Today’s June Swoon 5 film was a documentary on Amazon Prime from last year that looked at the life and career of one of the most beloved actors/comedians of the past forty years, John Candy.
The doc started off with Bill Murray trying to come up with something bad to say about John Candy, and wishing the producers luck in their investigation to find some dirt on the man. It was a real funny kick off to the show and did a great job of pointing out how universally beloved men John Candy was.
There were a litany of stars who had nothing but amazing things to say about John Candy including Tom Hanks, Dan Aykroyd, Catherine O’Hara, Macaulay Culkin, Martin Short, Eugene Levy, Dave Thomas, Andrea Martin, Steve Martin, Conan O’Brien, and Mel Brooks.
The doc does a great job of outlining how the death of John Candy’s father (when John was 5 years old) affected him as an adult, and how his behavior of drinking, smoking, eating led to his early death at 43.
It also showed what a lovely human being John Candy was and how much success he had as an actor, starting off with SCTV and ending as a movie star.
The doc also talked with John Candy’s family, his wife, his brothers, his son, and his daughter. They talked about the close relationship John Candy had developed with John Hughes, and how Candy wound up in 9 films from the director.
I liked John Candy, but I would never say that I was a huge fan of his, but I found myself tearing up at the end of the documentary, which tells you how well director Colin Hanks and the rest did with this doc. The story of them closing down a freeway in LA for John Candy’s funeral procession was amazing.
The doc is available on Amazon Prime and it moves at a brisk clip, moving through his way-too-short life and career. It is wonderful when you can look back on a person’s career and see only the good.
The final episode of the docu-series on Hulk Hogan was today’s Sunday Morning Sidewalk entry, which was an episode that featured the controversial life of Terry Bollea, after the Wrestlemania classic with the Rock until his funeral in 2025.
I have been talking about the negative points of Hulk Hogan during these Sunday Morning Sidewalk write-ups and how the documentary has brushed over some of them, giving the surface treatment for it. This episode did bring up and look at a lot more of the negativity of Hogan than some of the other ones. However, the biggest thing that they brushed over was the racism tag that followed Hogan over the last few years of his life.
They mention the sex tape, and they do mention the racist slurs that Hogan was recorded saying during the sex tape, but they do not go into great detail about how those words and his overall opinions shaped the thoughts of a lot of wrestling fans. They treat it like a mistake and one that he regretted.
They showed the infamous Netflix debut where Hogan go booed out of the building in LA, and they linked it heavily to the political connection to Donald Trump. While that certainly played a role in that incident, the truth is Hogan’s brand had been more damaged by the racist remarks than his support of Trump. The Undertaker is a well-known Trump supporter, but he has never received the treatment Hogan did from the fans.
They covered the Hogan Knows Best reality show and dealt with Hogan’s marriage falling apart and his cheating on Linda. They do not mention the accident that Nick Hogan was involved with that injured his friend.
They spent a lot of time on how Hogan’s body was breaking down and mentioning his multiple back surgeries, which was a horrific amount. Some of the images they showed of Hogan was tough with the scars on his back from the operations.
Many of the actual one-on-one interviews with Hogan for this doc were well done and reflective of his time and his mistakes. The doc may have left out some important bits, but I thought the four episodes were fairly well done on the whole.
Next week, the Sunday Morning Sidewalk stays with Netflix as I start the Duffer Brothers’ new show, The Boroughs.
Fact: Weird Al put a backwards secret message at the 3:40 mark that said “Satan loves Cheese Whiz”
One of my earliest favorite originals from Weird Al, Nature Trail to Hell had everything for young me. This was a hilarious song with some of the best lyrics you would find.
Lyrics
Coming this Christmas to a theater near you The most horrifying film to hit the screen There’s a homicidal maniac who finds a cub scout troop And he hacks up two or three in every scene
Please don’t reveal the secret ending to your friends Don’t spoil the big surprise You won’t believe your eyes when you see
Nature trail to hell Nature trail to hell Nature trail to hell In 3-d
Nature trail to hell Nature trail to hell Nature trail to hell In 3-d
See severed heads that almost fall right in your lap See that bloody hatchet coming right at you No, you’ll never see hideous effects like these again ‘Till we bring you “nature trail to hell part 2”
So bring the kids along, it’s good clean family fun What have you got to lose If you like the six o’clock news then you’ll love Nature trail to hell Nature trail to hell Nature trail to hell In 3-d
Nature trail to hell Nature trail to hell Nature trail to hell In 3-d
Nature trail to hell Nature trail to hell Nature trail to hell In 3-d
Nature trail to hell Nature trail to hell Nature trail to hell In 3-d
Nature trail to hell Nature trail to hell Nature trail to hell In 3-d
N-n-n-n-n-n-n-nature trail to hell Take it away from the nature trail to hell There’s no escape from the nature trail to hell In 3-d 3-d
Nature trail to hell Nature trail to hell Nature trail to hell In 3-d
Nature trail to hell In 3-d Nature trail to hell In 3-d Nature trail to hell In 3-d
I have been waiting for the perfect time to finish up the fourth season of Agents of Shield on Disney +. The final seven episodes of this season, which had been split into three sections. This third section of the season was entitled “Agents of Hydra.”
The section included our heroes inside the virtual world called the Framework, which had been around from the early part of the season. It was where Aida had entrapped May, before she replaced her with an LMD. Now, it has expanded as a “prison” for Coulson, May, Mack, and Fitz. Daisy and Simmons entered the Framework on their own accord to try and rescue their friends.
Each of the characters had a regret changed, and it led to the following:
Coulson: was a social studies teacher, who made his own soap
May: Was one of the top agents at Hydra, which had won the war with Sheild.
Mack: Was living a life with his daughter, Hope, who was alive.
Fitz: Was the second in command at Hydra, called The Doctor, and was doing terrible experiments and was quite horrible. His father was alive and had raised Fitz instead of Fitz’s mother.
Ward: Was alive and with “Skye”. Ward was still a double agent, this time a Shield agent and a good guy.
Simmons: When she found her avatar, the avatar had been killed and so Jemma had to dig ehrself out of a grave.
Daisy: Called Skye still, she was an agent of Hydra and in a relationship with Ward.
Patriot: Still leading Shield as a hero, died saving a bunch of kids.
Aida: Was in charge of Hydra, taking the guise of Madame Hydra, and was tied to Fitz.
Lots of returns happened this season too. We got to see Trip again, which was cool. He was helpful in the rebellion. Robbie Reyes, aka Ghost Rider, came back to help finish off Aida and take charge of the Darkhold. Talbot returned, with the same schtick he always had and got shot in the head by an LMD of Daisy. He survived, but ended the season in a coma.
It was sad to see Mack have to say goodbye to his daughter again, as the Framework was shutting down. Yo-Yo went into the Framework to try and convince Mack to come back with her.
Radcliffe sat alone on the beach, toasting the end of the world they had created and he disappeared.
The tag at the end sets up Coulson on a space station somewhere, as the next arc for season 5.
I did enjoy the shorter story arcs that this season had done.
The Secret Agent was an Academy Award nominated film, nominated for Best Picture, Best Actor , Best Casting and Best International Feature Film. Though it did not take any Oscars home, the film was an international success.
According to IMDB, “Amid the political turmoil of 1977 Brazil, a technology expert is forced into hiding and seeks help from the underground resistance as he tries to flee the country with his young son.”
Wagner Moura played Armando, a former professor who was involved in political bedlam during the Brazilian military dictatorship. Set in 1977, Armando traveled to Recife to see his son Fernando, and research his late mother, whom he did not remember.
There were assassins sent after him and there were several local problems he faced as well.
I had a difficult time following some of this movie as it was in Portuguese and the complex story kept me as the viewer off-center. I’m not ashamed to say that I was confused at time with what was going on. The film flipped time periods a couple of times and I was not sure what had happened,
There was a weird section of the film featured on a severed leg that had been found in a shark. This surreal scene was strange, but brought some levity to a difficult story. It sounded as if the scene had a deeper meaning.
The ending of the film was excellent and shocking. I was not expecting it. Wagner Moura was great in his role and certainly deserved his Oscar nomination.
Written: Alfred Matthew Yankovic / Jerry Allan Horton / Tobin Esperance / Dave Buckner / Jacoby Dakota Shaddix
Songs included: “Last Resort,” “Chop Suey,” “Get Free,” “Hate To Say I Told You So,” “Fell In Love With A Girl,” “Last Nite,” “Down With The Sickness,” “Renegades Of Funk,” “My Way,” “Outside,” “Bawitdaba,” “Youth Of The Nation,” and “The Real Slim Shady.”
I am not sure that I had ever heard any of these songs prior to the polka, so it is always fun when I happen to hear a lyric from a song and i think, “Hey, that’s Weird Al’s song!”
Lyrics
Cut my life into pieces This is my last resort Suffocation, no breathing Don’t give a- if I cut my arm bleeding This is my last resort
‘Cause I’m losing my sight, losing my mind Wish somebody would tell me I’m fine Losing my sight, losing my mind Wish somebody would tell me I’m fine Nothing’s all right, nothing is fine I’m running and a-crying
Wake up (Wake up) Grab a brush and put a little make-up Hide the scars to fade away the shakeup Why’d you leave the keys upon the table? Here you go create another fable You wanted to Grab a brush and put a little makeup You wanted to Hide the scars to fade away the shakeup You wanted to Why’d you leave the keys upon the table? You wanted to I don’t think you trust In my self-righteous suicide I cry when angels deserve to die, die, die D-d-die die die die die
Hey I’m gonna get free I’m gonna get free I’m gonna get free Ride into the sun She never loved me She never loved me She never loved me Why should anyone? Come here, come here, come here I’ll take your photo for ya Come here, come here, come here Drive you around the corner Come here, come here, come here You know you really oughta Come here, come here, come here Move out to California
Do what I want ’cause I can If I don’t because I wanna Be ignored by the stiff and the bored Because I’m gonna Hate to say I told you so (all right) Do believe I told you so Now it’s all out and you knew ‘Cause I wanted to
Fell in love with a girl I fell in love at once and almost completely She’s in love with the world But sometimes these feelings can be so misleading Can’t think of anything to do Yeah, my left brain knows that all love is fleeting She’s just looking for something new Yeah, I said it once before but it bears repeating, now
Last night, she said “Oh baby, don’t you feel so down” (feel so down) “When you turn me off “When I feel left out” So I (what’d you do?) Well, I turned around (right around) “Oh, baby, gonna be alright” (gonna be alright) It was a great big lie (big old lie) ‘Cause I left that night Yeah
Ooh ah ah ah ah Ooh ah ah ah ah Get up Come on get down with the sickness Get up Come on get down with the sickness Get up Come on get down with the sickness Open up your hate and let it flow into me Get up Come on get down with the sickness You mother get up Come on get down with the sickness Get up Come on get down with the sickness Madness is the gift that has been given to me
We’re the renegades of funk We’re the renegades of funk We’re the renegades of funk We’re the renegades of funk This time I’m’a let it all come out This time I’m’a stand up and shout I’m a do things my way It’s my way My way or the highway This time I’m’a let it all come out This time I’m’a stand up and shout I’m a do things my way It’s my way Or the highway
But I’m on the outside I’m looking in I can see through you See your true colors ‘Cause inside you’re ugly Ugly like me I can see through you See to the real you
Bawitdaba da bang da dang diggy diggy Diggy said the boogie said up jump the boogie Bawitdaba da bang da dang diggy diggy Diggy said the boogie said up jump the boogie
We are, we are The youth of the nation We are, we are The youth of the nation
We are, we are The youth of the nation We are the youth of the nation Hey
I’m Slim Shady, yes I’m the real Shady All you other Slim Shadys are just imitating So won’t the real Slim Shady please stand up Please stand up Please stand up
I’m Slim Shady, yes I’m the real Shady All you other Slim Shadys are just imitating So won’t the real Slim Shady please Please, please stand up
Slim Shady won’t you please stand up? (Stand up Shady)(Stand up) (Stand up Shady)(Stand up) Shady, won’t you please stand up? Hey
The new version of He-Man and the Masters of the Universe came out this weekend, an IP that has been redone several times, both in live action and animation.
According to IMDB, “A young man on Earth discovers a fabulous secret legacy as the prince of an alien planet, and must recover a magic sword and return home to protect his kingdom.“
I was never a big fan of He-Man, although I did not dislike the IP. I watched the Kevin Smith animated versions on Netflix.
This movie was not my favorite. I had several problems with the film which I will go into later. However, it was not a total loss as there were some things I liked.
First off, I thought Nicholas Galitzine did a great job as Prince Adam. I may not necessarily like how they had him playing the role, but I do think he did a great job in the role. He had a Chris Hemsworth vibe to him.
Jared Leto, whose had some questionable roles, was an outstanding Skeletor. Again, there are some of the writing that did not work well, but Leto stood out among the cast.
There was some good action, especially in the later stages of the film. I enjoyed the finale of the third act, action-wise.
There were a lot of issues though. The biggest one is the tone. This is meant to be too humorous, kind of in the veins of a Thor: Love and Thunder. There were several times when there was a good scene, some times even an emotional scene, but it did not get a chance to settle in because there was a joke coming after.
And for a film that wanted the humor to be so front and center, the film was not very funny. I am not sure I laughed at all, certainly not more than a giggle here and there, and I found myself rolling my eyes more than anything else. I’m not opposed to a healthy dose of humor in my action movies, but the humor needs to be doled out in proper doses and in the correct moments. This film did not do that.
The earth section of this film could have easily been removed, because it did nothing and it was just a way to extend the run time. I really did not like the roommate character in this, and I wonder why people did not have this guy committed with his talk about swords and other planets. And there was a monster that showed up on earth and knocked away by an Amazon truck. This is an Amazon film. Brought me memories of War of the Worlds. Amazon is clearly the biggest heroes in all movies.
And, boy was there an obvious Coca-Cola product placement too. I laughed audibly at this.
There are a ton of secondary characters that were just here to stand in the background and not have any sort of story to them. Alison Brie as Evil-Lyn was a total waste, as was Morena Baccarin as the Sorceress.
It is not the worst movie to watch, but I did find myself bored in a good chunk of the film and very noticeably, not laughing. The last third of the film was better and one would wish it was the style the whole film would have taken.
This was originally a live broadcast of the Broadway play, Good Night and Good Luck on CNN and CNN International. I wish that there were more examples of this form, movie recorded as the Broadway play, so we could get more of an exposure to this type of entertainment.
I have been excited to see this since I put it on the Netflix queue and i figured the June Swoon 5 would be a perfect place for it.
This play showed the lead up and eventual confrontation between the junior senator from Wisconsin, Joseph McCarthy and CBS newsman Edward R. Murrow, as well as the journalists and news people behind the scenes at CBS.
I found this to be completely enthralling and totally thrilling. The play used videos of Joseph McCarthy as well as other important people of the time to help illuminate the story.
George Clooney starred as Murrow and he was excellent. A personal favorite of mine was also here, Clark Gregg, who was well known as Agent Coulson in the MCU. He played newscaster Don Hollenbeck. There was a scene in this play between Clooney and Gregg that was just amazing and showed off Gregg’s skills tremendously.
Glenn Fleschler played Fred Friendly and his relationship with Murrow was another part of this story. It was some of the best dialogue you will hear and consistently was both funny and poignant.
The only thing that was distracting for me was that fact that every time the character of Joe Wershba, played by Carter Hudson, spoke, it sounded like John Ratzenberger. That did not take away from his strong performance in the play, but it was something that I thought of every time he spoke.
I wish there were more of these type of films. Not just adaptations of stage plays, but actual stage plays as they are presented on Broadway. I would definitely go see something like this in a theater.
Written: Martin Karl Sandberg / Andreas Michael Carlsson / Al Yankovic
Style: Pop/Comedy
Topic: an obsessive shopper and the online website, eBay.
The song ends with several “EEEEE”s after the ending of the official lyrics. It is a very funny bit and the parody hits too close to home as I do love me some eBay.
Lyrics
Yeah
A used pink bathrobe A rare mint snow globe A Smurf TV tray I bought on eBay
My house is filled with this crap Shows up in bubble wrap Most every day What I bought on eBay
Tell me why I need another pet rock Tell me why I got that elf alarm clock Tell me why I bid on Shatner’s old toupee They had it on eBay
I’ll buy your knick-knack Just check my feedback A plus-plus, they all say They love me on eBay
Gonna buy a slightly damaged golf bag Gonna buy some beanie babies, new with tag From some guy I’ve never met in Norway Found him on Ebay
I am the type who is liable to snipe you With two seconds left to go, whoa Got PayPal or Visa, whatever’ll please ya As long as I’ve got the dough
I’ll buy your Tchotchkes Sell me your watch, please I’ll buy (I’ll buy, I’ll buy, I’ll buy) I’m highest bidder
Junk keeps arriving in the mail (now, yeah) From that worldwide garage sale (Dukes of Hazard ashtray) Hey, a Dukes of Hazard ashtray (oh, yeah) I bought it on eBay
Wanna buy a Pac-Man Fever lunchbox Wanna buy a case of Vintage tube socks Wanna buy a Kleenex used by Dr. Dre (used by Dr. Dre) Found it on eBay
Wanna buy that Farrah Fawcet poster Pez dispensers and a toaster Don’t know why The kind of stuff you’d throw away (away I throw) I’ll buy on eBay
It is summertime and this week’s EYG Comic Cavalcade is coming out on a Thursday night. Whoo-Hoo! I do not think this will be a regular occurrence, but this week it worked out perfectly.
I picked up a bunch of fun foil covers this week as I was at In This Issue early Wednesday morning for New Comic Book Day. This included Junk Punch #1, Batman #10 (Bronze Medalist), The Deadman #1, Iron Man #6, and a Ben 10 blind bag foil variant.
Comic of the Week
Royals #3
I had intended to give this honor to Junk Punch #1 this week, but then I read Royals #3 and it was such a shocking issue. There were multiple twists in this story this week with Castor and Paul that caught me totally off-guard and moved this book right to the top of the list this week… without anyone getting punched in the junk.
Royals has been an entertaining book each week with this being the best issue as of yet.
Books this Week:
Junk Punch #1. Written by Paul Tobin and art by Carlos Javier Olivares & Colleen Coover. Cover art was done by Carlos Javier Olivares & Francesca Vivaldi. At the end of the day yesterday, this was going to be the Comic of the Week, but Royals #3 surpassed it. Junk Punch is literally the story of a woman who has a “chemical affliction” making her “compulsively punch people in the junk.” Another funny book that I am excited to see where it goes. Will the joke run its course? Probably, but it seems great right now.
The Deadman #1. “Chapter One-The Definite Article.” Written by W. Maxwell Prince with art by Martin Morazzo. Cover art was done by Martin Morazzo & Chris O’Halloran (Silver Medalist). This book featured Deadman in a book with the flavor of Ice Cream Man. It makes sense since the creators of Ice Cream Man are the creative team on this mini series. Deadman has always been a favorite DC character of mine, and I love the Ice Cream Man aesthetic so this one is a winner for me.
Only the Savage are Left #1. Written by Zack Kaplan and illustrated and cover art by Stefano Raffaele. A future world where a virus has been released in the world that, when exposed, changes people into monsters. This is basically a zombie apocalypse story but featuring monsters instead of zombies. This issue introduces us and focuses in on Ryder and Oaklynn and their survival in this rugged new world. This has a lot of potential to be an excellent series from Dark Horse as number one is very compelling.
The Ring: The Man Who Beat the Man #1. Written by Gail Simone with art by Elisa Romboli. Cover art was done by Oliver Barrett. I was first attracted to this book because the boxer on the cover looked like Ric Flair. What kept me from skipping it when I realized that he just looked like The Nature Boy was the presence of writer Gail Simone, who has been doing some excellent work recently. I am here for The Ring moving forward.
Cyclops#5. “Seeing Red” Part 5. Written by Alex Paknadel with art by Rogê Antonio. Cover art was done by Federico Vicentini & Marcio Menyz. Cyclops’s survival in the woods, trying to save Mei from Donald Pierce concluded with this issue. I enjoyed this Scott Summers solo arc with his optic blasts taken away because of control issues. Of the individual X-books, this one was right near the top.
Wade Wilson: Deadpool #5. “A Way Forward” Written by Benjamin Percy with art by Geoff Shaw. Cover art was done by Geoff Shaw & Alex Sinclair. Deadpool and Hammerhead fight over the omens of the future that, shockingly, came from Blind Al. The relationship between Wade and Blind Al is developed here more than what we have seen before and it is kind of sweet… at least for Deadpool.
Uncanny X-Men #29. “A Prison and a Pyre.” Written by Gail Simone and art by Luciano Vecchio. Cover art was done by Luciano Vecchio & Matthew Wilson. Things get work out a bit in this issue as we find out what these New Mutants are and the Outliers return to the present. Gail Simone had a big week with three books released. This is one of the best and most consistent every month.
Amazing Spider-Man #30. Written by Joe Kelly with guest art by Pete Woods. Cover art was done by Mark Bagley & Dean White. We get a big reveal with the Peter Parker’s cousin storyline that has been out there recently. He showed up at May’s door and announced that he was Ben Parker’s son… and the son of May too. Is it possible? May faints at the end, saying that he looked just like her Ben. Huh?
Fantastic Four #12. “Si Fueris Romae…” Written by Ryan North and art by Pat Boutin. Cover art was done by Humberto Ramos & Edgar Delgado. I also picked up the Marvel Dimensions variant by Alex Ross (Gold Medalist). Reed and Johnny get sent back in time to the Roman Empire and they have to try and find their way back without screwing up history. Can they do it? It is another fun issue of the FF from Ryan North. He has done a sensational job with this comic over the last couple of years.
Iron Man #6. “Iron Man Team-Up” Written by Joshua Williamson with art by Juann Cabal. Cover art was done by Ryan Stegman & Frank Martin. When you get Tony Stark and Norman Osborn in the same room, there is due to be sparks fly. How does Spider-Man become the adult in the room as he tried to keep to two geniuses from tearing each other apart?
Groo: The Prophecy #2. Written by Sergio Aragones & Mark Evanier with art and cover art by Sergio Aragones. The world seems to be turned upside down as everything Groo does, which normally destroys villages and frightens off villagers, turns out helpful and heroic. Groo is the hero of the village? Idolized. Looked up to. Believed in. Can this be true or are they just bidding their time until Groo unleashes his typical chaos? I like the change in the story happening here so far.
What If: The Uncanny X-Men #1. “What If Cyclops Stayed with Madelyne Pryor?” Written by Gerry Duggan with art by Jan Bazaldua. Cover art was done by Lucas Werneck. This is the first of a new run of What If…? books from Marvel. This one returned to the Watcher as the main narrator, which brought me back to the early days of What If and it was a welcome return. It was also back to the tragic endings that were a staple of the first two volumes of What If…? There are a bunch of #1s coming over the next couple of months with other Marvel Universe stories and I hope the Watcher continues in this role as he was suppsoed to be.
The Twilight Zone #7. “The Taxidermist.” Written by Tony Fleecs and penciled by Andy Price. Cover art was done by Andy Price. I also picked up the B cover by Juni Ba. Another great Twilight Zone story that feels like it fits perfectly in with the series from the 1950s. Tony Fleecs brings another great story to life as it morphs from a nice love story into a horrible chaotic hellscape.
Rook Exodus #10. Creators are Geoff Johns & Jason Fabok. Cover art was done by Jason Fabok and Brad Anderson. I picked up Cover C (the connecting one) done by Kael Ngu. It is great to have Rook Exodus back after a bit of a intermission. We are back with Rook trying to keep Stag from going rogue and killing Bloodhound. I am pleased that this is back, but this is one of those books that makes it hard when it takes such a long break to remember everything that was going on before the break.
Batman #10. “Money and Blood” Written by Matt Fraction with art and cover by Jorge Jimenez. Vandal Savage has been turning the tables on the Batman family recently, both with the police chasing him as a vigilante, but also in the media, running the bat down. This issue, Batman starts to fight back. This was an awesome issue where Batman decided that he had had enough and set the plan into action.
She-Spawn #2. “Road Trip” Written by Gail Simone with art and cover art by Ig Guara. I read last issue and I was surprised how much I liked it. I came into this issue ready to be underwhelmed and decide that She-Spawn was not for me. However, once again, I found this to be an excellent book. Gail Simone had three winners this week and I couldn’t be happier.
Marc Spector: Moon Knight #5. “Reunion” Written by Jed MacKay and art by Devmalya Pramanik. Cover art was done by Paulo Siqueira & Rachelle Rosenberg. Moon Knight entered a strangely powerful house in search of his people (Tigra, 8-Ball, Hunter’s Moon, Soldier and Reese). Unfortunately, Moon Knight is betrayed… by his sword, which turned into a dragon. Wild stuff from Moon Knight these days.
X-Men ’97 Season 2 #1. Written by Steve Foxe with art by Salva Espin. Cover art was done by Todd Nuack & Rachelle Rosenberg. With the X-Men scattered across time, the X-Factor arrived to step it up and take in dangerous mutants. Havok, Strong Guy, Polaris, Wolfsbane and Multiple Man appear and join the remaining mutants. Meanwhile Bishop is ready to go searching for the X-Men.
Doctor Strange #7. Written by Derek Landy with art by Ivan Fiorelli. Cover art was done by Alex Horley. Doctor Strange realized that he would not be able to do what was necessary to defeat Atho-tet so he reaches into himself and releases Lord Strange, even though Angela was not too thrilled.
From Parts Unknown #2. Written by Adriano Ariganello and art and cover art by Daniel Caval. The traveling Lucha Libre wrestlers Bruno and his brother Pietro get into major trouble as they accidentally killed another wrestler at this independent booking. However, the dead wrestler may not be as dead as we think… or he may be a different type of dead. What have Bruno and Pietro gotten themselves into and can they get out of it?
The Exorcism at Buckingham Palace #3. Written by Hannah Rose may with art and cover art by Kelsey Ramsay. Our second Exorcism book wrapped up with this issue as the future King of England Theo is possessed and our crew come together to try and save him. I like how it did not go like the previous series at the White House and that there was a different twist. I also enjoyed the ending team-up which makes me anxious to find out where the next possession in this universe is going to take place.
Other Books this Week: It’s Jeff!-Brand New Week #1, Godzilla: Infinity Roar #5, Godzilla (Kai Sei Era)11, FML #8, Absolute Green Lantern #15, and X-Men of Apocalypse #4.
Quick Hits: One of my favorite moments this week came at Comic World as I was talking about the J. Scott Campbell J.S.C.: Just Spectacular Collection #1. Todd told me that J. Scott Campbell had died of cancer, which confused me completely considering I had just read the interview with JSC in the book. Todd said this was just a collection of his pin-ups he had done before his death and I was sure that I had read that JSC was excited about doing these pictures and he spoke about the order in which he had drawn them. Todd is usually well spoken about this kind of thing so I did not understand. Finally, Todd looked it up and he realized that he was confusing JSC with a different artist. I was relieved that my reading skills were not totally wrecked, and that it was just Todd’s memory that was in question. 🙂 Sam and Twitch Case Files #24 is still a very entertaining read. I am surprised how many Spawn books I read even though I am not a fan of Spawn. This is the week for Comics: The Magazine #4 to come out. There are interviews and articles about Sophie Campbell, Skottie Young and Kyle Starks. We got the next Ghost Machine: The Official Guidebook #3. this features characters from the Unbelievables (including Hornsby & Halo, The Rocketfellers, The Trillion Dollar Kid Etc.) Transformers: The Movie #1 is a new adaptation of the movie that crushed the spirits of all the kids of the 1980s (right up there with Neverending Story). Conan the Barbarian #31 sees Conan in a fight with the Son of the Tooth. It’s brutal. The Lucky Devils #8 takes a turn this issue as devils come to earth in a wild attack (sort of). Estuary: A Ghost Story #3 is extremely spooky and making things tense. Finally Storm #5 looked to be the final issue of this series and I am down with that. I love the character of Storm, but I have not enjoyed the story they are currently telling with her. I hope things get straightened out with Ororo soon.
So the June Swoon film for the day is Rental Family, a film featuring Brendan Fraser. It was one that I thought about going to the theater to see, but it did not work out. I decided that I would save this one for June Swoon.
According to IMDB, “An American actor in Tokyo struggling to find purpose lands an unusual gig: working for a Japanese “rental family” agency, playing stand-in roles for strangers. He rediscovers purpose, belonging, and the beauty of human connection.”
I am torn on this movie. Not because I did not enjoy it, because this was a beautiful movie filled with emotion and lovely exteriors and great performances. The problem I had was with the central concept of the idea of rental family, not the movie but the business that Shinji Tada (Takehiro Hira) was running. He would send actors into situations to play relatives or friends or whatever to people who are emotionally challenged.
For example, in this film, Brendan Fraser played an actor named Phillip who was struggling with his career. He moved to Japan several years before and he joined in the company where he is sent into a situation where he was pretending to be the absentee father of a little girl, Mia (Shannon Mahina Gorman). He was hired by her mother to help her get into a specific school.
The problem is they do not tell Mia that he is pretending and they pretend that he is her long, lost father, and they told Phillip that he needed to not get close to her. How is he supposed to do that, get to know her and not get close to her.
It just felt gross. I felt that these characters were so emotionally manipulated in this that it, as I said, felt gross.
However, so much of the movie is so wonderful that I kind of held my nose and moved along. To be fair, I think that it is gross is meant to be part of the themes of the film.
There is another storyline where Phillip is pretending to be a journalist interviewing a big time former actor Kikuo Hasegawa (Akira Emoto) which was a beautiful tale of friendship and life.
I loved the relationships Phillip developed with both Mia and Kikuo, which made his constant lies all the harder to watch. You can tell from Fraser’s excellent performance how the lies were affecting him as well.
While I had trouble with the concept of the film, everything else was amazing. I loved the story, the characters, the performances, the relationships and the chorography. Rental Family was an outstanding movie that made me feel icky at a few times.
This turned out to be Weird Al’s video directing debut.
Lyrics
It’s Christmas at ground zero There’s music in the air The sleigh bells are ringing, and the carolers are singing While the air-raid sirens blare
It’s Christmas at ground zero The button has been pressed The radio just let us know That this is not a test
Everywhere the atom bombs are dropping It’s the end of all humanity No more time for last-minute shopping It’s time to face your final destiny
It’s Christmas at ground zero There’s panic in the crowd We can dodge debris while we trim the tree Underneath the mushroom cloud
You might hear some reindeer on your rooftop Or Jack Frost on your windowsill But if someone’s climbing down your chimney You better load your gun and shoot to kill
Oh, it’s Christmas at ground zero And if the radiation level’s okay I’ll go out with you and see all the new Mutations on New Year’s Day
It’s Christmas at ground zero Just seconds left to go I’ll duck and cover with my Yuletide lover Underneath the mistletoe
It’s Christmas at ground zero Now the missiles are on their way What a crazy fluke, we’re gonna get nuked On this jolly holiday What a crazy fluke, we’re gonna get nuked On this jolly holiday
With the corpse of Richard Warren officially gone, everything in Widow’s Bay is all peaches and flowers, right?
Maybe not.
Tom went to his house to deal with his son, Evan, who had all the pictures of his mom and wanted answers. Tom gave them to him, even though he did not want to do so. The father and son had some moments together when Tom gave Evan Red Sox tickets, signaling that they could leave the island.
We all knew that last week was too good to be true and, when Wyck showed up at Toms door with the message that it was not yet over, Tom’s face revealed how crushed he was, certainly because he was just making plans with his son to go to Boston for the weekend.
While this was going down, Patricia was being chased by the Boogeyman, the serial killer who killed a bunch of high school girls years before, and who tormented Patricia (though no one believed that this happened).
The Boogeyman pursued Patricia across Widow’s Bay in grand Michael Myers fashion. Patricia eventually dowsed him with gasoline and set him on fire. Unfortunately, the gas station attendant put him out with a fire extinguisher, thinking that he was doing the right thing. He learned his error as the Boogeyman grabbed him by the throat and threw him away violently.
Luckily, Patricia was able to shot him twice with a shotgun, but not before the former sheriff Bechir got slashed with a knife by the killer.
It was hilarious as Patricia kept the gun trained on the Boogeyman’s head the whole time, on the ambulance, in the morgue, as he went into the crematorium, and until he was nothing but ashes. That was really funny, but I would have shot him in the head immediately when he was down. Patricia was dedicated in making sure this killer was not coming back.
There are two more episodes in the first season of this awesome series. All eight episodes so far can be streamed on Apple TV +.
It’s Wednesday and it is the first of the summer EYG Favorite Comic Covers of the Week post. Lot of fun covers. There were actually a lot of fun foil covers this week.
Also-Rans: Junk Punch #1 (Foil Variant), The Lucky Devils #8, The Twilight Zone #7, Cyclops #5, Wade Wilson: Deadpool #5, Ben 10 #1 (Green Blind Bag Foil Variant), and Fantastic Four #12.
Bronze Medalist
Batman #10
Foil Variant Cover F
Cover art by Jorge Jimenez
This was the top foil cover this week among a bunch of fun foil covers. The gold foil on the interior of the cape and the buildings really jump off the page with the dark background of Gotham. A beautiful foil cover.
Silver Medalist
The Deadman #1
Cover art by Martin Morazzo & Chris O’Halloran
I love the Deadman and this cover is very striking with his white face amid the scary monstrous heads behind him. The white and the red make a very standout cover and it definitely has that Ice Cream Man vibe to it.
Gold Medalist
Fantastic Four #12
Marvel Dimensions Variant Cover
Cover art by Alex Ross
Alex Ross brought his awesome game with this cool Marvel Dimensions cover of the Fantastic Four. I actually saw a foil version of this cover but I did not pick it up (which I believe may have been an error). This is just a spectacular pose with the foursome in a kick ass pose. Alex Ross has shown his art has not slipped at all.
EYG- Embrace Your Geekness 