Media Review

The Boys Season 4 Episode 1

The Deep holding a baseball bat

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.

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πŸ“Ί Pride and Prejudice (1995) - β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜†

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.

Pride and Prejudice poster

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.

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πŸ“Ί The Acolyte S1:E6

Star wars helmet.

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.

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πŸ“Ί The Acolyte S1:E4 and E5

My two favorite characters.

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.

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🍿 A Disturbance in the Force: How the Star Wars Holiday Special Happened (2023) - β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜†β˜†

A Disturbance in the Force: How the Star Wars Holiday Special Happened poster

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.

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🍿 The Flash (2023) - β˜…β˜†β˜†β˜†β˜†

The Flash 2023 movie poster
They are probably trying to get away from the movie as well.

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.


  1. Sadly something that is becoming more and more real than I would like. ↩︎

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πŸ“Ί The Acolyte S1:E3

The acolyte s1e03 dont be afraid oshie.

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.

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πŸ“Ί X-Men '97 (2024) - β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜†

X-Men '97 poster

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.

  1. Spoiler for a 20 year old cartoon, but the character I’m referring to came back. If I remember correctly, it was actually a pretty decent “I am back from the dead and I want revenge” plot. But I was 10 or 12 at the time. Of course, Superman had died and come back at that time so I don’t know if I was very impressed. ↩︎

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πŸ“Ί Dead Boy Detectives (2024) - β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜†

Dead Boy Detectives poster

Monster. Of. The. Week.

But available all at once.

That being said, I did find the show entertaining as the characters struggle to make it through the series variable mix of horror and drama. Sometimes trying to make a statement and other times trying to stay alive(?).

I think the thing I liked best about the show was that it had a very strong push of what it means to be a friend. In a lot of the shows that I’ve seen, you see the friendship being the first step towards something more than friends. No spoilers, but this show has examples of when this can go goes right, wrong, and (the increasingly rare) otherwise.

And that is why I would be happy to see another season.

Two teen ghosts work alongside a clairvoyant to solve mysteries for their supernatural clientele -- until a powerful witch complicates their plans.

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πŸ“Ί The Completely Made-Up Adventures of Dick Turpin (2024) - β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜†

The Completely Made-Up Adventures of Dick Turpin poster

I was looking for something light and funny. I have been watching a combination of Fallout, Dead boy detective, X-Men 97, and a lot of reality tv.

This show is just what I needed. I’m not saying that it’s great and there is very little depth to it, but if you are looking for that I’m sure there are other shows for that.

I feel that this show knows what it is. It’s a platform to deliver some jokes that you probably have already heard some variation of and then go on. I feel that the cast knows this and endeavors to give you their best performances before the series ends after 6 30ish minute episodes.

I feel that I find a lot of good things on Apple TV+. I just don’t have time to watch it all.

Legendary highwayman Dick Turpin sets out on a series of wildly absurd escapades when he's made the reluctant leader of a band of outlawsβ€”and tasked with outwitting utterly corrupt lawman Jonathan Wilde.

Here is the trailer on YouTube.

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