Tag: 2022

REVIEW: The Boys – Season Three (2022)

Billy Butcher (played by Karl Urban) and Homelander (played by Antony Starr) go toe-to-toe in this season of THE BOYS. — PHOTO: Amazon Studios / Prime Video.

Series Developed by Eric Kripke — Season Three consists of 8 episodes.

These days superhero shows are a dime a dozen. There’s the Arrow-verse, the Netflix-era Defenders Marvel series universe, the Disney+ shows, and so much more. There are so many that I can’t say I’ve seen all of them, even though I once was very much into following all of these superhero shows. These days it’s like the second you blink, that one superhero show you once watched a couple of episodes of now has had close to ten seasons and it feels like no one has noticed. For superhero die-hard fans, select shows are must-watch. These must-see shows are things like Peacemaker and the ever-growing streaming series corner of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but then there’s also this other show developed by the creator of Supernatural, Eric Kripke, and produced by the brilliant comedic minds of Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg. I am of course talking about Prime Video’s The Boys, the one major superhero show that you can’t watch with your family without getting some awkward silences or looks. It’s a terrific show that I can’t believe exists, and this third season of the show was its very best thus far, even though the season peaked a couple of episodes prior to its season finale.

Continue reading “REVIEW: The Boys – Season Three (2022)” →

REVIEW: Thor: Love and Thunder (2022)

Chris Hemsworth is back as Thor Odinson in Taika Waititi’s THOR: LOVE AND THUNDER, but he isn’t only one possessing the power of Thor. — PHOTO: Walt Dsney Studios Motion Pictures.

Directed by Taika Waititi — Screenplay by Taika Waititi & Jennifer Kaytin Robinson.

When it was first announced that Chris Hemsworth was going to play ‘Thor’ in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), I don’t think anyone expected him to be the first Avengers character to have four solo movie. Although, to be honest, back then I’m not sure anyone expected Marvel Studios’ cinematic universe to go this far. Since the 2011 Kenneth Branagh film Thor, the titular character has been going through some changes. I still quite like the original film. The sequel, Thor: The Dark World has become a bit of a punching bag in the franchise, with it receiving a lot of criticism time and time again for the tone, the visuals, and the forgettable antagonists. Thor went from being a Shakespearean inspired (by way of Branagh’s influence) Norse God to being a space viking and true comedic lead thanks to Taika Waititi who, with his immensely popular Thor: Ragnarok, reminded everyone of Hemsworth’s fantastic comedic talent, while reinventing the character at the same time.

Continue reading “REVIEW: Thor: Love and Thunder (2022)” →

REVIEW: Moon Knight – Season One (2022)

Oscar Isaac as Moon Knight in Marvel Studios’ MOON KNIGHT, exclusively on Disney+. Photo courtesy of Marvel Studios. ©Marvel Studios 2022. All Rights Reserved.

Show Creator: Jeremy Slater — Show Directors: Mohamed Diab and Aaron Moorhead & Justin Benson.

My most anticipated Marvel Studios Disney+ series thus far was, without a doubt, Moon Knight. Ever since I first started reading comic books about him on Marvel Unlimited several years ago, I have been waiting for the chance to finally see this character in live-action. When it was announced that two of my favorite actors — Oscar Isaac and Ethan Hawke — were going to be in it, my excitement for the show reached a fever pitch. I’ve now seen the show, so how is it? Well, overall, it’s quite good, but it still suffers from some of the early Marvel-Disney+ problems that we saw in many of last year’s Marvel Cinematic Universe shows.

Continue reading “REVIEW: Moon Knight – Season One (2022)” →

REVIEW: Barry – Season Three (2022)

Bill Hader is the titular character in HBO’s dark comedy BARRY — PHOTO: Merrick Morton / HBO..

I’ve long been a fan of HBO’s Barry. When it first came out, I reviewed the first handful of episodes and I was blown away. Although I haven’t always had the time to write about the show due to life getting in the way, it has remained one of my favorite shows on television over the last several years. However, it feels like so long ago that season two of Barry ended. When the third season of Barry was finally released on HBO and HBO Max, it had been more than three years since the second season ended. Admittedly, I wondered if the show could still hook me in and if what it was aiming for would still work. And I was happy to find out that HBO’s Barry, led by Bill Hader, is still knocking it out of the park.

Continue reading “REVIEW: Barry – Season Three (2022)” →

REVIEW: Stranger Things – Season Four, Vols. 1 & 2 (2022)

(Left-to-Right) Joe Keery, Gaten Matarazzo, Maya Hawke, Sadie Sink, Natalia Dyer, and Caleb McLaughlin’s characters must confront a new mysterious and murderous monster in the latest season of ‘Stranger Things’ — Photo: NETFLIX.

This is a review of both halves — Vols. I & II– of Stranger Things: Season Four.

Like The Crown and BoJack Horseman, Stranger Things has long been one of Netflix’s most consistently good shows. The nostalgia-based supernatural coming-of-age horror-thriller show that was created by the Duffer brothers has managed to stay really good and really entertaining for four seasons now — including this latest season, which was split into two parts (with the season finale having a runtime of almost two-and-a-half hours) — and, even though the show still wears its inspirations on its sleeves, the show is getting better in many ways. In fact, I would say that this fourth season, which is probably the goriest and most horror-like of the bunch, is the best season of the show since the very rewatchable debut season, even though this latest season included two season-long subplots that were never as engaging as the main story was.

Continue reading “REVIEW: Stranger Things – Season Four, Vols. 1 & 2 (2022)” →

REVIEW: Obi-Wan Kenobi (2022)

Ewan McGregor is back as the titular Jedi in Lucasfilm’s OBI-WAN KENOBI, exclusively on Disney+. © 2022 Lucasfilm Ltd. & ™. All Rights Reserved.

All Six Episodes of the Limited Series Were Directed by Deborah Chow.

Set a decade, or so, after the events of George Lucas’ Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith, Obi-Wan Kenobi follows the character of the same name (played by Ewan McGregor, now returning to the role), as he has gone into hiding on Tatooine, where he is watching over young Luke Skywalker from afar. Sith Inquisitors are still hunting for Jedi throughout the galaxy, including Kenobi who Reva (played by Moses Ingram), the Third Sister, is especially interested in. However, Obi-Wan Kenobi is forced out of hiding after young Princess Leia Organa (played by Vivien Lyra Blair) is kidnapped by criminals. Kenobi is Leia’s only hope, and that is exactly what Reva, who orchestrated the kidnapping, had expected and hoped for. As Kenobi leaves Tatooine, he has to reconnect to the Force, but this also means that he risks being confronted by the Inquisitors or even Darth Vader.

Continue reading “REVIEW: Obi-Wan Kenobi (2022)” →

REVIEW: Spiderhead (2022)

Chris Hemsworth as the charismatic antagonist, Steve Abnesti, in Joseph Kosinski’s SPIDERHEAD — Photo: Netflix.

Directed by Joseph Kosinski — Screenplay by Rhett Reese & Paul Wernick.

No, my fellow cineastes, your eyes are not deceiving you. This adaptation of the George Saunders short story Escape from Spiderhead was indeed directed by Joseph Kosinski whose film Top Gun: Maverick — a charming, thrilling, and crowd-pleasing legacy sequel — invigorated the film and movie theater industries by being a huge hit just this very month, and its screenplay was indeed written by the writers of Zombieland, Deadpool, and Life — Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick. When you add the fact that Spiderhead is spearheaded by acting talents like Marvel Studios’ God of Thunder, Chris Hemsworth, and Whiplash lead, Miles Teller (who also starred in Top Gun: Maverick), then it starts to sound like the kind of film that ought to have been released in theaters or, at the very least, been given a larger marketing push than it has gotten thus far. You’d be right in thinking that. Even though it has some issues, it deserves far better than falling into obscurity as one of the many overlooked entries in Netflix’s vast content library.

Continue reading “REVIEW: Spiderhead (2022)” →

REVIEW: Outer Range – Season One (2022)

Josh Brolin finds a mysterious black void on his land in the neo-western sci-fi series ‘Outer Range,’ — Photo: Prime Video.

All eight episodes of ‘Outer Range: Season One’ are available on Amazon Prime Video right now.

I don’t think I watch enough Amazon Prime Video shows. Sure, I watch their biggest series and select lesser shows, but I still feel like I often overlook some of their lesser-known output. Brian Watkins’ Outer Range seemed destined to end up as a show I had heard about but which hadn’t caught my eye for whatever reason. But after watching a Late Show with Stephen Colbert interview with the show’s lead actor Josh Brolin, who I am a big fan of, my interest was piqued. Their description of the show had sold it to me, and I’m glad I watched it, even though it’s a difficult show to communicate to others without spoiling too much.

Continue reading “REVIEW: Outer Range – Season One (2022)” →

REVIEW: Borgen – Power & Glory (2022)

Sidse Babett Knudsen as Birgitte Nyborg in ‘Borgen – Power and Glory’ — Photo: Mike Kollöffel.

‘Borgen – Power and Glory,’ the fourth season of ‘Borgen’ is available on DR in Denmark and on Netflix internationally. It consists of eight episodes.

A Danish political drama and international hit, Adam Price’s Borgen is a critically acclaimed television show that takes its viewers into the Danish political system by focusing both on politicians, their families, their spin doctors, and the media. It originally ran for three seasons from 2010 to 2013, but has now been revived by the Danish Broadcasting Corporation (DR) and Netflix for a new season titled Borgen – Power and Glory (Borgen – Riget, Magten og Æren in Danish).

Continue reading “REVIEW: Borgen – Power & Glory (2022)” →

REVIEW: Peacemaker – Season One (2022)

Jennifer Holland (Left) and John Cena (right) in James Gunn’s PEACEMAKER — Photo: Warner Bros. / HBO Max.

All Episodes of the First Season of James Gunn’s PEACEMAKER Are Available on HBO Max Now.

I know. This show did, indeed, come out several months ago. Back then, I had been preparing to write a longer article about this show, but, then life got in the way, and now we’re in June. Sorry about that. Still, I am happy to be able to report that I think this show is absolutely terrific and I also think it’s the best DC Comics season of television I’ve ever seen. That statement is coming from someone who was obsessed with Smallville once, who loved the first season of CW’s The Flash, and who did follow the Arrowverse for quite some time. With respect to those shows, James Gunn’s Peacemaker is just head-and-shoulders above those other series in large part because it feels so director-driven. It has a distinctive style and voice that is just so right for this show.

Continue reading “REVIEW: Peacemaker – Season One (2022)” →