Comic Book TV Shows of 2014-2015 – Let’s Compare

Howdy ladies and gents, now as promised a little while ago in Upcoming Stuff For This Blog, I’m finally getting around to talking about those comic book TV shows. This is the first of a few blog posts on this subject matter (if I can write them up soon enough). So as it says in the title of this blog post I’m basically going to look at the comic book TV shows that started September last year up until May this year. I’m annoyed its taken me almost 2 months to get around to doing this post but I finally have some free time. And just to clarify before I begin even though The Walking Dead and iZombie are comic book shows, they won’t be counted unfortunately. Minor spoilers to follow…

Arrow

Arrow was a show I was reluctant to watch at first because of the hype behind it and the whole dark and gritty approach aesthetic, but I really ended up liking seasons 1 and 2, and so I was super hyped to see what would go down in season 3. So imagine my surprise to find out what a disappointment last season was overall. Now don’t get me wrong, there was a lot to enjoy. I liked the earlier half of the season with the introduction of characters like  Ra’s al Ghul and Ray Palmer, and then there’s some of the progression of the characters from season 2 as well which was interesting. The action was still super slick, nicely shot and well-choreographed, and the crossover material with The Flash was cool. But my problem with Arrow‘s third season is that it loses its focus, it felt like the focus was less on Oliver and more on everyone else, also the stories in this season just weren’t as engaging as they were before, there was also some annoying love stories taking place and the flashbacks which were once an interesting look back into Oliver’s life, just became tedious and far-fetched. Plus there were just some bad decisions made with some of the characters and stories that made this season more of a chore to watch more so than anything else.

As for how it compares to the other shows it is hard to say. While it’s clearly not in the same league as The Flash and Daredevil, you can say that it was better than Constantine and argue it was better than Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. and Agent Carter, but I honestly had more fun with those shows than Arrow but that’s just me.

Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.

Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. was a show that most people had given up on by the time season 2 started and it only had its loyal fan base to keep the viewership alive. Luckily season 2 corrected a lot of the problems with the first season by moving at a quicker pace, having further development of the established characters, having more action sequences and hand-to-hand fights and utilizing the comics better. The people behind the show did well to use characters and stories from first season and bring them back here, but in addition to that they were able to introduce more new characters and make them fit into the overall dynamic of the show while also changing up the basic formula. There was more drama for Coulson, we got answers for why Skye was so special, we finally found out about Melinda May’s past and got to see more of evil Ward. But the biggest reveal of this season was the introduction of the Inhumans which changed the structure of the show a lot and added the super-powered aspect to the show which it really needed. With all that being said season 2 still had problems with creating engaging stories for people who weren’t familiar with the show, some of the new characters were wasted and because of the swift pace some stories felt rushed.

When it comes to comparison, AoS was better this season, better than Constantine and in my mind more fun to watch than Arrow. And I liked it a little more than Agent Carter too. But it was nowhere near as good as Daredevil or The Flash.

The Flash

Ah The Flash, the show that a lot of people are claiming to be the best comic TV show ever, and for good reason because it’s pretty awesome. I feel like this has been the most consistent, fresh and fun first season of any comic book TV show I’ve seen in these modern times of comic book adaptations. While I’m not too familiar with the Flash source material, that did not stop me from engaging with the show’s characters and stories. What’s so great about this first season is that it is not another dark, gritty and realistic superhero affair like arrow or the Chris Nolan Batman films, it is light-hearted and comedic, it also embraces its super-powered side, is also self-aware, has plenty of fan service for fans and still finds time to be dramatic and emotional when the time comes. Even though this season is an origin story for Barry Allen, there’s a lot of groundwork being made for his friends and enemies, and storylines that will come to pass in season 2. I think my only issues with the show was that the first few episodes were a little slow and had that annoying CW habit of inserting popular music in episodes when it clearly wasn’t needed.

As for how this show compares to the rest would argue that it is the best as it had such a nice balance of action, drama and humour. Daredevil comes in at a close second because of its style, genre and action but lacks the consistency and fun factor that this show has.

Constantine

Constantine is another one of those shows that most consider a failure, I mean look at all the problems it faced:

1. It was on NBC
2. It had a bad time slot
3. It was barely marketed so no one really knew about it
4. The show made a lot of sacrifices with the source material which turned a lot of fans off

The show was fighting an uphill battle and add on top of the facts above that it was less adult than the comics, had so-so reviews and very little viewership. It is no wonder that the show got cancelled considering all of those factors. That being said, I thought the show was pretty good and I know that there were a good few people on the internet that were fans of this show too. I think what made this show good was two key factors: 1) It was the only superhero TV show that had a heavy focus on the supernatural/horror side of comic books and 2) It had a great central performance from Matt Ryan, while the rest of the cast were good, but it was Ryan’s performance that made the show worth watching. While it did start out a little slow, I reckon it was around episode 4/5 when things started to get interesting, eventually in the final stretch of episodes things started to get pretty dark, dramatic, suspenseful and pretty creepy.

When you compare Constantine to its other DC counterparts it just did have the same kind of engaging stories, style and heavy focus on action that Arrow and The Flash had. You could argue that it was the weakest of the bunch in this list of shows, that’s not to say that it was terrible, but in my opinion the other shows were a little more show of themselves and had a lot more charisma.

Agent Carter

Now let’s talk about Agent Carter‘s first season. This show is very different from the other mainly due to its length, 8 episodes is a pretty short time span, that being said it allowed this show to tell a concise, interesting and action-packed story. Getting to see more of Peggy Carter’s adventures after Captain America: The First Avenger and seeing what kind of challenges she faces, not only around the workplace, but also emotionally and physically when she was kicking ass. This show did a great job of showing off both Peggy’s vulnerability but also her badassery, and pairing her up with Edwin Jarvis was great as they made for an unlikely but hilarious pair. I liked the ties to the comics and other MCU films, the use of new villains and interesting action they were able to pull off considering the 1940’s setting. I will say that as much as I liked the show, I would have liked more spy-oriented material, some more likeable main characters and a swifter pace for some of the story elements in the first half of the season.

As for how it compares to the other shows, Agent Carter was good and some fans said it was better than Agents of S.H.I.L.E.D. and while this show was a little more consistent, I think it didn’t have as fun characters or as interesting fight scenes. I will say it was better than Constantine and I liked it possibly more than Arrow‘s last season. Still doesn’t have anything on The Flash or Daredevil though.

Daredevil

Daredevil is the only one of these shows I’ve had the chance to see twice, and had I been blogging about the show after my first viewing I would have probably been singing its praises and would have said that it was the best show. However my love for the show has taken a knock since watching it the second time round. That is not to say that show’s bad now, far from it. Daredevil is still one of the most intriguing, different and violent shows I’ve seen in the comic genre and it’s brilliant. What you have to appreciate about this show is the crime drama setting, the great cast of characters, choreography of the action sequences and darker tone within the MCU. The main performances from Charlie Cox and Vincent D’Onofrio are great (especially with D’Onofrio who has humanised one of the best Marvel villains and given him a new interpretation with this show). The show isn’t perfect though, it does waste some of its good characters, and some of the stories leading up to the finale aren’t as impressive as what’s come before which does affect the quality of the show which before episode 10 in my opinion is near perfection.

As for how it comes compares to the other shows on this list I would say it’s just behind The Flash as the best of the bunch. The show makes a few missteps and has some inconsistencies that just make it a little less great than it should be.

So that’s my thoughts, thanks for reading. Be sure to comment below and let me know if you think my opinions are correct or not, and if you have your own opinions about the shows above, write them in the comments below and I’ll see ya on the next blog post. Laters! 😀

 

I Feel Emotional In This Inside Out Review

Howdy people of the internet, time for a new film review and the film I’ll be discussing today is Inside Out. Now I have been waiting to see this film for what feels like the longest time and the fact that the US have had this film for a whole month before us in the UK has just made the wait that much worse, but it FINALLY came out today and I’m ready to pass judgement!

To put it simply I really liked the story. Besides a few hiccups in the filmography, Pixar have always found a way to be incredibly inventive, smart and relatable with their plots and Inside Out is no exception. While it is a film primarily focused on the emotions in one girl’s head, there is a big adventure that takes place not only inside her head but also in the real world around her that affects her parents and interactions with everyone else she meets. And just like the best of Pixar’s films there are lessons to be learnt and dramatic moments that make you feel. This film not only demonstrates the importance of balancing one’s emotions, but also the pros and cons of using/ignoring certain ones in specific situations. Also there were at least two or three moments where I felt some man tears coming up as things got pretty heavy emotionally and i swear Pixar know how to touch that emotional nerve in such a beautiful way. Oh and I the film is incredibly funny with some stellar jokes and physical humour that just killed me. I will say that there were some aspects of the story that did annoy me or I felt weren’t as strong as some of Pixar’s previous efforts but those were nitpicking issues at best.

As for the voice cast, they were amazing. Amy Poehler as Joy was just incredible. Joy was this energetic, caring and high-spirited emotion who was the core of Riley and one of the centers of the film. Poehler was simply great in this role, you could hear her pouring her heart and soul into this role as feel so engaged in her character. Someone who is just as important is Phyllis Smith as Sadness, this character was very depressing and gloomy, and while she wasn’t around to intentionally cause trouble, sometimes she did. What I liked about this character is that she’s down in the dumps, but is also very funny and relatable and Smith just kills with her voice work. Together Poehler and Smith have wonderful chemistry with awesome banter and emotional moments. Then there’s Bill Hader as Fear, Lewis Black as Anger and Mindy Kaling as Disgust, and they were all great. Each of them have their moment individually to stand out but it is when they’re together, that’s when the magic happens, Fear is a nervous wreck and is quick to caution, Anger is just ready to find a reason to be aggressive and Disgust is so sassy and disapproving and it’s fun to see them interact. I would say that Anger was my favourite because Black’s voice just made me smile so much. Oh and then there’s Richard Kind as Bing Bong, this had to be one of the best characters in the film because he was so funny, strange and lovely, but also provided some of the best moments in the film and Kind’s voice work was excellent. Kaitlyn Dias was pretty good as Riley Anderson, while Diane Lane and Kyle MacLachlan were completely unrecognisable to my ears as Riley’s mom and Riley’s dad, but they were great in their roles too.

When it comes to the presentation it was great. Visually the film was just beautiful with such detailed CGI for the humans and realistic locations, but even more impressive was the use of colour, textures and shape for all the emotions and other characters that occupied Riley’s head. I also loved the physical representations of how the mind works, how personality and memories were put together and there was just SO much creative and wacky things that I loved.  And there’s the music which was done by my man Michael Giacchino, I swear this man can do no wrong. While it was certainly not as easy to recognise as some of his previous work I will say that it had that emotional impact and lovely versatility that was needed for a film like this.

In conclusion Inside Out is definitely a return to form for Pixar. This film demonstrates the studio’s creativity, innovation and fun factor in a really wonderful way with a solid story, memorable characters, plenty of laughs and the emotional core that these films are known for. While I wouldn’t say its my favourite Pixar film, it is definitely on the higher end of the list of their work.

Rating: 8.5/10

So have you seen Inside Out and if so what did you think of it? Do you believe that it was a return to form for Pixar or were you expecting more? Please be sure to leave your comments below and I’ll see ya on the next film review, laters! 😀

 

What I’m Currently Watching #1

Howdy ladies and gents, time for an update blog post of sorts relating to TV which was inspired by my blogging buddy over at Sidekick Reviews. As some of you may know, I do love me some good TV and in the last two years the amount that I’ve watched has gotten bigger and bigger, and since I don’t get to blog about every show that I watch, I thought this may be a good alternative. This will probably be a new series of posts just updating you as to what I’m watching to fill out the space when I’m not doing any other major blogging. Will all that out of the way let’s go!

iZombie

So I’ve only gotten four episodes into this show but so far I’m really digging it. I was curious about the show before it was released, but I wasn’t too hyped. But now I’m glad I gave it a chance as I’m really enjoying what I’m seeing. I love the premise, there’s a good cast of characters who are likeable and engaging (especially Rose McIver as Olivia “Liv” Moore and Malcolm Goodwin as Clive Babineaux) and the there’s also a good balance between seriousness and humour. The storylines that have taken place so far are fun, interesting and some of the major plot points that I thought would have been dragged out, have been tackled pretty early on in a swift yet unexpected way and I like it. I’m already excited to see season 2 and I haven’t even finished this one yet.

Vikings

This is a show I’ve been meaning to watch for almost 3 years now, but it’s just been pushed back constantly until now, ad so far it’s good but I’m not freaking out about it yet. I’ve only seen 3 out of the 9 episode from first season and while I like it, I have yet to become fully invested in the characters and storyline. There are some really interesting elements that come from the ties to norse mythology, the visual aesthetic of the world and the ideals and morals of some of the main characters, but the show is also a little slow, lacking in the fun department and I’m not sure where the show is going yet. I’m not hating on the show and I’m sure it gets better but so far I’m not overwhelmed, I’m just whelmed.

Hotel Babylon

Recently I decided that after a few months of waiting, it was time to jump back into the world of Hotel Babylon with season 3. So far I’m halfway through the season and I’m having fun because of the nostalgia factor (considering that I haven’t seen these episode since 2008), but it is also fun seeing some of the stories unfold in a fresh kind of way because I’ve forgotten so much from season 3 haha. I will say that this season definitely doesn’t feel as well-written as the last with some random and uninteresting scenarios and characters that aren’t as engaging as before. It is hard to explain without watching it for yourself but there is a dip in quality for sure. I’m working on my review for this season at the moment so expect it soon. 🙂

Blue Mountain State

So this is a show I think I remember was advertised on TV a while back (a few years probably) and it looked kind of cool and after I finished my binge of It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia I needed another comedy show to hold me over, and this, well, I’m not sure what to make of it. One thing I can say that I love is the intro theme, that song is pretty kick ass. 🙂 But other than that the show is another one of those raunchy comedies that thinks it’s funnier then it actually is with the university setting, crude jokes, sex and all that stuff and while some of it warrants a chuckle or a smile I have yet to laugh out loud. I do find something oddly engaging about some of the main characters just to see where they go.

Black Books

Black Books is a show I watched casually a good few years back during the peak years of The IT Crowd and I found it pretty funny mainly because of Bill Bailey, but I never fully committed to show until now. So I’ve watched the first season and it’s been pretty good so far. This definitely has that Graham Linehan style and humour to is as the main characters are really bizarre and odd, but are funny and end up in so many situations. I’m really liking Dylan Moran in this show and its also interesting to see some of these earlier appearances of British actors lurking around like Martin Freeman, Peter Serafinowicz, Colin McFarlane and Nick Frost to name a few.

So that’s what I’ve been watching, if you have any thoughts on anything that I’ve been watching be sure to drop a comment below and let me know, oh and do be sure to let me know what TV shows you’re watching at the moment too. Until next time, this is me signing out. Laters! 😀

 

London Film & Comic Con 2015 Review

Howdy ladies and gentlemen, today I’m gonna give you my thoughts on the London Film & Comic Con took place on the past weekend. I went last year and had a pretty good time (read my review here), so I decided I to go again because there was people at the convention this year I just had to see. Unlike last year I’ll only be talking about the one day that I experience rather than the three-day experience that I had before. There’s a lot to get through so let’s get started!

Now for those unaware, this convention is to do with films, TV, comics and video games. But the big focus is primarily on the special guests who attend, most people who go are normally coming to meet the celebrities who are there for talks, photo sessions and autographs signings. Otherwise you can buy a range of merchandise including, clothes, toys, anime and manga, DVDs, comics, artwork, posters and so on. In addition to that you can play video games new and old, see writers and artists of comic books or take pictures of cosplyers. So now I shall talk about my experience.

This was the scene from the entrance around 10am, yeah it was this full already.

My experience started out fine, I got the venue okay (even though I got one wrong train beforehand) and when I stepped outside the building I lined up in a long queue around 08:45am and for the first 20-30 minutes it was fine, but then the line stopped moving and there was nothing, for AGES. There was also a line across the road that was moving and yet we stuck at a stand still for at least an hour. My legs weren’t too jolly and I was getting a bit irritable, but EVENTUALLY the line moved and I got into the building just after 10am. So what did I get up to? Well I cruised around, talked to some fellow attendees. Got to see some cool toys, t-shirts and art. I even got to meet up with an old friend at the convention who I’d met at last year’s convention too. And of course I got to take some pictures of cosplayers but I didn’t do nearly as many as I would have liked because it was too crowded and I constantly had to be somewhere.

But I spent most of my day in queues, just moving from one to the other especially after 2pm. The only downtime I got was when I went upstairs and played in the video game section, while it was significantly smaller than last year’s it still had the one game that mattered and that was Super Smash Bros. Melee and you had to get stuck in. Just like last year I got into my groove real quick and started schooling some kids. I felt kind of bad because two of them weren’t that familiar with Melee’s game mechanics, one of them didn’t know how to do recovery attacks! I felt terrible and had to give them pointers. Out of the three there was one kid who was pretty good with Kirby. That being said I still kicked all of their asses on multiple occasions as Link, Donkey Kong and Captain Falcon to name a few. At one point the youngest kid got really pissed off and really wanted me dead shouting “I hate Donkey Kong!”, “Let’s all team up and kill him!” And when he did kill me on the odd occasion he got so happy like “Oh yeah, I killed you! I’m happy when I kill you!” I was like damn, this kid has issues. But it wasn’t like I was going to play badly, I’ll never pull my punches especially when it comes to Smash Bros. and even played with characters I’m bad with like Yoshi, Zelda/Sheik and Marth and I still laid waste to my enemies, besides one sudden death match which I won, every other match was a straight win. After around 30-40 minutes I pulled out to give other people a chance to play haha.

Once again I came to Smash Bros. Melee and just owned people.

But the best part was meeting the celebrities. Firstly I got to meet Erin Cahill who played Jen in Power Rangers Time Force. Ever since 2001 she’s been my favourite Pink Ranger because she was tough, more fleshed out and was just as much of a main character as Wes (Red Ranger) was. And Cahill played the part so well and I’d been dying to get to meet her in the flesh, and on the weekend I got to and I was beyond happy. I was basically fangirling in front of her saying how nice it was to meet her and how I’ve waited so long, but she was so nice, warm and receptive to my admiration. Erin said she liked my smile and said that it was fans like me that make her like conventions like this. I felt so honoured to be in her presence and she hugged me twice. I was pretty much in the best mood ever and it wasn’t even midday yet. 😛

Erin was so cool!

Then after that I got to meet Jason David Frank, legendary Green and White Ranger from Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers (a good few other PR series’). Meeting him was a childhood dream, I’ve had a mad appreciated this guy for years and in the last few years where he’s appeared in Super Power Beat Down and at all these conventions through social media has only made me love him more, but seeing him, shaking his hand and getting actual photo with him has been the most surreal experience ever, possibly more so than Stan Lee (with Stan I mentally prepared for it, but this was different). He was so cool, enthusiastic and just genuine. 😀

I got to meet one of my favourite actors from childhood. JDF is such a legend and is just as amazing in person! 😀

I also got a photo with the awesomeness that is Bill Paxton! I knew I had to see him in person after loving him in Twister, Aliens and Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. and he was such gentlemen. So funny and kind, I went over to him and he asked me how I was, I said “I’m fine, haha hail Hydra.” He laughed, we took the picture and he said “Haha, hail Hydra indeed.” Don. That was singlehandedly my favourite photo session moment. 🙂 But then I got to meet Sigourney Weaver, she was one of the main reason for attending the convention. I mean when else am I going to meet Ellen Ripley or Dana/Zuul in the flesh? Weaver’s an amazing actress and I was so giddy to meet her, after I took my picture she asked me “Are you having fun?” and I was like “Yeah!” So happy! 😀

There were people I didn’t get to see/meet and stuff I never got around to doing. I never got to see Hayley Atwell (who I didn’t even know was attending until the morning I arrived, so gutted), I never got to see Michael J. Fox or Christopher Lloyd (super gutted especially about Lloyd) and Jason Faunt (Wes/red ranger from Time Force) even though I was right next to him on a few occasions I didn’t talk to him because I was short for time. I also didn’t get to talk to any of the artists at their stands and this time round I never got to sit down and see any talks at all. See, that’s how busy things got haha.

The thing about LFCC is that it is a pretty massive undertaking, the event is huge with A LOT to see and do, and if you’re not prepared you can be overwhelmed by the amount of chaos going on. There’s so many people, many places to go, so much to buy and SO MUCH SCHEDULING TO DO if you’re going after the celebrity signings and photo shoots. I had a lot of fun this year, but I was definitely done after my final photo shoot because all of the queuing I’d been doing. I’m not sure how I managed all three days last year, but I think that may have been because of the friends I was with and the fact that it was my first time. I will say that the venue was pretty big and cool but getting around proved to be quite troublesome and tedious because of the elevators that were always jam-packed and the stairwells that were full of constantly shifting people. And, just like last year, the organisation when it came to queueing not only to get inside the venue but also for the photo sessions was messy. While it was slighty better than last year, I still felt like the people who worked there just going with the flow and didn’t always have the situation under control.

In conclusion my second year at London Film & Comic Con was frigging mint. Besides all the queuing, unorganised waiting areas and super sweaty movements while getting from point A to point B, I had a hell of a good time. I got to see so many famous faces, live out some of my childhood dreams and get my game on with Smash Bros. Melee. I left this event with such a good feeling and lovely memories. Something tells me I’ll probably be back again next year if I’m available.

So if you attended London Film & Comic Con this year what did you think? Did you go for one day or the full weekend? And if you didn’t go would you consider going next year? Whatever your thoughts are be sure to leave them below and I’ll see ya on the next review. Laters! 😀

 

Ant-Man Review

Howdy people of the internet, today I return to give you a new film review and this is for Marvel Studios’ latest film, Ant-Man. Now, this film has had quite the history with the directors behind it, script rewrites and a less than stellar hype from fans and the general public about there being an Ant-Man film. But now the film is out and the early response has been pretty positive, so it is good? Well I can’t hide my excitement for this film as I thought it was awesome and I’m going to tell you why in this review!

I am going to keep this review as clean and simple as possible.

When it comes to the story it goes a little like this:

“Armed with a super-suit with the astonishing ability to shrink in scale but increase in strength, con-man Scott Lang must embrace his inner hero and help his mentor, Dr. Hank Pym, plan and pull off a heist that will save the world.”

The story in this film is actually really good. The film’s also bizarre and self-aware and it makes the experience more enjoyable. What makes this film work so well is that is that it isn’t like a typical superhero film, much like last year’s Captain America: The Winter Solider and Guardians of the Galaxy, this film adopts a style puts that first and then incorporates the superhero elements later. Ant-Man is a heist film and it has all of those quirky, smart and inventive aspects that makes films of this genre so fun to watch and speaking of fun, the film is also hilarious. I know that is to be expected in a Marvel film and some have gotten sick of it, but here it really works. There is a constant sense of fun, quirkiness and just randomness that makes the film great to watch. But beyond the humour there is heart, like the best of the Marvel films there’s genuine emotion and drama to draw you in and make you root for the good guys. I have to commend not only Peyton Reed for directing this film in such a great way, but also for the script done by Edgar Wright, Joe Cornish, Adam McKay and Paul Rudd as it is very witty and unique. If I had any negatives it’s that some of the plot elements do fall into that “I’ve seen it before” department, but beyond that the film’s very good. There are also some nice references to the comics and other MCU films from the past and future and they’re great, make sure you stay for the post-credit scenes! Don’t be a donut and leave early! 😀

When it comes to the cast they’re all pretty good. Paul Rudd as Scott Lang/Ant-Man. What I liked about Scott is that he’s a great guy who wants to do good but has ends up in bad situations and doesn’t commit to doing good deeds, and it’s interesting to see him go on this journey and change for the better. Rudd, he’s just great in this film. Rudd naturally excels in comedy and he uses that to his advantage as he’s really funny and has great timing with his jokes, but in addition to that he brings a lot of charm and depth to his character with the more dramatic moments. Michael Douglas as Dr. Hank Pym. I knew that Douglas would be important in the film but I didn’t expect him to have such a significant presence because this film felt like a passing of the torch, but Douglas had so many great lines and he continues to show why he’s such a great actor as he’s emotionally versatile and just kills it in every scene he’s in. Oh and his relationship with Rudd is great too. Evangeline Lilly as Hope Van Dyne was really good too. She’s strong, confident, but also defensive and complicated emotionally because of her father and I love what Lily did with this role. Her and Douglas have a great dynamic because of their family based relationship, and Lily and Rudd also had pretty good chemistry and their banter was lovely.

Corey Stoll was really good as Darren Cross/Yellowjacket. Darren is a man with class, style and charm at face value, but he’s also sneaky, dangerous and obsessed with power and success. Stoll plays this character with just the right amount of villainy and craziness. You could argue that his character was a bit cliché and stereotypical, but I thought he was one of the stronger and more memorable villains of the MCU. Then there’s Lang’s heist team consisting of Michael Pena as Luis, Tip “T.I.” Harris as Dave and David Dastmalchian as Kurt. The strongest of the three is Pena as Luis, this guy is seriously one of the most strange and funny people ever. The guy’s so energetic and jokes and Pena just oozes charm and humour. T.I. and Dastmalchian are also pretty good and have their individual moments to shine. Bobby Cannavale did well as Paxton and it was good to see Wood Harris as Gale too and finally Judy Greer was good as Maggie and Abby Ryder Fortson is just one of the most adorable and hilarious child actors ever as Cassie.

As for the presentation is pretty damn good. Visually the film is really cool, the cinematography is well-done and the use of special effects used to craft the action sequences, suits and the miniaturised world that Ant-Man and Yellowjacket inhabit is so unique and interesting. The creativity behind the shrinking and growing of the Pym particles was great and there’s some really interesting, unexpected and hilarious uses of the powers. The soundtrack crafted by Christophe Beck is also very nice too, it has a great sense of charisma, sass and style, it had the perfect sound for a heist film but also for a 1960’s spy film.

In conclusion Ant-Man was pretty badass. I had hoped it would be good and that the early reviews were a good sign, but the film exceeded my expectations so much. It was full of all the regular great superhero codes and conventions but beyond that it had heart, style and stood alone perfectly from the rest of the MCU films while also existing within the same world. Marvel continue to prove that they are far still incredibly creative and versatile and I would highly recommend this film as it is SO much fun and really entertaining.

Rating: 8.5/10 (Very impressive)

So what do you think of Ant-Man? Did you love it, hate it or think it was okay? And how do you think it compares to the previous Marvel films? Do you think it’s the best solo film since Iron Man like some claim or do think differently? Sound off your thoughts in the comments below and I’ll see ya on the next review. Laters! 😀

 

Buffy The Vampire Slayer Season 6 Review

Howdy ladies and gentlemen and welcome to another TV review and today I will be reviewing season 6 of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. So after having good times with season 1, 2, 3 ,4 and 5 I am ready for more. Oh and before I go into this review I have to apologise for the wait, I had finished this season almost a month and a half ago but just couldn’t find the right way to word it until now. 😛 With that out of the way, on with the review. 🙂 Minor spoilers follow…

As usual, we follow the life of Buffy Summers; teenager by day, vampire slayer by night. As part of the “Scooby Gang” they take on the supernatural happenings that go on in Sunnydale.

The show continues to have episodic stories, but also has story arches that continue over the course of the season that relate to things that have happened in the past, but have are also currently happening too. This season deals with the death and resurrection Buffy, and then her having to grow up and deal with issues that come with being a regular adult. There is also the rise of The Trio, Willow’s growing talent in magic and Tera’s concern for her dabbling in the dark arts, Xander and Anya’s developing relationship, Dawn’s secret issues and Spike’s continued obsession with Buffy.

Story-wise this season deals with a lot of dark and adult subject matters, and rather than detracting from the show’s formula, it allows the characters and stories to develop, mature and create new, exciting and unexpected scenarios. Once again the show happens to strike that right balance between humour and really seriousness, but what surprised me was how mature the stories and subject matters got. The show deals with subjects like life after death, sexual lust, rape, addiction, marriage and it’s not like they are just dumped in there quickly, they are right at the forefront of these stories and they feel realistic, raw and grip you on the most engaging and emotional level. And while I’m no stranger to these types of scenarios on TV, I was shocked and pleasantly surprised at how these things were handed, adding new levels of drama and digging into deeper emotional territories which was brilliant. I will say that this season, because of its dark subject matter and some of the storylines isn’t as fun or as enjoyable as some of the material that’s come beforehand. That being said, season 6 felt so progressive, smart and fun and the writers and Joss Whedon should be commended for taking these steps to advance this show. Oh and big shout out to the muscial episode, I had waited years to see it and it did not disappoint. 😀

Episode highlights include:

• Bargaining Part 1 & 2
  
• Afterlife
• Flooded
• Once More, With Feeling (personal favourite)
• Tabula Rasa (personal favourite)
• Smashed
• Wrecked (personal favourite)
• Gone
• Doublemeat Palace
• Dead Things
• Older and Far Away
• As You Were
• Hell’s Bells (personal favourite)
• Normal Again
• Entropy
• Seeing Red (personal favourite)
• Villains
• Two to Go (personal favourite)
• Grave (personal favourite)

When it comes to the cast, the regulars once again give us such beautiful and memorable performances, while the new additions certain shake things up for the recurring cast members. But this was clearly a big season for the main three characters; Buffy, Willow and Xander.

So let’s start with Sarah Michelle Gellar as Buffy Summers. I love how this season presented her with a lot of the issues that regular people start to have to deal with at her age like financial problems and getting a job, but also having to not only be a sister to Dawn but also be a parent to her too. Oh and Sarah, what an amazing lady. Her acting was top-notch this season, as usual SMG brough that incredibly bright, fun and witty side of Buffy to screen, but then we also got to see the more vulnerable, relatable and dramatic side of her too and the way SMG handled the more serious material was so realistic and emotionally engaging that I was left almost speechless by how much her acting affected me. Alyson Hannigan as Willow Rosenberg was great, this was the season where we got to see the best and worst of this character. Willow continues to be cute, charming and fun, but she also starts to show confidence, arrogance, deceptive tendencies and a lack of caution which affects the lives of everyone around her especially Tara. We got to see a very different side of Willow this season in addition to all of her regular traits and I adore Hannigan’s acting in this season as it was so convincing and awesome. Nicholas Brendon is another person who gets a lot to do as Xander Harris, Xander has always been an important character in this show, but this season really gives him more to beyond the regular comic relief, he’s given a lot of dramatic and emotional material, he’s at the forefront of a lot of stories, and we also get inside his head, learn about his loves and fears and see why he’s so vital to the gang. Brendon is great in this season and gives his best performance so far. Michelle Trachtenberg was also pretty good as Dawn Summers, I will admit that Dawn kind of annoyed me this season as her emotions were very bipolar when it came to Buffy and she was quite whiney a lot as well. That being said I could understand her because she was a teenager and she’d had to deal with so much for a person at that age.

James Marsters as Spike, wow, this was certainly a big season for him. Spike grows so much this season, continuing a lot of the themes from before, this time round Spike is still fun, mean and caring, but he’s also damaged, alone, lusting and all over the place. Marsters should be commended for handling his material with such professionalism and charisma, but also for being the same old charming and endearing actor we’ve come to love. Emma Caulfield as Anya was awesome, Anya’s always been a good source of humour and emotion, but this season really pushes her character forward and develops her in such dramatic ways and at one point I felt so bad for her in a way that I’d never thought I ever would, and Caulfield just broke my heart with her great acting. Amber Benson was really good as Tara Maclay, Tara has been a character I really got attached to from her first appearance and this season she become more integrated into the crew and has such a beautiful relationship with Willow. Benson is so lovely to watch in this role and she gives such fun and memorable performances. Anthony Stewart Head continues to be awesome as Rupert Giles, while Giles presence in this season is certainly smaller than before, he is by no means any less significant and in a lot of ways he’s more important than ever. I loved his story arc, interactions with Buffy and how he happened to be around at just the right times in certain episodes. I love ASH in this role, he’s just so badass and dramatic, and getting to see him sing again was just the best thing ever.

Now lets talk about The Trio with Danny Strong, Tom Lenk and Adam Busch as Jonathan, Andrew and Warren. Jonathan has always been one of my favourite hidden characters and he’s gotten progressively bigger over the time, but I didn’t expect him to return to this season on the side of evil. I liked how he was still kind of awkward, funny and the voice of reason within the group and Strong was great. Adam was my least favourite of the three as he seemed like a spineless lackey who just followed Warren without having much personality of his own, though he does have moments where he stood out. Warren was definitely the most memorable of the three, he was the leader and had the most cunning and villainous aspects. This guy was creepy, cold-hearted, manipulative and knew how to take things too far, and Adam Busch was really good in this role. I also really enjoyed James C. Leary as Clem as he was such an odd yet funny character and the return of Elizabeth Anne Allen as Amy Madison was very welcomed as she had an interesting role to play.

So to conclude season 6 of Buffy the Vampire Slayer is bloody brilliant, while it certainly one of the least joyful seasons of the show, it still had a lot of the trademark humour and provided me with some of the best drama I’ve seen in a TV in a while. This season tackled some really dark and mature themes, had some brilliant performances and super memorable storylines. I’ll be sad to see this show end when I finish season 7, but I’m super hyped for it.

Rating: 8.5/10

 

My Top 6 Highlights From San Diego Comic-Con

Howdy ladies and gents, time for some frigging news and recaps! So over the past weekend San Diego Comic-Con went down and it was a pretty crazy session with a good number of stories that dropped online. There was so much news not only for films, but also for TV and comics and I wasn’t able to see it all because I was at work. 😦 This was the first year for a while when I was working during the actual event so a lot of stories dropped while I was at work and I didn’t find out about it until I got out at 2am UK time which SUCKED! So rather than trying to talk about everything I’m just going to talk about my highlights from the convention. Oh by the way I will be talking about the leaked trailer for certain films but I won’t be showing the trailers because I don’t want my blog posts being shut down. 😛

Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice Trailer

It was kind of given that this would be the first topic of conversation and probably the biggest highlight, but it’s hard not to be hyped for this film now. I will say that I’m not going gaga over this trailer, some fans have been losing the frigging minds over this, but that’s not me. I do like this trailer a lot, but some of my concerns about the film still stand but I’ll get into that later.

I’m going to do a mini review of the trailer and keep my thoughts brief. All in all, the more I see from this film, the more hyped I get. This film is looking better with each new reveal, I love how they’ve tied BvS into Man of Steel by putting Bruce Wayne right in the thick of the chaos that went down when Superman fought Zod, and having been a witness to the destruction and death that happened, Bruce now has a reason not only to hate Superman but also to resurface as the Batman. I also like how Superman is being handled, the world is split on him, some love him and some hate him, and he’s also being held accountable for the damage he caused and is being brought to court (where’s Matt Murdock when you need him :P). Everything about this film is looking pretty cool, the story is looking good, I’m liking the character motivations and dilemmas, the action looks kick ass and very Snyder-like (super stylish and crazy) and there’s a lot of cool quotes being thrown around too. That being said I did think the trailer felt a little crowded especially with the appearances of Wonder Woman (still wondering how she fits into this film), also I’m not over the moon about Jesse Eisenberg’s Lex Luthor (though that red capes line is hilarious) or Gal Gadot’s Wonder Woman (notice how there was no dialogue for her), I’m still waiting to be wowed. Otherwise all you need to know is that my general consensus is that I’m really looking forward to this film and I want it now.

Star Wars: The Force Awakens Panel & Behind-The-Scenes Footage

While I’m not the biggest Star Wars nerd ever, my love for the films and the franchise as a whole is undeniable and I’m so hyped for The Force Awakens and the panel just gave me more confidence in the cast and crew behind hit. Hearing the answers from JJ Abrams, Lawrence Kasdan and Kathleen Kennedy given by fans and the host made me feel so at ease and just reconfirmed my hopes for the film. It also helped that the cast both new and old are so charming, down to earth and excited for the film to be released.

But then that behind-the-scenes video was the part that really got me giddy. Take a look:

There is just too much to mention. Hardcore SW fans must be having a field day picking apart the footage for me I just loved seeing these on-set locations whether they were exterior or interior, I loved the concept art and the practical animatronics and the lighting used for the darker scenes during filming. I like the stormtroopers, I love the explosions, the sets look incredibly detailed and big, and seeing the cast’s enthusiasm for the film is infectious especially from Simon Pegg. I think Mark Hamill said it best, “Everything’s changed but nothing’s changed, that’s the way you want it to be really.” It truly seemed like the filmmakers want to bring fans back to the beginning of the series but modernize it and I’m hyped.

Deadpool Trailer

It feels like this film has been in development for AGES, for the longest time it was all just talk and hoping that a Deadpool film would happen, but it’s actually happening and it’s still kind of surreal. But seeing the trailer in action just put things in perspective and I know now that Deadpool, so far, looking awesome and I want it now! Now I will say that I watched the leaked trailer online, but hey if you’re not at Comic-Con and its online, you have to watch it right? So I took a peek and it looks just as mad as I had hoped. There are jokes galore, breaking the fourth wall, references to other superhero films, violence and action and at the center of it there’s just this wonderful sense of madness and fun. I loved the use of DMX in the trailer, Ryan Reynolds is on top form with this role and I like TJ Miller too. I’m totally down for this film.

Suicide Squad Trailer

I was actually really hyped up when this leaked online. I know it’s not good to hope for exclusive film footage to drop online, but when you’re not an attendee of fancy events like these it is great to get to see something cool ( even if it is a bit blurry and out of frame. What I will say about the Suicide Squad trailer is that it felt right, it felt so right. I know only the tiniest bit of info about them from the source material, but from what I know about them they seem correct. I love the tone, it’s serious, but not too dark, I love the look of the film, the use of colour, lighting and action looks nice too, plus the cast look pretty badass especially Amanda Waller, Harley Quinn, Deadshot, Killer Croc and the Joker too. I also liked the references to Man of Steel creating a sense of continuity and this film feels like the starting point of expanding the DC cinematic universe in a really good way.

UPDATE: Here’s the official trailer:

X-Men: Apocalypse Trailer

This was the last leaked trailer that I saw because it was a little more recent and again I was glad it found its way online because it looks awesome! I’ve heard people talk about this trailer online, but you can only imagine how they feel when you haven’t seen the footage yourself, but after seeing this trailer I can understand the hype. X-Men: Apocalypse looks like it could well be the best X-Men film yet, the sense of disaster, dread and end of the world kind of tone can be felt all over this trailer. I’m really liking how in this film, it seems like the film is progressing when it comes to the looks of the characters when it comes to the costumes, hair and make-up. Characters like Storm, Nightcrawler and Professor X look really great, but Apocalypse was the real surprise, Oscar Isaac was shown right there in full make-up and costume and he looked SO beastly and unrecognisable. I just like some of the stuff they’ve carried over from First Class and Days of Future Past into this one, I’m just in a proper good mood to see this film.

Game of Thrones Panel

And finally we have the Game of Thrones panel, while nothing too significant got revealed, I just found it entertaining to watch as 2015 has found me at the peak of my GoT hype and since I’ve never watched a panel on this show I found it really fun, interesting and surprising too. I’ve not really seen many of the cast for the show outside of their characters besides Maisie Williams, Sophie Turner and Gwendoline Christie, so it was firstly just fascinating to see them all talk in their normal accents and interact in a more relaxed and playful manner. i liked hearing about the cast’s experience doing season 5 and answering some of the questions that fans gave. Though I thought Conleth Hill was the highlight of the panel and stole the show, his normal speaking voice was so much more manly than expected, but beyond that the guy is just hilarious, he cracked so many jokes and said a lot of humourous things, Hill just seems like the best kind of guy ever to hang out with in real life. I want him as a best friend.

So that’s me done, do let me know about your highlights from this year’s SDCC and what your thought of my mine in the comments section below and I’ll see ya on the next blog post, laters! 😀

 

Elodie Yung To Play Elektra In Daredevil Season 2!

Howdy people of the internet, time for some TV news and it is relating to the second season of Marvel’s Daredevil, we already got confirmation that Punisher was entering the fray and now we’ve got even bigger news. The following information comes from superherohype:

Once he loved her… Now she is his most deadly enemy! Elektra is coming to Netflix’s Daredevil season two!

Mentioned by Elden Henson’s Foggy Nelson in the first season, Elektra will be making her Marvel Cinematic Universe debut in the upcoming second season of the hit Netflix series, “Marvel’s Daredevil.” Marvel just announced that the iconic assassin will be played by G.I. Joe: Retaliation and District 13: Ultimatum star Elodie Yung!

Elektra Natchios was created by Frank Miller and her made her comic book debut in Daredevil #168. Marvel‘s announcement today describes the part as being that of “a mysterious woman from Matt Murdock’s past whose dangerous and exotic ways may be more than he can handle.”

“After a worldwide search, we found in Elodie the perfect actress to embody both Elektra’s impressive and deadly physicality, as well as her psychological complexity,” says Executive Producer and Head of Marvel Television, Jeph Loeb. “Paired with Charlie as Matt Murdock, the two will bring one of the most beloved and tumultuous comic book relationships to life with all the accompanying sparks and spectacular action sequences the show is known for.”

Elektra isn’t the only deadly character joining the Daredevil season two lineup. It was recently announced that “The Walking Dead” and Fury star Jon Bernthal will play Frank Castle, aka The Punisher, when the series returns in 2016.

So yeah I’m down with this. While I don’t remember her in The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2011) or G.I. Joe: Retaliation (though I’ve forgotten a lot of things from that film for a reason), from what I’m reading she’s a capable actress with martial arts experience so that’s good news already. I may have to check out some more of her material to get a better idea of how she acts but again it seems like Jeph Loeb knows what’s going on with her and I believe that she’s gotta have something special to take on this role. I just wonder how big of a role she’ll play and how she’ll factor into the main cast, will she be hanging around with Matt, Karen and Foggy or just Matt or Daredevil or with the enemy? I have predictions but won’t say anything until more details come out.

I’ve seen a few people online complaining about her being too skinny or being a French actress instead of being Greek, but these are trivial nitpicks at best, if the actress can do the job then shut up and get over it. When it comes to casting everyone has an opinion and a lot of the time their opinions aren’t always the right ones, though one person did suggest Eliza Dushku, and I’d be down with that 100%, maybe it’s because I’m biased towards her, but hell in my eyes she’s amazing. But anyways, it seems like the people behind the show have confidence in her so I’m gonna give her and chance and I hope that he’ll be just as great as the cast we’ve been given so far. 🙂

So what do you think of Yung playing Elektra? Are you down with the casting or not and are you hyped to see both Elektra and Punisher in Daredevil season 2? Please comment below and let me know. Laters! 😀

 

Getting Back on Track

Howdy people of the internet, time for a quick blog update. As you may have seen, before my recent Terminator Genisys review, I was pretty vacant on this blog for a few days and I just wanted to clarify the reason for my absence and the lack of certain material I promised a while back.

Reasons For My Absence

So last week I left to go back to Sheffield to volunteer at the Children’s Media Conference for the second time and it was hella fun. Such a great experience to help people but also to learn and network within the media industry, and I also was reunited with some old friends and made a bunch of potential new mates too, so all in all it was a great 4 days away. In that time off I was away from my laptop (which I left back at home), and while it’s been fun not having to write anything I feel like I was wasting a bit of time by not doing any of my blogging activities. That being said, after the last Month of Superhero Films Reviews, I am pretty beat, that was a lot of time taken out of my days to watch all of those films, review them and keep up with all my other daily activities. So the few days I’ve had off have been so delightful and uplifting haha. 🙂

Even though I’ve had a few of infrequent breaks recently, we all need them from time to time.

Delays On Previously Promised Material

Back near the end of May in one blog post had promised discussions on comic book TV shows including The Flash, Constantine, Marvel’s Daredevil and Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., and even though it’s been a while since the buzz surrounding the shows have disappeared (well at least until Comic-Con), I have plenty to share about the shows that aired and wanted to do some comparison work too. So it is still coming, I promise!

ALSO, at this point I feel ashamed that I haven’t gotten my Buffy season 6 review online yet, right now it’s been around two months since I finished season 6 and I have yet to get my thoughts together completely to have a fully written review. But it’s around 2/3’s of the way done, but its there’s a lot of character stuff to finish up. I hope it’ll be up by the end of this week so I can start and finish Buffy once and for all with season 7.

I promised this stuff before and it is still coming, honest! 😛

To conclude, I’m still alive and still have much material for all of you to read (well, those of you that still read this blog after all this time), just hold on. Until next time, laters! 😀

 

Say “I’ll Be Back!” in this Terminator Genisys Review

Hello there people of the internet, man it feels like I’ve been gone for a while now (even though its only been a few days), but after some recovery time I’m back with a fresh film review in the form of Terminator Genisys. Now I’ve made it no secret that since the first trailer hit the web I was not a fan, it looked interesting, but also like a jumbled version of Terminator’s greatest hits. I was curious but wary, but it was after the second trailer came out that I (along with the rest of the world) not only got more interested in Genisys but also believed that we saw a massive spoiler in the trailer. From that point I had hope that the film would be at least decent. So I watched it last night and now it’s time to pass judgement!

The story can be summed up as the following:

“John Connor sends Kyle Reese back in time to protect Sarah Connor, but when he arrives in 1984, nothing is as he expected it to be. Now Sarah and Kyle along with an aged T-800 Terminator go on an epic journey to change fate and save the future from Skynet.”

The plot overall was decent, but was a very messy affair. Now what I liked about the film was the first 20 minutes or so. It was clear, simple, different, yet nostalgic, cool and fun. I have to give the filmmakers props for their faithfulness and references to the older Terminator films as there are references galore for hardcore fans that know their material especially when it comes to Terminator 1 & 2 and a there’s even a bit of 3 and Salvation in there too. But after that initial nostalgia trip and the film goes off on its own tangent that’s where things get convoluted. This film tries to do so much, at times the story is hard to follow because there’s so much going on with the time travelling, new and returning characters and presenting new scenarios. However the story goes to places without explaining certain things, some of the time travelling elements get really confusing and come across as more messy than smart and there’s some emotional aspects in this film that just don’t feel earned or carry as much weight as they should do. And finally the film has humour and some of it work but other times it’s not as funny. Oh and I have to mention the whole John Connor thing that was spoiled in the second trailer, I won’t go into specifics for those unaware of it, but the second trailer really did ruin a massive aspect of the story and while there’s more to the film, the marketing team and whoever put that trailer together should be fired for revealing something that would have been much better off seen in the film on its own.

As for the cast they vary from being decent to being bad, I think it is just due to the fact some of the actors are miscast in their roles. But one thing that does remain constant is Arnold Schwarzenegger as The Terminator (aka Guardian/Pops). Schwarzenegger is the best thing about this film, after so many years the man still has it, that awesome screen presence, the dead stare, great delivery with dialogue and it feels right. I could probably see Schwarzenegger do this role for good few more years as he’s not lost his touch and it he was so great to watch. Jason Clarke as John Connor he was pretty good and I liked his energy for the role, but again he just wasn’t the best in this role. Emilia Clarke as Sarah Connor. Having someone like Daenerys Targaryen in the role of Sarah frigging Connor seems like a good idea, but Clarke doesn’t have the right kind of physicality, screen presence or badassery that we associate with this iconic character. Clarke does a decent job, but not a great one and its mean to compare Clarke to Linda Hamilton but she can’t pull it off. Jai Courtney as Kyle Reese, man he wasn’t good. Courtney is an actor I don’t mind and want to see improve, however he’s always in such bad films and his performances aren’t the best and that is the case with this film. Courtney just doesn’t have the right kind of emotional depth to him and when you compare him to Michael Biehn, Courtney doesn’t compare, he doesn’t have the wit, charm or the everyman look to him. Lee Byung-hun was pretty good as the T-1000, I just wish there was more of him. J. K. Simmons as Detective O’Brien was pretty funny and I liked him but I was hoping that Simmons’ role was going to be a little more significant in the film. As for Matt Smith’s role in this film, I won’t reveal what it is because it is a massive spoiler, that being said it was pretty disappointing though I did like Smith’s American accent.

When it comes to the presentation. Visually the film looks nice, the CGI for the most part is very clean and sharp and is used well in the big set pieces sequences and the action for the most part is pretty good. But the film just doesn’t have anything super memorable about the action sequences, there’s nothing that is unique or totally badass them and in the modern age of action films that’s not a good thing. I did appreciate the use of colour, lighting and atmosphere the film tried to put across. As for the music, Lorne Balfe’s film score does nothing to elevate the film. It has no charisma, drama or memorable themes and this film barely capitalizes on the iconic themes from the previous films.

In conclusion the Terminator Genisys is decent, but isn’t the film I was hoping for. In a way I knew the film would end up in the way that it did, but I had hoped that Alan Taylor and the star power behind this film would produce a better result, but that is unfortunately not the case. That being said, the film was better than I expected with some great references to the first film and a great central performance from Arnold Schwarzenegger. If this film was streamlined and a little more focused, it would have been miles better, however what we’re left with is a decent return to the Terminator franchise. Hopefully the sequels can only go up from here.

Rating: 6/10

So what do you think of Terminator Genisys? Did you like the film, think it was alright or hate it? Please leave your thoughts below and I’ll see ya on the next review yo. 🙂