Hawkeye, “Never Meet Your Heroes”, Review!

The Hawkeye series begins with a pan of a New York street in 2012, inside a green roofed penthouse, a ten year old girl, Kate Bishop (Clara Stack) listens through a grate at her parents, Eleanor (Vera Farmiga) and Derek (Brian d’Arcy James), arguing.  Farmiga has a long running part as Lorraine Warren including this year's The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It.  Eleanor Bishop was a part of the comic series starting with Hawkeye #7 (2017).  She is on her tip toes trying to listen and spills a toy so her parents know she is listening to them. Derek walks over knocking on young Kate’s door and sees she’s pretending to sleep.  They have a conversation and then Kate has lunch with her mother. 

Eleanor sends her to get checkers from her room.  She sees something pass in her window and then there is an explosion, the Battle of New York, in Avengers!  Kate calls out for her parents, walks down the stairs to the next floor, an explosion tears a hole in the penthouse and reveals Avengers Tower!  I like the perspective of an innocent in the battle.  A Chitauri sled heads for her, but an arrow destroys it.  Across the way, she sees Hawkeye on the rooftop loosing arrows and off the rooftop using his grappel arrow to escape.  Eleanor checks on Kate. She takes her daughter away as she shouts for her father.  Fade to black. 

We see then a funeral, a photo of Derek, and the family console each other.  Kate is worried if “they”, the Chitauri would come back.  Of course, we have seen the civilian costs to Avengers battles with the death of Zemo’s family leading to Captain America: Civil War and also the woman, Miriam Sharpe who lost her son in the Battle of Sokovia in Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015).  Eleanor says because the heroes, the Avengers, would be there.  Kate resolves to protect them and wants a bow and arrow.  

The opening logos uses the designs from the comic book covers by artist David Aja.  This sequence shows Kate’s archery training, then, mastering fencing and martial arts winning countless trophies for all of them.  In the present day, it is snowing, while a woman in darkness with a bow, the older Kate Bishop (Hailee Steinfeld) tries to lockpick open a door.  Steinfeld is of course known for voicing Gwen Stacy in Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse (2018).  Kate Bishop first appeared in Young Avengers #1 (2005).  Kate in her purple and black outfit decides to climb the house.  She reaches a balcony takes off a duffel bag and gets a call from Greer (Nichele Lambert) who says she might be kicked off the archery team.  There is a Greer Grant who becomes the Avenger Tigra, too on the mark?  The captions says she is Jane.   

Greer is on the ground floor with another friend (Regina Bryant).  Kate is doing this as a part of a bet and works out targeting the bell tower.  She looses an arrow with a tennis ball that pongs off the bell.  Then, Kate attaches a clip to the tennis ball arrow, she looses it and the trick arrow catches on the bell string causing the bell to toll.  Then, there the bell starts breaking the tower and falling!  I’m not certain how a tolling bell can cause destruction, bad safety checks, Kate should be applauded for finding a dangerous flaw.  A guard catches Kate with his flashlight as her friends run.  

We get a pan across New York Harbor on this wintry night with some cheery Christmas music.  Then, we pan down to see the billboard of Rogers The Musical, probably everyone’s favorite moment from the trailers!  Rogers sounds too generic, how about Cap The Musical?  Citizens are singing, the lead seems to be Adam Pascal from Rent, yup confirmed in the credits.  In the unmoved audience is Clint Barton (Jeremy Renner).  The actor is of course known for the Avengers films, he currently is in the Paramount+ series Mayor of Kingstown.  A cutout of Loki on the Chitauri sled passes by, low budget effects for a Broadway musical.  The Avengers actors are on the upper balcony, not really uniforms, but shirts and jackets. Yes, it is a parody of a musical, but considering that we have a dramatic consequence of the battle, this is in poor taste.  

Hulk is just painted green with green hoodie.  There’s also some guy a black and red shirt and sunglasses, who is he?  It moves to the stage with the Black Widow and others including Loki dancing. The music cuts out.  Clint’s daughter, Lila (Ava Russo), tries to talk to him, but he is zoned out.  The actress and the kids are the same as in Avengers: Endgame (2019).  Clint has his hearing aid on to block out the sound and points out the unusual guy who is supposed to be Ant-Man.  Clint leaves as we get the Captain America actor singing the musical’s chorus, “I can do this all day.”  He goes to the urinal and next to him, a fan asks for a selfie.  

Clint goes out to the rest on the curb, Lila checks on her father, noting that he misses Natasha.  His younger son, Nathaniel (Cade Woodward), and older son, Cooper (Ben Sakamoto), joins them and they walk away.   At Grand Central Terminal, Kate is talking to her mother, Eleanor wants her to stop by and see Jack.  She enters the penthouse with her purple sweater and her mother is not happy about the ruined bell tower.  Eleanor has her daughter agree to wear the red dress to the charity event.  Kate shows her another medal for martial arts.  Also there is Jack Duquesne (Tony Dalton), his character, Swordsman, was introduced in Avengers #19 (1965).  Dalton is currently in the drama series, Better Call Saul as Lalo Salamanca.    

   

At a Chinese restaurant, the Barton family is having an elaborate meal.  On the phone, is Laura Barton (Linda Cardellini), still at home.  Cardellini reprises the part and last starred in Avengers: Endgame.  Clint notes that it is six days until Christmas.  He asks them all what they want to do and has the family hold hands together.  The waiter comps Clint the dinner for saving the city.  Everyone thanks the waiter.  At the charity event, Armand Duquesne (Simon Callow) recognizes her, and brings up the wedding.  Callow stars in the fantasy series, The Witcher.  He leaves and Kate brings up the engagement with her mother.  

Kate goes outside and sees a dog with one eye, later called Lucky, he shows up in Hawkeye #1 (2012).  Lucky later gets his other name, Pizza Dog, when Kate gives him a slice.   She goes in to see Armand confronting Eleanor.  Kate later questions her mother and then follows Armand to the wine cellar.  Jacques joins his father and an auction goes on for millions of dollars.  Kate has to slip away from the supervisor and hears in a backroom some mysterious types.  The next auction item is a retractable sword used by the Ronin found at the Avengers Compound.  The two men leave the back room.  The sword is sold to Armand.  Next up is the Ronin suit, but then an explosion tears apart a wall.  

In the chaos, Jacques picks up the sword, a case has the Ronin suit found by Kate.  The robbers, called the Tracksuit Mafia in the 2012 issue of the comic book, are looking for a watch.  Armand and Jack are held up by a robber with a machine gun.  He is struck down by Ronin, Kate in the suit, she sends them away when there is gunfire.  Eleanor walks out to the street trying to contact Kate on her phone.  Kate picks up a wine bottle and She takes on the Tracksuit Mafia, effective, but not polished in her fighting skills.  It’s kinda obvious from her sounds and also her size during the fights that she is female, but the Tracksuit Mafia think it is the Ronin whom they somehow know.  Jack catches up to Eleanor.  Kate escapes out of the hole in the wall.  

Outside, one man is tossing duffel bags into the back of a truck, he finds the watch from Avengers Compound.  Still, Lucky viciously bites his leg!  Kate knocks out the robber and then chases after Lucky in the busy street.  She does a gymnastic roll and bounces off a taxi window to save the dog.  One of the Tracksuit Mafia takes off his facemask, Kazi (Fra Fee).  His first appears in Hawkeye #8 (2013).  The gang heads off as police sirens blare.  The Barton family return to their hotel room when the television news covers the re-appearance of the Ronin.  Clint flashes back to the days when he killed as the Ronin in Avengers: Endgame.  Unfinished business brings Clint into the picture with Kate, Jack, and the Tracksuit Mafia.  Hawkeye has a start that is grounded, but with some fine action, the consequences of Clint becoming the Ronin has to be resolved!     

Four Trick Arrows out of Five! 

     

#Hawkeye, #NeverMeetYourHeroes, #JeremyRenner, #HaileeSteinfeld, #VeraFamiga, #TonyDalton, #ClaraStack

tick… tick… BOOM! Review!

tick… tick… BOOM! puts the bright spotlight on the creative struggles, in this case, the life of playwright composer Jonathan Larson (Andrew Garfield) to produce a theatrical work!  The original semi-autobiographical musical was performed by Larson in 1990.  It featured a composer named Jon trying to make it in New York City.  In 1996, playwright David Auburn turned into a three character play that made it to Off-Broadway in 2001.  Larson continued working and eventually wrote the lyrics, music, and book for Rent.  It won the Tony Awards for Best Musical, Best Book, Original Score, and featured actor, Wilson Jermaine Heredia.  Rent also won the Pulitzer Prize for drama and was made to a film in 2005.  Lin-Manual Miranda performed as Jon in 2014.  This is Miranda’s first feature film as a director.  It is an interesting year for Miranda, his first musical, In the Heights was released on June 10th.  The film opened in theaters on November 12th and streamed on Netflix on November 19th. 

Miranda's songs are in the upcoming Disney animated film, Encanto, on November 24th.  The screenplay adaptation is by Steven Levenson who also has a good year with his 2017 musical, Dear Evan Hansen, released in theaters on September 24th. He also wrote the screenplay of that movie.  An supporter of Larson was Stephen Sondheim, he appears in this movie, whose musical, West Side Story (1957) was his professional debut, Miranda helped Sondheim translate the musical to Spanish for a 2009 production of the musical.  A 1961 film adapted the musical and also this year we will have the Steven Spielberg directed adaptation to open in theaters on December 10th.  We hear clapping as there is video camera footage of a smiling Jonathan Larson (Garfield) walk on stage.  Garfield was also in the biographical drama, The Eyes of Tammy Faye, this year. In interviews, Garfield said he trained a year and a half on his vocals, he is captures the songs and sometimes I lose the actor and only see Jonathan Larson.  The film shifts to the musical performance to Jonathan's life and weaves in flashbacks.   

Jon says he is “a musical theater writer, the last of his species.”  He confesses that he has been hearing a sound like ticking.  Then, we get Jon bringing in a dinner tray to Susan (Alexandra Shipp) on their anniversary.  In 2014, Shipp starred and sang in the TV movie, Aaliyah: The Princess of R&B.  A female narrator explains this is before the fame of Rent.  We find out narrator is Susan who is part of the narrative.  The footage focuses on his sister, Julie, executive producer for the movie.  Jon is at the piano and says that it is January 26, 1990.  The camera focuses on that date on a calendar which is marked “Susan’s show.”  He notes everything he owns including his “dystopian rock musical”, Superbia.  It was rejected by everybody and then he gives his end date of turning 30 in a week.  He starts into his first song, “30/90”, joined by the band, and singer Roger (Joshua Henry).  The actor was in the vocal ensemble for the In the Heights movie.  This shifts to the Moondance Diner where we get Jon’s longtime friend Michael (Robin de Jesús) who has brought copies he made of the play.  de Jesús is a theatrical actor known for playing Sonny in the production of In the Heights.  His character seems to be split into the corporate Benny and roommate Roger in Rent, but Michael is also the voice of reason trying to advise his friend.

Jonathan wants the waitress Carolyn (Michaela Jaé Rodriguez) to the Superbia workshop.  She played Angel in a Off Broadway production of Rent in 2011.  The other worker in Freddy (Ben Ross) who was in the 2018 tour of Dear Evan Hansen.  Michael asks him, “Are you being led by fear or love?”  This is an important part of this film and finds itself into Rent.  It switches from the stage to Michael’s apartment singing and dancing with his former roommate Michael, a very energetic number.  Then, we get a library where Susan is amazed Jonathan gave his notice to the diner.  He tells her Rosa, his agent, invited an influential group to the workshop.  Jonthan continues the song with the library patrons joining in, this feels like the barrier broken like In the Heights.  He dives into a pool, another important image for the movie, and then we get Karessa (Vanessa Hudgens) joining the duo on stage.  Hudgens played Maureen Johnson in the television production of Rent: Live (2019).  The song finishes and Jon moves the narrative to Friday with an introduction of Michael.  He notes that Michael was the lead in every play, he gets rejected at auditions, and then finds an advertising agency job. 

At the apartment, Michael reminds Jonathan of the rent notice, and getting a new roommate.  Jonathan writes in his notebook which we see on screen, “Fear or Love?”  Then, he introduces Susan who we see dancing in a company in white sweats.  Jon explains that she was studying biology, turned to modern dance, but needs to join a company.  Susan injured her knee and once she recovered, lost her drive.  There is perils for creative artists and also the promises from Jonathan's talent.  We see Jonathan in the audience and hear the ticking.  This goes to the party, later Freddy notes he has a job on an Arctic cruise, Jonathan asks him about his T-cell count.  This is another important story thread, the AIDS crisis in the 90’s, in the film.  The party slows down and Jonathan bursts into a lively number, “Boho Days” echoing the later “La Vie Boheme” in Rent.  At the end of the party, Susan is on the roof when Jonathan joins her, she says that she is looking at a teaching job at a dance school.  It is at the Berkshires in western Massachusetts.  This is her conflict in trying to see if Jonathan wants her to stay or take the job and move away.  

Jonathan is freezing so Susan gives him her coat revealing her green dress.  He is so taken by her that they are kissing in the bedroom.  She says that she got the job at the Berkshires and it is permanent.  Later, Jonathan tells Michael the situation in a car, he suggests Jonathan should have Susan move into the apartment. He also mentions that there is a focus group at his ad company and wants Jonathan to write jingles there.  Michael shows Jonathan his luxury apartment at Ivory Towers.  The fantasy of living a comfortable life is in the song, Jonathan meets with Ira Weitzman (Jonathan Marc Sherman), who has agreed to put on Superbia for Playwrights Horizons, but needs a song in the second act.  Jonathan shifts back to a workshop where they had visiting guests including Stephen Sondheim (Bradley Whitford).  The actor is in the drama series, The Handmaid's Tale.  Sondheim has praise, but later also brings up the missing song.  Larsson’s brilliance is shown in these ordinary moments that features the “Sunday” number that has a host of Broadway legends.   Recommended for anyone interested in the struggles of a creative artist.  It’s a complicated, dramatic, and fun life for a talented artist, in this case Jonathan Larsson, in New York, the story of tick… tick… Boom!   

Five+ Green Dresses out of Five!  

#ticktickBOOM, #LinManuelMiranda, #AndrewGarfield, #AlexandraShipp, #RobindeJesus, #VanessaHudgens, #JoshuaHenry, #MichaelaJaeRodriguez, #BradleyWhitford 

The Wheel of Time, “Leavetaking”, Review!

Wheel of Time turns out to be cinema scaled fantasy, evenly paced, with a good cast and fantastic visuals! The fantasy series debuted on Amazon Prime on November 19th. The Wheel of Time novel series started with The Eye of the World (1990) by Robert Jordan. The series begins in darkness, we hear the voice of Moraine Damodred (Rosamund Pike), speaks about the broken world. Pike was in the drama, Gone Girl (2014). She explains that men in the ancient past tried to “cage darkness itself.” Moiraine slips on her shirt, gloves, and her Great Serpent ring, symbol of her status as the Accepted in the Aes Sedai.  

Then, she says that the Aes Sedai women helped to restore the world. The Breaking of the World, Moiraine explains, was caused by a man, known as The Dragon. Moiraine walks the halls of the White Tower and notes that the Dragon has been reborn and he has reached the right age. She walks with Lan Mandrogan (Daniel Henney) to the waiting horses to search for the Dragon Reborn.  Henney was in the action movie, The Last Stand (2013). The beginning is a very shortened version of the Wheel of Time cycle. The novel has the prologue at Dragonmount, the final days of The Dragon are seen in the "The Dragon Reborn" feature on Amazon Prime, before shifting to Edmond's Field.  

We move from mountains to a wheat field. Two tribal men are running chased by women in red robes on horseback! These are the Red Ajah, Aes Sedai responsible for bringing channeling men to the White Tower to be “gentled.” The male half of the One Power is corrupted. A blond woman, Liandrin (Kate Fleetwood), shouts at them to stop. They continue towards a crack in the canyon, they reach out with their powers and the rocks fall sealing off their escape. Aes Sedai usually channel the One Power through Ter’angreal, objects of power, but it seems through the Great Serpent rings here. The women have brought their horses before the man.  

The young man, exhausted by the rock slide, pleads for the other’s life. Liandrin says he is alone.  She whispers that he is already turning mad. Liandrin dismounts and walks towards him. She mentions that this man is tapping into the One Power, it corrupts men trying to channel, but not women. Liandrin calls on all of her sisters to use their power and the man screams in pain. His agony is echoed to Moiraine and Lan watching above the canyon floor on horseback. She tells Lan that this man isn’t the Dragon and he replies that the prophecy said he was born twenty years ago.  Note that no names are said at this point. He helps Moiraine onto her horse and she says they are headed to Two Rivers. 

We see the Two Rivers, thick with greenery and rocky spires like towers. A very epic vista. On a grassy field below mountains, a group of village women walk towards a cliff overhanging a river.  Nynaeve al’Mera (Zoë Robins), is the Wisdom presiding over a Women’s Circle ceremony braiding the hair of Egwene al’Vere (Madeleine Madden). Robins was in the horror movie, Black Christmas (2019). Madden was in Dora and the Lost City of Gold (2019). It is a ceremony to join the Women’s Circle. Nynaeve tells Egwene to be strong as they stand over a river. She throws Egwene into the river.  

Egwene screams and tries to survive the rapids. This is a blur of bubbles underwater and an overhead shot of Egwene pulled down the river. Beautiful cinematography by David Moxness.  Egwene then relaxes and closes her eyes to drift out of the rapids. She climbs to the rocky shore in her soaked blue dress and tries to catch her breath. Then, we get two travelers, Tam al’Thor (Michael McElhatton) tells his son, Rand al’Thor (Josha Stradowski) that he had carried wool to town before the road. Stradowski is a Dutch actor known for independent productions. They are leading a wagon with a horse. This is the beginning of the novel, but I do like Egwene’s introduction. Rand hears rocks tumbling, draws his bow, and hears wolves howling in the distance. 

Then, we get the village of Emond’s Field, this is not identified in the show and website. Tam brings in a casket of apple brandy to the tavern, the Winespring Inn. Mat Cauthon (Barney Harris), bearded and foolish, is presiding over a game of dice with his fellow villagers, but loses. Harris is also known for the drama, Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk (2016). Rand’s other friend, Perrin Ayabara (Marcus Rutherford) tells him about soldiers gathering for a war. Rutherford was in the dramatic movie, County Lines (2019). Perrin is a massive blacksmith, but quiet.  

Mat notes that Perrin is married, this is new, and that Rand is falling for Egwene. The villagers start clapping for the entrance of Egwene. The village women bring Egwene over to celebrate with drinks. Later, the night sky flashes with lightning over Emond’s Field. The tavern door opens, a cloaked stranger, it’s Lan, enters as everyone is silent. Nynaeve confronts him with her dagger at her side. He introduces himself and then Moiraine. The Aes Sedai passes the Wisdom and asks for stables and some rooms. The tavern keeper, Marin al’Vere (Lolita Chakrabarti), recognizes Moiraine Sedai and leads her to the rooms. 

Nynaeve tells Perrin to check on his wife, Laila, at the forge. Laila (Helena Westerman) is stoking the forge’s flames when Perrin checks on her. Perrin is never seen at the forge, it looks like Laila does all the work while Perrin is with his friends. The parents of Rand and Egwene start to clean up the tavern. They leave Egwene and Rand who end up kissing. Moiraine is in a large tub when Lan joins her. Lan thinks that one of the villagers could be the Dragon. In the rainy night, another rider appears, his cloaked and his mask only has lips! Morning, a merchant in a wagon, Padan Fain (Johann Myers), arrives for the festival.  

Moiraine walks with Lan saying he senses that the Eyeless has been to the village. They are also known as Myrddraal or Fades, leaders of the Dark One’s armies. Think Ringwraiths. The Festival of Bel Tine has people with pyramid lanterns sent down the river in tribute to loved ones. The later festivities are interrupted by a savage attack on the village by Trollocs, bestial, Minotaur-like creatures. Nynaeve tries to heal wounded villagers, but is taken away by the Trollocs. Attacked in his house, Tam reveals a heron-marked sword, but is struck down. Moiraine and Lan try to defend the village, but have to take the four villagers; Rand, Egwene, Mat, and Perrin on a journey to the White Tower! Wheel of Time brilliantly realizes the Robert Jordan constructed world, has its young heroes thrown into a quest, a promising start for an epic fantasy!   

Five Ter’angreal out of Five!  

#WheelOfTime, #RosamundPike, #DanielHenney, #JoshaStradowski, #MadeleineMadden, #ZoeRobins, #BarneyHarris, #MarcusRutherford 

Happy Birthday Ming-Na Wen!

Happy Birthday Ming-Na Wen!  One of first parts was on Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood providing the fanfare for King Friday XIII.  Next she was Lien Hughes on the soap opera, As the World Turns (1988-1991).  A defining role was a June Woo in the adaptation of Amy Tan’s novel, The Joy Luck Club (1993), as part of a mostly Asian cast.  Next, she was in two Vanishing Son movies in 1994, it led to an action series that starred Russell Wong as one of the first series featuring an Asian lead.  She also appeared in “Redesigning Women” (1994) episode of All-American Girl that had Margaret Cho in the lead of the too-short lived comedy series.  It is the first series that had an Asian family which we had to wait 21 years before another one was on television.  Fan favorite character, Chun-Li, was played by Wen in Street Fighter (1994).  Then, she starred as Trudy in The Single Guy (1995-1997).  Wen was in the hospital drama, ER (1995-2004) playing Dr. Jing-Mei Chen.  Ming-Na Wen was also groundbreaking in voicing the lead character in the animated movie, Mulan (1998). She entered comic book territory voicing Jade in the Spawn (1998-1999) animated series.  Another game based film, the animated Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within (2001), voicing Doctor Aki Ross.   

Ming-Na Wen returned to voice the direct to video Mulan II (2004).  Next, Wen voiced Detective Ellen Yin in The Batman (2004-2005) cartoon series.  She had appeared in 2007 episodes of the comedy Two and a Half Men.  She voiced Dr. Hirano in the animated short series, Phineas and Ferb (2008-2014).  Wen had another genre show with her role as Camile Wray in Stargate Universe (2009-2011).  Senator Michaela Wen was played by Wen in the sci fi series Eureka (2011-2012).  A long running and iconic part was Wen playing Agent Melinda May, The Cavalry, in Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (2013-2020).  Wen returned to voice Mulan in “Princess to the Rescue!” (2014) episode of Sofia the First.  She also appeared in episodes of Fresh Off the Boat in 2017, 2018, and 2019. She voiced Phyla-Vell in the Guardians of the Galaxy (2018) animated series.  Mulan returned with other princesses voiced by Ming Na Wen in Ralph Breaks the Internet (2018).  The next iconic role was the bounty hunter, Fennec Shand, in The Mandalorian (2019-2020).  One of the highlights of the live action Mulan (2020) movie was Wen’s cameo as the Esteemed Guest.  She voiced Fennec in two 2021 episodes of Star Wars: The Bad Batch.  Upcoming, December 29th, is the debut of The Book of Boba Fett with Wen back as Fennec Shand. Happy Birthday Ming-Na Wen!  

#MingNaWen, #JoyLuckClub, #Mulan, #StargateUniverse, #AgentsOfSHIELD, #TheMandalorian, #TheBookOfBobaFett    

Ghostbusters: Afterlife Review!

Ghostbusters: Afterlife injects some new life into the horror/comedy franchise!  The first 1984 film introduced the paranormal quartest.  It is referred to as a New York supernatural event in 1984.  Then, we had the sequel, Ghostbusters II (1989), but this isn’t mentioned in the movie.  There was a Real Ghostbusters cartoon series that went from 1986 and ran for five years.  Then, Extreme Ghostbusters (1992).  Afterwards, the ghosts were at rest.  In 2016, the reboot had the female Ghostbusters.  Now, there is a follow up to the original, basically ignoring everything from that time.  Jason Reitman directs and co-wrote the film.  Reitman, son of the original director, Ivan Reitman, directed the political drama, The Front Runner (2018), and also Juno (2007). Gil Kenan, the director of the reboot Poltergeist (2015) is the film’s other writer.  We get the haunting music of the Elmer Bernstein score and then we get a figure with white hair running from the Shandor Mining Company in Summerville, Oklahoma.  

He runs past the Spinners diner and towards a farmhouse.  The mysterious man holds up a ghost trap (a black metal box with a black and yellow safety strip) and has a foot pedal by a porch post.  It activates three mini-silo equipment and the spirit creature pauses as the energy fails.  The creature disappears and the man has a PKE meter (used to detect ectoplasmic entities) and enters the house.  He rests in a chair and the supernatural creature shows up behind him with a vicious bear-like head.  It swallows the man and the PKE meter falls under a chair.  At a house, Callie (Carrie Coon) is trying to cut the hair of her son, Trevor (Finn Wolfhard).  The actor is of course known for playing Mike Wheeler in Stranger Things and was also in It Chapter Two (2019).  Coon provided the voice of Proxima Midnight in Avengers: Endgame (2019).  His sister, Phoebe (Mckenna Grace) is working on some tech.  Grace was in this year’s horror movie, Malignant, and I recall her in the drama, gifted (2017).  

Phoebe is the main character of this film, searching for the family she hasn’t known, intelligent, but kind of awkward socially.  Her awkwardness is really in the Sheldon mode, calm, and telling jokes that others can’t understand.  The landlord evicts the family and they have to move to Summerfield.  They drive to Spinners diner, there are rollerskating waitresses, Trevor takes intrest with a waitress, Lucky (Celeste O’Connor).  The actress was in the horror comedy Freaky (2020).  He walks into the diner to ask about a job attempting to flirt with Lucky, but he gets the job.  The locals like to call the grandfather, a dirt farmer.  Callie has her daughter break into the farmhouse, funny!, and find that it is dusty and abandoned.  I do like the books stacked in a tall pile formation from the first film.  A visitor, Janine Melnitz (Annie Potts) explains that she tries to maintain the house, but it has piled on debt.  Janine is a returning character from the Ghostbusters movies.  The characters and references are sprinkled throughout the film.  A tremor has the family take cover under a table. Phoebe notices the PKE meter under the chair.   

Trevor checks out the barn and is about to uncover a vehicle.  Lucky takes Trevor to hang out with friends at a mountain.  They talk about the town on a mine shaft elevator, there is another tremor, so they leap off and a burning entity roars from below!  The next day, Callie drives her family, first Trevor is dropped off at his job at the diner, then Phoebe is taken to Summerland Middle School.  Callie is about to check on her at the school entrance and runs into Mr. Grooberson (Paul Rudd), a summer school science teacher.  A middle school science teacher?  Like Mr. Clarke in Stranger Things?  Rudd plays the everyman perfectly and is of course Ant-Man in the upcoming Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania.  At science class, he plays a VHS tape of Cujo (1983) while Phoebe is met by a young boy (Logan Kim) trying to interview her.  This is Kim’s movie debut and his character provides much of the laughs.  He reminds me quite a bit like Brian Tyree Henry’s podcaster mixed with Julian Dennison’s school ally of Millie Bobby Brown’s Madison in Godzilla vs. Kong.  He says his name is Podcast. Phoebe finds the wooden panels on the floor are like a puzzle box and pulls out a ghost trap, what exactly powers this device after thirty-seven years?  

Phoebe brings the ghost trap to school and this interests Mr. Grooberson who is a fan of the New York Ghostbusters.  In the school parking lot, they test out the ghost trap, unleashing a ghost.  She uses the PKE meter to follow an ectoplasmic source to a barn.  There is a firehouse pole and she slides down it to find a room of computers and devices!  She finds the ghost trap, a closet full of Ghostbuster uniforms, and also starts working on a proton pack, the Ghostbusters weapon to hold ghosts, but causes destruction. Phoebe has nudges of assistance from a ghost.  Trevor has revealed the ECTO-1, the modified hearse used by the Ghostbusters, and starts to work on it.  Another day, Podcasts sets up bottle targets as Phoebe charges up the bulky proton pack.  We get good closeups of the proton pack that show it powering up which is new for the franchise.  She blasts the table and then they track the ghost, which leaves blue ectoplasm on bite marks.  Trevor has started ECTO-1 with ghostly help and drives through wheat fields.  Muncher is chased away by the proton pack so Phoebe and Podcast ride with Trevor to chase the ghost around town.  There is a gunner seat for the car and another modification, but no new tech to bust ghosts.  I saw one after credits scene and apparently there is another one.  Ghostbusters: Afterlife brings classic nods to the original, a new generation, with some humor and ghostly action!    

Four Proton Packs out of Five!  

                              

#GhostbustersAfterlife, #JasonReitman, #MckennaGrace, #FinnWolfhard, #CelesteOConnor, #CarrieCoon, #PaulRudd

Wonder Woman #781 Review!

Diana has returned to Earth and a normal life? after traveling the Afterworlds!  Wonder Woman #781 features a cover by Terry Dodson of hands holding a sword, Diana’s face is reflected in right hand gauntlet, clever, and the blade!  This is all against a dawning sky.   “Through A Glass Darkly Part One” features the writing team of Michael W. Conrad and Becky Cloonan.  Also, the issue features the art of Marcio Takara, one of the pencillers of DC Festival of Heroes #1 (2021) with the “Festival of Heroes” story that had Queen Nubia.  We pick up Diana’s story at Washington D.C. at Robbin’s Cafe, with Diana telling her Afterworlds adventures to Etta Candy. There is also a bit of change with Diana saying Etta’s middle name is Beth with the DC Rebirth name was Etta O. Candy.  The two friends joke around, but Etta is stunned at what she sees behind Diana.  I like that one of Wonder Woman's best and longtime friend is there, but I would like to see Mala, her best Amazon friend on Themyscira.  There has been so many complicated versions of this Amazon, but I would like to see her back.  

It is a television screen of Dr. Edgar Cizko interviewed about his new book, Wonder Woman’s long time villain, and also her nemesis in the Afterworlds!  Etta gets a phone call from Steve Trevor, Diana says she has been busy, and wants her to leave out their lunch meeting.  Wonder Woman flies over to the station, KLTV, and crushes the hood of Cizko’s car.  Doctor Psycho rolls down the car window so only his beady eyes are shown.  Wonder Woman asks him about his new book, The Delusion, another of Cizko’s plans?  She mentions his schemes in Asgard and has a threat for the bad doctor.  Doctor Psycho lowers the window to vent his rage for all men, nice reflection of Wonder Woman in the glass!  Their conversation is interrupted by a call for help.  Wonder Woman flies away and Cizko takes off in the car.  A crowd has gathered as a man stands at the edge of a building.  Wonder Woman offers him her hand, but he says humans have problems, his dialogue is surrounded in black.  

She realizes that the man is being controlled by Doctor Psycho, of course, he doesn’t want to be around Diana.  Cizko has the man leap backwards, but he is wrapped by the lasso. The Doctor Psycho possessed man smiles and threatens to make all of the construction workers jump!  Cizko tries to use misogyny as an excuse for his hatred of life.  Then, he releases control and the man sees the danger he is in.  Wonder Woman pulls him up.  Next, we get three days later at a New England home.  Diana knocks on the door and pale, tousled hair man who answers, is recognized as Deadman.  He has a slight look of Morpheus, the Sandman.  Deadman, Boston Brand, helped Diana on her Afterworlds adventures, and now possessed the man’s body.  Diana explains that she is trying to work out all of the emotions of her return.  Also, she has Gram, the sword that Siegfried gave to her, and Diana wants the sword back with her former ally.  Deadman takes hold of the blade.  Energy surges from it and then a closeup as Deadman’s eyes blaze with the energy! 

He has detected the remains of Siegfried.  Deadman has found a place tied to the sword and takes out a map of Scandanavia.  Diana smiles saying that she will take Gram there.  Deadman says he will join her to find the resting place of Siegfried.  Later, in Washington D.C. Steve is at the balcony of his home at sunset and wonders why Diana has not seen him yet.  He starts to drink when Wonder Woman in shadow appears with a strange voice.  This Wonder Woman grabs Steve’s throat and throws him down!  She looks like Wonder Woman, but has dazed eyes and a crazy smile.  Shadow Wonder Woman strikes Steve until he shoots her!  The bullet shatters her body, a construct.  Afterwords, Steve tries to call Diana’s phone.  Later we get a funny scene where Doctor Psycho knocks at a door, but the mysterious, red eyed man can not see the short man through the peephole.  The villain is part comical, but also parodies chauvinism plus there is danger with this intelligent and unstable man.  The blacksmith, he is bearded with the smith’s apron gives him the artifact, a guitar case(?) in exchange for money that the blacksmith later learns is not what it seems.  As Diana and Boston travel via airplane, the threat of Glass Wonder Women looms!  

The back-up story, “What Lies Beneath Part I”, by Vita Ayala and Skylar Patridge is part of “Road to Trial of the Amazons”, the next Wonder Woman event!  It starts in Quarac at the Fortress of the Bana-Mighdall.  The Bana-Mighdall Amazons first appeared in Wonder Woman #29 (1989).  Three women stand before the Bana-Mighdall queens, Queen Atalanta and Queen Faruka.  Atalanta was introduced in Wonder Woman #52 (2018) and Faruka was in the next issue, Wonder Woman #53 (2018).  The women vow to do anything to stop the evil of the world.  Queen Faruka tells them to fight to the death!  Artemis finds the women worthy and brings a display of weapons to present to the queens.  The character, a deadly warrior that had once taken the mantle of Wonder Woman, was introduced in Wonder Woman #90 (1994). Queen Faruka starts the contest and two women struggle to get the guns.  Another woman takes a staff.  The queens ask her why she chose that weapon.  She explains that she won’t kill a woman.  She may be accepted into the Amazon sisterhood, but there are more threats to confront!  Wonder Woman #781 offers two stories with promising beginnings!  

Four Lassos of Truth out of Five!  

#WonderWoman, #ThroughAGlassDarkly, MichaelWConrad, #BeckyCloonan, #MarcioTakara, #WhatLiesBeneath, #RoadToTrialOfTheAmazons, #VitaAyala, #SkylarPatridge 

Star Wars: The High Republic #10 Review!

The next storyline, “The Shadow of the Nihil” has begun and last issue ended with a final test for Storm (Keeve) Trennis and Jedi twin, Terec which is to kill Myraga the Hutt!  A Batman Begins (2005) Ra’s al Ghul situation!  The Jedi, Keeve and Terec, face the Nihil with their lightsabers in the Phil Noto cover.  Chapter Two of the storyline, “Out of Balance, Out of Time” is by Cavan Scott and Georges Jeanty.  We open with Storm surrounded by Nihil.  Keeve struggles with Marshall Avar Kriss to do what she can to fit in with the Nihil, but now she has to kill in cold blood a former ally?  Keeve notices that a container held by an alien, kinda like a rabid dog with white fur, reads Nagnol.  She closes her eyes and uses the Force to drop the container, and then in a two page splash has everyone tossed by a massive explosion!  A really good scene to put the Jedi in danger. 

On fire, the dog alien shouts for help from Zeetar who is in a powersuit, but instead he blasts the worker.  Keeve tries to explain about the Hutt and that he may have knowledge of the Jedi so Myraga to be spared unti they use his information.  On the Ataraxia moving through hyperspace, Avar asks Ceret about what he knows about the thoughts of his twin.  He says they are safe, but worried.  While this goes on, Sskeer, Keeve’s former master, tries to raise his lightsaber to his hand through the Force.  Avar wants the ship headed to the coordinates sent by Terec.  The conversaton brings up Myraga and the lightsaber falls. Dr. Ginole, through hologram, talks to Sskeer in private.  Sskeer wants his findings to be revealed and the doctor says they have found why Sskeer is losing the Force!  The group of Nihil are walking past the factory smelting pits.  There was a factory in Attack of the Clones (2002).  

Keeve whispers to Terec about the arrival of the Ataraxia.  She asks Zeetar about the preparations made by the Eye, the Nihil plans may be a threat to the galaxy?, and then if there is an opening for a tempest runner.  Instead, Zeetar leads them to a chamber, the surprise is Myraga is in a tank.  Zeetar says it is being filled with Nagnol gas that will kill the Hutt!  The Nihil worker finds the valve for the gas has been blocked, Keeve realizes that this was Terec using the Force!  The worker just continues the exectuion, electrifying the Hutt, it is gruesome with Myraga’s skeleton revealed as she screams!  Zeetar asks what the Hutt knows of the Jedi and the Hutt says they are fools.  The Jedi are already there, the jig is up!, Keeve and Terec activate their lightsabers.  As the saying goes, “It’s a trap!”  Almost a full page spread has the Jedi facing the Nihil! 

Their identities revealed, I think it would be important to free Myraga, the gas would endanger the Nihil, but the Jedi have Breath Control like Obi-Wan and Qui-Gonn in the gassed chamber in The Phantom Menace (1999)!  Keeve uses a Force push on the powersuit sending it back, but Zeetar activates a device that again shocks Myraga!  Terec severs a hand holding a blaster with his lightsaber, a Jedi move called a Cho mai, a nice touch for a battle! Keeve is struck in the back of her head by a Nihil.  Zeetar uses the powersuit’s extended arm to strike Terec!  They are interrupted by a Twi’lek wearing a deep sea-like helmet.  Zeetar notes that he is Lourna Dee, the Eye of the Nihil!  She is the leader of the Nihil Tempest group that was the object of Keeve’s mission.  Lourna takes off her helmet punches Terec and blasts Myraga!  The end for Myraga?  A fun character from the Drengir war.  Even worse, Lourna opens a box with deadly consequences for the Jedi!  What happened to Sskeer?, is it connected to his Drengir merge?  Star Wars: The High Republic #10 has some dangerous moments for the Jedi trapped by the Nihil!    

Four Lightsabers out of Five! 

#StarWarsTheHighRepublic, #OutofBalanceOutofTime, #Zeetar, #LournaDee, #Myraga