Justice League: War Review (Spoilers)
Also reviews for the latest episodes of Teen Titans Go!, Arrow, Marvel's Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D., Marvel's Hulk And The Agents Of S.M.A.S.H., Revolution, Almost Human, Grimm, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, the premiere of Power Rangers Megaforce, the finale of Dads, and the latest episode of Brooklyn Nine-Nine.
Upcoming reviews include Beware The Batman: Shadows Of Gotham, Thor: The Dark World (Blu-Ray), The Wolverine: Extended Edition, Iron Man & Hulk: Heroes United, Monsters University (Blu-Ray), Planes (Blu-Ray), The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey: Extended Edition, Much Ado About Nothing, Power Rangers Zeo: Volume 1, Power Rangers Zeo: Volume 2, Turbo: A Power Rangers Movie, and Power Rangers Samurai: The Complete Season.
Teen Titans Go! "Waffles"
This was one of the best episodes of the entire series. Do you know why? Because they used a "serious" legitimate villain to contrast with all of the zaniness. Could you imagine Slade returning and having to put up with something like that? Comedy needs a straight man and TTG really doesn't have one. Because Brother Blood is right. That is the stupidest game ever. Raven could have told them that, but it wouldn't have beern funny because she wouldn't really have cared one way or the other. Brother Blood seemed to be taking the nonsense a bit personally if you ask me. "You can pull the wacky stuff with Gizmo or Mumbo Jumbo, but I mean business! How dare you!"
At least they didn't go the Trigon route and completely neuter Brother Blood. THAT would have ticked me off.
It also helped that we saw the Titans go on an actual mission. Pretty much the only times we see the Titans go on missions are when it's against the HIVE Five and that's usually just for jokes.
Honestly, this episode MIGHT be turning point. It might not be but this episode worked so well for such specific reasons that the writers might realize going to that well again would be a goldmine. That's what happened with the original show and the Cyborg / Beast Boy friendship. Having an actual plot may help the silliness in the future, and if the writers are smart they will quickly realize that. *****.
Teen Titans Go! "Be Mine"
This was a very sweet episode with some startlingly great character animation and action poses on Terra. And this episode finally used Terra right. She's a bad guy, but she does genuinely like Beast Boy and the rest of the Titans and feels bad about betraying them. In her last episode on this show they made her too much like the one from the comics. Which isn't who the animated Terra is. Animated Terra's statue was made into a shrine by the Teen Titans. She isn't really evil.
Did this episode's ending seem really sudden to you? Am I alone in thinking they probably chopped it off to make room for that stupid Mixels cartoon? Because I can't see why the writers would purposefully end it there.
That was cute. ****.
Arrow “Tremors”
This show is just the best.
Let’s detail the awesomeness.
--Whoever thought of casting Micheal Jai White as Bronze Tiger was a genius. I kind of think he MAY have voiced an animated version of the character before. I think Bronze Tiger’s VO on Batman: The Brave And The Bold was either voiced by him or Gary Sturgis. He definitely played Osebo the Leopard on Static Shock so even if I’m wrong it was still excellent casting.
--Black Canary at the end. The best part about making Sarah part of the island adventures is that they can have a surprise appearance of Canary in the end without spoiling it in the guest star credits. Great thinking.
--Arrow revealing himself to Roy. I agree with Dig that it was reckless and could lead to bad consequences had it been anyone other than Roy Harper, whose history is well known in the comics. But... it fit in thematically with what the episode was trying say. Oliver bemoaned losing Slade because he wasn’t honest with him when he should have been. It’s easy to see why he’d think that doing the exact opposite with Roy would be the solution with Slade so heavily on his mind. So, yeah, not only was I excited to see their partnership for real but the “outing” happened at a point that I’d believe Oliver would actually do it.
--Detective Lance is quickly becoming one of my favorite characters. If Felicity, Dig, and Oliver weren’t so awesome he’d be number 1. I REALLY don’t understand Laurel’s treatment of him. She tried to be a stabling influence on him when he needed her help, and he was just trying to return the favor. As annoying as Laurel is, I kind of think her Thea-like behavior was out of character. I could understand her rejecting Oliver’s help. But Quentin’s? That goes against everything we’ve learned about both characters.
--I am about to pay Thea Queen a super-rare compliment and it’s not for her helping Laurel (which was out of character). Do you know what I’ve always admired about this deservedly reviled character? The fact that she unconditionally loves her stepfather Walter. That is SO freaking refreshing and it is kind of weird when you think back on it that all of her authority problems were with Oliver and Moira and not Walter, who you’d figure would a target for her bile for trying to replace her father. But their relationship is completely healthy. That’s cool.
Okay, one NOT so awesome thing: Moira running for Mayor. While it’s true that voters love a comeback story, that is NOT true of alleged murderers. If it were there would have been many more Naked Gun movies. The examples they used were ridiculous too. Bill Clinton didn’t “bounce back” from any scandal. His approval ratings remained high during his entire remaining time in office. If anything the complete overkill by the media and Congress made him MORE popular. And Elliot Spitzer? THAT’S a comeback? I think everyone still thinks of him as a complete joke. Walter’s only realistic comparison is Martha Stewart although if Martha was ever responsible for ANY deaths, it would have been suicides among the help.
But that’s quibbling and I’m sure something I can complain about more heavily in the coming weeks. For now I’ll just enjoy this episode for the greatness is actually was. *****.
Arrow "Heir To The Demon"
This was one of those episodes that did everything right.
First off, I want to give a shout-out to Felicity for her bravery this episode. She risked everything to tell Oliver the truth. We knew it wasn't REALLY a risk for her, but what Moira said to her was despicable (and did you catch her smarmy smirk to her before the fundraiser? What a witch!). What I think was cool about Felicity telling Oliver the truth right away is that the show was basically saying that Felicity took the calculation that she knew Oliver better than his mother did. And she's absolutely right. Had Moira come clean earlier in the year in her trial I don't think Oliver would have even been angry at all. Oliver's philosophy since he got back to the island has been "Who am I to judge?" But Moira has been lying to him and Thea all along, after she SAID she had told them everything. She STILL hasn't. Oliver doesn't know that Malcolm is alive and that he fixed Moira's not guilty verdict. Smallville would have had Felicity keep the secret from Oliver to screw the audience around for a few weeks, and then put a strain on their friendship when Oliver learned the truth from someone else. Arrow is not Smallville.
Do I think Oliver was wrong to say he isn't going to tell Thea? This is trickier, but I'm betting Oliver knows full well that when Thea finds out the entire family will be destroyed completely. And it WILL come out because Malcolm IS alive and Oliver doesn't know that. If he did, I'm not sure he would have decided to keep the secret. Moira REALLY put him in a cr*ppy position.
Part of me thinks that one of the very reasons Oliver was so angry is because of what Moira said to Felicity. That was some cold-hearted manipulation right there on pretty much the kindest and sweetest person Oliver has ever known. We never got confirmation that Felicity told Oliver about how Moira said he'd hate her if she told him, but I'm betting she did after she revealed the stuff about her mother to him. Her losing her new family is a very real fear for her, and I'd bet Oliver would think her mother threatening to do that was deplorable. Season one seemed to be about taking Thea down a peg, and so far season two has done the same for Laurel. I'm betting Moira is next.
Surprised Roy was absent this episode. I'd figure they'd want to showcase the newest member of the Arrowcave the week after he joined the gang.
Oliver and Sarah hooking up: good or bad? I think good. I have NO ship left for him and Laurel (if I ever did) after what she said to Sarah. I'm sure Laurel will have one of those realizations in the coming weeks that what she said to her sister was wrong, but we as the audience already know that Sarah has been through hell. I also am interested in what will happen when Laurel finds out about her and Oliver. My guess? She'll complain to Quentin about it to get sympathy for what buttholes Oliver and Sarah are for "betraying" her, but Quentin will be surprisingly supportive of their relationship. Laurel blew it in every respect and I think Lance has gone through enough growth to see that both Sarah AND Oliver deserve a chance to be happy. I also think he was unimpressed with Laurel's rant to Sarah and considering what he DOES know, I think he will probably resent her for it. I think this is the season where Quentin will lose a LOT of respect for Laurel. Which is good.
Sarah and Nyssa: I loved the fact that their romance was not done salaciously. That would be the first instinct of a hot CW show but their gay relationship was treated normally. As much credit as Buffy The Vampire Slayer gets for introducing actual gay characters to genre television, you cannot deny that it was done partly to titilate the audience. Be honest and you'll realize I speak the truth. Part of Joss Whedon's calculation in making Willow gay WAS cynical and an attempt to get ratings. We only said that wasn't true at the time because there were so few gay characters on television that we actually saw treat each other with open physical affection. In the age of Glee we now realize there is a "right" way and a "wrong" way to do it. In fairness to Buffy, MUCH of seasons six and seven were done to titilate the audience among the straight characters too, but that is hardly a point in its favor. Sarah and Nyssa share a passionate kiss but describe their romance in very real terms and not in ones inclined to make fanboys' tongues hang out. Even Doctor Who always makes lame sex jokes about its gay characters. This played the relationship completely straight.
This was a great episode. *****.
Marvel's Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D. "T.R.A.C.K.S."
Stan Lee to Agent Coulson: "You're on notice!"
We get it, Agents of SHIELD, you're taking the complaints seriously. I think it's a bit unnecessary myself. The show was fine the way it was. I did really like this episode but the pace before was already good. This Pulp Fictionesque messed up timeline was by turns confusing and frustrating.
I really liked the scene of Coulson stitching up May. What I found most interesting about it is that it was SUCH a close and intimate scene that if you didn't see Coulson's or May's professional expressions up close, you might assume there was some sexual tension going on just by body movement. And Grant walked in on it. What I think is really cool about it is that in no way was there any ACTUAL sexual tension between the two. Frankly if I were shipper of those two I'd be devastated by their lack of chemistry tonight. They got nothin' going on. It was a multi-layered scene.
I really loved Coulson enjoying Simmons' company on the train. He REALLY loves all of the members of his team (with the possible exception of Ward).
Speaking of Ward, do you notice how Coulson didn't give May the professionalism speech when she told him last week? I think that was telling, and that he thought if there WAS going to be any unprofessionalism going on, it would be entirely on Ward's end. That's kind of fabulous.
Deathlok! I REALLY want the team to free Mike Peterson from the Clairvoyant's grasp. What exactly DOES the Clairvoyant know and how do they know it? They are gonna have to destroy Mike's eye to free him, but in every single comic book cover I've seen of Deathlok he only has one real eye. That could be a clue.
Good episode of an already good series. ****.
Marvel’s Hulk And The Agents Of S.M.A.S.H. “A Thing About Machines”
Loved the overt Hal 9000 references but the episode kind of blew 2001: Space Oddesy’s moral. Of course, 2010 did that too, but I disgress.
Not much else to say. ***.
Marvel's Hulk And The Agents Of S.M.A.S.H. "Abonimation"
"I forgave him."
That about sums up Hulk's relationship to Red Hulk. It's good that they explored that because before this episode I didn't really understand WHY Hulk would work with Thunderbolt Ross, much less have him on his superhero team. But Hulk stated it so baldly in a manner even I could understand. Forgiveness.
This episode was fantastic. ****1/2.
Marvel's Hulk And The Agents Of S.M.A.S.H. "Mission Impossible Man"
I really do not like Impossible Man or understand why the writers keep shoving him down my throat on the new Marvel shows. He's a tiresome Bat-Mite ripoff at best.
Yawn. *.
Revolution “Happy Endings”
I do NOT like what they are doing with Charlie. Turning her into a cynic is one of the worst mistakes this season has done and it has done plenty. I would have had as much of a problem as Bass did with her hooking up with Connor but her stated reason for doing so really depressed me.
Do you know what I hate about Bad Robot shows? Ever since Alias, perfectly constructed caper plans have been botched for no good reason and people were “made” too quickly. I suppose you could argue it makes things more exciting. I personally think it just makes Sydney Bristow look very bad at her job. I was like “That was a perfect plan! There is no WAY they can seriously expect me to believe it didn’t work!” You suck, J.J. Abrams.
I expected them to hire a “name” for the President but going the opposite direction worked for some reason. What I like about him is that he is very slow and deliberate, and his unflinching honesty regarding Sarah totally threw Neville off his game. A flashier leader would have tried to play a game of cat and mouse with Neville simply to break his spirit, but the President seems to think Neville isn’t worth his time, and can’t even be bothered to screw with him. We NEVER see bad guys on this show not being interested in measuring wangs with their enemies. Tom obviously had no clue what to do next when he realized it wasn’t going to happen with him, and his “golden honeyed tongue” wasn’t going to talk his way out of the situation.
sdjddddddddddddddddd. Sorry, I just dozed off at the keyboard thinking about the Rachel and Miles stuff.
The one thing I REALLY liked about the episode was the situation Aaron and Priscilla were placed in. A dangerously crazy religous zealot trying to hide the truth from his flock by any underhanded means necessary? THAT, my friends, is a geniune Stephen King homage. Sunlight Gardener and Big Jim Rennie would approve of this guy’s methods. I REALLY hope they don’t wuss out and that they decide to make this guy exactly as horrible as I’m afraid he’s gonna be. That will be great television even if it offends the Bible Belt. In fact doing so will be part of what MAKES it great television.
So-so this week. **1/2.
Almost Human "Unbound"
My rule for that scientist being evil was the same for Henry/John Noble being evil on Sleepy Hollow: if he wasn't gonna be a bad guy, they wouldn't have hired John Larroquette to play him. I'm glad they tipped their hand in this episode and didn't screw us around for weeks on end like Sleepy Hollow did, but I was STILL disappointed he was bad.
Does all this stuff about The Wall give anyone else vibes of the Districts and the Capitol from The Hunger Games? Is the world we're seeing The Capitol? Are things even worse off behind the Wall? If so, how big of an area does "behind The Wall" emcompass? We have no idea of the size of this world and I realize that we've never been given any hint before tonight. Does the U.S. still even exist? Very interesting stuff.
Note about Karl Urban: him channeling DeForrest Kelley in the Star Trek movies is NOT a put-on. Unlike some of the other actors from that film he wasn't actually mimicking anything. His mannerisms and patterns of speech when he acts really ARE identical to Kelley's. He kind of looks a BIT like a younger version too, but I'm betting his similarity in mannerisms to Kelley is precisely why Abrams hired him.
This was a cool episode. I can't wait to go down the Hatch, er, I mean, up the Wall. *****.
Almost Human "Perception"
The show has done better. About the only scene I REALLY liked was the non-linear scene of that kid predicting what Kennix was going to say. And that exact same scenario has been done multiple times on Doctor Who already.
Not so great. **1/2.
Grimm "The Wild Hunt"
Oh, $#%&!
NBC, NBC, NBC... What is WRONG with you? Spoiling the cliffhanger in the promo and hinting that THIS is the episode where we'd see the fall-out from it? And then making us wait three weeks for the Olympics? Idiots.
But the episode itself was pretty great. I am depressed that Chris Mulkey is now believably old enough to play Silas Weir Mitchell's father. He was one of the "grown-ups" on Twin Peaks but he was one of the YOUNGER grown-ups and its hard to think of that domino sucking dirtbag Hank Jennings as ever getting old. Bummer.
Superb episode though. *****.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles "The Good, The Bad, And Casey Jones"
There were a couple of episodes in this really crummy season that I kind of liked, but this is the very first episode this year that I outright loved. Casey Jones may have an ugly human character design but having a skull painted on the hockey mask makes him look like a bad@$$. Even the skull facepaint is effective.
On the negative side, if there was a ranking between characters from the original show that I would have liked to show up on the reboot, Irma would have been in last place. Can't believe we got her before Bebop or Rocksteady.
But that's quibbling. One of the best episodes of the entire series. It is definitely in the top five. *****.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles "The Kraang Conspiracy"
Kudo to the show for not going the predictable route and having one of the April Derps replace April at the end. That idea is STILL not off the table but I'm glad they resisted it in the Derps' first appearance.
As for April being an alien mutant, that seems...unnecessary and done solely to cement her place in the Turtle family. But she already had one, and she didn't need everybody being excited she's a mutant for it to happen.
I liked the reporter/investigator played by Robert Forrster. After Jackie Brown, Forrster commented that if he had tenth of the career John Travolta did after HIS comeback, he'd be happy. He's doing MUCH better than he predicted.
Best line goes to Mikey: "Man, you got Derp on my 'chucks!" ****.
Power Rangers Super Megaforce "Super Megaforce"
That was fun. Outside of the lame classroom scene at the end I was pretty much grinning ear to ear the entire time. I just REALLY hope that we actually see some of the original actors from the original show appear on the series at some point. The Legendary Rangers Mode is cool, but I also want to see that freaky battle between all of the monsters and every Ranger that ever existed that was hinted at last year.
Best episode of Megaforce so far. Megaforce has so far been Megalame so I hope they can keep this up. ****1/2.
Dads "Enemies Of Bill"
Stupid, unfunny, and predictable. No way would an AA sponsor hire someone off the street to play guitar in an AA meeting. The entire idea was ludicrous. But that's how Dads rolls.
This show can't get any worse. *.
Dads "Have A Heart...Attack!"
I strongly suspect that the writers either knew that this was the last episode and wanted to go out on a high note or that they REALLY put their all in it to get a renewal. Yes, I am giving the season finale of Dads a good review. And no I am not joking, and I will not take it back. Even if the emotional bits weren't all that well-acted, the studio audience behaved themselves and understood when it was appropriate to laugh. This is a first for this show. I'm betting they redid several takes for Peter Riegert's sincere take of him telling Eli he loved him because I have a hard time believing the audience got it right on the first try.
Warner and Crawford's stuff was less successful but it too was decent as was the last shot of Eli walking home in the rain. But I sincerely hope that this series is not renewed. This was the series' first relatively good episode but one good episode out of nineteen is a TERRIBLE batting average. Try again, Seth MacFarlane. ***1/2.
Brooklyn Nine-Nine "Full Boyle"
At this point I cannot tell if Holt thinks Gina is crazy or insightful. Probably a little of both. His "Prejudice" punchline getting a huge laugh was hilarious as was the long pregnant pause Andre Braugher took before he said "destroy him". Holt is SO the funny one.
I ship Boyle with Marilu Henner more than I do with Rosa. And I shipped him with Rosa for awhile. I love that she is as crazy as he is when it comes to love.
As for Rosa and Santiago losing their case, I kind of think Terry was right. But to be honest, people who play dress up vigilantes usually wind up doing more harm than good. People crazy enough to put on tights and a cape aren't the types of people to do silent stake-outs and bring the photos to the police. That is ONE stupid drug ring. How did they miss the guy in the bright yellow pajamas taking notes?
Another great episode. ****.
Justice League: War
Above average. Let's get the bad stuff out of the way first.
I liked it quite a bit more than many of the recent projects, but at the same time I don't think either the animation or voice acting was up to snuff. I was surprised to learn Alan Tudyk played Superman. I love the guy but he was absolutely awful. Even worse was Wonder Woman's actress who seemed to be channeling Starfire from Teen Titans. Both were spectacularly miscast. I'm glad we will be getting a set movie continuity from now on, but since we are, Andrea Romano should REALLY have been more careful in her casting for this project.
The animation was also step down from usual. After seeing those beautiful Flash superspeed effects in the otherwise awful Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox, a lot of the animated special effects seemed to be quite much lower in quality. I hate to say it, but I think this particular project was done a bit on the cheap. And I REALLY feel awful for saying it.
I also really had a problem with what a bumbling nuisance Green Lantern was. I have no strong feelings about Hal one way or the other, but he kind of reminded me of Cousin Oliver from The Brady Bunch in the amount of times he screwed up. And yet he still seemed more competent and professional than all four Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles from the recent CGI Nickelodeon reboot.
And not to be "That Nerd", but how can Captain Marvel POSSIBLY be renamed Shazam, for real, and not just on promotional stuff? One of the funniest things about the character is that he can't say that word without turning into a ten year old, oftentimes in midair. And now he introduces himself with it and nothing happens? Really, I get rights issues, but that was ridiculous.
Gripes out of the way. Okay? Good stuff next. And there was much I enjoyed.
The funniest bits in the movie for me were the stuff with Batman and Green Lantern. I especially loved the way that Batman would let Hal answer his own stupid questions with silence. "You're not just some guy in a bat costume are you?" / "What, do you have your own satellite or something?" Bruce stealing Hal's ring right from under him was classic too. Those gags were well timed and paced.
And even if I didn't care for Tudyk's performance as Superman, I really like the idea of the character as enigmatic, violent, and unpredictable. I also liked that Batman had figured out his identity before they even met. Superman "cheated" and "peeked" the same way here as he did in "World's Finest". But Batman still knew first.
I also really appreciate that DC let the JLA absolutely demolish Darkseid. They kicked every square inch of his butt, and left him pretty much a blubbering mess. As much as I love Darkseid, I REALLY hate it when he's built up so much and considered unstoppable. It is no coincidence that my favorite animated portrayal of Darkseid was in Justice League's "Twilight" where he got hands dirty. And STILL Superman killed him. "Loser." BAM!
I also appreciated that the movie was pretty much fun to watch, and outside of a REALLY inordinate amount of swearing, there wasn't anything in it that made feel uncomfortable. No Nazi fetishist Bruno, no Killing Spree Joker, no Diana offing children. Yeah, a city got demolished, but it's a cartoon. The same scenario happening in Man of Steel made me way more uncomfortable than it did here. Because here it wasn't real. And it wasn't trying to play on any of my fears post 9/11.
All in all, a success. I enjoyed myself. ****.
Featurette: Deconstruction War with Jay Oliva and Jim Lee:
Sort of a visual commentary of some of the action scenes in the movie. ***1/2.
Featurette: Creating Heroes: The Life and Art of Jim Lee:
I don't trust a single thing this featurette says. You see, I HAVE actually read the first issue of All-Star Batman and Robin, and when I hear all of these comics "professionals" hailing it as a great work of art, I start to think maybe ALL of the things they are praising as great in this featurette aren't worth spit. All-Star Batman and Robin is disgusting, gutter trash. I have never met a single fan who actually liked it, and thought it was anything other than a stinky turd. It is considered so bad, some people think it sucked on purpose. Not the people in this featurette, who have no sense of irony, and who don't seem to understand that at this point in time, Frank Miller is suffering from dementia. Part of the reasons I hate these featurettes on these DC Original Movies is that the creators and I have very different ideas of what makes a good comic book. I'm starting to think the fact that these movies have steadily been getting more niche, and therefore worse, over time is not a coincidence. *
Justice League: War Act D - From animatic to pencil test:
This is a side by side comparision of storyboards and animatics for the last twenty minutes of the movie. Jay Oliva narrates it until about two thirds of the way through. ****.
Son Of Batman Sneak Peek:
I'm glad they got Jason O'Mara back as Batman. Not because I though he did a terrific job or anything but because they really needed to start making these with a set cast for each future project. Hopefully the New 52 angle made the producers want to do this. This must REALLY be close to completion already. The amount of completed footage we got in this Sneak Peek was unprecedented. Heck, there was even a fully animated trailer for it elsewhere on the DVD. Bad things? The kid they got to play Damian looks SO obnoxious in real life. He's a ten year old who wears a fedora to a recording session. I predict he is going to be a total d-bag when he grows up. ****.
Son Of Batman Trailer: Looks good. ****1/2.
Infinite Crisis Game Trailer: These online games look too complicated for me, and if I read the trailer right, probably won't feature any of the major heroes or villains when you play. **1/2.
Blu-Ray / DVD Menus: Yawn. **1/2.
Upcoming reviews include Beware The Batman: Shadows Of Gotham, Thor: The Dark World (Blu-Ray), The Wolverine: Extended Edition, Iron Man & Hulk: Heroes United, Monsters University (Blu-Ray), Planes (Blu-Ray), The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey: Extended Edition, Much Ado About Nothing, Power Rangers Zeo: Volume 1, Power Rangers Zeo: Volume 2, Turbo: A Power Rangers Movie, and Power Rangers Samurai: The Complete Season.
Teen Titans Go! "Waffles"
This was one of the best episodes of the entire series. Do you know why? Because they used a "serious" legitimate villain to contrast with all of the zaniness. Could you imagine Slade returning and having to put up with something like that? Comedy needs a straight man and TTG really doesn't have one. Because Brother Blood is right. That is the stupidest game ever. Raven could have told them that, but it wouldn't have beern funny because she wouldn't really have cared one way or the other. Brother Blood seemed to be taking the nonsense a bit personally if you ask me. "You can pull the wacky stuff with Gizmo or Mumbo Jumbo, but I mean business! How dare you!"
At least they didn't go the Trigon route and completely neuter Brother Blood. THAT would have ticked me off.
It also helped that we saw the Titans go on an actual mission. Pretty much the only times we see the Titans go on missions are when it's against the HIVE Five and that's usually just for jokes.
Honestly, this episode MIGHT be turning point. It might not be but this episode worked so well for such specific reasons that the writers might realize going to that well again would be a goldmine. That's what happened with the original show and the Cyborg / Beast Boy friendship. Having an actual plot may help the silliness in the future, and if the writers are smart they will quickly realize that. *****.
Teen Titans Go! "Be Mine"
This was a very sweet episode with some startlingly great character animation and action poses on Terra. And this episode finally used Terra right. She's a bad guy, but she does genuinely like Beast Boy and the rest of the Titans and feels bad about betraying them. In her last episode on this show they made her too much like the one from the comics. Which isn't who the animated Terra is. Animated Terra's statue was made into a shrine by the Teen Titans. She isn't really evil.
Did this episode's ending seem really sudden to you? Am I alone in thinking they probably chopped it off to make room for that stupid Mixels cartoon? Because I can't see why the writers would purposefully end it there.
That was cute. ****.
Arrow “Tremors”
This show is just the best.
Let’s detail the awesomeness.
--Whoever thought of casting Micheal Jai White as Bronze Tiger was a genius. I kind of think he MAY have voiced an animated version of the character before. I think Bronze Tiger’s VO on Batman: The Brave And The Bold was either voiced by him or Gary Sturgis. He definitely played Osebo the Leopard on Static Shock so even if I’m wrong it was still excellent casting.
--Black Canary at the end. The best part about making Sarah part of the island adventures is that they can have a surprise appearance of Canary in the end without spoiling it in the guest star credits. Great thinking.
--Arrow revealing himself to Roy. I agree with Dig that it was reckless and could lead to bad consequences had it been anyone other than Roy Harper, whose history is well known in the comics. But... it fit in thematically with what the episode was trying say. Oliver bemoaned losing Slade because he wasn’t honest with him when he should have been. It’s easy to see why he’d think that doing the exact opposite with Roy would be the solution with Slade so heavily on his mind. So, yeah, not only was I excited to see their partnership for real but the “outing” happened at a point that I’d believe Oliver would actually do it.
--Detective Lance is quickly becoming one of my favorite characters. If Felicity, Dig, and Oliver weren’t so awesome he’d be number 1. I REALLY don’t understand Laurel’s treatment of him. She tried to be a stabling influence on him when he needed her help, and he was just trying to return the favor. As annoying as Laurel is, I kind of think her Thea-like behavior was out of character. I could understand her rejecting Oliver’s help. But Quentin’s? That goes against everything we’ve learned about both characters.
--I am about to pay Thea Queen a super-rare compliment and it’s not for her helping Laurel (which was out of character). Do you know what I’ve always admired about this deservedly reviled character? The fact that she unconditionally loves her stepfather Walter. That is SO freaking refreshing and it is kind of weird when you think back on it that all of her authority problems were with Oliver and Moira and not Walter, who you’d figure would a target for her bile for trying to replace her father. But their relationship is completely healthy. That’s cool.
Okay, one NOT so awesome thing: Moira running for Mayor. While it’s true that voters love a comeback story, that is NOT true of alleged murderers. If it were there would have been many more Naked Gun movies. The examples they used were ridiculous too. Bill Clinton didn’t “bounce back” from any scandal. His approval ratings remained high during his entire remaining time in office. If anything the complete overkill by the media and Congress made him MORE popular. And Elliot Spitzer? THAT’S a comeback? I think everyone still thinks of him as a complete joke. Walter’s only realistic comparison is Martha Stewart although if Martha was ever responsible for ANY deaths, it would have been suicides among the help.
But that’s quibbling and I’m sure something I can complain about more heavily in the coming weeks. For now I’ll just enjoy this episode for the greatness is actually was. *****.
Arrow "Heir To The Demon"
This was one of those episodes that did everything right.
First off, I want to give a shout-out to Felicity for her bravery this episode. She risked everything to tell Oliver the truth. We knew it wasn't REALLY a risk for her, but what Moira said to her was despicable (and did you catch her smarmy smirk to her before the fundraiser? What a witch!). What I think was cool about Felicity telling Oliver the truth right away is that the show was basically saying that Felicity took the calculation that she knew Oliver better than his mother did. And she's absolutely right. Had Moira come clean earlier in the year in her trial I don't think Oliver would have even been angry at all. Oliver's philosophy since he got back to the island has been "Who am I to judge?" But Moira has been lying to him and Thea all along, after she SAID she had told them everything. She STILL hasn't. Oliver doesn't know that Malcolm is alive and that he fixed Moira's not guilty verdict. Smallville would have had Felicity keep the secret from Oliver to screw the audience around for a few weeks, and then put a strain on their friendship when Oliver learned the truth from someone else. Arrow is not Smallville.
Do I think Oliver was wrong to say he isn't going to tell Thea? This is trickier, but I'm betting Oliver knows full well that when Thea finds out the entire family will be destroyed completely. And it WILL come out because Malcolm IS alive and Oliver doesn't know that. If he did, I'm not sure he would have decided to keep the secret. Moira REALLY put him in a cr*ppy position.
Part of me thinks that one of the very reasons Oliver was so angry is because of what Moira said to Felicity. That was some cold-hearted manipulation right there on pretty much the kindest and sweetest person Oliver has ever known. We never got confirmation that Felicity told Oliver about how Moira said he'd hate her if she told him, but I'm betting she did after she revealed the stuff about her mother to him. Her losing her new family is a very real fear for her, and I'd bet Oliver would think her mother threatening to do that was deplorable. Season one seemed to be about taking Thea down a peg, and so far season two has done the same for Laurel. I'm betting Moira is next.
Surprised Roy was absent this episode. I'd figure they'd want to showcase the newest member of the Arrowcave the week after he joined the gang.
Oliver and Sarah hooking up: good or bad? I think good. I have NO ship left for him and Laurel (if I ever did) after what she said to Sarah. I'm sure Laurel will have one of those realizations in the coming weeks that what she said to her sister was wrong, but we as the audience already know that Sarah has been through hell. I also am interested in what will happen when Laurel finds out about her and Oliver. My guess? She'll complain to Quentin about it to get sympathy for what buttholes Oliver and Sarah are for "betraying" her, but Quentin will be surprisingly supportive of their relationship. Laurel blew it in every respect and I think Lance has gone through enough growth to see that both Sarah AND Oliver deserve a chance to be happy. I also think he was unimpressed with Laurel's rant to Sarah and considering what he DOES know, I think he will probably resent her for it. I think this is the season where Quentin will lose a LOT of respect for Laurel. Which is good.
Sarah and Nyssa: I loved the fact that their romance was not done salaciously. That would be the first instinct of a hot CW show but their gay relationship was treated normally. As much credit as Buffy The Vampire Slayer gets for introducing actual gay characters to genre television, you cannot deny that it was done partly to titilate the audience. Be honest and you'll realize I speak the truth. Part of Joss Whedon's calculation in making Willow gay WAS cynical and an attempt to get ratings. We only said that wasn't true at the time because there were so few gay characters on television that we actually saw treat each other with open physical affection. In the age of Glee we now realize there is a "right" way and a "wrong" way to do it. In fairness to Buffy, MUCH of seasons six and seven were done to titilate the audience among the straight characters too, but that is hardly a point in its favor. Sarah and Nyssa share a passionate kiss but describe their romance in very real terms and not in ones inclined to make fanboys' tongues hang out. Even Doctor Who always makes lame sex jokes about its gay characters. This played the relationship completely straight.
This was a great episode. *****.
Marvel's Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D. "T.R.A.C.K.S."
Stan Lee to Agent Coulson: "You're on notice!"
We get it, Agents of SHIELD, you're taking the complaints seriously. I think it's a bit unnecessary myself. The show was fine the way it was. I did really like this episode but the pace before was already good. This Pulp Fictionesque messed up timeline was by turns confusing and frustrating.
I really liked the scene of Coulson stitching up May. What I found most interesting about it is that it was SUCH a close and intimate scene that if you didn't see Coulson's or May's professional expressions up close, you might assume there was some sexual tension going on just by body movement. And Grant walked in on it. What I think is really cool about it is that in no way was there any ACTUAL sexual tension between the two. Frankly if I were shipper of those two I'd be devastated by their lack of chemistry tonight. They got nothin' going on. It was a multi-layered scene.
I really loved Coulson enjoying Simmons' company on the train. He REALLY loves all of the members of his team (with the possible exception of Ward).
Speaking of Ward, do you notice how Coulson didn't give May the professionalism speech when she told him last week? I think that was telling, and that he thought if there WAS going to be any unprofessionalism going on, it would be entirely on Ward's end. That's kind of fabulous.
Deathlok! I REALLY want the team to free Mike Peterson from the Clairvoyant's grasp. What exactly DOES the Clairvoyant know and how do they know it? They are gonna have to destroy Mike's eye to free him, but in every single comic book cover I've seen of Deathlok he only has one real eye. That could be a clue.
Good episode of an already good series. ****.
Marvel’s Hulk And The Agents Of S.M.A.S.H. “A Thing About Machines”
Loved the overt Hal 9000 references but the episode kind of blew 2001: Space Oddesy’s moral. Of course, 2010 did that too, but I disgress.
Not much else to say. ***.
Marvel's Hulk And The Agents Of S.M.A.S.H. "Abonimation"
"I forgave him."
That about sums up Hulk's relationship to Red Hulk. It's good that they explored that because before this episode I didn't really understand WHY Hulk would work with Thunderbolt Ross, much less have him on his superhero team. But Hulk stated it so baldly in a manner even I could understand. Forgiveness.
This episode was fantastic. ****1/2.
Marvel's Hulk And The Agents Of S.M.A.S.H. "Mission Impossible Man"
I really do not like Impossible Man or understand why the writers keep shoving him down my throat on the new Marvel shows. He's a tiresome Bat-Mite ripoff at best.
Yawn. *.
Revolution “Happy Endings”
I do NOT like what they are doing with Charlie. Turning her into a cynic is one of the worst mistakes this season has done and it has done plenty. I would have had as much of a problem as Bass did with her hooking up with Connor but her stated reason for doing so really depressed me.
Do you know what I hate about Bad Robot shows? Ever since Alias, perfectly constructed caper plans have been botched for no good reason and people were “made” too quickly. I suppose you could argue it makes things more exciting. I personally think it just makes Sydney Bristow look very bad at her job. I was like “That was a perfect plan! There is no WAY they can seriously expect me to believe it didn’t work!” You suck, J.J. Abrams.
I expected them to hire a “name” for the President but going the opposite direction worked for some reason. What I like about him is that he is very slow and deliberate, and his unflinching honesty regarding Sarah totally threw Neville off his game. A flashier leader would have tried to play a game of cat and mouse with Neville simply to break his spirit, but the President seems to think Neville isn’t worth his time, and can’t even be bothered to screw with him. We NEVER see bad guys on this show not being interested in measuring wangs with their enemies. Tom obviously had no clue what to do next when he realized it wasn’t going to happen with him, and his “golden honeyed tongue” wasn’t going to talk his way out of the situation.
sdjddddddddddddddddd. Sorry, I just dozed off at the keyboard thinking about the Rachel and Miles stuff.
The one thing I REALLY liked about the episode was the situation Aaron and Priscilla were placed in. A dangerously crazy religous zealot trying to hide the truth from his flock by any underhanded means necessary? THAT, my friends, is a geniune Stephen King homage. Sunlight Gardener and Big Jim Rennie would approve of this guy’s methods. I REALLY hope they don’t wuss out and that they decide to make this guy exactly as horrible as I’m afraid he’s gonna be. That will be great television even if it offends the Bible Belt. In fact doing so will be part of what MAKES it great television.
So-so this week. **1/2.
Almost Human "Unbound"
My rule for that scientist being evil was the same for Henry/John Noble being evil on Sleepy Hollow: if he wasn't gonna be a bad guy, they wouldn't have hired John Larroquette to play him. I'm glad they tipped their hand in this episode and didn't screw us around for weeks on end like Sleepy Hollow did, but I was STILL disappointed he was bad.
Does all this stuff about The Wall give anyone else vibes of the Districts and the Capitol from The Hunger Games? Is the world we're seeing The Capitol? Are things even worse off behind the Wall? If so, how big of an area does "behind The Wall" emcompass? We have no idea of the size of this world and I realize that we've never been given any hint before tonight. Does the U.S. still even exist? Very interesting stuff.
Note about Karl Urban: him channeling DeForrest Kelley in the Star Trek movies is NOT a put-on. Unlike some of the other actors from that film he wasn't actually mimicking anything. His mannerisms and patterns of speech when he acts really ARE identical to Kelley's. He kind of looks a BIT like a younger version too, but I'm betting his similarity in mannerisms to Kelley is precisely why Abrams hired him.
This was a cool episode. I can't wait to go down the Hatch, er, I mean, up the Wall. *****.
Almost Human "Perception"
The show has done better. About the only scene I REALLY liked was the non-linear scene of that kid predicting what Kennix was going to say. And that exact same scenario has been done multiple times on Doctor Who already.
Not so great. **1/2.
Grimm "The Wild Hunt"
Oh, $#%&!
NBC, NBC, NBC... What is WRONG with you? Spoiling the cliffhanger in the promo and hinting that THIS is the episode where we'd see the fall-out from it? And then making us wait three weeks for the Olympics? Idiots.
But the episode itself was pretty great. I am depressed that Chris Mulkey is now believably old enough to play Silas Weir Mitchell's father. He was one of the "grown-ups" on Twin Peaks but he was one of the YOUNGER grown-ups and its hard to think of that domino sucking dirtbag Hank Jennings as ever getting old. Bummer.
Superb episode though. *****.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles "The Good, The Bad, And Casey Jones"
There were a couple of episodes in this really crummy season that I kind of liked, but this is the very first episode this year that I outright loved. Casey Jones may have an ugly human character design but having a skull painted on the hockey mask makes him look like a bad@$$. Even the skull facepaint is effective.
On the negative side, if there was a ranking between characters from the original show that I would have liked to show up on the reboot, Irma would have been in last place. Can't believe we got her before Bebop or Rocksteady.
But that's quibbling. One of the best episodes of the entire series. It is definitely in the top five. *****.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles "The Kraang Conspiracy"
Kudo to the show for not going the predictable route and having one of the April Derps replace April at the end. That idea is STILL not off the table but I'm glad they resisted it in the Derps' first appearance.
As for April being an alien mutant, that seems...unnecessary and done solely to cement her place in the Turtle family. But she already had one, and she didn't need everybody being excited she's a mutant for it to happen.
I liked the reporter/investigator played by Robert Forrster. After Jackie Brown, Forrster commented that if he had tenth of the career John Travolta did after HIS comeback, he'd be happy. He's doing MUCH better than he predicted.
Best line goes to Mikey: "Man, you got Derp on my 'chucks!" ****.
Power Rangers Super Megaforce "Super Megaforce"
That was fun. Outside of the lame classroom scene at the end I was pretty much grinning ear to ear the entire time. I just REALLY hope that we actually see some of the original actors from the original show appear on the series at some point. The Legendary Rangers Mode is cool, but I also want to see that freaky battle between all of the monsters and every Ranger that ever existed that was hinted at last year.
Best episode of Megaforce so far. Megaforce has so far been Megalame so I hope they can keep this up. ****1/2.
Dads "Enemies Of Bill"
Stupid, unfunny, and predictable. No way would an AA sponsor hire someone off the street to play guitar in an AA meeting. The entire idea was ludicrous. But that's how Dads rolls.
This show can't get any worse. *.
Dads "Have A Heart...Attack!"
I strongly suspect that the writers either knew that this was the last episode and wanted to go out on a high note or that they REALLY put their all in it to get a renewal. Yes, I am giving the season finale of Dads a good review. And no I am not joking, and I will not take it back. Even if the emotional bits weren't all that well-acted, the studio audience behaved themselves and understood when it was appropriate to laugh. This is a first for this show. I'm betting they redid several takes for Peter Riegert's sincere take of him telling Eli he loved him because I have a hard time believing the audience got it right on the first try.
Warner and Crawford's stuff was less successful but it too was decent as was the last shot of Eli walking home in the rain. But I sincerely hope that this series is not renewed. This was the series' first relatively good episode but one good episode out of nineteen is a TERRIBLE batting average. Try again, Seth MacFarlane. ***1/2.
Brooklyn Nine-Nine "Full Boyle"
At this point I cannot tell if Holt thinks Gina is crazy or insightful. Probably a little of both. His "Prejudice" punchline getting a huge laugh was hilarious as was the long pregnant pause Andre Braugher took before he said "destroy him". Holt is SO the funny one.
I ship Boyle with Marilu Henner more than I do with Rosa. And I shipped him with Rosa for awhile. I love that she is as crazy as he is when it comes to love.
As for Rosa and Santiago losing their case, I kind of think Terry was right. But to be honest, people who play dress up vigilantes usually wind up doing more harm than good. People crazy enough to put on tights and a cape aren't the types of people to do silent stake-outs and bring the photos to the police. That is ONE stupid drug ring. How did they miss the guy in the bright yellow pajamas taking notes?
Another great episode. ****.
Justice League: War
Above average. Let's get the bad stuff out of the way first.
I liked it quite a bit more than many of the recent projects, but at the same time I don't think either the animation or voice acting was up to snuff. I was surprised to learn Alan Tudyk played Superman. I love the guy but he was absolutely awful. Even worse was Wonder Woman's actress who seemed to be channeling Starfire from Teen Titans. Both were spectacularly miscast. I'm glad we will be getting a set movie continuity from now on, but since we are, Andrea Romano should REALLY have been more careful in her casting for this project.
The animation was also step down from usual. After seeing those beautiful Flash superspeed effects in the otherwise awful Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox, a lot of the animated special effects seemed to be quite much lower in quality. I hate to say it, but I think this particular project was done a bit on the cheap. And I REALLY feel awful for saying it.
I also really had a problem with what a bumbling nuisance Green Lantern was. I have no strong feelings about Hal one way or the other, but he kind of reminded me of Cousin Oliver from The Brady Bunch in the amount of times he screwed up. And yet he still seemed more competent and professional than all four Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles from the recent CGI Nickelodeon reboot.
And not to be "That Nerd", but how can Captain Marvel POSSIBLY be renamed Shazam, for real, and not just on promotional stuff? One of the funniest things about the character is that he can't say that word without turning into a ten year old, oftentimes in midair. And now he introduces himself with it and nothing happens? Really, I get rights issues, but that was ridiculous.
Gripes out of the way. Okay? Good stuff next. And there was much I enjoyed.
The funniest bits in the movie for me were the stuff with Batman and Green Lantern. I especially loved the way that Batman would let Hal answer his own stupid questions with silence. "You're not just some guy in a bat costume are you?" / "What, do you have your own satellite or something?" Bruce stealing Hal's ring right from under him was classic too. Those gags were well timed and paced.
And even if I didn't care for Tudyk's performance as Superman, I really like the idea of the character as enigmatic, violent, and unpredictable. I also liked that Batman had figured out his identity before they even met. Superman "cheated" and "peeked" the same way here as he did in "World's Finest". But Batman still knew first.
I also really appreciate that DC let the JLA absolutely demolish Darkseid. They kicked every square inch of his butt, and left him pretty much a blubbering mess. As much as I love Darkseid, I REALLY hate it when he's built up so much and considered unstoppable. It is no coincidence that my favorite animated portrayal of Darkseid was in Justice League's "Twilight" where he got hands dirty. And STILL Superman killed him. "Loser." BAM!
I also appreciated that the movie was pretty much fun to watch, and outside of a REALLY inordinate amount of swearing, there wasn't anything in it that made feel uncomfortable. No Nazi fetishist Bruno, no Killing Spree Joker, no Diana offing children. Yeah, a city got demolished, but it's a cartoon. The same scenario happening in Man of Steel made me way more uncomfortable than it did here. Because here it wasn't real. And it wasn't trying to play on any of my fears post 9/11.
All in all, a success. I enjoyed myself. ****.
Featurette: Deconstruction War with Jay Oliva and Jim Lee:
Sort of a visual commentary of some of the action scenes in the movie. ***1/2.
Featurette: Creating Heroes: The Life and Art of Jim Lee:
I don't trust a single thing this featurette says. You see, I HAVE actually read the first issue of All-Star Batman and Robin, and when I hear all of these comics "professionals" hailing it as a great work of art, I start to think maybe ALL of the things they are praising as great in this featurette aren't worth spit. All-Star Batman and Robin is disgusting, gutter trash. I have never met a single fan who actually liked it, and thought it was anything other than a stinky turd. It is considered so bad, some people think it sucked on purpose. Not the people in this featurette, who have no sense of irony, and who don't seem to understand that at this point in time, Frank Miller is suffering from dementia. Part of the reasons I hate these featurettes on these DC Original Movies is that the creators and I have very different ideas of what makes a good comic book. I'm starting to think the fact that these movies have steadily been getting more niche, and therefore worse, over time is not a coincidence. *
Justice League: War Act D - From animatic to pencil test:
This is a side by side comparision of storyboards and animatics for the last twenty minutes of the movie. Jay Oliva narrates it until about two thirds of the way through. ****.
Son Of Batman Sneak Peek:
I'm glad they got Jason O'Mara back as Batman. Not because I though he did a terrific job or anything but because they really needed to start making these with a set cast for each future project. Hopefully the New 52 angle made the producers want to do this. This must REALLY be close to completion already. The amount of completed footage we got in this Sneak Peek was unprecedented. Heck, there was even a fully animated trailer for it elsewhere on the DVD. Bad things? The kid they got to play Damian looks SO obnoxious in real life. He's a ten year old who wears a fedora to a recording session. I predict he is going to be a total d-bag when he grows up. ****.
Son Of Batman Trailer: Looks good. ****1/2.
Infinite Crisis Game Trailer: These online games look too complicated for me, and if I read the trailer right, probably won't feature any of the major heroes or villains when you play. **1/2.
Blu-Ray / DVD Menus: Yawn. **1/2.