Mr. Hakujin

There goes all the monies. Actually, thanks for posting nza, but I'm probably gonna stay away from the sale this go-around. I still have at five movies from the last time this sale went down that I haven't watched. What've you got on your list, Nemo? Anything out there I should reconsider?

Nice haul on those Disney Afternoon vinyls, Nemo. I'm with Panch, how much they cost though?

So, I just finished S1, and while I enjoyed it, I feel like there just wasn't quite enough oomph to that finale. Also, to use a cliched but apt phrase, it was all tied up a bit too neatly. S1E10-13 Cheers. I still think that Dolph film is the best of the films, even if it has a maddening complete absence of the skull. Full disclosure, I have a very nostalgic view of that first film and haven't seen it in a loooong time. I re-watched the Jane/Travolta film not long after DDS2, but I couldn't get through it. So awful. (Jane redeemed himself with the "Dirty Laundry" short though.) And I've only seen the War Zone film the once in the theater.

I'm up to episode nine so far and am enjoying it quite a lot. The old school comic book guy in me (ya know, the guy who at one point bought Punisher, Punisher: War Journal, and Punisher: War Zone monthly) still gets irked when Frank does something badass and he's not in his skull logo vest. I mean, I'm not asking for white gloves and boots here or anything, just the symbol that's literally associated with the character, geez. It's kinda like seeing Batman fight without his cape. I really like how they're tying everything together, even though it's kinda obvious where the plot is headed, the performances and pacing are so good that I don't mind when the predictable plot beats occurs. Not to mention the writing when it comes to character development. This show has some very well written characters. Even though we should all know the deal with threads about Netflix shows and spoilers by now, there's no SPOILER tag in the thread title, so I'll go ahead and hide these comments about S1E1-9... I really like how they're developing Jigsaw/Russo. That scene with his mom and then how he revealed just enough truth later with Medani to give his motive for treating his mom that way--brilliant writing! You may not have even see that betrayal coming if you didn't know Russo was Jigsaw's name in the comics. This is such a great villain and I love how they tied him to the new character of Agent Medani. Him bathing her at the end of that episode was just the cringiest thing ever. I cannot wait for his face to get fuuuuucked up. And Microchip/Daniel is another character I really like how they're handling. How he handled that kiss by his wife and Frank seemed totally in line with his character. He's definitely more than just "the guy in the chair" in this series more so than what I remember of his character in the comics. Hopefully if Punisher gets a S2 we get Frank sporting the skull logo in every episode and Daniel being called Micro.

I don't mind Marvel copping the whole GotG vibe for Thor3 or this either. But if we don't get S.W.O.R.D., or at the least Agent Brand, outta all this Team Coulson in space thing I'm gonna be bummed.

I've yet to actually finish reading the Zahn Thrawn trilogy, so I'm not sure about his fate in the books. But just from watching the behind the scenes stuff on Rebels Recon I can tell that group of writers has a huge respect for Zahn and his characters. I would be surprised if they got rid of such a fan favorite villain without fully realizing all the story potential from those books. Know what I mean?

Oh yeah, I think it'll easily continue for multiple seasons. AMC's CEO put out a release not long ago that they view TWD and Kirkman's post-apocalyptic world as a "franchise," one that could endure for "decades." They're apparently using Star Wars and Star Trek as models for how to handle the property. And I thought this was kinda cool. This week ranked a 0.5.

Season 4 just had its mid-season finale, E9 "Rebel Assault." The first two episodes of S4 were a bit of a chore for me as I'm not a huge fan of the Mandalore plot. However, everything since then has been full on fantasticness. I'm a bit pissed because I was expecting a full 22 episode season and it's apparently only 15 episodes. And S4E9 was a great episode in true REBELS fashion. Pretty much one line spoken by Hera made the entire episode worth it, from a fanboy perspective anyway. Maybe you'll consider it spoilers, so I'll tag it... And I think Bishop is right about Kannan. My prediction for the last episodes are...

Yeah, maybe because I watch week to week and not on BR/DVD, I enjoy the Rebels Recon episodes more; haven't skipped one yet. I look forward to their breakdowns and interviews with Pappa Pablo and Daddy Dave. That and I have a sizeable fanboy crush on hostess with the mostess, Andi G. Regarding S3 "Twin Suns" episode

I'm a few episodes behind this season. Last one I saw was the Heroin & Hummels episode. It was aaight. Whole season thus far has been meh for me. I agree with Panch in that I miss the season long narrative like in the previous two seasons, which were brilliant. Maybe that's why this season is feeling so mediocre. Looks like the latest episode picks up in quality though.

Yeah, episodes 5&6 have been the best of this season thus far. (I don't think the absence of fatwa is a coincidence either.) I still need to watch episode 7 though.

Huh. I never thought of that, but it makes sense. I actually kinda like it for the MCU better than the purple robed comic version. And this reminds me of maybe my favorite line from Hela in the film, "Fake!"

You talking about the play in regards to the cameo(s)? If so, I agree!

Wow! What an incredibly enjoyable film. I feel like this is the MCU version of a well-earned ice cream treat (Or whatever sort of desert you might enjoy if you’re lactose intolerant) . Allow me to briefly elaborate on that analogy. If you have been a fan of the MCU and saw all the films up until now, ate every bit the MCU has thrown out at you over the past decade, then Ragnarok rewarded your loyalty and investment with these characters in a big way. Despite the overall humerous tone some really huge, MCU altering events occur. All the little in-jokes and pieces of dialogue that relate to past MCU events and characters sprinkled in amongst the new characters in worlds was just blended perfectly in opinion. Granted, most of Hela’s origin and motivation was given in exposition, however, Kate Blanchett was just chewing up the scenery so well and in such a completely kick ass costume that I really didn’t give a fuck that her character wasn’t better fleshed out. Even Skurge had a great little character arc. Donutella is right in that despite big stakes for Thor, the humor undercut the film’s sense of urgency. But again, you’re having so much fun watching these characters that you really don’t mind. Or at least I didn’t. And is it just me, or is anyone else planning on seeing this again while it’s in theaters? I saw it in IMAX, and I will probably be going back to catch it in 3-D. Comic and film spoilers Minor(?) nitpicks on the film.

Apparently you don't need to have been experimented on by Hawkins Papa to have psychic powers after all. ;)

Didn't like the season opener as much as you and ASC, but then again I wasn't looking for parallels to the first episode. Didn't realize until today that S8E1 was the 100th episode. Agree it would be a travesty if they got rid of him.

So, after seeing the Sinead O'Connor version of Medusa and reading some of the horrible reviews from the theatrical release, I dialed down my expectations A LOT since this project was initially announced and casting began. That still did not prepare me for the cluster fuck which is The Inhumans pilot episode. The worst thing Marvel TV has done since Iron Fist and it's no coincidence the same creator/show runner is behind both series. Fucking Scott Buck. Damnit, Scott!

Lost City of Z B- This film is based on the real life of early 20th century British explorer Percy Fawcett's expeditions in South America to find evidence of a hidden civilization that predated the European civilizations. It's slow paced and the dialogue gets a bit cringy in places. The Robert Pattinson character felt underwritten, as were Percy's two youngest kids. However, I felt like it did a pretty good job of showing motivation for the three main characters. Tom "Spider-Man" Holland as Percy's elder son was a wonderful surprise, and he was maybe my favorite thing about the third act. It was shot beautifully, and I like the ambiguous ending given that the real explorers did mysteriously disappear. Jerry Before Seinfeld (Netflix) C+ Jerry basically does an autobiographical stand-up special with a few filmed cut-aways. I applaud him for trying something different with the format of a traditional comedy stand-up routine special. However, it didn't keep my interest even though it's only about an hour long. It took me three viewings to get through. I'd say this is more for hardcore Seinfeld fans and not just for someone looking to see a full comedy routine like with a Louis C.K. or Dave Chapelle special. Lady Gaga: Five Foot Two (Netflix) B+ In the hands of a slightly better director this could've been one of the all time great music documentaries. (For an example of perfection in this genre see HBO's The Defiant Ones). The weakness in this doc lies in the feeble narrative structure and the anti-climactic ending of her Superbowl 51 half-time performance. Gaga is a savvy self promoter, and this doc is no exception. She's shown being vulnerable, but only to a degree. Gaga strategically talks to her "fashion team" about how she wants to tone down the glam for her next promo tour whilst she is topless. (Get it?) She talks a lot about her ex-fiancee and the emotional pain of that break up, but never once is the man she's currently dating shown or mentioned. She mentions Madonna's beef with her twice, but not once is the Perez Hilton feud discussed. She is clearly someone suffering from a level of anxiety and stress that would benefit from therapy, but not once is anxiety or mental health treatment ever mentioned in the doc. (However, a place people can go to seek help & info for "anxiety" is mentioned in the credits.) So this doc is a curated vulnerability and not as "raw" a look at her life as it would lead you to believe. The best and most emotionally authentic scene in this doc comes around the 34 minute mark when Gaga and her father visit her grandmother and play her the album's finished mix of the title track, "Joanne." If you don't know the story behind Joanne, I won't spoil it for you. I suggest you watch the doc to find out, as it is a truly emotional story and my favorite part of the whole doc. Naked (Netflix) D Marlon Wayans stars in a comedy based on the same premise as the classic Bill Murray film Groundhog’s Day. The difference here is Wayan’s is repeating the same hour, not day, before his wedding and wakes up naked in an elevator with no memory of how he got there. The premise sounds half-way interesting, and it was enough to fool me into thinking it might be entertaining, but don’t forget this is a Marlon Wayans film, and as such it is horrible. Horrible. Incredible Jessica James (Netflix) C The writing is good in parts, eye-roll and cringy in others, but the direction is mediocre throughout. It stars former Daily Show correspondent Jessica Williams, who is not as good an actress as you’d have hoped. Chris O’Doud saves the film from being a total waste of time. War Machine (Netflix) C+ Brad Pitt stars as a modern day US general in Afghanistan in this film based on a book by a former Rolling Stone journalist. It’s not very engaging or entertaining, but it makes a very good argument about the ineffectiveness of counter-insurgency and how absolutely insane it is that the USA ignores this fact in the war in Afghanistan. Gold B Matthew McConaughey does his best Charlize Theron and tries to look ugly, i.e. fat and bald, for this role as a loveable loser. Bryce Dallas Howard does a decent job as the underwritten love interest. But the male co-star just wasn’t charismatic enough. The actor playing Mike Acosta was adequate, but the roll called for someone even MORE intriguing and captivating than McConaughy, and this guy just didn’t have it. Also the real life story behind the three geologists who managed to con big mining businesses and investment firms out of billions of dollars was way more interesting than the actual movie. Sing! B Basically just an excuse to get kids to want to see a bunch of pop songs sung by animated characters. However, the performances are good and the humor and pacing are all there, too. Not bad as far as gimmick films go.

Panch, Axels is correct about

Gonna need an artist name for that Galactus pic, Nza. It's f'n...fantastic!

I dig that new poster and "Micro" features prominently on it. So I'm guessing the guy in the dilapidated building sporting the beard and beanie is Microchip. No doubt he's saying something like, "Get out of there NOW, Frank!" On the phone.

I was waiting until the finale to binge watch S2, but after skimming the posts in here about it I don't think I'm going to bother watching it anytime soon, if at all. :/ I do need to re-read the comic soon though.

Love H3H3's stuff and I didn't know they had this connection to Roiland. I watched pieces of that entire podcast over the course of about a week (it's over 5hrs long). Entertaining stuff. Watch the Joey Salads pepper spray clip if you see nothing else besides the prank call. Also, in actual R&M show commentary, Evil Morty is the new Pickle Rick.

This pretty much covers the highlights on what you need to know about the book (which is a fuckton of pages long) vs film. And the RLM guys have you covered on a much less Stephen King fanboy perspective of both the book and film. I lean more towards Mike in my opinions on the book and film.