Author Archives: Doc

EYG Favorite Comic Covers of the Week

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Week of June 17

It is time to award the medals this week for the new comic covers. Now, usually, there is one book’s cover that jumps out and is the clear winner. However, this week, though there are several really good covers, there is no one cover that jumps out as the gold medalist. That meant that I had to go back and forth between the three choices.

Here are the medalists:

Bronze Medalist

The Immortal Thor #12

Cover art by Alex Ross

Alex Ross is back once again. He is most likely our cover artist of the year as he has won multiple medals this year. His work is always so epic and that fits the tone of Thor brilliantly.

Silver Medalist

Blow Away #3

Cover art by Annie Wu

I have typically loved the white on covers and this snow cover looks beautiful, with the blue tint around it. I also love the long shadow coming off the figure in the snow. This is a beauty of a cover.

Gold Medalist

The Oddly Pedestrian Life of Christopher Chaos #10

Cover art by Nick Robles

The shades of blue on this cover really work well together with the two red circles on the goggles. I’m really not sure what the cover is showing, but I am excited to see what it is.

Shortcomings (2023)

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June 19, 2023

The directorial debut by Randall Park is today’s entry in the June Swoon 3. It is an unconventional rom-com called Shortcomings.

According to IMDB, “Ben, a struggling filmmaker, lives in Berkeley, California, with his girlfriend, Miko, who works for a local Asian American film festival. When he’s not managing an arthouse movie theater as his day job, Ben spends his time obsessing over unavailable blonde women, watching Criterion Collection DVDs, and eating in diners with his best friend Alice, a queer grad student with a serial dating habit. When Miko moves to New York for an internship, Ben is left to his own devices, and begins to explore what he thinks he might want.”

This was an interesting film. Usually, I have problems when the protagonist is such an unlikable character, and Ben (Justin H. Min) is absolutely in that category. He is opinionated, mouthy, rude and arrogant. It seems like every scene he is in, all I want to do is yell at him to shut up. Yet, there was something about Ben that was appealing. Don’t get me wrong, I was cheering actively for him to understand what a jerk he was being, but I was also ready to support him learning from the events of the film and adjusting his behavior.

I have to say, I did like this conclusion to the movie. It felt real and played with all of the conventions of the rom-com.

The movie had some great laughs in in, although nothing that was going to be over the top hilarious. The situations are where the humor came from and they all worked very well. Probably the one moment that stood out was when actor Jacob Batalon joked about loving the Spider-Man movies, considering he played Ned in the MCU Spider-Man movies

Sherry Cola played Alice, Ben’s friend, and she was the standout performance for me in the movie. She had an Awkwafina type vibe about her and she was both funny and an excellent ‘straight-man’ character.

I found this to be very entertaining and a creative way to take the rom-com genre in a new way.

Eileen (2023)

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June 18, 2023

The June Swoon 3 film for the day was on Hulu and it was called Eileen.

It was another movie that I had a difficult time getting involved with as the first part of the film did not seem to have much of a story or progression. Then, the ending was disturbing and shifted everything in a completely different, nonsensical, direction.

According to IMDB, “The stagnant waters of Eileen’s dull, stifled life as a solitary worker at a juvenile detention center in 1960s Boston, are unexpectedly disrupted when the institution brings in a new psychologist, the vibrant Rebecca. The fervent enthusiasm that blossoms between the two women almost immediately gives way to a closer relationship, until their fragile connection takes a dramatic turn.“

There were some solid performances in the film from both Thomasin McKenzie and Anne Hathaway. Their performances were not an issue for the movie.

Nothing happened in the first hour of the film that would set up the finale, that seems to take the characters involved in a totally different direction. From what we had seen before, I did not buy the end result as anything more than just shock value. Then, it simply ended.

I found this one really disappointing as it sounded very intriguing. The film was based on the 2015 novel of the same name.

Battlestar Galactica S1 E2, E3

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Spoilers

“Water”

“Bastille Day”

With just a few episodes in, I can see why Battlestar Galactica was such a classic and beloved science fiction series. These two episodes are very strong.

Whoever stole the detonators and blew up the water containers is a neat little mystery. I, of course, have some ideas, but the fact that I am not 100% sure makes this even more enjoyable.

Then, I was shocked to see Richard Hatch walk into a scene as one of the prisoners that was being held. Richard Hatch was the original Apollo on the 1978 Battlestar Galactica series on ABC and seeing him as this terrorist was cool. Even better was putting him face to face with this new series’ version of Apollo, Lee Adama, played by Jamie Bamber.

That third episode, with the basic idea of a prison break with hostages, was well done and it built a lot of suspense as the episode progressed.

Hatch, as Tom Zarek, was a fascinating character and provided a real antagonist outside of the Cylon threat. He was solidly stuck in the grey area as his philosophy seemed to include good things, but he was taking bad steps to reach them. It was compelling.

However, I am already tired of Gaius Baltar and the image of Cylon Number Six that he sees and tells him what to do. I want him revealed sooner rather than later.

The show has been fantastic so far. I am looking forward to continuing on.

Bates Motel S2 E4

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Spoilers

“Check Out”

Norman is starting to show more of his dark side… going as far as to speak as if he were Norma in an tense confrontation with her brother, Caleb.

The whole Norma-Caleb-Dylan mess has threatened to push Norman from his tentative mental balance. We know where the character of Norman Bates ends up, but this Norman has become such a favorite that it is harder to see his ultimate downfall.

It is a credit to Freddie Highmore to be able to take one of the most well known movie murderers and make him a developed and complex character.

And Norma is just an amazing character too. For someone who just winds up in a wheelchair in the attic, Vera Farmiga has filled her with such a delicate and complicated life. Norma and Norman are complex characters that could have easily been just echoes of what the big screen counterparts were like, but they are rich, fully developed and entertaining.

I ache for Norma-Dylan and their relationship. I can understand the anger that Dylan feels but I want them to put it aside and bond as mother-son. Watching him storm away and Norma painfully watching is a tough scene.

Bates Motel also is willing to develop a secondary character such as Emma, and give her a storyline separate from the Bates clan (at least at the moment). Then, there is Alex Romero as well making his way through the dangers from the town. These characters are as great as a anyone on the show and that was not expected.

Flamin’ Hot (2023)

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June 17, 2024

This is another Oscar nominated film from 2023 that I missed. Flamin’ Hot received an Oscar nomination for Best Song, which was quite an accomplishment for this biopic about Richard Montañez and the beginning of the Flamin’ Hot Cheetos.

I will address the controversy off the top. As I was researching the film, I discovered that a report from the LA Times indicated that Richard Montañez did not have any direct involvement in the creation of Flamin’ Hot Cheetos, and that the film was inaccurate. I won’t lie, when I first saw this, it did affect my thoughts on the film, but, the more I thought about it, the more I let that go. This is not a documentary. I know plenty of biopics that have exaggerated or downright made things up. So the accuracy or lack thereof of Flamin’ Hot, as a movie, will not go into my consideration of the film.

And, when it comes to my consideration of the movie, I loved it very much.

This was the first time directorial feature from director Eva Longoria, well known actor from Desperate Housewives among other shows. Longoria does a tremendous job of telling this story with a very distinct voice and a humorous touch.

Some of the scenes of Richard’s narration, which remind me of Luis (Michael Pena) from Ant Man, are very funny and show how the mind works in many ways.

Jesse Garcia played Richard Montañez and he has a natural charm in doing so. You can’t be help to root for him as an underdog, looking to escape the life of crime that threatened to ruin his life.

Two distinguished actors had supporting roles in Flamin’ Hot that gave the movie even more credibility. Bennis Haysbert played Clarence Baker (whose middle name is Charisma) as one of Montañez’s co-workers, and Tony Shalhoub, the star of Monk, appeared as Roger Enrico, the CEO of Frito Lays. Both actors are excellent as always and their roles do a great job of elevating the performance of Jesse Garcia.

The tone of this movie was very light and engaging, as Richard told the story of his life. The film’s focus was on the character of Richard Montañez, not specifically on the Cheetos.

This was an easy, enjoyable watch and worth the time. It is currently streaming on Hulu and Disney +.

Under Paris

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There have not been a lot of shark movies. Obviously, there is Jaws. Jaws II was decent. The Shallows had it moments. The Sharknado series can give some stupid fun. And then there is Deep Blue Sea. After that, the shark films usually are not very good.

We have another entry into the awesome end of these movies.

Under Paris is a French language film that tells the story of a specific shark that had evolved in ways that are never explained and that winds up in the Seine, a river that runs through Paris, France right at the time of an Olympic triathlon.

The shark, nicknamed Lilith by Sophia Assalas (Bérénice Bejo), a scientist whose team were tracking sharks that they had tagged. In an attempt to check in on Lilith, Sophia’s entire team is killed by the shark in an uncharacteristic attack.

Three years later, Lilith finds her way into the Seine and into the catacombs beneath the city. A young environmental activist name Mika (Léa Léviant) had found a way to track Lilith, but wants to save the shark and help the female shark to get back out to the ocean.

Sophia and Mika’s paths cross with the Paris Police, including police officer Adil (Nassim Lyes) who does not believe that there is a shark in the Seine at first, until undeniable evidence faces him.

This is a brutal shark movie with some really awesome moments. The tension of the film is off the charts and you can really feel it. Sure, the premise itself requires some serious stretching of credibility, and the film does not try to explain how this is happening. Sophia is constantly saying things like ‘this shouldn’t be happening’ or ‘it is not possible’ and the discoveries of the evolution of this shark is not scientifically sound, yet that does not bother me either.

Why are all mayors in shark movies jerks? Much like Jaws, whose mayor insisted on keeping the beaches open on the July 4th holiday, the Paris mayor (Ann Marivin) is likewise as blind when it came to the danger the shark posed the triathlon.

The sharks look pretty decent, though some of the CGI is questionable at times. My guess is that there is not a ton of budget on this, and I feel as if what we got was substantial enough for what they were going for. I was not taken out of the film by any of the special effects and that can not always be said about shark movies (hey there The Meg).

There were a couple of moments when I gasped out loud or cried something out in shock and that means that the film is doing its job. It is nowhere near Jaws quality, but it is much better than most of the shark attack movies out there. Under Paris is currently available to stream on Netflix.

4.1 stars

The X-Files S5 E14

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SPOILERS

“The Red and the Black”

I found the second part of this two part X-Files Mythology episode to be considerably stronger than the first part. Perhaps because it started to lead toward returning Mulder to the status quo, being the person who believes in extraterrestrial life.

Of course, it also saw the return of Cigarette Smoking Man, and I continue to wish he would just be dead.

Gillian Anderson was exceptional with her performance, especially during the hypnosis scenes. Those scenes were remarkably uncomfortable and you could see how they were affecting Mulder, even if he was not yet ready to accept once again his philosophy of “I Want to Believe.”

Agent Spender is a new recurring character from this two-parter that adds him to the list of other characters that I really dislike. It sure looked as if he were the son of CSM, which is just one more reason to find this guy unlikable.

We got even more of the Syndicate, and a lot of talk about an alien invasion/alien war, but that is not necessarily anything that would happen during the series.

This episode does help me feel better about the previous one, “Patient X.” Non-believer Mulder was just not a character that I want to spend a lot of time with. He seemed so spiteful that it took a lot of the charm of Fox Mulder away. I am glad this helped reignite Mulder’s belief moving forward.

Ferrari (2023)

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June 16, 2023

The June Swoon 3 continues this Father’s Day with a biopic from last about Enzo Ferrari directed by Michael Mann.

According to IMDB, “Set during the summer of 1957. Ex-racecar driver, Ferrari, is in crisis. Bankruptcy stalks the company he and his wife, Laura, built from nothing ten years earlier. Their tempestuous marriage struggles with the mourning for one son and the acknowledgement of another. He decides to counter his losses by rolling the dice on one race – 1,000 miles across Italy, the iconic Mille Migl!“

I have to say that I had a difficult time getting into this movie. I just did not relate to Ferrari and what he was going through and I found it to be fairly dull for a good chunk of the movie. Adam Driver is an excellent actor, but I just did not find his performance here electric.

That does not go for Penelope Cruz, however. She was amazing in her role as Ferrari’s grieving wife Laura. Every moment Cruz is on screen, she is totally vibrant and dominant. Penelope Cruz is absolutely the best part of this movie.

The racing screens were decent too. The couple of crash sequences were terrifying and filled the film with stakes. The second half of Ferrari was more interesting to me, even if I was not engaged with the character of Enzo Ferrari.

The film did feel long to me, which only played into my lack of engagement with the movie.

Again, Penelope Cruz is exceptional in her performance and electrifies everything around her. Unfortunately, that electricity does not crossover to the rest of the film.

The X-Files S5 E13

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Spoilers

“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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Spoilers

“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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Spoilers

“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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Spoilers

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.