The DC Universe James Gunn Announcement!

James Gunn, this morning released a video on Twitter laying out the plan for DC films. It is called Part I: Gods and Monsters, which is great that we have an overall theme to the movies which is like Crisis on Infinite Earths. There was a 2015 Justice League animated movie with the same name that had an alternate universe. Gunn stated, "One of our strategies is to take our diamond characters, which is Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, and we use them to prop up other characters that people don’t know." This makes sense, Superman and Batman were the major DC films since the 80's. Using the Trinity (Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman) as a base to introduce other heroes into the universe makes sense. Not discussed was Superman & Lois, reported to have "one or two more seasons" by Safran and Gunn, and also the new Gotham Knights series. We will have to see how this DC Universe turns out three years from now. 

The new DC universe approach is outlined by Gunn, “So as many of you know the DC has been disconnected in film and television for a long time. Our jobs, mine and Peter’s, is to come in and make sure the DCU is connected in film, television, gaming, and animation. That the characters are consistent played by the same actors and it works within one story. And if something is outside of that like Matt Reeves’ Batman or Todd Phillips’ Joker or Teen Titans Go! that it is clearly labeled as DC Elseworlds outside of the mainstream DC continuity.” Elseworlds, started with the graphic novel, Gotham by Gaslight (1989). DC also had an imprint called Black Label which had mature content starting with Batman: Damned (2018). I think all audiences should go with Elseworlds like Teen Titans Go! and more adult titles like The Joker (2019) should be under Black Label. 

James Gunn discussed the movies to be released this year, three specifically have bearing with the new DC univese, “First, we have Shazam: Fury of the Gods, Shazam has always been off kind of in his own part of the DCU so he connects very well. That moves directly into the Flash. A fantastic movie that I really love that resets the entire DC universe.” March 17th is the opening date for Shazam: Fury of the Gods. It looks like Shazam will have a potential future with the DC universe. The Flash has a release date of June 16th of this year. I think this is DC film is th one where we can see how this basically creates the Gunnverse. Gunn mentioned Blue Beetle, August 18th, and then Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, December 25th, which Gunn said, “leads directly into our next few projects.”

The DC universe slate was explained by Gunn, “The first project is Creature Commandos. Creature Commandos is an animated series, I’ve written all of the episodes, something we’re going to do that’s a little bit different at DC is we’re gonna have characters move into animation, out of animation, usually having the same actor play their voice as who plays them in live action.” I hope voice actors have a chance and not just live action actors. The team features Lt. Matthew Shrieve, human, leader?, looks like the beard guy, Pvt. Elliot Taylor, the Frankenstein-type, the vampire, Sgt. Vincent Velcro, a gender change, later, the robot, J.A.K.E.1, the G.I. Robot was introduced, the modern version introduced Bogman, like Creature from the Black Lagoon, another gender change, but good balance. Lastly, it looks like they added Doctor Phosphorous, a Batman villain, and the Weasel from The Suicide Squad movie. A modern version would be Hellboy.

Gunn continued, “The next project up is Waller. This is the story of Amanda Waller played by Viola Davis. Viola Davis (Amanda Waller) is going to team up with members of Team Peacemaker.” So this looks like another series that Gunn may write and direct. “Next up is a big one, the true beginning of the DCU, this is called Superman: Legacy. This is being written by me, I’m in the middle of it, I’m having a great time doing it and Superman will be released in theaters in July 11, 2026.” Peter Safran gave more details about the film, “It focuses on Superman balancing his Kryptonian heritage with his human upbringing. He is the embodiment of truth, justice and the American way. He is kindness in a world that thinks of kindness as old-fashioned.” Interesting that brings up the classic motto when it was changed in 2021 to “Truth, Justice and a Better Tomorrow.”  

The upcoming DC projects were revealed by Gunn, “The next thing is a big premiere HBO premiere television series called Lanterns. This is a story of a couple of Green Lanterns, John Stewart and Hal Jordan, and we have a few other Lanterns peppered in there, but this is really a terrestial based tv show which is almost like True Detective with a couple of Green Lanterns who are space cops watching over precinct Earth. In it, they discover a terrifying mystery that ties into our larger story of the DCU.” The Precinct Earth is really known as Sector 2814. A grounded approach to the GL mythos in contrast to the overly CGI’d 2011 movie. Gunn discussed the next movie, ”The Authority is a passion project of mine, its based on the marvellous Wildstorm characters we are now bringing into the DCU and will interact with all of our primary DCU characters.” Apollo and Midnighter are similar to Superman and Batman so I don’t know if they will be featured or the movie may focus on other team members.  

The world of Wonder Woman is explored in a television series. “Paradise Lost is a story of Paradise Island usually known as Themysicra which is the birthplace of Wonder Woman. It is almost like Game of Thrones with Westeros…”, Gunn explained. The title refers to John Milton's poem. There are different factions that emerged from the current comic books. The Amazons of Themysicra, the Amazons of Bana-Mighdall featuring Nubia, and the Amazon River tribe that had the latest Wonder Girl, Yara Flor. This seems to break up the DC Trinity with a later introduction of Wonder Woman. Gunn spoke about Batman DC universe film, “The introduction of the DCU’s Batman is the Brave and the Bold. The Brave and the Bold is the story of Batman and his actual son, Damian Wayne. This is based on Grant Morrison’s great comic book run. Damian Wayne is my favorite Robin. He’s a little assassin who Batman tries to get in line. So this is the story of the two of them and the beginning of the sort of Bat family in the DCU.” This explains why Batman would train Robin, but the question remains if Dick Grayson is out as the original Robin. 

The rest of the DC universe projects include a Booster Gold television series, Gunn describes the hero, “He’s a fascinating guy, he’s a loser from the future, who uses future technology to come back to present day and become a super hero so that people will love him. It is basically the superhero story of imposter syndrome on a HBO Max series.” Booster Gold was part of a duo, Blue and Gold, with the earlier Ted Kord, Blue Beetle. The next film is based on a recent comic book as Gunn detailed the take on the movie based on Tom King’s Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow, “Supergirl in this story, she is a character who was raised on a chunk of Krypton. She watched everybody around her perish in some terrible way so she’s a much more jaded character.” Lastly, is the Swamp Thing movie, described by Gunn as “a very dark horror story in the origins of the monster who is Swamp Thing, and although it’s totally outside of the rest of the DCU, it will still feed into the rest of the stories.” It appears that the goal is to have two movies and two HBO Max shows per year.  This template seems to be just the vision of Gunn and Safran, little room for directors to bring their own projects, but there is potential in this DC Universe! 

#DCStudios, #JamesGunn, #PeterSafran, #SupermanAndLois, #GothamKnights, #Elseworlds, #TheBatman, #Joker, #TeenTitansGo, #ShazamFuryOfTheGods, #TheFlash, #BlueBeetle, #AquamanAndTheLostKingdom, #CreatureCommandos, #Waller, #SupermanLegacy, #Lanterns, #TheAuthority, #ParadiseLost, #BraveAndTheBold, #DamianWayne, #BoosterGold, #SupergirlWomanOfTomorrow, #SwampThing 

  

Sirens Gate #3 Review!

Sirens Gate #3 moves reveals some secrets to Tara's story as we head to the conclusion! The mysterious woman with glowing eyes and black hood is about to be revealed as she pulls back the hood with her black gloves in the cover by creator Shannon Maer! Last issue, Tara was stabbed by Commander Rein and then she is caught between a battle between Rein and mystery woman. We see all of this as the scene in rain is witnessed by Maya and Michael in a splash page. Tara begins to pull the knife from her torso. Rein with hands aflame says she can’t be protected. In a splash page, we see Tara looking at her reflection, her eyes glowing blue, and blood trickling from the knife. A strangely beautiful image. She looks up and then in a double splash page she reaches out and her power bursts the pavement and knocks back Rein and the woman! She falls and Maya asks about her as Michael holds Tara. 

He says her knife wound is gone! I don't think Tara can die from any kind of wound. There is just blood from the wound and then we see the masked woman, another splash page as Tara asks about her identity. The woman pulls back her hood and reveals her face. Tara is excited that it is Lady Rose, novelist who was seen in the first issue, who is the employer of Michael. Lady Rose knows about Maya and also knew her grandmother who was a witch. Maya brings up the prophecy connected to Tara. Lady Rose tells Tara about the dawn of a New Age and “Death shall walk the earth.” Maya explains that Tara had died and returned. As they drive from the scene, Maya says that Tara is “a mortal - born of Death.” The concept is fascinating. A splash page as we see Lady Rose in her black evening dress tell Michael, tolding an umbrella over her, take Maya home while she talks with Tara. 

Maya is impressed at Lady Rose’s powers and she asks if Michael knew about the powers. He admits he didn’t know about them. Splash page, Maya in her black and pink outift, is ready to get smoothies and Michael reminds her that he has to walk her back home. A double page splash has Lady Rose and then we see Tara in the inside of the limo. Lady Rose tells Tara that she would be called a sorceress “a long time ago.” Tara wonders about her involvement in a prophecy that would bring the end of the world! Lady Rose adds that a prophecy is only a possibility. I do like the slowing down of the supernatural or action scenes to develop the story and characters. Tara hopes to get back to her apartment, but Lady Rose says she should be her guest at the mansion. She should be cleaned up with the blood still on her torso and Lady Rose says that she will have a new change of clothes. Maya is suprised that Lady Rose knew her grandmother. Michael senses something and appearing on the street is a dark haired womn, Ravyn, who has brought two werewolves! 

#SirensGate, #ShannonMaer, #Tara, #Maya #LadyRose, #Ravyn 

Happy Birthday Marc Singer!

Happy Birthday Marc Singer! He is a well known genre actor who began sci fi acting in the Planet of the Apes tv series episode, “The Gladiators” (1974). Singer was in the Vietnam War film, Go Tell the Spartans (1978) as Captain Al Olivetti. One of his most well known roles was as Dar in The Beastmaster (1982) co-written and directed by Don Coscarelli. Singer continued in sci fi playing camera man, Mike Donavan in the V (1983) tv mini-series. Donavan was caught up in not capturing the Visitor occupation, but taking part in the resistance! This was followed by another mini-series, V: The Final Battle (1984) without series creator Kenneth Johnson. It was finally turned into a sequel in novel form by Johnson in V: The Second Generation (2008). 

V was not the final battle since it led to a V (1984-1985) tv series. Singer appeared in the Twilight Zone episode in “Extra Innings” (1988). Marc Singer played Paul Ferguson in Watchers II (1990), the sequel to the film based on the Dean Koontz novel. Commander Steve Krieger was portrayed by Singer in the sci-fi/horror film, Dead Space (1991).  Then, he returned as Dar in Beastmaster 2: Through the Portal of Time (1991). “The Long Rain” (1992) episode of The Ray Bradbury Theater series starred Singer. He voiced Dr. Kirk Langstrom, the Man-Bat, in 1992 episodes of Batman: The Animated Series. Singer played Caleb Cole in the “Mountain Men” (1992) episode of the Highlander series.   

He returned again as Dar in the tv movie, Beastmaster III: The Eye of Braxus (1996). A time lost Lancelot du Lac was portrayed by Singer in Lancelot: Guardian of Time (1997). In the Beastmaster tv series he played Dartanus from (2001-2002). He directed the episode, “Destiny” (2001) of the Beastmaster show. The fantasy movie, Dragonquest (2009) starred Marc Singer as the warrior Maxim. The V re-boot series episode, “Mother’s Day” (2011) featured Singer playing the character of Lars Tremont. General Matthew Shrieve was played by Singer in 2015 episodes of the Arrow series. He was also Peter Braxton in the reboot of Beauty and the Beast for 2016 episodes. Singer was Sheriff Johnson in the thriller, The Undertaker’s Wife (2021). Happy Birthday Marc Singer!  

#MarcSinger #GoTellTheSpartans, #TheBeastmaster, #V, #BatmanTheAnimatedSeries, #Highlander, #Arrow, #TheUndertakersWife.    

Pathaan Review!

Pathaan is an energetic spy film with all of the style of Bollywood films bringing the spotlight back to Shah Rukh Khan! It is a combination of James Bond (specific movies), Fast and Furious, and Mission Impossible! Pathaan is part of the YRF Spy Universe, a shared universe of spy films (!), it started with Ek Tha Tiger (2012), which introduced RAW agent, Avinash “Tiger” Singh Rathore played by Salman Khan. Then, the sequel, Tiger Zinda Hai (2017), before it became a universe with War (2019). The third movie brought in Major Kabir Dhaliwal (Hrithik Roshan) and Colonel Sunil Luthra (Ashutosh Rana). Pathaan brings in Shah Rukh Khan who will reprise the role in Tiger 3, later this year, with Salman Khan. It is directed with a story by Siddharth Anand whom also directed and co-wrote the story for War.  The film begins in Pakistan, 2019, General Qadir (Manish Wadhwa) is given a cancer diagnosis. Then, he informed that India has revoked Article 370 which gave independence to the Kashmir region. 

Qadir decides to deal with India bringing in Jim (John Abraham). The actor starred and wrote the story for the sci fi movie, Attack Part 1 (2022). He is the almost sympathetic leader of a military group called Outfit X. Three years later, “Somewhere in Africa”, Jim is shown a missile that can’t be detected. I do like the James Bond international spy part. Then, he is told the prisoner is “getting special treatment.” We find the prisoner chained to a chair and struck repeatedly. Still, he tells his interrogator, Raafe (Rajat Kaul) what will happen in five seconds. The prisoner swings his head into the light, dramatic reveal!, and we see that it is Pathaan played by Shah Rukh Khan. He asks, “Where is Rubina?” Then, Pathaan goes into action mode taking on several soldiers, until he gets hold of two pipes as weapons. During the fight, he chains Raafe to the skid of a helicopter, pilots it, but the hangar door closes. Pathaan doesn’t pause to escape with Raafe hanging from the helicopter! 

New Delhi, India, we have Nandini (Dimple Kapadia) informed about a “red flag”, Rubia has been found in Paris. Kapadia was in Brahmanstra Part One: Shiva (2022). Two years earlier at a military hospital, Paathan is given a metal plate on his shoulder after so much injuries. This shows him as a hero with vulnerabilities. Paathan is gathering the agents who were retired by injury or trauma into a new unit, Joint Operation and Covert Research (JOCR). The head of JOCR, Nandini sees a holgram of Colonel Sunil Luthra (Ashutosh Rana), RAW joint secretary. Rana was in War. He is unnoticed by Nandini and she is not flattering in what she thought was a hologram. Luthra does not have a high opinion of JOCR and he debriefs the unit on several strikes by Outfit X. In Dubai, the President of India is giving a keynote speech with two scientists. Paathan suspects that Outfit X will go after the president. 

On the Dubai streets, a man walks out with a skull-like mask, this is very like the black-masked assassin in Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014). He launches a rocket at the  truck carrying the scientists. The unknown man uses a helicopter lift cable to transfer Dr. Sahani (Prakash Belawadi) to a black Humvee. Pathaan is racing in a gold sports car, but it is struck by the Humvee and we get a slo mo flip. It is of course Jim and he ends up fighting Pathaan on the roof of a truck container Matrix Reloaded (2003)-style. It is of course Jim, who finally faces Paathan and shows him his Bravery Award. Jim says he was her (India’s) lover and Pathaan is her son. He escapes on a helicopter. Luthra later debriefs Pathaan on Jim, he was a successful RAW agent, but was captured by Somali pirates. He was tortured, hung upside down, as his wife carrying his child is threatened. 

Luthra refuses to pay the ransom and Jim loses his family! The ex-government agent turning against his fellow spies and country is out of Sean Bean’s 006 in Goldeneye (1995). It really seems that ransom payment is a JOCR decision, not a national one, their deaths are really due to Luthra. There is no payback for his inaction. Pathaan discovers the name of an unknown weapon named Raktbeej. A JOCR tech has tracked payments to a Pakistani woman, Dr. Rubina Mohsin, who is currently in Spain. It is a party scene by the beach in Spain where Pathaan sees Rubina (Deepika Padukone) who sings “Besharam Rang” as she eyes Pathaan. It is surprisingly one of the few songs in the movie! Most doctors don’t sing in bikinis and pose on a beach. This is not just showcasing Padukone's beauty, Pathaan shows up shirtless to show his abs, while he enters Rubina’s room to check her laptop. 

Next, we see Rubina in an orange dress so this party must be over several days and she leads Pathaan like a Bond Girl to cave. Rubina takes off her skirt down to a bikini and leaps into a pool.  Past a pillar, we see Jim is also in the pool! They are surrounded by gunmen and Jim talks to Pathaan back to back. He offers Pathaan to work with them, but his refusal has Jim say he lost his wager. Jim boards a helicopter and leaves. Rubina suddenly starts taking down the Outfit X men. Pathaan watches amused and only takes out one of the henchmen. More soldiers head towards them so Rubina and Pathaan take cover behind a garden wall. She explains that she has been under cover for a year. Also, Rubina shows Pathaan that she is shot in the side. Still, they manage to escape the gunmen. 

We get Rubina’s memory of herself as a young girl when her father is killed. She wakes up and Pathaan explains that she was out for eighteen hours. Rubina says her father was a journalist in the Middle East when he was killed. Later, we find out Pathaan’s backstory which drives his character. She says Raktbeej is in Moscow and they pose as a married couple in the hotel across from a tower. This is said by Pathaan to be impervious and Vault 412 has keys separated by twelve kilometers. They are held by Aunty Karen and Uncle Grigor. This is the Mission: Impossible aspect of the movie. Pathaan has a shared universe of great action with a trio of charismatic leads, some back story for the characters, comedy, and the songs and dancing of the best of Bollywood! 

Four Bravery Awards out of Five!  

#Pathaan, #SiddharthAnand, #YRFSpyUniverse, #ShahRukhKhan, #DeepikaPadukone, #JohnAbraham, #DimpleKapadia, #AshutoshRana, #ManishWdhwa 

Re:tro Re:view - Yoda #2!

Yoda #2 has the Jedi Master continue to help the young Scalvi with unintended consequences! He is on the Jedi Council in the time of the High Republic. Yoda takes a mission to answer the distress signal from Turrak. Then, Yoda becomes entangled in the life of villagers and the raiders. He stays to resolve the situation. The Phil Noto cover has Yoda with his green lightsaber, as a wave crests to his side, a town on the other, and the reddish sky has the face of the Crulko leader, Riak! The second part of Light and Life, “The Raid”, is by Cavan Scott and Nico Leon. The station, The Wheel, above the Mid-Rim world, Besh Gorgon has two Jedi Masters greet Yoda.  The planet comes from Scott’s story in Star Wars Adventures Annual 2018. They are Grand Master Pra-Tre Veter and Ela Sutan. The Jedi Masters ask him about moved to help the native Scalvi. He shows them a musical instrument called a Taratti. It makes me think of the African kalimba. Yoda is not good at playing it, but learning. 

We move to Turrak, his young friends, Litah and Bree, see Yoda’s shuttle landing. They are excited to see Yoda’s return after a few days. Bree shows him the watchtower made of wood, cloth, and rope. Yoda reminds Litah that he doesn’t use The Force as a shortcut. An awkward Scalvi boy, Trikk, tips over some wood from the tower, Bree rushes to pull away a young child as the wood planks fall! Then, they stop in mid-air, we see Yoda with his eyes closed reaching out with The Force. Nice image of Yoda! Trikk tries to apologize to Bree. Yoda reports in to the Jedi Council on Coruscant. While he advises the Scalvi help repair, build, and train. Bree gets into a fight with the larger Trikk over a device, but Yoda tells them to stop and senses - an explosion as the Cruklon start their raid! Trikk uses his staff to block the staff of the larger, female Cruklon, Klask! She trips him up with her staff. Bree wants help from Yoda as Klask is about to bring down her staff on Trikk! 

Litah kicks her away. Bree slides over to the device, the activator, and clicks it to send a piercing noise that is painful to the Cruklon. The raiders retreat and Bree shuts down the activator. He says he got the idea of Yoda’s story on Dalna, an Outer Rim planet. A female Scalvi shows Litah Yoda’s lightsaber! They search for him in the village, but can’t find him! The youths find a Cruklon skiff with weapons and Bree wants to use them to free Yoda from the raiders! At the industrial Cruklon Platform at twilight, Riak is sick. Klask checks on him and he only tells her about the failed raid. She tells him about the prisoner. Not about the sonic weapon that the Scalvi used?  In a darkened room, we see Yoda bound in ropes, Riak rages that he wants his help like with the Scalvi. Yoda is silent. He hears an explosion and the alarm sounds. He is blasted in the shoulder, his necklace like an Ogun warrior necklace, large beads, is shattered. Above them are Trikk with a large blaster rifle, Bree with Yoda’s lightsaber, and Litah with a blaster pistol. They are youths, well intended, but don’t realize the cost of battle! Yoda #2 has action, the effect of war on the young, with a dramatic ending! 

Four Lightsabers out of Five! 

#Yoda, #TheRaid, #CavanScott, #NicoLeon, #PraTreVeter, #ElaSutan, #Turrak, #Bree, #Litah, #Trikk, #Klask, #Riak     

Re:tro Re:view - Star Wars: High Republic #3!

Jedi, Vildar Mac, and his new apprentice, Matty, are uncovering the Jedha mystery! They discovered that thief, Tey Sirrek, was impersonating Jedi abilities! Still, there is danger in the Temple of Kyber with Guardian of the Whills with lightbows! The Ario Anindito cover has the pink, elf-like Tey running, again, with a pink lil’ elephant from a bulky alien with ghastly, green head in a helmet! The elephant alien, Ortlan like Max Rebo, but with color right out of Dumbo’s drunken dream, love it!, thanks Scott and Anindito! “Hippety hoppety/They’re here and there”! 

“Tey Sirrek”, the third chapter of Balance of the Force is by Cavan Scott and Anindito. Vildar ignites his lightsaber, but he is warned by Matty. The Guardian captain, Oklane Viss, says they are only there for Tey. He is a Falleen, a green alien that can control through pheromones, introduced in canon with the “Eminence” (2013) episode of The Clone Wars. The Falleen were created by novelist Steve Perry in Shadows of the Empire (1996). Tey is about to be taken away by a Rodian when he threatens to use the Jedi ability, Morichro, which was revealed to be a trick.

In a splash page, we have Vildar throw Tey which is surprising after the first page with tight panels! Matty wants to explain the situation, but Tey walks away. Oklane says that the temple had accepted Tey as a guardian which surprises Matty. I like a guardian turned thief. On a temple balcony, the wind whips Tey’s cloak, tells his droid Skoot that he doesn’t want to return. The conversation has SK-OT converse with “Zet Zet” sounds so Tey understands droidspeak! He gets angry and Skoot scoots away. 

We see the entrance of the temple with two guards to flash back to Tey as one of the guards “five years ago.” His attention is turned to a lil’ pinkish Ortlan-like child asking for zukk coins. Skoot is pulling a purse from the mark’s coat. Suddenly, he starts running after the child followed by Skoot. Scott and Anindito keep introducing fun, memorable characters! Tey leaps across towers to capture the stolen purse. He is kicked by another child swinging on a rope. The kid tells the Ortlan, Flim, that Wozo will punish them, must be a Artful Dodger-type. Flim has Skoot flashbang blinding Tey so they can escape. Love the name like the word "film flam." 

Tey thinks he failed as a guardian. Back to the current time, the guardians walk with Vildar and Matty, Archivist Zumeg, a sloth-like alien, says that nothing can be stolen from the temple with the guardians. Zumeg identifies the object of the potential robbery as the Firebird of Colsassa. They see that the plinth with the sculpture is gone! Oranalli, the Dresselian guardian, with a face like an exposed brain, glasses, blames the theft on Tey. His people was first shown with the Rebel soldier, Orrimaarko, in Return of the Jedi (1983). Vildar is uncertain. Matty brings up that he was angry at the murder of the Sister of Sarrav (this was in the second issue). 

Captain Viss is cold towards Tey and Matty is frustrated that he doesn’t care about the death of the sister. Then, we flash back with Tey practicing martial arts like moves with Oklane Viss. He brings up Wozo, Oklane mentions Anst Wozo, and only cares about the temple. Flim is outside begging, Tey drops in a vegetable, and he ends up throwing it at Skoot. They have an almost playful chase, but end up confronted by the towering Wozo with the vicious, green head in the helmet. He takes back Flim and we find out why Tey left the guardians and there is an even more dangerous threat to the Temple of Kyber. A Star Wars: High Republic issue with our heroes, but the focus moves to Tey Sirrek's dramatic past!  

Five Lightsabers out of Five! 

#StarWarsHighRepublic, #CavanScott, #ArioAnindito, #TeySirrek, #Skoot, #VildarMac, #Matty Cathley, #OklaneViss, #Zumeg, #Oranalli, #AnstWozo  

Bad Batch, “Entombed”, Review!

The Bad Batch ep opens with a large, circular junkyard, Wrecker, now with his clone trooper upper armor painted crimson and green, Boba Fett colors, is looking for a compressor with Omega. They climb to an area, Omega finds two items while Wrecker has gotten the compressor. At Cid’s Parlor, Phee Genoa recounts a story about being captured by an Octomorph to regulars, Bolo (Liam O’Brien) and Ketch (Sam Riegel). At the bar, Tech notes that her story always changes, but Ketch and Bolo love Phee’s discovery of the Great Pearl of Novak. Wrecker comes in with the compressor for Tech and Omega adds her findings. Phee checks them out. One of them is manifold regulator, Tech adds that it is broken, but she then examines a disc. Phee finds coordinates on it. She holds up the disc to her power droid, MEL, to scan it. Genoa realizes that it is a compass. This leads to the Kaldar Trinary system and treasure. 

So Phee talks Omega into going for the treasure with Hunter reluctantly goes with the others. In this episode it is strange that Cid’s Parlor doesn’t have Cid at the place. These adventures just seem so random and not leading to anything like joining the Rebellion, saving other clones, no building up to a finale. Phee tells her stories to Omega, who doesn’t seem tired of them, on board the Marauder. They reach Skara Nal; gray with rocks and spiky trees, Phee goes checking the quality of dirt. Omega does the same. Wrecker is back in his regular armor, so the other one was to find parts?, a civilian identity? Echo notices that the compass has activated and tracks the path to the south. Omega snatches the compass in her excitement. MEL-221 follows them. Omega finds that they reached a dead end at a mountainside. Phee uses her sword to part open a crack and she gets Wrecker to move a boulder. 

It causes a landslide revealing a door. Something growls above them as they enter the secret entrance, a little like entering Moria. At a chamber, Tech tells Hunter that markings on the wall are a thousand years old, Phee says it is the entrance to Skara Nal. Very Indiana Jones territotry which seem slike it would an area for archeologist adventurer, Doctor Aphra. Phee tells them that it all dates back to before the Jedi and the treasure is the Heart of the Mountain. They reach a door which Phee says has a pattern, she starts moving a piece that slides a wall, a Rubik’s cube. The wall closes and they are trapped inside. Omega looks through the campus which reveals two hidden symbols. Phee has Omega place the compass on her lantern which illuminates the symbols in the room. The Bad Batch begins to move the symbols and the music swells up with the chorus.  I keep thinking that the Kevin Kiner score will go to the Raiders march. 

Phee and Omega start into the revealed corridor. The treasure hunt does remind me of the Legends novel, Han Solo and the Lost Legacy (1980) by Brian Daley. Phee tells Omega that the Heart of the Mountain is a crystal that is connected to an “ancient power.” They hear a growl and then some long limbed creature leaps on Wrecker!  He is able to free himself, the others blast it, and this causes a collapse that separates two groups! Omega contacts the other group with Echo, Wrecker, and Tech. They are trapped, but Tech can find a way through side tunnels to reach them. Hunter with Phee and Omega continue on their way through a tunnel. He walks forward as Omega has illuminated blue panels on the tunnel roof. Phee calls out to Hunter, but he falls and sends his grappling hook up to the tunnel. 

Omega looks at the symbols on the roof and says she thinks they have to find to walk on the roof. Hunter says to Phee, “You’re just making this up as you go” recalling Indiana Jones’ line.  Omega places the compass into the wall lighting up the panels and then rotates the disc to rotate the tunnel! Omega tries to pull the compass free, but it is locked in. Tech finds the comlink is down and they proceed with blasters thinking the creature is near. Instead, they find Hunter, Omega, and Phee by a round door. She finds a latch that has the door roll back. Phee finds the Heart of the Mountain, a carved, blue stone that looks like the stones in The Fifth Element (1997), with some cosmic purple at its base. Omega lapses back into a wondering child. The others are to be there just to be there, but new character, Phee Genoa has some characterization. “Entombed” is a clever, Indiana Jones-type adventure, but has left the Empire narrative and the fate of the clones.

Three Vibro-Knives out of Five! 

#BadBatch, #Entombed, #DeeBradleyBaker, #MichelleAng, #WandaSykes, #MEL221,  #SkaraNal, #HeartOfTheMountain, #Bolo, #LiamOBrien, #Ketch, #SamRiegel

The Last of Us, “Infected”, Review!

The Last of Us second episode has Joel, Ellie, and Tess out of the Quarantine Zone and facing the Infected! This episode is directed by Neil Druckmann, the creative director of the game and co-creator of the show. We start with a flashback to Jakarta, Indonesia - September 24th, 2003. Twenty years before the current time and time Joel was in Austin, Texas with Sarah. Two military types enter a restaurant and the cashier points out a lady with glasses (Christine Hakim) having her meal. They take her for a drive and the woman asks if they have the right person. One official says her name, Ibu Ratna, Professor of Mycology, the study of fungi. Ratna is taken to a medical facility to examine a sample under a microscope. She identifies it as Ophiocordyceps which grows on ants. The lieutenant general, Agus Hidayat (Yayu A.W. Unru), says it came from a human sample! I like seeing the world perspective and also the military and scientific look at the outbreak. She walks in a biological suit and goes to examine a naked woman. The military official tells her it is on her left leg, Ratna examines it, and takes scalpel to cut the wound. 

She then uses forceps to take a sample from the Infected’s mouth. Ratna draws out a fungi mycellum (thread-like) and it starts to twist! She drops the forcep and leaves the room as more mycellum wave from the woman’s mouth! At a room, on a couch, Ratna is disturbed, the lieutenant general explains that the woman suddenly acted violent at a grain factory. She says it is “A perfect substrate”, an environment for the fungi to grow. The worker bit three others, she was killed by police, and the Infected were taken for observation. The military official says there are fourteen missing workers. She tells him there is no vaccine. Lt. Gen. Hidayat says what she recommends and Ratna says one word, “Bomb”, the whole city! She is tearful and just wants to go home with her family when bombs fall. A very dark beginning. Morning, we have Ellie asleep and curled up next to her backpack. She wakes up and looks at the sunlight pouring down to her from a hole in a house’s upper floor. 

There is some forest growth on the floor, kinda magical, Ellie hears something and turns to see Joel and Tess sitting behind her. The greenery reminded me of the underground jungle in Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind (1984) . Joel has his M-16 pointed at her, Ellie shows the bite mark on her arm, and says she is not Infected. They are both wary of Ellie as she goes to the restroom. Tess and Joel argue, he wants to take her back to the QZ, Tess wants to go on. Joel thinks of Ellie’s life as already ended. They snack on ration bars as Ellie eats a chicken sandwich. Tess walks over to Ellie to ask her why Marlene thinks she is important. Ellie hesitates to tell them Marlene’s secret, but explains that a Firefly camp to the west is working on a cure. She says she is the key, but Joel thinks it is all a hoax. Ellie is a human reaction to the Cordyceps like an antifungal like a Polyenes? Tess is more rational, she says to him that all that matters is that the Fireflies think Ellie is the key. Joel agrees, but warns about if Ellie twitches so she plays being Infected until Tess stops the joke. This is the best relationship between characters. 

Ellie asks for a gun, they refuse, and she says she will throw her sandwich, very funny! Joel opens the door, it sounds peaceful with birds chirping, but the outside is just ruins. Beautiful scenary of destruction. Ellie checks out a bomb site to which Tess says the big cities were bombed to slow the Infection. Tess points out the two ways, the long way and the short way, to the State House and Joel says they should scout the location from “the hotel.” They start walking, Marlene asks how Ellie was bitten, she says it was the “old mall.” A man bit her and Ellie explains that she is fourteen which impresses Tess. Ellie wonders about the Super-Infected that explode spores on victims and another rumor of Infected that “split their heads open to see in the dark like bats”, sounds like the Death Angels in A Quiet Place! I love the endless questions by Ellie whom all of this is new. Also, Ellie's trust in Tess so at least they can have a conversation. They hear a distant shriek. I would have some Molotov cocktails or at least a few aerosol cans with a lighter. 

Ducks are paddling around the green waters of a flooded hotel.  Joel starts walking into the pond which makes Ellie says she can’t swim. He just jumps the rest of the way in so the water only comes to his knees. This time he has the smart remark to Ellie!  She walks into the pond, past a half-submerged piano, to pretend she is checking in to the hotel. Ellie moves the piano which dislodges an Infected skeleton! They reach the tenth floor, Joel is walking point and finds a locked door, and Tess sees the wreckage in front of them. She climbs over it to unlock the door. Bored, Ellie asks about Joel and Tess who is from Detroit, but Joel is done with questions about himself. She asks about how long the Infected last and Joel answers months to twenty years. Tess opens the door, leads Ellie to a balcony, there are piles of bodies spilling from a building. Tess says that people head to the QZ drawing out the Infected. Their bodies start to writhe and Ellie points out that they’re connected! Tess tells her that there are underground fibers that can bring in Infected from over a mile! 

Ellie says the long way is out. Joel says, “Museum.” They walk up to the Bostonian Museum which is covered with withered Cordyceps fungi. Joel takes out a heavy duty flashlight, Ellie gets her flashlight out, and Tess has two guns drawn. At the gift shop, Joel sees the fungi are “cooked”, and Ellie finds the body of soldier who was recently bleeding. They start to whisper and Joel says they are “silent.” He moves slowly up the steps, it is a tense scene with creaks, darkness, and the fungal growths, Joel opens the door to a dusty room with war artifacts. Tess pulls down Ellie as wood starts to collapse from behind a door! An Infected shrieks, shivers, then it makes gutteral noises from the corridor!  They start to draw back and take cover as the Infected shambles in. It makes croaking sounds on the other side of the rifle case they are hiding behind. Ellie tries to close her eyes, but her breathing is ragged, and the Infected turns to scream. Its head is a mass of spores! A Clicker, the third stage of the Infected! Joel struggles with it as another Infected runs in! “Infected” is a great episode of Last of Us with creepy tension, horror, and characters that connects with audiences apart from the survivalist narrative! 

Five Fungi Out of Five! 

#TheLastOfUs, #Infected, #PedroPascal, #BellaRamsey, #AnnaTorv, #ChristineHakim, #RatnaPertiwi, #YayuAWUnru, #AngusHidayat 

The Last of Us, “When You’re Lost in the Darkness”, Part II Review!

The second half of The Last of Us formally introduces us to Ellie, Marlene, and the escape from Boston behind the Wall! The Last of Us begun with Dr. Neuman on a talk show mentioning the danger of a global infection by Cordyceps fungi in 1968. In 2003, at Austin, Texas, Joel Miller (Pedro Pascal) lives with his daughter, Sarah (Nico Parker). He works with his brother, Tommy (Gabriel Luna). Sarah is at the house of her neighbor, Mrs. Adler , when the grandmother is Infected by the Cordyceps and Sarah is saved by her father. They try to escape, but a soldier fires on them. Joel is wounded and Sarah dies. This shifts to Boston, 2023 after the Infection. Joel is now checking on Tommy, but there is no radio contact. He wants a battery for a truck to drive to Wyoming. Joel makes a deal with a soldier for information on a battery. 

Tess (Anna Torv) is taken into FEDRA custody after Robert has taken the battery. Ellie (Bella Ramsey) is a prisoner of the Firefly group opposing FEDRA. Part II, at his apartment, Joel hears Tommy’s voice as he drifts into sleep. He is still asleep when Tess climbs into bed with him. Joel waks up in the morning while Tess has made coffeee and bring two cups to the table. He is startled by her bruises which she explains was from teenagers, Joel notices there are new ones, Tess says she was in FEDRA prison. She tells Joel her attackers were from Robert who sold their truck battery. Tess tries to calm him down, he’s too frustrated wanting to reach Tommy. Softly, she says Robert is going into hiding so they have to find him, the battery and the truck, and go find Tommy. Joel starts taking a gun from the floorboard hiding place. 

The Fireflies stand at attention with the entrance of Marlene played by Merle Dandridge. She is reprising her role from the video game and also appears in the Station 19 firefighter show. Marlene enters a room with three Fireflies, she is questioned by Kim (Natasha Mumba) about the group’s actions and the mysterious girl kept under guard. Mumba played Danielle in The Handmaid's Tale. Marlene talks in private with Kim, she says that they are not winning against FEDRA, and wants the Fireflies to attack them all over the QZ (Quarantine Zone).  Then, they can gather together and leave with the girl. Marlene shows Kim the radio message and Kim doesn’t believe it. Joel watches as Tess makes a deal with a contact. She tells Joel about Robert’s location, the plan is to go underground to make a surprise attack on him. Ellie, still, is pulling at her chains. Marlene slides over a backpack that has Ellie’s switch blade. 

She tells Ellie that she saved her life by holding off her people from shooting Ellie. Marlente unlocks Ellie’s chains and reveals that she sent her to military school to be safe. She tells Ellie protect a secret that may endanger her life. Tess and Joel reach a building, Haymarket Access 838, and they enter the abandoned subway tunnel with flashlights. She enters a building, using her flashlight, Tess startingly comes across a corpse splattered on a wall with fungi, a grisly scene like the woman in Aliens (1986). Tess continues on and finds a door blocked, Joel smells gunpowder, and blood leaks out under the door! She pushes through and finds the unusable truck battery and bodies. Joel hears some grunting, gun drawn, he sees two figures in the hallway. Ellie leaps at him, but Joel knocks her into a wall. He is recognized by Marlene who has her gun out along with Kim.

Joel has his boot on Ellie’s switchblade. Ellie notices that Marlene is shot in the side. Ellie tries to reach for her knife, Joel turns his gun on her, and Marlene firmly tells him to turn his gun on her. Tess sees tha the Firefly leader there and guns are drawn. A tense situation. Marlene says that they intended to take Ellie out of the QZ, but leaves it to Joel. Kim wants to take Ellie, but Marlene angrily says her ear was blown off. The Firefly leader says a Firefly team waits for Ellie at the State House, but she lost her team and truck. Marlene offers a truck, guns, and supplies if they take Ellie. Joel kicks away the switchblade and tries to talk to Tess. Marlene reminds them that she’s bleeding. Tess wants the deal made before they turn over Ellie and Marlene makes the deal. Ellie gets her backpack, picks up her knife, and they leave. It is raining as the trio walk the streets. 

Ellie is locked into the apartment as Tess and Joel go over their plan. She sees a Billboard Number 1 Hits book and a note inside reading “B/F 60 - Nothing In, 70 - New, 80 - X”. Joel enters and Ellie asks him about the code. He just rests on the couch. At night, she wakes him up asking questions about going across the Wall. Ellie tells him the radio played “Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go”, some Wham there, Joel worries and she realizes that the code means “80s means trouble.” Ellie is a “Clever girl.” Likeable right there. Tess enters after finding a way past the Wall. Soldiers patrol the streets as a mandatory curfew message is repeated on the P.A. Joel pushes aside a manhole cover. Ellie is stunned to be out from the Wall. Tess tells Ellie to follow her closely. They take cover from a passing truck, then it begins to rain, a soldier is relieving himself on a wall and then turns to see them! 

He draws his M-16 and realizes that it is Joel, the lightning reveals Joel and his soldier contact seen at North Square. The soldier wants them on their knees and Tess says that they will split the ration cards with him. He has the trio with hands on their heads as he scans them. Before he scans Ellie, she stabs him with the switchblade! The soldier says, “Move” again and again which forces Joel to think of what happened with his daughter, Sarah. He leaps at the soldier and repeatedly punches him in the face. Ellie watches him in fascination! Joel pauses, tired, with his bloody fist. Tess is shocked that she has scanned Ellie and it turned red! Ellie shows her the bite mark on her arm which she pleads is three weeks old, past the time to turn Infected. FEDRA is on the way. Joel is staring at his bloody fist and then picks up the M-16 to run into the Biological Contamination Area! At Joel’s apartment, the radio turns on to play Depeche Mode’s “Never Let Me Down Again”, lightning reveals the building collapsed on another. The final part of The Last of Us pilot brings a great set up for the series, touches on the horror of the Infected, and the roles of Joel and Ellie! 

Five Fungi out of Five! 

#TheLastOfUs, #WhenYoureLostInTheDarkness, #PedroPascal, #BellaRamsey, #AnnaTorv, #MerleDandridge, #NatashaMumba