Murder in a Small Town - The Suspect

Sometimes you get more than you expect, and that was the case for me in sitting down to watch the opening episode of Murder in a Small Town which comes off a bit more like a TV-movie than the first episode of a series. Into the sleepy coastal town of Gibsons, British Columbia, we get a couple of newcomers in Chief of Police Karl Alberg (Rossif Sutherland) and the even more recently arrived Corporal Edwina Yen (Mya Lowe). The notable members of the police force are rounded out by the notably less-talented Sergeant Sid Sokolowski (Aaron Douglas). And, as the title of the show suggests, into the sleepy town comes murder.

Doctor Odyssey - Pilot

Joshua Jackson stars as Dr. Max Bankman who joins the luxury cruise ship The Odyssey for his first trip as the ship's new doctor. The "Pilot" sets up the basics of the series, introducing us to key members of the crew including its Captain (Don Johnson), and Max's two nurses (Phillipa Soo and Sean Teale) along with setting up the basic setup for the show with Max showing off his skills to his new subordinates and them showing him a few things about the unique environment aboard a cruise ship. That and the various quirky health issues of the week set what is likely going to be the template for the series.

Rescue: HI-Surf - Pilot

The "Pilot" episode of Rescue: HI-Surf comes off as slightly more serious Baywatch with less T&A but still plenty of soapy side-stories. The first episode introduces two new recruits to the underfunded North Shore of Oahu. The first (Zoe Cipres) earns her spot winning a competition against all other recruits while the second (Alex Aiono) is given a spot by being the son of a mayoral candidate that promises Captain Sonny (Robbie Magasiva) to pump some much needed funding into the overworked lifeguard stations. Rounding out the rest of the cast are the outspoken Em (Arielle Kebbel), the party-happy Laka (Kekoa Kekumano), and Adam Demos who already has one foot out the door.

LEGO Star Wars: Rebuild the Galaxy - Part Three

After a escaping Darth Jar Jar (Ahmed Best) and the other Sith, our rag-tag team of heroes look for help on their quest to restore the galaxy by enlisting the help of a group of Jedi who are less than enthusiastic and then getting some assistance from the Rebellion. As with the previous parts of the show, its the cameos of characters in new roles which overshadow the story. Here seeing the likes of Palpatine and Jabba as Jedi and Han Solo (Ross Marquand) still as a scoundrel, bit this time the betraying kind, all provide fun little moments leading to a confrontation on Dagobah and Jedi Bob (Bobby Moynihan) being forced into Sig (Gaten Matarazzo) the truth which he has kept from him that there is no home to return to.

Retro 80s Thundarr the Barbarian

My Old Ass

If given the opportunity to talk to your younger self, what advice would you give? I wasn't expecting much from this comedy about a teenager meeting her future self while high on mushrooms. Variations of this premise have been done before, but rarely, if ever, as well. Under the fantastical premise, there's something quite real about growing up and making realizations about yourself, your life, and understanding what you are leaving behind.

28 Outs: An Imperfect Story

It was the perfect game, except according to Major League Baseball it wasn't. Framed in part by law professor Lawrence Jones presenting the case before his class to teach an example how rules and laws can sometimes work contrary toward justice, 28 Outs: An Imperfect Story takes a hard look back at Detroit Tigers pitcher Armando Galarraga's 28-out perfect game marred only by a controversial on-field decision that even umpire Jim Joyce regretted just moments after the game. A perfect storm created a historic event for the wrong reasons, keeping Galarraga from being recognized for throwing a perfect game which, to this day, MLB has refused to officially acknowledge.

Megalopolis

Francis Ford Coppola's Megalopolis is an unusual experience. As cinema, or as art, it certainly holds value. As coherent storytelling, however, it leaves something to be desired. Conceived by Coppola in the 70s, and obviously spurred on by recent political events, the director has been toying with the idea for decades trying to make the film a reality. Maybe he should have waited just a bit longer. 

Mr. McMahon - Junior

Filmed primarily prior to the allegations which eventually drove Vince McMahon from the wrestling empire he built, the first episode of Netflix's Mr. McMahon feels more A&E Biography than Dark Side of the Ring. Largely toothless, the episode briefly mentions the allegations before moving into an episode that champions McMahon taking over the wrestling territory from his father and forcing his way across the country poaching stars and stealing talent from other promotions. As Vince puts it, he doesn't know if was good for the industry but it was certainly good for him which the documentary chalks as a win. Those familiar with McMahon's story won't find much new here, except perhaps some commentary about his strained relationship with his father.

Reacher - The Complete Second Season

The Second Season of Reacher offers the chance for a new mystery for the former military investigator that also ties in with his past allowing the sophomore season of Amazon's series to explore Jack Reacher's (Alan Ritchson) time in the military, and the events which brought it to an end, as well as a current murder when a member of the 110th Special Investigators Unit turns up dead.

Bob's Burgers - To Catch a Beef

"To Catch a Beef" uses one of the show's staple premises with Bob (H. Jon Benjamin) getting pulled in a ridiculous situation against his will when Bosco (Gary Cole) walks through the door demanding Bob train him to be a burger chef for his upcoming undercover assignment. Of course Bosco is a horrible student, falls back on using Bob as a reference, and the pair, with the help of the family, attempt to sell him to his potential new employer who shows up at the restaurant.

G.I. JOE: A Real American Hero #310

A middle issue in the ongoing Battle of Springfield arc, G.I. JOE: A Real American Hero #310 is most notable for Cobra Commander's plan working and the tied turning against the mutant Cobra army. However, seeing an opportunity to settle old grudges, Cobra Commander sends his stand-in after Baroness and Zartan (both of whom are more or less fighting on his side with the Joes to rebel the invaders). Shooting Baroness doesn't fracture the alliance of the Joes and the Dreadnoks but may have repercussions as soon as next issue where both Zartan and Destro are concerned.

Terminator Zero - Model 104

"Model 104" offers a brutal culling of the police station by our Terminator who wipes out a bunch of cops too stupid to live in a sequence which is obviously a callback to the first Terminator film. The sequence is also notable for Misaki (Sumalee Montano) stepping up to provide some cover for the boys' escape and getting her arm (her robotic arm) torn off in the process revealing that the Lee's housekeeper isn't human (which comes to a surprise to everyone, even Misaki). 

Spider-Man: Black Suit & Blood #2

Another anthology issue offers three more stories of Spider-Man wearing the black suit which looks terrific in each of the stories presented here. Still new to the suit, in "The Edge of Rage" Spider-Man loses control with Morbius, beating him unconscious, and also later threatening Flash Thompson. We witness his recognition and shame for events but we also see the symbiote's interest in Peter giving into his darker impulses.

The Old Man - IX & X

Episode IX catches up with Angela (Alia Shawkat) since her abduction. We see her learning the truth about her biological parentage and some antagonistic back-and-forth dialogues with Faraz Hamzad (Navid Negahban) including one where the pair attempt to murder each other. What's surprising is the turn that happens afterwards with Angela being invited into the family and the shift in focus from what her abduction means to these core characters to what it means for the region.

Jenny Sparks #2

The second issue of Jenny Sparks plays out mostly like the first. We get Jenny Sparks yanking the chain of another a core Justice Leaguer about the situation with Captain Atom, this time Superman, and then we get the Spirit of the 20th Century's second go-round with the crazed super-hero with a god complex. It goes pretty much the same as the first (but still provides plenty of fun for the reader).

Leverage: Redemption - The Museum Makeover Job / The Crowning Achievement Job

The final two episodes of Leverage: Redemption's Second Season offer tie-ins to Sophie's (Gina Bellman) past. "The Museum Makeover Job" is the better of the two episodes with the team heading overseas to investigate what went wrong with a job and uncovering Sophie's old boss Ramey' (Ralph Brown) involvement. It's a family affair all around as Sophie's step-daughter Astrid Astrid (Alexandra Park) is the agent on the ground looking into the recent break-in. The follow-up episode deals with the crew being framed for a different heist inside the museum and working to solve the mystery and clear their names before being caught.

Space Ghost #5

Space Ghost #5 wraps op the Zorak arc with Space Ghost surrendering to the villain who has captured his two young partners, who has captured his two young partners, and being forced to overload the collider as he commands. It turns out the crazed bug's mad prophecy was true. Thankfully, Space Ghost overloading the collider doesn't destroy the universe, but it does rip a hole to another reality revealing Zorak's god to be quite real and give him a door to send through his minions.

The Perfect Couple - Happy Wedding Eve

Presented as a TV-mini-series about a murder investigation, the opening episode is really only murder-adjacent. Instead, the majority of "Happy Wedding Eve" focuses on introducing us to a bunch of insufferable rich assholes and the woman who is marrying into their family (who isn't even sure she wants to). After an hour with these people I'm less surprised a murder occurred than the fact it was apparently only one. Presented in flashbacks to the day of the rehearsal dinner, we get the framework of a police investigation but since the victim isn't confirmed until the final minute of the episode as too much time is spent spinning its wheels.

Yakuza Girl

Writer/director Louis DeStefano's Yakuza Girl is largely unwatchable. Cheap, poorly made, featuring a collection of stilted acting which would make pornstars blush and a plot that never goes anywhere, it's an impressive feat to fail so completely and on so many levels simultaneously. Shot with apparently little to no set up in a variety of locations ranging from somebody's house to a parking lot, the rambling story follows an undercover detective (Masashi Ishizuka) from Japan to Los Angeles after taking down a member of the Yakuza. 

Only Murders in the Building - The Stunt Man

The investigation into Sazz's (Jane Lynch) murder leads Charles (Steve Martin), Oliver (Martin Short), and Mabel (Selena Gomez) to a stunt man bar which Sazz visited before her death. While it doesn't offer new clues to his friends murder, spending some time with the stunt people does bring Charles a sense of peace and help him find an old memory concerning his friend's retirement dream which leads to an entirely different kind of confrontation at the end of the episode.

Red Sonja: Death and the Devil #1

Attempting to make amends for her action of killing the Sultan of Turan which plunged his kingdom into chaos to be fought over by warlords and the Cult of Set, Red Sonja attempts to find the missing young prince and restore some order to the region. This is easier said then done as the cult has already got their fangs into the young boy with plans of their own for both the princeling and the kingdom of Turan.

A Discovery of Witches - Episode 3

Witches, apparently, are quite stupid. Despite saying the don't want Diana Bishop (Teresa Palmer) spending time with Matthew Clairmont (Matthew Goode), the continue to make bad decision after bad decision with regards to Diana only further pushing her into trusting the vampire. The witches attempts to scare, threaten, and bully Diana into giving them the book backfire spectacularly, that and the fact that her fascination with Matthew has turned romantic makes an easy choice for the witch when she literally has no one else she can trust.

SHAZAM! #15

Billy's internal battle versus the Captain comes to an end, and it's a good thing because the world being invaded by monsters needs all the heroes it can get. The finale of the arc reveals that the Captain is just an older and wiser, but not necessarily more intelligent, version of Billy Batson. Realizing he's been fighting himself, and not some entity created by the gods, Billy speaks the magic word and gets back to work and helps push the invading monsters back to the underworld.

Terminator Zero - Model 103

In the closed catacombs the Terminator finally catches up with the kids. Luckily for them,  Eiko (Sonoya Mizuno) arrives soon after to buy them time to escape. Those segments in the closed down underground shop are pretty boilerplate Terminator while the thread of Malcolm Lee (André Holland) continuing to discuss humanity to his AI which he hopes will save humanity, but in Eiko's timeline fails to do so, continues to feel like filler as nothing can advance in that subplot without either Ekio reaching Malcolm or Malcolm turning his AI loose.

Uglies

Based on the young adult novel of the same name, Uglies offers a dystopian world where children are raised in orphanages before coming of age where they are offered advanced plastic surgery in order to fit in and join the lavish city ending their life as "uglies" and beginning their lives as "pretties." Wearing its themes on its sleeves,  Tilly's (Joey King) conception of the world is challenged by both her best friend (Chase Stokes) changing more than just his outward appearance after leaving the city and also by a new friend (Brianne Tju) choosing to abandon civilization rather than go through the procedure.

The Umbrella Academy - Six Years, Five Months, and Two Days

While offering some interesting aspects, "Six Years, Five Months, and Two Days" turns out to be an odd choice for the penultimate episode of the series. Had there been more room to play with the looming finale spending a full episode on Five (Aidan Gallagher) and Lila (Ritu Arya) getting lost in subway to alternate realities or having Luther (Tom Hopper) and Diego (David Castañeda) waste their time with the CIA would certainly be worth exploring. However, that means everything else is put on hold leaving only a single episode to deal with Ben (Justin H. Min) and Jennifer's (Victoria Sawal) badly-rendered CGI merging, the explanation for motives and events, and the final mission of the Umbrella Academy.

The History of Brisco County, Jr.

Uncanny X-Men #2

Bouncing around a bit more than is probably necessary, Uncanny X-Men #2 offers the core characters of this title reacting quite poorly to the mutants who responded to the call for help they left. We get the obligatory fight between Rogue, Gambit, and Wolverine versus Calico, Ember, Jitter, Ransom, and Deathdream before calmer heads eventually prevail with Rogue stating the obvious about who she and her friends are and will forever be. 

The Old Man - VIII

The Old Man returns for its Second Season with Dan Chase (Jeff Bridges) and Harold Harper (John Lithgow) attempting to work together. Having successfully infiltrated Afghanistan, things quickly go wrong leaving them with few allies to find and save Emily (Alia Shawkat). The episode stays with the old couple pairing of the two, and sharing thoughts on Emily and the steps Dan went to to hide the truth from her, with the action coming from dangers they run into including a friendly face who turns out to be anything but and nearly ends the pair's adventure before it gets started. Good stuff here, although Emily's own thread isn't picked up on just yet and I do miss Amy Brenneman.

Star Wars #50

This volume of Star Wars comes to a close not with the adventure relating to saving Han Solo from Jabba the Hutt (which was teased at the end of Star Wars #49) but instead a story told by master to apprentice. Framed during Luke Skywalker's teaching of Ben Solo, the Jedi Master (potentially already aware of the darkness within him) tells him a story of the Rebellion coming across a weapon prior to the events of Return of the Jedi which could have killed the Emperor (and also anyone connected to him over the course of time).

LEGO Star Wars: Rebuild the Galaxy - Part One

Shaking up LEGO Star Wars and mixing and matching to create something new, the first episode of the four-part mini-series LEGO: Star Wars: Rebuilds the Galaxy introduces us to brothers Sig (Gaten Matarazzo) and Dev (Tony Revolori) whose discovery of a Jedi Temple on Fennesa leads the outgoing brother to needle Sig into removing a block from the temple, shattering it (and all of reality). Although neither Sig nor Dev offer much in the way of interesting characters, they do the job into getting the ball rolling. Once Sig emerges from the ruins of the temple, everything has changed.

The Killer's Game

After starting a new relationship with a dancer (Sofia Boutella), a contract killer is diagnosed with a rapidly-deteriorating illness. Unwilling to go out that way, and unable to do the deed himself or convince a friend (Ben Kingsley) to help, Joe Flood (Dave Bautista) goes to an enemy (Pom Klementieff) and pays for his own murder. The twist comes when the doctor tells Joe there has been a mix-up and that he's actually not dying giving the killer a reason to live but no way to call off the hit.

Vengeance of the Moon Knight #9

Wrapping up the Vengeance of the Moon Knight run, Vengeance of the Moon Knight #9 gives us Marc Spector fulfilling the debt he made to save Reese. Khonshu comes for payment, and the payment the god wants is the life of the man who dared impersonate one of his hands: the false Moon Knight Maximillian Coleridge must die.

Batman: Caped Crusader - Nocturne

The choices on what Bat-villains to include in the First Season of Batman: The Caped Crusader are interesting. Not loading up on A-villains, other than Catwoman (Christina Ricci) and Penguin (Minnie Driver), who have yet to step into the light for the first time, the show mainly played with stories of gangsters, corrupt cops, and when dipping its toe into the super-villain pool making some intriguing choices from B-list or even D-list of Batman's long list of enemies. None of these are more unexpected then in "Nocturne" where the show reimagines the long-running character of Nocturna as a kid whose powers were greater than her control.

Chapel

Opening with a murder during a marriage ceremony that didn't even happen, Chapel is a failed attempt at a psychological thriller. After waking up from a five-month coma with no memory of who he is, "Cohen" (Jeremy Sumpter) begins a relationship with his nurse Sofia (Pardis Saremi) building a new life together (apparently built entirely on sex) but is haunted by flashes from his previous life while fighting his psychiatrist's (Melinda Yeaman) attempts to help him remember.

Anime Expo 2024 Cosplay Highlights

Heidi Mae - X Horror Trilogy

Inspired by Maxxxine, Heidi Mae offers this parody of Billie Elish's "Lunch."

Only Murders in the Building - Gates of Heaven / Two for the Road

The second and third episodes of the new season deal with Charles (Steve Martin) coming to terms with the murder of Sazz (Jane Lynch, who appears as a ghost only Charles can see working through his grief), and the trio beginning an investigation into her murder starting with the residents across the courtyard in the less-prestigious West tower of the Arconia. The suspects include the eyepatched Vince (Richard Kind), the Christmas-obsessed Rudy (Kumail Nanjiani), and the family of Alfonso (Desmin Borges), Inez (Daphne Rubin-Vega), and Ana (Lilian Rebelo).

Hit-Monkey - The Estate

While sadly not furthering the Akiko (Olivia Munn) storyline, "The Estate" involves the Collective dealing with the last living member of the Aldermen and retrieving the final artifact which has an effect on animals temporarily pushing Monkey against his new killer friends. After a purposefully off-putting setup, there's plenty of action with the most notable piece of the episode being Haruka's (Ally Maki) observation about one of the members of the Collective leading to some troubling conclusions which will lead to friend vs. friend in the next episode.

Scarlett #4

Having survived her suicide mission, Scarlett finds a minute to catch up with Jinx while Storm Shadow and the Arashikage continue to search for the weapon. The comic plays out both sides simultaneously showing Storm Shadow slicing his way through those between the ninja and his prize while continuing to allow the women to talk. Happy to be together again, Scarlett is saddened to learn Jinx has no plans to leave the ninja as she believes she is where she needs to be with what is coming.

Terminator Zero - Model 102

While suggesting creating an unsympathetic artificial intelligence to stop the rise of a separate unsympathetic artificial intelligence may have not been the smartest move to save the human race, "Model 102" gets Eiko (Sonoya Mizuno) back to 1997 to track down Malcolm Lee (André Holland) and prevent him from helping create the hellscape of her reality in 2022. The twist in the early part of the series is the scientist's big dreams of stopping Skynet with his own AI apparently only help bring about the disastrous future of the Terminators.

The Batman & Scooby-Doo Mysteries #9

There may not be a mystery to solve in The Batman & Scooby-Doo Mysteries #9 but there's still plenty of fun to be had when Mystery, Inc. find themselves at a heroes gala without any other heroes. It seems all the heroes in town are busy putting an appearance in at Gotham City Comic-Con (the meta of which the comic doesn't attempt to explain) leaving the charity gala ripe for the picking by not one but two different villains.

A Discovery of Witches - Episode 2

The second episode of A Discovery of Witches features Matthew Clairmont (Matthew Goode) attempting to steer clear of Diana Bishop (Teresa Palmer), attempting to get his desires under control, while Diana discovers the stir she's created given her access to the missing manuscript. The realization of what the witches want it for, the methods they use to attempt to frighten her into getting it for them, and a personal betrayal, all leave Diana at her wits end with no one left to turn to other than the vampire. 

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Black, White & Green #4

The anthology series in black, white, and green returns for another issue with four separate stories taking place in different times and versions of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles' history. My favorite of the bunch is the humorous "Shredder Gets Caught on Things" which features Michelangelo highlighting Shredder getting caught on things over the years in comics, movies, and TV (often with deadly results). Every one of the flashbacks shown in various styles of the original it references.

Shaun of the Dead

Returning to theaters 20 years after its initial release, Edgar Wright's horror comedy Shaun of the Dead still entertains. Written by Wright and star Simon Pegg, the film gloriously celebrates and mocks both zombie films and romcoms alike in this tale of a zombie apocalypse descending on London while many people are too busy to notice until it's too late. Who best to survive? Bet you didn't have your money on a group led by two of the laziest men in Crouch End. I'll also note that viewing this in a post-COVID world also adds a different flavor to the film (as does viewing any zombie film highlighting humanity's stupidity).

Batman: Caped Crusader - Moving Target

An attempt on Jim Gordon's (Eric Morgan Stuart) life sends Batman (Hamish Linklater) to prison in an attempt to get the hit called off and with a warning for Barbara (Krystal Joy Brown) and to visit the prison in an attempt to get Muller (Peter Jessop) to call of the hit leading to an unexpected discovery: Jim isn't the target. While the action is good, and the twist works well enough with Barbara revealed to be the target even one of the police detectives is willing to kill for, "Moving Target" is the most forgettable episode of the season. The point of the episode, so to speak, is to provide Barbara a new perspective as to what someone deserves. 

Beetlejuice Beetlejuice

After languishing in development hell for three decades, a sequel to 1988's Beetlejuice finally makes it to theaters (sadly without any references to the previous failed sequel plans such as Beetlejuice Goes Hawaiian). Bringing back some of the original cast (with notable exceptions of Alec Baldwin and Geena Davis) while mixing in a few new faces such as Jenna Ortega, Willem Dafoe, Monica Bellucci, and Justin Theroux, Beetlejuice Beetlejuice captures the same zany energy of the first film if not quite the same magic. Lacking the boldness of Beetlejuice, the sequel feels very much the compromise of a movie just happy to have finally gotten made.

Nights #10

After dealing with the drama and searching for meaning and truth in the lives of the other characters, Gray and Vince are happy together and Ivory has started something good with Molly. That leaves things open for the odd man, er Ghost, out. On his birthday, Ivory takes his friend camping to search for the beast who killed him. The set up allows the comic to explore both the idea of ghosts and Matt himself (allowing us to see him before his death).

The Umbrella Academy - The Cleanse

"The Cleanse" is most notable for revealing how the Ben died during the flashback of the opening scene showing the last mission he went on as a member of the Umbrella Academy. Hargreeves (Colm Feore) explains the action of his other self and also why this version was working so hard to keep the team away from the adult Jennifer (Victoria Sawal) whose proximity to a member of the team, or anyone exposed to the marigold which gives them their powers could lead to the end of the world (foreshadowing the end of the series).

The Powerpuff Girls #2

Although he didn't make it into the new comic's first issue, Powerpuff Girls #2 delivers Mojo Jojo who sets out with a fun little plan which, like most of his plans, doesn't go as expected.

Chasm: Curse of Kaine #1

The only thing I've ever wanted out of Ben Reilly is for him to be the Scarlet Spider. I don't have much in the way of interest of him being Spider-Man or being a Spidey villain (which sadly are the only two options that Marvel seems interested in). Currently calling himself Chasm, Reilly is back in villain mode calling himself Chasm with his crazy girlfriend Hallow's Eve robbing New York tourists for fun. He's also had his past wiped from his mind, unaware of who he used to be or what he could become.

Retro 50s Street Fighter

Created by AI, here's a look what a retro 1950's Super Panavision 70 Street Fighter could have looked like.

Leverage: Redemption - The Belly of the Beast Job

In one of the more interesting setups of the relaunched series, "The Belly of the Beast Job" features our team taking on a sexual predator of a music producer (Jeffrey Vincent Parise) but keeps them mostly in the background allowing the guest-stars to take over center stage when the naive Jenna (Emily Hall) gets hired for the new assistant position that their plans relied on. Working their way around less access than they planned, Leverage gives Jenna the proper nudges at the right time to lead her to uncover the truth about her boss and expose him, and his crooked business partner (Gail Rastorfer), to the world.

Immaculate

Sydney Sweeney stars as a novice recruited to be a nun at at a remote convent in the Italian countryside where older nuns are taken care of in their final days. From the pre-credit sequence, involving a nun frantically attempting to flee the order only to be tracked down and buried alive, it's obvious to the audience there's something dark happening in the convent long before Sister Cecilia (Sweeney) arrives. Not long after arriving, Cecilia discovers she is pregnant, leading the nuns treat her as a new Virgin Mary... well, except for the one (Giulia Heathfield Di Renzi) who attempts to drown Cecilia out of jealousy.