Mandaris

I've come to the conclusion that when it comes to reboots of familiar IP[^ip], you should use similar rules as weddings; something old, something new, something borrowed, and something blue. I thought it would be nice to organize this review using the rhyme to separate topics.

Something old

Yes, this is your classic superhero origin story. The series has a lot of the characters that comic book fans are familiar with. I feel many people identify with the troupe of having the hero try to balance being hero and going to school at the same time. The Peter Parker we see in this show is a smart kid who is trying to do good things, and that’s something we’ve time and time again with this character.

One thing I liked about this version is that they took some time to show that Peter will fight (or in this case throw a brick) to do what is right even without his powers.

Something new

There’s no point in redoing something unless you change it. Otherwise, you could save yourself time and money by just watching the older series that are available via streaming.

This version has different takes on characters that I found to be more engaging in some areas. We think that things are going to happen in certain ways because that’s the way they happened in the past, but I find myself surprised when I see different tweaks to motivations and drive.

Yes, these are old characters, and they still occupy their archetypes, but you get a more reasonable -for a comic- exploration of why they are doing what they are doing. All the time, the show doesn’t go into elaborate details on why things are the way they are. You have to fill in minute details on your own.

Something borrowed

This show reminds me of Spider-Man and his super friends and other cartoon shows that revolve around a team. Although the show heavily features Spider-Man, it’s the interactions he has with the other characters that really make the show interesting.

Something (red and) blue

Animation can be expensive. Occasionally you get a feeling that the animators are cutting cost by having characters do repeated movements or a lot of scenes in the same location. You can kind of see this during really dynamic fight scenes where the background kind of fades…. or maybe I was fading out because I wasn’t feeling well.

The characters are very vibrant and the animation is always smooth. One of the things that I really noticed is that the characters had different heights and body shapes. This is true not only for the main characters but background characters as well.

A sixpence in your shoe

This often forgotten part of the rhyme is going to be related to the time that is involved with this show. Once again, I binged it one day, but I didn’t feel that I spent a lot of time watching it or sitting there during a filler episode.

The writing is engaging as we go from episode to episode. There aren’t any episodes focused on character backstory. Everything is either implied or part of the discussions and actions on screen. In plenty of ways, this is great as you can draw your own conclusions on certain meanings.

Overview

Peter Parker is on his way to becoming a hero, but his path to get there is anything but ordinary.

I was hesitant to watch this after reading some of the reviews for it. It's a pretty good movie with some caveats. This is not a film that you watch expecting a great plot of traditional romance, but it has a lot of great action.

It reminds me of some of my favorite comedy movies involving hitmen. Movies like The Big Hit, The Whole Nine Yards, and Grosse Pointe Blank were some of my favorite films in my adolence. Something about having this average looking person just work over a series of bad guys and ultimately do something good in the end.

I could argue that this was the 90s and 2000s and antiheroes were really popular. It’s something to see someone who is just really good at something even it its doing something really bad.

EXCELLENT ACTION!!

This is an Action-Comedy with a splash of what some would call romance. I would call it beyond toxic or dysfunctional, but not to the characters in question.

Look, this movie was fun for me. I don’t think we’re ever going to see a sequel so enjoy if you’re looking for a kung fu hitman movie when it becomes available for streaming.

Overview

A realtor is pulled back into the life he left behind after his former partner-in-crime resurfaces with an ominous message. With his crime-lord brother also on his trail, he must confront his past and the history he never fully buried.

A movie like this is all about execution. You know that things are not going to go well, but it's how they go wrong and how the cast reacts that make the movie what it is.

Although the setting for most of the film is a wedding, I would say that the theme of the movie is more about the relationships we have to our families. The wedding is a ceremony that marks a time when two families join, and could be one of the rare times that people see one another. I like that this movie has a focus on the people next to the people getting married. You see how they take in the fact that the relationships they enjoyed will change.

Is pre-grief a word?

Anyway, the movie only goes into it a little bit because this is supposed to be a comedy that has a scene where someone is wrestling a crocodile. I liked it for the laughs but would never watch this again on my own, but will probably see something similar in the future.

Overview

When two weddings are accidentally booked on the same day at the same venue, each bridal party is challenged with preserving their family's special moment while making the most of the unanticipated tight quarters. In a hilarious battle of determination and grit, the father of the bride and sister of the other bride chaotically go head-to-head as they stop at nothing to uphold an unforgettable celebration for their loved ones.

I honestly didn't think they would make another season of this after the last one, but apparently there was enough interest and budget to do this.

I was somewhat optimistic as I vaguely remember someone saying that this had the revitalized energy of the prior seasons. Season 4 had been a drag and I really felt the writers had placed themselves in a corner.

But, it really feels as if the writers have just taken the two characters and put them in a new setting.

That’s pretty much it.

You get newish plots resolved by the same solution: violence.

Normally, I wait until the end of the season to rate, but I’m not going to finish this because I don’t want to invest the time.

Overview

This season finds Harley and Ivy in a new location: Metropolis! – the home of all things Superman, Lois Lane, and the Daily Planet. Harley and Ivy discover that something sinister is at play and all is not what it seems. Looming threats include Lex Luthor and his sister, Lena Luthor, plus fan-favorite Brainiac. But of course, Harley’s crew of misfits and allies will join her on this irreverent journey that takes no prisoners in having fun in the DC sandbox.

This is one of my wife's favorite movies and I'm happy that she wanted to share it with me. It wasn't on my radar when it came out or since then. The closet thing I've seen like this is 1989's She-Devil.

I feel that some of the tones are kind of dated and some of the jokes haven’t aged well, but the over all film and theme are still there and uplifting.

My least favorite part of the film is that it feels a little rushed at the end. I understand that this is a 90s comedy and that they have to wrap things up, but it does feel a little rushed towards the end. I really wanted to see more of the ladies getting things moving and taking charge of their lives.

Overview

After years of helping their hubbies climb the ladder of success, three mid-life Manhattanites have been dumped for a newer, curvier model. But the trio is determined to turn their pain into gain. They come up with a cleverly devious plan to hit their exes where it really hurts - in the wallet!

If you liked The Suicide Squad, then you'll probably like this one as well. It's a similar premise and it's not trying to hide it. You could even say that's the point of it, and that's ok.

I don’t need everything that I watch be a completely new idea. Sometimes, there is a comfort in having a similar narrative.

But, I feel this one has a less satisfying ending.

In this one, we have damaged people causing damage.

Some plot lines end with little fanfare and the ones that really pull at my heartstrings end with nothing really changing the status quo.

And, I feel that’s saddest part for me.

Overview

Follow the exploits of the Creature Commandos, a secret team of incarcerated monsters recruited for missions deemed too dangerous for humans. When all else fails... they're your last, worst option.

It was a cold that night in December when we decided that we’d ring in the new year by watching movies and eating store bought frozen pizza. 2024 had been a year with a lot of ups and down and we just wanted to have something that would make us laugh.

Just something that we wouldn’t mind talking over or missing a moment because it’s would be vital to the plot.

This was the movie we chose and I’m happy that I did.

In between the crass jokes - some that are timeless and others that show that they are of a different time¹ - I found a couple messages that I could really get behind. Messages about being the best person that you can be, accepting others for who they are, and that relationships are something you shouldn’t take for granted.

Overview

Not only is Jessica Spencer the most popular girl in school -- she is also the meanest. But things change for the attractive teen when a freak accident involving a cursed pair of earrings and a chance encounter at a gas station causes her to switch bodies with Clive, a sleazy crook. Jessica, in the form of the repulsive Clive, struggles to adjust to this radical alteration and sets out to get her own body back before the upcoming prom.

One thing of note was I was watching it with my teenage daughters and fighting the urge to constantly explain that it was made at a different time!. But, I think that feeling is overblown. I’m sure this isn’t the first time that they heard a dirty joke and probably not the only time. If anything, I was probably the only one who felt uncomfortable.

If you have seen the trailer, then you have seen the movie.

It was late at night, we wanted to watch something lite. Seeing Nicolas Cage and his stunt double mow through unremarkable opponents was just the thing we needed.

Description from The Movie Database

When Ashley and her young daughter Sarah get caught up in a criminal enterprise that puts their lives at risk, she turns to the only person who can help: her estranged father Matt, currently living the life of a retired beach bum in the Cayman Islands. Their reunion is fleeting as they are soon tracked down on the island by crime boss Donnie and his lieutenant Bobo.

Here is a link to The Retirement Plan trailer.

Template uses lantern by Robb Knight

I didn't know that I was going to enjoy this as much as I did.

This show harkens back to the old school gods. The fickle ones that would smite you down because of a petty slight or demand that you kill your children because the will it so.

A long way from Disney’s Hercules. There is murder (patricide, infanticide, and everything in between), sex (quite a bit), and just a whole lot of creepiness.

Honestly, I didn’t think that I would like it but I found myself caught up in the execution of the story.

I think this is definitely a show for anyone who is a fan of Jeff Goldblum. I haven’t seen all of his movies, but he certainly knows how to show someone slowly crumbling under paranoid. It’s how I imagine minions working under some comic book villain; it’s not a matter of if but when he’s going to kill you.

And that’s part of it all.

Zeus comes from a horrible upbringing, and in a lot of ways, it’s stuck with him and as the King of the Gods no-one has been able to tell him no. Not a recipe for good mental health.

The other actors round out the cast pretty well but there are quite a few times where it felt that things happened because the plot dictates it.

I don’t think we’re going to see another season of this, but I’m so happy that we got this one.

Overview

As discord reigns on Mount Olympus and almighty Zeus spirals into paranoia, three mortals are destined to reshape the future of humankind.

This movie allowed me to laugh with my friends.

I think that’s my favorite part of this movie. Just being able to sit back and have fun with it. I’ve never really considered Deadpool a serious character and honestly didn’t have a lot of expectations going into this.

If you’re familiar with Marvel movies and crude humor, than this is the movie for you.

It’s certainly the movie for me and wouldn’t mind watching it again with my friends.

Overview

A listless Wade Wilson toils away in civilian life with his days as the morally flexible mercenary, Deadpool, behind him. But when his homeworld faces an existential threat, Wade must reluctantly suit-up again with an even more reluctant Wolverine.

This is the penultimate episode!

This episode like most of the season reminds me of a smoldering fire. It’s not as flashy as it was previously but it can still burn you and there is the occasional pop as the embers break.

I’m not trying to be deep or introspective on the (super) human condition or anything, but I feel that this is one of the most sinister episodes of the season. In our efforts to feel loved, respected, or powerful, what are we willing to do? What are we willing to give up?

Season four? More like Season Snore!

But seriously, I found myself struggling to care about the series at the end. The only thing pushing me through those episodes at the end was my desire to just be done with the whole thing.

I feel that this season does a disservice to the series as it renders all the characters to one note copies of what they were in previous seasons. Why does a character do something? It’s because the plot or joke demands it and pushes the episode forward so that we can fill the runtime.

Looking back on it, I can probably sum up the season to about 4 or 5 plot points. That ultimately set us up to be in roughly the same spot we were in back in season 2. I think that’s what frustrates me the most. The fact that I invested my time in watching this when there are so many other things available.

Skip this season.

We’re getting to the home stretch of a slow burning season. I feel that this episode highlights that you don’t need to have everyone in danger to have some tension and character development.

I feel that some might be turned off by having some of the subtlety of corruption and injustice not being as hidden as it was in previous episodes. Maybe that’s why some are complaining about it being too woke. Maybe they are ok with violence being perpetrated in an over the top manner but not the systematic approach of turning people into a form of involuntary income.

Maybe.

Anyway, I liked that we get to see that although Homelander can get his supporters behind him, he’s lacking in his ability to read a room of people.

Two more episodes to go and I’m wondering how they are going to stick the landing.

You might be wondering “where is the review of episodes 2 through 4?”

Well, I accidentally binged them and I found myself in episode 5 thinking about how I hadn’t written anything about the show.

Well, if you’ve been watching the show for a while and wanted a chance for it to get back to simple plot, than this is the one for you.

You’re got a main plot line filled with gore just like in previous seasons, but with people that you normally don’t see getting their hands dirty or facing danger. I actually liked this part the best.

There’s the B plot with Homelander and Ryan bonding over helping people. For me, I’m reminded of all the criminals that heroes fight in different comic books. We have a tendency to think of them as less then. It’s ok to hurt someone because they are a bad guy.

At what point, does the punishment go to far?

Is it ok to get enjoyment out of pursuing justice?

I’d love to see how far the show goes with this thread.

Does this show stick the landing?

Um… Kinda?

To extend the metaphor, it sticks the landing but twists the ankle and has to hobble away hoping to get a chance to redeem itself in the next routine.

The show has a number of great points and attempts to do some really cool new things with the franchise that should make any Star Wars fan excited. Unfortunately, it does have some flaws when compared to other shows.

I’m trying to say it’s a good Star Wars show, but I’m still shaking off that ending.

The road to Hell is paid with good intentions. History is filled with examples of people doing things with the most noble of intentions only to find out that they made things worse.

This episode embodies that to the fullest.

This is a flashback episode where we get to see what happened on Brendok. And, yes, nothing good happened there and you cans the tension rising every scene as we all see our characters marching towards disaster. As everyone is trying to do The Right Thing.

After thinking about it for the last couple of days, I have to say Choice is a great title for this episode. As we see our characters make one choice after another, whether it’s take the time to think, seek information, or take action. Every time we do something we actuate who we are and what are values are.

In this Disney show we are seeing what happens when people are tested and what choices they make in a universe where the boundaries of what is good and bad are not easily defined.

I’m eagerly awaiting the conclusion!

I wanted to get familiar with the characters again before I watch the latest iteration coming out tin a couple weeks. And it was just as fun as I remember it.

It’s a lot of crude jokes and over the top action.

I’ll watch it again when the next one comes out.

Overview

The origin story of former Special Forces operative turned mercenary Wade Wilson, who, after being subjected to a rogue experiment that leaves him with accelerated healing powers, adopts the alter ego Deadpool. Armed with his new abilities and a dark, twisted sense of humor, Deadpool hunts down the man who nearly destroyed his life.

Violence is nothing new to The Boys series. It’s one of the more pronounced aspects of the show where the Supes demonstrate that their extraordinary abilities. Some of the more notable deaths are people being blasted by lasers, having their heads explode, or literally having someone else run through them at high speed.

Just like a horror movie, I’m able to take this and just enjoy it. It’s not like an alien is going to jump out of my chest, or a demon is going to invade my dreams and kill me in my sleep.

Another thing I realized when looking at this episode is that the murders are all methodical. These are not crimes of passion, escalation of tension, or incompetence.

That’s when it gets really scary for me.

In the world of The Boys, you could always get killed just from being a bystander. In fact, the pilot had someone being murdered for stepping off the curb. This episode shows someone who is hurt specifically because they are passionate about something they believe in.

I had to sit with that for a little bit.

I really, really enjoy the show but with all the things going on with the world. I had to take a little break before going into the next episode.

I have to admit it this version of the Jane Austen classic is pretty good. I normally avoid watching period pieces because I look at all the wealth that some of these people have and how their only concern is that they have the most fashionable clothes of the season.

I feel that this version got me because I was actually paying attention. Mr. Darcy is lonely in that his money and status has isolated him in such a way that it’s hard for him to trust. I’ve had friends who have only wanted something from me and I get where he’s coming from with his distrust.

Other than that, the rest of the cast is doing a great job and I don’t feel that I would hate it if my daughter wanted to make me watch it again.

Overview

Set in England in the early 19th century, Pride and Prejudice tells the story of Mr and Mrs Bennet's five unmarried daughters after the rich and eligible Mr Bingley and his status-conscious friend, Mr Darcy, have moved into their neighbourhood. While Bingley takes an immediate liking to the eldest Bennet daughter, Jane, Darcy has difficulty adapting to local society and repeatedly clashes with the second-eldest Bennet daughter, Elizabeth.

Still working on how I want to format these reviews… Any feedback is welcome.

We’re getting to the end of the season and there are still a lot of questions to be answered. It can be really hard to stick the landing. This episode is there to build up some tension and get us ready for those last two episodes.

Unfortunately, it feels like you could sum it up in 2-3 minutes but sometimes you need to let things sit and set up.

Oh man! Episode 4 and 5 are amazing together!

If you wanted to see something different from Star Wars than this has something for you. It’s not perfect but I really like having new ideas and new possibilities given to me.

I saw this on the flight after watching the Thriller documentary and I’m pretty happy that I did. I think it’s a good example of how you could have all the talent in the world around a project and still have things go wrong. I also feel that this is where the business of making things can also hurt the creative practice as well.

One of the interesting things about this is that they don’t have a lot of direct footage from the actors of the Holiday special, but footage of them talking about it on other shows. It also uses a video of a tap player to show that some of the interviews are recorded phone calls.

Me? Have I seen it?

No, thank you.

I’ve never seen the Holiday Special and I don’t have a desire to at this point in my life.

But I think that’s really part of the excitement about it.

Overview

In 1978, CBS aired the "Star Wars Holiday Special" the week before Thanksgiving to an audience of 13 million people. Considered one of the worst shows in television history, it aired only once. George Lucas tried to bury it and an infamous camp legend was born. This documentary unravels the mysteries behind the most bizarre Star Wars spin-offs of all time.

Here is a link to the trailer on YouTube.

I had to go back to my rating system to make sure that I was evaluating this properly.

It’s got a reputation for being bad, but the masochist in me kept chanting How bad can it be? and I had a 5 hour flight that I felt that I wouldn’t mind it if this thing put me to sleep.

I’m not going to make a video or post about this is what’s wrong with superhero movies. The failings of this movie are not related to the genre. I feel this movie falls down because I honestly do not care about the main character(s).

It feels like the movie is in such a rush to show you the next thing that the viewer might find cool, that it flashes over the parts on why we should really care about the characters.

Listen, I care that there are people who are incarcerated unjustly. I care about people who are just living their lives when bad things happen to them. I care about the world not being terraformed into a climate I can’t live in¹.

But it’s hard to care about Barry(s).

I thought about why I didn’t care. In other movies where you know that the hero is going to win, you still get a sense of danger and excitement as they eventually get to the conclusion. I’m happy when I see James Bond tart his enemies. I’m shouting with excitement when I see the Toretto Family show how fast and furious they can be.

But this, I just don’t know what it was.

Description

When his attempt to save his family inadvertently alters the future, Barry Allen becomes trapped in a reality in which General Zod has returned and there are no Super Heroes to turn to. In order to save the world that he is in and return to the future that he knows, Barry's only hope is to race for his life. But will making the ultimate sacrifice be enough to reset the universe?

Here is the trailer on YouTube.

Template uses lantern by Robb Knight.

I’ve been enjoying this new series of Star Wars TV recently.

It’s got a mix of different Star Wars troupes and other concepts you normally don’t talk about in regards to space wizards with laser swords.

It’s not a perfect show, but I don’t need that.

It’s a reboot of a show I would watch on Saturday mornings as a kid. Back then, the violence was hidden with lasers and characters that would die offscreen. The original did have some darker moments, but you had hope that things were going to work out. This version gives you that hope and then proceeds to crush it.

When I was younger, I would jokingly yell “Moooooooorph!” when a character I barely knew died. Call it immaturity. I was ignorant of what losing someone meant. Not to say I don’t still laugh at dark humor or that every dead character brings me to tears, but now I have more of an understanding that a characters death can and should¹ have impact on the plot and other characters.

My only complaint about the show is that it runs through a lot of the different plots and themes that happened with the X-Men in the 90s. Plot lines that would take years would be addressed in a couple episodes and we don’t get a chance to sit with some of the changes for very long. If you are watching during the weekly release, I feel that it would be better so that you can really sit with what happens. If you are binging, you might feel you are missing something; like a stage in the grieving process.

Overall, this is a wonderful show that highlights that animation can convey themes with deeper meaning… even when there are big lasers.

The X-Men, a band of mutants who use their uncanny gifts to protect a world that hates and fears them, are challenged like never before, forced to face a dangerous and unexpected new future.