Wolverine vs. Blade#1

Posted on July 11, 2019 by Doc

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Wolverine vs. Blade #1

Writer: Marc Guggenheim

Artist: Dave Wilkins

Cover Art: Dave Wilkins

A special one shot featuring everyone’s favorite Canadian mutant with claws and everyone’s favorite killer of vampires who is also a vampire was released today matching up the Avenger and the X-Man.

Blade and Wolverine fight is a small section of the story and the rest is your typical team-up.

Despite the fact that the comic is larger than a normal comic, the story of the book felt very rushed. With everything that the comic tried to set up, bringing together these two iconic figures from Marvel was just too crammed.

The book is listed as “Mature Content” which meant that there were graphic ways that the two heroes would kill these vampires. There was no language, but the violence quota was off the charts. Some of that was fun, but it turned out to be at the expense of a comprehensive story.

The art, however, is really well done. It was dark and violent, fitting perfectly in with what the story was going for. Unfortunately, there was very little depth to the tale. It was basically an excuse to draw Wolverine cutting a vampire’s head in three with his claws. If that is enough for you, then this book will be right up your alley.

For me, I wanted more. It was a passable comic, especially for the art, but there was little else to it.

underwhelmComics

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Invisible Woman #1

Posted on July 10, 2019 by Doc

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Invisible Woman #1

Writer: Mark Waid

Artist: Mattia De Iulis

Cover Art: Adam Hughes

For the first time ever, Susan Storm Richards stars in her won solo series at Marvel Comics and, I have to say, it caught me off guard. It revealed something of the character of Sue Storm that I did not know or did not expect.

Apparently, Sue has been, I guess in her spare time, been working on and off as a spy, first for SHIELD and more recently for the government. We start with a bit where she is working for our original Nick Fury and later on, new Nick Fury arrives too.

The idea makes a lot of sense. What wouldn’t be more effective as a spy than someone who can turn themselves invisible? It seemed Sue had been involved for years (as the book shows a scene from “ten years ago”).

The twist of the book worked really well for me and I found myself intrigued immediately. When the government came back to Sue to ask her what she knew about the disappearance of a former partner, Aiden, she wanted to go into the field to find him. The government seemed to be unwilling to agree, but they did not know Sue very well.

The art is beautifully rendered by Mattia DeIulis. The story itself is mainly set up, but it reads quickly and does a great job of constructing the story and finishes with an awesome cameo at the end.

Honestly, I am excited to see what happens next. I love the fact that they are able to throw a new wrinkle into the world of the Invisible Woman and make it feel organic. I believe this is a mini series, and I hope the level of quality remains this high.

Awesomeness

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EYG Top 10 Father/Daughter Movies

Posted on July 10, 2019 by Doc

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This week’s Top 10 Show is Top 10 Father/Daughter Movies in honor of Crawl, coming out this weekend. Strange that giant alligator monsters trying to eat the main characters inspires a list of fathers and daughters movies, but who knows.

I was surprised how many movies that could have been included in this list. The Honorable Mention section is large this week.

Actually most of my list is different than Matt and Jon’s lists and that is always cool. I have never fully seen Father of the Bride, which was the first film I thought about with this topic, so it is not on the list.

#10. Gifted. Okay, this is a bit of a cheat, but I really liked this little movie featuring Chris Evans. Technically, Evans’s character is the uncle of Mackenna Grace’s character, but he is raising her like a father would be. Grace’s character Mary is a math prodigy but Evans does not want to send her to a special school because he did not want to isolate her and he went to court to protect her from his own formidable mother, Lindsay Duncan. Octavia Spencer is great as the next door neighbor and friend too. This is the film that shows that it does not have to be blood between fathers and daughters.

#9. My Girl. Anna Chlumsky is Vada and her father, Dan Aykroyd, is Harry Sultenfuss. He is a funeral director who wife, Vada’s mother, died in childbirth and Vada has been having a difficult time with the ideas of death and a feeling of blame for her mother’s death. Especially since there happens to be death all around her. Harry does not understand his daughter and he spends his time ignoring her. The scene with Macaulay Culkin’s character, Thomas Sennett is heart breaking and helps lead to the reconnection between Vada and her father.

#8. Live Free & Die Hard. Yes, I know there are a lot of haters for this Die Hard movie, but I enjoyed it a great deal. Sure, it is missing the R rating and suffers for it, but I thought the inclusion of the John McClane daughter worked very well. You see how much John loves his daughter, but has struggled to be in her life. She is angry with him, but she knows that when she is in trouble, her father will be there for her. Mary Elizabeth Winstead is McClane’s daughter. There is actually an awesome cast here and the film has some really great moments, including Kevin Smith himself.

#7. Kick Ass. Hit Girl and Big Daddy stole this movie and are an insane father/daughter pairing. Nic Cage brings his whole Nic Cage-ness to this movie and is just tremendous. An argument could be made that Big Daddy is not a very good father, considering he has turned his daughter into a vigilante murderer. But he loves her very much. His final scene just before he dies, he tells Hitgirl that he was proud of her. Big Daddy continued to inspire the heroic path of his daughter.

#6. Eighth Grade. I found this movie remarkably realistic and I loved the relationship between Kayla (Elsie Fischer) and her father Mark (Josh Hamilton). Mark is just an awesome father and I love how he is patient and listens and allows his daughter to have whatever feelings she has, but he is there when she needs him. This film has one of the most tension filled scenes of any movies on this list, in the back seat of the car. Mark’s reaction to this is so wonderful that it could be a bit too perfect.

#5. Train to Busan. I just watched this the other day and it was unbelievable and I loved it. Sure, the father is a jerk for much of the movie and it happens to take the dead rising to pay attention to his daughter, but I am alright with this story arc. The little girl is just amazing with her performance. She has to cycle through all kinds of emotions as she is afraid for her life, trying to get her father to help other people and still being worried about him. I normally do not like reading the movies ( with the subtitles) but you truly do not even realize that you are reading after awhile because you are so engaged in the plot.

#4. A Quiet Place. I love this movie and the relationship between the hearing impaired Regan (Millicent Simmonds) and her father is at the heart of the film. She believes he blames her for the death of her brother and her guilt causes a rift between them. However, he had never given up on her and had been researching how he could help her. The film has some of the best, most suspenseful scenes. And the result of the father and daughter relationship is heartbreaking. Fantastic movie.

#3. Taken. “I don’t know who you are. I don’t know what you want. If you are looking for ransom I can tell you I don’t have money, but what I do have are a very particular set of skills. Skills I have acquired over a very long career. Skills that make me a nightmare for people like you. If you let my daughter go now that’ll be the end of it. I will not look for you, I will not pursue you, but if you don’t, I will look for you, I will find you and I will kill you.”
This scene tells you just about everything you need to know about Bryan Mills and his feeling for his daughter, played by Maggie Grace. The iconic quote starts off a top of the line revenge movie for many years. He will do anything for his daughter and he is really brutal.

#2. Ant Man. This has two sets of father/daughters that the Marvel Studios film examines. Scott Lang, just getting out of prison, is trying to turn his life around so he can be involved once again with his daughter Cassie. The second of the pairings was Hank Pym, genius inventor and the original Ant Man, and his daughter Hope Van Dyne and they have been estranged because Hank will not be straight with Hope about her mother’s “death” and will not allow her to use the shrinking technology he had invented. These two relationships are fully center of the heist film, as Hope shows how capable she is and Scott winds up fighting Yellowjacket in his daughter’s room. Ant Man was a fantastic smaller film from Marvel Studios. Michael Douglas appears as Hank, Paul Rudd is Scott, Evangeline Lilly is Hope and Abby Ryder Fortson is Cassie.

Image result for searching #1. Searching. This was one of the big surprises of the year because this felt like another movie that had come out. How wrong I was. This was wholly original and filled with tension. This is the story of a father, John Cho, whose daughter has disappeared and is believed to have stole money and ran off. He knew this was not the case and went about investigating her disappearance. It used shots from the computer and the different online social media accounts to tell the story and build the tension as you wonder if the father is just fooling himself or if something dangerous has happened to his daughter. There may not be much interaction between characters on screen but you can certainly feel the connection between the characters.

Honorable mentions. Okay, here we go. There is also Ant Man and the Wasp, which was another film I considered, but that has more of a connection to Janet, Hope’s mom. There were two Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson movies I considered, Skyscraper and San Andreas. Both were fine and just weren’t enjoyable enough for the top 10. Southpaw features a great performance from Jake Gyllenhaal, but not the best film. The Nice Guys has a fun father daughter with Ryan Gosling and Angourie Rice. The American President is a fun movie with Michael Douglas that I have tried to get on one of these lists, but, in this one, the father-daughter relationship was not as big as the romantic relationship. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s entry into zombie films was Maggie where his daughter was exposed and he fought to keep people from attacking her. We Bought a Zoo has Matt Damon, Scarlett Johansson and animals. What more could you need? Parenthood is an old favorite, but there are too many family members involved. Birdman is a great movie, but again I feel the father daughter relationship is not front and center. Avengers: Infinity War has the big relationship with Thanos and Gamora. Yeah, I know, but I wanted to include it in this section.

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Train to Busan (2016)

Posted on July 7, 2019 by Doc

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Holy cow.

I have never been much on foreign films where I have to read the subtitles, but I had heard enough of the online community rave about this movie (from Collider’s Perri Nemeroff to the Top 10 Show) that I had it on my queue over at Netflix. Looking though for Doc’s Classic Movies Reviewed #199, I came across Train to Busan and thought I’d give it a chance.

Holy cow.

I am so glad that I chose to watch this. You become so invested in the characters and the story unfolding here that you forget that you are reading the movie.

A group of passengers boarded a train in an attempt to escape the sudden outbreak of zombies plaguing South Korea. The word was that the city of Busan had been a safe haven so far, or so they heard. The train was not free from the monsters and the uninfected passengers struggles to remain one step ahead of the horde.

This just well may be the best zombie genre movie that I have ever seen. I loved those comedic zombie movies such as Zombieland and Shaun of the Dead, and there has not been a dramatic zombie film that I would put on their level. Train to Busan is the one.

Seok-woo (Yoo Gong) is a fund manager who was escorting his daughter Su-an (Kim Soo-ahn) to his estranged wife in Busan. Seok-Woo couldn’t care less about anyone else and his work was taking him away from Su-an consistently.

Sang-hwa (Dong-seok Ma) and his pregnant wife Seong-kyeong (Yu-mi Jung) are also on the train. Other passengers include a pair of elderly sisters, a high school baseball team, Yon-suk (Eui-sung Kim), a CEO who was out for himself and no one else, among others.

You really get connected to these characters which make it all the more difficult when they succumb to the zombie herd. Some of the deaths are heroic and others are downright cowardly, but they all provide an emotional burst that I had not expected.

Little Kim Soo-ahn was absolutely spellbinding as Su-an. She gave the performance of a lifetime in a role that would be challenging for any adult to pull off. She showed us her fear, frustration, disappointment, grief, and a deep look into the heart of the little girl who showed her father, by example, just what a jerk he was being.

The action was tense and stressful. Choreographed beautifully, the zombies were true threats inside the restrictive confines of the train cars. You can’t help but feel claustrophobic as the film moves along. It does have some of the same beats as Chris Evans’s sci-fi epic Snowpiercer, but the zombies provide a more threatening presence than Snowpiercer had.

Bloody, violent and chaotic, Train to Busan is on-the-edge-of-your-seat action from early on in the right up to the very end. You’ll be holding your breath throughout the film. It is an amazing piece of work.

paragon

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Stranger Things Season Three

Posted on July 5, 2019 by Doc

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SPOILERS. I plan on talking about the third season of Stranger Things in this post so if you have been unable to watch the entire series, you may want to avoid this post until you finish it. SPOILERS AHEAD…

You have been warned…

Final chance to leave before SPOILERS start dropping….

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Okay….

I binge watched the third season of Stranger Things as my Fourth of July binge fest and I have to say that it was a fun time. Only having 8 episodes in season three made the show a quick binge and never felt as if it dragged. Some Netflix series seem to have filler episodes because of the number of episodes, but Stranger Things does not have that problem.

There were some fantastic performances throughout the entire run. Millie Bobby Brown brings the goodness as Eleven, aka “Elle”. She has really shown that she knows exactly what this character is like and how she would react. The relationship between Elle and Mike, as played by Finn Wolfhard, is sweet and believable after the previous two seasons of them together. Starting the season off with the kissy-face between the two of them showed where the characters have gone.

Image result for stranger things 3 I also liked how they took Elle and gave her a female friend in Max, played by Sadie Sink. This showed us something that Elle never had, a friend who was a girl. The scenes of them at the mall are wonderful and so real to life.

The show follows one of the tried and true ideas in storytelling. The entire group splits into sections, all dealing with pieces of the over-arching storyline, and slowly come together to share what they know. It can be frustrating at times, but every show from LOST to The Walking Dead have used this trope. There is a satisfaction when the group finally get back together.

Looking at the episodes:

Episode One: “Suzie, Do You Copy?“

We are re-introduced to the characters from Hawkins, Indiana, including Dustin returning from a vacation where he claims to have met a girl and they have become a couple. He sets up “Cerebro” a communication device to talk with her in her home in Utah, but he cannot connect. His friends wonder if there truly is a Suzie. However, he does eventually pick up a surprising message in Russian. Will and Lucas are becoming frustrated with Mike and Eleven’s relationship. Their relationship is also causing stress for Hopper as well. He seeks council from Joyce. Max’s brother Billy winds up crashing his car and being dragged into the steel mill by some creature.

The first episode was a bit slow and was probably the weakest of the season. It included some weird storyline with Mike’s mom Karen Wheeler, who was at the swimming pool ogling lifeguard Billy. Billy wants some of that too as he invites her to some private swimming lessons at a local hotel. This was a creepy way to start the show and included a storyline that went absolutely nowhere. I loved the X-Men reference with Cerebro though. As always, Stranger Things is more than happy to remind you that this is set in the 1980s and to beat you over the head with nostalgia if you forget it.

Episode Two: “The Mall Rats”

Image result for stranger things 3 Hopper fails to have the heart-to-heart with Elle and Mike that was recommended to him by Joyce and instead threatens Mike. A fearful Mike lies to Elle about his grandma being sick. Max takes Elle to the mall and they have a fun and engaging shopping trip. Mike, Lucas and Will also go to the mall looking to purchase an “I’m sorry” gift for Elle. Elle and Max find them there and, mad about being lied to, Elle “dumps his ass.” Meanwhile, Dustin has gone to see Steven at Steven’s job at Scoops Ahoy at the mall to try and get help with the Russian message. He recruits Steven’s co-worker Robin to help. They are able to determine that the message originated from Hawkins. Finally, Joyce, ever paranoid, believes something weird is happening to make the magnets in her home not stick to her refrigerator. She winds up standing up Hopper on their date to go see science teacher Mr. Clarke. Nancy and Jonathan, who are working as interns at the newspaper, go to an elderly woman’s home following up a lead on a story about hyperactive/crazed rats.

Robin is one of the great new characters of season two. The relationship between her and Steve is one of my favorite parts of the season. They start off typically berating one another, but their connection is obvious right away. They are funny as scene partners almost every time they are together. As a recurring theme of the season, the Russian stuff is fairly ridiculous, but, if you take it in that manner, it works.

Episode Three: “The Case of the Missing Lifeguard”

Billy has kidnapped on of his co-workers from the swimming pool and Eleven is able to see him doing it with her super spying power. This sends Max and Eleven out to try and help the girl and find out what exactly was going on. Will, Lucas and Mike are together and Will wants things to get back to normal…aka D & D. However, Mike and Lucas are more interested in the girl drama, causing Will to storm off. He winds up at “Castle Byers” tree house that he destroys in a fit of anger. After this, Will’s Will Sense tells him that the monster from the Upside Down was back. Robin breaks the Russian code down and realizes that someone is bringing something to the mall that night, and Dustin, Steven and she go to spy on it. Nancy gets made fun of over her story idea by the douchebag newspaper men so she and Jonathan go back to Mrs. Driscoll’s place only to find her crazed herself, eating fertilizer.

The whole Mrs. Driscoll stuff was wild and made me sad. In the little screen time that actress Peggy Miley had received, I really liked the little old lady. The Will reaction was great and very understandable. Of all people, Will would want to get back to what he was used to, but the others moved on with their love lives. Will storming out of the D & D session made me think of my friend Frank, who once tried to storm out of a D & D session we were playing in only to be tackled by my friend Darin. I actually said to Mike, “Tackle him!”

Oh, and by the way, I absolutely hated the characters of the newspaper men. They were nothing but rotten men who were one-dimensional.

Episode Four: “The Sauna Test”

Image result for stranger things 3 The boys and girls reunite and share information. With Will’s proclamation that the mindflayer was still in the universe, they determined that the mindflayer had been trapped in this universe when Eleven closed the door between dimensions in season two. They also began to speculate about someone that might be possessed. They immediately placed Billy front and center and set him up in a trap at the swimming pool to find out for sure. Trapping him in the sauna room, they knew that the mindflayer wanted to stay cool and this showed that Billy was indeed possessed. Showing incredible strength, Billy broke free and had his first confrontation with Eleven. As Billy was showing his transformation, so was Mrs. Driscoll and Nancy happened to be witnessing this in her hospital room after she and Jonathan had been fired for pushing the case after their boss Tom (who is also now possessed) told them not to. While this is happening, Steve, Robin, and Dustin have enlisted Lucas’s sister Erica to crawl through air ducts to get them into the warehouse so they can find out what was in the secret deliveries to the Russians. The four of them wind up trapped in the tunnels beneath the mall, a Russian stronghold.

The whole Russian thing was not a personal favorite of mine. It all felt too cartoonish and the fact that these four kids were able to be so successful in compromising the secret headquarters was stretching credibility too much for me at times. What saved the whole situation was how great the four characters were together. Robin and Steve were fun and the introduction of Erica was a hoot. She played very well off of Dustin. We also get evil mayor The Dread Pirate Roberts! The city’s mayor was played by Cary Elwes, who has some underhanded dealing with the Russians.

Episode 5: “The Flayed”

Joyce and Hopper investigate the Lab, finding a pair of Russians. They capture one of them, Alexei and Hopper takes him to Murray Bauman because he can speak Russian. Murray is much more entertaining this season than he was last year as the conspiracy theorist. Nancy and Jonathan meet up with the kids, bringing another group together. They decide to try and find the possessed people by going to the hospital and letting Mrs. Driscoll lead them there. Unfortunately, this was a bad idea as Tom and Bruce, the douchebags from the paper, were there waiting for them and have killed a bunch of hospital staff members. Jonathan and Nancy are able to kill the possessed pair, but they dissolved into a red ooze and combined to form a bigger monster. Meanwhile, Steve, Dustin, Erica and Robin found that the Russians were trying to open the door to the Upside Down using some big machinery powered by this green liquid that was in the boxes that had been delivered to the mall.

Things are heating up here as the hospital fight was insane. It also gave the kids a chance to start healing from their break-ups earlier. Mike and Eleven have a nice scene and Eleven helps with the vending machine, which was funny. The whole Hopper, Murray, Joyce and Alexei stuff was classic.

Episode Six: “E Pluribus Unum”

The Mindflayer chases after Nancy and Jonathan in the hospital in some of the most dramatic scenes of the series so far. Thankfully, the Will sense had warned him that the Mindflayer was here and Eleven was able to arrive in the nick of time to save Nancy. Steve and Robin get captured by the Russians as Dustin and Erica get away. Steve and Robin are given truth serum which drugs them up and they are interrogated by the Russians. Meanwhile, Alexei has decided to cooperate with Hopper and tells them about the “keys” that were used to start the machines to open the doorway to the Upside Down. Dustin and Erica are able to rescue Steve and Robin, but they are so drugged out that they seem to be drunk. Trying to find out where Billy is using her powers, Eleven winds up reading his mind and finding out some info from his childhood. Unfortunately, he finds out she is doing this and then knows where she is. The possessed people start melting together to form one giant monster.

This was a great episode. I have to say though that the Russians are just too much of a joke for me. As I said, the whole thing is saved by Steve and Robin and their dialogue, which is absolutely fantastic. The scene where these people wind up melting into goo and forming the new giant Mindflayer is one of total horror. The body count of this series is tremendously high. So sad to see Mrs. Driscoll go.

Episode 7: “The Bite”

Image result for stranger things 3 The Mindflayer arrives at the cabin and the kids have to fight it off. It gets a bite on Eleven’s leg. She is able to use her power to tear it apart, giving the kids the chance to retreat. They wind up at a hardware store and they hear from Dustin over a walkie. Dustin, Erica, Steve and Robin are hiding at the movie, Back to the Future. Unfortunately, the walkie-talkie has a battery that is too low and eventually gives out. As this is going on, Hopper, Joyce, Murray, and Alexei head to the July 4th carnival trying to find the kids because they realized that the danger that they are in. Alexei gets shot and killed by the evil Russian agent that had been stalking them. The three flee the fairgrounds, heading to the mall. At the mall, Eleven saved Dustin’s group from the Russians who were about to shoot them by smashing them with a display car. Afterwards, Eleven collapses as her bite mark throbs with something inside it.

God this was great. The confrontation at the cabin was the bomb and full of tension and that was just the start. You knew that the bite mark would cause trouble later as the episode was named that. I was so sad that Alexei got murdered. I had grown to like him in a short time. He and Murray had shown the possibilities of covering the chasm between countries and were becoming friends. His death made me think of Sean Astin’s death last season. When Hopper shot the Russian agent multiple times and he went down, I yelled out, “shoot him in the head.” Of course, he did not and the agent had a bullet proof vest on. I knew it! The whole Back to the Future stuff was awesome too and Steve and Robin continue their epicness. And they discover that they are not becoming a pair because Robin is gay even though Steve was falling for her. That was handled so well that it was truly beautiful. And speaking of beautiful, Eleven crushing those Russians with the car had me shouting out loud.

Episode 8: “The Battle of Starcourt”

Looking at the bite mark on Eleven’s leg, they saw something crawling around inside her wound. Jonathan tried cutting the thing out and tried reaching into the incision to grab it. Eleven said he could do it, and she used her power to pull the creature out of her leg and flipped it away, just in time for Hopper to step on it and squish it. The group, fully combined finally after the whole season, compare notes. Hopper, Murray and Joyce head down to find the keys and shut off the machine opening the door to the Upside Down. They are following instructions from Dustin and Erica, who went back to Cerebro for a stronger signal. The Mindflayer arrived at the mall and the kids had to hide, trying to escape. Eventually, the kids tossed fireworks at the monster, stalling it. The Russian agent showed up to fight with Hopper. Billy showed up. Lots of stuff happened. Joyce is able to turn the keys and close the door, blowing up the machines. It appeared as if Hopper was caught in the explosion and died. Billy turned on the mindflayer to save Eleven, also costing him his life.

Three months later, Joyce and her family (including Eleven) are moving. Everyone says goodbye. We wind up in Russia in a post credit scene where we see them feeding a prisoner to the demogorgon.

There was so much in this episode. This was a great conclusion to the season. Lots of conflict and dramatic tension. The removal of the thing out of Eleven’s leg was unbelievably queasy. It was really hard to watch, but you couldn’t take your eyes off of it. I did not even mention Steve arriving to crash his car into Billy’s car, who was trying to smash Nancy. It was a brilliant moment. I also did not mention the moment of the Neverending Story, where Dustin and Suzie sing the song together over Cerebro. I am not sure how I feel about this. My first thought is that this had no place in the story, but it did break some of the high tension of the episode and allowed for a funny joke later. The Hopper stuff was emotional, but I believe that he is not dead. In the post credit scene, the Russian guard makes a reference to a jail cell that contained an American. Any bets that Hopper is inside that cell? Billy’s sacrifice was tough to watch as well as his return to the good side was helped by Eleven and her flash to his past.

These characters had been building to this moment throughout these episodes and everyone had their moment. This season of Stranger Things was really great. I think I would put it ahead of season two, but behind one. I’m not sure where the show goes from here, but there is definitely plans for the Russians to continue as we saw that demogorgon at the end.

Season Three: 8.5/10

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Best Moment: Eleven crushing Russians with the car. Love that.

Worst Moment: The Russian interrogating Steve and Robin. Was Boris Badenov too busy?

Most Horrific: Cutting her leg and reaching into the wound.

We miss you moment: A flashback featuring Bob (Sean Astin).

Best Acting: Give it to Millie Bobby Brown. Top notch.

Fantastic Four: The Prodigal Sun #1

Posted on July 4, 2019 by Doc

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Fantastic Four: The Prodigal Sun #1

Writer: Peter David

Artist: Francesco Manna

Cover Art: Mico Suayan & Rain Beredo

We are introduced to a brand new hero in the Marvel Universe and he goes by the name Prodigal. We learn very little about him in this issue as he lands in the Savage Land and draws the attention of Ka-Zar and Shanna, who contact the Fantastic Four for help.

We do learn that his real name is Prah’dGul and he claims to be the greatest warrior in the five galaxies.

Prodigal meets up with Rojash and the Swamp People in the Savage Land and they are trying to get some weapons found inside the High Evolutionary’s old lab.

Honestly, my first opinion on Prodigy is a bit lackluster. He was very arrogant without any reason, or at least none that we have been given. There is little else that we have found out about him. The dialogue of the character was not a strength, as he used a lot of snippy remarks that are intended to be funny, but seem to fall flat for me.

Honestly, I was much more interested in the meeting of Ka-Zar and Shanna’s son Matt Plunder, who has apparently fallen into some kind of time portal in Lemuria and aged to a teenager, and Valeria Richards, daughter of Reed and Sue. I would want more of this.

It appears as if the character of Prodigal is being introduced across several one-shot issues like this one, with the next issue being a Silver Surfer crossover. Not sure how I feel about this character yet as we really get very little about him. He is very powerful and knows it and he wants to find a spaceship to get off the planet earth.

I’d really like more Ka-Zar and more Matt and Valeria. Other than that, Prodigal is a we’ll see.

tryit

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Aero #1

Posted on July 3, 2019 by Doc

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Aero#1

“Protector of the City”

Writer: Zhou Liefen

Artist: Keng

Cover Art: Keng

“Aero & Wave: Origins & Destinies” Part One

Writer: Greg Pak

Artist: Pop Mhan

Aero debuted in the recent limited series The New Agents of Atlas which debuted during The War of the Realms crossover event. That was one of the few favorites of mine during the event, so I was excited to read the new book with Aero.

Admittedly, the characterization was not top priority in The New Agents of Atlas and I did not learn a ton about Aero or any of the other new characters introduced in that series. However, that means that there is some room for this series to give me more about this character and I did like what was here.

In fact, the set up of the first story of the book was intriguing with a building that was coming to life in Aero’s city, Shanghai. I really liked the way that first story ended too because I did not expect it and I found it interesting.

I also got to see a little bit about who this character is, though I would like even more as this series goes on. The book uses Aero’s voice as the narrator and it is able to reveal to us some of her thoughts as it progresses, which I liked.

The art is beautiful and uses lots of large imagery to tell the story. I really enjoyed Keng and his artistry.

The second story is used to introduce to us further another of the characters we met in The New Agents of Atlas in Wave. It is a basic origin story, but I was engaged with it.

Overall, I enjoyed this book and I expect that I will give it a chance moving forward. I hope we learn more about Aero as we move on and continue to see such beautiful art work that has a manga feel to it.

ReadIt

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Midsommer

Posted on July 3, 2019 by Doc

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Uuuuuuuuuuuugggggggggg

The new A24 film Midsommer is a horror movie that disturbed the heck out of me. Honestly, I feel that I need a shower after seeing it.

Not saying that it was bad. I am having so much trouble processing how I feel about it. This is from the director Ari Aster, who also directed last year’s Heredity.

Dani (Florence Pugh) and Christian (Jack Reynor) are a couple who are having problems with their relationship. After a terrible tragedy in Dani’s life, they go with a bunch of friends on a midsummer festival in a remote Swedish village. It does not take long to discover that there are some horrific traditions beneath the surface at the village that you would not expect.

The setting of the mysterious village is amazing. It is beautifully shot and the bright light around the area sets a fascinating contrast with the darkness happening among the people of the village. The people feel very much like a cult and some of the traditions and rituals are skin-crawling.

The acting is fine, but I do have to say that I found Florence Pugh’s crying to be way over the top. There were two instances of it and I found both to be very unlikely that anyone cries like that. Still, the rest of the time, she is great and it is through her eyes that we see some of the worst things that happen.

One of the worst parts of it is inside your own mind. There are plenty of pictures drawn on walls in this village, like hieroglyphics or such and they are disgusting and creepy. Then, you see places in the film where things are happening that may be echoing the pictures on the wall, but the film does not confirm it. It is like, wait…what? and the film just keeps on going. It takes the horror inside the mind of the viewer.

I thought the film dragged a bit. It was a long film and I think it helped introduce the village, but there were too many spots that felt unimportant.

I am still processing what I feel about Midsommer because of some of the visceral images that we get in the film. The movie tells the story of the eventual break up of our main characters and it takes it into a path that you simply do not expect. It is a beautifully shot film but it is a challenging and difficult watch.

I liked the movie, but I do not know if I am going to continue to like it as I process more.

3.2 stars

Spider-Man: Far From Home

Posted on July 3, 2019 by Doc

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The Marvel Cinematic Universe Phase 3 has ended with the 23rd film in the franchise, Spider-Man: Far From Home, which not only has to be a sequel to Spider-Man: Homecoming, but it has to follow Avengers: Endgame and show what the world of the MCU was like moving forward.

I am happy to say that it was a tremendous success in both ways.

I loved this movie and I was laughing and thoroughly engrossed from the beginning, right through two MASSIVE post credit scenes.

Writing a review for this is going to be pretty challenging because I do not was to reveal any spoilers and the film is filled with them. Do the best you can to go into the film as fresh as you can be. Of course, you need to have seen Avengers: Endgame because this takes events directly from that movie.

Peter Parker (Tom Holland) fresh off the events of Endgame, is back as Spider-Man. However, Peter and his classmates are taking a school science trip to Europe and Peter wants to go on vacation from his web head alter ego. Ignoring a phone call from Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson), Peter wants to tell MJ (Zendaya) that he likes her and he is planning how he is going to do that.

Fury arrives in Europe to recruit Peter to help them fight these monsters from another multiverse called the Elementals. Fury wants Spider-Man to join forces with a hero from that other multiverse, Quentin Beck (Jake Gyllenhaal), who gets dubbed Mysterio by the media.

That’s about all I can give you without spoiling it. This info was in the trailers but there is so much more here.

Tom Holland is the best Peter Parker/Spider-Man we have ever had. He is so charismatic and funny that you connect with him easily. You understand the internal struggle Peter is having between wanting to have a normal life and tell the girl he likes that he likes her and the responsibility of being Spider-Man, a hero seemingly handpicked by Tony Stark to be the next big hero.

Jake Gyllenhaal as Quentin Beck is perfect. I absolutely love the characterization of Mysterio in this movie. I don’t want to go into any details for those who may not know much about Mysterio so that you may remain in the dark. Gyllenhaal brings such a gravitas to the role and you believe the relationship that develops between Peter and Quentin.

Zendaya’s MJ really takes a gigantic leap forward from the background/comedic character that she was in Homecoming. MJ is someone who could now be a leading woman in this franchise. She is so beautiful in every shot she is involved in and I loved the reasoning for her to develop. She and Tom Holland have undeniable chemistry and the early awkwardness makes you believe this is a high school romance.

The rest of the cast is great too. The running gag of the romance between Ned (Jacob Batalon) and Betty (Angourie Rice) was cute and felt real. We get some more subtle development for Flash Thompson (Tony Revolori). Happy Hogan (Jon Favreau) and May (Marisa Tomei) have a relationship that makes Peter feel a bit uneasy. The cast in fantastic.

The visuals are brilliant, especially in the action scenes. The visuals at the end literally had me sitting in the theater with my mouth agape. It was a Spider-man scene that I so loved and made me realize how important that aspect of the character was to me. The originality of the film’s action was truly a gutsy attempt.

Director Jon Watts deserves a ton of credit for his second Spider-Man movie. I have seen many people comparing this to Homecoming. To me, while I love Homecoming and I think that Michael Keaton’s Vulture is brilliant, Far From Home exceeds Homecoming in many different manners.

Post credit scenes… there are two… and they are mind blowing, including a couple of shocking cameos. No spoilers here, but they were both epic and changed the way the MCU will be moving forward.

The only criticism I have is a spoiler so I cannot reveal it here. Let’s just say it is something that happens in the third act and is a fairly disappointing trend.

Spider-Man is going to be a huge factor in the Phase four of the MCU, and this film does a lot to show that is the case. The acting is spot on, the action is special and well designed, the CGI is exceptional, and the story does well in capturing the ideas of Spider-Man and Mysterio. Stay through the credits.

Spider-Man: Far From Home is so much fun and filled with drama, humor and excitement. This is the second coming of age story featuring Spider-Man and his ensemble and it is the best one yet.

5 stars

(Yes, I may not be as unbiased as I should be, but it is a great movie)

EYG Top 10 Superhero Sequels

Posted on July 2, 2019 by Doc

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This week’s Top Ten Show featured a guest. The one and only Emma Fyffe joined the boys this week to talk about the Top 10 greatest superhero sequels of all time in honor of Spider-Man: Far From Home opening today (and I will see later today!!!)

I was a little disappointed with the topic because it feels like something that they have done before and I was hoping for something different. Top 10 Spider-man movie scenes or something like that. However, with Emma joining Matt and John, the topic had a bit of a new feel. And of course the show was great as it always is.

There are a lot of choices here and this will give me a chance to talk about one that has just become one of my favorite movies ever.

#10. Deadpool 2. While I did not feel that this lived up to the first movie, Deadpool 2 was a solid outing with some really funny moments and a strong interaction between Deadpool and Cable. I had trouble with the kid who is so important in the movie, which is why I probably did not rank it as highly as the first one, but the scenes with Juggernaut were awesome. The dialogue and quips from Ryan Reynolds was done beautifully. Domino was amazing and the X-Force stuff was as funny as anything in any of the movies.

#9. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2. Some people put this one down because there are too many jokes and, honestly, I felt that the first time I saw it. However, after the second viewing and onward, I have not felt the humor took away from the positives of the film. Ego, played by Kurt Russell, is tremendous. The whole Yondu storyline is beautiful and the ending of this movie never fails but to make me a blubbering mess. Any drawbacks it may have are overtaken by the emotional beat of the film.

#8. Thor: Ragnarok. Marvel Studios and director Taika Waititi completely reinvigorated the character of Thor and provided Chris Hemsworth with a new take on the character of the Norse God. This film was just crazy with so much goodness. The Planet Hulk storyline is encapsulated here. The Grandmaster played by Jeff Goldblum is perfection. Loki and Thor’s relationship continues to be the most compelling relationship of the series. There is great humor and heart. Some complain about the lack of emotion from Thor after the death of Odin or the destruction of Asgard, but I would push back on that because it is in the film, albeit subtle and it leads to the arc of the character throughout the upcoming Avengers movies.

#7. The Dark Knight. Matt and John always have this higher on their lists than I do. While I admit it is a great movie, I’m more of a Marvel guy. I do love Batman and the performance of Heath Ledger as the Joker is out of this world. I do not think the film needed Two-Face though and that felt tossed in and it undercut the main story here. Still, the interrogation scene with Batman and the Joker is amazing cinema and the film keeps you off balance the whole time. I appreciated hearing Emma and her thoughts on the movie as it was lower on her list than Matt and John and I actually could relate to why she placed it where she did.

#6. Spider-Man 2. This was my favorite superhero movie for some time because I loved Spider-man and this was the best version of him up to this point. While I believe Tom Holland is now the standard bearer, that does not take away from this classic. Adapting the “Spider-man No More” story, Spider-man 2 is so great. The entire train sequence with Doc Ock and the people on the train may still be one of my favorite moments in any Spidey film.

#5. Captain America: The Winter Soldier. I never would have thought that anyone could do Captain America as well as he is done in this movie. They are able to provide conflict for Cap despite of his “boy scout” image. The relationship with the Black Widow and Cap is done wonderfully and sets up so much for later installments. They created a spy thriller and put Cap at the center. It brought up themes of government interference and what exactly a soldier should be. The Winter Soldier himself was an epic payoff and had some amazing battles with Steve Rogers. And we had a villain in the MCU played by Robert Redford, for goodness sake. It also introduced Falcon to the series and brought us one of those iconic scenes- in the elevator. A classic.

#4. Logan. Easily the best X-Men film we have had yet. Logan gives us the story of a broken down hero who is just trying to get away to spend his last years of life with his friend, safe and secure. Unfortunately, as always, life is not going to let Logan go quietly into the sunset. They provide a young clone of him named Laura and she turned his life upside down. Hugh Jackman’s final turn as Wolverine is easily his best. Patrick Stewart should have not only been nominated for an Academy Award, he should have won it for his role as the slowly degenerating Charles Xavier. This is the most beautiful send off for the Wolverine character and the rest of the characters in his arc.

#3. Captain America: Civil War. This is such an unbelievable undertaking that when the Russo Brothers pulled it off, they showed what they were capable of and set themselves up as the correct directors to take the MCU to the heights that it could reach. This film had a huge cast that was not slighted in the least, including our first introduction to Black Panther and the MCU version of Spider-Man, but it was also a small film that focused on the conflict between two men, Steve Rogers and Tony Stark. And it does it so well that you can relate to and connect with both of them. Even if you are “Team Cap”, you can see where Tony Stark is coming from. And the film never fails to feel like it is a Captain America film, which with the number of heroes involved is quite a feat. The action is never skimped on either. The airport scene is one of the greatest in any movie and the Iron Man vs. Cap and Bucky conclusion brings stakes galore. I was never fond of the comic event, Civil War, because it had characters doing things that felt as if they would never do. That was not the case with the movie and is another reason why I love it so much.

#2. Avengers: Infinity War. This was such a gutsy movie from Marvel Studios. They basically took their villain, played wonderfully by Josh Brolin, and made him the main character of the film. What? And the fact that the villain wins in the end is so shocking. I remember seeing it for the first time and just the gasps of shock when the screen went to black with Thanos on his farm watching the sunset. It was such a twist. Still, you can understand Thanos’s motivation. Sure what he wanted to do was crazy, but he thinks he is doing these actions as what was best for the universe and that makes him compelling as hell. The film contained so much as well. Spider-man and his death in the arms of Tony Stark nearly broke me. The heroes being dusted drove the audience crazy. The pairing of Thor with Rocket and Groot and their subsequent arrival in Wakanda is one of the best moments of the film. The film is dark and sprawling. And it does a brilliant job setting up….

#1. Avengers: Endgame. I just love this movie. No movie has made me feel as many different emotions or made me cry as consistently as Endgame has. I cry for many reasons too. I am so overwhelmed with joy that the emotions come freely. The moment Cap picks up Thor’s hammer just fills me with pleasure. Finally hearing Cap say “Avengers Assemble” after the vortexes open to bring all the dusted characters back to the fight was so satisfying. The film pays off the 21 previous movies in ways you never could have guessed it could. There are so many little things that you recognize that proves that the Russos, Kevin Feige, Marcus and McFeely and all the actors made this as a love letter to the MCU and it works completely. The time travel aspect may have been done the best in any movie ever. I worried when I heard about the time travel rumors, but it could not have gone better. I have seen this film eight times in the theaters and I need to see it again before the July 4th holiday ends. The idea of not being able to see it on the big screen kind of makes me sad.

Honorable Mentions: X2: X-Men United almost made the list, but it got knocked off at the last minute. The other X-Men film that would be in consideration was X-Men: Days of Future Past. I almost included Avengers: Age of Ultron because that film gets a bad rap and is much better than people give it credit for. Superman 2 was my favorite Superman movie. The Incredibles 2 was worth the wait.

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My Cousin Vinny (1992)

Posted on July 1, 2019 by Doc

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My Cousin Vinny becomes the 198th film reviewed in the Doc’s Classic Movie Reviewed section at EYG. I had seen a video on YouTube from a lawyer who was looking at how accurate the film was in courtroom procedures. It did very well, with many scenes being considered great for even teaching how to do things.

Joe Pesci is Vinny, the lawyer, and his fiance is played by Marisa Tomei. They have to go down to Alabama to be the lawyer for his cousin Bill (Ralph Macchio) who, along with his friend Stan (Mitchell Whitfield), have been incorrectly charged with murder and they need Vinny’s help.

The problem is that Vinny has never won a case and has plenty of things he had no clue about. The judge (Fred Gwynne, famous from The Munsters) has it out for Vinny because of the way he dresses and acts. Vinny, from New York City, has troubles around Alabama as the “fish out of water” and unable to sleep.

My Cousin Vinny is one of the best in court films you are going to find, with the lawyering that is done by Vinny is so entertaining that it is engaging and thrilling. The film is very funny and has some of the best dialogue you are going to find.

There is a ton of chemistry between the entire cast here. The ensemble is tremendous with the exception of the public defender with the stuttering problem. I dislike that character and I actually fast-forwarded through his part.

Marisa Tomei won an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress for her role in this movie, and her scene as the witness in the trial is one of the best scenes in the movie.

My Cousin Vinny is a fantastic movie and I love watching it any time I can.

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EYG Top 10 Musicals Re-List

Posted on June 30, 2019 by Doc

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Re-List…re…re…re…re-list! Buzz Buzz Buzz Buzz

Hey! We have another Re-List from the Top 10 Show and this week’s is one that I have been hoping that John and Matt would do for quite a while now. Top 10 Musicals. Now, I know that Matt is not a big fan of musicals and he would have some problems making a top 10 list of them. He explained it on the show that there would not be a lot he could contribute because he might have only seen some of these once. It makes sense, so I was happy to hear the topic on the Re-List!

Now, the Patreons involved was Topic selected: Tyler Spotts and two lists from Robert Haley and Jeremy Metz. Tyler laid down the ground rules that regular musicals, Broadway adaptations, originals, or music biopics could be included. However, I am not going to do that. I am not including anything that does not fit into the regular category of musicals. No music biopics. So I am eliminating Bohemian Rhapsody, This is Spinal Tap, Walk the Line etc.

I am also leaving off the animated movies which includes Lion King, Aladdin, Beauty and the Beast which all probably makes this list if included.

Okay…here we go.

Image result for evita movie #10. Evita. This one is a movie that is not well liked, but I loved completely. I was never a huge Madonna fan, but I thought her performance as Eva Perón was spot on. I also loved the work in this film from Antonio Banderas as Che. I wore out the CD of the songs as I listened to it constantly.

#9. Rocky Horror Picture Show. It’s astounding. Time is fleeting. Madness takes its toll. Rocky Horror Picture Show is a cult classic and I will always remember the first time I saw it, in the theater in Iowa City late on a Friday night. I had already knew the songs and the parts you were supposed to shout so I did not seem like a Rocky Horror “virgin.” Another soundtrack that I love and listen to all the time. Everything from Science Fiction Double Feature through to I’m Coming Home. EYG Hall of Famer Tim Curry is iconic in his role as Dr. Frank N Furter.

#8. Grease. It is the word. John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John are fabulous here with some of the catchiest movie music you’ll find anywhere. Sure, the message of the film is one that you do not want your kids following, and it may not hold up as well in today’s society, but Grease is still one of the all time greats.

Image result for mary poppins andrews #7. Mary Poppins. The original starring Julie Andrews. This is such a fantastic movie with some of the greatest Disney songs ever. Songs such as Chim Chim Cheree, A Spoonfull of Sugar and Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious are magical. Magic is the key to the film and Julie Andrews, along with the marvelous Dick Van Dyke, really bring the magic out of the movie.

#6. Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. Love this movie, even though Willy Wonka is most likely the villain of the film and did terrible things to a group of mean-spirited children. He does it with a ton of charm and what more could you want? Gene Wilder is a master and the film is one of the greats. Not as many great songs in the film though with Pure Imagination being the best.

#5. The Wizard of Oz. Neither of the Re-List fellows included this, which I found shocking. The Wizard of Oz is one of the great movies made and the music from it is unbelievable. From the beautiful Somewhere Over the Rainbow to the If I Only Had A Brain/Heart/Nerve. We’re off to see the Wizard, the wonderful Wizard of Oz!

#4. Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street. Easily the bloodiest musical of all-time. Johnny Depp does a magnificent job as Sweeney Todd, the barber who returned to London to exact his revenge on the people who sent him to prison for a crime he did not commit and ruined his life with his beloved wife, Lucy. Along the way, Todd wound up killing a bunch of Londoners so his co-conspirator Mrs. Lovett (Helena Bonham Carter) could improve the taste of her meat pies. Dark, moody and funny, Sweeney Todd is an epic musical unlike any others on this list.

#3. Little Shop of Horrors. Another one that did not make anyone’s list on the Re-List but is one of my personal favorites. The Frank Oz directed classic featured the arrival of Audrey II, a gigantic Venus Flytrap-like plant (in reality an alien) that survives on blood, preferably fresh blood. he is one mean, green mother from outer space, and he’s bad. Rick Moranis stars as Seymour, the geeky little loser who finds the plant and names it after the woman he has had a crush on, Audrey ( played by Ellen Green, who also played Audrey in the stage play). The original ending is considerably darker than the theatrically released one, but I may like it more.

#2. Moulin Rogue. Above all else, this is a story about love. Or so tells us our protagonist, the young writer who arrives in Paris looking to write the greatest Bohemian play only to fall in love with the courtesan Satine. The film is considered a “jukebox musical” because there are lots of songs from different areas in the film. The film uses songs from Kiss, Elton John, The Beatles, among others to weave together its music. There is also a brilliant song called “Come What May” which is performed by the lead actors, Nicole Kidman and Ewan McGregor. This is a film that never fails to bring out the emotions.

#1. Singin’ in the Rain. Yes, I had thought I had seen this movie as a kid, but I did not because I watched it this morning for this list and the Doc’s Classic Movies Reviewed section of EYG and I realized that I had only ever seen the iconic rain scene with Gene Kelly and the lamppost. I was so enthralled by the film that it flew right up into the number one slot on this list. I loved the music, the dancing was breath-taking and the performances were something special. The fact that this was created in 1952 blows my mind. It is so fantastic.

Honorable Mentions: There are actually quite a few here, but not very many of them actually had a real possibility of breaking the Top 10. Chicago almost was there, but it got bumped when I found Rocky Horror. The new film about Elton John called Rocketman is a magical musical for sure. Lots of people love or lots of people hate La La Land. I thought it was fine. The original Annie with Carol Burnett was fun. Mary Poppins Returns was better than it should have been. The same with the new live action Aladdin. Les Miserables was good too.

Interestingly enough, this was the second time I did a list of top 10 musicals. This was prior to the Top 10 Show posts that I have done. I did not look at this list until I was done with the Re-List. Here is that list for comparison sake:

Moulin Rogue
Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory
Mary Poppins
Sweeney Todd
Little Shop of Horrors
The Wizard of Oz
The Muppets
Evita
Rocky Horror Picture Show
Grease

Fascinating. Willy Wonka dropped to #6 and Mary Poppins slipped to #7. I had forgotten about The Muppets, but maybe they go into the animated category (kind of). Rocky Horror stayed at #9. Singin’ in the Rain is the only new film on the list. The first film I mention in the honorable mention category is also Chicago. Pretty consistent I’d say.

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Singin’ In the Rain (1952)

Posted on June 30, 2019 by Doc

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I found a Top 10 Show Re-list this morning and it was Top 10 musicals. I like musicals so I was excited about doing the list. I was also looking for a film to make #197 in the push toward 200 in the Doc’s Classic Movies Reviewed section here at EYG so I decided that Singin’ in the Rain, which I thought I had seen as a youngster, would work well.

I was completely engulfed in this movie. I loved it from the opening until it was finished. I do not remember anything from the film, except of course for the iconic song and dance of Gene Kelly with his umbrella, singing and dancing in the rain, spinning around on a lamppost. That I recognized and remembered but everything else was new.

I had no idea the number of songs that I recognized that were actually in this movie. My toe was a-tappin’ as each new song came up.

The film started with a huge surprise as well. A voice … the first voice I heard int he movie. It was Aunt Harriet! Aunt Harriet, played by Madge Blake, from the 1966 Batman TV series, was there playing a reporter on the red carpet. She was uncredited, but she was unmistakable.

Singin’ in the Rain tells the story of two movie stars of the silent film era, Don Lockwood (Gene Kelly) and Lina Lamont (Jean Hagen), and their shaky transition from stars in silent pictures to the world of talkies. The film also focuses on the relationship between Lockwood and a fledgling stage actress Kathy Selden (Debbie Reynolds).

My personal favorite character was Cosmo Brown, played brilliantly by Donald O’ Connor. He was the supporting and comedic break the film needed and every time he was on screen, I was laughing out loud. His sensational routine during the song “Make ’em Laugh” was astounding. He had great chemistry with Gene Kelly as well as the pair’s performance of “Moses” was another highlight of the movie.

Gene Kelly practically glowed throughout much of the movie. His face was as bright as a sun and he was clearly having a great time.

Every dance routine was breathtaking and as good as anything you could see today. The finale production of Broadway Ballet is as extensive as ever and the fact that this was 1952 only make the accomplishment all the more amazing.

I will admit that the character of the studio head R.F. Simpson (Millard Mitchell) was not very realistic. I expect the head of a studio to be more dispassionate of the art and more about the money. R.F. was very supportive of his stars and of his actors and would have been a great boss to work for, if such a Hollywood exec actually existed.

But that is a minor gripe as the film was just tremendous from start to finish. I loved this movie and I can see why it is mentioned among the greatest films, not just musicals, made in history.

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The King of Comedy (1982)

Posted on June 30, 2019 by Doc

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I noticed that the Doc’s Classic Movies Reviewed section here at EYG is reaching a milestone. This is film number 196 reviewed in the section so we are on a path to 200. Number 196 will be Martin Scorsese’s early 80s film, The King of Comedy.

While the movie itself flopped at the box office, The King of Comedy received positive critical reviews. The King of Comedy is a dark comedy featuring Robert DeNiro as downtrodden sad sack, Rupert Pupkin, a wannabe comedian whose start as an autograph hound put him in the orbit of famous late night talk show host Jerry Langford (Jerry Lewis).

In order to get rid of Rupert, Jerry tells him to contact his assistant and he would have him on his show. Jerry had no intention of following through on that promise, but Rupert was fairly delusional. Living in his mother’s basement, Rupert would fantasize about meetings with Jerry and a deep, close friendship between the two men.

After being turned away from the offices of the show, Rupert decided to abduct Jerry and use him as a bargaining chip to get everything he wanted.

DeNiro is solid here, but I really did not like Rupert. He was a sociopath and delusional. In the third act, you are given a window into the background of the character and you understand him more, but for most of the movie, he is an annoying man who simply would not listen to what people were telling him.

Sandra Bernhard was a co-star of the film as Rupert’s friend Masha who was an obsessed fan of Jerry. She was downright crazy and she helped Rupert accomplish the kidnapping of Jerry. Some of the scenes between Bernhard and Lewis are hilariously awkward.

The ending of the movie leaves the audience wondering exactly what happened as the last few scenes could either be reality or more of the delusions from Rupert.

The character of Jerry Langford feels as if he were a Johnny Carson-type, and it is known that Scorsese offered the part to Carson at first, but Johnny turned it down. Jerry Lewis was very stoic throughout the film and I could have used a little more fire from him during parts of the movie.

But DeNiro is wonderful in a very off-putting performance. The King of Comedy shows how the life of a celebrity is difficult and how they sometimes have to deal with the crazy fan/stalker and how they could turn to a danger in a heartbeat.

The movie holds up today and actually would work extremely well in the toxic environment of social media and the dangers of fandom. Though it is one of Scorsese’s least successful films, The King of Comedy is a strong work that is deeper than first glance.

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Yesterday

Posted on June 28, 2019 by Doc

Yesterday…all my troubles seemed so far away. Now it looks as though they’re here to stay. Oh I believe …in Yesterday.

Prophetic words for Jack Malik (Himesh Patel), the main character in director Danny Boyle’s newest film about a world where everyone, except for Jack, has forgotten who the Beatles were and had never heard any of their music.

As a Beatles fan, the idea is just horrible. Just the idea that the world would not be able to listen to “Hey Jude”, “While My Guitar Gently Weeps” or “Yellow Submarine” is a thought that would bother me to no end. That is, of course, what Jack is faced with. What would you do?

After a freak worldwide blackout, Jack is hit by a bus and ends up in the hospital. When he awakes, he is missing his two front teeth and the rest of the world has lost the memory of George, Paul, John and Ringo. Not a fair swap.

Jack, who is a failing musician, suddenly realizes that he has access to some of the greatest songs ever written and nobody would be the wiser so he begins recreating the songbook of the Beatles.

I’m torn by this movie. Most importantly, I love the music of the Beatles and it was great listening to these songs throughout the film. Himesh Patel does a great job performing these songs. Many times I hate it when I hear people doing the Beatles because…well, just because. I did not mind Patel’s versions of these songs. Obviously, that would have been a death knell for the movie had I not liked the songs.

However, there are just so many plot holes or things left open that, in retrospect, tear apart this reality. Other musicians are referenced, but how about all those musicians who had been inspired by the Beatles? When they were not there, what happened to them? This was just one thing that popped into my head while watching the movie.

There was another major question that comes along late in the third act that would constitute a spoiler so I will not mention it, but let’s just say that, after Jack visited this specific person, I really wondered what was going on.

Lily James played teacher and part time manager for Jack, Ellie and she was charming and lovely. They had a great deal of chemistry with one another, but the way their relationship worked through felt very odd and not natural. I did not like the development of that story arc. On the whole, I enjoyed both Patel and James’ performances, but I would have preferred a different resolution to the story.

One performance that I was not overly fond of, unfortunately, was Kate McKinnon who played Debra, an agent who is looking to cash in with Jack’s musical skills. The best description I have heard of this performance was from Collider Live host Kristian Harloff who stated that she was “in such a different film.” That was exactly the way to say it because she was so over-the-top that she pulled me out of the film every time.

There were some very funny jokes in the film though. There was a running joke about other items/people who the world had forgotten besides just the Beatles and that worked every time. Ed Sheeran has a cameo throughout the movie that really work as well. He has a great self-deprecating way about himself in the film and he embraces the jokes well.

Yesterday had several positives going for it, and it has its share of problems. When I wasn’t thinking too hard about it, I enjoyed the movie, but when I was thinking back, more holes and problems came up. I think the positives out weigh the negatives and, as I was walking out of the movie, I felt satisfied. That is certainly the long and winding road to a recommendation.