Onslaught is a new movie this weekend that had some elements about it that I liked, but it was not a film that I would want to watch again. There were too many times where I rolled my eyes or found myself thinking that it was just too stupid for its own good.
According to IMDB, “When a rogue squad of genetically engineered super soldiers break loose in the desert, a badass Army sniper must unleash hell to protect her young daughter.”
Adria Arjona, who is rumored to be the next DC Wonder Woman (though unconfirmed), is the lead role of the film, the badass sniper whose daughter gets dropped off with her without warning. Then, a bunch of murderous super soldiers attack her for… you know.. reasons, and one of them turned out to be the most coincidental character ever in cinema history.
That might be hyperbole, or it may not. The plot of this movie, as it was, was lacking. It was really dumb and had really no reason to happen as it did. It all felt too unbelievable across the whole movie.
The film does have a fine cast, led by Arjona, who I liked as the protagonist. There were also roles for Dan Stevens (though nowhere as used as I anticipated), Reginald VelJohnson, Michael Biehn, Rebecca Hall (who was on screen less than Stevens), and young actress Blake Kennedy. At the beginning of the film as the names were flashing across the screen, I thought that this had a great cast. I then realized that the cast was, for the most part, wasted.
There were some fun kills along the way and Arjona was definitely a bad ass, but this is one of those films that really did not have much to it. It was paper thin, and it depended on the blood and gore. That’s fine for some movies, but this one felt like it should have been more.
The new Ryan Reynolds film debuted on Apple TV + this weekend, called Mayday. One wondered why this was not released theatrically. That did not make me optimistic about the quality of the film. However, those fears were squashed after I watched Mayday.
Co-starring Ryan Reynolds and Kenneth Branagh and written/directed by John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein, who also directed Dungeons and Dragons, Mayday was just a lot of fun. I thought this movie was really funny and had some really good action. I’m not sure why this was not released in the theater, but it would have certainly been a worthwhile addition to the big screen.
Navy Pilot Lieutenant Troy Brennan (Ryan Reynolds) was recruited for a top secret surveillance mission over the Soviet Union. The mission led to the plane being shot down and Brennan being injured after falling through trees in a forest. Nikolai “Nick” Ustinov found the injured pilot and took him to his cabin to nurse him back to health. Nick was an American-loving Russian who was more than what he seemed. The buddies tried to find a way to get Troy home.
Ryan Reynolds and Kenneth Branagh had a tremendous chemistry and they carried the film. The friendship developing during the movie was one of the standout keys to the film. Reynolds’ one-liner quips were very clever and funny.
The action was fun, if not silly at times. There is a chase scene that takes place in Moscow that is one of the most original and ridiculous chase scenes I have seen, and yet, somehow, this bizarre scene worked.
The film had a surprising heart to it. There were some wonderful moments between Nick and his daughter Anna (Maria Bakalova).
The film is highly entertaining and I enjoyed watching this film. Is it perfect? No, of course not, but it is definitely worth watching. Mayday is streaming on Apple TV +.
“Spoiler: Dexy’s Midnight Runners Get a Royalty Payment”
I have not been much of a fan of the last couple of weeks of Stuart Fails to Save the Universe. It had felt lacking of any real story beats and, despite the enjoyable cast, I was not pleased with what they had given us. The episodes felt too short to have any sort of a developed story.
Then episode seven was dropped on HBO Max and I was back in, full bear.
In this episode, the crew wind up in a universe where everyone has telepathy, which is a great hook for some funny comedy bits. It also has one of the best defenses to the power ever imagined… singing Come On Eileen in your head.
Also, one of the funniest lines came from Bert wondering why Kripke’s mind has a lisp.
But the episode had more than that. It had a sudden twist as Stuart and the group run into another Stuart and the group with their own machine. Then a military version of the group showed up. Suddenly, the mystery of the show was slapping us in the face.
I loved this idea that there may be countless Stuarts jumping around the multiverse, all trying to figure out what is happening.
Who started this whole thing going? Why did alternate Stuart come to see Big Bang Stuart only to do the same thing again?
I’m intrigued and excited. There are only three more episodes of the show, and I hope that means that we get some of the mysteries answered. However, since the show has been renewed for a season two, I’m worried that it will be spread out over the years.
Bernadette made a memorable appearance in the Telepathy universe as a tap dance instructor with a bunch of foul-minded little kids.
It’s Monday and this is what I was afraid of. With school starting, the time I had over the summer was gone and I was unable to get the Comic Cavalcade finished simply because I had too many comics to get everything read on time. It will be a challenge every week, and I did not even go to a movie at Cinemark this week.
Comic of the Week
Void Rivals #33
Void Rivals had been a successful series that I had gotten somewhat tired of over the run of the last 30+ issues. Since the first ten or so of this book, I have not been a huge fan. I would still buy the book and it did have some positives here and there.
Then, they have added the Spaceknight Rom to the roster.
Suddenly, I love this book and the story is fascinating… all because there is Rom. I like the adjustments they have made to Rom’s character and the introduction of Carpet is interesting. It is great that a book can reinvent itself and freshen up its own tale.
Books this Week:
Amazing Spider-Man #35 (LGY ASM #999). Written by Joe Kelly with art by Francesco Manna. Cover art was done by d McGuinness. Peter and May have a heart to heart about Peter’s current feelings and Spider-Gwen goes crazy, forcing the Web Slinger to try and prevent Damage Control from taking her away. This issue ends with a massive reveal that will lead into Amazing Spider-Man #1000 in a couple of weeks.
X-Men #36. “A Theft” Written by Jed MacKay with pencils by Netho Diaz. Cover art was done by Netho Diaz, Sean Parsons & Arthur Hesli. The Chairman (aka alternate version of Hank McCoy) approached Magneto with an offer to cure him of the problems he has been having with his powers if he would join the 3K. Magneto told him to go pack sand. Thus, Chairman nearly killed the Master of Magnetism. The X-Men are ready to face off with 3K once and for all. This will be kicking off the DNX crossover.
Rocketeer: Infiltrator #2. Written by Gabriel Hardman with art by Dean Kotz. Cover art was done by Dean Kotz. We have more Rocketeer action with Nazis and movie makers. I have liked this short series so far and it might have me looking into future versions of The Rocketeer moving forward.
Detective Comics #1112. “Flight, Finale” Written by Tom Taylor with art and cover art by Mikel Janin. The story featuring Batman, Green Arrow, Black Canary and their old friend Prion ended as the heroes tried to help Arabella find the closure she needed. I liked this story as it sets up from the past and the future both. Tom Taylor does a fabulous job of weaving everything together in a sweet arc.
Flash #36. “The Speed Was Power, and the Speed Was Joy- Part VI” Written by Ryan North and illustrated by Gavin Guidry. Cover art was done by Gavin Guidry and Adriano Lucas. Flash is putting his new Flashes of Insight to the test by heading over to Metropolis. However, it seemed as if a trip to see Green Arrow may have not been Wally’s best choice. Oliver was less than enthused with the way Wally has been going about his work lately and he called in the Justice League. Trouble for Flash.
Operation: Iron Coffin #2. Written by Kenny Porter with art and cover art by Tyrell Cannon. I also picked up a B cover with art by Juan Ferreyra. Dracula is on the Nazi train and making his way to the children who he sired. Things are very bloody and not going very well for Dracula. There is one more book in this series set for next month.
Hammerfist #1. Written by Rick Remender with art and cover art by Steve Epting. Here is a great, new crime/action/supernatural series with a main character that is anything but likeable. Mike Denton is a deadbeat father, a drug addict and a hitman. Yet he winds up with a weapon that ends up with him that requires him to put aside his selfishness to save his daughter. Great first issue, and I almost gave this the Comic of the Week.
Universal Monsters: Blood of the Wolfman #3. Written by Joshua Williamson with art by Leomacs. Cover art was done by Leomacs & Pip Martin. Adam turned himself in when he was feeling as if he was responsible for the slaughter at the college dorm. Oh, he was responsible and that would not be the only slaughter in this book. Look out police department.
Denver #1. Written by Jimmy Palmiotti & Justin Gray with art by Pier Brito. Cover art was done by Amanda Conner. Variant cover D art was done by Dave Johnson. Water is rising, and the planet is being overwhelmed. Max Flynn is here to protect his family at any cost. This was originally a Kickstarter back in 2014 and now it has found its way to Mad Cave.
The Greatest American Hero #2. Written by Don Handfield & Joshua Malkin with art by Alper Geçgel. Cover art was done by Erwin Arroza. Variant cover B art was done by Eranga Devasurendra (Gold Medalist). Variant cover C art was done by Rafael Loueriro (Bronze medalist). Ralph Hinkley is back and he is right in the middle of trouble once again. Now, he is not only struggling to be able to control his suit, but he is an old man too. This has been an epic series so far from Amp Comics and I am excited to see it continue.
Black Tower: The Raven Conspiracy #1. Written by Ram V and art and cover art by Mike Perkins. The new comic from DC’s Vertigo imprint was released this week. Rookie psychic Daniel Burroughs joined Division 9 and they must stop someone from stealing the head of a giant-king, which would break an ancient ward protecting Britain from invaders.
Wolverine #26. “Savage Journey” Written by Saladin Ahmed with art by Julius Ohta. C0ver art was done by Dan Panosian. The Savage Champions have made a return to get Logan’s help. I am unfamiliar with the characters of the Savage Champions, but they were very intriguing.
Batman: Bad Seeds-Sunset #1. Written by Matt Fraction & G. Willow Wilson with art by Giuseppe Camuncoli & Cliff Rathburn. Cover art was done by Giuseppe Camuncoli, Cliff Rathburn & Tomeu Morey. The new big Batman crossover featured Gotham getting overwhelmed by prehistoric plants. Pamela Isley aka Poison Ivy, is the new Gotham Mayor and it does not seem as if it was a wise vote.
Fall of the House of Slaughter #4. Written by Tate Brombal and illustrated by Adriano Turtulici. Cover art was done by Sam Wolfe Connelly. This is the final issue of this four-issue mini series that is going to lead directly into Eric Slaughter’s return in Something is Killing the Children #50.
The Lion King #5. Written, art and cover art by Edwin Galmon. Simba and Nala are able to find the missing elephant and return them to their family. I have loved this series featuring these characters. I thought it might be the final issue of the series, but it looked as if the book will start a new arc next month featuring Timon and Pumbaa. Cool.
Excommunicated #4. Written by Jeremy Robinson and art by Tiago Palma. Cover art was done by Flaviano Armentaro. Josephine is now a saint and her power is dominant as she is taking on the demons. I liked this short series that feels like it could be more to the story.
The Ring: The Man Who Beat the Man #3. Written by Gail Simone and art by Elisa Romboli. Cover art was done by Oliver Barrett. In this issue, we get Wei “The Great Wall” Zhang vs. Ramon “The Lion” Valdez. I did love the way the comic followed the story of Ramon, seeing all of the troubles he had and his attmept to overcome it. This has been an excellent book so far.
Black Cat #13. “XIII: Fatalism” Written by G. Willow Wilson and art by Andrew Genolet. Cover art was done by Josemaria Casanovas. Black Cat and the Punisher have to team up to take on a monster escaped from the Negative Zone. Singularity showed up to lend a hand. Then, Punisher’s dog is okay and forgives Felicia. Black Cat has been an awesome book.
Justice League Unlimited #22. “Escape from Powers Planet: Part Three” Written by Mark Waid and art by Dan Mora & Fico Ossio. Cover art was done by Dan Mora. Guy Gardner, Hawkgirl, Metamorpho, and Mister Terrific are on the planet Dronnda trying to recapture the JL Power Bank. However, Amazo showed up to make thing bad. Mister Terrific takes all of the powers and kicks some butt.
What If…? X-Men #1. “What If Cassandra Nova Killed Charles Xavier?” Written by Ashley Allen and art by Sumit Kumar. Cover art was done by Lucas Werneck. Cassandra Nova kills Professor X in the womb in this book, but, again, it feels like just half of a story. It was an interesting story but I could tell as the book was coming to an end that they were going to not fully conclude the book again. That is a little annoying.
Tomb of Apocalypse #1. Written by Ashley Allen and art by Domenico Carbone. Cover art was done by Rod Reis. I have to say, when I saw a book with the title Tomb of Apocalypse, I did not think that the main protagonist of the book would be Jubliee. It was a solid book though.
Other Books this Week: X-Men Outback #3, Hidden Springs #4, Ghost Pepper #14, Terrorbytes #9, Star Crossed #2, Predator Versus Planet of the Apes #2, Dog Tag #4, Conan the Barbarian #34, and Pretty Hate Machine #5.
Quick Hits: Two books this week came out that I already had gotten out of MASK blind bags. MASK: Origins #1 and Rom #1 were both in blind bags (technically I ordered the ROM #1 off eBay), and out before. However, the Rom #1 was a die-cut cover, so there is that. I am happy to have the Rom cover. Terminal #2 dropped this week as the new universe of these heroes continue. It is horror anthology week too with Hello Darkness #24 and the R.L. Stein book Stuff of Darkness #1. Hello Darkness has multiple short stories and “The Cat in the Coffin” is the story behind Stuff of Darkness, which felt kind of childish to me. Wanda is out there challenging multiversal powers in Sorcerer Supreme #9. The only Queen in Black comic this week is Queen in Black: Venom Unchained #2, focused on Eddie Brock combining with Sleeper. This felt like it should have dropped before Queen in Black #3 as it occurred before that issue. Gambit Wanted #2 sees Gambit taking on Bullseye in New Orleans in a flashback story. Final Boss #9 is on the level of Invincible bloody this week as Tommy takes a serious beating. Kingdom of Earth #2 sees a character named Virago (nicknamed “Guilly the Guillotine”) decide to not kill Frankie, who chooses to follow him. Land of Never #3 gets truly brutal as Peter really goes off the deep end. I was actually scared a bit from the brutality of Peter. The Eye Collector #3 continues to be the weirdest book of the month. I really am not 100% sure I know what is happening, but it is awesome to look at. Corpse Knight #5 felt like it took a different path for Foy as a truth is revealed. Another Ignition Press book that has been pretty good is Bloodland #6, with yet another vampire tale. More monsters are around in Minotaur #2 with photographer Gloria Monday after the story. Black Star #2 featured a time jump as the questions around Dashiell’s control over his powers deepen. There were two Absolute books this week as Absolute Wonder Woman #23, kicking off a new arc for the Amazon, and Catwoman #3 were released. Bad Thoughts #3 was the silver medalist for the EYG Favorite Comic Cover of the Week.
The start of season two was a strange one. At the end of season one, they gave a preview for the next episode which dealt with Lori’s sexual harassment and an discomfort in the workplace. Then, in episode one there was no sign of these scenes and we do not see Lori again until a brief moment in episode four.
The scenes showed up in episode five, which was the end of Lori’s run on the show.
You could tell that Boston Legal had gone in a different direction. We had new characters such as Denise Bauer played by Julie Bowen, Sara Holt, played by Ryan Michelle Bathe, and Garrett Wells, played by Justin Mentell.
This season had one of my favorite episodes of the whole series, which was when Denny took Alan to Nemmo Bay in Canada to fly fish. Their interactions in the room after the day of fishing was hilarious. It had one of my favorite low-brow jokes of all time when Denny and Alan are going to sleep in their room and Denny says, “Don’t take this personal” and then lets out a fart. I am not a fart joke fan, but that was unbelievably funny.
We also have the storyline of Bernard come to a close at the end of a skillet by the hand of Betty White’s Katherine Piper. Katherine was afraid that Bernard, who had killed his mother and a neighbor at the end of the first season, was going to kill again. He had been talking about leaving clues for the police like the BTK Killer. She wound up hitting him with the skillet that he had used to kill his victims. In an allusion to Picket Fences (also a David E. Kelly show), she put the body of Bernard in a icebox.
Alan was able to get a “not guilty” verdict for Katherine, though she wound up getting “Schmidt-canned” because of the whole thing.
The Denny-Alan relationship was explored more in these first five episodes of season 2. They build the relationship more than they have last season and this central relationship is vital to the show. And we learn that Alan find the pig noises Denny makes when sleeping to be soothing.
Tara broke up with Alan and she left the firm, being one more of the changes to the cast.
This first five episodes were excellent and are going to build on a long season of 27 episodes.
What a great hour of television episode four of Black Bird was. There were two or three times when it literally gave me chills. Paul Walter Hauser was outstanding as Larry, reflecting back upon his childhood with Jimmy.
Both men had terrible childhoods, even though Jimmy’s started out looking great. Playing catch with his father in the park, looking forward to a great life, even to the NFL. It would not be.
The dialogue of this episode was outstanding and did so much of the heavy lifting for these two characters. Hauser’s delivery was spot on and I totally bought him as a unbalanced serial killer. However, there were so many moments where you almost related to or wanted to like Larry. Every time it got too close to feeling for him, Hauser would deliver a line that shocked you right back into the knowledge that this guy is a vicious killer.
The flashbacks were very effective, especially the ones with Larry. I was not as much of a fan of Jimmy’s flashbacks, especially with the time where his mother’s new boyfriend broke Jimmy’s ribs. The actor they cast for that young Jimmy just did not feel like someone who would grow into Taron Egerton. That pulled me out of that scene which does a lot to inform us on the man Jimmy would become and how he would think of women.
This dialogue-heavy episode followed on opening where there was a prison riot that was exceptionally violent. Larry had told Jimmy that it was “Riot Quiet” around the prison, foreshadowing the events of the violence. The riot led to Larry being placed in charge of the clean-up crew in the cafeteria section of the prison, where the main part of the riot took place. Larry showed his capabilities of cleaning, showing how knowledgeable he was in the area. He clearly knew how to remove blood stains and the such.
Again, every time you thought maybe Larry wasn’t as horrible as you thought, suddenly he was saying something or making a gesture that reminded you how evil this guy was.
Two more episodes of this compelling drama and I am anxious to find out what happens. I am trying to ignore my inclinations to look up the true story and see how things played out in real life. I am curious, but I am dedicating myself to no spoilers.
I knew something was going to happen, but I did not expect there to be a mushroom cloud.
And now I wonder… did the people behind the creation of the silos… know the bomb was going to be dropped. I even considered myself… did they set off the explosion themselves? Otherwise, it sure feels like a ton of coincidence happening here.
The penultimate episode of season three was explosive in many ways besides the huge nuclear bomb that goes off at the end.
How does Bernard survive this time? Could it be that we finally saw the end of the road for Tim Robbins? Bernard, who turned himself in as part of the plan, is sent out of the silo to clean, without a suit. We see his nose start to bleed and he slumped next to the tree. I have no idea how he could have survived. I have a feeling Bernard is now gone.
Bernard’s cleaning was meant to be a distraction as bombs were going off in the silo in an attempt to pinch off the poison. We left the episode as Camille was running out of the cafeteria in an attempt to prevent the revolt.
I wondered last week what was next for Daniel and Helen. I did not know they were together and then Helen was pregnant. When the bomb went off, Daniel was pulled into silo 1 and Helen was taken into silo 17. Could Helen give birth to a baby that is a descendent of someone we know?
The Algorithm is being set up to being a real person and not a machine. I think there is a good chance that that voice is Daniel… though I have no idea how that would happen.
This was a great episode and it sets up next week’s season 3 finale beautifully.
This is the story of a movie that fought back against cancelation and low expectations to make a release date several years after being filmed.
Coyote vs. Acme is a live-action/animated mix in the vein of Who Framed Roger Rabbit, but featuring the Looney Tunes. When Warner Brothers had the rights to the film, they decided that the movie would not make any money and they shelved it. Eventually, WB put the film up for sale but there were no takers. Everyone had the same fear… this would flop.
Finally, Ketchup Entertainment purchased Coyote vs. Acme and the film was going to be seen. While the film may eventually prove WB correct with its box office, at least the movie is able to be seen. The Looney Tunes are not as well known of an IP as they once were, and the struggle for the film is real. However, I can be happy to say that the film absolutely needed to be released because it is fabulous.
Rapscallion Wile E. Coyote, tired of Acme’s products constantly backfiring on him, saw an advertisement on TV from a lawyer named Kevin Avery (Will Forte) claiming to be able to get a settlement for any cartoon against Acme.
Actually, he was looking very low level, in the hundred dollars range. Kevin did not have the confidence that it would require to go up against a major corporation like Acme, with their top notch lawyer Buddy Crane (John Cena) and CEO of Acme, Foghorn Leghorn (Eric Bauza).
As they dive into their case, they discovered more than just a case of some misfiring rocket skates.
This was great. It was funny. I was laughing the entire time. Will Forte did an amazing job of playing against the animated Wile E. Coyote, as well as John Cena, who was in full cheese-mode as Acme’s lead lawyer.
There were a ton of jokes that would be considered either inside jokes or Easter eggs that would reward the longtime viewers of Looney Tunes. I do worry that people who were not fans of Looney Tunes would not appreciate the jokes as much as I did. The writing was extremely clever, but was, potentially, too insider for the general audience.
The animation was excellent and it was such a fun film with the returning characters of these iconic Looney Tunes. I really loved seeing the characters such as Road Runner, Taz, Tweety, Daffy Duck etc. It was so awesome to see them all back.
I am so glad that this movie had a chance to be seen on a big screen. In a perfect world, this would be a huge film at the box office. Coyote vs. Acme was such a good time and such a wonderfully written film.
I wrapped up season one of Boston Legal on Hulu this afternoon with some great episodes.
These episodes included:
“It Girls and Beyond”
“‘Til We Meet Again”
“Tortured Souls”
“Let Sales Ring”
“Death Be Not Proud”
Some amazing guest stars started to show up, as a couple of the regulars from the first half of the season were starting to be phased out. Some guest stars included Betty White, Carl Reiner, Courtney B. Vance, Chi McBride, Shelley Long, Kerry Washington, and Freddie Prinze Jr (resuming his role as Donny Crane).
“Death Be Not Proud” sent Alan to Texas to try and prevent an execution of a man with an IQ of 80, whose confession may have been coerced, and might be innocent. It was a powerful episode with an end sequence that was very difficult to watch. I think that was clearly the intention of the scene, even though we mostly focused on Alan and Kerry Washington’s character Chelina.
Bernard Ferrion returned from earlier in the season and Katherine (Betty White) took him under her wing, especially after Alan rejected him once again. I know this is leading to a big story in season two.
One of the funniest running gags in any episode was how uncomfortable Brad was with the word “lesbian,” and how the others around the Crane, Poole and Schmidt offices wouldn’t let him off the hook.
The idea of Denny Crane having Mad Cow Disease happened in these episodes. It would be Denny’s fall back stance against the potential Alzheimer’s that he had.
Alan continued to have terrible behavior in a lot of instances, while trying to do what he thought was right. Even though the others at Crane, Poole and Schmidt had troubles with Alan, it seemed as if they still took advantage of Alan and what he would be willing to do to get things done. Shirley actually went to Alan to co-chair a case where she did not want to do the closing because she did not want to go to the level she thought she would need to go. She knew Alan could do so, despite it being a case of police brutality/torture that Alan did not want to be a part of. There is a lot of hypocrisy when dealing with Alan.
Lori, who in these episodes had really seen her screen time diminish, had reached the end of the road with Denny’s constant sexual harassment. She told Shirley that she wanted to formally charge Denny with it.
I do believe that there is an episode that is missing from the season one list. I am not sure what is going on, but I am going to go investigate what has happened.
Following up my favorite episode of this show this week, we got a strange one with a tribe of people who share everything, all the time, and a completely peaceful.
With an injection of Kripke into the society, that does not last long.
Kripke immediately started warping things by showing the kind hearted people the idea of “mine.” It does not take long for the natural selfishness to come out, especially when Kripke made a Communist comment.
Meanwhile, Bert met a woman who asked him to share sex that night, but it turned out that they sleep with someone different every night. Bert introduced her to the concept of monogamy, and asked her to marry him, even though she does not understand the term.
Stuart realized that the machine was broken and he went in search of a message from the mysterious overlord that had been sending them messages. He found it at the bottom of a pile of bear poop.
Red quartz is what they needed to fix the machine, and there was only one bit around… on a necklace around the neck of the man who was jealous of Bert’s new relationship.
This episode continued what I think one of the biggest problems of this show is… it felt rushed. There is so much that can be discovered in these universes but are just brushed across most of the time. These episodes should be 45 minutes at least, but they are sticking with the half-hour focus, and there are just too many big ideas.
In the end, it all turned out to be just there and this episode did not blow my socks off. I am not a big fan of Kripke and I think they could have left that character off and still not have issues filling the time. There was no Big Bang Theory cameo this week and that was definitely missing.
One of my favorite quotes from Boston Legal happened in episode 11. It is a thought have many times in the restroom…
“I keep an extremely clean penis“
Alan Shore is in response to a woman who had entered the men’s restroom and had introduced herself, while Alan was at the urinal. He extended a hand to shake and she said that he is going to wash that.
Hence, the clean penis comment from Alan.
That woman was Shirley Schmidt, named partner in Crane, Poole & Schmidt, played brilliantly by Candice Bergen. Shirley Schmidt becomes one of my absolute favorite characters on this show over the next four and a half years. This was her first appearance and Candice Bergen immediately was placed as a powerhouse, keeping Denny Crane off balance.
In “Head Games,” Alan winds up getting held at gunpoint by a disgruntled father who had recently lost his children because of Alan. Yes, the father would take his children without permission to Peru over Christmas. The mother asked for help from Alan. I mean… it is kidnapping.
This whole situation led to another classic moment of the series. Denny Crane using his rifle to shoot the father. Denny had the gun in his desk and had Tara open the door when he yelled “Pull!” As Denny said, he was a Marine, “trained as a sniper… or was it a pilot?”
We also get the debut in episode 11 of Bernard Ferrion, a small man who killed his mother by hitting her on the head with a skillet. Alan was able to free Bernard on a technicality, and then gave him a kindly speech about being good. Then next episode, Bernard is back after killing his neighbor with a skillet as well. Alan was disappointed, and sent Bernard to Tara.
Bernard is a surprisingly complex character for the short arc that he appeared. You could tell how lonely he was, and how he had a kind heart, despite being, as Alan called him, evil.
Betty White arrived as Alan’s new assistant, Catherine Piper. White had played this role on The Practice and had come in contact with Alan then. Seeing her resume this role was an awesome thing.
The arrival of Shirley put a charge into this show and gave the show a foil to Denny that was every bit as formidable as he was. Certainly, she was more capable of standing up to Denny than Paul was. All Shirley had to do was whisper those two little words… “Denny Crane” and Denny would shiver.
I am now caught up on the Rick and Morty series, finishing up with the episode 10 that debuted on HBO Max today, but had been shown on Comedy Central earlier in the summer.
The new episode started off as an enjoyable story of Morty going through the multiverse and attending other Morty’s funeral. Morty is discovered as he was watching the funeral by a family that was grieving “Mort,” the kid who was so much more successful and loved by his family.
Morty started spending time with this family, thinking that they were better than the family he had. Morty found out that this Smith family was extremely crazed and chasing after him to replace their Mort.
Morty went to this universe’s Rick, who had stopped drinking, had gotten married, and was living a happy life as a college professor. This was when the episode took a darker turn that I was not a real fan of.
As Rick was trying to help find a way to get Morty home, I knew what was going to happen. I knew that Rick was going to need to go back to drinking to get the work done. Watching Rick throw away his life, his sobriety, his wife to the bottle was so sad and too predictable. I wanted this Rick to not transform into yet another drunken Rick.
Of course the ending was anything but predictable as the whole family is butchered in their final confrontation. This allowed Morty to get back to his regular universe with a happier feeling toward these people.
The whole motorcycle scene at the end of the episode was odd.
Overall, this was an up and down episode for me, and with different shades of dark, it did not do well for me.
There is a season 10 in works right now with a rumored release during the summer of 2027.
I watched episodes 7, 8, & 9 of Boston Legal tonight. They fell around the Christmas holiday as there were some background mentions of Christmas, including a crossdressing mall Santa that had been fired.
There were several questionable lawyering tactics used by the lawyers at Crane, Poole & Schmidt. And it was not just Alan Shore. In fact, it seemed that most of the lawyers on the show were influenced by Alan’s iffy choices. Some examples:
Lori pretended to be a therapist to meet with a client who verbally made threats to murder his wife to his therapist.
Denny went ahead and outed a whistleblower on the stand after Paul Lewiston specifically told Alan not to do it.
Tara approached another attorney on a case and pretended to be a flight attendant to get info on the case.
Brad, very jealous of Alan, made a wager on a case with Alan and then tried to manipulate the outcome by getting a unfavorable judge assigned to it.
Even Paul Lewiston turned a blind eye on Lori’s trouble which led to the wife, fearful for her life, shoot and kill her husband, who used the therapist to get out the bad thoughts only and had no intention of ever following through with it.
Meanwhile, Alan is just trying to do the right things for his clients, albeit by some methods that should not be done. Paul actually recommended a couple of times for other lawyers to approach Alan because he knew of ways to get things done.
Jon Bernthal appeared as a friend of Lori’s who wound up getting shot in the shoulder when he tried to hold up a convenience store. They were able to convince a judge that Bernthal had the right to not allow the doctors to take the bullet out. The bullet was the only evidence they had against him. Tara got info from Alan about a doctor (working as a vet) who could take out the bullet without giving it over to the police.
These three episodes were all good, but maybe not as awesome as some of the others. Next episode looked like a banger.
I do love this show. It is so well written and acted.
William Shatner may be most well known forever as James T. Kirk, but his best career performances come as Denny Crane. The buffoon-like behavior hiding a deep seeded concern over his health. Arrogant and sarcastic, Shatner’s eyes revealing the truth.
James Spader brings such a complexity to Alan Shore. He is willing to do anything, even step over the lines or morality, to get things done. Many times, his motives are pure. His methods, on the other hand, are anything but. Simplicity, Tara described Alan as split into three people: the Good Alan, the bad Alan and the Naughty Alan. Though it may be too simple for this character, the description does work.
It was sad the way Alan took advantage of Sally, which seemed to be a way for Alan to get Sally to leave him. There is a deep neurosis to Alan and his relationships pay the price. Yet, he is completely loyal to former lovers and women that he respected. He is a contradiction in terms for Alan. It is why I was so happy that, at the end of episode 6, when it appeared that he was going to go and have sex with Dana Delany’s character, a woman he always had desires for, but he turned up in a motel room with Tara instead. Had Alan slept with Delany, the betrayal would have been tough to swallow, especially after he dealt with Delany’s husband’s infidelity. I don’t want Alan to be a hypocrite even if he had many otehr bad traits.
Episodes 3-6 again do not focus as closely on Alan and Denny’s relationship as they could, but there are moments. When Alan came to share their whiskey in Denny’s jail cell after he was charged with contempt of court, they exchanged a wonderful scene where Denny worried about his mental capacities. The whole possible Alzheimer’s Disease arc and how it could destroy the image and legend of “Denny Crane” follows Denny through the entire series.
Alan and Denny are together when Denny lets it slip that Donnie Crane was not his son after all, only for Donny to hear. Freddie Prinze Jr. appeared as the supposed son of Denny Crane, and his devastation in this scene made it all the better.
There are several fun moments of Fourth Wall breaking during the show. In this crop of episodes, my favorite was when Alan Shore said he wanted to be on cable because that was where all the best work was happening. Of course, Boston Legal aired on ABC.
Episode five featured one of Alan’s top line closing arguments. We have not seen too many of those yet in the season, but there will be plenty more to come. This one was just right on the nose for his case that you can tell how the case will go.
Lori is involved more the last few episodes, and they are still teasing a potential relationship between Alan and Lori. Probably one that would be highly toxic.
The new dinosaur movie, The End of Oak Street, came out this weekend starring Anne Hathaway and Ewan McGregor. Writer/director David Robert Mitchell brought us this ’80s feeling, Amblin-like film of a family trying to survive the sudden arrival of dinosaurs and other monstrous creatures.
According to IMDB, “The Platt family bands together to navigate their new surroundings after a cosmic event transports their suburban neighborhood to someplace unknown.“
Anne Hathaway and Ewan McGregor play Denise and Greg Platt, who had been having marriage troubles, and their two kids acting out in different ways. Hathaway and McGregor do a good job as the married couple with their struggles.
The kids, Audrey and Brian, were played by Maisy Stella and Christian Convery, Christian Convery has been in several projects including Cocaine Bear and the Netflix series Sweet Tooth. I thought both of them did a solid job in the film.
The dinosaurs looked great and the film was sensational with the tension and anxiety of the film off the charts. It brings that tension t a high level while still maintaining the Spielberg-like film and not just falling into a horror creature film. I think the writing was strong and everything was nicely weaved together.
The mystery of the film helps keep the tension high. JJ Abrams is a producer on the film and this kind of unknown plot falls right into his type of storyline.
I liked how the beginning of the movie started diving into the characters more, which I think is a very good way to start. I also love how all of the little character bits that they mention during that time comes back and pays off, even if it is a small mention.
I am not sure how I feel about the end of the film. I was satisfied when I watched it, but, upon some reflection, I am not sure the choice they made was the best choice possible. Of course, I can not go into detail because of spoilers.
This was considerably better than MOST of the Jurassic Park/World films and I was thoroughly entertained thru the entire flick. The actors are likable and the dinosaurs are awesome.
