Learning from mistakes is a necessary part of life. After the diminish in content with the second season of Samurai Jack, the creative team behind the show must have received some kind of negative feedback about their work. How else can such improvement in overall quality moving forward be described?
Story
The season starts off slow with the only episode which is comedic in tone. Afterwards, everything is action oriented and even offers more call backs to Jack’s training and experience. This is probably from the positive reactions to the episode Jack remembers the Past, resulting in Jack reflecting on his time studying in Egypt, and meeting descendants of the Shaolin Monks he trained with. There is a lot of pay off for those who enjoy looking easter eggs in series.
Speaking of reflecting on the past, the pinnacle of this season is the first two part episode, Birth of Evil. It tells the story of how Aku was born and how the magic sword was created to defeat him. The overall content of the two part episode was so good it scored the show an Emmy.
The best episodes to come out of this season of course includes Birth of Evil. Episodes also worth mentioning is Jack and the Zombies which features an intense battle for Jack against an army of three undead, and Jack and the Haunted House, which features a very uniquely visual style to it.
Art
The design department also came back in full force this season. They decided to incorporate different homages to other classic pieces of animation. Quick Draw and Baba Looey from Hanna-Barbera guest star in one episode and other tributes include Totoro from My Neighbor Totoro and Daisuke Jigen from Lupin The Third.
There was also an improvement in original designs. In Jack and the Traveling Creatures, Jack encounters beasts and monsters which would put some Star Wars aliens to shame. There also is a brief glimpse into the future of Jack as a conquering hero which may be seen in the upcoming fifth season.
Music
The music for the third season aided in enhancing the action scenes throughout. Intense moment such as in Jack, the Monks, and the Ancient Master’s Son where the music sounds like a pounding heart. There are also a few insert songs which are catchy and coincide with the characters. Sadly the Scotsman didn’t come back so their wasn’t a return of bagpipe music.
Conclusion
This season offered more action, more creative animation, and less comedy. It swelled to the highs in excellence and was rewarded for its work. All in all, a great improvement moving forward.
—
What are some of your favorite memories from Samurai Jack season three? Leave a comment below and let us know.
With Logan now in theaters, it’s time to start discussing some of the facts that we learned watching the movie. Since the first trailer dropped it was clear that this isn’t the world we’ve seen in previous X-Men movies. Wolverine and Charles Xavier are living pretty crappy lives and the X-Men no longer exist. But what happened to the iconic superhero team?
If this film wasn’t already heart-breaking enough, it’s Charles Xavier who is to blame for destroying the X-Men. When we first meet Charles in this film, Wolverine is hiding him away on the Mexican border. Xavier’s powers have become unpredictable and unstable and the film shows us how dangerous Charles can be in this universe. In an amazing sequence, we see an entire hotel paralyzed because of Charles’s seizures. After this event, we hear a radio report and learn that a similar event happened in Westchester (Xavier’s school for the gifted). The report claims that the Westchester incident injured 600 civilians and took the life of some mutants (The X-Men).
The saddest thing here is that Charles doesn’t even remember the event when we first see him in Logan. This leads to a pretty depressing scene in which Xavier remembers what he did, and realizes that he is no longer the heroic teacher we’ve seen in previous films. “I did something. . . something unspeakable.” he says “I remembered what happened in Westchester. This is not the first time that I’ve hurt people. Until today, I didn’t know. You didn’t tell me, so we kept on running away from it. I think…I finally understand you.”
Let us know what you thought of Logan in the comments section below!
This is the era of Peak TV. As of 2016, there were 455 scripted series on television, including original content produced by streaming services. Not only is this insane, it’s also physically impossible to keep up with every TV show on air at the moment. Heck, it’s impossible most of the time to keep up with just the good shows, let alone anything campy or kinda trashy just for fun. Watching TV has weirdly become this activity which requires budgeting your time if you want to be able to catch every prestige drama or comedy without getting left behind.
That being said, more than two hundred shows have seasons premiering between today and the end of April. In many cases, you’re not missing much; most of them are not worth the time investment it would require to be caught up by their premiere date. But at the same time, some of what are literally the best shows on television are also beginning in that time frame. So, how do you know what the hell to watch?
Well, that’s where I come in. As a person who watches entirely too much TV, allow me to help you figure out what’s worth the emergency binge-watching sessions necessary to get caught up.
March 7 – The Americans
This series easily joins the ranks of The Sopranos, The Wire, Mad Men, and Breaking Bad at that highest echelon of all-time greats. It’s about Russian sleeper agents in Reagan’s America, but more importantly it’s about a family that is constantly pushed to the brink of morality both by patriotism and the desire to protect each other. Nothing on television has ever asked so poignantly what we are willing to do for love. If there is any show on this list I would recommend above all else, it’s this one.
March 10 – Love
On the lighter side of things, Judd Apatow’s Netflix series is also about a complex relationship, but it’s a lot less draining. Paul Rust and Gillian Jacobs are an awkward couple who probably shouldn’t be together, but brought to life in a way that makes the audience root for them anyway. Plus, there’s a cat named “Grandpa,” which might actually be the funniest thing in the history of the universe. Your mileage may vary on that one, though.
March 16 – Review
Review is a bizarre deconstruction of the prestige drama anti-hero, as well as the magic “reset button” most comedies push at the beginning of every episode; in other words, the horrible things that happen to Forrest MacNeil in each installment continue to stack up until the season finale, at which point Forrest’s life and/or sanity collapse. But it’s way funnier than I just made it sound. Forrest, played straight and unflinching by Andy Daly, is a critic who reviews life experiences requested by an audience, such as addiction, getting divorced, leading a cult, and being buried alive, among other horrors. The concept is funny by itself, but the brilliance of the show is in the way these things combine with each other to destroy Forrest’s life outside his show. Seriously, go watch it.
April 10 – Better Call Saul
Disclaimer: Just because you liked Breaking Bad does not mean you will like Better Call Saul. It’s about Saul Goodman when he was still an actual good man, but doesn’t feature the same Mr. Chips-to-Scarface transition as its predecessor. Where Breaking Bad was a foray into the evils of pride and how easily a normal man could be driven to depravity and violence, Better Call Saul is more interested in things like retirement community lawsuits and how sometimes trying to be a good person can have devastating personal consequences. I wouldn’t say it’s more profound than Breaking Bad, but it is a little more pensive. Plus, Bob Odenkirk is casually hysterical as Jimmy McGill/Saul Goodman. And the cinematography is stunning.
April 11 – Brooklyn Nine-Nine
If you enjoyed the relentless optimism of Parks and Recreation, then this is the closest thing that show has to a spiritual successor. At its best, Parks is better, but Nine-Nine has a great ensemble cast that really manages to capture that “we may be coworkers but we’re more like a family” vibe Parks did so well. It can be super corny, and when it tries to give life-or-death stakes to its characters it falls a little short, but it’s easily the most fun out of any show on this list.
April 16 – The Leftovers
I sometimes have a difficult time telling whether this is actually the best show on television, or if it’s just my personal favorite. Regardless, if there has ever been a show capable of constant emotional gutpunching on the level of The Leftovers, I haven’t seen it. It takes place in a world where an existential apocalypse caused two percent of the world to disappear, but it’s not concerned with why they disappeared or where they went. Instead, it’s a meditation on the way we navigate grief, and if I say anymore, I’ll ruin it. If you do decide to watch it, remember to bring a box of tissues. You’ll need it.
April 16 – Veep
This show has won something like 12 billion awards, most of them for Julia Louis-Dreyfus, and there’s a good reason for that. The material is smart and never feels the need for condescending exposition, the dialogue is possibly the most vulgar in TV history, the performances are fantastic, and the show overall is genuinely hilarious. I imagine in light of the recent election, this upcoming season will provide us all with some much-needed political catharsis.
April 19 – Fargo
Fargo is a terrible idea for a show that shouldn’t work at all. A series based on a Coen brothers movie about a sudden injection of evil into a small town doesn’t seem like it would lend itself to any sort of long-form method of storytelling. But under the guidance of show runner Noah Hawley, Fargo is easily among the best shows on TV. It captures the violent black humor of the Coen brothers possibly better than the Coen brothers themselves, making for one of the most unique television watching experiences around. Like the movie it’s loosely based on, it manages to simultaneously capture the best and worst humanity has to offer. There are some good anthology series out there, but Fargo beats them all handily (despite what the Emmys seem to think).
April 21 – Bosch
Michael Connelly’s book series about Harry Bosch is the only mainstream, pop-literature crime series I read regularly. I never miss a book. So when it came to this show, my expectations were extremely high, and initially, it really let me down. It seemed like, rather than capture the feel and tone of the novels, Amazon had been more interested in making a “rule-breaking cop vs. two-dimensional crazy serial killer” type of series. But the second season rectified this problem, and judging from what information is out there about the third season, they’ve continued to grow and learn from their mistakes. Harry Bosch is one of my all-time favorite literary detectives, and Titus Welliver’s portrayal of him will probably make him one of my favorite TV detectives as well.
April 23 – Silicon Valley
I was late to the party with this one, mostly because I wasn’t crazy about the premise. As a show about a startup company in the titular valley, I thought the show would be too tech-y and full of itself for me. I was wrong about this. Like any great show, it’s more about the characters than its premise, and it’s way funnier than it has any right to be. I’m not crazy about Kumail Nanjiani’s standup, but nearly every line he delivers on the show puts me into hysterics. Don’t let the fact that you aren’t super into technology cause you to miss out on Silicon Valley.
April 28 – Catastrophe
Yet another show with an actor whose standup I don’t like (sorry, Rob Delaney), Catastrophe is something you need to watch to believe. The characters are all kind of pathetic, they’re all mean and petty and obnoxious, and yet somehow it manages to deliver one of the most sincere examinations of marriage I’ve ever seen. For me, this show alone makes the price of Amazon Prime worth it. I will be curious in the future to see how they deal with the death of Carrie Fisher, who played Rob’s unbearable mother. I imagine it will be difficult for even the genuine humor Catastrophe seems to find in everyday life to overcome the loss of such an iconic actor.
Anyway, that’s what I’ll be watching. What about you guys? What show am I a total moron for forgetting?
‘Logan’ is in theaters now sitting at a 94% on Rotten Tomatoes, with fans and critics in agreement Hugh Jackman and James Mangold put together one of the best superhero films of the modern generation. ‘Logan’ now begs the question of where does this film genre go from here. EJ and Matt try to figure this out in a heated debate.
SPOILER ALERT: We talk about ‘Get Out’ at the beginning of the episode. Skip to the 9:00-minute mark to avoid spoilers if you haven’t seen ‘Get Out’ yet.
Strap yourself in buckaroos! Episode 113 of the Monkeys Fighting Robots podcast is here.
Do you want to be our SUPER-FAN of the week? All you have to do is comment on this podcast to be eligible.
Do you have a question that you would like answered during the show?
A Gen Xer and a Millennial debate the latest topics in pop culture. One guy is a filmmaker and the other is a journalist, but both are nerds. We make your slowest days at work better. Hosts, Matthew Sardo and EJ Moreno.
Never heard of Matt Sardo?
For starters, he made the Kessel Run in less than 11 parsecs. Prior to that, he gave Doc Brown the idea for the flux capacitor and led the Resistance to victory over SkyNet – all while sipping a finely crafted IPA. As a radio host, he’s interviewed celebrities, athletes and everyone in between. He’s covered everything from the Super Bowl to Comic-Con.
Who is EJ Moreno?
Is he a trained physician? No. Is he a former Miss Universe contestant? Possibly. But what we know for sure is he’s a writer, filmmaker, and pop culture enthusiast. Since film school, EJ has written & directed several short films. He’s used his passion for filmmaking to become a movie critic for MonkeysFightingRobots.com.
Can We All Just Admit Tilda Swinton Is Perfection?
Always known for her stunning looks, this could be Tilda Swinton’s craziest to date. She’s played male angels and really tan executives but never anything like this. For her role in ‘Supiria‘, they’ve dramatically aged the actress.
Don’t believe me or don’t know who she is? Here’s a photo from earlier this year!
This image comes from a recent set photo in Germany. Swinton is said to be playing the female character Madame Blanc but there is no word why she is dressed like a man. Such a far cry from The Ancient One in ‘Doctor Strange‘.
The remake of ‘Suspiria‘ recently gained more traction but this stunt is going to have people talking. Trying to re-do the magic that Italian Giallo director Dario Argento is tough but if the film keeps this up, it could be one of the few memorable remakes! Lead actress Mia Goth promises this film is a love letter to the original.
The film stars Mia Goth, Chloe-Grace Mortez, and of course Tilda Swinton. Swinton seems to be the only one going extreme with her transformation. I’m curious if the other actresses will change or if this something only she can pull off.
The film will be helmed by Italian director Luca Guadagnino and writer David Kajganich.
Are you excited for this horror remake from Amazon Studios?
Let me know in the comments!
‘Suspiria‘ Synopsis:
“A young American ballet dancer travels to a prestigious dance academy in Europe, only to discover it is something far more sinister and supernatural. She becomes increasingly terrified after a series of gruesome murders ensue and she slowly unravels the dark history of the academy.”
The long awaited episode has finally arrived. In the original schedule, Tiger Philanthropist was supposed to come out before Last One Out Of Beach City and was to be part of an earlier season. As the episode finally arrives, Steven and Amethyst are once again in their wrestling alter egos. Amethyst is sick of being Purple Puma but Steven wants to keep going and adopts a new identity as Tiger Philanthropist. Surprisingly the episode finds a way to make a simple concept turn into something more deep and meaningful.
When episodes of Steven Universe feature more of the Beach City crew it’s hard to say what you’re going to get. They are usually either blah or only remotely good. Here though they add to the overall enjoyment by not detracting from the real message. The show finds a way to criticize the problems which comes from giving fans what they want. Using Lars as a mouthpiece for fans everywhere who are not happy when creators give them exactly what they ask for. It’s a small reminder there is just no pleasing people sometimes and you can only do so much.
The main theme and overall quality of the episode is surprisingly entertaining despite not going for drama or action. Instead it simply takes the time to look into the relationship of Steven and Amethyst. As characters grow it’s important to have them check in with each and show where they stand. Updating the status of a relationship helps to remind the audience characters are just as close as they ever were despite the crazy adventures they have been on. Steven and Amethyst growing stronger doesn’t mean they are drifting apart and this is an important lesson which really makes the audience remember they are still as strong as they ever were.
Creemore Springs Brewery, acquired by Molson — a subsidiary of Molson Coors Brewing Company — in 2005, rather than releasing their brews under a single brand, has diversified their brand brew-folio by way of a couple of subsidiaries of their own. Creemore Springs’s Mad & Noisy brand, for instance, brews Hops & Bolts India Pale Lager (previously reviewed here). This brand separation allows Creemore Springs Brewing to respect the Reinheitsgebot even while Mad & Noisy Brewing, one of its subsidiaries, defies it. Batch from Creemore is another such subsidiary, but this one comes with a brewpub in downtown Toronto, which is slightly more populous than their hometown of Creemore where I picked up my 625-mL bottle of Batch’s Pale Ale.
But, their multiple brew-sonalities aside (sorry, these brew puns are getting weaker and weaker), I’m more concerned with how the beer tastes than what’s on the label, so let’s not waste any more time. Let’s get pouring!
Batch from Creemore: Pale Ale – First Sip
Pale Ale, eh? That’s what I like to read. Further investigation on the Batch website revealed this to be an American Pale Ale (even though it’s brewed in Canada).
Batch from Creemore’s Pale Ale pours a cloudy pale orange colour. It leaves a thick layer of foam around the rim of my glass that dissipates slowly, leaving a thin layer of bubbles. The label’s claim of having notes of tangerine and honey is borne out by its aroma as I take my first sip. This APA doesn’t assault with bitterness, but I wouldn’t describe it as a session IPA either.
Unfortunately, though there are notes of honey in its aroma, those notes are harder to notice in this brew’s flavour. By and large, this brew tastes like hops. The honey that is there, though, complements this beer’s carbonation level well, producing a smooth mouthfeel.
Batch from Creemore: Pale Ale – Last Sip
Even though it comes in at a relatively low 4.6% ABV rating, because of its 625-mL size this is a brew to enjoy with a friend. Unlike other Creemore Springs brews, this one doesn’t appear to be available for purchase in the LCBO, or at any non-Creemore-related purveyor of alcohol. I picked my bottle up at the Creemore Springs Brewery, but if you’re in Toronto then drop by the pub and grab a pint. Although based on their menu, I predict that you may end up grabbing a few different pints, especially since they offer a variety of beers from competing breweries.
Star Wars Rebels will return for a fourth season in the fall according to an announcement from Lucasfilm and Disney XD.
Created by Dave Filoni, Simon Kinberg and Carrie Beck, the series follows the crew of the privateer vessel Ghost and its close ties with the emerging Rebel Alliance. The ship’s compliment include the disgraced Jedi Kanan, his pupil Ezra, the Mandalorian Sabine, Lasat Honor Guard Captain Zeb, occasionally helpful droid Chopper and pilot Hera. Voice talent includes Freddie Prinze Jr. as Kanan, Vanessa Marshall as Hera, Steve Blum as Zeb, Tiya Sircar as Sabine, Taylor Gray as Ezra. Guest voices include the likes of Forrest Whitaker as Saw Gerrera and Lars Mikkelsen as Grand Admirial Thrawn.
The companies also announced further details on the fourth season will be revealed at Star Wars Celebration in Orlando. If the event if anything like last year’s Rebels presentation, fans should be in for a treat as plots will be teased and characters revealed.
Excited to see the series continue? Let us know in the comments below.
It’s a massive understatement at this point to say that Netflix is generating content at an insane pace. Not only do they produce new series on a seemingly weekly basis, but the streaming service announced a new comedy special every week in 2017! The content machine is also focused on creating Netflix Original movies too. We could all use some escapism in these bizarro times, but who can keep up! Fortunately, you don’t have to, that’s why Monkeys Fighting Robots is here.
As Netflix Original movies pop up, it’s clear the streaming service is not ignoring any genre. But nothing made people take notice more than the recent announcement of Bright, a fantasy film starring Will Smith. Netflix is serious about making good, if not, great, content and the five movies on our list serve as clear evidence that they’re off to a good start.
Binge Watch These Five Netflix Original Movies
Over The Weekend!
As a testament to the diversity of movies on Netflix, check out 13th. Directed by Oscar-winner Ava DuVernay, the documentary chronicles the history and impact of the 13th Amendment of the United States. Slavery was abolished, but it was still a long road for African-Americans to become an equal citizen. DuVernay’s ability to squeeze heart-wrenching emotion packs a powerful punch here.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, actor and well-known prankster Jared Leto may find himself caught up in the game world of Disney’s Tron.
The report states Leto will star in the project and be involved in producing the planned reboot alongside partner Emma Ludbrook and Tron: Legacy co-producer Justin Springer. In the proposed film, he will play Ares, a new character in the Game Grid.
The Tron concept lingered in the Disney library since 1982, when it was released against tough competition like E.T. and Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan. Starring Jeff Bridges, the first film told the story of a video game programmer trapped in the world he helped to design. While ultimately successful, the film was consider a bomb for the then-struggling studio. Besides a handful of video games and a redress of one of the Peoplemover pavilions at Disneyland, the company put the concept on the shelf next to The Love Bug and The Black Hole.
In the early 21st Century, Disney mined their library for concepts and a Tron sequel was soon in development. 2010’s Tron: Legacy stared Bridges once again as programmer Kevin Flynn with Garret Hedlund as his estranged son and Olivia Wilde as a spontaneously generated computer program. Directed by Joseph Kosiniski and featuring music by Daft Punk, the film was a stylish follow-up, but failed to become a big enough hit for the studio to fast-track a further installment. One was eventually developed with Kosiniski, Hedlund and Wilde returning, but it was cancelled just as production was set to begin.
The new project is being characterized as a reboot, so it is unlikely the principles from the planned Tron 3 will return, but nothing can be confirmed.
Does this sound like a good idea or do you think Tron should continue from where it left of in Legacy? Sound off in the comments below.
Review is a bizarre deconstruction of the prestige drama anti-hero, as well as the magic “reset button” most comedies push at the beginning of every episode; in other words, the horrible things that happen to Forrest MacNeil in each installment continue to stack up until the season finale, at which point Forrest’s life and/or sanity collapse. But it’s way funnier than I just made it sound. Forrest, played straight and unflinching by Andy Daly, is a critic who reviews life experiences requested by an audience, such as addiction, getting divorced, leading a cult, and being buried alive, among other horrors. The concept is funny by itself, but the brilliance of the show is in the way these things combine with each other to destroy Forrest’s life outside his show. Seriously, go watch it.
