Tag Archives: 2023

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Cover to “The New Champion of Shazam!” #3, Jen Bartel, 2023

DC Comics.

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This joke sucks.

SPOILER for “The Last Voyage of the Demeter” (2023) — Dracula actually meets Mina Harker at the very end.

AND HE WAS PLEASED DEMETER.



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French advertisement for “Secret Invasion” (2023)

Marvel Studios.

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Poster for “Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny” (2023)

Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures.

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A short review of Season 2 of “From” (2023).

“From” Season 2 (2023) wasn’t quite as good as Season 1.  The show borrows so much its obvious inspiration, “Lost” (2004-2010), that it also inherits that program’s central flaw — an overabundance of mysteries that confuse the narrative.

Season 1 was … mostly a self-enclosed, tidy horror tale that was reminiscent of the various iterations of “The Twilight Zone” — waylaid travelers in a mysteriously  inescapable town are stalked by supernatural monsters.  Smaller mysteries were peppered into the plot, and for me those story points were mostly just distracting — but it didn’t detract from my overall enjoyment of the show.

Season 2, however, introduced so many subplot mysteries that the story sometimes became a little difficult to follow.  (Or are they really subplots?  We’re now shown that the monsters of Season 1 are only one element of the supernatural landscape that our protagonists must survive.)

My complaint above should be taken in context, though — “From” is still the scariest show on television.  It’s got some really good writing and some terrific characters, with a few standout actors that hit a home run every time they’re onscreen.  One is David Alpay as a the group’s hilarious, antisocial genius; another is Scott McCord as a gentle giant with the mind of an eight-year-old boy.

“From” is still an amazing watch.  The second season wasn’t perfect, but it was still great.  It remains the show that I am surprised that so few people are talking about.



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A few quick words on the series premiere of “Secret Invasion” (2023).

I’ve never actually read a comic book featuring the shapeshifting alien Skrulls.  The story concept always seemed too campy for me.  (And it still does.)  But I still had loads of fun with the first episode of Marvel’s “Secret Invasion” (2023).  I’d cheerfully rate this new limited series an 8 out of 10.

There are two clear reasons here.  The first is that I love comic book stories in which ordinary, non-powered characters are working with (or against) superpowered characters — it makes the story and action feel more grounded in reality, and the juxtaposition is always fun to explore.

The second is that the Marvel Cinematic Universe just happens to be good at the cloak-and-dagger stuff.  It’s a little surprising, if you think about it.  Here we have a fictional universe known for linchpinned by story conceits derived from science fiction or magic.  Yet the MCU’s stories about spies, governments and politics remain fan favorites.  (Look at the broad-based appeal of 2014’s excellent “Captain America: Winter Soldier,” for example.)  As I’d hoped, I really enjoyed the twists and surprises of the first episode.

Samuel L. Jackson, Martin Freeman, Emilia Clarke are always a pleasure to watch.  And I’m starting to understand that Ben Mendelsohn is really terrific too.

This looks to be one of the better MCU outings.  I recommend it.



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A short review of the series premiere of “The Walking Dead: Dead City” (2023).

I hate to say this, guys, but the first episode of “The Walking Dead: Dead City” (2023) doesn’t exactly leap off the screen as a a bold new narrative step for the franchise.  I need to damn it with faint praise — it was one of those forgettable outings that we kindly describe as “good but not great.”

Sure, it’s got some great things going for it.  The terrific Lauren Cohan and Jeffrey Dean Morgan are predictably charismatic and their characters remain interesting.  And the show’s biggest coup so far might be landing the priceless Željko Ivanek as its first big-bad.  (Željko Ivanek is a lot like the alien “Predator” — virtually any film or TV show is radically improved by his inclusion there.)

And its New York City setting is exciting.  I always thought that “The Walking Dead” (2010 – 2022) was more exciting when it took the action away from its ubiquitous pine forests and explored a place like Atlanta or Washington, D.C.

But “Dead City” isn’t high art.  Its inaugural episode is still weighted down with the same clunky storytelling and directing that costs its predecessor a lot of fans over the years.  (We even retread some character arcs and motivations that we thought were resolved on “The Walking Dead.”)

Oh, well — maybe it will improve!  How many tv shows have we all watched in which the first episode (or even the entire first season) paled in comparison to the show after found its footing?  I’ve still got my fingers crossed that this will turn into something to look forward to every week.



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Happy Pride Month.

I probably don’t say it enough, but if you are one of my gay, bisexual or transgender friends, I am glad you are here.

You guys are a million times cooler than your psychotic detractors.

By the way, the painting below is Arkhip Kuindzhi’s “Rainbow,” circa 1898.



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Remember the Fallen.

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