Onslaught is a new movie this weekend that had some elements about it that I liked, but it was not a film that I would want to watch again. There were too many times where I rolled my eyes or found myself thinking that it was just too stupid for its own good.
According to IMDB, “When a rogue squad of genetically engineered super soldiers break loose in the desert, a badass Army sniper must unleash hell to protect her young daughter.”
Adria Arjona, who is rumored to be the next DC Wonder Woman (though unconfirmed), is the lead role of the film, the badass sniper whose daughter gets dropped off with her without warning. Then, a bunch of murderous super soldiers attack her for… you know.. reasons, and one of them turned out to be the most coincidental character ever in cinema history.
That might be hyperbole, or it may not. The plot of this movie, as it was, was lacking. It was really dumb and had really no reason to happen as it did. It all felt too unbelievable across the whole movie.
The film does have a fine cast, led by Arjona, who I liked as the protagonist. There were also roles for Dan Stevens (though nowhere as used as I anticipated), Reginald VelJohnson, Michael Biehn, Rebecca Hall (who was on screen less than Stevens), and young actress Blake Kennedy. At the beginning of the film as the names were flashing across the screen, I thought that this had a great cast. I then realized that the cast was, for the most part, wasted.
There were some fun kills along the way and Arjona was definitely a bad ass, but this is one of those films that really did not have much to it. It was paper thin, and it depended on the blood and gore. That’s fine for some movies, but this one felt like it should have been more.
The new Ryan Reynolds film debuted on Apple TV + this weekend, called Mayday. One wondered why this was not released theatrically. That did not make me optimistic about the quality of the film. However, those fears were squashed after I watched Mayday.
Co-starring Ryan Reynolds and Kenneth Branagh and written/directed by John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein, who also directed Dungeons and Dragons, Mayday was just a lot of fun. I thought this movie was really funny and had some really good action. I’m not sure why this was not released in the theater, but it would have certainly been a worthwhile addition to the big screen.
Navy Pilot Lieutenant Troy Brennan (Ryan Reynolds) was recruited for a top secret surveillance mission over the Soviet Union. The mission led to the plane being shot down and Brennan being injured after falling through trees in a forest. Nikolai “Nick” Ustinov found the injured pilot and took him to his cabin to nurse him back to health. Nick was an American-loving Russian who was more than what he seemed. The buddies tried to find a way to get Troy home.
Ryan Reynolds and Kenneth Branagh had a tremendous chemistry and they carried the film. The friendship developing during the movie was one of the standout keys to the film. Reynolds’ one-liner quips were very clever and funny.
The action was fun, if not silly at times. There is a chase scene that takes place in Moscow that is one of the most original and ridiculous chase scenes I have seen, and yet, somehow, this bizarre scene worked.
The film had a surprising heart to it. There were some wonderful moments between Nick and his daughter Anna (Maria Bakalova).
The film is highly entertaining and I enjoyed watching this film. Is it perfect? No, of course not, but it is definitely worth watching. Mayday is streaming on Apple TV +.
During this awesome season finale, my first thought was… I don’t know the time frame happening in this show. I originally thought that the Juliette timeline was really a long way into the future. But… now…
We saw Victor, who was the doctor who helped Daniel back in the flashback timeline, watching the events of Silo 18. Turned out that Victor was the voice of the Algorithm. We see Daniel wake up from a cryogenic sleep, only to be called Troy and not remember anything about his past. We see Daniel’s sister Charlotte, now called Susan, and neither Troy or Susan recognized each other.
I have to say, the people looking generally the same age in the present timeline threw me for a loop. I was not expecting it. I assume they all have some time in cryo to account for it, but it took me a good deal of time trying to decipher the answer.
Big swerve. Camille helped the rebels in silo 18 as she delayed the failsafe just long enough for the crew to cap the pipe that would have delivered the poisonous gas into silo 18. I did not see Camille’s turn coming at all.
Another big swerve. After the failed failsafe attempt, Victor ordered Troy awakened. Before that could happen, Victor ends his own life with a handgun he had hidden in his desk. He left a message for Troy, answering a question Troy had been asking… about a woman he had been seeing in visions as he is awaken. Victor told him her name was Helen.
I did not mention that we saw the massacre of the people of silo 17, and that Troy was the person who ordered the deaths. In one of the hardest scenes of the series, we saw the poison released after the people had left their silo and how the drones would mow them down with weapons.
After all the drama, Juliette led a small group of people including Camille to the door. It was here when Troy spoke using the Algorithm voice and offered Juliette a deal. There would be no further failsafe attempts if the people of silo 18 promise to not try to contact other silos. Juliette accepted, but it was part of her rouse. Juliette has a better idea, something that the people of silo 1 would not expect. Juliette wanted to have an all out assault on silo 1.
So many questions still up in the air. I believe the creators of the show hinted at a connection between Troy/Daniel and Juliette. Could she be the descendent of Daniel and Helen’s baby?
I love how everyone in silo 18 now seems to be working together instead of against each other. About damn time.
I do think an actual timeline of events would help picture all that there is. It seemed as if the massacre that Troy led in this finale was the same one that Solo (Steve Zahn) experienced as a child.
We learned that season four will be the final season of the show and that we do not have to wait long for Silo to return. It showed us clips from season four at the end of the episode and told us that it would release in the summer of 2027. We are under a year away from the final season. I found this season of Silo to be filled with surprises and fantastic character work. Even when it was frustratingly slow at times, it always felt like they had a destination in mind, and the end of season three paid off dramatically.
“Spoiler: Dexy’s Midnight Runners Get a Royalty Payment”
I have not been much of a fan of the last couple of weeks of Stuart Fails to Save the Universe. It had felt lacking of any real story beats and, despite the enjoyable cast, I was not pleased with what they had given us. The episodes felt too short to have any sort of a developed story.
Then episode seven was dropped on HBO Max and I was back in, full bear.
In this episode, the crew wind up in a universe where everyone has telepathy, which is a great hook for some funny comedy bits. It also has one of the best defenses to the power ever imagined… singing Come On Eileen in your head.
Also, one of the funniest lines came from Bert wondering why Kripke’s mind has a lisp.
But the episode had more than that. It had a sudden twist as Stuart and the group run into another Stuart and the group with their own machine. Then a military version of the group showed up. Suddenly, the mystery of the show was slapping us in the face.
I loved this idea that there may be countless Stuarts jumping around the multiverse, all trying to figure out what is happening.
Who started this whole thing going? Why did alternate Stuart come to see Big Bang Stuart only to do the same thing again?
I’m intrigued and excited. There are only three more episodes of the show, and I hope that means that we get some of the mysteries answered. However, since the show has been renewed for a season two, I’m worried that it will be spread out over the years.
Bernadette made a memorable appearance in the Telepathy universe as a tap dance instructor with a bunch of foul-minded little kids.
The original Zootopia is a movie that came out of nowhere to be a highly entertaining film. A big part of the film’s success could be given to the characters of Judy Hopp and Nick Wilde.
Voice cast: Ginnifer Goodwin, Jason Bateman, Idris Elba, Jenny Slate, Nate Torrence, Bonnie Hunt, Don Lake, Tommy Chong, J. K. Simmons, Octavia Spencer, Alan Tudyk, Shakira, Phil Johnston, John DiMaggio, Katie Lowes, Gita Reddy, Jesse Corti , Tom Lister Jr., Josh Dallas, Leah Latham, Rich Moore, Fabienne Rawley, Peter Mansbridge, Byron Howard, Jared Bush, Mark Rhino Smith, Josie Trinidad,John Lavelle, and Kristen Bell.
Big week of covers this week. Lots of great foil covers and a plethora of EYG Hall of Famer, “Weird Al” Yankovic hanging out with Superman and Batman.
Also-Rans: World’s Weirdest #1 (D cover, A cover), Fantastic Four #16, Legion of Superheroes #1 (C Cover), Daredevil #6, Warbird #1, Crowbound #1, Bludwire #3, 100 Bullets #3, The Deadman #4, Archie #1, and Absolute Superman #23.
Bronze Medalist
World’s Weirdest #1
Variant Cover B
Cover art by Mark Spears
Weird Al and Mark Spears? Yes, please. This is a fantastic cover featuring Supes and Bats in their neat little Al shirts. And Al’s hand resting upon the cowl of Batman… well, only Weird Al can get away with that.
Silver Medalist
Daredevil #6
Variant Cover C Foil
Cover art by Superlog
One of the foils this week that just stood out like crazy. The beautiful foil of DD’s radar sense really bring the energy. I have no idea who Superlog is, but he gets a Silver Medal.
Gold Medalist
World’s Weirdest #1
Variant Cover E foil
Cover art by Dan Schoening
Many foils are just a foil copy of another cover, but this version is an all-new one from Dan Schoening… and who knew Mr. Mxyzptlk could play the accordion?
This is an homage to Weird Al’s album “Weird Al” Yankovic in 3D.
Last week, The Greatest American Hero #2 claimed two spots in the medal round and this week it goes to Weird Al. Ain’t it great?
Few movies cause a flood of tears like Coco does. The scene near the end when Miguel sings “Remember Me” to his Grandma Coco is the most beautiful scene and, absolutely, falls into the category of Pixar moment (right up there with Bing Bong’s “Take her to the moon for me” line in Inside Out). Coco won two Academy Awards, for Best Animated Feature Movie and Best Song.
Voice cast: Anthony Gonzalez, Gael García Bernal, Benjamin Bratt, Alanna Ubach, Renée Victor, Ana Ofelia Murguía, Edward James Olmos, Alfonso Arau, Selene Luna, Dyana Ortellí, Herbert Sigüenza, Jaime Camil, Sofía Espinosa, Luis Valdez, Carla Medina, Polo Rojas, Montse Hernandez, Lombardo Boyar, Octavio Solis, Gabriel Iglesias, Cheech Marin, Blanca Araceli, Natalia Cordova-Buckley, Salvador Reyes, and John Ratzenberger.
A fabulous episode of Ted Lasso with a return to form for Ted and the others.
And some Ted Lasso quotes to add to it…
My favorite… “There’s a reason the rearview mirror is smaller than the windshield.” That was a classic Ted Lasso-ism.
I do hate what the show is doing with Keeley and Roy. Having Roy find another woman after Keeley insisted he go on a series of dates is just too cruel. I don’t know if this is leading to a Keeley-Rebecca pairing, but I still want Roy-Keeley to be together. I hope that is the endgame of this relationship section.
Ted and Beard realized that they have a “coach problem,” as Alice’s negativity is isolating her and making her an outcast among the team. There is a definite story here that is unresolved and I am here for it. I was shocked when Ted told Alice that he was suspending her for a game so she could figure out what was going on with her. He made a reference to Nate without mentioning his name.
Ted Lasso’s positivity is just off the charts and he does a whole halftime speech on embarrassment that is just so great that it carried the entire episode.
However, drunk Rebecca is right up there too.
The match against Chelsea was well done and Richmond’s defeat felt right. They fought back to tie after being down 2-0 at half when Ted’s inspirational message on embarrassment brought them out of the tizzy. However, the sudden defeat did feel like it was right for the overall narrative of the show.
This was an episode that reminded me of how much I wish I was like Ted Lasso. He is such an awesome model to inspire to.
Oh, and Beard is hilarious. What was up with that play?
What else could follow up the classic Lego Movie, but Batman? Even though this is played for humor, this is actually one of the best renditions of Batman that you are going to find.
Voice cast: Will Arnett, Zach Galifianakis, Michael Cera, Rosario Dawson,Ralph Fiennes, Jenny Slate, Héctor Elizondo, Ellie Kemper, Mariah Carey, Lauren White, Todd Hansen, Brent Musburger, Ralph Garman, Chris Hardwick, Channing Tatum,Jonah Hill, Mark Jonathan Davis, Adam DeVine, Adam West, Billy Dee Williams, Riki Lindhome , Jason Mantzoukas, Matt Villa , Kate Micucci, Doug Benson, John Venzon, David Burrows , Laura Kightlinger , Jemaine Clement, Riki Lindhome, Eddie Izzard, Seth Green, Lauren White, Nicholas Briggs, and Siri.
Animation Style: classic, hand-drawn traditional cel animation
Studio: Disney
The Little Mermaid is one of the iconic films in one of Disney’s greatest run of animation in history. It has some of Disney’s top songs ever in a film. Urusla has to be considered on a list of the best Disney villains too.
Voice cast: René Auberjonois, Christopher Daniel Barnes, Jodi Benson, Pat Carroll, Paddi Edwards, Buddy Hackett, Jason Marin, Kenneth Mars, Ben Wright, Will Ryan, Frank Welker, and Samuel E. Wright.
It’s Monday and this is what I was afraid of. With school starting, the time I had over the summer was gone and I was unable to get the Comic Cavalcade finished simply because I had too many comics to get everything read on time. It will be a challenge every week, and I did not even go to a movie at Cinemark this week.
Comic of the Week
Void Rivals #33
Void Rivals had been a successful series that I had gotten somewhat tired of over the run of the last 30+ issues. Since the first ten or so of this book, I have not been a huge fan. I would still buy the book and it did have some positives here and there.
Then, they have added the Spaceknight Rom to the roster.
Suddenly, I love this book and the story is fascinating… all because there is Rom. I like the adjustments they have made to Rom’s character and the introduction of Carpet is interesting. It is great that a book can reinvent itself and freshen up its own tale.
Books this Week:
Amazing Spider-Man #35 (LGY ASM #999). Written by Joe Kelly with art by Francesco Manna. Cover art was done by d McGuinness. Peter and May have a heart to heart about Peter’s current feelings and Spider-Gwen goes crazy, forcing the Web Slinger to try and prevent Damage Control from taking her away. This issue ends with a massive reveal that will lead into Amazing Spider-Man #1000 in a couple of weeks.
X-Men #36. “A Theft” Written by Jed MacKay with pencils by Netho Diaz. Cover art was done by Netho Diaz, Sean Parsons & Arthur Hesli. The Chairman (aka alternate version of Hank McCoy) approached Magneto with an offer to cure him of the problems he has been having with his powers if he would join the 3K. Magneto told him to go pack sand. Thus, Chairman nearly killed the Master of Magnetism. The X-Men are ready to face off with 3K once and for all. This will be kicking off the DNX crossover.
Rocketeer: Infiltrator #2. Written by Gabriel Hardman with art by Dean Kotz. Cover art was done by Dean Kotz. We have more Rocketeer action with Nazis and movie makers. I have liked this short series so far and it might have me looking into future versions of The Rocketeer moving forward.
Detective Comics #1112. “Flight, Finale” Written by Tom Taylor with art and cover art by Mikel Janin. The story featuring Batman, Green Arrow, Black Canary and their old friend Prion ended as the heroes tried to help Arabella find the closure she needed. I liked this story as it sets up from the past and the future both. Tom Taylor does a fabulous job of weaving everything together in a sweet arc.
Flash #36. “The Speed Was Power, and the Speed Was Joy- Part VI” Written by Ryan North and illustrated by Gavin Guidry. Cover art was done by Gavin Guidry and Adriano Lucas. Flash is putting his new Flashes of Insight to the test by heading over to Metropolis. However, it seemed as if a trip to see Green Arrow may have not been Wally’s best choice. Oliver was less than enthused with the way Wally has been going about his work lately and he called in the Justice League. Trouble for Flash.
Operation: Iron Coffin #2. Written by Kenny Porter with art and cover art by Tyrell Cannon. I also picked up a B cover with art by Juan Ferreyra. Dracula is on the Nazi train and making his way to the children who he sired. Things are very bloody and not going very well for Dracula. There is one more book in this series set for next month.
Hammerfist #1. Written by Rick Remender with art and cover art by Steve Epting. Here is a great, new crime/action/supernatural series with a main character that is anything but likeable. Mike Denton is a deadbeat father, a drug addict and a hitman. Yet he winds up with a weapon that ends up with him that requires him to put aside his selfishness to save his daughter. Great first issue, and I almost gave this the Comic of the Week.
Universal Monsters: Blood of the Wolfman #3. Written by Joshua Williamson with art by Leomacs. Cover art was done by Leomacs & Pip Martin. Adam turned himself in when he was feeling as if he was responsible for the slaughter at the college dorm. Oh, he was responsible and that would not be the only slaughter in this book. Look out police department.
Denver #1. Written by Jimmy Palmiotti & Justin Gray with art by Pier Brito. Cover art was done by Amanda Conner. Variant cover D art was done by Dave Johnson. Water is rising, and the planet is being overwhelmed. Max Flynn is here to protect his family at any cost. This was originally a Kickstarter back in 2014 and now it has found its way to Mad Cave.
The Greatest American Hero #2. Written by Don Handfield & Joshua Malkin with art by Alper Geçgel. Cover art was done by Erwin Arroza. Variant cover B art was done by Eranga Devasurendra (Gold Medalist). Variant cover C art was done by Rafael Loueriro (Bronze medalist). Ralph Hinkley is back and he is right in the middle of trouble once again. Now, he is not only struggling to be able to control his suit, but he is an old man too. This has been an epic series so far from Amp Comics and I am excited to see it continue.
Black Tower: The Raven Conspiracy #1. Written by Ram V and art and cover art by Mike Perkins. The new comic from DC’s Vertigo imprint was released this week. Rookie psychic Daniel Burroughs joined Division 9 and they must stop someone from stealing the head of a giant-king, which would break an ancient ward protecting Britain from invaders.
Wolverine #26. “Savage Journey” Written by Saladin Ahmed with art by Julius Ohta. C0ver art was done by Dan Panosian. The Savage Champions have made a return to get Logan’s help. I am unfamiliar with the characters of the Savage Champions, but they were very intriguing.
Batman: Bad Seeds-Sunset #1. Written by Matt Fraction & G. Willow Wilson with art by Giuseppe Camuncoli & Cliff Rathburn. Cover art was done by Giuseppe Camuncoli, Cliff Rathburn & Tomeu Morey. The new big Batman crossover featured Gotham getting overwhelmed by prehistoric plants. Pamela Isley aka Poison Ivy, is the new Gotham Mayor and it does not seem as if it was a wise vote.
Fall of the House of Slaughter #4. Written by Tate Brombal and illustrated by Adriano Turtulici. Cover art was done by Sam Wolfe Connelly. This is the final issue of this four-issue mini series that is going to lead directly into Eric Slaughter’s return in Something is Killing the Children #50.
The Lion King #5. Written, art and cover art by Edwin Galmon. Simba and Nala are able to find the missing elephant and return them to their family. I have loved this series featuring these characters. I thought it might be the final issue of the series, but it looked as if the book will start a new arc next month featuring Timon and Pumbaa. Cool.
Excommunicated #4. Written by Jeremy Robinson and art by Tiago Palma. Cover art was done by Flaviano Armentaro. Josephine is now a saint and her power is dominant as she is taking on the demons. I liked this short series that feels like it could be more to the story.
The Ring: The Man Who Beat the Man #3. Written by Gail Simone and art by Elisa Romboli. Cover art was done by Oliver Barrett. In this issue, we get Wei “The Great Wall” Zhang vs. Ramon “The Lion” Valdez. I did love the way the comic followed the story of Ramon, seeing all of the troubles he had and his attmept to overcome it. This has been an excellent book so far.
Black Cat #13. “XIII: Fatalism” Written by G. Willow Wilson and art by Andrew Genolet. Cover art was done by Josemaria Casanovas. Black Cat and the Punisher have to team up to take on a monster escaped from the Negative Zone. Singularity showed up to lend a hand. Then, Punisher’s dog is okay and forgives Felicia. Black Cat has been an awesome book.
Justice League Unlimited #22. “Escape from Powers Planet: Part Three” Written by Mark Waid and art by Dan Mora & Fico Ossio. Cover art was done by Dan Mora. Guy Gardner, Hawkgirl, Metamorpho, and Mister Terrific are on the planet Dronnda trying to recapture the JL Power Bank. However, Amazo showed up to make thing bad. Mister Terrific takes all of the powers and kicks some butt.
What If…? X-Men #1. “What If Cassandra Nova Killed Charles Xavier?” Written by Ashley Allen and art by Sumit Kumar. Cover art was done by Lucas Werneck. Cassandra Nova kills Professor X in the womb in this book, but, again, it feels like just half of a story. It was an interesting story but I could tell as the book was coming to an end that they were going to not fully conclude the book again. That is a little annoying.
Tomb of Apocalypse #1. Written by Ashley Allen and art by Domenico Carbone. Cover art was done by Rod Reis. I have to say, when I saw a book with the title Tomb of Apocalypse, I did not think that the main protagonist of the book would be Jubliee. It was a solid book though.
Other Books this Week: X-Men Outback #3, Hidden Springs #4, Ghost Pepper #14, Terrorbytes #9, Star Crossed #2, Predator Versus Planet of the Apes #2, Dog Tag #4, Conan the Barbarian #34, and Pretty Hate Machine #5.
Quick Hits: Two books this week came out that I already had gotten out of MASK blind bags. MASK: Origins #1 and Rom #1 were both in blind bags (technically I ordered the ROM #1 off eBay), and out before. However, the Rom #1 was a die-cut cover, so there is that. I am happy to have the Rom cover. Terminal #2 dropped this week as the new universe of these heroes continue. It is horror anthology week too with Hello Darkness #24 and the R.L. Stein book Stuff of Darkness #1. Hello Darkness has multiple short stories and “The Cat in the Coffin” is the story behind Stuff of Darkness, which felt kind of childish to me. Wanda is out there challenging multiversal powers in Sorcerer Supreme #9. The only Queen in Black comic this week is Queen in Black: Venom Unchained #2, focused on Eddie Brock combining with Sleeper. This felt like it should have dropped before Queen in Black #3 as it occurred before that issue. Gambit Wanted #2 sees Gambit taking on Bullseye in New Orleans in a flashback story. Final Boss #9 is on the level of Invincible bloody this week as Tommy takes a serious beating. Kingdom of Earth #2 sees a character named Virago (nicknamed “Guilly the Guillotine”) decide to not kill Frankie, who chooses to follow him. Land of Never #3 gets truly brutal as Peter really goes off the deep end. I was actually scared a bit from the brutality of Peter. The Eye Collector #3 continues to be the weirdest book of the month. I really am not 100% sure I know what is happening, but it is awesome to look at. Corpse Knight #5 felt like it took a different path for Foy as a truth is revealed. Another Ignition Press book that has been pretty good is Bloodland #6, with yet another vampire tale. More monsters are around in Minotaur #2 with photographer Gloria Monday after the story. Black Star #2 featured a time jump as the questions around Dashiell’s control over his powers deepen. There were two Absolute books this week as Absolute Wonder Woman #23, kicking off a new arc for the Amazon, and Catwoman #3 were released. Bad Thoughts #3 was the silver medalist for the EYG Favorite Comic Cover of the Week.
Animation Style: 3D computer-generated imagery (CGI)
Studio: Pixar/Disney
One of the early classic Pixar movies that capitualized on two amazing voice performances from Billy Crystal and John Goodman.
Voice cast: John Goodman, Billy Crystal, Steve Buscemi, James Coburn, Jennifer Tilly, Mary Gibbs, Bob Peterson, John Ratzenberger, Frank Oz, Bonnie Hunt, Jeff Pidgeon, Daniel Gerson, and Sam Black.
Episode three of DC Studios’ Lantern spends the entire episode in a flashback as we learn all about the path John Stewart took to become the trainee of Hal Jordan.
Who knew that John Stewart had overbearing stage parents. We learn that John’s father was rejected as a potential Lantern, and that the Guardian (Laura Linney) came to apologize and ended up having coffee with John’s mother Bernadette. The fact that the Guardian told her that her baby, John, could be a choice for a Lantern in the future. With that, she became obsessed with training John to become a Lantern.
The father John joined in and they were crazy. Young John does a tremendous job with everything that they make him do, even though he may be putting on a good face.
I have to say that the switch from crazy parents to not crazy and helping John get into the art school he wanted to go.
We get the details about what John may think about Hal. He definitely had some issues with Hal Jordan prior to becoming his trainee.
The interview with Laura Linney was wonderful and written brilliantly. I love how it was able to show parts of the character of John Stewart through their dialogue.
I enjoyed this flashback episode that gives us a deeper understanding of John Stewart.
