Star Wars: High Republic #3 Review!

The strange adventures of Jedi Knight Keeve Trennis continue in the High Republic!  Her mission took her, Jedi Master Sskeer, and twin Jedi Ceret and Terec to a lost ship.  There they encounter one of the Nihil.  This leads down to Sedri Minor where Ceret is suddenly taken.  Chapter 3 of “There is No Fear”, “Down Below”, is by Cavan Scott and Ario Anindito.  The regular cover by Phil Noto has Keeve with her double bladed lightsaber about to enter a hole with tendrils spilling out, in the background is the red, screaming face of Ceret.  On the ship, Terec strikes out at Sskeer, Jedi Master Avar Kriss uses the Force to calm Terec drooling at the mouth.  

On the ship, Terec strikes out at Sskeer, Jedi Master Avar Kriss uses the Force to calm Terec drooling at the mouth. The twins are connected so Cerec has fallen to the mysterious threat.  Sskeer knocks out Terec and Avar wonders why he went violent with the Nihil.  The narration is by Keeve standing watch at the cruiser’s steps.  She is met by a young boy, Bartol, and the Rodian farmers note that the Vratixian barley, useful for making bacta, are rotting now.  The burly, Kal Sulman, appears, he is an Artiodac, the species was introduced in Force Awakens (2015) in the form of Maz’s chef, Strono “Cookie” Tuggs.  He dismisses the farmer’s fears and sends them away. Keeve leaves to investigate on her own.  

She senses something and ignites her double bladed lightsaber.  It is only Bartol who leads her to find his missing friend Julus.  Sskeer detects the Dark Side of the Force.  They find a large sinkhole with red tendrils.  Bartol leaps down, but Sskeer slowly drops him down with the Force.  At the ship, Avar believes the Dark Side has taken Ceret and Terec.  Sskeer tries to apologize.  Avar contacts her command base, the Starlight Beacon.  Estala notes they are doing an autopsy on the dead Hutt, nasty.  Avar is interrupted by Kal Sulman who doesn’t want the Jedi there.  She goes with Kal to check on Keeve.  In the tunnel, lit by Keeve’s lightsaber, she hears a dark voice and is weakened by it.  Bartol runs ahead and then screams.   

Keeve joins him and sees that Ceret is found by roots like Alien cocoons and also young Julus.  The looming horror is perfect.  Keeve lowers the bodies and says that Julus is “one with the Force.”  Sad.  Keeve checks on Ceret and pulls a tendril from his ear.  He recovers enough to warn Keeve.  A root takes hold of Bartol and Keeve severs it with her lightsaber.  Ceret says “no meat” is safe.  The Jedi twins are a great way to bring in threats to different people in far away places.  This leads to a splash page of the Drengir, a mass of tendrils, leaves, and toothed mouth, this immediately made me think, “Little Shop, Little Shop of Horrors”!  They were seen in the comic book, The Rise of Kylo Ren #2 (2020) and formerly introduced in the short story, “A Bitter Harvest” (2020) by George Mann.  

Terec has also recovered, Sskeer tries to calm him with the Force, but he spits out black pollen(?) that infects Jedi Master Sskeer!  Ceret takes hold of Bartol, while Keeve strikes the Drengir with her lightsaber. The Drengir considers Keeve food.  There is a thump at the tunnel roof.  A lightsaber cuts through it.  Then in an amazing splash page, Avar slices through the Drengir and lands with her lightsaber, impressive.  This is not a victory since there are more Drengir and even more deadlier surprise! Star Wars: High Republic #3 gives some nice horror elements with a plant creature that corrupts with the Dark Side, they are really “Mean Green Mothers from Outer Space”!  

Three Lightsabers out of Five! 

#StarWarsHighRepublic, #DownBelow, #Bartol, #KalSulman, #Drengir     

Raya and the Last Dragon Review!

Raya and the Last Dragon has a story and characters that struggle with unity, it has beautiful visuals, and is pure entertainment!  I saw the presentation of the movie at D23 Expo in 2019, this was after Soul, and the preview was stunning!  This is an action film with fantasy elements which has passing simliarities to Avatar: The Last Airbender.  It is co-directed by Don Hall who also co-directed Big Hero 6 (2014), the action story is similar, but this is a more early time period with magic instead of super-technology.  Carlos López Estrada, co-directed and co-wrote the story of the film, he directed the drama Blindspotting (2018).  The screenplay is co-written by Adele Lim, who also co-wrote the screenplay adaptation of Crazy Rich Asians (2018, and Qui Nguyen, writer of the PBS Kids animated series peg + cat.  We hear the sounds of a jungle, insects buzzing, and birds chirping at the opening logo and this goes to a close-up of a stone fountain.   

There is the sudden passing of a thumping wheel, this actually the rolled up form of Tuk Tuk, pill bug body with a gerbil head and tiny antennae.  Raya later calls him a “fur bug.”    Riding him is Raya with her Chinese bamboo hat, pointed top with a cone-like rim, and red mask. They ride through a desolate world with statues of people holding out their hands cupped together.  It has an apocalyptic look of Mad Max.  Raya is voiced by Kelly Marie Tran who also voiced Dawn Betterman in The Croods: A New Age, but might also be known for playing Rose Tico in the Star Wars films.  Tran is noted as the first South East Asian princess and she does honor to the part.  The best aspect is the mostly Asian voice cast and crew like Crazy Rich Asians.  Similar, but more stronger than Mulan (1998).  She narrates the beginning and gives us a look at her world of Kumandra, 500 years in the past, which had a large river system in the shape of a dragon.  This moves to an artistic sequence of what looks like Asian tapestry and cutouts of the dragons that protected the land.  These are the Asian dragons, long, snake-like creatures, not winged and breathing fire, they are wise and peaceful beings.  

There is chanting throughout the opening.  The paradise is shattered by the Druun, black smoke creatures that transform the living including dragons into statues. Raya continues explaining that Sisudatu was the last dragon and formed her magic into a gem.  She used that gem to destroy the Druun and turn the statues except the dragons back to people.  The gem was the last trace of Sisu and people start to fight over possession of it.  The land was divided by the people.  Next, we have the formal intro of Raya, she is younger, 12, but still voiced by Tran.  She prepares her fighting sticks.  Young Raya races along rain splattered rooftops and we get a look at her home, Heart Palace, which is like a curved stone ring formation like the gravity defying limestone rocks of Thailand.  She makes her way through a rounded tunnel, and sets off a net trap, so she taps open her hand-sized Tuk Tuk.  He rolls across the tunnel floor setting off net traps.  The mewling sounds of Tuk Tuk are by Alan Tudyk!, he seems to be the utility actor for Disney, voicing Alistair Krei in Big Hero 6.  

Raya uses her fighting sticks to turn a round stone door, then she walks up steps with a stream running down it.  She sees the Dragon Gem in its chamber. The imposing figure of Chief Benja stands in front of it.  He is voiced by Daniel Dae Kim who is in the New Amsterdam hospital drama. Benja is masked and uses his sword still in its scabbard to duel with Raya and her Escrima sticks.  He says that she won’t step in the inner circle.  After Benja knocks away her fighting sticks, he holds the scabbarded sword blade to Raya, she points out that even fallen, she has reached the inner circle.  We find that Benja is Raya’s father and was testing her.  We don't find out what happened to Raya's mother and if she helped raise her. The Dragon Gem is glowing and surrounded by water.  They kneel and make the circle gesture with their hands that runs throughout the film.  Benja explains that their family has protected the Dragon Gem for generations.  He makes her Guardian of the Dragon Gem, pouring water on her head, the droplets float around the gem.  

Benja also notes that she is a princess, Raya is less diplomatic and more warrior in the Xena mode. Later, in the palace, Benja tells his daughter that he invited the other lands.  She tells him what she knows of them; Tail, a desert of mercenaries, Talon, a floating market, Spine, a frozen land of warriors, and then Fang which Raya says has assassins.  We see Fang’s leader, Virana, a tall woman with short hair parted to the side.  Fang is noted for their Cerlots, large cats with pointed ears, that are used to ride and attack.  Benja combines ingredients from all of the lands into a soup.  This is a visual metaphor for the theme of the movie.  He explains that the other lands are enemies because they assume the Dragon Gem has made Heartland thriving.  Benja says that the lands were once whole, but now divided into parts of a dragon.  He says to restore Kumandra, “someone has to take the first step.”  The people of the different lands are assembled, they are angry, Raya walks forward.  Young Naamari (Jona Xiao) greets her and Raya sees her Sisu necklace, they are both “dragon fans.”       

The fast friends share their favorites and then Naamari shows her a map of the lands and gives her the necklace!  Raya takes her away to the Dragon Gem chamber.  Then, Naamari knocks her down for her land, Fang, and they start fighting.  She kicks back tiny Tuk Tuk and sets off a flare signal.  Fang warriors appear and Chief Benja leaps down using his Kris sword, a wavy bladed weapon, and extends the blade into a whip!  The other peoples arrive and argue over taking the Dragon Gem.  Benja tells them that he still believes in Kumandra.  A sneak attack sets the people struggling over the Dragon Gem, but it shatters!  This brings the appearance of the Droon that subdivide itself and begin to transform people into statues!  Benja takes a piece of the Dragon Gem and uses it to hold off the Droon. The other pieces are taken by the rest of the tribes and they run away.  Benja sees the Droon stopped by the water at the edge of the inner circle.  On a bridge, covered by the sickly purple of the Droon, Benja gives Raya the piece of the Dragon Gem and his sword.  He throws her off the bridge and is turned into a statue!, this may be fantasy, but may be a bit dramatic for young ones.  The purple mist shifts to the dusty clouds of the present.      

We get the setting, Tail, 6 years later, so Raya is now 18.  Tuk Tuk rolls through the rocky landscape, this reminds me of Podracing in The Phantom Menace (1999).  Raya sees statues and draws her sword.  She knocks on Tuk Tuk’s shell and sees the canyon below.  Raya checks Naamari’s map and we see that she has checked all of the rivers of Tail except this last one.  Raya uses the Dragon Gem shard to dissolve a Droon. They get to a canyon and there is wrecked ship with a stream running into a cavern.  Raya reaches the end of it, lays down the map, the Sisu medallion on a cup, and makes a heartfelt plea to Sisu.  She admits that she made a mistake, trusting someone, this is the deep conflict of the film.  Raya sings a prayer and pours water into the cup.  The stream reverses and sends up glass-like drops of water.  Tuk Tuk from the ship wreckage tries to get Raya’s attention.  Then, she notices the droplets collecting into twisting lines, a beautiful image.  This shifts into the shadowy form of Sisu!, a long, snake-like body with a multiple finned tail, four tiny legs, a mane of purplish-white hair, a short snout with two horns.  In a way, Sisu reminds me of Falkor in The Neverending Story (1984).  

She is of course voiced by Awkwafina who also voiced Courtney in The Angry Birds Movie 2 (2019) and was brilliant in the drama, The Farewell (2019).  Sisu is of course a funny part of Awkwafina, but she also brings a relentless optimism like Benja, a father figure in a way, and a faith in humanity.  Sisu meets Raya and hungry goes into her pack to taste her awful jack fruit jerky.  Food is an important part of characters and the story.  Raya gives her the update which sends Sisu into worry over her lost brothers and sisters.  Sisu admits that she saved the world because she was the last one in her dragon group.  She touches the Dragon Gem shard and starts to glow, very funny nod to the martial arts comedy, The Last Dragon (1985).  Sisu’s power is her swimming!  They both realize that if they can assemble the shards that the Dragon Gem can be reformed and eliminate the Droon!  Outside, the Fang cats take their riders across the desert, the now grown Naamari (Gemma Chan) finds the ring dropped by Raya.  Chan is in the upcoming Eternals and of course was in Crazy Rich Asians.  She is the hardened rival to Raya, but also key to the story.  We also don't get what happened to Naamari's father.       

They have to face the traps of the Tail including some unusual bugs.  The power of Sisu’s sister, Prani, is shapeshifting so she can take the form of a long-haired, wild lady.  Naamari faces them with her soldiers.  They are able to reach the boat of young Boun (Isaac Wang), he has lost his family, but makes his way with his boat and shrimp cooking.  Wang was in the comedy, Think Like a Dog (2020).  Raya has to learn to trust others.  Naamari goes to the palace of her mother, Virana, voiced by Sandra Oh.  Raya and Sisu must travel the lands and find the missing parts of the Dragon Gem.  Next, at the market of Talon, Raya encounters the “con baby”, Little Noi (Thalia Tran), she competes with Baby Yoda, but is a sneaky thief with her trio of Ongi, Uka, Pan, and Dyan, white monkey-like creatures with grey faces, kinda like White-cheeked gibbons.  Tran was in the comedy Little (2019).  The unexpected warrior is the bulky Tong voiced by Benedict Wong.  Wong is known for his part in Doctor Strange and also The Martian (2015).  They must all come together to restore Kumandra.  The theme is very important even today, can you trust someone, work together, after they have betrayed you?  Raya and the Last Dragon offers an important story about trust, friendship, and family with stunning visuals.  

Five Shards of the Dragon Gem out of Five!  

#RayaandtheLastDragon, #DonHall,  #KellyMarieTran, #Awkwafina, #GemmaChan, #IsaacWang, #ThaliaTran, #BenedictWong 

WandaVision, “The Series Finale”, Review!

We had an end credit scene in “Breaking the Fourth Wall” where Monica is looking at the basement door of Agatha’s house and she is confronted by Pietro saying, “Snoopers gonna snoop”!  Last episode, Agatha took Wanda through all of the traumatic moments of her past.  The sitcom is over and Agatha shows herself as a witch with Agatha sending purple threads around the necks of Billy and Tommy!  She said Wanda is the Scarlet Witch, a title?, a destined figure of magic?, calling Dr. Strange.  At the S.W.O.R.D. retreat base facing the hexagon walls, Hayward is told that the launch is ready.  He mentions that they could not find a way to power the project and notes Wanda’s power that still courses through the drone.  This is transferred to the android body of White Vision!  This was a version that attacked the Avengers in West Coast Avengers #45 (1989), the last part of the VisionQuest arc, by John Byrne.  

Now, Wanda faces Agatha who yanks back the boys, Wanda responds by sending a blast at the witch.  Wanda sends the boys to their room(!) and Tommy super speeds away with his brother.  Another blast, but Agatha has captured Wanda’s red energy like she did with the Salem witches.  Wanda sees her hand is withered and then she is struck by Agatha’s blast.  Agatha flies up and says she wants Wanda’s magic and will let her keep sitcom Westview.  Wanda sends a car slamming into her and her house.  She checks on Agatha, sees her boots underneath the car, a very funny visual to Wizard of Oz (1939)!  Wanda turns to see White Vision landing!  She walks up to Vision, he holds her head, and then begins crushing it!  White Vision is knocked back into an exploding car!  It is Wanda’s Vision!  Agatha appears above her house saying Wanda is with her “ex and boyfriend”, the dialogue and images work in this episode!  She can’t destroy White Vision, maybe send her Vision back in his original body?  Vision vs. Vision!  Wanda flies after Agatha.  

Trying to get her attention is Monica in an attic, Pietro says that she can’t be heard, while he strums his guitar.  Monica tries to escape, but Pietro blocks her with superspeed and knocks her back.  White Vision wants to destroy Vision, they use their intangibilty powers on each other and Vision ends up in a crater in a Westview street.  Monitoring the battle at the S.W.O.R.D. retreat base is Hayward, while Jimmy is brought in under custody.  He notices a cell phone buzzing on a table.  Jimmy distracts Hayward saying he won’t be able to cover up his actions while he palms the phone.  He says his friends at Quantico will be arrived soon.  Hayward sends Jimmy to a barn where he picks his handcuffs and calls in Quantico personnel.  Wanda descends to the Westview square filled with citizens.  She is struck in the back by Agatha’s bolt.  Agatha says that Wanda is in the Darkhold book.  The book was seen in “Previously On.”  

We see the Darkhold formed, shades of the Necronomicon in Evil Dead (1981)?  Agatha says that the Scarlet Witch is stronger than Doctor Strange!, and will destroy the world, Hellboy vibes.  Agatha restores Dottie’s mind.  Then, the witch restore the memories of everyone in the town.  They angrily surround Wanda.  The Visions are unleashing their energy beams.  Watching them from their room is Tommy and Billy.  Billy sees visions, ha!, of what is happening to his mother and they run to help her.  The Westview citizens want to be free and say they feel Wanda’s pain.  They overwhelm Wanda and she sends out her power forming red lines choking everyone!  She breaks the energy and Agatha says “heroes don’t torture people”, Wanda then sends out a powerful blast to open the Westview walls!  She tells the citizens to run out through the crack made in the walls.  On the other side, Hayward orders in his S.W.O.R.D. troops.  The Visions are locked in an energy blast face off.  Vision is thrown to the Westview square.  He pleads for Wanda to stop as his body disintegrates.  Tommy and Billy arrive and they are starting to dissolve!  Agatha says Wanda has to make the choice to save her family or Westview!  

                                                WandaVision photo op, Disney’s California Adventure, photo by the author. 

WandaVision is one of the most satsifying MCU stories!  The series creator, Jac Schaeffer,  wrote the mild and confusing pilot, but more than made up for it with an incredible finale with characters, emotion, and ties up stories and characters.  Why it is one of the best MCU entries?, it comes down to several factors, but tops is Relatability.  I’m certain that viewers know sadness, regret, family, and wanting to escape from it all, my out was cartoons and Three’s Company.  You may also think up fantasy worlds or day dreams that help you cope with the pressures of the real world.  The show takes these concepts and gives them the superhero and magical polish.  It is the same with Captain America, being bullied and then standing up to bullies, this is relatable.  The next is Comic Book Easter Eggs, it just feels like the makers of WandaVision made the comic book characters and stories fresh.  It is a feat to launch the MCU shows, after Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. and the Marvel Edge-like Netflix series, WandaVision sets the bar.  There is mid-credit and end credit scenes.  

Five Mind Stones out of Five!   

#WandaVision, #TheSeriesFinale, #JacSchaeffer, #ElizabethOlsen, #PaulBettany, #KathrynHahn, #TeyonahParris, #KatDennings, #RandallPark, #JulianHillard, #JettKlyne, #EvanPeters 

Brzrkr #1 Review!

Brzrkr is blood soaked action comic with the likeness and writing of Keanu Reeves!   His co-writer, Matt Kindt, is currently writing Ninjak and Rai for Valiant Entertainment, though not the Eternal Warrior.  The Eternal Warrior is known as the “Fist and the Steel”, he is chosen warrior for the Earth, born Gilad Anni-Padda in 3268 B.C.  He found that he was immortal, he can’t be killed by any weapon, and fought throughout history.  Eventually, he is found by a Geomancer, who speaks for the Earth and sends the Eternal Warrior on his missions.  His rival is the Immortal Enemy, a man with two colored eyes who reincarnates to constantly fight the Eternal Warrior.  John Morrison played Gilad in Ninjak vs. the Valiant Universe.  Dave Bautista was set to play the Eternal Warrior in 2017.  The artwork is by Ron Garney who drew Captain America and was an illustrator for the film, I Am Legend (2007).  The comic was about to be released last year, then had a Kickstarter for collecting it into graphic novels, now it is released by Boom! Studios in twelve issues.  

There are are several covers, but the regular cover is by Rafael Grampá which has the hero moving forward pierced by arrows, bloody, but still resolute with several gargeting lasers on him while there is a red fog behind him!  The comic opens with a close-up of the unnamed hero’s furrowed brow in the rain.  It is soaked in blue, nice colors by Bill Crabtree.  This pulls back to him sitting on a bench.  A car’s headlights passes by him and he hears the words, “It’s time.”  This resolves to a close-up of his face, now in color, but still grimacing.  His eyes flash blue.  He wraps his arms in bandages while the rest of the soldiers watch him.  The Brzrkr leaps out of the helicopter.  This is a Captain America: Winter Soldier (2014) move.  We get a splash page of Brzkr leaping down, in a very Frank Miller style, with the rest of the team rapelling down the helicopter.  There is dialogue, a conversation it seems with Brzrkr and a therapist or researcher.  

Most of the enemy soldiers lie dead.  Brzrkr walks up to one soldier and kills him with a single punch!  Gruesome.  He enters through a door, his shadowy form is splattered with gunshots and his eyes glow.  Bzrkr walks down stairs with the other soldiers, he takes several blasts form a gunman, but in shadow takes down the gunman.  He faces an elegant room filled with soldiers.  It gets bloody, his powerful strength makes fast work of the soldiers, including ramming his fist through one!  The other soldiers take out the remaining enemy and the last one is interrogated and gives up that the president is at the airport.  The soldier element is kinda like Old Guard, the comic and the 2020 film.  Brzrkr responds by throwing him out the window with himself.  He slams into a truck and then goes under fire by an armored transport.  He kicks through the transport’s window and we get Brzrkr answering that he remembers the Black Death.  

Another enemy comes out the back with a handgun, Brzrkr leans back, but the gunshot makes a mess of his face!  He responds by forcing a grenade on the soldier’s chest, it is a violent end.  A sniper and spotter are on a rooftop following his progress in the transport.  He rams it into the learjet.  After the explosion, Bzrkr walks out like the Terminator, mangled and burnt.  The president gasps at him!  He is told that the president is wanted alive.  Bzrkr is about to smash him with his fist and sees in his face, a memory (in black and white) of another bearded face.  He kills the president and tears out his heart.  The young man has fear in his eyes which makes Bzrkr flash back to another young face in black and white.  The flashbacks are interesting, his past is catching up with him, this may move him in a different direction.  Afterwards, a soldier offers him a pill, a new protocol.  This is similar to the twisted Nuke in Daredevil comics.  

We get a government facility where the bloody Brzrkr is brought in by a soldier.  He is taken to a operating table and hooked up to wires.  The medical personnel are not there to help him and instead slice of a piece of his finger to clone it.  Every part of his body is analyzed.  It looks like the government is looking to make more Bzrkrs.  We see the body on a table with all of the cloning work.  There is a woman doctor or scientist whom he was having his conversation.  She says he is not a god.  Brzrkr doesn’t care about cloning him, he wants mortality.  We find out that the flashbacks have triggered something dark from his past and his family.  This is a very violent comic, but it needs to bring out different facets to this character type. It is cinematic, there are panels that look like storyboards, and it has a power.  We haven’t learned the name of the character or why the comic has the title.  Brzrkr is a bloody sensation for Keanu Reeves!  

Three Protocols out of Five! 

#Brzrkr, #KeanuReeves, #MattKindt, #RonGarney 

Superman & Lois, “Heritage”, Review!

There was an end scene last episode, the armored villain, enters an Arctic base.  A computer voice says that Captain Luthor used the last of the Kryptonite.  The Kent family starts to pack up their Metropolis apartment and drives to the Kent farm in Smallville.  This is narrated by Lois Lane.  The boys watch their father fly from the top of the house.  Lois and Clark kiss as they watch their boys.  At the dinner table, Jonathan and Jordan try to work out their school schedule, but Clark and Lois want them to stay at home.  Jordan is not happy.  Lois notes that Clark is worried about the man in the warsuit.  Gunmen fire at Captain Luthor.  He enters a door looking for Kryptonite.  Captain Luthor bashes at the side of his base and takes off his helmet.  He says Kal-El did something to his father.  Morning, Lois drives with Jonathan.  Jordan is wearing a winter coat as his father takes him into the sky, Fortress of Solitude.  

Jonathan at school meets with Sarah.  The bullies are on the football team of course.  Clark has flown them to the Fortress.  He tells Jordan about going to the Fortress after the death of his father.  He sets a crystal into a console and gets .  Lois is researching New Carthage Bank at a diner.  She is met by Lana and Kyle, Lana invites them to barbeque.  The mayor speaks to Kyle and Lana explains that it is the city council meeting.  The history of Kryptonopolis, there was conflict, and then the destruction of Krypton.  Clark shows the A.I. of Jor-El (Angus Macfayden), Jordan’s namesake, who says Jordan is the one.  Macfayden was in the sci fi movie, 3022 (2019), but I recognize him from Braveheart (1995).   Jonathan tries to throw a football when his father and brother arrive.  Lois tells Clark about the dinner.  He hears the arrival of General Lane.  The general shows video of the arrival of the armored man and a ship.  Lois takes Jordan and Jonathan, Jordan talks to Sarah, Lois notices the woman glancing at her at the diner.  

SUPERMAN & LOIS -- “Heritage” -- TYLER HOECHLIN, ALEXANDER GARFIN -- Photo: Dean Buscher/The CW -- © 2021 The CW Network, LLC. All Rights Reserved.

Chrissie knows about Lois Lane and is a journalist.  She offers a job to Lois.  The mayor introduces Morgan Edge (Adam Rayner).  Rayner was in the crime series, The Fix.  Edge was actually created by Jack Kirby in Superman’s Pal, Jimmy Olsen #133 (1970).  He was previously played by Rutger Hauer in Smallville.  General Lane wonders about the move with Clark.  He is angry that Clark revealed he is Superman to his boys.  Lane gets a call, Mongolia, Clark flies away.  Kyle is happy that Edge is providing jobs.  Lane questions the number of jobs.  He admits that the mines didn’t work out.  Edge threatens to leave employment for Smallville.  Mongolia, Luthor’s ship drops him down as he looks for Kryptonite, Superman confronts him.  Luthor is angry that Kal-El destroyed his planet, he plows him back, but is bashed by Superman.  He flies to capture the ship before it reaches Metropolis.  Superman flies it out to space and it explodes sending him back.  

Jonathan asks the coach for a chance, he is sent in, but drops the ball and then is tackled.  Clark goes over the battle with Lois.  He also explains her father knows what is happening.  Lois tells him about Morgan Edge.  Clark says Edge won’t let her publish the story.  Jordan goes with his father, Jonathan doesn’t like being left out, his mother says she understands.  At the Fortress, Jor-El notes that testing shows Jonathan does not have sufficient power.  Jordan should know that things may not work out, but he is still a son of Superman.  Lois finds trouble with her story and Jordan returns home disappointed.  Jonathan is angry at the field.  Lois wants them to act as a family.  They head over to the Cushing house.  Jonathan meets with Sarah who says her boyfriend “could be sweet.”  Jordan admits he is kept from school by his parents.  

SUPERMAN & LOIS -- “Heritage” -- ELIZABETH TULLOCH, ADAM RAYNER -- Photo: Dean Buscher/The CW -- © 2021 The CW Network, LLC. All Rights Reserved.

Kyle is not happy to serve his barbeque to Lois.  He wants less than a living wage like in New Carthage.  It is a city in DC Comics.  Lois tells Clark that Edge has changed her story.  General Lane sees the appearance of Captain Luthor, he activates the alert.  Clark leaves the party.  Lane gives the order to fire on Luthor.  He is scanning for General Lane!  He sends out a blast that knocks down soldiers.  Luthor wants the general to stop protecting Superman and gives him an insignia.  Superman knocks Luthor around in the sky.  He slams him down and removes his helmet.  It is controlled by remote.  At the farm, Clark sits with Lois updating her about the stranger.  He says that Lois will get the story out while they have a drink of wine.  Jonathan finishes his call with his girlfriend, Eliza, Jordan tries to apologize.  He of course doesn’t agree with what Jordan calls “holo gramps.”  

The next morning, the boys see Clark at the kitchen and he has them sit.  I absolutely love this family moment between Clark and his sons. He promises them that he is working on trying to be there for them.  Clark gives Jordan the signal.  Lois walks steadily into a reporters meeting and gives Edge her resignation.  Jordan is met by Sarah.  General Lane sees a cryptic message on the medallion given to him by Captain Luthor.  Lois goes to the empty office of the Smallville Gazette.  There is only Chrissie who says she is the only employee of the Gazette.  She hires Lois.  It is a small town newspaper, but I don’t see how with most of the jobs threatened that it could even function.  I think the answer should be online journalism.  The rainy trench version of what happened on Captain Luthor’s Earth is brutal.  This Superman & Lois offers more changes for his sons, a new direction for Lois, and a dark future for Superman!  

Four Kryptonite Crystals out of Five! 

#SupermanandLois, #Heritage #AngusMacfayden, #AdamRayner, #SofiaHasmik 

Tom & Jerry Review!

Tom and Jerry brings the live action cartoon fusion back and it is a charming movie!  It was released in theaters and streaming on HBO Max on February 26th.  The cartoon fusion movies are a mixed bunch, but this one hits just entertaining to watch.  The duo started in animated shorts in 1940 by Hanna and Barbera.  They won seven Academy Awards for their animated short films.  Tom & Jerry were eventually made into a television show by Filmation.   This was parodied by Itchy & Scratchy in The Simpsons.  It is the first film for Tom & Jerry.  The film is directed by Tim Story whom I’m more familiar with his Fantastic Four (2005) movie than his comedy Barbershop (2002).  It is written by Kevin Costello who also wrote the comedy Brigsby Bear (2017).  The opening has New York as we get an animated pigeons followed by others.  All of the animals are animated here.  The animation is by Framestore who worked on Paddington 2 (2017).   

We also get a song, “Can I Kick It?” By A Tribe Called Quest, but it is the pigeons singing it to the camera.  The hip hop is the background of the movie.  A subway train has Tom riding with his keyboard.   A rat is showing Jerry a rundown car for his new living place.  Most of the animals talk except Tom and Jerry, most of their sounds come from the classic cartoons.  Tom walks out of the subway.  Jerry ends up in Central Park.  He sees Tom playing keyboard to a nice crowd.  He wears sunglasses to pretend that he is blind.  This is part of the movie’s theme.  Jerry decides to perform in front of Tom’s keyboard as the dancing mouse.  Tom tries to snatch Jerry and ends up ruining his keyboard.  He catches Jerry, but the crowd is disappointed that he can see because a piano playing cat is not impressive?  The chase is on through Central Park.  Tom collides into a bike rider, Kayla Forester, played by Chloë Grace Moretz.  She was in the horror movie, Shadow in the Cloud (2020).  

The strength of these animation live action movies is the protagonist and Moretz makes for a plunky, well intentioned woman.  Her delivery of clothes, underwear, is scattered around the road.  Kayla finds that she is fired by her employer.  Tom sees that Jerry with his lil’ backpack is outside of the Royal Gate Hotel.  He chases Jerry inside, but is caught by the doorman, Gavin (Daniel Adegboyega).  Jerry likes the luxury of the hotel.  Kayla is greeted by Gavin who notes that she goes to the hotel for free food.  Jerry finds an abandoned part of the hotel and moves in.  Kayla is munching on a cookie and sees the suitcase of a woman.  Linda Perrybottom (Camilla Arfwedson).  Kayla sits next to her and offers a walking tour of NY.  Linda is there for a temporary job which is for the high profile wedding of Preeta and Ben.  Kayla says that she failed the interview test, keeping the wedding private, and looks over her resume.  Linda leaves and Kayla takes her resume to apply for the job.  

Kayla goes to the hotel's clothing store to shop for a new jacket.  At the loading dock, Tom tries to sneak in, he doesn’t quite make it.  Some alley cats, led by Butch (Nicky Jam) finds and threatens Tom.  He calls over the animal control officer in a van to send them away.  Jerry envisions a cobwebbed cubby hole as a luxury apartment.  Kayla enters an office for her interview and meets Terence Mendoza (Michael Peña), the events manager of the hotel.  Pena was in the Blumhouse horror movie, Fantasy Island (2020).  Terence is uptight, busy with details, so he misses the human touch.  He introduces her to Henry Dubros (Rob Delaney), the general manager of the hotel, Delaney was Peter in Deadpool 2 (2018).  Mr. Dubros sees the potential of people and sides with Kayla.  There is such fun with the actors that their parts work.  Kayla is hired.  She has a new hotel uniform.  Kayla is greeted by Terence first thing in the morning.  Terence briefs her about the hotel’s history while Jerry starts taking items around the hotel.  

Terence brings her to the kitchen where they see Chef Jackie (Ken Jeong) angrily directing his staff.  Jeong was in the action movie, Operation: Rainfall (2020).  He introduces Kayla to Gavin, but of course he already knows her.  Terence is surprised by the bell girl, Joy (Patsy Ferran), she was in the comedy How to Build a Girl (2019).  Strange, but kinda helpful to Kayla.  Next, Kayla is introduced to the barman, Cameron (Jordan Bolger).  The actor was in the sci fi show, The 100.  They have a nice connection, Cameron backs and helps Kayla, he is also pouring champagne for the VIPs.  We have the arrival of Ben (Colin Jost) and Preeta (Pallavi Sharda).  Jost is of course known for his Weekend Update job on Saturday Night Live.  Sharda was in the historical remake Begum Jaan (2017).  We also have their pets, the bulldog Spike (voiced by Bobby Cannavale) and Preeta’s cat, Toots.  Kayla is sent to take out Jerry and also has to deal with Preeta’s lost wedding ring!  In all of the craziness of an increasingly out of control wedding, Kayla has to get things simple and be herself.  A charming family movie with some laughs!    

Three Wedding Rings out of Five! 

#TomandJerry, #TimStory, #ChloeGraceMoritz, #MichaelPena, #KenJeong