Special guest Wonder Woman steals the issue and it’s not exactly a good thing. The rest of the Titans take a backseat to her exposition and Wonder Girl bonding with Cassandra. It gets to the point you start to question why the rest of the Titans are even in the issue. Sure they are here for moral support with a teammate but overall they contribute next to nothing except Red Robin giving Wonder Woman a lift in the Batplane.
The action is the saving grace in this issue. As the team makes their way to where Cassandra is taking them, they are attacked by giant snakes. Wonder Girl is able to go all out on them, even employing a demonic armor she usually hesitates to use. Watching her brutally tear apart the monster is the highlight of the issue and really helps to accentuate the art.
The issue ends with Wonder Woman using the lasso of truth to discover Cassandra wasn’t lying about wanting to help get Cassie’s dad back and so they let her go. What the heck Wonder Woman? You just earlier in the issue said she was involved with a conspiracy with the First Born which resulted in many people losing their lives. But in this incident she’s telling the truth and you’re perfectly okay with it? Shouldn’t you be questioning her motives for why she is attempting to resurrect Cassie’s father? Also weren’t you recently or are still holding the title of the God of War? Shouldn’t you have a bigger problem with someone using a device owned by another god so casually? Also it’s revealed you are Wonder Girl’s aunt which seems to have little impact on anything despite being supposedly being a surprise. You really feel disjointed here Wonder Woman and it really drags down the issue because of it. Hopefully you will redeem yourself with the next issue because you seem to be staying around until the storyline with Wonder Girl wraps up.
Secret Six has an incredibly strong pedigree stretching back to the Villains United tie-in series that launched as part of Infinite Crisis. From those humble beginnings, a radical new take on the all-villain team was born, with a more comedic flare than Suicide Squad and a diverse cast full of deep characterisation, it quickly established itself as a cult classic. Gail Simone’s exhilarating take on Thomas Blake aka Catman, Ragdoll, Scandal Savage etc, would spawn a limited series and an ongoing before the New 52 came and wiped it from existence. Rumours began to spread of Secret Six‘s return as everyone began to ask themselves the question; “what is the secret?”. The relaunched Secret Six was a different animal from it’s predecessors, with more of a sitcom-vibe, but still managed to include thoroughly engaging characters and fantastic artwork. This is in spite of the book facing numerous Convergence-fuelleddelays and a shaky opening arc that wasn’t helped by the third and fourth issues being bizarrely released out of sequence. It’s taken a while, but it’s to DC credit that the room has been given the opportunity to grow. Issue 12 continues the trend of extremely strong issues, full of humour and emotionally gripping moments.
Picking up where we left off last time, Lady Shiva acting as chief recruitment officer for the League of Assassins has tracked down Strix, a former Talon for the Court of Owls, in hopes of bringing her into the fold. The Six, along with Batgirl, attempt to fend off Shiva, but it goes about as well as you might expect. In the end, in order to save her new-found family, Strix agrees to join the League. Of course, the Six aren’t the kind to leave one of their own behind and the issues ends with them preparing to take on the League as Ralph Dibny finally gets his groove back.
This issue is probably one of the more emotional issues of the run so far as our characters losing somethings and regaining others. It isn’t played up for the sake of drama alone. It isn’t part of a wider marketing strategy. It’s just engaging characters coming to gripes with things outside of their control. There is a really poignant moment between Catman and Batgirl late in the comics that epitomises what is great about Thomas Blake as a character and Gail Simone. These characters may be deemed “bad guys” in the grand scheme of things, but that label doesn’t really mean anything. They are just people trying to make their way in the world and their makeshift family is what matters most to them. This dysfunctional crew shouldn’t have come to care for each other to the extent they have, but there is beauty to that relationship. There is still humour to be found in this issue, but less so than before. Simone’s humour ranges from the subtle to the crude, but nearly always hits its mark. It’s also nice to see Simone writing Barbara Gordon again post-soft reboot with the Batgirl of Burnside storyline. She and Catman play off each other well and it would be a shame if we didn’t get to see more interactions between Blake and the Bat-Family in the future.
It’s worth noting that the opening page contains a brief charming insight into a polyamorous relationship and there most importantly presents it in a matter of fact manner. It’s just like any other other relationship and that openness is something this run on Secret Six has excelled at, particularly with the trans-character; Porcelain. Their gender isn’t a something to build a story-line around, but rather a fact of their life that their teammates accept and move on from without any questions. Gender and Sexuality are not things that should be exploited for marketing purposes, but are integral parts of characters which they can emphasis or de-emphasis according to their desire. Comics should be an inclusive medium and it’s always great to see Simone doing what she can to create positive normative impacts through her work.
Artists Dale Eaglesham and Tom Derenick have an amazing synergy that blends their pages seamlessly. Some books with dual-artists, like The Immortal Iron Fist, would have used different styles to demonstrate a change in setting or tone. To see two different artists work panel-to-panel and have their work nearly indistinguishable from each others is a rare gift indeed. The sheer talent involved in such an endeavour is astonishing. They bring a dynamism to each action scenes and heart to each tear-jerking moment. There is something inherently funny in the near slapstick imagery of Catman getting his ass handed to him while in his jogging gear. I’m still not overly found of Shiva’s New 52 design due to it’s similarity with Chesire’s, but the two do an excellent job at redeeming it.
Secret Six is unique among superhero comics by focusing less on the action and more on the comedy-drama that emerges when you put a number of interesting, but admittedly low-tier characters together and have them bounce of each other. If you don’t come out of this series with a new-found respect for the likes of Ralph Dibny, Catman and Strix, then clearly you been reading the wrong book. This is one of the best comics on the racks and that’s no secret.
“Batman v Superman” Proves That DC Is Taking No Prisoners!
The much-hyped arrival of the latest DC film will no doubt be very polarizing. Some fans will say that “Batman v Superman: Dawn Of Justice” didn’t stick to the source material enough, some will say that the film took its self too serious but all I was left with an overwhelming feeling of joy.
Director Zack Snyder crafted a wonderful introduction into the complicated world of DC, accessible to comic and casual fans alike. Skipping the origins for our superheroes, we are thrust right into the middle of a world dealing with powerful beings. Superman’s fight with Zod at the end of “Man Of Steel” is a major factor in the film; their fight led to the deaths of thousands, forcing the American people to pick a side of ‘pro’ or ‘anti’ Superman. Someone on the side against Superman is Bruce Wayne, A.K.A Batman. This is a man who has faced the worst of the worst and can only see the bad in people; he views Superman as a major threat who he must stop. In the middle of their feud is Lex Luthor, the mad genius who is pulling the strings. His manipulation of both superheroes causes them to face off while he plans something much worse.
One of my only complaints is how wonky the plot gets at times. We know Lex is pulling the string, but exactly how much work has he put into all of this? Why can’t Lex Luthor in any Superman film just create an easy world domination plan instead of these convoluted shenanigans he finds himself in? Unless, this was all just part of a much bigger plan. Which leads me to a complaint, not with the film but with the viewers. I heard a lot of chatter after the movie about unanswered questions and heavy building towards the future. What is wrong with that? Is it because Warner Bros. isn’t following the same path Marvel took to Avengers? I thought “Dawn Of Justice” handled the story well while letting us know there is some insanity coming our way.
A major hint at the future and past of this universe is the inclusion of Wonder Woman. From the moment Diana Prince steps onto the screen, we know she is unlike any woman we have seen before. She commands the screens while commanding the men around her. Diana subtly hints at a tragic backstory that we will see in her solo film as well as researching others like her. While not spoiling too much, the things she finds in Luthor’s files lets us know what we will be dealing with in future films.
Major compliments have to go to the cinematography. Take away all the nerdy fanfare surrounding the film; it’s a solid piece of cinema. I can recall many individual frames or entire sequences that felt so wonderfully mapped out. The scene at the party thrown by Lex was beautifully choreographed; I was amazed at how masterful it felt. As Lex is delivering a bumbling speech, Bruce & Diana sneak around the party while Clark Kent listens in. The Comic ‘Holy Trinity‘ never appears all together in the scene but the way one leaves while another enters is a stroke of genius. There was another scene where we see Martha Wayne’s pearls fly off her; that one shot is so iconic to the Batman franchise that I was happy to see it find a place here. We all know Snyder is a visual director; his beautiful films like “Watchman” & “300” proved that but the amount of visual storytelling he used in “Batman v Superman” is unlike anything he’s done before.
There was a lot of talk about the casting of the film. From Ben Affleck as Batman, to Jesse Eisenberg’s Luthor, and Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman, everyone seemed to be very opinionated towards their casting. When the credits rolled, I had no complaints about anyone’s performance. Affleck completely owns the role. Batman is a character he was born to play. He balances the gritty pain of Batman with the sass of Bruce Wayne easily & he shined when he got to show off Batman’s detective skills. I can’t talk about Gadot’s performance as Wonder Woman enough. There was a moment when Doomsday hits the warrior with all his might, and she gets up with a smile. She loves the fight, and it shows in her eyes. Without a doubt, hype for their solo movies just rose.
My praises for “Batman v Superman: Dawn Of Justice” are endless. There’s too much to digest with just one viewing of the movie; this is something I personally can’t wait to see again.
What Zack Snyder did with this film was create a healthy alternative to the monotony that is Marvel films; if you are tired of those movies, join us on the DC dark side!
Upon the return to the action that is the second season of The Flash, we return to Central City, or the outskirts of it. One goal remains, get stronger for what is likely going to happen.
It’s evident, Barry and the rest of Team Flash is doing everything in their power to regain Barry’s speed and figuring out a way that they can do that. The most recent attempt, cliff jumping. Facing a 40+ foot cliff drop, the goal is simple, just have Barry run and jump to show that he is progressing in some way. Ultimately, Barry seems to get off on the right foot, but scares himself from completing the feat and fails to land the jump. What was once a dramatic sequence of events was cut short by a sarcastic Cisco, utilizing a swarm of drones with a net and a fresh catch of Flash flopping about in the net.
Back at S.T.A.R. Labs, it’s obviously back to the drawing board. With no metahuman activity and Zoom stuck on Earth-2 for the time being, the threat is inevitable that he will return, it’s just a matter of time and a matter of being prepared for his arrival. So for the time being, the only real enemy is pure exhaustion beginning to set in. Demanding a night out, Caitlin, Cisco and Barry decide it’s due. A pleasant addition to the group is Jesse Wells, who hasn’t been heard from much since her transplant into Earth-1. At first, it takes some convincing of Harry, who is reluctant to let his daughter out of his sights again. Finally, he realizes that he brought her to give her a new life, he affixes a metahuman alert bracelet to her wrist and away they go.
In a move that was a whole different change of pace, the team, joined by Iris and Wally, finds themselves at a nightclub, seemingly out of a familiar element that is not S.T.A.R. or CC Jitters. Wally West continues to be enigmatic, as he hits it off with Jesse at the bar but then disappears from the fold entirely. So with inhibitions lowered and the team out of their prime, why not introduce the antagonist of the week? While in the club, Cisco and Caitlin dancing, and Barry and Iris talking, the club fell victim to a new speedster. Leaving no purse or wallet unturned, the mystery scarlet speedster tore through the club. Following suit, Barry sped off to catch the villain. Chasing after, he realized one thing, whoever this person is, they’re fast, and faster than Barry.
So with a person resembling the Flash, one could assume that fingers would soon be pointed towards him. That starts with the Central City Picture News, primarily with the new Editor-in-Chief Scott Evans. Clearly having a vendetta from the start, Evans rolls with the new developments and has a field day with the potential that Central City’s heralded hero could have turned to the bad side. His constant drive to expose any truth and expose the faults in those who are seen as a hero have driven a spike in between him and Iris. She stalls him long enough to find this truth, and shows that while his crusade is impressive, it’s also not applicable to every case. We also see a bit of drama unfold, as a simple coffee run/plan to stall unfolds Evans’ feelings for Iris, setting up an interesting dilemma down the road.
Facing a new speedster is not a new thing to Team Flash, but one with a suit and knowledge of the necessities for a speedster. Obviously, with the developments of the velocity serums, not everything would have necessarily been done in-house. Caitlin obviously had a hunch that her time working with Eliza Harmon and the fear that she somehow reverse engineered a form of the Velocity-9 serum and it fell into the wrong hands. Caitlin and Joe take Harmon’s word that she had no connection to it whatsoever, but little did they know.
The development of Harmon was one of my favorites so far. This scientist seemed true, but is deeply developmentally distraught. In an Edward Nygma-esque fashion, we see Harmon talk to a split personality, one of which we see her in her normal lab coat, but her reflection shows that of her secret identity – Trajectory. Combine her aggressive identity with a dependency on the Velocity-9, Allison Paige delivers a well-scripted character that is one-part schizophrenic and another part junkie, just looking for her next hit of V-9.
Her next attack centers around S.T.A.R. Labs, overpowering Barry into a containment cell and took Jesse at gunpoint, much like you would expect a normal drug-fueled rage to go down. Demanding a batch of fresh V-9, Trajectory doesn’t play as your typical villain, she has no motive other than going from injection to injection, no deep background, she is just kind of there, and it works.
Honestly, her character drives the point of how V-9, while helpful, is also deeply destructive. Barry only learns of V-9 this episode as well, and begins a mental battle of wanting to even the playing field in an already jacked-up game and progressing on his own accord. Caitlin and Harry stand on that bright side, sharing the news of Jay’s cellular degeneration and the toll it was taking. It even rears it’s ugly head once more, when Barry swipes the last vial of V-9 and flirts with the idea of boosting himself, but comes back into the light side and drops it, subtly showing that Barry is willing to fight and grow stronger.
Once she gets her fix, Harmon realizes the risk of taking the serum, so she injects the V-9 into Jesse and speeds off, ready to cause the next set of mayhem on Central City. Hopped up on a pure sample of the chemical, Jesse immediately goes into shock from the dosage. This could be the start to a dramatic chain of events, potentially leading to the introduction of Jesse Quick. However, now was not the case, as Harry was forced to give her a blood transfusion in an effort to flush the drug out of her system. Having saved her, we see the true love that Harry has for his daughter. You can tell that his past wrongs are only designed to protect his daughter, that’s the only reason he still does what he does.
While not wasting the new score, Harmon takes the second bump of V-9, triggering micro-tracers, leading the team to a bridge, where Trajectory is causing mayhem and trying to destroy it, putting close to 200 lives at risk.
Barry quickly runs to action, taking the people on the bridge away from danger as Trajectory raced back and forth. Finally, the bridge collapses, leaving a gap between Barry and Trajectory. Rivaling the earlier plight from the start of the episode, Barry is forced to dig deep and overcome a hurdle unlike anything beat before. Having to sustain a Mach 3.3 speed to clear the gap, Barry seemingly has no issue mustering up the power to do that, which felt a little off to me. He went from not being able to jump over a waterfall to suddenly clearing what looked to be way farther with no practice just seemed like a bit of a stretch. However, he still pulls it off and redeems himself in the end.
In their last face-to-face, Harmon prepares to inject the final vial of V-9, when she is halted by a pretty well-thought out speech from Barry. Going off of what Harry had spoken to him, he shows the true nature of not relying on the V-9. What seemed like an easy talk down took an ugly turn, as she took it anyways and sped off. Noting the change in color from yellow lightning to blue lightning, Barry watches as she disappears while she runs, potentially her dying. Which leads to an interesting thought in the team huddle.
If her lightning turned blue like Zoom’s is blue, does that mean that Zoom is already on V-9? Furthermore, if Jay is known to have taken V-6 through V-9, could he possibly be linked to Zoom. Cisco finally reveals of his recent vibes, and then he does it again, revealing what is already being thought, Jay is Zoom. Barry rushes away to the waterfall from the beginning, screams and the screen cuts to black.
Overall, this was a great return from a month hiatus. It had a relatively simple plot that was designed to get everything rolling again, and it threw in a good depth of character development that set up the rest of the season and furthering the inevitable storylines for future seasons.
What are your thoughts? Check back to www.monkeysfightingrobots.cofor more pop culture and everything you could ask for!
Coming up on March 28, a very special episode of Supergirl will bring together Kara Zor-El and a visitor from another universe, Barry Allen aka The Flash. Melissa Benoist and Grant Gustin have been teasing us on social media ever since the crossover episode was announced. Barry Allen will somehow end up in National City and help Supergirl take on Livewire and Silver Banshee. A recent episode of The Flash showed that Supergirl and the world she lives in is a part of the multiverse of The CW show as Supergirl airs on CBS. A recent promo video showed Flash and Supergirl lining up to race and that spurs the obvious question – who is faster? Let’s look at the tale of tape.
Supergirl – Hero Of National City
Supergirl (Melissa Benoist) photo: CBS
Hometown: National City
Powers: Super strength and speed, super hearing, X-ray vision, heat vision, and ice breath, invulnerability
Weaknesses: Kryptonite
Kara Zor-El, cousin of Kal-El, whom we all know as Superman, is relatively new to the hero game and how powerful she really is. Like her cousin, Earth’s yellow sun gives her extraordinary strength and speed. She can lift a jumbo jet, put out a fire in 10 seconds flat, and hear trouble coming but is she fast enough on foot? She can outrun gunfire, sonic blasts, and even electricity so her capabilities for super speed are not known as of yet, even to her. She is definitely the stronger in this matchup, but that doesn’t help much in a straight up race.
The Flash – The Scarlet Speedster
The Flash (Grant Gustin) photo: The CW
Hometown: Central City
Powers: Super speed, accelerated healing
Weaknesses: Extreme cold, can burn out quickly due to lack of snacks
Barry Allen was a normal forensic scientist with the Central City PD until a lightning bolt struck him, throwing him into a batch of chemicals. Waking up after a 9 month coma, Barry discovered he could run fast…very fast. Barry’s other abilities also include accelerated healing and he can vibrate through solid objects. While he is considered “The Fastest Man Alive”, Flash has to stay extremely focused while on the move and while he does not have super strength, he has traveled through time, although not on purpose.
Not that it matters who wins, “World’s Finest” should be a great episode as both shows have been runaway hits for their respective networks.
John Goodman is a national treasure. The man has been making movies since the early 80’s, and yet he’s still finding ways to surprise and impress us. His range is incredible; he can make you laugh, cry, and even shake from terror all in the same film. And since he’s stealing scenes once again in 10 Cloverfield Lane, now seems like a good time to try and narrow down his Top Five film performances (in no particular order):
Howard Stambler – 10 Cloverfield Lane
John Goodman’s latest performance may be his best. There is so little that can be said about this movie; it truly is a better experience watching it cold. But without spoiling anything, Goodman is what elevates 10 Cloverfield Lane from good to great. He is dark, twisted, scary, and so damn intriguing that audiences won’t know whether to support or condemn his actions. And as Forrest Gump would say, that’s all I have to say about that.
Charlie Meadows – Barton Fink
Barton Fink isn’t one of the Coen Brothers’ more popular movies, but it sure should be, thanks in no small part to John Goodman as Charlie. The movie is called Barton Fink, and John Turturro is great as the titular character, but Goodman steals the show. As a viewer, you’ll find yourself waiting longingly for the next Barton/Charlie scene, leading up to an outstanding finale. The ending is what makes the movie memorable, and it would be nothing without Goodman.
James P. Sullivan, a.k.a. “Sulley” – Monsters, Inc.
Goodman proved that voice acting is no joke as Sulley in Monsters, Inc. This was one of those Disney/Pixar movies that became an instant classic, and that is a huge credit to all of the actors and animators involved. But whereas Billy Crystal makes for a great sidekick in Mike Wazowski, Goodman anchors the film in a deep, emotionally impactful role. It’s a performance as memorable as Tom Hanks in Toy Story, or Ellen DeGeneres in Finding Nemo.
Walter Sobchak – The Big Lebowski
This may actually be Goodman’s most popular and iconic film role. Now, Walter is a brilliant character on paper alone; the Coen Brothers get a ton of praise just for conceptualizing him. But they truly struck gold when they cast Goodman to bring the Vietnam veteran to life. The part is off-the-wall crazy, and yet totally believable thanks to what the actor brings to it. John Goodman is a staple in Coen Bros. movies, and any one of his performances could have made this list, but Walter is the indisputable best one.
John Chambers – Argo
Argo is a tense political thriller that keeps you on the edge of your seat, and John Goodman is there to sooth you and tell you that everything is going to be ok. He brings levity to the situation, and his chemistry with the other actors just adds to the film’s realism. This role is largely different from the others on this list; it’s based on a real person: legendary makeup artist John Chambers. Chambers was the first makeup artist to win an Academy Award and is an industry icon, so Goodman must’ve been under tremendous pressure to do him justice. Luckily he does not disappoint one bit.
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What’s your favorite John Goodman film performance? Did it make the list? Do you prefer one of his many TV roles? Let us know in the comments below!
In this week’s episode of Supergirl, the girl of steel has a problem; she needs to win back the trust of National City. After last week’s stellar episode Falling, the people are afraid Supergirl (Melissa Beinost) could turn on them again. For instance, she shows up at a bank robbery, and both the good guys and bad guys are scared of her. Seeing the thieves and the police cower in fear would make Kara’s aunt Astra proud, but it forces Kara to binge on donuts. (I like her style.) Kara’s problems take a back seat though to Hank’s Henshaw’s (David Harewood) really big problem. Lucy Lane (Jenna Dewan Tatum) is back as part of an investigation into how the DEO could be infiltrated by an alien. The investigation is led by the hard-nosed Colonel James Harper (Eddie McClintock playing a bit against character.) He has a fancy scrambling device, which prevents J’onn from using his powers. Harper has a chip on his shoulder and is determined to get to the bottom of this no matter what the cost.
During the “witch-hunt” there are some fun flashback scenes. We first see J’onn J’onzz meeting and rescuing Jeremiah Danvers (Dean Cain) ten years ago. Here we get to see how sympathetic Danvers is with this alien, quickly relating J’onn to Kara, how they are both refugees. We also learn what a jerk the original Henshaw was. Harewood sells it, making us despise this version of Henshaw. Henshaw is very leery of J’onn as Superman has declared this alien “the most powerful creature on Earth.” So Henshaw starts blasting away with a special gun – not sure how he gets it. When Jeremiah sees Henshaw being a stupid ass the two fight. Jeremiah gets stabbed, and Henshaw gets tossed off a “cliff”. Jeremiah dies but asks J’onn to look after his daughters. J’onn agrees and morphs into the Henshaw we know and love. It’s a touching story, but Harper isn’t buying it. It doesn’t help matters at all that Harper, and Henshaw were best friends.
When Harper and Lane interrogate Alex (Chyler Leigh) we learn through flashback how Henshaw (now MM) recruits the older Danvers girl, saving her from her more wild side. Leigh does an excellent job playing her younger self, one that still hasn’t quite totally found her place in this world. She loves her adopted sister, but can’t help but to feel a tad inadequate. Alex easily passes the lie detector test. (You would actually think the agency that has developed a device to block alien powers would have a better lie detector test.) But Lane uses her lawyer skills to deduce Alex was lying. Harper decides Alex will be joining J’onn in Cadmus.
Supergirl finds out and is rightly outraged only instead of going all Supergirl on them she enlists James (Mehcad Brooks) help. They confront Lucy in Kara’s apartment appealing to her human side. After all, Lucy may be angry, but she is a good person. Kara reveals to Lucy that she is Supergirl. And suddenly everything clicks for Lucy. Even though Lucy understands now why Kara and Jimmy spend so much time together, she still questions why Kara like J’onn had to hide all these years. We get a neat flashback of a young Kara, and we see how hard it was for her to control her powers just to fit in with regular Earth folks. Though even the young Kara is a hero saving a mother and her child from a burning car. Alex gets hurt in the process, making Kara feel guilty. We do get a sweet father-daughter moment when Jeremy reminds Kara, “Earth already has a Superman…” He also gives her lead lined glasses to help her control her x-ray vision. This scene goes a long way in showing why Kara hid her powers for so long. She just wanted to fit in. There is also a throwaway flashback about Kara getting her job at Catco. Cat Grant (Calista Flockhart) stressed she didn’t want anybody special. Kara insisted she was just average.
With Lucy now on Supergirl’s side they set out to rescue J’onn and Alex. Truthfully it’s not all that hard for Supergirl to stop a truck and overpower the guards. During the melee, Harper loses his power scrambling device giving Hank the upper hand. He decides to erase Harper’s memory of these events. While mind melding with him, Hank learns the startling news that Jeremiah is alive and being held at Cadmus. Since Hank and Alex are now fugitives they decide they will find Cadmus and rescue Jeremiah. Alex and Kara have a tearful goodbye (for now). A touching moment and both Leigh and Benoist did an excellent job making us feel their love for each other. Both women excel in their roles. Supergirl and Lucy return to the DEO to learn Harper has named Lucy the new head of the DEO. So far Dewan Tatum has been vastly underused on the show. Now her role has been made more significant as she not only running the DEO, she is truly an ally of Supergirl. It was a nice bonding moment when Lucy asked Supergirl if she would help her do this. It was also a big moment when Lucy told Supergirl she won her over so Lucy knew Supergirl could get the people back on her side.
Through the episode Siobhan Smythe (Italia Ricci) had been ranting about how evil Kara was. To wrap the evening up Cat goes face to face with Siobhan, who tried and failed to set Kara up. Flockhart is excellent as always as Cat managing to be both humorous and strong as she tells Siobhan she only wishes she could fire her again. This leads to a scene with Winn (Jeremy Jordan) and Siobhan on the roof. Siobhan is upset that Winn chooses his best friend over her. Winn justifies his actions by telling her he’s sure she’s a good person and that she would have regretted doing what she did. Siobhan trips and falls over the roof, but instead of dying her sonic scream powers emerge. Which was very “X-Men mutant discovering their powers” like. Now Winn will get to see the kind of person Siobhan or now Silver Banshee is.
My complaints pretty much center around some choices the producers and writers made. Making Harper and the Henshaw best friends complicated their relationship making the two characters look a bit silly. Harper, a highly trained commander, didn’t notice the change in his best friend. After knowing this guy for ten years, J’onn also should have known they were BFFs, but this seems to have caught him off guard. Also, when the original Henshaw confronts Martian Manhunter he tells him, “Superman says you’re the most powerful being on Earth.” Not sure why Superman would tell a known crazy like Henshaw this. Also, why didn’t Superman himself handle making J’onn part of society? He obviously knew he’s a good guy and no threat. Was it Superman game all along to have Manhunter become head of the DEO? Finally, when Manhunter did his “mind meld” with Harper and learned about Jeremiah Danvers being alive and held in Cadmus, not sure why he couldn’t pick the location out of his brain also. Obviously, Harper and the drivers both know where Cadmus is.
While this episode didn’t exactly get the people of National City back on Supergirl’s side (yet) she is on the right track. Plus, a lot of the events in this episode will set the pace of the show for future episodes. Alex and Hank are gone, Lucy is in charge, and now Siobhan is super powered. You have to give kudos to the show runners. They certainly don’t mind shaking up the show.
If you haven’t gotten enough pre-release looks at Batman v Superman, here is a comprehensive 11-minute featurette from Warner Bros. about the making of the film. Complete with storyboards, set designs, interviews with the cast, and a look at Gal Gadot’s first day on set, think of this BvS feature like one of those HBO First Look docs.
Here you go:
https://youtu.be/fGiZq78rqoc
This is much more interesting, at least to me, than seeing another Batman v Superman TV spot or trailer. The look at the Batcave and the Batmobile is especially fascinating.
And here we are, mere days from the release of DC Films’ biggest gamble, a film that will most certainly set Film Twitter ablaze with positivity and (probably more) negativity. Early reviews are overwhelmingly positive, and expect full critic reviews to come throughout the day. That’s good news for me, as I have been eagerly awaiting this since it was announced at San Diego Comic-Con. Regardless of what happens the next few days, let’s all handle it like adults. Deal?
The Supergirl/Flash crossover event is this Monday, and CBS released a quick teaser of the two superheroes lining up for a race. And doing some superhero things in between.
“Kara gains a new ally when the lightning-fast superhero The Flash (Grant Gustin) suddenly appears from an alternate universe,” reads the official episode synopsis,” and helps Kara battle Siobhan, aka Silver Banshee, and Livewire in exchange for her help in finding a way to return him home.”
The crossover episode of Supergirl, “World’s Finest,” airs March 28 on CBS.
Against all odds, The Bronze (Bryan Buckley’s dark comedy about the twisted world of Gymnastics) was a solid film. Often, critics will make generalizations about a movie before they even see it (it’s happened to us all), and I can say my perception of the film going in was all wrong. Maybe I’m guilty of what most people are, and that’s assuming Bernadette from The Big Bang Theory and Melissa Rauch were very similar. How could our lovely Bernadette play the raunchy ego driven Hope Ann Gregory? If Hope Ann Gregory were to respond to that question, my guess is she would threaten to rip out my throat.
The Bronze tells the story of Hope Ann Gregory (the aforementioned Melissa Rauch, who also co-wrote the script), a fictional gymnast from Amherst, Ohio, who became America’s sweetheart (think Kerri Strug) when she landed a bronze medal at the 2004 Olympics despite a significant injury. Fast-forward to today and Hope is a foul-mouthed local celebrity living with her dad (Gary Cole), still basking in her former Olympic glories. Hope eventually take on a local apprentice (Haley Lu Richardson), but with other motives.
Hope’s estranged former Coach Pavleck (Christine E. Abraham), dies and leaves a letter promising half a million dollars if she finishes Maggie Townsend (Hayley Lu Richardson) for the upcoming Toronto Olympics. Hope gets to work with Maggie by instilling a terrible dietary and social regime sure to sabotage Maggie’s chances. Horrified by the wasted potential, Lance (Hope’s ex-flame played by Sebastian Stan), who’s now a coach, steps up and promises Maggie’s mom Janice (Cecily Strong) that he will return Maggie to her former glory. Realizing this would negate her deal with Coach P, Hope changes her tune and starts to coach her the right way. Hayley Lu Richardson (Maggie) is solid as the happy go lucky gymnast who Hope sees as annoying because she reminds her of what she once was. Sebastian Stan (Lance) sells the role of being the sleazeball ex-boyfriend that has it out for Hope. However, Melissa Rauch shines the brightest in this film. Rauch commands the screen as a former gymnast who’s stunted maturity, and foul nature is the source the hilarity in the movie.
The premise of The Bronze, at first, seems like something out of a Saturday Night Live skit, but in reality, Winston and Melissa Rauch developed a screenplay that’s not only wonderful comedically but certainly has a lot to say about our fame driven society. It’s not hard to envision Hope Ann Gregory going around and demanding free items and being awful because athletes being terrible has become commonplace. Winston and Melissa Rauch create wonderfully rich comedic characters that all play a role in making this film hilarious. Sebastian Stan (Lance) isn’t playing your typical male gymnastics coach; he’s the chauvinistic male coach who’s everything that Hope hates (even though they have slept together). Gary Cole’s Stan isn’t playing the typical “father” figure; he’s more of a meek version of a father figure which is perfect for Hope to push around. Every character in this film plays a small part in why this movie clicks. The only question that I do have is how in the world did they get the idea for the sex scene between Hope and Lance (let’s just say it involves a somersault and gymnastic rings)?
While The Bronze does have it flaws as it meanders towards predictability in the last half of the film, the film is a solid comedy overall and certainly worth your consideration.
