Pop Culture Guy episode 27: Is CBS's Mom A Sitcom or A 30 Minute Drama W...

The Fate of the Furious

The Fate of the Furious is the eighth The Fast and the Furious film, wherein Dominic Toretto is forced to help out a cyberterrorist planning to cause worldwide armageddon as his family and friends try to figure out what's going on. This is the first Fast and Furious film made after Paul Walker's death, and even if the character no longer appears in this film the rest of the cast still has amazing chemistry and work well together. Dwayne Johnson as Luke Hobbs is one of the best parts of the movie as the over the top manly federal agent with great one liners. The action sequences, though better done than in Furious 7, are a bit by the books by this point, with some very memorable exceptions such as the finale involving a submarine. Even if the story is done in a very emotional way due to Toretto having to confront his family several times, it's still very basic and can come of as too silly even by the series standards. Charlize Theron makes for a memorable and terrifying villain especially with what she does to get Dom to work for her. The surprising turn of Helen Mirren as Jason Statham's and Luke Evans's mother is fun and hilarious. One of the biggest things wrong with the film is the way Dom managed to defeat Theron's character as it can be hard to follow. Unlike the previous films most of the comedy in this one don't always work and can get a bit grating when they try too hard. Over all: 79%
2017 top list so far:
1. Logan
2. John Wick: Chapter 2
3. The Lego Batman Movie
4. Saban's Power Rangers
5. Kong: Skull Island
6. Split
7. The Fate of the Furious
8. Beauty and the Beast 2017

Pop Culture Guy episode 26: Logan and Kong Skull Island reviews

Doctor Who: Beneath the Waves Part 1

My first Doctor Who comic since my very first comic book with the crossover Doctor Who had with Star Trek and my first comic by Titan Comics, Doctor Who: Beneath the Waves Part 1 is the first part in a new storyline. It first starts out with The Doctor, this being the 12th, investigating an underwater mystery involving the Quarks, robotic monsters from a Second Doctor story, before deciding to reconnect with a former companion from past comic stories and traveling to a small English bay in the 1970s and learning of a mystery involving strange dreams and seaweed monsters. Though I've never read any stories with Hattie, a previous companion of the Doctor, I think she is a great addition and has really great personality. The small story at the beginning is a nice nod to the classic era of the show by including monsters that haven't been seen since the 1960s. For a first issue, the story is a bit slow and the pacing may not be that great, but the cliffhanger that reveals the seaweed monster behind the Doctor is reminiscent of how serials where done in the classic era. Over all: 92%
Top list so far:
1. Deadpool Killustrated
2. Batman/Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #6
3. Civil War: Choosing Sides Vol. 1 #1
4. Batman/Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #4
5. Batman/Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #3
6. Batman/Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #2
7. An Innocent Guy
8. Batman: The Killing Joke
9. Batman/Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #1
10. Batman: The Long Halloween
11. Justice League/Power Rangers #3
12. Mighty Morphin Power Rangers 2016 Annual #1
13. Justice League/Power Rangers #1
14. Deadpool Kills the Marvel Universe
15. Crisis on Infinite Earths
16. Justice League/Power Rangers #2
17. Batman/Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #5
18. Star Trek/Planet of the Apes: The Primate Directive
19. Star Trek: The Next Generation/Doctor Who: Assimilation2
20. Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. #1
21. The Dark Knight Returns
22. Doctor Who: Beneath the Waves Part 1
23. Old Man Logan
24. Cartoon Network Super Secret Crisis War
25. Marvel Masterworks: The Avengers Vol. 1
26. The Comic Cavalcade: Archives Volume 1
27. Civil War
28. The New Mutants #98

John Wick: Chapter 2

Though I have not seen the first John Wick film, John Wick: Chapter 2 is still very enjoyable and fun to watch. This neo-noir action thriller has Wick being forced to accept a job by an old friend who then betrays him once the job is done, while also having to deal with other assassins that are part of the same organization that Wick was once a part of. Chapter 2's action sequences are a breath of fresh air since so many action films today over edit fight sequences and use so many cameras that it's hard to tell what's going on. Keanu Reeves is great in the role, Ian McShane has a lot of fun, and Laurence Fishburne was entertaining. Certainly, the best thing about the film is the ending and what happens to John Wick and his former allies.
Over all: 99%
2017 top list so far:
1. Logan
2. John Wick: Chapter 2
3. The Lego Batman Movie
4. Saban's Power Rangers
5. Kong: Skull Island
6. Split
7. Beauty and the Beast 2017

Pop Culture Guy episode 25: Top 10 Film Moments of 2016

Saban's Power Rangers

The third film in the Power Rangers franchise and the first of a rebooted series to the original show from the 1990s. Produced by Haim Saban, the creator of the original show and owner to the overall franchise, this film is a more serious take to the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers show that started it all. Instead of centering around five teenagers with attitude specifically chosen to fight the forces of evil as Power Rangers, this movie expands and takes liberties to some of the mythology on which it's based on by having the five teens be outcasts, each with their own problems, who just happen to find the objects that lead them to become Rangers and fight a reawakened Rita Repulsa. All in all Saban's Power Rangers is a lot of fun, with really great moments, but there are some negatives to go with the positives. The way the characters are developed and how they each deal with their insecurities is done so spot on, especially by the acting and chemistry by the five leads, you forget how bland the characters were in the original show. I never had a problem with the suits as one has to improve when going from a simple show to a big budget movie and they have a perfect blend of practical and CG. The more serious tone is fitting as I believe that the franchise has potential to be taken seriously the same way that many other things were given their dues like Batman or animated films as a whole. However, it does try to be too hard in trying to be darker by putting more swearing and some jokes you expect from Michael Bay. Elizabeth Banks is great as Rita, though the fact that Goldar is treated like any other monster from the show instead of her strongest general is a slap in the face to the show. The absolute worst thing about the film is the numerous times they mention Krispy Kreme due to the object Rita wants is buried underneath one and they say the name way too many times. In the end, Saban's Power Rangers is a fun superhero ride with some flaws but with so many references to the various incarnations, takes a long time for the Rangers to get their suits but the fight sequences are amazing, and though too dark at times still has time to be playful and exiting. Over all: 88%
2017 top list so far:
1. Logan
2. The Lego Batman Movie
3. Saban's Power Rangers
4. Kong: Skull Island
5. Split
6. Beauty and the Beast 2017