Flash vs Gotham: Which Show is Worse?

May 26, 2016

I’ve got to be honest – I really don’t like either Gotham or Flash. I really wanted to when I began watching both programs, as their first seasons popped up on my Netflix homepage. Gotham had a very strong first half of its first season, hinting at key Batman personalities without jumping the gun. Flash was a welcome bolt of hopeful superhero antics, amidst a crowd of brooding violent anti-heroes. However, now that I’ve completed the two completed seasons of both shows, I must confess that I can’t stand either. They serve as examples of how you shouldn’t write a superhero show – hell, how you shouldn’t write ANY show. But while both shows have their critics, there are still plenty of others who love one or the other, and they will likely make their feelings known to me in aggravated Facebook comments. So is one definitively worse than the other? Let’s examine what each get right, and what they get so very, very wrong.

AND TO BE CLEAR, SPOILERS FOR BOTH SHOWS ARE COMING. SO BEWARE.

Both shows fell from what worked in their first seasons this year. Gotham decided hinting at Batman villains wasn’t enough, so they had to put them all in the show – and I do mean ALL of them. Mr. Freeze, Firefly, Azrael, Clayface, Hugo Strange, even the Joker – well, maybe. Flash, on the other hand, handicapped themselves by doing essentially the SAME plot at season one. Supposed ally turned super villain speedster who kills an Allen parent – that’s both Harrison Wells (I mean Eobard Thawne) and Jay Garrick (I mean Hunter Zolomon). Gotham’s major story struggles stem from running out of material, while Flash fails to keep up its pace and decided to just copy-paste its season.

The identity of MF Doom here was way too obvious of a reveal

Neither of the shows’ protagonists are all that compelling, either. Jim Gordon keeps yelling about how he needs to be the one stopping evil, but he also keeps yelling about how he’s got to do bad things to do it. Flash’s Barry is well-intentioned, but rather than struggling with a grim demeanor like Jim, Barry’s pretty dumb. He just gives Zoom what he wants every time – INCLUDING his speed, the only thing that gives him a chance at defeating him. And then this season’s finale highlighted his stupidity – Zoom killed his father, the metal-mask-man turned out to be a doppleganger of Jay Garrick/his dad, so with all this dead dad stuff haunting him, Barry goes back in time to save the life of his… mother? Wait, as in stopping the incident that made him the Flash? And the moment he finally found peace with in the one good episode of this season? Ah well, Kevin Smith/Zach Stentz, you tried. But Flash needs you two on every episode from now on to save it.

On the topic of writing, neither show seems all that capable of writing good female characters. I could go on and on about how bad of a character Caitlin Snow is (and I have), but none of the show’s female characters are well-defined. While the Iris-Barry train is back on track, Iris has spent most of the show popping in just to tell Barry he’s being stupid about something or other. Barry’s girlfriend Patti was set up as interesting, being a cop who lost her father to supervillains, but then Flash decided that she was TOO interesting for a female so, boom, she was written off and was sent away to Police School. Gotham at least wrote Lee off this mid-season before she could become as pointless as Iris – though her stressed importance feels strange. Lee pestered Jim about staying on the moral high ground, but never managed to stop him making his darker choices. And for a real life couple, Gotham found a way to strip anything resembling a spark from Ben Mckenzie and Morena Baccarain’s relationship.

Mister Freeze, Gotham? No. No, Gotham. No. What? No. Really, Gotham? No.

One of the most infuriating things both shows have now done is their resurrection of characters. Flash has alternated from bringing in character dopplegangers to inventing some nonsense called “time remnants,” where speedsters just have carbon copies to chill with & kill. Thanks to Hugo Strange’s laboratory antics, Gotham oversaturated the show with its entire rogues gallery, and took away the legitimacy of death. Theo Galavan should have stayed dead, but instead he became a weird medieval ninja. Fish Mooney should have stayed dead, but instead she became a fish-powered (?) grilled-cheese-loving wacko. And who knows what’s happening with Jerome, aka maybe-Joker. Perhaps Gotham thought its teasing Joker would be a cheeky avoidance of doing every villain at once, but it was a pointless gesture that didn’t add anything new or interesting. And now reports say they might bring him back for season three? That’s idiotic.

While the two shows suffer from many of the same problems, Gotham seems to be the worst offender of bad writing/directing. Flash had some repetitive stories and horrendous dialogue, but Gotham didn’t even have the interesting Earth-2 interactions to help it. The Theo Galavan character was interesting, but all the Azrael/Strange/Freeze plots felt stupid and silly. The show’s trying to coast of Batman legacy and its Tim Burton-knockoff environment, along with some of the worst acting I’ve ever seen. Seriously, it seems everyone was told to deliver their lines by either screaming at the top of their lungs, or belabored sentences ripe with odd pauses.

A great Flash moment, until Barry had to go and ruin it last episode

That being said, while I think Gotham is the lower quality show, I’m more disappointed with Flash than I am with Gotham. Being on the CW, the network quickly becoming the superhero channel, I know so many people who love Flash. They love the camp, they love the cheerier vibe compared to its sister show Arrow, and I guess they love that it’s trying stories about alternate earths and, presumably, Flashpoint next season. However, those general elements don’t excuse all the glaring writing faults this show has, and it makes me more discouraged. Gotham I can watch and laugh at, but Flash just makes me want something more.

Moral of the story? Gotham is garbage. Flash had better get good soon. And everyone should just watch Jessica Jones instead.

Monkeys Fighting Robots Youtube

Why HBO Should Save ‘True Detective’

Larry Taylor - Managing Editor

May 26, 2016

Yesterday, word filtered out that HBO and Nic Pizzolatto were likely scrapping plans for a third season of True Detective. The much maligned second season, a big, bloated, confusing mess for the most part, was met with a collective head scratching and overwhelming disdain from fans. The first season was a tremendous self-contained story, full of moral dilemma, supernatural madness, and terrific performances from Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson.

Season two saw the impressive cast grow, the story shift from Louisiana to Los Angeles, and the promise swell following the early previews. But then, everything seemed to fall apart under the weight of an overwritten and poorly constructed plot. Performances from Vince Vaughn and Taylor Kitsch never came together, and each episode had potential to be brilliant or maddeningly idiotic, with no rhyme or reason as to which direction it was headed. It was a mess, mostly because of the departure of Cary Fukunaga and complete control being left at the feet of Pizzolatto.

So HBO is deciding to, more than likely, abandon ship. But they shouldn’t. True Detective is worth saving.

For starters, not everything in season two was a disaster. Colin Farrell’s disturbing performance, as hamfisted as it turned occasionally, was often soulful and engrossing. Rachel McAdams held her own, and a few individual episodes rivaled some of the best hours of television around last summer. As is the case with several shows and films, all the good has overwhelmed the bad in my brain. I’m left with oddly fond memories of season two, but the super weird nonsense is still tucked away in storage. It wasn’t all bad, and could have been fixed had Pizzolatto been told no from time to time.

But the merits of season two don’t really have anything to do with a potential season three. That’s the beauty of the structure of True Detective; the creators have the ability to wipe the slate clean. We wouldn’t be revisiting this convoluted world with these characters (because, well, they all pretty much died), but we’d be heading in an entirely different direction. The show isn’t about continuing stories, but continuing moods and themes. It’s a crime-drama and a pitch-black noir at heart, and TV can always handle one or two of those. These seasons have explored the deepest darkest parts of the human soul and framed these explorations around police procedural. It’s a timeless narrative, and it deserves a spot on TV. Name another hardboiled noir cop show. Is there one?

As for Nic Pizzolatto, well, he has good ideas for the series. We’ve seen them. He certainly missed the presence of Cary Fukunaga in season two and he’s built a reputation as a difficult collaborator. But now that season two fell flat, he doesn’t carry the same clout. Pizzolatto can either bring on a team with different ideas and approaches, or he can move along and another lead can come soon board. It’s worked over the years with things like, say, the Mission: Impossible films. And if we remember, M:I 2 was fairly disastrous in its own right. Imagine if Paramount had pulled the plug after John Woo slow-mo’d us all to death; we would have never gotten the incredibly solid later pictures.

Give True Detective one more shot, HBO. If it doesn’t work the third time around, by all means pull the plug and move on. But abandoning the series now seems like knee-jerk overreaction of the highest order. Lessons were learned during and after season two, so there’s no reason why these lessons couldn’t be applied to a third season. Streamline the story, shrink the cast, and don’t leave everything in the hands of a creator who clearly was in over his head last summer.

Monkeys Fighting Robots Youtube

Review: ‘Alice Through The Looking Glass’ Is Boring And Visually Dull

Kaitlyn Booth

May 26, 2016

Title: Alice Through The Looking Glass
Director: James Bobin
Summary: Alice returns to the whimsical world of Wonderland and travels back in time to save the Mad Hatter.

I’m a huge Tim Burton apologist but I do think he’s already made his best movie (it’s Big Fish). That being said even I couldn’t apologize for Alice In Wonderland. It was one of those movies I saw and was kind of lukewarm on, but as time went on I started to hate it more and more. Now, so many years after the fact, I can hardly find anything that I enjoy in that movie. When I saw that they were making a second one I was not excited at all. In fact Alice Through The Looking Glass is a movie that sits with Jason Bourne and Star Trek Beyond as ‘high profile movies I keep forgetting are coming out’. I had low expectations going in so I hoped maybe I would leave ambivalent, if nothing else.

Alice Through The Looking Glass commits the cardinal sin of a movie based on text that was written by someone abusing drugs; it’s boring but visually uninteresting.

At this point most people know the history of Lewis Carroll who wrote the original Alice In Wonderland stories. The best way I’ve seen Carroll and his Alice books described is ‘long form love letters to underage girls written by a possibly drug abusing Oxford graduate’ which is pretty accurate. That is why one of the first things people keep asking me is “should I watch Alice Through The Looking Glass while under the influence of some sort of substance?” The truth is that there isn’t anything interesting enough going on to make the money you’ve spent on said substance worth it. There isn’t anything remotely interesting going on here that we haven’t seen better sixteen years ago in the video game American McGee’s Alice. This isn’t some wild and trippy movie that going to give you the giggles while you’re high; you’re going to eat your entire bucket of popcorn and fall asleep.

I can honestly say that I was bored by this movie ten minutes in. We open with a ship battle that looks like something out of the Pirates of the Caribbean movies and it doesn’t become less convoluted from there. I’m more curious about why this movie is called Alice Through The Looking Glass when Alice (Mia Wasikowska) seems like a secondary character in this movie. In all of the promotional material it’s the Mad Hatter (Johnny Depp) that is front and center. The entire plot of the movie revolves around the Hatter. Alice doesn’t get pushed aside from the Red Queen (Helena Bonham Carter) as much this time since Tim Burton is only a producer, but she still has a huge presence in this movie. Alice is the main character but she doesn’t seem to have any real motivation outside of “save the Mad Hatter” even after being warned that her actions could have real world dangers.

If it sounds like I hate this movie I don’t really. I only saw it less than two days ago and I can hardly remember a single thing that happened. The various CGI characters are completely underused, and if this is the last movie we get with the late great Alan Rickman it’s a shame he’s never given anything to do. The CGI characters wander around the movie a few moments while Mirana (Anne Hathaway) does her best fairy princess. The 3D doesn’t get too blurry but the movie is trying so hard to be wacky and out there that they try too hard. A movie that tries to make the 3D part of the experience instead of enhancing it usually ends up giving me a headache. It’s a two hour long movie that felt like it was never going to end.

Alice Through The Looking Glass is a movie that really only has one job, to be visually interesting, and it doesn’t even accomplish that. No one in the main cast is even trying and it feels like the only reason Disney greenlit this sequel is that the first one made a ton of money in merchandise. That being said, if no one else is willing to put forth the effort to made a halfway decent movie they shouldn’t expect you to waste your hard earned money seeing it; skip it.

Monkeys Fighting Robots Youtube

Dear fans of Captain America: A Fellow Geek’s Pain From Plot Twists

Anthony Wendel

May 25, 2016

Dear fans of Captain America,

The news series Steven Roger: Captain America #1 has dropped a shocking twist on many. In it, Steve Rogers, the conscious of the entire Marvel Universe is revealed to be an agent for the organization known as Hydra his entry existence and the declaration has resonated through the fan community. Some of you are confused wondering how such a story could come to be. Others are enraged and taking the news as some type of insult. These are all normal reactions to a storyline which causes great changes to a character and how you see them overall.

I wanted to let you know I feel for you. I really do because I myself have experienced the exact same thing.

The year was 1996 and the issue was Avengers: The Crossing #1. It was a start of The Crossing storyline (thought to be one of the worst Avengers storyline ever). At the end of the issue, stood Tony Stark was revealed to be evil having killed Marilla, the nanny of Luna the daughter of Quicksilver and Crystal. The story would reveal he had in fact been controlled by Kang the Conqueror for nearly his entire fictional history. The Crossing would end with Iron Man having to sacrifice himself and a teenage Tony Stark from another timeline having to take his place. It would take another event, Heroes Reborn to fix everything and put the proper Tony Stark back in the Iron man armor. To this day the events of the crossing are infamous, never referenced, and best forgotten by fans or creators.

Watching our heroes doing things they think are right in the moment is often hard to watch. It often causes them to clash against their former friends (both the comic book story and movie of Civil War showed how easily this can happen). Watching characters not get along or do something you don’t agree with is one thing. Reading a storyline where a character is completely not themselves or doing something which feels like a betrayal to what they stood for in the first place is another.

Superheroes are subjective to the whims of their creative teams and often fans have no choice but to watch what unfolds and deal with the consequences afterwards. Even now, readers are still dealing with the idea of Tony Stark actually being the adopted son of Howard Stark. Some storylines are hard to swallow and it’s trying to see the heroes we have come to love be used as villains for petty reasons. Don’t give up with on Captain America entirely. Perhaps somewhere down the line it will revealed through some plot device like brainwashing was used and things were only manipulated to happen in this way. For now I can only assure you this will past and one day Steve Rogers will stand for truth and justice once again.

Monkeys Fighting Robots Youtube

Episode 76: ‘Preacher’ vs ‘Game of Thrones’

Matthew Sardo

May 25, 2016

This was an epic week of television with the season finale of ‘The Flash,’ the mid-season finale of ‘Fear the Walking Dead,’ the premiere of ‘Preacher’ on AMC, and the heart-breaking ‘hold the door’ episode of ‘Game of Thrones.’ Matt and EJ get a little emotional this episode.

We will be at MegaCon this weekend, visit our booth #3203.

Do you have a question that you would like answered during the show?
Email your questions to matt@popaxiom.com.

If you are looking to sponsor the podcast email matt@popaxiom.com as well.

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 of filmmaking to become a movie critic for MonkeysFightingRobots.com.

Places you can find the show:
iTunes
Stitcher

Reviews are greatly appreciated – How to Rate and Review a Podcast in iTunes

Thank you for listening!

[adrotate banner=”13″]

Monkeys Fighting Robots Youtube

Nerd Rage: Okay People, Let’s Use Our Heads Here…

Seth Frederiksen

May 25, 2016

So within less than twenty-four hours we have seen another wonderful example of what I lovingly call, “Nerd Rage.” This is basically when we see fully grown adults become over grown children and beg the question as to whether their parents taught them the importance of civility. Though if I was a betting man, I’d put my money on “no.”

Nick Spencer, who is the current writer for “Captain America: Steve Rogers” has begun to receive death threats for the ending of the first issue of the series. No this is not a joke, the guy is having his life threatened…for writing comic book.

Now before someone calls me out and start internet raging at me, I know I wrote an article a few hours ago venting my indignation at that ending. But I certainly never thought of harming the guy, literally or figuratively. And I definitely wouldn’t post that thought on the internet! Finally, I would never, and will never condone violence on a writer for writing a story that bothered me. Especially when that story has not reached a conclusion yet.

Furthermore, I will even go so far as to praise Mr. Spencer for writing a story that within its first issue elicited an emotion this strong. I read the Death of Superman and shed not a single tear, and this issue made me want to hit something. Hard. To have me feeling this emotion at all demonstrated incredible skill and I give Mr. Spencer credit when credit is due.

Excellent job, dear sir! Well done.

But with all the sorrowful excuses of adults who cannot handle their emotions, what is wrong with you? This is not the first time we seen Nerd Rage before, and this sadly won’t be last until someone gets hurt, badly.

Gamergate, the Skyrim Modding controversy, and now this problem. I know the man-child problem in this country is bad, but this is just ridiculous. Obviously if readers are unhappy with a story, letting the companies know is vital to fixing the problem. But how many times can we recall an issue being solved with a death threat?

None. That’s how many.

This Nerd Rage problems is getting out of hand, and needs to be addressed soon. Or else something is going to happen, something terribly tragic. And the blood split is going to be on all of our hands.

And by the way, for those of you who are thinking, “It’s only a joke, don’t get so bent out of shape about it,” let’s see how well you handle a death threat on you, or your family, and see if you “get the joke.”

Monkeys Fighting Robots Youtube

Faith – Outlander Season 2 Recap and Critique

Michael Bedford

May 25, 2016

Last Saturday’s episode of Outlander, “Faith,” was a bit of a tear jerker. “Faith” exposed the hypocrisy of King Louis XV‘s sorcery trials, revealed new levels of Black Jack Randall‘s perversion, ended the life of Season Two’s de facto villain, presented a moment in Claire’s 20th-century life, and showed an emotionally overwrought Claire mourning the death of her stillborn baby. “Faith” can’t be accused of not developing Outlander’s plot or characters but let’s go over it in greater detail with a recap …

“Faith” – My Recap

We start the episode in 1954. Claire is sitting with her fiery-haired daughter in what appears to be a classroom. Her daughter asks her if she’s ever seen a heron. Claire replies that she had when she was in Scotland long ago. A heron montage later and we’re in the 18th century in L’Hôpital des Anges watching M. Forez, Mother Hildegarde, and some other nuns assist Claire during her very bloody delivery. The difficult process complete, Claire falls asleep only to wake shortly after. She calls out to Mother Hildegarde begging her for her baby. Mother Hildegarde tells Claire that her baby was stillborn and, though there was nothing they could do to save the baby, Mother Hildegarde was able to illegally baptize the baby, naming her “Faith,” so that she could be buried in hallowed ground.

Her baby’s death is just one of several horrible things Claire has to deal with. The nuns tell Claire that, having a very high fever, she will likely die. A priest gives Claire her last rites and that’s about the extent of their therapeutic plan. Luckily, Master Raymond is able to break into the hospital. His medical knowledge is superior to that of Mother Hildegarde. Using what would definitely have been called sorcery at the time, Master Raymond massages Claire and then delivers her placenta, which seems to have been the cause of her fever. The life-saving delivery complete, Master Raymond makes his escape before the nuns arrive. When they do, though, Mother Hildegarde finds that Claire’s fever has broken and proclaims it a miracle.

Claire discusses Jamie’s imprisonment in the Bastille with Mother Hildegarde. Mother Hildegarde tells Claire that Jamie is being held for dueling, illegal in France, and the King takes his decrees quite seriously. Since Jamie only wounded Black Jack during the duel and didn’t kill him, Jamie has been spared the death penalty. This news gives Claire relief on both husband fronts: Jamie won’t be executed for dueling and Frank won’t stop existing because Black Jack isn’t dead! Not telling Mother Hildegarde the nature of her pact with Jamie, Claire tells her that she may not be able to forgive Jamie for breaking his promise to her.

It takes some time but Claire eventually recovers from her ill-fated pregnancy. She is discharged and returns to Chez Fraser, currently occupied only by Fergus and the servants. Fergus and Claire develop a natural symbiosis: Claire needs a child and Fergus needs a mom. He brushes her hair and dotes on her more than he has in the past. The reason for Fergus’s change is made clear when he tells Claire he was raped by Black Jack. Not only does Fergus have to deal with the horror of having been raped but he also feels responsible for Jamie’s imprisonment: Jamie challenged Black Jack to a duel when he caught Black Jack in the act, having heard Fergus’s screams from another room.

Understanding Jamie’s motivation for breaking his promise now, Claire discusses his possible release with Mother Hildegarde who just so happens to have an in with the King. Mother Hildegarde warns Claire that, although Louis has released men under similar conditions in the past, he usually demands to lie with the released man’s wife. Claire barely blinks at this saying she’ll add her virtue to the laundry list of things she’s lost in France.

We cut to King Louis XV’s boudoir where he and Claire discuss business over some oranges. She requests Jamie’s release but the King wants something in return. Expecting to be led to the King’s tremendous bed, Claire is surprised when she gets led through a secret door to a connecting room. Claire is a bit concerned when she sees M. Forez in this torch-lit anteroom.

Master Raymond and le Comte St. Germain are brought into the room and formally charged with practicing the Black Arts. Claire, with her reputation as “La Dame Blanche” has been brought in by the King as a kind of expert witness on sorcery. The King commands Claire to use her divining powers to determine if either or both men are guilty. Claire comes up with a plan to have them both drink bitter cascara, which as we know will make both men ill but not kill them. Master Raymond drinks the potion first and, though he doubles over and coughs quite a bit, he arises once more sufficiently alive. The cup is passed to St. Germain, and as it is the stone pendant on Claire’s necklace changes colour indicating that a poison is nearby.

St. Germain is familiar with the properties of the stone around Claire’s neck and knows that something is up. The viewer, along with Claire, realizes that Master Raymond slipped some poison into the cup after drinking in order to pin the charge of sorcery on St. Germain. St. Germain says he’ll see Claire in Hell, drinks the poison, and falls over dead. King Louis has St. Germain’s body hauled away and arranges for Master Raymond’s release: he must leave France at once and never return. Claire asks about Jamie but the King demands his price. After a few fully clothed Royal thrusts, Claire is dismissed from the Royal Boudoir with the promise that Jamie will be pardoned in both France and Britain, meaning they can now return to Scotland! Her duty done, she straightens her dress and picks up her orange on the way out the door.

Jamie’s grown quite the copper beard during his imprisonment. He tells Claire why he had to break his promise and duel Randall, apologizing in his role for the tragic events that followed. Claire admits that she spent some time hating Jamie and recalls how she demanded that Mother Hildegarde bring her the stillborn baby before they buried it. As a flashback shows, it was only after Louise de la Tour arrived and consoled her that they were able to loosen the dead infant from Claire’s grasp. Claire tells Jamie that her hatred for him passed when she realized that though Jamie had broken his promise Claire was the one who had exerted herself. She says that Faith’s death was her fault, not Jamie’s. Claire also tells Jamie that she had to have sex with the King but Jamie forgives it all, and says that the only way they can make it is together. The Frasers stop at Faith’s grave: Jamie leaves one of the Apostle spoons and says a few words, and the two start the long journey back to Scotland.

“Faith” – My Critique

“Faith” contained a lot of serious melodrama and tension. Where other episodes of Outlander have contained lots of 18th-century action, “Faith” traded in tension and tears. I tip my tri-corner hat to Stanley Weber who played le Comte St. Germain. He managed to play this complicated Season Two villain with an appropriate mixture of charm and smarm.

Caitriona Balfe also deserves kudos for her performance. Not that I have any way of knowing, but there’s no way it’s easy to play a woman grieving the loss of her stillborn child. Her portrayal of Claire’s grief played through the familiar stages of grieving (denial, bargaining, acceptance, etc.) but did so in a non-methodical way, which made for a more believable emotional journey.

As I said in my last Outlander recap and critique, I was a bit disappointed to find that Black Jack had also raped Fergus. This makes him seem a bit like a caricature of a villain, out to rape whomever he can, rather than a realistic villain. I was also disappointed that no mention at all was made of Black Jack’s groin injury, suffered at Jamie’s hands during their duel. Obviously Frank didn’t stop existing but why would Claire feel sure about that? Even if Claire knows Black Jack is still alive, one would think that she’d be a bit skeptical about his ability to father any children after Jamie dealt him such a strategically placed blow.

Monkeys Fighting Robots Youtube

Steve Rogers Captain America #1 – Review (AKA They Did What?!??!)

Seth Frederiksen

May 25, 2016

The review of Captain America will be dealing with a major plot twist at the ending. So if you have not read the issue, read that first and then come back here. Because I’ve read that issue, and I’m not happy. Not in the least.

I’m never against a good twist to keep the reader interested in a character and their growth. Furthermore, I do try not to get on a soap box on a writer’s work, because I’ve had to deal with that tripe, and nothing boils a writer’s blood than someone who thinks they know how to make your story better.

But…this does not sit well with me.

I understand with many of the problems that have come with Captain America over the years, and there’s many valid points to be made. But the guy was one of my top heroes as a kid, and he still is as an adult. I see in him the potential of any and all of humanity to do good, regardless of who you are. And when you change the man himself, then you ruin what makes him stand out apart from the rest.

While some see Captain America as a jingoistic character, they fail to see him as a figure for everyone, the common person. The association with America is circumstantial, and in my opinion, should not be his defining trait. He is evolution of the good Samaritan, who just happens to have enhanced human abilities and a incredibly useful shield at his disposal.

So to have him be a hidden member of Hyrda for his entire career! Are you kidding me?!? This…I’m sorry, I’m having trouble digesting this and not wanting to punch something in the process. I want to have hope the writers are gonna have something to make this wrath go away. I really do. But I have a real fear this is going to be a lot worse before it gets any better.

To be fair, I know stories are written months before they wind up going to print. And I do feel that Marvel isn’t going to let this character’s legacy get butchered to death for a story line. But the pessimist in me is well convinced I’m not gonna enjoy the story’s turnout. I hate to think that it’s right.

Note: It has come to my attention that the writer, Nick Spencer, has been receiving death threats due to this ending. I want it known without a shadow of a doubt that it was never my intention to incite such a violent response, nor do I condone this action in any way, shape, or form. I sincerely, and humbly, apologize to Mr. Spencer for whatever influence I may have had in this, and beseech every reader of this article to not encourage this behavior any further. Thank you.

Monkeys Fighting Robots Youtube

Geekflix – Top ‘Netflix’ Picks For June 2016

Anthony Wendel

May 25, 2016

With Memorial Day just around the corner, it’s the sign May is coming to an end. This means it’s time for another installment of Geekflix on Netflix, where 10 titles are labeled required viewing for anyone who wants to keep their geek credentials strong.

1. Breaking The Magician’s Code Seasons 1 & 2 (June 1st)

When these specials were first airing it got a lot of attention thanks to the fact the host never removed his mask. This was one of the few good reality shows before the overload of them on TV today. Watch as the Masked Magician reveals some of the oldest tricks in the history of magic. Some of them really are just smoke and mirrors.

2. Jurassic Park (June 1st)

One of the greatest movies of all time makes it way onto Netflix. Yes, the sequels are coming as well but you can skip those. Still, if you haven’t taken the time to watch this highly quotable film you owe it to yourself to experience it first hand. If you don’t how are you going to keep getting excited for the next Jurassic World movie.

3. The Odd Couple II (June 1st)

After making Grumpy Old Men, actors Jack Lemmon and Walter Matthau did a bunch of movies together to show they were still great as a comedy team as they ever were. This film, a sequel to the 1968 original has the two unlikely friends taking a road trip on their way to watch their kids get married. Of course its also on lists for being one of the worst sequels ever so you can always check to see if it really is as bad people say.

4. Rock the Kasbah (June 1st)

Not exactly geek cred material but this list needed 10 entries so just go with it. Even some of the worst critical bombs by Billy Murray were halfway enjoyable once they made it to home video, like Larger than life or The Man who knew too little. So this one about a music producer who has to go into a war zone to look for a singer he wants to promote should be good for a laugh at the very least.

5. Beauty and the Beast: Season 3 (June 2nd)

With all the great shows which have been coming off the CW, this series really hasn’t gotten much attention. With the upcoming 4th season scheduled to be the last one, it’s time to play catch up so you can enjoy the series when it ends this coming August. Watch as Detective Catherine Keller is repeatedly rescued by a mysterious man who may in fact be a beast. A dashingly handsome beast but still a beast.

6. Voltron: Legendary Defender (June 10th)

Unlike previous attempts to make a sequel to the classic anime Voltron, such as Voltron: The Third Dimension or Voltron Force, this new series is set to be a complete reimagining of the series. With executive producers who have worked on both Avatar: The Last Airbender and Avatar: Legend of Korra and character designs which seem to be in the same style, the series has a lot going for it. Expect Monkeys Fighting Robots to be giving this series a lot of attention when it is released.

7. The Giver (June 15th)

One of the most acclaimed Science Fiction novels of all time didn’t exactly capture the critics or the box office when it was released. Still there has to be something worth watching in this adaptation starring Jeff Bridges. If not, maybe it will at least make people go out and want to read the book.

8. Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: Season 3 (June 16th)

Agent Coulson and his team are back again. This time Terrigen has spread throughout the ocean and caused people to turn into Inhumans, individuals with incredible powers and abilities. It’s up to S.H.I.E.L.D. to keep the peace while at the same time fighting against another mysterious organization, a new Inhuman who seems to be gathering forces, and Hydra which is now being run by Grant Ward.

9. Orange is the New black: Season 4 (June 17th)

The critically acclaimed Netflix original series is back for its fourth season. After events of the third season, the prison has been remodeled to allow more prisoners. This means more comedy mixed with moments of intense drama as the cast grows. This one is probably one you won’t be watching with your parents or family on a rainy day.

10. Sin City: A Dame To Kill For (June 22)

Since the stories are supposed to be taking place at the same time as the first Sin City film, is this technically a sequel or a part two? Either way, this film was able to assemble the original cast to revise their roles to show everything happening at the same time as the original stories. Is it able to capture the energy of the first film? It’s probably better if you watch it for yourself and make the call.

Monkeys Fighting Robots Youtube

1...1,3041,3051,306...1,690 Page 1,305 of 1,690