The Return of Swamp Thing

 Welcome back Readers of Rotten. I am trying to get more blogs out this summer, while looking for more writing work. Any freelance writing suggestions, feel free to toss them my way. Today I wanted to continue a tragic hero of the DC Comics universe. Now I know that is extremely vague and doesn't help anyone but I am getting to the character. For a couple of actors, they will be reprising roles in the continuation of the harrowing adventures of Doctor Alec Holland. This is The Return of Swamp Thing.

 

Ayyyy....

 

 

 

 

 

With the recurrence of this noteworthy and dark storyline based character, Doctor Holland a.k.a. The plant/man hybrid known as Swamp Thing (Dick Durock of Stand By Me, Swamp Thing, Runaway Train, Return of Swamp Thing, Delirious, Swamp Thing TV series, Die Hard with a Vengeance and The Hunted) has a life filled with agony and loss.   Wes Craven's original run gave us his humble beginnings as a passionate scientist, whose only concern was to aid his fellow humanity with his restoration formula that would magnify both plant and animal.   This time however, we get a more tongue in cheek story with Jim Wynorski (The Lost Empire, Chopping Mall, Sorceress, Hard Bounty, Demolition High, Against the Law, Raptor, Busty Cops and The Curse of the Komodo) at the director's helm. 

 

First, kippers and then take over the world!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 With our film opening with bubbly Abigail Arcane (Heather Locklear of City Killer, T.J. Hooker, Dynasty, Melrose Place, Double Tap, Spin City, Scrubs and Looney Tunes: Back in Action) who is bustling about finishing her packing and heading out to attend her mother's funeral.  A somber event no doubt.   With that she visits her stepfather Dr. Anton Arcane (Louis Jourdan of Letter from an Unknown Woman, Gigi, The Swan, Escapade, The V.I.P.s, The Young Rebel, Swamp Thing, Octopussy and Counterforce), who Abby hasn't really seen since she was a little girl.   The "good" doctor has always been consumed by his work. After a near death experience, Arcane wishes to make amends to Abby and assure her she is the most important thing in her life. Abby strikes me as a tad naive.  How can I say such?   Well her dad has a private mercenary army at his fingertips. Seriously this cat has more protection than Dr. Quest. 

 

Bill Shatner, you go too far!

 

 

 

 

 

Of his gunsels...hmm thugs? Mercs? Oh I got it! Lickspittles! Head of security Lickspittle! Mr. Gunn (Joey Sagal of World War III, Final Jeopardy, Quiet Cool, The Hidden, Out for Blood, Bloodfist VII: Manhunt, Barb Wire, Whatever It Takes, Lost Treasure and Retrograde) and Ms. Poinsettia (the lovely Monique Gabrielle of Deathstalker II, Bachelor Party, Emmanuelle 5, Amazon Women on the Moon, The Big Bet, Not of This Earth, Hard to Die, Body Chemistry II: The Voice of a Stranger, 976-Evil II, Evil Toons and Angel Eyes) have enough sexual tension between them, pretty sure the rest of the guards are chuckling and commenting quietly, "Just screw already." Now I am certain some of you are confused.  To recap, Dr. Acane had Swamp Thing flogged, netted and then chained up.   He attempted to duplicate Holland's formula, had a goof and morphed into a chitinous mutant pig monster that Swampy dispatched.   Soooo...what in the cheese and crackers is a-going on?

 

THERE CAN BE ONLY ONE!!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

With the assistance of Dr. Zurrell (The stunning Sarah Douglas of The People That Time Forgot, Superman, Thundercloud, Superman II, Conan the Destroyer, Falcon Crest, Beastermaster 2 Through the Portal of Time, Return of the Living Dead III, The Demolitionist, Stargate SG-1 and Heavy Gear: The Animated Series) whom Arcane has been seeing and Dr. Rochelle (Ace Mask of Big Bad Mama II, Not of This Earth, The Return of Swamp Thing, Transylvania Twist, 976-Evil II, Munchie, Sins of Desire, Ghoulies IV, Victim of Desire,Babylon 5 and Buffy the Vampire Slayer) have been working on these various mutations trying to re-create the formula and flooding the swamps with mutants. They tampered in God's domain and Gunn's men haven't really busted their collective butts to capture them all.   C'mon, Doc. Ya gotta pay the overtime.

Let's not forget those darn, pesky kids Darryl (Daniel Emery Taylor of The Return of Swamp Thing, Road Trip, Hell-ephone, Hell House, The Legacy, Resurrection, Night of the Cannibals, Mountain Mafia, Camp Massacre and For a Few Zombies More) and Omar (RonReaco Lee of The Return of Swamp Thing, Career Opportunities, Paris Trout, How I Spent My Summer Vacation, Sister,Sister, Girlfriends, Committed and The Shield) whose parents clearly are not watching them AT ALL. Yes they are a bit of comic relief, kid hi-jinks and an element of the big green's humanity. At 6'6", I think we can call him a jolly green giant.

 

Swampy spends a little time with these two, saves them from a few mutants and even poses with them for a few pics. Pre-Selfie! What we have here is a superhero story of Swamp Thing falling for Abby and vice versa. Arcane is being a typical mad scientist and control freak and some good fight sequences and explosions. Hell we even get Swamp Thing getting behind the wheel of a jeep. Not to mention CCR (Creedence Clearwater Revival for you younger readers) Born on the Bayou as opening credits intro. Flawless victory!!

Is it a bit goofy? Yes. Does that bother me? Hell no. We got mutates, Swamp Thing getting to smack creatures and mercs around like tennis balls and maybe even get a girl. Anything's possible. For me I saw this when I rented it from Blockbuster in the day. We got it and had no expectations, only to be pleasantly surprised. I loved it and have it in the collection. So yes, old school superhero fans grab a copy, you'll thank me. 

 

Hehe, I'm high on...me.

 

 

Batman: Year One

 Welcome back, Readers of Rotten. This time around we are going back to animated movies. Yes apparently saying Adult Cartoon sounds vaguely pornographic, so with that in mind we look at another WB creation. Before the crusade began, the training and the will had to be forged in order to save Gotham. Before the legend of the dark knight, Bruce Wayne had to become something else. This is Batman: Year One. 

 

Sure hope that's not The Spectre.

 

 

 

 

 

 

12 years after Bruce Wayne (Ben McKenzie of Junebug, 88 Minutes, The O.C. Southland and Gotham)lost his parents, he has returned to his hometown to find it rife with corruption. From the City Hall to the organized mob, there will have to be a serious culling before the streets are safe for the decent people of this city.  But Wayne is not the only new arrival to this abysmal burg, a newly appointed GCPD Lieutenant James Gordon (Bryan Cranston of Armitage III, Seinfeld, Malcolm in the Middle, The Fallen, The Cleveland Show, Breaking Bad and Godzilla) expected to tow the company line, look the other way and not make waves in Gotham like he did in Chicago. 

 

Don't think I like Gotham's AAA service.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Commissioner Loeb (character actor Jon Polito of Highlander, Dream Lover, Critical Condition, Miami Vice, The Equalizer, Homicide: Life on the Street, NightMan, The Big Lebowski and Tale of the Mummy) along with his head thug, Detective Flass (Fred Tatasciore of Ultimate Avengers, The Wild, Ultimate Avengers II, Justice League Heroes, The Invincible Iron Man, God of War II, Ben-10, Wolverine and the X-Men and God of War III) expect good things from Gordon. 

 

Save me, Jenny Craig. Yer my only hope.

 

 

 

 

 

 

With mob infesting the Gotham elite and controlling lawmakers and legislators, what hope does anyone have of survival?  Bruce attempts to infiltrate the streets as a Vietnam vet but none of the thugs are impressed and attack him outright. With his skill set and substantial strength, he makes his way back to the manor. He has to recreate himself, to give him an edge against criminals.

Gordon is shaking loose some of his own dead weight, i.e. cops on the take, thugs with guns and more of Loeb's informants, so he can run a department people won't be afraid to call for help. His latest hire, Detective Essen (Katee Sackhoff of Battlestar Galactica, Halloween: Resurrection, 24, Spider-Man: Edge of Time, Riddick, Star Wars Rebels, Longmire and The Flash) is smart, resourceful and dedicated to the job.

 

Hey, Rock Hudson! Stay for a picture?!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Rumors of a giant bat is plaguing the underworld, leaving suspects and skells unconscious and scared out of their minds. This "Bat-Man" amuses the upper crust until he gives them a visit and delivers his ultimatum. One of the greatest written lines for Batman hails from Frank Miller's Batman Year One. "Ladies, gentlemen, you've eaten well. You've eaten Gotham's wealth. Its spirit. But your feast is nearly over, From this moment on, none of you are safe." 

 

 

The seemingly untouchable mafioso, Falcone (character actor Alex Rocco of Motorpsycho!, Wil Riders, The Godfather, Detroit 9000, Three the Hard Way, Starsky and Hutch, The Entity, T.J. Hooker, Return to Horror High, The Facts of Life and Lady in White) starts to experience serious liquidity issues thanks to Batman breaking up drug sales, trashing racketeering and a cat burglar in a cat suit known as Catwoman (Eliza Dushku of True Lies, Bye Bye Love, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Bring It On, Angel, Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back, Wrong Turn, Tru Calling and Dollhouse) has been looting Falcone as well.

Making allies out of Gordon and Harvey Dent D.A., charges are being made and arrests are happening. This will not finish overnight. This is no longer a matter of a few strategic moves here and there, this is a crusade. Can Batman purge Gotham of its evils? Can Gordon truly trust a man in a mask?

 

I'm Batfflack!

 

 

 

 

 

Fun film fact, Ben McKenzie who is voicing Bruce Wayne/Batman plays James Gordon on Gotham. Well, it's a fact even if you don't find it that fun.

From the get go, this film follows the graphic novel verbatim. There are two narratives that make up so much of this story, Wayne and Gordon each have their views for Gotham and their best intentions for the town; even at the expense of their own lives. This is everything I had hope Batman: The Dark Knight Returns would be. It completely impressed me on all accounts. A superb voice cast, excellent animation and still entertaining even though I have read and re-read this particular story many times.

Batman: Soul of the Dragon

 What's happenin' hepcats and kittens!! Readers of the Rotten, I am back from migraine/cluster hell and no, that is not what this write-up is about. So today I found on IMDB a few actors I follow as they discussed this particular animated film from Warner Brothers. With a overall vibe of exploitation, blaxploitation and Kung Fu double features were the order of the day, this movie also brings about a well-known superhero. This is Batman: Soul of the Dragon.

 

 

I am the night... Dig?

 

 

 

 

 

 

The era is 1970s, an organization known as the Cult of Kobra seeks an ancient relic that will bring about the destruction of mankind. Baby, that ain't cool. Our story centers around 6 students of an elder martial arts master and how they each found their path. O-sensei (James Hong of Chinatown,Blade Runner, Big Trouble in Little China, Jackie Chan Adventures, Dragon Dynasty and Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.) has instructed would-be warriors for many years. Each of these students come from different walks of life and each all have their own pain they either wish to conquer or use that rage as a weapon. 

 

 

Laaaaadies...

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bruce Wayne (David Giuntoli of Privileged, Eli Stone, U.S. Attorney, Grimm, 13 Hours, Mother's Little Helpers and A Million Little Things) has learned what he must to bring about his crusade as Batman. His close ally, Richard Dragon (Mark Dacascos of Double Dragon, Sabotage, The Crow: Stairway to Heaven, Brotherhood of the Wolf, Stargate Atlantis, Wolvesbayne, Mortal Kombat: Legacy and Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.) a super spy for the CIA, a James Bond archetype that just happens to resemble the late Bruce Lee. Richard finds this cult is fronting all sorts of criminal acts as they chase after a mystical door. A door Richard and his fellow students are all together familiar with. Time to rally the troops.

After Batman agrees to join Richard, they have a greater task ahead of them. Getting the ruler of Chinatown on board with them. The merciless, ruthless and gorgeous Lady Shiva (Kelly Hu of Surf Ninjas, Sunset Beach, Martial Law, The Scorpion King, X2: X-Men United, Succubus: Hell-Bent, Robot Chicken and Batman: Under the Red Hood) runs a fighting ring, probably some racketeering and a bit of protection money. That being said, that section of town is probably street crime free, no graffiti and less cars getting boosted. Shiva longs for the battle for those that belittle her master's goals and teachings. Not to mention Bruce's disco and Shiva's fight club suffered damages. Damn, if only Shiva knew a boy billionaire that is loaded with greenbacks.

 

Ms. Woosan if yer nasty

 

 

 

 

 

 

Finally, at a nearby dojo, Ben Turner is teaching classes for underprivileged kids and trying to strengthen their hopes and dreams. Ben Turner a.k.a. Bronze Tiger (Michael Jai White of Spawn, Silverhawk, Universal Soldiers: The Return, Blood and Bone, Black Dynamite, For Better or Worse, Black Dynamite cartoon and Chocolate City) who claims if he didn't spare a cult member, none of this would be happening. With our four warriors ready to bust some heads and kick some ass, the cult is moving forward with their intentions, their leader of course has two substantial fighters higher than his typical acolytes.

King Snake (Patrick Seitz of EverQuest II: Echoes of Faydwer, Castlevania: The Dracula X Chronicles, Mega Man Star Force, League of Legends, Black Butler, Mortal Kombat and Resident Evil" The Mercenaries 3D), a blind martial arts master and Lady Eve (Grey Griffin of Star Wars: Jedi Knight- Jedi Academy, True Crime: Streets of LA, Fallout: Brotherhood of Steel, The Weekenders, Doom 3, World of Warcraft, Star Wars: Clone Wars, X-Men Legends II: Rise of Apocalypse and Ultimate Avengers: The Movie) a true believer and devout follower with twin blades at her service. 

 

A few points of observation at this time. One, this doesn't appear to be any Batman continuity but feels more like an action/adventure flick. Two, this is a great voice cast handling our main characters, the story is solid and the animation does an excellent job.

In addition, voice work done by Jaime Chung (Days of Our Lives, Katrina, Greek, Samurai Girl, Sorority Row, Sucker Punch, The Hangover Part II, The Man with the Iron Fists, Frank Miller's Sin City: A Dame to Kill For, Resident Advisors and Gotham), Chris Cox (All-Star Superman, Gears of War 3, F.E.A.R. 3, Batman: Arkham City, Saints Row: The Third, The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes, and Skylanders: Giants) and Erica Luttrell (The Magic School Bus, The New Ghostwriter Mysteries, Dave the Barbarian, Diablo III: Reaper of Souls, Lego Batman 3: Beyond Gotham, World of Warcraft: Warlords of Draenor, The Death and Return of Superman and Magnum P.I.)

From the street thugs to the axe wielding lunatics, to the car chases; this truly embraces 70s exploitation so well. And yes Bronze Tiger does resemble Jim Kelly of Black Belt Jones, Black Samurai and Enter the Dragon. The funny part is Kelly Hu is reprising Shiva's voice. She voiced her originally in Batman: Arkham Origins as well as, Michael Jai White reprises Bronze Tiger of which he played live action in Arrow. Yes this was a fun flick, it's violent, good story and plenty of action.

 

Black Samuarai? Hell no. That's Bronze Tiger, baby.

 

Reign of the Supermen

And I am back. Still editing the podcast last week. Lot of audio clean up so clearly time for a blog. I was 16 and ultimately the big blue boy scout faced off with what many believed an unstoppable foe. In the end, both this Doomsday killing machine and Superman destroyed one another, thus killing each other. Understand, several annuals of Superman throughout the years; they always hinted that Superman could die and until 1992, those were always the building blocks to the Elseworlds (DC Comics version of Marvel's What If...) So 26 years later, this year it was placed on the small and big screen for viewers to watch what overall was a decent story line and beginning of new and old characters in his universe. This is The Reign of Supermen.

Using his X-ray peepers at a 24 Hour Fitness. Shame!

Glossing over the three part crossovers of the Superman titles and Justice League, the world mourned the loss of one of their greatest heroes, many villains looked to Metropolis as ripe for the pickings and the League carrying the weight of the rest of the planet without him. Four separate beings bearing the S shield have been seen around the world and Metropolis. A visored energy projector looking like Superman, a young teen, an armored Man of Steel and a cybernetic Superman.

Shaq??!!

The Superboy is a clone of the original and unlike his comic book counterpart, he is solely created by Lexcorp rather than CADAMUS. The visored Superman comes off cold, methodical and with no moral code against killing like the big blue. Our armored Man of Steel developed his own power suit that let's face it, can take a beating as well as give one. Lastly the cyborg Superman who seems to have his essence and battle scars.

CYBER VD happens, kids! Wear protection!

With the Justice League and Titans spread thin, the world is unaware just how much was on Superman's shoulders to defend and protect his adopted world.

Let's talk voice cast. Because damn there is a lot of familiar names here. Supes voiced by none other than Jerry O' Connell (Stand by Men, Sliders, Crossing Jordan, Las Vegas,Justice League Dark, Justice League vs. Teen Titans and The Death of Superman) Lois Lane via Rebecca Romijn (X-Men, Femme Fatale, The Punisher, Eastwick, King & Maxwell and The Librarians) Wonder Woman by the astonishing Rosario Dawson (He Got Game, Men in Black II, Rent, Clerks II, Sin City, Deathproof, Daredevil, Iron Fist, Cage and The Defenders) Cyborg by Chocolate Goodness himself, Shemar Moore (Birds of Prey, Criminal Minds, The Young and the Restless, Diary of a Mad Black Woman and S.W.A.T.) Green Lantern tackled not by Ryan Reynolds but by Nathan Fillon (Two Guys, a Girl and a Pizza Place, Firefly, Slither, Castle, Serenity and The Rookie)and the list goes on.

With the new 52 approach staying with DC Comics revamping, the storyline has altered and key components differ from its source material. I mean a Supey Smackdown fight in under 15 minutes for a 90 minute movie? Seems a bit sudden. Many are establishing this is DC's attempt to combat the crowds going to the Spider Verse and well, I can't say I completely agree with that. It could also be a bit biased on my part as I enjoyed this particular storyline.

Not a massive fan of the artwork i.e. Cartoon itself. Lacked texture and felt a bit rushed. Story overall was pretty solid, voice cast was deeply impressive so all in all, not a bad flick. A decent follow up to the Death of Superman giving hope back to the DC world that one of their greatest heroes returns. Still, he's not Batman. Yeah I said it.

Oh yeah, one last tidbit. Candyman's own Tony Todd as Darkseid. Huh?? HUH??!! 

Disco shades make folk look cranky.

 

The Flash Season 1

Yup back again. It's okay I know you missed me. So four seasons have passed and I haven't even done the first season of the Scarlet Speedster?? If I am not careful I may lose more geek credits (Still getting crap for never following anything of Harry Potter) and frankly I cannot afford to lose any more. So today we talk about the metahuman (super powered being in DC universe classification) super hero that watches over Central City. This is The Flash.

Matrix bullet time...cool.

Forensics scientist, Barry Allen (Grant Gustin of 90210, Glee, Arrow, Vixen, Supergirl and The Flash) first appeared on-screen in Season 2, episode 8 dealing with the first of the Mirakuru (Miracle) super-soldiers. Boy that sounds silly when you write that up. Barry shows a very human side of himself revealing his mother was killed by a metahuman and his father framed for the murder. After aiding in the case, saving Ollie's life and finding out his secret identity, Barry went back in time to witness the birth of an exotic matter particle accelerator that will bring about change in the world as we know it.

With the use of S.T.A.R. Labs (Scientific and Technological Advanced Research Laboratories) and their golden boy, published theorist/scientist Dr. Harrison Wells (Tom Cavanagh of Scrubs, Ed, Yogi Bear, Arrow, Supergirl and The Flash) at the helm, many are worried while others are excited. The experiment puts out a strange pulse wave of almost lightning and Barry is struck in his lab around an assortment of chemicals, putting him into a coma for nine months.

Hehe snuck whiskey in my mug.

Awakening after so long asleep to Lady Gaga's Poker Face, Barry sees Dr. Caitlin (Danielle Panabaker of Sky High, Empire Falls, Friday the 13^th, Bones, Justified, Arrow, Supergirl and the Flash) biochemist, M.D.and electrical engineer and manufactorist, Cisco Ramon (Carlos Valdes of Arrow, Vixen, Supergirl, Legends of Tomorrow and The Flash) as they explain to Barry how the coma occurred and that he has changed.

Barry thanks them profusely and DOES NOT sue them or CCPD for the lack of safety margins for a lightning strike as he heads out to see his favorite person, Iris West (Candice Patton of Commander and Chief, The Guest, The Game, Con Man, Supergirl, Arrow, Legends of Tomorrow and The Flash) childhood friend and long time crush...has moved on to seriously dating a cop crushing Barry's puppy love. He takes off and lands about 700 feet in the opposite direction as suddenly he is propelling at great speeds.

Heading back to S.T.A.R. Labs to find out what is wrong with him they see he what he can do. Other than travel at ridiculous speeds and damn near set his clothes on fire. Little writing gag is as a speedster's power grows, he or she can emit an aura around them and those traveling with them so they don't melt or freeze depending on the travel and environment.

Jason Vorhees, is that you?

But Barry isn't the only one effected by the dark matter particles that was released in the blast, as he decides to do something about these villainous metahumans, suits up and proceeds to kick some ass.

Trying to keep his activities quiet, Cisco makes Barry a suit that withstand his high speed travels and makes him a mask to conceal his face. Reluctantly Dr. Wells and S.T.A.R. Labs team join Barry as he creates his alternative identity, The Flash. The man in a yellow costume that killed his mother years ago is back. To torment the Flash?

Reminiscent of the 1990 The Flash, several of the actors come to this series playing different or familiar roles to the previous series. John Wesley Shipps who was Barry in the 1990 The Flash is now Barry's father, Dr. Henry Allen.

A side note, Wentworth Miller and Dominic Purcell of Prison Break are teamed up as Flash Rogues, Captain Cold and Heatwave.

DCU TV seems to be on a booming track as these shows are risk takers deeming the DC characters of the three best known characters, Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman are not in their own series...yet.

Rocket Maaaaaaaan...

Green Lantern

Welcome back folks. Let's talk comic book flicks!

Yeah I know, there have been quite a few of them in the last 18 years. We just had Black Panther (soo good), Thor: Ragnarok (highly enjoyable) and Avengers: Infinity War (No I haven't seen it).

With 3 days away from the release of DP2 (sounds dirty that way, right?) Ryan Reynolds is getting to ride the Fox X-Men/Fantastic Four high and hope for more box office records with the newest Deadpool installment. But before the red and black gimp suit, before looking like Freddy Kruger's ass double and before wielding twin ninjatos, Reynolds was on a bit of a comic book slump. First the rolling dumpster fire that was Blade: Trinity where he really didn't get to play Hannibal King: Undead P.I., some of these films like RIPD got the shaft from critics world over.

Yet I cannot fault the actor that is in these roles. If the story is poorly constructed and flimsy dialogue (A David Goyer specialty) then it may fall on its metaphoric ass. Today's film gets a lot of flack in spite of a decent attempt at an origin story and trying to compress villains and heroes of more than a 75 year story line. This is Green Lantern.

So no chimichangas then?

From the director of Bond films, GoldenEye, Casino Royale and The Mask of Zorro, Martin Campbell tackles a DC Comics book character with a rich history in comics, graphic novels and even cartoons. Sadly, this did not go over nearly as well as was hoped.

Hal Jordan (Ryan Reynolds) is a former Air Force pilot now private contracted test pilot with Ferris Air, a man known to be cocky, arrogant and fearless. You know, a fighter pilot. Whose charm and wit land him virtually any girl he may want but the one he loves. Awww...

He proceeds to be late getting a test flight underway tackling a new Ferris prototype remote fighter that can anticipate what a human could manage.

After embarrassing his boss Carl Ferris (Jay O. Sanders of V.I. Warshowski, Kiss the Girls, Edge of Darkness and Sneaky Pete) and his junior executive/test pilot/daughter Carol (Blake Lively of Gossip Girl, The Town, The Age of Adaline, The Shallows and All I See is You) Hal is in deep kimchi and proceeds to be misunderstood and grumpy bumpy. A few flashbacks of his father a test pilot for Ferris he gets to remember his dad bringing an experimental plane in safely and then...die.

Superhero movie, remember? Almost always means dead parents.

SUPER CAAAAAAAR!!!

Meanwhile in space, a Green Lantern of said sector of space is combating a dangerous menace known only as Paralax. He crash lands on Earth and is mortally wounded. The ring chooses its successor for said Lantern Abin Sur (Termuera Morrison of The Island of Dr. Moreau, Once Were Warriors, Star Wars: Attack of the Clones, The Barefoot Bandits and Moana) dragging Hal to his dying self, gives him vague notions that he is to be the next lantern in this very sector.

A tad daunting? To say the least. So off to intergalactic boot camp with aliens voiced by Geoffrey Rush and the late Michael Clarke Duncan as Tomar-Re and Boot Instructor Kilowog. Yup neither of these names mean a damn thing to the casual film goer. The comic book nerds are in awe and yet still not fully sold on the CGI glowy costumes.

Sinestro (Mark Strong of Blood, Zero Dark Thirty, Kingsman: The Secret Service, The Day Hitler Died, and Kingsman: The Golden Circle) the finest and bravest of the lanterns, thinks very little of Hal and speaks to the founders of the Green Lantern Corps, the Guardians that they must have a greater weapon than the GL ring.

FYI, this ring creates energy constructs only limited to your imagination and willpower. Nothing permenant but dude, Mechas and Kajuis against bad guys, right?

But Paralax has a minion on Earth listening to his dark whispers and sets site on destroying the planet or simply laying so much waste to it, his toady could rule what's left of it.

Hal realizes he needs to nut up or shut up as this fight is for our blue and green marble.

Now I have read plenty of critics' and IMDB users' comments on this film. Honestly, I liked it. I felt it needed a bit more editing and the extended 123 minutes does fill in story better than the 114minute theatrical but the glowy suits were a bit painful and main they needed to tone down some of that fluorescent green.

You have solid veteran actors, a decent enough origin story called Emerald Dawn and honestly the only real problem was the rush to get it to theaters. Give the extended version a viewing.

I'm sorry it wasn't Batman Begins or Man of Steel. Boo hoo. Not every story needs to be these two characters and DC was trying to get the ball rolling with their lesser known characters.

This was the first time they took off the safety net and tried something ballsy in the same way Marvel did. Is it a failure? No. Is it a great film? Not really. A decent film? Yeah you can have popcorn to it but it fell under a fair movie not a compelling movie. It is also the building blocks to launch obscure characters like Suicide Squad. So yeah, DC has never been Marvel. That's not a bad thing.

Both franchises have tons of characters and I for one, look forward to more risks like Green Lantern in 2020, they're trying to do more GL so stay posted for that.

Damn. No Pornhub in this sector.

TV Titanics: Arrow Season 4

And we are back for TV Titanics. Thought we would check in on Starling City's Emerald Archer and crew. This is Arrow Season 4.

Vigilante carpooling is rough.  Bet Batman doesn't have to.

When last we left them, tension was high when even his own crew thought Ollie (Stephen Amell of Hung, Private Practice, Heartland, Lego Batman 3: Beyond Gotham, Injustice: Gods Among Us, Arrow and The Flash) was believed to have join Ras al Ghul (Matt Nable of Killer Elite, Riddick, Son of a Gun and Hacksaw Ridge) and his quest to eradicate evil by the most extreme of measures, including unleashing a terminal virus in his own city. Ollie thwarts and even kills off Ras but the trust of his team has been damaged. He and Felcity (Emily Bett Rickards of Soldiers of the Apocalypse, Romeo Killer: The Chris Porco Story, Arrow, Arrow: Blood Rush, Normal Doors, Vixen and The Flash) head off to the suburbs to play house and Ollie appears to be genuinely happy.

Knocked, locked and ready to rock.

So of course Thea a.k.a. Speedy (Willa Holland of The O.C., A Summer in Genoa, Legion, Straw Dogs, Tiger Eyes, Gossip Girl and Arrow) and former girlfriend/assistant district attorney/crimefighter Black Canary (Katie Cassidy of 7^th Heaven, Black Christmas, Spin, Supernatural, Harper's Island, Melrose Place, A Nightmare on Elm Street, Arrow The Wolves at the Door) so up explaining about high-tech robberies, paramilitary trained and armed men and an end game they cannot predict. They need the Arrow.

Dr. Palmer, (Brandon Routh of Superman Returns, Zack and Miri Make a Porno, Fling, Scott Pilgrim vs. The World, Chuck, Arrow, The Flash and Legends of Tomorrow) boy billionaire with his high-tech super suit...say that sounds vaguely familiar but I think Robert Downey Jr.did that better.  Oh well.   An experiment caused the top floor of what is now Palmer Consolidated to explode and no sign of Palmer anywhere. Leaving Felicity as the acting head of the company.

Villain monologue, people. Take 5.

Diggle a.k.a. Spartan (David Ramsey of Con Air, The Good News, All of Us, Dexter, Outlaw and Blue Bloods) has reservations with working with Ollie again after his shadow-play with Ras damn near got the mother of his child almost killed. With all this drama, clearly we need a main villain. Enter Damien Dahrk (Neal McDonough of Star Trek: First Contact, The Incredible Hulk, Ravenous, Band of Brothers, Captain America: The First Avenger, RED 2 and Mob City) a man with an organization, drive, ambition and sights on ruining this city and many others.

Will Darhk put the city's lights out? Will Team Arrow be able to recover??

This season gets to expand well on Season 3's existing story line making Thea a weapon thanks to "Daddy" Malcolm Merlyn via John Barrowman and his League of Assassins. Also Team-ups occuring with other DC characters like Hawkman, Hawkgirl, along with the Flash (Grant Gustin of 90210, Glee, Affluenza, Superhero Fight Club, Vixen, Supergirl, Legends of Tomorrow and The Flash) being further established. So yeah the budget got upped, performances are a bit over the top, we have magic, metahumans and all thing expected of this comic book universe. And did I mention a new lightweight nomex kevlar body armor and hood combo?

Gimme some sugar, baby.

TV and Movie Medley: Arrow Season 3

Howdy readers! Sorry for the delay! Abrupt moving is a trifle hectic but what can you do about that? For the time being there will be fewer posts but that is mostly due to work, looking for a new apartment and dealing with Californians. That being said, let's get on with today's topic. As Season 2 wrapped up, Queen and his growing band of merry men (insert pervy or Robin Hood joke here) had defeated the awesome might of Deathstroke a.k.a. Slade Wilson and his Mirakuru super soldiers from destroying Starling City...and pretty sure Ollie left town to hit the island and work on his tan. This is Arrow Season 3.

Fighting skills by the League, Hair by Paul Mitchell.

Ollie ( Stephen Amell of Hung, Private Practice, Heartland, Lego Batman 3: Beyond Gotham, Injustice: Gods Among Us, Arrow and The Flash) is leading his team against crime with Roy Harper as Arsenal (Colton Haynes of The Gates, Look, Teen Wolf, Arrow, Arrow: Blood Rush and Triumph) Diggle (David Ramsey of Con Air, The Good News, All of Us, Dexter, Outlaw and Blue Bloods) and tech support/hacker Felicity (Emily Bett Rickards of Soldiers of the Apocalypse, Romeo Killer: The Chris Porco Story, Arrow, Arrow: Blood Rush, Normal Doors, Vixen and The Flash) as they deal with the aftermath of Slade's super soldiers, petty crime and the impending "Big Bad" of the season. Queen is attempting to make "The Arrow" a symbol of justice and not a killer as he was as "The Hood" but it is slow going.

Meet your Mystery Date!!

 

With the loss of Queen Consolidated to a perspective buyer a one Dr. Raymond Palmer (Brandon Routh of Superman Returns, Zack and Miri Make a Porno, Fling, Scott Pilgrim vs. The World, Chuck, Arrow, The Flash and Legends of Tomorrow) whose technological savvy, marketing and being a beacon of enterprising hope breathes new life into Starling City with the hopes of prosperity and much needed capital. But does Palmer have...other ideas as well? With his brief encounters with the League of Assassins, a friend has fallen and a mystery needs unraveling. As if that was not terrifying enough, Ollie is being weighed and measured by Ras al Ghul (Matt Nable of Killer Elite, Riddick, Son of a Gun and Hacksaw Ridge) but to what end? Does he view Ollie as a threat, potential ally or hell he may be going the route of Bruce Wayne/Batman in the comics and looking for an heir to the throne.

Thwack!

What does this hold for the city?? How come no one has up and outright abandoned this town??? How long can they stand this level of madness??

This season brings out some new characters of note including the Atom of the Justice League, Nyssa Al Ghul and some reprising characters as well. The budget got steroids for the season and my God the stunt coordinators earned their money from gun fights, mixed martial arts, grappling attacks and tons of wire work. The story progresses well, the flashbacks embodies Ollie as a whole but dammit the only well rounded female character is an assassin. Yeah CW, not every girl needs to be the following one note concept: Bitchy, judgemental, clingy, ambivalent or pathetic. Not a good way to portray women CW. 

Hey kids, it's Clark Kent!!!

Batman: Arkham Asylum

Welcome back for the week! Well my fine collection of readers I decided we have not covered video games in far too long. TV and Movies come a tad bit more natural for me to go on and on about. Between loading screens, cut scenes of dialogue the modern day video game can drag on, make you loss interest and give off a story line that convoluted and boring. Many franchises have suffered thanks to rewriting and tinkering. The Resident Evil games were enjoyable up to the third one. Four and on has too many cooks in the kitchen spoiling the simple recipe. Thankfully that isn't always the case. British games developers Rocksteady Studios release of with a first-person shooter called Urban Chaos, a riot response squad dealing with an arsonist gang called the Burners, taking on paramedics, firefighters, civilians and the cops. This project brought them notoriety, some credibility and much needed revenue. Founded in 2004, Sefton Hill and Jamie Walker, the studio was scooped up by Time Warner to bring about a new look at the Dark Knight. This is Batman: Arkham Asylum.

Hiya kiddies.  Guess who's back??!!

Written by Paul Dini (Tiny Toons Adventures, Batman: The Animated Series, Superman: The Animated Series. The New Batman/Superman Adventures, Batman Beyond and Duck Dodgers) brings us the constant struggle between Batman and the Joker. Reprising their characters since Batman: The Animated Series is Kevin Conroy for Batman, Mark Hamill for the Joker and Arleen Sorkin as Harley Quinn. Our game operates as a third-person single-player action-adventure.

After the Joker attacks City Hall, Batman beats the crap out of him and drags him to Arkham Asylum, which is stocked with members of Joker's gang due to a fire at Blackgate Prison, Batman senses Joker's capture was far too easy and is not sure if there is something else going on decides to accompany Joker to lock up. Just before the ghost of Admiral Ackbar can warn anyone, the trap is sprung, Harley has taken over security and a bought guard kidnaps Commissioner Gordon. Joker points out there are bombs all over Gotham City ready to be detonated if anyone else tries to enter Gotham leaving Batman to handle this insanity all on his on.

Where does he get those wonderful toys?

With the captured Bane working alongside with doctor Penelope Young (Cree Summer of Inspector Gadget, A Different World, Tiny Toons Adventures, Atlantis: The Lost Empire, Moonbeam City, Dawn of the Croods and Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy) who has been working on Titan, a stronger formula of Venom to allow patients to recover quicker from strenuous therapies but unbeknownst to Young, the Joker has been secretly funding her with the idea f creating an army of super humans at his beck and call. With no sidekicks, Justice League or even help from the cops, Batman must face all his rogues gallery on his own.

A few words on gameplay. Now I was playing this on Xbox so bear with me. The game's graphics hails from NVIDIA's PhysX, a realtime physics engine allowing classic Newtonian physics.

A linear opening allows some tutorials of gadgets, fighting style and throwing weapons that can be programmed to attack from sonics and remote detonation. A Detective Vision- a visual that lets you pull up information, show objects like walls that can be destroyed, grates that can be removed, and a how many number of enemies in an area and their vitals. This mode is also used to find footprints, odors and even a puzzle solving capability. The combat designs allows Batman to anticipate criminal fighting given a control scheme to Batman's fighting style.

Aww Bats is rocking him to sleep.