Tag Archives: reviews

Sunday Morning Sidewalk #14

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“Chapter Four: A Hope in Hell”

This morning, we take a stroll down the Sunday Morning Sidewalk onto the path to Hell.

And the path to Hell is lined with more than just good intentions. It is lined with tension, anxiety and suspense.

What a great episode this was.

At first, as Morpheus and Matthew traveled into Hell to regain his helm, I was more engaged with the second part of the story, John Dee being picked up by a woman named Rosemary. That conversation inside Rosemary’s car was scary and I dreaded what was going to happen to Rosemary, who was just trying to be a good person.

However, then Morpheus wound up in a fight with Lucifer Morningstar and the narrative of the episode switched. The ‘fight” between these two was amazing… and unlike anything I expected. It was truly sensational and brilliantly constructed. It could have easily just slipped into the big power fight that we see so often, but this was deeper, more intense.

The fight turned on the word of the raven, Matthew, giving Morpheus that last bit of motivation to overcome the ruler of the Underworld.

It also seemed as if Rosemary was able to survive the episode, and I was sure she was a goner. Sarah Niles played Rosemary so exceptionally that I immediately connected with the character and wished for her safety. John gave her the amulet of protection at the end of the episode after she had decided to wait for him instead of escaping to freedom. It was a sweet ending that I still was anxious about. I really wanted Rosemary, a good person, to not be killed off in this warped story. When it was clear that she was going to make it, I did breath a sigh of relief.

Nicely paired episode with two stories (which nearly crossed at the end) that I was very engaged in. This is my favorite episode so far of the season and it does seem as if the show is only getting better each week.

The Legend of Ochi

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A24 is an active and extremely busy movie studio, releasing all kinds of different movies. One of the newest releases from the studio is a fantasy/adventure that plays like a fairy tail in The Legend of Ochi.

Shot on location in Romania, The Legend of Ochi looks beautiful and the creatures known as the ochi are amazingly constructed in one of the best uses of practical effects in years. The creatures, in particular our little lead character, are marvelous and shows that you can still create something stunning and effective without a bunch of CGI.

According to IMBD, “A young girl named Yuri is raised to fear the reclusive forest creatures known as the ochi. However, when she discovers a baby ochi left behind by its pack, she embarks on a perilous journey to reunite the creature with its family. As Yuri ventures deeper into the forest, she faces dangerous challenges and learns valuable lessons about courage, friendship, and the importance of protecting nature.”

The performance of young actor Helena Zengel is very impressive as Yuri and she effectively carries the bulk of this film on her shoulders. She does an admirable job interacting with the puppet ochi as it travels around on her back and in her company.

There are two well known faces involved in the film. Willem Dafoe played Yuri’s father Maxim and Finn Wolfhard is Petro, a boy who is taken in by her father. Dafoe is his usually wonderful self as this father whose anger about his life is transferred into his hatred for these ochi creatures. He trained these children that are in his care as a military unit to hunt the ochi.

I did like the background story of Maxim and I thought his arc of the movie was very soldi. He had some great scenes with Emily Watson, who played Dasha, Yuri’s absent mother.

There are some weird things happening here, but it had that ET feel combined with a A24 horror film. The Legend of Ochi was a fun film with a nice story.

3.8 stars

The Last of Us S2 E2

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“Through the Valley”

I can’t believe it.

I was aware of Joel’s fate in general from the video game, but I knew no specifics. So as this was being set up, I was in denial. I was sure that they had planned on extending Pedro Pascal’s part longer into season two because of how huge of a star he had become.

Nope. Episode two and Joel is dead.

Honestly, right up until the end, before Abby drove that broken golf club into Joel’s neck, I thought he was getting out of it, somehow. I never played the game so I was unaware that this was setting up a scene that was straight out of the game.

Ellie held on the ground, screaming for mercy for the man who was like a father to her was heartbreaking, and I know that there are extenuating circumstances behind the vengeance of Abby, but I want her dead… just so dead.

Joel had saved her life earlier in the episode as she had been chased by the Infected and was about to be caught when Joel appeared from nowhere to stop it. The whole chase scene with Abby and the Infected, as well as the crawling beneath the collapsing fence, was just suspenseful.

Before this tragic event, the Infected crashing into the city and causing such a tremendous amount of loss. The standoff with Tommy and the Bloater was intense as you get on TV. I thought Tommy was a goner, but he was able to make it through, thankfully.

Bella Ramsey was amazing in this episode. They are absolutely setting up Ellie and Abby as similar characters for future face off. Historically, heroes and villains are like the other side of the same coin. This feels like the show is building a hero/villain archetype.

The Last of Us S2 E1

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“Future Days”

Season two of the tense and traumatic HBO Max show, The Last of Us, just debuted and the relationship between Joel and Ellie was shaken and on the edge. And it clearly is related to the lie Joel told at the end of last season, to hide the brutality that he committed against the fireflies in order to save Ellie’s life. It has been five years later and there have been issues since that lie, bringing them to the point where they are now.

The show kicked off and ended with the same group of people, the surviving Fireflies that Joel did not murder at the hospital. They, particularly a woman named Abby, swear that they will find and kill Joel, no matter how long it takes. Apparently, how long it will take is five years as they show up at the end of the episode again.

It looks as if the choices made by Joel is the driving force of the drama for this season, whether it be from the group looking for vengeance to Ellie knowing that he has been lying to her for years. I think it is obvious that Ellie knows that Joel lied to her. You can see it in her face.

Catharine O’Hara is a member of the cast this season as Gail, who is a therapist that has been working with Joel. Joel has not been wanting to admit to anything and even after Gail mentioned her husband Eugene, who apparently Joel had to kill, he does not go into specifics (I just saw that Eugene will be played by Joe Pantoliano, so… flashbacks I assume!). He does not seem to be good at hiding it, because it sure seems as if everyone could tell that he had something he was keeping inside.

There is a new type of infected too. It was an infected that did not just run right at you, but who stalked you, hid from you, and positioned itself into proper spot. It was a creepy scene where the infected stalked Ellie.

This episode built the characters and started to place them into position to where they will face the trouble this season. The distance between Joel and Ellie is hard to watch considering how close they had become by the end of the first season.

Sunday Morning Sidewalk #12

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“Imperfect Hosts”

The Sunday Morning Sidewalk continued this week with the second episode of Netflix’s The Sandman. I was somewhat disappointed with last week’s episode and I was worried that the commitment I have made, watching an episode a week for eleven weeks, was going to be a toil.

Thankfully, I thought episode two was a considerable step up from last week’s fare and I have a renewed vigor for the series.

One strength of this week’s episode is that it featured more of a spotlight on Morpheus himself. Sure there were other characters involved, but it felt as if they were all contributing toward the story of The Sandman, and not their own tales. Last week there was so little of Dream that it did not feel right.

I loved the introduction of Cain and Abel in the Sandman world. First, with Gregory, the dragon that Morpheus had given to them right out of the nightmare, and then with the fact that Cain continued to kill his brother, these two characters presented a neat contrast to Morpheus. Abel’s confession to Irving, the gargoyle, that he understood the roles they must play, Cain the first murderer and Abel the first victim, was profound and was a cool way to incorporate them into the dream world.

The show built some antagonists more this week, with an increased look at The Corinthian and the introduction of Ethel Cripps, an art dealer who may have sold Morpheus’s tools along the way. This allows Morpheus a group of McGuffins to chase after this season.

They also introduced a Constantine, though not the one I was familiar with. Her name was Johanna Constantine, supposedly a descendent of John. I look forward to the interaction between these characters moving forward.

Again, I am approaching this without much knowledge of the comics so this is an all-new world for me. I did a little research after the episode an discovered that the character of John that we got at the end of the episode is a major villain, Dr. Destiny. I was unaware of that and it provides a neat little Easter egg for me.

Yellowjackets S3 E10

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“Full Circle”

The third season of Yellowjackets came to a close in dramatic fashion that, once again, made me feel like it was LOST.

At the end of the third season of LOST, Jack was able to get ahold of a phone and contacted the boat off the shore of the Island. At the end of the episode, we see that Jack and Kate had made it off the Island and got back to LA.

At the end of the third season of Yellowjackets, Natalie is able to use the phone from the scientists to contact the outside world, leading to the possibility that the Yellowjackets are soon to be rescued.

At, much like Jack in the flash forward, adult Shauna wants to reclaim her power, maker herself the “Queen” again. In sense, Shauna wanted to “go back.”

Also, much like LOST, we got to a point seeing who was in the pit from the first season, revealing a long term mystery as Mari was the doomed victim.

Lottie’s killer was revealed as Shauna’s daughter Callie. Callie and Jeff took their stuff and left Shauna. Shauna found the letter Melissa left with the tape under the fridge. Of course, she tore it up and put it down the garbage disposal. Shauna is truly an unhinged crazy person. And with her family gone, what is keeping her from going all whack-a-doodle once again?

Tai and Misty met to discuss Shauna… or to blame her for everyone’s deaths. I am not sure I find these two together as much better. And what is up with Walter?

This does feel as if the show is preparing to transition into a different reality, to re-invent itself into a different show, much like LOST did in season 4. I’ll be anxious to see where this show takes the story.

A Minecraft Movie

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My teacher buddy Ambarlee stopped by my classroom Monday morning and she told me that she went to A Minecraft Movie over the weekend and she loved it. When I said I was going Wednesday morning and not looking forward to it, she said that she was watching her middle child and there was so much joy on his face that it made it so much better for her. Sadly, I had no child’s face to stare at when I watched this thing. I am sure I would rather be watching a child’s face than this movie.

According to IMDB, “Four misfits are suddenly pulled through a mysterious portal into a bizarre cubic wonderland that thrives on imagination. To get back home they’ll have to master this world while embarking on a quest with an unexpected expert crafter.”

I do like Jack Black and Jason Momoa. They are reasonably likable characters here… well, at least, they are likable representation of themselves. I always enjoyed when Jack Black would break into song in A Minecraft movie. Black is a full-fledged entertainer.

After that, there is little in this movie that I enjoyed. I found the story repetitive and dull. The comedy missed way more than it hit. There were a few moments were I found myself laughing, but they were few and far between.

I was not a fan of the manner in which the story was told nor did I think the film looked that great. It absolutely had a feel like a video game where the background was cartoonish. I am not sure what the whole Jennifer Coolidge sections were about, though Coolidge is another actor that I like, but her entire story arc was unnecessary.

This was a dumb movie that especially young audiences might enjoy, especially those that have spent hours playing the game this movie was based on. This was not for me. I went in with a low level of expectations and the film struggled to reach them. A Minecraft Movie made a massive amount at the box office this weekend (though my Wednesday morning showing at Phoenix Theaters was empty except for me) and this will undoubtedly be a major success. I wish it was a better movie.

1.75 stars

The X-Files S8 E21

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“Existence”

After so many years of me screaming for Mulder to shoot Cigarette Smoking Man in the head and not getting it, it was incredibly satisfying to have Skinner shoot Krychek in the head. Finally! This character was long overdue to meet his maker, and the fact that it was Skinner who got to do it really paid off the torture that Krychek put him through recently.

Baby William was born in this finale of season 8, and, after a lengthy chase and dangerous situation after situation, the Billy Miles led group let the baby alone and left without him. I suppose the baby did not come out like an alien as we had seen in some other births over the last season.

The final scene with Mulder and Scully sharing a kiss with the baby in her arms was excellent and felt very much like an ending. I know there is much more with these two, even if they are stepping back in season 9, but had they not come back, this would have made a very welcome close to the pair.

I did enjoy Doggett standing up to Kersh. It was clear that Doggett and Reyes were going to be the next generation of the X-Files at the FBI and that Kersh will be a major antagonist for them. I am still not necessarily looking forward to the ninth season, but we’ll give it the same chance that I gave this season.

As I have said in previous season 8 write-ups, this turned out to be a better season than I remembered. I bonded more with Doggett than I did the first time around, and while I am still not fond of Agent Reyes, I am willing to give her a chance.

So there are one full season left and two shortened seasons in this rewatch. I believe the count was 36 remaining episodes of the X-Files. I may have to do rewatches of the two feature films from the franchise too before the end of this rewatch.

The X-Files S8 E18, E19, E20

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“Vienen”

“Alone”

“Essence”

With just a handful of episodes remaining in season 8 of The X-Files, I wanted to get them churned out. I have been doing this re-watch of the X-Files since September of 2023 and I am down to one more episode for this season, leaving just season 9, 10, & 11.

My memory of season 8 during its original run was that I did not like it much, but I have to say that this season was better than I had remembered. I have made this speculation before, but it seems obvious that my original thought on this season was the lack of Mulder and what seemed like a replacement in John Doggett. John Doggett has won me over during this re-watch as I was not angry at Mulder not being there.

Of these three episodes, they all had that old X-Files feel to them. With “Vienen” featuring the final appearance of the Black Oil and the ultimate firing of Mulder by Deputy Director Kersh, the whole alien conspiracy felt like it was back, even though it was different and no longer being directed by CSM.

“Alone” was a pretty decent monster-of-the-week tale that had Mulder truly put his trust in Doggett, in a life and death moment. It was a stress-inducing episode where I was reminded of Dr. Curt Connors, aka The Lizard, from Amazing Spider-Man. Oh, those pesky scientists.

“Essence” is a part one of the season finale where we focus in on those people trying to get to Scully’s baby. It reclaimed the old days of the conspiracy as we learn about a baby/alien cloning program and how Billy Miles is like the unstoppable Terminator (ironic since Robert Patrick is on the other end of that). This one was pulling in the old guard too as, of all people, Alex Krychek showed up to help out the good guys team. I still would have loved to see someone put a bullet in Krychek’s head, but I guess he did help things out.

I hope to finish off season 8 either tomorrow or some time early next week. Season 9 has 20 episodes. Season 10 has six episodes and season 11 has 10 episodes, meaning that I am down to 37 episodes remaining in this re-watch of the X-Files. As I said, it has been going since September 2023 so we will be done with this under two years.

Yellowjackets S3 E9

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“How the Story Ends”

Episode 9 ends with yet another tragic death, this time adult Van tastes death and ends up on the plane, flying away with her young self, much like we saw happen with Natalie. Van wound up having a knife stuck through her heart by Melissa after Van decided against sacrificing Melissa to the Wilderness as a sacrifice to fight her cancer.

There is no way around it, Shauna is totally bat-shit crazy. A few seasons ago, Shauna was one of my favorite characters on the show, but now, I see her as just a psychotic woman with murderous tendencies. Both as an adult and as a teen in the Wilderness, Shauna is just such a wild animal.

I do not think she killed Lottie though. She could have. She may have even wanted to, but I do not think she did. I wonder what was on Lottie’s clone phone that Misty manipulated out of Walter. That is clearly a huge piece of evidence that Misty will drop before the season ends next week.

I was shocked when Hannah drove that knife into Kodi’s face. I did not see that coming. Unfortunately, Kodi saw it coming way to closely. Ah, Joel McHale, we hardly knew ye. I mean, on the plus side, the Yellowjackets surely have plenty of meat for the winter now, right?

Hannah is heading into that spike pit that Travis built, isn’t she? We know she ain’t making it out of there. That seemed to clearly be her fate.

The Other One finally lost her grip on Tai after this whole incident. This was a bizarre thing, and it wound up costing Van her life. I hope that is the last we have seen of that storyline.

Congrats to Jeff! Getting a job by telling the people who you want to hire you that your wife is crazy… that is a new strategy. Whatever works I guess. However, it sure seems as if Jeff really believes in Shauna’s craziness.

One more episode of the season. My guess is that we discover who Lottie’s killer is… and see the fate of Hannah.

EYG Comic Cavalcade #146

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March 29

Good evening from EYG. It is time to go through the ton of books from this week. It was a large week of books and, while I did not get every one of them, there are a bunch of books for the week.

Jumping right in with this week’s books:

Big Burn #3. Written by Joe Henderson and art and cover art by Lee Garbett. I have been waiting for this book for what seems like months. In fact, according to my CLZ app, Big Burn #2 came out on Nov. 13, 2024. So literal months. These long release times do make it more difficult to read these DSTLRY books, but they are always so great that you have to put up with it. Big Burn may be my favorite DSTLRY series so far.

Absolute Wonder Woman #6. “The Lady or the Tiger“. Written by Kelly Thompson and art by Mattia De Iulis. Cover art was done by Hayden Sherman & Jordie Bellaire (Gold Medalist). Diana is in the Underworld facing Hades. She tells of her time meeting Prometheus among others. I do like centering Wonder Woman with the Greek Myths and this was an entertaining issue.

Dust to Dust #4. Written by JG Jones & Phil Bram and art and cover art by JG Jones. This issue gives us more details about the past of the Sheriff and the big secret that shamed him from his past. We also get a glance at the man in the gas mask, who adorns the cover of this issue.

Uncanny X-Men #12. “Some Kinda Way.” Witten by Gail Simone and art by Gavin Guidry. David Marquez & Matthew Wilson did the cover art. We get a story from the past of everyone’s favorite Cajun, Remy LeBeau. It is a tale that comes back to the current day in the form of a man named The Vig. Gambit has been a major character for Marvel over the last year or so.

Weapon X-Men #2. “Tsunami.” Written by Joe Casey and penciled by Chriscross. Cover art by Chriscross & Fer Sifuentes-Sujo. I think there were too many Wolverine & Deadpool crossovers this week. This is yet another one where Wade betrayed Logan… or did he? Baron Strucker is around too. This was the best of the Wolvie-Deadpool team ups this week (which is setting the bar low).

Far Down Below #1. Written by Chris Condon and art by Gegê Schall. Cover art was by Jacob Phillips. Brand new book from Mad Cave this week and I loved it. This felt like a mix of Journey to the Center of the Earth and The Goonies. I am here for it. I have to say that it sure feels as if Mad Cave has been on fire lately. I loved Chris Condon’s work in That Texas Blood too and this kick off issue hit on all cylinders.

You’ll Do Bad Things #1. Story by Tyler Boss and art by Adriano Turtulici. Cover art was done by Tyler Boss. Bad “Things,” not bad “Thongs!” It’s an inside joke. Another good first issue this week, this time from Image Comics. There is some connection between a writer and a serial killer. Either way, the writer is tired of true crime, particularly when the true crime is the murders of children.

The Exorcism at 1600 Penn #4. Written by Hannah Rose May and art and cover art by Vanesa Del Rey. This four issue series that saw the President of the United States’ daughter possessed by a demon, came to a satisfying conclusion here. This has been one of the better short series from the independent comics. It was a comic that grabbed my attention via its cover and kept my attention because of its story.

X-Manhunt Omega #1. “Dreams End.” Written by Murewa Ayodele & Gail Simone with art by Gleb Melnikov, Federica Mancin & Enid Balan. Cover art was done by Gleb Melnikov & Morry Hollowell. The final part of the seven part X-Manhunt storyline that ran across the X-Men family books this past month ends with this issue as Professor X and his reborn love Lilandra seem to leave earth for the final time. The X-Men come together for a goodbye.

Metamorpho #4. “The HQ That Walked Like a Man!” Written by Al Ewing and art by Steve Lieber. Lieber and Lee Loughridge did the cover art. Metamorpho fights a building. I did not mistype that. He fights a building. Oh, and the files that Simon Stagg has on Metamorpho comes straight from the Who’s Who: The Definitive Directory of the DC Universe book. That was both cool and fourth wall breaking for me.

Standstill #8. Story by Lee Loughridge and art by Alex Riegel. Cover art was done by Andrew Robinson. Standstill closes up with a dramatic final struggle over the watch that freezes time. This was chocked full of action and the imagery of the art fit with it extremely well. It left off on quite a cliffhanger too leading one to believe that there may be more Standstill down the road.

Fantastic Four #30. “Rock Bottom.” Written by Ryan North and penciled by Cory Smith. Joshua Cassara & Dean White did the cover art. This “One World Under Doom” crossover sees Ben Grimm struggling after Doctor Doom “cured” him of his rock form. How does the Puppet Master play into this story?

Justice League Unlimited #5. Written by Mark Waid and art by Dan Mora. Cover art was done by Dan Mora. Impulse is at the heart of this story as he seems to be getting in the way more than helping. We also see the reforming of the Legion of Doom… and I don’t mean Road Warrior Hawk and Road Warrior Animal. JLU begins a three month crossover event with World’s Finest. Now I have to buy another DC book. *GRUMBLE*

Ultimate Wolverine #3. Written by Chris Condon and art by Alessandro Cappuccio. Cover art by Alessandro Cappuccio and Frank Martin. We get the debuts of Ultimate versions of Gambit and Kitty Pryde this issue. Another book written by Chris Condon that is excellent. He has worked his way into one of my favorite writers around.

Infinity Watch #3. Written by Derek Landy and art by Enid Balám. Cover art was done by Salvador Larroca & GURU-eFX. The Infinity Watch members are all dead. But why are they in different forms? Wild stuff in this issue as the Infinity stones saga continues.

The Kids #1. Written by Garth Ennis and art and cover art by Dalibor Talajic (Silver Medalist). A one-shot story from Image Comics’ Ninth Circle imprint. I really enjoyed this story. What do you do when all of the infants and children are immediately transformed into adults? It was an extremely creative take on the “zombie” idea, but with angry, scared and hungry adults with the brains of babies. My biggest disappointment was this was a one shot. I would have bought into more of this.

Godzilla vs. Fantastic Four #1. Written by Ryan North and art by John Romita Jr. Cover art was done by Adam Kubert & Morry Hollowell. This is the first of the Marvel Universe characters face off with Godzilla books that are coming this month. Of course, Godzilla ends up with the Power Cosmic from the Silver Surfer because why shouldn’t he?

Daredevil #19. “Introductory Rites” Conclusion. Written by Saladin Ahmed and art by Aaron Kuder. John Romita Jr., Scott Hanna and Richard Isanove did the cover art. The final demon from Hell forced Daredevil to make a choice… save Foggy or save Bullseye. Hmm… not sure if this is a true conflict.

Ultimate Spider-Man #15. Written by Jonathan Hickman and guest artist David Messina. Cover art was done by Marco Checchetto. Peter is having trouble with the loss of his friend Harry. Nothing a little father son super hero training couldn’t help. Plus, Ultimate Sandman makes his first appearance.

Gold Key Select Boris Karloff Tales of Mystery #1. Gold Key is trying to cash in on the nostalgia bug that has grasped pop culture these days with reprints of the 1962 Boris Karloff Thriller comics. I usually do not go for reprints like this, but I do have a good place in my heart for Boris Karloff from my childhood of watching those Universal Monsters movies and I am happy I have this.

Amazing Spider-Man #70. “Nothing Can Stop the Spider-Naut.” Written by Joe Kelly and penciled by Ed McGuinness. Ed McGuinness, Cliff Rathburn & Marcio Menyz did the cover art. This is the final issue of this volume of Amazing Spider-Man. This volume was highlighted by Peter Parker being transformed into creatures. We had Spider-Goblin for awhile. Now we have Spider-Naut… where Peter has the Juggernaut power. I have not been a big fan of this “The 8 Deaths of Spider-Man” arc, but I feel as if it finished up strong.

The Department of Truth #29. Written by James Tynion IV and art and cover art by Martin Simmonds. This book continues to be the top of the game of the conspiracy theories. I love the creative use of this wild storytelling even if it can be challenging to follow at times. I enjoy a book that demands that I am smart enough to read it.

Feral #11. Written by Tony Fleecs and art by Trish Forstner. I picked up two copies of this this week, the first one with the cover art by Tony Fleecs & Tone Rodriguez and the variant cover art by Trish Forstner & Allen Passalaqua (Gold Medalist). Feral has been a suspenseful book every month and who thought that a bunch of cats could be this compelling?

Doll Parts: A Lovesick Tale #4. Written, illustrated and cover art by Luana Vecchio. This prequel series came to a close with a dramatic character piece. Madeline went through all kinds of physical and mental issues. I did not know this was a prequel, leading into the Lovesick series.

Absolute Martian Manhunter #1. Written by Deniz Camp and art and cover art by Javier Rodriguez. This book is colorful, creative, and extremely original. This was something different and I did like this.

The Last Boy #1. Written by Dan Panosian and illustrated by Alessio Avallone. Cover art was done by Dan Panosian. Peter Pan. Captain Hook. Wendy. They are all here, but maybe not as you remember them. This Boom! Studio book is an interesting one.

Black Canary: Best of the Best #5. “Round Five” Written by Tom King and art and cover art by Ryan Sook. I have loved this Black Canary series so far as the penultimate issue was epic. This book is not only the amazing contest between Canary and Lady Shiva, but a character piece involving Canary and her mother. Tom King is another of my favorite writers.

Universal Monsters: The Mummy #1. Written and art by Faith Erin Hicks. The cover art was by Faith Eric Hicks & Lee Loughridge (Bronze Medalist). I have enjoyed this series of Universal Monsters books and the Mummy is next. This is a great start and I am looking forward to the rest of the issues.

Doom Academy #2. Written by Mackenzie Cadenhead and art by Pasqual Ferry & Joao M.P. Lemos. Variant cover art by Ron Lim & Israel Silva. This variant cover of Doyle Dormammu was very nearly a medalist this week. I do love these Strange Academy characters and placing them in the middle of this One World Under Doom storyline is a smart move.

Rogue The Savage Land #3. Written by Tim Seeley and art by Zulema Scotto Lavina. Kaare Andrews did the cover art. I have never loved these stories that fall into past moments of the Marvel Universe. This one has been fine because I do like the characters, especially Ka-Zar.

Laura Kinney: Wolverine #4. “Brother in Arms- Part 1” Written by Erica Schultz and art by Giada Belviso. Cover art was done by Elena Casagrande & Edgar Delgado. Laura Kinney and Bucky Barnes team up in this issue as these two characters have seemingly a lot in common.

Red Hulk #2. “The Great Escape.” Written by Benjamin Percy and art by Geoff Shaw. Variant cover art was done by Greg Land & Rachelle Rosenberg. Thunderbolt Ross was spent with the Red Hulk, so he had team up with Machine Man, Deathlok, and Simon Ryker to escape from the Doombots and the prison they were being held in.

Incredible Hulk #23. “The Skin of Charlie Tidwell” Part Two. Written by Phillip Kennedy Johnson and art and cover art by Nic Klein. This is a creepy episode as the winged monster is wearing Charlie’s skin. Sentence you would never expect the Hulk to say: “Take off the skin now.”

Kill Train #3. Written by Olivia Cuartero-Briggs and art by Martina Niosi of Outclass Studio. Skylar Patridge did the cover art. Another really solid book from Mad Cave. Kill Train has been brutal and bloody and a real good time.

Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man #4. Written by Christos Gage and art by Eric Gapstur. Cover art was by Leonardo Romero (Bronze Medalist). The prequel series to the animated TV show gets, I believe, its penultimate issue with Spidey taking on Silvermane and the Enforcers. Peter is in bad shape at the end of the issue.

The Seasons #3. Written by Rick Remender and art and cover art by Paul Azaceta. Summer has been having all kinds of trouble and her sister Winter has had about all she can take. However, there is absolutely something going on and Summer is the one calling it out.

The Patchwork Girl of Oz #3. Adapted, illustrated and cover art by Otis Frampton. Adapted from the novel by L. Frank Baum. The Patchwork Girl is brought to life but her “brain” had way more than what was intended. The wild moment lead to a tragedy for Unc. Nunkie.

Pooluminati #1 and Deadpool vs. Wolverine: Slash ‘Em Up #1. I mentioned earlier about Deadpool and Wolverine and these two books have a lot of those two characters in it. Neither of these were that good. It just felt like I was overwhelmed by the amount of Deadpool and the amount of Deadpool with Wolverine.

Other books this week: Peacemaker Presents Vigilante/Eagly Double Feature #1, Thunderbolts: Doomstrike #2, Doom’s Division #1, Vampirella #1 (Silver Medalist), Nights #14, Sherlock Holmes The Dark Detective: Claws of the Chimera #4, and Free for All #1.

The Leftovers S1 E2

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Spoilers

“Penguin One, Us Zero”

The second episode of The Leftovers picked up the storylines from the pilot and continued them. One of the major features was Kevin Garvey and his own personal struggles. It seems as if Garvey is afraid of losing his mind and he thought he was seeing things that were not there. He had some issues with a bagel as well as the problem about the dog shooting that he participated in the other night.

Kevin’s son, Tom, is in his own trouble. He was hooked up with Wayne’s cult, and he killed an agent from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, Explosives, and Cults who was just about to execute Christine. Tom and Christine escaped to a gas station, where they expected to meet Wayne. However, the gas station attendant was already dead, spooking Tom. Wayne pulled up before Tom could complete a phone call to his dad. Wayne instructed Tom to protect Christine and for them to go on the run until he called them back.

The man who shot the dogs came to Garvey’s house wanting to have Garvey join him the next night to shoot some more dogs. There was a pack he had discovered near the school. This is a strange piece of the story so far, especially since no one else seems to know who this bald man was. It is not just Garvey’s imagination though as his daughter Jill sees him too.

The Mayor visited Garvey’s father, Kevin Sr., at the institution and Garvey showed up while she was there. What connection does Lucy have with Kevin Sr?

It’s still early to wonder about the character played by Carrie Coon. She is carrying a gun, apparently related to Father Matt and is interviewing people about people close to them who had disappeared.

I feel as if the show will start to pick up more over the next few episodes and I am committed to watching it.

Yellowjackets S3 E7

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Spoilers

“Yellowjackets: Croak”

Joel McHale.

I did not expect to see him as one of the outsiders that came upon the Yellowjackets last week, but there he was, sporting a crossbow and everything.

I don’t know, if I were Joel McHale, who played Kodiak, who was a guide for the frog scientists, Edwin and Hannah, I would not have run from the girls. I had a crossbow. Even after Lottie killed Edwin with an axe, I think I might have tried to take a stand against them. He was clearly bigger and stronger than the girls.

In the end, both Kodiak and Hannah were captured by the Yellowjackets and, if what he hear about in the present day, it does not sound as if either of them make it out of the wilderness. At least, if they do, they are missing.

Then, the mystery of who killed Lottie continues to be crazy as it could, literally, be just about anyone. Taissa has been under the control of her other half for who knows how long. Something confirmed by Van when she was hallucinating at the hospital. She was throwing up blood as Shauna, Tai and Misty joined her on the way to confront the daughter of Hannah, who they believe had sent them that tape. Of course, it could also be Shauna, who had her DNA under Lottie’s fingernails.

Shauna ditched her, well, I was going to say friends, but that is not right) former team mates at the hospital and went to the daughter’s house and Shauna had purchased a big old knife. What is her plan? Or is she just still as psychotic as she seemed in the wilderness? Callie seems to be wondering if her mother is a bad person.

This episode flew by for me and I was not ready for it to end. I can’t wait for next week’s new installment… along with the rumored appearance of Hillary Swank.

Locked

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I had not heard about this movie until I saw a mention of it on TikTok. Starring Bill Skarsgård and Anthony Hopkins, this reminded me quite a bit of Phone Booth, with Colin Farrell, but with a car.

Eddie Barrish (Bill Skarsgård) was a man struggling to get his life on track. His van was in the shop and he did not have the money to pay to get it fixed and he could not keep his promises to pick up his daughter, Sarah (Ashley Cartwright) after school.

In an attempt to get the money he needed, Eddie was in search of a car that might be open where he could steal the money he needed. He was not stealing cars, just looking for stuff he could steal inside.

When he comes across a wealthy looking car unlocked in a parking lot, Eddie thinks he has struck it rich. That is until he realizes that he can not get back out of the car. He is locked inside. And a phone line from the car is ringing, demanding that he answer it.

When Eddie can’t take the ring any longer, he answers the phone to discover that the car’s owner, William (Anthony Hopkins) is on the other end and this car was a trap to punish anyone trying to rob it. William then tortures Eddie for several days in several hard to buy scenarios in an attempt for justice. Eddie does not know how deep the anger goes inside William.

I am of two minds with this one. While I like the idea and the execution, some of the things going down are hard to accept as possible. The electrified seats, the bullet proof glass, and the cameras everywhere were all accepted as part of the trap. I kept thinking that there had to be a way out of this car and that made it tough for me to accept the premise.

Bill Skarsgård, however, does a fantastic job as Eddie. Eddie goes through the ringer here, both physically and emotionally. This is one of the rare films that Bill Skarsgård has done where we can see his face, and he does not disappoint. His character is filled with all kinds of emotion and guilt over the life that he has chosen and his own failures as a man and a father. He clearly loves his daughter, even while letting her down consistently.

There just felt like there was something that did not work in this movie for me, and, I can’t believe I’m going to say this, but I think it was Anthony Hopkins. He is a master at acting, but I just did not feel like he was cast properly in this role. I found his dialogue to be clunky and all over the place, lacking that taut delivery of some of his other classic villains. The film want this to be a morality tale, but it takes too long to get to the reasoning behind the trap and I found Hopkins to be more annoying than sinister.

The drama is well done and the scenes with the car in motion are both ridiculous and suspenseful at the same time. There is a scene with a slow motion deflecting bullet that is kind of laughable, but most of the action is good.

I do think the performance of Bill Skarsgård is worth the price of admission alone. Locked felt too long, even at just over 90 minutes, but what worked in the film worked well.

3 stars

The Leftovers S1 E1

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“Pilot”

I needed some more TV shows to watch. Of course, I have a bunch of shows that I watch during the week, such as Daredevil: Born Again, The White Lotus and Yellowjackets. However, with the rewatch/new watch shows, I have finished Battlestar Galactica, Bates Motel, Dark Matter and others leaving me just The X-Files to watch. I decided it was time to dip into the queue and see what series I could add to the X-Files.

I have been interested in The Leftovers for awhile now. I have heard positive word of mouth about the series, and it did not hurt that it was from Damon Lindelof, one of the driving forces behind LOST, my favorite show of all time.

The Leftovers has been on my MAX list for awhile now and I thought this was the perfect time to start this show.

My first thoughts was that the Russo Brothers must have taken inspiration from this show for Avengers: Endgame, because there were so many early episode similarities. The disappearance of the people from the earth right down to the THREE YEARS LATER that came on the screen. (Yes, Endgame was FIVE YEARS LATER, but that is semantics).

The world we were being introduced to had that same grim feel that Endgame had in its first moments where we see the post blip. This was with only 2% of the population of earth disappearing. I can’t imagine how that would feel, when people you know were just gone, with no explanation. Avengers: Endgame could blame Thanos. Where were the answers for these people?

The pilot began to introduce us to characters, and getting to know a large ensemble is a challenging task. This show did it very well as I was engaged with everyone as the episode progressed. There were plenty of mysteries and untold stories that will be revealed, I’m sure. The trauma from everyone in this town was obvious.

There are three seasons of The Leftovers with 28 episodes overall. There were several moments in the pilot that caused me to shout out. I am sure that this will live up to the hype.