Author Archives: Doc

Agents of Shield S3 E4, E5, E6, E7, E8, E9, E10

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Spoilers

“Devils You Know”

“4,722 Hours”

“Among Us Hidden”

“Chaos Theory”

“Many Hands, One Tale”

“Closure”

“Maveth”

So I watched a chunk of season three episodes of Agents of Shield over the last couple of days. During this run of episodes, we got quite a few storylines that made some serious progress. In this stretch, we got to learn what life was like for Jemma on the alien planet, we saw the truth behind the ATCU, we lost Rosalind Price at the hands of sniper Ward, we discovered the truth behind Lash, and we brought to the forefront a new Hydra villain: Hive, the evil from the planet that escaped by taking over the dead body of Grant Ward.

The death of Rosalind Price was a surprise, considering that they had set her up as a new love interest for Coulson. It sent Coulson on a revenge mission, but, to be fair, he did not necessarily do anything that required him to give up the Director of Shield position.

I did not remember Lash’s true identity until Daisy saw the shadows changing shape. It was at that point that I remembered that it was Dr. Garner, as played by Blair Underwood. It continued to be a rough path for poor May. Lash killed a bunch of Inhumans in these episodes, several of which Jemma will clearly blame herself for.

The relationship between Daisy and Lincoln did not feel right. It seemed to be forced. Particularly because they did not spend much time together this season.

Mac has really stepped up his game as he took on the mantel of interim Director of Shield while Coulson went after Ward. Mac seemed to have more chemistry with Daisy than Lincoln ever did.

I love Bobbi and Hunter, but I know their time is drawing short. They were originally intended to lead a spin off called Marvel’s Most Wanted, but it never saw the light of day, and they had been written off this show.

I do not remember Gutierrez and his metal shaping powers much in the future of the team, so I wonder what his fate is going to be. He came through big time during episode ten, saving Daisy.

The episode “4,722 Hours” was one of the best of the season. The episode revealing the time that Jemma spent on the alien planet with Will was some of the best of the series. We already knew how Fitz had saved her, but seeing this part of the story filled in a lot of extra steps.

I’m not sure I liked the arrival of Hive. It did not make a lot of sense and was done, seemingly so, as a way to just keep Ward on the show.

I kept wondering why Mac and the Agents of Shield did not call the Avengers for help when they were storming the Hydra castle to take back the portal. I guess the budget would not work.

Sunday Morning Sidewalk #56

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Spoilers

Agatha Christie’s Seven Dials

“The Finger Points”

The Seven Dials three part series wrapped up here on the Sunday Morning Sidewalk with the final episode “The Finger Points” where we solve the mystery of what was going down.

Last week, it turned out that I was right about the guy at the end of the episode being involved and not dead. As the investigation progressed, it became clear that Jimmy was up to his ears with this case.

I also was not surprised about the “big bad” behind everything being Bundle’s mother, Lady Caterham. Once they had mentioned that there was someone behind everything, there were only so many possible characters that we had been introduced to that could work. It was a sad and emotional resolution for Bundle and I felt really bad for her. I needed more Helena Bonham Carter in the series though.

What did catch me off guard was the reveal that the Seven Dials were a good guy organization led by Superintendent Battle and that they offered Bundle a position on the team. I liked that ending which left things very much open ended for potential expansion of the property.

I thought this was a quick watch and, although it could have been expanded to make the mystery more than what it was, I did enjoy the flow of the show. Martin Freeman was excellent in this episode and I really liked how he allowed Bundle to be involved without letting his hidden agenda out.

Mia McKenna-Bruce was great in the lead role and was very easy to root for as the mystery unfurled.

Next week, we are staying on Netflix for another series. It has been one of the most successful recent series on the platform. His & Hers starred Jon Bernthal and Tessa Thompson and was a limited series that ran for six episodes.

Daily Countdown: TV Show Themes #34

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#34

Baywatch

Title: “I’m Always Here”

Written: Joe Henry and Jimi Jamison

Performed: Jimi Jamison

Produced: Cory Lerios and John D’Andrea

While Baywatch was mocked over its use of bikinis and babes, the opening theme song set a tone for exciting action and a rocking good time. With the lyrics “I’ll be ready, I’ll be ready, / Never you fear… / I’m always here” repeating throughout the song, the heroism of the lifeguards stood out from the tan and luscious bodies. Or at least, that was the idea.

Sha Na Na S3 E14, E15, E16

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In the middle of season three, the guests on Sha Na Na took a weird turn.

Dusty Springfield was a proper musical guest for the show. She made a lot of sense. However, one episode had Barbie Benton, who they did a Barbie Benton-look alike contest for (won by Lennie. I swear they find any excuse to dress him up in a dress) and then she sang. Her song was just not very appealing to me. I disliked it a lot. Then we got Robert Guillaume singing a song too, which was odd. He was announced as an actor from Benson, the TV show, and I know he has sung before, but this was certainly a strange turn of events. Sha Na Na luring Guillaume in by pretending that they were the TV show MASH (yes, with Lennie dressed up as Hot Lips).

There was a street set song from Denny called Sh-Boom, where the whole group (except Lennie) was on roller skates. Except for Chico and Denny, everyone else seemed a bit nervous with the wheels on their feet. Dirty Dan in particular looked like he had never been on roller skates before.

I have actually seen a couple of versions of Sh-Boom on this show, both sung by Denny. I think the second version is still to come later on in the show’s run.

They did a Carmen opera parody with their comedy skit that was actually pretty funny (Lennie was not in a dress. He was dressed up as a bull).

The best performance on these three episodes was Bowzer exercising his deep voice in a rendition of Elvis Presley’s hit song, “Can’t Help Falling in Love.”

GOAT

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A new animated movie came out this weekend that was a mixture of Space Jam and Zootopia. Sony put out this remarkably colorful and fun looking film.

According to IMDB, “A small goat with big dreams gets a once-in-a-lifetime shot to join the pros and play roarball, a high-intensity, co-ed, full-contact sport dominated by the fastest, fiercest animals in the world.“

This film had its ups and downs for me. It looked great for sure. The amazing color stood out well. The story was very predictable. The beginning of the movie was not as strong for me, but the ending was better and more engaging than I thought it would be. I was feeling like I was going to really dislike this, but the ending was able to pull it up for me.

Caleb McLaughlin voiced Will Harris, the goat at the center of the story. Gabrielle Union played Jett Fillmore, the superstar roarball playing cat. Other voices in the cast included Stephen Curry, Aaron Pierce, David Harbour, Nick Kroll, Patton Oswalt, Jennifer Lewis, Nicola Coughlan, Jelly Roll, Jennifer Hudson, Wayne Knight, and Sherry COla.

I think the target audience is not for me. This feels like a film that is targeted to a younger child and I feel as if it would be fairly successful in that manner. However, I did find myself bored through a good chunk of the film as I expected what was coming. I do think they did a decent job of sticking the landing so I did not hate the experience of watching GOAT.

It really is borderline for me. If you have a group of young kids, you could probably find worse movies to take them to, but there are better movies too.

2.9 stars

Crime 101

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We have a brand new crime thriller out this weekend featuring a bunch of actors who we have seen in various super hero flicks over the years. Director Bart Layton, who had directed American Animals and one of my all-time favorite documentaries in The Imposter, does a great job bringing this crime/heist film together.

According to IMDB, “An elusive thief, eyeing his final score, encounters a disillusioned insurance broker at her own crossroads. As their paths intertwine, a relentless detective trails them hoping to thwart the multi-million dollar heist they are planning.”

The film featured Chris Hemsworth, Mark Ruffalo, Halle Berry, and Barry Keoghan in major roles. Each of these performers did a great job in bringing a new face to their roles, and that is a difficult thing to do since they all have major roles that they are known for. Mark Ruffalo specifically does a great job as he is a compelling and original character that never once made me think of Bruce Banner.

Nick Nolte also showed up in this film, giving his best Nick Nolte performance.

I enjoyed this fairly well, even if it felt a little too long. At two hours and twenty minutes, this did feel its length. Strong performances with a pretty good story. I did find this to be an enjoyable film with a bunch of people that I really like.

3.5 stars

The Pitt S2 E6

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Spoilers

“12:00 PM”

I have been dreading this episode since the beginning of the season. All the hints and foreshadowing was there, but I tried my best to ignore them.

Then, last week, the show ended with Louie nonresponsive and Robby and Langdon trying to revive him.

Of course, that is where the show picked up this week and we watched as this secondary character died of a pulmonary hemorrhage due t liver failure. Louie had been a drinker, we knew. We just never knew what had led to the drinking.

During the debrief and the chance to say goodbye, Robby told the whole group assembled that Louie had been married and that his wife and unborn child had died in a car wreck and that Louie had never been the same after.

Ernest Harden Jr. played the role of Louie and you can tell how great of an actor he was when he was a side character that only had a bit of screen time and yet his character’s death impacted me dramatically.

This episode featured the nurses of the Pitt more than we had gotten prior, which was a long overdue look. There were other arcs to the episode, my absolutely most hated one was the hot dog competitor. I hate vomit scenes and this had two of them. I really hated that and I am glad he seemed to be a one and done arc.

However, the episode belonged to Louie and the grief that the staff showed. It was poignant when we discovered that the ER was Louie’s emergency contact.

Then, there was Ogilvie, whom I have not liked much this new season, but now I hate him for his callousness tied to Louie’s death. The way he broke the news to Whitaker so carelessly and his comment about “an alcohol abuser” was heartless. I am cheering for this guy to flame out in the program.

Emotional episode and we are still only six episodes in.

Daily Countdown: TV Show Themes #35

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#35

Firefly

Title: “The Ballad of Serenity”

Written: Joss Whedon

Performed: Sonny Rhodes

Firefly was a short-lived series on FOX that has had a long-lived reputation. The show was a “space western” and the theme song perfectly captured that concept with this gritty, gruff song from Joss Whedon. Whedon has written a lot of music, specifically for his own projects such as Buffy the Vampire Slayer’s musical episode and the online iconic Dr. Horrible’s Sing-a-Long Blog. “The Ballad of Serenity” is one more credit for the director.

Daily Countdown: TV Show Themes #36

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#36

Dukes of Hazzard

Title: “Theme from The Dukes of Hazzard (Good Ol’ Boys)”

Written: Waylon Jennings

Performed: Waylon Jennings

The 1970s and early 1980s… when Luke and Bo Duke were “Robin Hoods fighting the system” tothe country stylings of Waylon Jennings, who also was on the show as “The Balladeer” aka the narrator of the show.

Shrinking S3 E3

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“D-Day”

Damn, this is such a great show.

Brian and Charlie’s baby is born in this episode with some of the most beautiful moments you could imagine. I had a tear when they handed the baby to Paul at the end.

The heavy part of the episode dealt with the pregnancy, as Ava, the baby momma, went into labor. She had yet to sign adoption papers and it brought a serious conflict for Brian. His friends circled the wagon and brought some wonderful advise.

Paul passed Alice’s bench therapy along to Gaby, as he realized that he would not be there forever.

Sean reunited with his ex-girlfriend Marisol in another strong scene.

We met Jimmy’s father, played by the one and only Jeff Daniels. The conflict between Jimmy and his dad is clearly going to be investigated this season.

Daily Countdown: TV Show Themes #37

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#37

Moonlighting

Perfromed and lyrics: Al Jarreau

Music: Lee Holdridge

Production: Nile Rodgers

Note: The lyrics reflect the show’s premise of romance, mystery, and style, with a “soft rock/jazz” feel that became iconic for the era. 

Moonlighting is, of course, one of my all-time favorite shows, and the theme song by Al Jarreau was a wonderful way to kick each episode off. It was a smooth-feeling, jazzy song that capturd the style of Moonlighting.

EYG Favorite Comic Covers of the Week

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February 11

Today I took a personal day from school so I was able to spend NEW COMIC BOOK DAY at my two stores. Started the morning at In This Issue in Bettendorf and spent the afternoon at Comic World and Games in Dubuque. Always fun spending time with others who appreciate the hobby.

Even more so, I got to do some reading, and I got all my new books on the same day so I do not have to wait to chose the cover of the week until Thursday night.

Also-Rans: The Thing on the Doorstep #1, Space Ghost #8, Marc Spector: Moon Knight #1, Absolute Batman #15 (Second printing-foil), The Digger #1, and Bleeding Hearts #1 (foil virgin).

Bronze Medalist

DC KO #4

Variant cover G/Bracket Cover

Cover art by Dan Mora

This one reminded me of the Godzilla vs. Marvel Universe covers that I really liked from last year as they set this up like a fight poster, the match-up of the tournament front and center. I like how this builds this tournament up with the images of those that remain.

Silver Medalist

Hank Howard Pizza Detective: The Two Hollywoods #2

Cover art by Andrea Sorrentino

I love the shades of purple across this cover for Bad Idea’s new book. It has a compelling imagery across it as well, with the black standing out beautifully among the purples.

Gold Medalist

Wade Wilson: Deadpool #1

Cover art by Geoff Shaw

There were some outstanding covers for the new Deadpool series, and the cover A is right up there with some of the best of them. Something has made Wade Wilson want to end his life, which is a difficult thing for him to accomplish. The look of Wade on this cover gives that feel of hopelessness and all-consuming anger despite not seeing his actual face. The cover does a great job of telling you what this new arc is all about.