Author Archives: Doc

The Fall of the House of Usher E3-8

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I had no intention of finishing this series today. I wanted to spread it out over the next several weeks. However, with the schedule packed with TV shows, movies and comics, and since I was really engaged in it, I just kept watching another episode as I would finish the previous one.

The titles of the series included;

Ep. 3: “The Murders in the Rue Morgue”

Ep. 4: “The Black Cat”

Ep. 5: “The Tell-Tale Heart”

Ep. 6: “Goldbug”

Ep. 7: “The Pit and the Pendulum”

Ep. 8: “The Raven”

Because of these titles, I knew which of the Usher kids were doomed that episode. They were all neat adaptations of the short stories written by Edgar Allan Poe, into a new story, a new format.

There were plenty of other stories/poem incorporated into the series as we met Annabel Lee, The Cask of Amontillado was highlighted, Rufus Griswold (who wrote Poe’s scandalous obituary), The Belles (poem), among others.

Some of the allusions to Poe’s work was subtle, some was anything but. Several lines of Poe’s poetry is recited in the episodes, especially lines from Annabel Lee.

Each of the Usher kids’ deaths are fun and earned. They all take form similar to Poe’s works. It’s cool knowing some of these reference. For example, as Roderick sat in the basement staring at the brick wall, I wondered whom was bricked up in the wall. Of course that was coming. As a writer, Poe buried people in walls several times in his career.

To be honest, the finale did feel a little preachy at times. Some of the monologues delivered in the episode spoke of a lot of the political controversies of the day and it did feel somewhat out of place. The message was there without needing to bludgeon the audience over the head with it. I did find that to be a bit unnecessary.

Though, I admit that I laughed with the line about Trump when the mysterious Verna said,  “Like I said to one of my clients, when I’m done, you can stand in the middle of Fifth Avenue and shoot somebody, and it won’t cost you a thing.”

The Fall of the House of Usher was great. I love Edgar Allan Poe and this had him all over the place. Greta acting. Cool kills.

EYG Comic Cavalcade #63

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October 15, 2023

Things are very busy here at EYG. There seems to be TV shows coming out of nowhere that I want to watch. There is the October 13 films underway. Two re-watches going on at the same time. The new release movies are still coming out. There is also my full time job as well. So I am trying to work in the reading of these comics into this schedule.

I am planning to rebag and reboard the older comics of my collection, maybe as soon as next summer. I have the unbagged books all done, but the old books are a giant job. I am collecting bags and boards every week with the comics to build up toward the start of that effort.

Books read:

Amazing Spider-Man #35. Written by Zeb Wells and art by Patrick Gleason. I have the cover D, which is the best cover of the week in my opinion. It was done by Elena Casagrande & Mate Gracia. The Goblin sins that have created the evil Spider-Man is pulled out of Peter and seem to be isolated and buried by Kraven. Or have they?

Midlife (or How to Hero at Fifty) #1. Written by Brian Buccellato and drawn by Stefano Simeone. Ruben is turning 50. And along the way, he becomes a superhero. This takes a look at heroism that we have not seen before. It is an intriguing start to this book.

Blade #4. “Mother of Evil: Part Four.” Written by Bryan Hill and art by Valentina Pinti with Elena Casagrande. Cover art was by Elena Casagrande & Jordie Bellaire. Blade and Dr. Strange battled vampires in an attempt to get the sword of Lucifer.

Omega the Unknown #8. “A Blast from the Past.” Written by Roger Stern and penciled by Lee Elias. Omega takes on Nitro the Exploding Man. James-Michael meets Richard Rory, who receives a card from Foolkiller.

Captain Marvel: Assault on Eden #1. Written by Anthony Oliveira and art by Eleonora Carlini. Cover art was by Carlos Gomez & Jesus Aburtov. Carol heads to Hala to celebrate the anniversary of the peace accord between the Kree and the Skrulls. The Supreme Intelligence may not want to maintain a peace.

Howard the Duck #2. “Cry Turnip!” Written by Steve Gerber and illustrated by Frank Brunner. Howard faces off with Turnip Man. Turnip Man? Yes, a powerful space turnip takes over control of a human. Only in Howard the Duck could this work.

Superior Spider-Man Returns #1. Story by Dan Slott, Script by Christos Gage and penciled by Mark bagely, Ryan Stegman, Humberto Ramos and Giuseppe Camuncoli. Ryan Stegman, JP Mayer & Edgar Delgado did the cover art. A story of the Superior Spider-Man from years before while Doc Ock looks for answers in the present.

Hunt for the Skinwalker #2. Written by Zac Thompson and illustrated by Valeria Burzo. Cover art by Martin Simmonds. Tom saw the things in the sky and now he is having several of his cows killed in strange ways, blood drained.

Something Epic #6. Written and illustrated by Szymon Kudranski. Daniel’s darkness comes out of his creativity and the darkness leads to the death of Dalia. The penultimate issue of the first story arc is here, setting up the final next issue.

A Haunted Girl #1. Written by Ethan Sacks and Naomi Sacks and art by Marco Lorenzana. Civer art was by Joe Quesada & Richard Isanove. A look at mental health/illness with a young girl who may not want to live, but who may need to save the world. Ethan Sacks said that this book was a personal story about depression and suicidial thoughts that his daughter went through, and now she is helping write the book.

Groo: In the Wild #3. Written by Sergio Aragonés and Mark Evanier and illustrated by Sergio Aragonés. Groo continues to look for food to eat, and causing trouble for King Putrio. More frays! Less food!

Capwolf and the Howling Commandos#1. Written by Stephanie Phillips and art by Carlos Magno. Ryan Brown did the cover art. France, 1944. Captain America leads the Howling Commandos into battle after Nick Fury is injured. And Cap gets scraped by a werewolf and becomes Capwolf!

The Cull #3. Written by Kelly Thompson and art by Mattia De Julis. The story continues to take a weird twist as some kind of being showed up to meet the others.

The Avengers #6. “Citykillers” part four. Written by Jed MacKay and drawn by Ivan Fiorelli. Stuart Immonen did the cover art. The Avengers take on Ashen Combine and free up the Immortal City. I had a guess about the Immortal City joining the Avengers and that is what happened. There is a back up story featuring Firebird called “The Truth is Out There” written by Kalinda Vazquez and penciled by Alba Glez.

Nights #1. “Vespertine” Written by Wyatt Kennedy and art by Luigi Formisano. Vincent comes to Santo Pedro and there are vampires. This was a fantastic book with some serious storytelling going on.

Spider-Man India #5. “Seva Part V” Written by Nikeshi Shukla and penciled by Tadam Gyadu. Cover art is by Adam Kubert & Brad Anderson. The battle with Lizard and Giri finished and we got a redesigned Spider-Man India costume for Pavitr.

Goosebumps S1 E4 & E5

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Episode 4: “Go Eat Worms”

Episode 5: “Reader Beware”

I am really digging this new Goosebumps series on Disney +. It feels so much more mature and targeted to an older audience than any of the other versions I have seen without losing that youthful appeal that the series intended.

This show has been weaving together an overarching story about Harold Biddle, what happened to him and how the parents of our group of protagonists were involved. It is telling that story while including character moments for all involved. It has been well done so far, with each episode building suspense and curiosity about what happened.

I mentioned it after episode 3, but this show is absolutely giving me Marvel’s The Runaway vibes. The Runaways discovered that their parents were actually supervillains, but I think there is more here than what we have seen so far. It is not that the parents in Goosebumps were involved in the fire that killed Harold Biddle. There is more to it and I believe that involved Mister Slappy.

Episode four was featuring Lucas and the worms he found on Halloween at the Biddle house party. I have to say, of all the actors playing the kids, Will Price, who plays Lucas, looks the oldest. He is only 23 years old, but I would have guessed 32. His older look does distract me more than the others (who are clearly all older than high school).

Episode five sees Mr. Bratt give Margot a scrapbook he said he found in his house, but it was clearly a set up from Harold Biddle to try and get the kids to help him find what the parents had taken on the night Biddle died. This episode went into more detail with the affair between Colin and Nora as Colin’s wife, Sarah, had returned form Seattle. Sarah feels like a wild card tossed into this mix. She told Nora that she believes what she has been saying, things that got Nora tossed into a mental hospital and drugged by Victoria. This episode dove deep into the mysterious story being told in this series and it was great.

I really have enjoyed watching these Goosebumps episodes so far. The next one drops on Disney + coming Friday, I believe and I will be there to see it.

American Horror Story: Delicate S12 E4

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“Vanishing Twin”

Perhaps I shouldn’t watch AHS: Delicate at breakfast time.

I was thinking that this week’s AHS was lacking… that nothing much happened… and then Anna started to eat the dead raccoon she found last episode. She had wrapped it up like a baby and took it into the basement. Already sus behavior of course.

The show confirmed that Anna was still pregnant, as she suspected, and the doctor speculated that she had lost a twin in something called ‘vanishing twin’ syndrome.

The episode began with a flashback to England and the birth of a baby by the Queen at the time. The black suited women were there and confiscated the baby, which had been called a monster by the queen.

The show couldn’t be more obvious that Anna’s baby is not normal. The correlations to Rosemary’s Baby is getting stronger with every episode.

Oh, and the whole “It’s my body” campaign Anna did to reinvigorate her image was really on the nose.

It feels as if this show needs to start picking the story up a bit soon.

The Fall of the House of Usher E1 & E2

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Episode One: “A Midnight Dreary”

Episode Two: “The Masque of the Red Death”

I started to watch episode one of The Fall of the House of Usher on Netflix with the intention of not continuing after the first one. To be honest, with two rewatches (X-Files, Moonlighting) going on right now, along with multiple series (Loki, Gen V, American Horror Story, Goosebumps, Bonus Action) and the October 13, there is not a ton of time for another series. But I do love Edgar Allan Poe and so I wanted to say that I gave this new limited series on Netflix a chance.

After two episodes, I am totally hooked.

I need to find the time to watch the rest of this because it is a masterpiece.

As I mentioned, I love Edgar Allan Poe and there are so many allusions to Poe’s work that it is nearly impossible to keep up with them. I realized about half way through the second episode that they were doing the Masque of the Red Death and that the character named Prospero was even involved. I see now that the episode title is even based on the short story.

The narration of the series is Roderick Usher (Bruce Greenwood) confessing to C. Auguste Dupin (Carl Lumbly), sitting in his house, drinking a glass of the best whiskey available. Roderick is telling Dupin (who by the way is the main character in Poe’s Murder in the Rue Morgue) about the deaths of his six children over the last two weeks.

There are allusions to Poe’s work everywhere, from The Raven to Annabel Lee to The Black Cat to Gold Bug. It feels like a comic book movie with the Easter eggs they drop for the comic readers in the audience, except this is for those who read Poe. It’s just great.

And it is compelling as can be. I want to know what happened to the six kids. We have seen the end of Prospero at the end of the shocking episode two, but there are five more to go.

Then, there was Mark Hamill. He played Arthur Pym, based on the novel The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket. Pym is the Usher family lawyer.

These first two episodes are just so good and I have added this to the crowded EYG schedule.

The X-Files S1 E8

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“Ice”

The X-Files meets John Carpenter’s The Thing.

This was an excellent episode. It was obviously just like The Thing, a mysterious creature (probably from space) that causes the crew of an Arctic station turn on each other and kill everyone. Mulder and Scully are among the investigative group sent in to the station to find out what happened.

There was an interesting cast in this episode including Felicity Huffman, Jeff Kober, Xander Berkeley, and Steve Hytner joined David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson. The interaction of the performances created an awesome paranoia. It was never apparent which of the group had been exposed to the worms that were causing the trouble.

One of the major moments of this episode was how Mulder and Scully had their first moment of conflict between them. Scully held a gun on Mulder when she was not sure if he was exposed to the worm. Mulder refused to be tested because he did not trust any of them, and Scully had pulled a gun. In the end, they were able to get past the paranoia and had each other’s back.

This was an excellent episode and quite the step up from the last one.

Goosebumps S1 E2 & E3

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E2: “The Haunted Mask”

E3: “The Cuckoo Clock of Doom”

I have really started to like this new series on Disney +.

After watching the first episode, I found it okay and planned on watching another episode to see how I feel then. After watching episodes two and three, I am in on the new Goosebumps series 100%.

I really like how the series keeps returning to the Halloween party at the Biddle house to see POV of a different kid and how three of our core group had an interaction with something magical, whether it be the camera that takes pics of future events, the mask, or the cuckoo clock of doom.

The end of episode two was a huge shock as James exploded into a green blob when struck accidentally by a pool ball. I literally held my hands out and exclaimed WTF when that happened. I did not expect that little twist to occur. That exploding James tease at the end of episode 2 led into episode three and one of the funniest episodes so far.

I also like how the kids’ parents are clearly hiding secrets and trying to forget about something. It is giving me vibes like Marvel Comics’ The Runaways, who found out their parents were all super villains. I don’t expect anything like that, but they definitely have some kind of secret they are keeping.

Then, when Mr. Bratt (who is possessed by Harold Biddle) threw a fit at the end of the episode when the remaining faux James brought him the empty case, he was clearly setting up for the arrival of Mister Slappy, the iconic ventriloquist doll from the Goosebumps past. I can’t wait for him to arrive.

There are two more Goosebumps episodes available on Disney + and then new episodes will continue to air weekly starting Friday. I want to get E4 & E5 done before the next one comes out.

Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour

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I was not sure if I was going to go to the Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour so I asked my NEST/home room class if I should go. I told them that I did not know much about Taylor Swift but that I would be interested in reviewing the film for the EYG site. They told me that I should go…so I bought my ticket.

As I said, I know very little about Taylor Swift. Honestly, outside of Shake it Off, I could not name another Swift song. I did recognize the tune of the one song that Weird Al had parodied into the song “TMZ.”

I am going to be honest, a lot of these songs felt the same to me. I do think that most of that is because I do not know the songs. I did like the transitions between songs because many times, they just moved into a different song and you could tell the change.

Hearing some of these other songs, I realized that Taylor Swift was a real storyteller with her lyrics. There were some surprisingly deep words in these lyrics. I was actually impressed. However, I counted at least three F-Bombs and I wondered as I was watching the movie what the rating was, since usually one F-Bomb is allowed for PG-13.

The stage set up for this concert tour was spectacular. The LED screens and the stage craft was wonderful and some of the most creative ideas in execution. The moment Taylor Shift dove into the stage and started ‘swimming’ in the water beneath was a stunning achievement.

I also loved the back-up dancers, especially the black, heavier set man dancer. I was so impressed with him and the fact that they gave him a primary spot among the dancers. You normally do not see a man with this type of body style as a back-up dancer. However, I could not take my eyes of this gentleman when he was front and center. He was impressive.

I enjoyed the experience of watching this too. There was some singing in my theater and some waving arms etc. I would have liked more of that from the crowd I was with. I had expected more of that and I was looking forward to the energy that the audience was going to bring. I saw this in XD theater and the sound was amazing… rocking loud.

I had a real good time with this concert movie even with a performer that I did not know much about. Her music was entertaining and the shots of the concert by director Sam Wrench were excellent. If you are a fan of Taylor Swift, this will be an amazing experience. If you are not, give it a chance because you may become one afterwards.

4.2 stars

The Ring (2002)

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The October 7 of 13

As I continued the October 13, this morning I went over to Prime and watched The Ring, an iconic horror movie from 2002.

There is a videotape filled with nightmarish imagery that, if you watch, seven days later, you die. Newspaper reporter Rachel Keller (Naomi Watts) started looking into the story after the death of a family member (Amber Tamblyn) and she discovered the dangers firsthand.

There are some plot holes in The Ring, but the atmosphere and mood of the film is outstandingly creepy and work to build tension as Naomi Watts desperately tried to find an answer to the mystery before the clock runs out on her. The film does a great job of being unnerving without being gory or exploitative.

Naomi Watts is the standout of the entire film. Her performance anchors the story together, raises her character which did not have too much depth, and keeps the attention on her. A less skilled actress could have fallen into the flaws of the story and drag the film down too. Watts, on the other hand, brought the perfect amount of gravitas to the film and gave everyone someone to root for.

The film does a solid job of creating an air of eeriness and keeps the audience on the edge. You are never quite sure what was happening and the film embraces that.

The back story of the videotape (as it were) was horrifying and painful. Your perceptions switch as the film moves along, which keeps the film off-balance.

The Ring was very successful. It was based on the Japanese movie Ring by Hideo Nakata from 1998.

Moonlighting S1 E3

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“Read the Mind…See the Movie”

Dave and Maddie investigate a psychic who they believe are selling secrets of a company that they have a security contract with to another businessman.

The story is, once again, very convoluted in the best possible Moonlighting way. As with all of the best Moonlighting episodes, the case is just an excuse to have interactions between the main leads. In this episodes, David and Maddie end up in their underwear on the roof of the psychic’s house and have to jump off into a pool of water to escape. It is an iconic scene that was replayed multiple times over the years with this episode.

As always, even though David appeared to be a blowhard, he has a sweetness, a caring for Maddie. Of course he hides his feelings behind bluster… hence the hook of the show.

There was quite a bit of action in this episode and you could really see the stuntmen that replaced Cybill Shepherd and Bruce Willis. It was TV in the 1980s, I mean.

Monster House (2006)

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The October 6 of 13

Monster House is a computer animated film from Relativity Media, their first animated film. This has become one of the October 13 here at EYG.

The house across the street from DJ (Mithell Musso) is alive. DJ has been watching the house because of the antics of the crabby old man Mr. Horace Nebbercracker (Steve Buscemi) who would confiscate toys of kids that windup on his front lawn.

When Nebbercracker seemingly died when confronting DJ, the house became more dangerous…especially since it is almost Halloween.

There is a ton of creativity in this movie. The animation and character design is excellent and a lot of fun. The third act conflict worked big time in this film, which I think helped a slightly underwhelming second act.

The voice actors, along with Steve Buscemi is strong. They include Sam Lerner, Spencer Locke, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Kevin James, Nick Cannon, Jason Lee, Jon Heder, Catherine O’Hara, Fred Willard, and Kathleen Turner.

I will say that I was not a huge fan of a couple of the characters, especially Chowder, Zee and Skull. Still, I did like DJ and Jenny and the whole use of Nebbercracker was clever.

This was a solid Halloween animated film. The design of the house, in particular, was remarkably creative and imaginative.

Goosebumps S1 E1

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“Say Cheese and Die!”

While I was on Hulu today, I came across this first episode in a new TV series based around the classic R.L. Stein book series, Goosebumps. I actually found it also on Disney + later in the day with five episodes dropped at the same time.

Watching the first episode on Hulu, it felt a little more mature of a story than other versions of Goosebumps.

According to IMDB, “A group of five high schoolers who unleash supernatural forces upon their town and must all work together thanks to and in spite of their friendships, rivalries, and pasts with each other in order to save it, learning much about their own parents’ teenage secrets in the process.“

Justin Long plays Nathan Bratt, the new owner of a local house with the reputation for being haunted. Zach Morris is Isaiah, one of the high schoolers who was involved. He was a quarterback who found a camera that could tell the future.

This does not seem to be an anthology series as it appears that the story continues through the episodes available on Disney +.

This was reasonably fun and I will give it a try as it goes on.

Monster Inside: America’s Most Extreme Haunted House

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I am not sure what some people are thinking.

This documentary tells the tale of Russ McKamey and the McKamey Immersive Horror Haunted house, a place where the former US Navy veteran ‘hosts’ people who come to his house and he puts them through torturous situations.

The doc used only real footage, footage that was filmed during these events at the house and it was shocking what people would allow him to do to them. Waterboarding, burying them alive, or exploiting the guest’s deepest fears.

I was shocked at how many people appeared on the doc to support or defend Russ. There were several people who had signed up for the immersive house only to realize how wild and horrific and sadistic the situations would become.

I could have used more specifics or background on Russ McKamey, who appears in the videos as well, because it would be good to know more about him and his choices.

I wanted more from the doc, but the story it did tell was unbelievable.

3.1 stars

The Mill

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There was a new sci-fi/horror film that debuted on Hulu this week starring Lil Rel Howery called The Mill.

A businessman in the corporation Mallard woke up one day in an open-air prison with a grist mill in the center of the cell. An electronic voice indicated that he was here to increase his productivity because his work has been slipping lately. He had to push the mill to reach a quota daily or else he would receive consequences.

Joe (Lil Rel Howery) was desperate to get out of this prison so he could get back to his pregnant wife before she gave birth to his son.

The set up of the movie was interesting, but the premise was about all that was interesting for me. It does become repetitive after awhile with little development.

Howery was passable in the role, though he always felt like he may not have been leading character material. He was okay.

I hated the ending of the movie though. It felt like a giant cop out and there was nothing satifying about the conclusion.

I thought this might be an interesting film, but it did not expand to more than what it was. It was an obvious message film that was just not much to see.

2.5 stars

Gen V S1 E5

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“Welcome to the Monster Club”

Last week’s Gen V had an ending that really detracted from that episode and left me feeling, for the first time, that perhaps this was not as great of a series as it seemed. However, with this week’s offering, I feel as if the negatives were all negated and changed my opinion of the end of last week’s show.

The show goes into the world of mental powers as Marie, Andre, Jordan and Emma had been mindwiped and the reason it was such a sudden cut,

The show then played with our own perception as we believed that this was connected to Rufus, who we met last week, using his mental powers to try an rape Marie (which led to her exploding his penis). However, the twist that it was not Rufus, but instead was Kate who did the mindwiping, betraying her friends.

Why Kate why? She is a fascinating character whose backstory is clearly at issue with her. She has a background of abuse and being manipulated and Dean Indira Shetty is using her and her powers, including by manipulating the mind of Golden Boy to keep forgetting his brother.

Emma had been mindwiped to forget about Sam completely, which, when he came back, threw him off. He went to hide out and have delusions about fighting puppets and ripping them apart. Of course, they were not actual puppets and it was an awesome way to make a incredibly brutal scene in a less than R rated manner.

As I said, this was a big step back towards where this show started off and really did help to redeem last week’s seeming misstep (that wasn’t).