Re:tro Re:view - Secret Invasion, “Betrayed”!

“Promises” Re:cap - While Brogan is being interrogated by Falsworth, Gravik takes Gi’ah to retrieve him, Brogan tries to defy Falsworth and she has a syringe that will burn his blood! She injects it and Brogan screams in pain. This is an uncompromising woman who has all of the graces, but will do whatever needs to be done! Pagon joins Gravik. Falsworth asks about the location of Gravik’s base.  He reveals that Gravik is “building a machine” to “make them stronger.” Gravik and Pagon enter the butcher shop and begin killing the guards. Falsworth hears the shooting and kicks over Brogan’s chair. Gi’ah leaves the station wagon to check on something. 

Falsworth calmly escapes down a secret passage under the floor. Gi’ah reports in Russian at an alley. Gravik finishes off the last of the guards. Pagon brings out Brogan and Gravik asks what he revealed. He has says he only told lies. Gi’ah drives the group past police surrounding their safe house. At some dark woods, Pagon takes Brogan out to shoot him. The next day, Nick Fury goes to a building to drive out a jeep, he reaches the home of a Skrull woman, she then appears a black woman (Charlayne Woodard). The actress played the mother of Elijah Price (Jackson’s character) in Unbreakable (2000). He goes to get his wedding ring and kisses his wife! The same Skrull who introduced Fury to young Gravik! 

At Pagon’s office, an older man readies his gun, Beto, the new recruit is uncertain. Pagon says he joined for the same reason, “faith in the future”, which he says brings risk. He hands out Official Service Record folders with photos of military officers. Gravik enters the laboratory with the machine that has curved pillars. Four members of the council enter as Dr. Dalton and her assistants prepare the machine. He tells them that three operatives are going to the Royal Navy to attack a United Nations target. Oh, this is a James Bond villain-type plan like Stromberg in the The Spy Who Loves Me (1977). Gravik says that all of them will become Super Skrulls to stop any Earth heroes! I don’t know why the council made him general before approving of the operation and seeing the machine. 

The Skrulls infiltrate the Royal Navy base. Maybe understanding the Skrull threat there should be security measures past i.d. or iris scans. Next, we have a rainy night at “New York City, 1998.”  A young Nick Fury enters a diner as he is told by a woman if he is looking for someone. This is Varra, who we saw as Fury’s wife last episode!, he joins her table. The older Fury is cooking watching the Chris Stearns show, he was one of the council members that will become a Super Skrull. Varra asks why he returned and Fury says he retired. He has decided to spend his “retirement” for revenge. Fury asks if she is contacted by Gravik. Varra gets a phone call to which she says she doesn’t have the information. 

Gravik meets with Gi’ah at a room with broken boards. He says only a few knew the location of the safehouse. She says under torture, Brogan made a guess. Gi’ah adds that she is a good liar. Later in London, Gravik steps down from a lear jet with Gi’ah. She drives him as Gravik says that her father, Talos, called for a parley. He gets a call, the Pamela Lawton Skrull?, and says that the UN plane will be at the coordinates of Neptune, a nuclear sub is my guess. Gi’ah watches Gravik walk to his meeting and texts the information.  At the National Portrait Gallery, Gravik looks at the painting when Talos joins him. He points out Statesmen of World War I (1930), by Sir James Guthrie, to point out the smug statesmen and the soldiers who do the fighting. Talos is low key, sad, and Gravik is blustery, ready to kill. 

At the cafeteria, Talos asks if Gravik wants an honor meeting, he says Gi’ah is in the car. Also, that he should be grateful that Gravik didn’t kill her. Talos reaches out and sees that everyone in the cafeteria are men with Gravik’s face. Gravik says that humans only know murder. Talos says he doesn’t know anything about humans and tells him that humans are at the “most formidable when threatened”! He says that he will reveal the Skrulls. Really how honorable, how much of a warrior is Gravik if he is attacking while hiding. Gravik taunts Talos saying Gi’ah is with him. Talos stabs Gravik’s hand and takes hold of his throat! Yeah, he was a general, but Talos is ready to fight! He warns Gravik not to say his daughter’s name. 

Gravik pulls his hand from the knife and his hand is healed. Talos leaves, stumbles into an older man who picks up a cell phone to give to him, then Gravik is walking behind the same man. A van stops in front of him and then he sees Gi’ah by the car. At a pub, Talos is eating a breakfast when Fury walks in, he is still wounded from their last conversation. Fury says he has found a “rebel Skrull” highly placed in the U.S. government. Talos wants him to  be more on the same level instead of just assuming he will work with Fury. He tells Fury about Gi’ah intel and Fury calls Falsworth. She wants him to apologize for the bug on her owl statue, Fury has just been tossing aside colleagues on his mission. She attaches an eye patch on the statue!  He mentions the submarine and Falsworth says her work at the butcher’s shop was compromised! 

Fury just wants the name of the sub’s captain. Falsworth says his name is Commodore Robert Fairbanks. She also sends him his location and photo. Fairbanks is at Portsmouth, the headquarters of Naval Command. On the way, Talos sees a woman cleaning up after her dog, he wants to know another species that does so. Fury says he has been cleaning up for Talos for 30 years. Talos counters that he was a nobody at S.H.I.E.L.D. in 1995. He adds that 19 of his people joined his spy network. Talos says that the Skrulls were responsible for his promotions. Fury notes that they are at Fairbanks’ house while he says Talos was on his rant. Fairbanks greets two of the guards at his house. He is about to enter the house and sees a guard leaving it. Talos knocks him down and Fury takes out the two guards. They transform back to Skrulls. This is Gravik’s men. 

Talos enters the house with his gun, he sees a room with a teen boy, Zachary, but passes him playing  a video game. Nick has his gun drawn entering the house and gets Talos’ position. He enters the room with his gun at the kid’s head saying that no one calls him Nick. Bob has Talos in a neck lock with a gun to his head. Fury is not bluffing. Bob drops the gun and releases Talos. We see the Neptune, there is some underwater sounds, but nothing like the displacement of a submarine. The captain presents orders that he thinks is a mistake. The control room man says he must order a strike. Talos gives a cup of water for Zachary and tells him that he wants his dad to do the right thing.  Talos tells Bob that he can protect him from Gravik. Bob doesn’t believe Talos as strong as Gravik. The control room operator also seems like a Skrull. They have to find a way to stop this act of war. A tense episode of Secret Invasion, though at this point, Gravik’s back story to form the resistance what had him betray humanity and Fury is needed. 

Four Skrull Sky Plants out of Five!

#SecretInvasion, #Betrayed, #SamuelLJackson, #BenMendelsohn, #EmiliaClarke, #CharlayneWoodard, #SamuelAdewunmi, #KillianScott, #BenPeel 

Insidious: The Red Door Review!

Insidious: The Red Door brings chills to viewers with the focus back on the Lambert family haunted by the supernatural! The horror franchise began with the first film in 2010 directed by James Wan and written by Leigh Whannel. The story concerns father, Josh (Patrick Wilson), and his son, Dalton (Ty Simpkins). The duo continued with Lambert family in Insidious: Chapter 2 (2013). Whannel took over as director and as writer with Insidious: Chapter 3 (2015) which focused on Quinn Brenner (Stefanie Scott) and Elise Rainier (Lin Shaye). 

Wan continued as producer of the Insidious films. Insidious: The Last Key (2018), written by Whannel, had the haunting of Christian Rainier (Bruce Davison) who lives in the former childhood house of Elise Rainier! Insidious: The Red Door is the directoral debut of Wilson. Scott Teems is the screenwriter, he wrote the horror remake, Firestarter (2022), and also the co-story. Whannel is also wrote the story for the fifth Insidious movie. It begins with the eerie music of Joseph Bishara and has starred as demons in the Insidious and Conjuring movies! 

We see the Lambert family; father, Josh, mother, Renai (Rose Byrne), older son, Dalton, Foster (Andrew Astor), and youngest daughter, Kali (Juliana Davies). This picks up with the Lambert family since Chapter 2. Wilson was last in the sci fi movie, Moonfall (2022). Byrne was last seen in the comedy, Spirited (2022). Simpkins was in the drama, The Whale (2022), as Thomas. Astor returned to play Foster since Chapter 2. Foster becomes important later in the movie. Davies takes over for twins, Brynn and Madison Bowie from Chapter 2, and was in the horror comedy, She Came From The Woods (2022).

There is a closeup of Josh’s eyes and mention of the place called The Further. Then, we move to “Nine Years Later”, an upside down shot of a tombstone is turned over. This is the funeral of Lorraine (Barbara Hershey), Josh’s mother, she had contacted Elise to help the family. Dalton reads from Ecclesiastes, “a time to speak; a time to love”, but doesn’t believe that his grandmother misses them. He goes to the mini-van and picks up his drawing of Lorraine. Renai asks Josh to drive his son to college. It is obvious that Josh is separated from his family. 

He notices a man, Carl (Steve Colter), and walks up to him. He tells him, “I know your mother.”  Colter was also in Chapter 2 and Carl was also a colleague of Elise Rainer. At his car, Josh texts Dalton about driving him to college while watching videos of his son as a baby. We see a blurry figure behind him that moves closer, but is gone when he buckles his seat belt. On the drive, Dalton puts on his headphones, and then texts his mother. They drive into the campus of JPU with a “Welcome Freshmen” banner. They carry crates and Josh has some backpacks. 

Josh picks up a frat party flyer for his son. After finding his room, Dalton puts up the picture of Lorraine on his wall, and says, “She’s hiding something.” Father and son get into an argument and Josh admits that lately, he’s been “foggy.” Their argument is interrupted by Dalton's new roommate, Chris Winslow (Sinclair Daniel), this is the first theatrical movie for Daniel. She previously starred in the tv movie, Once December Night (2021). Her lively energy counters the darkness and Daniel is another actor to look for her next film. 

Josh leaves and sees other parents helping their kids move in. Dalton sees Chris using a mouth melodica keyboard. Dalton gives it a try playing a song from his mother. He admits that he doesn’t remember when he fell into a coma when he was 10. It was explained as viral meningitis. There is enough back story here that the audience is not required to see the previous Insidious films. Chris prepares to go to sleep and Dalton admits that since he was ten, he has been afraid of the dark, which is absolutely reasonable considered what he encountered! 

The next day at art class, Professor Armagan (Hiam Abbass) enters and has the students take out a drawing from their portfolios. Abbass was in the remake, Hellraiser (2022). One student has a portrait almost like a photograph, but Armagan tells him to tear it up, he leaves the class. She says, “Any fool can learn technique.” Dalton rips up his portrait of Lorraine. Armagan likes his boldness. She has the students close their eyes, Armagan slowly counts to ten, and tells them, “go further and further into yourself.” The teacher’s voice echoes as Dalton starts frantically drawing with charcoal. 

He forms a door, Josh suddenly is awake, and there is blood on the drawing from Dalton’s hand. Armagan looks at the door and asks, “Is it keeping you in or out?” The artist who has disturbing paintings of the supernatural reminds me of H.P. Lovecraft’s story, “Pickman’s Model.” This was adapted in a recent episode of Guillermo del Toro’s Cabinet of Curiosities. Josh had promised Dalton that he would get help with his condition. It is a broken family with Josh as the divorced father, distanced from Dalton and his ex-wife, and he has to finally confront his past. 

He goes to get an MRI with Dr. Bower (E. Roger Mitchell) explains the procedure. Mitchell was in the biographical drama, Till (2022). Josh has headphones on and a panic button as he enters the scanner. From personal experience, this is a very confining space where you can’t move, and you are in the scanner for some time. Then, the power goes out! Josh calls out for Dr. Bower and he is asked, “Is someone with you?” Josh can only see the empty room outside of the MRI. A hand slides beside Josh! Pure terror. Josh leaps out of the MRI and Dr. Bower says that he had been asleep for fifteen minutes! 

At Dalton’s room, the lights go out, the back-up power puts out a red light! He sees a bloody handprint on Chris’ bed sheet and tries to scrub it off. This was in The Further and Dalton finds that Chris has moved to room 323 above his dorm room. She sees the crumpled flyer for the frat partyi and says they should go. At the frat is boastful party guy, Nick (Peter Dager), who brings up a hazing accident. Chris takes them away from the party and they end up in Nick’s room. Left alone, Dalton sees the unfortunate hazing victim in the bathroom who tells him to close the door, he tries to hide under the bed, but he can't escape this spirit!  

Dalton is wakened by Chris, she tries to make a distraction when the arrogant Nick enters, and she deals with him! Later, Dalton gets a phone message from his father. He closes his eyes and nods off into the Further! A lantern glows and the door opens. He walks through the hall to Room 323. Dalton sees her mouth keyboard and plays the song. Something crawls on the floor towards him before he is wakened by Chris. He explains about the incident with the frat kid. 

Chris tells him that he has astral projection. She shows him a laptop with Professional Paranormal Investigators, part of the description by Peter Venkman (Bill Murray) in Ghostbusters (1984)! This is the duo of Tucker (Angus Sampson) and Specs (Leigh Whannell) who assisted Elise Rainer. She explains the phenomenon of astral projection. The suppressed memories of Dalton and Josh will be revealed, the Red Door opened, Josh and Dalton have to face what is behind it! Insidious: The Red Door is the tense horror movie and a story of fathers and sons that is worthy of the other Insidious films!  

Four Red Doors out of Five! 

#InsidiousTheRedDoor, #PatrickWilson, #TySimpkins, #SinclairDaniel, #RoseByrne, #AndrewAstor, #JulianaDavies, #HiamAbbass, #LinShaye, #LeighWhannel, #AngusSampson, #PeterDager, #BenCall, #JosephBishara 

The Joel Magee Disneyland Collection Review!

 The Von Eaton Galleries have produced some impressive memorabilia auctions that preview to the public! In this case, the Joel Magee Disneyland Collection, the auctions are due to start on July 17th, so it is free to wander through the collection until that day. The previous auction gallery was That’s From Disneyland! which was in 2018. This is at the Burbank Town Center Mall right next to World Market. Check out more information at: https://vegalleries.com/releases/the-joel-magee-disneyland-collection. The Joel Magee collection has about 6,000 items and this exhibit has around a quarter of it! The first item is a Herb Ryman Disneyland Concept Plot Plan, a brown line copy of the original concept art. There are a number of Disneyland souvenir maps that lead to the gift shop. Next to it is the light blue Original Global Van Lines Moving Truck, I remember this one from That’s From Disneyland! A few items from that auction are in this collection.  

Matterhorn model at the Joel Magee Disneyland Collection, author’s photo.

To the right is a cabinet of cast member name tags. I know as a former cast member that they easily brown and get smudged even if you are careful. There is a “Welcome to Disneyland” Cast Member Guide, valued at $100-200 and a “Disneyland & You” Cast Member Orientation Booklet, also $100-200. I have both! There are a number of Disneyland admission ticket books. I saw a number of attraction posters and a Disneyland after Dark 1962 poster with Louis Armstrong! On the wall is the Official Flag of Disneyland, a light blue flag with “Disneyland” in yellow letters, and Cinderella’s castle in dark blue behind it. Above it all is the Official Large Size Mickey Mouse Disneyland Flag, hand made, it was red with Mickey Mouse’s face. It is great to talk to Von Eaton Galleries employees, some of whom is their first work for the gallery!, and to share stories about Disneyland and Walt Disney World. 

There is the Original Main Street City Hall Doors with various costumes and the Babes in Toyland Village Toy Soldier Prop. It was great to see cast member costumes that of course very memorable to me. I like seeing the Kiss-O-Meter Arcade Machine that was at the Penny Arcade. One of the highlights was the Original Tiki Room Birds with Custom Animated Display, the three Avian Actors including Jose who seeing the Enchanted Tiki Room song. It is stunning to see animatronics up close. Note that the employees warn visitors of crossing the ropes surrounding displays and signs not to touch certain items. I love seeing the Tahitian Terrace Mickey Child’s Menu, valued at $100-200, you punch out King Kamickey Mickey and I had to clean up many of them after shows! Now they are valuable! Also fun was seeing the Big Thunder Mountain Boiler & Reconstructed Train, I.M. Loco. 

Jose and the Tiki Birds from Enchanted Tiki Room, photo by the author. 

There were other props, the Big Thunder Mountain Railroad Bat Prop and Dynamite Prop! One of the signs was of Big Thunder Ranch, I miss the animals, and later the barbeque. One of the ride vehicles was of the Many Adventures of Winnie The Pooh, which looked like a snail, but is like a honeycomb. There is some artwork and props from Splash Mountain. There were three of the Haunted Mansion Stretching Portraits. Plus the Doom Buggy Attraction Vehicle and the Pop-Up Ghoul Head of Master Gracey, the owner of the mansion! The trio of Hitchhiking Ghosts Animatronic Display is from Walt Disney World and I saw them at the Von Eaton Galleries booth at D23 Expo. 

The Fantasyland vehicles include the Peter Pan’s Flight, Snow White’s Scary Adventures, and Dumbo vehicles. Tinker Bell Figure Prop that was removed during the New Fantasyland remodel. The Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride Devil Prop was from the That’s From Disneyland! auction. There was a door from the Disneyland Chicken of the Sea Restaurant, this was next to Skull Rock, and Monstro from Storybook Boats. Another crowd pleasing display was the Hawaiian and Egyptian dolls from It’s A Small World. An orange Skyway Original Bucket Vehicle has a signature by Bob Gurr! I also loved seeing the Model of New Tomorrowland with Peoplemover and the beautiful Mary Blair murals. 

There was the Rocket Jet Original Attraction Vehicle and what stunned me was the Adventures Through Inner Space Atomobile Prop and Display! A feature is the blue Midget Autopia Car from 1957! I recognize the Submarine Voyage Animatronic Mermaid from That’s From Disneyland! There was also several Static Fish and Viper Fish Props! The Tower of Terror Lobby Elevator brought memories to visitors who had fond memories of the attraction. From Walt Disney World, there is the Figment Audio-Animatronic figure from EPCOT. This played the original audio. I recognize the Busby Berkeley Dancer Figure that was part of the Great Movie Ride, there were three circular platforms with many of the women around it and a waterfall-like curtain in front so you couldn’t really see them. This all exits to a gift shop. There are so many memories and discoveries to be found at the Joel Magee Disneyland Collection! 

#VonEatonGalleries, #JoelMageeDisneylandCollection, #HerbRyman,  #DisneylandConceptPlotPlan, #GlobalVanLinesMovingTruck, #OfficialFlagOfDisneyland, #EnchantedTikiRoom, #TahitianTerrace, #BigThunderMountainRailroad, #TheManyAdventuresOfWinnieThePooh, #SplashMountain, #HauntedMansion, #PeterPansFlight, #SnowWhitesScaryAdventures, #Dumbo, #ChickenOfTheSeaRestaurant, #ItsASmallWorld, #Skyway, #BobGurr, #Peoplemover, #RocketJet, #AdventuresThroughInnerSpace, #MidgetAutopia, #SubmarineVoyage, #TowerOfTerror, #Figment, #GreatMovieRide  

Wonder Woman #800 Review!

Wonder Woman #800 offers two stories, one looking back and to the future of Wonder Woman, and the other, the character of the new character, Trinity! The conclusion of the Lazarus Planet event in Lazarus Planet: Revenge of the Gods #4 ties into the Wonder Woman and Shazam titles. It was revealed last issue, Wonder Woman #799, that Diana was recovering on the Isle of Healing. The Oracles, watched over her, but Diana has dreams of Etta Candy, in fun retro art, and Cheetah. Then, there are the dreams of roommates Siegfried and Steve Trevor of Wonder Woman. Etta and the roommates are part of the organization, Checkmate. A fun trip through Wonder Woman’s history with a best of roster of artists. 

This moves into “Whatever Happened to the Warrior of Truth Part 2” written by Becky Cloonan and Michael W. Conrad. The title hints at the end of the pre-Crisis Superman with Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow? and Whatever Happened to the Caped Crusader? storylines. The cover of Wonder Woman #800 is by Yanick Paquette which has Wonder Woman with her lasso spinning around her in a great design aesthetic surrounded by doves, all symbols of peace. It begins with some stunning artwork by Joelle Jones of Yara Flor known as Wonder Girl. Jones was the writer and artist for the Wonder Girl title. The character was introduced in Infinite Fronter #0 (2021). It starts with a panel of Wonder Girl moving through the Brazilian jungle. 

Then, she leaps out, to face Wonder Woman in her armor and sword! There is some impressive colors by Jordie Bellaire, reds that are surreal and dream-like, and very moody blues in a closeup of Diana’s eyes. They face a mass of hands of some creature shrieking, “Tekeli-Li!”, This is a cry of the Elder Thing in H.P. Lovecraft’s At the Mountains of Madness (1931). I like the nod to Lovecraft and the odd horror of the thing. Diana warns Yara that the enemy could reveal hidden things about them. They both battle the unknown creature and Yara asks if she ever tires of the endless fight. Yara shreds apart the beast, splatters of paint-like color!, and finds herself before she became Wonder Girl. A very Luke Skywalker in the cave moment! 

Five pages focused on Wonder Girl so a great feature on the character. The Oracles, Bia, Magala, and Penelope, are monitoring Diana still in her dream state. Next, she encounters Donna Troy, who first appeared as Wonder Girl in the Brave and the Bold #60 (1965). Diana says Donna is the future. We get an action scene with the Cassie Sandsmark Wonder Girl. She was introduced in Wonder Woman #105 (1996). Cassie is connected to Young Justice so it is nice to see Todd Nauck artwork. There is a brief conflict with Artemis who at one time replaced Wonder Woman. 

Then, Diana encounters the origin of Bruce Wayne, Batman mentions that Diana is his rock, and she says he doesn’t go through his pain alone. Next, Diana encounters Superman in his Fortress of Solitude, the artwork is by Jen Bartel. This brings me back to Bartel’s artwork in Future State: Immortal Wonder Woman #1 (2021) that brought a conclusion to Diana’s story. Diana notes that Superman hides his pain. I don’t follow this take on Superman since he would be alone, but has Lois Lane. There is a moment when Diana has a goodbye with her mother, Hippolyta. 

She says she can mold her own destiny, a great line! Diana wakes from the dream, she is greeted by Queen Nubia, we check in with all of the characters, before Diana says her farewell to Themyscira and the Amazons. A splash page has Wonder Woman flying, a dove at her side, of course she is a warrior of peace, and a rainbow over Themyscira. Very defining with the people in Diana’s life and readies her for the next phase! We get a taste of what is next for Wonder Woman with “Trinity” by Tom King and Daniel Sampere. On a beach of Themyscira is Batman, Damien Wayne, in his coat suit, met by the Jon Kent Superman. 

They are the son of Batman and the son of Superman. Damian Wayne debuted in Batman #655 (2006). Jon Kent first appeared in Convergence: Superman #2 (2015). The trio of heroes has been a part of the DC Universe from the beginning and appeared in the 2003 limited series, Batman Superman Wonder Woman: Trinity! Damian is impatient, but then we get a splash page of  Trinity standing on a wave-splashed rock with sea gulls overhead. Her costume is impressive including the three Lassos of Fate!  She explains that she is late because she was fighting twelve deities! She starts walking towards what Trinity calls the “magic cave of death.” 

Damian says Jonathan spoiled her and he comes back that he took her when she was five on a fight with Killer Croc! I really like brothers arguing over their sister. I sense an upgrade with Killer Croc on a Superman level. I also like the bickering between friends. The Super-Sons were introduced in Superman #11 (2017). Jonathan brings up their promise made to Damian’s father six times to protect her. Trinity says that there are three trails; pain, skill, and honor. She likes to tease the two heroes. They are assigned Superman, pain, and Batman, skill, by Trinity. She walks into the darkness of the cave saying they are family. Superman has to hold the hand of a one-armed statue of a woman to scream in pain. 

Batman has to take on a faceless, woman warrior, Damian smiles with his bloodied mouth, saying it is fun. I like the sacrifice of the duo to help their sister. This is all for Trinity to take the trial for honor facing the spirit of her mother, Diana, now with a Greek dress, blue and red waist cloth, and crown. Trinity uses the Black Lasso. Trinity says she is the leader of the Justice League. Then, she reveals her full name, Elizabeth Marston Prince, I absolutely think this is the best part giving a nod to Wonder Woman creator, William Moulton Marston, and his wife, Elizabeth. I hope this will be explained later in universe, with a possible connection to Steve Trevor or someone else? This all leads to Wonder Woman #1! Wonder Woman #800 has a great tribute and wrap up to Diana, Wonder Woman, and intro to Trinity!  

Five Lassos of Fate out of Five! 

#WonderWoman, #WhateverHappenedToTheWarriorOfTruthPart2, #BeckyCloonan, #MichaelWConrad, #EttaCandy, #Cheetah, #Siegfried, #SteveTrevor, #YaraFlor, #JoelleJones, #JordieBellaire, #TheOracles, #DonnaTroy, #CassieSandsmark, #Artemis, #Batman, #JenBartel, #Superman, #Hippolyta, #Trinity, #TomKing, #DanielSampere, #DamianWayne, #JonathanKent 

Secret Invasion, “Promises”, Review!

“Resurrection” Re:cap - Nick Fury has returned to Earth, contacted by Maria Hill for Talos, his mission is to stop the Skrulls from taking Earth as their new homeworld! At the Skrull camp, New Skelos, the Skrull woman gets two bags from Pagon to take to the Moscow safe house. Talos takes care of the MI6 observer, Fury notes that he is 136 years old, and Talos asks what he got for his mid life crisis. Fury says The Avengers! Hill follows the Skrull woman. Fury asks Poprishcin about the bomb and Talos takes on Poprishchin who is actually a Skrull! He didn’t want a Skrull to be killed.

Hill follows the Skrull woman into an underground tunnel, but a fight between Robin Scherbatsky and the Mother of Dragons is no match! She is about to escape when Talos has his gun drawn. This is Gi’ah, Talos’ daughter!, he wants the bombs she is carrying and that her mother died. He says that the Skrull revolutionaries knows how she dies. Gi’ah leaves and then finds a corner to cry over her mother’s death. Fury enters a bar to meet with Hill who has their chess game ready. He says he had a “crisis of faith.” Maria Hill says he wasn’t the same after the Blip. Later, we see in his room, Fury recalls fading away in the Blip in Avengers: Infinity War (2018). 

At a conference room, Gi’ah hands over the bombs in her backpack to Pagon that he says will be “bait.” A woman hails a taxi that reaches a secluded corner, this is Gi’ah who meets with her father. She reveals that Gravik planned to detonate the bombs on Unity Day at Vossoyedineniye Square. She will be there and mark the bags with infrared spray. Fury, Talos, and Hill are around the square, Hill spots Gi’ah exchange a backpack, and their glasses see the X’s sprayed on the packs. They split up moving through the crowds. Fury spots a girl carrying a multi-colored ball and follows her. The girl shifts into a man in a coat and then a woman. 

Fury takes out his gun to his side. Finally, the Skrull shifts into the leader Gravik. Hill and Talos find empty backpacks. Set up. Gravik detonates the bombs! A very violent act. Fury calls over Hill and shoots her! The real Fury draws on the Skrull, an explosion, and Gravik walks away. Maria Hill gasps, “It’s you” and then “Not me” before dying. A dramatic ending for the long running character. One, it is a meaninful death, and two, I didn’t expect the character to return, so I think this is a fitting end to Cobie Smulder’s character. “Promises” begins in 1995, we get a recap of Nick Fury encountering the Skrulls in Captain Marvel (2019). 

We see Talos meeting Fury and reuniting with his wife, Soren (Sharon Blynn). The series shifts into the sci fi territory of green-skinned aliens, but necessary to cover the people who are looking for a new home. This moves to “1997, Brixton, London”, an area south of London, where there is a room filled with Skrull refugees. The young Fury meets with a Skrull woman, Varra, who introduces him to his withdrawn son, Gravik. He talks with Varra to the side and she explains that Gravik survived a Kree attack where his parents were killed and escaped in a ship. He says the work will be dangerous. 

Talos, in his human form, says that they made the journey to Earth and points out Fury whom he trusts. Fury tells the Skrulls that as they help to make this world safe, Carol Danvers will find a new homeworld, the first volunteer shifts into a human woman, Soren. Young Gi’ah is at her side. Volunteers step forward as humans, only Gi’ah and Gravik are in Skrull form, and Fury makes his promise. This is when we pick up with Gravik after the explosions. Fury holds Maria Hill. Gravik walks with Gi’ah and they drive away. Fury and another man, who shouts that he’s an American, are arrested. He is thrown into a van and the officer shifts back into Talos. 

On a train to Warshaw, soldiers ask a woman (Irena Tyshyna) about seeing a Black American showing a photo of Nick Fury, she says no. Then, she shifts back to Talos, Fury enters from the side room in suit and hat. Fury tells Talos about his train rides with his mother to Detroit in the “colored car” from Alabama. Her favorite game was “Tell Something I Don’t Know” which he notes about playing doctor with a girl named Suzie. Fury plays the game with Talos about the destruction of Skrullos. Talos says they fought the Kree and then a million Skrulls left the planet. He admits that all of them are on Earth, the ones not in Emperor Drogge’s colony are here, Fury is angry at finding out the lie. 

The friends now are shouting at each other, Talos is mad that Fury left them, and Fury says humans can’t get along with themselves. I think this is why we need the Men in Black! He sends Talos to go at the train stop. London, a coffin is taken out of the back of a car by soldiers and draped with the American flag. There is a presidential jet nearby. A woman, Elizabeth (Juliet Stevenson), is consoled by Fury who admits he was there when her daughter, Maria, was killed. This is some heavy drama, a consequence of an attack, a trap for Fury. Elizabeth tells him not to have her death be meaningless. 

News coverage has the death toll at 2,000 civilians. A suspect is Martin Wallace (Ben Peel), a leader of Americans Against Russia.  We of course saw him duplicated by a Skrull. At night, Gi’ah is driving while Gravik says he could have killed Fury. They go to a council meeting, Gi’ah is stopped by a guard, Gravik gives her a gun to shoot the guard if he is doesn’t leave in an hour. At the meeting is the UK prime minister, Pamela Lawton (Anna Madeley) and others. It is apparent that they are all Skrulls. Gravik speaks in the Skrull language about the 1997 meeting with Fury. He says he will take the Earth since humans are already killing themselves. Sergio (Giampiero Judica) Caspani, NATO Secretary General, brings up the Avengers, but Gravik says he’s prepared. 

Lawton says they need a commmander and she nominates Gravik as Skrull General! Caspani says he can bring up a million troops, but is struck in throat by a guard! The council members all revert back to Skrulls and bow their heads. This is difficult to understand, turning over leadership to a young revolutionary while the older Skrulls have infiltrated all parts of power.  I keep getting They Live (1988) vibes with overtones of the V (1983) mini-series. only one left is Shirley Sagar (Seeta Indrani), who says they are without home because they had wanted war. 

She refuses and Gravik allows her to leave. Sagar leaves to the street and calls up Talos who tells her to arrange a meeting with Gravik. At the abandoned nuclear plant, now New Skrullos, Gravik returns to applause, with Gi’ah walking behind him. She follows Pagon to a lab, who is checking on the scientist, Dr. Rosa Dalton (Katie Finneran) who says their “DNA selection is limited”? Pagon mentions “The Harvest.” There are plans going on that no Skrull understands except the upper tier. It seems like Gi’ah is acting like a double agent! Dalton has the unknown device activated. 

In London, reporters are covering the European nations at an emergency summit to find out American involvement in the bombing. At the meeting is Colonel Rhodes who is asked by the French president (Chiraz Aich) if Nick Fury and Maria Hill where at the bombing scene. He answers that there are “allegations” that they had traveled to Moscow as private citizens. PM Lawton asks why the president is not at the meeting. He says he is there as a courtesy and that there is no hard evidence presented, love Rhodey standing up to the politicians. Afterwards, he gets a call from Fury, and arranges a meeting.  At Burner’s Tavern, Fury sits at the empty restaurant and meets with Rhodes who says he made all of the allies go to the side of Russia.  

Fury mentions that his security are Skrulls and Rhodes mentions that he was debriefed about them 15 years ago. Rhodes says that they should bring in their “friends” and Fury says that this is his war! He says he can’t take Fury’s side and used all of his influence to get Maria Hill’s body back from the Russians. Rhodes says the point of the meeting is that he is there to fire Nick Fury! A guard tries to escort Fury out, but Fury breaks his arm and takes his gun. Fury leaves and then sits at a bench seeing all of it fade away. Sonya Falsworth enters a butcher shop, she walks past the butcher, and enters the freezer where Brogan is being interrogated in chains. 

She hands a phone to the interrogator, who speaks to his superior, and then clears out everyone from the room. Falsworth smiles and says, “I can be quite persuasive.”  There is something powerful with such a refined lady. She blocks the door, the prisoner says he will break her bones, and Falsworth takes up a butchering shear! Falsworth severs his finger to see it transform into a Skrull finger! Uh-oh. Gi’ah sneaks into the conference room to search for Rosa Dalton on a computer. There is data on Groot, Frost Beast (from Thor: The Dark World), and Cull Obsidian. Is she making the Super-Skrull? The Skrull villain can duplicate powers, DNA?, of others. He first appeared in Fantastic Four #18 (1963). This may be how Gravik probably plans on taking on The Avengers. Then, Gravik is there, and Gi’ah tries to cover by saying the new recruit is loyal. A fascinating second episode of Secret Invasion, very brutal, political thriller, and all centered around Nick Fury! 

Five Skrull Sky Plants out of Five! 

#SecretInvasion, #Promises, #SamuelLJackson, #BenMendelsohn, #EmiliaClarke, #OliviaColman, #DonCheadle, #JulietStevenson, #SeetaIndrani, #AnnaMadeley, #BenPeel, #KingsleyBenAdir  

Happy Birthday Margot Robbie!

It is the birthday of Margot Robbie! The first film of Margot Robbie was the Australian independent film, Vigilante (2008). She starred as Donna Freedman on the well known soap opera Neighbours (2008-2011). Robbie started in the U.S. with the drama series, Pan Am (2011-2012), playing Laura Cameron. She played Charlotte in About Time (2013) before breaking out in Martin Scorsese’s The Wolf of Wall Street (2013) as Naomi Lapaglia. Ann Burden, the lead wandering the post-apocalyptic world of Z for Zachariah (2015) based on the Robert O’Brien novel set in an apocalyptic world. Robbie had a lead role in Focus (2015) with co-star Will Smith. Next, she was Jane Clayton in The Legend of Tarzan (2016) directed by David Yates. Another break out role for Robbie was as Harley Quinn in Suicide Squad (2016). She had award attention with her lead in I, Tonya which she starred as Tonya Harding and also produced. 

Robbie played the mother, Daphne Milne, the wife of writer A.A. Milne, in the biographical drama, Goodbye Christopher Robin (2017). In 2018, Robbie voiced the animated Flopsy and was the narrator in the hybrid live action film, Peter Rabbit. She was in the Terminal (2018), a noir thriller film, about different people caught up in a sinister plan. Robbie starred as Queen Elizabeth I in the historical drama, Mary Queen of Scots (2018). She played actress Sharon Tate in Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood which comes out on July 26th! Next year, Robbie returned as Harley Quinn in 2020's Birds of Prey (And the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn). She also produced the film and the title has since been shortened.  Robbie returned to voice the sequel, Peter Rabbit 2: The Runaway (2021). Harley Quinn played by Robbie was back in the James Gunn directed The Suicide Squad (2021). In 2022, Robbie returned to Neighbours for the series finale. She starred in the murder comedy, Amsterdam (2022). Next, Robbie played starlet, Nellie LaRoy, in Babylon (2022). This year, she was in the all star cast of Asteroid City. Also, Margot Robbie has the iconic role and produces the Greta Gerwig written and directed Barbie! Happy Birthday Margot Robbie!  

#MargotRobbie, #Vigilante, #Neighbours, #PanAm, #TheWolfOfWallStreet, #ZForZachariah, #Focus, #TheLegendOfTarzan, #SuicideSquad, #ITonya, #GoodbyeChristopherRobin,  #OnceUponaTimeinHollywood, #BirdsOfPrey, #TheSuicideSquad, #Amsterdam, #Babylon, #AsteroidCity, #Barbie