I watched the first episode of Marvel’s Hit Monkey on Hulu, an animated show that is way too violent for the MCU or Disney +.
I believe that I will be watching this as the year goes on. It dropped all ten episodes on Hulu, but I am not planning on binging this in a few days. The episodes are around 30 minutes, so a binge would not be a huge time investment, but I get the feeling this would go down better spaced out.
Jason Sudeikis voices hitman Bryce who, after a hit goes wrong, ends up in the snow with a tribe of monkeys. The monkeys try to help him and heal him, but there is one among the group that did not appreciate Bryce’s arrival.
This show was remarkably violent. You could tell that would be the case 2 minutes into the show when a guard is decapitated. That was unexpected and, once again, tells you why this is on Hulu.
The animation style reminds one of Archer, which works with what is here. The animation is not going to blow anyone away, but it is serviceable for a show about Hit Monkey.
Not knowing anything about Hit Monkey (outside of the character’s existence), I kept waiting for some kind of mystical powers that would send Bryce’s mind in the body of the monkey. That was not going to happen. After Bryce dies, he returned to the monkey, who has started using the guns, to be a spiritual guide of sorts.
This is truly weird, but it is fascinating and somewhat entertaining. I hope it goes into more than just the revenge plot because it could get repetitive otherwise. I looked up Hit Monkey and it appeared that he is a Deadpool villain. That sounds as if we can consider him an anti-hero. It also looked as if the show stuck pretty close to the origin of Hit Monkey with only some adjustment.
I’m curious to see where they take this. I enjoyed this more than I did the first couple of episodes of MODOK, which just was not for me.
We pulled out another documentary for the DailyView today, this one off Disney +. I have always been interested in Easter Island and the amazing creations of the Moai statues that mysteriously existed on the tiny island. Moai “are monolithic human figures carved by the Rapa Nui people on Easter Island in eastern Polynesia between the years 1250 and 1500.” (Wikipedia).
This National Geographic documentary looked at what happened to the Rapa Nui people of Easter Island, not just about the mysterious Moai.
While most documentaries focus upon the Moai, but this one looked closer at the people on Rapa Nui, which corresponded to the slowing of the carving of the Moai. The doc included everything from changes in climate, famine from a lack of resources, to potential cannibalism.
The crew heads down into caverns beneath the island to try and determine what happened. How some caves had fresh water and how this may have led to conflicts. The people split into clans and even competed for control of the island.
This documentary was fascinating and I really enjoyed how the doc went into other areas, including the dangers that the island has today, from increasing rainfall causing erosion to the breaking of the cliff edges to the threat of tsunamis.
The 60th Disney animated film was released today over the Thanksgiving holiday. The film Encanto featured a Latino presence and a cultural perspective that is unlike any other Disney property. That is a great step in the right direction.
Thing is… I just did not connect with this film. I found it kind of boring.
From Rotten Tomatoes: “The Madrigals are an extraordinary family who live hidden in the mountains of Colombia in a charmed place called the Encanto. The magic of the Encanto has blessed every child in the family with a unique gift — every child except Mirabel (Stephanie Beatriz). However, she soon may be the Madrigals last hope when she discovers that the magic surrounding the Encanto is now in danger.”
Of course, the animation is beautifully rendered and the music from Lin Manuel-Miranda is very catchy and engaging. These two layers of filmmaking is not something that Disney fails at often. Still, I found the story itself to be wanting.
Perhaps it was the introduction of all of these characters that took me out of the film initially, although that did not bother me in Eternals. I had more knowledge of Eternals than I did with this whole new group of characters so perhaps that is part of it. I did not find the hook of the story behind the Madrigals to be engrossing enough to maintain my attention. I found myself checking the time a couple of moments during Encanto.
Since Encanto did not grab my attention immediately, maybe I missed too much of the first act specifics that would have maintained my interest. Maybe this is a film that I should give a second chance to when it arrives eventually on Disney + because, usually, this is a type of film that would be right up my alley.
I am very pleased that the Latino community is receiving the attention of this film which is sadly too late in coming. Hopefully there will be even more diversity in Disney animation moving forward. Unfortunately, I just did not get into this film.
Marvel Studios has returned with their next Disney + series, this time featuring Clint Barton, Hawkeye. However, it is not just about Hawkeye, but it also serves as the introduction to Kate Bishop, the young girl who adopts the name Hawkeye in the comics.
This series has inspirations from the Matt Fraction run on Hawkeye from 2012 in Marvel Comics. As with all MCU content, it takes the material from the comic books and shifts it to what they are trying to accomplish with their movies/shows. This is clearly happening here. Many of the things that happened to Clint Barton in the comics are happening to Kate Bishop in the show.
Kate Bishop is played by Hailee Steinfeld and this is a perfect casting. From scene number one, Steinfeld personifies Kate Bishop beautifully and makes the character her own. There is a surprisingly large amount of time spent with Kate Bishop in the first two episodes, which I think works very well considering that we are still learning who she is in the MCU. Hailee Steinfeld is a star and her chemistry with Jeremy Renner is apparent.
Some general thoughts…
I love Vera Farmiga. She is great in everything that she does and casting her as Kate Bishop’s mother is a stroke of genius. Them pairing her up with Jack Duquesne, as played by Tony Dalton is awesome too. Jack Duquesne is the name of a Marvel character named the Swordsman and we see a few hints about that as well.
I loved the prologue which shows young Kate Bishop eavesdropping on her father and mother fighting. Kate claimed that nothing would fall out of the sky, which is an ironic statement considering this flashback was set in 2012 and that it was the day of the Chitauri’s assault on New York. Seeing the events of the day through the perspective of the child brings more of a impact of the moment.
Bro. The Tracksuit Mafia. Bro.
I love how Clint just hung around at the end of episode two waiting for the Tracksuit Mafia to come and “kidnap” him. He called it “catch and release” and it reminded me of the scene with Scarlett Johansson in the 2012 Avengers. His calmness in the face of this situation gives you the idea of what a badass Clint Barton was.
Then there was Lucky the Pizza Dog.
At the very end of episode two, we get our first glimpse at Echo, who seemed to be the force behind the Tracksuit Mafia. Echo is a more recent character in Marvel Comics and she already has a spin off series on Disney + planned so she will certainly be a big deal moving forward. I’m not sure if she is truly the one behind the Tracksuit Mafia. When they blew into the black market auction, they were after a specific item: a watch that was recovered from the wreckage of Avengers Headquarters. What connection that has to anything is yet to be determined.
I would be remiss if I did not mention Rogers: The Musical! The slight glimpse we got at the stage show (before Clint and his family snuck out) was cool. We heard part of the song “I can do this all day” with a group of dancing and singing Avengers. It was not just a joke either as it seemed to trigger the painful memories of losing Natasha for Clint as well as other troublesome memories.
I did enjoy the moments we got with Clint and his kids. I am also happy that some of the speculation as to why Clint’s wife, Laura (played by Linda Cardellini), was not in the trailer did not come to fruition. There was speculation that they had separated or were at odds. Thankfully, that is not the case and Clint was just getting time alone with the kids in NYC. The whole Christmas feel of this series is great and the theme of family is explored.
Hawkeye at the LARPing event is one of the best scenes in the show. It introduced the character of Grills to the show as well. And…
“I fought Thanos.” LOL
The first two episodes have been very grounded and street level, which is something that the MCU could use at this point with all the multiversal action happening now. Clint Barton gets a chance to shine, which is something he has not had much time to do up until this point. I am excited to see the rest of the show.
Heading over to Hulu for the DailyView this evening, I came across a movie from 2019 that I did not go to see in the theater. I remember when Where’d You Go, Bernadette was in the theaters. It was a movie that I was always considering going to see, but it was one of those films that was getting pushed aside for other new releases or never worked in the schedule.
Cate Blanchett is one of the great actresses of our time and she is front and center with the character of Bernadette Fox, an artistic architect who moved with her family to Seattle after a major career tragedy which sent her over the edge.
Bernadette had a remarkable relationship with her daughter, Bee (Emma Nelson), despite struggling with her relationship with any other human beings. This was also causing issues with her husband, Elgie (Billy Crudup), who had buried himself deeply in his work.
Her escalating negative behaviors began to worry Elgie and a promised family vacation to Antarctica elevated those behaviors even more.
The performances in Where’ You Go, Bernadette were very solid. Of course, Cate Blanchett is always exquisite and she amplifies any material she is given. The young Emma Nelson was very good as well, not losing step opposite her famous co-star. Bill Crudup does well too, though he may be a bit of a step down. The feuding neighbor Audrey was played by Kristin Wiig, but there is not enough with her. She seemed to play a big role in the first part of the film, but nothing in the second part.
This is a bit of the trouble with the movie. It felt like several different themes and tones floating around the story, and the characters were not completely consistent. At times the film did not seem to know what it wanted to be. It also seemed to diminish mental illness, which was used to explain some of Bernadette’s behaviors.
This film is an adaptation of a novel by Maria Semple, which I have not read, so much of the criticism about how it does not adapt the book well is foreign to me. Director Richard Linklater shoots some solid work, especially the scenes in Antarctica.
I enjoyed this movie despite its flaws, mainly because I enjoyed the characters and the performances. It may not be the best film around, but it was a decent watch.
Another busy day so I had to dip into the Charlie Chaplin vault to pull out another silent short to complete the DailyView. Today, it was a film on YouTube called The Fireman from 1916.
Charlie is a fireman this time, whose chief (Eric Campbell) made an arrangement with the father (Lloyd Bacon) of a beautiful daughter (Edna Purviance) to allow his house to burn down so he could collect the insurance money. In return, the father agreed to let the chief marry his daughter.
As other fires break out in the city, the firemen finally answer the call, thanks to Chaplin.
Turned out that the father set his house on fire without knowing that his daughter was upstairs. Chaplin scaled the outside of the building to save her, showing one of the more impressive stunts of the time.
Honestly, while I have typically enjoyed the Charlie Chaplin short films during this DailyView, this one was kind of boring. I loved the stunt of climbing the building, but I had checked out of the film in the first 15 minutes or so. The slapstick did not do it for me.
This was an early film in Charlie Chaplin’s career and many people seemed to love it. However, after seeing a bunch of the other ones first, The Fireman felt too much the same.
EYG Hall of Famer and musical genius, “Weird Al” Yankovic does not look to fall into that category, but he absolutely does. His attention to details and streak of perfectionism creates some of the best music out there. There is a reason why other performers say that you know you have made it when Weird Al parodies one of your songs.
I saw this on Veterans Day, opening night, live in a Fandom Event. I have not written my thoughts about it up until now. Rocky IV was one of my favorite Rocky movies in the franchise. I mean… Rocky defeated Communism. Who would have guessed?
However, Sylvester Stallone was not too happy with the end result of the film. He wanted to make this film more serious. He wanted to bring a different tone. He wanted to limit the 1980s feel. And he wanted to get rid of the robot.
He certainly did all of that.
This director’s cut changes so much about the original. This felt more like an independent film and it had much less 80s tone. Stallone removed a lot of the original content from Rocky IV and added several scenes.
There was more with Apollo. There was more with Drago. There was not much of Paulie and Rocky’s kid did not make most of the cut. They did more with Adrian and we saw more of the funeral of Apollo.
The montages were still in the film, but they had a little different feel to them.
My thoughts are this. I liked this version of the movie, but I did not like it more than the movie we already had. This absolutely felt like a different movie, but there was something original about Rocky IV and its cheese factor. The new version was fine, and I am happy Sly feels as if he had made it better. I would still choose the 1985 version.
It has been awhile since I have done a Top Ten list. This week’s Top Ten Show with Matt and John featured the top ten Sigourney Weaver movies and I thought it was a good list to add my two cents into.
#10. Vantage Point. A creative film that filmed the same event in several different POV. Included Dennis Quaid and Matthew Fox.
#9. A Monster Calls. An emotional film where Sigourney played the grandmother. Her grandson had a magical tree that helped him with his emotional problems.
#8. The Cabin in the Woods. She does not have a huge role in the film, but she is vitally important as the big boss. Her appearance was shocking, a perfect placement.
#7. Holes. Another role where Sigourney is a villain. She does well in the bad guy roles even though she does not get many of them. And Holes was a surprise to me. I did not expect to enjoy it as much as I did. She made a cowboy hat look good!
#6. Dave. Sigourney was the First Lady of the United States when her husband had a stroke and they replaced him secretly with a look-a-like, and Sigourney fell for him. Dave is a great rom com/comedy.
#5. Copycat. Sigourney is stalked by a serial killer and she has agoraphobia, unable to leave her apartment. It is a tense film with some solid performances. I have always been fascinated with serial killers and the film uses real killers to build the story.
#4. Galaxy Quest. She is repeating the computer. She has one job and she is going to do it. Galaxy Quest is such a great comedy with an amazing cast.
#3. Alien. The first in the franchise and the one where Sigourney made her name. She told the crew what they needed to do, but no one listened to her. If they had, everyone would have survived instead of just her. And the cat.
#2. Ghostbusters. Dana Barrett has some problems in her corner apartment of Spook Central. She knew who she was gonna call. Ghostbusters is one of my favorite movie of all time and Sigourney has great chemistry with Bill Murray. And…she’s a dog.
#1. Aliens. The sequel to Alien was more of a thriller than a horror movie and Sigourney kicked some xenomorph ass. Game over, man! Game over….
Not sure why this did not pop up on Netflix during the October run of horror movies I was doing, because this is far superior than several of the films that I did during that month of the DailyView.
Let Me In is a remake of a Swedish film, Let the Right One In, written and directed by Matt Reeves. It was another film that was never on my radar in 2010, despite being critically acclaimed during that time frame.
Let Me In stars Chloë Grace Moretz, Kodi Smit-McPhee and Richard Jennings in a new take on vampire movies.
Owen (Kodi Smit-McPhee) was a lonely, sad and bullied teen who lived alone with his mother. When Abby (Chloë Grace Moretz) moved into his building with her father (Richard Jennings), Owen bonded with her, unable at first to see the strangeness happening around him.
As attacks begin to pick up, a detective (Elias Koteas) started to get close to the truth, especially after Abby’s father was involved in a car crash trying to get blood for her.
Owen is fascinated by Abby and her confidence helped him to stand up to the main bully (Dylan Minnette) that had been tormenting him.
The relationship between Owen and Abby is special and both young actors brought the goods to these roles. Their early sweetness helped to solidify their friendship for later when all hell breaks loose.
I will say that it seemed to me that Kodi Smit-McPhee had a growth spurt during filming because I swear he went from a little kid to a giant during the runtime. It might just be my perception of how he was shot, but he seemed to suddenly be all legs.
Let Me In was a wonderful horror movie with a new and different relationship at the heart of it. It worked very well and I am glad it popped up on Netflix.
One of the best comics on the market today. The first issue created a sensation in the industry that carried it through to a sequel series. I am also grateful for Ben at ComicWorld making me read this. This helped create a renaissance for me in independent comics.
King Richard is a biopic of Venus and Serena Williams by focusing on their father, Richard Williams. That is a strange fact, but absolutely true. This movie tells the story of two of the greatest tennis players in history, but does it through the eyes of Richard.
Richard Williams is played by Will Smith and he does a tremendous job. There are times in the film where you are trying to understand why Richard is doing what he is doing and times when you wish he would get his own comeuppance because of things that he does, but, in the end, the character shows what he had been planning the entire time.
The film looks mainly at Venus Williams (Saniyya Sidney) because she started in training and her career before her sister Serena (Demi Singleton) did. Richard had his plan, and it was shaking up the tennis world, which, at times, did not know what to make of Richard Williams.
Tony Goldwyn (President Fitzgerald Grant from Scandal) played tennis coach Paul Cohen, who had some ideas that were different from Richard. Then, Jon Bernthal joined the movie as Rick Macci, who brought the family to Florida and elevated Venus’s training even further.
Aunjanue Ellis played Venus and Serena’s mother Brandy, who had several strong scenes with Will Smith. She brought some power to the role and was anything but a bystander in her daughters’ lives. There was a scene where Brandy confronted a neighbor and it showed the fire in her.
The film does run almost 2 and a half hours, but I never felt the length. The movie flowed extremely well and transitioned impeccably from each scene. Director Reinaldo Marcus Green does a great job with the shots of the film, especially the tennis action scenes which bring a tension to the film.
While Serena does not get the same attention as her sister, the movie does not allow her to fall into the background. Her own story of becoming one of the best players of all time is planted here and showed her dedication and passion. Both young actors who played the Williams sisters do a wonderful job with their performances and have bright futures in acting ahead of them.
King Richard could have been just another inspirational sports stories on the Hallmark Channel, but Will Smith and the rest of the cast, as well as Reinaldo Marcus Green, would not accept that level. The film tackles some major issues such as racism and overbearing parents without making anything judgy and providing an entertaining biopic. Excellent work all around.
After watching the wonderful tick, tick…Boom this morning about Jonathan Larson, the creator of the iconic Broadway show, Rent, I was inspired to make the 2005 film version of Rent the DailyView for today.
According to IMDB, Rent “is the film version of the Pulitzer and Tony Award winning musical about Bohemians in the East Village of New York City struggling with life, love and AIDS, and the impacts they have on America.”
The cast included Rosario Dawson, Idina Menzel, Anthony Rapp, Adam Pascal, Jesse L. Martin, Wilson Jermaine Heredia, Taye Diggs and Tracie Thoms. Six of these actors reprised their roles in the film from the Broadway play, three of whom received Tony nominations.
Starting positively, the film’s music is sensational. The score and the musical aspects of Rent jump off the screen and grab the audience. The massive hit ‘Seasons of Love” starts off the film and is used throughout in a fantastic manner. Though that was the only song that I recognized from the soundtrack, the music is absolutely gripping and special.
The story has several elements of tragedy to it and emotionally works in moments. However, the characters are not developed past the surface which undermines the power of some of the emotions. Some of the characters feel as if they are doing things just because the story wants them to. It does not feel like reasonable choices. Instead, it feels like a series of scenes strung together to fill the time and connect the songs.
Not having seen the stage musical this film was based on, I cannot compare them to see if the play does a better job creating these characters. With so many actors reprising their roles among the Bohemians, you would think they would have a real handle on why their characters do what they do. It just did not transfer to me.
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EYG- Embrace Your Geekness 