DCEU Blog - Wonder Twins Deactivated, Gotham Knights A Go And More

Well, we are definitely living in some murky times with DC as certain projects are getting the axe, others are unknown and one we probably didn't need has gotten the go ahead. Let's break it down, shall we?

Wonder Twins went from announcing it's leading cast to being dropped in the ace of a fortnight. The movie will no longer go ahead. The budget was reported to be 75 million, which David Zaslav felt was too much for a streaming movie.

Amber Heard has admitted that her role in Aquaman And The Lost Kingdom has been reduced to ten minutes of screen time while the movie itself will have both Arthur and Orm working together.

Though yet to be confirmed, it's likely that Batgirl will now be a theatrical release. Jacob Scipio has confirmed he will be playing mob boss Anthony Bressi in the movie.

Filming outdoors has confirmed the costume reveal for Blue Beetle. Carlos Ponce, Jon Z and Mercy have also been added to the cast.

Black Adam's first trailer will be released on June 8th while Funko Pips have revealed the first look of the villain Sabbac, played by Marwan Kenzari.

The comic tie in for The Flash has been put on hold until closer to the movie's release in 2023.

HBO Max are considering a project focusing on Amanda Waller to be written by the Watchmen series writers as well as executive produced by James Gunn and Viola Davis.

Seth Green will now voice the role of Thunderbolt for the upcoming season of Stargirl. The third season will air in the autumn and have a murder mystery storyline.

It seems the while scripts for the Constantine and Madame X series have been submitted, there's rumours that the WB and David Zaslav are getting frustrated with JJ Abrams lack of movement with his DC projects.

The CW have picked up Gotham Knight for a series, but the show will debut in 2023, along with the next seasons of The Flash and Superman And Lois.

The current seasons of both Superman And Lois and The Flash will conclude on June 28th and 29th, respectively.

Naomi has been cancelled after one season.

A rumoured casting call for the upcoming The Penguin may see the limited series featuring a version of Clayface.

That's it for this month. Oh and be sure to check out the 2022 DC Pride, released today.

Doctor Who - 60th Anniversary Filming Begins (Massive Spoilers)

It's been a while since there has been major excitement in the world of Doctor Who, and while we're still months away from Jodie Whittaker's final episode airing (which will be 90 minutes, according to Russell T. Davies), it's still time to look at the future and it's certainly exciting.

In possibly the worst kept secret going, it was finally confirmed that David Tennant and Catherine Tate will be reprising their roles as the Tenth Doctor (or is he another version?) and Donna Temple-Noble for the 60th anniversary. The diamond celebration in question has been rumoured to be comprising of three specials, due to air in 2023.

With both actors currently filming, executive producer and showrunner Russell T. Davies teased certainly possibilities as to why this beloved duo are back. Teases include a forgotten story, a parallel universe, a fllashback or even a dream sequence. However other bits of casting does seem to point to the Doctor and Donna reunion being more of a present day scenario.

Meanwhile we can add a new face to the Doctor Who universe as well as a welcomed return of another one. While filming pics have confirmed the return of Bernard Cribbins as Donna's grandfather, Wilfred Mott, the BBC themselves didn't confirm his appearance. 

However, the BBC did confirm that Heartstopper's Yasmin Finney has been cast in the special, playing a character with a very familiar name. In a press release, Finney's character was confirmed to be named Rose and despite the lack of a surname, it has some fans (myself included) speculating that this Rose might be the daughter of Donna Temple-Noble. Russell T. Davies for now hasn't confirmed anything but it seems like the most logical guess at this moment.

As for Ncuti Gatwa, between the fourth season of Sex Education as well as filming Greta Gerwig's Barbie movie, it's going to be a while before he will starting filming for Doctor Who. In the past week, we've seen former cast members congratulate him on bagging the role as the new Doctor with Gatwa even thanking fans for their support. In terms of what will lie ahead for the new Doctor, it's still early days for any major news but at last week's BAFTA's, Russell T. Davies did confirm some new monsters while Ncuti himself suggested bringing back the Master. We're in for some truly exciting times ahead.

Filming for the 60th anniversary specials will continue during the summer with filming for the fourteenth series due to start towards the end of the year. The 13th Doctor's final special will air in October on BBC1 and BBCAmerica respectively.

My Review of Friday The 13th (1980)

 

Written by Victor Miller And Ron Kurz

Directed by Sean S. Cunningham

Mrs. Voorhees: "Kill her, Mommy! Kill her! Don't let her get away, Mommy! Don't let her live! I won't, Jason, I won't."

I've been waiting for an appropriate to review this movie and guess what, that has finally come. There are many classic horror franchises I've touched on with this blog and now, it's time to pay attention to one that I previously haven't.

As a franchise, this has been one with a lot of movies, most of which have gotten more batshit that you almost forget how grounded and rather straightforward this original feature truly was. A simple tale of mother's desire for revenge following the death of her son at the hands of irresponsible workers at a summer camp.

Pamela Voorhees (Betsy Palmer) was a mother trying to provide for her son, Jason (Ari Lehman) by working as a cook at the camp in question. However when her son drown while the workers weren't doing their job, she snapped and went on one hell of a killing spree. As a result, the camp closed down and she kept an eye on things from afar.

However over two decades later, the camp reopened with a new generation of workers, all as hedonistic as the previous ones and Pamela decided to pick up where she left off. Needless to say, most of the young cast, including Kevin Bacon found themselves being taken out by the grieving and rather murderous mother, still avenging her son all these years later.

Of course, while Pamela had plenty of characters to kill at will, at least one character had to pose a threat to her murder spree. Every horror franchise needs a final girl and while this one has a few of them (and a final boy in later movies), the ball got rolling with fellow camp worker, Alice Hardy (Adrienne King) who came afoul of Mrs Voorhees and managed to live to tell the tale.

I wouldn't say Alice was the most compelling of final girls in either the horror genre in general or even this franchise but she does a decent job but it's undoubtedly Betsy Palmer's Pamela Voorhees that's the most compelling. A sympathetic but deeply psychotic villain with a wonderfully over the top performance, making the character truly memorable despite being overshadowed by her not so dead son from the second movie onwards.

- Is this the only horror franchise where the signature killer was not actually the main villain of their first movie?

- Betsy Palmer originally thought the movie was a 'piece of shit' but has seemingly softened towards it in later years.

- There have been rumours of the movie being inspired by the real life Lake Bodom murders in Finland back in 1960.

- Chronology: July 1957 for the flashbacks and June 1980 for the present day stuff.

Friday The 13th's a modest start to a horror franchise that will take  many crazy turns before coming to a halt. The story's a simple but effective one, with solid performances from the leads and the right amount of gore and scares.

Rating: 7 out of 10

Blundering Up A Deathstorm

Usual thing, it's been a while but here are some shows I've watched in the meantime.

911: Season 5 has been ticking over rather nicely as a season with the last few episodes adding some new recruits to the station with Lucy and Jonah, Buck's relationship with Taylor revealing more on her own past and the much needed returns of both Maddie and Howie along with Eddie dealing with his past traumas. As usual, there's some way cases along the way and heartwarming moments from various characters. 

Bridgerton: Season 1 of this glossy period piece was appointment television and one of the biggest boosts for Netflix and Season 2 managed to do it all over again. I thought the show  might have trouble topping the Daphne/Simon story but the Anthony/Kate (and Edwina, breaking from book lore) managed to be even more compelling while the consequences of Lady Whistledown's getting on Queen Charlotte's nerves definitely came to a head during an incredible confrontation between Penelope and Eloise.Other highlights included Benedict getting high as a kite, the flashbacks for Papa Bridgerton, Newton the dog and of course, Lady Featherington trying to outsmart Jack throughout the season. Needless to say, I'll definitely be watching the next season.

Derry Girls: Four episodes into the third and final series of this gem of a show and it's been some of the best comedy in the last decade. While creator Lisa McGee is definitely right to end the show on a high instead of overextending it's natural life span, I am going to miss these characters and I know, there's three episodes left to go but still. So far, this series we've had the girls and James pass their GSCEs along with talent shows, train journeys and clearing out the wrong house. Not to mention sublime guest appearances from the likes of Liam Neeson, Damien Molony, Amy Huberman, Sinead Keenan and Conleth Hill. I'm confident the finale will absolutely stick the landing. 

Killing Eve: What an absolute train wreck of a final season this turned out to be. If you thought that Game Of Thrones ended on a bad note, then this one surpassed it. This whole season was little more than an absolute snorefest and I had a horrible feeling the moment the show decided to go there with Eve and Villanelle, something would undercut it. Needless to say it did and in a rather spectacularly bad way. Both Sandra Oh and Jodie Comer tried their best but not even their talents alone could say this season from ending the show on a needlessly unpleasant note.

Moon Knight: On to the sixth Disney+ MCU show and I have to be honest, this one was something of a mixed bag for me. While Oscar Isaac does a great job as Steven Grant/Mr Knight and Marc Spector/Moon Knight (and very briefly, Jake Lockley), the pacing for this show felt somewhat sluggish in parts and it really took a while for things to properly get going. Still, we got a good villain with Ethan Hawke's Arthur Darrow, Kayla's transformation into Scarlet Scarab was nicely handled and I'm all for more horror and supernatural elements in the MCU.

The Flash: Quick note: I'll see out the remaining episodes of this season but after that, I am done with this series. I've been trying my best but I've genuinely gotten to the point where I can no longer watch this show. It's become far too much of a chore to sit through and it desperately needs to end now, regardless of it's ratings on the CW. The Deathstorm arc was mostly a mess,, Frost's death had no real impact and the time sickness story with Iris has been dragging out for far too long. The only plus has been brief returns of Sue, Ronnie and Eddie in recent episodes. 

• Max Greenfield, Gabourey Sidibe, Nico Greetham, Bella Thorne and Dominique Jackson are some of the actors appearing in the second season of American Horror Stories.
• American Horror Story's eleventh season has been rumoured to have some filming in New York, a first for the series.
• House Of The Dragon will premiere on HBO from August 21st and on SkyAtlantic the next day.
• Jack Ryan will end after four seasons on Amazon.
• Filming for the seventh season of Outlander has begun while the sixth season has recently finished airing on Starz.
• And Just Like That has been renewed for a second season.
• The Nancy Drew spin off, Tom Swift will premiere on the CW from May 31st.
• Maisie Williams will star in the upcoming Apple show, The New Look.
• Julia has been renewed for a second season by HBO Max.
• Jason Isaacs and Lior Raz have joined Apple anthology series, The Crowded Room.

Doctor Who - Ncuti Gatwa Is The 14th Doctor

It's been nearly ten months since the BBC announced that Jodie Whittaker would be stepping down from the role as the Doctor and with her final special due to air in October, now seemed to be the right time to be looking towards the future.

Today, the BBC announced that Sex Education actor Ncuti Gatwa will be taking on the role of the next Doctor, succeeding Whittaker in the role. Gatwa, who currently will be filming the fourth season of the hit Netflix series, will then start filming for the fourteenth series of Doctor Who towards the end of the year. However, going by some of returning showrunner Russell T.Davies comments, it does seem we will be seeing the new Doctor in the rumoured 2023 specials, which will comprise of the show's 60th anniversary celebrations.

Upon his casting, Ncuti Gatwa had this to say about taking on the iconic role .... 

"This role and show means so much to so many around the world, including myself, and each one of my incredibly talented predecessors has handled that unique responsibility and privilege with the utmost care. I will endeavour my upmost to do the same.

Russell T. Davies also added ....

"Sometimes talent walks through the door and it's so bright and bold and brilliant, I just stand back in awe and thank my lucky stars."

This is certainly the start of an interesting new era for the show and with production well underway, we can expect more announcements of the next few months. Are you excited?

Fourteenth Doctor Announcement: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-61371123

Doctor Who will begin filming for the 60th anniversary this month with Series 14 due to film later this year. The  next special will air in October, marking the departure of the 13th Doctor.

My Review of Doctor Strange In The Multiverse Of Madness (2022)

 

Written by Michael Waldron

Directed by Sam Raimi

Wanda (to Strange): "You break the rules and become a hero. I do the same and I become the enemy. That doesn't seem fair."

Ah, yes, the double standards of what can and can't be done with the laws of magic. Are both Stephen Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) and Wanda Maximoff (Elizbeth Olsen) both in the wrong for their meddling of magic? Well, the obvious answer would be yes and this movie definitely explores the consequences of recent magical decisions the pair have made.

For Wanda, she's been in an exile of sorts since the events of Westview but since the finale of her own Disney+ show she also became the Scarlet Witch and found herself in possession of the Darkhold. That possession hasn't done wonders for her sense of judgement either as she had a singular mission in mind for this movie and anyone unfortunate enough to get in her way didn't stand a chance.

To start Wanda does have a sympathetic motivation in the sense that all she wanted to do was to reunite with her sons, Tommy (Jett Klyne) and Billy (Julian Hilliard) but in order to do, not only did Wanda need to travel to the Multiverse for her goal, but she needed to absorb the power of dimension hopping America Chavez (Xochitl Gomez) in order to do so, this putting her in direct conflict with both Strange and the actual, Sorcerer Supreme Wong (Benedict Wong) and the more the latter two oppose Wanda, the less reasonable she became as a result.

Seeing Wanda in full villain mode and make no mistake, she's absolutely the villain of the piece was fascinating to see unfold. Elizabeth Olsen definitely didn't hold back as Wanda resorted to every trick in the Darkhold and a creepy temple in order to achieve her goal and if you didn't know this was a Sam Raimi movie beforehand, you definitely did as soon as Wanda started piling the bodies in a bid to get to America Chavez.

A part of me was surprised with how dark Wanda truly went in the movie because while she rightly pointed Strange's hypocrisy, it certainly took until the last minute and thanks to America to truly see the error of her ways. Will we see Wanda again after the events of this movie? I have no doubt but it's certainly going to take a lot to get her back on the lunchbox after her antics in this one.

As for Stephen himself, it wasn't that long ago he had helped cause havoc with the Multiverse himself and here when he wasn't attending the wedding of ex-girlfriend Christine Palmer (Rachel McAdams), he found himself taking on the tole of protector of America Chavez (someone who hasn't met more than one Strange) and trying to reason with Wanda before trying to track down the antithesis of the Darkhold.

Strange's arrogance was something the movie needed to challenge and it did it here rather nicely. Yes, we had Wanda calling him out on his own hypocrisy as we did with the variants of Christine and Mordo (Chiwetel Ejiofor) but it really the Illuminati scene comprising of variants of Professor X (Patrick Stewart), Reed Richards (John Krasinski), Black Bolt (Anson Mount), Captain Carter (Hayley Atwell) and Captain Marvel (Lashanna Lynch)that truly highlighted the dangers of a Strange unchecked. 

Benedict Cumberbatch definitely brought his A game to this movie and seeing some of the Strange variants was a delight to behold. With Stephen gaining closure over his failed romance with Christine, bringing about the end of Wanda's reign of terror and mentoring America, this movie covered a lot of needed ground with the character. Not to mention the fact that his own dabbling with the Darkhold will clearly have it's own consequences down the line.

- Being a Sam Raimi movie, of course Bruce Campbell made an appearance as a pizza ball vendor who cam afoul of one of Strange's more pettier of spells. It wore off in the post credit scene.

- The mid credit scene introduced Charlize Theron as Clea while reminding audiences that Strange will be getting a third movie.

- America is the only version with no Multiverse equivalent. We also learned that her mothers were lost when she first used her powers by accident.

- Spider-Man was referenced by Strange and Wong but America had no idea who he was. 

-  We did briefly get to see Shuma-Growth, but due to a right issue, the character was renamed Gargantos.

- Chronology: Not long after the events of WandaVision and Spider-Man: No Way Home. 

Doctor Strange In The Multiverse Of Madness might not have been loaded with the maximum amount of cameos that I think we were all guilty of setting ourselves up for,but at the same time, the ones we got actually worked and the focus on both Stephen and Wanda made the movie all the more better to watch. Both Benedict Cumberbatch and Elizabeth Olsen knocked it out of the park here and Sam Raimi gave the MCU a much needed shake up in terms of what can be done with this franchise. I hope this won't be the past time we see his talents here.

Rating: 9 out of 10

My Review of Superman And Lois 2x11: "Truth And Consequences"

 

Written by Andrew N. Wong

Directed by David Ramsey

Lana (to Clark): "You're Superman?"

With another month long break to contend with before the final four episodes of the season, we certainly needed a good moment to end on with this episode. Fortunately that came with Lana finally learning that her best friend is Superman and as far as I'm concerned, it wasn't a moment too soon.

Being on the Bizarro world certainly got Clark thinking about the pros and cons of maintaining his secret life and with Jonathan largely pointing out the cons aspect of it, the time had finally come to at least tell someone of note. Lana of course made the most sense to do so.

She's been both Clark's best friend and his ex-girlfriend and like Sarah with Jordan, Lana was also aware that there was a side to Clark that he wasn't being honest about. Clark being evasive with Lana and the latter getting kidnapped by Jon-El also made the moment more timely too. How will Lana react to her best friend being Superman?

Come to think, Lana might have more to worry about as her Bizarro version made an appearance in Smallville and went toe to toe with John and Natalie. While she seemingly got sent back to her own world, there's no way that Lana won't be encountering her doppelganger before the season finale. That in itself should be a fun confrontation to see.

As for the rest of the episode, with everything going on, Jordan really had the worst timing with Sarah as I actually didn't blame the latter for not wanting to deal with him. Fortunately Jordan did have better scenes with his battle with Jon-El and even managed to hold his own during those fight scenes. Jon-El however didn't go back to his own world.

As for John and Natalie, their working together was nice as was their confrontation with the Bizarro Lana but there does seem to be the issue of John not entirely letting Natalie know everything he's planning. Then again, Natalie also went his back too.

- Sarah ended up getting a nice car from her parents. I loved the conversation that both her and Lois before the latter realised Jon-El had taken Lana.

- I'm also surprised that Jon-El didn't out Clark to Lana.

- No Kyle, Chrissy or Sam this week.

- Chronology: 33 days since Superman had gone through the portal.

Truth And Consequences did a good job with it's title here. We saw the consequences of Clark maintaining his secret with Jon-El's presence ultimately forcing his hand into letting Lana in on things. With only,four episodes left, it's going to be interesting to see how this storyline will get wrapped up.

Rating: 8 out of 10

My Review of Constantine: The House Of Mystery (2022)

 

Written by Ernie Altbacker

Directed by Matt Peters

Constantine (to the Spectre): "I accept my punishment. No more tricks."

It's been less than a year since John Constantine (Matt Ryan) got benched from Legends Of Tomorrow and only a few days since the show's cancellation was announced. Fortunately,in animation form, this particular version of the character has some life left in them as this particular showcase demonstrated.

Following the events of Justice League Dark: Apokolips War, the Spectre (Lou Diamond Phillps) has decided that John can spend eternity in the House of Mystery for his interference in the universe. While it's later revealed that the Spectre's decision was meant to be merciful, Constantine's experience was anything but that.

Trapped in the magical house, Constantine had all of his friends and even a family with Zatanna and two kids named Della and Jack but rather repeatedly they turned into demons. Also repeatedly was the way that Constantine kept getting himself killed by his loved ones every time he learned more about his punishment.

The deaths are inventive and if this was a live action feature, they'd be wonderfully gory, silly and definitely meriting an R Rating. Saying that, I've never been a fan of the Constantine/Zatanna pairing and nor do I buy the 'love of my life' bit here. With the comics embracing Constantine with male characters in varying continuities, it's high time these animated movies did similar and no, a joke about King Shark doesn't cut it. Get with the times, DC animated.

Outside of that though, we did get an amusing bit where Constantine managed to set Nergal, Beezelbum and Ashok against one another in order to escape the House of Mystery. It's a classic Constantine bit, followed by a revealing confrontation with the Spectre and Constantine getting a grim reminder that the universe isn't quite done with him yet. 

- The showcase clocks in at 26 minutes with accompanying shorts for Blue Beetle/The Question  and The Losers and Kamandi.

- I really don't like the animation for Constantine in this one. Definitely a downgrade compared to his previous looks in the animated universe.

- Let's just say toilet water can be used for a spell when no other source of water is available.

- Chronology: A hell of a time for Constantine in his predicament. 

Constantine: The House Of Mystery has it's moments. Some top notch voice acting, inventive kills (loved the tree eating him) and proper consequences for previous actions. It's solid stuff and hopefully a reassuring sign that even if we've lost Matt Ryan in live action, we still have him in animated form as John Constantine for the foreseeable future.

Rating: 7 out of 10

DCEU Blog - The Batman Gets A Sequel, CW Wield The Axe And More

It's been a hell of a month for DC fans. Some highs, interesting developments and possible disappointments, depending on your feelings for the CW side of things.

Thanks to CinemaCon, we now know for definite that The Batman will definitely be getting a sequel with both Matt Reeves and Robert Pattinson confirmed to return.

The Batman has currently grossed over $750 million worldwide and even managed to pull in 4.1 million during it's first week on HBO Max.

The movie will also be available in DVD/Blu-Ray from June 13th.

Meanwhile The Penguin will begin filming  from June onwards, so expecting casting news in the next few weeks.

Bad tiding for the CW as both Batwoman and Legends Of Tomorrow have been cancelled and there's likely more axings to come.

Harley Quinn will not only return for it's third season on HBO Max during the summer but it'll be getting a spin-off focusing on Kite Man and other minor baddies titled Noonans.

Rahart Adams has been cast as Brody for the upcoming Gotham Knights show. 

Rumours are that the Constantine series for HBO Max will film from September onwards and will be eight episodes. Filming is expected for the UK and Morocco.

KJ Apa and Isabel May have been as the Wonder Twins for the HBO Max movie. Filming is due to begin in July.

Abrams and Coates long rumoured Superman movie will now not be a period piece and could feature Ultra-Humanite as the main antagonist. Emphasis on rumour.

Speaking of our favourite, Kryptonian, a younger version of the character will appear in The Flash movie. 

Kevin Conroy has written a story for the upcoming DCPride issue, due out the end of next month.

Susan Sarandon will now play Victoria Kord for the Blue Beetle movie. Filming has begun.

Shazam! Fury Of The Gods will now be released on December 21st. Thanks to CinemaCon, Wonder Woman has also been confirmed for the movie.

Aquaman And The Lost Kingdom has had a test screening. It seems that Mera's role has been reduced, Arthur and Orm are teaming up and Black Manta has leveled up as a threat.

Charlize Theron might be bringing the Aqualad novel, You Brought Me To The Ocean as a series for HBO Max.

Yup, it's been a hell of a month. What will the next one bring us?

My Review of Superman And Lois 2x10: "Bizarros In A Bizarro World"

 

Written by  Brent Fletcher And Todd Helbing

Directed by Louis Shaw Milito

Lois: "Why are you here?"

Jon-El (re Jonathan): "For him."

After a month of the air and given that the previous episode was a Superman lite affair, this one had plenty of our favourite Kryptonian, albeit in a bizarro world not of his own. Yup, we finally got to see what this world was like that Ally was so desperate to merge with and some interesting creative choices were made here.

Notably with the boys themselves. It made sense for the Inverse version of events to have Jordan without powers and Jonathan not only having them, but abusing them too. Jonathan definitely had his daddy issues to work out and with his own father dead, he didn't mind taking some of them out on our Superman for good measure.

A big issue being a killer. Jonathan killed his own world's version of Anderson at Ally's behest before doing away with our version too, around the same the latter found a redemption of sorts. Oh and he's now on our world and quite eager to merge with our Jonathan as we got back to that cliff hanger from the previous episode.

Then there was the Inverse of Lois, who enabled her husband's recklessness and fame seeking until it became too much and she took Jordan away from him. She seemed to be as determined to save her family from Ally as ours does but wasn't really able to do anything about Jonathan getting under Ally's control. 

As for Anderson, I spent so much of the season actively hating his guts that his deaths actually surprised me in a pleasant way. Twice by Jonathan and also after he finally realised why Superman kept secrets from him. I have to admit, I actually wish he hadn't died now.

Last but not least, the Tal-Rho bits of this episode were great stuff. His excitement at being an uncle, marrying his version of Lana, getting swayed into Ally's cause and then realising he needed to let our Superman stop her. This show has found a brilliant way of utilising the character this season. 

- As expected, the opening and closing titles had fun going backwards to emphasis the bizarro nature of this episode.

- I'm surprised we didn't get Inverse versions of Kyle, John, Natalie and Sarah in this one but it might have been for timing or feeling they weren't needed.

- Jonathan got the classic Superboy look (one of them at least) but rejected the name. 

- Chronology: From where the previous episode left off from Superman's viewpoint and the cliff hanger from previous episode too.

Bizarros In A Bizarro World understood the assignment and had fun with the results. A part of me wished the episode had been a little longer as I was enjoying watching the differences on display but there's a mission to stop Ally and somehow redeem Jon-El. I guess we should get on with both of those to be fair.

Rating: 8 out of 10

My Review of Doctor Who's "Legend Of The Sea Devils"

 

Written by Chris Chibnall And Ella Road

Directed by Haolu Wang

The Doctor (to Yaz): "I wish this would go on forever."

First of all, Happy Easter everyone and for the second time in the show's history, here's an Easter special, though unlike Planet Of The Dead, don't expect a reference to the event here. Instead we have something of a maritime adventure, which again isn't a first for the show.

It's deeply amusing that Chris Chibnall spent all of his first series avoiding past monsters to a blinding fault, only for his latter two series to feature as many of returning monsters as possible. This time, it's the Sea Devils getting an update as they serve as the only antagonists for this somewhat half baked story.

The Doctor, Yaz and Dan find themselves in an early 19th Century Chinese village and it's not long before desperate pirate Queen Madam Ching (Crystal Yu) has inadvertently released the leading Sea Devil (Craige Els) and incurred the wrath of young villager Ying Ki (Marlowe Chan-Reeves). However it doesn't take long for Ching to force both Ying Ki and Dan into becoming her new crew members while the Doctor and Yaz take a journey back a few hundred years.

Their journey gave the Doctor and Yaz a fair bit to mull over. Namely witnessing the Sea Devils forcing a deal with another pirate, Ji-Hun (Arthur Lee) and punishing him after he retaliated a betrayal. There was also the fact that Ying Ki held in possession an artifact needed for the Sea Devils predictable scheme while Madam Ching had her own reasons to get possession of Flor de la Mar treasure. 

The Sea Devils were overdue a return in a post 2005 and design wise, it's mostly faithful to their original look. Craige Els does a solid job as the lead Sea Devil but the story itself definitely felt somewhat all over the place with the resolution being somewhat hastily resolved for it's own good. It definitely could've done with an extra five or ten minutes.

As for our main players, Dan had some great moments with Ying Ki and Madam Ching as well as a phone call with a certain character but it was the Doctor and Yaz confronting their own feelings that dominated this episode. Regeneration is certainly on the Doctor's mind and this episode slightly hammered that point home. It also reminded audiences that any potential Doctor/Companion romance will always be doomed, so for me there's definitely no way that won't repeat with this Doctor and Yaz.

- This episode was a last minute addition to the schedule and the only one this series with a new co-writer.

- We learned that Dan is 42 in this episode and we got to briefly see Diane again, who seemed to be missing Dan.

- I'm genuinely surprised we didn't get a reference to the Silurians in this one.

- I figured out fast the Sea Devils took Ji-Hun's ship. The underwater scenes with the TARDIS did look good though.

- While the title for the final special wasn't revealed, a trailer did show the return of various characters such as the Master, Ashad/Cybermen, Daleks, Vinder, Kate Stewart as well as Tegan Jovanka and Ace McShane.

- Chronology: Both 1533 for Ji-Hun and 1807 for Madam Ching.

Legend Of The Sea Devils had the makings of an entertaining Easter special and while it certainly wasn't horrible as such, it was undeniably a very under cooked and rushed story. Unfortunately that's been an ongoing problem with this era but here's hoping the last story can end this era on a better note.

Rating: 6 out of 10

DCEU Blog - Movie Lineup Changed, Spin-Offs Ahoy And Oscar Love?

Well, this has undoubtedly been one of the most chaotic months for DC fans and that's putting it mildly. A roundup of things that have happened this month.

First of all, we've got movies being shifted around the place. Black Adam will now be released October 21st and Shazam! Fury Of The Gods has been brought forward to December 16th.

For 2023, Aquaman And The Lost Kingdom will now open March 17th, The Flash on June 23rd while Blue Beetle will still open on August 18th and Batgirl to be confirmed on HBO Max.

The Flash has also had a test screening so there are rumours surfacing about certain characters fates. Take everything with a pinch of salt until a verified trade confirms anything.

Zack Snyder's Justice League won the Oscar for Fan Favourite moment for The Flash scene.

At this point in time, The Batman is nearing 700 million at the box office while US audiences can watch the movie again on HBO Max from April 19th.

Matt Reeves released a deleted scene featuring Robert Pattinson's Batman talking to Barry Keoghan's Joker at Arkham. 

Colin Farrell has officially signed on for his character's HBO Max spin-off, titled The Penguin.

Paul Dano will be releasing a six part Riddler: Year One comic from October, serving as a prequel to the events of the movie.

Sharon Stone will play Victoria Kord, the main antagonost of Blue Beetle with Raoul Max Trujillo as Carapax The Indestructible Man.

Rounding off the cast for this movie are George Lopez, Adriana Barraza, Elpidia Carrillo, Damian Alcazar, Belissa Escobedo, Bruna Marquezine and Harvey Guillen. Filming begins in April for the movie.

Meanwhile Batgirl is currently in it's final week of filming in Glasgow.

Rachel Zegler may have also hinted that a certain character will be appearing in Shazam! Fury Of The Gods.

Gotham Knights for the CW has it's main cast which includes Fallon Smythe (Harper Row), Tyler DiChiara (Cullen Row), Olivia Keegan-Rose (Duela), Oscar Morgan (Turner Hayes), Nadia Zaraili Robinson (Carrie Kelly), Anna Lore (Stephanie Brown) and Misha Collins (Harvey Dent).

The CW have renewed both The Flash and Superman And Lois for next season. The fates of their other DC shows will be revealed likely in May if not sooner.

James Gunn will play a version of himself directing a Thomas Wayne movie for the upcoming season of Harley Quinn with Harvey Guillen also voicing Nightwing. 

The current seasons of Peacemaker, The Flash and Legends Of Tomorrow are on Sky Showcase/Max for UK viewers. DMZ was also recently released on HBO Max.

That's it for this month. Let's see what the next one will bring.

My Review of Superman And Lois 2x09: "30 Days And 30 Nights"

 

Written by Katie Aldrin And Jai Jamison

Directed by Ian Samoil

Lois (to Jordan): "That's not our Jonathan."

This episode certainly changed up the format, didn't it? You had an opening scene that felt like the cliff-hanger to a mid season finale and then the title of the episode really did become appropriate. Is Superman really gone for good?

The smart answer would be not very likely but whatever has happened in Bizarro World certainly seems to be dealing him from coming back to our one and as a result, it's taken both John Henry Irons as Steel and a vigilante Jordan to fill the Superman shaped void. So far, both are doing an excellent job, evening there's been some personal fallout for both.

For Jordan, playing hero naturally brought conflict between himself and Lois with Sam trying to remind the latter of her son being capable of handling himself. Lois's concerns for Jordan do make sense but at the same time, if it wasn't for Jordan's intervention, both her and Sam would've been killed this week as well. Another plus side also seems to be the possible end of the X-Kryptonite plot as well for.

However while Jordan managed to get Lois on side, he wasn't as fortunate with Sarah. I've bee expecting the pair to break up and I thought it would be Jordan doing the dumping but Sarah did it instead. The relationship was doomed the moment they added the Aubrey story into the mix, so this seemed very inevitable nonetheless.

Anyways breaks up to one side, let's talk about Jonathan. He suffered from public fallout over getting the football season cancelled but he did get Candice to help Lois and Sam deal with the X-Kryptonite problem. However the arrival of his Bizarro world counterpart at the end definitely meant the we are finally going to get some proper Bizarro world action in the next episode.

Meanwhile and getting back to the personal consequences bit, we did have conflict between John and Natalie over the former forgetting about the anniversary of other Lois's death but we did have some nice scenes where they watched an old scene as well as Natalie and Sarah hanging out again. 

As for the Cushings segment of the episode, when Sarah wasn't breaking up with Jordan, she was quite harsh in telling Kyle that he might not get back with Lana so easily. Speaking of Lana, she won the election and now has become the Mayor of Smallville. I wonder how long that will last.

- I didn't really see John and Lana flirting as such but if the latter doesn't get back with Kyle, I could see the show pairing up the characters.

- Ally Allston sprung out of the DOD and went through that portal rather effortlessly. It'll be interesting to see how she gets on with her other self.

- While we had Steel and Jordan stepping into Superman's shoes, it does make you wonder why the show doesn't mention another Kryptonian.

- Chronology: Exactly as the title says lol. The show will be back on April 26th.

30 Days And 30 Nights certainly mixed things up in an interesting way. The lack of Superman definitely isn't something I want to see often with this show for obvious reasons but it did work here, considering the strength of the storylines we got this week. It's gonna be a long month waiting for the next episode.

Rating: 9 out of 10

Finding Religion, Then Losing It

As I head towards the end of the month, a look at some of the shows I watched recently.

911: Seven episodes into this current season and it's been one of the strongest we've had so far. In the space of these episodes, we've had a chaotic blackout, an old enemy of Athena's taking her son captive, Buck settling  into a relationship with Taylor, Eddie ending a relationship as well as a temporary exits for Maddie and Chinmey with Ravi also getting more screen time and a prison riot to boot. Oh and some zoo animals on the loose.

Batwoman: Although a fourth season has yet to be confirmed, it's safe to say one will come. As for the last few episodes of the season that just aired, they were decent enough. Marquis might not have been a convincing Joker successor but it does seem like he'll be around next season for him and Ryan to actual'y build a family dynamic along with Jada. Ryan basically got her family, friends and a girlfriend in Sophie while Alice might get some form of redemption or not. It really could go either way.

Killing Eve: A part me is definitely glad this is the last season because half way in, I'm finding myself increasingly bored with it. I know the main plot seems to be about taking down the Twelve but even with that in mind, it just feels rudderless. Villanelle's religious awakening hasn't added to much and Eve's pursuit of Helene has been mildly entertaining at best. Hopefully the second half of the season can get inject a bit more excitement into it.

Pam And Tommy: Overall I did enjoy this limited series and there's no denying that Lily James, Sebastian Stan and Seth Rogen all did a fantastic job in their respective roles. The second half of the series did explore the fallout of the sex tape pretty well along with the Pam and Tommy relationship beginning to fall part, not to mention Rand's own epiphany of sorts. I hope this series does bag a few Emmy nods for itself.

The Flash: The more the CW keep renewing this show, the more I'm reminded that it's best days are definitely behind it. Armageddon wad a decent crossover event and the Bart/Nora episode was entertaining but the last two episodes were back to the mediocrity of the last two seasons. It's been obvious for a while that the show has been running on fumes and I'm somewhat tempted to drop the show if it doesn't pick itself back up.

The Gilded Age: It took me a while to get into this show but for now, I'm glad I stuck with it. While it doesn't quite have the same excitement factor that another show from Julian Fellowes had in it's heyday or even a certain Netflix counterpart, the second half of the season did move things along a bit. We learned more about the characters, saw new relationships develop and bloom and while the gay storyline is absolutely horrible to watch, at least everything seems to have mostly improved, so I'll tune into the next season.

• The Teen Wolf movie for Paramount+ will lead into a new spin off called Wolf Pack. Most of the original cast members are back for the movie.
• The second season of Only Murders In The Building will premiere on Hulu from June 28th.
• The final series of Derry Girls will air on Channel 4 from April.
• Star Trek: Picard will end after three seasons. Paul Wesley has been cast Captain Kirk for Strange New Worlds.
• And Just Like That has been renewed for a second season.
• The second season of The Flight Attendant will premiere on HBO Max from April 21st and premiere on SkyMax from May.
• Riverdale  has been renewed for a seventh season.
• Charlotte Ritchie has joined the cast of You for it's fourth season, currently filming in the UK.
• Angela Bassett will appear in an upcoming episode of 911: Lone Star as Athena.
• Denis O'Hare will appear in the first episode of American Horror Stories. He's rumoured to be playing a character connected to a past season of the parent series.

My Review of Superman And Lois 2x08: "Into Oblivion"

 

Written by Juliana James And Kristi Korzec

Directed by Sudz Sutherland And Gregory Smith

Ally (to Chrissy): "The greatest story in human history."

Well, kind of. I mean we did see a bit of the Inverse world but again, not quite as much as I thought we would do. Ally nearly got everything she wanted but she gravely underestimated Anderson having his own agenda. On the other hand, there was also Lucy.

Lucy being revealed as Ally's Plan B was hardly a shocker. She was missing during the big event at the mines, had sent both Lois and Sam cryptic texts, appeared randomly at the farm and then drugged her own father to get his DOD card to free Ally. All of it was thoroughly predictable. At this point, I'm wondering what it will actually take to snap Lucy out of Ally's grip.

Ally herself had been far too smug in that interrogation scene with Sam that her having another trick up her sleeve made total sense. Ally definitely knew how to play on Sam's insecurities and she definitely got the better out of him during their scenes together. She continues to shape up as one of the most dangerous foes though we have yet to see her and Superman go head to head.

Outside of the Inverse plot this week, there was plenty of other personal drama. Clark really couldn't contain his disappointment with Jonathan and the latter's need to protect Candice even put him at odds with Jordan when the latter had to step in protect the two from a drug dealer. Maybe Candice does have genuine feelings for Jonathan but this story has definitely started to drag now.

Speaking of things in danger of dragging, we all know that Sarah and Jordan are heading for splitsvillle, right? The fact that she's now trying to stay in contact with Aubrey should be the sign for Jordan that their relationship will not last much longer. Then there's the Lana and Kyle subplot. I think they will reunite but it seems for now that Lana will not forgive Kyle just yet, even if they were communicating better  in this episode.

Last but not least, this episode also delved into Natalie's issues with Clark. I get that like her father, Natalie would have the same issue with accepting that this version of Clark isn't a homicidal maniac and I did like that Clark came up with a way to make things easier and earn Natalie's trust. As for John, it really show how much things have changed for him over the space of a season given that he defended Clark a lot here.

- Anderson told the other Ally about killing Superman during his own trip to the other side. 

- Jonathan's actions have caused the football season to be cancelled ans he hot a job in the same story owned by Sarah's friend's father.

- Sam has assumed his old job back on a temporary basis until they can get a replacement.

- Chronology: About a week has passed since the events of the fifth episode.

Into Oblivion had it's moments but it wasn't quite as strong as previous episodes. As much as I liked seeing more of the Inverse World, I still feel like there's more that needs to be done with the idea. Also some of the subplots need to wrap up and other characters need to get more involved in the main story.

Rating: 7 out of 10

My Review of Superman And Lois 2x07: "Anti-Hero"

 

Written by Max Cunningham And Michael Narducci

Directed by Elizabeth Henstridge

Anderson (re pendant): "Can you tell me what this is?"

Ally: "That is a way to change the worlds."

Oh, Anderson. The bar was incredibly low for you as a character and now that we've gotten tot he halfway point of the season, I suppose I should've seen this coming. Of course he was going to end up being a bad guy this season. It probably would've more shocking if he wasn't.

He took way too ,much pleasure in locking Superman up this week and accusing him of being a traitor and then seemed only too happy to have Tal-Rho tortured for good measure. Then there was taking the X-Kryptonite and killing Bizarro. Yup, he better not be making it out of this season alive.

Also with Anderson's career in ruins over his overzealous stupidity, his only other option was to throw in his lot with Ally Allston. Those two together definitely should be a dangerous combination, especially now that Ally has both pendants that she can use to her own advantage. I'm hoping though she doesn't keep Anderson around for too long and that he outlives his usefulness to her sooner than later.

As for Bizarro, it was a shame that he was killed off so quickly bur he had great scenes with Superman, Tal-Rho and Lara in this episode. Tal-Rho in particular was a highlight this week too as some traces for potential redemption seem to be creeping into the character. It also might have helped that Superman stepped in to save him when the chips were down too. I'm liking what the show has done with  Tal-Rho this season in his appearances so far.

Outside of the main plots, the B plots also had some good focus too. Jonathan paid the price for protecting Candice and both Lois and Clark gave him both barrels for it. I did feel a bit sorry for Jonathan in this episode but I also thought he was being extremely stupid as well. 

As for the Cushings plot this week, it was interesting to see Sarah reach out to Aubrey to talk about her parents split before reaching out to Kyle while Lana managed to put Dean in his place over his own cowardly attacks on her family values. Also points for that nice conversation that both Lana and Lois had about parenting as well. 

- We now know that Inverse Lana is the wife of Inverse Tal-Rho. I get the impression we'll be seeing her again very soon.

- Another episode in a row not to feature Chrissy, John and Natalie. The latter two are back in the next one though.

- Sarah confiding in Aubrey instead of Jordan though. I think they're showing the seed for Sarah and Jordan to break up later in the season.

- Chronology: The day after the previous episode.

Anti-Hero was another success. Former Agents Of SHIELD actor Elizabeth Henstridge did a fantastic job here and while the episode had plenty of highlights, for me, it was Tal-Rho who stole the show. It's a shame that Bizarro was killed off but at least the story continued to move at a good pace.

Rating: 8 out of 10

My Review of The Batman (2022)

 

Written by Matt Reeves And Peter Craig

Directed by Matt Reeves

Batman: "Our scars can destroy us, even after the physical wounds have healed. But if we survive them, they can transform us. They can give us the power to endure, and the strength to fight."

It's felt like an eternity since this movie was announced and even since the first DCFanDome event debuted the first trailer. It's been a long time but now that the movie has finally arrived, the obvious question has to be asked - does it live up to the hype? Yes, and then some.

With a new Batman film and a new actor in the role, you'd be forgiven for thinking this movie would rethread familiar territory but this movie has Batman (Robert Pattinson) in his second year as the Caped Crusader and while there are reminders of the Wayne family murders, there are no particular flashbacks to that particular key moment. Saying that though, the legacy of the Wayne family does play a large part in the motivations of the main villain in question.

The main villain of course being the Riddler (Paul Dano) aka forensic accountant Edward Nashton. Going down a clearly inspired Zodiac killer route, this might be the most ruthless live action version of the Riddler we've had as Nashton has taken it upon himself to expose the true corruption of Gotham City while using his famed riddle motif to great effect.

The Riddler's victims are not the most sympathetic of people but their deaths certainly leave an opening for power grabs. Mayor Don Mitchell, Jr (Rupert Penry-Jones) got the ball rolling but his demise resulted in at least bright hope for Gotham City with Bella Real (Jayme Lawson) genuinely wanting to make Gotham into a better place. The way she also stepped up during the Riddler's final act of terror also spoke volumes of her sincerity to succeed where her predecessor failed.

As for the Riddler's other victims, there was Commissioner Pete Savage (Alex Ferns), who we barely knew and the limited screen time he had did not present the character in a positive light. DA Gil Colson (Peter Sarsgaard) certainly got the most explosive exit while Alfred Pennyworth (Andy Serkis) almost paid the price for Thomas Wayne's (Luke Roberts) past connection with Carmine Falcone (John Turturro). The Riddler definitely had a list that he was crossing off with no mercy.

The most interesting part was that while Riddler was determined to make the reclusive Bruce Wayne pay for his family's sins, the former also felt a connection to the Batman and even believed they made a great team together. Paul Dano will definitely lap up the acclaim that Heath Ledger did as the Joker for The Dark Knight and he definitely deserves it. His Riddler truly delivered in this movie.

Of course while the Riddler might be the main villain of the movie, he's not the only rogue member causing havoc in Gotham. The movie goes to great lengths to show how much power Falcone has moved the city and due to that, both Catwoman (Zoe Kravitz) and Penguin  (Colin Farrell) have their motivations, largely driven by Falcone throughout this movie as well.

Zoe Kravitz takes on the mantle of Selina Kyle in the beginning of her Catwoman journey very well. She plays off Robert Pattinson's Batman extremely well and her determination to get justice for her friend, Annika along with her past with Falcone all help to cement her in a sympathetic light. Not to mention this movie also helped to lay the ground work for a potential Catwoman spin off that the WB would be crazy not do.

As for Colin Farrell's Penguin, it's the start of his career, he's given fantastic scenes with both Batman and Lt James Gordon (Jeffrey Wright) and his hunger for power will be something that we know will get explored as this franchise continues. Farrell's a highlight throughout the movie and I definitely want to see more of him.

Last but not least, there's Batman's emotional journey from criminal bogeyman to full blown hero during the Riddler's final act. It's a beautiful character that Robert Pattinson acted the hell out and it was great to see this Batman not only working with the likes of James Gordon (their rapport was fantastic), Alfred and Selina but also to see him move past the need for vengeance and to truly step into the light as a hero.  

- Officer Martinez (Gil Perez-Abraham) went from being hostile towards Batman to willing to help him during the third act. I found it funny that he seemed to be a bit of a Bruce Wayne fanboy.

- This movie brought some more recent comic lore into the mix with Martha Wayne also being a member of the Arkham family and having her own history of mental illness.

- The influences for this movie do seem to be The Long Halloween, Ego and a certain element of Year One, despite being set during Batman's second year.

- As for Barry Keoghan's character, I won't spoil it here but trust me, you won't be shocked by the reveal either. A brief post credit scene does feature one last message from the Riddler.

- Standout music: Michael Giacchino's score for the whole movie, the chilling use of Ave Maria as well as Nirvana's Something In The Way.

- Chronology: October 31st to November 6th. The Riddler's spree almost lasted a week before he was sent to Arkham.

The Batman could've collapsed under the weight of the enormous expectations that it had but it didn't. In fact Matt Reeves has managed to give audiences one of the best Batman movies with a gripping story, drenched in comic book goodness and noir delight. Robert Pattinson easily proves everyone wrong and delivered immensely in the title role. I don't want to bandy the term 'masterpiece' but this movie certainly deserves it though. 

Rating: 10 out of 10

My Review Of Legends Of Tomorrow's 7x13: "Knocked Down, Knocked Up"

 

Written by Phil Klemmer And Keto Shimizu

Directed by Kevin Mock

Booster Gold (to the Legends): "I hope you don't have any plans for the near future because we're about to spend a lot of time together .... in jail."

Seven seasons. 110 episodes. More cast members that you can shale a stick at and least multiple versions of certain characters and it finally happened. Yup, Booster Gold has entered the Waverider and he's our hook for this show very likely getting renewed for an eighth season and I will genuinely be surprised if the CW don't announce it at once.

When I say entered the Waverider, I mean he stole the damn thing after reneging on his promise to help the Legends with their Alun dilemma and then setting everyone (including Alun) to get arrested for time crimes. Mike, you certainly know how to make a first impression.

Former Scrubs actor Donald Faison was originally meant to be a regular cast member of the CW's Powerpuff Girls live action series but with that looking less likely to happen, it's safe to assume he'll be a regular next season. So far, he's off to an interesting start as Booster Gold and I can't wait to see what the show intends to with the character.

As for Alun, we know that his death was a fixed point but we also know that both Gwyn and the Legends had their own plan. It worked and as a result while we've gained Alun as a regular for next season, we've sadly lost Nate as a character. Nate's exit was a tad rushed but at least he'll get to live in the town with Zari Tomaz even if he's lost his steel powers.

As for Sara and Ava, their pregnancy plans took a hell of a turn in this episode. I didn't have Sara actually being the one to get pregnant but Gary did manage to fill in the gaps of the logistics of her pregnancy as well as her now being vulnerable as a result of it. A good plot for the Avalance fans but something I would've left for a series finale, which this episode isn't intended to be.

Last but not least and before Mile decided to steal the Waverider, there was the Evil Gideon plot to do away with. Getting our Gideon into tricking her evil self into self destructing was a nice move. I've enjoyed Evil Gideon as a baddie but it was time for that storyline to come to an end and it was dealt with swiftly here.

- Even though he didn't wear the classic suit and likely won't next season, Mile certainly had other ways of telling us who he was before actually revealing his identity.

- Outside of Sara/Ava, the rest of the Legends seemed eager to avoid talking about the fates that evil Gideon had shown them.

- Standout music: Booster Gold certainly had fun with Here Comes The Hotstepper by Ini Kamoze.

- Chronology: 1916 Mametz Wood, France for the main action of the episode as well as 30,000 year B.C. for a brief Gary subplot. Of course Gary survived lol.

Knocked Down, Knocked Up loses points a little for Nate's lowkey exit even though this season was heavily hinting at his departure but everything else was spot on though. Like I said earlier in the review, I'd be genuinely surprised if the CW don't renew this show for at least one more season, especially given that they've finally added Booster Gold into the mix.

Rating: 8 out of 10