(trailer review) - Star Wars: Andor: Season 2

Star Wars has been getting nothing but flak over the last 10 years, and with good reason, too. There does not seem to be a plan with this franchise, and no real thought has gone into many of the Star Wars projects since it was bought from George Lucas. With that said, when Andor came out, Andor caught people's attention. Andor seemed like it was for the more mature Star Wars fan. Not necessarily blood, extreme violence and nudity, but the tone was serious. Andor is the prequel series before the film 'Rogue One', which is a prequel film to the original Star Wars film 'Star Wars' or 'Star Wars: A New Hope'. Andor had great characters, great moments and great dialogue. You had Stormtroopers, but there was not a single lightsaber in sight. The show was captivating, and it took you on a journey with Andor himself while he tries to stay out of the evil clutches of the Empire and stop their oppression. I can only assume this second season will expand on what has been revered as one of, if not the greatest, storytelling product coming from the franchise of late.

This trailer shows us the characters we have seen and followed in the previous season, including Mon Mothma and Luthen. We see the Galactic Senate, and Mon Mothma looks as though she is struggling to rally people to her cause. Saw Gerrera is seen plotting, likely out the window with his breathing mask on his chest. Director Krennic looks as smarmy as ever whilst he watches the Death Star come together. There is a quick shot of a droid that looks like K2-SO who backhands a stormtrooper as it walks by. The shot with all of the K2-SO imperial droids turning their head at the same time is beyond creepy. There is not a lot to say about this trailer other than, I do believe this is the last season as every 3 episodes takes place over a year, so by the time we get to episode 12, the film 'Rogue One' starts as this is a story covering 4 years before the events of Rogue One.

(episode review) - Daredevil: Born Again - Episode 5 & 6

  

Maybe my wondering if Disney/Marvel has created a masterpiece is a little strong, maybe, but there is definitely some great character building in this show to show us the struggles that both the Kingpin and Daredevil fight against who they really are. Ever since the death in the first episode, Matt has been tested. Episode after episode, Matt is being shown why vigilantism can work because the law can be flawed, not all the police are good, and a phrase uttered in the latter episode of the two, "Don't rely on anyone to do what you can do for yourself". And by the end of the second episode, Matt makes a decision.

Episode 1
Although I have heard people call this a 'bottle episode' or 'filler episode', I disagree. The episode felt a little out of place, but ultimately, I felt that this episode acts as the second-to-last nail in the coffin. A smaller and more intimate situation that is designed to push Matt in his decision-making.

Matt is on some errands for the business but ends up caught up in the middle of a Bank heist occurring during the St Patrick's Day Parade. Matt, being as skilled as he is, uses all of his charm, knowledge and wit to outsmart the bank robbers and hopefully save the day. The episode introduces a familiar face, which was great to see, but the constant mention or reference to another character within the MCU was very heavy-handed and unnecessary. The bank robbers were there to pay back Kingpin, so it all connects. This episode plays into the thoughts Matt has had since the beginning of the season, which leads to the episode finishing with Matt having a little taster.

Episode 2
This episode mostly focuses on Wilson Fisk and the situation he is in, having all the power as Mayor, but nobody in his new circles respecting him. Wilson has also been tested through this series as he is the mirror opposite of Matt. Seeing a character from the Hawkeye show was great, and having the niece turn up asking for Matt's help was the final nail in the coffin. There is a lingering presence in the series which is Muse and he had been creating "street art" but committing atrocities whilst doing it, so by the last few scenes of this episode, not only do you see both Matt and Wilson give in to who they really are, we finally get what this show has all been about and it is glorious. Let's see if the final three episodes stick the landing.

(trailer review) - Final Destination: Bloodlines

Ok, so I am going to keep it real with you like I always do, and I'm going to start off with one of the highlights or the main key point I was making in my last review for the teaser of this movie, and say and repeat, who asked for this movie? Nobody asked for this movie. No pun intended, but the franchise is dead. Death came and took it away. With that said, I would be lying if that first death scene in this trailer did not let me yell out "God damn!". What I really appreciated in this trailer was the suspense it built up with the glass shard, only to 'Emily Blunt' it from 'A Quiet Place'.

So the trailer starts with a family barbecue and a celebration. Not minding what he is doing, one of the boys accidentally drops a glass and it shatters, leaving a shard of glass in the "bucket" of ice. We are then led on this "who is going to choke on this glass shard?" (because it could quite easily be mistaken for ice) trail of thought while we wait and watch all these other "elaborate" things happen only to have the shard be stepped on, where an lawnmower had been knocked and moving by itself to end up chopping the head/face off of the dad! Superb. I'll eat that one. Although this was not asked for and the studio is trying to revive and resurrect a dead franchise. If well written, maybe, just maybe, we can get back on board with this franchise. Also, tying this to someone who had a premonition and thwarted death's plan, not only is it interesting, but I wonder if she finally dies at the end like a "Drag Me To Hell" Sam Raimi movie scenario. I am partially interested, partially. Maybe a second trailer will fully sell me. One last thing: I do not know how or why Tony Todd made it back into the franchise, but he is the king, and we give thanks for his work. R.I.P.

(episode review) - Daredevil: Born Again - Episode 4

  

At this point, I am wondering, "is this a masterpiece?" Disney/Marvel have had quite a few shows from, 'The Falcon and the Winter Soldier', 'Loki', WandaVision' (and I believe this was the initial order they were going for until the Pandemic happened and they had to move shows around), but you also had 'Hawkeye', 'Moon Knight', 'Ms. Marvel', 'She-Hulk', 'Secret Invasion', 'Echo', 'Agatha All Along' and now 'Daredevil: Born Again'. I am not counting the 'What If...?' show or 'Your Friendly Neighbourhood Spider-Man as those are animated. I can also hazard a guess that the shows that felt undercooked and did not resonate well with the fans, were the shows that 1). started just before the pandemic and 2). during the reign of Bob Chapek who wanted everything to come out thick and fast. I am not making excuses for Disney/Marvel as I am well aware that it is quite possible that Disney took a swing and missed with such shows as 'Hawkeye', 'Moon Knight' & 'She-Hulk'. The first two were decent and could have been developed more but a complete miss with  'She-Hulk' (although I enjoyed it), but ultimately did not hit like it probably should have. 'Secret Invasion' had all the potential and seemed to me as though it had to be pushed out. What we could have had would have been great, amazing even, but the correct people or the money needed or both, were not there. Nobody even dares to mention the show although it did have some great moments. acting, dialogue and energy. And 'Echo', a show where I personally feel that Echo was stuck at a crossroads. Echo leads onto Daredevil and of course, they were bringing Daredevil back, but they were not sure if they could or wanted to go "Netflix-level" dark with the content for Daredevil or Echo due to it being Disney. I think they changed their minds repeatedly and we ended up getting what we got, something that felt like it was halfway in and halfway out of the grittiness that was the Marvel Netflix series. They couldn't quite get it there. Plus the character should have been written better and given more. The character of Echo is unique and cool, but I mean, you can tell which shows they fully focused on and had a clear vision for, 'WandaVision', 'The Falcon and the Winter Soldier' (although that had issues due to the pandemic and had to restructure and re-write it), 'Loki' (especially 'Loki season 2'), 'Ms. Marvel' and 'Agatha All Along' (off the back of the success of WandaVision). This leads me to believe that the changes they made with this show, 'Daredevil Born Again', they truly focused on this show. It was said that Daredevil would not suit up until maybe the 5th or 6th episode and the show was more of a court procedural until they cut it up and made changes and started from scratch. Watching the show now and having got to episode 4, I gather the show has made some significant changes but had left the skeleton of what they had and if I am honest, it has been great!

I did not think I would shed a tear during this episode. The last episode almost caught me, ALMOST, but this episode, wow! The fact that I have seen the initial Netflix series which this show is a continuation of, having that level of connection with the characters built up over the years, I shed a tear, seriously. I will not go into specifics due to spoilers, but the episode really got to me because sometimes, we will press on with life and say everything is alright when deep down, it is not. You could bury or try to bury your feelings as deep down as you can, but they will resurface at some point and in this show, in this episode, you bare witness to that. Just like Season 2 of the Netflix series, there is a very well-written and important conversation happening and the internal battle is strong. This episode for me, was brilliant in every way because the streets are talking, Mayor Fisk and Vanessa are finally opening up and we now have the (re-)introduction of Muse. Remember in my last review for the previous episode, I said something along the lines of, "Things are bubbling under the surface", I can only assume that, from episode 5, maybe even 6, everything is kicking ALL THE WAY OFF! There are 9 episodes this season and the next 5 episodes are going to be absolute fire. Maybe Matt puts on the costume at the end of the Next episode, but I feel like I can almost guarantee with all the parallels, that face-off is about to go down really soon!

(episode review) - Invincible: Season 3 - Episode 8

 

I try not to be one of those people who watch this show in the hope of seeing Omni-man wrecking shop with remarks like "Mark cannot fight". "Mark is weak". "Where is Omni-Man?" "Why isn't Omni-Man back?" I truly understand that this show has a bigger story than Omni-Man simply wrecking fools. From what I have gathered so far (having not read the comics), this show is about a boy born into a world where his bloodline and power, once manifested, come from a ruthless alien species who are dying out, but are coming to his earth to conquer it and he must do what he can to protect his family and his Earth from all threats, even those from his own "kin".  Along the way to becoming stronger, he must fight with a team to protect the globe and learn to become a good person not allowing his power to corrupt him. I guess it's another way of saying, that "with great power comes great responsibility". There is so much more to come and I am not even sure if the Viltrumite War is the final thing Mark will need to deal with, but I do understand from the different storylines and pacing of the show that there is a lot more coming from Invincible.

This episode picks up exactly where the last episode left off, a huge 5-or-so block-shattering punch that smashes all the windows in the buildings in that radius. Even the title card comes up immediately (a first I believe in all 3 seasons). The majority of this fight between Mark and Conquest takes up the entire episode. We go in and out of the story to address Cecil, Atom-Eve and Rex-splode, but this fight is epic. If you have seen the first season and the finale, this episode says, "Hold my beer!" Conquest is ruthless and very well voice-acted by Geoffrey Dean Morgan as he plays this type of character, well. I did think the voice didn't really suit the character of Conquest at first, but the line delivery was perfect and it also works on a meta 'The Walking Dead' level. When the show ends, as usual, we are given a few set-ups for season 4. There are some more returning characters, but I honestly feel, that season 2 walked slowly for season 3 to sprint because it seems as though, the budget may have been split or reserved for this season because the animation was perfect. I saw animation in this season and in this fight with Conquest, which we have never seen in previous episodes or seasons. Another two years to wait I guess, but I am not mad at that at all. Maybe every other season is going to be fire, but I rather the animators take their time with the drawings/animating so that the storyline is good and does not fall off. Although I understand there is source material to follow and/or gather from, at this point where we are 3 seasons deep and locked into the show, I would not want the show to slowly fall off. So whatever it is, I am willing to wait and watch. This is a great show that says more than just Biff, Bamm and Boom.

(episode review) - Daredevil: Born Again - Episode 3

 

  

Whilst this may have not been the episode with all the fighting and all the back-flipping and throwing of batons into one's face, this episode was great and I am starting to see what the previous rendition of the series was going for and I can quite possibly see where they had made their changes. This episode is more of a courtroom drama with some great acting involved. There was a lot of tension, a few exchanged words in one-on-ones, and a quieter pace. The episode is small in scope but you can tell this is only the beginning which is going to open out into a bigger problem when the main two, Wilson Fisk and Matt Murdock start to butt heads.

Matt has taken on the case for Hector Ayala to prove his innocence as he believes he can win this case. Since Matt was able to get ahold of the eye-witness, the clock begins to count down as Matt realises that not only is the witness in danger but the witness must show up to trial, but when the eye-witness goes back on his word, Matt is required to take matters into his own hands to hopefully set an innocent man free. A lower episode with a lot of tension with a cat-and-mouse feel, but there is a lot, brewing and bubbling under the surface. There is a really nice piece of dialogue exchanged in this episode so knowing what I know about the actor and the closing moments and credits of the show, I do believe this episode was a beautiful sign-off to the actor.

(episode review) - Invincible: Season 3 - Episode 7

  

I do not think Mark is going to have a happy life in the end. I have never read the comics, so a lot of things that occur on this show take me by surprise, and although I will listen to different reviewers and pundits, etc, I may know some storylines that are still to come, nothing has presented itself as a happily ever after. I remember someone stated that Peter Parker aka Spider-Man, was in a cross-over event in the comics, and I believe I remember that person saying that Mark Grayson is this world/universe/story's Peter Parker, and I do not believe that is entirely true. I think they were trying to say that Spider-Man does not seem to be able to catch a break, and with that, I one hundred percent agree. Mark is pushed, pushed and PUSHED to the very edge, even in the episode there is that, but with all these smaller episodes and "fillers" (people like to call episodes they did not receive what they expected from it), are shows that stand as character building moments and in some cases, strength, endurance or building out the world/universe.


This episode does two things: it shows us that no matter what Mark gets put in front of him, he will need to make a choice and if it's a good choice, how would it affect him later in life and if it is a bad choice, would he be compared to his father? Without going into spoilers, this episode is fighting from start to finish as Mark tries to defend off an invasion. The Guardians of the Globe also jump in to help Mark, but not everyone may be up to the task. By the end of the episode, not only has one person arrived to cause havoc, but another person arrives to cause grief, and I was not at all pleased by the cliffhanger ending, but if you have been keeping up with the show, the day Mark has been dreading since he learnt about it is here.

(episode review) - Daredevil: Born Again - Episode 1 & 2

 

Years have passed, and it seems they have not missed a beat. You can tell a little bit more money has gone into this show than the Netflix series but other than that, the first 10 minutes sets the tone for the show and from what I heard regarding the previous way they were going to do the show before they changed everything, THIS WAS THE ABSOLUTE BEST WAY TO GO ABOUT IT! There is an old saying: 'If it is not broken, do not try to fix it'. There are few artistic choices made in this show that stand apart from the original series, such as the way they use camera lenses whilst also utilising the old camera shots and angles. I do enjoy a dolly-zoom; specifically, using the camera for Matt's senses is also great. The actors are back like they never left, doing a great job. The extra money is a detriment at times, but it also enables the showrunners to bring Daredevil closer to the comics, and so far, with only two episodes, the show's story is working fine.


Episode 1
Although it has been many years since the series finale in Daredevil season 3, we pick right back up with Matt, Foggy and Paige in Josie's. The atmosphere is buzzing, and we get a great sense of friendship between the three. There is a very brief introduction to the three main characters as well as some side characters; we get to learn who they are later in the episodes. Foggy receives a call about someone he is representing. Matt notices something is wrong, and as soon as Matt goes to investigate, everything goes wrong. Josie's is attacked, we find out Wilson Fisk is running for Mayor, and Daredevil crosses the line. The first episode starts off so strong. If we only had that first 10 mins, I'd say, "ok, I'm ready for season 2 (5)" because that opening was solid! The one thing I'd say is that maybe establishing the characters a tad more would have worked better for non-Netflix watchers, but all the familiar styles are present with some added new flourishes.


Episode 2
The lawyer procedural part of Daredevil, Matt Murdock representing and fighting for justice as Matt Murdock whilst Wilson Fisk is now the newly elected Mayor trying to fix the city. This episode is slightly slower than the first episode, dialogue-driven, but the stakes, like any courtroom drama with someone who is "innocent" but surrounded by crooked cops, put a time limit on that individual. Not to go into any spoilers, but as you are well aware by now at least, Matt Murdock can listen to heartbeats to read if you are telling the truth or not, so when this person is arrested, Matt decides to defend him but pulls himself into a situation where he must do whatever he can to get this innocent person out of the hands of the law.

(episode review) - Paradise: Episode 8

  

This is the finale, and what a finale it was. I am trying to think of a show that gets me equally as stressed as this show, but right now, as I cannot think of anything, let's just say, this is the only show...actually wait, Breaking Bad got me stressed at times, Skyler...that Skyler!!! Also, Ozark equally got me stressed as well. Marty's wife, Wendy, did some really silly things. Equally, their son was also being a punk at times, but those two shows were crime dramas. This is a political thriller, and I cannot stress enough how much this show has made me react audibly. You know when you are watching your favourite team playing and you are shouting at the screen? THAT! The writing in this show is superb. I will need to have a few days before I do a series review, but this episode was equally as great as the last.

So we pick up immediately after Agent Xavier is told this information, and at this moment, you have your thoughts about Sinatra, but Xavier realises that there must be more information out there, something that has been missed.  Xavier proceeds to retrace his steps and digs into his memory bank to recall his interactions with the president. Meanwhile, Agent Robinson is doing her own investigation, and when she enlists the help of Dr. Gabriela Torabi they discover that there were some events that went into motion, and these are told as flashbacks that piece out the missing pieces that identify the killer of the president..