The Lazarus Project - Episode 2

While the interrogation of the prisoner captured in the last episode does weave into the end of the episode, "Episode 2" primarily deals with two separate storylines. The first is George (Paapa Essiedu) being rocked by events involving Sarah's (Charly Clive) accident. The other, coincidentally taking place on the same night George and Sarah met, are the repeated attempts of Anjli Mohindra (Anjli Mohindra) and her former partner (Brian Gleeson) to stop the end of the world. This helps explain her attempts to ease George's pain based on her own loss and provide some interesting insight in how many of the reset timelines in which George and Sarah didn't get together, or even meet, at a party the same night the world ended.

Darth Vader: Black, White & Red #3

The Star Wars anthology series centered around the adventures of Darth Vader in black and white with splashes of red continues. First up, it's the third chapter of the continuing story "Hard Shutdown" in which the still immobilized Vader continues to give his would-be captures fits using the Force to cause more damagae to the facility and thier ship and eventually break free. Now let's see what a fully operational Dark Lord of the Sith is capable of.

The Blacklist - Room 417

It takes half the episode for the meaning of the episode's title to come into focus as an attempt to rob an Air Force General of classified information leads the Task Force to a secret room underneath the Capitol where in Room 417 someone has been keeping close eyes on all the comings and goings of Washington. Once found, and discovering the trail leads to an analog information station it doesn't take long for Dembe (Hisham Tawfiq) to put the pieces together and realize the entire operation was part of Reddington's (James Spader) empire and just like the Morgana Logistics Corporation he's used the FBI to dismantle another key piece of his criminal empire.

Harley Quinn Cosplay Tutorial by missbrisolo

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The History of the Robocop Cartoon

Secret Galaxy (formerly Toy Galaxy) looks back at the failed histor of the 80s Robocop cartoon.

The Da Vinci Code Honest Trailers

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Wednesday with Lindsay Marie

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The Vigil #2

While the second issue does carry on the theme of introducing  Nia Saha to the world in which The Vigil operates, much to her shock, and we do get a couple of the other members out on other missions, the main focus of The Vigil #2 is on a single member of the team and how his current mission ties into his tragic past.

Gotham Knights - Night of the Owls

Cancelled before its final episode aired, Gotham Knights limps to a conclusion with the Gotham Knights in prison (again) after being framed for a series of murders (again), this time the victims being the Court of Owls which Rebecca March (Lauren Stamile) had killed off for attempting to hide their existence by revealing them to the world (because, what?). She then doubles down by sending the Talons after the imprisoned Knights to kill a whole bunch of cops more than willing to pin the crimes on them (because, what?). 

How The Super Mario Bros Movie Should Have Ended

If Clue Were Twitter

Tuesday with Zombae

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King Solomon's Mines

Sir H. Rider Haggard's novel has been adapted and referenced numerous times over the years in film, television, and radio but none more famously than the 1950 adaptation starring Stewart Granger as talented but weary English big game hunter and adventurer Allan Quatermain who, against his better judgement, is hired by a woman (Deborah Kerr) in search of her missing husband who disappeared while searching for a diamond mine in uncharted regions of Africa.

The majority of the film focuses on the group's safari through the jungle, with Quartermain and Elizabeth bickering along the way while various other members of the expedition drop like flies. Much of the film was shot in Africa in Uganda, the Belgian Congo, and Kenya while also making use of Carlsbad Caverns and the Lincoln National Forest in New Mexico.

Young Jedi Adventures - Get Well Nubs

With Nubs (Dee Bradley Baker) feeling under the weather and in danger of missing his own chance to see the eruption of the Kublop Geyser, Kai Brightstar (Jamaal Avery Jr.) and Lys Solay (Juliet Donenfeld) go on an adventure of their own to find a local herb which can heal their friend in time for the field trip. "Get Well Nubs" plays on the strength and weaknesses of each character with Kai racing ahead without thinking and Lys getting lost in the moment. Together, however, the two work together even when needing to fight their way through a gangul and return in time to enjoy the geyser with their friend.

The Batman & Scooby-Doo Mysteries #9

Taking place in Crystal Cove rather than Gotham City, Batman, Batgirl, and Commissioner Gordon are all on hand to see Mystery, Inc. be awarded the key to the city (and another gift which is saved for the last panel). However, when a group of hypnotized townspeople, all dressed as clowns, disrupt the scene, the celebration turns with Mystery, Inc. eventually being arrested, Batman chasing the wrong villain, and leaving Batgirl and Scooby-Doo to save the day and prevent the gang from being sentenced to prison (albeit by a villain with no real legal powers).

This is DreamHack Melbourne 2023 Best Cosplay Music Video

Young Sherlock Holmes

Released in 1985 to critical, but not box office, success, director Barry Levinson's Young Sherlock Holmes reimagined the first meeting of Sherlock Holmes (Nicholas Rowe) and John Watson (Alan Cox) as teens rather than adults when Watson transfers to London’s Brompton Academy and quickly befriends the genius but brash Holmes whose actions gets himself, and Watson, into trouble.

Along with being notable for playing with the Holmes and Watson dynamic, the movie also provides several murders whose victims go mad after being poisoned by hallucinatory thorns which drive the victims mad. The mystery of the deaths will be one of the major points of the movie while also offering school trouble for Holmes who at one point faces expulsion, a love interest (Sophie Ward) which will end in tragedy, and the introduction to his most famous enemy who begins as one of Holmes' instructors (Anthony Higgins).

No Hard Feelings

No Hard Feelings is your basic convoluted romcom centered around an awkward pairing that pushes characters through a series of contrived and embarrassing moments for a mix of laughs and groans. I'll give stars Jennifer Lawrence and Andrew Barth Feldman some credit here for managing to squeeze out as many laughs as possible.

In a script not dissimilar to 2006's Failure to Launch, a pair of concerned parents (Laura Benanti and Matthew Broderick) hire Maddie (Lawrence) to get their son Percy (Feldman) out of his shell. Maddie, a selfish thirtysomething bartender and Uber driver in desperate need of cash, finds herself attempting to seduce an awkward 19 year-old boy unprepared to leave home for college. Neither No Hard Feelings nor Failure to Launch can't find a way to get around the inherent cruelty of the parents' betrayal, but at least the 2023 version has Lawrence who gives Maddie enough of a soul (even if the boy's young age creates some serious child-predator vibes early on, even to Percy).

Abominable and the Invisible City - Wu You Gonna Call?

Abominable and the Invisible City opens up its Second Season with the city now aware of magic creatures and Yi (Chloe Bennet), Jin (Tenzing Norgay Trainor), and Peng's (Ethan Loh) connection to them leading to an obnoxious vlogger insinuating himself into the group hoping to get video of Yi's magic and magical creatures on a rampage. Yi's struggles for the episode is trying to figure out how she performed magic without Everest at the end of last season. Jin eventually comes up with a solution that should allow her to continue to hone her abilities while the trio have more adventures this season.

Green Lantern #2

The ups and downs of Hal Jordan's return to Earth continue in the second issue of the relaunched series. We get both Green Lantern flying around Coast City and stopping crimes, but discovering his ring slinging is limited to Earth (in a Silver Age Silver Surfer nod), while also seeing Hal without the ring wallow after being fired from Ferris only to get back on the horse and earn a new job with the company (to the shock and dismay of Carol). Hal Jordan, falling upward once again.

The Lazarus Project - Episode 1

After living through the same six months twice, George (Paapa Essiedu) is recruited into The Lazarus Project, a secret organization that uses time resets to avoid the cataclysmic end of the human race. "Episode 1" takes a little while to get going, first seeing George and his girlfriend (Charly Clive) live out their normal lives and then a second time with George freaking out over deja vu, and finally a third time getting recruited and going to work for Lazarus. There's a pretty obvious tease to trouble George will get into at the end of the episode, but it certainly sets up some interesting discussions about when and how Lazarus is willing to use its technology and potentially why so many of their former agents have gone rogue including the one currently attempting to start a nuclear holocaust.

SHAZAM! #2

The larger storyline in SHAZAM! #2 is the follow-up to Captain Marvel's public outburst which Billy can't explain and doesn't realize was caused by the very gods whose power he calls on when he utters the wizard Shazam's name. An encounter with the Psycho Pirate gives our hero a false sense of security believing the villain is behind his recent behavior. While he's able to capture the super-villain, it isn't without loosing control once again leading to all kinds of damage and Billy Batson seriously considering never uttering the magic word again. However, I doubt the gods are done with him just yet.

Panhandle - To Bell or Not To Bell?

Similar to Endgame (the one with Shawn Doyle not Morena Baccarin), the opening episode of Panhandle casts Luke Kirby as a genius agoraphobic haunted by his wife's murder who helps the police solve crimes. In the case of Panhandle, named after the northern swampy region of Florida, Kirby stars as Bell Prescott a Renaissance man who put his life on hold after the death of his wife (Lorenza Izzo who appears as a ghost talking to only him) and has taken up the hobby of solving crimes from his manor. Our other main character is overworked patrol officer Cammie Lorde (Tiana Okoye) called in when a dead body is found on the Bell property.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles vs. Street Fighter #1

At no point in the first issue of the new five-issue crossover mini-series is any attempt made to explain the reason for the worlds of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Street Fighter colliding, instead the two are simply thrown together and the reader is asked to roll with it (which, given the ridiculousness of the concept and everything on display here is a valid choice).

Secret Invasion - Episode 1 & Episode 2

Inspired by the Marvel comic storyline of the same name, Secret Invasion provides a mini-series where Skrulls have infiltrated the globe and are actively working to take control of the planet for themselves. Given their introduction as refugees rather than terrorists in the film which also introduced Carol Danvers, the show has to work four times as hard to try and position the Skrulls as bad guys. Two episodes in, by giving us Skrulls who largely stay in the shape of a single human, rather than quickly jump as they please or remain in their natural state, each limiting their abilities (and the show's budget), the results are mixed

Grumpy Indiana Jones and the Melancholy Journey Through Time

Your impressions on Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny will largely be determined by your threshold for how far an Indiana Jones film can go before nuking the fridge (so to speak). The Ark of the Covenant and the Holy Grail? Great. Sacred glowing stones? Weird, but sure, okay. But jumping into the realm of aliens or time travel through clocks is, for me, a bridge too far as the latest entry to the franchise ultimately feels as much as a successor to Angelina Jolie's Tomb Raider as Raiders of the Lost Ark.

Batman, Supergirl & The Flash

Racing out of the ashes of the Snyderverse (which thankfully is in its final death throes) comes 2023's The Flash with problematic Ezra Miller reprising his role as lab tech turned super-hero Barry Allen. Despite its multiverse themes, The Flash isn't in the league of Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse. That said, being partly fueled by nostalgia of seeing Michael Keaton back as Batman, The Flash is still better than expected and a perfectly fine summer popcorn flick.

The Blacklist - The Morgana Logistics Corporation

You can really feel The Blacklist pushing to its conclusion with Reddington (James Spader) helping the Task Force take down The Morgana Logistics Corporation which is responsible for thousands of falsified documents and companies operating covertly around the world. It's a big win for the group when they need one, although Red doesn't reveal that he was the one who built Morgana as part of his own network years ago and keeps all of his top lieutenants from ending up on the firing line. A risky play by Congressman Arthur Hudson (Toby Leonard Moore) leads him to a loose thread he begins to pull and allows him to tie Dembe (Hisham Tawfiq), and by association Reddington, to the Task Force as he redoubles his efforts to expose them.

Stargirl - The Complete Third Season

It's a little unfortunate the Stargirl didn't start a year or two earlier. One of the better shows of the Arrowverse, the show concluded with its third and final season collected here on DVD (but oddly not also available on Blu-ray which both the previous seasons were released on). The season continues the heroic journey of Courtney Whitmore (Brec Bassinger) who is thrown for a loop by the return of the original Starman (Joel McHale) who outwardly attempts to help while sewing descension and uncertainty among the group in hopes of gaining control of the staff.

Dragons: The Nine Realms - It Flies in the Family

Ever since his first appearance, and his insatiable curiosity about what his sister is up to, Dragons: The Nine Realms has been teasing what finally occurs in "It Flies in the Family" as Eugene (Vincent Tong) discovers the truth about Dragon Club. Demanding a dragon of his own, or threatening to tell everyone their secret, Eugene basically blackmails his way into the club as the group go in search of a dragon for Jun's (Ashley Liao) older brother before running into new troubles with dragons from the Fire Realm invading the Crystal Realm.

Daredevil #12

Remember that time Matt Murdock tricked the woman he loved into killing him so he could go fight a literal demon in Hell. I know you've got a martyr complex, Daredevil, but yeesh. I didn't expect to be comparing an issue of Daredevil to Star Trek V: The Final Frontier but that's where we're going. Culminating the 12 issue arc of Daredevil and Elektra's attempts to take down the Hand, we get Matt sitting in front of a cave contemplating suicide so to set up a Daredevil vs. Devil fight in Hell. Get it? (Who at Marvel thought this was a good idea?)

Pandora: Beneath the Paradise - Episode 1

I'm not exactly what I expected from the first episode of South Korean drama Pandora: Beneath the Paradise about a young woman remembering a forgotten past as an assassin but I certainly didn't expect it to be such a soap opera. The story teases us with the forgotten memories of Hong Tae-ra (Ji-Ah Lee) which return in short flashes after a pair of emotional episodes, but the main story focuses on the inner working of the family she has married into including political and professional aspirations, who is sleeping with who, a jezebel causing chaos for questionable plot purposes, and a virtual reality breakthrough involving the murder of a monkey.

The Flash #800

The Flash #800 offers an oversized issue with several stories all centered on Wally West (and not the Flash getting his own movie this weekend). The choice seems a bit weird, but there's some good stuff here. And, thankfully, none of the stories feature the awkwardly redesigned costume with yellow pipping which came out of the New 52 and has making my eyes bleed for over a decade.

Young Jedi Adventures - The Lost Jedi Ship

While searching the Jedi Temple's library, Kai Brightstar (Jamaal Avery Jr.), Lys Solay (Juliet Donenfeld), and Nubs (Dee Bradley Baker) stumble upon a hidden room behind some rubble and a star map to the Star Seeker, a ship lost centuries ago. With the permission of Master Zia (Nasim Pedrad), and calling on Nash Durango (Emma Berman) for a ride, the group go in search of the lost ship leading to an asteroid field and a deserted planet where they find the ship and run into a new friend 0G-LC (Michael Sinterniklaas) who lost his courage after crashlanding years before and just needs a little encouragement to get back into space.

The Old Way

Not even Nicolas Cage with a ridiculous mustache (for far too short a time) can save this movie. The Old Way is a bad film, not funny bad, not disturbingly bad, not uproariously bad, but mediocre in every single aspect. Cage stars as a former gunslinger long retired whose own family is targeted by the someone (Noah Le Gros) directly affected by his past actions. With his wife (Kerry Knuppe) dead, Colton Briggs (Cage) takes his equally autistic daughter (Ryan Kiera Armstrong) after the men in a quest for revenge in this underwhelming tale.

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Clock

Dianna Agron, who stars as a successful woman in her late 30s who has never wanted to have children and enrolls in a clinical study with a doctor (Melora Hardin) who claims to be able to jumpstart her biological clock, is by far the best thing about writer/director Alexis Jacknow's Clock. Ella (Agron) doesn't want children, but pressured by family and friends she feels the need to want to want children leading her to secretly enroll in the study that has unintended side effects which lead to her increasingly erratic behavior.

Darth Vader: Black, White & Red #2

The second issue of the black-and-white anthology continues the ongoing story of "Hard Shutdown" with a captive Darth Vader turning the tables on his would be tormentor Dr. Sendvall who may have found a way to immobilize the robotics of the Dark Lord of the Sith but foolishly underestimated the power of the Force (which is fun, but you wouldn't miss much from the larger story by skipping the issue).

The Muppets Mayhem - Exile on Main Street

As the band begins to record their new album they lose an important member when a misunderstanding sends Animal (Eric Jacobson) off on a search of a new career. The plot offers a running gag that Animal may not be suited for anything else other than the Electric Mayhem's drummer (a harsh truth for an exasperated Ben Schwartz), that is until he finds an untapped talent as a hibachi chef. The thread also provides some flashbacks of Animal's introduction to the group and one of the episode's two performances in "Bridge Over Troubled Water."

007: For King and Country #2

007: For King and Country #2 begins with the end of James Bond and Gwendolyn Gann's respite as the first 00 catches up with them bearing bad tidings for the duo that Fromm and Myrmidon have their claws deep within MI6 and the British Government to the point that England, in many ways, is now working for Fromm while unaware of the negative effects of his technology or how it can be turned against both friend and foe.

The Blacklist - Blair Foster

Two stories driving "Blair Foster" as the Task Force continues to try and avoid Senator Clayton Dorf (Wayne Duvall) and Congressman Arthur Hudson (Toby Leonard Moore) who go to a judge (Tonye Patano) in order to find more information about their budget, and aren't stymied by her refusal. The team also looks into lawyer and fixer Blair Foster (Francie Swift) who uses both legal and illegal methods to keep her clients safe from prosecution, including the attack on a whistleblower (J.W. Cortes) that opens the episode.

Green Arrow #2

The second issue doesn't attempt to make sense or shed light on events of the first issue. However, we do see what Oliver Queen has been up to since being stranded on an alien world (his basic street-level heroics taking on space mobsters and the like) and Cheshire Cat joins in on his latest run-in with a paid enforcer to take Ollie down. Our hero remains cryptic about what exactly is pulling his family apart as well as his unwillingness to try and fight his way back to them. This unnecessarily enforced enigmatic view on his existence could get old quick.

The Rising - Episode 1

The opening episode of The Rising introduces us to the recently deceased Neve Kelly (Clara Rugaard) who awakes in a lake only dimly aware of the previous night's events. While her parents grow increasingly concerned over her absence, Neve continues to make her way home only to arrive and find she cannot interact with her mother (Emily Taaffe). Slowly realizing that she's a ghost, Neve eventually uses the methods available she has to interact with the living world to lead the search party to her body. The show's frantic emotional core and cinematic style make for a hell of an introduction, although I do wonder where things go from here.

Spider-Gwen: Across the Spider-Verse

Hailed by fans and critics as one of the best Spider-Man movies ever created, is it possible the sequel to 2018's Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse is even better? Yes, yes it is. Shifting the focus more on Gwen (Hailee Steinfeld) this time around, giving her equal star treatment along with Miles (Shameik Moore), Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse is not only a great super-hero film but throws out the expected battle a new big bad by instead offering an existential discussion on what it means to be Spider-Man.