Author Archives: Doc

The X-Files S5 E13

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“Patient X”

Boy, Agent Mulder as a non-believer is a bit of a jerk.

I’m not sure if this is intended to flip the roles of sceptic and believer between Mulder and Scully, but that sure seems to be what is going down in this first part of a continued story.

Alex Krycek is back once again. He is well overdue for a final resting place. The X-Files is a different type of TV show. A lot of the times, I enjoy the antagonists on shows. I used to love Ben Linus on LOST. The bad guys on Twin Peaks were always entertaining as could be. But I was really wanting Cigarette Smoking Man to die and I feel much the same way about Krycek. I am not sure what the difference are between these characters and other similar characters. Maybe because the X-Files never really come to conclusions and just keeps pushing their answers off. I do like some of the X-Files monster-of-the-week, but the antagonists in the mythology episodes need to go.

This episode just feels wrong. I know the Mulder is a non-believer arc includes the movie they were filming and releasing, but it just feels too much of a shift in character. Especially since the episode before, Mulder was a believer in the vampires and such. It just feels like this was dropped in the season and now Mulder no longer wants to believe.

Perhaps the second part of the episode will help me make this more engaging, but I did not love this one.

Battlestar Galactica S1 E1

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“33”

Starting the actual series with season one of Battlestar Galactica, there was a real tense episode where the survivors only have 33 minutes after they executed a jump away from the Cylons before the would fins them and try to attack again.

I can’t imagine what that would be like for the people on these vessels. Almost immediately after an escape, you would need to prep for another escape.

The Galactica crew had to stay awake in order to execute their plan in 33 minutes. The show had them awake for 132 hours, which is insane.

It led to a difficult decision that had to be made by Adama and President Roslin. One ship was being tracked by the Cylons and, through a twist of fate, they were able to discover the truth. They had to destroy the vessel despite how many lives might be on board.

It was a tough choice and it highlighted the pains of war and the loss of bystanders very well.

This episode shows what a dark and gritty show Battlestar Galactica would be and as an opening episode in the first season, it really laid the groundwork for what would follow.

Bates Motel S2 E3

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“Caleb”

And with that, we understand why Norma has always had a bad relationship with Dylan despite him being her first born son.

The end of this episode dropped a major bomb as Norma revealed to Norman and Dylan, who were in the middle of a physical fight (that Norman was totally kicking his butt, by the way), that Caleb, her brother, was Dylan’s father.

Dylan had met with Caleb and befriended him and Caleb gave him a story about his own father, acting like that was why Norma had such a problem with him. When Dylan went to bat for him with Norma, she told him that Caleb had raped her for years, but Dylan did not believe it. This is what led to Norman and Dylan’s fight and Norma’s confession.

The rest of the episode had some building blocks for upcoming stories, but this was the biggest fire of the episode.

Clearly, Dylan is a memory of the rapes for Norma, which is the reason why she had treated him so differently than she treated Norman.

Anyone But You (2023)

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June 15, 2023

One of the bigger rom coms from 2023 is the entry for the June Swoon 3 today. Anyone But You was a very successful film, coming seemingly from nowhere. I would not be opposed if it were sent back there.

According to IMDB, “In the aftermath of a captivating first encounter, Bea and Ben discover that their initial fiery passion has inexplicably dwindled to frosty misunderstanding. However, fate intervenes: Thrown together again at a dreamy Australian wedding, they opt for a charade of coupledom. But sparks reignite amid the sun-kissed scenery, forcing them to confront their true feelings and embrace a second chance at love.“

Okay, so this is really dumb. It is the essence of a disposable film that means nothing. The plot is a poor soap opera story that I have literally seen before.

The only thing that makes this stand out is the arrival of two of the hotter stars in Glen Powell and Sydney Sweeney.

Both of them have better films ahead of them. They are clearly charming and attractive. They have some comedic timing that would probably work much better with a better script.

Doctor Who S14 E7

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S14 E7 or 8, S1 E8 or 7 or ah, who knows….?

“The Legend of Ruby Sunday”

Good god this was intense.

I am a brand new Doctor Who viewer. I mean, I have seen an episode or two of previous variants, but that is about it.

This feels like a pay off for LONGTIME Doctor Who viewers, and I think it is awesome.

A couple of season long mysteries are addressed in this penultimate episode for this new season on Disney +. The first was, as the title indicted, what is up with Ruby Sunday? The second mystery is the reason that there is a recurring cameo made by woman played by Susan Twist. And I guess the mystery of who or what is “The One Who Waits” hinted at by Toymaker and Maestro in previous episodes is revealed too, and it seems to tie all three together.

The name meant nothing to me, but the dramatic reveal still gave me goosebumps. The name was Sutekh. It meant nothing to me and I suddenly felt like those people who saw the post credit scene in Avengers and wondered who that purple guy was. I knew that one, but Sutekh was a mystery to me.

It was still an amazing reveal.

The whole Ruby Sunday mystery is still up in the air, but I get a feeling that will be addressed fully in next week’s season finale.

Apparently, Sutekh was also known as Sutekh the Destroyer and faced off with the Fourth Doctor, played by Tom Baker with the iconic scarf, way back in 1975. According to my Google search after the episode ended, Sutekh was the last of the Osiran race of godlike alien beings. He is a god of death, the brother, apparently of Horus. When he confronted Tom Baker he had apparently been destroyed, but it turned out that he hid his essence with the Tardis and had been riding along since.

Absolutely amazing episode. I was on the edge the whole time because it just felt as if something huge was going to happen, and it certainly did not disappoint. As I said, I did not know this Sutekh character, but it seems like an outstanding villain, tapping into the cannon of the character’s history. Next week is the season finale and it has come way too soon for my tastes. I have really loved this series and I found every week something new to love about Doctor Who.

Sweet Tooth S3 E6, E7, E8

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“Here, There Be Monsters”

“The Road Ends Here”

“This is a Story”

Okay, so about halfway through the Sweet Tooth finale, I was afraid that it was going to end with an unsatisfying conclusion. I did not like the way it appeared that the story was going, and I was about to be extremely unhappy in the finale after an incredible build up with excitement and tension.

Then, everything changed.

The finale of the story brought so many things to a head and I was very pleased with the fates of Dr. Singh and of Zhang. They needed comeuppance and the show provided it. Singh getting his ultimate redemption by saving Gus instead of killing him and Zhang, who survived, saw everyone turn their back on her and left her outside the collapsed cave to try and survive on her own.

The end of the human race was also a rough way to end the series, but it seemed very much the way the story was heading, and having them not die of the Sick and just die out naturally felt very satisfying.

The show also made the death of Jepp aka Big Man almost lacking. Gus telling the story and pretending that Big Man survived and made it back with Gus, but I think it is clear that he wound up dying from his injuries in Alaska.

I also was right about the narrator of the story turned out to be an older Gus. I had thought that was the case. Of course, I did not expect older Gus to be James Brolin. I did not recognize his voice so the reveal was a shock.

Sweet Tooth wrapped up with a really strong and exciting three episodes and I was pleased with the conclusion. I would have liked to have Big Man’s death to have been less pretend.

The Retirement Plan (2023)

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June 14, 2024

Today’s June Swoon 3 entry is an action film featuring Nic Cage in all his Nic Cage-ness, and it is a a lot ridiculous fun.

According to IMDB, “In The Retirement Plan, when Ashley (Ashley Greene) and her young daughter Sarah (Thalia Campbell) get caught up in a criminal enterprise that puts their lives at risk, she turns to the only person who can help – her estranged father Matt (Nicolas Cage), currently living the life of a retired beach bum in the Cayman Islands. Their reunion is fleeting as they are soon tracked down on the island by crime boss Donnie (Jackie Earle Haley) and his lieutenant Bobo (Ron Perlman). As Ashley, Sarah and Matt become entangled in an increasingly dangerous web, Ashley quickly learns her father had a secret past that she knew nothing about and that there is more to her father than meets the eye.”

Is this movie more convoluted than it needed to be? Absolutely. It felt pretty messy in a lot of ways. Does it require a suspension of disbelief? 100%. Perhaps more than most movies. None of that ruins this film from being a hoot. It knows the type of movie it is and Nic Cage is totally in for a ridiculous good time.

I did like the little girl Sarah, played by Thalia Campbell, and her relationship with her kidnapper Bobo, played by Ron Perlman. I really thought this was going to go in one direction, but it takes a different path, which I found refreshing.

The action is great, if not difficult to believe. There just felt as if there were too many threads getting pulled and it was unnecessary.

I am not sure I liked the way the film wrapped up either. I think I would have preferred for the end of the third act to feel less like it was nothing more than a deus ex machina.

Still, if you love Nic Cage, this will be fun. I wish Thalia Campbell’s role would have been more in the second half of the movie because she was one of the standouts in the first half.

Inside Out 2

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Inside Out is one of my favorite Pixar films of all time. If it weren’t for Toy Story 3, I think it would be the undeniable champion. Even still, it is in the argument. So, I did feel some wonder about a sequel to such a film that I found so beloved.

Rest easy. Inside Out 2 is wonderful. A beautiful film ripe with emotion and a cleverness that many films lack. It may not have the emotional wallop of “Take her to the moon for me, okay” from the original, but there are plenty of deep emotional beats that form together into a wonderful tapestry of what it is like to be a teen in the middle of puberty.

Riley is back, just turning 13 years old and life has tossed some conflict her way. And because of that, there are a group of new emotions arriving in the Control Center, immediately clashing with Joy and the others.

Inside Out 2 has such creativity and imagination with adapting feelings into these personified characters that is so very impressive. Each character has exceptional design and fit right in with the returning Joy, Anger, Disgust, Fear and Sadness.

The returning voice actors are great, including Amy Poehler, Lewis Black, and Phyllis Smith. Tony Hale, who replaced Bill Hader as Fear, and Liza Lapira, who replaced Mindy Kaling as Disgust, do wonderful work as well. Our new voices which include Maya Hawke as Anxiety, Ayo Edebiri as Envy, Adèle Exarchopoulos as Ennui and Paul Walter Hauser as Embarrassment are great additions.

Pixar animation is always top notch and this is just another example of that. The look of the film is visually stunning and gives everyone something to enjoy while watching.

The story is excellent as well as it focuses on Riley at a three day hockey camp. Something happened on the way to the camp that triggered Riley and her emotions have to work overtime in order to make things right, or as Anxiety tries to do, plan out her entire future.

The story of Riley is simple enough that anyone can relate to what she is going through. As a new teenager, this kind of news can be earth shattering and absolutely makes sense as to why Riley is affected as she was.

The movie is so cleverly written and is very funny throughout. It never feels as if it is just repeating the same formula of the original even though several of the beats could be considered alike. Everything inside Riley’s mind has changed enough from the previous film so to make this trip back there something feeling fresh and original.

Yes, there is no Bing Bong type moment, but I think the overall story may be stronger than the previous one. I certainly found the finale to be exceptional and I had tears in my eyes watching it.

For anyone who was claiming that Pixar had lost that magic, this should take that comment away. Inside Out 2 is an exceptional movie for both kids and adults and is probably the best movie of the year so far.

5 stars

Sweet Tooth S3 E5

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“The Tail-Tell Heart”

We arrive in Alaska and all hell breaks loose.

Sweet Tooth, Dr. Singh and Big Man make it to Alaska and meet up with  Siana and Nuka. The other people at the outpost were not pleased to see them. One of Zhang’s men had seen Gus arrive and had radioed his boss to reveal that Gus was already there.

So many things are converging at the outpost. When Zhang arrived, she threatened the other people to reveal where Gus and the others were. I was surprised that this group, who did not love that Gus was here, held fast to the information.

Gus and Nuka had escaped through the vents but they were too small for anyone else. Jepp tried to buy some tie by stalling Zhang, but that was when Dr. Singh betrayed them all. He came forward and told Zhang that he knew where Gus was and he would lead her to him.

What a scumbag. I did not see his betrayal coming, although it was clear that he was more into the journal of Captain Thacker than anything else. His ominous look when he saw the page that said it all started when I sacrificed the deer was chilling. I still had hoped that he wasn’t a lowlife that he had always been. I had hoped that Gus’ kindness had won him over.

Nope. Still nothing more than a lowlife asshole. He burned the journal in front of Zhang so only he could lead her to the cave and do what was needed. Dr. Singh really needs to pay the price for his betrayal, hopefully in the next few episodes.

Wendy saving Becky was a cool moment in the episode as well. Loved when Wendy smacked little jerk off Jordan with that wrench (or whatever it was). That guy had been asking for it too.

The wolf hybrid grandsons of Zhang tracked Gus and cornered him by the pipeline, but he helped by Caribou Man. Gus saved Caribou Man after the wolves had nearly got him.

The show is getting quite tense and the end is coming soon. Singh has to get his though. He and Zhang are just horrendous people, even if they believe their overall goal is a good thing.

EYG Comic Cavalcade #102

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June 13, 2023

It is that time of the week once again as I am providing the EYG Comic Cavalcade!

This weekend, I am heading to a comic/toy show in the Quad Cities and I am excited about it. This is the same folks who put on the one I went to last September in Dubuque. I had a lot of fun at that one, and picked up some cool comics along the way. With my collection in a much more organized manner than last September, I will have a better knowledge of back issues that I need instead of just guessing and hoping that I do not duplicate myself.

Todd also got me several of the Amazing Spider-Man Vol. 2 books that I was missing. It seemed as if volume 2 was the stretch of Spidey books that I missed the most of. It would have been during the time when I did not have a lot of money, right out of college and subbing. Todd is continuing to look for back issues for me in Kansas City this weekend. Thanks again, sir!

Here are this week’s books:

Saga #55-65. After the shocking end of volume 9 (which I thought would be the end of the series only to find out that it was not), I went to eBay and found this run of Saga. It arrived this week and I dove right into it, consuming the content quickly. Such a great series! Brian K. Vaughn and Fiona Staples are amazing together in this book.

Giant Size Daredevil#1. “The Devil You Know” Written by Saladin Ahmed and art by Paul Davidson. Bryan Hitch & Alex Sinclair did the cover art. This giant size issue focuses on the return of Kingpin to relevance in Hell’s Kitchen, often times a bloody path that he has taken. This leads into the next arc in Daredevil’s own comic.

Lawful #1. Written by Greg Pak and illustrated by Diego Galindo. Qistina Khalidah did the cover art. This new Boom! Studios book has a definite flavor of Saga to it, with one of our main characters having to never break the rules. He must follow them all at all times and his friend does not seem to want to do that. Interesting start even if it does not grab you the way Saga did.

Miles Morales: Spider-Man #21. Written by Cody Ziglar and art by Brent Peeples & Daniel Picciotto. This is a Blood Hunt tie-in and shows us how Miles happened to be turned into a vampire. Miles has a tough life for sure.

Spider-Man: Shadow of the Green Goblin #3. “Eyes in the Night” Written by J.M. DeMatteis and art by Michael Sta. Maria. Paulo Siqueira & Rachelle Rosenberg did the cover art. This issue focuses upon the Osborn section of this story, seeing both Norman and Harry and what happened to them during this period.

Incredible Hulk #13. “Doctor Voodoo and the Soul Cage Part Two” Written by Phillip Kennedy Johnson and art and cover art by Nic Klein. The Hulk and Banner are trapped inside the soul cage and they are continuing to try and find Charlie before it is too late.

Avengers #15. Written by Jed MacKay and art by C.F. Villa. Joshua Cassara and Guru-eFX did the cover art. The Blood Hunt continues here as Captain America’s newly formed squad of Avengers battle the forces of Baron Blood. I like this team of Avengers, but I always like Steve Rogers on the team. Just seems right to me.

Scarlet Witch #1. Written by Steve Orlando and art by Jacopo Camagni. Russell Dauterman did the art on the cover. The new Scarlet Witch series started off by introducing to us a new character named Mantor and then promptly killing him off. Or at least as dead as one may be in a magic book. I mean, Wanda did get eaten by a giant monster. That did not stop her.

Fantastic Four #21. “To Curse the Darkness” Written by Ryan North and art by Ivan Fiorelli. Cover art is done once more by Alex Ross. This is another Blood Hunt tie in as Reed and Alicia wind up in New York facing off with “vampire-like creatures” as Reed put it. Reed used his stretching in creative ways to prevent the innocents from being attacked. Meanwhile, what is happening with the rest of the FF back in Arizona?

Transformers #9. Written by Daniel Warren Johnson and art by Jorge Corona. Cover art was by Daniel Warren Johnson and Mike Spicer (Gold Medalist). More exciting Autobots/Decepticon battles as led by Optimus Prime. Ratchet sacrificed himself to save one of his Autobot buddies. Is that it for Ratchet?

Blood Hunt #3. Written by Jed MacKay and drawn by Pepe Larraz. Larraz & Marte Gracia did the cover art. The huge crossover continues as Bloodline (aka Brielle, Blade’s daughter) learned that her father is behind everything that is happening, Doctor Strange and the other heroes were able to control Miles Morales and Sam Wilson, aka Captain America gave a rousing speech. Inspiration everywhere!

X-Men: Heir of Apocalypse #1. Written by Steve Foxe and penciled by Netho Diaz. Dotun Akande did the cover art. Since he is heading to Mars, Apocalypse is looking for someone to take his place as the overseer of the ascension of mutants on earth and 12 mutants have stepped up to vie for the position.

Strange Academy: Blood Hunt #2. Written by Daniel Jose Older and art by Luigi Zagaria & Eric Gapstur. Edgar Delgado did the cover art. When the kids from Strange Academy discover that their friend Pia was already a vampire, they changed their tune about searching for the Darkhold so all vampires could be eliminated. Oh and a strange visitor arrives in the last few pages… Dr. Doom?

Spider-Boy #8. “Fun & Games” Written by Dan Slott and art by Jason Loo. Humberto Ramos & Edgar Delgado did cover art. After turning the Humanimals back to human (or at least those that they could), Spider-Boy heads back to NYC to retrieve a photo of himself with his mother. Unfortunately, Puzzle Man has some fourth wall breaking to do.

Deadpool #3. Written by Cody Ziglar and art by Rogê Antonio. This is a phot variant cover with a pic of Deadpool from the upcoming movie, Deadpool & Wolverine. Deadpool is reunited with his daughter Ellie in the middle of a battle with Crossbones. Wade discovered that he had more in common with his daughter than just blood.

Jubilee: Blood Hunt #1. Written by Preeti Chhibber and penciled by Enid Balám. Cover art was done by Erica D’Urso & Rachelle Rosenberg. Jubilee was once a vampire. That makes her an obvious but major player in the Blood Hunt. She teams up again with the Forgiven to battle vampires in this one shot in the Blood Hunt crossover event.

Ghostlore #11. “Tests” Written by Cullen Bunn (and Riccardo La Bella) and illustrated by Leomacs (and Francesco Segala). Reiko Murakami and Riccardo La Bella did the cover art. Lucas and Harmony come face to face with Shane and discover the secret of him… he is also a ghost.

Ultimate X-Men #4. Written and drawn (and cover art) by Peach Momoko. This is a beautifully illustrated issue with much of the story being told visually. We discover an important piece of information about where this dangerous shadow is actually from. Plus, we see these new forms of the characters responding. I do enjoy this new and original rendition of the X-Men in the Ultimate Universe.

G.O.D.S. #8. “The Fourth Axis” Written by Jonathan Hickman and art by Valerio Schiti. Mateus Manhanini did the cover art. Hickman’s latest epic comes to a close with a wild time traveling encounter with Wyn going all over the place. This has been a challenging read and it is not just another comic book. There was a lot of creativity and originality in the story and characters. I love the design of the In-Betweener here too.

The Deviant #6. Written by James Tynion IV and art and cover art by Joshua Hixson (Silver medalist). This series has been excellent as there is such a intriguing mystery at its center. Could Michael really be the killer? Derek does not believe it. I forget that James Tynion does this book until I am doing the Comic Cavalcade write up, and then I realize why I love this book so much.

Deadpool/Wolverine: World War III #2. Written by Joe Kelly and drawn by Adam Kubert. Adam Kubert and Frank Martin did the cover art. Wade Wilson is in bad shape. So bad of shape that he even has some pity from Wolverine. They are in the battle for their lives.

Napalm Lullaby #4. Written by Rick Remender and drawn and cover art by Bengal. Sam and Sarah are struggling to survive their confrontation with Janitor. Still not 100% sure what is happening in this book, but it is lovely to look at. Love the character designs here too.

Geiger #3. “What are Books Good for Anyway?” Written by Geoff Johns and drawn by Gary Frank. Frank & Brad Anderson did the cover art. Geiger finds a library and a certain book that takes him back to his past. When that book gets ruined, what will happen?

Amazing Spider-Man: Blood Hunt #2. Written by Justina Ireland and penciled by Marcelo Ferreira. Bjorn Barends did the cover art (Tie for Bronze Medalist). I was talking to another customer in Comic World the other day about Blood Hunt and he mentioned how he feels iffy about the heroes killing these vampires since they are basically humans who could be turned back from their vampire forms. Spidey expresses the exact same philosophy, which is exactly what Spider-Man would be thinking about. Spidey has always been about saving EVERYBODY and that has always been one of my favorite aspects about him as a hero.

Something Epic #11. Written, illustrated and cover art by Szymon Kudranski. Noa and her duck continue to investigate the mysterious disappearance of Zeus, and they head to meet Thor and also eventually to see Set. This series is spanning all across the mythological world and has amazing art inside.

Ain’t No Grave #2. “Chapter Two: Anger” Written by Skottie Young and art by Jorge Corona. More Western action as only Skottie Young can provide as Ryder head toward the boat Her Blind Majesty. Excellent art and some wonderful visual storytelling.

Crocodile Black #2. Written by Phillip Kennedy Johnson and art by Som. Cover art by Andrea Sorrentino with colors by Dave Stewart. This is an intriguing book, even though it is fairly confusing. Our main hero is named Danny, but he had taken on the life of a vet named Leo, but it seems as if he is possessed by some kind of crocodile creature. I like this book, but it may require a re-read to understand what is happening.

Other books this week: Torpedo 1972 #4, Night People #4, and Monsters are my Business #3.

The Boys S4 E1, E2, E3

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“Department of Dirty Tricks”

“Life Among the Septics”

“We’ll Keep the Red Flag Flying Here”

Season four of The Boys dropped on Amazon Prime today with the first three episodes. I had only planned on watching the first one, but, unsurprisingly, I cruised through all three available. The show has not missed a step.

Homelander is probably the most complex, intriguing and fascinating antagonist on TV today. Antony Starr is at both times heart-breaking and terrifying as the lead super hero in Vaught’s world. His performance is tremendous ever minute he is on screen. Homelander is hateable, but there is something about him that makes you almost feel for him.

His relationship with his son, Ryan, causes such confusion for him because he does not know what it means to be a father and the things that he believes are important simply are not. You can see that Ryan is slowly coming to the realization to what his father is really like. I do not get the feeling that Ryan is going to be corrupted like I thought at the end of season three with his little smile when Homelander blew that protester’s head off.

Hughie has an interesting arc to kick off this season dealing with his father’s stroke and the return of his absentee mother. Again, this is something very relatable and human in a world of craziness and super powers. Hughie has always been the heart of the show and he continues to carry that mantel.

Mother’s Milk, on the other hand, is not handling the mantel of leadership very well. First of all, I had to look up on Google if the show had recast the role because when I first saw MM in episode one this season, he did not look anything like the actor I remembered. I found an article online asking if he had been recast, so obviously I was not the only person thinking that. However, Laz Alonso is back, just without the beard and thinner. He really does look differently. He is also struggling with the lead role with the Boys.

I’m not quite sure that I have been enjoying the arc of Frenchie and Kimiko so far. I am not sure where this came from and it feels as if it were tossed in just this season.

The new characters are something else. I swear that Firecracker is Marjorie Taylor Greene. A right wing conspiracy theorist spreading lies across the internet. And then there is Sister Sage, the smartest woman (excuse me, person) on earth. She is a real manipulator who I would keep an eye on.

This show is not hiding its politics at all. The metaphors of Homelander and the Seven being the right wing/MAGA of this country is not hidden very well. It might be a bit too obvious.

This show continues to be one of the best one on TV. I can’t wait to see where it goes from here.

Reptile (2023)

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June 13, 2023

Reptile is on Netflix and is a mystery/thriller starring Benicio Del Toro and it is the entry for the June Swoon 3.

According to IMDB, “Tom Nichols (Benicio Del Toro) is a hardened New England detective, unflinching in his pursuit of a case where nothing is as it seems and it begins to dismantle the illusions in his own life.”

Benicio Del Toro is always great and this is no exception. He is well cast in this murder mystery and you buy everything that he does. Justin Timberlake stars along side Del Toro as a scummy real estate agent whose girlfriend is murdered. Interestingly enough, I buy him in that role very much too.

The acting is excellent. The story is less so. Honestly, there were times when I would start losing focus on what was happening and it felt as if the story became too messy as it continued. The film is well over two hours and you feel that run time. I think this could have been tighter with 20 minutes cut out of the film.

However, there were some good points, especially Del Toro’s performance. He is the later actor to take what is an average script/film and elevate it with what he does. In the hands of a lesser actor, Reptile would be a sub par film. What makes this watchable is Del Toro and his connections with the other actors around him.

One of those actors is Alicia Silverstone, who played Tom Nichols’ wife, Judy. The relationship between them was one of the best parts of the film and more of it would have aided the story.

I’m not sure how I feel about the resolution of the mystery, but I did think the final scene was strong and very tense.

In the end, Reptile has its moments, but feels too long and is unnecessarily complicated.

EYG Favorite Comic Covers of the Week

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Week of June 10

Large week of comics this week. Another first this week.

TIE

Bronze Medalist(s)

Amazing Spider-Man: Blood Hunt #2

Variant Cover B

Cover art by Bjorn Barends

AND…

Something Epic #11

Cover Art by Szymon Kudranski

The first ever tie for third place because I just could not make up my mind. Two really great covers. ASM: Blood Hunt is a variant that I spotted on the rack and had to switch my regular copy with and the consistently excellent Something Epic continues to be a beautiful design.

Silver Medalist

The Deviant #6

Cover art by Joshua Hixson

A beautiful design on the cover of this Image book. The black background with the purple highlights of the character blowing smoke to the title. Just a wonderful looking title.

Gold Medalist

Transformers #9

Cover Art by Daniel Warren Johnson & Mike Spicer

Love this image of Optimus Prime holding the earth like Atlas from Greek mythology. The white in the background really makes the design pop. Love this.

Sweet Tooth S3 E4

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“Beyond the Sea”

We are now half way through the final season of Sweet Tooth and this was a dark, very emotional episode all around.

This is probably the best episode of the final season so far because it centered so much on Gus and what he had to do, not only to continue his quest to Alaska, but to honor the dead on the Whale’s Song, the boat they were trying to get to at the end of episode 3.

The boat had been shut down because the crew and passengers had all been exposed and died from the sick. All except one person, named Darwin. With Darwin’s help, Gus was able to remove all of the bodies from the ship while giving them all burials at sea.

The powerhouse moments of watching this little boy drag wrapped up bodies and throw them into the ocean, while providing a voice over eulogy, was truly a beautiful and touching homage to these people. Understand, we knew none of these people on the boat, but the way the moment affected Gus was how it affected us as the audience.

It made it even worse when we discovered that Darwin had also contracted the sick and he killed himself by falling overboard. Not before he set the boat up to continue its trek to Alaska.

I really thought that this was where Jepp was going to get his. The show teased that he had been exposed to the sick and that this was where Big Man was going to die. However Singh was able to test him and proved that he was free of the sick. I really do have a bad feeling about Jepp’s fate this season and I think that if something does happen to Bog Man, it is going to be crushing.

Meanwhile, we continue to see how horrific Mrs. Zhang is as she does not care what gets in her way in her wish to capture the ‘deer boy’ as she puts it. Her total dismissal of her grandson’s injury shows what she thinks of hybrids and her coldness toward her own daughter makes her a cruel individual.

The flash of hope at the end of the episode helped to place the rest of the episode into context. It was an episode about death, about remembering, about honoring, and about surviving. Gus remains perhaps the strongest character on the entire show.

The Royal Hotel (2023)

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This morning’s June Swoon entry comes from Australia and I found it on Hulu. It was called The Royal Hotel.

According to IMDB, “Hanna (Julia Garner) and Liv (Jessica Henwick) are best friends backpacking in Australia. After they run out of money, Liv, looking for an adventure, convinces Hanna to take a temporary live-in job behind the bar of a pub called ‘The Royal Hotel’ in a remote Outback mining town. Bar owner Billy and a host of locals give the girls a riotous introduction to Down Under drinking culture, but soon Hanna and Liv find themselves trapped in an unnerving situation that rapidly leaps out of their control.“

Now, that is what the synopsis on IMDB says, but that is not what this movie is like. It is listed as a psychological thriller, but there is nothing psychological about it and very little thriller.

It takes way too long for anything to happen. We spend way too much time with the drunken reprobates in the bar without any sort of character development.

The ending sequence was just nonsensical and does not wrap anything up outside of the basic result.

This was very boring for most of the film and anything that it tried at the end did not work at all. I was very disappointed with this one.