LucasFilm Bought By Disney, Star Wars 7 in 2015

Yeah, you just read that right. Disney has purchased LucasFilm Limited and all it's properties from George Lucas, including Star Wars. And before any of you go calling bull on me, this comes from straight from the source, Disney themselves. Seriously, google this, and you'll find Disney, along with about 12 sources confirming this exact information. But what does this mean, I mean really?

Well, aside from the fact that George Lucas's price for his own brainchild is $4 billion, it means a couple things. First, it means Disney now owns three major powerhouses in the entertainment world: Pixar, Marvel, and LucasFilm. In other words, they own The Avengers, Star Wars, Indiana Jones, Toy Story, Finding Nemo, and about a million other things. It also means Lucas is a totally different person then he was 30 years ago, when he started LucasFilm to avoid big studios. Granted, he's made it pretty clear he's done making blockbuster movies, but still, I'm actually surprised by this.

And now for the real elephant in the room: Star Wars 7 in less than three years. Just for clarification, that means in 2015 we're gonna have the Avengers 2, the Justice League movie, and Star Wars in the same year. While that is a bit of an instant nerdgasm, I still have mixed feelings. It's not that they're short on material for a seventh movie, given the million and five expanded universe novels taking place post-ROTJ. Granted, I've only read two of 'em. I could just never see them as anything beyond well-written fan fiction. But that's my fear, that it'll feel like a fan fiction. Or that it'll just ruin the whole thing, because, at least in my mind, any franchise that goes beyond five movies is asking for trouble. I mean with Star Wars, I'll make an exception, but in general, four is risky, five is pushing it, beyond that... did any of you see Rocky 6?

On the other hand, Disney is likely to install a fresh face for the new movies, something that'd be a welcomed change. Plus, Joss Whedon works for Disney, and I know that this is really unlikely given how busy the guy is between Avengers 2, Doctor Horrible 2, SHIELD, Wastelanders, and insulting Mitt Romney, but it is possible, albeit, not probably, that he could direct Star Wars, in which case HFS! If we can live in a world where Whedon directs Star Wars and JJ Abrams Star Trek, I'm happy. Again, it's not likely, an experienced but available direct is much more likely, and again again, a fresh face is probably a good thing. Brad Bird sounds promising.

On top of all of this, part of me can't shake the feeling that we're all still clinging to Star Wars when we shouldn't be; It's there, we all love it, and it's always gonna be in the public mindset, but do you think MAYBE it might be time to start letting go? Do as the LOST fans do and learn to accept the fact that the story has ended? The idea that Star Wars has run it's course may sound like blasphemy to some, but I'm just considering things from all POV's, and that one is very much alive in my head.

Here's the beef you guys: Star Wars 7 is happening whether we like it or not. Even if I find out what direction they wanna go in for it and hate it, I'll almost definitely end up seeing it, too. But for the time being, I'll try to be optimistic. And for those of you saying I've gotta bad feeling about this, your lack faith disturbs me.

The Walking Dead: Walk With Me Review

How's about a big hug for your ol' pal the Walking Dead

Spoilers for the episode follow.

In episode one, we only get a few passing glances at Andrea and Michonne. Ep. 2 saw none at all, but this week the roles are reversed; we can assume that Rick and Co. are busy getting acquainted with their new surroundings, Hershel learning to use crutches, Carl hitting on Beth, etc., while Andrea and Michonne take center stage.

So we start off with the helicopter. Is it THE helicopter, i.e., the one from the pilot and the season 2 finale? No idea, they neither confirm nor deny it. If it is, then that explains that much, but if it isn't, what the  hell is up with that chopper?! Moving on. The helicopter crashes, and Andrea and Michonne find it. And then the Governor shows up. The Gov. and Co. deal with the situation as you'd expect, and Michonne offs her two pet Walkers to stay hidden. I was not expecting that, mostly because I figured they were some sort of integral part of her character. I haven't read the comics, so I wouldn't know, but either way that bit surprised me. And then Merle finds the ladies and brings them back to Woodbury, the Governor's little settlement.

Ah, Merle. You know, the racist ass, brother to the much cooler Daryl, who wanted to kill T-Dog for the heck of it, prompting Rick to chain him to a building. Yeah that Merle. When I first saw the trailer for this season, the bit at the end with Merle gave me this hilariously evil grin (I'm still predicting Daryl's gonna kill him). Not that I liked Merle, quite the opposite, I just knew it was gonna result in some serious death. Which it does a little bit, though he seems to have rehab'd a bit. He doesn't immediately go redneck on Michonne, and even acts sad when he hears Amy's dead. Can't help but feel it's a bit contrived, but there's every chance they'll explain his new found reduction in douchyness.

The show paints Woodbury as a quaint, picturesque little town under armed guard by the charismatic and very evil Governor (it might just be a nickname, but he sure seems to like it). Think the City of Ember; everything looks fine on the surface, but poke it with a stick just enough and it'll all come crashing down. And when I say the Governor's evil, I mean it; he might seem like a nice, well-meaning, kindly leader of a fledgling  community, but the troop of soldiers he mows down and the wall made of heads in jars he has in his apartment (and I do mean heads, not inverted, mutated cow fetuses) tell otherwise. Morrissey's got more then enough charisma and acting talent/range to pull off all facets of the character the writers are providing, and he's just good in this role. He's kind of like Ben Linus in LOST season 3, except without the daddy-issues and back cancer (then again, it's only episode 3, he could easily have both of those), and less creepy and more outright terrifying. You want creepy, check out his #2 Milton.

I was pretty impressed with Michonne as well, or at least what little we were given. She's still tight-lipped, so we don't know much other than that she's a badass and she's secretive. Danai Gurrera does a solid job with her portrayal, and I'm really looking forward to seeing her kill more zombies in the future. Heck, I'm just looking forward to seeing where this story goes, because it's bordering on addicting. Next Sunday can't get here soon enough.

Final Rating: 89%

10 TV Characters You'd Trust In The Post-Apocalypse

There's a slew of post-apocalypse going around the tube these days. I use the term "these days" lightly, as it's not really a recent phenomenon: plenty of genre shows have done either a flashforward or a reset button episode taking us to some screwed up future/alt u. created by the mistakes of the characters, and there's at least three on right now that take place in that exact scenario. But say you were thrown into post-apocalyptic TV land. Who would you want in your rag-tag band of survivors? Let me give you a few suggestions:

Rick Grimes 
Show: The Walking Dead
Played By: Andrew Lincoln

Getting the Obvious one out of the way first, I 'spose. So why should you trust this Deputy Sheriff turned Z-poc survivor? I don't know, maybe because he can take his group and turn them all into an elite strike force, capable of taking out an entire house full of walkers in under ten minutes, and then have them storm a prison, exterminating a yard and then two cell block full of walkers in less then two days. Plus, if there's an annoying kid in your group, he'll make a BAMF before you can say Dale's dead.

Martha Jones
Show: Doctor Who
Played By: Freema Ageyman

The Master had taken over the Earth and turned into his own post-apocalyptic playground, rendered the Doctor useless, chained up Captain Jack, and enslaved Martha's family. Martha was the only one left to restore the world. Her actions in "The Last of the Time Lords" prove she's tougher then most people give her credit for, surviving an entire year in the wasteland against all odds, spreading the Doctor's message across the world and eventually becoming the person to restore it, all without spilling blood once. Looking to keep your hands clean? Stick with Ms. Jones.


Oliver Queen
Show: Smallville
Played By: Justin Hartley

In the flashforward episode of season 9, "Pandora", superpowered Kandorians had taken over the world and stripped the soon-to-be Man of Steel of his powers. Oliver and his quasi-girlfriend Chloe lead the only resistance group, taking out beings who could crush them by breathing. So why isn't Chloe on this list. Well, Chloe wasn't willing to stand against an entire army of Kandorians flying directly at her with nothing but a bow and arrows. At the very least, the guy's got balls, something your group of survivors is gonna need.

Alpha
Show: Dollhouse
Played By: Alan Tudyk

In "Epitaph 2", it's revealed that the thought-pocalypse made Alpha defect to the side of angels, and his myriad of skills and personalities made him a valuable weapon. Not only that, but he rebuilt the skeleton of the Dollhouse into a safe haven for dumbshells, fending off butchers at every moment. At the very least, with lines like "It really speaks to the schizophrenic in me. Both actually," and "Did you just call me a Luddite?", he'd provide some much needed comedy relief in the otherwise bleak world of the Post-poc.

Jack Bauer 
Show: 24
Played By: Kiefer Sutherland

Just saying, it'd probably be useful to have him around.







Rupert Giles
Show: Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Played By: Anthony Stewart Head

One vampire is worth exactly 20 zombies, and for one episode set in an AU, Giles lived in a vampire apocalypse, keeping any innocent people stupid enough to walk the streets of Sunnydale at night safe and just dusting vampires 'cause he felt like it with the help of only a laconic werewolf and a gay football player. Plus, he winds up reversing said apocalypse, so I think you might want to find if you're somehow displeased with your current situation.




Miles Matheson
Show: Revolution
Played By: Billy Burke

Guns banned by your PA's tyrannical government? No prob, Miles, Revolution's very own Han Solo, can show you the basics of how to be BA with a sword, take down said tyrannical government, and generally just help you avoid winding up with your head on a stick.









Michonne
Show: The Walking Dead
Played By: Danai Guirrera

I'm not saying you'll wind up with both Grimes and Michonne; Heck, if Andrea's present condition tells us anything, it's that that probably won't happen. But if do, we'll then your all set; just find yourself a prison, settle down, and avoid Andrew Morrisey at all costs.




Kara Thrace

Show: Battlestar Galactica
Played By: Katee Sackhoff

Nearly every PA involves violence of some kind, and when that happens, you're gonna want the best shot, in or out of the cockpit. Plus, without spoiling anything, she's more then capable of... how do I put this? Getting you where you need to go. Plus, she's easily the hottest girl on this list, and you're gonna need something like that.









Sarah Connor
Show: Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles
Played By: Lena Heady


It's Sarah Connor. 'Nough said.













Who You Don't Want:

Anyone on Falling Skies


It's not that I hate the show; on the contrary, I like... most of the time. It's just that, let's face, these guys are all gonna wind up dead. Well, except for maybe Tector.

The Walking Dead: Sick Review

I... I actually don't have a joke for this.

Spoilers for the episode.

So, the episode picks up right where the last one left off: Hershel is dying, and there's other people in the prison. Other people that our heroes(?) are gonna have to deal with. So, as some tend to Hershel, Rick, Daryll, and T-Dog help the other prisoners whose names escape clear out their own cell block. What could possible go wrong?

This was another great episode, so chalk another point up for season 3. The main plot of dealing with the new prisoners was cool, and, when the prisoners use prison riot tactics to try and take out a walker, complete with stabbing it in the chest multiple times, hilarious. Yeah, I just used the word hilarious when talking about TWD. I don't think it'd be too controversial to say TWD's ever been the funniest show, but this seen made me laugh, especially when Rick and Co. looked at the prisoners and poorly resisted the urge to say "can you believe these newbs."

 After that it gets back to the usual tone, getting really intense and dark, and of course, bloody, and you enjoy every second of it, right up to the point where Rick offs the prisoners leader for side-swiping him into a walker. Yeah, you read that right. Rule #1 of Rick Grimes these days: Shane is dead, it's staying that way. It really says a lot about how much Rick has changed: a year ago, he wouldn't have even considered that. How far we've come, though maybe a little too far when he let one of the other, completely harmless prisoners, experience death by walker. By episode end, there's two prisoners left, inhabiting a new cell block. Hopefully something good, or at least interesting, will come of them.

The B-plot with Hershel was good too, leading to some great emotional moments with Maggie and Beth (who apparently the writers have decided not to kill given that she's actually being given stuff to do. Or they could just be making us care about her enough to make us cry when she dies), and everyone else a little bit too, though Carrol seems more concerned about the fact that if Hershel dies, she becomes the group doctor. And for those of you wondering why they'd send there only doctor into the walker hunt in the first place, they deal with that when Maggie sobs a very simple "we shouldn't have let him come". Granted, there was a really cheap jump scare moment where you thought Hershel was walker-ifying(-inizing?). See, that's the kind of thing you'd think these writers would be above.

Beyond that, a few good character moments, like Lori addressing the fact that she's a contradicting, annoying person and a terrible mother ("we'll find Carl a safe place to do... whatever it is he does these days."). It's gonna be a long way before anyone actually starts liking Lori, but we're getting there. Rick putting his hand on her shoulder, even though he still won't look at her, is progress to. And Carrol deciding to practice surgery on a walker, both interesting and really gross. And the end twist, that was cool too.

Episode flaws: the prisoners weren't the most believable characters (they were locked in a cafeteria for ten months an NO ONE thought that whatever's happening might be big), and the complete lack of Michonne and Andrea (fortunately, next week is all them and the governor).

Final Rating: 90%

Supernatural: Heartache Review

You lurk in spoiler-filled waters, be warned.

It was inevitable that Supernatural was gonna start cranking out a few monsters of the week eventually this season, which came to be this week. And how was it? Meh. The show's had some really good MOTW's over the years, too, like season 2's Bloodlust and season 7's Repo Man, but this was not up to that level of quality. By no means was this a bad episode, i.e., this wasn't something from season 3, it was just a tad bland.

The monster just wasn't that great, and you could see where this was going pretty quickly, as was voiced by the not-so-good dialogue. You might be interested to know that this was written by the writers of season 1's Route 666 (the racist truck episode). Just sayin'. In truth, the dialogue probably was the worst part of the episode, with so many scenes, like Sam once again telling Dean he wants a normal life, were awkwardly written, while others, like the first encounter with Eleanor, were cringe-inducing. A few moments had some great lines though, like the bit at the farmers market, or the interaction between Dean and a no-nonsense, no snarkiness detective (played by Jensen Ackles' dad Alan Ackles, no less), though beyond those things were pretty chunky. Rising above the writing was Jensen's directing; it's his third time behind the camera, and he seems to have to genuine talent for it, though he wasn't given a lot to work with.

Anyway, the monster itself, Brick, you never even meet, and there's a few plot holes regarding him; for instance, if Brick knew his heart was the source of his power, why would he let that be donated? And how did no one notice that all these athletes from throughout sports history looked curiously similar? Shame on you writers.

The best parts were the continuity bits, like calling up Harry Groening (the mayor from Buffy) for information now that Bobby (RIP)  is no longer an option, even if you don't get to see said mayor, which is a shame. And of course Sam's renewed, season 1-esque desire to go back to a normal life now that he's got a dog and kinda hot girlfriend (displayed in an aww-inducingly warm and fuzzy flashback), contrasting with Dean's "you and me hunting, that's where it's at" attitude. The scene was a awkwardly written, but the point gets across.

In the end, after two fantastic opening episodes, SPN crashes back down to Earth with a little too much impact.

Final Rating: 76%

Revolution: Soul Train Review

Witness the beginning of Captain Neville.

Spoilers lie ahead.

I said last week I was hoping for it, and it came: a Captain Neville-centric episode. Granted, like usual, the flashbacks were far to short and left you wanting quite a bit more, but they were still good. Giancarlo Esposito has been one the show's strong points since the first episode, and him taking center stage was great. His flashbacks showing him as the guy that pretty much everyone walked all over while he puts on a happy face for his family and a disturbing amount of rage builds up was really interesting, and Esposito more then sells it, he owns it. You can tell, too, that he really was a different person back then, by the way he tweeks his mannerisms and intonations ever so slightly.

In no way was he a let down in the main story of the episode either; One of the first scenes was him beating the crap out of Danny for fun. After being a bit stupid last week, Danny boy's wised up a bit, effectively telling Neville he's sick of his crap. Bravo. Speaking of Danny, our heroes have tracked him to a train town that's gonna locomotive him to Monroe and Rachel in Philly. So, it's a rescue mission, in which they recruit none other Lapidus himself, Jeff Fahey, playing a bookstore owner (even in the post-apocalypse, Joe Biden gets no respect.) Fahey was great, selling his misplaced desire to avenge his wife, and like Mark Pelligrino, he made it out of this episode alive. Here's hoping to see both of them in the future.

If there was a weak link, it was, surprise surprise, Charlie. Sure it was cool when she and Neville met and realized they'd never actually seen each other, but is she really so damn dumb as to follow him, the exact opposite of what Miles told her to do and an all around not good decision? Apparently yes, though to be fair, it lead it a pretty sweet confrontation between Miles and Neville, ala Han Solo vs Darth Vader (though there, Han is quite capable of kicking Vader's ass, probably because he's sort of Vader himself, if you follow). And of course you then have a Charlie-Miles fight, Charlie crying those Tobey Maguire tears we've gotten way too used to seeing. At least she had an excuse this time, i.e. she's still reeling from Maggie's death, which got a nice shout out at the beginning of the episode. By the end, Charlie claims she's gonna toughen up. Here's hoping, because if that doesn't take the only way we're gonna avoid any more of these Niece-Uncle fights is if Charlie gets multiple-personality disorder and becomes a totally different person.

And then we have the assault of the train, a very nice action sequence if ever there was one. While the Danny-rescuing mission didn't work, it was still cool, and now he's in Philly with Mamma and Uncle Bass, i.e., no more of the traveling prisoner story line, which was starting to stretch itself a bit thin. Monroe really is evil given what he's doing to Rachel, and it works too, because she let's the second big twist of the episode slip: those electricity-generating pendants? Yeah, there's twelve of them, and Monroe needs all of them if he wants to turn the lights back on. I say the second twist, because of the other one: Not-Nate, AKA Jason, is Neville's son. Gasp. I might not have been shocked by this, but I was glad about, because the writers are trying to make Nate relevant beyond being Charlie's love interest.

Overall, Revolution maintained it's usual brand of good but not great this week, with a few good twists, some nice action, and fantastic performance by Giancarlo Esposito.

Final Rating: 80%

Arrow: Honor Thy Father Review

So, this is Arrow's second week out, and ep. 2 is usually a weak one. How did it fair?

Spoilers for the episode.

Suspicions confirmed, the list is going to be one of the show's driving forces. Liken it to the Machine over on POI if you want. Green Arrow is going after a bad chap named Somers, who Laurel is rather conveniently prosecuting. As Somers gets scared, assassin China White is called in.

The best part of the episode was Stephen Amell. He's really nailing his role, selling the quite brooding bit perfectly. And he's a total badass, and let's face it, you know you wanted him to put an arrow through Somers' chest. The part of his role Amell's having trouble with is the irresponsible playboy stick, which he just doesn't have the swag to pull. It's really not even necessary when you think about, so I'm sitting here wondering why the writers keep shoehorning it in.

Runner up performance goes to John Diggle. He's good, he's cool, and he seems to be onto Oliver. No confirmation as to whether he not he KNOWS knows Ollie's secret, but it'll almost definetly get there eventually. It appears Arrow's getting his own Kato. Most of the rest of the performances were fine, though Katie Cassidy, while good (surprisingly, I might add), could stand to tone it down a bit. I can't say I'm terribly fond of Ollie's sister Thea, who's overacting most of her lines and keeps leading into some really cheesy character interactions. Moira is pretty meh so far too; it was interesting to learn that she sank the boat, thought it feels a tad forced.

Overall, The episode was good, but with a few things holding it back, not unlike last week. A few things I was hoping they'd cut after the pilot but didn't: Ollie's grating, cliched, and just irritating narration, wooden acting, and cheesy/campy/cliched scenarios/dialogue that feel out of place and contradict the dark nature of the show. Onto this week:  the opening action scene was a bit poorly done, and China White and her almost disturbingly platinum wig felt thoroughly underused.

Positives, on the other hand, were there: the later action scenes were nothing short of spectacular, the character interactions took the front seat, always a good thing, and the island flashbacks were particularly strong, albeit short, and lead to the big reveal: Ollie was not alone the island.

Bottom line: good but not great.

Final Rating: 80%

The Walking Dead: Seed (Season 3 Premier) Review

Welcome to a world without rules- oh wait, that was the tagline for the Dark Knight, wasn't it? Never mind.

Spoilers for the episode follow.

Okay, so the Walking Dead is back for it's third season, which premiered last night on AMC, and it is pulling no punches, or anything else for that matter. The episode starts off, it's been like nine months, or at least that's implied from the size of Lori's stomach and the thickness of Hershel's beard, and you see the team storm this house. They just barge in, waste all the walkers, Daryll finds, kills, and begins to eat an owl he finds, and they all sit down on the floor and start to eat, until they notice some walkers outside and they have to run again. And all of this has no dialogue at all, save for T-Dog's one line that I can't even remember. And then theme song starts playing. Basically, this five minute sequence does a perfect job of showing that they've been at this for awhile, they're exhausted, but they just keep pushing. And then they find the prison.

When they find the prison, they immediately see a chance, and they take it. They rush in, seal the walkers in the courtyard, and off them from watchtowers George Romero style, which was really cool to see. It's actually kind of strange to see where all these characters are now; they're a lot more tight-nit, probably because Shane's gone (but people are still feeling the impact he had), Rick is still in charge, Daryl's second in command, and everyone's a BAMF. Even Carl's a badass (it also appears the writers are considering fixing him up Beth, probably to give her something to do other then kill her off, though the age gap is strange). After that, they take a breather, sing a little song with the walkers still around making it a bit creepy, and go for stage two.

Stage two, storm the rest of the prison. This was best part of the episode. It was this gigantic zombie battle, and I don't think anything like it's ever been put on screen. They were all using axes, knives, and such to, so it was close-quarters. And some of the zombies were wearing body armor too, at which point everyone, on screen and off, went "oh crap". The pure joy Maggie had when she works out how to kill them is awesome. 

Let's pause from this a moment to talk about Michonne, because otherwise I'll probably forget. We met her last season finale, and I went "huh." She and Andrea have been together all winter, saving each others tails, but now Andrea's sick. This was easily conveyed, and the woman who plays Michonne is not only a good actress, but she's a badass to (she decapitates three walkers at once).

Back to the prison: they get in, Lori, who, thank God, is slightly less infuriating, voices her fears to Hershel about what might happen if her baby is stillborn (terrifying mental images), and the next day, they storm the rest of the prison for walkers in some eerie yet exciting action scenes, and then Hershel gets bit in the leg. For a moment their, we were all thinking his time had come. And then Rick amputates the leg. You read that right (I almost lost my man card when that happened, if you catch my drift), and, big twist, wait for it, their are other people in the prison. Holy *bleep*.

All in all, this was an awesome episode, and a great start to what'll hopefully be a great season.

Final Rating: 93%

The Top Ten Movie Franchises

At long last, a new top ten list. Haven't done many lately, sorry about that, but they take awhile and I've been a tad pressed for time. But better late then never. The list has a simple enough idea: the best movie series ever made. To qualify, it has to be a series of at least two movies, and each film in the series has to be at least as good as the others. In other words: the Matrix trilogy is NOT here. Let's get started.

Honorable Mentions:

Men In Black trilogy:
There will always be a place in my heart these movies, but it wasn't quite consistent enough to qualify. Sorry, Mr. Smith. Sorry Mr. Jones.

Also, if you need the absence of the Godfather trilogy explained, and this is to my everlasting shame, I have never seen the Godfather. Bring on the troll comments.

10. The Back to the Future Trilogy
I almost considered leaving this off the list, but in the end, the fact that the first Back to the Future IS my favorite movie of all time (totally serious about that. If I made a list of my top ten favorite movies of all time, it would be number one) has to count for something, and the fact that these were effectively the time travel movies to give birth to almost all other time travel movies has to count for quite a bit. And hey, the sequels might not have kicked quite as much ass, but they're still enjoyable movies and I'll watch them if they're on. Marty McFly, Doc Brown, I salute you.



9. The Toy Story Trilogy
No matter how old you are, you love these movies. You know you do. Some of the best animations ever made, the Toy Story tells a story about childhood and growing up that anyone can relate to, and, in a lot of cases, cry to (no matter how old you are, you've cried at least once watching one of these movies. You know you have.). They're funny, nostalgic, brilliant, relatable, and at some parts, freaking epic (how else would you describe 3's take on the Great Escape?) You can only imagine how I reacted when I found out Joss Whedon wrote the first one.



8. Harry Potter
Don't judge me. Okay fine, judge me, but this is staying on the list. I'm part of the generation that grew up with these, sue me. I used to be the king of staying up until two AM reading the books. And in there lies the brilliance: the fact that they're some of the best adaptations to ever come along. The fact that the casting directors managed to pick great actors out of the army of 11 year olds doesn't hurt. Telling one of the most brilliant, epic, and carefully laid out stories ever told about a boy wizard finding his place in the world, the Harry Potter franchise captivated a generation and occupied an entire decade. Did the last two leave something to be desired? Yes (making book 7 two movies was a stupid decision, plain and simple), but I will always love these movies, and everyone knows someone who feels the same way.



7. Marvel Cinematic Universe
Yes, this counts. The MCU represents one of the biggest gambles in movie history: adapting seperate comic books into their own solo origin-story movies that take place in a shared universe and having a crossover in the penultimate pile of awesome The Avengers (one of the best movies of the year, IMO). Something like this shouldn't have worked, but it did. Iron Man, the Hulk, Thor, and Captain America were all established in some pretty kickass solo movies, and, along with Black Widow and Hawkeye, met up to save the world. The beauty of it is that it's still expanding, too, with Iron Man 3, Thor: the Dark World, Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Guardians of the Galaxy, and Ant Man all set to be released withing the next two years, leading up the Avengers 2. Marvel's now company of the year, Joss Whedon is finally getting the praise he deserves, and it is a good time to be a Marvel fan.



6. Monty Python
In my mind, they're all in canon. And there all hilarious, but you knew that. Holy Grail and And Now For Something Completely Different both had me laughing till my sides hurt, Life of Brian is one of the funniest movies ever made in my opinion, and the Meaning of Life, even if it was really weird and offensive, was still good. And it says something that the highest movie rating on this website is a play off a quote from Holy Grail.


5. Indiana Jones
Some of the most badass movies ever made and the biggest reason Harrison Ford didn't become a typecast like everyone else in Star Wars, Indiana Jones is awesome. Does it really require further explanation?



4. Bourne
These are the best spy movies ever. End of discussion. In 2002, Matt Damon's status as one of the best actors working today was confirmed, and by the third movie, it was cemented. Identity redefined the spy movie genre, Supremacy raised the stakes, and Ultimatum is one of my favorite movies of all time (like in the top ten, maybe even the top five). The fourth entry, Legacy, came out this previous August, and while many found it polarizing, I personally enjoyed it. Combining uniquely intelligent scripts and story lines with with badass, and often brutal, action and some amazing acting, the Bourne movies rock. Here's hoping for Bourne five with a Jason Bourne-Aaron Cross team-up.



3. Lord of the Rings
There are probably those of you who are thinking "why the hell isn't this number one?!" At this point, the entries are more or less interchangeable and could all be in first place, but I had to put a number in front of each of them. Amazing writing, even better directing, stunning landscapes, awesome characters, phenomenal acting, great special effects, incredible action, and a tone that's epic and yet oddly sentimental at the same time, the third one won an Oscar and yet all three of them probably could have.The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey is coming out this December, and you can bet I'll be lining up to see it.



2. Star Wars
It's Star Wars. 'Nough said.



1. The Dark Knight Trilogy
In 2005, Christopher Nolan did something unexpected: resurrect a franchise that had been dead at the hands of Joel Schumachuer for 8 years and turn it into the greatest series of comic book movies ever made. He also redefined comic book movies by making it gritty and as realistic as you could make something like this (Nolanizing is now a term that means exactly that). Batman Begins proved to us that Batman is supposed to be dark and then some, The Dark Knight is the Dark Knight, and The Dark Knight Rises capped off the franchise in a more then satisfactory way. This, folks, is what happens when you make a movie based on one of the best comic book heroes ever with one of the best directors working today and some of the best actors working today. To paraphrase YouTube movie critic Jeremy Jahns, the The Dark Knight movies are like the actual account of what happened in Gotham if it were a real place, and all the other movies and comics are just exaggerations. To put it simply, TDKT is awesome in every sense of the word.

Arrow: Pilot Review

Insert obligatory Justin Hartley joke here.

Spoilers follow.

So, the CW has decided it needs a superhero show to share a night with Supernatural, and this is their answer is Arrow, which is about the DC Comics hero Green Arrow. Be warned, this is not the lighthearted fun of it's predecessor Smallville, this is a dark, gritty show. And that works to their advantage. The writers left the Green Arrow origin story more or less intact: billionaire Oliver Queen is shipwrecked on a deserted island for five years, during which time he becomes a BAMF. He's rescued, returns to his native Starling City, finds that a lot has changed, and becomes the vigilante Arrow to fight crime and destroy the people left for him in a list by his father.

I'll start with the positives: Stephen Amell is makes a brooding, intense, and downright badass Green Arrow. He's was a good casting choice, because, at the very least, I really bought that he was this crime fighter. As the irresponsible playboy, not so much; he doesn't have the charisma or the swagger to pull it off, but hopefully that'll be a small part of the show. Katie Cassidy plays Laurel Lance (Black Canary?!), and when I first heard that I groaned. Loudly. But she's actually really good in this show. I not only bought that she was a lawyer, but I thought she had one of the episodes better performances. I never thought I would say those words. Oliver's friend Merlyn's cool to, even if he will probably turn evil. Oliver's mom, on the other hand, felt a bit undercooked, but hopefully she'll be explained a bit more. The whole bit with Oliver's sister Thea, who may or may not be Speedy, felt a forced, while I'm on the subject.

The action, which was badass, and the tone, were both great, and served the episode well. But those couldn't save the episodes faults. Where do I start? How about with the pacing and the editing, which felt really rushed and choppy. A two-hour pilot might've been a better idea, seeing how the episode was trying to tell an entire superhero origin story, something that takes a movie about 2-2.5 hours, in under 45 minutes. Oliver's groan inducing voiceover didn't help (this is why I hate voiceovers). Hopefully it, along with the rest of the cheesy, cliched dialogue will get cut. You've also got a weak villain, some disappointingly small sets and weak CGI (then again, this is the CW), and certain sense that they're borrowing a bit much from Batman Begins.

All in all, this was not the best pilot episode I've ever seen. To be fair, if you're supposed to judge an entire series on it's pilot, people probably wouldn't hate Terra Nova so much, and I did have a pretty good time with this episode, good enough to come back next week, at least.

Final Rating: 73%

Revolution: Plague Dogs Review

And with this we can all more or less agree that Revolution has major stones.

Spoilers for the episode.

So we're a few episodes in to Revolution, and so far it's been good. Not great, but good. This week was no exception. As usual, we've got four plot lines: Charlie and company, being stocked by both Nate and and psycho with some dogs at an old amusement park, Danny and the Militia in a storm, Rachel and Monroe, and flashbacks for both Maggie and Rachel.

I'll start with Danny and Militia, or, more specifically, Danny and Neville. Thus far, I've been glad the writers haven't decided to make Danny the whiny, annoying "forget the world, my problems are what matter" jerk most genre shows seem to love in teenage boys (and as a teenage boy, I've gotta say I find that cliche a bit offensive), and I found it interesting when he and Neville get trapped in a storm cellar together. Neville has a son, apparently, something I'm intrigued by, who Danny reminds him of. The captain also gives Danny a crash course in post-electricity ethics. Here's hoping for a Neville-flashback episode soon. Anyone with a high opinion of Danny had it lowered by the end of the episode, when Neville manages to guilt trip the boy into saving him, and recuffs him. Fail on your part their, Danny boy, you're gonna have to wise up.

By the end of the episode, we've learned that Monroe needs Danny so he can torture him in front of Rachel for information. Now that is evil. Speaking of Rachel, her flashbacks show us when she first left her family, apparently because Miles, back in his militia days, recruited her for something. In the words of Hurley: "Uh... what?". Looking forward to seeing where that one goes. The Maggie flashbacks, the main point of the episode, were heartbreaking: she was stranded in America after the blackout, walked all the way to the east coast from Seattle, and couldn't find a single boat to take her back to England and her kids (bit of a stretch, but hey). This was to the point where she was about to do herself in, and then the Matheson clan found her. Hat's off to Anna Lise Phillips for really selling this one.

At the amusement park, Miles is considering leaving because he'll get everyone hurt, much to Charlie's dismay. And then they're attacked, Nate is drafted into their little group (really?), Maggie gets stabbed in the leg, Charlie gets kidnapped by a villain (who had a backstory, which I thought was unnecessary because he was only onscreen for about 8 minutes and just ate up screen time), Miles goes all BAMF-tacular, and Maggie dies. Yeah, you read that right. Was it the most heart-wrenching TV character death I've ever seen? No (still either Fred or Charlie), but it took major balls to kill off someone important in episode 4 (even Whedon waited for episode 9 kill Doyle), and it got me a little bit. RIP. The writers were trying to stress the point that everyone leaves Charlie, which I and probably most people were picking up, and it was really sad when you thought about it, but then Charlie actually said "everybody leaves me" while crying her Tobey Maguire tears, and I rolled my eyes a bit. A message to the writers: we get the point. You don't need to be so blatant about your underlying statements, so stop driving them home to point where they lose their impact. Assume people watching your show are smart. Miles is staying though, so that's good, and apparently Nate is too (rolls eyes).

In the end, Revolution maintains it's status as a good show. Will it ever be great? Time will tell, but that probably won't happen until it's stops cramming too much into one episode and being so blatant about what it's saying (and maybe has Charlie take some acting lessons. That Tobey Maguire crying is getting old).

Final Rating: 75%

The Lone Ranger Trailer Review

Alright, I haven't done a trailer review in awhile, so here we go.

Believe it or not, I only found out sort of recently about the Lone Ranger movie, and my reaction was "yeah, sounds like it could be cool." I haven't been like hugely anticipating it like I am with Man of Steel or Star Trek Into Darkness (and no, I don't plan on reviewing the three-frame clip from it they showed on Conan Thursday), but I will probably see it. And the trailer was good.

You start off seeing/hearing this monologue about trains and the power they're going to create, you have a lot of great visuals and western music, though you can't help but feel like it'll be a little stupid if the entire movie's conflict is driven by trains. And then you cut to the Lone Ranger (Armie Hammer) and Tonto (Johnny Depp). A lot of people didn't like that Depp was cast as Tonto instead of a Native American actor, but just so you know, Depp is 1/4 Native American. So yeah. My problem with that is that Depp will be so good as Tonto (which all know he will) that it'll overshadow the Lone Ranger himself and make it the Tonto show. Those fears aren't exactly subsided when out the two, Tonto has the only lines in the entire trailer, and Depp's name is mentioned first. The best we can hope for is a The Fighter-type thing, where they're both main characters, but Tonto wins the Oscar. Which, let's face it, he probably will, because he is gonna be awesome as Tonto. Am I making any sense right now?

In the end, I liked the trailer, I'm looking forward to the movie, I'm not gonna be hugely upset if it's more about Tonto then the Lone Ranger, but I'm sure someone will.

Taken 2 Movie Review

Okay, I'm gonna dodge all the jokes involving a "Very particular set of skills" or the sheer stupidity of trying to kill Liam Neeson and say that when I got the movies yesterday, my choices were this and Frankenweenie, and my undying hatred of Tim Burton (yep, I just said that) repelled me from Frankenweenie. Maybe I should be a little less hard on Tim Burton...

Hey guys, guess what? This is my 200th post. In retrospect I wish I'd planned this out better.You'll get something good for #300, don't worry. Anyway, I saw Taken 2 yesterday, and the plot is as follows: the family of the people Liam Neeson killed in the first movie are out for revenge, so they take try to take Liam Neeson and his entire family while they're in Istanbul. Seriously? This guy is a Greek god and Narnian god, he's fought wolves to the death with his bare hands, he's trained Batman AND Obi-Wan Kenobi, and he's just a flat out badass, and you're really gonna attempt to hurt him. (Okay, I lied, but you know I had to make that joke.) This begins rehash.

I know that's the big problem most people had with the movie, that it's a rehash of the first one, but, and this is to my everlasting shame, I haven't the first Taken. Bring on the troll comments. That being said, I know that it's a rehash, I just can't be as PO'd about that as someone who's seen the first one would be. Let's move on.

So, the biggest overall problem I had with this movie was that they tried to make Maggie Grace's character (I'm huge LOST fan, so seeing her as a brunette is weird...) relevant and competent. Normally, I'd be all for that kind of thing; I've watched Buffy and BSG, I love BAMF girls. There are two problems with that idea though: the idea of her character suddenly being competent after all the screaming and crying she did in the first one (I haven't seen it, but we all know about that part) just isn't believable, and Maggie Grace is a lousy actress (even when she was on LOST, I just felt like "Sayid, man you could have any girl on that island except Claire, and you're going for the one who thought you were a terrorist?"). She was always over the top and Tobey Maguire-crying and just saying her lines badly. It was annoying. And they tried to make her suddenly competent, and I just didn't buy it.

The main villain in this the father of the first one's main villain, and he's not a great villain. Is he intimidating? Kind of. But the thing is, he never gets his hands dirty. He always has someone do it for him. Seriously, this is the guy who killed your son; wouldn't you wanna personally put a bullet in him?

After that there's little things, like location fails, Maggie Grace throwing grenades into the city so Liam Neeson can hear where she is, the fact that no shot lasts more then 10 seconds, especially in the action scenes, where every punch has about ten cuts, twenty angles, and it's in close-quarters shaky-cam, you know, bad directing. (A fun drinking game would be you watch Taken 2, and every time there's a cut you take a shot; after about 15 minutes you'd passed out).

But at least there's plenty of Liam Neeson killing people, right, because that's probably what you saw the movie for? Wrong. There's a confusing lack of Liam Neeson kicking ass. If you want to see that, watch the first Taken (that's what I'm gonna do), watch Batman Begins, heck, watch Phantom Menace, because there's more Liam Neeson badassery in that then in this.

The movie did have a few saving graces, though. Liam Neeson just being there somehow adds credibility, because he was great in it, like he always is. Famke Jansen was good as his wife, too, and the score was really good. Seriously, the score was epic. I was gonna say the music was epic, but they borrowed a lot of their non-score songs from Drive, and at the begininng of the movie, this song starts playing, and when I heard the first note, I was like "wait, is that that the Bourne (I will review those eventually) music?" It wasn't, but you get the idea.

All that being said, I was mildly entertained for most of the movie. I mean, at no point, was like "make it stop, make it stop, for the love of God make it stop", i.e.m it's not The Losers bad. It's the type of action movie where you're entertained when you're watching it, but you don't actually like it that much, if that makes sense. You know, like Terminator 3.

In the end, Taken 2 doesn't suck, but avoid paying to see it like the plague.

So, what's you're favorite Liam Neeson movie? Comment below, let me know!

Supernatural: We Need to Talk About Kevin Review

Hey guys, I'm sorry I haven't posted anything in awhile, but last week was hell for me and just couldn't get around to it. But I'm back now, and while I'm not gonna be able to review every new episode from this week that I saw, I figured I should talk about at least one; specifically, the season 8 premier of Supernatural.

Spoilers follow.

After one year, Dean has somehow busted out of purgatory, and he brought a friend with him: a vampire named Benny. After finding Sam, the two argue a bit, and then realize they have to find Kevin, who Sam kind of abandoned.

All in all, this was a strong start to the season. Both the brothers have changed a bit: Dean is more of a battle hardened soldier then ever, while Sam is reverting back to civilianism a bit, as he gave up hunting in Dean's absence. Now he's got a girlfriend, and a dog. The altered dynamic was certainly interesting, and I liked the way the season appears to be shaping up.

Also a high not: Kevin. The kid's BAMF'd up a bit, destroying demons, tricking this years apparent Big Bad, the one and only Crowley, finding out that there's a way to permanently close the gates of hell, and saying the best line of the episode to his girlfriend: "There's a demon in you... and you're attending your safety school." I felt like he could lead to some cool story lines when he was introduced last season, and so far I'm right.

The flashbacks were great too, both Dean's plan to bust out of purgatory with Benny and Sam meeting his new lady friend. At the very least, watching the brothers argue is always fun. Not mention the Impala and some good old fashioned classic rock has made a triumphant return. Mark Shepard is always welcomed, and let's face it, Crowley's awesome.

SPN has a new showrunner this season, Jeremy Carver, who's promised a complex, multi-season arc that'll take the show through season 10, and so far so good. All in all, good episode, and a good start to what'll hopefully be a step-up from last season.

Final Rating: 88%