While Aquaman is the superhero flick getting the most attention this December, there’s another one that’s swooping in on December 14th that’s bound to draw a big crowd as well. That film is the animated Marvel feature Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse. The film will focus on the Mile Morales version of Spidey as he learns how to be the next Spider-Man in his world under the tutelage of Peter B. Parker, a Spider-Man from another universe that arrives in Morales’ world along with many, many more versions of Spidey.
I plan on seeing this film in the very near future with my son. I hope that it breaks the chain of Marvel’s consistently dull and/or outright terrible animated features. The trailer has me hopeful, though, and after seeing some of the voices that will bring this film to life, I’m a bit shocked that this film hasn’t received as much attention as other Marvel films in recent years.
With so many Spider peeps running around, you have to have a large voice cast to handle each unique version of the character. Some of the voices that will appear as a version of Spider-Man include John Mulaney, Chris Pine, Nicolas Cage, Jake Johnson, Hailee Steinfeld, Kimiko Glenn, and Oscar Isaac. I’ll let you watch the film and figure out which voice fits which Spider-man.
Also included in the stellar cast are Shameik Moore as Miles Morales, Lily Thomlin as Aunt May, Bryan Tyree Henry as Jefferson Davis-Morales, Luna Lauren Velez as Rio Morales, Kathryn Hahn as Olivia Octavius, Liev Schreiber as Kingpin, Zoe Kravitz as Mary Jane, and a ton of other spectacular actors.
I’ve heard some criticism of the film’s animation style and I have to admit that I was a bit turned off by it myself. I applaud Marvel for trying something different with the animation, but I hope that they focused on the story even more than the look of the film.
Of course, no animated December release would be complete without a few tie-ins. One of the best tie-ins in my opinion are the McDonald’s Happy Meals featuring Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse toys. These toys are bloated little action figures of Spider-Man that come with two sets of stickers to give each Spidey his own look. You can even use different eyes and facial features to customize your Spider-Man. Each figure also appears to come with either an action feature such as shooting a web or an accessory.
I picked up the Miles Morales/Spider-Man figure (#2 in the series) and he features a shooting web. I plan on getting at least a couple more of these figures. I’m hoping to bag the Spider-Man Noir figure as he is my favorite version of Spider-Man that isn’t the traditional Peter Parker version.
Here are a few photos of my Spidey:
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I plan on seeing this film over the holidays. I will be seeing Aquaman this weekend in a special Amazon Prime Preview. Look for reviews for both films in the very near future!
As always, thanks for reading. See you again real soon!
First and foremost, I’m sorry that I haven’t posted in a couple of weeks. I’ve been pretty busy with work lately and haven’t had the time nor the energy to post as of late. With that being said, I have some great news! Although DC’s Aquaman film isn’t officially hitting theaters in the United States of America until December 21, Amazon and Atom have teamed up to allow Amazon Prime members a chance to see the film on Saturday, December 15 in select locations! I live near one of those locations and will be taking my daughter with me to see the film this Saturday!
I’m really excited to get a sneak peek at this film before general audiences and can’t wait to see the movie! I’ll write up a spoiler free review of the film on the Sunday after I watch the movie (or maybe on Saturday night whenever I get home if it’s really great and I’m not too tired). I’m really hoping that this film is good. DC and Warner Bros. get trashed so much by fans and the media for their films and I really want them to turn things around with this film.
While I’m excited to see Arthur Curry (Jason Momoa) on the screen again, I’m even more excited to see Mera (Amber Heard) get fleshed out a bit more and the debut of the live action Ocean Master, Orm (Patrick Wilson). It’s going to be cool to see Dolph Lundgren and Willem Dafoe back on the screen as King Nereus and Vulko, respectively as well. What I’m most hyped for is the arrival of Black Manta (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II), who happens to be one of my favorite DC villains. I hope that he is portrayed as viciously as he is on the printed page. If so, this movie is going to be epic!
Momoa did a fine job in the Justice League film and in his brief cameo in Batman Vs. Superman: Dawn of Justice. Hopefully he continues to give Aquaman new life on the screen. He seems like a really nice guy in real life, so maybe some of that will come through in the film via Arthur Curry.
Like I said, I’ll have a spoiler free review as soon as possible either late on Saturday or early on Sunday morning. Keep your eyes open for my post! Thanks for reading my post. I’ll post again very soon!
The doors to the DC Universe streaming service have been opened wide since September of this year. While I haven’t heard very much about the public’s reception of the service itself (I’ll actually be taking a more in depth look at the service in a later post), I have heard a few people talk about one of their current original programs: Titans.
When set photos were leaked, fans cried foul over the looks of Beast Boy, Raven, and particularly Starfire. Robin’s official photo was better received, but fans weren’t too excited about his utterance of “F*$! Batman” in the teaser. As is often the case, the finished product looks much better than leaked set photos and teasers make them appear. In fact, Starfire is one of the best things about the first season of Titans so far and there’s a perfectly good reason why Robin said what he said. Lets take a look at what has been good and what has been bad as we await the release of the ninth episode later this week.
A few mild spoilers ahead, but nothing that will ruin the show for you.
The first season of Titans has primarily focused on three of our beloved heroes trying to find their purpose in life and how they, along with Beast Boy, have to face off against a growing danger that appears to be intent on capturing Raven. Robin is trying to separate himself from Batman, his Robin persona, and being the hero in general. He’s determined to make his own path as a detective in Detroit and he seems to be doing a pretty good job of it until he runs into Rachel Roth (Raven), a young girl who is having an identity crisis of her own. She’s talking to a demon in the mirrors and there are a bunch of big bads after her that want to harness her powers that she’s still learning to use. Poor Starfire has the biggest identity crisis of them all. She can’t remember who are what she is at all. She does her best throughout the series to trigger old memories and along the way she learns that she has some extremely amazing powers. Beast Boy is the final member of the group that is introduced, but his head is on a bit straighter than everyone else as he was fortunate enough to befriend another group that I’ll get into later.
The series is definitely much darker than any other televised version of the Teen Titans. The series features brutal fight scenes, some to the death, and some pretty strong language as well. There have been a few adult oriented love scenes, but nothing that would make you want to cover your eyes….yet. There are also plenty of actions taken by the characters that I know will have comic fans screaming, but once they see the series play out, I’m sure that they’ll begin to enjoy the series as a whole.
Unlike Man of Steel,Batman Vs. Superman: Dawn of Justice, and, to a lesser degree, Wonder Woman, DC’s Titans has quite a bit of humor laced throughout the show. Much of the humor comes through Beast Boy, but Starfire has quite a few funny moments as well. Robin and Rachel also draw a few laughs, but they are definitely the more serious characters of the group.
Spoilers begin here!
Fans were already aware that some of DC’s lesser known heroes would be introduced in the Titans series. Eight of them have been featured prominently so far. Hawk and Dove were introduced in the second episode and, true to the comics, they represented brute strength and anger (Hawk) and a more understanding heart that will cut you if necessary (Dove). Portrayed by Alan Ritchson (Hawk) and Minka Kelly (Dove), this dynamic duo has a history with Batman and Robin in the series, and it’s not necessarily a solid relationship.
Another hero introduced in the series is Donna Troy, also known as Wonder Girl, Wonder Woman’s sometimes sidekick, who helps Robin out after a major event occurs in the series. While I never remember her being referred to specifically as Wonder Girl, she definitely shows off some of her powers. Donna is portrayed by Conor Leslie in the series.
Titans — Ep. 106 — Photo Credit: Christos Kalohoridis / 2018 Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. All Rights Reserved.
The fourth hero to pop up on the show is none other than Jason Todd, the second Robin. He shows up in the fifth and sixth episodes of the season and proves to be both a help and a hindrance to Dick Grayson, the first Robin. The character is portrayed with reckless abandon by Curran Walters. Dick sees hints of himself in the new Robin, but he also sees a darkness that he fears might take him over as well. Jason Todd is both hilarious and brutal all at the same time. He’s quite possibly the most violent hero in the show and he has plenty of competition, especially from Hawk. I love this version of Jason and I hope to see him show up again in the series.
Four other heroes introduced and given some depth in the series are the members of Doom Patrol. They are initially shown as Beast Boy’s adopted family. They, like him, have special abilities that make them stand out from the crowd. The group features Rita Farr/Elasti-Woman, portrayed by April Bowlby, who can manipulate the size and shape of her body with varying degrees of success. It also features Larry Trainor/Negative Man, portrayed by Dwain Murphy and voiced by Matt Bomer. While Negative Man’s powers are never truly revealed on the show, the comics have always shown him to have the ability to project a Negative Man being from his body that can fly and has super strength, but can only do so for no longer than one minute. Robotman/Cliff Steele is the final team member of the Doom Patrol that is introduced in the series. Portrayed by Jake Michaels, we don’t get to see him use his powers, but he’s a wonderful character. The team is guided by the Chief/Niles Caulder. Dr. Caulder (Bruno Bichir) put the group together as a ragtag band of misfits that he helped learn to control their powers. Beast Boy seeks the Chief’s help with Raven.
Of course, a team of heroes is only as good as their villains, right? Titans has some great villains that definitely up the ante for Robin, Starfire, Raven, and Beast Boy. There’s an unseen villain that has sent out assailants to capture Raven over the course of the series, but none of them have been as excellent as the Nuclear Family. While their look, origin, and purpose differ from the comics, this Nuclear Family is awesome. They are one of the most sadistic groups of villains that I’ve seen on television so far. Their sugary sweet wholesomeness is just a cover for four of the most lethal warriors you’ll ever meet. Dad (Jeff Clarke), Mom (Melody Johnson), Bif (Logan Thompson), and Sis (Jeni Ross) are devilishly brilliant in this series and are my favorite villains so far.
The series features some great acting performances, particularly from the Nuclear Family and Brenton Thwaites as Robin. Ryan Potter injects some much needed humor throughout the series as Beast Boy, but he shows other emotions as well. Anna Diop’s Kory Anders/Starfire takes on a motherly role with Raven when necessary, but she struggles with her own problems as well. I believe that Diop will eventually become the breakout star of the show. Teagan Croft’s portrayal of Raven is adequate, but she’s the weakest member of the team as far as acting is concerned.
The guest stars have all done very good jobs, especially Alan Ritchson and Minka Kelly. Ritchson channels a bit of Ben Affleck’s grizzled Batman at times, but it fits the character well. Minka Kelly comes across as very loving and quiet, but her character doesn’t hesitate to take up arms when the situation calls for it.
The show’s music is also very good. From the original music for the series to the playing of classics such as Sunshine Day by the Brady Kids, this series knows exactly when and where to play just the right song. Some are played for laughs and others build the intensity of the moment.
But is it all wine and roses? Absolutely not. The CGI is bad at times and its flaws are especially evident when Beast Boy turns into a tiger. Thankfully the story is strong enough that I can easily look beyond the bad CGI, but if certain characters are going to be making an appearance in future episodes (one has been heavily hinted at both in the show and in rumors), the CGI will definitely need to crank things up a notch.
Some of the ways that conflicts are resolved are a little bit too “well, ain’t you lucky” for my tastes, but I understand that this sort of thing happens in every series with and without superheroes. I also don’t like how easily certain character deaths are blown off or forgotten about by our heroes.
With all of that being said, I’ve only scratched the surface of just how cool this series is and how it hints at greater things to come for both the show and for DC Universe. I haven’t mentioned all of the villains nor have I given away any of the Easter eggs that the show drops throughout each episode. The producers, writers, and directors have really put their hearts into this series and it shows. Don’t let the naysayers draw you away from this series.
Eventually I plan on breaking down each episode but I want to give my readers a little more time to watch the series before doing that. This show is one of the best live action DC series so far, and with Swamp Thing, Doom Patrol, and other original shows waiting in the wings, DC will have me as a subscriber for a long time.
Thanks for reading my post. I plan on looking at the DC Universe streaming service as a whole in the near future. I also plan on taking a closer look at their other original series, DC Daily, as well. Keep your eyes peeled for more DC Universe posts!
I always purchase at least two tickets to the Texas Renaissance Festival every year during their spring sale. Last year, unfortunately, I wasn’t able to visit TRF. This year, my daughter and I decided to make a spontaneous trip to the festival (with two tickets in tow). We arrived about thirty minutes later than we wanted to due to traffic, but that didn’t stop me from getting my first photo with the king!
Despite going to the festival for ten years now, this was the first time that I ever took a photo with His or Her Majesty. Next year I hope to get a photo with the Queen!
The first show that we watched was The Great Rondini! This was our first time to watch his performance and we’re glad that we did. Rondini is a superb magician and an excellent escape artist. After seeing him, we visited the Magic Garden where we ran into some fairies, a dancing class, and a topless girl from Texas!
She’s topless!!!
After the garden, we headed to the Agora to watch Cirque Mythos and the Gypsy Dance Theatre. This was also the first time for my daughter and I to watch both of these groups, mainly because we spend so much time watching other shows. This year we decided to visit shows that we hadn’t seen before and we’re glad we caught both of these acts at the Agora!
As the day continued, we visited a few of the shops and ate and drank plenty of delicious things. I ended up purchasing two of the Gypsy Dance Theatre CDs and an adult beverage. My daughter got a Henna tattoo and some jewelry.
We also watched the Birds of Prey show (a first for me) and two of our favorite shows: The Fire Whip Show and Clan Tynker! All three of these performances were brilliant. As the years have passed, watching Adam Crack amaze audiences with his multiple whips has never grown old. Each year he continues to wow me, my daughter, and the crowds.
If I haven’t seen Clan Tynker perform, I haven’t been to TRF as far as I’m concerned. They were the first act that I ever saw at TRF and I’ve watched them every year ever since. They are family friendly and extremely fun to watch. This year I took a selfie with Santiago. If you ever go to TRF, I highly recommend checking out Clan Tynker!
One other new thing for us to experience was the Museum of Cruelty. It featured many devices of torture from the Dark Ages and even a few more “civil” torture devices such as the Guillotine and the Pillory.
I walked around the festival grounds with a massive grin on my face. It felt so good to be back “home” after having missed last year. Sooner or later I plan to camp at the festival to get the complete faire experience.
Here are a few other photos from our trip to TRF.
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As always, thanks for reading my post. You might have noticed that I didn’t post anything for last week’s Throwback Thursday, and that’s because I was rather busy over the last week.
Expect posts covering DC Universe’s Titans real soon as well as other DC Universe offerings. I’m also going to throw in a few Christmas themed posts as well as we near that wonderful holiday.
Just over twenty years ago, Dragonheart was released in theaters. It told the story of Bowen, a knight of the Old Code, and Draco, believed to be the last living dragon on Earth, who join forces to take on the evil King Einon, a tyrant that has a unique connection with both Bowen and Draco. Along for the adventure are Kara, a peasant girl hungry for revenge against Einon, and Brother Gilbert, a monk who records Bowen’s adventures in the hopes of becoming a great poet.
The film featured an amazing cast including a few well established actors such as Dennis Quaid (Bowen), Julie Christie (Queen Aislinn, Einon’s mother), and Sir Sean Connery as the voice of Draco. Many of the other cast members were just beginning to make their mark in cinema. David Thewlis (Einon), Pete Postlethwaite (Gilbert), Jason Isaacs (Lord Felton), and Dina Meyer (Kara) would all go on to establish solid careers of their own within the next few years after being in Dragonheart. The movie also featured some solid supporting work from character actors Brian Thompson (Brok) and Terry O’Neill.
With CGI still in its infancy, the film was considered a technical wonder. Combining practical effects with CGI, Industrial Light & Magic, under the guidance of Phil Tippett, did a wonderful job of bringing Draco to life. Yes, there were obvious moments in the film where Draco looked fake, but the dragon’s overall look and actions were very convincing for 1996 and hold up well to this day. The movie was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Best Visual Effects, losing out to Independence Day.
I remember watching this film at the theater. There was a childlike wonder to it that seemed to be missing in other contemporary action and fantasy films in the 1990’s. This was a fun movie that didn’t attempt to take itself too seriously but was still enjoyable to watch. It wasn’t a perfect movie, but the acting was solid and the effects were amazing for their time. The music was inspiring and the action was well-paced as well.
The film cleared 115 million dollars in returns, making back just a little more than double its production costs. As the years passed, it built a cult following that became large and vocal enough to warrant a direct-to-DVD sequel entitled Dragonheart: A New Beginning, and then two prequels would follow, keeping the Dragonheart name in the back of fans’ minds. Rumor has it that Universal is fishing around for ideas about a remake of the original film.
Dragonheart is a fun film that deserves a second look. If you haven’t seen the film yet, it’s currently available on Amazon Prime and on Blu-ray/DVD. You won’t regret watching this film if you love fantasy and adventure. It’s also an excellent film to watch with your family.
As always, thanks for checking out my post. For my fellow U.S. citizens, happy Thanksgiving. I plan on posting about my recent trip to the Texas Renaissance Festival very soon and be on the lookout for my review of DC Universe’s Titans in just a few days!
I can’t say much about what’s happening in my universe right now, but I can at least tell all of you that something awesome has happened and I’m excited to be a part of it. Keep your eyes peeled for upcoming posts about all things DC!
In honor of Stan Lee’s recent passing, I’d like to share one of my earliest comic book memories as a child. In 1980, I was four years old and still uncertain about going to the dentist. My mother cared about my teeth and wanted me to have some healthy pearly whites, so anything that she thought could convince me to brush my choppers on the regular was good in her eyes. Little did she know that she was about to unleash a monster on the world.
AIM Toothpaste released a free The Amazing Spider-Man comic book featuring Spidey taking on the Green Goblin. This was my earliest introduction to Spider-Man on the printed page. I had skimmed a few of my older brother’s comics, but he was mainly into Star Wars comics with a few X-men comics thrown in for good measure. This AIM comic introduced me to the Green Goblin, one of Spidey’s greatest villains, and hooked me on the Webslinger and the Green Guy immediately.
As the years have passed, I’ve forgotten much about what this comic was about (although I still own it). The bottom left panel featuring Spidey slamming into the Goblin is, to this day, one of my favorite panels in all of comics. The next panel, with Goblin trapped in a giant set of teeth, is another of my favorites. The story was written by Marv Wolfman with pencils by Alex Suviak and ink by Mike Esposito.
While AIM’s intention was most likely to get kids to buy their toothpaste, it hooked me on Spider-Man and the Green Goblin instead. It’s a well known fact that Spider-Man was Stan Lee’s favorite superhero, and he’s one of my favorites as well. I hope that you’ve enjoyed this quick trip down memory lane with me, and if you’re a person of faith, say a little prayer for Stan, his family, and all of the fans that have been touched by Stan’s work over the years. He has created and/or co-created some of the biggest characters in comics history.
UNITED STATES – DECEMBER 18: Stan Lee, founder of Marvel Entertainment Inc., poses next to a Spider-Man model in his office in Beverly Hills, California, U.S., in this file photo taken on Dec. 18, 2008.
As always, thank for reading. I still need to post my review of my recent visit to the Texas Renaissance Festival. Be on the lookout for that real soon!
Spider-Man, the Incredible Hulk, the Fantastic Four, Doctor Doom, and so many, many more of the best superheroes that have ever graced the printed page, the small screen, or the big screen, have been created or co-created by Stan Lee. Sadly, Mr. Lee passed away today at the age of ninety-five.
Lee has been an integral part of every comic book fan’s life since he first became an assistant at Timely Comics back in 1939. He would go on to become one of the most beloved and recognized faces in comic book history. From his cameo appearances in Marvel films to his work on television shows such as Who Wants To Be A Superhero? to his many appearances at comic book and pop culture conventions, Lee has always been a vocal supporter not just of comic books, but of those that read and appreciate them as well.
Lee’s wife, Joan, passed away in July of last year. The pair were married sixty-nine years, just a few months short of seventy years of marriage. Lee called Joan his “muse” and had the following to say about her on July 7, one day after her death, in an interview with ABC News:
“There was one girl I drew: one body and face and hair. It was my idea of what a girl should be. The perfect woman,” Lee told the Hollywood Reporter in 2016. “And when I got out of the Army, a cousin of mine said, ‘Stan, there’s this really pretty girl named Betty. I think you’d like her. Why don’t you go over and ask her to lunch?’ I went up to this place. Betty didn’t answer the door, but Joan did. I took one look at her. She was the girl I had been drawing all my life. She said, ‘May I help you?’ I think I said ‘I love you.’ I proposed to her at lunch.”
Stan Lee will be greatly missed. His enthusiasm was infectious and he appeared to genuinely love everything that he was doing. He loved his fans and the many characters that he created or co-created. The book has closed on Stan Lee’s life, but his story will continue as long as their are true believers drawing breath.
I was ten years old when NBC gave me and the rest of the world the gift of Gordon Shumway, also known as ALF. The series ran for four seasons on NBC and proved to be mildly successful with audiences. It focused on ALF and his trials and tribulations with the Tanner family (who graciously took him in), the nosy Ochmonek family next door, and everyone from the federal government to blind lady that befriended him.
The Tanners did their best at attempting to hide ALF from everyone but often failed, usually as a result of something that ALF did. ALF also had an uneasy relationship with the family cat, Lucky, because cats were a delicacy on ALF’s home planet of Melmac. As the series rolled along, ALF began searching for other survivors of his home planet’s destruction. The survivors were explored in more depth on the animated series that came out in 1987, just a few days after the second season of the live action show started.
ALF proved to be very popular with kids. A few toys were released as were a few tie-ins with fast food chains. I remember owning an ALF plush toy and getting an ALF puppet from Burger King. I got the Surfer ALF, FYI. There were also trading cards from the series and another series of cards that featured an illustrated ALF visiting all fifty states and appearing on postcard-styled pictures.
The series starred Max Wright as Willie Tanner and Anne Schedeen as his wife, Kate. They had two children named Lynn (Andrea Elson) and Brian (Benji Gregory). An infant son named Eric (Charles Nickerson) was added in the final season when Schedeen became pregnant in real life. The Tanner’s nosy neighbors were Raquel and Trevor Ochmonek (Liz Sheridan and John LaMotta). They provided a lot of humor in the series, especially Sheridan, who was always sticking her nose into the Tanner’s business.
Paul Fusco provided the voice and was the primary puppeteer for the ALF character. In scenes were it was necessary to show ALF walking, actor Michu Meszaros would wear a costume for the shots.
While it proved to be popular with younger audiences, the series struggled to maintain its ratings. As a result, season four ended on a cliffhanger that wouldn’t be resolved until a made-for-TV film was released on ABC a few years later. It has also been stated that producing the series was extremely difficult and often very tense. A special stage had to be created in order to allow Fusco to move the ALF puppet around on the set. The actors had to work around trap doors hidden in the floor and deliver their performance at the same time.
Andrea Elson proved to be an early crush for me even though I was just ten years old. I also wanted to be like Benji Gregory (or at least his character, Brian). I really dove into the ALF craze, purchasing or winning numerous ALF shirts, posters, trading cards, and the aforementioned plush doll and puppet. I would record the show on my family’s VCR and rewatch it whenever I had time on the weekends. I was really sad to learn that it was cancelled, but I quickly moved on to something new.
ALF was the perfect series for me in the mid 80’s. It is in no way a great series nor is it deserving of any major awards. It was simply a fun little show worked perfectly for its brief time on the air.
Thanks for taking a trip down memory lane with me. Let me know in the comments if you liked ALF and feel free to share any of your memories of the series. I’ll be posting again real soon!
Until yesterday I had no idea who Christine McConnell was and were it not for a suggestion from Netflix, I probably wouldn’t know anything about her today. Well, as I was working hard at doing nothing yesterday morning, Netflix suggested that I give The Curious Creations Of Christine McConnell a look. And look I did.
On the surface, this series looks like a children’s show that would be right up Tim Burton’s alley. However, after viewing the first episode, I quickly realized that this show was A) not necessarily for the kids, B) one part cooking show, one part crafting show, and two parts dark comedy, and C) oddly enticing.
I couldn’t keep my eyes off of this bizarre little series. Each of the six episodes in the first season feature cooking and crafting segments sewn into a story arc featuring McConnell, a stray “something” named Edgar that winds up at her door, an ancient Egyptian mummified cat named Rankle, revived patchwork roadkill named Rose, and a beast named Bernard that’s so large that he has to live in the basement. Oh, and then there’s the beautiful ghost named Vivienne, a giant squid named Millie that lives in the refrigerator, Christine’s cousin named Evelyn, the nosy neighbor named Mr. Ketchum, and an extremely suspicious gentleman caller named Norman.
McConnell’s food creations are simply breathtaking. They are also time consuming and most likely out of the skill range of most home-based cooks. The good thing about each of her recipes is that while the average cook probably won’t be able to match her level of artistry, they can definitely make their own versions of her work thanks to the surprisingly minimal amount of ingredients in each dish. I can definitely see myself attempting to recreate her shrunken head cookies, chocolate tea cups, and maybe even the wolf paw doughnuts. Sure, they won’t be as beautiful as her work, but they’ll probably taste and look pretty good.
Not only does McConnell create beautiful food (almost exclusively sweets on the show), she also shows viewers how to make simple homemade candles, create a dress, and make gift baskets for family and friends. She never gets too technical with any of her recipes or her crafts, but she gives the viewer a great foundation to build upon.
McConnell’s style is something of a mash up of goth, pastel 50’s style, and a twisted sugary sweetness that is both sexy and dangerous. She made her mark in the world as a model, artist, and baker with her unique style that screams retro and bloody murder at the same time.
The show has an odd balance of thinly veiled adult humor and offbeat comedy featuring McConnell and the quirky cast of characters that live in and around her home. In one episode, McConnell makes up a gift basket for her grandmother. She fails to mention where her grandmother “lives” and once we see where she actually resides, it’s played up for light dark humor. She also meets Norman in the episode. Edgar is immediately suspicious of him and a story develops around Norman and his interaction with the rest of the cast.
The adult humor in the series plays against the fact that McConnell looks and acts very much like a housewife ripped straight from a 50’s American sitcom. She’s always dressed perfectly and her makeup and hair are always exquisite despite the fact that she obviously puts in multiple hours to make her creations. Most of the dirty comedy comes from Rose and Rankle. Rose is accused of having an amorous encounter with a garden gnome, uses a ball-gag on a visitor, often passes gas, and makes lewd comments throughout the series.
The cast is great. McConnell is gorgeous, owns her retro look, and is obviously very talented. Colleen Smith pulls double duty as both the voice of Rose and as Christine’s dastardly cousin, Evelyn. Mick Ignis lumbers around stating the obvious as Edgar. Michael Oosterom voices Rankle and I’m pretty sure that he sounds exactly the way that a bitter mummified cat should sound. Tim Lagasse gives life to Bernard down in the basement. Adam Mayfield has both Christine and Rose wrapped around his potentially-a-serial-killer finger as Norman even though Edgar is pretty sure that the guy always smells like fresh blood and shouldn’t be trusted.
Steven Porter portrays the annoying and somewhat cranky Mr. Ketchum. His role is brief in the show, but brings with it a lot of the adult humor that will most likely be the deciding factor of whether or not parents will let their kids watch the series. The lovely Dita Von Teese has a small role as well, portraying the beautiful ghost named Vivienne that lives in the mirrors of Christine’s home.
The series is definitely very unique. I hope that it gets a second season, as it ended with the reveal (although it was pretty obvious from the beginning) of a killer. My only worry is that the show might be too unique for some viewers. McConnell is an artist, plain and simple, and I can definitely see where some folks might not be able to accept her dark twist on things. If there is a second season, though, I’ll definitely be watching. I’d also like to meet McConnell at a convention or art show. That would be pretty cool.
Give The Curious Creations of Christine McConnell a shot if you love dark comedy, cooking, crafting, and a little twisted humor.
As always, thanks for reading. See you again real soon!
Ken's Alternate Universe! 