Hawkeye, “Hide and Seek”, Review!

After escaping the Tracksuit Mafia, Kate enters the home of Armand and finds him dead killed by a sword.  She runs in a snowy alleyway and finds herself surrouned by the the Track Suit Mafia and their vans. Kate fights a few of them and then is able to slip into a car.  The toughs stand around the car and then are suddenly taken down.  A shadowy man defeats them and pulls away Kate in her Ronin outfit.  Clint takes off her mask and Kate recognizes Hawkeye! The second episode picks up from there and Kate introduces herself.  Police sirens echo into the alleyway and Clint decides to leave to her place.  They open the door to find Lucky the Pizza Dog.  She walks up stairs to give Clint back the Ronin uniform.  Kate says the suit was at a black market auction.  

She also answers Clint all of her activities as Ronin and then brings the suit and a bow she wants him to sign.  Clint dubs the Tracksuit Mafia and mentions they are the enemies of Ronin.  He wants to be ceratin no one can track her from the suit.  They hear a call outside the window and she adds that her name is on the buzzer.  Two molotov cocktails break through the window.  Another throws a molotov, Clint breaks the window to catch it, and throw it back.  This sets a couple of the Tracksuits on fire.  Clint tells Kate about the suit.  She looses an arrow that set off a fire extinguisher that hurtles around the room and outside the window!  Two workers of the pizza place complain to the Tracksuits.  Clint has Kate take the dog and escape.  Clint has taken Kate to the subway and she is excited that he is going for supplies which she asks if they are Avengers supplies.  

Clint takes some Neosporin and other medical items from a liquor store.  Kate takes Clint to a place 10 blocks away, she buzzes the number for Moira Brandon.  They are buzzed in and Kate reaches the apartment of her aunt who is now in Florida.  Police have cordoned off the area of Kate's apartment, Clint slips under the police tape, and he drops off his backpack at a firetruck.  Clint picks up a firefighter jacket and helmet.  Clint enters Kate’s apartment, but can’t find the Ronin suit.  He returns to the firetruck to pick up his backpack and sees an “NYC Larpers” (Live Action Role Players) sticker.  Acting out fantasy games IRL.  At Kate’s new place, Clint hears Eleanor make certain her daughter is safe, and Kate tells Clint that she is using pizza as a compress and also warming it for Pizza Dog.  Clint redresses her wound and then checks the larpers on his phone.  He finds someone, Grills (Clayton English), dressed as Ronin.  

In the morning, Clint sees his family off to a car headed to the airport.  Lila sees that he has a cut on his forehead.  He promises her that he will home for Christmas.  Kate is watching the news on Armand Duquesne’s death and the figure leaving the house.  Rogers the Musical runs on the tv. Clint wants Kate to stay at the apartment and then has her change to join him.  They later pass on the other side of the street in Times Square with the Disney Store behind them.  He tells her that he needs to walk on Kate’s right to hear her.  Flashes of his action in the Avengers.  A boy and his mother are excited to take pics with super heroes, Kate points that the woman is dressed like Clint, but he corrects her that she is Katniss Everdeen!  Nice franchise crossover!  Kate brings up his problem is branding and that people want sincerity from their heroes.  He sees her off at Kate’s office and Clint gets her number for emergencies.  

Kate drops her bags at the front desk of Bishop Security and then walks into her mother’s office.  Jack is also there.  She brings up Armand’s death and he isn’t fazed.  Clint goes to Central Park to find the Larper.  A woman stops him from questioning the ninja and he can only see him after the Larp after midnight.  Clint signs up and gets a scroll about his character.  Clint with “armor” and “sword” takes on the Larpers, he makes easy work of the play actors, and reaches Grills who says that he is a Viking. Clint threatens him to get the suit and Grills says he will give him it if he pretend kills Hawkeye.  He resigns himself to pretend dying and says, “I fought Thanos”, funny!  Kate gets a call and instead it is Detective Caudle (Ivan Mbakop).  He wants to know about the fire at her apartment.  Kate watches Jack walk up to the elevators.  The Larpers have made a circle, the woman gives him a pretend bottle to drink. 

Grills wants Clint to sell the battle, one Larper makes the “clink” sound effect, and Grills makes the death blow.  Later, Grills hands over the suit, and Clint thanks him.  At a gym, he gets a call from his wife, Laura, and he admits he will be there for another day to take care of the Tracksuit Mafia.  Laura is familiar with them. She tells him he has five days to return home.  Laura asks her husband what he is going to do and Clint says “Catch and release.”  She says that was a move from Natasha.  At dinner, Kate is testing Jack, and challenges him to a duel.  In fencing gear, Kate gets all hits, and knows that Jack is holding back.  She lunges at him with his back turned and he strikes her foil out of her hand and spinning on the floor!  Clint is waiting around for the Tracksuit Mafia to take him away in their van.  He is taken to a warehouse, yup, this is exactly like Natasha in Avengers (2012).  Except Kate falls through a roof window and also captured.  The leader of the Tracksuit Mafia is revealed.  This episode has moments of fun and a little action, a reveal of an important character, but needs to work on pacing or the important character moments.  

Three Trick Arrows out of Five! 

#Hawkeye, #HideAndSeek, #ClaytonEnglish, #IvanMbakop  

Happy Birthday Gemma Chan!

Happy Birthday Gemma Chan!  One of her earliest works is the 2009 episode of Doctor Who, "The Waters of Mars”, playing Maggie Cain, a crew member of Bowie Base One on Mars. Then, she two episodes in 2010 of the perfect comedy, The IT Crowd; an exclusive member, Ivana, of the 8+ game show club, she starred with Benedict Wong (later Wong in the Doctor Strange films).  She was also the female Sulu in Douglas Reynolm’s video.  Chan followed it up with the "Blind Baker" episode of Sherlock Holmes with Benedict Cumberbatch (now Doctor Strange).  Also that year, she was in the directoral debut of Richard Ayoade (from IT Crowd)'s adaptation, Submarine.  

Next she starred as Charlotte in the Secret Diary of a Call Girl that featured Billie Piper, as Belle de Jour, from Doctor Who.  Chan was Amy Chang in the Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit (2014) film, spinning off the Tom Clancy books, and directed by Kenneth Branagh.  Her next series was Humans (2015-2018) where she played the synth, Mia.  Next, Chan had a cameo in Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (2016).  She had leading lady status with Crazy Rich Asians (2018) as Astrid Leong-Teo based on the Kevin Kwan novel.  Chan followed it up with Captain Marvel (2019) playing Minn-Erva, Kree member of Starforce.  This year, she voiced Naamari in the animated movie, Raya and the Last Dragon.  Now, Chan is Sersei inThe Eternals, directed by Chloé Zhao!  

#GemmaChan, #DoctorWho, #TheITCrowd, #SherlockHolmes, #Humans, #CrazyRichAsians, #CaptainMarvel, #RayaAndTheLastDragon, #TheEternals 

Happy Birthday Chadwick Boseman!

Happy Birthday Chadwick Boseman!  His early work includes directing, playwright, including his drama, Heiroglyphic Graffiti, and stage actor including being part of the National Shakespeare Company of New York.  He had a series regular part as Nathaniel Ray in the drama Lincoln Heights (2008-2009).  Graham McNair was played by Boseman in the mystery drama, Persons Unknown (2010).  Boseman took notice as Jackie Robinson in 42 (2013).  He was also sensational as James Brown in the biographical film, Get on Up (2014).  An early genre role was as Toth, the God of Wisdom, in Gods of Egypt (2016).  He also entered the MCU as the Black Panther in Captain America: Civil War (2016).  Boseman continued playing real life legends playing Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall in Marshall (2017).  His defining role was in Black Panther (2018) playing T’Challa taking his place as king of Wakanda.   

Black Panther gave Boseman the NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actor in a Motion Picture and as part of the actors with the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture.  He continued as T’Challa in Avengers: Infinity War (2018) and the final battle against Thanos in Avengers: Endgame (2019).  Boseman was in police drama, 21 Bridges (2019).  He played Stormin’ Norman in the Spike Lee directed war film on Netflix, Da 5 Bloods (2020).  We felt the loss of Chadwick Boseman on August 28, 2020.  His last film was Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom (2020) based on the August Wilson play.  It earned him posthumously numerous nominations and a win at the Screen Actor Guild Awards for Male Actor in a Leading Role.  This year, we had four episodes of What If…? that were voiced by Chadwick Boseman, including “What If… T’Challa Became a Star-Lord?, almost as a farewell to Black Panther.  We will always remember Chadwick Boseman, Wakanda Forever!  Happy Birthday Chadwick Boseman!   

#ChadwickBoseman, #42, #GetOnUp, #Marshall, #BlackPanther, #MaRaineysBlackBottom, #WhatIf 

The Wheel of Time, “Shadow’s Waiting”, Review!

Aes Sedai Moiraine Damodred and her Warder, Lan Mabdrigan, have searched out four Emond’s Field villagers, one of whom may be the Dragon Reborn to take on the Dark One!  They include Egwene al’Vere, Rand al’Thor, Matrim “Mat” Cauthon, and Perrin Ayabara.  Their village is set on fire by bestial Trollocs and now they must set out on horses for the White Tower of the Aes Sedai!  Set amongst trees are seven white tents, there are several people in white robes, the Children of the Light have set camp.  A young boy has brought a tray with a bell to the table of Eamon Valda (Abdul Salis).  He takes off the tray revealing a cooked piece of meat, he pops it into his mouth, and blood drips from his mouth.  A woman (Vilma Frantova) who is beaten and gagged, can only stare at him.  She is a yellow Aes Sedai tied and bound to a stake with a flame below her!  If it is not clear, the Whitecloaks are fanatics.   

Eamon takes off a Great Serpent Ring from the severed hand of an Aes Sedai.  He attaches the ring to several others tied to his belt.  Eamon sets down his chalice while we see the Aes Sedai burn as a witch!  On a beach, Moiraine and the villagers ride ahead as Lan rides up to them.  He has ridden to watch their back and they start galloping as the Trollocs race through the forest.  It is night when the band has reached the village of Taren Ferry.  Moiraine says the only thing Trollocs fear is deep water like the River Tarendrelle. She urges an older, bearded villager, Master Hightower (Pearce Quigley), that they must make a crossing.  A roar is heard in the forest and Moiraine has given him a handful of coins.  The horses are loaded onto the ferry and Perrin with the others pull the chain that carries them across the River Taren.  Egwene sees the torches of the Trollocs reaching the bridge.  

The mass of horned creatures push towards the bridge and one Trolloc falls, whining before drowning.  Their roars die down as the walk of the skull-faced mount of the Myrddral watching the others cross.  Master Hightower worries about his son.  Lan severs the ferry’s chain with his sword.  Moiraine starts weaving a spell that swirls around the ferry and Hightower leaps into the water swimming towards the spinning ferry.  Moiraine’s spell has brought a whirlpool that takes in Hightower and the ferry.  Moiraine says now they can lose the Shadowspawn, but they have to ride on.  The others silently follow.  Day, the riders gallop away, and Moiraine warns them that there “are things more dangerous than Trollocs.”  They find a clearing in a forest.  Moiraine uses her magic to revive the horses.  Egwene says to her friends she saw Nynaeve taken by the Trollocs.  Moiraine interrupts them to tell them to sleep until morning.  

Moiraine takes Egwene out to ask her about the Three Oaths.  Egwene replies that they are promises made to stop Artur Hawkwing from his attack on the White Tower.  Moiraine says that there is a Power in Egwene who says it is “listening to the wind”, channeling the One Power is much more.  I really like the sisterhood of women channelers, it makes Moiraine in a way a Merlin figure to Egwene, she gives her a locket with a black stone.  As she talks to Egwene, threads of the One Power start swirling around the locket.  Moiraine has Egwene concentrate, breathe, the stone transforms to blue.  She says that she helped Egwene, but she has her own power showing her potential as an Aes Sedai!  Egwene walks up to Rand sleeping next to the horses and lies down beside him.  Rand could very well bond to her as a Warder!  I love the potential of this series!  The prequel novel, New Spring (2004), by Robert Jordan, covered the bonding of Lan to Moiraine just before the events of The Eye of the World. 

Rand wakes up and starts coughing. He reaches into his mouth and pulls out… a dead rat, freaky!  Rand sees a dark figure in the forest with red eyes!  It’s a nightmare that he wakes from in the morning!  He sees a dead bat on some leaves!  He sees more dead bats and reaches the group.  Moiraine asks all of them if they saw the bats.  Mat says he saw the bats die in mid-air in a dream.  Perrin has seen a man like from Rand’s nightmare, the Dark One!  Moiraine wants to know if anyone gets a dream and that “dreams have power.”  Rand is angry at Moiraine who wants them to continue the ride.  He wants to know the destination.  She says they will reach the river crossing at Whitebridge to reach the White Tower.  Moiraine and Lan ride away.  Now Egwene is angry at Rand saying Moiraine is getting weak using the One Power.  Mat agrees with Rand that Moiraine has her purposes, but gets his saddle.  I like the practical side of Mat.  

Lan rides back to the group and tells Moiraine, “Whitecloaks.”  They meet up with the Whitecloaks, the leader Geofram Bornhald (Stuart Graham) asks them to dismount.  His left arm has golden armor.  The others have silver armor.  There were simliar fanatics in Game of Thrones with what felt from Melissandre and the Lord of Light.  Moiraine says she has a sister at Whitebridge, true.  Eamon Valda jangles the rings at his side, Geofram says he is a Questioner.  Moiraine walks up to him with Lan.  Eamon inspects her and Lan says he is from the Borderlands.  He subtly threatens the Questioner.  Eamon says the White Tower sent eight Aes Sedai to take on Logain’s army.  More later, but he was a false Dragon.  Eamon checks Moiraine’s shoulder, she says she is in pain, Geofram checks the wound and knows she is telling them about Trollocs.  Moiraine says they came from Taren Ferry, true, but the invasion was at Emond’s Field.  

Eamon says he will remember their faces, Moiraine smiles as they leave.  The Two Rivers folk sing a song of Manetheren and Moiraine tells them the story of the king of their people who fought Trollocs until the army was defeated.  Queen Eldrene destroyed the Trollocs, but was in turn destroyed by the One Power.  The children left the mountains to hold the Westlands after the Breaking of the World.  Perrin checks on his wound and a pack wolves snarl at him.  He closes his eyes, then one approaches and licks his bleeding wound.   At night, Egwene wakes up and sees on the cliff above them the Myrddral who screeches.  Lan has Perrin take the unconscious Moiraine and they ride from the Trollocs to Shadar Logoth!  The horses refuse to go any further, they see a massive crack in a cliff, and the Trollocs stand in a line.  They enter the empty, dark city and Lan takes Moiraine inside a building.  This is the city that betrayed Manetheren, yeah, think Dunharrow in Return of the King!  

Lan cautions them not to touch anything, shades of Gandalf, and Rand walks up to a tower to overlook the city.  By themselves, Mat talks about the dagger that Laila made for him, and he gives it to Perrin who reassures Mat that his sisters will be fine.  Night is falling, Mat checks on the horses neighing, then goes to an abandoned room.  He unlocks a chest and finds a golden dagger with a ruby in its hilt.  A horse starts to rear, caught in some smoke, then Egwene, Rand, and Perrin find it turned to dust!  The other horses take off!  Moiraine wakes up only to realize they are in Shadar Logoth and Lan has endangered them!  The darkness starts to spread, Rand and Mat are separated from Egwene and Perrin by the darkness.  Not too scary, but crawling in tight passages with a ghostly fog with whispering sounds in the video game is terrifying.  Egwene and Lan finds their horses are still there and ride out of the ciy.  Mat hoists Rand over a wall, but he has difficulty opening the locks to the door.  Perrin and Egwene reach the parapets.  They have to escape the cursed city before the darkness takes them!  Wheel of Time keeps the tension going with our heroes chased by Trollocs and reaching a cursed city where they are separated!  

Four Ter’angreal out of Five! 

#WheelOfTime, #ShadowsWaiting, #Whitecloaks, #AbdulSalis, #StuartGraham

Happy Birthday Karen Gillan!

Happy Birthday Karen Gillan!  Of course Gillan started in British television and really took the notice of everyone with the role of Amy Pond in Doctor Who (2008-2013).  In 2010, she was in the horror movie Outcast (2010). T hen, she played Kaylie Russell in a supernatural mystery Oculus (2013). Gillan entered the Marvel Cinematic Universe playing Nebula in Guardians of the Galaxy (2014). One of my favorite roles where she also showed her comedic skills was as Eliza Dooley in the sitcom Selfie (2014).  She starred in the biographical drama The Big Short (2015) directed by Adam McKay. Next, she was in the western In a Valley of Violence (2016).  Gillan returned as Nebula in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017). 

Karen Gillan was caught in the web of a social media life in The Circle (2017) based on the Dave Eggers novel.  Gillan again showed her talent for comedy and action as Martha in Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle (2017).  She directed, wrote, and starred in her own comedy, The Party’s Just Beginning, which was released in April.  She also faced Thanos in Avengers: Infinity War (2018). Gillan starred as officer Sara Morris in Stuber (2019). She had a final confrontation with Thanos’ forces in Avengers: Endgame (2019). Gillan also returned as Ruby in Jumanji: The Next Level (2019).  Mercedes was played by Gillan in the adaptation of the Jack London novel, The Call of the Wild (2020).  She had a leading role in the Netflix action movie, Sam, in Gunpowder Milkshake (2021).  Presently, she voiced Nebula in two episodes of What If…? starring alongside Chadwick Boseman.  Happy Birthday Karen Gillan!

#KarenGillan, #DoctorWho, #GuardiansoftheGalaxy, #Selfie, #ThePartysJustBeginning, #JumanjiTheNextLvel, #GunpowderMilkshake, #WhatIf?   

Fight Girls #5 Review!

The challenges are over, candidate #4, Tora Winter, has defeated candidates #7, Xandra Blackwater in a fighting match.  Queen Regina Victoria Dore stepped down when she couldn’t have a child with the king.  Ten candidates and only two are standing.  The winner gets to be queen of the Gilmorean Empire!  The empire of Gilmore Girls?  Happy Gilmore’s empire?  Agent Matteo, sent by the prime minister, is killed by The Butcher and his colleague.  They warn Tora before she walks out to the match.   Now we pick up with the aftermath.  The cover has attendants in purple robes as they are about to put royal robes on the bloodied contestant, her face was hidden in previews, and no spoilers here until later.  At the medical plaza on the floating city of Califax, both women are recovering there.  

The news reports say Tora is being transferred to prepare for her crowning.  Xandra’s contact tell her that security cameras are on a loop and she has eight minuts to get to the maintanence hub.  She hears him on in her ear receiver.  She slips into a air vent.  The prime minister rages at the loss of Xandra by the security director.  He says they can track her through the tracking chip in her forearm.  Xandra pops out a switch blade and digs the chip out of her arm and smashes it with the blade.  She walks out of the restroom with a long, green coat and casual outfit.  At the north tower penthouse, Tora is taking a steam bath, when she is told about the arrival of the king.  She is readied by attendants and places a contact in her eye which she says was scratched in the fight.  Now with a purple robe, she walks into a room with guards outside.  Inside, there are medical doctors, Dr, Benson and Dr. Goodwin, to strap her into a chair!  

Closeup of her amazed eyes.  Then closeups of the king’s feet as his blue robe falls away and he levitates away, very like Baron Harkonnen in Dune.  The doctors are preparing Tora for “compatibility” with the king and his “royal girth.”  He see his bulky feet as he floats into the room, Tora can only stare, the doctors are going to seal off the room.  The king has pus-filled growths over his face, neck, and arms.  One doctor asks him if the magnetic harness is working.  A two panel has the doctors and Tora and the king, Rufus, on the other side. The doctors are sent away and the king licks Tora’s face, yuck, before reaching out with his massive hand.  At the warehouse disctrict, there is a ship waiting for Xandra, the agent with glasses, Nigel, who stares at Xandra and notes that she had almost sat on the throne.  Nigel is confronted by a security bot with cannons on each arm.  It is smashed by the Butcher that lands on it.  Xandra leaves on the ship.  Back at the king’s penthouse, Tora has Rufus wait while she delivers a message.   

Her message is an open palm that breaks the king’s nose.  She picks up the scalpel to be used on her and takes care of the doctors.  This a Total Recall (1990) moment, the Schwarzenegger version. Tora gives the king a knee to his face and then shatters his collar bones!  Don’t mess with a contestant!  So Tora doesn't actually become queen.  She gives Rufus a fatal message from Gina.  Slight mystery, but I put in the hint at the beginning.  Tora sets the king’s bulk against the door.  Guards are trying to burst in and use heavy blasters that vaporize Rufus’ upper body.  Tora has used the doctor’s pad to open all security locks.  She opens the balcony while informing her contact and leaps, this is a Frank Miller-like body silhouette with purple robes.  She lands on Xandra’s ship, they escape through a jump gate, safe and now Tora takes off her contact which she used to record the encounter.  They find that 3,000,000,000 credits appear in their account.  Tora says “Xandra” looked good with red hair.  We find an ending at the White Sands, Private Resort Planetoid and all things are revealed with the competition that really wasn’t a competition.  Fight Girls has been a series showcase for Frank Cho's art; strong, beautiful women, dinosaurs, creatures, and a bit of the old ultra violence!  

Five Drones out of Five! 

#FightGirls, #QueenReginaVictoriaDore, #ToraWinter, #WhiteSandsPrivateResort, #DrBenson, #DrGoodwin, #KingRufus

Superman `78 #4 Review!

We last left Superman surrendering to Brainiac and taken to his Skull Ship, he is painfully miniaturized into the Bottle City of Kandor, meeting his parents, Jor-El and Lara!  Kal-El, powerless in the bottle city, accepts leadership from his father.  Then, we get Lois Lane taken by Lex Luthor to unveil his plans!  Superman `78 #4 has a cover by Brad Walker with Luthor peering into the bottle city with Superman, Jor-El, and Lara with Kryptonian cities looking up at the supervillain with Lois also looking in. 

“Brainiac Chapter Four” is by the team of Robert Venditti and Wilfredo Torres.  It begins with Brainiac witnessing the devastation of his planet, Colu.  Tears fall from his green face.  Currently, on the skull ship, Brainiac’s face is attached to his drone-like body and pieces of his cybernetics is attached like Tony Stark with his Iron Man suit by the sentient ship. In the bottle city, Jor-El addresses the assembled Kryptonians at tables.  He turns over his leadership to Kal-El.  The Kryptonians raise their tube-like glasses to him.  

Afterwards, he is met by several officials about housing, the Science Council’s theory on the passage of time inside the bottle, and a red-haired woman asks if Kal-El has thought about a “union.”  I’m not certain if this Kryptonian house is new.  He is left to contemplate at a balcony. Kal-El tries to drink a toast to himself, but spills the liquid on his house symbol. Jor-El walks up to him and his son admits that he belongs on Earth.  His father has said that over the years he tried to find a way to escape, the red radiation that duplicates the effect of Krypton’s sun, Rao, cancels out Kryptonian powers. 

Jor-El could build a containment suit to protect from the radiation and also bathe the wearer with yellow sun radiation.  He could also find a way to alter the radiation to yellow rays.  Still, Venditti has some tricks up his sleeve in the writing department.  In the lab and secret hideout of Lex Luthor, it looks like a science station from the 70’s, nice design Wilfredo Torres.  Luthor goes on a rant and Lois asks him what is the purpose of the machine.  He says it’s a space transmitter designed to pick up alpha waves from the receiver he planted on Superman before he left with Brainiac. 

The transmission is beamed from satellites, out of the Luthor’s building in Metropolis, past Earth to Brainiac’s skull ship and finally to the Bottle City.  It is visual, but you can almost see the camera panning following the sound.  Kal-El walks the corridors and sees an image of himself in Kryptonian robes.  He strikes the mirror-like crystal wall and breaks it suffering pain in his hand.  Kal-El faintly hears his Superman name called out.  He walks to his Superman uniform and hears Lois.  The receiver projects Lois on the crystal like a hologram, interesting to see a human hologram on Krypton, she asks him why he changed his hair.  

Then, explains that Luthor found a way to bring him back, but Kal-El is suspicious.  In his red flooded control room, Brainiac is informed by the ship that it picked up a transmission from Earth to Bottle 7351, Krypton!  Brainiac orders his skull shiop to return to Earth.  In split panels (excellent design!), Lois speaks to Kal-El, says that Brainiac must have intercepted the transmission.  Luthor enters the hologram and Kal-El tells him that he is drawing Brainiac’s attention.  Kal-El explains to Lois the situation with his parents to Lois, but the transmission is breaking up and fades away.  Back at the hideout, Lois is angry, and Luthor revels at a meeting with Brainiac.  The Skull Ship appears above the bridges of Metropolis and Brainiac makes the announcement that someone has dangerously threatened the Earth.  

We see Metropolis citizens in several panels until we get to Perry White looking out his window blinds.  On a rooftop, Lois is angry at Luthor for promising that Superman will return, we see in the dark clouds the tentacles of the Skull Ship.  Lois leaves to cover the story.  Jor-El and Lara check on their son and Jor-El asks him about the signal.  He explains that the transmitter that went through the walls of the bottle city is exactly what he needed!  Brainiac announces that a challenge is made to him, Luthor agrees, but that means humanity is a threat.  Then, he tells the Earth that Metropolis must be preserved!  We had Ultron lift a city in Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015), but this is a whole new level turning it to a bottle city!  Superman `78 gives some hope in the Bottle City of Kandor situation, but then brings up the consequences!      

Four Drones out of Five!  

#Superman78, #BrainiacChapterFour,  #RobertVenditti, #WilfredoTorres, #Colu, #Bottle7351    

 

Encanto Review!

Encanto is an animated celebration of family, home, and a young woman who has to find her place in her family with magical gifts!  The word "Encanto" means a charm or spell in Spanish.  The film is co-directed by Byron Howard, he co-directed Tangled (2010), Jared Bush, who co-directed Zootopia (2016) with Howard, and Charise Castro Smith, who also co-wrote the screenplay with Bush.  The story team is made up of Howard, Bush, Smith, Jason Hand, Nancy Kruse, and Lin-Manuel Miranda.  The film’s original songs are by Miranda.  There is a Pixar short, “Far From The Tree”, from Natalie Nourigat which has an adult raccoon take his son to the beach to dig up clams.  This is parable of parents sternly warning their children from running into dangers that they don’t notice.  A welcome beginning before the film.  

The 60th Disney animated film opens in Colombia with a story told by Alma Madrigal (María Cecilia Botero), escaping conquistadors in a river with her husband Pedro and other villagers.  Olga Merediz provides Abuela Alma’s singing voice.  Merediz was in the musical and movie of In the Heights.  Conquistadors capture Pedro and Alma is left alone.  She carries her three children; Julieta, Bruno, and Pepa.  Alma has a candle that glows and never goes out, from it the magic builds the Casita.  The magic is represented by yellow butterflies, a symbol that appears in Marquez's work.  It is a peaceful life in a valley surrounded by mountains to protect the village near Casita.  

This is a magic realism world, a literary genre centered in Colombia, I’ve studied this with the short story, “A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings” (1968) by Gabriel García Márquez.  After a storm, villagers see the old man with wings, is he an angel?, where does he come from?, you don’t question the fantastic, just accept it.  García Márquez’s masterwork is One Hundred Years of Solitude (1967).  Abuela Alma holds the candle as she tells the story to young Mirabel (Noemi Josefina Flores), daughter of Julieta, for her ceremony.  She is to open a door in Casita to reveal her gift, but the golden door fades away.  

In the present, Casita wakens the older Mirabel Madrigal (Stephanie Beatriz) to prepare for another ceremony.  Beatriz was In the Heights (2021) and has a Disney connection voicing Ixlan in Elena of Avalor (2020).  She is charming with her green, round glasses, she joins the Honey Lemon and Edna Mode glasses club.  Casita is musical with parts of her moving to music, windows, bricks, and stairs.  There are twelve family members across three generations all introduced by Mirabel in “The Family Madrigal.”  There are her parents starting with Julieta (Angie Cepeda), who can heal through her cooking, Cepeda was the Marquez adaptation, Love in the Time of Cholera (2007).  

Her husband is Agustín voiced by Wilmer Valderrama who is currently on the NCIS series.  Pepa (Carolina Gaitán), her moods are reflected in mini-weather over her head.  She sang in the background for The Greatest Showman (2017).  Her husband is Félix (Mauro Castillo) and the actor is also a singer and composer nominated for Latin Grammys.  Lastly, is Bruno, but they don’t talk about Bruno, very funny in delivery, he can see visions of the future and is the black sheep of the family.  Mirabel has two older sisters with the oldest Isabela (Diane Guerrero) who is practically perfect and makes flowers grow. Guerrero plays Crazy Jane on Doom Patrol.  She floats through life and has a habit of flipping her long hair in Mirabel’s face.  

Next is Luisa (Jessica Darrow), who has massive strength lifting houses with ease, but she has a secret.  Darrow starred in the comedy mini-series Following Hannah Stone (2021).  Pepa has three children including Dolores (Adassa) who can hear any sound.  Adassa is known as the “Reggaetón Princess” working with many singers.  Camilo (Rhenzy Feliz), is a shapeshifter who loves impersonating everyone.  Feliz was Alex Wilder on the Hulu superhero show, Runaways.  Lastly, is Pepa’s youngest son, Antonio (Ravi-Cabot Conyers), and the family is preparing for his ceremony.  Conyers is in the Netflix comedy series, #blackAF.  The family is looking for Antonio, Mirabel finds him underneath a bed, she shares the nursery room with him since her door didn’t open to her own room.  He is frightened that he won’t get a gift like Mirabel, but she encourages him with a jaguar stuffie.  

Night, Abuela Alma has the candle as everyone waits for Antonio.  He asks for Mirabel to go with him up the stairs.  This is her gift, the power to support all of the members of her family, her lack of magic reminds me of the fantasy novel, A Spell for Chameleon, with the magic-less Bink in a magical world, Xanth.  Antonio touches the candle and then reaches for the doorknob of his room.  This reveals his gift, a toucan named Pico (Alan Tudyk, the Disney Animation regular voice) lands on his shoulder, and Antonio can speak with him.  He enters his room which has a jungle, larger in the inside than the outside, TARDIS-like “dimensionally transcendental”, but in a magical way.  Then, we have a rush of jungle animals greeting Antonio including an aloof capybara.  

The family takes a photo that excludes Maribal, which is weak for matriarch, Abuela Alma, and Rodrigo who trusted her until his gift emerged.  Mirabel leaves the party and finds that Casita is falling apart, cracks appear including at the doors.  This is a nightmare that drives Maribel goes to tell Abuela Alma pulling her from the party.  Instead there are no cracks or damage, all seems fine, and Abuela says that Maribel must be having stress of not having a gift.  She may be the antagonist of the story, not understanding that a family includes all of its members, and to value all of them.  Maribel must find what happened with Casita.  The next day, she goes to Dolores to find out if her super hearing can pick up anything about Casita.  Then, Maribel senses something with Luisa whose eye twitches, she follows along her sister who sings “Surface Pressure.”  It is a vulnerability to the super strong Luisa which probably makes her the fan favorite.  

Luisa admits that she saw the cracks in Casita and has grown weaker!  The door to Bruno’s room is the answer.  Maribel finds inside the room a long, winding stone steps that leads to jade shards that give a clue to Bruno’s last vision.  Abuela Alma wants Maribel to keep it a secret since Isabela is about to be engaged to Mariano Guzman voiced by Maluma, a Colombian singer.  Maribel finds help with John Leguizamo’s character, but must put together the mystery of Casita and confront Abuela Alma.  Will the magic go away?  The truth of characters show their human qualities and make them some of the finest superheroes.  It features two songs in Spanish by Colombian singers; "Dos Orugitas" (translated as Two Caterpillars) by Sebastián Yatra and Carlos Vives, the well known singer, and the song, "Colombia, Mi Encanto."  There is some pacing problems in the third act, but so much fun in the first act.  Encanto has some lively and funny moments, some strong Colombian culture, and a voice cast that is like family!       

Four Candles out of Five!  

#Encanto, #ByronHoward, #JaredBush, #ChariseCastroSmith, #LinManuelMiranda, #StephanieBeatriz, #MariaCeciliaBotero, #JessicaDarrow, #DianeGuerrero, #Adassa, #RhenzyFeliz, #AngieCepeda, #WilmerValderrama, #CarolinaGaitan,  #MauroCastillo