tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-86239565728665469672024-03-10T15:27:02.115-04:00 SHAZAMAHOLIC!Chronicling a variety of interests, from music to entertainment to comic books to faith.Shazamaholichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11745015382822203379noreply@blogger.comBlogger309125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8623956572866546967.post-40524169348867782362024-03-06T15:10:00.001-05:002024-03-10T15:13:50.671-04:00Review: Shazam #9<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEintK71DnHwFwMgzv5-Z8SivHCYeRUJS8hjJUa6kfIEDCyiGvpysz3V7terj7JNNSIMUe88XiSupzB494UtjkNxWxG2uJuO5BySxeW436hsqzeU0xrUKwjZNc3pTqu3pLYdw9VQPNnwVbYwpBqqmfVBVgrMcctmAzXtv8AK9NWIEEwwLAjA6zDmZgAkh5_w/s932/RCO017_1709650263.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="443" data-original-width="932" height="206" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEintK71DnHwFwMgzv5-Z8SivHCYeRUJS8hjJUa6kfIEDCyiGvpysz3V7terj7JNNSIMUe88XiSupzB494UtjkNxWxG2uJuO5BySxeW436hsqzeU0xrUKwjZNc3pTqu3pLYdw9VQPNnwVbYwpBqqmfVBVgrMcctmAzXtv8AK9NWIEEwwLAjA6zDmZgAkh5_w/w434-h206/RCO017_1709650263.jpg" width="434" /></a></div>Issue 9 feels like a fill in issue, with no real connection to the previous issues. And ironically, its one of the best issues so far in an otherwise underwhelming run. Both the story, by Mark Waid, and art, by Emanuela Lupacchino, have a distinct, classic, 1970s-80s DC team up flavor. <p></p><p>The Creeper is the special guest hero, and despite this, the Captain gets far more panel time than most of the previous issues, where those needless <i>Flashpoint</i> kids suck up all the spotlight. </p><p>Jack Ryder, the Creeper's true identity, and a TV journalist, invites aspiring podcaster Billy Batson on his show. Ryder has deduced Billy is the Captain and asks him to help on a case where the Shadow Thief has nefarious plans for a speeding passenger train. </p><p>One of Waid's better efforts and the art is great, also. I hope we get more done-in-one team up issues like this. I'd love to see the Captain team up with Plastic Man. And a team up with Power Girl. This issue earns a B.</p>Shazamaholichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11745015382822203379noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8623956572866546967.post-84438306598658129992024-02-09T10:21:00.001-05:002024-02-09T19:31:57.774-05:00Review: Shazam #8<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihNDSPPCv8brtjREOwWWwLjt7z4tUY-xBgmJf-s_r47k9jsiAoU9qNjPnsJfqju3Zu1lbt24hwynD6mPINSB7JxfMK9p84eKUQwLgcfLkpGhJ3dIwKavQQ7dtAsV48Wsm5rZs9IIZ4FJGPRDVyRMvlOYO99KS5c5-XiuZ7IWwopC7HKVhICFqvyrJ10ROc/s749/Screenshot_20240209_192959.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="749" data-original-width="510" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihNDSPPCv8brtjREOwWWwLjt7z4tUY-xBgmJf-s_r47k9jsiAoU9qNjPnsJfqju3Zu1lbt24hwynD6mPINSB7JxfMK9p84eKUQwLgcfLkpGhJ3dIwKavQQ7dtAsV48Wsm5rZs9IIZ4FJGPRDVyRMvlOYO99KS5c5-XiuZ7IWwopC7HKVhICFqvyrJ10ROc/s320/Screenshot_20240209_192959.png" width="218" /></a></div>This series... I just don't know. This issue continues from the last issue, focuses on the alien dinosaurs and the fight between the Captain and Black Adam, but it just seems like a bad Saturday morning cartoon. There's one moment where writer Mark Waid leads us to think he may be getting rid of the <i>Flashpoint</i> kids and foster parents (which would be very welcome) but it's all a swerve only to be magically solved by the end of the issue. The only good thing about this issue is that Goran Suzuka is back on art duties. This issue earns a D for script, a B for art, averaging to a C.<br /><p></p>Shazamaholichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11745015382822203379noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8623956572866546967.post-36970677178161201212024-01-04T16:15:00.001-05:002024-01-07T16:18:06.567-05:00Review: Shazam #7<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIGXe2dH7KxcfaJ9aQ5cybHzCHTVyvVo7lMyuVboSoKYCgf7pBLDVnqGLdjE8i6ITR99F7Y0o1lYyq9JDq69bGbAvsU2lQVXxUbV5QifDGx4RZ0WRnD9OE-znsvpoFrcIePdgYD6q8vA8PMAawfVGJJMSjAlWGIxGO7EffbIbsV9ja4OqGARHAOxvEZNZs/s1221/RCO003_1704202616.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1221" data-original-width="1038" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIGXe2dH7KxcfaJ9aQ5cybHzCHTVyvVo7lMyuVboSoKYCgf7pBLDVnqGLdjE8i6ITR99F7Y0o1lYyq9JDq69bGbAvsU2lQVXxUbV5QifDGx4RZ0WRnD9OE-znsvpoFrcIePdgYD6q8vA8PMAawfVGJJMSjAlWGIxGO7EffbIbsV9ja4OqGARHAOxvEZNZs/s320/RCO003_1704202616.jpg" width="272" /></a></div><br />Issue 7 opens with the Captain fighting Zazzo, who Waid rebrands as Bizarro Captain. Then we go to Kahndaq to see the alien dinosaurs encounter Black Adam. It leads to more dinosaurs trying to find Billy, and there is a big fight between the Captain and Black Adam. Overall this issue is just one big slapstick mess. The best thing about this issue is Goran Suzuka's art, who steps in for regular artist Dan Mora. Suzuka is actually a better fit for the character. So it is obvious DC won't let him do another issue. This issue gets a D for story and a B for art, averaging to a C overall.<p></p>Shazamaholichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11745015382822203379noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8623956572866546967.post-19971001253982267522023-12-07T14:11:00.005-05:002024-01-07T16:15:19.081-05:00Review: Shazam #6<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguOZXds5X2ZU3TFWScgxWKGXk4G4XY3NdawwbHeSnpZiMYE013RkWqkPbTTM5XGKR_zAbz9whYWjwiXa2YZml21NP27Fjjowv9t9K9ZFrXwT63dUyFeoY0Ypl8uvT9c85EHkPTj6tlS5FBExSDS_f4q2pfEjrFIT56z0oOL6kUBoYOPmThZWVmH01ANjgM/s837/RCO003_1701777515.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="837" data-original-width="557" height="407" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguOZXds5X2ZU3TFWScgxWKGXk4G4XY3NdawwbHeSnpZiMYE013RkWqkPbTTM5XGKR_zAbz9whYWjwiXa2YZml21NP27Fjjowv9t9K9ZFrXwT63dUyFeoY0Ypl8uvT9c85EHkPTj6tlS5FBExSDS_f4q2pfEjrFIT56z0oOL6kUBoYOPmThZWVmH01ANjgM/w271-h407/RCO003_1701777515.jpeg" width="271" /></a></div>This issue picks up with Freddy seemingly ready to betray Billy to get the powers for himself. Only it turns out to be a scam until the <i>Flashpoint</i> kids arrive to save the day. Yeach. Just what I predicted, and just what the Captain Marvel character does not need.<br /><br />Then Billy notices Solomon has stepped away from all this, and he confronts him. He asks Solomon to make the Captain wiser to be able to resist the other Elders' influences. Solomon agrees but warns Billy it will make The Captain more separate from Billy.<br /><br />Meanwhile the alien dinosaurs land in Kahndaq, and face Black Adam. This issue at least shows that by getting more wisdom of Solomon, the Captain may not act like a goofy kid anymore. That shows promise, but so did issue #1, and look where we are at now. This issue earns a C.<p></p>Shazamaholichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11745015382822203379noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8623956572866546967.post-57534656880681173962023-11-30T16:49:00.026-05:002024-01-07T16:55:13.079-05:00Review: Batman '89: Echoes #1<p>As bad as the first <i>Batman '89</i> miniseries was, I have to say the first issue of the sequel is so much better. Sam Hamm is starting the down the road to redeem himself. Let's see if he can stay on it. Joe Quinones' art is also improved from the first miniseries, where at times it seemed rushed, and the actors' likenesses were made more vague and generic.<br /><br />The story picks up 2 years after the first miniseries. Batman has been out of action for 2 years, but a new group of wannabe vigilantes dressed in homemade Batman costumes start start showing up murdered in failed attempts to fight crime. Barbara Gordon, who is now a captain (remember, Hamm killed off Jim Gordon in the first miniseries), goes to Wayne Manor to see if Bruce knows anything about these fake Batmen. Bruce isn't home, and Alfred confides in Barbara that he went missing a month earlier. </p><p>Then we cut to TV psychologist Arleen Quinzel, aka "Dr. Q" who unveils The Joker's moll Alicia's surgically restructured face. Quinones' art for Dr. Q is great, but I can't quite place who he is basing her on. We get a glimpse of Dr. Q's obsession with the dead Joker.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdlikvnTZqz-ECCTzJOEZhGiEPkYS07HowwpNC4GYwhRO739MsIw1r9Jxxg0XvbqS-OrDlznOejFDsaa9A_HOmKUg8xvVNOvXzvUSnoMMqgflHvFLVc8UFEs5p6wNxKmAa88Dohcf4YWyvrKn5xm6U7WIquWP3bkhKWFQNl8XpC2GOZym9Cn5rjh23laBO/s623/RCO012_1701185508.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="387" data-original-width="623" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdlikvnTZqz-ECCTzJOEZhGiEPkYS07HowwpNC4GYwhRO739MsIw1r9Jxxg0XvbqS-OrDlznOejFDsaa9A_HOmKUg8xvVNOvXzvUSnoMMqgflHvFLVc8UFEs5p6wNxKmAa88Dohcf4YWyvrKn5xm6U7WIquWP3bkhKWFQNl8XpC2GOZym9Cn5rjh23laBO/w418-h265/RCO012_1701185508.jpg" width="418" /></a></div>Then the police go to capture the Firefly, whose alias is apparently Robert Lowery. Hmmm. After a well constructed action scene, they capture him. At the hospital, Lowery asks to see Dr Hugo Strange, but he gets Dr Jonathan Crane instead. Then we get our first view of Lowery's face. <br /><br />It's...<br /><br />SPOILER ALERT<br /><br /><br /><br /><br />...Bruce... or a dead ringer for him.<br /><br />This issue earns a B+.<p></p><br />Shazamaholichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11745015382822203379noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8623956572866546967.post-60297641199498669242023-11-09T10:14:00.001-05:002023-11-12T10:39:04.952-05:00Review: Shazam #5<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUjCldH8cycgiajuMmT0KxmkTTIkl7yzTlevTfDtwrysE6-mD09gaJoyBqTbayJdknqoB05QyPBzCZVZl3VxlVCCXi5E3IP_b1B8rTGPCppy3fL-n9pqEX6ZwsFeDOLpfRRYLO1sefg5OEl7oM5XxPyvm8SHbF5t2zYqmngvHbLAmUb1bVqrFHt3hmPbJF/s598/RCO005_1699358457_1.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="343" data-original-width="598" height="232" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUjCldH8cycgiajuMmT0KxmkTTIkl7yzTlevTfDtwrysE6-mD09gaJoyBqTbayJdknqoB05QyPBzCZVZl3VxlVCCXi5E3IP_b1B8rTGPCppy3fL-n9pqEX6ZwsFeDOLpfRRYLO1sefg5OEl7oM5XxPyvm8SHbF5t2zYqmngvHbLAmUb1bVqrFHt3hmPbJF/w403-h232/RCO005_1699358457_1.jpeg" width="403" /></a></div>Issue number 5 is a slight improvement over issue 4. Dan Mora turns in some really good artwork. There is more advancement to the plot concerning both the Gorillas and the Elders, and it is Mary Marvel who saves The Captain. There is a twist at the end where, now that Billy is aware the Elders are manipulating him (although we still don't know why the Elders are acting like bad guys), Billy threatens to give up his powers, only to have Freddy pop up saying he'll take the powers. <p></p><p>What I don't understand is how Mark Waid can be turning in such amazing scripts for <i>Batman/Superman: World's Finest</i>, and <i>World's Finest: Teen Titans, </i>but for this series, after an excellent first issue, the subsequent scripts are so weak. This issue earns a C.<br /></p>Shazamaholichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11745015382822203379noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8623956572866546967.post-86176018434010439502023-10-04T13:54:00.001-04:002023-10-06T19:01:54.749-04:00Review: Shazam #4<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjPJUkKQFxLkVKCR-UJh5WPYdVlrxo18IOILd5rVuR07bfQZBbuLSc-Tl_-viFeOGLmjQjMA9bpb46LSjREC7IIAqbt3mIBCYfXgdbcRsJigiLdk3Qyf0WMz_i0Mi7_oDi9zOvL7-GkLYCUsShE1_c747FgKTu8WHQG8g6cdywS0tnnZBIR8_pvQ-nRnCK/s460/RCO011_1696326633.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="317" data-original-width="460" height="221" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjPJUkKQFxLkVKCR-UJh5WPYdVlrxo18IOILd5rVuR07bfQZBbuLSc-Tl_-viFeOGLmjQjMA9bpb46LSjREC7IIAqbt3mIBCYfXgdbcRsJigiLdk3Qyf0WMz_i0Mi7_oDi9zOvL7-GkLYCUsShE1_c747FgKTu8WHQG8g6cdywS0tnnZBIR8_pvQ-nRnCK/s320/RCO011_1696326633.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>It is issue number 4 and things really seem to be going off the rails. <a href="https://shazamaholic.blogspot.com/2023/05/review-shazam-1.html" target="_blank">Issue 1</a> had such promise, such hope this would be a true relaunching of Captain Marvel. But with each passing issue, Mark Waid's writing starts to read more and more like Stanley Ralph Ross. This issue is like a parody of the old <i>Planet of the Apes</i> movies. Then, it seems like, as the Elders, who for a yet unrevealed reason are acting like villains, take control of the Captain, the irritating Flashpoint kids are positioning to be the ones who save the Captain. This is not what we need. The Captain to be the damsel in distress only for the Flashpoint kids to rescue him. This series is really getting bad and this issue earns a D.<p></p>Shazamaholichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11745015382822203379noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8623956572866546967.post-38920795694224721582023-09-06T15:30:00.012-04:002023-09-07T10:03:51.722-04:00Review: Shazam #3<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuqnLhGxw7Itm3tYDq5A88eJHVj1tQuPWOB2JLGz29MzvHH4yRPr19sGk_U-XDGJaQY4hK11c_Ovl7a66rb5xK5QWmY5cZIrUEeOANENrBcdJ3BCYSromStYOu5TR1_ksbJfuYQ0iAs65-8T4lcwJ6wgqRLPy11RL7l4oafrEVn2dXFGlRwnpbwi5lgWNV/s1016/RCO012_1693912822.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="765" data-original-width="1016" height="276" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuqnLhGxw7Itm3tYDq5A88eJHVj1tQuPWOB2JLGz29MzvHH4yRPr19sGk_U-XDGJaQY4hK11c_Ovl7a66rb5xK5QWmY5cZIrUEeOANENrBcdJ3BCYSromStYOu5TR1_ksbJfuYQ0iAs65-8T4lcwJ6wgqRLPy11RL7l4oafrEVn2dXFGlRwnpbwi5lgWNV/w367-h276/RCO012_1693912822.jpeg" width="367" /></a></div>Issue number 3 follows in the steps of issue 2. Once again, many of the positive changes to the new52 Shazam, now known as "The Captain", from issue 1 are missing and the series heads more into the new52 direction. The plot has Freddy becoming the unwilling spy for the six Elders whom The Captain derives his powers from. The Elders want to control Billy like a puppet. Billy, concerned about his erratic behavior as the Captain, unaware of the Elders interference, stops saying the magic word. New 52 Mary Shazam, now officially named Mary Marvel, has her own set of Elders, and continues to fight crime. Billy's Elders manipulate a situation forcing Billy to become the Captain. He saves a bus load of Gorillas from Gorilla City (yeah, you read that right), and under the Elders' manipulation, they convince the Captain that a race of Moon people are about to attack Earth. The Captain flies off to the moon to prevent the invasion.<br /><br />The plot is getting kind of weird, and I just don't get putting the Captain in such sci-fi based scenarios. This seems like a rejected Silver Age Superman story line, and I didn't even mention the scene with the alien dinosaur. Captain Marvel's adventures, for the most part, were always more Earth bound, with some slight touches of magic. Not sure where this series is headed. This issue earns another C.<p></p>Shazamaholichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11745015382822203379noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8623956572866546967.post-25857054341143202752023-06-18T12:02:00.003-04:002023-06-18T12:16:32.697-04:00movie review: THE FLASH<p>After hearing that <i>The Flash </i>is <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/markhughes/2023/06/17/the-flash-stumbles-to-modest-70-million-holiday-box-office/?sh=2352dee64ced" target="_blank">on track to be another DCEU dud</a>, I thought I'd skip doing a proper review and just jump right into some thoughts and comments. Incoming DC Movies head James Gunn hyped this as the greatest superhero movie ever made. Well, the box office certainly disagrees, and Gunn may be tarnished because of it. SPOILERS BELOW.<br /></p><div dir="ltr">So did I think this was the greatest superhero movie ever
made? Nope, not even close. But I will say it
may be the greatest movie under the DCEU banner that began with <i><a href="https://shazamaholic.blogspot.com/2013/06/movie-review-man-of-steel.html" target="_blank">Man of Steel</a>, </i>which arguably is a low threshold to cross. </div><div dir="ltr"> </div><div dir="ltr"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHfl0p5NFY_-2hdpJ7NdkZM55RW8JH4UL64Z4ezKwMEoNfAWmixjEalyEJivZoxyvXOxnHniMZsjlvzLqocCcArNxtt6L4IOg6fI1TbUV9MmvTyV26EnRTtb61p4ShSD-ck4Q5TY7nXoxHuQvW-Jt_z2DoGFfRDtH4rf3Z7sYTBIUNlg5J8FQUPYVV7g/s1280/batman1.jpeg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1280" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHfl0p5NFY_-2hdpJ7NdkZM55RW8JH4UL64Z4ezKwMEoNfAWmixjEalyEJivZoxyvXOxnHniMZsjlvzLqocCcArNxtt6L4IOg6fI1TbUV9MmvTyV26EnRTtb61p4ShSD-ck4Q5TY7nXoxHuQvW-Jt_z2DoGFfRDtH4rf3Z7sYTBIUNlg5J8FQUPYVV7g/w400-h225/batman1.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><br />It was great to see Michael Keaton back as The Batman, but I don't think
this was the same character he played in the <a href="https://shazamaholic.blogspot.com/2011/06/retrospective-on-burton-keaton-batman.html" target="_blank">1989 original and <i>Batman Returns</i></a>. To me, he
played it quite differently. Of course he's older, maybe wiser, but it
just seemed different. Maybe because so much of Batman (both Ben Affleck
and Keaton) were daytime scenes, or that Keaton seemed so much more
talkative than in the original movies. Or that his cape does not have the bat-points along the bottom. Why do the recent movies keep giving Batman a standard cape? I say he played a nearly identical alternate
multiverse take on the original character. A lot of the hype building up to this movie implies this a de facto <i>Batman III</i> for Keaton. If you go into the movie expecting that, you will be disappointed. Keaton is a supporting character.<br /></div><div dir="ltr"> </div><div dir="ltr"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqlA64lvEtURp-S5ituYLa4KjcrqvCx5maLaGFf4KSoHxaP_PnP9V7ixxd8JeVN6s1JrBAB_eaO8xQIIZZ8KNzNYe1OAJ1UlvOLZtA-HVN-GG5ZAL5-AMDpTxa57j6bVIoldk7kjZQILz238kXuq7vEH5LcBX-_S3aqtTYX6QkhKZjCdqVg0TYycdUZw/s1600/supergirl1.jpeg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqlA64lvEtURp-S5ituYLa4KjcrqvCx5maLaGFf4KSoHxaP_PnP9V7ixxd8JeVN6s1JrBAB_eaO8xQIIZZ8KNzNYe1OAJ1UlvOLZtA-HVN-GG5ZAL5-AMDpTxa57j6bVIoldk7kjZQILz238kXuq7vEH5LcBX-_S3aqtTYX6QkhKZjCdqVg0TYycdUZw/w400-h225/supergirl1.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><br />I also have to say I really
liked Sasha Calle, who played Supergirl. She did a lot better than I
thought she would, and it helps that she wasn't over used in the movie.
She had just the right amount of screen time. Her and Keaton were the highlights of the movie.<br /></div><div dir="ltr"> </div><div dir="ltr">Most of the action scenes were amazing. What
I thought was weak were some of the special effects. The Flash in particular,
most of the time looked like Ezra Miller's face photoshopped onto a CGI
figure. And the way the speedzone was portrayed--what can only be
described as a giant <i>Sgt. Pepper</i> album cover. Cheesy and kind of lame.</div><div dir="ltr"> </div><div dir="ltr">All the cameos, from Gal Gadot's Wonder Woman thru Nicholas Cage's Superman, and CGI
recreations of Christopher Reeve, George Reeves and Adam West, were
cool, and George Clooney is now the official DCEU Batman going forward. Maybe.</div><div dir="ltr"> </div><div dir="ltr"><i>The Flash</i> was definitely done in the MCU style, far more so than the
Joss Whedon version of <i><a href="https://shazamaholic.blogspot.com/2017/11/movie-review-justice-league.html" target="_blank">Justice League</a></i>, which got slammed for it. <br /></div><div dir="ltr"> </div><div dir="ltr">So, this was a enjoyable film. Why did it tank at the box office? Most likely a combination of three things: the fact that the DCEU banner has a bad track record and is tainted, that a nine year Flash TV series just ended causing over-saturation of the character, and most prominently, a boycott of Ezra Miller due to his troubling and dangerous behavior. Perhaps WB should have re-shot all his scenes with a new actor when they had the chance. <br /></div><div dir="ltr"><br clear="none" /><br /></div><p></p>Shazamaholichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11745015382822203379noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8623956572866546967.post-4064375232844561842023-06-06T15:06:00.000-04:002023-06-06T15:06:12.420-04:00Review: Shazam #2<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2VpZAq3KcrWYyoA2Y7ek5vYM7Wvvq06ostVCGOiFc8YRvqslHaT7ld_GlnozRZ5dtS83-M01qvdZ4ZQeL-pCd_lTq-rSTx_F0MM0Bd7w_cj3U2YOMDozMR7pl8V1EdgKmbLC72TWavgJ8xRcEJAeTUeT0WvEBtipcVr05HY43v8e-16tEhaQnMCcIvg/s610/RCO011_1686061932.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="266" data-original-width="610" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2VpZAq3KcrWYyoA2Y7ek5vYM7Wvvq06ostVCGOiFc8YRvqslHaT7ld_GlnozRZ5dtS83-M01qvdZ4ZQeL-pCd_lTq-rSTx_F0MM0Bd7w_cj3U2YOMDozMR7pl8V1EdgKmbLC72TWavgJ8xRcEJAeTUeT0WvEBtipcVr05HY43v8e-16tEhaQnMCcIvg/w457-h200/RCO011_1686061932.jpg" width="457" /></a></div>Issue number 2 take a step back from all the positive changes made in issue 1. It's not just the reversal of Freddy's hair color change. It's almost like writer Mark Waid put the extra effort of "Fawcettizing" the first issue to hook us in, only to do a bait and switch and go back to the New52 for the 2nd issue. We get the <i>Flashpoint</i> kids and more of the alien dinosaurs at the beginning of the book, but once we get past that, the story gets slightly better. Instead of using one of Captain Marvel's rogues gallery, he uses the generic DC villain Psycho Pirate as the villain, but it serves a purpose to the story he is telling of the Captain becoming increasingly hostile. Overall, the issue is not bad, but it's also not as good as the first issue. This issue earns a C. Perhaps corporate DC forced Waid to go more new52 with the 2nd issue. Let's give it a few more issues to see if things get better or worse.<br /><p></p><p> </p><p>PS- So, I watched <i>Shazam Fury of the Gods </i>on HBO. Wow. If you always wondered what a superhero movie that is worse than Joel Schumacher<i>'</i>s<i> Batman & Robin,</i> worse than <i>Superman IV: The Quest for Peace,</i> worse than <i><a href="https://shazamaholic.blogspot.com/2020/12/review-wonder-woman-1984.html" target="_blank">Wonder Woman 1984</a></i>, worse than <i><a href="https://shazamaholic.blogspot.com/2022/07/review-thor-love-and-thunder.html" target="_blank">Thor Love & Thunder</a></i><i> </i>would be like<i>, </i>wonder no more, because this movie is it. Director David Sandberg would be very lucky if this movie doesn't Trank up the rest of his career. Maybe he should have just made it a <a href="https://shazamaholic.blogspot.com/2020/01/shazam-2-musical.html" target="_blank">musical</a>. Asher Angel, who plays Billy Batson, and I thought was one of the few good things about <a href="https://shazamaholic.blogspot.com/2019/04/movie-review-shazam.html" target="_blank">the first movie</a>, has little more than a glorified cameo in this one. With so little Asher, that means there is way too much Zachary Levi. I thought he was horribly miscast as Captain Marvel in the first movie, and he does nothing to change my mind in the sequel. Perhaps the only bright spot in this movie is Jack Dylan Grazer, who plays Freddy Freeman (who I thought was one of the other only good things about the first flick). In many ways this is really Freddy's movie, and Grazer, along with Rachel Zegler, the only other good thing in the sequel, steal the show, what little there is to steal in this stinker. Hopefully we can get a real and proper Captain Marvel film reboot, but this movie is so bad, and did so poorly at the box office, it may be decades before the World's Mightiest Mortal gets another shot at cinematic stardom, if ever.<br /></p>Shazamaholichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11745015382822203379noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8623956572866546967.post-64440993992411145802023-05-02T11:12:00.003-04:002023-05-02T11:49:49.805-04:00Review: Shazam #1<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>After a little hiatus I am back to review <i>Shazam</i> #1 written by Mark Waid with art by Dan Mora. This is, what, like the 5th or 6th attempt post-New52 to give the World's Mightiest Mortal an on-going book. All the previous attempts have been failures. But the first issue of this latest series kind of delivers. In a perfect world, we would just get a complete reboot reverting back to the original Fawcett continuity. But Mark Waid gets as close as he can while still sticking with the New52 timeline. In this premiere issue, Captain Marvel gets his traditional costume back and kind of, sort of, gets half his name back. Fawcett City officially returns being a suburb of Philadelphia. Billy reveals his side hustle of hosting a podcast that details the exploits of Captain Marvel (a modern day twist on his gig as a WHIZ radio personality) with hints of classic supporting characters like Whitey Murphy, Cissie Sommerly, and Sunny Sparkle waiting in the wings to appear in this series. Freddy Freeman once again has black hair, and as Captain Marvel Jr, sports a red cape. Waid gives us the best insight into Billy and the Captain's inner personalities since Alex Ross or E. Nelson Bridwell. Best of all, while mentioned, none of the three <i>Flashpoint </i>kids or the foster parents appear in the story to clutter it up. <p></p><p><i></i></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiww0M_cj2ejXv-Zd_xoomMCnXH81k7kQEZx5K-qg4hH88Jl5TjBCdvsTebrla77hDyVlS5_-hJhNDCoX0AQM8c47BqXVmNabhdLstt4g3nZdCwLbwKxAw3uQg9igH4IuNGfxEv15uDvXepdqk2GHeOSuhRo7f921UC12qh120PtjqrAtURjv70keAXyw/s1787/11.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1116" data-original-width="1787" height="351" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiww0M_cj2ejXv-Zd_xoomMCnXH81k7kQEZx5K-qg4hH88Jl5TjBCdvsTebrla77hDyVlS5_-hJhNDCoX0AQM8c47BqXVmNabhdLstt4g3nZdCwLbwKxAw3uQg9igH4IuNGfxEv15uDvXepdqk2GHeOSuhRo7f921UC12qh120PtjqrAtURjv70keAXyw/w561-h351/11.jpg" width="561" /></a></i></div> All is not perfect though. The opening scene where the Captain helps a family of alien dinosaurs just seems a little too out of place (I never pictured Captain Marvel to be that invested in a sci-fi setting), and as The Captain, there is still that tinge of <i>Big</i> influence, although not nearly as annoying and obnoxious as some previous writers or the movies have done it.<br /><br />In many ways, this issue is like the new52 timeline seen through <i><a href="https://shazamaholic.blogspot.com/2014/12/review-thunderworld-adventures.html" target="_blank">Thunderworld</a></i> lenses. As a classic and traditional Captain Marvel fan, I can encourage the premiere issue is worth getting and supporting. Hopefully the issues that follow will get even better. This issue earns a solid B.<br /><br />PS- in case anyone is interested, I watched <i>Black Adam</i> on HBO (did not go see it at the theater). I thought it was slightly better than <a href="https://shazamaholic.blogspot.com/2019/04/movie-review-shazam.html" target="_blank"><i>Shazam!</i></a> which isn't saying much. I didn't see any reason to have the JSA in it, when the Fawcett heroes would have worked just as well, if not better- Ibis instead of Dr Fate, Bullet Man instead of Hawkman, Bullet Girl instead of Cyclone, and Minute Man instead of Atom Smasher. And of course, Captain Marvel instead of Superman at the end. Also, I thought that kid was kind of annoying, and was basically a carbon copy of the way Freddy Freeman was portrayed in <i>Shazam!</i>. I have not yet seen <i>Shazam! Fury of the Gods</i> (which apparently neither has most of the movie going public), but may watch it when it airs on HBO.<p></p>Shazamaholichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11745015382822203379noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8623956572866546967.post-23617916739285150282022-07-24T16:51:00.001-04:002022-07-24T16:52:50.714-04:00Shazam 2 trailer and a new Black Adam scene<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD2bZN_7Je79-vbHL98VwCmk0AIJ-C84tMHDIKrUW6GIleu2DtcGTU9GDh6flSuJyQBqt8JJAOc_7wrA3W_gKMzu56HgSwGzFlA6xduGICGGyhPxgJ-7FM4lYrJE_mqSN7G51D6m5iCqVHcKzSumCwmQGgevhre0-hlLZXlnMGUlzbUAmZVe9CUVodjQ/s933/shazam2_wb-1400x933.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="933" data-original-width="907" height="347" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD2bZN_7Je79-vbHL98VwCmk0AIJ-C84tMHDIKrUW6GIleu2DtcGTU9GDh6flSuJyQBqt8JJAOc_7wrA3W_gKMzu56HgSwGzFlA6xduGICGGyhPxgJ-7FM4lYrJE_mqSN7G51D6m5iCqVHcKzSumCwmQGgevhre0-hlLZXlnMGUlzbUAmZVe9CUVodjQ/w337-h347/shazam2_wb-1400x933.jpg" width="337" /></a></div>Warner Brothers/New Line Cinema have released the first official trailer for <i>Shazam Fury of the Gods </i>and a new teaser for <i>Black Adam</i>. As with the <a href="https://shazamaholic.blogspot.com/2022/06/black-adam-trailer.html" target="_blank">previous <i>Black Adam </i>trailer</a>, this one seems very basic and superhero generic. The <i>Shazam 2 </i>trailer gives us more of what made the <a href="https://shazamaholic.blogspot.com/2019/04/movie-review-shazam.html" target="_blank">first movie</a> unbearable. More "New 52", more of the World's Mightiest Mortal acting like the World's Most Obnoxious Brat, and more campy, lowest common denominator "comedy". Having an Eminem song polluting the whole thing does it no favors either. Neither of these trailers have changed my mind. I won't waste my money to go see either of these movies in the theater. I'll either wait until they air on TV... or I may not bother seeing them at all. I hope there is a Captain Marvel reboot soon, and maybe Baz Luhrmann should direct it. He showed far more respect and reverence to the source material in <a href="https://shazamaholic.blogspot.com/2022/06/review-elvis.html" target="_blank"><i>Elvis</i></a><i> </i>than either of these missteps. <br /><p></p>Shazamaholichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11745015382822203379noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8623956572866546967.post-83232650682843890432022-07-11T14:41:00.041-04:002022-07-23T11:42:47.592-04:00review: THOR LOVE AND THUNDER<p><i></i></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLnjKClQTwn0_D0CZRGWAszA6SBXy3gOSKfe2eL3wwEJzxJB8sop79I5cmltBSvPD1-xKcGhrfGljPWKNR3KXvp99OdjIwmH1IIE61Ppw23XjbO7BbBMmMUOeWfAzPFaL95riwP1xwSbDIbAwRVH6o7Un8yXZmng3qYLPLDldwqX8ZzcEqJLGyiWILaA/s6048/111thorltindex.jpeg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4024" data-original-width="6048" height="270" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLnjKClQTwn0_D0CZRGWAszA6SBXy3gOSKfe2eL3wwEJzxJB8sop79I5cmltBSvPD1-xKcGhrfGljPWKNR3KXvp99OdjIwmH1IIE61Ppw23XjbO7BbBMmMUOeWfAzPFaL95riwP1xwSbDIbAwRVH6o7Un8yXZmng3qYLPLDldwqX8ZzcEqJLGyiWILaA/w406-h270/111thorltindex.jpeg" width="406" /></a></i></div><p><i>Thor Love and Thunder</i> is a lot like <a href="https://shazamaholic.blogspot.com/2019/04/movie-review-shazam.html" target="_blank"><i>Shazam</i></a><a href="https://shazamaholic.blogspot.com/2019/04/movie-review-shazam.html" target="_blank"><i>!</i></a><i> </i>Schizophrenic and disjointed. It can't decide if it wants to be a Schumacher-esque superhero comedy like its predecessor, <a href="https://shazamaholic.blogspot.com/2017/11/movie-review-thor-ragnarok.html" target="_blank"><i>Thor Ragnarok,</i></a><i> </i>or a romance melodrama, or a sci-fi adventure, or a Guns N' Roses tribute film, or if it wants to make an anti-religion statement or a pro-religion statement or no statement at all. All these different aspects don't blend together to make a cohesive whole. Instead it looks like scenes from different movies patched together. Curious is how the first <a href="https://shazamaholic.blogspot.com/2011/05/movie-review-thor.html" target="_blank"><i>Thor</i></a> movie went out of its way to re-imagine Asgardians as Kryptonian like aliens rather than pagan gods. In contrast, this fourth movie embraces pagan mythology fully. </p><p>The plot deals with Gorr wanting to kill all pagan gods, and ends up kidnapping all the children in New Asgard. It's up to Thor, Valkyrie, Korg, and Jane Foster to rescue them. Jane now has powers as she has stage 4 cancer, but an enchantment Thor unwittingly put on his uru hammer to protect Jane causes the hammer, which was smashed by Hela in the previous movie, to reassemble and give Jane super powers for as long as he holds it. But a complication is that the hammer also weakens her human strength making her less receptive to cancer treatment. When Thor rescues the children, there is a <i>Shazam</i> like moment where he shares his power with all of them to help in battle.<br /></p><p>Chris Hemsworth returns as Thor, perhaps the last survivor of the MCU's first phase, and still does well in the role in spite of the disjointed script. Natalie Portman, after missing <i>Ragnorok, </i>returns as Jane Foster and gives the film some gravitas. Tessa Thompson returns as Valkyrie but unlike her star turn in <i>Ragnarock</i>, in <i>Love and Thunder</i> she is just sort of there. Christian Bale as the villain Gorr seems to clash as his style of acting is fundamentally different than every one else in this movie. Although the trailers made it look like the Guardians of the Galaxy were co-stars of the movie, they only appear in the first 10 or 15 minutes. A highlight of the film is the ending where Thor and the little girl (played by Hemsworth's real life daughter) settle into a family situation. This movie has a few fun moments, but it's a far cry from what made <i>Ragnarok </i>feel like a fresh and new relaunch.<br /></p><p></p>Shazamaholichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11745015382822203379noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8623956572866546967.post-28642897191134349652022-07-06T12:56:00.000-04:002022-07-06T12:56:07.167-04:00Review: Batman '89 #6<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8xtMkm2hOigwd_uIXBLydDNz__uw4UZl3XxvLlJZ8zHbF_vOoVO_2qgBaRpUlxWhDq4puq8Jht1pFkC9wO4WjOPkTaJ-4exUsXvz2Jm-7JB4Oo2FlFEUvkvUTKhRxt3cO1b6SGQiTx8ITsOxv5PSQgziFhVlrIW8glYpYURU4t5BiLtILp6QdPjdXPg/s385/Batman-89-6-4.webp" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="385" data-original-width="166" height="431" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8xtMkm2hOigwd_uIXBLydDNz__uw4UZl3XxvLlJZ8zHbF_vOoVO_2qgBaRpUlxWhDq4puq8Jht1pFkC9wO4WjOPkTaJ-4exUsXvz2Jm-7JB4Oo2FlFEUvkvUTKhRxt3cO1b6SGQiTx8ITsOxv5PSQgziFhVlrIW8glYpYURU4t5BiLtILp6QdPjdXPg/w186-h431/Batman-89-6-4.webp" width="186" /></a></div>The final issue, once again published late, opens with Batman confronting Dent, picking up from the end of the previous issue. Dent sets off a bomb, knocking Batman out, as well as ripping half his mask off. With the half mask, Dent not only recognizes Bruce as Batman, but takes a photo of him just as Catwoman and Drake arrive to take Bruce to safety in the Batcave. After Bruce regains consciousness, he has a heart to heart talk with Selina. Drake hears on the news James Gordon's body has been found. Meanwhile, Dent has a meeting with the corrupted politicians and Carmine Falcone. Dent kills Falcone. He also gets a visit from his old friend Jerome who threatens to turn Dent in. Dent kills him and Drake comes in. Dent pays off Drake for saving his life earlier. Drake threatens to pulverize Dent for what he did, but as they fight into the street, Dent accuses Drake of being the one who killed Jerome. A crowd holds Drake. Dent then asks for a meeting with Bruce. In the Batcave, the former allies meet where Dent tells Bruce he's working for him now or he goes public with the photo exposing his identity. Bruce offers a different deal: Harvey admits to working uncover for Batman to entrap the mob and dirty politicians, then gets surgery to fix his face and goes through psychiatric therapy, while Batman finishes taking out the remaining bad guys. Once Dent resumes his position as D.A., Batman will retire. Bruce tells Dent to let the coin decide which way it should go. But as Dent flips the coin, the giant penny in the Batcave comes loose (pushed by Selina), and knocks Dent over a pit, where he holds on as the wheelchair bound Bruce and Selina try to help him. As they pull Dent up, he seems to get a sense of clarity, and lets go, dropping to his death. Bruce rages at Selina for interfering like this, as he switched Dent's coin with a two-sided clean one, so once he flipped, he would have picked the right thing to do. They separate realizing they are too different. Bruce clears Drake of the charges by turning in Dent's gun. Drake also decides to go his own way, taking the code name "the Avenging Eagle". Meanwhile Barbara Gordon gets a package Dent sent her, revealing the evidence Bruce is Batman, and Selina reaches out to her to form... the Birds of Prey? And Bruce himself now uses Dent's coin to decide whether he should go out as Batman each night.<p></p><p>As with the last issue, this one has a lot more plot than the earlier issues, where nothing happens other than establishing characters and doing a lot of woke virtue signalling. So much more plot in issue 6, that the panels for this issue are smaller, with more on a page than any of the previous issues. And lots of exposition dialogue. Perhaps Sam Hamm could have better paced the story. Overall, this issue, like issue 5, is better than the other four issues. However there are still a lot of WTF moments, like, not only killing off Jim Gordon, but establishing his age as only 58. Then there is the ending, where Bruce now uses the coin to decide if he is going to go on patrol as Batman. This issue earns a B-.<br /></p><p>In regards to Sam Hamm, there is definitely a mystery that needs to be solved. This is the best he could come up with for a Batman story after all these years? And it's not like he is overloaded with other writing projects or assignments. It seems like Hamm will go down in history as the screenplay writing equivalent of a "one hit wonder". <i>Batman '89 </i>as a whole, earns a lackluster C, and serves as a cautionary tale: be careful what you wish for, because you might not only just get it, but it will probably be a disappointment. I can only hope Michael Keaton's return to Batman in <i>The Flash</i> turns out much better than this.<br /></p>Shazamaholichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11745015382822203379noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8623956572866546967.post-45250071797500221052022-06-24T16:44:00.007-04:002022-09-04T09:36:37.468-04:00review: ELVIS<p>After countless TV projects attempting to tell the life story of Elvis Presley, ranging from good (the Kurt Russell TV movie directed by John Carpenter and the short lived <i>Elvis </i>TV series starring Michael St. Gerard) to the decent (the <i>Sun Records </i>miniseries) to the awful (just about everything else), director Baz Luhrmann gives us the first big budget theatrical movie to depict the story of Elvis. Luhrmann gives us a stylized visual epic, that borrows from superhero movies as well as musicals. </p><p>Narrated by Col. Tom Parker on his deathbed, the script streamlines and simplifies Elvis' life in a dizzying pace matched by Luhrmann's fast paced direction. Austin Butler does an excellent job as the title character. Although visually he looks more like John Travolta than Elvis, he does capture Elvis' mannerisms perfectly. Tom Hanks as Col. Tom Parker is another story. Covered in prosthetic make up and sporting a vague Dutch accent, which the real Parker did not have, at least to the outlandish extend Hanks uses it, he turns in a cartoonish performance. Of special note is Olivia DeJonge who plays Priscilla, and nearly steals the show in all of her scenes. </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsamgZ5zuRbrtQyFtwy4SL7oSn-x_-h68SgMeXy_6UgPKHATdLCSgN9rmAjEIY3gt9G30AM-1jUreZ7A_oIQoBiEK9ci_W_3AHiY0vGyjf-t7UqtfYnI1C0dFpKFScOaykgJYG53R1Tg4TuwCU_ULuay1DYJhdR_b3zUxjitYQOOsufJ3MXoa0NO_tSQ/s620/0001elvis.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="260" data-original-width="620" height="247" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsamgZ5zuRbrtQyFtwy4SL7oSn-x_-h68SgMeXy_6UgPKHATdLCSgN9rmAjEIY3gt9G30AM-1jUreZ7A_oIQoBiEK9ci_W_3AHiY0vGyjf-t7UqtfYnI1C0dFpKFScOaykgJYG53R1Tg4TuwCU_ULuay1DYJhdR_b3zUxjitYQOOsufJ3MXoa0NO_tSQ/w590-h247/0001elvis.jpeg" width="590" /></a></div>Elvis being a Captain Marvel Jr fan is well represented in this movie, with lots of references to the Rock of Eternity, and in some ways, this movie is closer to a Captain Marvel movie I would have loved to see as opposed to the New52 <i>Shazam</i> dreck that we got. Plus, we finally get the name "Captain Marvel" spoken and shown in a Warner Brothers movie.<br /><p></p><p>Of course there are some inaccuracies in the movie, such as Elvis performing <i>Trouble</i> about a year and a half too early, and over emphasizing Elvis' love for the blues while seemingly downplaying his love for Country music, and completely ignoring his love for crooners like Bing Crosby and Dean Martin, and the fact by the 1970s his musical tastes in both listening and performing had switched to adult contemporary. Parker was not discovered to be an illegal immigrant until after Elvis died, again making Hanks' choice to use such a hammy accent more questionable. But none of this affects the enjoyment of the film. </p><p>Perhaps the bigger flaws are how many things are, understandably due to time constraints, left out or just hinted at in a short-handed way, such as reducing his whole <a href="https://shazamaholic.blogspot.com/2013/08/young-dreams-look-at-elvis-movies.html" target="_blank">movie career</a> to a 3 minute montage. Or omitting how he worked with producer Chet Atkins in his earliest RCA sessions or really having anything representing Elvis working in the recording studio outside of the iconic first Sun session. Or completely leaving out the <i>Ed Sullivan Show</i> and the infamous "filmed from the waste up", or the fact that Jackie Gleason gave Elvis his first national exposure by booking him on <i>Stage Show</i>, a program Gleason produced and was the lead-in to <i>The Honeymooners</i>. Or that Elvis was a dog lover, and from the mid-50s on, always had at least one dog. Most of the scenes at Graceland or in his Vegas apartment should have had a dog at Elvis' side. But the main focus of this movie is Elvis and the Colonel, so a lot of other aspects go by the wayside. And although it seems to be a Luhrmann trademark, the melding of rap music throughout the film did nothing for me. But overall, this was an excellent and enjoyable film, and I can almost see, had Elvis lived long enough, this is exactly the style of film making he would have endorsed for his own bio-pic.<br /></p>Shazamaholichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11745015382822203379noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8623956572866546967.post-54963484860470952922022-06-10T11:05:00.003-04:002022-06-10T11:05:31.407-04:00Black Adam trailer<p>After years... decades... of waiting, the <i>Black Adam</i> trailer is finally here.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit1bQheoS1RNeOORJfmatqmT0U2CR6KNuvy9B6_lltqBSjpUswXQhN2V8i-r4ddV2baqQpmBoNXKf6Y0kg73Jj7SGuqwUEAV6943AgzrAtFFExAf9DhnSE5owcej5j9rmJRXP8CDxH2bhrQhl0c68L5yNVg0zhjDzQjJbszMX7sDLISIvLedBu4aOiYw/s1280/blackadamtrailer1.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1280" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit1bQheoS1RNeOORJfmatqmT0U2CR6KNuvy9B6_lltqBSjpUswXQhN2V8i-r4ddV2baqQpmBoNXKf6Y0kg73Jj7SGuqwUEAV6943AgzrAtFFExAf9DhnSE5owcej5j9rmJRXP8CDxH2bhrQhl0c68L5yNVg0zhjDzQjJbszMX7sDLISIvLedBu4aOiYw/s320/blackadamtrailer1.png" width="320" /></a></div><p>My thoughts? It's basic. As basic as basic can be. It's Dwayne Johnson cosplaying as Black Adam. I am so glad <a href="https://shazamaholic.blogspot.com/2021/04/shazam-movie-sequel-news.html" target="_blank">I no longer care about New Line's botched Captain Marvel franchise</a>, because this trailer is very underwhelming, and I would have been disappointed. But now, I'll just wait for a proper reboot of the Captain Marvel franchise.<br /></p>Shazamaholichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11745015382822203379noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8623956572866546967.post-45727837438774762032022-04-12T09:30:00.001-04:002022-04-12T10:47:27.819-04:00Review: Batman '89 #5<p>Just when you thought DC was giving the <i>All Star Batman and Robin</i> treatment to <i>Batman '89 </i>... you know, something so unbearably awful, they abandon it in the middle of the run... along comes issue 5. </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIu4jxMO_xk2hDGsPZOTV5LPlZsxYjC7K6fbWXjusG934AqatL-r_X_lW4lmzWj7TUzwRIi25gcjD7_3Sfy7ppm6UTdpOwx1hUtQ8PjlP70OwB4kg3JdX46gVQkrIc-pmJcP1YJ6L45slMLJGYAp7av8PTzx1VYBRhsi9Gu5THjfe7XyMEQgzACbxHTA/s542/Screenshot_20220412_104249.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="542" data-original-width="513" height="399" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIu4jxMO_xk2hDGsPZOTV5LPlZsxYjC7K6fbWXjusG934AqatL-r_X_lW4lmzWj7TUzwRIi25gcjD7_3Sfy7ppm6UTdpOwx1hUtQ8PjlP70OwB4kg3JdX46gVQkrIc-pmJcP1YJ6L45slMLJGYAp7av8PTzx1VYBRhsi9Gu5THjfe7XyMEQgzACbxHTA/w378-h399/Screenshot_20220412_104249.png" width="378" /></a></div>It opens on Harvey Dent, now decked out in his Two-Face costume, negotiating with a certain Mr. Karp to take over the so-called "Joker gang" that has been running rampant in Gotham. Commissioner Gordon questions his daughter if she knows where Harvey is. She says she doesn't, but she has a note from him asking her to meet him at Gotham Park. Jim mentions he's put in his resignation. Batman and Drake in the Batmobile lead a police car on a seemingly needless and pointless chase, only to have the police car abandon the chase to go after something more serious. Four subway tunnels collapse and there is a gas leak all near Police HQ. Police Captain Ramirez is shot on live TV during a new interview. The Joker gang invades the streets. It's all a diversion so Dent can get inside the evidence room at Police HQ. Gordon gets to the roof to light the Bat-Signal. Batman arrives in time to save Gordon from a couple Joker gang goons, and they get down to the evidence room where Gordon says 31 Million Dollars from the Lincoln Savings Job is being held. As they get there, they encounter Dent, who shoots Bullock, and evades Batman while kidnapping Gordon. Dent gives out the money to the poor and needy. Dent then meets up with Barbara at the park. She arrests Dent but he tells her he has her father. Catwoman jumps from the shadows, knocking Barbara unconscious and tells Dent to run. Catwoman then orders Drake to follow Dent. Dent gets back to his hideout, and Gordon goads Dent into shooting him. Batman arrives.<p></p><p>The extra time it took to put out this issue may have been worth it, as it is the best issue of the run. But then again, that's not saying much. Never the less, this issue has better pacing, plot points, and some suspense. A clear improvement in script quality by Sam Hamm. Joe Quinones' art is excellent this issue, with the likenesses to the actors more definitive than previous issues. This issue earns a B.<br /></p>Shazamaholichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11745015382822203379noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8623956572866546967.post-15617370938683908552022-03-03T19:15:00.004-05:002022-03-22T15:22:37.445-04:00review: THE BATMAN<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi2m2baxrLyvcbVich0mex1yvfIVQaSMJTTRHMYFlbcT7OgIgqkm2nz5A4HjbldknydWpUcS8GoCCG7aTeTRhXb8rS12RBQ6b-ZanlfKcmeVlG-0bn-W-DHLjYSx3mFIqxBPkjw3A6AM175Mp7y7qgMdqAmq1GARbBobUYhJEgbLvQE8p1MI_vF83vTkA=s1800" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1800" data-original-width="1800" height="407" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi2m2baxrLyvcbVich0mex1yvfIVQaSMJTTRHMYFlbcT7OgIgqkm2nz5A4HjbldknydWpUcS8GoCCG7aTeTRhXb8rS12RBQ6b-ZanlfKcmeVlG-0bn-W-DHLjYSx3mFIqxBPkjw3A6AM175Mp7y7qgMdqAmq1GARbBobUYhJEgbLvQE8p1MI_vF83vTkA=w407-h407" width="407" /></a></div>Matt Reeves' <i>The Batman</i>, in many ways, is a bookend to Todd Phillip's <a href="https://shazamaholic.blogspot.com/2019/10/review-joker.html" target="_blank"><i>Joker</i></a>. Both have a similar tone, style, and presentation. Both films take a germ of the source material from the comics, and build their own mythologies, sometimes in complete opposition to the source comics. And although to date, nothing has been made official, I can certainly see both films part of the same universe. But <i>The Batman</i>, despite all this, is not quite the film <i>Joker</i> was. At nearly three hours, the film is somewhat bloated, and a tighter edit cutting out about half an hour would have made the movie better. Something else lacking in the movie is anything colorful or fun from the comics. Much like the Christopher Nolan trilogy, this movie takes itself a little too seriously. There are really only two major action scenes- the Batmobile car chase with the Penguin, and the finale when the Riddler's bombs explode. There are a lot of great fight scenes, but very little actual action sequences. Also sorely missing is Batman escaping from a typical death trap. But on the positive side, this film probably has the best detective aspect of any previous Batman movie even if there are a few times Batman gets things seemingly wrong. I mean come on, the clue is a "rat with wings", and Batman deduces stool pigeon instead of a bat?? Also, this is the first time since the Adam West TV franchise that Batman is on screen in full costume for nearly the entire time, with very few Bruce Wayne scenes.<br /><br />The simple, yet complex plot has Batman, in his second year of activity (Batman's narration clearly states that for the viewer), encountering the mysterious Riddler who starts knocking off corrupted political and police figures, and it's up to Batman and Jim Gordon, assisted by Selina Kyle who has her own tangent to the case, to figure out the connection. It leads to a revelation about Thomas and Martha Wayne (again, somewhat dovetailing into the portrayal of Thomas Wayne in <i>Joker</i>). It was this kind of deconstructionist attitude that kind of turned me off to the movie at its reveal about at the half way mark. I'm done with this type of "let's see how we can screw up superheroes the most" agenda, and would love to get back to a more truly heroic presentation.<br /><br />One thing I really noticed about the movie is how there are so many scenes that are homages or recreations of previous Bat-Film moments. The first fight between Batman and Selina is just like the scene in <i>Batman Returns</i>. Batman's "flying" escape is similar to scenes from both <i>Batman Returns</i> and <i>Batman Begins</i>. The scene where Batman goes into Penguin's Iceberg Night Club is clearly a homage to the "What A Way To Go Go" scene from the pilot episode of the 1966 TV series. There's a shot of Batman crashing through a skylight that looks similar to shots from both <i>Batman</i> '89 and <i>Batman Forever</i>. When Batman visits Riddler at Arkham Asylum, it echos Batman's interrogation of the Joker in <i>The Dark Knight</i>. There's a shot of Batman hanging from a structure by one arm that looks like a mirror image of a shot from <i>Batman</i> '89. In that respect, this movie plays almost like a "Batman's Greatest Hits" collection.<br /><br />Robert Pattinson does an excellent job as Batman, much better than I thought he would. Thankfully, he avoids the ridiculous bullfrog voice used by Christian Bale, or the electronically adjusted voice used by Ben Affleck. Instead he speaks in a harsh whisper along the lines of both Michael Keaton and Kevin Conroy. And after Affleck's serial killer Batman, it's refreshing to have a Batman with a moral code against killing. The Batman cowl really suits Pattinson's face well. The rest of the costume, though, while better than Bale's motocross style outfit, isn't as good as the Keaton or Affleck costumes. One thing I hate about the more recent Batman costumes is that the capes have a regular straight edge on the bottom. Why don't they give the capes the bat-points across the bottom anymore? It's like with Superman, his capes never have the yellow S shield on the back. Pattinson's cape has a Dracula inspired collar, but no bat-points. Pattinson's Bruce isn't as good as his Batman, having too much of an Edward Scissorhands quality with a sort of Shemp Howard haircut. But thankfully, his Bruce doesn't get much screen time at all.<br /><br />Paul Dano's Riddler looks more like Hush from the comics than The Riddler. His performance is fine, but he really doesn't start to shine until the last act after he is unmasked, at which point he starts to act a little more like a classic Riddler, even mimicking Frank Gorshin's dialogue delivery style of raising the volume and getting higher pitched with certain lines.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjJC4OFOEGjIOjnzY0TAVZY5Jc_rNtoMMtLUMTDUBYUe2pE_g_osYaLfB4kTZYbNma8djGZ6t7ZgWQXU_UiD-1EUhXC36Fg8Mae0YOyNgtkCGQmb3IAndt8dUFE3YXimioRXyiUoe8KmAuRyauVvGI20LwZH7d-ddVxwPcOGFoBsWiPo2vi7qB8BBwd8w=s1296" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="675" data-original-width="1296" height="227" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjJC4OFOEGjIOjnzY0TAVZY5Jc_rNtoMMtLUMTDUBYUe2pE_g_osYaLfB4kTZYbNma8djGZ6t7ZgWQXU_UiD-1EUhXC36Fg8Mae0YOyNgtkCGQmb3IAndt8dUFE3YXimioRXyiUoe8KmAuRyauVvGI20LwZH7d-ddVxwPcOGFoBsWiPo2vi7qB8BBwd8w=w434-h227" width="434" /></a></div><p>Jeffery Wright does an okay job as Jim Gordon, but lacks charisma. If Gordon were more of a background character this wouldn't be a problem, but Gordon is really the film's 2nd lead, so Wright seems a bit flat. Speaking of background characters, that's what Andy Serkis' Alfred is. I think you need to go all the way back to the 1949 serial to get an Alfred with less screen time than Serkis. Colin Farrell, who I always thought would have been a great choice to play Batman, hams it up as the Penguin, getting the film's only humorous lines. Despite being covered in prosthetics and make up, he still doesn't look like the Penguin, just a heavy, balding, generic gangster. His role seems quite similar to the position the character had in the <i>Gotham</i> TV series. Zoe Kravitz, much like Pattinson, defied low expectations, and delivered an excellent performance as Selina Kyle, giving the character great range and good chemistry with Pattinson. </p><p><br />In relation to other Warner Brothers Batman movies, I'd rank this one in the top four: <i>Batman</i> '89, <i>Batman Returns</i>, <i>The Dark Knight</i>, <i>The Batman</i>. It's far from perfect, it's certainly not the definitive Batman, but for what it is, it's very well done.</p><p></p>Shazamaholichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11745015382822203379noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8623956572866546967.post-44466856574012173752022-01-26T10:02:00.001-05:002022-01-26T10:02:00.159-05:00Review: Superman '78 #6<p>The final issues picks up with the fight scene from the previous issue. In perhaps this series' most un-movie like sequence, but a typical comic book trope, Superman and Brainaic trade off lots of exposition dialogue while fighting. Superman points out Brandon, er, pardon me, Brainiac uses science as a weapon to control people. But perhaps the best dialogue is as Superman seemingly defeats Brainiac, he screams "you are just a man!" to which Superman replies "I'm Superman." After Brainaic's defeat, his ship starts to self destruct. Superman gathers up all the bottle cities. However with the destruction of the ship, Metropolis begins to fall back to earth, as Luthor observes from his hot air balloon. Superman flies around to the bottom of the city and struggles to guide it down safely. Then there is a wrap up scene at the Daily Planet (featuring another Easter Egg from <i>Superman III</i>), and the story ends with Superman at his Fortress with the various bottle cities, telling his parents he will search for a way to free them.</p><p><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgtQrFQfiK3ePaqe3sHLYvlBjORaPpsey4hbfximjV-kZWvbPL2Ic5q7-Yjpr8cfVcud4I-noWsCRsdQYKUYPQQFz46NDDS0cks2bmxyTDB40Jid6MoDxNrRV8rbLCOlmI9rQ1W4Zr7eaZmw9CjLYDMm5Whbi_ZHJXzxa0RBcILM5G_jue5ppgXYkNvRw=s961" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="401" data-original-width="961" height="261" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgtQrFQfiK3ePaqe3sHLYvlBjORaPpsey4hbfximjV-kZWvbPL2Ic5q7-Yjpr8cfVcud4I-noWsCRsdQYKUYPQQFz46NDDS0cks2bmxyTDB40Jid6MoDxNrRV8rbLCOlmI9rQ1W4Zr7eaZmw9CjLYDMm5Whbi_ZHJXzxa0RBcILM5G_jue5ppgXYkNvRw=w622-h261" width="622" /></a></p>I'm repeating myself from the previous issues, but writer Robert
Venditti and artist Wilfredo Torres turned in an excellent mini-series
that really captures the tone of the Christopher Reeve movies. This
issue earns another A, giving it a clean sweep of A's, and the
mini-series, or its upcoming collected hardcover edition, is strongly
recommended. And I wouldn't mind seeing Venditti become a writer on one
of the main <i>Superman</i> titles.Shazamaholichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11745015382822203379noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8623956572866546967.post-46863482748225170292021-12-29T10:09:00.003-05:002021-12-29T10:09:55.812-05:00Review: Superman '78 #5<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjbUpOFZ8IxYkKJHWXQAjSewUUny9HQoUe9iUe115ASbIccWCQZhLU4-iMebDq1C9dftpb0e8XGH7uSvMUODeOBymIi_RwlRdQ2EpLZp-uOVgortPC3DyykJOrd8Pvr9VlTE3U3yEBL2P-ObxCTYmXVWyBHdTmAPFHiDcUui56Hhy8kQW9PgFbnZduCpw=s1040" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="910" data-original-width="1040" height="314" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjbUpOFZ8IxYkKJHWXQAjSewUUny9HQoUe9iUe115ASbIccWCQZhLU4-iMebDq1C9dftpb0e8XGH7uSvMUODeOBymIi_RwlRdQ2EpLZp-uOVgortPC3DyykJOrd8Pvr9VlTE3U3yEBL2P-ObxCTYmXVWyBHdTmAPFHiDcUui56Hhy8kQW9PgFbnZduCpw=w358-h314" width="358" /></a></div>This issue picks up with the excision of Metropolis by Brainiac. In the bottle city of Kandor, Jor-El re-attunes Luthor's device so that Superman can return to his normal size. Superman says good bye to his parents as Brainiac begins the miniaturization of Metropolis. (On page 6, could that be a cameo of Richard Pryor's Gus Gorman from <i>Superman III</i>?) Luthor takes off in a balloon, and Superman returns to stop Brainiac's machine. The rest of the issue is a fight scene between Superman and Brainiac and his robots, ending on a cliffhanger.<br /><br />What can I say that I haven't already said in my reviews of the previous issues. This creative team gets it, and excels. This issue earns another A. Looks like it'll be a sweep of A's for this mini-series. We'll find out with the final issue next time.<p></p>Shazamaholichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11745015382822203379noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8623956572866546967.post-43782159886436447142021-12-19T15:58:00.002-05:002021-12-20T14:23:42.653-05:00review: SPIDER-MAN NO WAY HOME<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjc8EcFAOmjReCnvxE_WHmooGmmHJtq3lJ5F3zcuBil1BsApA4wQcv4wDxcFiaTby0NTB0jVr-OBxivaWe5_RIJpvPS5eRmGkOL4_qvSH8UZ6AvaUKFnjSg9-fs3vzZ3GacYgSHNMn7cVwQhsX_WKkSyy84gqUCU0K6nWgPwzdhUnIDhpP-Fk4UQm3iaQ=s1600" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="845" data-original-width="1600" height="260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjc8EcFAOmjReCnvxE_WHmooGmmHJtq3lJ5F3zcuBil1BsApA4wQcv4wDxcFiaTby0NTB0jVr-OBxivaWe5_RIJpvPS5eRmGkOL4_qvSH8UZ6AvaUKFnjSg9-fs3vzZ3GacYgSHNMn7cVwQhsX_WKkSyy84gqUCU0K6nWgPwzdhUnIDhpP-Fk4UQm3iaQ=w492-h260" width="492" /></a></div>Even
though it was DC Comics that essentially made the concept of a
multiverse a corner stone of superhero folk lore, the MCU beats them to
the punch cinematicly before <i>The Flash</i> next year, with <i>Spider-Man: No Way Home</i> directed by Jon Watts and starring Tom Holland and Benedict Cumberbatch. <br /><br />Picking
up right where <a href="https://shazamaholic.blogspot.com/2019/07/review-spider-man-far-from-home.html" target="_blank"><i>Far From Home</i></a> left off, Peter and his friends deal
with the world knowing Spider-Man's true identity. With him being
looked at by the public as both a celebrity and a menace, he turns to
Dr. Strange to cast a spell to make everyone forget his secret identity.
As Strange composes the spell, Peter keeps chiming in with exceptions
he wants added to the spell, causing Strange to abandon the now
corrupted spell. However, a ripple effect causes people from other
parallel earths who know Spider-Man's true identity in their own
timelines, to end up on the main MCU earth. Showing up are villains Dr.
Octopus, Green Goblin, Electro, Sandman, and the Lizard to cause chaos
as they try to destroy this earth's Spider-Man. Peter and Strange hatch a
plan to send them back to their own earths, but Peter has second
thoughts when he learns he may be sending them to their deaths. To stall
for time, he traps Strange in a mirror dimension, and works to figure
out a way to spare the villains' lives. The rogues betray Peter, and
Aunt May dies as a consequence. Meanwhile, Ned Leeds discovers he can
open portals, and uses that to try to find the grief stricken Peter,
only to end up finding the two Parkers from the alternate timelines.
Ultimately the three Peter Parkers bond like brothers, and unite to cure
the villains of their powers which would, in theory, spare them from
death when the spell casts them back to their own worlds. But this
brings up all kind of other questions, like the events from the previous
franchises are now changed? Also, a complication caused by Green
Goblin causes the multiverse to start to tear, and the only way to stop
it is for Strange to add a spell that wipes Peter Parker out of
everyone's memory. Now totally forgotten by everyone who ever knew him,
with his whole history seemingly erased from the main MCU timeline,
Parker starts his life over, no longer with a Stark Industries
tech-suit, but a home made costume.<br /><br />The first half of the movie
plays like a Marvel Team Up of Spider-Man and Dr. Strange, but the
second half, when Strange is mostly absent due to being in the mirror
dimension, is when the movie does a great job of incorporating the
previous Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield franchises, folding them (and
presumably all pre-MCU Marvel movies, like <i>The Fantastic Four</i> and <i>X-Men</i>
franchises) into it's multiverse. It's the villains from the older
movies, all played by the original actors, who really get the most
screen time, while Maguire and Garfield join in only for the last act.
But once they are there, the brotherly bond between the 3 Spider-Men is
handled very well. Maguire, who has physically aged the most, comes off
as the elder statesman (even a gag referring to him having a bad back,
slyly referencing not only his age, but the controversy that almost had
him prematurely leave the Spider-Man role). Garfield plays like the
middle brother with self-esteem issues (again slyly referencing that his
movies were the least liked by fans), and ironically plays the role
better here than he did in his own two <i>Amazing Spider-Man</i> movies. I dare say he almost outshines Maguire. I wonder if there were efforts to do a scene with Nicholas Hammond. <p>One
complaint I have, is that if you read my reviews of the previous two
MCU Spider-Man movies, Betty Brant, played by Angourie Rice, is my
favorite character, but she only has a small cameo in this one. As with
<i>Far From Home</i>, there was a little too much Zendaya, but at least
this one didn't have that Disney Channel sit-com tone. There is a
cameo by Matt Murdoch (Daredevil) as Peter's lawyer, and as established
in the previous movie's last scene, J.K. Simmons returns as the MCU J.
Jonah Jameson, who is more of a Keith Olbermann/Don Lemon type.
However, he does not reprise the version from the Maguire films. <br /><br />All in all, this movie is a notch above <i>Far From Home</i>,
and really excels in the nostalgia factor for the previous franchises,
but as a DC guy, it is kind of frustrating to see the MCU again pull the
rug from under DC. And don't even get me started on how DC squandered its <i>Crisis on Infinite Earths </i>IP as a poorly made, Greg Berlanti produced TV project.<br /></p>Shazamaholichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11745015382822203379noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8623956572866546967.post-6582247786420718452021-12-12T11:10:00.001-05:002021-12-14T11:46:25.453-05:00Michael Nesmith Tribute<p>With the tragic passing of Mike Nesmith, I thought I would share some of my favorite tracks and give some thoughts. I will not duplicate any of the songs I listed on my <a href="https://shazamaholic.blogspot.com/2012/03/best-monkees-songs-youve-never-heard.html" target="_blank"><i>Best Monkees Songs You've Never Heard</i></a> post, even though every one of the songs on that list that was either written or sung by Mike deserves to be here.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEikF_WrliZlItrPixwqQikq0Ckv38zCBQ5p-1A7A01r1IhI2CkXV2yMywmlPNI7f0VnH4XPRBcs084uit_vnpNM1Q8ko0VYzN3AT0-A5gXrdccD-6Z_0mXJdAY3Ojf3mKX1IGdeb9_C0A67NZW8OxXTD3-TBS5wxJD2rxUIxLudu1-wtgLMhQMr8T7njw=s3721" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3721" data-original-width="2427" height="882" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEikF_WrliZlItrPixwqQikq0Ckv38zCBQ5p-1A7A01r1IhI2CkXV2yMywmlPNI7f0VnH4XPRBcs084uit_vnpNM1Q8ko0VYzN3AT0-A5gXrdccD-6Z_0mXJdAY3Ojf3mKX1IGdeb9_C0A67NZW8OxXTD3-TBS5wxJD2rxUIxLudu1-wtgLMhQMr8T7njw=w576-h882" width="576" /></a></div><p></p><p><a href="https://youtu.be/PpeLF7PmpqE" target="_blank"><b>Different Drum</b></a> Of course we have to start with this song. There have been several versions, including the first, 1966 folksy dirge version by the <a href="https://youtu.be/1eHq7ZUkO1k" target="_blank">Greenbrair Boys</a>, the 1967 pop classic by <a href="https://youtu.be/w9qsDgA1q8Y" target="_blank">Linda Ronstadt and the Stone Poneys</a>, and Mike's own mostly acoustic <a href="https://youtu.be/wRSqwA_aq1g" target="_blank">1972 version</a>. However, my favorite version is the earlier, originally unreleased alternate take from 1970, with a Western Swing beat and some great steel guitar work from the amazing Red Rhodes. This is my go-to version by Mike, and it rivals the Stone Poneys' version.</p><p><a href="https://youtu.be/2fxJJFzl3RI" target="_blank"><b>Get Out of My Life Woman</b></a> A previously unreleased funky, bluesy track from Mike's pre-Monkees "Michael Blessing" Colpix days.<br /></p><p><a href="https://youtu.be/Gq_UgHBbQhU" target="_blank"><b>Sunny Girlfriend</b></a> A Monkees song from the <i>Headquarters</i> album<b>.</b> A fun tune that at first seems like a typical teenage love song about a great girl, but the last line which says "she doesn't really care" changes the whole perspective to unrequited love. This history behind this song is The Monkees, in their earliest concerts, performed <i><a href="https://youtu.be/EnHnRsJZWB4" target="_blank">She's So Far Out, She's In</a>, </i>with Mike on lead vocals, and it was the first song they attempted at the <i>Headquarters </i>recording sessions. Coming to light recently is that Mike also recorded an unreleased version in 1965/66 as part of his pre-Monkees "Michael Blessing" Colpix deal. At some point, Mike decided to write his own version of the concept, while copying the intro to the Rolling Stones' <i>It's All Over Now</i>, and thus was created <i>Sunny Girlfriend</i>. <br /></p><p><a href="https://youtu.be/7zv8RNzczzQ" target="_blank"><b>You Told Me</b></a> The lead track to <i>Headquarters</i><b> </b>with a count in that was meant to parody the Beatles' <i>Tax Man</i>, and has what Peter Tork described as the most Rock 'n Roll use of a banjo. </p><p><a href="https://youtu.be/qqw6euO7qMQ" target="_blank"><b>Good Clean Fun</b></a> A song Mike wrote when a record exec told him he needs to write more songs that are good clean fun. This song has become something of an anthem for the final years of the Mike and Micky concerts.</p><p><a href="https://youtu.be/uif5mY510pc" target="_blank"><b>Naked Persimmon</b></a> From The Monkees' 1969 TV Special, this song cleverly recaps the whole situation with Don Kirshner. The accompanying video is also great ("Wanted for Fraud").<b> </b><br /></p><p><b><a href="https://youtu.be/8kUJ_mEH01g" target="_blank">Little Red Rider</a></b> Mike comes into his own<b> </b>post-Monkees with his First National Band.</p><p><a href="https://youtu.be/X6NYFkzv71E" target="_blank"><b>Propinquity</b></a> Love song, Nesmith style. Great lyric is "I've seen you make a look of love from just an icy stare".<br /></p><p><a href="https://youtu.be/gayAMQ7PILQ" target="_blank"><b>I Fall To Pieces</b></a><b> </b>Mike's cover of a Patsy Cline classic.</p><p><a href="https://youtu.be/jEnEG5mam7Y" target="_blank"><b>Thanx For The Ride</b></a> Apparently, this song was Mike's formal statement saying goodbye to his band mates in The Monkees. But if you listen to the lyrics, it works just as well as his final goodbye to all of us.<br /></p><p><b><a href="https://youtu.be/8ct3idhNZ1E" target="_blank">Hollywood</a> </b>Similarly, this song was his lament on the California show biz culture he experienced while being a Monkee.</p><p><a href="https://youtu.be/SwCbLuCOwbk" target="_blank"><b>Some of Shelly's Blues</b></a> Other than <i>Different Drum</i>, this was perhaps his most covered song, with versions by <a href="https://youtu.be/d9cQBGMzigU" target="_blank">Linda Ronstadt</a>, <a href="https://youtu.be/BXJiqKgl7BI" target="_blank">The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band</a>, <a href="https://youtu.be/HpRvB868SKU" target="_blank">The Continental Drifters</a> and <a href="https://youtu.be/fY0ZyOz3SWI" target="_blank">Earl Scruggs</a>. <br /></p><p><b><a href="https://youtu.be/gueigpmBTzM" target="_blank">Wax Minute</a></b> Perhaps my favorite Mike song from his solo years. Although it was written by Richard Stekol, it is very much in a Mike Nesmith style.<br /></p><p><b><a href="https://youtu.be/ZNhCeBouJxw" target="_blank">Mama Rocker</a></b> This Chuck Berry influenced song apparently was about Marrianne Faithful. <b><br /></b></p><p><a href="https://youtu.be/5MjJbwZTH_A" target="_blank"><b>I'll Go Somewhere and Cry</b></a> This is perhaps the most obscure song on the list. It is actually the very first song Mike wrote to be professionally recorded and released (1964). The Elvis Presley style vocals are by Denny Ezba, with Mike on guitar and doing the whistling. This catchy tune is highlighted by the contrast of lyrics expressing a heartbroken guy wanting to go somewhere and cry juxtaposed with rather happy whistling. Speaking of Elvis, if there was only one question I could have asked Mike, it would have been "When you were on RCA Records in the early 1970s, being produced by Felton Jarvis, who was also Elvis' producer at the time, were there any efforts made to submit songs to Elvis?" I think an Elvis-Nez collaboration in the '70s would have been amazing.</p><p><a href="https://youtu.be/WnpcTsy10dE" target="_blank"><b>Rio</b></a> The song that Mike essentially invented the modern music video for. Perhaps his most famous and popular solo track.<b> </b></p><p><a href="https://youtu.be/pWwpN8a6g_A" target="_blank"><b>Magic</b></a> Another early trailblazing music video. The retro 1950s sound makes it a favorite of mine.</p><p><a href="https://youtu.be/Mi0b8tcCQSE" target="_blank"><b>Cruisin'</b></a> The third in the trilogy of groundbreaking music videos. By the way, contrary to popular belief, that is not a young Hulk Hogan in the video, but a different pro-wrestler named Steve Strong.</p><p><a href="https://youtu.be/ONyP1r7Ys_Q" target="_blank"><b>Yellow Butterfly</b></a> A kind of dreamy song from his 1992 "comeback" album <i>...tropical campfires... </i><b><i><br /></i></b></p><p><a href="https://youtu.be/E2a_Lfzx1z0" target="_blank"><b>Laugh Kills Lonesome</b></a><b> </b>A song that celebrates the classic singing cowboys of the golden age of movies. <b><br /></b></p><p><b><a href="https://youtu.be/-JfU4a9aN3w" target="_blank">I Know What I Know</a></b> From the Monkees album <i>Good Times. </i>The lyrics and melody transcends rock 'n roll or pop music and goes to a
whole new level, right up there with Cole Porter or Irving Berlin.</p>Shazamaholichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11745015382822203379noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8623956572866546967.post-83445718683180504862021-12-10T15:00:00.001-05:002021-12-10T15:00:30.227-05:00Michael Nesmith, R.I.P<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh44WLEAodaEkB8ykaAAtaXxrUjn8mxt5t6AAsI03jJNNnYLR_NtXKkuEmsK2gHx18Ly_ox7hSwl0yyEkiGdApPjaNHdR6UmuEkxNQZEDjCJcoMap7Id3s5mDXqTSUUNOc4c97dr05JY6VbWglZTKsInwBnkTloasJbmVb2XHrirVC9syQCPHezzd0Asg=s826" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="826" data-original-width="570" height="763" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh44WLEAodaEkB8ykaAAtaXxrUjn8mxt5t6AAsI03jJNNnYLR_NtXKkuEmsK2gHx18Ly_ox7hSwl0yyEkiGdApPjaNHdR6UmuEkxNQZEDjCJcoMap7Id3s5mDXqTSUUNOc4c97dr05JY6VbWglZTKsInwBnkTloasJbmVb2XHrirVC9syQCPHezzd0Asg=w527-h763" width="527" /></a> </div><p>Extremely sad news. Michael Nesmith has passed away at the age of 78.
Mike has had some serious health issues in recent years. During the
2018 Monkees tour, he had a serious heart problem. During the concerts
he needed to go back stage and take oxygen. The tour was cut short so
he could have quadruple bypass heart surgery. Although he seemed to
bounce back from it initially, his health started to deteriorate
slowly. He did not let this stop him, though, as he heroically
continued to tour with Micky Dolenz, to entertain his fans, until the
very end. </p><p><br />From Mike Nesmith's <a href="https://videoranch3d.com/" target="_blank">Videoranch</a> website:<br /><i>With Infinite Love we announce that Michael Nesmith has passed away this morning in his home, surrounded by family, peacefully and of natural causes.<br />We ask that you respect our privacy at this time and we thank you for the love and light that all of you have shown him and us.</i></p><p><i>- The Nesmith Family</i><br /><br /><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhuC9aOgVxSvaPM2PDihJQTvpOYjcOLK878vfgErdjB7xJz_UCHqC8JcfDKjLXmVKDGlEMXqmMky24ftz8Q0eCS6SHkxX1MuCci1oN6AXNwEt0IB3baL299GzAzoTxZ5TlhX3PP2_QDWpwKbs5JnfEm9wvGvgiyPfh_qI8kvOQoBZ5ztDaPYAYfMlCt7w=s578" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="578" data-original-width="411" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhuC9aOgVxSvaPM2PDihJQTvpOYjcOLK878vfgErdjB7xJz_UCHqC8JcfDKjLXmVKDGlEMXqmMky24ftz8Q0eCS6SHkxX1MuCci1oN6AXNwEt0IB3baL299GzAzoTxZ5TlhX3PP2_QDWpwKbs5JnfEm9wvGvgiyPfh_qI8kvOQoBZ5ztDaPYAYfMlCt7w=s320" width="228" /></a></div><br />Micky Dolenz issued a statement:<br /><i>I’m heartbroken.<br />I’ve lost a dear friend and partner.<br />I’m so grateful that we could spend the last couple of months together doing what we loved best – singing, laughing, and doing shtick.<br />I’ll miss it all so much. Especially the shtick.<br />Rest in peace, Nez.<br />All my love,<br />Micky</i><br /><br /><br /> <p></p><p> </p><p> <br /></p><p> </p><p>I can only offer up my prayers for Mike and his family. You will be missed greatly, Pap Nez.<br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg8zvXRW1M0aedHpNV1xI2VI2FIN4GkS2FJydBFIMw8anyaOl7grfb3P7s0fHBMz9TTlmPW_vlpUui8oh34CYDsFA0EfdfwJN7dqA14o-gD2ujxRsyn4FXX0YBlj-yNiQolxt5SIF1C7aA4dy-HCJCS_KGw9uo_biijFrruyQv5-K_5-7Ej3biE8j8stA=s1200" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="904" data-original-width="1200" height="483" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg8zvXRW1M0aedHpNV1xI2VI2FIN4GkS2FJydBFIMw8anyaOl7grfb3P7s0fHBMz9TTlmPW_vlpUui8oh34CYDsFA0EfdfwJN7dqA14o-gD2ujxRsyn4FXX0YBlj-yNiQolxt5SIF1C7aA4dy-HCJCS_KGw9uo_biijFrruyQv5-K_5-7Ej3biE8j8stA=w641-h483" width="641" /></a></div><p><i>Eternal Rest grant unto him O Lord,<br />Let perpetual light shine upon him,<br />May he rest in peace.</i></p>Shazamaholichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11745015382822203379noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8623956572866546967.post-79682118895168060612021-12-08T10:34:00.000-05:002021-12-08T10:34:07.954-05:00Review: Batman '89 #4<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh8iRaUJLXJcpG_wI8CRLoO2KwLTRSwTFNFcJJXuzSESbO4tlJ71aW_DuPz11stL2qBBmpcRUin3E8pflkMhpV9XBCOTa8IpT0xH7Lg3UfM-0RSc1_DAj-KGEI5FLe8Ab3zBJe7IutI1t99vBCiP7X1VPDy1yiyjKKN-tP3mlVhyLwwyz_VxJJahM0MTA=s628" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="628" data-original-width="567" height="423" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh8iRaUJLXJcpG_wI8CRLoO2KwLTRSwTFNFcJJXuzSESbO4tlJ71aW_DuPz11stL2qBBmpcRUin3E8pflkMhpV9XBCOTa8IpT0xH7Lg3UfM-0RSc1_DAj-KGEI5FLe8Ab3zBJe7IutI1t99vBCiP7X1VPDy1yiyjKKN-tP3mlVhyLwwyz_VxJJahM0MTA=w382-h423" width="382" /></a></div>This issue opens with a march where Drake Winston attacks the police in ways that are all too trendy. Then we cut to Bruce in the Batcave, where he set up the giant penny, and he gets some microfilm from Alfred that will explain Drake's history. At the hospital, Dent, completely out of his mind with a split personality, escapes. Alfred picks up Drake to take to the Manor to meet with Bruce, as he reads the microfilm that Drake's ancestors started a car company that was then taken over by Bruce's ancestors. When Drake gets to the Manor, he and Bruce have a very long conversion that ends with Drake knowing Bruce is Batman, Bruce knowing Drake is the poncho costumed vigilante, and writer Sam Hamm recycles the "Alfred with a gun" bit from the first draft of his <i>Batman</i> script (although now changed to a taser). Selina shows up at Police HQ posing as a Shreck's Department Store geek squad tech to get into Barbara Gordon's computer. Dent finds his way into an abandoned subway tunnel, where one side is destroyed and the other side is pristine. He decides to make this his hide out. Back at Wayne Manor, Bruce leads Drake into the Batcave and a partnership is born.<br /><br />In the first two issues of <i>Batman '89</i> not much happened other than setting up characters. Then last issue and this issue are too crammed with plot development. This series is paced very poorly. Then there is the continued pre-occupation with being "woke" as the top priority for this series. It continues to be an unpleasant read. This issue earns a C-.<p></p>Shazamaholichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11745015382822203379noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8623956572866546967.post-26779263244386774732021-11-24T10:09:00.000-05:002021-11-24T10:09:20.561-05:00Review: Superman '78 #4<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJHda7YFpzFOqH5q1hVHvV4yHlYvJhUWkM8TU9fieAC5wavuzQgWmGcmsojwiCU3a6nwidnVclB7Rc1KK5_GM7Mi6E4QV9gsbN4cvbCflAm2asnI4naLzQx42s3biFYXwAIS0NdegqqKOB/s1988/RCO020_1637665702.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1508" data-original-width="1988" height="269" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJHda7YFpzFOqH5q1hVHvV4yHlYvJhUWkM8TU9fieAC5wavuzQgWmGcmsojwiCU3a6nwidnVclB7Rc1KK5_GM7Mi6E4QV9gsbN4cvbCflAm2asnI4naLzQx42s3biFYXwAIS0NdegqqKOB/w354-h269/RCO020_1637665702.jpg" width="354" /></a></div>This issue opens with a brief exposition on Brainiac's past, then cuts right to Jor-El passing the leadership reins to Kal-El. But Kal feels completely out of place, and decides he needs to find a way to get back to Earth. Meanwhile Luthor, with Lois, are able to place a really long distance "phone call" to Superman, thanks to the little receiver he planted on him. Brainiac notices the transmission, and heads back to Earth to confront Luthor. Jor-El also notices the transmission, and says that this is the missing piece of technology he needs that could free Kal-El from the bottle city. However Brainiac has begun to levitate the entire city of Metropolis.<br /><br />Once again, Robert Vendetti turns in a great script that captures the magic of the movies, and delivers a lot of fun character asides, especially for Gene Hackman's version of Luthor. Wilfredo Torres' art seems to get better with each issue. This issue earns yet another A.<p></p>Shazamaholichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11745015382822203379noreply@blogger.com0