Category Archives: Review

Pop Culture, Review, TV Shows

Game of Thrones: Season Finale Review

Leave a comment

SPOILER ALERTS! BE WARNED!

Oh, and profanity, a lot of that ahead too.

Like every other person on the planet with a TV and pirated access to HBOGO, I just watched Game of Thrones’ Season 5 season finale.

Here’s what I got to say, in a nutshell:

Arya Stark is a Champ

Arya Stark is a mother fucking champ. Did you see how she took that beating with the stick without a wince? And then she pounces up and stabs that douche bag right in the face? That was one of those Bob Barker coming back from the dead and beating up Happy Gilmore type moments. Just when you aren’t sure what’s about to happen, she springs to life and pounces on you like a tiger!

Arya was my # 1 favorite character of the episode.

The price is wrong, bitch!

Cersei Lannister deserved what happened to her

If Cersei hasn’t been a total bitch the entire series this episode might have been hard to watch, but it wasn’t. She got what she deserved. She probably deserved worse, actually.

Can we please get an encore?

Myrcella Baratheon did not

Man, Ellaria Sand is such a bitch. Like really. Yeah, Oberyn dying was a low point for me in the series. But he wasn’t murdered or anything. He sorta signed himself up for a death match against a guy called The Mountain, and got his head crushed in fair and square.

So her revenge is… take it out on a girl who knows jack about jack?

Given, Myrcella wasn’t anyone’s favorite character but killing her was unnecessary, stupid and is probably going to start a war now.

Ellaria Sand

Would someone kill this bitch already?

Bitchy McBitcherson

Tyene Sand and Bronn

Tyene Sand is legit. She’s crazy. But she’s legit.

Bronn is legit too. A dick, but legit.

I like the Tyene-Bronn romance we got going on. I’m hoping to see some more action between these two. If the Lannisters don’t go to war with Martells and force them to kill each other first. Which would be some Mr. and Mrs. Stuff sex violence stuff, so I guess it’s a win win either way.

Stannis Baratheon

Who didn’t see this guys fall coming? He’s an asshole that few people like, he’s a religious fanatic who chops off his best friends fingers, kills his own brother, and burns his daughter alive. If his army wasn’t slaughtered in the field, they would have eventually mutinied against him or just been all “fuck this guy…” and left in the middle of the night.

Brienne of Tarth

She finally got to exact justice for the murder of Remly Baratheon. Except, ya know, Stannis was already dying in a pool of his own blood and shit. And, well… it took her 4 goddamn seasons to find him.

But score one for Brienne! Now her true moment of redemption will be if/when she ever saves Sansa Stark.

Brienne was my # 3 favorite character of the episode.

Christian Grey

Err… I mean Ramsay Bolton. When is someone gonna kill this fucking guy already? Granted I don’t think he’s as bad as Geoffrey (yet) but still, we got no closure on this character in the last episode. Hopefully Brienne of Tarth gets to him before he gets to Sansa.

Sansa Stark

She was never my fave, but she earned pity points after that scene a couple episodes back. The girl’s strong, I’ll give her that. And she’s no longer an idiot like she was in the first four seasons, so it’s been less annoying to watch her this season.

Oh, and a lot of people were probably wondering how she planned on surviving a jump off a six story castle wall… It’s been snowing like crazy in Winterfell. There’s probably 7-8 feet of fresh powder at the bottom of the wall. Her and Reek/Theon will be just fine. Cold as hell, but fine.

Theon  Greyjoy

He had a moment of redemption saving Sansa and throwing that jelly hoe off the balcony to her much needed death.

Is it weird that Theon is my # 2 favorite character of this episode?

Well he is. Suck it.

The Daenerys Entourage

I’ll be stoned for this one, but Daenerys isn’t really all that interesting. Her entourage is super cool, but she’s kinda meh.

Better than HBO’s other Entourage.

She definitely inspires a lot of awe, but of alllll the characters in the show, is she really on anyone’s top 3 list of people they would want to have a beer with?

(BTW, my list for drinking buddies goes Tyrion, Bronn, and that assassin dude, Daario Naharis.)

Anywho, I’m glad Jorah Mormont is back in the picture. That dude is hardcore. It’ll be interesting to see how Tyrion adjusts to his new position in charge of Meereen. Oh, and Greyworm is up and about! WOOHOO!

Last but not least….

Jon motherfuckin’ Snow

What…. the…. fuck? Seriously? Just like that? Valar Morghulis be damned!!!!!

But I don’t think he’s actually dead. Here’s why.

That super hot, super crazy Lord of Light chick, Melisandre, has had the hots for Jon Snow since she first met him this season. She’s always eye raping him and she tried to actually rape him just a few episodes back.

We also know that the Lord of Light has brought people back from the dead in this show. Remember that one eyes dude from the Lord of Light clan who was killed by the hound? He was brought back to life… like 8 times!

Plus, we all kind of suspect that Jon has some royal blood in him. Whether it’s Baratheon, Stark, Targaryen or some combination thereof.

AND, we know that Melisandre is now at Castle Black, she arrived there shortly before Snow was betrayed.

I bet $20 Melisandre brings him back from the grave. And then I hope he goes town on all the people who betrayed him, including the kid Olly.

Pop Culture, Review, TV Shows

Who is John Snow?

Leave a comment

Everyone everywhere is eagerly awaiting the second to last episode of Game of Thrones Season 5 which airs later today.

Last week’s episode, Hardhome, was dedicated almost entirely to John Snow’s story arc, concerning his attempts to unify the Wildlings with those south of the wall. Any time John Snow comes up in discussion between Jenny and I also comes a heated debated about who John’s parents really are.

Of course the common consensus in Westeros and the story the audience is led to believe is that John Snow is the bastard son (hence the last name Snow) of Eddard Stark, and presumably some whore he met during Roberts’s rebellion.

John Snow is Not Ned’s Son

But this doesn’t quite settle with me. First off, Ned Stark is (was) probably the only honorable man in all the Seven Kingdoms. War or not I don’t see him cheating on his wife. So I’ve ruled out Ned Stark as his father entirely.

John Snow is the Son of Lyanna Stark

If John isn’t Ned’s son, then why bring the child home to Winterfell? Snow must have had some kind of significance or value to Ned to not only be brought to the North, but also raised as one of his sons, and not only that, but as an equal among them. My guess is that John is the son of his sister, Lyanna who was killed during rebellion, making John Ned’s nephew.

But Who is the Father?

Robert Baratheon?

This is where the point of debate comes up. I think John Snow is the child of Lyanna Stark and Robert Baratheon. His dark hair and curls remind me of the late, great Robert’s hair, as well as Renly Baratheon. Stannis isn’t a good indicator since he always keeps his hair short. A couple holes in this argument are that Robert and Lyanna barely knew each other, they were betrothed to one another but were not officially wed. And if John was Robert’s son, you think he’s have known or at last suspected, and raised him in Kings Landing.

Rhaegar Targaryen?

Jenny thinks John is the child of Lyanna Stark and Rhaegar Targaryen, which is admittedly a hell of a lot more interesting, and might make sense. Ned tells John in Season 1 that he knows who his mother is and will tell him one day. What reason would there be to keep a secret about John’s identity unless it could endanger him? Being a son of Lyanna Stark is no crime, but being the son of Rhargar Targaryen or any Targaryen for that matter would have resulted in John Snow having been strangled in his crib if anyone had found out. Lyanna must have given her son to Ned for protection, under the guise that it was actually his.

But that’s not the story is it? Everyone in Westeros knows that Rhaegar Targaryen violently kidnapped Lyanna, and that’s what started the rebellion. Right?

Maybe. Apparently growing up, Daenerys was told a different story, one of a secret love between Rhaegar and Lyanna. In parts of Essos, it’s told that Lyanna was not kidnapped, but that she fled with her lover, Prince Rhaegar.

This is interesting because it’s a direct analogy to the story of Helen of Troy, and goes to show how history is written by the victors. In Homer’s Illiad, Helen runs off with Prince Paris, but King Menelaus tells Agamemnon that Paris kidnapped her. Touché, George R. R. Martin.

Why It Matters

What difference does it make who the parents of a bastard child are?

It makes a difference because if either of our theories are correct, it means that John Snow is heir to the Iron Throne. Either he’s a Targaryen and technically has direct lineage to the original Mad King, or is a Baratheon should have been the rightful heir instead of Geoffrey.

Dragon’s Blood

The John Snow-Targaryen theory pushes us into one more fun direction. Last week we saw John Snow show down against the White Walkers and their army of dead. Last week we learned that Valyrian steel can kill a White Walker and stop their magic. We’ve learned in previous seasons that dragon glass can also kill a White Walker, as can fire. What’s the common denominator here? Valyrian Steel and dragon glass are both created by dragons.

It’s said that some Targaryens have dragon’s blood in them, and this bestows upon them magical powers. Daenerys already proved this, and just like dragons, she cannot be harmed by fire.

If John Snow is in fact a Targaryen, what if he also has this dragon blood trait? And if he does, perhaps he is somehow less vulnerable to damage and magic from White Walkers.

This would be very fortuitous for him since the White Walkers have started their march south and all of Westeros will soon be at war. The only thing stopping their march on the wall is winter, but as the North always reminds us: Winter is Coming.

Pop Culture, Review, TV Shows

Summer 2015 TV Shows I’m Looking Forward To

Leave a comment

It has been a turbulent past 7 years in the realm of TV. We saw the rise (and fall) of some very notable and much applauded series. Sons of Anarchy, Breaking Bad, Justified, Dexter, Trueblood, How I Met Your Mother, Boardwalk Empire and other door buster shows started, soared to stardom, and ended though on very good notes.

With so many of the biggest names on TV now relegated to the dusty binge watching archives of Netflix and Hulu, one has to wonder, what is there to look forward to on TV these days?

Game of Thrones continues to get better and better with each season, and each episode. But with just two episodes left, audiences are about to have their favorite dish knocked rudely off the table. After that, it will take almost 10 months to cook up another serving of GOT. Likewise Gotham, Arrow, Flash and Supernatural are over. We’re doomed. Or are we?

I have not given up hope. It’s going to take TV providers some time to gain traction with new series and only time will tell what the next fan favorites are going to be, but here is what I am personally looking forward to in 2015.

Orange is the New Black (Netflix)

This show is truly like no other show on television. First of all it’s a Netflix series which means all the episodes are released at once for immediate binge watching pleasure. Another peculiarity is that the cast is almost entirely female, giving the show a much needed unique perspective and attitude.

Orange is already coming into its junior year and I am looking forward to a third serving of Taylor Schilling at the tenacious Piper Chapman as she scrambles to learn the ropes in the US Penitentiary System.

See Also: How ‘Orange Is the New Black’ Revolutionized TV

The show features such a wide range of characters that there is something for everyone. The show also stars Laura Prepon (That 70’s Show) as the femme fatale Alex Vause, Uzo Aduba as Crazy Eyes (no explanation needed), Natasha Lyonne (American Pie) as the scrapper Nicole Nichols, Kate Mulgrew as prison yard honcho Red Reznikov, and the gorgeous Samira Wiley as Poussey Washington.

The 3rd season will be released by Netflix on June 12, 2015, and this season while be one episode longer than the previous two.

Ballers (HBO)

Every episode of GOT this season on HBOGO featured a trailer for this new show Ballers coming to HBO.

It’s safe to assume I will give anything a shot if it has Dwayne Johnson (The Rock) in it. The guys is just cool as hell. I would love to see how The Rock performs when he is taken off the big screen and into the living room.

I don’t know much about the show, but from the trailers I have seen I imagine the show is about a former professional football player who is looking for new ways to grow his fortune. His ambition sends him on a wild journey of wealth, debauchery and crime which I am thoroughly looking forward to watching.

After all, who doesn’t want a piece of the American Dream? Grab a slice when Ballers premiers on June 21, 2015.

Tyrant (FX)

I think FX is the single best network on television these days when it comes to original series. Archer, Justified, Sons of Anarchy, Wilfred, in my book FX can do no wrong.

Following on the heels of these shows is Tyrant. Entering its second season, the show focuses on Barry Al-Fayeed (played by Adam Rayner), an expatriate, and son of a Middle Eastern tyrant of the country Abbudin, a fictional country mashup of Saudi Arabia and Iran. Barry returns home to help steer his family, the country they rule, towards democracy.

The show wasn’t particularly well received by critics, but I enjoyed it plenty. FX did grace it with a second season and I am looking for to seeing where the writers take the show in light of all the strife happening in the region currently.

The second season premiers on June 16, 2015.

The Strain (FX)

Another FX show being granted a second season is The Strain, a fantasy-sci-fi horror series created by Guillermo del Toro and Chuck Hogan. Del Toro’s brushstrokes are all over the canvas of this show about a virus caused by vampires in a centuries old plot to dominate humanity. A rogue group of CDC doctors team up with a holocaust survivor, a gangbanger, and a pest exterminator to vanquish the vampire threat while the government fails to act.

The show is creepy, suspension, and has a fair amount of action. Most interesting is how the show blends the folklore with science and with history. The combination of Nazi occultism, ancient mythology and modern science makes for a fun cocktail.

The series frontrunners are Corey Stoll as CDC head Dr. Ephraim Goodweather, David Bradley as Abraham Setrakian, a Jewish Holocaust survivor turned New York pawn-shop owner, Mía Maestro, Kevin Durand, Richard Sammel, Sean Astin, and Miguel Gomez.

The second season premiers on July 12, 2015.

The Brink (HBO)

With Trueblood gone and Game of Thrones approaching its offseason, HBO needed more than just one show to fill the summer void. In addition to Ballers, I am looking forward to another HBO franchise, The Brink, starring Jack Black and Tim Robbins.

Again, I am not fully versed on this show but it looks like Black plays a diplomat of sorts stuck in the armpit that is the Middle East in this comedic-action-packed-political steaming mess of a show.

Jack Black has been acting a long time and despite his popularity and name recognition, he’s always been somewhat of a B movie actor. Note, I didn’t say B actor, but rather an actor who is in B movies.

I am also looking forward to taking a peek at this show which also premiers on June 21, 2015.

Movies, Review

Spy: Movie Review

Leave a comment

Yesterday evening I was able to catch an early showing of the new 20th Century Fox comedy, Spy, starring Melissa McCarthy, Jude Law, Rose Byrne, and Jason Statham.

I live in San Diego greater, so it was a little bit of a hike up to Edwards Mira Mesa Stadium 18, but well worth the drive.

The movie sucker punched me, so I’m going to do the same thing to you. Go see Spy. Not kidding, if you love to laugh, go see this movie. If you haven’t been to the movies in a while, go see this movie. If you have a stick wedged firmly up your rear and need some good humor to dislodge it, go see this movie.

What I love about Spy the most is that it doesn’t take itself too seriously. From watching the trailers you get the idea this is a B comedy movie with a star studded cast. This movie is the hot girl who doesn’t know she’s hot – the Laney Boggs from She’s All That. It’s actually an A movie wrapped in a B movie advertising campaign. Underneath the veneer, this is an awesome movie that is jam packed with humor and action while still maintaining a decent enough of a plot to watch without blushing.

Spy is a parody of the spy genre in all regards, but it does it with gusto so it doesn’t seem cheesy. Likewise all the characters are parodies of themselves, or at least parodies of the roles the actors normally play, which makes it hilarious.

Most entertaining of the movie is Melissa McCarthy who plays CIA analyst Susan Cooper along with a dozen other secret aliases. When the undercover identity of all the CIA’s top operatives is exposed, Susan Cooper – an inexperienced and unlikely option – is sent in to retrieve critical information. Susan Cooper surprisingly ends up being more than a match for the task, and Melissa McCarthy is more than a match for the role, and plays it excellently.

Jude Law plays James Bond, on crack. His character Bradley Fine is a well-spoken, well-dressed, highly dangerous flirtatious Englishman. Jude Law could have used his star power to get away with mediocre acting and to gloss over the finer points, but he didn’t. Law seemed to have a lot of fun playing the role and spared no expense on screen making the character likeable and digestible. It was also cool to see him not taking himself too seriously in the role.

Jason Statham plays Jason Statham, on meth. Imagine throwing all of Jason Statham’ previous roles into a blender, and mixing in some meth and 12 cans of Red Bull. That was Jason Statham’s role as Rick Ford, the ultra-macho tough guy anvil jawed Brit who will wrestle a grizzly bear while jumping out of an air plane and then land in the ocean and strangle a great white. But he’s also an idiot. Unlike the others, Rick Ford does take himself too seriously, and it’s hilarious.

Second only to the lead star, is Rose Byrne. Having just watch Byrne in Neighbors with Seth Rogen, it was a complete 180 seeing her again as sexy super villain Rayna Boyanov. The casting director must have told her the role was to play the biggest bitch imaginable, and she hit the nail on the head. I imagine her character as a sort of Elektra King (The World Is Not Enough) dressed as Melissa McCarthy put it, a slutty dolphin trainer. Most impressive was how she spit out her one liners without busting up on camera or even so much as cracking a grin out of the corner of her mouth. The bloopers to this movie will be just as entertaining as the movie.

There was also a fun B line, including the dorky best friend from the CIA, an HR nightmare Italian Spy Perv, the unflappable and snarky CIA director, and of course, 50 Cent.

The commercials make this movie look like it is PG13. It’s not. It’s rated R and between the language, violence, and overt sexual content you should definitely leave the kids at home.

You came for a comedy and you got one, and the cook was nice and gave you a side dish of Grade A action to go along with it. Not only would I see Spy again, I will watch Spy 2 if they ever make it.

Pop Culture, Review, TV Shows

Sen. Claire McCaskill Ditches Game of Thrones After Sansa Scene

Leave a comment

Possible Spoiler Alert: Last night May 24, 2015 was the most recent episode of Game of Thrones. But the Sunday prior was an episode that shook GOT audiences everywhere. To put it concisely, Sansa Stark, a series original character was brutally raped.

Relative to TV at large, the scene itself wasn’t that graphic compared to other movies/series I’ve seen. The rape was entirely off camera. I think Sons of Anarchy had a much more explicit rape scene in Season 2 Episode 1 when Gemma Teller was raped by a white supremacist gang.

Either way, the point is that it was a scene that left a horrible feeling in your stomach, especially watching it happen to such an innocent, young character like Sansa Stark.

Some fans of the show were apparently really upset, and one such fan, a senator who admittedly I never heard of before has stopped watching because of the scene. See her recent tweet.

I’m not saying the scene wasn’t horrible, but I am a little surprised that this was the “last straw” that ended her viewership in light of everything else that has happened. I mean, we’ve seen people murdered, skinned alive, burned alive, eaten alive, castrated, tortured (A LOT), had their hands cut off, beheaded, and thrown off cliffs. We’ve seen animal cruelty. We’ve seen women get their throats sliced open and children being murdered and hung in town squares. We’ve seen heads on spikes. Men crush each others skulls in with their bare hands (long live Prince Oberyn!) We’ve seen pregnant women get stabbed dozens of times in the belly. We’ve seen incest, and cruelty. Heck, this wasn’t even the first (or second) time we’ve seen rape in the series.

I guess I’m just a little confused as to why of allllllll the horrible things that have happened on and off camera, this scene was the Richter 8.0 event for some viewers, and sent some away from the series entirely.

Movies, Pop Culture, Review, TV Shows

What’s Next for Marvel MCU

1 Comment

When I speak of Marvel in this blog, I am speaking exclusively about the Marvel Cinematic Universe, which encompasses the movie/film franchises owned by Disney.

Just Happened

Just this month, Marvel released their Netflix original series Daredevil which focuses on Matt Murdock, the lawyer turned vigilante who fights crime in Hell’s Kitchen, New York. Just several days old and the series already has a 97% on Rotten Tomatoes (certified fresh) from critics, and a 98% from audiences. After binge watching the entire series myself, I give the show a 9 / 10, and you can read my review here.

About to Happen

But an entire series being released in one day isn’t enough, not for Marvel and Disney who have quite the roller coaster planned for fans over the next several months, and years.

Next month, one of the most anticipated movies of the year comes out, Marvel’s Avengers: Age of Ultron. Audiences have waiting three years for the big four to team up again on the silver screen, and Marvel is repaying that anticipation with interest. The next Marvel cinematic installment will have Captain America, Iron Man, Hulk, Thor, Nick Fury, Black Widow, Hawkeye, and Maria Hill from the previous Avengers, and they’ll be adding to the roster Quicksilver, Scarlett Witch, Vision, War Machine, Falcon, and let’s not forget Ultron. And these are just the ones we know about. Who knows what tricks Marvel has up its’ sleeve.

And Then…

Then just a few weeks later Marvel is broadening the MCU with the theatrical release of Ant Man starring Paul Rudd and Michael Douglas. While the name is not very inspiring, and most non comic book fans won’t know who this is, Ant Man is a very important keg in the Marvel machine. In the comics, the original Ant Man, Hank Pym, is responsible for creating the maniacal villain Ultron.

The commonly accepted narrative right now is that the story is being rewritten so that Tony Stark is credited for screwing over the world. However with Ant Man the movie following so closely on the heels of Age of Ultron, I suspect there might be more to the story than we’ve been told. My guess is that the central Ant Man characters will be revealed in Age of Ultron and somehow tied into his origins – meaning Marvel isn’t simply broadening their universe, they are entangling it.

Let’s Not Forget About TV

Enough with the silver screen, let’s get back to TV land for a second. If you’ve learned anything about Marvel over the past decade, it’s that they don’t flash and fizzle. Daredevil is the first Netflix series they’ve made, but it is by no means the only one. In fact, a quick look at IMDB would reveal that Charlie Cox will be reprising his role as the Devil of Hell’s Kitchen again in another Netflix series The Defenders – Netflix’s shot at their own Superhero team up.

By 2016, Netflix and Marvel intend to release four series in total – I am sure with more on the way. The first three shows are Daredevil, Luke Cage, and A.K.A. Jessica Jones. The title characters of those shows will then join up and form The Defenders – Marvel’s television comeback to the Avengers – a group of heroes starring in a fourth Netflix show of the same name. This is huge news, because in the next year, the number of Marvel/Disney franchises will mushroom 50% from the current tally of eight, up to 12.

Risk Taking

Marvel is doubling down on a recipe that has already worked for them when they tied together four franchises for 2012’s Avengers. Will it work out for them on TV like it did in theaters? Time will tell.

But all of this is working towards something even bigger. As we all know, Captain America: Civil War is just around the corner which will focus on the fictional Superhero Registration Act from the comics several years ago. With only about a year to go, can audiences expect all the familiar faces both old and new to take sides in the divisive and controversial tug-of-war between Captain America/Steve Rogers and Iron Man/Tony Stark?

Audiences will get tired of the same old routine of splitting apart and bringing back together the four Avengers every couple years to fight the Bad Guy of the Week. My guess is Marvel is well aware of this, which means that in order to keep the party going they’re going to need to up the stakes. Expect to see an ever increasing number of heroes flying around and blasting their way through Earth and the cosmos.

Spider-Man

And to top it all off, Marvel and Sony have reached a nail biting agreement, which will allow Marvel to feature Spider-Man in their movies. Fans are happier than ever that Disney magic can breathe some fresh life into the Spidey saga that thus far has inspired no awe even after two relaunches in the past decade. The big question on nerds’ minds now, is will there be enough time to write Spiderman into the Civil War moving coming out in 2016? In the comics Peter Parker played a huge role in the events of the Civil War story arc, so fingers crossed Kevin Feige can work the web slinger in artistically.

Distant Future

Here is a timeline of recent events and events to come in the Marvel Cinematic Universe:

  • 2010-April-10: [Netflix Series]Daredevil series airs on Netflix
  • 2015-May-01: Avengers: Age of Ultron
  • 2015-July-17: Ant-Man
  • 2015-Sep-Late: [TV Series] Agents of Shield: Season 3
  • 2015 Unknown: [Netflix Series] A.K.A. Jessica Jones
  • 2015 Unknown: [Netflix Series] Iron Fist
  • 2016-May-06: Captain America: Civil War
  • 2016-Nov-04: Doctor Strange
  • 2016 Unknown: [Netflix Series] Luke Cage
  • 2016 Unknown: [Netflix Series] Defenders
  • 2017-May-05: Guardians of the Galaxy 2
  • 2017-July-28: Thor Ragnarok
  • 2017-Nov-3: Black Panther
  • 2018-May-4: Avengers: Infiniti War Part I
  • 2018-July-6: Captain Marvel
  • 2018-Nov-2: Inhumans
  • 2019-May-3: Avengers: Infiniti War Part II

And with Marvel brass saying they have plans out to 2028, we can expect years – no – decades of more fun.

Who are your Favorite Marvel MCU Characters?

Review, TV Shows

Daredevil: Series Review

1 Comment

My apologies in advance as this is one of my longer blogs.

On Friday April 10th, the long awaited Marvel series, Daredevil, was exclusively released on Netflix. As with other Netflix original series such as Orange is the New Black, the online cinema mogul released all episodes of the first season simultaneously meaning viewers could binge watch all 13 episodes in one go. By Saturday April 11, 2015, I had finished the entire first season. And I already wish there was a second season to finish binge watching by April 12.

For those not in the know, the Daredevil series is a part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), meaning that it exists in the same fictional story universe as the Captain America, Iron Man, Incredible Hulk, Thor, and Avengers franchises, and the network television shows Agents of Shield and Agent Carter.

Daredevil Dares to be Different

Despite being in the same fictional universe, Daredevil varies wildly both in tone and approach from the other Marvel franchises – most of all its’ TV siblings. Whereas Agents of Shield is very campy and at times even childish, Daredevil strikes a much more serious tone. Netflix original series don’t have FCC ratings, but if they did Daredevil would be inches shy of an R rating. Some of the bloody beat downs Daredevil lays on his enemies approaches a level of gratuitous violence usually reserved for villains.

Daredevil series is no stranger to bloody violence.

 

Agents of Shield makes regular – if not too many – references to the other series, or characters in the MCU. Daredevil on the other hand made very, very few. People dorkier than I may have caught some that I missed, but I only counted two Easter eggs in total. There were several mentions of the ‘attack on New York’ from 2012’s Avengers. The other was a comment about “an iron suit or a magic hammer”, alluding to Iron Man and Thor, though no names are ever used directly.

Daredevil is a dark show, but it steps out of Marvel’s shadow.

Plot and Setting

True to Marvel form – with the exception of Agent Carter – Daredevil take’s place in the chronological order in which it was released. It takes place in Marvel Phase 2, after Avengers and Winter Soldier, but before Avengers: Age of Ultron.

The show focuses on Matthew Murdock, an attorney turned vigilante who fights crime on his home turf of Hell’s Kitchen, New York City. Few references are made to other Marvel characters but the jury is still out as to whether Captain America or Spiderman will ever cameo in the show, given that all three masked heroes hail from the city that never sleeps.

This isn’t just New York with it’s lights and skyscrapers. This show welcomes you to Hell’s Kitchen, an unforgiving and downtrodden part of the city where street thugs are the least of your problem. Corrupt cops, dirty politicians, and crime lords reign supreme. The city is dark, dirty, and gritty.

Hell’s Kitchen is one of the leading characters of the show.

 

The antagonist of the first season is one of Daredevil and Spidey’s arch nemesis – Wilson Fisk, aka the Kingpin played by Vincent D’Onofrio (Full Metal Jacket). Though not as physically intimidating as Michael Clarke Duncan in the 2003 feature film of the same name, D’Onofrio plays a frightening, cunning, brutal and resolute version Kingpin that keeps you on the edge of your seat, and dominates every scene he’s in. Oh, but he can still throw down and is not someone you’d want to meddle with in an alley.

Cast and Characters

The show focuses as much on Matthew Murdock (Charlie Cox) as it does on the Daredevil, which makes for some very interesting story telling and character development. What’s most interesting about the show is Murdock’s history. He has a back story that make’s Bruce Wayne’s sound almost pleasant by comparison.

As a child, Matt’s mom left him and his dad as they scraped to get by. His dad was a professional boxer – but not a very good one – and would come home bloodied and beaten on a regular basis, to which young Matt had to stich him up. Matt was later blinded in an accident which left him traumatized as he struggled with walking, reading, and adjusting to everyday life. Shortly thereafter his father was murdered after a fixed boxing match went south. Now Matt was not only an orphan, but a poor blind orphan living in the government system.

The fight that would indirectly take the life of Matt Murdock’s father.

 

There was no trust fund, no Alfred, no Wayne Manor, no multinational corporation to fall back on. Matt Murdock had nothing but his will and his wit – and pulled himself from the gutter with amazing tenacity.

As awe inspiring as his story may be, you forget just how fear inspiring Murdock can be when donning his mask. He’s no chump. He’s quiet, watchful, brooding, and very dangerous. The show does a fantastic job of making Matt look like a normal (albeit blind) guy in the day, while surrounding him with an air of mystique and dread at night.

Foggy Nelson and Karen Paige.

 

Murdock has the benefit of some strong supporting characters Karen Page played by Deborah Ann Woll (Trueblood) and best friend Foggy Nelson played by Elden Henson (Butterfly Effect). Woll and Henson offer amazing performances making their characters that much more interesting, and the story that much more believable. Thank the heavens Hollywood has taken us out of the age of the useless sidekick. Karen and Foggy are loyal friends, and although they aren’t MMA fighters, they should not be easily dismissed.

Rosario Dawson does a great job playing Claire Temple, also known as the Night Nurse in the comics. Unfortunately, she was relegated to just 2 episodes out of the entire 13 episode season. I hope to see more of her in Season 2, or in the other Marvel Netflix series coming out soon.

Claire Temple / Night Nurse patching up Daredevil after a bout in the concrete jungle.

 

Overview

There is a ton of action and violence, but it does a good job at not crossing the line into cheesy. The characters are very real, and very vulnerable both emotionally and physically. On many occasions Murdock gets himself into a situation where this time feels like it’s going to be the last time. He might crawl his way out of a tough spot, but the show makes sure that he has to claw and scratch for every inch. There is no cavalry, no backup, no lucky breaks. Nothing comes easy, which makes the show that much more suspenseful and dramatic.

No easy day for Daredevil.

 

The settings are real. The acting and character portrayal is believable. The drama is relatable. The action is grounded. The show doesn’t gloss over any detail, grand or minute. Most importantly the show is honest.

My Take

15 minutes into the pilot episode I knew this show was right up my Hell’s Kitchen alley. I thought it would be good, but I didn’t think it would be this good. If you’ve read any of my reviews, you know that when it comes to my taste, the grittier the better.

Daredevil exists in the MCU, but it could very well exist in the same world as Sons of Anarchy or Law and Order – two other shows I enjoyed. This show stands on its’ own two feet, and doesn’t need to use the rest of the Marvel universe as a crutch. Fans who haven’t seen all the other movies or shows can appreciate being able to dive into a new show without being totally lost. I will without a doubt be watching and highly anticipating season 2 of Daredevil when it comes out. If you want a Disney quality TV show without the Disney movie rating, then this show is for you. I love the action, I love the violence, and I’m not ashamed to admit it. I give this show a 9 out 10.

Culture, Review, TV Shows

CW’s Arrow is Batman

Leave a comment

I started watching the CW show Arrow during season 3, several years after it debuted in 2012. From the start I thought it looked interesting but thought it might have been a spin-off of Smallville, a show which was way too campy for my taste.

arrow ad

After having finished up Orange is the New Black, I needed another show to binge watch and stumbled on this. Despite the Abercrombie and Fitch advertisement, this show is actually pretty cool and fun to watch, and it has a fairly dark tone to it at times, which I appreciate in show about a guy who hunts down criminals at night.

Episode after episode I watched and watched. Season 1 done, Season 2, gone, I love that dang show, it’s almost like I’ve seen it before…. It’s because I have. As awesome as this show is, it’s a total knock off of Batman. Given, the Green Arrow/Oliver Queen and Batman/Bruce Wayne actually do live in the same fictional universe in the DC comics, and have shared the pages before, the writers at CW really took some liberties with the show.

Arrow isn’t so much a show about Green Arrow, as much as it is a show about Batman that they call and dressed up to be like Green Arrow. Instead of Gotham City, it takes place in Star City, and instead of Bruce Wayne, it’s about Oliver Queen. Beyond that, Arrow is the story of Batman.

The Plot

The Arrow show seems to have taken the last 30 years of Batman lore from Frank Miller to Christopher Nolan to New 52, tossed it all in a blender, baked it in the oven, and stamped a green arrow on it.

In the Nolan series, Bruce Wayne spends years away from his home town in the seedier places of the world, gets martial arts training, comes back home, assumes control of his family’s business and birthright, and driven by the death of a parent, takes on a secret identity as a crime fighter. Our hero’s first major costumed exploit is stopping a former friend and colleague turned villain from using WMD’s to destroy his city. The villain is defeated, but massive damage has already been inflicted on the city, and the hero spends the duration of his costumed career dealing with the aftermath.

That was the premise for Batman Begins.

That was also the premise for Arrow.

The City

Gotham City and Star City, completely different right? Wrong. Both are wrought with corruption and crime, and both seem to have geographically isolated neighborhood where the poor and disenfranchised live in seemingly third-world conditions. In Batman Begins, this part of Gotham is called The Narrows. In Arrow, it’s called The Glades.

train scene

Just as Wayne Enterprises is the economic heart and soul of Gotham, Queen Consolidated is for Star City, and the respective families are well known, and tantamount to local royalty.

The Drugs

Throughout the series a recurring villain has been Count Vertigo. Completely changed from his comic book character, the series adaptation couldn’t be any more of an obvious knock off of Cillian Murphy’s portrayal of Scarecrow/Jonathan Crane in the Nolan Batman series. A physically un-intimidating character who uses his advanced knowledge of the mind and bio-pharmaceuticals to create a toxin that invokes fear in those exposed to it.

In one episode, our hero is exposed to the poison just like in Batman Begins, and his helpful sidekick must come up with an antidote before the effects become permanent.

Later on, the recreational drug is weaponized, and part of a plot to terrorize the city.

Oh, and in the end, each villain gets a ‘taste of their own medicine’ and become completely incapacitated as a result.

scarecrow Unfinished Business

The Villains

Superman has Lex Luthor. Captain America has Red Skull. Every hero has their arch nemesis. The Arrow writers have ransacked the Batman archives and used a lot of his common villains. Okay – I’ll concede I’m exaggerating – they haven’t used any household Batman villains like The Joker, Penguin, Riddler, Two Face, or Bane, but they have used plenty others, such as Ra’s al Ghul, Slade Wilson/Deathstroke, Dollmaker, Lester Buchinsky/The Electrocutioner, The Royal Flush Gang, and Deadshot. These characters might be the second-stringers of Batman’s villainous lineup, but they are Bat’s nonetheless.

deathstroke

The Head of the Demon

And finally, as of season 3, the single biggest Batman rip off has been the usage of Ra’s al Ghul. Most people will remember Ra’s al Ghul from the Christopher Nolan trilogy, played by Liam Neeson.

What you might not know is that this character is very entangled in the Batman mythos. Ra’s has a love-hate relationship with Batman. On one hand, Ra’s is a villain and kills people, yada yada. But on the other hand Ra’s is also the grandfather of Bruce Wayne’s son, Damian. Say whhaaaatttt? Yeah, Ra’s’ daughter Talia knocked boots with Batman and had a little bat baby.

ras-al-ghul

Where it becomes interesting is that in spite of the fact that Batman always thwarts Ras al Ghul’s efforts to destroy Gotham or the world, Ra’s al Ghul greatly admires Batman, and insists – er, demands – that Batman marry his daughter and succeed him as the next leader of the League of Assassins.

This story was almost copied pound for pound in Arrow, Season 3, Episode 19 The Offer, in which Ra’s al Ghul spares Queen’s life, and asks him to take over the throne.

My biggest quarrel with this is that it pretty much seals the deal in terms of CW ever mixing the Arrow-Flash-Universe with Batman. With the last episode, the CW writers stopped beating around the bush, and pretty much shown down there ever being a chance of Batman being introduced to the show – which is a damn shame.

That being said, Arrow is still an incredibly fun show to watch, and I am super excited for next week’s episode where Suicide Squad and The Atom are officially revealed. If you like what Marvel is doing with their shared universe (the MCU), then you’ll get a kick out of watching Arrow and Flash on CW.

Firearms, Movies, Review

John Wick: Movie Review

3 Comments

If you’re like me, you saw the commercials for 2014’s John Wick and thought “dang that looks kind of cool” and naturally never got around to seeing it. Maybe it’s because I don’t have TV service and therefore live under a rock, but I don’t recall much advertising. It got added to my mental “to watch list” and I forgot about it until I saw it at the local Red Box the other day when I ended up renting No Good Deed.

Well the very next day Good Deed was back in the box and $1.50 later I was on my way home with John Wick in my left hand, Major’s leash in the right hand.

In the Bourne series, Matt Damon introduced the world to hurting people with seemingly harmless objects, like ballpoint pens, books, and towels, as seen here.

In the Taken series, Liam Neeson introduced us to the art of finding people, punching them in the throat 18 times, and then killing them.

Well get ready for a movie that will show you a whole new, awesome way of kicking ass as Keanu Reeves tears through New York City’s underbelly with new and innovative ways to use a pistol! I figured Shoot ‘Em Up had covered every conceivable way to use a pistol but that movie was straight up cheesy.

john-wick-pistol
John Wick with a pistol.

Keanu Reeves as John Wick is a legitimately awesome and intimidating character. Reeves is dry as ever, what else would you expect. But he’s dusted off the Matrix and was able to also portray a man who is funny, caring, angry, and grieving. Rounding out the cast are Alfie Allen, Willem Dafoe, Dean Winters (the Allstate mayhem guy), Adrianne Palicki, and for just a brief moment Ian McShane and John Leguizamo.

The movie itself had the tone of Constantine, with elements of Taken and Boondock Saints all sort of hodgepodged together, with a dash of Sin City. When it comes to my personal taste in movies, the darker and grittier, the better. If it’s not rated R, it’s not worth watching.

In a nutshell Reeves plays a retired assassin who traded in his career for a white picket fence. Shortly after his wife dies (of natural causes) he crosses paths with the guy who got his dick cut off from Game of Thrones, and he descends back into his former life of violence and confronts the local Russian mafia head on in a fight to the death. Russians make such good villains, don’t they?

john-wick-shotgun
John Wick with a the Kel-Tec KSG shotgun.

The movie had a ton of violence but it was tastefully done, and wasn’t just thrown in there to fill time. The movie also had a sense of humor. It wasn’t the laugh out loud type of comedy, but there are plenty of instances that have you chuckling to yourself muttering “that’s classic!”

There isn’t much to say of the movie in terms of story. I wouldn’t give it an A for originality, but despite the over done former-badass-becomes-badass-again storyline, they managed to squeeze water out of rocks and make a genuinely entertaining movie that doesn’t feel like all the others.

john-wick-church
John Wick with the venerable AR15, in evil matte black guise.

To be honest, at first I thought it was going to be one of those flicks that looked cool in the trailers but where the movie itself would utterly disappoint. Sort of like the entire X Men series.

Truth is I was utterly mistaken. If you like action movies or crime dramas, then you have got to see John Wick! And if you’re done thawing out from the winter you can waddle your way over to the local Red Box and get a copy. You won’t be disappointed!

I would absolutely see this movie again. I give John Wick an 8/10.

Movies, Review

Focus Movie Review

Leave a comment

On Monday evening I had the pleasure of attending a pre-screening of Focus, the new Will Smith movie entering theaters today, February 27. Thank you to Brett and Adriana for gifting us your tickets, we had a blast!

I’ve been a longtime fan of Will Smith, after all, the guy has saved the world six times by my count. But some of his recent movies have been incredibly underwhelming, to downright horrible.

Take for example the 2013 film After Earth, where Will and his son Jayden spoke with some amalgamation of random accents from around the world, botched to the point that no one in the audience actually knew what their characters said in the entire movie.

1108146 - After Earth

His cameo in Anchorman 2 was…. well…. the second Anchorman. And Winter’s Tale, wait, what movie?

Truth be told Will Smith hasn’t made a good movie since 2008’s Hancock, so I was very curious, and anxious to see Focus, a movie which has enjoyed practically no advertising campaign.

And the verdict? Not only was Focus not crappy, it wasn’t even mediocre. It wasn’t even enjoyable. It was damn good. In my opinion, Focus has officially resuscitated Will Smith’s acting career, and proved to audiences that he still has it. It? It. That it, that thing, that one of a kind je ne sais quoi that we have all grown to love about Will Smith. That charismatic, smooth talking, sharp thinking, always charming Will Smith that can steal the show without ever picking up a gun, or even cursing for that matter.

Okay Andrew, we got it. You liked the movie. Now what the heck is this movie even about?

will-smith-focus-thatgrapejuice-600x337

What? The name Focus isn’t obvious enough to you? Just kidding! The title has practically nothing to do with the movie aside from one line in the movie with no relevance. But it’s quick and catchy. “Hey, you guys wanna see the movie Focus this weekend?” See, catchy.

Don’t worry, no spoiler alerts. If I had to sum it up, Focus was a combination of Hitch, Italian Job, and Ocean’s Eleven, and naturally Smith’s character is a mashup of Hitch, and Mark Whalberg and George Clooney’s characters in those respective flicks.

Gettin' jiggy with it.
Gettin’ jiggy with it.

Smith plays Nicky, a professional con artist and thief. But don’t worry, he’s super lovable and you’d be honored to be pick pocketed by him at the Del Mar Fair. Focus is one of those root-for-the-criminal movies, but don’t worry, there’s an actual villain so it’s excusable.

Fellow actors and actresses Margot Robbie, Rodrigo Santoro, and BD Wong have short lived but memorable roles in the movie. Unlike most movies, Focus doesn’t really focus on anything. From the onset there is no big goal, no overarching story, no antagonist that continuously drives the story forward. But in spite of all that, the movie does move forward, and quickly at that.

What movie is complete without cleavage?
What movie is complete without cleavage?

The movie begins when Smith and Robbie’s characters have a (not so) chance encounter at a bar. One thing leads to another, and someone has a gun in their face. But the mood quickly deescalates and you hit the ground running with equal doses of comedy, emotion, and drama. You’ll even be biting your nails during some scenes.

Whether you are looking for a couples’ movie, a girls night out, or a guys night out, or if you’re one of those people who go to the movies alone, this movie will not disappoint.

I highly recommend you see Focus, and bring some company because you’re going to want to talk about it on the drive home!

focus car

Was it enjoyable? Yes it was. I was laughing, I was writhing with suspense. The movie had that good old 90’s and 2000’s Will Smith fresh prince attitude to it! The acting was great, and the story was believable. I give this movie a B+.

Did it deliver what it advertised? I didn’t see too many advertisements for this movie in all honesty, but whether it did deliver nonetheless.

Would I see it again? I don’t know if I would buy it, but I would definitely Red Box it, and will make sure to watch it as soon as it becomes available on Netflix. It would make a good stocking stuffer this Christmas. You won’t hear me say this often, but I would actually be interested in a higher stakes Focus sequel, as this movie has some upwards potential.