Happy Birthday Sir Ben Kingsley!

Happy Birthday Sir Ben Kingsley!  Sir Ben started at the Royal Shakespeare Company.  Highly recommended is Playing Shakespeare (1982), a documentary series that is hosted by John Barton and features some of the best actors like Sir Ben Kingsley, Sir Patrick Stewart Dame Judi Dench,  and Sir Ian Mckellan, amongst many other incredible actors. It is not only great on Shakespeare and his lays, but also the craft of acting.  He moved to television and then became a sensation playing the lead role in Lord Richard Attenborough’s Gandhi (1982).  The film won eight Academy Ards including Best Actor for Sir Ben.  He later won a 1985 Grammy Award for Best Spoken Word Album for “The Words of Gandhi.”  One of his first genre roles was playing Avatar in Steven Linsberger’s Slipstream (1989).  An early voice role was the lead in the animated movie Freddie as F.R.O.7. (1992).  Next, Sir Ben played the instructor to the chess prodigy, Searching for Bobby Fischer (1993).  

Then, he played Itzhak Stern, in Steven Spielberg’s Schindler’s List (1993).  In 2000, Sir Ben was in crime drama Sexy Beast and then the drama, House of Sand and Fog (2003).  He was made a Knight Bachelor in 2002 for achievements in entertainment. Sir Ben starred in the video game adaptation of BloodRayne (2005).  I absolutely love Sir Ben’s performance as Ambrosius, the mentor to Romulusu Augustus, in The Last Legion (2007) based on the Valerio Manfredi novel.  He followed it up playing Nizam in another video game adaptation, Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time (2010), I love that film too.   Sir Ben played visionary filmmaker, Georges Méliès, in Martin Scorsese’s fantasy, Hugo (2011), based on the Brian Selznick book.   He entered the Marvel Cinematic Universe playing actor Trevor Slattery in Iron Man 3 (2013). 

Sir Ben played Mazer Rackham, who sported interesting facial tatoos, in Ender’s Game (2013) based on Orson Scott Card’s sci fi novel.  He was also Merenkahre in Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tom (2014).  Then, Sir Ben played the villainous Snatcher in Laika’s animated film The Boxtrolls (2014).  I was part of the Boxtrolls press roundtables and Sir Ben entered casually; t-shirt and jeans, but he radiated charisma.  I asked him to compare Snatcher with Richard III and was just stunned that he said he never played Richard III and explained his process in approaching a role.  Sir Ben brought an elegance to voicing Bagheera in Jon Favreau’s The Jungle Book (2016).  In 2018, he voiced General Woundwort, in the television animated mini-series Watership Down based on the Richard Adams' novel. He was in the spy thriller Spider in the Web (2019).  Sir Ben appeared this year in Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings.  Happy Birthday Sir Ben Kingsley!  

#SirBenKinsley, #Gandhi, #SexyBeast, #SchindlersList, #PrinceOfPersiaTheSandsOfTime,  #Hugo, #IronMan3, #TheBoxTrolls, #TheJungleBook 

Star Wars: The High Republic #11 Review!

Star Wars: The High Republic #11 continues Keeve Trennis’ undercover mission with a deadly threat for the Jedi twin Terec!  The cover art by Phil Noto has the Jedi twin suspended by a red field with a black background.  “Only Fear” by Cavan Scott and Georges Jeanty is the first chapter of Jedi’s End.  The last issue had the end of the two chapter of The Shadow of the Nihil.  They have discovered the Nihil leader, Lourna Dee, but she has opened a box that turns Terec into crumbling stone.  This also affects his twin Terec on the Jedi ship, Ataraxia!  We have a series of panels, Keeve horrified around colorful crystals, she tries to remind herself of having no fear, as we close in on her tearful eyes. 

A two page spread has Keeve reaching out, there is the dark form of Lourna with Medusa-like eyes, as we see the dissolving body of Terec!  Keeve tries to retreat and turns to run from the distorted shapes of the Nihil, nightmarish, whatever Lourna unleashed, Keeve it is twisting her brain.  Zeetar in his powersuit closes in on the paralyzed Jedi.  He powers up his suit’s blaster, but it is severed by the green lightsaber wielded by the Nihil Twi’lek, Lourna Dee.  She first appeared in the novel, The High Republic: Light of the Jedi, by Charles Soule.  Lourna holds the lightsaber to Zeetar and says she wants the Jedi alive to see there was a random event on Grizal, a planet also from Light of the Jedi. Then, we see the agonized look of Ceret.    

Jedi Master Skeer asks Marshall Avar Kriss about Ceret’s condition and she replies that she can’t detect his “song” similar to Sskeer.  He may have been affected by the Drengir.  Ceret awakens and is insistent that they get to Terec.  He Force pushes the furry Jedi, Nooran, to reach the controls.  Ceret explains to Sskeer that he is lost in a void, cut off from the Force!  This is something very new, The Force is always present even in death, it reminds me of Game of Thrones with false Dragons cut off from the One Power. The Ataraxia has reached Xais which was where we left Keeve. Ceret collapses, a medical droid detects no life sign, and Avar says that he is in a hibernation trance.  The ship comes under fire, Nihil fighters are blasting it, Avar and Sskeer rush to board Vector fighters.  Avar says in the fighter that she spotted the Nihil coming from the refinery, the base of the Nihil.  

Sskeer spots Keeve’s Stormship on the landing pad of the refinery.  Several Nihil ships start to launch, but Sskeer destroys them against Avar’s orders.  Sskeer leaps out of his Vector with his lightsaber.  He is meet by several Nihil gunmen and um, Force throws his lightsaber that cuts through all of them!  Lourna wants her men to fall back and previously encountered Sskeer.  Zeetar launches grenades from his powersuit that explodes around Sskeer!  Lourna leaves Zeetar to face Sskeer and heads off to evacauate on the Leveler.  He is about to smash Sskeer with his battlehammer, but it flies out of his suit’s hand!!  Sskeer cuts through the powersuit with his lightsaber.  If they can somehow find Lourna Dee, they could maybe restore the Jedi!  What is in the box that severs the Force from Jedi?  Star Wars: The High Republic has the Jedi dealing with a threat to the Force!  

 Four Lightsabers out of Five!     

#StarWarsTheHighRepublic, #OnlyFear, #JedisEnd, #CavanScott, #GeorgesJeanty, #Terec, #Ceret, #LournaDee, #TheHighRepublicLightOfTheJedi 

The Book of Boba Fett, “Stranger in a Strange Land”, Review!

The Book of Boba Fett reveals his time on Tatooine and building his power as the crime lord of Tattoine!  It is created by Jon Favreau and he is also the writer similar to The Mandalorian.  The director is Robert Rodriguez who also directed “The Tragedy” (2020) episode of The Mandalorian.  The title was based on a line from Exodus and directly a title from the Robert Heinlein novel.  Boba Fett is familiar with Tatooine, the world may have changed without Jabba, but Boba may still be known there.  The show begins with the double sunrise of a morning on Tatooine and dark sand dunes as we see Jabba’s Palace.  We didn’t see Jabba’s Palace, just the Hutt himself, in the prequels so the only live action appearance was Return of the Jedi (1983) and the end credits in The Mandalorian, “The Rescue.” There is the round entrance hall that was in Jedi, empty. The same with the throne room, some alcoves are still lit, and finally we see the throne. 

Next, we see a new room, a medical container is in the center with a droid attendant and curtains.  Inside, is Boba Fett (Temuera Morrison), wearing a breathing mask.  It looks like a horizontal bacta tank, but it is blue liquid not pink, a different function for bacta?  We focus on Boba Fett.  He flashes back to the rainy night at Tipoca City.  We see Slave-I on its platform, these are new shots.  Then, the Geonosian arena where young Boba (Daniel Logan) picks up the helmet of his father, Jango Fett (Morrison).  This shot is of course from Attack of the Clones (2002). In the bacta tank, Boba is increasingly troubled by these memories.  Then, we peek into the belly of the Sarlaac with Boba Fett, his armor wet with the Sarlaac’s fluids, wedged in between its stomach.  He wakes up coughing.  Boba activates his helmet’s glowlamp and sees a dead stormtrooper with corroded armor.  The stormtrooper may have been part of the group that was searching for the droids! 

He pulls free a cable from the stormtrooper to breathe and then activates his wrist flame projector.  We see the ruined sail barge, the Sarlaac pit, and then suddenly Boba’s fist breaks through the sand.  He forces himself free, covered in sand, and the Sarlaac fluid clinging to patches of wet sand.  Boba crawls, but then collapses.  It looks like he has a white suit underneath the armor, which looks like the prototype Boba Fett suit.  A Sandcrawler rolls up and then a Jawa pulls off Boba’s helmet.  In Star Wars #81(1983), Boba Fett escaped the Sarlaac Pit, he was burped out, covered in sand only to be found by Jawas, so this is now canon?!  They begin taking off his armor, Boba wakens to grab a Jawa’s ankle, and is rifle butted unconscious.  A little vicious for a Jawa, usually they are scared away.  Cobb Vanth in "The Marshall" (2020) had said he bought the armor from Jawas.   

Morning, the desert winds in the morning reveal Tusken Raiders who find Boba’s body.  His bald head has some scarring.   They prod him and then tie up his hands before one gives him a tiny carrot that dispenses some water.  The Sand People start off on Banthas with a rope pulling Boba wearily behind them.  Out of the storm and into the blazing suns, Boba still walks with his vision getting blurry.  He collapses and then is dragged by the Bantha.  They finally reach some tents and stop their travel.  A young Tusken Raider with black clothes prods Boba awake tied to a post.  Other join him and begin striking him with sticks, younglings who are testing their strength against a stranger?  An elder (Xavier Jimenez) with black robes just watches, takes a drink, and leaves.  Another Tusken Raider knocks him unconscious.  

He wakes at night, there is a red-skinned Rodian (Dawn Diniger) prisoner next to him, a dog-like Massiff is asleep on guard duty.  They first appeared in Attack of the Clones and The Mandalorian saw one in “The Marshall” (2020).  Boba begins to saw at the ropes with the post as the Massiff wakens and approaches.  This reminds me of Woola in John Carter (2012). Freed, Boba takes hold of it and knocks it out, then cuts the bond around his hands with the Massiff’s teeth.  He offers to free the Rodian who babbles loudly.  The first time Boba has spoken.  A Tusken Raider runs at him with a stick, but Boba takes it and throws him down, and the youngling whimpers.  He starts to run and the Massiff chases after him as well as some Tusken Raiders.  Boba fights off the creature with the stick and the others halt to watch the battle.  The Massiff is called back and the Tusken Raider chief takes out his gaderffi stick.  He strikes first, but is knocked down by his opponent.  The other Tusken Raiders surround him and Boba is kicked down.  

Boba in his bacta tank hears the voice of Fennec Shand (Ming Na Wen) reviving the boss and he turns to see her.  He removes the fluid from the chamber and the medical droid says that the healing session is stopped.   We were introduced to Fennec in season one episode of The Mandalorian, “The Gunslinger” (2019) where the bounty hunter was seemingly killed.  She returned in season two’s “The Tragedy” (2020).  Fennec took on Cad Bane, one of the deadliest bounty hunters in The Clone Wars, in the Bad Batch episode, “Bounty Lost” (2021).  Fennec wants Boba to follow the old, merciless ways, but he has changed.  He tells her about the dreams, but Fennec is more interested in the meeting to pay respect.  Boba starts to be outfitted in his armor with assistance by the droids and lastly his helmet, a very knight in armor scene.  He takes his throne with Fennec at his side and an Aqualish, Garfalaquox (Barry Lowin) with wizened hair brings him a box of coins.  

Boba asks Fennec what he said, she mentions something about friendship and he adds that they need a protocol droid.  8d8 (Matt Berry) introduces Dokk Strassi (Robert Rodriguez), leader of the Trandoshan family.  Berry like fellow British comedian actor, Richard Ayoade as Zero in The Mandalorian, also provides a droid voice.  They were both in The IT Crowd.  The smelter droid was an assistant to EV-9D9 in Return of the Jedi.  Strassi says he honors the Daimyo, the lords under the shogun in feudal Japan.  Boba mentions to Fennec that he had worked for Strassi, possibly his bounty hunter group in Clone Wars?  He has brought a hairy pelt and says he hopes Boba will always stay in Mos Espa.  8D8 then announces the arrival of Mok Shaiz, mayor of Mos Espa, this is actually his majordomo (David Pasquesti).  He is an Ithorian in green robes and brings no tribute.  Fennec explains that instead he wants Boba Fett to pay the major!  This is cleared up by Fennec who wants to kill him.  8D8 then brings in two Gamorrean guards who worked for Jabba and Bib Fortuna.  

Boba Fett has them swear loyalty to him.  We get the city of Mos Espa clustered inside a rocky canyon.  Boba, Fennec, and the guards walk the streets.  They reach a cantina, a much brighter and livelier place from what we’ve seen before.  There is music by a friendly, familiar face, and two Twi’leks offer to clean their helmets.  Then, we have the arrival of Garsa Fwip (Jennifer Beals), a pinkish skin Twi'lek.  He says her business will thrive and she in return gives him ownership of the cantina.  It seems word about Boba Fett taking down Bib Fortuna may not have spread.  Their helmets are returned filled with coins. The duo walk out without helmets on and several assassins in red clothes and black hoods leap from the buildings with energy shields, sent by the mayor?  They shock the duo with stun batons and close in.  They intend to capture the duo and not kill them like the meaning of the term “assassins.”  This is when a Gamorrean guard rushes in and kills one of the assassins.  It is a brutal fight and the surviving assassins try to scale the walls.  Fennec chases after the others as Boba says he wants them alive.  

The chase across rooftops ends with Fennec capturing an assassin.  The Gamorreans take Boba back to the healing pod.  A flaw for the bounty hunter?  He starts dreaming again, Boba again is tied to the post with the Rodian, a Tusken youngling (Wesley Kimmel) takes them out to the desert with the Massiff.  He has black robes just like the leader, a son of the chief?  They watch as a gang attacks a moisture farmer and leaves their sign on his walls.  The youngling has them dig for circular gourd-like pods used for drinking.  The Rodian digs up some scales and out of the sand rises a creature that is almost identical to the Kraken in Clash of the Titans (1981); reptilian head, clawed hands, and four arms.  Boba Fett has to defeat the sand creature and prove his worth to the Sand People tribe.  I wonder if we will see Boba Fett's group, Krayt's Claw from Clone Wars; Bossk, C-21 Highsinger, Dengar, and Oked, probable with Dave Filoni as executive producer.  The pilot is Star Wars quality, but what is needed is the direction of the series, it seems like this is the making of a more calm bounty hunter.  The Book of Boba Fett fills in the back story of the infamous Boba Fett as a crime lord!  

Four Thrones of Boba Fett out of Five!  

#TheBookOfBobaFett, #RobertRodriguez, #TemueraMorrison, #MingNaWen, #JenniferBeals, #MattBerry

Happy Birthday Stan Lee!

Happy Birthday Stan Lee!  Stan the Man is an icon of Marvel Comics.  He started as an assistant in 1939 at Timely Comics which later became Marvel Comics.  Lee’s first comic story was in a back-up feature of Captain America #5 (1941).  The time of Marvel Comics came in the Silver Age with Fantastic Four #1 (1961) with Stan Lee’s frequent co-creator Jack Kirby.  There was a wealth of characters created from that moment.  Lee created a Marvel icon who was closely identified with the company working with Steve Ditko with the first appearance of Spider-Man in Amazing Fantasy #15 (1962).  Jack Kirby’s artwork and Stan Lee’s words resulted in The Incredible Hulk #1 (1962), the first appearance of Thor in Journey into Mystery #83 (1962), Iron Man’s debut with Tales of Suspense #39 (1963), all of whom grouped together in Avengers #1 (1963).  He worked with Jack Kirby to return Captain America to lead the superhero team in Avengers #4 (1964). 

                            Stan Lee at the Amoeba Records signing of Captain America: The Winter Soldier, 2014, photo by the author. 

He also teamed with Kirby to create the mutant team with The X-Men #1 (1963).  Then, Lee worked with Steve Ditko to co-create Doctor Strange in Strange Tales #110 (1963).  All of these characters appeared in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.  He later teamed with artist Bill Everett to co-create Daredevil with Daredevil #1 (1964).  Stan Lee’s thoughts inspired readers with his feature, “Stan’s Soapbox”, and made Marvel fans with the Merry Marvel Marching Society.  The Lee and Kirby run on Fantastic Four introduced many memorable characters including Black Panther in Fantastic Four #52 (1966).  Also, the Silver Surfer in the “Galactus Trilogy” which begun with Fantastic Four #48 (1966).  Lee provided narration for Marvel Productions animated series starting with Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends (1981-1983).  Lee wrote a number of book on comic books including Origins of Marvel Comics (1974), How to Draw Comics The Marvel Way (1984) with John Buscema, and Stan Lee’s How to Draw Comics (2010). 

He wrote novels for example Dunn’s Conundrum (1985), an espionage story, Stan Lee’s Riftworld: Odyssey (1996) co-written with Bill McCay and he wrote with Stuart Moore the super hero novel, The Zodiac Legacy: Convergence (2015).  Stan Lee made his first superhero cameo in the television movie The Trial of the Incredible Hulk (1989).  He hosted the show, Stan Lee’s Superhumans, from 2010 to 2014.  Lee wrote and put his own spin on DC Comics characters with Just Imagine… in 2001.  In 2018, we had Stan Lee’s cameos in Black Panther, Avengers: Infinity War, Antman and the Wasp, Venom, surprisingly, Teen Titans GO! To the Movies, and Spider-Man: Into the Spider-verse.  His last, posthumous, cameo was in Avengers: Endgame (2019) playing a driver at the army base.  Stan Lee died in November 2018.  Let’s leave with Stan’s lines from Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse: “I’m going to miss him”, he of course means Spider-Man, but it also applies to Stan Lee, “We were friends, you know.”  It seems Stan Lee was friends with everyone.  Excelsior! And Happy Birthday Stan Lee. 

#StanLee, #FantasticFour, #StansSoapbox, #SpidermanAndHisAmazingFriends, #StanLeesSuperhumans, #AvengersEndgame 

Batgirls #1 Review!

Barbara Gordon and the duo of Stephanie Brown and Cassandra Cain go into the Hills to take back the Oracle systems from the Seer!  The status quo in Gotham City is broken with the takeover by the Magistrate started in Batman #112 with Fear State.  In the chaos was the rise of the Anti-Oracle who contacts Babs.  These were back-up stories by Becky Cloonan, Michael W. Conrad, and artist Jorge Corona.  The villain has taken control of the Oracle Network and made the comms for the Batman allies unreliable.  Babs sent her Batgirls to the Clock Tower while she worked with Nightwing to stop the Seer.  The tower is evacuated in Batman #116.  The Anti-Oracle is revealed as the Seer in Batman #117.  

Batgirls #1 follows their adventures by the same creative team in “One Way or Another Part 1.”  The regular cover has Babs standing by a billboard as Cassandra Cain and Stephanie Brown leap off a rootop with a night background.  Cass was introduced in Batman #567 (1999) and took the mangle of Batgirl in Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight #120 (1999).  She later took the identity of Orphan.  Stephanie Brown has the distinction of being the fourth Robin and the fourth Batgirl!  Steph first appeared in Detective Comics #647, she became Spoiler, then Robin, and lastly Batgirl in Batgirl #1 (2009).  Spoiler and Orphan were part of the Bat group, The Team?, I thought they were the Gotham Knights.  The Rise of the Batmen, Detective Comics #934 (2006) was their introduction.  

Barbara Gordon was the Oracle, and first appeared as her in Suicide Squad #23 (1989).  She was part of the trio, Birds of Prey, introduced in Showcase `96 #3 (1996).   The Seer is seen at the opening with red screens and a messy room.  She has large, green glasses and fur collared coat. Her narration mentions the physics concept of the Observer Theory as she scans for the three Batgirls.  There is narration in purple.  They head to their new apartment and Babs reminds the duo to keep a low profile.  Steph is excited that their room has a bunk bed, but their neighbor doesn’t seem excited to see them.  There is a fun enthusiasm with Steph in contast to the low key Cass.  Corona’s artwork is like a crazy blend of Jim Mahfood and Denys Cowan.  Steph is also excited about an art gallery in the neighborhod which also looking for models.  

Babara Gordon looks at the nearly empty fridge and has a grocery list for both Batgirls.  Babs wants to know how Cass got injured.  The young Batgirl explains she was taking the last box from the van when she was confronted by a gang.  Keeping a low profile, she ended up beaten and with her favorite robe stolen.  Cass goes to take a shower.  Steph remarks about the old television screen, possibly cathode ray tube, which Babs is to keep them from being noticed by the Seer.  Steph sees Cass finished with her shower and wearing her favorite robe.  She looks outside to see the bullies collapsed in the street.  The narrator calls the three heroes, “Hills Angels”, a nod to the British comedy show, Benny Hill, which featured Hill’s Angels.  Steph wonders how Cass got her robe back and she replies that she was anonymous wearing a bag on her head!  

Babs has bought some walkie talkies, burner phones, and is off to buy grogeries.  She wants the duo to set up her encrypted grid. Babs takes them to the garage to show them “carbon fiber reinforced, red, mopeds, “sad trombone” sound effect, very funny!  Great tone by the writers, Cloonan and Conrad!  Flashback to the two heroes in their bat costumes riding their car wildly through the Gotham streets.  They try to come up with a name for their super vehicle and both agree on Bondo!  We find out later that they have scaled a building to set up the new Oracle network.  Steph has seen a colorful graffiti display by Tutor.  Excellent, crazy colors by Sarah Stern!  Cass notices that several of the men she beat up are now trying to rob some construction workers.  

The Batgirls mix it up with them and then find the workers are under some kind of control.  Manipulated by the Tutor?  The Batgirls throw batarangs that take out four of the tough guys.  The next page has panels of Cass and Steph bashing the men until they are just a heap.  The construction workers say they want to be guided.  Steph throws two gas pellets and they escape.  The Batgirls are caught in a dangerous world, having fun, but there is still the Magistrate!  Who is the Tutor?  It has the frantic action and comedy of Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn) (2003), but without Harley!  I would like to see Harley Quinn thrown in for a guest appearance in Batgirls.  It is a welcome, fun twist to the dark Batman world with Batgirls #1!      

Four Batarangs out of Five! 

#Batgirls, #BeckyCloonan, #MichaelWConrad, #JorgeCorona, #SarahStern, #BarbaraGordon, #StephanieBrown, #CassandraCain, #Seer, #Tutor 

Wheel of Time, “The Dragon Reborn”, Review!

The three groups of travelers, Rand and Mat encounter a Darkfriend, Dana, who tries to betray them, but they are saved by the gleeman, Thom Merrilin, Egwene and Perrin join a caravan of people called the Tinkers, Lan and Moiraine are found by Nynaeve and the Aes Sedai Liandrin who has found a man calling himself the Dragon Reborn!  The city of Ghealdan burns and soldiers are trying to evacuate the king (Miguel Alvarez) from the army of Logain (Alvar Morte), the so called Dragon Reborn!  He starts to channel the One Power and shatters spears thrown by soldiers.  Then, Logain sends the black energy at them!  The wounded king collapses, he has a wicked shoulder injury, and he is confronted by Logain who doesn’t want his silver crown.  

The king has called for Aes Sedai from the White Tower.  Logain hears the voice of a woman, Elusha Salid (Rebecca Tanwen), who urges Logain to kill the king.  The king in turn draws a dagger, but is held by the One Power.  Instead, the king is forced to drop the dagger, and the One Power heals his wound. Logain offers the king to join him and plans to heal the world.  Nynaeve is on a rock overhang of the Aes Sedai camp, Lan eyes her, before checking of Moiraine being healed from her poisoned shoulder wound. She is attended by Aes Sedai sister, Kerene (Clare Perkins), who is weak.  Kerene explains it from shielding the One Power from the false Dragon, along with Liandrin and Alanna.  She takes Moiraine to see him, caged, in a cave.  

Liandrin explains that they reached him in his camp to shield him and used lightning to scare off his followers. Also there is Alanna (Priyanka Bose).  Kerene has placed wards to detect anyone approaching their camp. Kerene says the Amyrlin Seat, head of the White Tower commanded them to bring this Dragon to them.  Moiraine offers to shield Logain for Liandrin sending out white threads that bind him.  Outside, Lan practices his swordwork with fellow Warder, Stepin (Peter Franzin), who wields two axes.  This is a great introduction to the Aes Sedai in the White Tower before they reach it.  Stepin falls in line with Kerene.  At her tent, Kerene and Stepin talk, they have a more relaxed relationship than Lan and Moiraine.  An excellent contrast to the other duo.  Morning at the Tinker camp as they prepare to move on, young Aram invites them to go along with them to Tar Valon, the city of the White Tower.       

The leader, Ila, bangs a pan, others join her, a signal that they are about to travel.  In a forest, Thom leads Perrin and Rand on horseback, Rand and Perrin stop for a bit to ask if they can trust Thom.  Perrin brings up that one of the five villagers could be the Dragon and wonders about the fifth, which would be Nynaeve.  Logain is sitting silently with his eyes closed.  Nynaeve watches him as she talks to Alanna who has chosen to be a Green Ajah, an Aes Sedai who will fight the Dark One in the Last Battle.  Logain disturbs the One Power and the Aes Sedai reinforce their shielding.  Liandrin goes to talk to Nynaeve, but she asks back about Moiraine.  A farmer (Pacha Bocarie) has surprised Thom, Rand, and Perrin, he has an arrow nocked to his bow.  Rand calms him down and the farmer lowers his bow.  His wife (Jennifer K Preston) and son (David Dvorschik) both have arrows nocked to their bows, but lower them at the farmer’s question.   

Liandrin explains that Moiraine is Blue Ajah, who fight for justice, kinda like the Jedi Guardians who carry blue lightsabers.  Lan joins them so Liandrin leaves and he says to Nynaeve that either they find the other villagers at the White Tower or they will be able to find them from there.  Traveling, Perrin asks how the nomads are able to defend themselves, Ila says they follow the Way of the Leaf, try to escape or survive. Ila asks Perrin if he used a weapon and he is silent.  Night, Rand and Mat are cleaning out the stables as Thom waits outside.  Mat leaves, vomits some black stuff, and then sees a young girl (Robyn Betteridge) who offers him bread for the work.  He tells her about his sisters and the girl gives him a doll to take to his sisters.  I don’t think the doll will break the curse from the dagger!  Thom tells Rand that Mat has all of the signs of a Dragon Reborn like his nephew, Owyn, who was taken by the Aes Sedai. Logain is a dangerous individual, his power may threaten the Aes Sedai, so the question of what will happen to a person with the One Power is answered in this episode of Wheel of Time!    

Four Ter'angreal out of Five!  

#WheelOfTime, #TheDragonReborn, #AlvarMorte, #ClarePerkins, #PriyankaBose 

Spider-Man: No Way Home Review!

Spider-Man: No Way Home is a wish fulfillment for Spidey and MCU fans with good dramatic moments!  The film is directed by Jon Watts, his third Spidey movie, he had directed the crime film, Cop Car (2015).  Also continuing the trilogy is screenwriters Chris McKenna and Erik Sommers.  Peter Parker entered the MCU recruited and given a costume tech upgrade by Tony Stark in Captain America: Civil War (2016).  It also established his only family member, his Aunt May.  His solo movie was Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017) which introduced his friends, Ned and Michelle Jones.  Spider-Man: Far From Home (2019) occured after Avengers: Endgame (2019) and Peter had to go on his own without mentor, Tony Stark, and instead worked with Quentin Beck, Mysterio to defeat the Elementals.  

It is revealed, spoilers for that film, but necessary, that Mysterio has been in control of the Elementals as illusions and takes over the Stark Industries drones (did Stark learn anything from creating Ultron?).  The mid-credit scene showed that Beck’s drone recording showed his death and Peter’s secret identity was open to the world!  Important, since Spider-Man: No Way Home picks up with Beck’s death.  Apparently, he was a hero even though he wasn’t on the Avengers, didn’t fight against Thanos, but he is somehow on their level of heroism.  Spider-Man (Tom Holland) sees that MJ (Zendaya) is surrounded by a crowd.  Holland has a bit more drama with this installment, he was also in the sci fi movie, Chaos Walking, this year.  Zendaya starred also in 2021 as Chani in Dune.  

Spider-Man swings her away from a crowd which frightens MJ.  They pass the billboard of J. Jonah Jameson (J.K. Simmons) ranting about Spider-Man on his show, The Daily Bugle.net.   Simmons returns as Jameson, his last Spidey film, besides his cameo in Spider-Man: Far From Home, was really Spider-Man 3 (2007), but this year he was in Being the Ricardos.  Jameson is basically a cameo and Simmons plays him as a parody of a conservative commentator hawking supplements.  They reach a building, Peter leaves MJ on the edge, he gets a video call from his good friend, Ned Leeds (Jacob Batalon).  Batalon was in the comedy romance Let It Snow (2019).  He is there mostly to give one liners, serve as the audience pov, but we do get a family moment with his mother later with some Tagalog chatting.  

They head back to Peter’s apartment with Aunt May (Marisa Tomei) and Happy Hogan (Jon Favreau) also entering through the door.  Tomei was in the comedy special, Sarah Cooper: Everything’s Fine (2020).  Her Aunt May has more of central part for Peter in this movie.  Favreau voiced Happy in two episodes of What If…?  They have ended their relationship and Peter tries to close the shutters and also uses his webs.  The situation is a MCU look at the out of the control paparazzi scene.  Still, they are taken to be interrogated by Agent Cleary (Arian Moayed) of the Department of Damage Control.  Peter, MJ, and Aunt May get through the questioning, but Ned after a compliment gushes secrets.  Afterwards they get an extraordinary lawyer that has the charges dropped for all of them.  

Aunt May says they need a more secure place and go to Happy’s condominium in Long Island.  It has a Stark security system and various devices.  Betty Brant (Angourie Rice) is covering the arrival of Spider-Man and his amazing friends to school.  Rice was in the dramatic series, Mare of Easttown.  Peter, MJ, and Ned head to school, they see Flash Thompson (Tony Revolori) who has turned from hating Peter to now thinking he is his number one fan.  Revolori starred in the recent Wes Anderson movie, The French Dispatch.  Peter goes to see three teachers; Coach Wilson (Hannibal Buress), a victim of the Snap, who is angry about Mysterio’s death, Coach Wilson (Hannibal Buress), Mr. Dell (J.B. Smoove), and Mr. Harrington (Martin Starr) who has all sorts of photos of Peter Parker’s alter ego.  Starr and Smoove were last in the MCU with Spider-Man: Far From Home.  Buress was last in Spider-Man: Homecoming. 

This fame causes Peter to walk away and find his privacy place, the rooftop, so he can chat with MJ.  They hope to get into universities, Peter gets some rejection letters, the same with MJ and Ned.  Their last hope is MIT so when the letter arrives when they meet at MJ’s workplace, Peter Pan’s Doughnuts and Pastry Shop, but they are all rejected due to the Spider-Man connections. They are disappointed, but don’t get any kind of support from family members, and Peter gets desperate going to Doctor Strange’s mansion in Greenwich Village.  He finds that inside the foyer has turned to winter snow.   He meets with Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) and tells him about his problems.  Cumberbatch has an amused and frustrated character.  Strange says he lost the Time Stone and can’t fix the identity problem turning back time.  He brings up a spell that can wipe out the memories of everyone.  

Wong (Benedict Wong), who became Sorcerer Supreme when Strange was blipped, warns against that spell.  Wong was also in Shang-Chi: The Legend of the Ten Rings.  He ends up leaving in a portal. Doctor Strange takes Peter to a basement room and starts casting the spell.  Peter interrupts adding that MJ and Ned should be spared, then adds Aunt May and Happy, he finally decides on anyone who knows that he is Peter Parker.  The spell fails and Strange is just able to contain it.  Afterwards, Strange goes over Peter’s situation and says that he should speak to the MIT administrator.  They go to Flash’s MIT party and find that the administrator has just left.  Spider-Man swings over to the motorway and manages to talk to the Assistant Vice Chancellor (Paula Newsome).  The actress is currently in CSI: Vegas.  Their conversation is interrupted with some disruption on the bridge tearing into cars. 

A clawed tentacle slams down.  It is Doctor Octopus (Alfred Molina), who was last seen in Spider-Man 2 (2004), Molina played Peter Sellers in the bio pic, There Used To Be a Me (2021).  The Spidey film was one of the best in the series and had a great villain with Molina.  The battle has the chancellor’s car almost tipping off the bridge.  Doc Ock has Spider-Man pinned against a bridge pylon and removes his mask, it is not his Peter Parker!  Spider-Man is able to gain control of the tentacles and save the chancellor. Thrown to roll on the bridge are the pumpkin bombs of Green Goblin (Willem Dafoe)!  

The last Green Goblin appearance was Spider-Man 3 (2007).  Dafoe is also in Guillermo del Toro’s Nightmare Alley.  His performance is alternately restrained, wild, and crazy.  Strange brings Peter back to the Sanctum Sanctorum.  One of the villains, the Lizard (Rhys Ifans) from The Amazing Spider-Man (2012), Ifans is also in The King’s Man as Rasputin.  Strange notes that villains are unleashed from the Multiverse from the failed spell.  He has to find them with the help of Ned and MJ.  Spider-Man heads out to forested hills with transmission towers.  There he finds Electro (Jamie Foxx) powering up.  Foxx played the villain in The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (2014).  He voiced Joe in the Soul (2020) animated film.

Electro is about to finish Spider-Man, but he is protected by the sand shield of Flint Marko (Thomas Haden Church), the Sandman.  He was one of the villains in Spider-Man 3 (2007).  Church played Lobster Johnson in the Hellboy (2019) remake.  His Sandman is interesting, less revenge motivated, and more wanting to return to his daughter.  The major villains are Green Goblin (without the helmet) and Doc Ock.  The threat to the Multiverse and the almost-Sinister Six have Spider-Man’s webs full, he will need some help!  This is a possible new beginning for the franchise, I imagine that Sony can work on its own outside of the MCU, with the development of Peter’s character.  Spider-Man: No Way Home has surprising characters, developed character arcs, and crowd pleasing action!     

Four Web Shooters out of Five! 

#SpiderManNoWayHome, #JonWatts, #TomHolland, #Zendaya, #JacobBatalon, #BenedictCumberbatch, #JonFavreau, #WillemDafoe, #AlfredMolina, #JamieFoxx, #ThomasHadenChurch, #RhysIfans 

Hawkeye, “So This Is Christmas?”, Review!

The finale of Hawkeye is here!  Recap of last episode, Maya fights with Ronin, she is defeated and Clint removes is hood.  He threatens her if she tries to go after him or his family.  Clint reveals that her boss wanted her father dead.  This enrages Maya who takes the sword, but it is knocked away by Kate’s arrow from a rooftop.  Maya is met Kazi and she asks why he didn’t go to the meeting where her father was killed, he’s the informant!  Kate reveals that the woman they fought is Natasha’s sister, Clint knows about Yelena.  Eleanor is followed by Yelena to a hotel, while Clint is at Grills’ place joined by Kate and Pizza Dog.  Grills has gotten Pizza Dog to do tricks which doesn’t work for Kate.  She gets text messages that stuns her.  The title features the John Lennon Christmas song, which was covered by Celine Dion, but I don't think it shows up on screen.  

Yelena texts that she found her employer is Eleanor.  Then, Kate gasps and shows the phone to Clint.  It is a picture of her mother with the Big Guy Hawkeye was worried about, the Kingpin!  Not only the Kingpin, but the version played by Vincent D’Onofrio, the Daredevil series is MCU canon!  A mysterious man walks in a room filled with Christmas decorations with a cane.  It’s Kingpin from the cane alone, by the by, Kingpin has a long association with Daredevil.  Still, he started out as a Spider-Man villain, first appearing in Amazing Spider-Man #50 (1967).  He greets Elenor and apparently they have a business relationship, she was paying off her husband’s debt to him.  She took care of Armand(!) and Jack, but wants out because of her daughter.

Kate watches the scene from her phone, the video was taken by Yelena, which she explains to Clint.  He wants her to calm down and tells her that she is his partner.  Maya enters the room where Kingpin and Kazi sit.  She says her vengeance to find her father’s killer is over and wants some time off.  When she has left, Kingpin rages over the situation; Ronin, an Avenger all involved, and Eleanor leaving the organization.  Finally with Maya’s betrayal, he wants everyone to know he runs the city!  On the subway, Clint admits they will need more trick arrows.  In a workshop, he fashions trick arrows, a can of pepper spray, and jagged-edged arrows assisted by Kate.  She tells him that she was scared during the Battle of New York, but he showed her what heroes can do even without powers.  

Trucks head to the party on the night streets.  Kazi is in position and has the Tracksuits ready to deal with Eleanor Bishop.  Kate and Clint, in formal wear, head to the Christmas party, and he asks her what she sees in terms of threats and assets.  She mentions all of the assets, the LARPers dressed as workers, at the party.  LARPers vs. the Trenchcoat Mafia?  Jack has returned from jail.  Kazi assembles a sniper rifle.  Yelena walks in. Then, Elenor is with a security guard in a tux.  Kate spots her mother.  She takes her away to show her the video.  Clint has given an all clear from his agent when he spots a targeting laser on him, uses the drink tray to deflect the bullet, and takes cover.  He starts running, past Yelena, Kazi reports that Clint is there with his partner.  

Kate tells Eleanor to stay in the room with Jack.  Clint sends an agent LARPer to find Eleanor.  Grills orders his crew to shut off the lights.  Kazi loses sight of Clint.  Kate meets with Yelena at the elevators and tells Kate that after she kills Clint, she will eat appetizers. Yelena also knows that Clint is in an elevator, Kate says she doesn’t know which floor, when the floor indicator dings twelfth.  She goes into an elevator and Kate slips in.  Kate tries to reach for another floor, Yelena slaps her hand away, then Kate slaps Yelena in the face.  They struggle and Yelena removes Kate’s formal wear to reveal her Hawkeye uniform!  Kate pushes the buttons of all of the floors and Yelena takes off her coat to have her black outfit.  The LARPer, Orville (Robert-Walker Branchaud) reports that Eleanor has left the room.  Clint removes his tuxedo jacket and then takes out his bow.    

Kate blocks the doorway and Yelena kicks her down.  Then, Yelena slides Kate’s face on the window, very funny.  The duo is great and I hope there is more for them in the MCU.  Clint sees the targeting laser from Kazi’s rifle, he looses an arrow which strikes the wall behind Kazi.  It starts to release purple gas.  He asks for a report from Kate who is fighting Yelena across office rooms, nice shot, Yelena throws a baton out a window, and Kate hits her hand with some bolo.  Yelena fires her grapnel into the floor and leaps out of the window.  Kate warns Clint.  Yelena slides down the side of the building, Clint dodges her gunshot, as she lands on the ground. Kate attaches a rope around Yelena’s grapnel rope, passes Clint, and awkwardly lands!  Kate sees the van with the Tracksuits and reports to Clint who takes up some arrows.  The Tracksuits recognize her, Kate takes on them, and one Tracksuit thanks her for advice with his girlfriend before being knocked out!  

Another gunman takes aim, but is slashed by Jack’s sword.  Jack takes care of several more Tracksuits, but tells Kate that he lost her mother.  I'm not exactly certain if Jack is the good one of the family, but he does become the Avenger, Swordsman.  Good comedy while the action goes at full speed.  Tracksuits are searching, Clint throws devices around a room, activates them, but is struck by Kazi.  Clint is able to slip away and activate the detonator that brings down the ceiling onto the Tracksuits.  He takes down Kazi in a wrestling move.  Then, has to run from more Tracksuit gunmen and leaps out of a window.  His grapnel arrow snaps and Clint slams to a stop in a Christmas tree where he sees a tiny owl!  Love it!  He contacts Kate who has the LARPers evacute the area as Jack takes on more Tracksuits.  Kinda absurd with all of the window crashes, explosions, fighting, and gunshots and no police?  

Grills wants Wendy and Missy that is time for their costumes.  Maya begins packing her essentials and sees a photo of her father, Kazi, and herself.  More Tracksuits spill out of a van, a tricycle smashes through a window, and Kate is there with her bow on top of the Big piano.  How many Tracksuits are there?  The LARPers are joined by Orville in uniform and they direct civilians and manage to take down Tracksuits.  Kate says she has found away to get Clint out of the tree.  She severs the cords holding the tree and then looses an acid arrow to the trunk.  This sends the tree crashing to the skating rink.  Tracksuits surround Clint in every direction.  Kate slides in on her knees loosing arrows to send out extinguishers to cover them.  Clint looses an arrow that has all of the Tracksuits’ gun magnetized.  

He takes off the rest of his tuxedo to reveal his new Hawkeye uniform right out of the comics.  The duo takes on the endless hordes of Tracksuits using their trick arrows.  I like the one that sends out tiny spikes in every direction.  Kate and Clint are a seemless team, moving around each other to loose and strike Tracksuits, Archers United!  A van is about to crash into them, but Kate looses an arrow that shrinks it down to toy size, Pym-style!  Very funny!  The owl swoops in to take the truck away as you hear tiny voices scream in worry!  Kate heads out to find her mother at the side door.  Clint has to deal with Kazi and two gunmen, he uses an arrow that splits in three.  Then, Yelena tackles Clint, and Maya shows up to confront Kazi.  He knows that he has to kill her and they begin to fight.  

Yelena wants to know what happened to her sister.  He says that she sacrificed herself to save the world.  Yelena doesn’t believe him and kicks him back.  Maya closes on Kazi and he says he wants this life.  Eleanor walks with security guard and finds another dead in the car.  The door is ripped away and it is the Kingpin!  Kate tries to loose a few arrows at him to no real effect!  Then, Eleanor rams the car into him, he gets better!  Maya fights with Kazi and he doesn’t shrug it off like Kingpin.  She has not become Echo yet.  Yelena doesn’t believe Clint and gets out her baton to beat him again and again.  Kate uses an arrow to set up an electric web trap to keep him in the store.  He bashes her around, snaps her arrows, and it looks like it is the end for Kate!  Will Clint return to his family in time for Christmas?  Don’t forget a mid-credit’s scene!  Some hard truths must be faced, but a very rousing finale and conclusion of season 1 for Hawkeye!    

Five Trick Arrows out of Five!     

#Hawkeye, #SoThisIsChristmas, #ClintBarton, #JeremyRenner, #KateBishop, #EleanorBishop, #VeraFarmiga, #HaileeSteinfeld, #YelenaBelova, #MayaLopez, #AlaquaCox, #KaziKazimierczak, #Kingpin, #VincentDOnofrio, #Grills, #ClaytonEnglish, #WendyConrad, #AdentinpoThomas, #Missy, #AdelleDrahos