#16
How to Train Your Dragon 2
Released: June 11, 2027
Runtime: 1 hour, 42 minutes
Rating: PG
Animation Style: 3D computer-animated style
Studio: DreamWorks
A wonderful sequel to a classic animated movie. This, amazingly, found a way to elevate the emotions even further than the original.
Voice cast: Jay Baruchel, Gerard Butler, Craig Ferguson, America Ferrera, Jonah Hill, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Kristen Wiig, T.J. Miller, Cate Blanchett, Djimon Hounsou, Randy Thom, and Kit Harington.
“Bad Optics”
John Stewart- grave robber.
After last week’s major conclusion of the 2016 storyline, we find ourselves back in 2026 to continue that story that dropped in episode one.
Hal Jordan is dead. Shot in the head.
There were a lot of speculation that Hal was not really dead from the online pundits, but that seemed to be definitively put to bed with this episode.
I really have some questions about John’s motives in this episode and the town’s anger and resentment toward Hal. We learned that Hal and Kerry had a relationship after she split with her husband. John had come back to Rushville because his mother had told him that Hal wanted to apologize. That was a surprise to Hal. John hit him, perhaps breaking Hal’s nose in the process.
We learned that Hal was shot point blank in the head, which was an odd situation. Just off the top of my head (poor pun there) I am guessing that Noah is the one who killed Hal. That would make sense why someone could get that close to Hal to kill him.
John Stewart contacted Guy Gardner with the Green Lantern-signal, which is in the middle of the town, provided by Guy. However, a bunch of men showed up, including Billy, Kerry’s ex-husband, to threaten John. John kicked all of their butts, and eventually ended up in jail for assault.
Guy showed up as John was behind bars. John asked Guy to retrieve Hal’s suit and decommissioned ring so they could bury him in it. Gardner was not anxious to help, seeing as that he would have to fly to Oa to get it. He wound up doing it after all because John had told him that everything he had was because John had refused the ring.
Guy dropped the piece of info that Sinestro had escaped from the space prison. He also confirmed the existence of the Phantom Zone in the DCU.
Carol Ferris made a debut in the episode as well. Carol had a previous connection to Hal Jordan, specifically a main love interest in the actual comic books. She apparently had become the Star Sapphire in the comics, which I did not realize since I do not collect the Green Lantern books.
John, Carol and Kerry were the only ones in attendance at the funeral, and they did bury Hal, only for John to come back at night and dig him up to retrieve the ring.
Did not see that coming.
I kept waiting for the ring to fly off Hal’s hand and choose John, especially as John was reading Hal’s handwritten eulogy. This scene reminded me of the episode of The Boys where Hughie read the letter written by Frenchie.
Of course, the ring had 5% power left for some reason and John used it to bring back the Hal-ogram with the intention of using it to help solve the murder.
Two more episodes remaining.
“The Ass Fat Jungle”
“Gone”
“Legal Deficits”
James Spader is so good.
He rattled off a monologue to another lawyer that was absolutely off the charts. And he did it with such a ferocious gleam in his eyes that I was nearly intimidated sitting at home.
The was also one of the best scenes of the series in “Legal Deficits” where Denny Crane was examining Brad on the witness stand, after Brad had been arrested for cutting off a priest’s fingers in “Gone.” Brad was trying to help Denise, whose housekeeper’s son had been kidnapped by a pedophile. Brad and Denise did several thing that were anything but moral, including snatching the brother of the pedophile to get information out of him, pretend to be FBI agents and the aforementioned finger cutting.
The scene with Denny and Brad was so beautifully written that it was as clever of a scene as the show could offer.
“Legal Deficits” also saw the debut of Jerry “Hands” Espenson, who would become a much bigger part of the series moving forward. Jerry is shown to be on the Autism Spectrum, with a diagnosis of Asperger’s Syndrome. Early connection to Alan would foreshadow what the characters’ future would entail.
In “The Fat Ass Jungle”, Shirley had to cross-examine a witness who had stage for Alzheimer’s Disease and she had to make her look confused to get her client off on the charge. It was clearly a dirty tactic for Shirley and she was conflicted with having to do it. We meet Shirley’s father at the end of the episode who is suffering from Alzheimer’s as well. David E. Kelley has used Alzheimer’s several times in his shows, certainly putting the disease front and center in Picket Fences as well as with Denny Crane in Boston Legal.
Denny cracked a great joke about winning an Emmy, which broke the fourth wall once again. The banter and the dialogue of this show is simply brilliant.
“He’s Back”
“You Should Be Afraid of Me”
Okay, I feel a little dirty.
I have to admit that I was fascinated, as much of America was, in the case of OJ Simpson. When I saw a new four-episode limited series on HBO Max that chronicled the life of OJ during a time frame where he was recording a “Reality Show” called Juiced, based upon the Ashton Kutcher Punk’d or Candid Camera, I knew I wanted to watch it.
The documentary used all kinds of unseen footage from behind the scenes of that show, including direct interviews with OJ himself. The first two episodes truly set the stage for some explosive results.
The show gave us a look at OJ and his reactions to a lot of the situations that he was placed in. OJ was very charming and had a lot of charisma, which is undeniable. Still, every time you wonder about him, you couldn’t help but picture the gruesome scene of Nicole and Ron’s murder.
While OJ was certainly reviling in the attention and infamy, the fact that the creators of the show were exploiting him could not be lost. Did he deserve it? I am sure that there are plenty of people who would say absolutely. Still, it felt a little wrong.
That does not mean that I am not engaged in the series. I am two episodes in and I really wanted to continue on to episode three, but I had other things I needed to do. In fact, I had originally intended to do one episode over the next four days, but after episode one, I was enthralled enough to just let the show move on into the next one.
We will see where this goes and how this docuseries finishes up.
DTF St. Louis
“Cornhole”
An Emmy winning limited series from HBO Max is the next show for the Sunday Morning Sidewalk and I am a little disappointed. Not with the show, I thought it was a compelling and gripping first episode that I am excited to continue. I am disappointed because I knew the premise of the show before I watched episode one.
I knew that there would be a surprising murder in episode one… truthfully, it was what attracted me to the show… but I really wish I had not known this fact because the surprise would have been monumental.
We got some hints at the non-linear storytelling techniques in the first episode as we did see David Harbour’s character Floyd Smernitch in flashbacks after his body had been discovered dead. I do enjoy the non-linear structure as the use of flashbacks can help tell the story extremely effectively.
Jason Bateman’s weatherman character Clark Forrest feels like the classic red herring, as he was arrested in the first episode. Linda Cardellini, who was Floyd’s wife, Carol, was purposefully made to look sinister at times in the episode.
It’s really early to try to make a judgment on whom the killer is, because there could be any number of factors that played into it that we do not know yet. The manner in which Floyd was killed does seem to limit the number of possibilities.
I love a good mystery and a major character being offed in the first episode is great. It reminded me of when Laura Palmer was found wrapped in plastic, though I do not expect any sort of weirdness like I got in Twin Peaks in DTF St. Louis.
I do love the dynamic between Richard Jennings (who played Detective Donoghue Homer) and Joy Sunday (who played Detective Jodie Plumb). They will be a fun pair to follow as the facts of the case are laid out before the audience.
Jason Bateman, Linda Cardellini and David Harbour are awesome actors that I love in just about everything I have seen them in, so I expect this seven-episode limited series to be a fantastic ride. It already dropped a bunch of shocking reveals that I can’t wait to see play out.
#17
Spirited Away
Released: July 20, 2001
Runtime: 124 minutes
Rating: PG
Animation Style: traditional hand-drawn 2D animation blended subtly with digital technology
Studio: Studio Ghibli
One of the classic Studio Ghibli films, Spirited Away was a masterpiece. When I watched it, I was anxious that the hype was too much, but those fears washed away with this beautiful film.
Voice cast: – Daveigh Chase, Suzanne Pleshette, Jason Marsden, Susan Egan, David Ogden Stiers, Lauren Holly, Michael Chiklis, John Ratzenberger, Tara Strong, Mickie McGowan, Jack Angel, Bob Bergen, Rodger Bumpass, Jennifer Darling, Paul Eiding, Sherry Lynn, Mona Marshall, Candi Milo, Colleen O’Shaughnessey, Phil Proctor, Jim Ward.
“Spoiler: We Couldn’t Get Green Lantern”
So Amy Farrah Fowler married the Flash.
Or… at least, Jay Garrick, the original Flash.
What a strange episode. It was fun seeing our crew in Gotham and Central City, with Stuart name dropping all kinds of DC lore.
At the end of last week, Stuart, Denise, Bert and Kripke were stuck on a comic cover, but they were able to figure out a way around it… by sliding off the cover and into the actual book. Stuart came up with an idea to find the Flash and have him run on the Cosmic Treadmill to get them back to their own universe.
I like how they used the Golden Age Flash in this episode to avoid all that other Flash nonsense around. Having Amy be married to Jay was a weird choice, but it was a way to get a Big Bang cameo into the episode.
Mr. Freeze was brought in as well, which led to some slipping on ice jokes that were not very funny. Stuart postulated about why Flash was fighting Mr. Freeze and not Captain Cold. This felt like an important line of dialogue, though nothing apparently came from it.
This is another episode that felt too short. It was over before it even began. It was fun with the references though.
It ended with the gang back in Stuart’s comic shop, but it was floating through what looked like space, and a laugh track that was noticed by Kripke. I assume that this is heading into a season finale next week. Maybe leading to the person behind the whole thing. I am guessing Sheldon Cooper.
I rented the biopic of Anthony Bourdain in the film Tony, which I watched off Fandango at Home tonight.
According to IMDB, “A 19-year-old Anthony Bourdain travels to Provincetown and stumbles into the chaotic world of a restaurant kitchen, setting off a summer that will shape the course of his life.”
I know very little about Anthony Bourdain. I found this biopic very intriguing. The character of “Tony” was very charismatic, but such a liar and a selfish person. I liked though that he was able to make some better decisions as the movie moved along.
Dominic Sessa does a good job in the titular role, but there is no doubt that Antonio Banderas stole the show as Chef. In a film where we never learn his character’s name (yes, it does appear in a letter, but that is the only moment), he is the most interesting and engaging character. He has so many little intricacies that make this man so outstanding and whom better to play him than Antonio Banderas?
There are some questions for me as to why Tony made some of the choices that he made in the film. I think the film could have gone into more details with the character at the beginning of the film. Leo Woodall’s character, Sal, is one of my least favorite in the movie. I just had a difficult time relating to him and his flip out midway.
I liked this film, especially for performances. I think it was an interesting period of Anthony Bourdain’s life to look at and focus on. It was worth a rental.
3.5 stars
The Resident Evil franchise is one that I have only ever saw one film prior to this new version from director Zach Cregger. I saw the Resident Evil: The Final Chapter which I soundly hated. I do have the first film of the franchise schedule to be among the October the 13th-watch films this year. However, I went into this new Resident Evil film with a very hopeful attitude. I have found Zach Cregger’s recent films, Weapons and Barbarian to have been exceptional horror/thriller films and I had heard a lot of positive word of mouth. Still, I was not totally convinced of the quality this film would be.
After seeing the film, I am ready to declare that 2026 is truly the year of the horror film. Not only did we get Obsession, Backrooms, Buddy, Exit 8, Send Help, The End of Oak Street, 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple, Deep Water, Hokum, Leviticus, and still have sever such as Clayface, The Other Mommy, Werwulf, and Godzilla Minus Zero still to come, but the new Resident Evil film was a fabulous film.
Bryan (Austin Abrams) was a hapless courier who was enlisted to take a medical package to the hospital in Raccoon City. As he made his way through the snowy conditions, Bryan encountered some monstrous creatures trying to kill him.
The number one thing that made this movie so awesome was the performance of Austin Abrams as our protagonist. Abrams had appeared in the HBO show Euphoria as well as Weapons and Wolfs before this role, and he showed that he was a charming, wonderful lead for the film. He delivered every line with such a flair that you could not help but cheer for the guy.
Again, with much thanks to Abrams, this film was just unexpectedly funny. I did not expect to laugh as much as I did in Resident Evil, and laughing when the film wanted me to laugh. I credit Austin Abrams’ work in the film for a large part of why it was so funny.
There were moments of the movie that were extremely tense too. The jump scares were kept to a minimum and were remarkably successful when they did show up. The tension was created from the situation and by placing Bryan into circumstances that the audience responded to effectively.
Without spoiling, the ending of Resident Evil (2026) did leave me a little dissatisfied overall, but it was not a deal breaker as some films have been. This third act resolution is not unwatchable by any means. I just wanted a different result.
I never played the video game that this franchise was based upon, so I do not know how the hardcore Resident Evil fans would take it, but I know I was never confused by what was on the screen. Could there be some Easter eggs that I did not realize? Sure, possibly, but I absolutely feel as if previous viewing was unnecessary to enjoy this movie.
This was a scary, funny, hoot of a good time movie with a lead actor who I think is going to be a superstar soon.
4.4 stars
#18
The Lion King
Released: June 24, 1994
Runtime: 88 minutes
Rating: G
Animation Style: traditional 2D hand-drawn animation style combined with early digital technology
Studio: Walt Disney
One of the Renaissance films for Walt Disney, The Lion King is a coming of age tale of the future King of the Jungle. The film is very much like an adaptation of William Shakespeare’s Hamlet. It also featured one of the great soundtracks of all time with Elton John performing.
Voice cast: Matthew Broderick, James Earl Jones, Jeremy Irons, Jonathan Taylor Thomas, Moira Kelly, Niketa Calame, Madge Sinclair, Nathan Lane, Ernie Sabella, Whoopi Goldberg, Cheech Marin, Rowan Atkinson, Jim Cummings, and Robert Guillaume.
#19
Finding Nemo
Released: May 30, 2003
Runtime: 100 minutes
Rating: G
Animation Style: a blend of computer-generated (CGI) hyper-realism and stylized cartoon character design
Studio: Pixar/Disney
A brillaint father-son flick that sees Nemo get himself lost across the vast ocean. One of the best storie from Pixar, and that is saying a lot.
Voice cast: Albert Brooks, Ellen DeGeneres, Alexander Gould, Willem Dafoe, Geoffrey Rush, Brad Garrett, Allison Janney, Stephen Root, Austin Pendleton, Vicki Lewis, Joe Ranft, Andrew Stanton, Elizabeth Perkins, Nicholas Bird, Eric Bana, Bob Peterson, Barry Humphries, Bruce Spense, Bill Hunter, LuLu Ebeling, Jordan “Jordy” Ranft, Erica Beck, Erik Per Sullivan and John Ratzenberger.
September 17
It is time for the EYG Favorite Comic Covers of the Week. Some good books this week and a brand new Blind Bag!
Also Rans: Something Epic #15 (Cover A & D), Pancho Villa: Monster Hunter #1, Space ghost vs. Herculoids #1, Dog Tag #5, Red Roots #5, Ofiusa #1, Tyler Rake: An Extraction Story #5, DNX #1 (cover C, S, N).
Bronze Medalist
Absolute Green Arrow #5
Rafael Albuquerque & Marcelo Maiolo
The Absolute Green Arrow has an awesome cover with this scary man cover. He kind of reminds me of Ghost Rider here. I love the color scheme. of this cover.
Silver Medalist
DNX #1
Blind Bag Virgin Y cover
Cover art by Artgerm
I got this virgin cover in a DNX Blind Bag (and I also got the non-virgin version of this art). It is a lovely rendition of Temper, a fiery young X-Man.
Gold Medalist
Something Epic #15
Variant Cover B
Cover art by Szymon Kudranski
Yes, it is another horror cover homage. This one is an homage of the classic movie, The Shining, with D. Ducktive doing the iconic pose of Jack Nicholson. Love those horror homages.
#20
Beauty and the Beast
Released: November 22, 1991
Runtime: 84 minutes
Rating: G
Animation Style: Hybrid of traditional hand-drawn cel animation with pioneering computer-generated (CG) imagery.
Studio: Disney
One of the movies that kicked off the animation renaissance for Walt Disney Studios in 1991. Beauty and the Beast was a majestic tale as old as time. I remember not wanting to see this as a college student when it came out, but what the heck did I know? Now Beauty and the Beast kicked off the Top 20 of the Top 100.
Voice cast: Paige O’Hara, Robby Benson, Richard White, Jerry Orbach, David Ogden Stiers, Angela Lansbury, Bradley Michael Pierce, Rex Everhart, Jesse Corti, Hal Smith, Jo Anne Worley, Mary Kay Bergman, Kath Soucie, Jack Angel, Phil Proctor, Bill Farmer, Patrick Pinney, Brian Cummings, Alvin Epstein, Tony Jay, Alec Murphy, Kimmy Robertson, and Frank Welker.
Spoilers
“Yes & Baby”
Coach Alice is back and trying a new philosophy… say “yes” more. It got to be too much, until Ted and Beard gave her a look into improv… and explained what it means to be “YES…and.” Or as Beard yelled, “YES & BABY!”
The improv idea seemed to work much better for Alice.
However, the “BELIEVE” sign did not seem to be a hit with the Richmond Lady Greyhounds. They had all kinds of complaints about it, until Alice added a sticky note saying “and win.”
The hot doctor came to see Roy at work. Roy was in a scooter because of his knee, and she broke it off with him since she knew that he was in love with someone else. They had some nice scenes together, but I am glad that they did not drag this storyline out. They absolutely could have made this stretch out for a long time and I am pleased that they did not. We just need the Roy-Keeley reunion.
There was a weird storyline with an agent for a player on the men’s team (who also is Roy’s agent) and Tracey Ullman. They did a strange phone call bit that was funny, but odd.
This was a fun episode that did not feel very significant. I think the best part of the episode was Keeley and Ted filling out a Bantr profile. That was a perfect example of Ted’s wit and wisdom. That scene was one of the best of the entire season.
#21
Wreck It Ralph
Released: Noivember 2, 2012
Runtime: 101 minutes
Rating: PG
Animation Style: multi-style 3D computer approach
Studio: Disney
Wreck It Ralph was a surprise hit. A brand new IP, Ralph took lots of the old video games we loved as children and made a word all its own.
Voice cast: John C. Reilly, Sarah Silverman, Jack McBrayer, Jane Lynch, Alan Tudyk, Mindy Kaling, Joe Lo Truglio, Ed O’Neil, Dennis Haysbert, Adam Corolla, Horation Sanz, Rich Moore, Edie McClurg, Raymond S. Persi, Jess Harnell, Rachael Harris, Skylar Astin, Katie Lowes, Jamie Elman, Josie Trinidad, Cymbre Walk, Phil Johnston, Stefanie Scott, John DiMaggio, Raymond S. Persi, Brian Kesinger, Martin Jarvis, Tucker Gilmore, Brandon Scott and Tim Mertens.
