Streaming Standard: X-Men 97- Episodes 5-10

 I was planning to do another split, but what is the point in doing 5-7?

The Show has now wrapped up, so let's cover the rest, shall we?

In Episode 5, Genosha is turned into a pro-mutant land (in contrast to one that enslaved them), with Gambit, Rogue and Magneto attending.

As I'm sure you know, things go horribly wrong.

In Episode 6, Storm finally faces off with her personal demons...and a real demon (of sorts).

Can she regain her powers?
Oh, and what's going on in space?

In Episode 7, the hidden threat reveals itself to the audience- but not yet our Heroes.

He's creating a creepy, new kind of villain army to conquer all of mutantkind.

Tensions also mount due to personal loss and how they handle it.

In Episode 8, the threat is revealed to the X-Men and it is a big one!

The Mansion has been in one piece for too long, so you know what is going to happen.

In Episode 9, Magneto makes a big play that literally shakes the World.

The X-Men must reunite and rebound to stop him...and the other massive threat to the World.

No days off here!

The final battle...or battles take place!

Can the X-Men fight a two-front war to save a World that hates them?

How much trauma will the fans suffer waiting for Season 2?

To find out, stream the Show now.

A big, bombastic way to wrap up the Season!  So much happens.
I really don't want to SPOIL too much- you know how hard that makes this?!?

The Show gives everyone a bit of an Arc- some more than others- and everything seems to pay off.  We get big action, big drama and some great twists & turns.

As a life-long comic nerd, I could see a few of them coming, thanks to them being based on/versions of/riffs of Comic Stories.
There is a big focus on the 1990s X-Men Comics here, which does kind of make sense.

The returning Cast does great, while the new Voice Actors are also quite good.  Who would have guessed that I'd like Theo James after those Divergent Films?

This feels like a strong continuation of the Show- thankfully without the new, worse Art Style- and makes fans like me wanting more Shows like this.
For instance, how about these two?

A great second batch of Episodes that feels like a great Season 6.  Now the long wait for 'Season 7' begins...

Tubi Thursday: Killer Shark (2021)

 After watching the Documentary on Sharksploitation, I thought 'Why not watch one?'

I remember how I watched a ton of those cheap, Chinese CGI Monster Films.
They made a Shark one (or 12).

Here's one...

After a Syfy Channel Opening, we get a bunch of random people meeting up.

Do you care if one used to date?
Do you care if one is dating now?
What if one was a gold digger?

No?

This one is pretty low-budget, so bear the following in mind...

The happy Couple are playing while she steers.  
She takes a 10 cm right turn, hits a reef and the boat flips over...off-camera.

Sigh.

One of the ladies somehow cut her leg- which draws the titular Shark later- and refuses to swim to an island in the distance.

A guy- whose sole character trait is being kind of fat- also doesn't go.

This doesn't end well for them.

The other group swim/float towards the Island.

After some stalling- since the Shark has to eat the other two- they finally get confronted by the Shark.

They get picked off one by one and they're all sad.

If you're hoping for a fun, dumb Shark Film, look elsewhere.

This is 70 minutes of melodrama with a single Shark that has like 2 moves.

The End.

I was hoping for more.  Tubi- and all Streaming Services- are full of lots of big, dumb Shark Films.

Doll Shark.
House Shark

Ghost Shark
Ouija Shark 1 & 2

Noah's Shark

Ozark Sharks

I'm sure that they aren't good- especially since a couple are Mark Polonia Films- but they are probably some dumb fun.

This is closer to an attempt by China to make a Film like Open Water.
Fine goal, I suppose, but it doesn't make for a fun Film.

The Shark looks fine, but not amazing.
It loves to bump boats to knock people into the air...and then not eat any of them in mid-air.

Even the Shark is boring.

Oh well, maybe the inverse version of this Film is more fun.

A pretty underwhelming Film with a decent Shark- I guess.  It's not the worst Film I've seen, but...it's not all that interesting or exciting.

King Me: Stephen King's The Stand (1994) *Part 1*

 We just passed the 30th anniversary of this airing on ABC.  10-year-old me was DEFINITELY not allowed to see it then.

So, what is 1994's The Stand?  Well, it was one of King's more epic tales and locked in some form of developmental hell for around a Decade before this came out.  Many great names- like George A. Romero and Dario Argento! - were approached/attached and many Studios had a say in the matter.

This finally came out as a 4-Part Mini-Series that aired from May 8th to May 12th.

Many names of note are here from Kathy Bates to Ed Harris to Rob Lowe and Gary Sinise.  Many more 'That Guy' and 'That Lady' Actors and Actresses will show up throughout.  

You want Molly Ringwald and The Dad from ALF?  Done.  Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and the Voice of Patrick Star?  Yep.  Freaking Patrick Kilpatrick?  Scan him in!

The Plot involves, well, the end of the World.  Can you see why this was hard to adapt?

To find out if this one holds up after 3 Decades, read on...

A bioweapon of some sorts is accidentally released in a Government Lab.  

One of the men flees the Facility with his Family, traveling across multiple States in 4 days!

He crashes and dies in a small Texas town, where the people- lead by Sinise- try to help him.

He dies from a strange virus and the Government soon finds out!

Of course, this is Part 1 of a 4-Part Mini-Series, so we have to play the Introduce Every Character Game.

First up, this Musician guy, who will be important later.

We have Molly Ringwald (I didn't pick the most flattering shot, did I) and her wannabe boyfriend.

She's also going to be important later.

Rob Lowe plays a Deaf-Mute Character- a role he wanted to play since he is legit dead in one ear- who gets on the bad side of Kilpatrick.

He's the first to see the strange visions that will lead to stuff later.

Throughout the first part, we see a General- an uncredited Harris- trying to cover things up when all else fails.

He's a big part here...but likely won't be in the next 3 parts.

Here's a random Scene for you- in the midst of everything breaking down- with lots of people dying and rioting happening- we get a Found Footage-style section with this Reporter and her crew.

They're targeted for leaking some footage and assaulted.

Oh and sudden Kathy Bates!

She plays a Radio DJ who tries to report on what's happening before some unplanned company arrives.

The key player here is Sinise, as he's proven to be immune to the Virus.  The Scientists- including ALF Dad- try to find out why, but all succumb to the plague.

He escapes the Facility, but also dreams of Mother Abigail as Part 1 ends.

A really vast, but also interesting Story.  There's LOTS going on here, which is both a blessing and a curse.

On one hand, there's many diverse Characters, locales and Stories.
One the other hand, that same thing makes it hard sometimes to keep up with who is where and why.

The fact that they do stuff like randomly introduce a guy named Rat-Man and have Kareem Abdul-Jabbar as a 'The End is Nigh!' guy keep popping up is a bit distracting.

With so much going in, it can be hard for a Story like this to focus on what matters.  I think that they do alright, but I can easily see people in 1994 or 2024 needing a score card.

Hell, even following the ownership of this one is, as it ran on ABC, but my DVD was released by CBS!

For a TV Mini-Series, they get the scale pretty good.  The make-up work, which won an Award, is great too.  I don't have complaints about the content- just the format, I guess.

Personally, I found it kind of funny that Mick Garris was hired based on his work on Psycho IV (and, also Sleepwalkers).  Alright then!

For better or worse, this sets up a big, long King Story.  It also features 2 notable Cameos (at least to me).  We've got Ken Jenkins, 7 years before SCRUBS...

...and Joe Bob Briggs himself.  I wonder how many 'Captain Trips' he gave this Film?

Next up, I'll do my best to match the release Schedule of the Show.  Now that most people are dead, let the drama begin!  Stay tuned...

Shudder Day: Sharksploitation (2023)

 A day that I sit down and watch a Documentary is a rare one.

Shudder co-produced a Documentary on a Film Subgenre, so let's check it out!

For the last 50 years +, people have been making Films about Sharks.

Blame Jaws.
Great Film.
Led to lots of bad Films.

The Film talks about Jaws and its Sequels.

Here's the guy who designed 'Bruce.'

They don't just talk about Jaws, of course.

They talk about the History of the Subgenre, which goes back to the 1930s.

We also hear about the Films that didn't get made, like Joe Dante almost Directing Jaws 3, People 0.

We also get a brief look at many gems from the Subgenre (and Sharknado).

We also hear from Marine Biologists talking about real Sharks and how these Films made people scared of the creatures.

Hey look, it is Mrs. Benchley.

If you ever wanted to know about these Films and hear from lots of great people, this one is must-see.

We'll miss you, Roger.

A really good Documentary.  It has it all.

* Killer Sharks
* Famous Directors
* The infamous Scene from Shark Attack 3: Megalodon.

Seriously though, this is really interesting and really informative.  For a guy who talks about the most random and obscure Films, I still found stuff that I'd never heard of and need to track down.

Aside from the Clips and Stories, there's a great lesson here.  The Marine Biologists talk about Conservation, the beauty of Nature and the danger of people taking Films too seriously.

They don't preach it either- it is just a good message.

If you're into Films, you'll learn lots.  If you're new to all of this, you'll learn even more!

It is a great Documentary full of great Stories, great people...and Mark Polonia.

A great Documentary that you need to check out.  Dare I say that it has...bite?

Remake This!: The Eye (2008)

 Here's a rare case for you- I'm watching A SECOND Remake of the Film without seeing the original Film.

This is The Eye, the 2008 Remake of the Chinese Film of the same name (just in Chinese).  Many years ago, I stumbled across the Bollywood Remake and it sure...exists.

The Plot involves a young woman who gets a corneal transplant to restore her sight.  Yes, she gets new eyes (essentially), but it is still called The Eye.  I guess it is less relatable if she's a Pirate with an eye patch.

This leads to her seeing strange stuff and driving her a little bit crazy.  Is there more going on though?

To find out, read on...

A blind woman- Jessica Alba- is doing pretty well for herself.
She has a good relationship with her Sister (Parker Posey) and is a Concert Violinist.

She's also about to get a corneal transplant, restoring her eyesight that was lost when she was 5.

After surgery, she's greeted by a young girl deep in Chemotherapy.  Is that....Chloe-Grace Moretz?!?

Yes, it is and, according to reports, she actually shaved her head for this role.
A pretty bold thing to do for an 11-year-old Actress, no?

She gets her eyesight back, although it will take time for her body to adjust to the new sensations.

While in the Hospital, she sees dark shadows (not the vampire kind) walking with the old woman sharing her room.

The next morning, she learns that said woman died that night!

She goes home, but the strange sights don't stop there.

She sees a kid in a poncho who will only repeat the same phrase over and over again!

She's troubled the visions and has to leave her place.

She calls the Doctor who's been helping her adjust and he meets her at the Chinese Restaurant...only to find that it is a burned-out wreck.

The whole place burned up last week and... she just kind of walked in.
Alright then!

This is disrupting her life completely, from the visions she can't stop to the distractions this al is causing her.

She's a real mess.

She injures herself on some glass (been there!) and ends up back at the Hospital.  

She meets Moretz again...and then sees her spirit leave with the same black shadows!

Back home, she sees more strange things and realizes that the kid from earlier is the ghost of a neighbor woman.
Enjoy the only Asian Character of note in this Remake of a Chinese Film.

Oh and she finally realizes that the eyes' original owner is trying to make contact.

The Doctor finally relents and tells her who the donor was.

We find out that she could see death before it came for people (aka the Shadows) and tried to save people at a Factory from a fire.

When they died, she was labeled a Witch and driven to suicide.

She sees the shadows near the donor's Mother, but is too late to save her.

The duo are stopped at the Border Crossing and Alba realizes that what she saw wasn't a vision of the past- it was a warning of the future.

She scares enough people away in time before a big explosion would have killed them all.

In spite of the Final Destination reference they include here, Death doesn't come for her.

Instead, she gets re-blinded by flying glass and is happy.  The End.

A better Film than I was expecting.  That said, this is much less of a Horror Film than I think that people may be expecting.

For all of the flack she gets (earned or not), Alba put lots of work into this one behind-the-scenes.  She learned to play the violin (at least well enough to look legit) and spent time with people to train herself how to act blind.

Again- you may still not like her Acting, but you should at least respect the hustle.

The Film walks this odd line between being a Character Drama, a Horror Film and a Psychological Thriller.  Before the facts come out, she might just be crazy.  This could work, to be fair, if you're not familiar with the source material.

The freaky visuals do work nicely, and I do appreciate the effort made to flesh out all of the Characters- at least all of the ones who appear more than once.  Everyone feels real.

As far as Remakes go, it is fine.  Like I said, I appreciate the work put into it.  Ultimately, the 'Ooh, scary thing' kind of Films aren't really my thing (hence my feelings towards J and K-Horror in general).

Speaking of which, I can't decide on which Stinger to use.  Is it the overly long credit given to the original Film...

...or this bit they blatantly cribbed from Daredevil, where she stops a guy (not Stan Lee though) from walking in front of a bus.

Next up, I take a Facebook suggestion and look at a famous TV Mini-Series.  With it celebrating a 30th Anniversary this year, the time to take a stand is now.  See you then...

Tubi Thursday: Argoman- The Fantastic Superman (1967)

 I needed a break from Cyborgs, Bodybuilders and Post-Apocalyptic Wastelands after this last month.

Let's go with cheesy, dated stuff instead...

This is Sir Reginald Hoover.  He's called in by Scotland Yard when they need help solving cases.

Oh and he's also the titular Superhero.
His powers are telekinesis and mind control, but he wears a visor like Cyclops.

He uses his powers to get a woman named Regina to come to his Island and they eventually hook up.
There's a catch- he loses his powers for 6 hours after he 'does the deed.'

After she leaves, he realizes that she's a bad lady calling herself Jenabell- Queen of the World.

She stole the Royal Crown of England, but then returns it with a note asking for a greater treasure.
It is less of a request and more of a threat, but you still have to appreciate the courtesy.

He tracks her to Paris and gets into a fight with her goons after they rob a bank- just in time for his powers to return.

If you think the whole 'losing his powers' thing will come up again, dream on.

He works to stop her from stealing a diamond that can transmute matter if light is reflected off of it.

It's all a big MacGuffin and as silly as you'd expect from a Film like this.

He keeps nearly catching her.

At one point, she kidnaps his lady friend and he has to save her from a robot- as you do.

Her big Plot basically involves using said diamond to help make Robot doubles for World Leaders.
A Plot so good that Futureworld stole it.

In the End, our Hero stops her...and keeps the Crown she originally stole.  You scamp!

Is it good?  Objectively, it is not great.  

It is cheesy, has a very dated Soundtrack, a ridiculous Plot and can't decide whether it is a Spy Film or a Superhero one.  Argoman is kind of a jerk too.

That said, it is enjoyable in a strange way.  It is just so committed to this silly Plot, silly outfits, silly Soundtrack and just its overall vibe.

It is so silly.
Things just kind of happen.

This isn't a great Film.  It was featured by the recent MST3K crew, so that tells you alot.

If you want a silly, dated Film to enjoy, this will do.
If you want something great, keep scrolling.

A silly Film that is pretty enjoyable, provided you set your expectations right.  It is a cheesy time capsule of a Film that I can't really hate.