DCE-Hulu: Doom Patrol- 'Puppet Patrol'

After skipping last week to wrap up Titans (finally!), let's return to the Show that has yet to annoy/disappoint me.

Will it keep it up?

The main B-Plot of the Show is giving us all of the missing Backstory on Negative Man, all surrounding the last day before the accident and the aftermath.

I'd be annoyed by the interruptions, but they make it work.

In the main Plot, they try to go to Uruguay to get info on Mr. Nobody.  It doesn't go well- as you'd guess- and they end up stuck at a Motel.

3 of them find a way to get there, however, and discover that the Lab is still there.

Also there are no people in Town, since I guess they could be bothered to hire Extras.

They run into trouble and, well, you can guess what happens.

To find out the whole story, watch the Show.

A weird Episode, but still fun.  There are really 3 parts to the whole thing.  Part one- the main Plot in Uruguay.  That one is fun and inventive, using the Puppet Show thing to full effect.  They snuck in some back story to boot.  Crazy Jane shines the most here, while Robotman's part is neat, but confusing.  He straight up smashes a bunch of 'people' and then...didn't realize that he was 'killing them?'  How did he not get that with all of the blood splattering?!?  Part two- the Cyborg/Elastigirl Plot.  They have lots of tension, but bond over their issues.  It's simple and innocuous time-filler.  Part three- the flashbacks.  These worked really well for me, telling a Story that isn't usually told in these.  This is the tale of Negative Man's struggle with his sense of self, his Wife's struggle to accept her reality and the struggle of the man in his life trying to make things work.  It's arguably the strongest of these so far- even when you include the stuff in Titans.  Nothing against Robotman's, but this felt more relatable, even though my situation is absolutely-nothing like Trainor's.  Obviously some people are not going to like it for certain reasons, but why care about that?  The Episode keeps the fun, eclectic feel, even if it is somehow missing Mr. Nobody.  Was he just on a smoke break for over a week in Episode time?  At least he made a nice Puppet.

Next time, will they find more clues?  Will they fight new villains?  Did they leave their Bus there?  See you then...

Rating the Leprechaun Films (So Far)

Before we see the new Film- which seems to be an actual Sequel-, let's look back at the others.

I've covered most of these in more depth in the past, so this is more about a quick summary and Ranking them in order of quality and/or enjoyment.

This is my Ranking.  You've just got to live with it!

7. Leprechaun Back 2 Tha Hood: It would be easy to say that the Reboot was the worst, but this is just objectively-bad.  They're following up that odd Sequel with...another one just like it.  It has less charm and, of course, less originality.  Warwick Davis can only do so much.

6. Leprechaun- Origins: When you take away Warwick, it doesn't get much better.  This Reboot is a Horror Film that tries hard and fails.  Recasting is one thing- doing nothing with the new Casting is another.  This Plot is also pretty lackluster and the Leprechaun is just a mute monster that we barely see.

5. Leprechaun in Tha Hood: Ice T steals a magic flute to be good at Rap.  I could stop there, couldn't I?  Should I?  Mmm...yes.

4. Leprechaun 3: A decent-ish Film that doesn't do enough with the Premise.  The titular killer in Las Vegas- make the most of it.  Even now, I struggle to remember much of the Film.  That puts it higher than the Films I remember for being bad, but below those that I at least remember *something* good about.

3. Leprechaun 2: Decent, but kind of forgettable for the most part.  This one has some good fun, some silly Effects and some good Casting.  It also avoids just being a rehash of the Original, which is nice to see.  It's just, you know, a Leprechaun Sequel though.

2. Leprechaun 4- In Space: My personal favorite- no lie.  It's a bizarre mix of Leprechaun and Starship Troopers- something that I didn't know I needed.  It's stupid.  It's bad.  I don't care- it's great!

1. Leprechaun: Fair is fair.  The original has many problems- most notably it's take on the mentally-handicapped- but is still fun.  It's a great show of Practical Effects and feels unique for its time.  Granted- the Director copied himself on this later.  Even so, this silly little Film is still the best when it comes down to it.

Here's hoping the new one doesn't suck!

Lost in Translation: Creepshow

A famous Anthology Film.
A Country known for bizarre, one-off Posters made by people vaguely-aware of the Film.

What happens when the two meet?

This is what happens...

...what?

Granted- the Film features a famous crate, a few reanimated bodies and a creepy mascot.

It sure as hell ain't this Film though!

Is there a different Creepshow that I'm not aware of?!?

Bless you, Ghana.

DCE-Hulu: Titans- Season 1 Finale

At last, we reach the end of the road (so far).  Will the Show go out with a bang or another bit of Filler?  To find out, read on...

After running in to try and save Raven last Episode, we see...Dick in a dream-like life with Dove, a child and a suburban home.

This is so obviously-fake, so this will just be a quick bit.

He's told that Batman may go too far after things get really, really bad in Gotham.

Again- this dark fantasy is obviously not real, so it should be over soon.

He teams up with Kory, who is working in secret as a Government Agent.  Can they stop Batman?

Wait- the Episode is almost over?!?  I only have seconds to wrap this up?!?  What in the...

To find out, watch the Show.  Wait...no!!!

What an odd way to end a Season.  Let it be known that my favorite Season Finale is still that of M.A.N.T.I.S.  That Show knew that they were being cancelled, so rewrote the Episode to have its Lead killed by an invisible dinosaur and the Show was over for good.  That's 100% true- no lie.  So this Season Finale is not nearly as good as that one.  Simply put, the whole thing is just a bad idea.  A weird vision Episode is not a good idea when you have 11 Episodes.  If you have, say, 22 Episodes, go for it.  If you are a Show with a looser Plot Structure- like Batman: The Animated Series- go for it- TWICE.  If you are a new Show with only 11 Episodes (and you already wasted 2-3 of them), DO NOT DO IT.  There's no tension.  There's no drama.  This is just an odd bit of Filler that is completely-unnecessary.  If you don't want to end things, that's fine.  You set up a new Villain, made an Episode designed to reintroduce 2 Characters (technically 3), upped Donna Troy to a Main Player and set up numerous Arcs to explore.  If you aren't going to do anything with ANY OF THEM, what is the point?!?  This...just hurts.  They create a silly, but interesting premise.  Evil Batman- who you can't show the face of, since you still haven't Cast him- is neat.  They still take it too far and make it too dark (a good summary of the Show), but I could live with a 10-15 minute Version of this.  Instead, you gave me glorified Fan Fiction and said 'Keep paying for a DC Streaming Account until next Year to see how this ends.'  Boo.  On the plus side, I already have the go-to Pic to describe anyone trying to make me re-watch this Show anytime soon...

That's it for this Season.  Will things pick up and change for the better in Season 2?  Will it even happen?  We'll see.

Quick Reviews: Jurassic World- Fallen Kingdom

Thanks to the miracles of Cable and DVR Service, I got to finally watch this thing.  Is it as bad as everyone says?  Let's see...

In the wake of the Park's closing, a new entrepreneur is driven by his Granddaughter's love of Dinosaurs to save them from the Island.  You see...

The Volcano is finally erupting, so there's nothing to do but run.

Yes, this means that a Billionaire put a Dinosaur Park on an Island with a dormant volcano.  What an idiot!

This Act of the Film also tries to make it a bit of a Horror Film, just with Dinosaurs in place of Jason.  It's...a weird feel, to say the least.

As things get bad back on land, the Film does two big (to some degree) retcons.

1) Blue is now suddenly the super-smart, pack Leader.
2) Blue now feels empathy and seems to actually *love* Owen, as opposed to respect him.

Without SPOILing too many of the Film's obvious twists, I can tell you that they spend ALL OF THE THIRD ACT in a House with a Dinosaur or two.  Yea?

Can they stop a madman's evil (and silly) plans?  Can they escape the House?  Is this just Dino Crisis now?

To find out, watch the Film- now on Cable, Streaming and DVD/Blu-Ray.

Dumb, random stuff.  What is this Movie and who is it for?  Is it an Action Film designed to show off giant, CG Dinosaurs?  Is it a Horror Film designed to show off smaller, CG Dinosaurs?  Is it a Drama about how all Animals should be saved and respected?  Is it a buddy Film about Owen and some new Characters?  Is it a Political Allegory for the evolution of the Military Industrial Complex?  The whole Film is random and all over the map!  The parts on the Island are kind of neat.  It's too bad that the obvious twist- that the helpers aren't good- comes too early and leaves them little to work with.  Oh and it's blatantly a rehash of The Lost World (the last time they did a direct Jurassic Park Sequel).  Seriously, it's so freaking redundant!!!  Could you have tried just a little bit harder, Colin Trevorrow?  Actually, I saw The Book of Henry, so I know the answer to that!  To be fair, the Special Effects look great.  There is a nice mix of Dinosaurs and the Set Pieces are generally pretty darn good.  That said, the Plot is a big old mess and I can't look past it.  It also sets up a bizarre third Film that is guaranteed to come (since this Film broke a Billion).  That said, the Film did less than the first one- in a more competitive time- so here's hoping that they manage it better.  A good Jurassic Park Sequel is a rare thing- kind of like seeing Practical Effects.

Easily the silliest and most erratic Film in the Franchise.  It is preachy, dramatic, trying to be scary, vaguely-political and just plain dumb at times.

Immediate Response: Captain Marvel (2019)

As I'm a Marvel fan and want to be able to look at the Internet for 4 minutes without SPOILERS, I saw this one tonight.  Here we go...

The Good

- An interesting Story told in order, but with truths being revealed slowly throughout that make you rethink everything.
- The Acting is great, everyone getting an Arc and managing to be both funny and serious when necessary.
- Great Visuals, Writing, Production and Humor.
- The Soundtrack has enough '90s Classics on it without feeling forced.  It's great.
- Blockbuster and Radio Shack- nice!

The Bad

- Blockbuster and Radio Shark are gone now.  Don't let me down, Bend, Oregon!


Honestly, I don't have any real complaints.  I liked everything about the Film.

Can it be too 'on-the-nose?'  Maybe.  I didn't mind.

Go see it and make sure to Review it properly.  Stick it to the idiots AND support a damn good Film!

Quick Reviews: Tag (2015)

If you've ever been on the Internet, you've probably seen the opening to this Film.  

Want to know what the rest is like?  Read on...

As you probably know, a Bus full of girls on a trip is driving along until *something* chops off the top half of the vehicle...and them (save for one girl).

She's a mess as she escapes, sees more death and then...none of it happened?  Did it?!?

At School, she hangs out with her friends.  

They get on a weird tangent about Alternate Realities and one of them says this...

All seems normal later until...the Teacher just whips out a chain gun and kills everyone (save the same girl)!

All of the girls flee...in something that sure isn't more and more awkward to watch in America as time goes by.

Things get weirder as reality seems to warp and our Heroine is now...someone else.  Nice Wedding though.

I can hardly SPOIL this Film and I won't.  Instead, here's a context-less shot that sort of SPOILS things...kind of...not really.  Watch the Film.

This is weirder than I expected.  Yes, I do realize how that sounds.  Having only seen the Clip, I expected a certain level of weird.  The actual Film as a whole is far stranger than what it tells you though!  

Outside of the opening, it is chock full of more sudden, random gore.  Beyond that, it has a weird dream-like, fairy-tale element to the whole thing.  It's not long, but the Pacing definitely drags at times.  It has the feel in the later parts of a Director not wanting to cut a second of any Scene.  You can just picture him too- sitting at the back of a Theater and trying to see if the Audience is taking it all in.  That's his prerogative.  

It's also mine to point out how I'm not clear if this helps the Film at all.  The reveals at the end are odd and I'm not entirely-clear if they meant to be taken literally.  It's Japan- who's ever really sure?!?  It's interesting...but I was more interested in the first half of the Film.  

If you don't want to watch something in the vein of Jacob's Ladder or The Machinist, skip this one.  If you need to know what this is all about, watching the Film will help...mostly.  

Speaking of Tag, there's ANOTHER 2015 Film with the same name.   I'm...probably not going to review it, so feel free.

A strong opening, a confusing middle section and an even more confusing ending.  If you aren't in the mood for a real brain teaser, just stick with the clip.

Impossibly-Cool Cover Art: The Savage Bees (Part 1)

A Bee is not an inherently-scary creature.

It is tiny.
It is cute.
It's a bug.

How do you make it scary?  The answer- giant skull!

Run for your life- the Screaming Skull has become gigantic!

Also, while I have you, Poster- where is the City exactly?  Are they running around in a post-apocalyptic wasteland?

Finally, is that guy in the front 'dabbing?!?'

Here's the original...

Mostly the same, but I added some contrast and sharpening to accent it all.  It's good, but very washed-out.

3,900th Post Celebration: Hard to Be A God (1989)

Another 100 Posts already?!?  This time, let me do something a little different and cover a Film that was already done- sort of.  Back in 2016, I had Bob do the 2012 Film Hard to Be A God, because it looked bleak, long and pretentious.  It was all 3 things.  In one of the Comments, someone told me to check out the original Version.  I didn't know that there was such a thing!  Here we are in 2019 and I finally did it.  I was tempted to just give it to Bob again- I won't lie.  Instead, I watched it with him, giving us the mixed experience to compare.  Should he find that he has more to say after I'm done, he'll post some sort of compare-contrast piece.  The big difference here is the Language.  This one was made before 'The Wall' came down, so it is all in German- just still made by Russians.  Will a USSR Version be vastly-different?  So what is the Story?  Unlike that Remake, this one is easy to decipher.  Shocking twist- they explain everything!  Aliens are monitoring a Planet that is behind them technologically/sociologically to see more in themselves.  One of them goes down and gets too close.  Will he break the Prime Directive?  To find out, read on...

A man rides into a Village in a strange land after reports of weird lights and dragons.  His identity is called into question, but he's still allowed to see a Prisoner.

Said Prisoner is...Werner Herzog?!?  What in the what now?!?

Anyhow, he talks about how he refuses to 'observe' them and the pair talk about conspicuous stuff like 'trackers' and 'chips.'

In the very next Scene, said Prisoner is abruptly-killed (bye, Werner!) and we learn that something is clearly up with our Lead as we see...

So now the truth comes out- he's an Alien observing the Society come to find his (now dead) friend.

He decides to stay and take up the guy's work, since dead and all.

His goal- find proof that the Society will advance by way of a thinker (e.c. Aristotle).  All the while, he's being observed, so they can double-down on the Theme.

He's looking for a particular man, which is good.  You see, every other one he finds- like a man who invented a printing press or a man who made a telescope- are being killed after he meets them.

The bleak Film gets a little more fun with the arrival of a big, brutish Baron.  He was the only levity in the Remake, but he has a little less work to do here.

After things seem too bad and our Hero finally tires of his relative-non-interference, he just says 'screw it' and goes into Action-Mode.

He might as well play a Deus Ex Machina since they already think that he's a Deus.

He does his best to save everyone left by just straight-up using his technology.  His Deus Ex Machina is broken up by...another Deus Ex Machina as the others show up, knock him out and leave with him.  The End.

A bleak Film that has its moments of good storytelling and creativity.  Let's be clear- this Film is not exactly all that uplifting.  Our Hero watches everyone around him die and he can do nothing about it.  He only has one 'victory' to speak of- saving the guy he was after.  Yes, it appears that the Society might change on its own, but it's not clear.  Other than those victories, he struggles to maintain his status as a passive observer.  The conflict is an interesting one and the Film benefits from its maximizing of this idea.  We see him observing.  We see people observing through him.  We see people observing the World separate of him.  Hell, we later see that someone is observing the people as they observe him!  It's a pretty easy Theme to decipher.  The Film is an interesting contrast of look and feel.  It looks like an '80s Sword and Sandal Film- like Deathstalker, Conan, etc.- but definitely has a different take!  This look and style makes the Film more accessible, I think, than, say, stark black and white must.  It's still a weird, preachy Film in either color scale.  If you like the deeper stuff and want something weird, check this out.  Another up it has on the Remake- only doing shots like this once or twice (and for good effect)…

That sure was worth the wait, no?  Here's to whatever weird thing I'll dig up for the 4,000th Post!

DCE-Hulu: Doom Patrol- 'Donkey Patrol'

I'm a bit late on this one, but being a little behind was no problem with Titans.  I'm WAY behind on that one, so let me play a little catch-up on this one now...

In the aftermath of what happened with the whole 'black hole' thing, the Team has a division.

In Detroit (since Geoff Johns is from there), Cyborg is trying to be a hero.  We see in flashbacks how he knows the Doctor, so he comes to help.

To note: his 'Dad' is Phil Morris, who was 'Martian Manhunter' on Smallville.  Big shoes to fill!

Negative Man is experiencing some issues, as his 'other half' is a separate entity on this Show and kind of pulls all of the strings.

At the Mansion, Robotman looks into Crazy Jane's past via a pile of VHS Tapes of her with the Doctor.

We're one Jared Harris away from this being The Quiet Ones 2!

Can the group get their act together and save everyone or is it too late for that?  Tell me what you think, Jane...

A solid follow-up that continues the weirdness.  The first Episode was good overall, but was clearly anchored by one man- Brendan Fraser.  He really had to carry it (mostly with his voice) due to the structure of it.  This time, the weight was carried more evenly by the Cast.  Timothy Dalton- my 2nd favorite Bond- gets a few Scenes to be likeable and all that.  Robotman still has his moments, which is nice.  The others- including Elastigirl and Negative Man- have nice moments as well.  Crazy Jane goes through about six or seven personalities/powers.  It's a bit cliché to be all 'I act like a little girl before getting violent' though, right?  It's fine, but...how many times have we seen this?  That said, seeing her powers (like above) is neat and I'm curious how many of them we're going to see in the course of the Episodes.  They never got to all of them in the Comics, so we'll see.  I didn't SPOIL most of the Plot here and I won't do that now.  It's weird and kind of fun.  The Nobody as a Narrator bit is fine now- just don't push it.  The Tone is all over the place, but it is still better than Titans.  Just tighten (no wordplay) it up a bit and you're good.  Nice literal shout-out to a Comic Book Writer too...

Next time, the group has new (read: some) resolve to stop Mr. Nobody.  Can they get it done?  See you then...