Will Martinez's Film & TV Blog

  Just a couple weeks ago, I was very fortunate enough to secure tickets to a few screenings for this year's Sundance Festival which was obviously held virtually this year due to the ongoing pandemic. Amongst those screenings was the new film from director Sian Heder  CODA, which I caught on the very last day of Sundance, but the film had already made a huge splash the week prior when it first opened the festival so my expectations had sky rocketed to say the least.  And I am so beyond thrilled to say that CODA absolutely lives up to all of its praise and more, because this is a truly magnificent film that while on its surface it may seem like a conventional coming of age story, it is so much more. And with a story this heart warming, and inspiring, it was impossible for me not to fall head over heels for this one. It's a crowd pleaser in every sense, and the absolute best kind.  CODA follows 17 year old Ruby (Emilia Jones) who lives in Gloucester, Massachusetts with her cultur

When I first heard that The Karate Kid franchise was being relaunched in the form of the streaming series Cobra Kai back in 2018 on YouTube, I honestly had very little initial interest. Don't get me wrong, I love the 1984 classic film, I've seen it plenty of times and like many other fans it certainly holds a special place in my heart. Heck, I even like the 2010 reboot/remake with Jackie Chan & Jaden Smith. But, we've seen plenty of attempts from Hollywood to reinvigorate many old nostalgic franchises (particularly ones from the 80s) and often to rather mixed results, so I guess for me that novelty has sort of wear off. But, as the years have gone by since it first premiered, the show has certainly gained lots of praise and attention which obviously only peaked my interested. And once the show moved over from YouTube Red to Netflix back I think in September 2020, its evolving popularity has just continued to grow leading up to its Season 3 which just released last month