I'm not going to object to more Shockwave in any Transformers comic, and that's certainly what we get here. We get Shockwave torturing the captured Autobots as well as the reveal of his plan to milk the planet dry and supply a Decepticon-controlled Cybertron with endless energy. With so many different characters, both human and robot, the art of Transformers has been pretty good, if a little inconsistent at times, but hell yeah does Shockwave come off great here enhanced even more by the fear of the Autobots.
Wednesday, July 31, 2024
The Dragon Prince - Startouched
The Sixth Season of The Dragon Prince picks up the pieces from the previous season and sets the stage of what's to come over the course of Book Six: Stars which will include separate quests for our core characters and a further descent for Claudia (Racquel Belmonte). In Katolis, an increasing paranoid Callum (Jack De Sena) comes up with a plan on how to deal with the pearl which imprisons Aaravos (Erik Dellums) setting up a quest for Callum and Rayla (Paula Burrows) seeking the Celestial Elves. Separately, Soren (Jesse Inocalla), Corvus (Omari Newton), and Azymondias set up on their own quest to find the missing Zubeia.
Runaway Radio
Director Mike McGuff's documentary looks back at the history of Houston's KLOL 101 FM featuring interviews with DJs (Jim Pruett, Dayna Steele, Crash, Outlaw Dave, Grego, Levi Booker, Jennifer Reyna, and others) and celebrities (including Lyle Lovett, ZZ Top's Dusty Hill, Melissa Etheridge, and Sammy Hagar) whose lives were changed by the station's underground and progressive rock of the 1970s leading it to become one of the top-rated AOR stations of the 80s.
Tuesday, July 30, 2024
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #1
A new run of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles begins here. In what launches as the first part of a year-long arc, after some time apart, the Turtles are scattered around the world. Our first issue is set around only Raphael who has spent the last several weeks (months?) in prison. Partly punishing himself, and also doing a little work under the radar for the warden, Raphael keeps his head down for the most part (other than preventing a group of prisoners from escaping).
The Lazarus Project - Episodes 14 & 15
The team's mission in the past gets a new start as this time they successfully end up in 2012 only for things to go horribly wrong with the majority of them dying along with the people they came back to save. The final two episodes heading into the season, and what would become the series, finale deal with the past members of the Lazarus Project running into the future versions leading to bloodshed and all kinds of questions. The episode also explores Wes' (Caroline Quentin), her relationship with Robin Lerner (Colin Salmon), and the moving up on the attack on the time travel facility leading to a complete failure for George (Paapa Essiedu) and Sarah's (Charly Clive) mission.
Vengeance of the Moon Knight #7
Huh, I thought this vampire shit was over? Apparently not. Set during the events of Blood Hunt, Vengeance of the Moon Knight #7 covers Tigra and Hunter's Moon trip to Asgard to free Khonshu with the help of the Wrecker. Once restored, Khonshu returns to his seat of power and resurrects his greatest warrior Marc Spector to lead and army of Moon Knights back to Earth to fight the vampire horde.
Monday, July 29, 2024
The Powerpuff Girls #1
A new Powerpuff Girls comic begins here. When Ms. Keane introduces the class to the Highly Intelligent Machine, all the young students take tests to discover their true destinies. This leads to each of the girls to temporarily abandon super-heroics to try out new lives. Blossom becomes a noir-style private eye. Bubbles, in a bunny suit, spends time with animals. And Buttercup becomes a wrestler. While all three enjoy exploring a different destiny, each discovers that something is missing.
Batman: Caped Crusader - In Treacherous Waters
Bringing together some of the creative minds behind Batman: The Animated Series, mixing them with ideas from co-producer and writer Ed Brubaker, and keeping the noir style and look of that show, but with a darker tone set earlier in Batman's career centered more around gang violence and corruption than colorful super-villains, comes Batman: Caped Crusader. The first episode of the series sees gang war heating up with someone taking shots at crime boss Rupert Thorne by blowing up his factories. Batman (Hamish Linklater) confronts a corrupt cop eventually leading him to nightclub owner turned would-be criminal mastermind the Penguin (Minnie Driver).
Zatanna: Bring Down the House #2
Picking up where the first issue left off, Zatanna: Bring Down the House #2 opens with the disaster of Zatanna's magic show interrupted by both a demon and an unannounced stranger attempting to fight it off. Having sworn off actual magic, Zatanna isn't much use in the fight but after its over she does go with the stranger to The Palace of the Casters (a magic cult which, despite its odd surroundings, appears to be conveniently also located in Las Vegas) who offer blame but no answers to the current crisis.
Sunday, July 28, 2024
Deadpool & Wolverine
While the premise of Deadpool & Wolverine is clear enough, add Deadpool (Ryan Reynolds) and Wolverine (Hugh Jackman) to the MCU, the plot of the film (which features five different writers) feels a bit stitched together haphazardly from various other TV and movie properties without bringing much new to the table. If what you are looking for is a fun summer movie with an excess of blood, sarcasm, in-jokes, and cameos, with yet another odd-couple pairing like we got in the more satisfying Deadpool 2, then Deadpool & Wolverine delivers. Without doubt, it's fun. However, like previous Deadpool films, Deadpool and Wolverine is more outlier than core franchise tale offering little to build on for the future.
Friday, July 26, 2024
Sometimes I Think About Dying
Exploring the mundane, particularly through a dramatic rather than comedic lens is a challenging undertaking. Director Rachel Lambert's adaptation of Kevin Armento's play stars Daisy Ridley as an introverted office worker who often fantasizes about her own death. Friendly, but not friends with anyone in the office. Alone, but not necessarily looking to give up her solitude, Fran (Ridley) begins a friendship with a new coworker (Dave Merheje) whose attempts to break her out of her shell lead to mixed results.
Nightwing #116
Nightwing #116 quickly skips over the part of this story was most concerned with. We get Dick Grayson's recovery and the equivalent of a montage to get him out of the country and on his quest to the Himalayas. While his friends are ready to stick up for him an even allow their secret identities to be exposed to save his own, Dick is more concerned with recovering what he's lost as Nightwing than clearing his name (at least for now) which plays out similarly to the Bruce's focus in Batman: Bruce Wayne - Murderer?
Thursday, July 25, 2024
G.I. JOE: A Real American Hero #308
The mutant Cobra storyline continues as Serpentor Khan readies stealth fighters with his mutated soldiers who he will drop on Springfield to fight for his version of Cobra. Springfield is also of importance to the Joes who send the entire Ninja Team (hell yeah, give me as much of this group as you fit in every issue) to the city. Interesting to see Scarlett chosen as their leader which chafes Storm Shadow a little. Along with them are also Zartan, the Baroness, and the Dreadnoks, although the attack on the city by the mutated troops may change our heroes' timeline.
The Inventor
Even if it does get a bit schmaltzy in its final act ending in a questionable musical number, 2023's The Inventor still has much to offer in the stop-motion animation that explores the life of Leonardo da Vinci (Stephen Fry) first in Rome and later in France where his experiments and inventions struggle against the expectations and demands of his patrons. Leonardo finds a kindred spirit in Princess Marguerite (Daisy Ridley) who shares his dreams in creating an ideal city, although her brother Francis I (Gauthier Battoue) is more concerned with his inventor creating ways for the king to show off to other rulers.
Hit-Monkey - Guess Who's Coming to Dinner?
Bryce (Jason Sudeikis), Haruka (Ally Maki), and Hit-Monkey look for who set them up leading to a pair of bloody and violent confrontations taking place in the New York Public Library and an an exclusive Gentlemen's Club. In both situations, Haruka's new blade overwhelms her creating a new situation for Bryce and the monkey to deal with, but "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner?" is most notable for the carnage the three create not once but twice which leaves no one alive left to answer their questions. The episode also introduces the character of Dot, a young assassin who chooses to help our protagonists against the Aldermen for reasons of her own. If there's a negative to this point in the season, it's that the humans (each with their own story) are beginning to overshadow our title character.
Tuesday, July 23, 2024
Wonder Woman #11
An Absolute Power tie-in issue, Wonder Woman #11 opens with Diana playing poker with an add assortment of characters including Billy Batson, Detective Chimp, John Constantine, Mary Bromfield, Madame Xanadu, and Jim Corrigan. Some robot, randomly quoting Charles Dickens attacks the group stealing power and magic from various characters as it continues to get stronger.
Exploding Kittens - Pilot
Loosely based on the board game of the same name, the first episode of Exploding Kittens introduces us to a douchebag of a God (Tom Ellis) who is exiled by Heaven's Board of Directors to Earth to earn a little empathy from humans. Oh, and he's now a cat. Sent to help the (mostly annoying) Higgins family (Suzy Nakamura, Mark Proksch, Ally Maki, and Kenny Yates), Godcat struggles to bring the family closer together (eventually merging their various individual interests into a bonding activity based on the dad's roleplaying game that puts the entire group in mortal danger).
Chaos Walking
Adapted from the first book of a sci-fi trilogy, Chaos Walking offers a dystopian future on an alien world where human settlers deal with an oddity of the planet as men's thoughts are broadcast allowing others to hear, and even at time see, them. Our two main characters are the local screw-up Todd Hewitt (Tom Holland) and newly-arrived colonist from space Viola (Daisy Ridley) who is notably taken aback by the unexpected phenomena and whose appearance throws the town into chaos and forces hidden truths about both the town and world Todd has grown up on to be explored.
Monday, July 22, 2024
Usagi Yojimbo: The Crow #4
With the kidnapping of Yukichi the focus of the issue, we get the young boy Isamu getting a meal and payment from Miyamoto Usagi and then agreeing to lead Usagi, Gen, and Stray Dog to their missing friend. The bandits have their own issues to deal with long before the heroes get there as one of their number, believing Inuyoshi isn't ruthless enough to lead them, attempts a coup. Thanks to Yukichi's warning, the former samurai survives now further in debt to Usagi's family.
Jurassic World: Chaos Theory - The Drop / Into the Fog
"The Drop" continues both groups on their way to the secret headquarters of the dino-smuggling ring. Yaz (Kausar Mohammed) and Sammy (Raini Rodriguez) make their way in the back of a DPW truck with a doped-up Becklespinax while Darius (Paul-Mikél Williams) and Kenji (Darren Barnet) follow Brooklynn's (Kiersten Kelly) notes to a drop site where the dinosaurs are usually handed over. This will lead to all four characters reaching the facility in "Into the Fog" snooping for clues and finding Bumpy in the crates of caged dinosaurs who will have another surprise for the group as well.
Sunday, July 21, 2024
The Acolyte - Episode 8
The Acolyte concludes with a finale that plays into expectations. The final four episodes of the series have all pointed towards Osha (Amandla Stenberg) trading places with Mae and taking her twin's path on the Dark Side (complete with the bleeding of a kyber crystal which has been discussed in various Star Wars properties without ever being shown until this point). As with the previous flashback episode, which only confirmed events viewers should have already have worked out on their own, "The Acolyte" finale provides a confrontation between Mae and her old master Sol (Lee Jung-jae) pushing her path towards Qimir (Manny Jacinto). The path of Mae turns out to be far less interesting, mind-wiped and basically trading places with her sister, meaning we're left in largely the same situation we were when the series began.
Saturday, July 20, 2024
Young Woman and the Sea
Based on the true story of the first woman to swim the English Channel, Daisy Ridley stars as Gertrude "Trudy" Ederle. After filling in a little of her early life (including surviving the Measles as a child to the utters surprise of everyone), the film moves forward with the young Trudy's (Olive Abercrombie) fascination with swimming following her sister Meg (Lilly Aspell and Tilda Cobham-Hervey) into lessons and eventual competitions proving herself the best female swimmer England had to offer. This will lead to the Olympics and eventually the English Channel as new challenges to overcome.
Thursday, July 18, 2024
What Happens in Miami (Should Stay in Miami)
What Happens in Miami is a lackluster thriller focused on a group of friends Ashlei Sharpe Chestnut, Annalisa Cochrane, Rachel Leyco, and Jada Elena Wooten one of whom (Cochrane) goes missing while on spring break. The focus on the film isn't about the loss of their friend, what happened to her, emotional drama or fallout but instead the girls being afraid of the police who for some unknown reason believe they are better suspects than the missing girl's drug dealer boyfriend (Christopher Collins) who was with her when she went missing.
The movie breaks down the interwoven threads of current events, which center around the girls talking to police and lawyers, and flashbacks to spring break that fill in gaps over the course of the film revealing the missing Autumn (Cochrane) was a real bitch to even her closest friends. We get late reveals and even a not-so-shocking twist before the film mercifully, finally, concludes.
Invincible - This Must Come as a Shock
"This Must Come as a Shock" picks up with Mark (Steven Yeun) recovering from the battle against the Viltrumites and helping the Thraxans before returning to home with his half-brother. We get some awkward reunions with his mother, Amber (Zazie Beetz), and others which will be expanded on in the next episode as events are put in hold to deal with an invading ship from Mars full of Sequids. Mark joins Eve (Gillian Jacobs) for a fight in space while the leftover Guardians Rex (Jason Mantzoukas), Kate (Malese Jow), and Rae (Grey Griffin) deal with the Lizard League breaking into a nuclear facility on Earth.
Kill All Immortals #1
The first issue of Kill All Immortals introduces us to the Asvald family. It turns out there's more to the family than simply the notoriety of their billions or the whispers of the violence used to procure and keep their wealth. Descended from Erik the Red, the family of Vikings is immortal, bloodthirsty, and very, very dangerous (especially when their secrets are in danger of being exposed).
Wednesday, July 17, 2024
Hit-Monkey - Return to Sender
Having returned from Hell (agreeing to help his simian sidekick stay on a murderous path), Bryce (Jason Sudeikis) leads the despondent Hit-Monkey to New York City where he starts making a name for himself. Setting up various characters in the new locale, we get Hit-Monkey being hired by Bryce's old agent (and taking up residence in Bryce's apartment). Haruka (Ally Maki) also makes the trek to the West bringing along Bonzai Master's sword whose power allows her to survive an attack by a creature who was either a giant tiger or a possessed alley cat (or possibly both). The sword, connecting her to its previous owners, is of obvious interest to someone lurking in the shadows. We also see Bryce's daughter who it seems, like the sword, will play a role over the course of the season.
Scarlett #2
Having found them, Scarlett attempts to earn a place within Arashikage. First, that means staying alive and continuing to show off skills that might be useful to the clan. Second, that means accepting a suicide mission to retrieve something vital to the clan under impossible security. But for Jinx, Scarlett is willing to risk everything.
Delicious in Dungeon - Ice Golem/Barometz
While facing an Ice Golem and Dire Wolves, the episode's purpose is to work the selfish Izutsumi (Mitsuho Kambe) into the group and, by the end, also give her a taste for monster flesh. Helping the party against the golem, but the abadoning them against the wolves, the then injured Izutsumi is then saved and healed by Marcille (Emily Rudd) learning a little bit about doing for others (a lesson she ignored in the flashbacks to her younger days we see her as well). The meal of the episode is made from Barometz.
Monday, July 15, 2024
The Lazarus Project - Episode 12
Having successfully time jumped, but ending up further back in time than they planned. By the end of the episode the team has what it needs to attempt another time travel jump and get about their mission. However, temporarily stuck where they are provides some members of the group the change to reexamine their past. Archie (Anjli Mohindra) begins looking into the secret job Ross (Brian Gleeson) did, even confronting him about it pretending to be her younger self. Meanwhile, George (Paapa Essiedu) attempts to prove to Sarah (Charly Clive) that they were always meant for each other returning to the party with each interacting with the younger versions of each other on the night they met. While self-contained, almost a little bottle show outside of the events of the season, there's plenty of interesting pieces to the episode allowing the longer storyline to pick up in the next episode.
Ahsoka #1
The first issue of a by-the-numbers adaptation of the Disney+ series of the same name, Ahsoka #1 retells the events of the first episode of the series without adding any new context. I'll be honest, the idea of an Ahsoka comic series grabbed my interest, but realizing it was just republishing events of the series quickly dimmed those expectations.
Jurassic World: Chaos Theory - Free Fall / That Night
"Free Fall" reintroduces Yaz (Kausar Mohammed) who has been working through her dino-triggered PTSD and helping others with similar issues in a dino-free zone. She's less than thrilled about the news someone is using dinosaurs to hunt them, and initially refuses to leave. A dino attack controlled by DPW agents changes her mind while also allowing Yaz to show Sammy (Raini Rodriguez) how well the rehab has worked and how strong she is now. Barely surviving the attack, the trio decide to hitch a ride and find out who is behind this conspiracy.
Friday, July 12, 2024
The Lion King
It's the circle of life. Returning to theaters for the film's 30th anniversary, The Lion King tells the story of young Simba (Jonathan Taylor Thomas and Matthew Broderick) and his journey following the death of his father (James Earl Jones) and the pride being taken over by Simba's villainous uncle Scar (Jeremy Irons) and his hyenas (Whoopi Goldberg, Cheech Marin, and Jim Cummings) responsible for Mufasa's death and Simba's exile.
Thursday, July 11, 2024
Fly Me to the Moon
NASA might seem an unusual spot for a romcom, but Fly Me to the Moon soars on the wit of its script and the charm of its stars Scarlett Johansson and Channing Tatum. Is it a great film? No, but it's a damn sight better than your average romantic comedy and certainly better than I was expecting. Johansson stars as Kelly Jones, a New York marketing expert brought it to make NASA sexy again and help sell both the public and Congress on Apollo 11's trip to the moon. Concerned with the safety of the astronauts and the aura of the program, Cole Davis (Tatum) immediately butts heads with Kelly's approach (despite the obvious attraction between the pair).
Wednesday, July 10, 2024
Space Ghost #3
With the origin story of how Jan and Jace started working with Space Ghost complete, the series moves on to the three fighting evil together. We see some early frustration from Space Ghost to how cavalier the youngsters but they'll step up before the issue is done. The main story involves Space Ghost making a deal with the unscrupulous Widow who plans out a heist of Robo Corp which would allow Space Ghost, Jan, and Jace all to get some some intelligence on, and some payback for, the company that destroyed all of their lives.
The Acolyte - Episode 7
"Choice," the seventh episode of the season, provides the Jedi perspective to the same events of the season's third episode, "Destiny." I don't think we needed another full episode flashback episode here which seems like a bit of waste considering the show is winding to a close and also there's not really anything new presented or revealed. We see the growing tensions between the Jedi and the witches, the spark which ignites, and Sol's (Lee Jung-jae) fear for the safety of the children. And, unable to save them both, we see his choice to save Osha (Lauren Brady), but it's simply a matter of perspective with no new information provided. The only real bright spot is the episode offers more of Kelnacca and Indara (Carrie-Anne Moss) who were underutilized for most of the season.
Grendel: Devils Crucible - Defiance #1
I have a confession to make. I love Hunter Rose. The original Grendel ranks as one of my favorite comic characters of all time. And while Matt Wagner has taken some interesting paths in exploring various later iterations of the character, the further you get from the original the more my interest wanes. The new series, Grendel: Devils Crucible - Defiance, focuses on the last of the Grendels: Grendel-Prime. Returning to Earth after centuries in space, the paladin finds a stark world of haves and have-nots with most tech horded by Necro Lords leaving others to roam the wilderness in a steam-punk-ish society.
Tuesday, July 9, 2024
My Adventures with Superman - The Death of Clark Kent
Well, if you can't come up with a good villain you can always turn Superman (Jack Quaid) into the villain, I guess. As Kara (Kiana Madeira) helps Lois (Alice Lee) and Jimmy (Ishmel Sahid) sneak aboard the ship, Brainiac (Michael Emerson) works on Clark's psyche finding a weakness in the recent disappointments concerning his friends and exploiting them. The episode ends with Brainiac now fully in control of Superman's body laying the foundation for Lex Luthor (Max Mittelman) and Amanda Waller's (Debra Wilson) fears to come to pass with an invasion of Earth by "Superman."
Invitation to a Murder
Set in 1934, a group of strangers are brought together by a reclusive billionaire to his private island estate. The guests include florist, and mystery novel aficionado, Miranda Green (a frumpy Mischa Barton), an American journalist (Chris Browning), a lawyer (Seamus Dever), and three others (Bianca A. Santos, Giles Matthey, and Grace Lynn Kung). The last character of the film is the estate itself, well-shot but underutilized until the film's final act.
Delicious in Dungeon - Hag/Nightmare
"Hag/Nightmare" adds a new member to the party when Izutsumi (Mitsuho Kambe), who was part of Shuro's (Shinji Kawada) party, ambushes the group demanding Marcille (Emily Rudd) use black magic to remove her curse. The woman's manners rub everyone the wrong way, even forcing an outburst from the usually serene Senshi (SungWon Cho). The second-half of the episode deals with Marcille being overtaken by Nightmares leading Laios (Damien C. Haas) into her sleeping mind and helping the younger version of Marcille he finds their overcome her fears and break the hold of the Nightmare. After returning to the waking world, Laois is happy to learn that the Nightmares are oyster-like creatures found under Marcille's pillow which can be cooked in some butter and soy sauce.
Monday, July 8, 2024
Inquisitors #1
Featuring the Force-wielding Inquisitors introduced in Star Wars Rebels, the first issue of the new mini-series starts on the planet Targyon with the Grand Inquisitor searching for Jedi Tensu Run who Darth Vader has tasked him in finding. Not finding the Jedi, and displeased by the locals unwillingness to provide information about his whereabouts, he leaves death in his wake. The comic also provides some flashbacks Tensu Run taking down an Imperial outpost on his own and freeing prisoners beginning a legend the Dark Lord of the Sith wants squashed before it spreads any further creating a hero for others to rally behind.
Dead Boy Detectives - The Case of the Hungry Snake
After returning from Hell, the season finale ends with Edwin (George Rexstrew) and Charles (Jayden Revri) captured by Esther (Jenn Lyon) who has built a machine to pull the suffering from a ghost and turn it into magical power. Edwin's Hell experiences turn out to be the perfect battery. Crystal (Kassius Nelson) has to put aside her struggle with the return of her memories and the realization of the awful person she was before losing them and help rescue the ghosts with the help of Niko (Yuyu Kitamura) who won't survive the showdown (or will she?).
Axel F
Fueled on nostalgia and various Eddie Murphy bits, Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F does feel like a Beverly Hills Cop movie... just slower, older, and at times in desperate need of a nap. Breaking out the hits including a big opening action sequence in Detroit set to music from the first two films (making use of "The Heat is On" and "Shakedown,") we then get Axel quickly back to Beverly Hills to protect his estranged daughter Jane (Taylour Paige) and to look for his missing friend Billy Rosewood (Judge Reinhold) who both have gotten caught up in a case involving dirty cops.
Friday, July 5, 2024
Moon Knight: Fist of Khonshu #0
Bridging the events of Blood Hunt and the new series Moon Knight: Fist of Khonshu, this zero issue works basically resets the stage for both old and new users reintroducing all the characters of the Midnight Mission from the perspective of Khonshu. The perspective is interesting, giving us the god's disapproval, but often grudging respect, for so many of the characters that have made up the supporting cast previous Moon Knight series saving the resurrected Moon Knight for last.
Thursday, July 4, 2024
The Lazarus Project - Episode 11
While Archie (Anjli Mohindra) begins a new workplace romance, and the Lazarus Project struggles to recreate their own time machine, George's (Paapa Essiedu) encounter with Becky (Safia Oakley-Green) changes everything. Surviving the first attempt of Bryson (Royce Pierreson) to kill George for actions he hasn't taken yet, George isn't so lucky the next time around. However, the restart of a new loop, and coming clean with Lazarus and Dennis (Tom Burke) about Becky, leads to a key discovery for the Lazarus Project to make their first attempt at time travel and prevent the loop from occurring before time collapses destroying all reality with it.
Black Widow & Hawkeye #4
The four-issue mini-series limps to a conclusion without much in the way on an actual conclusion which, is admittedly, a bit odd for a final issue. We are given more of the flashbacks featuring Hawkeye, Black Widow, and Iron Man where Natasha takes one for her friend allowing Clint to look better following the assassination attempt on Damon Dran and not hurt his standing with the Avengers. In the present we catch up with Hawkeye captured by Dran and arguing with the symbiote before Natasha eventually shows up for the expected save.
Jurassic World: Chaos Theory - Brothers / Halfway Home
"Brothers" and "Halfway Home" continue the series theme of bringing the Nublar Six back together as Darius (Paul-Mikél Williams) attempts to convince Kenji (Darren Barnet) of the dangers hunting them and Sammy (Raini Rodriguez) and Ben (Sean Giambrone) head out to get Yaz. The Darius/Kenji storyline focuses on questions and blame concerning Brooklyn's death. After discovering she visited Kenji's father shortly before her messy end, the pair meet with Daniel Kon (Andrew Kishino), who meets a gruesome fate of his own after attempting to blackmail his son (karma?), leading to even more discoveries and questions as to what Brooklyn was up to in the days before the dinosaur attack.
Wednesday, July 3, 2024
The Acolyte - Episode 6
After it was revealed that The Acolyte centered around a pair of twins you knew eventually we'd get around to the obligatory Parent Trap situation (especially considering this is a Disney product making such a turn of events inevitable). Having taken her sister's identity, Mae (Amandla Stenberg) spends some time with Sol (Lee Jung-jae) plotting his murder until her deception is uncovered. Her capture seems to set up a revelation about the events which occurred on Brendok years earlier involving Sol, and the Jedi Mae have killed, which he and the others appear to have hidden from the Jedi.
Tuesday, July 2, 2024
Despicable Me 4
You know you're in trouble when the main plot of the film is its weakest aspect. The latest from the Illumination franchise introduces Maxime Le Mal (Will Ferrell) as a longtime rival for Gru (Steve Carell) whose feud started in their boarding school days. Opening at the class reunion, Gru and the AVL take down the super-villain whose latest scheme involves transforming himself into a human-cockroach hybrid and arming himself with an army of smart cockroach soldiers (his own Minions so to speak) and an array of cockroach-style technology.
Monday, July 1, 2024
Nights #8
Don't lose your head. Halloween is a good time for all, until it isn't. Nights #8 gives us characters in a good place. Ivory has his demon under control and love may be in the air for more than just Vince and Gray. Even Matt is enjoying himself scarring the shit of the neighborhood trick-or-treaters. A house party, friends, and booze, what could go wrong. Oh, did I mention one of the guests is some kind of malevolent creature with delusions of grandeur who cuts off Gray's head and steals her body? Yeah, I didn't have that on the bingo card.
Wild Things
Your feelings on 1998's Wild Things may vary based on whether or not, for you, the over-the-top salacious erotic thriller hits enough spots to be a guilty pleasure or not. Kevin Bacon referred to it as the trashiest script he had ever read. Tightly wrapping sex and titillation around a complicated plot involving a teacher and two of his students involved in a fake rape, a defamation lawsuit, and eventual double-crosses and murder, Wild Things is peak 90s sleaze.