It’s been a couple of weeks since my last beer review so I’m indulging myself this week by reviewing one of the hoppiest beers I’ve yet to enjoy, Amsterdam Brewing Company‘s Boneshaker Unfiltered IPA. Don’t let the brewery’s name fool you. Amsterdam Brewing Company is actually located on the waterfront in Toronto, Ontario, their website boasting that it was the first craft brewery of its kind in the city. This thirty-year veteran of the Toronto craft brewing scene is known for its Downtown Brown, which has won more than one Ontario Brewing Award, but is also well liked by those who love a good pale ale. On top of Boneshaker Unfiltered IPA, Amsterdam has also released their “All Day Pale Ale” Cruiser, a lighter and less hop-forward pale ale, and their ridiculously strong Fracture Imperial Pale Ale, weighing in at 9% ABV. Enough about the brewery, though, on with the tasting!
Boneshaker Unfiltered IPA – First Sip
Boneshaker Unfiltered IPA’s relatively high level of carbonation and its intensely bitter flavour give it a unique mouth-feel, smooth but lingering. I smell sour apples as I take a big gulp of it, although I know other reviewers frequently comment on its piney aroma. Boneshaker Unfiltered IPA has the notes of citrus and the barely noticeable malt presence typical of most IPA’s but it is its level of mouth-watering hoppiness that sets this beer apart from others, putting it on par with other strong IPA’s like Flying Monkeys Smashbomb Atomic IPA, only stronger … !
Boneshaker Unfiltered IPA – Last Sip
What a terrible movie! And then they gave him the keys to the kingdom! Sorry, this is my 3rd Boneshaker (hic!)
As with most unfiltered beers, Boneshaker Unfiltered IPA is so cloudy I can’t see my hand on the other side of the glass as I drink it. Not to be a nag, but I suggest pouring this masterpiece of craft brewing into a glass before taking your first mouth-puckering draught. And, weighing in as the strongest beer I’ve reviewed so far (I think) at 7.1% ABV, one or two of these potent brews is generally enough to get me embroiled in conversations I’d be better off avoiding …
The calm before the storm of ‘Captain America: Civil War’ takes the shape of an adorable kitten named Keanu. Also, HBO tries to dampen our spirits with the body of Jon Snow.
EJ and Matt review ‘Keanu’ opening up this week, reflect on the first episode of Season Six of ‘Game of Thrones,’ and they gauge their expectations for ‘Captain America: Civil War’ opening next week.
Do you have a question that you would like answered during the show?
Email your questions to matt@popaxiom.com.
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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 a 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.
Mumei and Ikoma are confronted by the military and forced to stay in the back of the train until they get to Kongokaku. Mumei starts Ikoma’s training so she can use him as a shield when she fights. They stop in their route to Kongokaku to fix a water tank and pay their respects for the dead. Ikoma tells Mumie the story of his sisters death. A small gang rallies together to try and kill Ikoma and Mumie but the Ayame stops them, and tests mumie’s and Ikoma’s loyalty. Mumie goes out to have fun only to ask people for some blood to eat. This conversations interrupted by a pregnant kabane that Mumei kills. Ikoma similar needs blood but goes out of control and attacks Ayame in the rail car.
Review
Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress is still at eleven. Which is surprising to see. I though for sure that they would slow it down after getting on the train. Sure the events aren’t all that intense but the way they are presented still keep with the shows tone and pacing style that even some conversations can be jazzed up with a punch and a kick now and there. This formula works and I found myself wondering where the time went more than the last two episodes.
Some of the reasons why this episode went so fast for me is the sheer amount of things being said, and the importance of those things. Kabaneri of the Iron fortress really knows how to make a seemingly mundane scene like, giving out food rations, and making it engaging. At the same time building future plot points and giving us more character growth. Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress is tying everything together so that the viewer won’t lose their high that they gained from the first two episodes. Which is a difficult task. None the less, they’re nailing it.
Of course the high tension still doesn’t seem like its something being forced. Everyone is rightfully on edge with these Kabaneri on board. Thus dealing with this unknown threat is plenty to keep the blood boiling in the passengers as well as the guards. Plus Mumie continuously beating the shit out of Ikoma helps keep the action quota up. All I’m gonna say is that it must hurt like a bitch, hitting the steel floor so much. But I guess thats how she’s gone toughen him up.
Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress always has its breathing room where we can unclench our fists. This episode that breath is some deep and interesting back story for Ikoma. It really solidifies his character and where his resolve comes from and where his growth may lead him. His hatred for running away and his weakness is understandable and relatable. It shows that he is still trying to fight with the vow he had made that day. In his eyes he still isn’t strong enough. When he will be, we don’t know. I don’t even think Ikoma knows. Mumie hints at a similar scenario but we don’t get to hear her story. I assume her brother is still alive and is going to be crucial in the plot. I’d like it to show up earlier than later, and not be some cheap reveal near the end.
As for the Zombie/vampire hybrid, I could go either way on that idea. It ultimately depends on how important it is to the story and how everyone else reacts to it. I don’t wanna say it feels like cheap tension without knowing the purpose of it thematically. But i’ve been burned by a similar concept before *cough cough* Valvrave the Liberator. Even if its just another way to raise the “metalness” of this show, that’ll be fine too.
So far everything is going smoothly for Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress. The characters that its focusing on are just enough to keep me invested in this steampunk zombie story, with promise for future bad-asses to take the spotlight. The only thing I didnt understand about this episode is how Ayame could be everywhere all the time. I mean she shows up out of nowhere all the time. Must not be a big train or something. Either way, if there are problems with Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress, they’re so small and insignificant, or I’m having too much fun to notice. Nothing glaring yet but there still is a whole load of track to ride on this zombie train.
The Marvel character Dazzler is a mutant who can convert sound vibrations into light and energy beams. Although she had a brief solo series, Dazzler has never been adapted into a live-action medium. Yet that might change with the upcoming movie X-Men: Apocalypse.
In a new still from the film, Scott Summers (Tye Sheridan) and Jean Grey (Sophie Turner) are hanging out at a record store. Scott is holding up an album cover with Dazzler’s image. The cover reads “Dazzler: Sounds of Light and Fury.” Turner posted the image on her Instagram account, writing #FlashbackFriday to that time Cyclops and I went shopping at the mall and found our favorite singer’s album (pre 1989, of course).
Ironically, Marvel Comics created Dazzler with the intention of launching a multimedia franchise with Casablanca Records. In the early 1980s, there were plans to adapt the character into a feature film starring Bo Derek, but the project fell through and never got made. Whether she will appear in the movie remains to be seen, but it is a nice Easter egg for X-Men fans. At least the character does exist in the Fox Marvel X-Verse. Since the film is set in 1983, it would be appropriate.
In 2013, director Bryan Singer’s Twitter page hinted at casting singer Lady Gaga as Dazzler in X-Men: Days of Future Past. However, this was revealed to be an April Fools’ Day joke . Last year, it was alleged that Taylor Swift would appear as Dazzler in a cameo for X-Men: Apocalypse, but producer Simon Kinberg said it was not true.
X-Men: Apocalypse will be released in theatres on May 27, 2016.
Is it true that Dazzler might be appearing in the new X-Men movie?
Marvel’s ‘The Punisher’ starring Jon Bernthal will get its own Netflix series, according to a report by Entertainment Weekly.
Netflix and Marvel are expected to make an announce later Friday. The report also states that writer and executive producer Steve Lightfoot will serve as showrunner.
Marvel’s ‘The Punisher’ will be Netflix’s sixth Marvel Cinematic Universe series.
EW also had the first teaser image for the new series:
There comes a moment in ‘Join or Die’ when I understood the writers of The 100 are constantly swimming against the current when trying to propel its story and characters forward. In this episode, we’re treated to a flashback where a portion of our initial hundred are being given a lesson in Earth Survival by Pike just before they’re shipped to Earth to fend for themselves. In execution, it’s a ham-fisted course-correction where we receive vital information about a season and a half too late with information that’s all-too-convenient given our characters’ current circumstances. On the page, it feels like a necessary course-correction in order to get the audience back on the side of these people, yet still not giving us an easy way out. For the wayward direction of most of season three, ‘Join or Die’ is a welcome attempt at trying to guide this crash landing.
I think it’s been painfully obvious for a while that Pike as an antagonist would eventually take a backseat to the awful City of Light. The manner of that shift is clunky but is also interesting in that it sees all of the people on the ground, Skaikru and Grounder alike, being united against something that is trying to ruin them all. The inclusion of Pike’s minor history in having taught these kids how to survive on earth is most definitely shoe-horned into the plot but feels like an earnest attempt at reconciling these two factions. And it could not have worked if Pike had been treated as a total innocent in this flashback either.
In these scenes, we get to see Pike afraid at what might befall the kids sitting in front of him but also flipping on a dime when a rogue Murphy gives him lip about survival and his disregard for all things establishment and common sense. Pike ends up kicking the ever-loving shit out of Murphy to prove his point that not everyone will survive the surface because bad things will happen. In what could have been a treacly scene, turns into something that reaffirms what we know about both these characters while providing new depth to them. It isn’t well placed but it is good writing.
The placement sucks because it comes just as Pike meets Murphy for the first time on the surface. Pike has just been chained with the rest of the non-conformists in Polis (seriously though, why don’t they just kill anyone they don’t actually need. A.L.I.E. makes it known who’s important to her and she could definitely do without a horde of potential people uprising by holding them in a cell.) and sees Murphy also chained on the floor. We aren’t given any importance to this meeting before this episode and are expected to give a damn why these two are now together. This moment ends up mostly working because of the excellent writing in the flashback and because we understand Murphy’s character deeply at this point. When he “saves” Pike from being killed by Indra, it makes logical sense as well as having the caveat that Murphy has now just washed his hands of this man who would have killed him in a heartbeat not so long ago.
Speaking of Indra, I miss Idina Porter on this show. Whenever she and Henry Ian Cusick show up, The 100 instantly raises transcends a few classes.
Speaking of Henry Ian Cusick, I think his eventual crucifixion might be the most intense scene we’ve seen in The 100. Up until this moment, which happens about halfway through, I was completely underwhelmed by the episode. Kane’s torture comes as the result of him not willing to succumb to Abbey’s advances as A.L.I.E. controls her to collect information. This coupled with the cold nature which they treat each other in the flashback epitomize the tough love that has grown between the two characters. When Kane has to choose between taking the pill and letting Abbey be killed, it is truly a moment when we don’t know what he will choose. Cusick’s work is so strong that we want him to be a true believer but also don’t want him to give up on Abbey.
Elsewhere, Clarke, Bellamy, Octavia and Jasper try to follow Lincoln’s cryptic yet conveniently clear notes on how to find Luna, the last Nightblood able to become the rightful Heda and destroy A.L.I.E. 2.0. It’s strange to see Clarke take such a backseat this season as she finally comes to a point when she should be at her strongest. She’s free of almost every political tie yet just walks around, reacting to every event instead of attempting to take charge. This group, containing essentially every character we care most for, is handed the short stick in the episode and is beholden to the most plot. The reveal of Luna’s posse is cool with their water-inspired gear and weaponry but the treatment of these people is rushed to say the least.
When Clarke and Co. willingly take a sleeping potion (Jaspers’ reaction to Clarke’s passing-out after he drinks the swill is priceless) and end up in a secluded room, we finally meet the enigma that is Luna, complete with frizzily perfect hair and come-get-me good looks. The most baffling move of the episode happens when Clarke immediately propositions Luna with the AI that would give her control of A.L.I.E. 2.0 and ascend her to the throne of the Grounders. Why would Clarke ever do this without some sort of explanation? Luna couldn’t possibly understand any of Clarke’s reasoning here. Let me put it this way: want to try to propose to someone on the first date? If you answer yes, you’re an insane person. Clarke is an insane person here.
Nonetheless, we’re shown that Clarke and Co. are way off the grid on an abandoned oil rig somewhere in the ocean.
So, ‘Join or Die’ proved to be a wayward step in the right direction. It’s an episode that had its heart in the right place, even if it didn’t follow-through in all of the execution.
Three episodes left. Let’s hope this season can be salvaged.
P.S. A full point is subtracted for the use of Imagine Dragons’ “Radioactive”. I get the full circle thing. Still, we don’t need a reminder of the dark days of The 100‘s pilot.
“Everything I learned, I learned on the ground.” – Murphy
Check out my reviews of previous episodes of ‘The 100’ here:
Many times in life we quote dialog from a film without ever really knowing where it originated. The line, “I coulda been a contender” came from On the Watefront but many people might assume it’s from another movie featuring boxing such as Rocky or Raging Bull. No, the quote did indeed come from this film, a story not about boxing but about a man who coulda been more, but instead must weigh the heavy choices life has given him.
Terry (Marlon Brando) is a dockworker who gets all the cushy jobs because his brother Charlie (Rob Steiger) works beside the Union Leader Johnny Friendly (Lee J. Cobb). Terry unwittingly helps to set up a fellow dockworker named Joey (Ben Wager) to be killed. Afterward, he starts to bond with Joey’s sister, Edie (Eva Marie Saint). As Edie starts to work with a priest named Father Barry (Karl Malden) to try and get better representation of the dockworkers Terry starts to wonder what is right, where his loyalties lie, and if he shouldn’t come forward with the information he has about Joey’s death.
The actors absolutely shine here. The entire cast delivers an incredible performance, portraying characters with a stake in what’s happening in the world around them. Brando’s portrayal of a man who just trying to make a living but keeps being reminded of his greatness starts slow but grows steadily. Cobb displays power and authority with every scene he is in, embodying the look and feel of what someone with ruthless power would look like. Malden’s performance as the priest who knows he needs to truly serve his people by getting into the thick of it and leaving the safety of his church is truly moving. Saint’s work as Edie as she tries to find the truth behind her brother’s death while helping her father and the others get the fair treatment they deserve shines and even makes you wonder if she isn’t too good for Terry.
The story of a man dealing with the weight of his conscious is the drive of the picture, and a very personal theme for director Elia Kazan. Terry struggles, torn between his loyalties for Friendly and his brother and wanting to tell the truth about Joey’s murder, to what he can ultimately provide for Edie. Charlie doesn’t want anything bad to happen to Terry as the Union members notice him grow closer to Edie and Father Barry and fear Terry may go to the crime commission with what he knows.This leads to the infamous scene between the two of them where the classic “I coulda been a contender” line is uttered. Charlie is trying to remind Terry of all the good his influence has done for him, but Terry is quick to remind him how he sacrificed his boxing career by taking dives when he was told to do so. The quote resonates as it talks about the success he could have had and the bitter reality he is now faced with because of the decisions he made to help those he cared about.
The film also focuses on the hardships stemming from bucking the system and standing up to corruption, and how hard the road can be. Later in film, after Terry makes a decision on what is best, he’s shunned for his efforts. His friends no longer wish to associate with him and he is even scorned by a youth who looked up to him. Despite his choices, Terry knows he cannot run away from his problems and instead heads to work the next day, just as always, knowing those in power hold all the cards. It is a bitter sight to see, but shows the fortitude a person can have when they can’t stand for being pushed around anymore. On the Waterfront reminds us of a lesson many forget in this new era of movie making; It takes heart and soul. Good actors willing to give the best performance possible and deliver a product which will truly stay with someone and make them feel for the characters on screen and the struggles they endure. This movie was showered with praise and awards for the work which went into it and earned every bit of this reception.
This film was presented as part of TCM: Big Screen Classics showings through Fathom Events. It was presented in its original aspect ratio and in the original black and white format.
This week’s episode of Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., “The Singularity,” featured the apparent end of HYDRA and a long-awaited hookup. Daisy and Hive continued to recruit muscle for their war against humanity, introducing to the Inhuman cause Alisha Whitley–a female version of Multiple Man–and James–based on Marvel comics character J.T. James or Hellfire. So for those who may have missed all this …
“The Singularity” – The Recap
Grant Ward was recently rumoured to be a version of Hellfire, guess that info was about as reliable as rumours about Marvel’s Most Wanted!
We rejoin the action after last week’s tense cliffhanger in classic Agents of SHIELD fashion–no one is dead, it was all just a fake-out. “The Singularity” opens on Mac and May meandering purposefully through the ruined base discussing their next steps. Through May (Ming-Na Wen) and Mac’s (Henry Simmons) somewhat halting dialogue in this scene, the viewer learns that Rodriguez and Guittierez have already been dropped off at The Cocoon for their own protection from Hive. May and Mac discuss Daisy’s strength, remarking that if she had wanted to kill her teammates then she could’ve. May thinks that Daisy’s actions show that she didn’t want to kill anyone but that she doesn’t want anyone to follow her either. The idea of leaving Daisy alone doesn’t sit well with Mac, though, who wants to do right by his partner. Coulson, suffering from a leg injury sustained during the base’s cave-in, orders everyone to board Zephyr One and, after a pep talk about protecting their own, May performs a nauseating takeoff through the broken hangar doors.
Meanwhile, Hive and Daisy take a walk down memory lane, remembering the peculiarities of the man who was Grant Ward. Daisy claims that Hive is nothing like Ward and that his presence alone makes her feel complete. Hive describes Coulson as a driven man and ponders whether or not he’ll come to Daisy’s rescue. The two then go off on a tangent about Daisy’s past and identity, Hive explaining there’s no need to hold anything back: they are now one entity. He explains that he has no need of an army. Once everyone has a common goal, i.e. making Earth a suitable home for Inhumans, there will be no need for war.
Back on Zephyr One, Fitz, Simmons, Lincoln, and Coulson discuss the nature of Daisy’s brainwashing by Hive. They describe it as an addictive infection that floods the host’s brain with dopamine, making the infected immune to icers. So, since they can’t stun Daisy with an icer, Simmons suggests consulting with Dr. Holden Radcliffe, an expert on parasitic organisms, who may be able to cure Daisy. Simmons also explains that Radcliffe is a transhuman, someone interested in transcending their need for a human body by way of technological enhancements. Coulson orders Simmons, Fitz, and Mac to locate Radcliffe who is somewhere in Romania.
Before they leave to find Radcliffe, Fitz and Simmons engage in an awkward public discussion about the consequences of taking their relationship to the next level. May demands that Simmons take a sidearm and remember her training–now that’s safe sex. As Mac, Fitz, and Simmons leave Zephyr One in a Quinjet, Coulson gets a call from Talbot who hints that something very big involving HYDRA is going on. Coulson tells Talbot that all of SHIELD is otherwise engaged and won’t be able to assist, cutting Talbot off after telling him that the ATCU has all the resources they’ll need to succeed in their mission. An awkward transition later, Coulson tells May that he fears that Hive and Daisy will recruit Alisha Whitley next.
In Romania, Fitz, Simmons, and Mac have tracked Dr. Radcliffe down at a transhumanist nightclub/black market of sorts and intend to entice him into meeting with them by offering him a new pair of cybernetic eyeballs. They hope that Radcliffe will agree to help them cure Daisy after they make the exchange but the three agree to meet back at their safehouse no matter what happens. Fitz and Simmons enter the nightclub and Mac keeps an eye on them via Fitz’s glasses, which broadcast a live feed of what Fitz sees.
Back on Zephyr One, Coulson demands that Lincoln wear a nano-thermite “murder vest”–maybe modeled after the Stark Heat Vest shown in Season One of Marvel’s Agent Carter— if he wants to participate in questioning Alisha Whitley about Hive and Daisy. Lincoln and May both voice some resistance to Coulson’s plan but he eventually convinces them both that they need a fallback should Lincoln be turned.
Later, May and Coulson have a heated argument about what to do if Daisy shows up while they’re questioning Whitley. Coulson says that they’ll kill Hive and rescue Daisy but May wants to know what she’ll be asked to do should Daisy offer resistance. Coulson tells May not to kill her and accuses May of being too quick on the trigger. Upset, she calls Coulson out for being willing to sacrifice Lincoln but not Daisy, saying that she’ll do his dirty work but reminding him that his hands aren’t clean.
Coulson, May, and Lincoln’s mission to question Alisha goes pretty poorly. It turns out that she’s already been turned by Hive. A May-Whitley/Lincoln-Whitley rumble ensues. Lincoln manages to grab hold of one of the Whitleys. He threatens to kill her but is beaten to the punch by the other Whitley who shoots her double in the head. After murdering her copy, Whitley turns the gun on an incapacitated May but is killed by Coulson before she can pull the trigger. The original Whitley, it turns out, is already with Hive, controlling her doubles from James’s trailer in South Dakota.
At James’s trailer, Hive demands that James give him the companion piece to the Kree Orb. James refuses so Daisy exposes him to terrigen mist. After transitioning into an Inhuman and being brainwashed by Hive, James is more than willing to reveal the location of the companion piece to the Kree Orb. After some ex-Quake-vation by Daisy, the three unearth the companion piece, what Hive describes as the only thing that can destroy him.
Back on Zephyr One, Lincoln can’t understand why Alisha would’ve killed her double since she feels each of her doubles’ deaths: he is sure that she was acting under Hive’s influence. Coulson takes Lincoln out of the field until Simmons can find a cure to Hive’s brainwashing infection. May and Coulson make peace in Zephyr One’s cockpit: Coulson explains that he’s frustrated, apologizing that he hasn’t been totally objective where Daisy is concerned because she’s the closest thing he has to a daughter. A nameless agent rushes in: they’ve located a seismic disturbance in South Dakota.
In the transhumanist nightclub, Fitz and Simmons talk to Radcliffe’s assistant saying that they’re willing to offer him the eyeball upgrade but will only deal directly with him. Radcliffe’s assistant says she’ll see if he’s available. While they wait, Fitz and Simmons turn off their comms system and finally have the private talk about their relationship that they should’ve had in Season One. Fitz analogizes taking the next step in their relationship to crossing the event horizon of a singularity, and once again the two nerds decide to stop thinking about it and “just do.” Their conversation over, Radcliffe’s assistant informs them that he is willing to meet, and a very odd introduction later, Fitz confesses that he and Simmons are with SHIELD. Radcliffe’s assistant jams Mac’s comms system and as Simmons asks for Radcliffe’s help, she gets hauled away by security. Fitz incapacitates a guard, yelling at Simmons to meet at the safehouse, and before any more security can arrive, Fitz starts pleading their case to Radcliffe. Unfortunately, he’s interrupted by a grandiose entrance from Daisy.
When Coulson and May arrive at James’s trailer in South Dakota they find it abandoned with a large hole in the floor where the Kree Orb’s companion object had been buried. May and Coulson find this hole a good hiding place when James’s trailer, rigged to blow, explodes around them. Coulson and May climb out of the debris, a shield-shaped force field projecting from Coulson’s prosthetic hand. As he and May brush off the dust, Coulson gets a call from Talbot.
Simmons runs into Hive who tries to get on her good side by referencing things she and Daniels said to each other on Maveth. He tells her to move on and Simmons responds by shooting him in the gut three times. James and Mac get into a fight and destroy the majority of the transhumanist nightclub. Daisy kidnaps Radcliffe and nearly kills Fitz, threatening to snap his neck if she sees him again. Simmons waits back at the safehouse until Fitz eventually makes it back, and the two geniuses, though they still have lots to talk about, finally do the deed.
Back at the newly fortified base, Coulson and May watch on their viewscreen as Talbot and the ATCU, acting on intelligence provided by Gideon Malick before he died, destroy all known HYDRA installations. Coulson remarks that this should have been a good day.
The final moment, though, was reserved for a peek into what Hive is planning for the season finale. As the group of Inhumans walk down a street with Dr. Radcliffe, Hive describes to them what he did with the late Gideon Malick’s considerable fortune: he bought a town.
“The Singularity” – My Critique
“The Singularity,” as is evidenced by my lengthy recap, involved a lot of different settings and a lot of separate groups of people operating as disparate elements of various subplots. This happens a lot in Agents of SHIELD since it’s by its nature an ensemble show. “The Singularity,” though involved so many different elements that they were difficult to keep track of at times. This lack of cohesion was made more obvious in “The Singularity” by the number and frequency of transitional cuts from one group of characters in one setting to another group in another setting. Some scenes lasted less than a minute, cutting jarringly to something totally different.
Aside from the jarring cuts and oftentimes weak transitions, “The Singularity” wasn’t a bad episode. In terms of developing Hive as a villain, we now know what can destroy him and that’s key information to have on any super-villain. And, I have to admit that, although I think that Fitz and Simmons should’ve gotten there two years ago, their eventual hookup in “The Singularity” was done in a way that seemed organic and was respectful to the characters.
I also think that “The Singularity” made good cannon fodder for the season finale. Things are ramping up now, only two more to go until the two-parter on May 17th. I’ll be there, True Believers, complaining about the utter lack of Arnim Zola.
Writer- Director Jeremy Saulnier’s Green Room is a fantastically twisted, brutal, pulse-pounding thriller that will leave audiences speechless. Green Room is the type of thriller that doesn’t just go for the throat; it seeks to capture the mind and succeeds in spades.
What was noticeable right off the bat was just how much time Saulnier spends introducing his main characters. Pat (Anton Yelchin), Sam (Alia Shawkat), Reece (Joe Cole), and Tiger (Callum Turner) are part of a punk rock band known as the “Ain’t Rights.” The Ain’t Rights gives off the impression they’ve have had a following for a while now but have yet to hit it “big.” It appears the group is very interested in keeping it “real,” refusing social media. They also refuse to pay for gas, so they choose to siphon. They aren’t selling out.
After a show that promised to pay “big bucks” falls through, the band is booked at a gig where they will be playing to some rough and tumble skinheads in the middle of the woods. Now, if it were me, I certainly would have had a conversation with the band about making sure we played songs that didn’t incite the crowd. Hell, I wouldn’t be there in the first place, call me crazy. The Ain’t Rights had other ideas, kicking off their set with the Dead Kennedys’ “Nazi Punks F- Off.”
Terrible Idea!
That is when all hell breaks loose. Violence explodes all over the club: temple stabbings, killer attack dogs, and gunshots ring out. Darcy (Patrick Stewart), the owner of the club and the leader of the “White Pride” movement, enters the story and attempts to restore order. Faced with the prospects of his whole empire being exposed, Darcy orders his followers to get rid of these witnesses (The Ain’t Rights), by any means possible.
Saulnier tackles the know it all millennial disposition in Green Room. This group of twenty-somethings certainly think they have it all figured out. Even when it’s evident the odds of their survival are slim, they still believe they can talk their way out of the Neo-Nazi bar. the ones that do survive only make it by relying on the help of others (very anti-millennial behavior).
Saulnier also touches on the blind faith followers have no matter what the cause. It’s astonishing to bare witness to grown men agreeing to commit every atrocity Darcy ordered in the name of his “White Pride” movement. It certainly spoke to the lack of thought most people in these groups display when they simply just buy into an ideology (no matter how awful it might be). Does that sound familiar? Check out CNN sometime.
Patrick Stewart’s performance was very even tempered, and that added a layer of authenticity to the performance. It was cool, cold, and in many ways heartfelt (which is very odd for me to say even). Darcy truly believed in his “White Power” movement and in the actions that he took to ensure his group’s survival, no matter how brutal.
REVIEW: Green Room
Who: With Patrick Stewart and Anton Yelchin.
Directed by Jeremy Saulnier.
Rated: R (for strong brutal, graphic violence, gory images, language and some drug content).
Alicia Vikander is the next Lara Croft; the actress has signed on to star in Tomb Raider for MGM, Warner Bros, and GK Films, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
The plot of the film is Croft’s first adventure, young and untested fighting to survive.
Roar Uthaug will direct the reboot; no release date has been announced.
Vikander won an Oscar for ‘The Danish Girl’ and will co-star in ‘Jason Bourne’ this summer.
What was noticeable right off the bat was just how much time Saulnier spends introducing his main characters. Pat (Anton Yelchin), Sam (Alia Shawkat), Reece (Joe Cole), and Tiger (Callum Turner) are part of a punk rock band known as the “Ain’t Rights.” The Ain’t Rights gives off the impression they’ve have had a following for a while now but have yet to hit it “big.” It appears the group is very interested in keeping it “real,” refusing social media. They also refuse to pay for gas, so they choose to siphon. They aren’t selling out.