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.
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.
Season two of the Muppet Show kicked off with some changes.
The opening theme came closer to what I remembered as the iconic theme. They removed Fozzie’s joke from the opening and added in Statler and Waldorf. However, my memory of Statler and Waldorf was them singing the next verse which started “Why do we always come here…” which was not what was in this season’s beginning. Kermit’s intro of the guest star is now at the very beginning of the song instead of the middle. It ends with Gonzo, no longer with a club, but with a trumpet. The opening had a much bigger feel to it.
It also featured the “cold open” where Scooter sticks his head into the guest star’s dressing room and gives them an update on how long until the show starts. This pre-theme gag would go for the rest of the series, if I remember correctly.
There were some weird things in these episodes as well. In episode one with Don Knotts, the Disney + version of the show was chopped up with things removed. Don Knotts’s finale, which was Knotts playing a bass with the Electric Mayhem on a song called “Lullaby of Birdland” was removed completely. I never figured out the reasoning behind the editing (sounds like it had something to do with copyright). They also chopped up the backstage segments between Fozzie and Floyd where Floyd gave Fozzie some sunglasses and proclaimed him a hip dude.
Episode two featured Zero Mostel, who actually died not too long after the show was recorded. This was a great episode with things such as Chopin’s Polonaise in A-flat major as performed by Dr. Teeth and the Electric Mayhem (I loved Animal screaming “Chopin” as he drummed), “Smoke Gets in your Eyes” by Rowlf and Zoot, and Mostel dressed as Henry the VIII performing “What Do the Simple Folds Do?” It also ended with some Lady Wrestling, as per request from Scooter’s uncle J.P. Grosse. Kermit couldn’t find anyone to participate (the scene where he asked Piggy to do it was hilarious), so he donned a wig and took on Granny the Gouger. Kermit got his butt kicked and tossed into Statler and Waldorf’s box. Miss Piggy did not like that and showed up and did the “hi-yaaaah” to Granny. As a wrestling fan, I remember loving this skit when I was younger.
Episode three featured Milton Berle in several tremendous skits. The standout of the whole episode (and perhaps the season so far) was Milton Berle vs. Statler and Waldorf. I was so impressed with him since he allowed the two old hecklers to get the best of him the entire routine. Uncle Miltie, a literal comedic legend, was willing to play straight man to a couple of Muppets and let them make him look the fool. It was really one of the funniest skits I have seen on the Muppet Show so far. Milton Berle also did a fantastic rendition of “The Entertainer” (which the show strangely followed up with Miss Piggy singing the same song too) and a great comedy-duet with Fozzie called “Top Banana.” Milton Berle worked beautifully with the Muppets here.
There were some classic debuts during these three episodes. This was the first time we have seen Beaker in the Muppet Labs sequence. Beaker would go on to become on of the most iconic Muppets of all time. We saw the first episode of Pigs in Space with Link, Dr. Strangepork and Miss Piggy.
I loved in episode one where Rowlf sings “What a Wonderful World” to a real living puppy. I love the Louis Armstrong song and Rowlf does it very well.
The second and third episodes of this season have to be considered some of the best of the series and it was a shame that the Don Knotts episode got as chopped up as it did, because it had the potential to be just as great.
Disney has been doing live-action remakes of their animated movies for decades now, but the most recent push of this trend started with Alice in Wonderland in 2010. Since then, we have gotten Maleficent, Cinderella, The Jungle Book, The Lion King (although it is technically all animated), Beauty and the Beast, Dumbo, Aladdin, The Little Mermaid, Mulan, Snow White, and Lilo & Stitch. This weekend, the most recent of the animated movies to receive this treatment debuted in theaters.
Moana, the animated series was released in 2016, and just under ten years later, the live-action film was made and released.
I did not watch the original animated Moana before going to see the new live-action film, which was probably a good idea. I believe if I had watched the animation, I would have not enjoyed the live action version at all. Fact is that the Moana live action is a complete recreation of the 2016 animated version with almost nothing new, and it would have stood out even more had I watched the animated movie in preparation for the new film.
Another problem with the film is that the look of the new film is nowhere near as vibrant and magical as the animated film. This looked like they had a lot of the live action actors filming in front of a green screen or an animated background, which you can see easily. The best section of the film was in the middle of Dwayne Johnson’s song “You’re Welcome” when they animated everything.
Catherine Laga’aia as Moana was probably my favorite part of the film as I thought she was lovely and I could not take my eyes off her. Her performance was solid, and I believe she has potential to be much better in future projects. Laga’aia had a presence on screen that really worked for me.
Dwayne Johnson, who I love so much, felt much more underwhelming than he did in the animated movie. There were times when he was noticeably more thick in the waist and torso area than he was in other moments of the film making me think they did some CGI with him, or perhaps put a muscle suit on him. It was noticeable, and not in a good way.
The songs were all decent, except for “Shiny” by Jemaine Clement as Tamatoa. I thought that sounded terrible, so bad that I wondered if it was the theater’s sound system that was causing the problem. The other songs sounded fine so I am not sure why this standout song sounded so poor to me.
I did enjoy the live action dance sequences showing off Polynesian culture, especially in the opening scenes. I wish the backgrounds would have helped amplify the beauty of the dance, but it did not help it at all.
While it sounds like I did not enjoy this movie, I did like it. It is the same movie as 2016’s Moana, and I loved that movie. It does feel like the same movie, but with less of that Disney magic. If you have never seen the animated movie, this would be a sufficient remake, but if you have Disney + and have never seen the animated movie, watch that version.
Weird Al wrote this song before seeing any official script of the Phantom Menace because he was not allowed to see it. So he pieced it together with rumors and web sites. When he was able to attend a pre-screening, he was shocked to see that the song was mostly accurate, requiring only small rewriting.
Lyrics
A long, long time ago In a galaxy far away Naboo was under an attack And I thought me and Qui-Gon Jinn Could talk the federation in To maybe cutting them a little slack
But their response, it didn’t thrill us They locked the doors and tried to kill us We escaped from that gas Then met Jar-Jar and Boss Nass We took a bongo from the scene And we went to Theed to see the Queen We all wound up on Tatooine That’s where we found this boy
Oh my, my this here Anakin guy Maybe Vader someday later, now he’s just a small fry He left his home and kissed his mommy goodbye Sayin’, “Soon I’m gonna be a Jedi” Soon I’m gonna be a Jedi
Did you know this junkyard slave Isn’t even old enough to shave But he can use the Force, they say Ahh, do you see him hitting on the queen Though he’s just nine and she’s 14 Yeah, he’s probably gonna marry her someday
Well, I know he built C-3PO And I’ve heard how fast his pod can go And we were broke, it’s true So we made a wager or two He was a pre-pubescent flyin’ ace And the minute Jabba started off that race Well, I knew who would win first place Oh yes, it was our boy
We started singin’ My, my this here Anakin guy Maybe Vader someday later, now he’s just a small fry And he left his home and kissed his mommy goodbye Sayin’, “Soon I’m gonna be a Jedi” Soon I’m gonna be a Jedi
Now we finally got to Coruscant The Jedi Council we knew would want To see how good the boy could be So we took him there and we told the tale How his midichlorians were off the scale And he might fulfill that prophecy
Oh, the Council was impressed, of course Could he bring balance, to the Force? They interviewed the kid All training they forbid Because Yoda sensed in him much fear And Qui-Gon said, “Now listen here” Just stick it in your pointy ear I still will teach this boy
He was singin’ My, my this here Anakin guy Maybe Vader someday later, now he’s just a small fry And he left his home and kissed his mommy goodbye Sayin’, “Soon I’m gonna be a Jedi” Soon I’m gonna be a Jedi
We caught a ride back to Naboo ‘Cause Queen Amidala wanted to I frankly would’ve liked to stay We all fought in that epic war And it wasn’t long at all before Little Hotshot flew his plane and saved the day
And in the end some Gunguns died Some ships blew up and some pilots fried A lot of folks were croakin’ The battle droids were broken And the Jedi I admire most Met up with Darth Maul and now he’s toast Well, I’m still here, and he’s a ghost I guess I’ll train this boy
And I was singin’ My, my this here Anakin guy Maybe Vader someday later, now he’s just a small fry And he left his home and kissed his mommy goodbye Sayin’, “Soon I’m gonna be a Jedi” Soon I’m gonna be a Jedi
We were singin’ My, my this here Anakin guy Maybe Vader someday later, now he’s just a small fry And he left his home and kissed his mommy goodbye Sayin’, “Soon I’m gonna be a Jedi”
Toy Story has to be considered one of the greatest franchises in the history of cinema. Five movies and they all are critically beloved. I was excited to see Toy Story 5 today.
Toy Story 5 is Jessie’s story. One of the questions I had was how they were going to Woody back to the group considering how Toy Story 4 ended, and I think they had a great way to get him there.
The balance of Bonnie’s room is thrown out when she gets a tablet called Lilypad. Suddenly Bonnie becomes focused on the screen and not on her toys.
The tech vs. toys story is interesting in this film, and definitely a worthy idea that needs to be investigated. I’m not sure it did much with that premise.
I had heard how emotional Toy Story 5 was and that I would require tissues. I was looking forward to having a good cry. However, I did not cry. I had a decent response to the emotional moments in the film, and maybe had a gulp once or twice, but there were no tears or even any tears forming in my eyes to brush away.
Now, I do not want to sound like I hated this movie, because I did not. There were plenty of things to really enjoy in the movie including the animation, which is as wonderful as always, the new characters, especially Conan O’Brien’s Smarty-Pants character, and the overall writing and humor involved.
Woody is my favorite Toy Story character, but sadly, he feels unnecessary for this movie. He was absolutely crammed in because Toy Story has to have Woody in it. It is always fun to hear Tom Hanks’s voice work, but Woody was dispensable to this story.
Toy Story 5 is going to end up being my lowest Toy Story movie on a ranking scale, but it is still a really great film with a lot of things going for it. I can see this being scored lower because it is a Toy Story movie. This would be better than most animated films of the year. Still, I came out of it liking the film, but not being in love with it.
I finished off the original Toy Story trilogy tonight by watching Toy Story 3 on Disney +. Toy Story 3 is one of my all-time favorite animated films. It is top 3 for sure, if not number one. It had been too long since I have seen it. After the viewing tonight, I can say with certainty that this remains an all-time classic.
Andy has grown up and is about to head off to college, which means that he has to make a decision about what he is going to do with his toys. When they accidentally get thrown out, the toys decide to get themselves donated to a daycare. However, the daycare turned out to be nowhere near as awesome as they thought it would be.
There are a couple of reasons why I loved this movie as much as I did. First up was the arrival of what I consider one of the greatest Disney villains of all time in Lots-o’-Huggin’ Bear, voiced by the iconic Ned Beatty. Lotso was such an evil character, but I could completely understand his story. I thought his origin story, which was told in flashbacks, was just perfection. Everything that Lotso did was relatable because of the trauma of being lost and replaced. It turned him bitter and angry, something that he never got over.
The second thing that made me love this movie was one of the most dramatic and suspenseful scenes you are going to get in any movie, let alone a Pixar kids movie. The scene where Woody, Buzz and all of the others were in the incinerator, slowly moving toward the flames. When I first saw that scene in the theaters, I actually couldn’t believe what I was seeing. I couldn’t see a way out for them and I truly thought that the film was going to send them all to a fiery grave. This time, I saw the foreshadowing with the little aliens on how they get rescued, but when I first saw this in 2010, I was sure they were all goners. It was one of the most effective scenes I had ever scene and one of Pixar’s greatest.
Thirdly, the final scene with Andy and Bonnie was spectacular, filled with real emotions, that couldn’t help but bring tears to my eyes. It was so beautifully written that you just can’t help it.
Another brilliant scene was the escape plan organized by Woody to get out of the daycare. The plan revealed some amazing skills for the different toys involved. Everybody had an important role to play and the ending of it with the confrontation with Lotso was such an amazing moment.
Buzz getting turned back into the Space Ranger and then eventually to the Spanish version was hilarious. Tim Allen does a great job voicing that character. It was wonderful to get the voices back for Joan Cusack, Don Rickles, John Ratzenberger, Wallace Shawn, Estelle Harris, Jodie Benson, Laurie Metcalf, and John Morris.
We got some new voices too. Michael Keaton joined the cast as Ken, Barbie’s boy toy. Blake Clark replaced Jim Varney as Slinky Dog after Varney’s death in 2000.
This is a masterpiece of a film, filled with heart, emotion and a connection to one’s things that everyone can relate to. Toy Story 3 is easily my favorite of all the Toy Story movies and right up there with Into the Spider-Verse and Inside Out.
I have not seen Toy Story 2 very many times. Of the three original Toy Story movies, Toy Story 2 was my least favorite. That is not saying that is was a bad movie. In fact, it is a sensational film, but the other two Toy Story films are just so exceptional.
I did a rewatch of Toy Story 2 tonight and I found it much the same way. It is extremely clever and well-written. I laughed out loud multiple times.
According to IMDB, “When Woody is stolen by a toy collector, Buzz and his friends set out on a rescue mission to save Woody before he becomes a museum toy property with his roundup gang Jessie, Prospector, and Bullseye.“
All of our favorite voices are back including Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, Don Rickles, John Ratzenberger, Jim Varney, Wallace Shawn, Annie Potts, Laurie Metcalf, and John Morris. The voice cast had several huge additions with Joan Cusack as Jessie, Kelsey Grammar as the Prospector, Wayne Knight as the toy collector Al, Jodie Benson as Barbie, Andrew Stanton as Zurg, and Estelle Harris as Mrs. Potato Head.
The idea that Woody was a rare and popular toy that completed the set was a fun way to take the story. It brought us Jessie and Woody’s horse, Bullseye. I could relate to the collector part of the story, and I would have loved to have seen Al arrive in Japan only to find Woody gone.
I was not a fan of the musical song detailing Jessie’s origin. That felt too overly sentimental and manipulative on the emotions. It felt like the movie could have done this in a much more effective way. That was the one spot in the film where I thought the story took a dip.
Toy Story 2 is still on the lower end of the three original Toy Story movies for me (although it would be ahead of Toy Story 4 as of now). Though it was my least favorite of the three, does not mean it is not a spectacular movie with amazing CGI, clever writing, amazing characters and funny lines.
Next up will be Toy Story 3… one of my favorite animated movies of all time.
It has been seven years since we got a new Star Wars film on the big screen. That last film was the much maligned Rise of Skywalker, which most of the fanbase either disliked it or outright hated.
However, the Disney + show, The Mandalorian, has been popular over the first three seasons, and the announcement of the next movie being a continuation of the show received mixed responses. The character of Grogu, who was known first as Baby Yoda, was a phenomenon in pop culture and was suddenly everywhere.
With the new film, starring Pedro Pascal as The Mandalorian, we get a mixed bag of a movie with some positives and some negatives that does not feel like a return to the big screen for Star Wars. It really does feel like a TV season crammed into two hours of a film.
Start with the positives. I love these two titular characters and I love the idea of spending more time with them. However, if I had not already watched three seasons of TV, I might not understand what was going on. The film does not spend much time setting up the relationship between Mando and Grogu. It just feels as if they are expected to know it.
The action sequences are mostly excellent. The beginning sequence, in particular, was exceptional. I did enjoy much of the action of the film.
The CGI had its moments, but there were also moments of CGI that were not well done. Some of the green screen (or is it The Volume?) was painfully apparent and below what one would expect from this franchise.
The story feels stitched together among the different moments of the script. There are things that happen in the film that show up out of nowhere and does not play much of a part in the film. There was a scene with a creature in the woods that helps out Grogu that feels like the character was going to be more significant than it turned out to be. It is possible that this character is known in the Star Wars universe and I am not recognizing the Easter egg.
The middle of this film was pretty boring and repetitive. There is only so many times that I need to see Grogu steal some food to eat.
Interestingly enough, they never once call the Mandalorian by his name Din Djarin, referring to him as Mando instead.
Sigourney Weaver is in the film, doing little. Jeremy Allen White voiced Rotta the Hutt, a character that debuted in the animated programs. Much of the dialogue of this film was not great and fairly surface level at best.
The best part of the film was the score by Ludwig Göransson, who has won an Academy Award. The score was very engaging.
The Mandalorian and Grogu is an okay movie. I liked much of the film, but I do not think that it elevated my enjoyment of any of the characters or the franchise. It was okay. I did not come out of this hating it, but there just is not anything that I feel needed to be on the big screen.
The second season of Daredevil: Born Again on Disney + had its finale tonight in a dramatic courtroom showdown that turned into a brutal desperate slugfest inside the courthouse.
Matt Murdock, after getting medically aided by Jessica Jones, had Mayor Wilson Fisk summoned to the court to testify in the trial of Karen Page. Once I discovered that Fisk was going to go through with the appearance, I knew what Murdock was planning.
Murdock got Fisk on the witness stand and was hitting him verbally with all of his crimes, which was being objected to and sustained. But Murdock kept pounding away at it, until he was able to use the video of the first mate’s testimony.
The DA said that the video could not be admitted without someone to collaborate the details, which was exactly what Murdock wanted. You could see what Matt was preparing. In fact, it seemed clear that Fisk was understanding what was about to happen too. He called Matt a fool.
In a moment that would have made Tony Stark proud, Matt Murdock turned to the packed courtroom and said “I…am… Daredevil.”
Secret identities in the Marvel Cinematic Universe are a rare thing, with, I guess, Spider-Man being one of the few remaining.
With Murdock able to testify that Fisk was bringing the arms into the city through the port, the trial began to unravel quickly. Jessica Jones and the Governor strolled in to watch the remainder of the case. I loved the court room stuff. I thought this was easily the strongest part of the finale.
With Fisk in a freefall, the charges against Karen were dropped.
The mob of Daredevil-masked individuals were on their way up to the courthouse. There was a definite Jan. 6 feel to it, making it a bit awkward. Kingpin’s brutal murder of a bunch of these mob members was hard. The giant standoff with Fisk and the mob was not my favorite moment, but the final face to face with Murdock & Fisk was potent and I liked how it was not just another DD/Kingpin fight.
It was amazing how Murdock ended up in jail and Fisk wound up on a beach, but it definitely felt as if Fisk lost and Matt won.
The end of the episode with Luke Cage returning to Jessica and Danielle was awesome. Mike Colter strolling into the Alias Investigation office made me very happy.
There were so many things that were set up for a season three including with Heather Glenn putting the Muse mask on, The Jessica/Luke stuff, Karen survived, Cole made a face turn, White Tiger appeared and was kick ass, Mr. Charles has a new guy-Bullseye, and BB got her job at the paper.
The penultimate episode of season two of Daredevil: Born Again dropped on Disney + tonight and, oh was an ending.
Prior to that ending, I legitimately pumped my fist when Matt Murdock walked into the courtroom to be a co-defense attorney for the trial of Karen Page.
Last week when Karen was at the gunpoint of AVTF goon Officer Powell, I worried about how she was going to escape that predicament without being killed. Imagine my surprise when she is walked into the cop precinct and fingerprinted, booked and placed in jail. I actually said, “They arrested her?”
It made a lot of sense when they talked about it. Fisk wanted to do everything by the book, above board, so they could put her on trial with their vigilante court… which, again led to Matt Murdock strolling into the court displaying his gigantic balls.
When Matt spoke with Karen, I had the move figured out, especially when the “previously on” segment reminded us that Matt Murdock as a “hero” according to Wilson Fisk. Even though I had it figured out, I still popped like crazy.
I wish Matt had more to do in the court. I wanted extended scenes of Matt cross-examining Powell or any other AVTF agent on the stand ( I see you Cole). Even with the limited time we got in court, I loved the Matt Murdock stuff.
Meanwhile, Daniel was preparing to deliver BB to Buck. BB figured out what he was doing and was able to convince him to let her go. Daniel went to approach Buck without BB and Buck brutally beat him to try and get him to reveal where she was. Daniel honestly did not know and he spoke to Buck, trying to get him to turn away from Fisk. It looked like he was going to convince him of it.
And then Buck shot him.
Screen to black. I sat here with my mouth agape for a good thirty seconds. I couldn’t believe what had happened. Watching Buck coldly readjust his suit and step over Daniel’s body was shocking. I suppose Daniel might not be dead, but it sure seemed as if it were a final blow to the young Gandolfini.
RIP Daniel.
Jessica Jones approaching Mr. Charles at the beginning was awesome. It is so great to see Krysten Ritter again. She is such a perfect casting of the role. Charles also dropped the name “Luke” during this conversation. Jessica told Matt about what she discovered (and met Cherry… who looks great after his recent heart attack. Great to see Cherry). Jessica is still basically out, needing to stay with her daughter Danielle.
Bullseye was given one good deed to do from Daredevil, and he took it. Bullseye saved the Governor from being strangled to death by an assassin sent by Fisk. However, he looked as if he left the assassin alive, which might be a great thing for getting Fisk. Prior to the attack, the Governor had decided it was time to get Fisk out of the New York mayor’s office. Here is something to help with that, perhaps.
Karen and Heather’s confrontation in the prison was epic. Karen showed how much of a bad ass she really was, not succumbing to Heather’s old true or false questionnaire that she screwed the Swordsman with. Karen got under Heather’s skin big time as Heather slapped Karen multiple times as Karen laughed at her. The image of Muse peering through the window was scary and certainly seems to be foreshadowing Heather’s own mental illness.
Next week’s finale is going to be huge. I hope the people who apparently aren’t watching this show come to their senses because this is wonderful.
That final few moments of DD vs. Kingpin and the standoff with the AVTF and Karen outside was unbelievable. When that screen went to black, I was not ready for it.
I loved the appearance of Jessica Jones. We get the first appearance of her daughter. That was cool. I assume this is more comic accurate and that the father is Luke Cage, and we’ll learn about that later in the series. It seems that Jessica has been having issues with her powers since the birth of her daughter. They come and go. Not good for someone like Jessica Jones.
Karen is going darker with every episode. The conflict between Karen and Matt over Bullseye in this episode was one of the most intense ones in the series so far. It was a stunning moment of acting from Deborah Ann Woll. It makes me wonder if this is leading toward the death of Karen, who is one of those characters from the comics who has had an iconic death.
Daniel sets up B.B. to see if she is the leak. He gave her info that was fake, to see if she would release it. B.B. nearly does it, but she ends up deleting the message.
Matthew Lillard has some great scenes in this episode too, including one with the mayor. It feels as if there will be some big stuff with Mr. Charles moving forward.
The death of Vanessa devastated Fisk, and I was never sure what he was going to do. I did know that the doctor should not have come in to speak to Fisk. That giant Kingpin bearhug snapped the poor doctor’s back was brutal. Then the big Daredevil/Kingpin fight at the end of the episode was awesome.
There are two more episodes to go. I am not sure what else there can be. This season has been so great so far. I can not imaging where this is heading.
Daredevil: Born Again S2 E5 is a rough one. Vanessa survived the initial injury at the hands of Bullseye last episode, but eventually succumbs at the end of the episode. The episode played like a “life-flashing-before-here eyes” for Vanessa as she flashed back to the art gallery and the night she met Wilson Fisk.
The episode had a bunch of flashbacks because this is the long awaited episode that saw the return of Foggy Nelson, albeit in flashback only. I know there were a lot of people who were in the “Foggy faked his own death” camp, but this sure feels like an end to those wishes. I do have to say that I am not sure what the purpose of the flashback was for Foggy, outside of getting Foggy back on screen. Foggy’s acquaintance from his youth who they got off the charges he was facing was a strange situation too. I feel like this guy is coming back in the story at some point.
We also got some appearances from Wesley from the original series during these flashbacks. Of course, Karen killed Wesley back during that original run on Netflix.
Daredevil and Bullseye are on the run from the AVTF after the confrontation at the gym. Bullseye seemed ready to die and tried to get Matt to leave him behind, but Matt was not having any of it. When he brought Bullseye into the hideout where Karen was staying, she gave Matt a look like she was ready to rip his throat out before she killed Bullseye. This might be a spot where the relationship between Matt and Karen is tested.
Daredevil dropped a hint about a “nurse” he knew that could help Bullseye. Could this be an allusion to Night Nurse aka Claire?
Speaking of being tested, what will Wilson Fisk do now that Vanessa is gone. When the doctor walked in to talk to Fisk, I joked that he was going to be killed if Vanessa did not make it. I am now worried about that doctor.
The doctor is just one step. The Kingpin is going to bring the fire to New York City. This is going to lead to the arrival of Jessica Jones, I bet.
I was also very worried that BB was in the trunk of that car that Buck and Daniel drove to Albany. I was concerned for Daniel too, as Buck seemed to be preparing to kill him as the leak. I have heard the online speculation that Daniel might be the MCU’s Rose, and I wondered if this was going to be proven untrue today.
This was a great episode highlighting Vincent D’Onofrio’s performance as Wilson Fisk when Vanessa came to for a short time. He is absolutely stunning as this character and having what has been Wilson’s heart ripped away from him. He deserves an Emmy nomination for this work.
Amazing episode that was tricky, but it hit every beat.
We get so much Bullseye in this episode and a huge shock at the end.
Wilson Fisk’s big boxing match is up next, and I know I do not want to be the opponent facing him. The giant monster can pound away.
It does seem as if the whole thing is a plan to try and lure Daredevil and/or Bullseye out. And in that case, it did work. Just not exactly how Fisk had planned.
He had sent Vanessa away. Off to see the Governor. She did so and seemingly swayed her over to their side. However, she made it back for the conclusion of the fight, watching Wilson pummel some poor schmuck ( who was like 30-2 record wise) into oblivion.
Bullseye shows up, killing members of the AVTF members with knives and all kinds of other projectiles, marching his way toward the Fisks. He threw a crystal figure of Fisk in NYC, which was shattered and one of the pieces went into Vanessa’s skull. The imagery of the red blood pouring from her skull across her white dress as she laid on the boxing ring mat was unbelievable.
If Vanessa is dead, I don’t know what Wilson Fisk is going to do. he is barely stable as is and losing her would absolutely send him over the edge.
He’s going to blame Daredevil as well, as DD deflected a bullet that was going to kill Bullseye when Fisk picked up the gun that Venessa had and measured an already injured Bullseye. This led to Bullseye escaping from the boxing venue before anyone could catch him.
Even if Vanessa survived, Fisk is going to even more unhinged. I have a feeling that this is where we get Jessica Jones from very soon.
This week, Disney + dropped episode two and three of Daredevil: Born Again tonight.
There are some amazing things happening in this series. The highlights of these two episodes include:
Trial of the Swordsman. Spoiler… it was fairly rigged and he was found guilty.
Reveal of the Mayor Kingpin online person: It’s Bebe.
Matt and Karen lead an attack on the AVTF base in Red Hook.
Daredevil got all the caged individuals out.
White Tiger returns… kind of…
Bullseye is running around. He killed two AVTF agents in the elevator- brutally.
Heather continues to slip into darkness.
Fisk was preparing to box, killed his trainer.
Daniel is concerned that the leaks were coming from his laptop. He warns Bebe.
Gallo’s death is covered up as a car wreck.
Karen and Matt are roused out of the bar where they are hiding out.
Cherry is safe, gotten out of the hospital before the AVTF got him.
Vanessa has weird dreams
Kingpin had the ship blown up, killing the workmen on the ship.
Karen captured a AVTF agent who wants to help them stop Fisk.
Karen and Matt take up residence in Frank’s place.
The Daredevil fight scene at Red Hook was awesome, with DD and Jack fighting brutally.
I am anxious for Jessica Jones, who has yet to appear. I am excited to get her into the show.
Episode two was a little slower, but I thought the characterization is great. This show has done a really great job including the story of the ensemble cast around Matt and Karen.
It did feel a little easy for DD to get into the cages and to get the people out of the prison.
However, I did not want episode three to end. When it went to black screen, I literally yelled out. I wanted it to continue. I am excited to see next Tuesday.
EYG- Embrace Your Geekness 