films about the Vietnam War drove home, few films set in World War II have ever attempted to point out this particular fact. Take for example The Longest Day, another film where D-Day is central to the plot. While it is a grand and sweeping opus about a battle that certainly turned the tide, it is filled with Americana and unparalleled bravado revolving around the wonder of the Allied War Machine.

But Saving Private Ryan was not content to gloss over the horrors of war and in a matter of minutes we are plunged into a bloody and frightening conflict where men die in horrible and quick fashion. Those opening twenty minutes of the film set the tone for the rest of the story; where death lurks around every single corner and these poor men, while heroic in their own right and while driven by a greater cause for a greater good, are scared every step of the way and never quite allowed to process the nightmare unfolding around them or that their own end can arrive in a matter of minutes. It gives the film an incredible weight that other films certainly tried to replicate after it, but never quite succeeded in doing so. 

Yet, for all the darkness and hopelessness the film offers, there is indeed a hopeful message embedded within it, specifically that life is precious. That may seem silly after watching men die in brutal and swift fashion as bullets fly to settle an incredible conflict; but the sheer act of saving Private Ryan, of risking other men to keep a bloodline alive and ensure that the life of one man is preserved, makes this story incredibly unique and oddly enough, beautiful in its own right. Either way, this is a film that offers no easy answers on what mankind should do when it comes to war, it simply reminds us that life is precious and that it matters and that sometimes, risking our all to do the right thing could in fact, make the world a better place.  

Time travel is one of those things that everyone still has questions about, especially when it comes to temporal paradoxes, mainly because we don’t know what this invention would really do to the time line. While it seems like we are still years off of breaking the secret to time travel, you have to question if it is something that we really need? Going back in time to change something major, like taking out Hitler before the Holocaust or stopping the assassination of JFK, there would be major changes to the landscape of our time today. It may be fun and educational to travel through time to witness some events, but when all is said and done, if you change something in the past, it will have some sort of impact on the present day, no matter how small the change really is.

After receiving some very convincing evidence that his time travel team from fifty years ago made a successful jump, Doctor Frank Reno is ready to bring them home. Calling in the finest search and rescue team that the Navy has to offer, Frank shows them that it is possible for time travel to occur. With everyone on the same page, Lieutenant Peet gets his men ready for a jump through the Rainbow device that will take them back into the Cretaceous Period when monsters walked the planet. Making a successful jump with most of the unit, the group finds out that this is a violent time period, and anything can kill you if you are not paying attention. 

Tracking the previous beacon, Frank is convinced that he will be able to find his own team that he lost fifty years ago but getting deeper into the wilderness is proving to be difficult for the team. After a raptor attack cuts the rescue group into half, Frank is shocked to see that his old team comes to the rescue. With nothing but spears, Erik, Ruth, Betty and Bud are able to end the threat for the time being, but the soldiers’ gunfire awakens the Big Red Rex who is very hungry for out of time humans who are in his territory. Being able to escape that threat, Frank lets his team know what has been going on for the fifty plus years they have been missing from, even though it may not be what they want to hear.

After making sure that the cost is clear, the remaining members of the rescue group and the four survivors of the previous time jump make their way back to the beacon to be sent home for a final time. But there is a catch, as Frank comes clean about needing to stay behind to shut the time rift. Allowing Frank to stay behind, the group makes their way back to the present, but they are not the only ones as Big Red Rex makes his way through the rift before it is shut down. Seeing that a dinosaur is wreaking havoc in the city, Erik and his team of survivors need to find an alternative way of stopping the old killing machine since even modern guns seem to have little effect on it. 

This might not be the best dinosaur movie out there, but damn it was pretty entertaining once the giant lizards arrived on the screen. I must admit that even with the hokey CGI that was used, it was still pretty fun to watch the humans meet their delicious fate. The group dynamic is really what drove this movie until the third act made it to the screen, because then, it was nothing but city carnage taking place and a lot of running towards and away from Big Red Rex. With plenty of gunfire, some dinosaurs, silly people problems, fake cave paintings, a reunited love story and plenty of time travel, this is one of those movies that will leave you with a smile on your face. While I think that time travel would be cool to explore at some point, I am pretty sure that it would change the world as we know it, and not necessarily for the better. Happy Viewing.

​There was a time, not too long ago, where anthology storytelling ruled the creative marketplace. It didn’t matter if it was television, film, or even printed books, you’d find short story collections or shows and films that offered up a variety of vignettes that told all kinds of brief but powerful stories and well, one day it seems that market simply dried up. The shows went off the air, movies shifted to a new market and the only short story complications I could find for a time, were from the master himself, Stephen King.
 
But, everything old is always new again, and it seems that anthology storytelling is slowly making a comeback since I’m suddenly seeing this genre pop up everywhere as of late or I’m hearing about upcoming anthologies that are currently in development for television and film and recently, I had the opportunity to settle in an enjoy a sci-fi film that fits the anthology resurgence to a tee, since it features four unique and fascinating tales that are loosely tied to the notion of artificial intelligence in A.I. Tales.
 
Now, I use the word ‘loosely’ because in all honesty, only two of the stores in this collection truly lock on to the whole A.I. theme that the title implies, and I want to mention that first so that you don’t feel duped as a viewer if you decide to give this anthology a look. But make no mistake about it, this collection of stories offers up some powerful vignettes for certain because every last one of them captivated me through and through with their intriguing themes and fascinating concepts.  

Take for example the first two stories in the film, Seed and In/Finite which oddly enough focus more on the human condition and how technology can help mankind since one man must make use of A.I. in order to provide a better future for his family, and technology also gives our heroine in the second tale a different kind of salvation by giving her soul the freedom it needs. And it is the humanity on display in these stories that makes them so impressive as the characters struggle with some seriously difficult life choices that technology will help them with somehow and really, it makes for a pair of powerful and moving stories when all is said and done.
 
If anything, those two vignettes are complimented nicely by the pair of darker stories that follow in Phoenix 9 and Redux since these two particular tales feature end of the world scenarios (one global and one personal), that also involve incredibly hard choices for the respective characters, but in this case, without technology, the characters in question will surely suffer and the aforementioned Phoenix 9 was hands down the darkest story of all since it featured some chilling visuals and equally ugly decisions whereas Redux offered up a harrowing but hopeful scenario.
 
Now, if those plot summaries seem a touch thin and vague, there’s a reason for that; it’s best you simply see them in action and experience their power first hand. Because they definitely give you pause and leave you thinking, as good science fiction is wont to do, and I really enjoyed this collection because of how thoughtful and layered these stories turned out to be, and for those reasons, this is a film that I highly recommend. Because there’s no gimmicks to be found here, just good storytelling, the kind that speaks to how closely mankind and technology are tied together and rely upon one another and this is one that I may need to watch again, to properly appreciate all the nuances that this collection has to offer.

If there’s one thing I’ve come to learn when it comes to film, it’s that, the more sequels that come forth from a particular franchise, the staler said franchise seems to become. It’s a truth that no one likes to face about sprawling cinematic sagas, but time and time again we speak to how the earlier films were far better and how the current movies have simply lost the magic and eventually, the franchise in question fades into oblivion as its tired formula sends audiences packing toward something fresh and new and honestly, for some time now, that’s been my line of thinking when it comes the Mission: Impossible series.
 
After all, I loved the fresh ideas that the first film in the series brought to the table, and the sequel was a tour de force of action and adventure and then I don’t know. The magic just started to fade for me. The action was wasn’t quite as thrilling, the stories lost me and despite the addition of Simon Pegg as Benji and the vile villain that is Solomon Lane, I simply couldn’t find the spark that drew me into this franchise in the first place. But, something about the trailers for the latest film caught my eye and it did just enough to get me in the theaters and for the first time in a long time, I absolutely enjoyed every single second of a film from this series because Mission: Impossible – Fallout, is an utter delight.
 
Now this particular entry in the Ethan Hunt saga sees the world facing a bit of a crisis following the capture of Solomon Lane. Because those loyal to him, who now call themselves ‘The Apostles’, are wreaking havoc all over the globe and they are dangerously close to getting their hands on the material necessary to make a nuclear weapon and unfortunately for Ethan, in order to save the world one more time, he is expected to abandon his humanity and his morals and do whatever it takes to stop Lane’s followers from sowing chaos and suffering as he and his team face their greatest challenge to date. 

​So, I suppose the question of the hour is how exactly a franchise can revitalize itself after seemingly going stale and the answer to that is simple; this movie goes back to the basics that made the franchise so successful in the first place. Intrigue and mystery are what made this series so great and that’s found here in spades since we don’t know who to trust or who is working for and with Lane’s followers and the twists and turns that come about in this film are downright delightful to say the least and while you may call of a couple of them in advance, they still have the proper impact needed to make the story an enjoyable experience when they are revealed to the audience.
 
However, I think what truly transfixed me when it comes to this film, is its humanity. Because let’s be honest, action films are designed to do one thing, thrill us with the special effects and leave our jaws planted firmly on the floor, and while this movie has plenty of action sequences that accomplish that goal, Ethan’s struggle adds a refreshing depth to this story. Because his morals and his push to save lives, regardless of the cost makes Ethan a magnificent hero and you’re rooting for him every single step of the way and it makes his journey in this story all the more compelling and breathtaking since Ethan goes through hell in this particular tale.
 
As an added bonus, the acting is top notch as well. Everyone here delivers in spades, and this is just another example of how Henry Cavill is going to be quite the star in the years to come since his performance is stellar in this story and well, this really was quite the entertaining ride. The action sequences were simply amazing, the story kept my attention and it would seem that this storied film franchise has found new life and I would imagine that the next entry in this saga is going to be as compelling as this one because it’s clear Tom Cruise and company have figured out the secret to revitalizing a franchise and wouldn’t you know it? It all comes to down to putting that proverbial best foot forward and giving us one hell of story to chew upon. 

Everyone has their weeks that they look forward to and there is nothing wrong with that. As some people wait all year long to watch Shark Week or the Super Bowl, I have become a huge fan of the SyFy channel’s Countdown to Sharknado Week. Giving us a handful of new shark movies after the real shark stories are off the air makes it just that much more enjoyable. I know I am not the only one that loves these movies, as Twitter has been lit up this week with the new titles, but none trended higher last year than the much-anticipated Sharknado 5: Global Swarming.
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With his wife April and son Gil, Fin Shepard has been invited to NATO to pass on all he knows about the Sharknadoes and what the world can do to rebuild from the last attack. But before Fin is able to enter the meeting, he is called by his old bartender Nova to come and check out what she has just found. In a cave hidden underneath Stonehenge, ancient paintings show that Sharknadoes are not only a problem of the present, but of the past as well. Venturing into the shark infested cave, Nova and Fin find an artifact that they believe will help them to combat the Sharknado problem at hand, but it opens up a new breed of the storm that will change the world forever.

As Stonehenge crumbles and a new Sharknado has been unleashed upon London, the family Shepard is caught right in the middle of it again. Being able to protect himself in his new helmet, young Gil is whisked away by the storm and his parents must find a way to free him before he becomes just another shark appetizer. With the plan in place to enter the vortex of the storm, the two are transported across the world and wind up in Australia. Needing time to recover, Fin and April find out that Nova is in a secret organization, the Sisterhood of Sharknadoes, who combat these threats across the world. With a new ally in their fight and April getting a major upgrade, the two are ready to not only battle the storm for their son, but also to save the world. Jumping into the storm once again and almost reaching Gil, the couple is transported once again, to Rio.

Getting a cheerful greeting in their new surroundings, Fin and April are taken to meet with Vega who explains the origins of the storms and what needs to be done to stop them. Keeping the artifact with her, April and Fin are shocked that they can summon their own Sharknadoes for means of travel. But someone else is looking for this power as the artifact is stolen and the couple heads out on a chase across the world once again. Arriving in Rome and getting the artifact back, Fin sees that even his Holiness has a plan to end the storms. With a new holy chainsaw, Fin has a new weapon to take on the storms with more power than he could ever imagine. 
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Still needing to find and free their son, Fin and April make it to Japan as a new nuclear waste shark has hit the shores. With thousands of sharks acting as one, Sharkzilla has taken to the streets and devours everything in its path. With the military reacting, along with the Sisterhood, there is no way that this storm will survive, but at what cost. Blowing the new storm away, Gil is lost, and Nova is not able to survive. Losing their family one by one to the storms, April and Fin are in disbelief that they are the only ones left who can end this once and for all. Wanting to give up and just return the artifact, they are transported to Egypt where there might actually be a machine that can control the storms, but is that the only thing it can do?

Well, another Sharknado movie is in the books. I didn’t know what to expect with this movie, as I wanted to be surprised and avoided the trailers at all costs and I was happy that I did. With nothing off of the table and plenty of movie parodies taking place, it is hard to look at this movie and not laugh out loud. I will admit that I liked the family fights between the characters and even being in the wrong, Fin is able to keep them all together. With fun effects being used, there seemed to be more squashing people with the sharks than eating them and while it was fun, I do prefer people being eaten by sharks. The cameos were outrageous in this latest installment and I was just blown away as always when it comes to who gets to be next in the long line of shark fodder. With a global swarming of Sharknadoes, people being eaten and squashed, some new shark kills, Bret Michaels, more cameos than you can swing a shark at and an ending that will leave you wanting more, I cannot wait to see what the SyFy Network and Asylum Productions come up with next. I enjoyed the heck out of this movie and will be watching it several more times, because I am sure I missed a ton of stuff the first two times of watching and laughing. Of course, the saga comes to an end tonight and while I'm disappointed Asylum didn't use my title suggestion, Sharknado 6: Shark to the Future, I'm going to tune in to The Last Sharknado: It's About Time to bid a proper farewell to this magical franchise. Stay Sharky.

I have started to ask myself, what would the world be like without Sharknado? Boring, that’s what! Even though there seems to be a way to keep the Sharknadoes at bay, there are always ways that they can return and there is only one person that knows how to stop them, Fin Shepard. As Fin has become our favorite hero in this genre, he just wants to be a regular guy, but there is no stopping his hatred for these dreaded storms and he knows that nobody deserves to be caught in the middle of the Sharknado. So, without further ado, it is time to discuss the fourth installment of the series Sharknado: The 4th Awakens.

It has been five years since the last Sharknado has been active and the world is a better place for it. Being able to spend time with his family, Fin is one of the happiest guys alive and making the best with his time in Kansas. Heading to Las Vegas for a family function, Fin takes along his cousin Gemini for the ride and sees that she is a small-town girl looking to let loose. Arriving at the hotel, Fin gets a call from his son Matt who is about to skydive into history with his new wife Gabi, but little does the new couple know that there is a storm coming and it will change the world forever.

A dust storm is headed toward Las Vegas and the new weather technology that Astro-X has been able to provide cannot stop it. Tearing through Aston Reynolds’s new hotel/casino Shark World, a new breed of Sharknado has been unleashed. With no way to stop it, Fin is able to save as many people as he can, along with his son and new daughter in law. Knowing that the storm will not be able to be contained, Fin and his family must find a way back to Kansas to be with their youngest Lil Gil. With few options on how to get out of town, the train seems to be the easiest and best way to escape so Gemini, Matt, Gabi and Fin are ready to take the long way home, but the Sharknado will follow them at every step they take. 

Being kept in the dark about what is happening around the world, April is living with her father and has been upgraded to be able to handle anything that is thrown in her path. Not knowing that her family survived the last Sharknado, she is surprised to see Fin on the news and wants answers to why she did not know. Being able to save her father in law and daughter from a sharky fate, all things are becoming clear for April and she is ready to get her family back. Being able to see them again is all that she wants and when Aston is able to make that happen, the Shepard’s are ready to take on their next feat, to destroy the ever-evolving Sharknado that is taking the country by storm.

Aston Reynolds believes that he has been able to change the world for the better, but when seeing that a Sharknado can appear from a dust storm, he knows that there is still work to do. Watching as the storm that destroyed Vegas has now set its sights on the Hoover Dam, Aston knows that he will have to be the hero and stop the flooding that could kill millions by blowing up the Grand Canyon. With more work to do, Aston tries to talk Fin into being his public face while he battles the new problems of the evolving Sharknadoes, but when Fin declines, Aston will have to take matters into his own hands. With a MECH program already in place, Aston thinks that it will cure all of the problems, but as the Sharknado continues to evolve, he knows that it is not the answer and wants to face the problem head on. While he may not be Fin Shepard, he can still stop the storms with his knowledge and will go down in history as the man that saved the country, at least he thinks so.

It is difficult to find the words to describe this most particular installment of Sharknado, so I will not even try. As most of the movies have been focused on the actual sharks, this one is more about the storm and how it is able to evolve with the elements around it. Evolving from a regular Sharknado into a Bouldernado, into an Oilnado, then a Firenado, a Hailnado, a Cownado, a Lavanado, a Lightningnado and finally a Nukenado, these storms are more than willing to adapt into whatever they need to survive, just as long as there are sharks in it. The destruction of Vegas was epic and nobody was safe in the town, not even in the casinos where they could have been seeking refuge from the storm outside, but were mostly just gambling away. There were however some good shark kills as the Vegas acts used their strengths against them, but my favorite had to be in Kansas when Fin smashes one to bits when hitting it against a tree.
 
With so many additional movie references in this one, it is easy to feel that Star Wars would have been the most quoted, but you actually get more from the classic story of The Wizard of Oz, being in Kansas and all. As always, this is a wonderful ride and while people still love sharks and what they can do when being sucked into a tornado, I am sure that the series will never come to an end, but it would be difficult to outdo the Nukenado with radioactive sharks exploding as they hit everything. Either way, the time has come for the latest Sharknado to grace us with its presence and while I’m a little disappointed Syfy didn’t go with my suggested title; The Sharkening, I’m still going to enjoy Global Swarming to the fullest! Stay Sharky!

Sharknado 3: Oh Hell No! arrived three years ago with all of its finny goodness and you may be asking yourself, why? Because the world needs more Sharknadoes, that’s why! Without pulling any punches throughout, you can surely say that this movie bites, and in the best way, since there could be no stopping the Sharknadoes this time with their power and size growing as they continue to ransack the United States, there is only one man for the job to save our country and possibly the world, Fin Shepard.

Fin is rushing to the White House to receive a Presidential commendation and when he arrives, he knows he is still viewed as the hero he never wanted to be. Being accosted by fans and reporters, Fin just wants to make sure that everyone will be okay when the next storm hits. Stepping outside, away from the hoopla, the President joins him, but their conversation is short lived as Fin can smell the storm moving in. Before getting the President back inside, the sky opens up and releases its terror of sharks on Washington D.C. and there may be no escape for anyone. Being the most powerful storm to date, the Sharknado flings its large mouth accomplices through the monuments causing a greater threat than before.

Running through the White House with the President, trying to get him to his bunker is more of a task than Fin could have ever expected as the sharks already have their sights on the Commander-In-Chief. When the bunker is no longer safe to keep the head of the United States within its walls Fin is looking for a larger weapon to bring to the fight and the President is happy to abide. Hitting up the armory, Fin and the President take to the main floor and unleash hell on the flying sharks, ripping them to shreds with small arms fire. When all seems to be well, Fin steps outside and sees that the Sharknado has dissipated on its own, something that it has never done before and now Fin has another mission to complete, to get to his family before they fall victim to the powerful threat.

April and Claudia are in Orlando, enjoying a sunny afternoon. As Claudia is let loose in the Universal Studios Theme Park, April and her mother are staying by the pool and have some mother/daughter time. Although her mother is not happy about Fin not being with them, as April is pregnant, April understands what her man is up to. When a shark falls out of the sky without a storm, April knows that there is something on the horizon and it is going to be bad. Needing to find her daughter and take her to safety, April is not able to connect via her cell phone and that is only the beginning of their problems in the theme park.

With the airports shut down due to the mass of Sharknadoes that are hitting the Eastern Seaboard, Fin has to drive down to Orlando from D.C., but the road may be more dangerous than even he could have expected. Driving into a large patch of fog, Fin sees that the sharks are lively in any sort of wet weather. Without his tools of destruction handy, Fin is on his own when a shark comes barreling through his window, but out of the corner of his eye, he sees a masked person that might be as good at killing sharks as he is. Removing her mask, Fin sees that Nova, his former waitress, has followed in his footsteps and is more than prepared for the onslaught of Sharknadoes that are coming. With her friend and geek guy Lucas tracking the storms, they are ready for whatever in their armor-plated RV.

Convincing the two to take him south, Fin now has an armored ride, but it can only take him so far when the three see that the bridges have been knocked out. Needing to get to Orlando and fast, they head to a military base and are able to procure an old fighter jet.  Since Nova and Fin both know how to fly, sort of, they leave Lucas behind with his truck, but a silent storm moves in on the base and Lucas is torn limb from limb before being able to hunker down for safety. Knowing that his time will be short, Lucas knows he can take out the threat with his last breath and hits the self-destruct button on the RV, dissipating the Sharknado so his friends can safely take off and get to Fin’s family before it is too late. The skies are clear, but there are plenty of Sharknadoes abound while flying down the coast and before Fin and Nova are able to reach Orlando, they have to take one shot at saving the Daytona 500 before everyone is engulfed by the storm. Dropping their fuel tank into the storm and igniting it, the venue is saved, but alas, some of the drivers are no more than tasty morsels in a shark’s belly.

After their plane gets hit by a flying hunter, the two have to eject but are close enough to their final destination to make a run for the theme park. Using his phone GPS, Fin is able to meet up with April and try to find their daughter Claudia while she is still missing. Making their way through Universal, the sharks have taken over every ride, every event and everyone making their presence known. Taking a picture next to Jaws may not be the best idea when sharks are raining from the sky as one spectator finds out the hard way. Finding Claudia, Fin, April and Nova have to formulate a plan of how to take these storms out. Looking at Lucas’s old ideas, they decide that creating a towering inferno that burns hotter than the sun will be the only way to dissolve the storms and being close to Cape Canaveral where NASA is stationed, they may have a shot.

With a wall of Sharknadoes moving in on the Eastern Seaboard, time is limited and Fin has to make a call that could change his life forever. Calling his father for help, Fin sees that his father has always wanted to be the hero in the family and can formulate a plan to burn the flying menace out of the sky. Firing up his old shuttle, Fin’s father is ready for action with his son, but April is forced to join when her only way of retreat is taken out. The three blast off and release their rockets and fuel tanks into the storm, but it is not hot enough to make a difference. Working on the Star Wars project many years ago, Fin’s father knows that it has enough power to vaporize the threat and making a call to his old buddy back on Earth, is able to get it put into action. But the outdated technology is not as reliable in space as they would hope and the Colonel is forced to activate it by hand.  

Being in space and saving the day, the Colonel has become the hero he has always wanted to be, but the problem of fuel and being able to reenter the atmosphere has become a grave concern. That and the sharks that have been jettisoned into space, are still very hungry. With sharks getting into the shuttle's cargo hold, Fin has to dispose of them before heading back to Earth and with a laser chainsaw at his side, he may be able to get the job done. But there is only so much he can do and not being able to see all of the new shark space debris heading towards the ship, it gets destroyed and sends himself and April into the clutches of some nasty space sharks. The only safe way now to return to Earth is within the shelter of a shark's belly, Fin and April make it back to the ground and upon arrival, and Fin sees that he has a new member of the family along with his beautiful wife and daughter. But a piece of the shuttle has followed them back and April’s fate is to be decided by us, the fans for the next storm.

Really, a third installment of the Sharknado series and tonight we are going to get a forth? Oh, Hell Yeah! This movie has pretty much left the others in the dust and I can honestly care less about the stock footage they try to use, I honestly think they do it because it was so bad in the first one and the film creators want to prove a point. There is no stopping this franchise and with the return of Nova as a bad ass shark slayer, why would we want to see it end. With cameos coming out of the woodwork in this movie, it is hard to believe that there has been anyone not in one of these movies yet, but on a sad note, you will no longer get to see the cast of The Today Show as they were reporting from location and taken away from us by the threat, but Kelly Ripa will be back, because wine saves everyone in any situation. The sharks have the better kills in this installment, so now I have to wonder what we will have to do to gain the upper hand in the next glorious/grotesque film…Sharknado: The 4th Awakens!

I still remember the many months of anticipation and two weeks of media hype that Sharknado 2: The Second One received before made it to our television sets and I must admit, I am still in awe of this movie. Only knowing that the story took place on the other coast, I did not know what to expect from it, with the exception of sharks falling out of the sky. With a little bit of star power and cameos all around, I am happy to say that Sharknado 2 still makes me smile to this day. Let’s get into the story, shall we?

Fin and ex-wife, now connected again are heading to New York to visit with Fin’s sister and her family. April, now a bestselling author of How to Survive a Sharknado is going to be doing a book signing while in New York as well. Fin seems to be struggling with the fame however, being a famous surfer, he loved the attention he was getting, but as a hero, he does not feel right. Suffering from PTSND (Post Traumatic Sharknado Disorder), Fin is afraid that he is seeing things while on the plane, but his fears come true when the storm under his flight is housing his worst nightmare, sharks.

As the plane starts to make its decent, the sharks start to attack, tearing the plane to shreds while taking out both of the pilots. Fin is once again the hero, since he is able to land the plane safely and is ready to move on with his life but has a warning for all New Yorkers that there is a storm coming and it will be the worst they ever seen. While on the plane, April is nearly sucked out into the open skies, but is able to hold on while the plane is descending but has lost her hand to a shark in the process.  Being put in the hospital she has to put her appearances and signings on hold until she is fully recuperated.   

Wanting to look out for his family once again, Fin is able to get ahold of his sister and find that his nephew and brother-in-law are out enjoying a baseball game. Finding out that the stadium is near the river, Fin has to fight against time to get to them before the storm hits. Not knowing what is going on, the weather reporters in New York are saying there is going to be snow coming and expecting the worst July storm on record in the region, but with a warm front moving up as well, they know that something monstrous is on the horizon.  

Sharknado 2 keeps true to Fin’s story from the first one. Wanting to keep his family safe, he also has to focus on the safety of others.  With his ex-wife laid up in the hospital, Fin is able to run around town and try to stop the fishy menace from taking a bite out of the Big Apple. Although nobody believes his claims, even though he beat the first storm in L.A., Fin has to stay true to his values and try his hardest with everything at his disposal, which in New York is next to nothing. Getting help from his family and a new friend who drives a cab, he is able to muster enough resources to make a strong effort, but as we have learned, New York can bring out the toughness in people, and the storms.

To be honest, I could not stop laughing throughout the entire movie and I don’t feel bad about it one bit. With so many cameos and most consistent shark kills (the sharks killing, not being killed), I cannot say one bad thing about this movie.  From the beginning of the movie when sharks took over the plane (Sharks on a Plane, spin off movie Syfy, just saying) to the final credits, you could never tell who was going to be chomped next. It was a blast to watch this movie again, since it remains my favorite one in the franchise.

On a quick side note, if you have already enjoyed this cinematic masterpiece, you might have to take a look at how the sharks decided to kill people in this the second installment. Very zombie hunter kills right? They only went for headshots and for that I must thank all of the different sharks that have perished to bring this enjoyment to our television screens.  Thank you, Home Run Shark, for knocking it out of the park.  Thank you, Stun Gun Shark, for...well…you killed Tiffany Shepis and I am not ok with that. Bad Stun Gun Shark. Thank you, Pizza Oven Shark, for getting Biz Markie some additional screen time. Thank you, Ambulance Shark, for taking one for the team. Excalibur Sharks, we hardly knew you, but thanks for coming to play. And thank you Flaming Sharks, as you added a moment of scares that only you could ever deliver to the city of New York. There are several more moments that should be given time, but I will end it here. Stay Sharky!