(film review) - Captain America: Brave New World

It has taken me a minute to finally sit down and write this review while I wrap my head around everything that has been going on in this movie and the TV show. I am sure some of you are wondering, well, it's a simple yes or no question as to whether you like the movie or not, and yes, that is correct, and yes, yes I did like the movie, but the movie is not without any flaws. There were reports that the movie was not testing well, so they had to reshoot scenes and make changes to the storyline. Sometimes I feel that hearing these things can paint the movie in a negative light with the fans who follow this type of information, which allows them to make their own unfair judgements, but with that said, you still should go into a movie you are interested in with an open mind. Something I did and well, the few problems I found with the movie were that there was not a real arc for the hero (main character), was it even a Captain America movie? and Disney are too "Gun-shy" rather than simply pulling the trigger on storylines and ideas. I'll explain.

The Captain America: Brave New World story picks up in either two places (depending on where you are with the MCU) after 'Avengers: End Game' or after 'The Falcon and The Winter Soldier' TV show (the storyline is after The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, but if the last thing you remember is, Steve Rogers giving the shield to Sam Wilson, then it should be no surprise to you that Sam is the new Captain America). An organisation by the name of 'The Serpent Society' is known to have stolen something from Japan, a material which comes from the former celestial being in the Indian Ocean now known as Celestial Island. Sam Wilson is tasked to recapture it, but after the successful mission and at the president's ball, Sam's friend, former Captain America (when Steve Rogers was on ice) Isaiah Bradley goes "rogue" and takes a shot at the now, president Thaddeus 'Thunderbolt' Ross which brings into question, what possessed Isaiah to do this, why and who is behind it all.

First off, this is a passable movie. I enjoyed it and found it entertaining, but the film falls short in many places. The storyline is fine, but it did not strike me as a Captain America movie. Having a member of the Serpent Society was fine, but that particular part of the storyline was lacklustre because they could have dug deeper into that with something a bit more compelling. They could have tied the serpent society to Hydra and the events of The Winter Soldier as fallout from that event, that would have been great if written well. The brains behind the mystery of the attempted assassination did not 1. belong in this movie, 2. serve as a great foil for Captain America. Isaiah Bradley was wasted. Isaiah Bradley has a Great backstory, only briefly touched on in the TV show 'The Falcon and the Winter Soldier', but Disney/Marvel did not want to go deeper and left it very surface-level. There are so many more untapped storylines there. They could have gone into the politics behind it all, all those years ago, that are still on the surface today and still presenting a problem. Some may say it is political, but is it? It would have been nice to see some flashbacks with Isaiah as well, that would have been great to see on film and for him to also suit up as an old man Cap, essentially. The long and short of the negatives is that the main villain should not have been used, the storyline was only ok but could have been better if they went deeper into the politics of a black man being Captain America. All that surface-level stuff is not cutting it. Thinking about it now, 'Doctor Strange: Multiverse of Madness' was also surface level. 'Thor: Love and Thunder' (everything to do with Gorr) was also surface level. I am starting to think that Marvel is losing their identity and forgetting where they came from. They used to take risks, but it seems the more money these films make, the more money they spend to make more, and take fewer and fewer risks.

So what was good? Well, like I said, the movie was good, serviceable and entertaining, I enjoyed it. The main villain should have looked better, but I liked what they did with them, more creepy than anything. The Hulk of it all was not too bad and allowed for a more savage rendition of a character we love and is known for in the earlier MCU films. All the characters were good and played their parts well. I did not like the Red Room participant in this one, until I did. And Anthony, as usual delivered a great performance along with Harrison. Harrison was dialled all the way in and he was not phoning it in at all. Even his story-arc was pretty decent over the many films the character has been in. Even the sidekick from the TV show was ok. Other side characters were decent/good, but it is just that, the film could have been better. Some of the dialogue was clunky and on top of a decent-than-excellent storyline, just makes you think, what happened? What were they going for with this initially?

Special effects, music, acting, it was all pretty good. I had not a single problem with the directing either as I feel Julius Onuh did a brilliant job. The fighting scenes were very good, and it allowed for The Falcon, now with a shield, to fight differently, unlike what we have seen him do before, which was great to see. Disney/Marvel seems to be dropping the ball on their political thrillers because if the movie were closer to The Winter Soldier, I can guarantee that people would be ranting and raving about this movie. It almost feels like the political thriller or something akin to The Winter Soldier is a one-and-done. They messed up with Secret Invasion and they messed up with this...But I guess we have to be thankful it was not close to the Secret Invasion TV show. We give thanks.

(episode review) - Invincible: Season 3 - Episode 6

 

'All I Can Say Is I'm Sorry' is the title of this episode, which may stand out to be one of those classic episodes where it demonstrates to the audience that there are multiple layers to this storyline. The fact that they have Aaron Paul from Breaking Bad fame who can easily play a character who is in pain, suffering, distraught, angry and several intense emotions is why PowerPlex is a perfect fit for him. This season continues to show that life is not simply black and white and that there are shades of grey, and through Oliver, among other scenarios, we continue to explore the shades of grey in life and the choices we make. Someone can do good and then do bad, but it does not make them either good or bad, as they could well be in the middle or lean to one side more but occasionally do the opposite. Because they did one bad thing, does that now make them bad when they are mostly good and vice versa? People have their reasons as to why they do what they do, and sometimes, as a child, you are not going to understand the complexities of people until you are grown enough to understand.

Although in this episode we have small scenes with Debbie's new boyfriend Paul, Rex-Splode and Shrinking Rae, Monster-Girl and Rudy, the episode mostly focuses on a man named Scott and the grief he is dealing with, leading to the choices he makes. The episode starts with a short flashback to events seen in season one that gives us his backstory, and thereafter, we continue through the life of this person following the choices they make and the grief they are dealing with. The stored and built-up anger continues to lead Scott to not be reasoned with as they slip deeper and deeper into the darkness of their grief, whilst, ironically, he is the only person in the episode who provides light. Towards the end of the episode, actions are taken that lead to a dark and horrific scene but leaves Mark unable to restore what has been lost and can only say "I'm sorry". In between the fights and the drama of this episode, we have a nice moment with Rudy and Monster-Girl where Rude attempts to assist her, only if she allows it, and Rex and Rae have a conversation about the future. It's simply great writing. Mark is going through it, and although he is having trouble trying to get over his father's actions, he cannot seem to escape them and the destruction he caused to towns and families.

(episode review) - Paradise: Episode 7

 

This show. THIS SHOW! So, as you know, I saw the posters for this show and I did not think much of it. I really do like Sterling K. Brown, but damn, he really does know how to act. If you have not seen the show, 'This Is Us', you are truly missing out on his acting abilities. Anyway, despite knowing full well what is about to go down (maybe not in all the detail, but you know the end result), this episode was so well-written and so well-acted. I felt tense and stressed through the entirety of this episode. Sterling is absolutely great in this episode, and just when you think, "how much acting does James Marsden need to do considering...", well, James was equally just as good. I'll try to break it down without spoilers.

So if you are fully caught up by now, Xavier wants to get to the bottom of who has killed the President and also take Sinatra down because they are definitely up to something. But with the flashbacks in this episode called "The Day", we get to see what has happened, how, the reactions and the impact on the world and the people in it. To say the acting in this episode was not the finest would be a lie. I squeeled or something. It wasn't a shout or a gasp, it wasn't quite a scream, I was not scared or frightened, but there was a reaction in this episode that made me wake the neighbours. I do not know who to trust. I definitely do not trust Sinatra, but what if they have been the "good guy" all along? I have a lot of questions! Tune in next week on....

...great move to make this episodic because this is how you build momentum for your show. Well done.

(trailer review) - Thunderbolts*

The previous trailer was something to get your mouth wet, but this trailer is the meal. This trailer gives you soo much more whilst also giving you nothing at all other than clues to read between the lines. Also this trailer is money well spent for the SB. This Big Game knocks it out of the park and if you were not already interested in this movie, chances are, you are now.

From what I get from the trailer, Val wants to put together a team as the Avengers are not around or together as a team. When the government or her shadowy arm of the government try to replicate the Super Soldier serum, they try it on Bob who is not a stable individual as it goes and he becomes The Sentry who has a dual identity and The Void is let loose and this "team" had to come together to stop him. This is all speculation from my end when I think of thus and the previous trailer. Also, like how this trailer highlights, who do these people take on someone who is like a Thor (or Superman [more accurately] since The Sentry is essentially Marvel's Superman). These group of "heroes" brought together by Bucky Barnes, are required to stop the threat. Let's see if they succeed, especially as they are likely seen as expendable.

(episode review) - Invincible: Season 3 - Episode 1, 2 & 3

This show is a show that caught a lot of the non-comic book readers off guard. That first episode in the first season is truly unforgettable. Everything is going great, and then that turn made you wonder, "What am I watching?" The last episode in the first season has been seared into the minds of all who watched and witnessed the brutality this cartoon had to offer. A simple demonstration that human life is fragile if you are not a superhero or better yet, a Viltrumite. Now, we are into our third season. The second season felt a little rushed to me. Everything with Angstrom Levi felt too quick-paced, and maybe it was the number of episodes or the variety of storylines they were running with, but although the season was really good, the writing and delivery for me felt rushed. Season two seemed to fly by in a blink, and although it was nice to have the Atom-Eve special before the season started, nothing really stood out apart from the baby, the rage in the last episode and the Allen the Alien separate storyline, since there was a dedicated almost full episode dedicated to him which was really cool, own theme music and all. This third season is really, really well thought out and so far, really good. Maybe they starting the 3rd season off with 3 episodes could be due to the second season not being as well received, but whatever their reasons are, well done.

The first episode shows us Mark training with Cecil to get his strength up for the arrival of the Viltrumites, but when Doc Seizemic escapes and captures all the superheroes, including Mark and Eve, Cecil sends in Darkwing II and Reanimen to help. This obviously angers Mark due to who creates the reanimen and the history there, and the new Darkwing was never always a hero. Mark finds out first-hand what Cecil is capable of. In between the action and drama between Mark and Cecil, Mark confronts Eve about his time with Angstrom and her future self, Shrinking Rae rejoins the Guardians of the Globe and Allen and Nolan bond whilst they are held captive.

The second episode shows us a few flashbacks relating to Cecil on a mission taking down a couple of people with powers leaving him scarred, only to later see those same individuals being used to help assist him in another mission leaving Cecil to question what is really at stake and what needs to be done to keep the world safe from threats. In present day, Cecil deploys Reanimen to fight Mark, but when they prove to be no match for him, Cecil sets off a sound, crippling Mark leaving him to flee to seek help from the Guardians of the Globe where a huge fight ensues between all of them and Cecil leading the Guardians to break up. Mark vows to kill Cecil if he comes near him or his family again.

The third episode shows us Mark and his younger brother, Oliver, getting a new suit. Mark spends time trying to train Oliver whilst also trying to keep him away from joining the fight and getting into danger. The Mauler twins break into a Missle Silo and both Mark and Oliver try to stop them and the missle leading to Oliver taking the fight with the twins into his own hands. Between the action and drama of this episode, we have a short storyline with two criminals who rob banks, Titan is tasked to break out Multi-Paul from a supervillain prison on demands from an organisation called 'The Order', Debbie goes on a date with her work colleague Paul (another Paul, not Multi-Paul) and we find out that someone is spying on the Grayson family using drones.

These three episodes set the tone of what is to come and the overall theme for this season. It seems to me that the ongoing theme is the "choices we make" because episode one ended with a choice Cecil made to protect the guardians who will, in turn, protect the globe. The choice(s) in episode two are with the guardians choosing to break up and follow the side they leaned into, Mark or Cecil, whilst at the same time, Cecil makes the choice to put these measures in place to stop threats to the globe as well as working with former bad people having given them rehabilitation, a lesson learnt from his past. Episode three centres around choices various people make in this episode. The two bank robbers make several choices at the beginning of the episode. Mark makes a choice to teach his younger brother how to be a superhero, which goes drastically wrong, and Debbie makes the choice to tell her new boyfriend her secrets in an effort to be more open.

The season has been stellar so far, and I love how they seem to paint out the world as not being only black and white, but there are shades of grey. Cecil is a prime example of someone who is good but operates in shades of grey. Mark is a black or white person at this point because he only knows good and bad. His way of thinking is, if you are good, why would you place "back-up" or "contingency plans" for someone you work with? You either trust them or you do not. But we are learning with Cecil. Cecil will trust you until he doesn't, and he will have a back-up plan for when he stops trusting you. People will be people, and people are flawed, alien or not. If the end of episode one was not enough to inform you that you need to stay ready at all times, I do not know what is, and Cecil will do whatever it takes. Mark is justified in feeling the way he feels, but not being able to see the nuances in people, aliens or the choices that we all make is leading him to stay ignorant and not think objectively. Last season, Mark spent a lot of the season moping around concerned he does not want to turn into his father due to what he had done, but cannot see why the very same people who trusted his father (to an extent) and worked with his father saw what he did and would he could possibly do on a grand scale, and decided to put measures in place. It will be interesting to see where this season goes, especially with that post-credits stinger of whom I believe to be Angstrom Levi "back from the dead".  Excellent three episodes.

(trailer review) - Final Destination: Bloodlines

 

I am not sure if there is a reason as to why this is labelled a teaser trailer rather than giving us a normal trailer, but considering how short it is, it is definitely a short trailer for a franchise that has been played out and nobody asked for. Final Destination? Who asked for this? I honestly feel like, after film 3, has anyone cared about how death was coming for people anymore? Didn't film 4 tie into film 1? Or was it film 5? Wasn't there a final final destination as well, and now this is the "relaunching" of the Franchise? It will be very interesting to see what the Box Office numbers are with this one because the franchise must still make money to warrant this, or at least, they have a few creative ideas for how death will come for people, but as for the trailer itself...

We have a young man sitting at the end of his shift or day finishing up in what looks like a piercing and tattoo parlour, and just as he closes the door to let the last person out of the building, Death comes for him by way of burning him alive, maybe? A lot is going on to bring him to a toasted crisp (it would seem) as he is initially caught via an elaborate death trap involving a ceiling fan and a swinging chain caught onto his septem nose ring, lifted off the ground, hanging from said septum only for flammable liquid to be knocked over and a fire to start and he falls into the flames. I can only assume he does not make it out alive, considering the film's title, but it would be a twist if he manages to stumble out of the burning building into a road and get hit by a truck. I mean, would that be better? I don't know about this franchise anymore; I haven't for a while. Maybe a second trailer might bring me back. Not likely, but we shall see.

(trailer review) - The Fantastic Four: First Steps

 

So, it has finally dropped, The Fantastic Four trailer and I am not mad at it at all. It has been several years since we had the Fantastic 4 on our screens and in our cinemas and if I am honest, the last Fantastic 4 movie with Michael B. Jordan called Fan4atic was, well...it was good and then it got bad in the 3rd act. I liked what they were doing with it as it was a little grittier and the adoption aspect of Sue and Johnny was interesting, but ultimately, the film was panned but it definitely had potential. This on the other hand, has a very steep hill to climb and a major battle on its hands because of the current fandom and where Marvel has been in the last 4 years, their decisions and executions. One thing, I will say...Ben's voice gives me pause, but other than that, this looks good. I am not mad at it.

We start off with the introduction of the family, Reed Richards and Sue Storm presenting themselves as a family (ultimately a perfect family, so this could be interesting...are they?). With see the Fantastic Four building and both Herbie the robot and The Thing chef'ing it up in the kitchen giving us a very 'The Jetsons' feel. There is an explanation of when they first travelled to space and who they were before their change showcasing their abilities (Not Reed's though) and the dialogue is about facing anything as a family. A great teaser trailer with room to breathe and explore more of the movie. Galactus is briefly seen at the end but there is not a single visual of Moleman (if he is in it) or the Silver Surfer. Even Doom (although I do not think we will see him anyway). I am definitely interested to know what more is to come and how it will fit within the MCU because as it stands, their is no tangible link to the MCU other than the Marvel fan fair which is equally different. I like but I am sure I will be fully sold on the official trailer and not this teaser.

(episode review) - Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man : Episode 1 & 2

 So this dropped a few days ago, and honestly, I didn't care for it. I knew Marvel was developing it, but when I saw the trailer some time back, I was not overly keen on the art style, which seemed a little childish to me. Yes, it pays homage to one of Marvel's greatest artists, but the Spider-verse movies are superb artistically, and this simply feels like a huge step back. With that said, we can have different variations of art concepts for Spiderman and anything else, right? So, I gave it a watch, so here is what I thought.

We start off with Peter getting himself ready for school. There are some nice touches to establish the world we are living in, like the Ironman "toy" or whatever it is hanging from the rear view mirror. When Uncle Ben is mentioned, there is a little glimmer and shine from Aunt May's wedding ring and straight off the bat, we are introduced to another Marvel character we all know. After the opening set of sequences, we go onto the intro just before the title card, and we are introduced to a rendition of the well-known Spider-Man theme song with some Hip-Hop or upbeat music infused into it. It's ok; I can take it or leave it, but just like the original theme, it is catchy. When the show starts, after the title card, it is a new day, and Peter is getting himself ready for school again. The same thing happens again, but this time Peter puts on the Spidey suit. It is very training-wheels-esque, but it is functional. As we all know, Spider-Man is always late because he is always fighting crime, so by the end of the episode, Peter goes home, and we are introduced to his guest.

The second episode continues with the introduction of the guest, and we find out who this person is, why they are there and what they want. This later leads to the introduction to other characters and places we are familiar with from the comics, and while there are some interesting choices, I was more intrigued with how these other characters will play a part in this show. It ends with a secret coming out, and I can only assume that from here on out, we will loosely follow the MCU's story path but from a different perspective.

The show is okay —not terrible—but so far, it has me intrigued. Some of the characters introduced have never been introduced in the MCU (Marvel Cinematic Universe), so it would be interesting to see how their stories interweave with Peters's going forward.
From the jump, we are given an LGBTQ+ character, AND there are some culture-bending as well as gender-bending with some characters, but I had zero issues with this and found it cool. For years, characters have been drawn a certain way and kept that way through all the different Spiderman mediums, so although they may change the shape, size and design of characters to keep them fresh, gender and culture-bending characters bring a brand new perspective. I just wonder how this Peter's relationship will work and their dynamics with all these other characters. Will he be part of the Avengers, will he have a "guy in the chair", will there be a bully? One character I found interesting was a guy we are introduced to, and we get to see his family dynamics at home and his background. I really enjoyed the portrayal of that one clever and smart child who is lucky to go to the school he goes to, and he is likely the only person in his family who is lucky enough to be where he is. They never shied away from how other people see this person and likely, people just like him.

This is only the first two episodes, so we shall see how it all pans out for this show, but so far, it's alright. I am sure it will get better.

(trailer review) - Magazine Dreams

 

As a person, I am not sure what to feel about Johnathan Majors because, as the old saying goes, "where there is smoke, there is fire", but damn, this guy is one incredible actor. It had hurt me to learn that him and his ex-girlfriend were both toxic (judging by what has been put out there and I have read etc), for him to be booted out (or placed on timeout - I have my theories) of the MCU especially when he did such a great job in the series Loki and Quantumania. He was great in the show 'Lovecraft Country' and in the 'Creed III film', talented. With that said, with everything seemingly all said and done, I can hope this guy who seems to have shot himself in the foot at the very edge of his rise to superstardom, can manage to cast aside, settle or out out all those flames to be a better person than he was and to continue in his trajectory because as I have stated before, Johnathan is an incredible actor and Magazine Dreams, havin been placed on hold due to his arrest and court case, seems to be pushing full steam ahead and we (and him of course) can resume where we left off because this looks amazing.

From what I understand from the trailer, this person wants to become a body builder, to be noticed and to be successful, to push himself to the absolute limit, but it looks like he pushes himself too far and there is a downward spiral. It looks as though this will be a heartbreaking film about being accepted, and trying to achieve your goals. Some of the shots in this movie looks amazing and heartfelt. The scene where he is smiling in the mirror is disturbing but also heartbreaking. This is a film I need to see and I am definately going to watch it when it comes out, by hook or by crook. Hopefully this will be the catalyst that will show Johnathan as well as his fans and naysayers who he really is as an actor and where his trajectory can go, without him sabotaging his own career.