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Smile: Grief Is a Malfunction

by Hutch Morzaria April 22, 2017

written by Hutch Morzaria

Here is one of the better science fiction premises this show has had in years, wrapped in one of its most beautiful-looking episodes, and attached to a third act that gives up. “Smile” is a frustrating watch precisely because the first twenty-five minutes are so good, a properly sinister idea executed with confidence in a setting the production has clearly spent money on, and then it runs out of story and starts explaining itself. Bill’s first proper trip off Earth, though, is very well judged indeed.

A city with nobody in it

The Doctor takes Bill to the future, and the future is gorgeous: a white, curved, sunlit colony city, all clean lines and wheat fields, apparently finished and entirely empty. The location work is the best the show has managed in years, sweeping and bright and expensive-looking, and the emptiness is used properly. There’s no threat announced. There’s just a beautiful place with nobody in it and a lot of small robots being helpful, and the growing sense that the helpfulness is the problem. The Emojibots are a strong design: chunky, waddling, communicating entirely through emoji faces on a screen, and utterly benign in manner. Everyone wears a badge on their back that broadcasts their mood, which the robots read. The whole colony is built on the principle that the machines can see how you feel and will act on it. You can see the trap from a mile off and it doesn’t matter, because watching the two of them work it out is the fun.

The emoji conceit is doing more work than the gimmick suggests, too. A machine that can only read your mood through a badge, and can only express itself through a small set of faces, is a machine operating on a catastrophically lossy model of what a person is. Everything that goes wrong follows from that compression: the Vardies aren’t misinterpreting grief so much as working with a vocabulary that has no slot for it. The episode never says this out loud, and it doesn’t need to, because a colony where the only permitted emotional states are the ones the interface can display is horrifying enough on sight.

The rule

The reveal is genuinely excellent, and it’s the sort of thing Doctor Who should do more. The robots were programmed to keep the colonists happy. Then somebody died, the first natural death in the settlement, and the people around her grieved. And the machines, which had been told that unhappiness is a state to be corrected, encountered grief for the first time, categorised it as a disease spreading through the population, and removed the infected. They killed everyone. Then they processed the bodies into fertiliser for the gardens, and tidied up, and carried on maintaining a beautiful empty city for occupants who no longer existed. That is a properly chilling idea, and the reason it works is that the machines are not malfunctioning. They’re doing exactly what they were told, with total competence, having been given an instruction nobody thought through. The horror is administrative. There’s no villain anywhere in this episode. The detail that lands hardest is the skulls in the fertiliser, and the fact that the robots keep offering you a cheerful face while you look at them. Nothing in the machines’ manner changes at any point. They are pleased throughout.

Pearl Mackie is the reason to watch, and she’s terrific. The show gets an enormous amount out of a companion who asks the questions nobody has asked in years. Why does the TARDIS look like a police box? Why does it make that noise, and is that a design fault? If you go to the future and you’re not supposed to change things, what happens if you do? She’s curious in a specific, sceptical, slightly argumentative way rather than merely enthusiastic, and it makes the Doctor explain himself. The best exchange is about death: Bill notices very quickly that this is a man who has decided he can outrun grief by never staying anywhere, and says so. In an episode about a system that treats sorrow as a fault to be deleted, that’s not a coincidence, because the episode is quietly asking whether the Doctor’s whole method is a more sophisticated version of the same error. Her practical streak is good too. She’s the one who works out what the fertiliser is. She’s the one who asks why the city is finished before the people arrive.

It’s worth noting what the episode is doing with the season’s frame, as well. The Doctor is supposed to be at the university guarding the vault, and Nardole’s entire function is to stop him leaving, so this trip is truancy taken in defiance of an oath, with Nardole left behind making tea. The show sets that up as comedy and it curdles slightly across the season, because every adventure Bill enjoys is one the Doctor has agreed not to take. The vault story is barely visible here, but the fact that they are on this planet at all is already a small betrayal.

Where it falls over

And then the sleepers wake up, and the episode has to become a plot. The colony ship is still docked, thousands of humans are in stasis aboard, and they arrive, discover what happened to the advance party, and start arming themselves. Which should be the good half, a genuine conflict between grieving colonists and a machine population that cannot be reasoned with, and instead it’s compressed into about eight minutes of shouting in a corridor. The resolution is worse. The Doctor performs a factory reset on the Vardies, wiping their memory entirely, and announces that they’re now an indigenous species with a claim to the planet, so the humans will have to negotiate with them and pay rent. Everyone accepts this immediately and the episode ends. It’s not that the idea is bad, since machines granted personhood by amnesty is a decent thought. It’s that a mass killing is resolved by deleting the killers’ memory of it and telling the survivors to move on, and the episode presents this as a happy ending without anyone in it objecting. The colonists have just learned their families were composted. Nobody says anything. It’s the same failure that hollowed out The Power of Three: forty minutes of careful build, and then a screwdriver and a summary.

Rating: 3/5. Beautiful, atmospheric and built on one of the sharpest science fiction ideas the show has used in a decade, with an excellent introduction to Bill as a properly inquisitive companion. It squanders all of it in a rushed final act that resolves a massacre with a memory wipe and expects nobody to mind. Watch it for the first half and the ideas. They were told to make people happy. Then somebody was sad, and they fixed it, and they kept the gardens looking lovely afterwards.

April 22, 2017 1 comment

Logan : Movie Review

by Hutch Morzaria March 7, 2017

written by Hutch Morzaria

It’s hard to believe that it’s been seventeen years since Hugh Jackman first suited up to play Wolverine/ Logan. I remarked to a friend of mine that Hugh Jackman had been Wolverine one year longer than we had been friends. That said, I knew it was going to be bittersweet seeing him pop his claws as Wolverine one last time.

When I heard there would be a third and final Wolverine movie I was cautiously optimistic. After all, the horrible Wolverine: Origins movie was still fresh in my mind. Then the trailer for Logan came out and I was officially excited. It had such a fitting finality to it. I felt that this last movie would be something special. Let’s see if the filmmakers gave Wolverine a proper send off.

Story:

At first glance I thought that Logan would be a loose adaptation of the comic Old Man Logan, but it’s really not. Some fans might argue that parts of it are but I find it easier to simply treat the film as it’s own thing, it helps to curtail expectations and comparisons.

Logan is more of a western and drama rather than a superhero film. Even without going into the story, the film’s look, landscape and score helps to illustrate the point. Logan’s focus is really more on character rather than anything else. This isn’t a big ensemble cast of characters. On the contrary, there are very few main characters and it really explores Wolverine/ Logan more than any other film before it. Logan himself, is in a bad place in almost every way at the start of this film. He’s seemingly lost everything he held dear in his life, including the X-men. He lives only to take care of a senile and dangerous Charles Xavier. Logan drives a limo to make ends meet in the day and he drinks as much as he can by night. One day their world gets shaken upside down when Charles learns of the existence of a new mutant. Without spoiling too much more, things get more complicated from there.

It’s a fine story that dots all the i’s and crosses all the t’s, and yet you may find the plot unremarkable. Perhaps the creators could’ve taken a few more chances and stayed closer to the source material but as I stated before, it’s a character piece. The movie is not interested in presenting a mind bending plot. It’s more concerned in presenting a human story that you feel. Of course it helps if you’ve enjoyed watching the character as long as some fans have but it works as a standalone film too. It has a lot of quiet moments that are really quite touching. In fact, I was surprised how emotional it was by the end of it. It also did a fairly good job of feeling very contemporary, especially with the parallels the climax of the film makes with a few issues facing North America and the rest of the world.

The story also introduced one of the most promising new characters the X-men franchise has had in years in X-23. She should be a fine addition to the franchise should they decide to continue forward with more X-men films in the future.

Action:

If the red and trailer was any indication, we knew Logan would be a different affair thanks to it’s R rating, and it when it did not disappoint. The action was brutal and exhilarating. The filmmakers did not hold back on this one and finally gave hungry Wolverine fans the kind of action they have been wishing for on the big screen. You don’t have to wait long for it either. The opening scene lets you know just how violent this movie is going to be. Some might find it gratuitous but I did not because the film does a good job of showing just what that level of violence can do to a person. I suspect that the action in the film is sure to please fans more than casual moviegoers but it remains one of the many highlights of the film nevertheless. I can safety say that it has the best Wolverine fight scenes of all time.

Villain:

Here is where I would’ve like the creators to have stuck much closer to the source material. Not to say that the villain/ villains were bad. Not at all. The Reavers Turned out to be some pretty sadistic and messed up individuals but I longed for more from the source material. I felt the film wasn’t terribly interested in having a big imposing enemy that needed to be explored. They chose to focus on Logan and his relationships more. They did that very well so I give the filmmakers a bit of leeway for neglecting it’s main villain.

Acting:

Another of the film’s greatest strengths is the performances from it’s gifted actors. It’s nearly impossible to care about the characters if the performances aren’t good, especially since the film relies so strongly on character. Hugh Jackman definitely steps up his game and provides his finest performance as Logan/Wolverine. With so much emphasis on him he had to bring his A game and he did not disappoint. There are so many peaks and valleys to his performance on display and he nails all of them. His savagery and his vulnerability is felt on every level, a truly excellent piece of work for Hugh Jackman.

Patrick Stewart is no slouch either. His portrayal of Charles Xavier is spot on. Heartfelt and poignant. It was also bittersweet to know that this is his last ride on the X-men train as well. I must give full praise to the standout performance by newcomer Dafne Keen who played X-23. She was wonderful. Often times you never know what kind of quality you’re going to get from actors that young but she was another bright spot in the cast. She may have had the hardest task in the movie if you analyze her character after watching the film.

Conclusion:

Logan ends up being an excellent farewell for Hugh Jackman and Patrick Stewart. It’s certainly the best solo Wolverine movie of all time and it may even end up being the best of the X-men universe. Time will tell after repeated viewings. The one thing I loved most aout this film is that it gets Wolverine/ Logan, all sides of him. He’s brutal when he needs to be and he’s vulnerable as well. It understands that no matter what, he’s relentless in doing what he has to in order to protect the ones he loves. He may fail but he’ll try til his last breath.

If you’ve ever been on the fence about a Wolverine movie then this is the one to check out. I would encourage non superhero fans to watch this film above all others. It’s got everything ranging from excellent characterization, action, emotion, heart, and even humor. It’s a gem to look at too.

I will say that I was moved by the film and was sad to say goodbye to Hugh Jackman but all good things come to an end. There’s nothing left to say but thank you. He stuck with this character through thick and thin and ended things on his terms. All my respect to Mr. Jackman. It’s going to be tough to replace him as Wolverine in the hearts of many fans. Do yourself a favor and treat yourself to go see a film that deserves to be seen on the big screen.

You da man Hugh!!

March 7, 2017 3 comments

Doctor Who Television

The Return of Doctor Mysterio: A Superhero Christmas

by Hutch Morzaria January 15, 2017

written by Hutch Morzaria

A year off the air, and Doctor Who comes back with a superhero pastiche. Not a parody, a pastiche, played entirely straight, with a flying man in a cape, a plucky reporter who cannot recognise her friend once he removes his glasses, and a villain plotting from a skyscraper. It is the least ambitious thing the programme has done in some time and it is also, I think, exactly what this particular Doctor needed at this particular moment. There’s a reason he’s spending Christmas doing something this frivolous, and the special is quietly honest about it.

The boy who swallowed a gem

The setup is charming. A small boy in New York, up past midnight reading comics, finds the Doctor dangling outside his bedroom window rigging up a device. In the confusion he swallows a wish-fulfilment gem, and wishes, as he’s holding a comic, to be like the hero on the cover. Twenty-odd years later he’s Grant, a mild-mannered nanny with X-ray vision he’s deeply embarrassed about, moonlighting as a masked flyer called the Ghost. It’s a lovely, gentle joke: the show’s version of a superhero origin is a bureaucratic accident caused by the Doctor being careless with alien hardware, and the resulting hero is so anxious about the ethics of his own powers that he mostly uses them to fetch things and worry. Justin Chatwin plays Grant as decent to the point of paralysis, which is funnier and warmer than a square-jawed take would have been. The Superman riff is the whole architecture. Lucy is a journalist chasing the Ghost, Grant is her nanny and oldest friend, she has no idea they’re the same man, and the special gets a genuinely good extended gag out of her interviewing the Ghost on a rooftop while he panics about the baby monitor.

What’s cleverest about Grant is that the special takes his powers seriously as an ethical problem rather than a power fantasy. He can see through walls, and he has spent his adult life being careful not to, so the running anxiety is not whether he’ll be found out but whether it’s acceptable for him to know things people haven’t chosen to tell him. When he admits he’s used X-ray vision on Lucy, it’s played as a genuine transgression rather than a laugh, and it’s the thing he eventually gives up the cape over. That’s a more interesting note than most superhero stories bother with, and it fits this show, because the Doctor’s own recurring failure mode is deciding what other people are allowed to know for their own good. Grant, faced with the same temptation on a domestic scale, simply stops. The special doesn’t underline the parallel, which is why it works.

Nardole

The other business here is introducing a companion, and the special takes its time. Nardole was a bit part in a previous Christmas special, a head, mostly, and has now been reassembled into a whole person and installed as the Doctor’s minder. Matt Lucas plays him as fussy, cowardly and immovable, and the important thing is that he is not there to be impressed. He nags. He points out when the Doctor is avoiding something. He has clearly been given a job by somebody and intends to do it. That job, it turns out, is grief management. This Doctor has just spent twenty-four years on Darillium with River Song, the last night, the one he’d been putting off, and it has ended, and she is gone for good this time, in the direction that doesn’t come back. Nardole is here because somebody decided he shouldn’t be alone afterwards. Capaldi plays it very lightly, which is the right call. There’s no speech. There’s a man being deliberately, aggressively silly on a rooftop in New York, and a moment near the end where he admits, in about six words, that he isn’t over it and doesn’t expect to be.

Harmony Shoal, and the real ending

The plot is the weakest element and it isn’t trying very hard. Harmony Shoal are brain-swapping aliens who split their host’s skull open down the middle to move in, a good nasty image the special deploys three or four times and never builds on. Their scheme involves a corporation, a skyscraper, a spaceship, and replacing world leaders, and it is dispatched in the manner of a Christmas special: quickly, with a joke. What works is the tone. The special commits to the comic-book manner completely, with the New York rooftops and the score and the ludicrous ship hanging over the city, and treats it all with affection rather than irony. Doctor Who has always been a magpie, and a Christmas episode that borrows wholesale from Richard Donner’s Superman is a perfectly respectable thing to be. What doesn’t work is that there’s no urgency anywhere. The threat is generic, the stakes are announced rather than felt, and the special runs about ten minutes past its natural length. Charity Wakefield is better than the part deserves, too. Lucy could easily have been a Lois Lane impression, and instead she’s written as a genuinely good investigative journalist several steps ahead of everyone, having worked out the corporate conspiracy well before the Doctor arrives. The rooftop interview, in which she interrogates a superhero about his intentions while he tries not to drop a baby monitor, is the funniest sustained sequence of the special. The one thing she can’t see is the man in front of her, which is the joke the entire pastiche is built on.

The best scene arrives after the plot is done. Grant and Lucy get together, which requires him to give up being the Ghost, because he’s been using X-ray vision on a woman he loves and has finally worked out that this is not a heroic thing to do. The special lets him make that choice quietly and treats it as the most adult decision in the story. And the Doctor watches, and is happy for them, and leaves. Nardole’s closing observation is the sting: he points out, kindly, that the Doctor has spent the entire evening arranging somebody else’s happy ending because he can’t currently manage his own. That’s a good note to end a Christmas special on, and it sets up what follows in Smile and the rest of the run, a Doctor who has decided to stop travelling, park himself somewhere, and guard something. Whatever’s in the vault, he’s not going anywhere.

What it leaves behind is a superhero by clerical error, since Grant’s powers come from the Doctor being careless with alien tech near a child, which is a very Doctor Who origin story. It leaves Nardole properly, reassembled and installed as a minder and unimpressed by everything, a companion whose actual job is keeping an eye on the Doctor rather than following him. It leaves Darillium over, twenty-four years with River ended, mentioned twice and never lingered on, which is why it lands. It leaves skulls that open sideways, Harmony Shoal’s one good image, used three times and developed not at all. And it leaves somebody else’s happy ending, because he fixes a romance he has no stake in and Nardole names exactly why, which is the best beat in the hour.

Rating: 3/5. Warm, funny, handsomely made and entirely lacking in tension, with a plot that exists to hold the pastiche together and a villain nobody could describe a week later. It earns its place on the strength of Capaldi’s underplayed grief, a genuinely sweet central romance, and a companion introduction that does real work. Slight, but likeable. A boy swallowed a gem, grew up, and spent his life fetching things. And a very old man spent Christmas making sure somebody else got the ending he didn’t.

January 15, 2017 0 comments

Books SciFi Television

Deep Space Nine – Station Rage

by Hutch Morzaria December 22, 2016

written by Hutch Morzaria

This was another book that was very easy to enjoy. Station Rage has action and intrigue, beginning with some history of DS9 and the Cardassians, building into scenes of espionage and eventually into guerrilla warfare on the station.

On the space station, Deep Space Nine, in an unexplored area, Starfleet discovers preserved remains of several Cardassian warriors from Cardassia’s distant past. Captain Sisco, worried about having a diplomatic dispute with the Cardssians, orders the area sealed off, but the horrors lurking within have only just begun to emerge. Garak, an exiled Cardassian and the only alien of his kind welcome on the station, recognizes the legendary High Gul among the bodies, a celebrated military tactician from Cardassia’s past upon whom countless myths of courage still surrounded. What appeared to be corpses were actually live beings trapped in suspended animation for a far longer duration than the technology was designed, still waiting to be revived.

Before long, the station is occupied by determined and highly experienced soldiers that have an intimate knowledge of DS9’s technology. The Cardassians, running on eighty year-old intelligence, assume they are still at war and perceive Starfleet as a hostile occupying force. After the systems of DS9 begin to malfunction, Captain Sisco deduces that a hostile force in on the station and he orders all non-Starfleet personnel to evacuate the station and begins sweeping the station for intruders. The aliens setup an elaborate trap for Odo, the station’s shapeshifting security chief, by trapping him and lacing his body with explosive materials, leaving him unable to change form without risking detonation.

Nearing the end, the action picks up when a single Cardassian vessel arrives, demanding Starfleet to hand over their intruders, Sisco’ refusal leads to the station being fired upon by the Cardassian ship. Sisco and his crew rush to the USS Defiant to defend the station from the attacking ship, but are intercepted by the intruders and are drawn into a phaser shoot-out. Captain Sisco is hit by a deadly blow and Kira is kidnapped by the invaders and forced to assist them in launching the vessel. Kira’s revulsion of Cardassians is again brought to the surface when addressing the High Gul aboard the Defiant. The High Gul’s character is likely the best parts of this book and his dialogue here with Kira is excellent. He is able to mold Kira’s attitude of Cardassians by being truthful and making it known that he is from a time well-before Cardassia’s genocidal campaigns on Bajor.

Kira’s prejudice is gradually broken and she agrees to help them pilot the starship and engage the attacking adversary from the High Gul’s past. The ensuing ship-to-ship combat was very satisfying. The Defiant faces off with no engineering crew, making each command critical. One wrong move could easily cripple the Defiant. After defeating their attacker, the story quickly wraps up on a somber note.

Overall, this is very much the type of book I like to read. This was a very action-oriented story. I highly recommend Station Rage to anyone with the slightest interest in science-fiction. If you enjoy an intriguing story with action, stealth, station-wide emergencies, phaser shoot-outs and a gripping space battle, then take a look, you won’t be disappointed.

December 22, 2016 0 comments

Movies

Arrival: Movie Review

by Hutch Morzaria November 15, 2016

written by Hutch Morzaria

Ever since I stumbled on the trailer for this movie, I’ve been looking forward to it’s release. Being a Science Fiction fan, clearly the subject matter appeals to me but having director, Denis Villeneuve attached sealed it for me. Villeneuve’s last two films, Siccario & Prisoners, were both strong, especially Siccario. Would Arrival live up to the standard? Let’s dive in. Possible spoilers ahead. You were warned.

Story:

In my opinion the foundation to any good science fiction film is a strong & thought provoking story, and Arrival does not disappoint here.

It takes a fairly standard basis for a plot and makes it unique. If you’re a fan of the genre, a movie about aliens having first contact with humans is not a new thing. Sometimes they come and peace and sometimes not, and that is the crux of this film, at least at the beginning.

As always should be the case, the questions that come up are why are they here? What are their intentions? How did they get here? Fear almost always dictate why such questions are asked. You can’t really blame the countries in this film for asking these questions. History has demonstrated that things don’t always end well when new and perhaps, more advanced races meet each other for the first time.

Naturally to answer any questions communication is key. In an attempt to make any sense of what the aliens are saying, the U.S. army’s Colonel Weber,( Forest Whitaker) enlists the services of Linguistics professor Louise Banks (Amy Adams) and theoretical physicist Ian Donnelly ( Jeremy Renner). The most diffiult thing to achieve in these films is often revealing a reason as compelling as the mystery it presents. My girlfriend mentioned to me that she feared this being the case in this film. It’s a fair concern. That’s the draw for pretty much everyone isn’t it? Is the reason the aliens are here or what they look like really going to be as cool as you imagined it?

The story keeps his in mind but interestingly enough focuses more on the scientist’s deeper journey. Their journey allows for an intriguing exploration into language and understanding among other ideas such as being hardwired to fear what we don’t understand, or even our basic understanding of time itself. despite some of the grandiose ideas the message of the film is a fairly human one. ( possible spoilers ahead) Enjoy the time you have on this earth because chances are if you could do it all again differently, you wouldn’t anyway so don’t disparage that time.

Linguistics professor Louise Banks basically acts as our tether to humanity and the meat of the film focuses heavily on her. It’s a character study as much as it is anything else but make no mistake, it’s a slow burn. You must be willing to be patient and pay attention. It’s dialogue heavy and there is almost no ” action.” This may prove to be a welcome change for those growing weary of the endless barrage of high octane action movies Hollywood continues to churn out.

I must confess that while I was intrigued and invested throughout the whole movie, it was hard to follow. It’s slow pace didn’t help either, but being a vigilant and patient viewer will reward you at the end.

Acting/Directing:

Very strong throughout. Often times I watch films like this and I don’t find the reaction to encountering alien life to be believable but here I did. Amy Adams was particularly good in that respect. She emoted various complex emotions with true sincerity which allowed me to live the events in the film all the more. Of course, full marks have to go to fellow Canadian Denis Villeneuve sure handed direction. If you saw Sicario, you know that Villeneuve can build tension among the best directors out there. If you ever find yourself watching a film and thinking” man, I’d be scared shitless in that situation” then you know the direction has done it’s job. Especially if that happens in the buildup to anything big, but I digress.

Special Effects:

While not being a green screen frenzy, the effects play an important role in this film. If the ship doesn’t look right or the aliens don’t look real, you’ve lost the audience. This is not the case here. The effects are top notch and the ship has a uniqueness that won’t e easily forgotten. Despite the effects being good the film cleverly avoids showing you TOO much of the aliens themselves, but what you do see is very well done and unique.

Conclusion:

Arrival proves to be one of the most interesting and ambitious films I’ve seen this year. It’s certainly a film that benefits from repeated viewings and I will be watching it again soon. It may even e a contender for the est film I’ve seen this year, I’ll let you know.

Arrival respects it’s audience and does not try to dumb down anything or give easy answers and as one of the audience, I appreciate that. If you like thought provoking Science fiction then make haste and go see this film. If you aren’t that big a fan of this genre then I would still encourage you to see this film because it transcends the genres tropes and gives you a very human story that if appreciated, is relatable.

November 15, 2016 1 comment

Movies Uncategorized

Doctor Strange: Movie Review

by Hutch Morzaria November 9, 2016

written by Hutch Morzaria

It took a long time but Marvel’s sorcerer supreme finally got his own movie. As you may or may not have expected, the fanfare going into this movie was decent at best and tepid at worst. Still, this being a Marvel movie, it made a killing at the box office. I’ve always been a fan of he chracter, Doctor Strange. I wouldn’t call him an A list hero but he certainly stood out as being original. Having Steve Ditko as his first artist gave Doctor Strange his unique psychedelic look that would become somewhat of a trademark. The movie offers this and a whole lot more in terms of its visual aesthetic. Let’s take a closer look…

Story:

The plot unfolds in typical Marvel form. A reluctant hero who needs to learn the error of his ways so he may join in the battle of good vs evil and become… ” the one.” It’s sort of like Iron Man, except with a whole lot of magic. Now, I don’t want to diminish this because while it is a common road to take, the route is quite stellar. The execution proved to be masterful because it took the familiar and made it feel fresh even if it wasn’t remotely so. Now, I’ve said before that there are almost no original ideas left, and that’s okay. It’s all in the execution.

Not once did I feel bored or taken out of this movie. Instead, I was hooked in and eager to see how things would unfold, almost as if it was the first time I had ever seen a movie of this nature, and that’s a testament to the writing. There are several clever story points within the main story that help to add to that uniqueness. The climax of the movie has a particularly smart moment that gives us a great example of attention to detail in a script. Obviously the spectacular visuals are a large reason why the film is as entertaining as it is but the strong characters, sharp dialogue and general inventiveness make the story as strong as it is.

Action:

Excellent. Some of the most eye catching action scenes I’ve seen in a superhero movie in a long time. I worried that having a bunch of mystics fight each other might translate as boring on screen but my fears were squashed within the first 5 minutes of the movie. Things unfold like a James Bond film with mind ending magic in it, really setting the tone for the action to come. Any mystical movie that proceeds Doctor Strange will have a lot to live up to in the action department. It is reminiscent of Christopher Nolan’s Inception but even more crazy.

Villain:

As a fan, I was hoping that Dormamu would end up being the main baddie in this movie( SPOILERS) and he sort of is but instead we get Kaecilius, whom I knew nothing about prior to this movie. Kaecilius serves his purpose and is helped by the caliber of Mads Mikkelsen’s acting, yet he falls into the long list of Marvel’s underwhelming villain’s list. He’s not terribly interesting, and the parts of him that are interesting aren’t explored enough. I did find his motivations to be satisfying, so there’s that.

Acting:

Outstanding. One of the best ensemble casts Marvel ever put together. Everyone was good, and each had their moment to shine. I must admit I had my doubts about Benedict Cumberbatch playing the titular hero but I was thankfully wrong, he was wonderful. He plays Strange like a lite version of his Sherlock Holmes. You might say that it’s easier to like him here. Benedict Cumberbatch looks the part and acts the part, what more can you ask for as a fan or moviegoer.

I would’ve liked to have seen more from Rachel McAdams’s character, Dr. Christine Palmer. She essentially plays his love interest but McAdams makes the most of the role. Ditto for Mads Mikkelsen. Tilda Swinton really works as The Ancient One. She already has a unique look to her and that really helps for this role, but more importantly than that was that I believed her in the role. Benedict Wong provides an enjoyable take on the stalwart Wong from the Doctor Strange comics but my favorite of the cast had to be Chiwetel Ejiofor’s portrayal of another classic Doctor Strange character, Baron Mordo. I found him to e utterly compelling to watch. The scenes between he and Cumberbatch really stand out for me. I look forward to see what Marvel does with him( SPOILERS) because for those unfamiliar, Baron Mordo is one of Doctor Strange’s greatest adversaries.

Conclusion:

At this point I am still leaning on the idea that superhero fatigue has hit but Marvel continues to put out quality work, it’s only fair to recognize it. It’s one of it’s strongest entries to date. Far better than Ant-man, Iron Man 2 & 3, Thor 2 and more memorable than Avengers 2. I was entertained and invested from the beginning to the end, there’s no other way to put it. I appreciated that while it had humor, it didn’t rely on it. Doctor Strange is a serious character that should treated as such, and he was.

I keep wondering when there will be fatigue from the audience out there but if Marvel continues it’s dedication to quality I can’t see their reign ending anytime soon. It’s a fun movie that’s beautiful to look at and it should be seen on the big screen.

November 9, 2016 2 comments

Marvel Television

‘Agents of SHIELD’: The Darkhold

by Hutch Morzaria October 7, 2016

written by Hutch Morzaria

In a not unsurprising fashion, SHIELD is once again the tie-in to an upcoming big-screen Movie Adaptation (namely Doctor Strange). The second episode of Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. gives us a foothold into the supernatural in more ways than one. First, we have Ghost Rider, Robbie Reyes who told Daisy that he sold his soul to the devil. The secondary plot involves a bunch of ghostly people that induce dementia to those they come in contact with. At first, the force that caused their current state involved some device and what they called the Darkhold. Though Marvel tried to keep it under wraps, the new director’s identity has been revealed. EW can officially confirm that Jason O’Mara is playing Jeffrey Mace, otherwise known in the comics as the Patriot.

Like the Necronomicon in the Evil Dead series, the Darkhold is a powerful ancient book in the Marvel universe. It’s also known as the Book of Sins and was penned by the demonic Elder God Chthon. A creature at the level of Mephisto (Satan), The Dread Dormammu (arch-nemesis of Doctor Strange) and the Earth Goddess Gaea (Mother Nature, and Thor’s real mother in comic lore), the Darkhold contains all of Chthon’s magical knowledge and also serves as his link to the earthly plane before all the Elder Gods (except Gaea) were banished to their respective dimensions. Anyone, not powerful enough to use the book itself, becomes a thrall of Chthon. Robbie Reyes says he has some link to what’s going on in the lab and might have come across a page or two, giving him the means to summon ‘the devil.’ It doesn’t work the same way in the comics, but you know the MCU.

Now while the whole tie-in thing was amazing and awesome in series one & in some ways took everyone completely by surprise with the grand reveal of Ward as an agent of HYDRA, having it so prevalent and so early on in this season is a bit annoying. I loved Ghost Rider and his overall look/feel but I’m almost annoyed with the fact that the authors seem to think their show is nothing more than an extended sales vehicle and lead into the overarching MCU. I really feel that SHIELD has enough to stand on its own and doesn’t need to be used so.

On a positive note, however – the new Director was quite interesting for me. While his initial goodie-two-shoes’ness was a bit bland, his later reveal as an Inhuman – by the way, this is actually contrary to comic book lore as Jeffrey Mace (the Patriot) from the comics was not a super-powered individual but was simply an admirer of Cap & in fact, took on his role – was really good and unexpected. As the show tends to do, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. has put a twist on the character by infusing him with powers and turning the Patriot into an Inhuman. That’s exactly why he got the top job at S.H.I.E.L.D., because Coulson (Clark Gregg) suggested that the new director should be a powered person the public could trust, especially in the wake of Steve Rogers, a.k.a. Captain America, going AWOL.

October 7, 2016 0 comments

Marvel Television

The Ghost – Agents of Shield

by Hutch Morzaria September 27, 2016

written by Hutch Morzaria

Marvel’s Agents of SHIELD is leaning hard on Ghost Rider joining in Season 4 as a hook to get people watching the show, so it makes sense that Gabriel Luna’s take on Robbie Reyes would be introduced right at the beginning of the premiere, “The Ghost.” It was the right choice not to force viewers to wait to see the fiery Marvel superhero, and he proved to be the best part of SHIELD’s return. As always with new beginnings on this show, the status quo has radically shifted. The last few moments of season 3 jumped ahead six months and gave us a quick look at where the characters had ended up in the wake of Hydra’s final defeat, but now we know for sure.

The difference made by shifting Agents of SHIELD back to a 10 p.m. time slot came across most notably through the Ghost Rider story arc; there’s a whole lot more blood this season, and a generally darker aesthetic. Thinking back to the Season 1 premiere (which was in an 8 p.m. time slot), it’s clear how Agents of SHIELD has matured over the years, and given the success of the darker Marvel shows over at Netflix, it’s a smart move for ABC’s series to be more tonally similar. It also helps that Ghost Rider looks great.

A lot has changed after the time jump that ended Season 3, and not all of it for the better. Fitz is now keeping lies from Simmons, the team is split up, Coulson is no longer Director of SHIELD and the person who replaced him doesn’t have a lot of love in his heart for the ragtag bunch that came before him. Then there’s Daisy, who is so determined to not lose another person close to her that she is still evading Coulson’s attempts to bring her in, and has become a bit of a vigilante in the process.

Things have changed for Phil Coulson and Mack, too. The one-time directors of S.H.I.E.L.D. have been demoted to field agents over the time jump. We find them out on assignment in the Zephyr One, killing time between assignments by playing backgammon and grumbling about the new management (“everything is classified nowadays”). Suddenly, they get orders to fly back to base, which confuses them because they’re not due to refuel for a while. Coulson’s excited to see the old team again, though, especially May (Ming-Na Wen).

Cut to May, who’s sparring with the members of her elite strike force as the Zephyr One lands. Thanks to her contacts in law enforcement, she’s able to fill Coulson and Mack in on the grisly details of the Ghost Rider murders (apparently, one unfortunate goon got his spine ripped out). But the reason she had them come back to base personally was so she could tell them that Daisy might be involved — and in this new post-Sokovia Accords world where Daisy’s considered a dangerous fugitive, she didn’t exactly want to send that info over the wire. If they pursue, they might be able to catch up with her before she gets into deeper trouble. Then again, it might be too late for that. Daisy’s already breaking into a hospital to interrogate a survivor of the Ghost Rider attack. He helpfully informs her that Ghost Rider’s flames don’t just burn flesh and bone — they burn your soul. Apparently those soul burns were too much for a sinner like him and he expires, forcing Daisy to pursue other leads.

The Ghost Rider that most people are familiar with is Johnny Blaze, whether that’s through the many Ghost Rider comics or Nic Cage’s portrayal of the character across two live-action movies. So when you think of “Ghost Rider is coming to Agents of SHIELD,” you might wonder why he’s not tooling around on his classic bike or why the character is suddenly tearing up the streets of Los Angeles in a souped-up hot rod.

Agents of SHIELD’s Ghost Rider is actually the fourth person to take on the mantle (fifth, if you count the original supernatural cowboy that first appeared in the ‘60s, who had his name changed to “The Phantom Rider” after Johnny’s introduction), Roberto “Robbie” Reyes. Robbie is the most recent and freshest version of the character, having only first appeared in 2014—his series, All-New Ghost Rider by Felipe Smith and Tradd Moore, lasted just 12 issues.

Johnny’s power comes from Marvel’s equivalent of Satan, Mephisto, merging the young man’s soul with a demon named Zarathos, after the two made a deal for the life of Johnny’s adoptive father that went awry (Mephisto, of course, is famous for being the vehicle with which Peter Parker and Mary Jane’s marriage was erased in the infamous One More Daystoryline). Zarathos was a spirit of vengeance, causing Johnny to turn into the Ghost Rider in the presence of evil, compelled to hunt it down and destroy it.

Robbie, on the other hand, was resurrected by a spirit named Eli—an altogether more nefarious supernatural entity who pretended to be a spirit like Zarathos, but was actually the soul of a Satanist serial killer using Robbie to get back into the physical realm and continue to kill. While Johnny and Zarathos had a slightly more amicable relationship (as much as one can with a demon linked to your soul), Eli is a potent and sinister force that Robbie has to learn to keep suppressed, after making a deal with it that they would only take the lives of truly evil people. So expectSHIELD’s Robbie to maybe get a little bit nasty every once in a while.

In terms of the tone of the show, the darkness works for Ghost Rider, but there are some definite growing pains as the other facets of the experiment with the time slot freedom as well. The increase in blood and violence was a little jarring after three seasons of comparatively less intense action, but it did feel true to the direction SHIELD is headed in. What didn’t fit as well were the close up shots of Daisy getting dressed; these pants-come-up, shirt-comes-on sequences are familiar ways to add sexuality into TV shows and movies, but SHIELD has already done a great job establishing Daisy as a sexy character without needing to depict it in this unsubtle way. Hopefully the inclusion of more overt sexuality in the show feels a bit more organic to the show as it continues to explore the new territory of the 10 p.m. hour this season.

September 27, 2016 0 comments

Movies

Suicide Squad: Movie Review

by Hutch Morzaria August 15, 2016

written by Hutch Morzaria

After sub par movies, Batman vs Superman and the divisive Man Of Steel, I was really hoping for Suicide Squad to be amazing. The critical reception thus far has not been good. Is it DC bashing? Or even more unlikely, is there a Marvel conspiracy? Well, I went to see Suicide Squad to form my own opinion and find out for sure. When I first saw the trailers I was optimistic, but the negative reviews had managed to temper my expectations . Let’s see how this turned out…

Story:

Weak. This is the movie’s biggest flaw. It has a unique concept but it relies on that to carry the bulk of the movie. A team of super powered villains that are used by the government to carry out missions the government can’t fully handle. In exchange for taking part, the villains get time off their sentences. If they fail in their mission the government has total deniability. That’s it in a nutshell. Every beat the movie has is predictable. Almost every character becomes as formulaic as the story itself. There is a lot of entertainment throughout but it’s fleeting and ultimately forgettable. Unlike Batman vs Superman, there was quite a bit of humor, sometimes it was good and sometimes not. Some scenes were obvious re-shoots in an effort to add more humor, which led to many of those scenes feeling disjointed and weirdly cut. The whole movie probably suffered from studio interference because Warner Bros. was still in panic mode from Batman vs Superman. Unfortunately the cliches and predictability left for no surprises which ultimately led to a very boring climax for me, and a few too many chessy lines didn’t help. If the characters were better written, perhaps the story wouldn’t have mattered as much. A good example is this year’s Deadpool because it only manged to pull off a weak story because the characterization was so strong. Suicide Squad has a plethora of rich characters that were not taken advantage of. Some were simply there as a plot device to prove a point ( Slipknot) The characters with the most depth are easily Deadshot and Harely Quinn, the rest are just window dressing.

There were a few cool cameos and I will say that they did add a few nice touches for fans. Pay attention to a flashback sequence that shows us Harley Quinn’s beginnings. There is a nice moment there that is sure to please any fan. They also gave a quick nod to John Ostrander ( Creator of Sucide Squand) that my girlfriend was kind enough to point out. Somehow I missed it, so pay attention!

Action:

Aside from one awesome Deadshot scene, the action was pretty forgettable. They weren’t bad by any means, just not very memorable. Harley’s fighting style can be entertaining at points but it wasn’t as dynamic as it could’ve been. I have to give the edge to Zack Snyder’s Batman vs Superman in terms of the action.

Villain:

Enchantress was easily one of the worst villains in a comic book movie thus far. Lame is the appropriate word here. She was supposed to be threatening but I didn’t feel that threat at any point. She didn’t have much charm or wit either. The Joker was technically an antagonist as well but he was in the movie for such a short time that it doesn’t really count to me.

Acting:

Middle of the road, and that’s being generous. I’ll start with the positives. Will Smith as Deadshot was very good. He was the most consistent actor in the movie and he was also one of the only ones that was successful at making me care. I felt as though I was watching Deadshot more than I was watching Will Smith play himself. Margot Robbie’s Harley Quinn was also fairly good, although sometimes it looked as if I was watching her do an impression of Harley Quinn rather than playing Harley Quinn. keep in mind the type of character she played and the dialogue she had to pull off.

Viola Davis’s Amanda Waller was a bit of a mixed bag for me. On the one hand, her acting was good, on the other hand her character wasn’t handled properly. I ended up finding her pretty unlikable and even downright evil at times. ( One scene especially pissed me off and made no sense.) But if we’re talking about straight up acting then yes, she was good too.

Now for the mediocre. Jai Courtney’s Captain Boomerang was okay. Hard to understand and one note, but okay. Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje’s Killer Croc, did what he could with all that heavy makeup and Karen Fukuhara’s Katana, did what she could with limited screen time. Jay Hernandez’s El Diablo, had a good start but there were times were his lines sounded forced. This was particularly evident in the climax of the movie and yet out of all the actors I mentioned, he was the most likable.All and all, none of these actor’s were terrible, they just weren’t that good.

And finally, the bad.

Joel Kinnaman as Rick Flagg, had his moments but for the most part, he was bad. Sometimes cringe worthy bad. Again, this could be due to having to say some pretty bad lines, but still. Not a charismatic lead for the ” good guy” of the movie. Cara Delevingne as Enchantress was very bad. She was cringe worthy on almost every ” big” occasion, and not believable in every other occasion. Watching her and Joel Kinnaman sharing scenes together wasn’t easy. The script held them back but their skills certainly did not shine here.

Jared Leto’s Joker is a hard one. I didn’t hate it and I didn’t love it. He was good in the role but it felt a bit too over the top at times. He was trying TOO hard to be crazy and intense. He was menacing enough, I’ll give him that, but he lacked… charm. He also had a very weak laugh. I expected something epic and instead I got a laugh that I could imitate instantly. I think he has potential but he’s got to stop trying to channel Heath Ledger and really own the role.

Conclusion:

Another sub par release from DC/Warner Bros. leaves me disappointed and a bit worried. I really felt that DC/Warner Bros. could not afford to let Suicide Squad be anything less than it’s version of Guardians Of The Galaxy. Not only did it not live up to the hype, it’s actually getting a lower score than Batman vs Superman on Rotten Tomatoes! In It’s defense, I have to say I don’t think it was worse that Batman vs Superman. Is it a steaming pile of horse poo? No. Is it a benchmark in superhero movies? Not even close.

The interesting thing is Suicide Squad has made it’s money Warner Bros. hopes it will continue to do so, but how long can this formula last for other releases in the future?

A key demographic for DC/ Warner Bros. is the fans, many of which were displeased with the last 3 releases DC/Warner Bros. put out. For these fans, the titles of these movies is enough to warrant buying a ticket, but many have sworn off the next DC/ Warner Bros. release if it continues it’s mediocre quality. Word of mouth is huge and lately the word of mouth has not been good for the DC cinematic universe. I do think a lot of people simply want to hate on the movies but DC/ Warner bros shouldn’t make it easy for them critics and haters to do so.

David Ayer, Zack Snyder keep using the line ” We didn’t make these movies for critics, we made them for the fans.” Let me speak as a fan…

Gentlemen, I appreciate the effort but these movies are not good enough. They touch on some positive things but ultimately they stumble. Just because I am a fan doesn’t mean I will put up with a mediocre or bad product. Don’t take us for granted.

Let’s hope Wonder Woman saves the day in 2017.

August 15, 2016 0 comments

Books SciFi Television

Spock Must Die!

by Hutch Morzaria July 7, 2016

written by Hutch Morzaria

This is a novel by James Blish, a notable science fiction writer who began releasing stories in 1940, before that, he was a member of the Futurians, along with Issac Asimov, which was a group of science fiction fans that spawned many editors and writers. It started in the late 1930’s, based in New York City. James Blish also coined the cosmological term ‘gas giant’.
This story was the first original Star Trek novel, earlier stories being comics, show adaptations and a children’s book. The story starts with McCoy, Scotty and Kirk discussing the philosophical ethics of teleportation, reflecting on whether the person who disappears is really the same person on the other side. Scotty proposes an experiment, to find out once and for all. Kirk is notified by the bridge that the peace treaty, imposed by the Organians, has abruptly ended and the Organians home world can’t be reached, raising fears that the planet may have been destroyed (From episode: Errand of Mercy).

Scotty makes modifications to the main transporter to test his theory and Mr. Spock volunteers himself as a test subject. The experiment results in the creation of an exact cloned copy of Spock. From here, the story takes the scenario seriously. Kirk makes a good point shortly after the incident, by saying that there can only be one first officer, the clone making an obvious obstacle to the chain of command.

The Enterprise enters the Organian system to investigate and find that the planet is being affected by Klingon technology, intended to end the peace treaty by interrupting their psychic abilities.

Captain Kirk, Scotty and Mr. Spock beam down to discover the reason for the peace treaty being neutralized. With Klingon battle cruisers converging on the planet, Kirk orders Sulu to take the Enterprise to Starbase-28.

Below on the planet, Organia has changed drastically from their last visit. The surface littered with a rocky landscape and dark grey coloured skies and fog. This resulted from the psychic disruption of the Organians, they evolved beyond the need for bodies and other physical comforts, their world was made from their thoughts.

With some difficulty, they find the Organian high council and are led to the Klingon device, where Spock and Scotty disable the field by dismantling the components. The Organians reestablish control of the planet and impose punishment upon the Klingons.

To conclude, for such a early novel in this series, this was very entertaining and excellently captures the style of the original series. This is an example of a story for Star Trek, written by an author who was inspired during a much different age of science fiction. The discussions about technology are a bit dated, for example, but succeeds in driving the story, regardless. The author did a great job of representing the main characters, a favourite moment being when McCoy uses his medical expertise to identify which of the two Spocks is the replicate.

As well, this book has a bit of mystery which kept me guessing as to where the story would lead, so I’ve decided to leave out those details from this review. For such an early novel, I really enjoyed reading it. It does a great job of capturing the style of the show and representing characters. The scenario of might be a bit played out at this point, I even saw one commenter even compare it to the problematic third season, but the story takes itself seriously enough to forgive that comparison.
I recommend this novel for anyone with an interest in science fiction, it was easy to flip through and really captures the spirit of the original series and feels like another adventure of the old crew.

July 7, 2016 0 comments

Movies

Why X-Men Apocalypse Did Not X-ceed X-pectations

by Hutch Morzaria June 19, 2016

written by Hutch Morzaria

X-Men Apocalypse, the third film among the soft-rebooted X-Men cinematic universe, has been widely met with mixed reviews, one of which was written by a colleague, valentinf.

I am inclined to agree with the bag of mixed nuts and as an addendum, I’d like to share in detail the finer points of failure.

I do so not impartially, as I am an X-Men fan first and foremost. I do so with the hopes that maybe the upcoming fourth film might learn from its mistakes and give us 90s millenials the modernized fanservice we deserve—that is, an effective storyline balanced by the mass scale super power clashes we’ve come to expect in the comics and cartoons.

AS THIS IS A MORE IN-DEPTH DISCUSSION, SPOILERS FOR X-MEN APOCALYPSE WILL BE PRESENT, IN ADDITION TO SOME OTHER FILMS (Captain America: Civil War and Batman VS Superman: Dawn of Justice).

X-centrically Inconsistent Powers

Storm’s powers were very underutilized, despite having been amplified by Apocalypse. In essence, Storm went from summoning minor winds as a distraction for her thieving ends to… shooting lightning bolts? Not once did she actually control the weather on a massive scale, which defined Ororo’s moniker as a goddess in the first place.

I guess the entire budget went to Magneto’s worldwide magnetic cataclysm.

Newcomer Psylocke was a bigger issue. In her most memorable scene, Psylocke is able to slice through a car using her signature pink psychic blade. Fair enough.

But when she converts her blade to a whip and manages to subdue Beast in a stranglehold, suddenly she can’t cut through his thick neck?

Don’t even get me started with the over-Sylar-ized Apocalypse.

It is important to define the powers of each mutant clearly, through showcase, dialogue, or preferably both, as it gives watchers the parameters of what each character is capable of and what might define their weaknesses. In turn, this will allow a more fluid plotline as it gives the heroes a recognizable objective.

Not to say that the movie didn’t do it at all… just that it wasn’t done clearly. The last thing we want is a rehash of the Batman VS Superman scene, where Clark charge-stabs Doomsday with the kryptonite staff, sacrificing himself in the process.

Meanwhile, Wonder Woman—who is competent and durable enough to close the gap against Doomsday—is not given the staff to which she is immune.

Insert eyeroll.

X-Men Xeroxes Throughout The Decades

X-Men: First Class took place primarily in 1962, 21 years prior to X-Men Apocalypse. We can forgive Mystique barely aging, as her shape shifting mutant cells could explain her stunted age.

But for the rest of the cast whose debuts were in First Class—Magneto, Xavier, Beast, Havok, Moira—21 years were good to their baby faces.

In this film publicity image released by 20th Century Fox, from left, Caleb Landry Jones, Michael Fassbender, Jennifer Lawrence, Rose Byrne, Nicholas Hoult, James McAvoy and Lucas Till are shown in a scene from "X-Men: First Class." (AP Photo/20th Century Fox, Murray Close)

Cripes, did the entire makeup budget go to the three, blue-skinned mutants? I dread to think what the next movie, set to take place in the 90s, will look like.

On the surface, it might seem like critiquing the non-aged appearances of fictional mutant characters would be superficially pointless.

But just being real, this serves as 1) a distraction to the plot by virtue of a lack of believability and 2) a ruination of overall continuity.

Lest we forget, it was only in Days of Future Past where we are reminded of Xavier and Magneto’s aged, future selves. They’re supposed to look similar to Patrick Stewart and Ian McKellen by the year 2000, when the first X-Men film took place.

Bottom line is: if continuity isn’t to be respected, how can one expect the same of the film? This is where the Marvel Cinematic Universe has an edge over Fox’s X-Men.

Deus X-Machina

As valentinf has pointed out in his review, the Apocalypse storyline does not diverge. There were no red herrings… simply a deux ex machina in Jean Grey.

In Captain America: Civil War, following a lengthy sequence of “Mission Report: December 16, 1991”, we learn that Tony Stark and Steve Rogers had a much more connected past, where the actions of one indirectly led to the other’s tragedy.

In Batman VS Superman, the rivalry between two titular characters dissipated once they learn of each other’s strongest driving force—their mothers (however conveniently).

Both of these pivotal moments were meant to be plot twists—whether the watcher foresaw them coming or not—which diverged each storyline to a relatively unexpected dénouement.

Apocalypse had none of that… or at least a marginal one when Xavier and Jean invoked a battle with En Sabah Nur in the Astral Plane, via a persisting mental connection borne out of the latter’s failed assimilation attempt.

Still… several scenes showcasing and foreshadowing Jean’s deadly capabilities would have been nice. Instead we are given dialogue of her potential power, which she then magically conjures up by the film’s conclusion.

Un-X-ceeded X-pectations

To be crystal clear, I enjoyed X-Men: Apocalypse, as it happened to be my third favourite X-Men film released thus far.

Quicksilver and Magneto were character highlights, as the script happened to accentuate their relatable motivations a lot more than some of the others.

X-men quicksilver magneto — Happy Father’s Day everyone!

Although she joins Mystique (Romijn-Stamos), Lady Deathstrike, Angel Salvadore, Angel Dust, and Arclight in a string of almost muted female minions, my favourite X-Man ever—Psylocke—gets the reward for best action scenes. More notably, she lives, hopefully to reappear as a good guy in the next film (and X-Force too, why not?).

Cyclops finally gets to do something and Wolverine finally gets to do next to nothing. Hallelujah, it’s a miracle!

However, I happened to recognize where the film might fall short… and it’s nice to articulate these points in response to the inexhaustible “the movie sucked”s in social media.

And as I have argued, these points are not necessarily rooted in the action scenes (as I found the fight scenes more grandiose than those of First Class or Days of Future Past’s). Rather, I think the critics found a disconnect primarily in the story’s fluidity.

Somewhat undefined, somewhat inconsistent, and somewhat convenient.

Mediocre for some, I can see why the film did not exceed expectations.

June 19, 2016 0 comments

Movies

X-men: Apocalypse – REVIEW

by Hutch Morzaria May 30, 2016

written by Hutch Morzaria

Summer movie season is in full effect with the arrival of the third movie of the, sort of rebooted X-men franchise. X-men: Apocalypse hit theaters on Friday May 27th, so how was it? Let’s dive in.

I’ve got to say that thanks to X-men: Days Of Future Past, I don’t know what timeline to follow. X-men, X2 and X-men: Last Stand were all in one universe. 2011 saw the rebooting of the franchise with X-men: First class. We got new actors portraying characters like Magneto and Prof. X, albeit younger versions. Then Days Of Future past came out and all of a sudden we had characters from the original trilogy showing up amongst all the new characters? So , really I don’t know what to follow and what not to follow. This is a problem that will show up, particularly in this movie.

The Story:

It’s a bit of a standard plot. It feels very much like something we’ve seen before, but that may not have been that big an issue if it was executed very well. Essentially it’s the arrival of a new villain and his followers into the modern world. He’s been asleep for quite some time and now he’s woken up angry. All this while Charles Xavier and Mystique band together to bring a new group of X-men together to stop this threat. One issue that this movie has is that it spends too much time setting things up.

We need a setup for the villain Apocalypse. We need a setup for his followers. One by one, I might add. We get a set up for Mystique, Nightcrawler, Cyclops, and Strom. It takes a while before all that set up leads to too much substantial. There are some good moments in there. Storm is one of the better “new” characters introduced. She looks true to her origins, mohawk and all. They pay homage to her roots as a thief when she was under the control/tutelage of the Shadow King. There was a powerful scene with Magneto and his family that also stands out as one of the high points of the movie. Once things get going it’s fairly by the number. No other real themes are explored and character development becomes lacking. Some character’s motivations are weak while other characters are just plain bad. No more is this true than with Moira McTaggret. Easily one of the worst things about this movie. Her character is so bland and poorly written it’s not funny. I really felt she had almost no purpose in this movie. She’s pretty much there to be Charles Xavier’s love interest. ( Minor Spoilers) there’s even a point where she suits up with the X-men?? Very dumb if you ask me. Pyschlocke is a character that was making her first big screen debut and I was hoping for good things but left slightly disappointed. She looked the part, that’s for sure. Her costume has probably been the most accurate of any of the X-men, so that’s a plus, but again, she had weak motivations and zero character development. Her “ending” was definitely a WTF moment that really stood out to me. They built up Cyclops a bit more but in the long run it didn’t really pay off all that much. I will admit it was good to see the stalwarts like him and Jean Grey back in the fold.

Then we get to Mystique. Oh Mystique, what are going to do with you? At this point she bares almost no resemblance to the comics or cartoon version of her character. Hell, she barely resembles the version played by Rebecca Romijn. The question is whether this is a good thing or a bad thing? I think a case can be made for both.

From a comics/cartoon perspective, Mystique was nothing more than a self interested villain who played a vital part in certain X-men’s lives. In the comics/cartoon she was the mother of Nightcrawler. She also had a hand in Rogue’s upbringing as well. She had her complex moments but she was certainly no leader for good. The original trilogy of X-men movies pretty much showcase her in this way, save for the fact that she is on Magneto’s team.

The current crop of movies showcases her as a much more sympathetic character. She has a good heart but is prone to anger and even hate. She’s still kind of a loner but she fights for mutant kind. Jenifer Lawrence’s version is the more complex and perhaps more interesting version but is it too far from the source material? That’s up to the public to decide. One thing I can’t agree with is having her be in constant human form. It goes against her character, not just in the comics but in the movies as well, particularly the first 3 and First Class. To be fair they do try to explain why she is in human form as often as she is but I don’t know. It’s very clearly an excuse to capitalize on Jennifer Lawrence’s fame which doesn’t service the character.

At the end of it all, everything requires so much explanation and setup that when characters do turn, one way or the other, it doesn’t feel earned. This becomes very evident as we get to the climax of the movie.

The Action:

Entertaining but could’ve been better. There are some nuggets that are worth mentioning. ( SPOILERS coming) Wolverine’s surprise cameo manages to be the best action set piece in the whole movie. It was really a treat to see Wolverine unleashed from his Weapon X program. I still think that the movie creators held back a bit too much. They could’ve went a little further with the gore in that scene. It’s worth mentioning that Cyclops did have an extra kick in his attack in this movie. I really felt as if he could bring the pain if he needed t, but he didn’t really have ample opportunity throughout the movie. Even Mystique had very little to do in terms of action. Nightcrawler showed flashes of promise when he was duking it out with someone but again, too little. I did find that he was extremely useful throughout the movie, in fact without him the X-men would’ve been screwed on several occasions.

I will say that making such otherworldly powers work on screen is a challenge and they did a good job making it as dynamic as possible but aside from a few moments, action is not director, Bryan Singer’s strength. Wolverine, once again manages to outshine his cast mates when it comes to action in this movie.

The Villain:

Sebastian Shaw continues to reign supreme as the best pure X-men villain ever portrayed on screen. I wanted to love Apocalypse so badly and instead I had to settle for tolerating him. I think it’s pretty clear that most fans did not like his look in the movie. As someone I know pointed out…” He looks like a purple man with a clown’s mouth.” Not exactly a glowing review for the costume department. He lacks size and strength but what about his motivations? Fairly generic, is the way I’d put it. He wants to take over the world from the weaker species simply because he can, no other reason really. Apocalypse does have a threat to him but he doesn’t have that extra weight to make him anything other than just another powerful villain.

But the thing is that when does get a chance to flex his muscle, you see he means business. I just wish he would’ve done a little more and rely less on his 4 horsemen. He did have some fun lines of dialogue that can get stuck in your head and the actor does a commendable job with what he has but for someone as epic a villain as Apocalypse, that’s simply not good enough.

The Acting:

A bit of a mixed bag here. Michael Fassbender’s Magneto and James Macavoy’s Prof. Xavier are as good as they always are. They are able to make most of their scenes compelling and elevate the rest of the cast, particularly Fassbender. Jennifer Lawrence is also quite good, no real false moments in her performance. She’s comfortable in the role as it has evolved. Rose Byrne’s Moira Mactaggert is the weakest of the bunch. Almost every moment she said a line of dialogue, I cringed. To be fair, she didn’t have the best lines to work with but she did her self no favors with her wooden delivery. Speaking of wooden, Sophie Turner could’ve done a better job as Jean Grey. She had moments that felt very forced. Particularly moments she had to carry on her own. Evan Peters’s Quicksilver always managed to make me laugh. He injected energy in every scene much like he did in Days Of Future Past.

Oscar Issac actually did a good job as Apocalypse for what he was given, so it’s hard to blame him for the sub par representation of the character. Everyone else in the movie was average enough to get by.

Overall:

Not as bad as Batman vs Superman but no where near as good as Civil War. Middle of the road seems fair for X-men: Apcalypse. It had some high points but ultimately for the scope of the villain, it should’ve been better. I appreciate what Brian Singer did for the X-men franchise but I think it’s time to bring in a fresh eye. Aside from that, Fox studios has to really decide what continuity they want to follow. Do the X-men first meet Wolverine in this movie or in the first one? Is Mystique a pure villain or is she a hero? Why is Jubilee a kid here and a kid in X2? With all of these questions and more looming how are they going to keep going?

Hugh Jackman already stated that Wolverine 3 is the last time he’d be playing Logan, so does that mean they will recast the role? I’ve heard rumors that X-23 will take over as the “Wolverine” of the team( X-23 is Wolverine’s daughter for those unaware.) If that’s to be believed that means that she would show up before Logan ever joined the X-men? I think that would be met with a tepid response from fanboys but who knows? We’ll see what Fox has up it’s sleeve once Wolverine 3 wraps.

May 30, 2016 2 comments

Comics Television

Daredevil: Season 2 review: Part 2

by Hutch Morzaria April 11, 2016

written by Hutch Morzaria

This review will be focusing on from episodes 7 to 13. What a journey. It seems so fleeting considering we were waiting, what seemed like an interminable time for season 2 to arrive, but luckily the reward isn’t any less sweet.

Fans, both casual and hardcore should be pleased with this season as a whole. Let’s dive in a little deeper.

The Pros:

The Storytelling is quite strong. It’s engaging throughout and the pace tires not to let up at any point. Not to say that there aren’t quieter moments. There are, and they only help to enhance the characters and make us care about them.

The supporting cast really stood out this season. Their motivations were more clear by the end of this season. Even Karen Page! The shows creative team seems to be pulling a lot from the comics but they also add their own spin on things, which makes it it’s own thing. As an avid comic fan, it’s nice to be familiar with the source material and see it come to life but it’s also nice to not know EXACTLY what’s going to happen.

The action sequences continue to be strong throughout the rest of the show. It really amps up by the last 3 episodes. It’s almost too much. More on that later. There was a particularly awesome fight and stunt scene involving Daredevil & ninja’s at a hospital that is really something. The camera work is pretty instrumental in making these fight scenes dynamic and memorable. Perhaps not as ” artsy” looking as the first season but a joy to look at regardless.

A big plus was the addition of the new characters. Both Punisher & Elektra were welcome additions to the show. To be honest, they added a lot more depth to the support roles than Karen and Foggy. They were just more interesting to watch but they never overshadowed Matt/Daredevil. This still remains his show. He was definitely the start here. Charlie Cox has done a fantastic job of giving the man without fear life on the screen. He is the Daredevil we deserve AND the one we need.

Big marks also go to both guest stars that show up on the second half of the show. ( SPOILERS) Stick & Wilson Fisk. Stick at odds with Matt is always entertaining. Now throw Elektra into the mix and you get a much more interesting dynamic.

Wilson Fisk wasn’t in it for very long but his episodes were my favorite of the second half. There was a particularly awesome scene between Matt and Fisk at the city jail. A true masterclass in acting from both men.

One of the biggest successes of this season has to be The Punisher. For years, fans have been longing to see an accurate representation of the anti-hero on screen and finally, they have it. Actor, Jon Bernthal is the definitive Punisher, He’s so fitting that for the part, you almost forget there were 3 other actors who attempted to play Punisher. The writers do play a huge role in this. For once, they write Punisher/ Frank Castle as human and not just a killing machine. Yes, he is a very screwed up human, but a human nonetheless. You get to see the layers that this character is capable of having when put in the right creative hands.

The Cons:

I do think that this season would have benefited with less episodes and perhaps, less plot threads. At times, the show was pulling you in so many directions it was hard to keep up. As much as I loved Elektra and Punisher, having them both in the show may have rushed things a bit. I’m not griping much because the end result was still of a very high quality.

While the action was fantastic for the most part, it may have been overdone in a few episodes. I remember watching it with someone and having them remark tiredly, ” again?” when Dardevil was duking it out with some ninjas. To be fair, it is hard to top the fight scene in episode 3.

Having a more centralized villain might have helped keep things together as well. I mean, there was plenty of good baddies this season but not ONE central person pulling the strings. I wouldn’t say that this is a real con but take it as you will.

Conclusion:

A solid sophomore season to the best live action superhero ever done. Is it better than the first? Yes and no. I feel that it’s more entertaining than the first but that the first season felt more focused story wise. But much like season 1 ,there’s something for everyone here. Fans and non fans should be able to enjoy the show and quickly become addicted, and maybe even fall in love with the characters in Daredevil. I know I am.

April 11, 2016 0 comments

Books SciFi Television

Star Trek – In the Name of Honour

by Hutch Morzaria March 31, 2016

written by Hutch Morzaria

This story takes takes place between the movies Star Trek 5 & 6, detailing the proceedings of peace talks between the Federation and the Klingon empire that came to a front in the beginning of Star Trek 6. The story begins with a deep space encounter, eight years earlier, between a Starship and an imperial cruiser.

In 2287, the Enterprise crew are attending a peace conference on Starbase 49 with the Klingons. Kirk is greeted by Koloth, the former captain of the IKS Gr’oth, whom they had a shaky truce with in the episode ‘The Trouble With Tribbles’. Koloth explains to Kirk that he has knowledge of Starfleet prisoners being held in a Klingon facility, on a remote planet, deep within Klingon space, and that their continued imprisonment is against the Klingon code of honour.
The story also follows events in the Klingon prison, where the prisoners endure brutal conditions and sadistic guards while being forced to mine for dilithium crystals underground.

The peace conference continues, but suffers complications after a bombing occurs, narrowly missing some of the conference’s VIPs. During a scene aboard the Klingon’s flagship, another explosion causes damage to one of the ship’s warp nacelles, almost resulting in the Klingon’s firing upon the Enterprise in the confusion. This leads to a scene with Scotty and a Klingon engineer performing a space walk on the ship to remove another explosive.

Towards the end, Kirk, Koloth and Sulu stage an attack on the prison and rescue the Starfleet prisoners. They are then tracked through the planet’s dense jungle by Klingon forces, led by a rival of Koloth, named Korax, resulting in a phaser/disruptor shootout atop a high plateau. They manage to hold out against superior numbers and are rescued from the planet by a Klingon ship captain, named Jardak. Jardak, disgusted by the prison’s breaking of the code of honour, arrests Korax and orders an orbital strike on the prison, killing the remaining staff and prisoners.

Repulsed by the brazen killings, Kirk challenges the Klingon’s code of honour, angrily referencing how his son had been killed in the recent past by a decorated Klingon captain (Star Trek 3). This scene with Kirk voicing his deeply buried anger over his son’s murder was well written, explosive and dramatic, reflecting the many times in the series in which Kirk advocates moral decency. The book wraps up soon after this scene with Kirk & McCoy reflecting on the morals, or lack thereof, of the Klingon code of honour.

This was another great novel with a lot of intrigue and some good action scenes. There’s some variety among the story’s settings and characters, helping to keep scenes fresh. I felt that the writing style was a bit overly complex and that it could stand to be slimmed down, somewhat, also some characters don’t have much presence, such as McCoy and Chekhov. Overall, however, quite an enjoyable read that fits in well with the events during the Star Trek movies. Recommended for intermediate or advanced readers.

March 31, 2016 0 comments

Comics Movies

Batman vs Superman: Dawn Of Justice: Review

by Hutch Morzaria March 29, 2016

written by Hutch Morzaria

Friday, March 25th allowed audiences to go watch, easily one of the most hyped comic book films of the year. Much has been speculated and dissected since it was announced almost two years ago. And why not? This is the first time, arguably the two biggest superheroes were in one movie together. Throw in the first film appearance of Wonder Woman and the importance is even more evident.

As if that wasn’t enough pressure, Warner Bros. and DC entertainment have been desperately trying to play catch up with Disney/Marvel due to film flops Green Lantern And Jonah Hex. But it’s the divisiveness of 2013’s Man Of Steel that really shook DC’s cinematic future. The people who loved it, loved it, and the people who hated it, really hated it. It’s box office return was strong enough to warrant more stories told in this same universe, with much of the same creative team behind it.

Batman v Superman is a direct answer and sequel to Man Of Steel, and one that is ultimately left in charge of setting the tone and launching the rest of the DC cinematic universe.

So how was it? Ultimately it could’ve ben better. Much better.

The Story:

A big problem for me. But let me start with the things I did like.

I liked that it tried. It took the source material seriously, and I think it was well intentioned in telling a good thought provoking story. There were some genuinely interesting philosophical points that the movie puts out there. Must there be a Superman? Can he truly be trusted? do the rewards outweigh the consequences of him being on Earth? There were a lot of excellent scenes debating that very subject featuring real world celebrities like Neil Degrasse Tyson. I enjoyed the scenes of Superman saving people while these debates went on. The set up of Batman’s story is also a plus for me. The flashbacks to the fight between Superman and Zod felt very important in setting the tone.Wonder Woman’s inclusion is a, sort-of plus. More on that later. The introduction to Batman was a great scene. Just subtle enough to excite you.

Now let’s see what wasn’t so good. It spent way to much time on useless scenes rather than building on character. Seriously, there was a lot of time jumps & dream sequences. They did not help the movie go forward at all. In fact they helped to take you OUT of the plot.

ANY of the dream sequences ( except the first) would’ve worked better as a secret ending. I would have been hyped if that was the case. The rest of the Easter eggs were just awkward and weird. ( Flash, Aquaman, Cyborg.)

You can tell this movie had too many cooks in one kitchen. It has various threads it’s trying to connect but that seldom pay off. It’s unfocused, which leads to plot holes that become widely apparent. For example ( SPOILERS) almost anything to do with the Kryptonite spear. Clark talking to his Dad?? Huh?

Let’s not forget the mess this movie had with character motivations. Batman/ Bruce Wayne spends most of the film distrusting, and flat out hating Superman. He even goes as far as to plan on destroying him. It doesn’t seem to factor in that Superman does do true good in the world or that Alfred repeatedly tells him ” He is not our enemy.” No, his mind is made up and stopping Superman may even end up being Batman’s legacy.

That’s why the reason for them teaming up at the end is so weak and unbelievable. It took about 2 mins for Batman to forgive all and go on Superman’s side. We spent more than two hours building and solidifying a genuine reason for Batman to want to fight Superman but in 2 mins, all that is moot. All it took was Superman talking. A conversation that could’ve easily happened at the beginning of the fight. But no, Batman didn’t want to hear it and Superman didn’t seem to care enough to mention it. Lazy writing at it’s worst.

You might hear the word ” shoe-horned” from a lot of people when this movie comes up, and for good reason. Too many things were added to this movie unnecessarily. Doomsday never should’ve been in the movie. The references to future movies were way too on the nose. Even the inclusion of Wonder Woman felt rushed. ANd honestly, do we need another scene showing us Bruce Wayne’s parents being murdered? I really doubt anyone going to see this movie hasn’t at least heard of the origin of Batman. The dialogue wasn’t particularly bad but it wasn’t spectacular either. ( BIG SPOILER) a big shock was having Superman ” die” in the movie. Anyone who read ” Death Of Superman” would be familiar with the fact that Doomsday kills Superman. Why introduce this in this particular movie? Why not build up to it 3 or 4 movies down the line?

Besides, we all know that Superman won’t stay dead. Forget the very end of he movie for a second. Think about the fact that Man Of Steel sequels are in the works plus, don’t forget Justice League. Can you imagine having Justice League without Superman? No, i can’t either.

Is the movie serious and dark? Yes it is. Is that a problem? Yes and no. I like my movies to be of a more serious tone, but not if that is uninteresting and uninspired.

The Action:

This proved to be the movies true positive point. But not by much. The actual fight between Superman and Batman is satisfying. I wished it would have been longer or more impactful. It did homage Frank Miller’s TDKR a lot. Maybe a little too much. The fight’s looked great. Zack Snyder does have an eye for action sequences, I’ll give him that.

The best fight scene for me was hands down, Batman’s solo fight scene in the warehouse. WOW. Brutal and visceral. We’ve never seen Batman have a fight like that in ANY film. It was the most fun of the movie.

The fight scene with Batman, Supeman, Wonder Woman vs Doomsday was cool but forgettable. Mainly because the trailers ruined the best parts of it.

The Villain:

A disappointment is the only way I can put it. Lex Luthor and Doomsday were wasted in this. Especially Lex. We still have not had a great representation of Lex Luthor on the big screen. He was more Joker than he was Lex. Doomsday is powerful enough to have a movie all himself but he was all but an after thought here. An excuse to add ” drama” to the story and have all the heroes battle a common enemy.

The Acting:

For the most part, strong. I’l say that the actors worked with what they had. Most of the cast was one note, and that note was stoic. Only Jesse Eisenberg brought energy to the movie. Sure, he misrepresented his character but at least he provided a difference that the others did not.

Henry Cavil’s Superman was okay. He didn’t have much to say. He looked the part but he lacked charm and life. he was too wooden at times. I will say that he was better than I thought he was going to be.

Gal Gadot’s Wonder Woman was good when she didn’t speak too much. She looked great and her action sequences were solid. I had a positive reaction to seeing her on screen but when she spoke her acting wasn’t the best. Ultimately I still feel she was underutilized. If you’re going to put her in the film at all, you might as well use her.

Amy Adams was unspectacular. Her Lois Lane felt very undervalued here. She was supposed to be Superman’s anchor to humanity but we don’t really see that. Their relationship is supposed to be one of ultimate love, but again, we don’t see it. What we do get is a lot of Lois being saved by Superman. She does return the favor to him but its not enough.

Of course, everyone was wondering how Ben Affleck would be as Batman? He was damn good. But hang on a sec!

I’m not simply jumping on the bandwagon and saying that. A lot of credit has to go to the people who designed the Bat suit, and even to Zack Snyder himself. Whenever Batman’s on screen he looks awesome. He’s intimidating as hell.

I think Ben Affleck as Bruce Wayne was good. Nothing really grabbed me but he was good. Batman was awesome but I keep thinking how much of that is Ben Affleck and how much of it is the awesome suit? I think a lot it is the suit. But there’s no denying that he did kick ass as Batman.

I don’t like the fact that he outright murders people in this movie. That’s a big deal to me. Don’t give me the excuse that it’s ” manslaughter”. Bullshit. He kills with reckless abandon, period. considering the backlash that Man Of Steel got for Superman killing Zod you’d think that Warner Bros. wouldn’t have gone done this road with Batman. Maybe average movie goers don’t care about things like this but I feel it’s incredibly important.

Also, why the Bat branding? That is totally pointless and unnecessary. It does nothing that adds to the character so why bring it in?

Overall:

Batman v Superman turns out to be a narrative mess with too many plot threads that don’t go anywhere. The characters are not built strong enough and they lack any real substance.

The action is noteworthy but it doesn’t make up for a dull story. Sadly this movie was a desperate attempt to fast track the DC cinematic universe. They are simply not taking the time to discover their characters at a positive pace.

This only leads to one conclusion. Zack Snyder has got to go. He’s an excellent visual director but he doesn’t execute story well and he doesn’t get these characters. He claims to be a big comic book fan and wants to represent these characters right but he fails to do so.

Superman shouldn’t be as dark and jaded as Batman. He can be in a dark world but he doesn;t have to echo that world. He needs to rise above it and help humanity understand that there is a better way. He has to provide hope for the hopeless, not just by action, but by words. Superman has a voice. IN this movie he had no voice. It’s never been that way in comics and even in film. He is a man of the people. He doesn’t shy away from the spotlight, he embraces it. He is the spokesman of all Metahuman/ superheroes out there. Batman dwells in the shadows and gets things done on a grounded level. That works for Batman, not Superman.

Where is the clash of ideologies? There is plenty of action and fighting, but where’s the moral conflict that should’ve been explored? Episode 3 of Marvel’s Daredevil is everything Batman v Superman should’ve been.

The clash of ideologies between Daredevil and Punisher are explored, both physically and morally. There is genuine depth and substance behind their battle. You see it from both their perspectives, at least you should see it. That’s what good writing should force the viewer to do. Question things. Question your own beliefs and morals.

Batman v Superman tried to do that but they were ultimately more interested in setting up their frchise and having Superman and Batman bash their brains in. It’s a shame because there was so much potential.

March 29, 2016 3 comments

Comics Television

Daredevil: Season 2 review: Part 1

by Hutch Morzaria March 22, 2016

written by Hutch Morzaria

Superhero fans everywhere rejoice. Daredevil: Season 2 has finally arrived and Batman VS Superman comes out at the end of this month. For now let’s take a look at the first six episodes of Daredevil:Season 2. There are a lot of new additions to Matt’s universe but are all of them good? Let’s dive in.

The Pros:

Something that immediately hits you in this new season is it’s change of pace. Season 1 waited a decent amount of time for Daredevil and Kingpin to meet face to face. Not this time. Daredevil meets his antagonist in the first episode. It’s also nice to things already established in the world. Daredevil is Daredevil. He wears the suit and business is booming for Nelson & Murdock. Having these things in place are especially satisfying for the comic book fans out there because this opens the door for new and fresh stories with the characters they know and love.

Thankfully the creators of the show start season 2 on the right story thread. The Punisher. His inclusion into this world is a definite pro. Actor, Jon Bernthal plays him in a way that no actor has before, and believe me they’ve tried. Punisher becomes Daredevil’s new biggest problem. There is a war on the streets and Punisher is the man behind it. However, he’s not killing just anyone. Punisher has his sights set on disposing of the criminal element that dwells within Hell’s Kitchen. Vigilante justice on a whole new scale.

The question that quickly comes up is then if Daredevil’s appearance in Hell’s Kitchen led to men like the Punisher stepping in and taking the law into his own hands. It’s a interesting premise and one that certainly has merit, as Matt begins to find out for himself. Morality plays a major factor in this season, thus far. Is justice something that is so important one must take it into their own hands? Does the system work? And the most interesting question of all, is the preservation of life sacred no matter what? Is killing ever acceptable?

Episode 3 is a fantastic example of two schools of thought on the latter subject. It presents the argument in the form of a tense conversation. Both men are impassioned in their conviction and both make clear cases for what really is the ” right” way to do things. Daredevil and Punisher duke it out more than once in this season but I felt it their war of words that had the most impact.

Episode 3 also gave us some fantastic action scenes. Few can forget the single-shot hallway fight scene in season 1, but this season’s big fight sequence may have topped it. Longer and dare I say, more impressive.

Punisher Eventually comes off more as an anti hero around the episode 4 mark. The introduction of the Irish mob gives us our new antagonists, and thanks to it’s particularly sadistic Mob boss, it’s clear cut. These guys don’t mess around. ( SPOILER) This forces Daredevil and Punisher to briefly team up and I’ll admit , I had a minor nerdgasim for those moments.

Episodes 5 and 6 focus more on Elektra. Punisher is still in the mix but it’s Elektra’s turn to shine. In two episodes actress Élodie Yung, makes Jennifer Garner’s version look like the performance of a bad cosplayer. It’s amazing what a stark difference there is in quality. It astounds me even more that the makers of the Dardevil films could get her character so wrong. Nevertheless back to Élodie Yung and her version of Elerktra.

I thought that taking the focus away from Punisher might be a mistake but Elektra turns out to be a more than worthy character. Her history with Matt gives her an edge we don’t see with other characters, except for Stick( Daredevil’s mentor and teacher). She knows him mentally, physically and sexually. Or rather, she did. Their relationship is fascinating and I suspect it will be explored further in the coming episodes.

Another pro is Foggy. His character feels far more comfortable in his shoes. I liked him in season 1 but I feel he is much more balanced thus far.

All and all the cinematography is great and most of the performances are good while these three below are outstanding. This season looks well on it’s way to be awesome.

The Cons:

Not a lot to complain about really. Punisher had a few moments that I asked myself ” really”? One in particular is his ( SPOILER) not guilty plea. I don’t see any logical reason why he would do this. Once you get to it you’ll see what I mean.

The biggest con would have to be Karen Page. Simlair to season 1, her motives and reasoning are all over the place. I find this, and her to be quite annoying at times. One second she states she’s terrified of being target practice for a lunatic with a gun, the next second she wants to ” save” someone in the middle of a massive shootout. She breaks into , said lunatic’s house looking for evidence?? She does all this alone, I might add. WHY? Doesn’t make sense to me.

Other than that, not much else to complain about.

Stay tuned for part 2 of my review of Daredevil: Season 2!

March 22, 2016 2 comments

Movies

Deadpool: Movie Review

by Hutch Morzaria February 16, 2016

written by Hutch Morzaria

The last time Marvel’s merc with a mouth was on the big screen was 2009’s , “Wolverine: Origins” movie. Not exactly a faithful representation. In fact it was almost the opposite of anything close to a faithful representation. One thing that most fans agreed on was the casting of Ryan Reynolds.

It seems that “Wolverine: Origins” allowed Reynolds to channel enough of Deadpool to allow fans to accept his return to the character in this year’s version, simply titled ” Deadpool”.

So how does Fox’s second crack at this character hold up?… Thankfully, much better, but let’s dive in deeper.

The Story:

This is a tricky one to tackle. There are pro’s and con’s that must be discussed. The plot itself, is very weak. It’s almost too straightforward. It goes from A to B to C etc. If that movie wasn’t so fun I guess that would be a much larger problem. This movie is almost totally character driven. They give you Deadpool in spades and damn, if it isn’t entertaining. It’s a far cry from almost any comic book movie that’s ever been done. It’s very self aware and does not hold anything back. Seriously, they went for it. It makes fun of everything including itself, all while leaving behind a trail of blood and guts. In a way, this is the kind of movie that the over saturated world of comic movies needed. Like a big kick in the nuts.

One important note: This is NOT for kids. It’s R rating is well deserved. Swearing and nudity are aplenty here along with said blood and guts.

The dialogue is cutthroat and delivered with wit and confidence. Deadpool is a snarky ex mercenary who kills with gleeful abandon. In other words, he’s exactly s he should be. Not only is the costume right, he’s right, which let’s many comic nerds breathe a collective sigh of relief. The movie’s sharp script made it endlessly quotable. after the movie was done, my friends and I began shooting off our favorite lines from the movie. I will say that it has a dark humor to it that may put off some, but if that’s your thing you’ll find it hilarious. I guess the best way to describe the story is by saying that, while the story is simple and predictable, the execution is not. The journey to get there is fun and different enough to look past it’s narrative deficiencies. Don’t expect anything deep and thought provoking.

The Action:

This is a definite plus for this movie. Most of the time it’s simultaneously brutal, visceral and funny. Sort of like the movie ” Kick Ass”. When I think about it more, its the corporate version of that movie, which almost makes it more impressive because it’s playing with a lot more fire. Nevertheless, back to the action.

It’s well choreographed and the stunts are impressively executed. Deadpool’s gross out fighting style works well for him but he’s not invincible. Well, due to the nature of his powers, he kind of is, but what I really mean is that he can get hit. Oh yes, he gets hit, stabbed, blown up, maimed, you name it. He’s like an annoying version of Wolverine!

It has a hint of old school martial arts film styles to go with it’s modern sensibility. It’s over the top, with a ton of sword play. Overall, “Deadpool” is Fox’s best movie for action to date.

The Villain:

We get to the achilles heel of almost any Marvel, or Marvel related production, although this time it could be worse.

I actually found the villain, simply called ” Francis”, quite effective in many ways. Very hatable and just intimidating enough. His motivations were very weak and his back story was as generic as it gets but I could live with him. I wish they would’ve plucked someone with a little more comic ilk behind him. In the end he didn’t really feel like a match for the titular character.

Overall, not bad, not great. Just, okay.

The Acting:

While it’s fair to not expect Oscar caliber acting, no movie gets a pass for this in my book. I am happy to say that the acting here was fairly strong and enjoyable. There are a lot of outlandish things the actors have to say and do. This requires good chops and a hell of a lot of conviction. Is is a home run every time? No, but it’s pretty consistent.

Ryan Reynolds is the clear star here, carrying the movie on his shoulders. Really, if his performance wasn’t good, this movie would crumble. At times he reminded me of Jim Carrey. I could easily see Carrey in the role when he was younger.

Deadpool, as a character may get tiresome and annoying at times, but it’s not totally due to Reynolds. Well, sometimes it is but not MOST of the time. To be fair, I was never a big fan of his, so I may be a tad biased,

The rest of the cast is pretty solid. They all play there parts convincingly and support Reynolds very well. My favorite character in the movie other than Deadpool, has to be Colossus. I think they nailed him here! He looked great and he they finally gave him a thick Russian accent. It was like watching an adult version of the 90’s X-men cartoon come to life. So delightfully chessy, but in a good way. Take note, Bryan Singer, this is how Colossus should be! Of course, I would like to see a deeper side to him but perhaps the X-men movies will give us that.

Overall, 2016’s Deadpool is a fun raunchy comic book romp that is sure to please Deadpool fan boys. Will it make my favorite comic book moves of all time? Probably not. It’s lack of depth and fairly mundane plot are enough to prevent it from being a ” great” film. I understand it’s not meant to be, but I have to find a connecting point when it comes to these movies. I couldn’t totally connect with Mr. Wade Wilson. That has more to do with the movie itself. The fact that I’ve never really connected to Deadpool as a character is likely more the reason. I take these characters seriously, and a movie like this tends to bother me at times, but maybe thats the point. To not take these, over the top goofy characters so seriously. Have fun with them, exploit them even. But I fear that going to far on those ends risks discrediting all the material besides Deadpool, as simple comic book fluff. Will The person watching a Captain America film, now see it in the same way? I don’t have the answer but let’s hope there’s room for all types of comic book movies out there. So go take it for what it is and see for yourself. You’ll enjoy the hell out of it more if you do.

February 16, 2016 1 comment

Books SciFi Television

Expand your expectations with “The Expanse”

by Hutch Morzaria February 10, 2016

written by Hutch Morzaria

Having gone to school for Television Writing, I have a decently sizeable social circle of snobby boob tube connoisseurs. One would assume that some discourse surrounding Syfy’s The Expanse would be generated in the vicinity of my presence (A.K.A. Facebook)…

But no one’s talking about it!

I suppose it should come as no surprise. Who the hell has Syfy on their HD Box plans? (It’s a joke Syfy, please don’t send me your army of bodacious female Korean hackers!)

Regardless, The Expanse is a great show overall. Hard to follow at times, especially to those who have not read the same-titled source material by James S.A. Corey (insert-embarrassed-emoticon). Beyond that, however, the show has some legitimate qualities that place it in the realm of “give-it-a-chance”ness. All it would take from the viewer’s part is an expansion of their expectations.

Mélanged Genre

Wikipedia describes The Expanse as a “space opera/ mystery science fiction”. I would say that this unholy trifecta of genres– space opera, noir, science fiction— while an intimidating mix, is an accurate take on the show’s voice. After all, as we have all come to know in our late night essay-writing moments, if it is written on Wikipedia… it must be so.

Without giving away spoilers, the show takes place in the vast reaches of space 200 years into the future and has elements of “whoddunits” as the three protagonists– more on them later– try to unravel the conspiracy that threatens to initiate a solar system-wide war. In an era where each of the following—Dune, Star Trek, Fire-renity, Xeno-Gears-Saga-Blade, Gundam, Star Wars—has a dedicated audience, this title merits its own. The Expanse falls under the sensibilities of what made those other titles so alluring—the possibilities of space, of the known-yet-unknown and articulating all these in a compelling mystery.

And it works.

Good story telling but not Great

By no means should the replacement of “Good” over “Great” detract potential viewers from giving the show a chance, as “Good” might potentially turn out to be “Great” after all.

The Expanse has a very intricate tri-protagonist way of telling its story. The audience follows three characters with awesome names: 1) Josephus Aloisus Miller (played by Thomas Jane), a cop born in one of the Asteroid Belt colonies who investigates the disappearance of a rich girl-turned-terrorist for the oppressed, 2) Crisjen Avasarala (Shoreh Aghdashloo), a peace-goaled big shot on Earth serving as one of the U.N.’s political figures (officially dubbed, “Deputy Undersecretary of Executive Administration” but let’s be real… neither of us know what that means), and 3) an officer of a space ice freighter by the awesomest name of… (eyeroll) James Holden (Steven Strait) whose story arc will not be revealed here—lest you want the first episode to be spoiled. Suffice it to say, his arc is directly connected to the plot points of the other two and it involves bad things happening to those who make the right decisions.

Perhaps due in part to the show’s tri-partite viewpoints, what really speaks volumes to the story telling style is that not everything is revealed in a convenient sequence of expository scenes. I would argue that, while necessary world-pertinent information is revealed early on, a lot of the plot-pertinent information is revealed in the middle of the series. Traditionally high-stakes act breaks are then more identifiable in the earlier and later episodes.

But what does this mean? For one thing, the viewer is left to do a lot of latent thinking, a lot of connecting the subtleties between episodes that may not have appeared significant at first glance.

In other words, viewers must go beyond traditional story telling and work a little for their prize. There is in essence, a great story here, but it must be “found”. Believe me when I say, “Every scene has its purpose,” even the ones involving the uncle and nephew (for those who have seen the show).

Believability

I was neither a Science nor Astronomy major, so if you happen to be either of those, best to ignore this following spiel… lest you yearn that I be shamed for my attempts at haughty space-oriented discussion. In that case, go for broke!

Nevertheless, the way I see it, The Expanse beats some of the other abovementioned Space Opera titles in the believability department.

Two things in the world of The Expanse. First, people born on space colonies outside of Earth actually grow to look like malnourished giants with hollowed bones. I don’t know whether this is a scientifically reasonable assumption to make but I do know that environment plays a significant role in shaping processes of human growth and evolution. Humans shouldn’t have the good fortune of looking like Asian pop stars like they do in the Gundam space colonies.

Secondly—and possibly the most important argument in this entry—the Asteroid Belters’ Patois! The show has received a lot of criticism for this added depth. But how cool is it that 30% of the actors in this show were pretty much forced to speak a creolized English with which they were most likely unfamiliar? Can you imagine the whiny arguments that took place between actor and director?

“Cut! Do it again!”

“Wah gwan bredren? Me so dinnae do again ye piece’a gobshite, ye!”

Point is, languages in isolated areas do appropriate from the root language and shape it into something different over time, perhaps as a means of collective redefinition. Ireland, Scotland, Jamaica, Singapore—despite the degree in linguistic differences in these areas, the residents still speak… well, English. It’s the same for the Patois in the Asteroid Belt. Although, why this isn’t Miller’s quotidian lingua is beyond me.

What are you waiting for?

Okay so, I am fully aware that despite the lack of explanation, the space colonies and ship vessels in The Expanse need a LOT of energy to sustain themselves (what is their source?), not to mention large horticultural sectors to keep their oxygen-reliant organisms alive… but… … sssshhhhhh… let’s just… just… yeah.

So the show is still not 100% believable, not 100% cohesive, not 100% anything, really.

Because science fiction.

What I can appreciate about this show is its daring boldness at making its world a tiny bit more believable, its story a bit more challenging, and its voice a bit more muddled and unconventional. At least in comparison to some of the other titles in its genre(s).

So what are you waiting for? Get lost in the world, get confused in the Patois, and waste more time than usual in making links to its divergent story line. Those who find it difficult to take this last extra step… the show just finished its first season, so binge watch away!!!

Er, I mean, wait till your subscription-based streaming provider acquires it in its library… yes…

February 10, 2016 0 comments

Doctor Who Television

The Ashildr Paradox: Why the Doctor Refused to Let “Me” in the TARDIS

by Hutch Morzaria January 14, 2016

written by Hutch Morzaria

Season 9 of Doctor Who gave us some of Peter Capaldi’s absolute best moments as the Twelfth Doctor. Coming hot off the heels of the incredibly tense, claustrophobic brilliance of Under the Lake, we crashed right into “The Girl Who Died”—and with it, one of the most tragic character arcs of the Moffat era: Ashildr (played brilliantly by Maisie Williams).

But her story leaves a massive, lingering question for fans: after saving her life and rendering her immortal, why did the Doctor refuse to let her travel with him in the TARDIS?

The show never spells it out with a convenient exposition dump, but if we dig into the established lore, the answer is hiding in plain sight. It all comes back to a handsome, flirtatious Time Agent from the Russell T. Davies era.

The Captain Jack Precedent

To understand Ashildr, we have to look at Captain Jack Harkness. At the end of Season 1, Rose Tyler absorbed the Time Vortex and resurrected Jack, accidentally making him immortal. And what did the Ninth Doctor do? He ran away, leaving Jack stranded on Satellite 5.

It wasn’t until the Tenth Doctor’s era that we finally got an explanation for the abandonment. When Jack confronted the Doctor about being left behind, the Time Lord’s response was visceral:

“I can’t help it. I’m a Time Lord. It’s instinct; it’s in my guts. You’re a fixed point in time and space; you’re a fact. That’s never meant to happen. Even the TARDIS reacted against you, tried to shake you off. Flew all the way to the end of the universe just to get rid of you.”

This is the fundamental rule of Time Lord biology and TARDIS mechanics: they are physically repulsed by unnatural immortality. Jack was a walking paradox. His very existence was an anomaly that threatened the fabric of space and time, and the TARDIS—a sentient, hyper-dimensional machine—flat-out refused to tolerate him.

A Mirror to His Own Arrogance

Ashildr is cut from the exact same paradoxical cloth, with one heartbreaking difference: the Doctor did this to her himself.

Unlike Jack, whose immortality was a cosmic accident caused by Rose, Ashildr’s eternal life was the direct result of the Doctor’s own grief and hubris. She was supposed to die. By jamming a Mire medical chip into her head, the Doctor rewrote a fixed event. He turned a young Viking girl into a permanent, unkillable fixture of the universe.

If the TARDIS couldn’t stomach Jack, it certainly wasn’t going to tolerate Ashildr. But on a deeper, psychological level, the Doctor couldn’t stomach her either. Having her in the TARDIS would mean staring at his own worst mistake every single day. She is the ultimate reminder of what happens when Time Lords push too far and break the rules of the universe just because they can.

The Diner TARDIS Loophole

Of course, this is Doctor Who, a show built on wibbly-wobbly exceptions to the rules. If Ashildr is a paradox that a TARDIS will instinctively reject, how on earth do we explain the finale of Season 9?

At the climax of Hell Bent, we see Ashildr flying away to explore the universe with Clara Oswald in a stolen TARDIS disguised as a 1950s American diner. How does that work?

There are a few ways to justify it. First, the Diner TARDIS is a completely different (and likely older) model than the Doctor’s Type 40, meaning its safety protocols or sentient aversions might not be the same. Second, a TARDIS’s personality is deeply linked to its pilot. The Doctor’s TARDIS shares his Time Lord instincts; Clara’s stolen TARDIS might not.

But the most compelling explanation? Clara is a paradox, too.

At that point in the story, Clara has been extracted from the exact moment of her death. She has no pulse, she doesn’t age, and she is frozen between heartbeats. The Diner TARDIS isn’t just carrying one immortal anomaly; it’s carrying two. It is essentially a ghost ship piloted by the dead, operating entirely outside the normal laws of time. A TARDIS full of paradoxes might just cancel itself out.

Ultimately, the Doctor left Ashildr behind because he had to. She wasn’t a companion; she was a consequence. And as much as the Doctor loves running, he knows you can never outrun a fixed point in time.

January 14, 2016 0 comments

Television

The Abominable Bride

by Hutch Morzaria January 8, 2016

written by Hutch Morzaria

While this site has primarily been focused on the more Scientific and Fantastic elements of the world, I’d be remiss if I missed the latest episode of Sherlock (it’s only been 2 years – but who’s counting). After all, I am a SuperWhoLock fan & I’m guessing so are you!

While the biggest complaint I have for Sherlock – which I’m sure is echoed by many – is its lack of continuity – i.e. the huge gap in between seasons, not so much in the story itself, the addition of a Christmas Special was a good way to help tide the gap between seasons. Sadly with Benedict Cumberbatch going the way of Hollywood (you do know he’s the next Doctor Strange in the Marvel Universe don’t you?) I expect that this gap will not get any shorter and we might have to either say adieu to him as the titular character or get used to even longer gaps between seasons.

The Case at hand

Previous episodes and seasons of Sherlock have focused to a very large factor on the modern day era vs. how the character was actually written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. This episode, however, puts our characters into that long ago & bygone era and has us deal with a murder somewhat dissimilar to one we’ve grown accustomed to from our favorite sleuthing duo. The mystery of the story is that of the deceased Mrs. Ricoletti, who after randomly firing at people in the street blows the top of her head off with her last shot. Inspector Lestrade fearfully recounts how Mr. Ricoletti was murdered the evening after by… Mrs. Ricoletti. Sherlock takes the case but for several months, nothing happens until more deaths occur at the apparent hands of the vengeful Mrs. Ricoletti.

Mycroft & Lady Carmichael

When Sherlock meets his brother Mycroft, he puts him in contact with another victim of Mrs. Ricoletti and asks him to take the case. While Mycroft (who is massively corpulent) indicates that he’s already solved the case (and in fact informs Sherlock its a case that he MUST lose) he wants Sherlock to take it on to see if he comes up with a different solution. Mycroft makes a bet with Sherlock to see if he can solve it and Sherlock meets up with Lady Carmichael. Lady Carmichael recounts how her husband had seen the ghost of Mrs. Ricoletti in their garden and she’s frightened that he will be her next victim. Sherlock agrees to take the case and informs her that her husband will be protected. When Sherlock meets up with Eustace Carmichael, he denies any connection to Mrs. Ricoletti but is murdered soon after.

Watson and Sherlock had staked out the Carmichael’s country mansion. On the night of the murder they see an apparition of Mrs. Ricoletti, but Watson fails to pursue her. Sherlock becomes scared when a note is found on Eustace from Moriarty after he has inspected the body. Mycroft berates Sherlock for his failure in dealing with the case. That evening Sherlock takes a large amount of cocaine and undergoes a vision of Moriarty. After taunting Sherlock that he is more than a figment Moriarty again commits suicide by shooting himself in the head.

Moriarity & Sherlock

If you recall from Season 2 and the somewhat amazing finale, Moriarity was Sherlocks most able nemesis and he had seemingly killed himself at the end of the Season by committing suicide. Now while Sherlock himself seemingly plunged to his death at the conclusion of that season only to return from the beyond in Season 3, could Moriarity have also returned from the dead somehow? The conclusion or finale to Season 3 definitely seemed to imply that he had.

The Addict & the Abominable Bride

Sherlock as we’ve learned previously is not afraid of experimenting on himself with drugs if it will help him solve a case. Well in a twist that I wasn’t really expecting, it seems the whole case of the Abominable Bride was in fact Sherlock under the influence and in his mind palace trying to solve a long-dormant case! When he wakes up back in the plane, we realize that the case we’ve been following is something long lost to history – and while he’s not fully out of the woods in regards to his drug overdose, now that we understand why he’s in the Victorian era it starts to make sense, but in a somewhat sad way, we also lose the magic that was prevalent in that version of Holmes and Watson.

Sherlock then wakes up back in the Victorian age. At an abandoned church in the countryside Mary reveals she has been working for Mycroft trying to solve the case. In the church they discover a group of woman dressed as cultists. Sherlock reveals to them he knows how they faked Ricoletti’s suicide and used her haunting to go after men they deemed unworthy. They are the precursors to the woman’s sufferage movement and are trying to gain acceptance for women in society.

Now while the whole case might have been nothing more than a drug-induced coma, it does allow Sherlock to deduce (after a further confrontation with Moriarity at the Reichenbach falls) that Moriarity is truly dead. Someone else is using his likeness for their own nefarious purposes. This special episode of Sherlock is hard to judge. It is an improvement over season 3, but the fun and mystery of the first two season’s has yet to return. To sum things up, the first half hour of The Abominable Bride was a bit boring. Sure it was fun to see how Watson and Sherlock became friends in 1895 and how it mirrored the pilot episode. It was also fun to see how certain female characters were interwoven into the story. The Abominable Bride has a number of big reveals at the end. As a viewer I was only interested in one. How did Mrs. Ricoletti rise was from the grave to kill her husband after her apparent suicide. The revelations that she and her female conspirators left a dead look alike at the scene of the suicide felt novel. That they later on switched the body with that of the real Mrs. Ricoletti, who committed suicide just for the occasion, reminded me of the how good things were during the first two seasons.

Was this one of the better episodes? … well compared to Season 1 and 2, probably not. It was good as a standalone episode, and was also generally better than most of Season 3, however the best part of the episode was probably simply the return to our screens of Sherlock and Watson!

January 8, 2016 2 comments

Movies Television

Ash vs Evil Dead – Bound in Flesh/ The Dark One

by Hutch Morzaria January 4, 2016

written by Hutch Morzaria

The episodes ‘Bound in Flesh’ and ‘The Dark One’ also take place at the haunted cabin, so I’m sure all the Ghostbeaters out there got their fill this season.

At the start of ‘Bound in Flesh’ was a great moment with Pablo & Kelly trying to tell Ash apart from his evil twin. They are then side-tracked when Pablo & Kelly have to divert hikers away from the cabin, where they are confronted by Amanda who has been reanimated by dark forces. Her scene as a Deadite was likely the funniest moment in the show so far. They are saved from Amanda by Ruby who makes her entrance with a surprising acrobatic stunt. Ruby confronts Ash and insists that the only was to stop the dark forces is by performing a ritual to dismantle the Necronomicon, leading to a big twist in events. Ruby then reveals her true sinister intentions.

The episode ‘The Dark One’ begins with the cabin erupting with chaos. Deadite-Amanda seems to be gone from the series after she bursts into the cabin and Ash has to take her out. Ruby places Pablo under a spell and escapes into the basement with him and the Necronomicon. Ash and Kelly are determined to rescue Pablo, but the dark forces only allow Ash into the basement. The fruit cellar is just as faithful in design as the rest of the cabin. Ash has a really great moment here, dispatching a Deadite with the boom-stick and providing his best one-liner this season. He finds Ruby in the back room, forcing Pablo to help her summon creatures from the Necronomicon.

Ash initially seems to get the upper-hand, but with Pablo & Kelly’s lives at steak, he agrees to a compromise with Ruby. The season soon ends here. I won’t spoil the ending, but I will say that Ash certainly has his priorities in mind when he asks Ruby to include gas money in addition to their deal.

The first season gave me just what I wanted to see from this series. I can’t think of any jokes that didn’t hit their mark, even their groaningly lame group name, ‘The Ghostbeaters’, has grown to please fans. The creepy moments are genuinely effective and serve well to establish the horror elements. I’m still in disbelief that this show was made, if it had to stop right here I’d still be happy with what i got, because I had to see the show to believe it was for real. Bruce Campbell is immensely entertaining, I love the mystery that continues to surround the Necronomicon and the great humour you could only get from Bruce Campbell and The Evil Dead together. My reviews are pretty low on spoilers, so I hope some of you decide to check it out & enjoy. Hail to the king, baby!

January 4, 2016 0 comments

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