Sunday, January 20, 2019

Glass

The sequel to both 2000s Unbreakable and 2017s Split, Glass sees Bruce Willis, Samuel L. Jackson, James McAvoy, and Anya Taylor-Joy all reprising their roles from the previous films. M. Night Shyamalan's superhero thriller starts out as a typical film in the genre with Willis and McAvoy fighting before being captured by the authorities and sent to a mental institution, the same one as Jackson's Mr. Glass. From there it switches to a more psychological and subdued film that focuses on whether the characters really have powers or is it all in their minds. The performances from many of the actors, especially from McAvoy, Jackson, and Willis are all really good. What makes this film different from other superhero movies is that it's much slower and smaller, relying on the psychological aspects with much smaller characters. With Sarah Paulson portraying a psychiatrist treating what she sees as people with delusions of super heroics, she does a good job at capturing that more psychological side. The later reveal and twist of who she is and what she's a part of does add something new to the genre that's never been done before, though not all of it works due to having been introduced so suddenly at the end and not mentioned before. While the first fight between the two powerful characters is done well, it's hard to see because of how dark it is while their last is better done. There are some parts of the film where the dialogue is not well written and doesn't come out very effectively, especially when certain events are compared to that of comic books and their terminology happen too often especially by Glass. Besides the dialogue, there are other things in Glass that feel way too over the top and silly such as The Beast's voice and growling or the video that's sent out at the end to reveal superheroes to the world is just the final fight between David Dunn and The Beast and not more footage of other heroes in the institution. Over all: 65%
2019 top list so far:
1. The Upside
2. Glass

Tuesday, January 15, 2019

The Upside

As my first film of 2019, The Upside is a good and enjoyable film to start of the last year of the 2010 decade. Bryan Cranston stars as a paralyzed billionaire getting assistance from a recent paroled convict played by Kevin Hart. The film is based on a true story about a French businessman who suffered the same results after a paragliding contest and has been told three other times in France, India, and Argentina. While the story of The Upside is based on a true story, the way the film tells it can feel very cliche and you know what events are going to happen because of previous stories similar to this one. But even then, you can still appreciate the cliche because it is well told, funny, and can inspire at times. The film's strongest aspect is not only the performances by everyone involved, but especially the chemistry between Cranston and Hart that keeps you the most interested. While I can agree that casting an actually paralyzed person would have been better than Bryan Cranston, it's hard to argue that Cranston does a believable enough job that shows just how dedicated he is to his roles. Though there are several moments that feel far fetched, especially a few decisions that the characters make, they're relatively small and a few do get brought up. An aspect that I find odd and can distract sometimes is that a lot of scenes tend to end with a fade to black, but that's a small thing. Over all: 91%
2019 top list so far:
1. The Upside

Monday, January 14, 2019

The Tick: Free Comic Book Day 2018

My first Tick comic as well as my first from New England Comics, The Tick: Free Comic Book Day 2018 tells three different stories all with different styles of artwork but the three still being very similar to the 1990s animated series. The first one has the blue superhero take part in a medieval prophecy involving kings and dragons, the second has Tick and Arthur help a pizza delivery guy get to his next destination, and the last has the nigh-invulnerable hero being asked to become the best man for another hero's wedding while protecting him from his past. Having seen the animated series, the Patrick Warburton live action version of the early 2000s, and the new one in Amazon, this comic is just as funny as those adaptations. The comedy is fast paced, Tick is just as over the top as ever, and each story you can see all three actors that have voiced and portrayed him whenever he talks. Even when the three stories have different artworks, they're all really good and fun while keeping with some similar aesthetics like Tick's size and the colorfulness of the universe he inhabits. I would love to see the new series adapt all three of the stories, though expanding them, as it would fit right in. Over all: 100%
Top list so far for 2nd set of comics:
1. The Tick: Free Comic Book Day 2018
2. Free Comic Book Day 2018: James Bond 007-VARGR
3. Free Comic Book Day 2018 Invader Zim: Floopsy Bloops Shmoopsy
4. Batman/The Flash: The Button
5. The Adventures of Superman Vol. 1 #500
6. The Unworthy Thor (2016-2017) #1
7. Batman/Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II #5
8. Batman/Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II #6
9. Batman/Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II #4
10. Thor: God of Thunder Vol. 1 #1
11. Wonder Woman Free Comic Book Day 2017 Special Edition (2017-) issue #1
12. Batman/Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II #2
13. Batman/Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II #1
14. Incredible Hulk (1999-2007) #92: Planet Hulk Part One
15. Batman/Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II #3
16. Wonder Woman (2006-2011) #1
17. The Astonishing Ant-Man (2015-2016) #1
18. Star Wars: Rogue One Adaptation #1
19. Tate's Not At Comic Con Local Indy Anthology #8

Sunday, January 13, 2019

Top 10 2018 TV Moments

1. The Late Late Show with James Corden Carpool Karaoke segment with Paul McCartney.
2. Jimmy letting Howard blame himself for Chuck's death in Better Call Saul.
3. The humans appearing as Janet in The Good Place.
4. Oprah receiving the Cecil B. DeMille Lifetime Achievement Award at the 75th Golden Globe Awards.
5. Mallory running over Langdon in the finale to American Horror Story: Apocalypse.
6. Christy trying to reconcile with her daughter in Mom.
7. The ending to the Rosa episode of Doctor Who.
8. The Daily Show visit to South Africa.
9. The Legends turning into a giant Beebo in Legends of Tomorrow.
10. Olivia Holt and Aubrey Joseph's chemistry in Cloak & Dagger.
Honorable Mentions:
Jeremiah becoming a Joker-esque villain in Gotham.
Elseworlds crossover throughout the Arrowverse.
David Tennant's performance as The Lord Commander in Final Space.
Grace revealing a shocking truth to her dad in Will & Grace.
Rick blowing up the bridge in The Walking Dead.
Jefferson donning the suit and rescuing his daughters in the premiere of Black Lightning.
Magica's escape in Ducktales.
The three part earthquake episode opening season two of 9-1-1.
The Supernatural/Scooby-Doo crossover.
The three way fight between Daredevil, Kingpin, and Bullseye in the final episode of Daredevil.
Luke Cage teaming up with Iron Fist in Luke Cage.
Allura's sacrifice in the series finale of Voltron: Legendary Defender.
Taylor Kitsch's performance as David Koresh in Waco.
Stan confronting the Jennings in the series finale of The Americans.
Ruby and Sapphire getting married in Steven Universe.
The Ebola terrorist plot from Jack Ryan.
Kristin Chenoweth's performance throughout the second season of Trial & Error.
The defeat of Grand Admiral Thrawn in the series finale of Star Wars Rebels.
The appearance of the Shame Wizard throughout the second season of Big Mouth.
Will Robinson encountering the Robot for the first time in Lost in Space.
The Comedy Central Roast of Bruce Willis.
Roger Deakins winning an Oscar for the cinematography of Blade Runner 2049 at the 90th Academy Awards.
The 25th anniversary special of Power Rangers.
Mickey's 90th Spectacular.

Saturday, January 12, 2019

Top 10 2018 Series and Season Finales

Series Finales:
1. Daredevil
2. Voltron: Legendary Defender
3. Luke Cage
4. The Americans
5. Trollhunters
6. Star Wars Rebels
7. Timeless
8. Trial & Error
9. The Last Man on Earth
10. The Fosters
Honorable Mentions:
Iron Fist
Sense8
James Cameron's Story of Science Fiction
Nashville
Eli Roth's History of Horror
Waco
Quantico
Shooter
Nobodies
Major Crimes
Young & Hungry
Stuck in the Middle
Famous in Love
New Girl
Once Upon a Time
Ghosted

Season Finales:
1. American Horror Story: Apocalypse finale-Apocalypse Then
2. Legends of Tomorrow third season finale-The Good, The Bad and the Cuddly
3. Final Space first season finale-Chapter Ten
4. The Tick first season finale-The End of the Beginning (Of the Start of the Dawn of the Age of Superheroes)
5. Gotham fourth season finale-No Man's Island
6. The Walking Dead eighth season finale-Wrath
7. The Good Place second season finale-Somewhere Else
8. Arrow sixth season finale-Life Sentence
9. Blue Bloods eighth season finale-My Aim is True
10. The Gifted first season finale-X-roads
Honorable Mentions:
Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee tenth season finale-Here's Jerry!
The Flash fourth season finale-We Are the Flash
Doctor Who series 11 finale-The Battle of Ranskoor Av Kolos
Preacher third season finale-The Light Above
Black Lightning first season finale-Shadow of Death: The Book of War
Supergirl third season finale-Battles Lost and Won
13 Reasons Why second season finale-Bye
Better Call Saul fourth season finale-Winner
Madam Secretary fourth season finale-Night Watch
Ducktales first season finale-The Shadow War!
Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. fifth season finale-The End
Krypton first season finale-The Phantom Zone
Big Hero 6 first season finale-Countdown to Catastrophe
Timeless second season finale-Chinatown
9-1-1 first season finale-A Whole New You
Cloak & Dagger first season finale-Colony Collapse
Big Mouth second season finale-The Department of Puberty
Mickey Mouse fourth season finale- Roll 'em
Trust first season finale-Consequences
Family Guy 16th season finale-Are You There God? It's Me, Peter
The History of Comedy second season finale-No Offense
Jack Ryan first season finale-Inshallah
Tangled first season finale-Secret of the Sundrop

Thursday, January 10, 2019

Top 10 New Shows and Season Premieres of 2018

New Shows:
1. 9-1-1
2. Eli Roth's History of Horror
3. Final Space
4. James Cameron's Story of Science Fiction
5. The Rookie
6. Lost in Space
7. Black Lightning
8. Chilling Adventures of Sabrina
9. The Last O.G.
10. Cloak & Dagger
Honorable Mentions:
Manifest
Waco
Single Parents
Disenchantment
The Terror
The Cool Kids
My Next Guest Needs No Introduction with David Letterman
Jack Ryan
The Crossing
Trust
Star Wars Resistance
Krypton
Castle Rock
Good Girls
The Alienist
The Break with Michelle Wolf
The Purge
Insatiable
Magnum, P.I.
Rise
Alexa and Katie
Corporate
LA to Vegas
Alex, Inc.
Instinct
Unsolved
The Neighborhood

Season Premieres:
1. The Walking Dead ninth season premiere-A New Beginning
2. Doctor Who series 11 premiere-The Woman Who Fell to Earth
3. Legends of Tomorrow fourth season premiere-The Virgin Gary
4. American Horror Story: Apocalypse premiere-The End
5. The Flash fifth season premiere-Nora
6. The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel second season premiere-Simone
7. The Good Place third season premiere-Everything is Bonzer!
8. Better Call Saul fourth season premiere-Smoke
9. Daredevil third season premiere-Ressurection
10. Blue Bloods ninth season premiere-Playing with Fire
Honorable Mentions:
The Sinner second season premiere-Part I
Arrow seventh season premiere-Inmate 4587
Ducktales second season premiere-The Most Dangerous Game...Night!
Supergirl fourth season premiere-American Alien
The Gifted second season premiere-eMergence
Luke Cage second season premiere-Soul Brother #1
9-1-1 second season premiere-Under Pressure
Black Lightning second season premiere-The Book of Consequences: Chapter One: Rise of the Green Light Babies
Modern Family tenth season premiere-I Love a Parade
Fear the Walking Dead fourth season premiere-What's Your Story?
Wrecked third season premiere-Bush Man
Saturday Night Live 44th season premiere-Adam Driver host
Preacher third season premiere-Angelville
The Big Bang Theory twelfth season premiere-The Conjugal Configuration
Trial & Error second season premiere-Chapter 1: The Suitcase
Jessica Jones second season premiere-AKA Start at the Beginning
Trollhunters: Tales of Arcadia third season premiere-A Night Patroll
American Crime Story: The Assassination of Gianni Versace premiere-The Man Who Would Be Vogue
NCIS 16th season premiere-Destiny's Child
The Simpsons 30th season premiere-Bart's Not Dead
Iron Fist second season premiere-The Fury of Iron Fist
Supernatural 14th season premiere-Stranger in a Strange Land
The Orville second season premiere-Ja'loja
Famous in Love second season premiere-The Players
The History of Comedy second season premiere-Carnal Knowledge
Family Guy 17th season premiere-Married... with Cancer
Henry Danger fifth season premiere-Henry's Birthday
Nashville sixth season premiere-New Strings
Shades of Blue third season premiere-Good Police

Tuesday, January 8, 2019

Top 10 2018 Film Moments

1. The snap from Avengers: Infinity War.
2. Adonis defeating Viktor Drago in Creed II.
3. Michael B. Jordan's performance in Black Panther.
4. The Fernando duet between Cher and Andy Garcia in Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again.
5. Aquaman gaining his signature trident and costume in Aquaman.
6. Stallworth revealing himself as a black man to David Duke in BlacKkKlansman.
7. Final battle from Ready Player One.
8. Ally performing for the first time in A Star is Born.
9. Fred Rogers' defense of PBS funding in Won't You Be My Neighbor?.
10. The unseen murder of Lily's father in Thoroughbreds.
Honorable Mentions:
Miles gaining his confidence in Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse.
Grindelwald's escape from Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald.
The ending to A Quiet Place.
Venom's first full appearance in Venom.
The secret heist reveal from Ocean's 8.
Benicio del Toro's performance in Sicario: Day of the Soldado.
The Live Aid performance from Bohemian Rhapsody.
Train chase from Incredibles 2.
Vanellope meeting the Disney Princesseses in Ralph Breaks the Internet.
Jeff Bridges's performance in Bad Times at the El Royale.
Juggernaut's escape from Deadpool 2.
The volcanic destruction of Isla Nublar in Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom.
Opening montage sequence from Game Night.
The Kessel Run from Solo: A Star Wars Story.
San Francisco car chase in Ant-Man and the Wasp.
The defeat of the second Predator in The Predator.
Opening Cybertron battle in Bumblebee.
Michael's defeat in Halloween 2018.
Earl's arrest in The Mule.
Helicopter chase from Mission: Impossible - Fallout.
Opening dog fight in Isle of Dogs.

Saturday, January 5, 2019

Top 10 Most Anticipated New Shows Of 2019

1. Miracle Workers
2. Watchmen
3. Pennyworth
4. Deadly Class
5. The Righteous Gemstones
6. Looney Tunes Cartoons
7. I Am the Night
8. What We Do in the Shadows
9. Chernobyl
10. Warrior
Honorable Mentions:
NOS4A2
The Owl House
Project Blue Book
Scooby-Doo and Guess Who?
Pretty Little Liars: The Perfectionists
Good Trouble
Too Old to Die Young
Blood & Treasure
Good Omens
L.A.'s Finest
The Boys
Shrill
Carmen Sandiego
Ultraman
Infinity Train
The Umbrella Academy
Wayne
The InBetween
The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance
Heartstrings
Fosse/Verdon

Wednesday, January 2, 2019

Most Anticipated 2019 Films

Order of Release:
1. The Upside- Paralyzed billionaire hires recently released convict whom he quickly strikes up a friendship with.
2. Glass- Sequel to Unbreakable and Split.
3. The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part- Sequel to The Lego Movie.
4. Happy Death Day 2U- Slasher sequel to the original 2017 film.
5. How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World- The third and final installment of the animated film series.
6. Captain Marvel- 21st entry in the MCU that introduces the first solo female superhero in the franchise.
7. Us- Jordan Peele's followup to Get Out dealing with a family fighting against their doppelgängers.
8. Dumbo- Live action remake of Disney animated film.
9. Shazam!- Feature length film debut of the DC Comics hero and the seventh in the DCEU.
10. Pet Sematary- Second adaptation of the Stephen King novel dealing with a cursed cemetery.
11. Hellboy- Reboot of the comic book movie series with David Harbour taking over from Ron Perlman.
12. Missing Link- Stop motion animated film about a scientist looking for a missing link.
13. The Curse of La Llorona- Ghost film set in Mexico dealing with a local folklore.
14. Under the Silver Lake- A paranoid young man investigates the disappearance of a neighbor.
15. Avengers: Endgame- The direct sequel to Infinity War that sees the Avengers taking on Thanos after he erased half of all life.
16. Pokemon: Detective Pikachu- Live action adaptation of the Pokemon franchise and specifically of the 2016 video game of the same name.
17. John Wick 3: Parabellum- The third film in the John Wick series.
18. Aladdin- Live action remake of the 1992 Disney animated film about a boy finding a genie.
19. Brightburn- A twisted horror take on the superhero origin story much like Superman's.
20. The Kid- A young boy witnesses an encounter between Billy the Kid and a sheriff.
21. Godzilla: King of the Monsters- Sequel to the 2014 reboot that sees the giant mutated lizard battling his more iconic foes.
22. Rocketman- Biographical musical about Elton John.
23. Dark Phoenix- 12th installment of the X-Men film series based on the Dark Phoenix Saga from the comics.
24. Men in Black: International- Spinoff to the original Men in Black series that deals with a more international based threat.
25. Son of Shaft- Three generations of the Shaft family team up to stop a criminal.
26. Toy Story 4- The fourth entry in the toy based series.
27. Grudge- Reboot to the horror film series.
28. Child's Play- Remake of the 1988 horror original.
29. Spider-Man: Far From Home- Follow up to Endgame wherein Spider-Man battles Mysterio.
30. The Lion King- CGI remake of the original 1994 film.
31. Once Upon a Time in Hollywood- Quentin Tarantino's latest about a tv actor and his stuntman in the 1960s embarking on an adventure.
32. Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw- First spinoff in the Fast & Furious film series.
33. The New Mutants- Spinoff to the X-Men film series that takes a more horror based turn.
34. Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark- A horror film centering on young teens produced by Guillermo del Toro.
35. The Angry Birds 2- Sequel to the 2016 film based on the mobile game.
36. Angel Has Fallen- The second sequel to Olympus Has Fallen.
37. It: Chapter Two- Set 27 years after the first It, The Losers' Club are grown up and ready to face off against Pennywise.
38. Spies in Disguise- Animated film about a spy going undercover as a bird.
39. Joker- Standalone origin story of the Batman villain.
40. The Woman in the Window- An agoraphobic woman witnesses a crime as she spies on her neighbors.
41. The Addams Family- Animated reboot based on the comic stories of a macabre family.
42. Zombieland Too- Sequel to the 2009 horror zombie comedy.
43. Are You Afraid of the Dark?- Feature film adaptation of the children's horror anthology show.
44. A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood- Tom Hanks plays Fred Rogers.
45. Terminator 6- James Cameron returns as a producer in this direct sequel to the first two Terminator films.
46. Sonic the Hedgehog- Live action adaptation of the video game series.
47. Kingsman: The Great Game- Prequel that looks at the formation of the spy agency.
48. Midway- War film depicting the Battle of Midway.
49. Frozen 2- Animated sequel to the 2013 film.
50. Star Wars: Episode IX- Final installment of the Star Wars sequel trilogy.
51. Little Women- Latest adaptation of the 1868 novel.
52. Call of the Wild- Live action adaptation of the 1903 adventure novel.

Top 10 Most Anticipated:
1. Avengers: Endgame- Sequel to the most epic film of 2018.
2. Toy Story 4- An animated Pixar film, duh.
3. Captain Marvel- 22 films and they keep getting better.
4. It: Chapter Two- More Pennywise the better.
5. How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World- Conclusion to one of the most epic and daring animated film franchises.
6. Once Upon a Time in Hollywood- Tarantino creating a twisted version of 1960s Hollywood.
7. Godzilla: King of the Monsters- Giant monsters battling it out.
8. Star Wars: Episode IX- What I expect is nothing short of epic.
9. Spider-Man: Far From Home- Spider-Man travels the world and fights a new iconic enemy.
10. A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood- Tom Hanks portraying Fred Rogers, enough said.