Shazam! Lights Up The Big Screen

Just Say The Word

Some superheroes are instantly recognized by most members of society. The general public can quickly point out Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Spider-Man, and the Incredible Hulk, but beyond these sacred few (and prior to the success of the Marvel Cinematic Universe), most comic book characters are known only by comic book readers and the occasional viewer of a cartoon or animated film that remembers when a hero like Blue Beetle or Jubilee happened to be a part of a team in the show.

Some heroes have come to prominence thanks to successful films such as Iron Man, the Guardians of the Galaxy, and, to a lesser degree, heroes such as Blade, the Watchmen, and Ghost Rider. One oddball that seems to rise to the top of the heap and then slink back to the bottom is Captain Marvel or, as he’s known today, Shazam!

Originally a property of Fawcett Comics and eventually becoming a DC Comics Property, Captain Marvel was one of the first comic book superheroes to appear on the big screen. Frank Coghlan, Jr. portrayed Billy Batson and Tom Tyler starred as his alter ego, Captain Marvel, in The Adventures of Captain Marvel (1941). It was a twelve chapter serial that was highly successful and very popular in its day. It is considered one of the best serials ever produced by many critics and fans as well.

Captain Marvel was the most popular comic book in the 1940’s, but he was eventually put on the backburner due to a legal battle between DC Comics and Fawcett over the character’s abilities that closely resembled Superman’s power set. He would return to the page and arrived on the small screen in the 1970’s, but due to legal issues over the name Captain Marvel (now copyrighted and owned by Marvel Comics), the books and shows featuring the character were titled Shazam!

DC Comics officially made the character’s name Shazam during the New 52 relaunch and the character has managed to remain mildly popular on the printed page and in animated films until his feature film arrived in April of 2019. If the film’s success is any indication, Shazam might remain at or near the top of the superhero heap for awhile.

No Spoilers In The Following Review!

Starring Zachary Levi as Shazam, Asher Angel as Billy Batson, Mark Strong as Dr. Sivana, and Jack Dylan Grazer as Billy’s best friend and foster brother, Freddy Freeman, Shazam! wastes little time giving us the origin story of the antagonist (Sivana) and of Billy Batson/Shazam. The film is essentially a coming of age story in which the hero comes of age at the utterance of the word, “Shazam.”

Angel does a great job of conveying the good intentions of Batson even when the outcome of his actions aren’t always ideal. We quickly get attached to the character and his foster family in the film. Once he gains the power of Shazam, passed to him by the wizard of the same name (hammed up by Djimon Honsou), Billy has to adjust not only to being an adult (at least visually), but also to becoming a hero.

As expected, Billy screws up a lot. He and Freddy devise a plan to learn what exactly his newfound powers are and the entire scheme is played out for laughs in the film. Billy also buys beer and goes to an adult club and reacts exactly as a fifteen year old kid would react.

Zachary Levi looks like he’s having a blast portraying a kid in an adult’s body. He gives a great performance that reminds me of Tom Hanks in Big. In fact, Shazam! gives that film a big nod in one of the Shazam/Sivana fight scenes. The entire film has an 80’s vibe to it despite taking place in modern times. There’s a ton of humor and a couple of genuinely scary moments (younger children may not be able to handle one particular scene) that triggered memories of films like The Goonies, Gremlins, and The Monster Squad. Heck, even the music score sounds like it could have been made in the 1980’s.

When Dr. Sivana faces off with Shazam for the first time, he doesn’t quite know how to react to the Big Red Cheese. He brutally attacks Shazam, but is met with a defense that includes running, throwing toys, and a few smart aleck comments. Billy/Shazam must learn from his mistakes and ultimately realizes that he might not be able to face Sivana on his own.

The film is a nice break from the seriousness of Marvel Studios’ recent offerings (Avengers: Infinity War, Captain Marvel, and the upcoming Avengers: Endgame) and is a perfect follow up to DC’s Aquaman. Shazam references DC Comics a lot. From toys in the film to comics and even paraphernalia collected by Freddy, it’s obvious that this is a DC movie.

This is a very fun film. It is loyal to its source material (the New 52 and beyond version) and knows just how to use that material to its advantage. Shazam may not be the most popular hero in DC history, but he’s definitely one of the most fun ones. Other than those aforementioned scary moments, this is a very family friendly film and if you’ve never taken your child to see a superhero movie at the cinema, this is the movie to go see!

Thanks for reading my post. I highly recommend this film. It’s the best superhero film so far this year and unless Endgame or Spider-Man: Far From Home does something completely insane and out of the ordinary, it might just be the best comic book film of 2019!

N

Doom Patrol Episode #8

Danny Patrol

In what is quite possibly the happiest episode of the season so far, Doom Patrol finally manages to put a smile on Larry’s face. All of the characters have progressed to some point over the season, but Larry/Negative Man (Matt Bomer, Matthew Zuk) has basically been fighting the same demons the entire time.

Spoilers Ahead!!!

This episode finds Larry and Victor (Joivan Wade) on a mission to connect with one of the most unique characters in the Doom Patrol canon: Danny The Street. No, Danny The Street isn’t a mob-style nickname, Danny is literally a street that survives off of the happiness of those that live on him. He’s also a genderqueer being with the power to teleport to any location in the world. This is a handy power considering the fact that the Bureau of Normalcy is after him and all of his inhabitants. One particular citizen, Maura Lee Karupt (Alan Mingo, Jr.) is fighting a losing battle keeping the rest of the citizens happy. Having been on the run for years, teleporting has become a strain on Danny and it’s becoming harder for him to do so and thus evade the Bureau. Hoping that Niles (Timothy Dalton) can help, Danny calls on the Doom Patrol for assistance.

Victor and Larry inform Danny about Niles’ kidnapping and Danny begins to fear for his citizens. It is this dilemma that forces Larry to open up about himself. He actually SMILES in this episode and there’s a brilliant musical number that features Larry to boot. We get the best glimpse at a happy version of Larry than we’ve ever had in the entire season. He and Cyborg help Danny and Maura Lee battle the Bureau, and it’s a brilliant, heart-tugging confrontation.

The secondary plot features one of Jane’s (Diane Guerrero) most sadistic personalities. On the surface, “Karen” appears to be your standard domesticated sorority girl, but her true self is revealed whenever she forces the “love of her life,” a man that she has dumped numerous times, to marry her. Karen’s power is the ability to make anyone fall in love with her whether they want to or not. She uses this power to trick not only her beau, but his family and Rita (April Bowlby) as well. It’s up to Cliff (Brendan Fraser, Riley Shanahan) to stop the madness.

While Karen is putting her plan into action, there’s a touching side story featuring Cliff and a young boy (Jay Amir). The duo bond with one another in one of the best moments in the show. Soon enough, Cliff has to face off with Karen and in one of the toughest moments of the episode, Karen flies off the handle and her future and the future of all of Jane’s other personalities are left in limbo. Hopefully we’ll learn more about her situation on Friday when the new episode is released.

With the exception of Karen’s grim fate, this episode was a much needed dose of happiness in an otherwise depressing and dark series. While humor has been injected perfectly throughout the season, this episode helped lighten things, especially after the events that happened in the last two episodes. I’m sure that the show will go back to being a bit darker with the next episode, but Danny Patrol was just the type of fun that we (and the Patrol) needed to give us all a break from the norm. This is one of the best episodes of the season by far.

Thank you for reading my post. I can’t wait for Friday’s episode to see what happens next with the Patrol. This series is my favorite DC Universe original by far.

For those of you who happen to be attending CyPhaCon this weekend, I’ll be hosting a panel about the Doom Patrol in Room 5 at 2 P.M. Come say hello and let me know what you think about the show and the streaming service as a whole in person! I might have some goodies to give out as well!

CyPhaCon In Less Than Two Weeks!

Lake Charles, LA

Don’t forget that CyPhaCon is less than two weeks away! If you’re in the Lake Charles area, be sure to check out this excellent event. The party kicks off on Friday night at the Lake Charles Civic Center and lasts all weekend long.

If you happen to be in attendance on Sunday, I’ll be in Panel Room 5 at 2 PM presenting my panel, Doom Patrol: DC Universe’s Favorite Misfits. You can check out the event page here. I’ll be talking about one of my favorite DC Universe shows and giving attendees a breakdown of the main characters on the show. If you can make it, mark that you’re going on the event page.

I hope that I see some of you at CyPhaCon in a couple of weeks. I always enjoy meeting my readers and appreciate your input about my blog. I’ll have my regular Doom Patrol episode review at the end of this week and will hopefully have a Shazam! review for you over the weekend!


Doom Patrol Episode #7

Therapy Patrol

The seventh episode of Doom Patrol shifts the focus away from the search for the Chief and plants it squarely on the individual members of the group. It opens up with Cyborg making the rounds, waking everyone up and telling everyone that a group meeting will take place in fifteen minutes. After thirty plus minutes of watching flashbacks and internal struggles of each individual as they prep for the meeting, everyone finally makes it downstairs and Cliff (freshly recovered from a violent spell) suggests talking about each other’s problems.

The session is a mix of humor, heartbreak, and yelling and ultimately the team makes a few steps forward and just as many back. Mr. Nobody is in their heads and is using their own shortcomings and doubts against them. In one case, he literally has an operative at work inside someone’s head.

We get to learn a little bit more about each member of the team as they talk about their issues. Cliff is pretty much an open book. Larry remains somewhat distant (at least with the group, but he’s making progress on his own). Rita and Vic also make some headway with their own individual problems. We only see a brief flashback of Jane and then watch as she battles her other personalities. She is then dealt a harsh dose of reality by Cliff. It’s one of the most serious and sobering moments of the episode.

With all of the talk going on, you’d believe that this might be a boring episode. You’d be wrong, as the character development is strong and full of violent spats between individuals and the group as a whole. This is a solid episode that gives us a nice break from the depressing revelations uncovered last week.

At the end of the episode, Mr. Nobody’s plant is revealed and in true Mr. Nobody fashion, it’s an absurd revelation. Heck, there’s even a Princess Bride reference that’s adds just a touch more humor to the reveal.

Once again Doom Patrol has proven that it’s a unique superhero series. It doesn’t rely on standard comic book devices to build its story. The heroes are multi-dimensional and the villain is interesting. If you haven’t checked this series out yet, I highly recommend giving it a chance.

As always, thanks for reading. Look forward to more Doom Patrol coverage next week and I’ll be posting about the upcoming CyPhaCon convention in just over two weeks!

Getting “The Dirt” On Mötley Crüe

Netflix

Despite being one of my favorite bands of all time, I’ve never read the autobiographical The Dirt by Mötley Crüe. I’ve read and heard plenty of their stories over the last few decades in other media, but never did purchase the book. Thankfully Netflix has breathed life into some of their misadventures in the film named after the notorious tell-all.

L to R: Colson Baker as Tommy Lee, Douglas Booth as Nikki Sixx, Daniel Webber as Vince Neil, and Iwan Rheon as Mick Mars.

The film opens with a wild party scene that’s narrated by Nikki Sixx (Douglas Booth) and each member of the band is introduced as the scene plays out. From there the story cuts to a young Nikki at home in Seattle and eventually makes its way through Tommy Lee (Colson Baker), Mick Mars (Iwan Rheon), and wraps up the formation of the band with the addition of Vince (Daniel Webber).

The film then follows the band on their whirlwind rise to fame and the ups and downs that come with it. Unlike most biopics about musicians, though, this film uses the band’s music as window dressing, focusing primarily on their time between shows and albums on the road and at home.

We get to see the members of the band deal with vices and personal demons. All of them deal with drug and/or alcohol addictions at various points during their time in the band. If you’re even a casual fan of the group, you’ve probably heard or read most of the bigger issues that the Crüe have faced over the years. In this film, they focus on some of the hardest trials for the group like Vince’s car accident that resulted in the death of Hanoi Rocks’ drummer, Razzle (Max Milner), the death of Vince’s young daughter Skylar (Kamryn Ragsdale), and Nikki’s drug addiction that resulted in his death and resurrection thanks to two adrenaline shots. The film also addresses Vince’s exit from the band and briefly shows his replacement, John Corabi (Anthony Vincent), on screen.

Mick Mars and Tommy Lee seem to fare a little better than Vince and Nikki. Always known as the quiet foundation of the band, Mick is utilized primarily to inject dry humor and blunt honesty into the film. His battle with ankylosing spondylitis (chronic arthritis in the spine that leads to severe pain and inflammation) is touched upon but never really given a lot of screen time. Tommy Lee is shown to be an eternal child full of enthusiasm and hope. It’s funny to see him as the sweetest and most wholesome guy in the band considering the fact that he’s probably the raunchiest (in a good way) guy in the group.

The film will definitely not receive any awards, but I honestly believe that that is exactly how Mötley Crüe would want it. They aren’t trying to sell themselves as heroes or legends in this film. Nope, they know and openly admit that they did some pretty dumb and horrible things over the years and should probably all be dead, but they managed to survive it all. They give you many of the ugly details and harsh truths about themselves and, in a way, that makes it easier to like them.

Almost all of the cast do great jobs in this film. All of the men chosen to portray the members of the Crüe did bang up jobs. Baker nailed down Tommy Lee’s mannerisms and enthusiastic persona. Webber and Booth were excellent as well. Rheon didn’t look like Mick Mars very much, but he delivered the best portrayal of any member of the band in my opinion.

Tony Cavalero has just a few minutes of screen time as Ozzy Osbourne, but those few minutes are perfect. Cavalero gives a great performance as Ozzy giving the Crüe advice about how the rock n’ roll lifestyle can consume you and drive you insane all while completely blitzed. He also shows the band exactly how extreme his life is using ants and urine. If you haven’t heard this particular story, I won’t spoil it for you here.

Not all of the performances in this film were great. The weakest performance of all was delivered by Pete Davidson as Tom Zutaut. Every time he pops up on screen, it’s as if the film gets trapped in a lame Saturday Night Live skit (bad wig included). I don’t know if Davidson was intentionally acting cheesy, but his performance was both forced and out of sync with the rest of the film.

SAN BERNADINO, CA – SEPTEMBER 12: Vince Neil (L) and Tommy Lee of Motley Crue perform at the US Festival 1983 on September 12, 1983 in San Bernadino, California. (Photo by Tim Mosenfelder/Getty Images)

While absolutely not a perfect film, The Dirt does its best at portraying four of the most iconic figures in rock n’ roll. It doesn’t paint them as great heroes or role models. It shows us how ugly, insane, hilarious, and downright despicable they could be and how swiftly they could be slammed back into reality. It’s a brutally fun film that people of my generation will enjoy.

UNSPECIFIED – CIRCA 1970: Photo of Motley Crue (Photo by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images)

It’s definitely not for everyone, and the bad reviews that this film is receiving from professional critics proves that they are completely out of touch with this film’s audience and its subjects. The few good reviews that I have read have all been from self-confessed fans in their late thirties or older. I happen to be one of those people. I grew up listening to Mötley Crüe and still listen to them to this day. I appreciate what this film is and what it’s trying to do. If you grew up in the 1980’s as I did and happened to be a headbanger, you’ll probably enjoy this movie, too.

L to R: Vince Neil, Mick Mars, and Nikki Sixx. Tommy Lee is in the background on drums.

Thank you for reading this post and special thanks to Mötley Crüe for managing to stay alive long enough to give us some great sleaze rock and for not glossing over their chaotic lives. Keep on rockin’!

Doom Patrol Episode #6

Doom Patrol Patrol

No, I didn’t make a mistake when I typed that header. The latest episode of Doom Patrol, released on Friday, is entitled Doom Patrol Patrol and it certainly lives up to its name.

Minor Spoilers Ahead!

Still recovering from the events of the previous episode, our heroes find themselves broken up once again. This time, Cliff and Jane aren’t together as they have been in every other episode. Instead, Jane, Larry, and Rita head out to find the Doom Patrol…..the original Doom Patrol, as part of a plan placed into motion by Mr. Nobody. Rita doesn’t believe that working with Mr. Nobody is a good idea, but Jane’s teleporting personality, Flit, whisks the trio away to a school that is being run by the original team of Mento, Celsius, and Lodestone. Also at the school is its director, Joshua Clay.

While at the school, Jane uncovers a dark secret about the original Doom Patrol. She also learns about her potential future at the school. Rita attempts to heal herself emotionally by rekindling her relationship with Mento and Larry makes a discovery of his own while befriending Celsius.

Victor’s father arrives at Doom Manor to reboot him after his arm cannon exploded and Cliff set off his safety protocols in order to keep Victor alive. When he arrives there are a few tense moments between Cliff, Victor, and Dr. Silas Stone. We get to learn a little bit more about the relationship between Victor and his father, and Cliff seeks out more information about his daughter.

Things start to unravel at the Doom School once Mento begins losing control of himself while talking with Rita. Jane learns what is really going on and she, Larry, and Rita all face off against their own darkest fears. While this part of the show chips away at all three characters, it only hints at what made them who they are in the present. The episode ends with the revelation of a dark secret, Jane questioning her loyalty to the Chief, and a bond slowly growing between Cliff and Victor. We also see the sad fate of the original Doom Patrol and watch as all of the current members tackle their own inner demons.

This was a sad episode in many ways. Cliff’s heart is broken by information he discovers about his daughter. Victor and his father are still estranged, but someone gives Silas a heavy dose of reality that softens the tension between he and Victor. Rita begins to see herself as perhaps uglier on the inside than the outside. Jane is crushed by what she learns at the school. Larry has issues as well, but we aren’t given enough information about his problem to know what is really going on inside of his mind. The most painful thing about the episode is seeing what happened to the original Doom Patrol. All of these moments were played out with a tender hand. This was an excellent episode.

Cast members for this episode included:

  • Brendan Fraser/Riley Shanahan as Robotman/Cliff Steele
  • Diane Guerrero as Crazy Jane/Kay Challis
  • Joivan Wade as Cyborg/Victor Stone
  • April Bowlby as Elasti-Woman/Rita Farr
  • Matt Bomer/Matthew Zuk as Negative Man/Larry Trainor
  • Timothy Dalton as Dr. Niles Caulder/Chief
  • Phil Morris as Dr. Silas Stone
  • Will Kemp as Mento/Steve Dayton
  • Jasmine Kaur as Celsius/Arani Desai
  • Lesa Wilson as Lodestone/Rhea Jones
  • Alimi Ballard as Joshua Clay

As always, thank you for reading my post. I plan on making one or two more posts this week, so keep an eye out for them! Doom Patrol is seriously one of the best shows that I’ve come across in a long time. It’s thought-provoking, humorous, and does an excellent job at making the viewer feel for the characters. Give it a shot. You won’t be disappointed.

Louisiana Comic Con 2019

Lafayette, LA

I’ve attended Louisiana Comic Con in Lafayette almost every year since its inception. I’ve watched as it has grown along with other events put on by AVC Conventions over the years. I’ve always been impressed by their lineup which includes local fan groups, authors, and artists, as well as more nationally known talent including celebrities from science fiction, fantasy, horror, and other pop culture genres.

Myself and Orion’s Envy. Photo by Nadine Perry

This year was a tad different as this was the first year that I presented a panel at an AVC event. I’ve done a number of panels over the years, many of them with my friends in Southern Geek and a few by myself, but this was really the first time that I did a panel on my own at a convention with very few of my friends in attendance. My panel was about blind bag collectibles and while my audience was small, it was very engaging. I learned a lot from the experience and hope to offer up another panel next year.

Scott Innes, the voice of Scooby-Doo, Shaggy, and many, many more.

I got to attend multiple panels at Louisiana Comic Con this year. When I first started attending conventions I spent most of my time in the fan group or vendor area but have grown to really love attending panels. My favorite panel at the convention was by Scott Innes, voice of Scooby-Doo, Shaggy, Fred Flinstone, Elroy Jetson, and many more characters. Innes told the crowd about his life on the radio, writing music, and voicing some of the most beloved characters in animation history. He would easily jump from one character voice to another and even gave us a replay of Shaggy and Scooby arguing over food (surprise, surprise). I also enjoyed panels by Little Red Fox Cosplay and the Drag Punks.

Nicki Nicolai of the Drag Punks.

Of course, no convention is complete without a few celebrities, and Louisiana Comic Con had them in spades. This time around I got autographs and photos with Denise Crosby (Star Trek: The Next Generation, The Walking Dead, the original Pet Sematary) and Amy Dumas (Lita from WWE). Other celebrities in attendance included Kel Mitchell, Austin St. John, Walter Jones, Jamie Marchi, and Kate Flannery, among others.

Amy Dumas/Lita.
Denise Crosby.

Both Ms. Crosby and Ms. Dumas were great to meet. They were extremely friendly and appeared to be genuinely happy to meet their fans. Ms. Crosby loved the fact that she was given Mardi Gras beads! It was really nice meeting both of them.

“Where we’re going, we don’t need roads.”

Cosplayers are a staple at most conventions, so it wasn’t a shock to see quite a few at LCC. Two of my favorites were a gentleman dressed as Doc Brown from Back To The Future and another fellow dressed as everyone’s favorite Cajun mutant, Gambit! There were many more cosplayers in attendance and all of them looked great.

Gambit!

I capped off my day at the convention with a trip to the official after party at Caffe Cottage on St. Mary Blvd. Hosted by the Drag Punks and Orion’s Envy, the event featured karaoke and drag performances. I braved the stage for my take on KISS’ classic ballad, Beth, and then enjoyed the performances by everyone else. It was a really fun time and my first drag show!

The Drag Punks put on a great show!

I left the after party a little bit before the show ended (I’m old. I know) and headed back home to the Lake Charles area. I wasn’t able to attend the second day of the event, but based on pictures and comments on social media, it was just as fun as the first day. I will definitely be returning next year and can’t wait for Louisiana Comic Con to return!

Thanks for reading my post. I’ll be heading to CyPhaCon next month and will have a full report on that event as well. If you would like me to attend your event or know of one that I should attend, let me know in the comments!

Doom Patrol Episode #5

Paw Patrol

Minor Spoilers Ahead!!!

Picking up where the previous episode left off, Paw Patrol finds our heroes split up into two groups. Rita, Victor, and Larry are in Cloverton with Willoughby Kipling attempting to find a way to stop the Decreator. Cliff and Jane are in Nurnheim (although they aren’t sure exactly where it physically is) and are struggling with their own identities at the foot of the Archons’ thrones. We also get to do a tad bit of time traveling with Mr. Nobody and the Chief as they join forces to pull off a wacky scheme in order to defeat the Decreator. Sounds kind of insane, right? Well, it all works together perfectly as it has with every other episode of Doom Patrol.

As the episode plays out, the actions of each group quickly adds to Mr. Nobody and the Chief’s plan against the Decreator. The groups aren’t even aware that their plans are actually being manipulated from the past (and for good reason) but it all eventually leads up to a movement (or possibly another cult) that was born from one of Jane’s personalities in the seventies becoming the catalyst for fighting the Decreator in modern times. The final battle is just as absurd as every other battle in the series so far and works out with just as much perfection in the end. I won’t reveal anything else, but know that the episode ends on a cliffhanger that changes everything.

This series has consistently managed to take completely insane situations and turn them into one brilliant moment after another. The show’s writing, acting, comedic timing, and character development have been nearly flawless. As soon as we think that we’ve figured out a character, they take an entirely different turn into darker territory. I could attempt to pick one character that hasn’t developed in some way with each episode, but it would be a fruitless endeavor. All of the characters, from Robotman to Mr. Nobody, have undergone changes and/or backstory reveals that add more and more layers to their personal stories. Those layers are then blended together to make the larger plot points even more interesting.

It has even become difficult to choose a favorite character. All of them are interesting and all for different reasons. Definitely check this series out if you’re interested in character development laced with perfect amounts of action and humor. I’ll keep giving reviews of episodes, but I’m getting to a point where it will be hard to cover too much of the story without giving anything away!

As always, thanks for reading. I’ll be giving a rundown of what went down over the weekend at Louisiana Comic Con either this afternoon or tomorrow.

See You This Weekend!

Lafayette, LA

If you happen to be in or around the Lafayette, LA area this weekend and love comics, science fiction, fantasy, films, or television, be sure to check out Louisiana Comic Con! I’ve attended this convention on multiple occasions and have really enjoyed it every time. This year will be the first year that I actually get to attend as a presenter for a panel. My panel, It’s The Little Things, will take place on Saturday in the second panel room at 4:00 PM. It will take a look at blind bag collectibles and why myself and others collect them.

Here’s the full panel schedule:

I plan on being in attendance all day Saturday and can’t wait to meet Lita from WWE and Denise Crosby from Star Trek: The Next Generation. Tons of other guests will be on site to meet with fans, take photos, and sign autographs. In fact, the convention has regularly added guests for weeks now including their most recent addition, the voice of Scooby-Doo himself, Scott Innes.

I plan on checking out the Convention After Party at Caffe Cottage once the doors close on the convention on Saturday. It’s being hosted by my favorite green ladies, Orion’s Envy! I’m not sure how long I will be able to stay at the party, but I’ll definitely be there for a bit. The Drag Punks will perform and there will also be cosplay karaoke! Who knows? I might get on stage and belt out a few tunes myself!

I originally planned on cosplaying for this convention, but due to the fact that I’m pretty lazy, I have not completed the costume that I hoped to wear. With that being said, I’ll still be easy to find at the convention. I will most likely be wearing my blue DC Universe Superman shirt. If you plan on attending, let me know in the comments. It would be great to meet some of my readers!

I want to thank Louisiana Comic Con for the opportunity to present a panel at their event. I hope that I get to see a few of you this weekend!



Marvel At This?

1995

When Iron Man got the MCU ball rolling over ten years ago, it was the first and last big risk that Marvel took on the big screen. Since that time, the films have been released at calculated times with specific intent and they’ve all been financially profitable. While characters such as Captain America and Thor are known by moviegoers with just a casual knowledge of comic books, other characters in the Marvel universe needed to be supported by these bigger names in order to build them up.

Black Panther is a perfect example of this need, as he was relatively unknown outside of comic book circles until he debuted in Captain America: Civil War. He benefited not only from the popularity of Captain America and almost every other hero in that film, but also from a brilliant performance by Chadwick Boseman. The Disney machine then turned up the hype for Panther’s solo film and then strategically placed its release between Thor: Ragnarok and Avengers: Infinity War. To top it all off, Black Panther was actually very good, and put more behinds in seats than either Disney or Marvel could have dreamed.

That ability of feeding hype and releasing a film at just the right time greatly benefited Captain Marvel. Probably less familiar to general audiences than Black Panther, Captain Marvel arrived on the scene squarely planted between Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame, ensuring Disney and Marvel that most fans of the MCU would go see the film no matter how unfamiliar they were with the character because the movie might feature some key information about the big Avengers/Thanos showdown in Endgame.

Spoiler Free Review Ahead!

The movie wastes no time jumping into Captain Marvel’s story. We learn that through dream sequences and memory extraction. Instead, directors Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck toss us into an opening sequence that features Marvel (Brie Larson) training with her mentor, Yon-Rogg (Jude Law). It quickly establishes Vers (Captain Marvel) as a self-assured person who’s a little trigger happy at times. We then get to see her join up with a Kree squad featuring Yon-Rogg, Korath (Djimon Hounsou, reprising his GOTG role), Minn-Erva (Gemma Chan), and others as they infiltrate a Skrull stronghold to rescue a Kree spy.

When that mission goes south, Vers finds herself on Earth in 1995 where she meets Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) and a rookie SHIELD agent named Coulson (Clark Gregg). She’s also being tailed by a Skrull leader named Talos (Ben Mendelsohn). Eventually he catches up to her and Vers learns things about herself and others that change her entire outlook on the Kree/Skrull war and her own life.

The story plays out at a somewhat slow pace. Whether this was writing, direction, or editing, I’m not sure, but it kept me longing for something to happen during the film. It seemed to take forever for sequences to complete in the movie and when they finally did come to a close, the end result was dull.

The film’s characters were all over the place. Lashana Lynch as Maria Rambeau gave one of the film’s best performances as did Mendelsohn as Talos. Those two characters were well written and executed on the screen to perfection. Sadly they weren’t enough to keep this film interesting. Jude Law, Samuel L. Jackson, Clark Gregg, and Annette Bening were all wasted in this film. Law wasn’t convincing in his role at all. Jackson seemed to be playing a character that was Nick Fury in name only, as he was pretty much reduced to comic relief in this film. Gregg’s role was limited and unnecessary. Bening just gave a bad performance. Her acting completely threw me out of the film while she was on screen.

Young Akira Akbar portrayed Maria’s daughter, Monica, and did so with youthful wonder. I loved her performance in the film and really wish that her excitement would have bled over into some of the other performances in the film.

Lee Pace also revives his monotonous Ronan for the film. Much like he did in Guardians, he stands around with a dull look on his face and holds his hammer. He’s only in the film for a few minutes, but they are the most boring minutes of all.

Sadly, Brie Larson’s performance was my least favorite in the film. Whether it was poor direction, weak writing, plain old bad acting, or a combination of these things, Larson gave quite possibly the weakest performance of all of Marvel’s MCU heroes. Almost all of the humor in the film felt forced and unnecessary, but especially so when delivered by Larson. It almost seemed as if she was attempting to portray the second coming of Tony Stark minus the money, comic timing, and alcoholism. She also reminded me of Thor prior to him being humbled and eventually becoming a true hero. Captain Marvel is just as cocky, but never really considers herself less than the best even after a major twist occurs about halfway through the film. I honestly hope that if and when she faces off against Thanos in Endgame, she gets humbled and experiences an attitude changing event that makes the character more interesting. She suffers from Superman syndrome, but instead of being so powerful that she becomes boring as Superman has often done in the past, she’s so powerful and cocky that it becomes annoying.

The film relies on 90’s nostalgia quite a bit. From music (which was actually pretty cool, especially during one of the final fight sequences) to an old Blockbuster video store, this film repeatedly reminds you that it takes place in 1995. I kept waiting for a Friends reference, but it surprisingly never came. The soundtrack was cool, but the score by Pinar Toprak was forgettable. I didn’t even notice it while the film dragged along.

The film does have some brilliant visuals. I’m not sure if it was Boden or Fleck, but one or both of them really love wide angle shots, and there are plenty of them in this film. They work to the film’s advantage and look great in 3-D. I also really enjoyed Stan Lee’s cameo in the film.

Ultimately this film falls flat. It constantly teases of greater things to come but nothing ever happens. Talos and Maria keep the film from being a total loss, and I really enjoyed the music and a lot of the film’s cinematography, but I wasn’t that impressed with this movie overall. It will definitely pull in big numbers based on the fact that it is a Marvel film and that it’s bookended by two of the most anticipated Marvel movies, but I don’t consider this to be one of Marvel’s better films.

As always, thanks for reading. I know that my opinion is probably in the minority, so please let me know in the comments what you think about this film.