Captain Marvel

Howdy all. Well time for a new release. Yes I know so many of you wanted an obscure Italy Horror or an Exploitation film from the 1950s but dammit I need some new viewing material from time to time. With this new Marvel "Cough Disney subservient" release, the controversy (that really isn't) we finally have a female protagonist not surrounded by male counterparts in the sense they have to protect or govern her.   As Phase 3 is commencing and it's all about outer space, it is time.  This is Captain Marvel.

C'mon, put 'em up! Put 'em up!

Our story is in a far away time...the dreaded 1990s.  That savage time period.   Cellphones could barely flip, we had actual face-to-face conversations and our music wasn't completely sucky.   Enter a young Kree (Alien species with blue blood that can resurrect humans) recruit Vers (Bria Larson of Free Fire, Room, Kong: Skull Island, The Glass Castle, Unicorn Store, Basmati Blues and Captain Marvel) is having confusing dreams/nightmares. A link to the past? Another life before the Kree? Who can say?

She and her trainer/mentor Yon-Rogg (Jude Law of Gattaca, Final Cut, A.I. Artificial Intelligence, Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow, Alfie and Repo Men) tells her in true Obi-Wan fashion to be mindful of her feelings, powers and surroundings. To serve the Empire with diligence, dignity and grace.  She's a bit headstrong, cocky and some levels, arrogance. I like that. Reminds me of me. No wait, that's another film. She and her team are on mission to stop Skrulls (race of shapeshifting and transmographing alien combantants) for disrupting the harmony of an outside system under Kree protection.  Vers is captured and probed (mind not anus. You perverts) as the gaps in her memory show her a parallel life on an insignificant blue and green planet involving primitive vehicles like go-karts, 64 and a half Mustangs, Hornet fighter jets and hey... ain't that Earth? How kooky.

The domesticated Skrull attends to light housekeeping and dusting.

As Vers is done with hanging upside down, she proceeds to open a big gulp worth of whoop ass on the Skrulls, escapes the vessel in a pod and crash land in a refuge of movie known as Blockbuster Video.  Hope I didn't lose the Milennials again. Prior to Red Box, there was a store that provided you VHS and DVDs, snacks and soda, along with human interaction on selecting films of current or previous eras. Thanks to progress...we have none of those. Hurrah.

With being an extraterrestrial, she is flanked by a couple of SHIELD agents, Fury (Samuel L Jackson of Pulp Fiction, Jackie Brown, Star Wars Episode 1: The Phantom Menace, Iron Man, Iron Man 2, Captain America: The First Avenger, The Avengers, Black Snake Moan, The Incredibles and Afro Samurai) without his mother f bombs (so sad) and Phil Coulson (Clark Gregg of Spartan, The West Wing, When a Stranger Calls, The Air I Breathe, Iron Man, Iron Man 2, Thor, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., The Avengers, Ultimate Spider-Man and Captain Marvel). Assigned by their higher ups to keep tabs on Vers, understand and plan for the Skrulls and see if she is on our side.

Jackson senses MF Bombs but is forbidden to utter them.

With Vers' team lead by Yon-Rogg, I can't help but recognize a few later villainous fellows such as Korath (Djmon Housou of Stargate, ER, The Four Feathers, Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life, Constantine, The Island, Blood Diamond and Guardians of the Galaxy) and Ronan the Accuser (Lee Pace of Pushing Daisies, A Single Man, When in Rome, The Resident, 30 Beats, Lincoln, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug and Guardians of the Galaxy) so yeah a tad flashback like. Not unlike this whole film granted.

Piecing together her life on Earth and in the Kree homeworld, Hala Vers is having conflicting memories about a FTL drive (Faster than Light) and who it would benefit.

Can Vers agree to work with SHIELD? Can the Skrulls be defeated? Can the Kree be trusted?

So yeah Marvel, nice of you to get off your ass and finally have a predominant female protagonist film. Not as though Marvel archives are rife with them and...oh wait, THERE ARE TONS of them!! Let's address the chauvinistic pricks that whined about this movie. Fellas, what's the damn problem? She came, she saw and she kicked ass.   Had Spidey levels of quips, energy channeling and re-directional blasts, flight, strength. She's Captain Marvel. So what's the friggin' problem? Did you not "See Yourselves?" Boo frickin' hoo. How many muscle bound male hero flicks out there? You can find more than a few.

This is Black Panther whiny white guy bitching all over again. Frankly, I wanted to see Valkyrie, She-Hulk, Spider-Woman, Elsa Bloodstone and Misty Knight 20 YEARS AGO, but I cannot bitch and complain about that all the time. I would be tedious and annoying. Much like the pricks that complained about this film. Solid storyline, a few alterations to meet the current timeline, great cameos and nods to the current nifty gags and tropes, this is a decent flick.

Oh and guys that ask me this FAR TOO OFTEN, no there is no titty in the movie. 

Miles away, Hollywood Video had Hercules drunk again.

Luke Cage Season 2

He's bad, he's black and he's back baybees!!!  No I am not talking about myself.   Dear God I am pale as an albino.  Talking about Mike Colter's Luke Cage.  This is Luke Cage Season 2.

After the events of the Defenders and dealing with the Hand, Luke Cage (Mike Colter of The Good Wife, Jessica Jones, Agent X, Luke Cage, The Defenders and Girls Trip) returns to Harlem to rebuild Pop's barber shop and bring some peace to the neighborhood.

Yeah, you got an adult chair for me to sit in?

With Diamondback still missing and Cottonmouth enjoying his swan dive through a window, former Councilwoman Mariah Dillard (Alfie Woodard of Down in the Delta, Passion Fish, Star Trek: First Contact, Mumford, Memphis Beat, Tru Blood and Captain America: Civil War) has her heart set on bringing her project to Harlem and restore her family name.  A tad difficult when her relationship to Shades Alvarez (Theo Rossi of Red Sands, Sons of Anarchy, Lowriders, When the Bough Breaks and Luke Cage) is still moving guns for the business.

Mariah has vested interest in a deal that could net her millions if not hundreds of millions so she moves her "acquired" Hammer weapons to the highest bidder and brother they are hungry.

A new player in Brooklyn, Bushmaster (Mustafa Shakir of The Cavern, Daybreak, NCIS: Los Angeles, The Night Of, Quarry, Fight Your Way Out and Luke Cage) is looking to be heavy.

Okay, okay! You're cooler than Black Lightning. Jeez!

Meanwhile Detective Misty Knight (Simone Missick of A Taste of Romance, Scandal, Wayward Pines, American Koko, Luke Cage and The Defenders) has been given leave of her badge and her pension. If she takes it, of course. A bit of animosity amongst her fellow shields as her late partner was found dirty and in the late Cottonmouth's pocket.

Rand-Mitchum Enterprises has set her up with a bionic arm giving her one helluva right hook.   Dr. Claire Temple (Rosario Dawson of Men in Black II, Rent, The Rundown, Alexander, Sin City, Clerks II, Death Proof, Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Iron Fist, The Defenders and Luke Cage) and Cage are having...more than coffee and on the verge of building a real relationship.

Yes, I know you're looking down my dress.

A re-appearance of Colleen Wing (Jessica Henwick of Spirit Warriors, North by Northhamptonshire, Inspector Lewis, Star Wars: The Force Awakens, The Head Hunter, Iron Fist, The Defenders and Luke Cage) bonds with Misty, pointing out she is only a cripple if she feels like one.  Colleen furthermore tells Misty, if she didn't step in when she did that Colleen would be dead.

We got some more musical talent again, Ghostface Killah, Mobb Deep, Gregory Isaacs, Joi and my heart skipped a beat hearing Nina Simone.

Writer Cheo Hodari Coker once again delivers on some damn fine writing. Edgy, street and true to life in a comic book series. With an awesome R&B, decent Hip Hop and Rap soundtrack, it is hard to not like Season 2 as the heat got turned up. Special-Guest stars...well you'll have to see to believe.

You got sumthin' against the Yankees??

Captain America: The Winter Soldier

Hey there readers, I'm back. Sorry for the delay, I was busy creating my Johnny Mnemonic review for my Rotten Reelz Reviews Video Review (Now available on YouTube!) so yeah I was a bit distracted. Yes I am aware of the high grossing MCU Avengers: Infinity War and no I have not seen it yet. Please, no spoilers.

Instead I thought we could enjoy the dethawed 6'2" blond, bohunk of the 1940s after his Avengers debut. This time around he is working with S.H.I.E.L.D dealing with conspiracies, collateral damage and a ton of action. This is Captain America: Winter Soldier.

Captain...going down?  wink wink.

Captain America (Chris Evans of The Losers, Not Another Teen Movie and Fantastic Four) is adapting to modern life, goes for a lengthy run of 20 miles. That would warm up the limbs. He bumps into a vet Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie of Abraham Lincoln, Vampire Hunter, Avengers: Age of Ultron and Ant-Man) and they bond over being in combat and adjusting to civilian life.

Scooped up for an search and rescue team for a ship in international waters alongside his fellow Avenger, the Black Widow (Scarlett Johansen of Lost in Translation, Iron Man II, The Avengers and Ghost in the Shell) as they assess the situation and drop the terrorists.

Fighting skills by Hydra. Fabulous hair by Vidal Sassoon.

After being a bit pissed at Widow working a different mission on his, Cap grumbles at Director Nick Fury (Samuel Jackson of Pulp Fiction, Rules of Engagement, Iron Man II, The Avengers and The Spirit) about protocol, soldiers needing to have each others back and so on. Head guru spymaster lets Cap in on the new upgraded helicarriers, loaded with rail guns and missile racks, speaking of how wiping out potential threats instead of playing clean up. Both argue their different ideals of how America should respond to threats and Cap is adamant how wrong this rejoinder and stomps off like a diva.

Fury starts investigating how this mass SNAFU to find out who is behind it and is later chased by armed assailants dressed like SWAT. Big question during this firefight...where are the actual cops? Anyone? Fury's poor SHIELD SVU has been blasted something fierce and just when all looks fine, a single armed man blasts his ride, flipping it up and over.

Cap returns home to find a battered Fury hiding out in his apartment and he casually talks to him while passes Cap notes explaining SHIELD isn't the secure, agreeable peace keeping force we are lead to believe when Fury takes a few rounds from a sniper.

Cap's neighbor watches over Fury while Cap gives chase, hurls his mighty shieeeeeeld...and low and behold, our sniper is the same guy that shot at Fury prior, catching Cap's shield in his nifty bionic arm. He hurls it back at Cap and leaps from a rooftop like it's nothing.

Cap and Widow regretting the three bean burritos now.

Head of Council, Alexander Pierce (Robert Redford of Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, The Sting, Three Days of the Condor, Legal Eagles and Captain America: Winter Soldier) wants answers. Cap keeps it close to the vest and heads out. His team decides to jump him and we have a decent smack down and chase.

Widow works with Cap to figure out who took out Fury, what the hell is going on and what seems to be a building to a mass conspiracy to take over the world?!

Not to use existing titles too often but this is The Manchurian Candidate, Three Days of the Condor and good old over-the-top comic book action.

With collusion, cloak and dagger motifs, gun play and plenty of suspense; we have a decent machination story line offering plenty of story, intrigue and managing to keep a riveting fantasy trying to remain grounded in reality.

An awesome cast giving a great performance, excellent SFX and a sequel that surpassed its original.

I highly recommend this film for action fans and comic book fans alike.

Not sure how to say it Ludlow, but you look like a weasel.

TV Titanics: Luke Cage

Back to TV Titanics. Hope you all have been enjoying the week. If you have any TV suggestions I wouldn't be amiss to hear it. Today I am writing about the phenomenon of Netflix causing their servers to crash after no less than 6 million viewers enjoying their binge watching of this show. From its stellar cast, music and Black History. An unlikely hero emerges in Harlem due to circumstances unforeseen by the man himself. This is Cage.

Hey, that's not Shaft.

A quiet, gentle man Luke Cage (Mike Colter of Million Dollar Baby, Zero Dark Thirty, Salt, Men in Black 3, Agent X, The Good Wife, Jessica Jones, Cage and The Defenders) a barber shop street sweep, glass cleaner and bartender working for Pop (Frankie Faison of A Man Called Hawk, Betsy's Wedding, Silence of the Lambs, True Colors, Roommates, The Langoliers, Prey, Hannibal, The Wire, The Good Wife and The Sounding) the barber being an institute in the neighborhood even deemed a neutral meeting ground even among the gangs,syndicate and thugs.

You floatin' air biscuits there, white boy?

With the renewal of Harlem, the councilwoman Mariah Dillard (Alfre Woodard of Miss Firecracker, Passion Fish, Blue Chips, Primal Fear, Star Trek: First Contact, Mumford, Desperate Housewives, Memphis Beat, 12 Years a Slave and Copper) takes her neighborhood improvement project to bed with her cousin, club owner and gangster Cornell "Cottonmouth" Stokes (Mahershala Ali of Threat Matrix, The 4400, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Crossing Over, Treme, Alphas, The Hunger Games: Mockingjay-Part 1, The Hunger Games: The Mockingjay-Part 2 and Moonlight) a second generation muscle and thug feeling he can carve up and control New York were Fisk had failed.

The original Cottonmouth King.

With a failed arms deal bringing the cops around, Stokes keeps his hands clean of most of it and keeps the cops at bay. Except Detective Misty Knight (Simone Missick of K-Town, A Taste of Romance, Douglass U, Everything I Did Wrong in My 20s, Scandal, Wayward Pines, Luke Cage and The Defenders), a girl of the neighborhood, a woman of the streets and above average intelligent investigator, who has the mindset maintaining the belief that Stokes is dirty and she will drag his ass to jail.

With the aftermath of the Hand, the murders in the hospital, Claire Temple (Rosario Dawson of Josie and the Pussycats, Men in Black II, Sin City, This Girl's Life, Clerks II, Death Proof, Wonder Woman, Unstoppable and 10 Years) moves out of the kitchen and back to Harlem with her mom trying to figure out where to go next and bumps into Cage after tending to his wounds via shotgun blast to the face. An imposing height, strength lies also a keen intelligence, street smarts and attitude only when needed, Cage wears no mask to conceal his identity as almost a symbol of hope and a natural connection vs most of the men and women in tights. Would Harlem give this much love to an ex-con if they knew? Where did he get these powers?

The greatest threat is still an unknown quantity manifests under the name, Diamondback (Erik LaRay Harvey of Twister, Law & Order, K-PAX, Proud, Crazy for Love, Boardwalk Empire, Wolfenstein: The New Order and Luke Cage) who has such seething hatred for Cage that he refuses to let anyone destroy Cage but him.

What is captivating about this series, is the collection of flashbacks of more or less each character, the love of the land and its history and the music of Faith Evans, the widow of Biggie Smalls, Gang Starr, D'Angelo and Mobb Deep envelopes you and is timed so well.

I have read other reviews claiming that this show lacks the intensity of Daredevil and Jessica Jones and to be honest the second half of the season goes a bit slow but I think it was simply to ratchet up the tension of the story and the secondary characters are fleshed out so well that it feels like a coherent saga. Give it a view. It is completely worth your time and viewing. So much talent in one series.

I remember when Tarantino made the statement of wanting to create a Luke Cage/Power Man film back in the early 90s and I thank God I didn't have to hear that many "N" bombs with a guy that just doesn't fit as Cage.

Gonna put you in one of these pine boxes.

Marvel's Iron Man: The Animated Series

Howdydoodleedoo!!! And for those of you that got that reference, yer aces, baby. With that in mind, hello and welcome back to Rotten Reelz Reviews. I am plucking series, movies and even games at random this week so it should be fun for all to read... but it is less than what you were hoping for, again rottenreelzreviews@gmail.com and of course I can be reached at the Facebook page as well at https://www.facebook.com/RottenReelzReviews/ so please reach out, make a suggestion or even a comment on the general flow of the reviews. Well this time around we are back to the land of the rising sun for another Marvel anime. Yup when you get contracted to make Marvel characters look awesome, you better bring your "A" game and that is exactly what Madhouse Productions (Hunter x Hunter, Death Paradise, "My Love Story", Overlord and Prince of Stride) brought and did. So how do you represent an egotistical billionaire playboy with about a million dollars of tech in his battle armor? With style of course. This is Iron Man: Anime.

Oh Stark, beside yourself again?

No stranger to acting or voice acting, Adrian Pasdar (Judging Amy, Desperate Housewives, Heroes, The Lying Game, Burn Notice, Avengers Assemble and Agents of SHIELD) has been tasked to put a voice to the brilliant yet reckless avenger Iron Man as he is in Japan bringing an arc reactor to power the nation. The concept to world peace it to provide clean and efficient energy without relying heavily on fossil fuels. Guess he better get started on arc reactors in cars, trucks and bikes as well. Well demonstrating his latest armor for Japan, Tony announces he will be stepping down as Iron Man and devoting his time to research...so no more Avengers picnics? Say it ain't so, Tony!

Damn import jobs never hold up.

But the demonstration goes a bit wonky which Tony took as a glitch in the new suit so off to run diagnostics and find out what all the hubbub is bub, when the armor with pilot takes off on its own, blasting any obstacle in its way. Stark must don his armor once more and find out what is going on. A young reporter Nanami (Eden Riegel of Prince of Egypt, American Pie, Young and the Restless and All My Children) has to chase Stark down for an interview and doesn't really think much of him. As she has adventures and near misses with death around him, she sees there is actually depth to Stark and his agendas. Circulated rumors about Stark bringing weapons construction follow adamantly and Stark attempts to defuse this with charm and grace... well as graceful as Stark can be. Is someone out to smear his company's name? Are there really WMDs (Weapons of Mass Destruction) being smuggled into Japan?

As I mentioned in the Blade Anime review, this process was a 12 episode story arc with some fair and clever conclusion. It's actual sad that there was not a renewal of contract because the art work is very impressive, the CG spliced with the hand drawn looks natural together and both Japanese and English voice cast bust their collective humps to bring life into the characters. It makes total sense to use existing storylines from the source material as Stark did set up a branch in Japan in the comics.

Award-winning graphic novelist Warren Ellis (Transmetropolitan, Fell, Minstry of Space, RED and Planetary) wrote outlines for each of the 12 episodes and given his mind, you already know it to be odd, clever and entertaining. Hey if you saw the flick RED, you are in good hands here.

Yeah, I know Thor.  Man why does everyone ask me that?

Daredevil: Season 2

Hiya gang. Well I have been back to TV and thought now would be a good time to clue you in some shows that are sweeping the internet and TV. Netflix and Hulu both have been jumping on this bandwagon of the binge watchers that enjoy these series from their Smart TVs, Tablets, Laptops and personal computers. That being said, I covered 4 episodes individually of Season 1 of Daredevil, the story of Matt Murdock, a lawyer by day and a crime-fighter by night. With the intense performances of the cast fleshing out these characters to the like I did not think possible in a TV series and I thinking there is no way they can keep that intensity for the next chapter... or can they? This is Daredevil Season 2.

Shane??!!!

Wilson Fisk, the Kingpin (Vincent D' Onofrio of Full Metal Jacket, JFK, Men in Black, The Thirteenth Floor, The Cell, Law & Order: Criminal Intent,The Narrows and Jurassic World) is in the big house, the hoosegow, the slammer and now there is a huge void in the criminal structure. Nelson & Murdock still enjoying some of the limelight of his capture are not making an exorbitant amount of money amongst their Hell's Kitchen neighbors but they are doing their best to stay afloat when a client comes in with a wild tale. The Irish mob took a huge hit on their organization when a lone gunman the media dub the Punisher (Jon Bernathal of CSI: Miami, The Class, The Air I Breathe, Day Zero, Eastwick, The Walking Dead and Justice League vs. Teen Titans) wasted them with superior firepower and special forces training. Trying their level best to protect their client from the cops and the Punisher, Matt dons his new persona from the Devil of Hell's Kitchen as Daredevil (Charlie Cox of There Be Dragons, Boardwalk Empire, The Ordained, Hello Carter, The Theory of Everything and Daredevil) slugging it out with the scum of New York, trying to make some peace for those that can't always turn to the law. Matt tries to reach the Punisher a.k.a. Lieutenant Frank Castle of USMC Recon begging him to find another way to rid the streets of crime.

OMG...What are you wearing??!!!

John Q. Public is also voicing their opinions of the Punisher. Some are for him, others are against and the biggest issue is how Castle's trial is being handled. The D.A. Seems hell bent to burn him at the stake with no mention of the deaths of his wife and children during a major syndicate drug deal of more than 3 different factions that don't even get along but a new player in town called the Blacksmith. As if Murdock didn't have enough on his plate, an old flame name of Elektra (Elodie Yung of The Great Challenge, Fragile(s), The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, G. I. Joe: Retaliation, Still and Gods of Egypt) who informs him of an impending danger of the very sect of warriors and assassins he managed to irk when their representative Nobu (Peter Shinkoda of Paycheck, I, Robot, The Hole, Godzilla and Western Religon) was dispatched last season.

With gang violence out of control, a bloodthirsty vigilante blasting everything in sight and a elite guard of monsters on the rise, you would think Murdock would go take a vacation.  Will Frank live in prison? Can Murdock fight all the evil in front of him? Will the Kingpin rule from big house?

The tension is ratcheted to 11 with the first three episodes alone. More character development with Foggy and Karen. Karen is starting to fall for Matt who cannot give her a normal life because it really isn't fair to the girl you are dating to make mad, passionate love and then an hour later go out and beat up bad guys. Jon Bernathal is the fourth man to play the Punisher but unlike the guys prior who only could invoke sadness in a few flashbacks or pure rage, Jon gets to show a human side to Frank Castle in the likes the films could never have the time or really inclination to do so. The Punisher must always be whacking wiseguys like he has a hunting license, but this was moving.

Give it a view, folks and definitely see the first season prior if you haven't already.

No, I am not Batman.  That's Affleck.

Blade: The Animated Series.

Sorry for the delay with this review, folks. Off day when you haven't slept in 30 hours. Insomnia is not for the faint of heart or mind. Today I wanted to gander at an interesting trend. Marvel's Anime project was to give more of an adult theme to the series as violence cannot be shown on cartoons to the magnitude it can in anime. Part of a four anime shows set in Asia in the southeast this projects include: X-Men, Wolverine and Iron Man. This is Blade.

Hey, that's not Wesley Snipes!

The daywalker himself resembles in both story, comic and even film and TV Erik Brooks a.k.a. Blade the damphir was created after his mother was attacked by Deacon Frost, giving Blade (voice actor Harold Perrineau of Romeo + Juilet, Lost, 28 Weeks Later and Zero Dark Thirty) superhuman reflexes, speed and strength to match that of a vampire and none of their weaknesses...except the thirst for blood. Operating out of Asia, Blade searches for Deacon Frost to repay him for all the kindness Frost has shown his mother and he. Probably a full tang titanium disemboweling or beheading would be my guess.

In his search, he comes across a hit going down by a collective of vampire hunters taking out baddie at a night club (Yes, the cliche' nightclub scene) when the young girl Motoko (Kim Mai Guest of TMNT, Dead Rising, Dead Island and Dead Island Riptide) loses her father and compatriots to the vamp bite. Blade dispatches Motoko's father to spare her doing it herself. The two have a love/hate relationship for the start of the series, Blade tries to remain cold and uncaring to spare himself the potential loss of yet another comrade.

Yup, the streetwalkers got really ugly.

We also meet another teacher in Blade's life as we are introduced to Noah Van Helsing (Troy Baker of Naruto: Shippuden, Batman: Arkham City, Saints Row: The Third, Prototype 2 and The Walking Dead: Survival Instinct) a bit warmer of a man than say Whistler was, his background is closer tied to the Tomb of Dracula comic series at it is he who took in Erik as a young boy. Consumed by his hatred of what the vampires did to him and his family, Noah also recognizes that Erik too, is a victim and hones the boy into a warrior.

Will Blade find Frost, dispatch him and get back to more vampire hunting? Will Motoko allow herself to care for the daywalker? Is there a happy ending for any of the mentioned?

This series rounds Blade out better rather than his stereotypical bad ass portrayal in the films. Similar to Sticky Jones' take on him in the TV series, Blade is shown to be a tragic character rather than this cold, killing machine. With the tattooed appearance, body armor and weapons of both TV and movie versions, Blade is equally driven to end vampires but it shows he has dimensions beyond that in letting Motoko travel with him. He sees her capabilities as a hunter but more than that, he sees another victim of vampires and offers tutelage. Interestingly enough several of the vampires species Blade encounters in this series are based on folklore of several Asian legends ranging from Japan to the Phillippines.

This succession of the character shows his accomplishments as a sword master, his appearance is similar to Sticky's bald edgy look and the depths of his power. So Blade fans I do recommend this one and hope you enjoy it as much as I did. FYI, there is a guest appearance of a popular X-men. No, I am not telling who. Go watch and find out.

Yeah he is that bad ass.

TV Episode: Daredevil- In the Blood

Welcome back readers of this fine, outstanding blog to Day 4 of TV Episode Daredevil. As you can imagine, the Russians are getting a severe ass chewing by Fisk to eliminate the man in the black mask. Scouring the streets to find him, anyone that knows him or have had contact with him, the Ranskahov brothers decide to visit their now broken leg breaker in the hospital, as he was the last man to see the man in black. This is Daredevil: In the Blood.

Judging from the screams, that is a long way down.

After sneaking in the hospital and waken Semyon (Alex Falberg of Katya, The Men Who Built America and Progression), the leg breaker spurts out the details he knows... and then they off him. No loose strings for these guys. Suffice to say, these fellas are as subtle is a grenade in a bowl of oatmeal. Vladimir and Anatoly seek the aid of an interogator Sergei (David Vadim of G.I. Jane, Air Force One, Exit Wounds, Punisher: War Zone, Blue Bloods and Allegiance) who captures Claire and hauls her to a secluded place to "ask" her questions.

Karen surprised Ben Ulrich was not interested in the story behind Union Allied attends a local auction as several of the office equipment is up for grabs and it is her hope she can track down the bigwigs behind the scenes. Ben startles her, tells her to bid on some items or she will look even more nervous than she already does. Fisk returns to the art gallery where he met Vanessa and the two seem to hit it off so well he asks her to dinner, which oddly enough she accepts.

Dude is just getting wounded so Rosario will touch him.

Sergei and the cronies are putting the screws to Claire when all the lights go out... coincidence? Our vigilante makes short work of the Russians and Vladimir and Anatoly are on their collective butts again and Claire is in the wind with Matt. Fisk made a prior arrangement offer to the brothers and Anatoly is willing to accept due to they clearly are not working out well enough.

Enjoying a bottle of wine with dinner, Vanessa is blissfully unaware of how much muscle is watching over Fisk. At least 15 men minimum as Anatoly interrupts dinner, putting Vanessa on edge of Fisk thinking that his motives and intentions are nowhere near as pure as he claimed. Anatoly is treated to a pummeling and a horrific beheading which Fisk has the word passed it was the man in black. Will the Russians come gunning for Matt even more so? Will the other mobs accept this direction to go to war with the Russians? Won't they wonder who may be next?

A few bits of amusement of the episode. Fisk's right hand man comments how the vigilante isn't sporting a powered armor or magic hammer so why are the brothers having such a time with him. The tattoos the brothers are sporting at the beginning of the episode are Vory z Zakone (Russian mafia) via made men. Again the depths these actors bring to keep this series grounded to as much reality as needed is commendable.  It is my hope that all the readers here get to enjoy this series as much as I have.

Yeah these boys look like honest church going lads.

TV Episode: Daredevil- Rabbit in a Snowstorm

Welcome back fans of the Devil to Day 3 of TV Episode Daredevil. A quick mention that Season 2 has been ordered up and I for one cannot wait to see them try to top Season 1. That being said, this time around we find Nelson & Murdock have a difficult case ahead of them as they have been asked to represent a John Healy who on the whole, looks like self defense against a local mob boss and his crew. Is it on the up and up? Will justice prevail? This is Daredevil: Rabbit in a Snowstorm.

A priest and a vigilante go into a bar...

After the severe butt whipping of last episode, Matt meditates, heals up and puts on his suit and tie to face the day as lawyer of Nelson & Murdock. Matt and Foggy are visited by James Wesley (Toby Leonard Moore of The Pacific, Underbelly, Mortal Kombat: Rebirth, John Wick and True Dead), Wilson Fisk's right hand man representing Fisk on the QT, offers them an obscene check to represent John Healy (Alex Morf of The Good Wife, Tin Man, Elementary, and In Dubious Battle) a man charged with premeditated murder of a mob boss. Foggy is a bit concerned about Healy but ultimately Matt wins him over with pointing out their young firm may have to represent some scum now and then. Matt gets the vibe from Healy that he is not on the up and up and in fact a mob enforcer but shows the court room the facts of the case which is pretty apparent he is going to walk.

There's a face you can trust... to do horrible things.

Later meeting back up with Healy in his back garb and throwing cowboy with him, Healy gives up his employer's name, Wilson Fisk. He then tells Matt that he is a dead man for talking and his whole family and friends will be wiped out before they get to him. To prevent that from happening, Healy offs himself. Matt has to deal with the balance of following the law and operating as a vigilante at the same time and it is clearly eating away at him.

With Union Allied safely dispersed and hidden under a new name, the conglomerate representing them contacts Karen, telling her they will not pursue legal charges given she broke her non-disclosure agreement (You know, in spite of the fact of attempts on her life twice) and is offered 6 months salary in the form of a big, stinky check for her... inconvenience.

Taken back by this, Karen seeks out harden and dogged newspaper man Ben Ulrich (Vondie Curtis-Hall of Die Hard 2, Chicago Hope, Romeo + Juliet, Broken Arrow, Life is Hot in Cracktown and Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans) as she spills that there has to be more going on with the former Union Allied, a paper trail leading to the people responsible for Daniel Fisher's murder and the embezzlement of millions. Sensing the story and how deep the rabbit hole will go, Ben tries to discourage Karen in pursuing this obviously dangerous line of inquiry but not sure if he got through to her.

Fisk making all the moves from the shadows is now finding some artwork for his penthouse tower that captivates and moves him. He finds not only a painting but the lovely gallery director Vanessa (Ayelet Zurer of Munich, Vantage Point, Ingenious, Angels & Demons, Man of Steel and Last Knights) who almost instantly captivates him. We see him exhibit humanity in a otherwise cold exterior. Tensions run high in the underworld. Is Murdock making that many waves? Will Fisk and company come at him hard? What about the growing closeness of Foggy and Karen?

A few facts on the show now. The character Ben Ulrich is a white guy in the original comic and no one should lose their mind over a talented actor handling the role. The model of pistol in the crates is a Heckler & Koch P30 which can be a 9mm Parabellum (German caliber created by Georg Luger) or a 40. caliber S& W. The bowling alley this episode was film at was Whitestone Bowling Lanes in Flushing, NY. I guess due to the lack of harsh lighting in the joint. I mean have you ever seen a bowling alley with that tame of lighting before?

Man that body really sunk deep in the river.

TV Episode: Daredevil: Cut Man

Hey true believers, welcome back to Day 2 of TV Episode Daredevil. A quick recap on Matt Murdock. As a child, Matt was blinded by a vat of volatile chemicals that were on a truck accident he saved an old man from dying. While unable to see in the conventional sense, he has a sort of radar sense and his other senses seem almost heightened. After the previous episode the Russians abducted a boy from his father and left a trail of bread crumbs for him to follow. This is Daredevil: Cut Man.

The lengths guys will go to impress Rosario Dawson.

While a young man Santino (Moises Acevedo of Don't Let Me Drown, Remember Me, Kings of Bushwick, Flat Out Amazing and Three from the Block) takes out the trash he notices a battered masked man in black laying in the dumpster. Running upstairs to fetch Claire Temple (Rosario Dawson of Josie and the Pussycats, Men in Black II, Sin City, This Girl's Life, Clerks II, Death Proof, Wonder Woman, Unstoppable and 10 Years), a nurse on night shift. The two haul the man in black (Matt) to her apartment where she discovers he has busted ribs, several cuts that he is bleeding out from and more than likely a concussion.

Matt wakes up on Claire's couch in absolute pain and is unmasked and tells Claire that the Russians laid a trap for him, hence he looks like the losing end of a soccer riot. Knowing the Russians won't be happy until he is a corpse he tries to deal with them, get the boy back and save the proverbial day. If he could stop passing out. We are treated to a flashback of Matt (Skylar Gaertner of Locke & Key, The Americans, Alex of Venice, Every Secret Thing and I Smile Back) listening to a boxing match with his father Battling Jack Murdock losing the fight. Jack gets back and gets stitched up by Matt as they talk about never staying down in a fight. Murdocks always get back up.

Dad, no more PTA fist fights.

With the Russians combing Hell's Kitchen looking for him, he plans to capture one of them and get him to talk... by typical vigilante terms of a butt whipping.

Meanwhile Karen and Foggy are bar hopping and bonding as Karen unloads on Foggy saying she can't bear to be in her apartment after her former colleague was killed there and she herself was almost killed. Foggy's lighter view starts to show Karen there is good in the Kitchen with the community giving a damn about one another which puts her in a better mood.

Matt/Man in Black awakes to deal with one of the Russians, get intel on the abducted boy and plans his assault in spite of all his injuries. Can he save the boy? Will he survive let alone put up much of a fight against the Russians? What will saving one life accomplish?

A few keynotes of the episode now. With director Phil Abraham (The Playboy Club, Hell on Wheels, The Walking Dead and Mad Men) at the helm, this episode is an excellent follow-up from the pilot, not pulling punches or forgetting to show that our hero is in fact, human and vulnerable. The issues Claire has with Matt's flexible morality on beating down the bad guys leaves her in a tight spot on whether or not he is one of the good guys. The atmosphere, lighting and scope of Hell's Kitchen all encompasses the story giving you tragic stories, areas of triumph and insight to the characters around.

Daredevil always looks hopelessly outnumbered, outmatched and out maneuvered in the comics and this is no exception. With fight choreography via stuntman Philip J Silvera (Never Surrender, Cop Out, Chuck, FlashForward, DC Universe Online, Bad Girls and Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City) with ten years of experience helping TV, film and video game fighting design, the realism is there, the punches sound meaty and vicious and Murdock gets tagged. No Spidey sense or bottomless pit of stamina assists him as it is all his will and determination.

She is so out of your league, Foggy.

TV Episode: Daredevil: Into the Ring

Hello all and welcome back to the week. From the ABC Studios production team comes a different kind of hero. Streetwise, book smart and quite the fighter. Today we head to New York or more specifically Hell's Kitchen. Violence in the streets, drugs being pushed and humans trafficked in sex slaving. With the cops being bought off, people terrified to speak up and no Avengers coming to save the day, the folks of Hell's Kitchen pray for an angel... or perhaps a devil they know. This is Daredevil: Into the Ring.

Batman? I could take him.

With the partnership that is Nelson & Murdock, our young lawyers Franklin "Foggy" Nelson (Elden Henson of Cast Away, Manic, Cheats, Under the Tuscan Sun, Lords of Dogtown, Deja Vu and Smith) and his partner blind man Matt Murdock (Charlie Cox of Stardust, Stone of Destiny, Glorious 39, Boardwalk Empire and Hello Carter) have just secured their practice in Hell's Kitchen, hanging their shingle out and ready to defend those in need. No sooner have they set up a few desks, a friend on the police force, Sgt. Mahoney (No, not Steve Guttenberg but Royce Johnson of Life on Mars, Law & Order, Conspiracy X, A Magic Helmet and The Following) calls the fellas explaining a young lady is being held in custody due to being found with a dead man covered in the man's blood, found with the murder weapon and scared out of her mind.

Vampire Jessica! SHAME ON YOU!!!

Matt and Foggy are on the scene and ask the very confused and frightened Karen Page (Deborah Ann Woll of Aces 'N' Eights, True Blood, Mother's Day, Seven Days in Utopia, Catch .44 and The Automatic Hate) details to the case. Genuinely scared she starts explaining how she didn't kill the man. Matt believes her and he and Foggy are going to do everything their power to get her out as she hasn't even been charged for what clearly looks like an open and shut case. As she later tells Matt that she is a whistle blower on the odds and ends of Union Allied when she finds discrepancies in the books that screams a pension embezzling.

Nelson & Murdock point out to the detectives in charge there is too many holes in the case, coupled with an attempt on her life while in their care, Karen needs be released ASAP. Karen still terrified to be in her apartment opts to stay with Matt for a few days. Matt drifts off to sleep as Karen leaves to go back to her apartment in search of her copy of the records on Union Allied. An assassin is posted at her apartment to end her, take the records and clean this mess up. Unbeknownst to the assassin, a black garbed man with a mask is there to beat the crap out of him and save the girl. With the files in hand, the information is leaked to the press and whomever was keeping this underwraps has a scandal on their hands. Is Karen safe? Is there more to this that just a money making scheme? Who pulled the strings to frame Karen?

A few points of interest now. We are introduced to a re-occuring character from the comic, such as petty crook Turk Barrett, one of Daredevil's unwilling informant. Michael C. Hall of Six Feet Under and Dexter expressed interest in playing Daredevil. The real estate agent pitching the building to Matt and Foggy points out that they are lucky this spot in Hell's Kitchen is even around after the events that last summer commenting on the Battle of New York in the Avengers. Nice link up there.

You know I can't see you flipping me off, right?