The Foreigner

Jackie Chan and Pierce Brosnan star in The Foreigner, an action thriller drama that relies more on the performances than huge action scenes. Not to say the action scenes aren't great, they are, it's just that director Martin Campbell focuses more on Chan and Brosnan playing roles completely opposite to what they usually do. Chan plays a former Chinese special forces soldier whose daughter is killed by an IRA bombing with Brosnan as a former IRA member who may have ties to recent attacks. While the story itself is nothing that new it at least is told very well even if at times can be a bit cliche. The strongest part of the film is Jackie Chan proving how powerful of a performance he can give without being comedic or relying on over the top stunts using weird everyday objects to fight with. Brosnan, though not the villain, works really well as an antagonistic supporting role who has a questionable past but tries to do whatever he can to stop the next generation of the IRA. The fight sequences themselves though basic are still choreographed and filmed in such a majestic way that is both the same and new for Chan. One of the biggest problems the film does have is that it's marketed as a Jackie Chan film, but he appears less than Brosnan does. I don't actually mind that, I just wish the marketing was more clear about all that, though Chan is still perfect in it. Over all: 87%
2017 top lists so far:
1. Baby Driver
2. It
3. Wonder Woman
4. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2
5. Logan
6. Spider-Man: Homecoming
7. Blade Runner 2049
8. Dunkirk
9. War for the Planet of the Apes
10. Alien: Covenant
11. John Wick: Chapter 2
12. The Lego Batman Movie
13. Saban's Power Rangers
14. The Foreigner
15. Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales
16. Kong: Skull Island
17. Split
18. Kingsman: The Golden Circle
19. The Fate of the Furious
20. Beauty and the Beast 2017
21. Transformers: The Last Knight

Pop Culture Guy episode 34: Pirates of the Caribbean Dead Men Tell No Ta...

Blade Runner 2049

Just to get it out there, I haven't seen the original Blade Runner from 1982 or any of the different cuts of it, though I do know the basic story of what happened in it and I do want to see it. What drew me into watching Blade Runner 2049 was its director Denis Villeneuve whose previous two films, Sicario and Arrival, were movies that I really loved. The film takes place thirty years after the original and deals with a replicant model, played by Ryan Gosling, working as a blade runner investigating how an older model replicant could have conceived a child which leads him to various clues after another until he uncovers a conspiracy. 2049 has a very typical detective mystery style to it while still taking place in such an advanced future. You don't really have to see the first film since the events of that don't really play that much into what happens in here since most of it has to do with what happened in between the films. The acting is perfect, especially from Gosling as he goes from emotionless drone to more emotion when he learns that his fake memories are real. Harrison Ford returns but doesn't actually appear until near the end of the film, which is a good choice as it doesn't rely on his appearance alone. Like Sicario and Arrival, the film is slow but done in a way that makes it work, though there are moments that sometimes feel like filler and at times forced. Jared Leto as the creator of the new replicants was very interesting, though it felt like many of his scenes just ended without really giving something else. The story is well told, though prodding at times, the cinematography by Roger Deakins is on point as always, and the action sequences and effects are on point. Over all: 100%
2017 top lists so far:
1. Baby Driver
2. It
3. Wonder Woman
4. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2
5. Logan
6. Spider-Man: Homecoming
7. Blade Runner 2049
8. Dunkirk
9. War for the Planet of the Apes
10. Alien: Covenant
11. John Wick: Chapter 2
12. The Lego Batman Movie
13. Saban's Power Rangers
14. Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales
15. Kong: Skull Island
16. Split
17. Kingsman: The Golden Circle
18. The Fate of the Furious
19. Beauty and the Beast 2017
20. Transformers: The Last Knight

Tate's Not At Comic Con Local Indy Anthology #8

Every year, Tate's Comics, one of a few comic book stores I regularly go to, hosts a Comic Con-esque event at the same time as the San Diego Comic Con for those who can't make it to the real one. There they hand out a mini comic that has a map of what there is during the event as well as stories people in the area wrote and drew and sent in. Tate's Not At Comic Con Local Indy Anthology #8 was the first time I attended and received a copy of the mini comic. In it you see various one or more paged stories by comic book fans near Tate's. Many are written and drawn really well, while some others are very basic, though a big problem is that they sometimes end without anything else happening. Some of the stories actually tell you that you can see more of certain stories by going online to a link they posted. Many of the stories are actually interesting enough to continue reading online, though there are more that don't feel as exiting. Over all: 79%
Top list so far for 2nd set of comics:
1. Tate's Not At Comic Con Local Indy Anthology #8

Top 10 Moments From My First Ten Sets of Comics

1. Supergirl's death in Crisis on Infinite Earths
2. The Ghost Patrol always humiliating the Nazis in The Comic Cavalcade: Archives Volume 1
3. The Fourth Doctor's appearance in Star Trek: The Next Generation/Doctor Who: Assimilation2
4. Batman and Superman's fight in The Dark Knight Returns
5. The Hulk's death in Old Man Logan
6. The villains killing off Falcone in Batman: The Long Halloween
7. Jason's weekly life in Mighty Morphin Power Rangers 2016 Annual #1
7. The unnamed narrator plotting to kill Batman in An Innocent Guy
8. Finding Captain America in Marvel Masterworks: The Avengers Vol. 1
9. Batman's enemies revealed to be mutated in Batman/Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #5
10. Alpha growing big in Justice League/Power Rangers #5

Honorable Mentions:
The Defenders breaking into a club in Free Comic Book Day: All New Guardians of the Galaxy 2017
The battle between heroes and villains led by Hydra Captain America in Free Comic Book Day: Secret Empire
Taylor going crazy on the Enterprise in Star Trek/Planet of the Apes: The Primate Directive
Rod and Todd getting lost throughout Springfield in Free Comic Book Day: Bong Comics Free For All 2017
Agent Coulson's rescue in Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. #1
Punisher refusing to fight back against Captain America in Civil War
The cliffhanger at the end of Doctor Who: Beneath the Waves Part 1
Deadpool's inventive murder of various literary figures in Deadpool Killustrated
The Cartoon Network heroes escaping and fighting back against the villains in Cartoon Network Super Secret Crisis War
Goldar's backstory in Mighty Morphin Power Rangers 2016 Annual #1
Joker talking about his backstory in Batman: The Killing Joke
Deadpool's intro in The New Mutants #98
Batman showing Raphael what led him to become Batman in Batman/Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #4
Iron Fist pretending to be Daredevil in Civil War: Choosing Sides Vol. 1 #1
Howard the Duck's story in Civil War: Choosing Sides Vol. 1 #1
The Rangers confront Batman for the first time in Justice League/Power Rangers #1
Deadpool ending up in the real world in Deadpool Kills the Marvel Universe
The Flash's sacrifice in Crisis on Infinite Earths
Wolverine popping his claws for the first time in Old Man Logan
The final fight between Iron Man and Captain America in Civil War

Revised Overall Ratings of Comic Book Events As A Whole

1. Free Comic Book Day: Bongo Comics Free For All 2017-100%
2. Batman/Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles-99%
3. Free Comic Book Day: All New Guardians of the Galaxy 2017-98%
4. Justice League/Power Rangers-98%
5. An Innocent Guy-98%
6. Batman: The Killing Joke-95%
7. Batman: The Long Halloween-95%
8. Mighty Morphin Power Rangers 2016 Annual #1-91%
9. Deadpool Kills series-89%
10. Crisis on Infinite Earths-88%
11. Free Comic Book Day: Secret Empire-82%
12. Star Trek/Planet of the Apes: The Primate Directive-80%
13. Star Trek: The Next Generation/Doctor Who: Assimilation2-80%
14. Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. #1-78%
15. The Dark Knight Returns-76%
16. Doctor Who: Beneath the Waves Part 1-76%
17. Marvel's Civil War series-75%
18. Old Man Logan-72%
19. Cartoon Network Super Secret Crisis War-71%
20. Marvel Masterworks: The Avengers Vol. 1-69%
21. The Comic Cavalcade: Archives Volume 1-68%
22. The New Mutants #98-52%

Revised Overall Ratings of My First Ten Sets Of Comics

1. Justice League/Power Rangers #6-100%
2. Free Comic Book Day: Bongo Comics Free For All 2017-100%
3. Justice League/Power Rangers #5-100%
4. Free Comic Book Day: All New Guardians of the Galaxy 2017-98%
5. Deadpool Killustrated-98%
6. Batman/Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #6-98%
7. Civil War: Choosing Sides Vol. 1 #1-98%
8. Batman/Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #4-98%
9. Batman/Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #3-98%
10. Batman/Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #2-98%
11. An Innocent Guy-98%
12. Batman: The Killing Joke-95%
13. Batman/Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #1-95%
14. Batman: The Long Halloween-95%
15. Justice League/Power Rangers #4-95%
16. Justice League/Power Rangers #3-91%
17. Mighty Morphin Power Rangers 2016 Annual #1-91%
18. Justice League/Power Rangers #1-89%
19. Deadpool Kills the Marvel Universe-88%
20. Crisis on Infinite Earths-88%
21. Justice League/Power Rangers #2-86%
22. Free Comic Book Day: Secret Empire-82%
23. Batman/Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #5-80%
24. Star Trek/Planet of the Apes: The Primate Directive-80%
25. Star Trek: The Next Generation/Doctor Who: Assimilation2-80%
26. Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. #1-78%
27. The Dark Knight Returns-76%
28. Doctor Who: Beneath the Waves Part 1-76%
29. Old Man Logan-72%
30. Cartoon Network Super Secret Crisis War-71%
31. Marvel Masterworks: The Avengers Vol. 1-69%
32. The Comic Cavalcade: Archives Volume 1-68%
33. Civil War-62%
34. The New Mutants #98-52%