Star Wars: Clone Wars, “Deal No Deal”, Review!

The arc of Ahsoka Tano, as she has just left the Jedi Order, and the Mendez sisters trying to survive the rough life of level 1313 of Coruscant.  The title of course is a nod to the game show Deal or No Deal, the titles this season are not too clever.  In the hangar of Trace Mendez, she is working on her ship with Ahsoka.  Trace is impressed at Ahsoka’s skill with starships and asks about her cover story of going to an academy top side.  She replies that she went to Skywalker Academy!  Trace is an untrained pilot and inherited the hangar after her parent’s death.  She built the ship by doing odd jobs, they turn to working on Ahsoka’s speeder bike, and Trace convinces her to stay on to test the ship.  Rafa enters and mentions a job to fly a ship.  She doesn’t trust Ahsoka though it is Trace keeping her on the job.  Trace welcomes them to the Silver Angel.  No test runs, checking the engines, and fuel for the lightspeed engine!  She flies into the Coruscant skies and Ahsoka warns her about straying into the military lane as Republic gunships head towards a Venator-class Star Destroyer.  

STAR WARS: CLONE WARS -- “Deal No Deal” -- Disney/Lucasfilm.

It seems there is great ease slipping close to a warship with gunships not worried.  We saw in Cloud City that the pod car sent warning blasts.  The strange part is that Coruscant is filled with craft yet they don’t bother to send any kind of security.   They are hailed by Captain Wulf Yularen (Tom Kane).  Ahsoka shuts off the transmission and they start to head to the transport lane.  It is about to pass the Star Destroyer while on the bridge of the Resolute is Anakin Skywalker, this is his flagship, he uses the Force to sense who is onboard the ship!  This is of course a mirror of Luke in the Imperial shuttle in Return of the Jedi (1983).  Anakin allows the ship to go on its way.  Ahsoka walked away from Master Skywalker leaving the Jedi Order, but we see that he lets her go on her own path.  This also reflects Ahsoka realizing Darth Vader’s identity in Star Wars: Rebels, “Siege of Lothal”, with the epic line, “The apprentice lives.”  Ahsoka’s placement in Star Wars is very well handled since we never saw her on screen in any of the films.  Her formal appearance will be in The Mandalorian.        

The Silver Angel leaves Coruscant and Rafa whispers their destination to Trace.  I wonder how a first time pilot could follow a hyperspace course.  Trace takes the ship to hyperspace, but it is a bumpy ride.  She forgot to deactivate the air brakes.  Is there air in hyperspace?  The Silver Angel has reached its destination, a cloudy planet that Ahsoka recognizes as Kessel.  This is course the legendary planet of the Kessel Run mentioned by Han Solo and seen in Solo: A Star Wars Story (2018).  Rafa says they are transporting medicine.  The Silver Angel moves through blue skies and a jungle-like part of the planet.  They reach a palace and Trace has the ship hovering next to a platform.  The landing bay door is lowered and they meet with a red Twi’lek, Kinash Lock (Corey Burton), the majordomo of King Yaruba.  Burton is well known as the voice of Count Dooku in Clone Wars.  The last majordomo that we’ve seen is Bib Fortuna at Jabba’s palace, the connection is apparent.  He takes them through the row of soldiers to a banquet with others quietly eating. Lock mentions their shipment is unrefined spice.  If they are successful, then a contact will be made to transport the spice.  

STAR WARS: CLONE WARS -- “Deal No Deal” -- Disney/Lucasfilm.

Ahsoka mentions the spice can be refined into things other than medicine.  Lock explains that in times of war, the Yaruba family provides spice as medicine.  On the way back to the ship, Ahsoka mentions the dangers of spice transport.  Rafa says that it is high profile ships that get attacked which is why they have the job.  Ahsoka tries to warn Trace about the dangers.  The Silver Angel passes the jungle area to the desolate pillars of the Mining Zone.  It is not accident that in the cockpit, Rafa is in shadow, Trace in the light, and Ahsoka in shadow and light.  They come in for a landing, Trace thinks the spice miners are droids, but Ahsoka tells her they are people.  The miners shovel the spice into containers.  Labor droids that look like Rock`Em Sock `Em robots start loading the containers to the Silver Angel. A Zygerrian overseer gives Rafa the shipment data pad.  Zygerrian are cat-like aliens first seen in the “Kidnapped” (2011) episode of Clone Wars.  They leave Kessel and head into hyperspace.  Trace mentions their drop off point, Obah Diah, the planet of the Pyke Syndicate.  It was introduced in “The Lost One” (2014) with the Pykes seen as a major criminal organization.  

Trace mentions Marg Krim, Ahsoka is shocked that they are doing business with a crime boss, he was a character in Dark Disciple (2015) the novel based on unaired Clone Wars episodes. Tensions flare with Ahsoka wanting the spice taken to planets as medicine.  Trace ejects the spice into hyperspace!  Ahsoka and Rafa are angry at her action.  Rafa hopes to use the ship as payment for 30,000 credits worth of spice!  Ahsoka has a plan.  The Mendez sisters think it is a bad plan.  The Silver Angel reaches a landing platform and they are met by the Pykes, aliens with hexagonal heads and strange eyes in their small faces.  Marg Krim (Stephen Stanton) asks about the shipment.  A case with the credits is brought forward, but Krim wants to see the spice.  Behind Rafa, Ahsoka uses the Force to convince Krim to give the credits and allow the ship to leave.  Krim’s majordomo, Fife (Stephen Stanton), is suspicous about the deal.  The supporting roles with Baker, Burton, and Stanton fill most of the important parts in Clone Wars.  The scam has some serious consequences.  This is an average episode that touches on some important places and people in the Star Wars universe.

Three Lightsabers out of Five!    

#StarWarsCloneWars, #DealNoDeal, #Kessel, #PykeSyndicate     

      

Re:tro Re:view - Ladycastle!

Ladycastle is a fantasy comic book by Delilah S. Dawson that twists the fantasy conventions with strong female protagonists!  It was published in 2017 by Boom Studios! As a four issue limited series and collected as a trade paperback.  Dawson is the author of the steampunk romance Blud series that began with Wicked as They Come (2012), Galaxy’s Edge: Black Spire (2019), and the one-shot comic book Forces of Destiny: Rose & Paige #1 (2018).  The artwork is by Ashley A. Woods and Becca Farrow.  Woods previously worked on the fantasy series Niobe: She is Life (2015-2016) and Tomb Raider: Survivor’s Crusade (2017-2018) for Dark Horse.  Farrow has worked on covers for various publishers.  The cover of the trade is from the first issue by Woods.  It has the three women, a regal woman, one in armor standing confidentially on the parapet, and the young girl hefting a heavy sword.  Almost everything you need to know is on that cover.  

It begins with a princess in a tower, Aeve, asleep with a two-headed pet snake, the snake has many symbolic meanings and may represent indecision.  It appears she is trapped in the tower, sings in a parody of Tangled (2010) and other fairy tales, and goes about her chores. Aeve is interrupted by the blacksmith, Merinor, with her unicorn tended by her younger sister, Gwneff.  Merinor reminds her that King Mancastle will return.  Gwneff hopes to become a knight.  Aeve looks about the castle to see the citizens, all women, and finally Gwneff who is angry that she hasn’t gotten married.  Merinor tries to speak to her, but then there is the announcement of the return.  It is a lone, older knight, Sir Riddick, who explains what happened to the men.  King Mancastle’s knights were met by a dark figure, the women remark that the king is always rude, and the figure cursed them.  A dragon appears and destroys the men.  Sir Riddick expects to be made king.  The Lady of the Lake, from Arthurian legend, emerges from a fountain explains that the castle is cursed.  She has the sword that will make the next king.  It is given to Merinor making her king!  This is a fine response to men out for battle and the importance of those back at the castle.  

King Merinor is carried around by the cheering citizens.  She goes to the tower and frees Aeve who was locked away for six years.  First, Aeve, cuts her hair into a short bob, and the princess sleeves and hem of her dress.  It is now dubbed Ladycastle!  Sir Riddick tries to take over the planning of the defenses, but King Merinor puts him in his place.  She organizes the women to act without the rule of King Mancastle.  The women can volunteer to train with Sir Riddick as knights which Aeve joins.  King Merinor dubs Aeve her king’s champion.  The sister speak about their parents including their mother who they lost giving birth to Gwneff.  The knights assemble as they are attacked by swarms of salamanders, the lizard-like elemental spirits of fire.  The king’s champion thinks of a way to take care of the threat.  The thinking strategy is better than Sir Riddick’s kill everything that is the old way.  The next issue has the invasion of Ladycastle by werewolves with Farrow continuing the art with the same charm.  It is up to Gwyneff to come up with a solution with her pegasus, Swan.  The artwork by Woods is light, great expressions by characters, the Ladycastle is a fun world!  Then, there are harpies (my favorite of the stories) and a final threat that seems right out of Monty Python and the Holy Grail!  Very fun seeing the medieval conventions turned like a reviewer mentioned about the sci-fi Y: The Last Man.  There is still an opening for more Ladycastle and I’m waiting for it!  

Four Salamanders out of Five!    

#Ladycastle, #DelilahSDawson, #AshleyAWoods, #KingMerinor, #KingsChampionAeve, #SquireGwneff 

Happy Birthday Sean Bean!

Happy Birthday Sean Bean!  One of Bean’s early genre roles was playing the Prince in “The True Bride” (1988) episode of The Storyteller.  He was part of the McCabe family in The Field (1990) based on the John B. Keane play. Bean was a deadly villain, Sean Miller, in Patriot Games (1992).  He started the tv films of Richard Sharpe based on the Bernard Cornwell novels playing the lead in Sharpe’s Rifles (1993) and Sharpe’s Eagle (1993).  Bean played the romantic lead in the tv mini-series Lady Chatterley (1993).  He returned as Sharpe in Sharpe’s Company (1994), Sharpe’s Enemy (1994), and Sharpe’s Honour (1994). Farmer Grey was played by Sean Bean in Black Beauty (1994) based on the classic novel by Anna Sewell.  Bean was back in Sharpe’s Gold (1995), Sharpe’s Battle (1995), and Sharpe’s Sword (1995). Then, he was the secret agent turned villain, Alec Trevelyan, opposing James Bond in GoldenEye (1995).  Sean Bean continued the Sharpe films with Sharpe’s Regiment (1996), Sharpe’s Siege (1996), and Sharpe’s Mission (1996).  

He played another romantic lead, Count Vronsky, in Anna Karenina (1997) based on the Leo Tolstoy classic.  Bean continued the Sharpe movies with Sharpe’s Revenge (1997), Sharpe’s Justice (1997), and Sharpe’s Waterloo (1997).  He was part of the team of operatives in Ronin (1998).  Bean took another iconic role as Boromir in The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001).  He was a partner and Grammaton Cleric in the sci fi movie, Equilibrium (2002). Bean returned as Boromir for The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003).  He played the Greek hero, Odysseus, in Troy (2004).  He was the villainous rival, Ian Howe, in National Treasure (2004).  Bean concluded the Sharpe films with Sharpe’s Challenge (2006) and Sharpe’s Peril (2008).  Zeus was played by Sean Bean in Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief (2010).  Ned Stark was another iconic role for Sean Bean in the first season of Game of Thrones (2011).  Bean was in the video game adaptation, Silent Hill: Revelation (2012).  He played another secret service agent in the action movie Cleanskin (2012).  Bean was in the sci fi movie Jupiter Ascending (2015) as Stinger Apini.  In The Martian (2015), the adaptation of the Andy Weir book, he played Mitch Henderson. He is currently playing The General in the street racing show Curfew.  Happy Birthday Sean Bean! 

#Sean Bean, #SharpesRifles, #TheLordoftheRingsTheFellowshipoftheRing, #GameofThrones 

Happy Birthday Emma Watson!

Happy Birthday Emma Watson!  She is of course known as Hermione Granger and started working in film with Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone (2001).  Then, there was Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (2002), Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004), Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2005), and Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2007).  Watson provided the voice of Princess Pea in the animated film, The Tale of Desperaux (2008) based on the book by Kate DiCamillo.  She returned to play Hermione in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (2009).  In between the Harry Potter films, she also played Hermione in Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey (2010) for the Wizarding World of Harry Potter attraction.  Then, she finished the series with Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 (2010) and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 (2011).  

Watson played Lucy, working on the set of Marilyn Monroe’s film in My Week with Marilyn (2011).  She had a romantic part as Sam in the drama, The Perks of Being a Wallflower directed by Stephen Chbosky who wrote the book.  Next, she was Nicki, a part of The Bling Ring (2013), directed by Sofia Coppola.  Watson played herself in the supernatural comedy, This is The End (2013).  Darren Aronofsky co-wrote and directed Noah (2014) with Emma Watson playing Ila, wife of Noah’s son.  Then, she was in the drama, The Colony (2015).  Watson also played Angela Gray in another drama, Regression (2015). It was in 2017 that she had the lead, Belle, in the live action adaptation of the Disney animated film, Beauty and the Beast.  Watson was also Mae in The Circle (2017) based on the Dave Eggers’ novel.  She played Meg March in Little Women (2019), directed by Greta Gerwig.  Happy Birthday Emma Watson!  

#EmmaWatson, #HarryPotterandtheDeathHallowsPart2, #BeautyandtheBeast, #LittleWomen

Star Wars: Clone Wars, “Gone with a Trace”, Review!

The title refers to the 2016 thriller novel, Gone Without A Trace.  It features Ahsoka Tano who was the Jedi apprentice to Anakin Skywalker.  They were a trusted duo since the Clone Wars (2008) movie.  She was a Togruta, the same species as Jedi Master Shaak Ti, with two curved horns that end in head tails.  Ahsoka was young, she had the same boldness as Anakin, but matured over the series.  Finally, she felt betrayed by the Jedi Order and left it in “The Wrong Jedi” (2013).  It was a surprise to discover that the mysterious agent “Fulcrum” was actually Ahsoka Tano working for the Rebel Alliance.  This was in the “The Siege of Lothal” episodes of Star Wars: Rebels (2015).  This episode would be in season five with the Bad Batch arc occurring afterwards.  Ahsoka (Ashley Eckstein) is racing across Coruscant in her speeder bike.  The speeder bike malfunctions sending her down a pit and crashing onto a landing pad.  Ahsoka is wearing a mechanic’s jersey instead of her familiar brown tunic.  She is met by a woman who is at a garage on the other side of the landing pad. 

STAR WARS: CLONE WARS -- “Gone with a Trace” -- Disney/Lucasfilm.

The woman, Trace Martez, (Brigitte Kali) introduces herself as “the best mechanic on 1313.”  Kali was in the film Baby Driver (2017).  1313 has great importance for Star Warriors.  Star Wars: 1313 was the LucasArts game in development since 2012.  It was going to be tied into the Star Wars: Underworld live action series taking palce in the underworld of Coruscant.  Trace opens up the doors of her hangar to a Nebula-class freighter.  She is going to modify it to a faster ship.  Ahsoka takes her offer to work on her speeder bike.  She discovers that she needs a sparker for her speeder bike.  Ahsoka wants to leave and Trace tries to reassure her she can stay.  It is difficult to see the Clone Wars is going on while mechanics are calmly working on their vehicles.  She watches a Republic cruiser ascend from the pit.  Ahsoka returns to see Trace has worked on her speeder bike and has the engine running.  She admits that she lived in the upper levels.  Trace says the Jedi there have forgotten about the people of 1313.

She wants to build her ship to escape with her sister, Raffa, from Coruscant.  They are interrupted by an alien, Pintu (Bobby Moynihan), who looks like a long, tube eyes with a mouth of tentacles.  Moynihan is known for his SNL work, but he has also voiced Orka in Star Wars: Resistance.  He has brought along two henchmen and wants payment from Raffa.  Trace warns Ahsoka to stay out of it and fights with the henchmen.  Knocked against a table by one of the men, Trace asks Ahsoka for help.  Of course, she takes them on even using a capoeira-like spin kick.  Pinto threatens them before leaving with his men.  Trace takes Ahsoka to find her sister.  Rafa (Elizabeth Rodriguez) is searching compartments for her laundry.  Rodriguez played Gabriela Lopez, the nurse who takes away Laura in Logan (2017).  Trace stops her from stealing the clothes and tells her about Pinto.  Rafa says that she has a legitimate deal coming up.  Ahsoka introduces herself.

STAR WARS: CLONE WARS -- “Gone with a Trace” -- Disney/Lucasfilm.

A blue Twi’lek man enters wanting some droids to be built.  Rafa accepts the job with a handshake deal.  She of course leaves up to Trace to work on the droids.  Later, Rafa and Ahsoka are working on the massive droids, Ahsoka is careful about working on the binary load lifters.  These were droids mentioned by C-3PO in A New Hope (1977), but made their first appearance, unidentified in “The Padawan Path” episode of Star Wars: Forces of Destiny (2017).  Ahsoka recognizes the type of droid, the same type she dealt with that was malfunctioning, they were made from demolition droids.  It suddenly slams down on Ahsoka who leaps away.  She raises up a control device to deactivate the droid.  Another smashes around before racing out of the garage.  Rafa is working on a datapad as tookas and the rampaging binary load lifter race past her.  The cats appeared in the Clone Wars episode, "To Catch a Jedi" (2013).  Trace runs after it with Ahsoka.  The droid leaps down to the lower street and begins going all Wreck-It Ralph.  

Trace sends Ahsoka back to get the droid’s tracker.  She leaves Rafa to join Trace on her construction speeder.  The out-of-control droid leaps over them.  Trace activates the speeder’s forklift to capture the droid.  The binary load lifter begins climbing a wall and Ahsoka releases the forklift.  Trace leaps on the droid as it is about to reach out for a kid.  Then, the droid falls, but Ahsoka catches it with the forklift.  There are some aliens watching that may look familiar; a tall Snivvian, an Aqualish in orange and an Ithorian in blue, Snaggletooth, Walrus Man, and Hammerhead, the original SW figures.  An Aqualish in green, Greedo, is in the foreground.  The speeder is about to be pulled over the 1313 wall, but Ahsoka pulls the tow cable around a pipe to pull them back up.  They are all about to fall, but Ahsoka uses the Force to pull them back.  They have to let Rafa make the deal with the droids that may be dangerous.  This is an ok episode with what happened to Ahsoka Tano, but it seems out of context with the greater Clone Wars that is in the series' title.  

Three Lightsabers out of Five!  

#StarWarsCloneWars, #GonewithaTrace, #AshleyEckstein, #BrigitteKali, #ElizabethRodriguez 

Star Wars: Clone Wars, “Unfinished Business”, Review!

The Battle of Anaxes is reaching its conclusion!  The algorithim predicting Republic movements have been found with missing trooper Echo, he has been recovered, and can now turn the droid data against them if he can be trusted!  We get a reverse shot of the Republic hangar with purple skies.  Echo is taken to the command center where Mace Windu reviews the twelve battlefields on Anaxes.  Echo, in trooper armor, volunteers a plan and General Windu wants to hear it.  He enters his control arm and details the plan where the general attacks the assembly complex.  Echo wants to use the Bad Batch to enter the comm vault on a Separatist dreadnought.  The Bad Batch is preparing for the mission at their ship, the Havoc Marauder, Tech is worried that Echo was under Separatist control for a long time.  General Skywalker reminds Wrecker that it is a stealth mission.   

STAR WARS: CLONE WARS -- “Unfinished Business” -- Disney/Lucasfilm.

Echo reassures the troopers that he will make the droids think their ship is another droid shuttle.  Very cool it reminds me of Return of the Jedi (1983).  The Marauder finds its way in the Separatist fleet.  The ship turns upside down to dock at a port underneath the dreadnought. The assembly plant is a circular base with a dome-shaped complex.  The droids have brought out J-1 semi-autonomous proton cannons and Vulture-class droid starfighters for the battle.  The cannons fire on Republic gunships and starfighters.  Mace Windu calls in Gold Leader and his Y-Wings!  The Clone Gold Squadron was first seen in “Downfall of a Droid” (2008).  The Y-Wing attack on the assembly plant is exactly like a Ralph McQuarrie painting of the Death Star attack!  Admiral Trench is informed by his Super tactical droid about the battle, the droid replies almost like Cylons in Battlestar Galactica, “As you command.”  

Anakin and the troopers enter the dreadnought corridors.  They enter the comm vault which has a massive cone cylinder at its base like Master Control Program in Tron (1982). Echo accesses the interface set up by Tech with his control arm.  Tech realizes that they have to fake a signal from Skako Minor.  Mace Windu and Obi-Wan Kenobi leap into action with Clone jet troopers.  The troopers were first seen in Battlefront (2004) so this is their first Clone Wars appearance.  Mace Windu announces to the droids, including a few Super Battle Droids, that he has destroyed 100,000 of them and offers to have them reprogrammed.  The droids open fire and other troopers rappel down.  It would be more tactical if the jet troopers attacked from the air and flanked the droids.  Trench sends his troops to reinforce the assembly base.  Echo says he will send a feedback loop to disable all of the droids.  Rex and Anakin have trust in Echo.  Anakin informs Master Windu.  They defeat the droids and then hordes of more battle droids march in.  Echo sends the feedback loop that crackles up the comm vault!  The droids are shortened out on the battlefield.  This looks like the end of Phantom Menace (1999).  

Trench sees the overload of his droid army.  The Super tactical droid has tracked down the source on the ship.  Trench has a fail safe plan.  Echo has discovered that it is a bomb that could destroy most of Anaxes!  He has Echo try to deactivate the bomb and races after Admiral Trench.  Tech informs General Windu about the bomb and he has Obi-Wan evacuate the base!  Mace heads to the lower levels where there is a generator and finds the bomb, but it is guarded by a ray shield.  He uses the Force to enter the code given by Echo.  Trench sends a pulse that electrifies Echo, but Rex pulls him free.  The rest of the Bad Batch fights the droids.  Anakin takes care of Trench’s guards and dodges an energy web fired by Trench that wraps around his last droid commando.  Trench misunderestimates Anakin as a Jedi and gets his mechanical arms severed!  Trench is one of the long running nemesis of the Clone Wars.  One of the weaknesses of the show was that they kept adding villains; Asaaj Ventress, Maul, Cad Bane, Admiral Trench, without any resolution so this is great.   

STAR WARS: CLONE WARS -- “Unfinished Business” -- Disney/Lucasfilm.

Anakin gets a detonation switch that he hopes to bring to Wrecker.  The Bad Batch strongman gives a corridor of droids the Wrecking Ball.  Crosshair sets reflective mirrors in a corridor and Wrecker is stunned to see the droids he destroys with one shot!  Wrecker wipes away a tear at Anakin giving him the detonation switch.  Three of the Separtist ships are destroyed!  Mace Windu gives commendations to Rex, Echo, and the Bad Batch.  The troopers offer a place for Echo.  Of course, we are left to the fate of the Bad Batch with Order 66, the four part episodes in Season 6 starting with “Orders” (2014) had a control chip activating the order and the mystery was almost uncovered.  It is possible with the Bad Batch with mutations could alter how the control chip worked.  There was a clone trooper, Cut Lawquane, who left the war behind and was raising a family in “The Deserter” (2010).  Maybe the Bad Batch are saved by Echo who was removed from all of the Republic conditioning and can help the others.  The Bad Batch, those who survive or not driven insane by the control chip, would leave the Republic and possibly take up lives as bounty hunters!  

Five Lightsabers out of Five! 

#StarWarsCloneWars, #UnfinishedBusiness, #Admiral Trench, #MaceWindu, #ObiWanKenobi 

Re:tro Re:view - The Shadow!

The Shadow is a superhero film that has some of its pulpy past, filled with clever twists, and a cast that has fun with their parts!  This is before Batman was introduced in 1939. The Shadow is a caped crimefighter, he knows their ways not because he studied them, he was like them! When I was a kid, I heard recordings by Orson Welles as The Shadow, his voice and laugh is haunting!  The Shadow was of course the creation of Walter B. Gibson. His adventures were in the pulp magazine, The Shadow Magazine (1931), and then on radio in 1937. It was really Orson Welles playing The Shadow that made an impact about one year before his The War of the Worlds recording and four years before his cinematic masterpiece Citizen Kane (1941)!  The character also started in movie serials beginning with The Shadow Strikes (1937)

This film was directed by Russell Mulcahy who also directed Highlander (1986). The Shadow is also in a number of comic books, novels, a radio program, and now a movie! The screenplay was written by David Koepp who adapted Jurassic Park (1993) with Michael Crichton. The film was unfortunately released, a very difficult summer to stand out, with Forrest Gump (1994) opening right after it and then True Lies (1994). There is mystery with the title sequence with the score by Jerry Goldsmith. Then, we get the “Opium Fields, Tibet” with a closeup of the poppy flowers lined up against the mountains. We follow a car to a stronghold. A man, Li Peng (James Hong), is brought into the opium den. Hong is of course known as Lo Pan in Big Trouble in Little China (1986). 

Peng sees the leader in shadow. He has killed three of Yin-Ko’s men. Yin-Ko (Alec Baldwin) appears out of the shadows and confronts Peng whom he orders to be shot. This is four years after Baldwin starred in The Hunt for Red October (1990). At night, Yin-Ko is wakened by a vision, and then knocked out. He is taken by horse riders to a cliff, there is a temple, hidden by mists which sweep away to reveal a temple with a massive cobra head! Yin-Ko is taken into the hall of the temple and sees a figure behind a curtain. The Tulku (Brady Tsurutani) suddenly appears, speaking in a deeper voice, knowing his real name is Lamont Cranston. He is surprised and finds that the Tulku is elusive, he is also told that he has always struggled against his black heart. Cranston grabs for a dagger, and the dagger leaps from his hand.

It is a living thing, the Purba, and stops at the command of the Tulku. This leads to a roll-up that explains that The Tulku trained Cranston to “cloud men’s minds”, but he always leaves behind his shadow which he can never escape. Cranston returns home to New York City, “Seven Years Later”, a foggy night with the Brooklyn Bridge. Duke and his men take out a man (Sab Shimono) with his feet encased in concrete. Shimono had appeared in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III (1993). The men are about to throw him over the bridge when they hear a laugh. The voice seems to come from everywhere, he says, “The weed of crime bears bitter fruit”, and knows that Duke killed a police officer. The Shadow, only a blur, strikes Duke forcing him to confess. This is the power of The Shadow to find evil in the hearts of criminals and strike mortal fear into them.

Then, his men are swallowed by the darkness of The Shadow, and see his face, half-covered by his scarf and run.  Dressed in black, striking fear in criminals, and having a wealthy secret identity, this is of course another inspiration for Batman.  The Shadow takes out his silver pistols and fires at the man.  He has blasted away the concrete and helps him up as a taxi cab drives up.  They enter the cab and The Shadow knows the man is Dr. Roy Tam.  The cab speeds away as The Shadow explains since he saved Tam’s life, he is know an agent of The Shadow.  The cab driver is Moe Shrevnitz (Peter Boyle), he takes Dr. Tam to his apartment, and slips a ring on his finger.  Boyle is known for the sitcom, Everybody Love Raymond, he provides comedy relief, but also his dedication as The Shadow’s most trusted agent.  

Cranston is tired shifting from The Shadow and asks Moe to drive to the Cobalt Club.  Lamont Cranston, now in a tux, joins his uncle and police commissioner, Wainwright (Jonathan Winters).  He is a comedian, Winters was in the live action The Flintstones (1994), but this is a serious part for him.  This explains why the police are two steps behind The Shadow.Then, a woman appears in a shimmering white dress (Penelope Ann Miller), catching Cranston’s attention. Her character is Margot Lane who was a wealthy woman and agent of The Shadow. Bob Ringwood is the costume designer, he designed the dynamic cape and vest for The Shadow and also the stunning dresses worn by Miller. He gets a note about The Shadow and wants to appoint a task force to hunt him down.   

Cranston leans back into the shadows to speak in The Shadow’s voice to change his uncle’s thoughts. Wainwright warns his nephew about Margot since she hears voices. The couple goes to a Chinese restaurant where of course Cranston orders in Mandarin. Margot replies to a compliment about her dress which he was only thinking. Cranston realizes that his secret identity might be compomised. Moe takes them back to her apartment and Cranston explains it is dangerous to see her again. In his loft, Cranston is asleep next to his fireplace when it explodes, there is a laughing face of an Asian man. The effects are at the level of Mortal Kombat (1995), but still has some visuals that are beautiful and hold up fairly well. Night, at the Museum of Natural History, Isaac Newboldt (Joseph Maher) walks to the garage where there is a case from Tibet.  

Nelson (Ethan Phillips), the security guard, helps open the crate with the sarcophagus.  Phillips was Neelix in the Star Trek: Voyager series. Newboldt leaves and Nelson is alone when the sarchophagus locks begin opening like hungry mouths. It opens to reveal a man in mongol armor, this is Shiwan Khan (John Lone). The actor has been in action films, but was also in The Last Emperor (1987). Shiwan Khan is The Shadow’s greatest nemesis, descendant of Genghis Kahn, his first appearance was in the pulp novel, The Golden Master (1939). Lone gives him style, the hint of a barbarian, and some funny lines. Then, we shift to the War Department and the office of Reinhardt Lane. Reinhardt is an eccentric scientist played by Ian McKellan, he is confused in simple things which is funny, but you can also see his brilliance. McKellan is of course known as Gandalf in the Lord of the Rings films, but he played Death in Last Action Hero (1993).

He is busy working on the Beryllium Sphere while his partner Farley Claymore (Tim Curry). Tim Curry is a genre legend and he was Cardinal Richelieu in The Three Musketeers (1993).   Claymore is desperate for recognition and a threat to The Shadow.  Shiwan is taken by a taxi cab to an empty lot, he suggests the driver fill up his gas tank, and he drives his cab right into a fuel tanker. The next day, Wainwright checks on the museum crime scene, an officer talks to him and then goes across the street to an empty building to deposit a letter. It goes careening through the city in a tube, finally to an operator who communicates to Cranston. He has Moe take him to the Sanctum. 

On a city street, Cranston goes to an alley and slides a secret panel to open a passageway to the Sanctum. He contacts the operator via a televised device who tells him about the murder.  He then meets with Shiwman Khan who knows him as Lin-Ko and says he is in New York to fulfill his destiny. It’s funny when Shiwan asks Cranston where he got his tie and they go over New York streets. His plan is one of the greatest threats of any supervillian that The Shadow has to work out to understand through most of the film. He has take on henchmen, a death trap right out of pulp novels, and work with Margot to uncover the plans of Shiwan Khan. "Who knows what evil lurks in the hearts of men? The Shadow knows!" The Shadow is a clever, well written film with a very strong cast and some great adventure with an iconic hero!     

Five Beryllium Spheres out of Five! 

#TheShadow, #RussellMulacahy, #DavidKoepp, #James#AlecBaldwin, #PenelopeAnnMiller, #JohnLone, #TimCurry, #PeterBoyle, #IanMcKellan, #JonathanWinters, #SabShimino, #BradyTsurutani, #JamesHong,    

Happy Birthday Daisy Ridley!

Happy Birthday Daisy Ridley! She was on tv before making the hyperspace jump to the screen as Rey in Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015).  Ridley supplied the voice of Taeko in the anime, Only Yesterday, released on Blu Ray in 2016.  Her next film was in Kenneth Branagh’s Murder on the Orient Express (2017) as Mary Debenham. 

She returned as Rey in Last Jedi and also voiced her in episodes of Star Wars: Forces of Destiny.  In 2018, Ridley played Ophelia in the title role of the drama showing her perspective in Shakespeare’s Hamlet. Then, she voiced Cotton-Tail in Peter Rabbit. Daisy Ridley finished the sequel trilogy with The Rise of Skywalker (2019).  Happy Birthday Daisy Ridley!

#DaisyRidley, #TheForceAwakens, #MurderontheOrientExpress, #Ophelia 

Re:tro Re:view - The Mask of Zorro!

The Mask of Zorro is a feat of revitalizing a classic character, mixing it with a little bit of history, and making it a thrilling adventure! Zorro made his debut in the novel, The Curse of Capistrano (1919) by Johnston McCulley. Douglas Fairbanks portrayed him on film in The Mark of Zorro (1920). He was one of the iconic figures of television played by Guy Williams in the Zorro (1957-1961) tv series. In 1957, comics legend, Alex Toth, drew the adventures of the Disney series for Dell Comics. They are available as a collected trade, Alex Toth's Zorro The Complete Dell Comics Adventures (2013) or you can find affordable reprints by American Mythology.  Then, the later series Zorro (1990-1993) featured Duncan Regehr. What stood out to me was the character. The model of the swashbuckler.  

This film had Bob Anderson as sword master, his filmography has the best sword films; Lord of the Rings, Die Another Day (2002), First Knight (1995), Three Musketeers (1993), Princess Bride (1987), Highlander, and he was the double for Darth Vader! After I had watched the film, I picked up Zorro Unmasked: The Official History (1998) by Sandra Curtis, and also the original novel, The Mark of Zorro, by Johnston McCulley. The film was directed by Martin Campbell who also has a James Bond connection having directed GoldenEye (1995). The story is by Randall Johnson who also wrote the bio film, The Doors (1991) and also the writing duo of Ted Elliott and Terry Rossio. They worked on the screenplay with John Eskow who wrote Air America (1990). The writing duo is known for writing the Pirates of the Caribbean trilogy.  

The opening has a closeup of a sheet as two eyeholes are made in it, two boys, Joaquin  (Diego Sieres) and Alejandro (Jose Maria de Tavira), are eager to look outside of a wagon.  It is a crowd chanting for the fall of Governor Montero. They rush out of the wagon and see Fray Felipe (William Marquez). Marquez played Eduardo in the comedy Bedazzled (2000). Don Rafael Montero (Stuart Wilson) walks out onto the balcony above the crowd.  Wilson was Dr. Robin Hatcher in the action comedy Hot Fuzz (2007).  Dons are the ruling class that were established by Spain. The governor is ruthless in controlling California and intent on revenge against his nemesis. Don Luiz (Tony Amendola) arrives to warn Montero about the approach of General Santa Anna. The general is almost legendary shaping the countries of Mexico and the United States.  He orders the soldiers to take away the children.  

Alejandro is taken and sees the boots and then Zorro (Anthony Hopkins) in disguise.  Hopkins is an actor known for powerful roles in Silence of the Lambs (1991) and also genre movies like Thor: Ragnarok (2017).  He of course is not Mexican, but his English gentleman and man of action pairs with Stuart Wilson’s Rafael Montero.  The brothers rush to see the action from a rooftop.  The soldiers are about to fire their rifles at commoners.  Suddenly, Zorro’s whip swings the rifles at their commander to shoot him. Zorro is a whirl, freeing the prisoners, and parrying the swords of the soldiers. The brothers see soldiers in a balcony ready to shoot Zorro. Joaquin and Alejandro send a statue crashing down on them. Zorro gives Alejandro his locket as thanks to them. He races across the buildings and uses his whip to swing across to draw his blade against Montero’s throat. Zorro makes his mark on the throat of Montero as a warning. He whistles for his black horse, Tornado, and leaps down on him!   

Zorro rears Tornado against the setting sun before riding away. There is an incredible seaside hacienda perched on a cliff next to a waterfall. Zorro rides Tornado into a cave by the waterfall.  A fireplace retracts as Zorro’s civilian identity, Don Diego de la Vega, enters. The secret identity that is a rich gentleman, the mask and cape, cave secret lair, are all parts of Batman taken from Zorro.  Watching the sun set is his wife, Esperanza (Julieta Rosen), who goes to hear her husband telling his baby, Elena, stories of his adventures. Diego kisses Esperanza and they are interrupted by Montero and his men. Montero grabs Diego’s arm and can see from his wound that he is Zorro. They get into a duel, a soldier is about to shoot Diego, and Esperanza rushes to take the bullet. Montero kills the shooter.  Diego hears baby Elena’s cries and is knocked out by Montero.  Diego is in a cage in the back of a carriage and Montero takes his revenge by taking away Elena.  

We get “Twenty Years Later” with a horseman pulling along two bearded men by a rope.  The lead prisoner is Alejandro Murrieta (Antonio Banderas) and behind him is his brother, Joaquin Murrieta (Victor Rivers).  Banderas has the comic timing down and also the action.  He was in Pedro Almodóvar’s drama Pain and Glory (2019).  Rivers was Captain Ferrar in the drama Amistad (1997). They are based on real historical figures, Joaquin was called the Robin Hood of El Dorado, part of the Five Joaquins, McCulley was said to be inspired by him in creating Zorro.  The rider, Three-Fingered Jack (L.Q. Jones) sings and has his two prisoners finish his song.  Jones is an actor in Sam Pecinpah’s Westerns like The Wild Bunch (1969).  Jack takes them for their bounty to a farmhouse where they find Corporal Garcia (José Pérez), a soldier calls him Sergeant Garcia.  The character was large and outwitted by Zorro in the tv series, but absolutely fun not so much here.  Garcia shows up, but isn’t a strong opponent here.  

They turn the tables on the soldiers and take off with the wagon and its strongbox.  The film’s action has Zorro as a hapless hero in training stumbling into adventures instead of dashing into them.   Their fun is ended with the soldiers led by Captain Harrison Love (Matt Letscher).  The actor played Eobad Thawne in The Flash tv series.  His Captain Love is ruthless and a counterpart to Don Rafael.  He shoots Jack with his rifle and the brothers run into the brush.  Alejandro loses his brother, the locket falls to the ground, it is the connection to the young brothers.  Captain Love greets a mysterious passenger come to shore.  The cloaked figure reveals himself as Don Rafael.  He has returned to search a prison for Zorro.  Diego is older, bearded, and wears a blindfold.  The prisoners all claim they are Zorro.  Diego is able to free himself.  Don Rafael meets with Captain Love thinking Zorro is dead.  The next morning, Don Luiz announces the return of Governor Rafael to fanfare.  The citizens are gathered there, Rafael makes a speech, and instead it turns to a cheer for Zorro.

Diego moves through the crowd toward his nemesis.  Rafael promises to make everyone Californians.  Diego draws his knife and then is stopped by the appearance of Elena played by Catherine Zeta-Jones.  This is her breakout role and she also played Velma Kelly in the musical Chicago (2002).  Elena is the link between all of the characters, she is headstrong, and also proves herself as a daughter of Don Diego de la Vega.  A later duel between Elena and Zorro makes fencing sexy.  Alejandro is drunk at a cantina and is about to charge after Captain Love, but Diego knocks him down to offer to train him.  Alejandro takes the part of Don Alejandro del Castillo y Garcia with Diego as his servant Bernardo.  The training is awkward at first, but Alejandro is a natural to fill Zorro’s boots, they ultimately have to face Captain Love and Don Rafael with his plans to take over California.  Also Zorro is finally played by a Latin actor.  The Mask of Zorro is a perfect blend of action and comedy with a touch of history and the classic swashbuckling of the character!   

Five Marks of Zorro out of Five! 

#TheMarkofZorro, #MartinCampbell, #AntonioBanderas, #AnthonyHopkins, #CatherineZetaJones

Happy Birthday Robin Wright!

Happy Birthday Robin Wright!  Of course we know her as Princess Buttercup in Princess Bride (1987), but Wright started on the soap opera Santa Barbara.  Her first film role was actually in Penelope Spheeris’ Hollywood Vice Squad (1986).  She was Jenny in Forrest Gump (1994).  Wright also played Audrey Dunn in Unbreakable (2000).  She provided the voice of Walthow in the animated Beowulf (2007).  She was in the drama Moneball (2011) and also the thriller adaptation of The Girl with the Dragon Tatoo (2011).  

Wright begun her award winning run on House of Cards as Claire Underwood in 2013.  She won the Golden Globe for Best Actress in 2013.  Wright had an incredible year in 2017, as General Antiope in Wonder Woman, and played Lieutenant Joshi in Blade Runner 2049, two of my favorite movies!  Then, she returned as Antiope in Justice League.  There is the comparison of another character turned princess to general. She’s now taking the lead role in House of Cards becoming President of the United States.  Wright has upcoming Wonder Woman 1984.  Happy Birthday Robin Wright!

#RobinWright, #PrincessBride, #HouseofCards, #WonderWoman1984

Star Wars: Clone Wars, “On the Wings of Keeradaks”, Review!

This is the third part of the arc featuring the Bad Batch.  We have the moral, “Survival is one step on the path to living”, which is not too insightful, but yes, it is the basic that keeps us alive.  There is the newsreel introduction bringing us up to speed.  Side note: Wat Tambor and the Techno-Union is acting neutral in the war?  He was spotted on Geonosis by Obi-Wan Kenobi and their ships were seen leaving during the first battle of the Clone Wars.  This close association with the Confederacy would break neutrality.  They are surrounded by D-wing air support droids.  Anakin has Hunter hold them off while he checks on Echo.  Tech is working on disconnecting Echo’s “cerebral interface.”  Rex says Echo is too weak since he has been freed by the algorithim chamber.  

STAR WARS: CLONE WARS -- “On The Wings of Keeradaks” -- Disney/Lucasfilm.

The Bad Batch retreats to the room and closes the outer door.  A droid tries to wedge its head in the door and Wrecker rips it off.  Hunter and Crosshair begin to seal the door as Wat Tambor and his Skakoans approach.  Crosshair uses his optics to detect them.  Wat Tambor calls in the Decimator, a powerful orb with a red eye that can cut through the door.  The troopers close the last door and begin sealing it.  Tech has finished shutting down the interface and Rex begins to detach the cables clamped on Echo’s head and spine like a steampunk Matrix.  Echo notes that they can escape up an exhaust vent.  The Decimiator moves to the second door.  Echo opens the hatch on the vent.  Wrecker tosses up Crosshair so he can splay out arms and legs to brace himself in the vent.  Anakin uses his Force Jump to reach the vent.  Wrecker sets charges around the room when the Decimator begins firing electical bolts.  Anakin uses the Force to draw up Wrecker.  Wat Tambor checks on the hole through the doors and sees the explosives that knock him down.  I think the Decimator’s bolts would set them off. 

The group is making their way through ventilator corridors which is explained as a way to cool the computers.  Echo has find a way for them to escape, a thick pipe that leads across the winds to another part of the base.  Anakin could have used his Force run to go across and then use the Force to steady any trooper.  Instead, he balances his way across with the others following him and Wrecker unsteady at the end.  Anakin sees the droids and ignites his lightsaber.  The others see more droids on the other side!  Wrecker falls in the battle and is caught by Crosshair.  Tech notes that he recorded the sounds of the creatures, the flying Keeradaks. He plays the screeching sound of the keeradaks which makes everyone cover their ears.  Tech tells them to jump on them and Anakin leads the way.  The D-Wing air support droids deploy glider wings and follow them!  They land at the village of the native Poletecs and the leader is angry at the breaking of their word.  

STAR WARS: CLONE WARS -- “On The Wings of Keeradaks” -- Disney/Lucasfilm.

Suddenly, they see the blaster bolts of the air support droids.  The Poletecs didn’t want war, but Rex shows them what the Techno-Union has done to Echo.  Wat Tambor wants his “experiment” and sends more air support droids and two Ocuptarra tri-droids, these are massive droids with three mechanical legs, a globe head and cannons.  They were first seen in Revenge of the Sith (2005) and appeared in The Clone Wars (2008) film during the Battle of Christophsis.  The droids land in an empty village.  Anakin on a ledge calls for the same tactic that Wrecker used last episode.  Strangely, the Poletecs are in the front line attacking the droids with the Bad Batch following them in!   Tech sets off charges that electify the droids, but doesn’t use it on the Ocuptarra tri-droids that are blasting their troops with the cannons.  If they can defend the village, they can change the fate of Skako Minor!  Still, there is a hint that things are not what they seem!  It seems like this would be a three episode arc, there was four episodes, but that was uncovering the mystery of Geonosis in Clone Wars!  

Four Lightsabers out of Five!   

#StarWarsCloneWars, #OnTheWingsofKeeradaks, #WatTambor, #TheDecimator