Tag: Isabela Merced

Superman (2025) | REVIEW

Superman (David Corenswet) and Lois Lane (Rachel Brosnahan) in SUPERMAN (2025) — PHOTO: Warner Bros. Pictures (Still image from trailers).

Directed by James Gunn — Screenplay by James Gunn.

I can’t stress enough how significant it is that the first image of the new live-action Superman is of him lying defeated in the snow, in need of healing and a pick-me-up, and, importantly, bleeding out of his mouth due to all the fighting he has just been through. It is an immediate act of flipping the switch on the modern cinematic understanding of what and who Superman is. When Marvel Studios launched a cinematic universe at the same time that Christopher Nolan was making self-contained and critically lauded Batman films for DC, they gradually set in motion a trend that Warner Bros. was eager to imitate. The head honchos at the studio gave filmmaker Zack Snyder the keys to their comic book movie empire, and, with his epic but divisive Man of Steel, he gave us a Superman born of a gritty, slow-mo heavy universe wherein he was presented as an Alien with god-like powers that was often paired with Christ-like imagery. Snyder notably had a character ask the godlike alien with an ‘S’ on his chest: “Tell me, do you bleed?”

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The Last of Us – “Convergence” | REVIEW

Bella Ramsey in THE LAST OF US: CONVERGENCE — PHOTO: Liane Hentscher / HBO.

This is a recap and review of the seventh and final episode of the second season of HBO’s The Last of Us. Expect spoilers for season 1 and game 1 (and the episode itself, of course), but also some references to and comments about the second game (though without spoilers).

In the seventh and final episode of the second season — titled Convergencee — Ellie (played by Bella Ramsey) and Jesse (played by Young Mazino) search the streets of Seattle for Tommy (played by Gabriel Luna. However, when Ellie sees something in the distance, she parts ways with her friend. Convergence was written by Neil Druckmann, Halley Gross, and Craig Mazin (Chernobyl) and directed by Nina Lopez-Corrado (Supernatural; Mayor of Kingstown).

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The Last of Us – “Feel Her Love” | REVIEW

Ellie (Bella Ramsey) explores the body of an infected in THE LAST OF US: FEEL HER LOVE — PHOTO: Liane Hentscher / HBO.

This is a recap and review of the fifth episode of the second season of HBO’s The Last of Us. Expect spoilers for season 1 and game 1 (and the episode itself, of course), but also some references to and comments about the second game (though without spoilers).

In the fifth episode of the second season — titled Feel Her Love — Ellie (played by Bella Ramsey) and Dina (played by Isabela Merced) opt to move through a warehouse that WLF soldiers are strangely leaving unguarded. Meanwhile, WLF Sergeant Elise Park (played by Hettienne Park) reveals why she had to lock her own soldiers inside of an infected zone. Feel Her Love was written by Craig Mazin (Chernobyl) and directed by Stephen Williams (Lost; Westworld).

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The Last of Us – “Day One” | REVIEW

Bella Ramsey as ‘Ellie’ playing a guitar in The Last of Us: Day One — PHOTO: HBO/Liane Hentscher.

This is a recap and review of the fourth episode of the second season of HBO’s The Last of Us. Expect spoilers for season 1 and game 1 (and the episode itself, of course), but also some references to and comments about the second game (though without spoilers).

In the fourth episode of the second season — titled Day One — Ellie (played by Bella Ramsey) and Dina (played by Isabela Merced) explore Seattle, deepen their connection, and search for the W.L.F. crew that killed Joel. Elsewhere, we experience how far W.L.F. leader Isaac (played by Jeffrey Wright) is willing to go to fight back against the religious Seraphites. The Path was written by Craig Mazin (Chernobyl) and directed by Kate Herron (Loki: Season 1).

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The Last of Us – “The Path” | REVIEW

Bella Ramsey in THE LAST OF US: THE PATH — PHOTO: HBO.

This is a recap and review of the third episode of the second season of HBO’s The Last of Us. Expect spoilers for season 1 and game 1 (and the episode itself, of course), but also some references to and comments about the second game (though without spoilers).

In the third episode of the second season — titled The Path — we get a three-month time jump, as the Jackson settlement and its wounded — including Ellie (played by Bella Ramsey) — recover in the wake of the tragedy in last week’s episode. However, when Dina (played by Isabela Merced) reveals a secret to Ellie, it sets in motion an appeal to gather up a crew to hunt down those who wronged them and killed Joel. The Path was written by Craig Mazin (Chernobyl) and directed by Peter Hoar (The Last of Us: Long, Long Time).

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The Last of Us – “Through the Valley” | REVIEW

Bella Ramsey in THE LAST OF US: THROUGH THE VALLEY — PHOTO: Liane Hentscher/HBO.

This is a recap and review of the second episode of the second season of HBO’s The Last of Us. Expect spoilers for season 1 and game 1 (and the episode itself, of course), but also some references to and comments about the second game (though without spoilers).

In the second episode of the second season — titled Through the Valley (for reasons that I’ll get to in just a moment) — the Jackson settlement gets attacked by a horde of infected. Meanwhile, Joel (played by Pedro Pascal) and Dina (played by Isabela Merced) run into someone in need of saving, and, elsewhere, Jesse (played by Young Mazino) and Ellie (played by Bella Ramsey) explore Eugene’s secret hideout. Through the Valley was written by Craig Mazin (Chernobyl) and directed by Mark Mylod (Succession, Game of Thrones, The Menu).

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The Last of Us – “Future Days” | REVIEW

Bella Ramsey with her back to the camera in THE LAST OF US: Future Days — Photograph by Liane Hentscher/HBO.

This is a recap and review of the premiere of the second season of HBO’s The Last of Us. Expect spoilers for season 1 and game 1, but also some references to and comments about the second game (though without spoilers).

The wait is finally over. It’s been more than 2 years since the release of the season finale of the first season of HBO’s adaptation of the beloved and critically acclaimed video game series known as The Last of Us, the two parts of which are my favorite video games ever made. Now, the second season premiere has been released on Max around the world, and the showrunners are now officially no longer adapting the first game, but rather the highly discussed, more complex, and much longer second game (click here to read my spoiler-filled thoughts on The Last of Us: Part II). How did the season premiere live up to the excellent games and the strong first season? Well, let’s have a closer look.

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Madame Web (2024) | REVIEW

(L-R) Sydney Sweeney, Dakota Johnson, and Isabela Merced on the poster for MADAME WEB — PHOTO: Sony Pictures.

Directed by S.J. Clarkson — Screenplay by Matt Sazama, Burk Sharpless, Claire Parker, and S. J. Clarkson — Story by Kerem Sanga, Matt Sazama, and Burk Sharpless.

If Avengers: Endgame represented the absolute zenith of the 21st-century golden age of the Hollywood superhero movie craze — which was, in a sense, kickstarted in 2008 by Jon Favreau and Christopher Nolan — then I think it would be fair to say that this current moment could be the trend’s nadir. At the very least, this is undoubtedly one of its lowest points. Warner Bros.’s DC Extended Universe (DCEU) is sleeping with the fishes after the release of Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, as Warner is preparing a clean reboot. The once always consistently good Marvel Studios — and their Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) — is struggling in the post-Endgame era, as the existence of Disney+ has led them to wrongly focus on quantity over quality (though some hope exists that they may have learned the error of their ways in time to properly course correct). Meanwhile, Sony and their half-in/half-out relationship with Marvel Studios and their MCU have led to a series of Spider-Man-related spin-offs that are, at best, superfluous curiosities and, at worst, ill-conceived cash-grabs. Credit where credit is due, Sony did create some of the most beloved superhero films of the early 2000s under the direction of Sam Raimi, their animated Spider-Man films are universally beloved, and whenever they’ve teamed up with Marvel Studios on a Spider-Man film, it has led to a final product that fans and the vast majority of critics agree is quite good. But, for some reason, Sony has struggled to cross the finish line without having to limp across it each and every time it has come to their live-action Spider-Man spin-off films. This was already apparent with both of their Venom films (Fleischer’s Venom and Serkis’ Venom: Let There Be Carnage) and it was impossible to deny with Morbius. Unfortunately, S.J. Clarkson’s Madame Web doesn’t change that downward trajectory for live-action Spider-Man spin-offs. Madame Web feels disconnected and desperate.

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