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More Morrissey: Mozquito Coast and ASappy

Read More The Smiths I was excited to see that This Day Is Music is publishing The Smiths - The Day I Was There, a new book on the Manchester band. This book is more or less a collection of memories from various fans, compiled and edited by Richard Houghton. … Morrissey As you know, I used to be a devoted The Smiths and Morrissey fan. Like many of you, I have grown up and may have been a little disenchanted by singer Morrissey’s beliefs and personality... but I still love the music .…

We recently talked about how cool it was to see that Morrissey and The Smiths were suddenly in the news (being on The Simpsons and the topic of Shoplifters of the World) a few weeks ago. Here are a few other Morrissey/Smiths items in the news:



MOSQUITO COAST
apple.com

I’ve been enjoying the new American drama series called The Mosquito Coast on Apple TV+. The television series was developed by Neil Cross and Tom Bissell and based on the 1981 novel by Paul Theroux. The same novel was also made into a motion picture (of the same name) in 1986, starring Harrison Ford and Helen Mirren.

I haven’t seen the movie, but based on the six episodes that already aired (the finale will air on June 5), I’m really contemplating on checking out the film.

The story is about an American family living off the grid for nine years. They’re discovered by the government and the family soon went on the run. Their journey leads them to The Mosquito Coast, in Mexico.

What I like about the story is that it’s very smart and written in a way that you’re not quite sure how the family will get out of one troubled situation after another. It’s almost on the Breaking Bad level, because you know the main character is really intelligent and without resorting to violence… can out think his way out of the trap.

As for the Smiths appearance, in the second episode, “foxes and coyotes”, the family sought help with a coyote to take them across the border to Mexico. While their father, Allie Fox, removes a police ankle bracelet, their daughter, Dina, goes through the coyotes’ record collection to discover a copy of The Smiths’ classic The Queen Is Dead album. The timeline doesn’t make sense, since the book was written in 1981, and this album came out in 1986. Clearly an invention for the television show.

Anyway, the owner of the records, Chuy, said he much prefers Morrissey’s solo music, and puts on “The First of the Gang to Die” and started dancing with their mother, Margot.

The Mosquito Coast, Episode 2: “foxes and coyotes” (30 April 2021)

A$AP ROCKY
asapmob.com

In the recent GQ interview with A$AP Rocky, he dropped the news that his latest collaboration is with Morrissey! The rapper is a fan and previously mentioned in 2018 on Open Late, that he “f*** with Morrissey on some Smiths sh**. Make some emo, real, retro-infusion, motherf**in’ 2018 shit, man.”

With that, in GQ, A$AP said his album is called All Smiles and will feature the Pope of Mope: “Anything you need him to do, he show up and do.”

Apparently, the new album will be a slight departure from what you normally think of when you think of A$AP. He noted, “It's all about the evolution. If I’m still doing the same sh** with the same sounds and the same bars and the same visuals from years ago, what's the point? You got that catalog. You can go revisit that.”

Say what you will, but based on that, thought, I’m interested in hearing the new All Smiles record.

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Morrissey, an unhappy birthday

Read More The Simpsons This is a lovely medley of "A Fish Called Selma". Basically in this episode they decided to make Planet of the Apes into a musical. The most hilarious song is "Dr Zaius", which is basically a rip-off of Falco's Rock Me Amadeus. .... Morrissey As you know, I used to be a devoted The Smiths and Morrissey fan. Like many of you, I have grown up and may have been a little disenchanted by singer Morrissey’s beliefs and personality... but I still love the music .…

Today (May 22) is Morrissey’s birthday.

It’s so weird that in 2021, we’re seeing Morrissey and The Smiths in current media. For the diehard fans, it’s simply amazing…



THE SIMPSONS
fox.com

The long-running The Simpsons animated series aired an episode parodying Morrissey and The Smiths in an episode called “Panic on the Streets of Springfield”, which aired on April 18, 2021.

In the episode, Lisa Simpsons discovered Quilloughby (voiced by Benedict Cumberbatch) and The Snuffs through Slapify (parody of Spotify). She instantly fell in love with the morbid music and becomes obsessed.

After an accidental meat-eating mushroom burger incident at school, Lisa started to see Quilloughby as an imaginary friend. After some concerns over her “pre-pre-teen rebellion”, Marge canceled the Slapify music subscription. Lisa runs away to see The Snuffs reunion show at the Bummershoot music festival.

When Lisa finally see the real Quilloughby on stage for the first time in over 30 years, she realized that Quilloughby is now an overweight meat-eating racist.

I thought the first part of the show was good… but the ending was just really mean-spirited. Calling Morrissey money-loving, racist, fat, and meat-eating, is simply just not right. There are some tiny small truths in that attack (sure Moz said some bigoted things or he’s gotten chubbier or he likes money).. But if you know Morrissey, you know those things are not 100% true. The worst part is calling Morrissey a meat-eater, that’s just a lie. And to suggest that he would reunite with The Smiths for money - Morrissey wouldn’t do that out of principle. There is also the fact that the “lawnmower parts” (Andy Rourke and Mike Joyce) sued Moz and he will never work with them ever again…

The one good thing that came out of this is that Fox officially released the parody song “Everyone Is Horrid Except Me (And Possibly You)”, co-written by Flight of the Conchords’ Bret McKenzie on May 11, 2021. The “full” song is only slightly longer than what was televised, but it’s fun to see hear the parody - especially that it does sound something that Morrissey would write.

The Simpsons, Season 32, Episode 19 (18 Apr 2021)

Read More The Smiths I was excited to see that This Day Is Music is publishing The Smiths - The Day I Was There, a new book on the Manchester band. This book is more or less a collection of memories from various fans, compiled and edited by Richard Houghton. …

SHOPLIFTERS OF THE WORLD
shopliftersoftheworld.com

The American film Shoplifters of the World is director Stephen Kijak’s love-letter to Morrissey and The Smiths. It’s clear, based on all the attention to details that Kijak is a massive fan. The film came out March 26, 2021, via RLJE Films.

The story is based on an urban legend about a Smiths fan who held up a DJ at gunpoint and demanded that he play nothing but The Smiths all night. That’s pretty much is the whole movie.

While I love hearing the music, seeing the old vintage posters and album artwork… this was not a good film. I love The Smiths, but I just have to be honest: if you are not a Smiths fan, avoid this movie.

My biggest complaint is that I really didn’t care about any of the four major characters. You never really learn why each character loves the Smiths and why they are a fan. They simply are just friends and they are just fans, and that’s as much as you need to know. If you were truly a Smiths/Morrissey fan, you know that it’s hard to meet another like-minded person - especially in those pre-internet days. Maybe it’s just me, but when I first heard of The Smiths, I didn’t know anyone that had their records. I started buying their albums and eventually had to search/seek out other fans through fanzines and letters. You simply didn’t go to school and your classmates all listened to the Smiths…. Again, that may be someone’s story, but not mine.

My other complaint is that song lyrics are cringey when spoken in dramatic dialogue. It just sounds stupid when you hear it, and as a Smiths fan, you recognize the line as taken from a song. I know the movie is winking at the fans, but God, it is embarrassing.

My last issue with the film is that they made the fan who held up the radio station as if he was a hero. I don’t think it’s right to force someone to listen to music they don’t like. Imagine if someone forces you to listen to (insert hated band/music here) - you’ll hate the music even more, right? Especially if you’re a heavy metal listener… to suddenly hear The Smiths, you’ll turn off the radio right away! You’re never going to convert non-fans, so the idea is just dumb.

I know I’m really harsh on the film, but it’s just my opinion… I’m certain most fans will love the film. I don’t think the film was made for non-fans, so if you don’t understand The Smiths, you won’t “get” this movie. You can see this reflection on Rotten Tomatoes, where the critics hated the film, while the fans gave it a glowing review.

The best part about the film? The soundtrack. I love hearing the songs… but at the end of the day, isn’t it just the same as putting on Louder Than Bombs or The Queen is Dead and singing along?

PS, Louder Than Bombs is one of the best Smiths compilation … and it’s awesome that it was originally an American release.

PPS, I also got a laugh when I saw someone in the film reading a James Dean is Not Dead book. Morrissey wrote that book and have plead to fans to not buy that book, as he gets no royalties from any sales from the numerous reissues and reprints. I personally own a copy, as well as his New York Dolls book.

Shoplifters of the World (2021)

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Hero TV

Television Disney Plus’ first original Marvel Production, WandaVision, proved to be a hit with fans. With the currently Marvel Comics films being put on pause due to the big COVID virus, moving production to a weekly television…

Here’s a roundup of Super-hero-ish television shows.



FALCON AND THE WINTER SOLDIER
disney.com

I think it’s safe to say that the latest Marvel Television series, Falcon and the Winter Soldier, is a hit. While WandaVision started off strong and impressive, it didn’t quite stick the landing. The show runner admitted that COVID actually prevented them from doing all the things they really wanted to do with the ending. Some characters basically disappeared at the end, that’s because they couldn’t travel to do filming and their parts were basically cut.

Unfortunately, WandaVision, and now Falcon, Marvel has a problem with ending their shows. It starts off well enough, but they just can’t stick the landing. In the Falcon’s case, it felt rushed and ultimately just sets up for Season 2, or perhaps, Captain America 4.

The worst part of the show’s finale was the speech that Falcon, in his colorful new costume, at the end. It just sounded too preachy…. And really didn’t belong in the show. I really felt the show should have explored more on John Walker’s murder of a “terrorist”. Perhaps ended with the Falcon and Winter Soldier taking Walker down and bringing him to justice. Maybe have Walker do a little time, before trying to redeem the character and turning him into USAgent.

For a six-episode show, there were just too much going on: John Walker, Battlestar, The Power Broker, the Flag Smashers, Batroc the Leaper, Isaiah Bradley (the Black Captain America), Dora Milaje, and Baron Zemo. With only a few episodes, I wish they would have just concentrated on some of the ideas: the Super Soldier serum and John Walker. That would’ve been more compelling than adding the whole Flag Smashers and their revolutionary cause.

Clearly the M.V.P. of the show is Baron Zemo, who proved himself to be a really likeable villain with certain morals. I am hoping to see more Zemo in the future.



INVINCIBLE
amazon.com

I have to admit, I wasn’t terribly excited to hear that Robert Kirkman had a new show called Invincible, based on his superhero comic book of the same name. This is because his Walking Dead show had gotten worse with each season. The writing was so bad that I had to give up on the show altogether around Season 6 or so (it was after the war with Negan).

Since the first three episodes of Invincible were on Amazon Prime, I decided to give it a chance... and you know what? It’s actually pretty good. The first episode ended up in a bizarrely violent end, and it had enough mystery that kept me interested. After watching the first three episodes, and while waiting for the next one to air, I picked up the source material (the original Image Comics) to give it a read.

Based on what I’ve read and what I’ve seen... they’re both very different from each other. If you’re a comic book reader only, you can get into the show without feeling bored. Personally speaking, I think the TV show does a better job in telling its story. The comic book, at times, did not seem to have a direction, and it felt like they were making things up as it went along. For example, one of the key player isn’t introduce in the comic book until much later... while the show definitely had plans for this character from the start.

Anyway, the show is available on Amazon Prime, so if you’re a member, you can watch it for free. I’m not sure what the pricing is if you don’t have Amazon Prime, but based on per episode costs, I would imagine it to cost $2 per episode. As of this writing, only four episodes are available to view.



THE NEVERS
hbo.com

Joss Whedon created The Nevers, but due to the scandals, he removed his involvement with the HBO show. It’s still very Whedon-ly, like Victorian British girls fighting in corsets.

In the world of The Nevers, there was an alien spacecraft that that “touched” all some people in London, England. Everyone that it touched ends up having super powers. The show made it seems like only women were “touched”, but apparently there were a few men that also had powers (such as the henchmen that could walk on water).

Maybe I didn’t pay attention, or maybe it’s because I’m very early in the show, but I never really understood the show’s name of “The Nevers”. Shouldn’t they call the show “The Touched” ?

Anyway, comparing this show to previous Whedon’s ideas, this has elements of Dollhouse and Buffy the Vampire Slayer. What I mean by that, is that it’s typically a Whedon show to feature beautiful young, strong women as the leads. Since this is cable/HBO, the show doesn’t shy away from showing boobs and buttocks… which was not expected for a Whedon production.

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Wanda & Vision and Superman & Lois

Read More Television I did enjoy The Punisher quite a bit, which was a win, considering that I thought Iron Fist and The Defenders were lackluster. Ever since The Punisher appeared on Daredevil, I knew he would spin off in his own series…

WANDAVISION (2021)
disneyplus.com

Disney Plus’ first original Marvel Production, WandaVision, proved to be a hit with fans. With the currently Marvel Comics films being put on pause due to the big COVID virus, moving production to a weekly television program seems to make the most sense. Instead of fans gathering to view a movie in a theater, they can view the story in their isolated homes.

What is really nice about the television program is that you really explore the two Avengers characters: Scarlet Witch (Wanda) and the Vision, learning more about the two… something that you couldn’t do in an all-star cast of a typical Avengers film.

At first, seeing WandaVision as old homage to I Love Lucy, Dick Van Dyke Show, etc., was unique and interesting… but it got old real fast. I felt like those show parodies were just stretching out the series… when all I really wanted was to see the real-world story.

For the most part, WandaVision plays out the story very straight-forward, answering the mystery of why Wanda was living her life as a “television show” and introducing our villain of the show. Unfortunately, all the fan theories were way off base, leading to massive disappointments. Theories that didn’t pan out: WandaVision didn’t introduce mutants in the Marvel Universe (even though they casted the same actor to appear as Quicksilver from the X-Men film), Mephisto didn’t appear (even though he was the co-star of The Vision and Scarlet Witch comic book series), and final boss fight wasn’t anywhere near as cool as fans wanted.

Personally speaking, I felt the ending was underwhelming. Characters were introduced and disappeared in the same episode… characters like Darcy Lewis barely appeared in the finale… Monica Rambeau (the other Captain Marvel) was given powers, but felt out of nowhere (obviously they needed her to have powers for the next Captain Marvel film).

As the first in in “Phase Four” of the MCU, I thought it was pretty good (if you dial down your expectations). I am looking forward to Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (which the Scarlet Witch will co-star in), and, of course, the second television show The Falcon and the Winter Soldier.

Read More Comic Books I really hate the title Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. I can understand it, it tells us that Batman will be fighting Superman... and somehow it involves the Justice …

SUPERMAN & LOIS (2021)
cwtv.com

It seemed forever and a day when we first heard about the Superman & Lois show (announced in 2019). I think last saw Superman (and Lois) in Supergirl… when he left that Earth and disappeared to another Earth. I’m sorry, I don’t have all my Earths sorted out… I just know that in this Superman & Lois earth, it seems like Arrow or Supergirl doesn’t exist on this Earth (I could be wrong, but based on the episodes we’re given, there aren’t any other superheroes on this Earth).

Based on the pilot and second episode, Superman & Lois seems like a decent show, even though it’s plagued by that CW problem of being poorly written and overdramatic. I sometime don’t fault The CW, they have a limited budget and it is what it is… but somehow, the Superman & Lois show looks like they got a lot of production money. The show looks good and cinematic (unlike their other CW shows).

The setup to the show is that Clark Kent and Lois Lane decided to move their family back to Smallville. Apparently, they also have two teenage boys (I must’ve missed something since I don’t think they had children in Supergirl). One boy is a happy all-American popular football kid, while the other is a moody/gothy depression kid. I know I’m not the market for this teenage-storyline, so I personally do not care about these boys.

I’m also not really that interested in Lois Lane’s storyline… which is trying to investigate Morgan Edge, the owner of The Daily Planet, and how he’s trying to exploit Smallville. I felt like the show didn’t paint Edge as an evil monster, in fact, it looks like he’s trying to bring jobs to Smallville and that Loise Lane is in the wrong.

The storyline that I’m most interested in is the mysterious (black) Lex Luthor from another Earth … hellbent on destroying Superman. You understand his motivation for trying to destroy Superman, but if you think about it, it totally doesn’t make any sense. Sure, that other Superman from Lex Luthor’s earth was evil, but clearly, this is not the same Superman.

Like all CW shows, I am originally interested in the first few episodes… but as the show goes on, I am often disappointed in the show. The CW just does not have a good track record for keeping me interested.

Still, Superman & Lois will hold me over, until Netflix’s Jupiter's Legacy (the new Mark Millar show) debut in mid-2021.

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TV: Season 2

Read More Television Perhaps the reason why SyFy is airing Deadly Class early, is to distance themselves from the upcoming Netflix’s Umbrella Academy (another school show - for Superheroes). A couple of things worth noting: (1) former Black Flag singer Henry Rollins …

We’re still in that age of the COVID-19 virus… so we’re hungry for new content. Here are a few shows that got a Season 2 treatment. Usually if the first season is good, I’m more incline to check out the second season. Sometime, like in the case of Star Trek: The Next Generation, it’s the second season that the show got really good. In the first season, the writers are still trying to find their groove.

If a show gets a third season, the means that there is a good audience for it. Some shows, such as Doom Patrol, I doubt it will get a third season (since no one is watching it).

UMBRELLA ACADEMY
netflix.com

I was actually really impressed with the first season of The Umbrella Academy. I love the first season, but thought perhaps the star of the show, Ellen Page, was hardly used. Personally speaking, they could have just ended with Season 1 and I would be really happy with the series.

I love Season 2 of The Umbrella Academy as much as I love Season 1. Perhaps it is because Season 2’s storyline is beat-for-beat the same as Season 1 … including what caused the Apocalypse. I still love it, even though I had already guessed the ending midway in the season.

My only complaint about Season 2 is the usage of so much popular music. The family is stuck in the 60s, yet modern music was used in the soundtrack… it just takes you out in believing they’re in a different time period.

Speaking of music, Umbrella Academy is based on the comic book written by My Chemical Romance’s singer Gerard Way.

Condor: Season 2

CONDOR
mgm.com

Based on the novel Six Days of the Condor (which was also made into a 1975 film called Three Days of the Condor), this television show is now in its second season.

From what I can remember I actually enjoyed the first season… but had a hard time remembering what happened that led up to Season 2. After all, it’s been two years since Season 1 debut in 2018. I think to really enjoy Season 2, I should go back and re-watch the first season to refresh my poor memory.

Nobody watched the first season, because it was under the Audience network from AT&T. Earlier this year, AT&T decide to shut down the television network, so Condor was licensed out to foreign networks, such as RTÉ2 and C More.

Season 2 just couldn’t hold my attention. Each episode is an hour long, so it felt like they had to deliberately space and pace out the story and plot over a long period of time.

Alienist: Season 2

ALIENIST
tntdrama.com

I had no idea there was The Alienist season 2. The first season ended in 2018, and it wrapped things up nicely… leaving no loose ends as far as I can remember. The period-drama was based on the novel by Caleb Carr… so when they solved that mystery, where can they go in Season 2?

Apparently, Season 2 is based on the Alienist sequel novel The Angel of Darkness… so it’s a brand-new storyline with the same characters we know and love from Season 1. If you never saw Season 1, I think you can start with Season 2 without any problems.

In Season 2, we find out that it’s a year later and Sara Howard (played by Dakota Fanning) is head of her private detective agency. The new mystery began with the wrongful killing of a mother accused of killing her baby. As usual, the “Jack the Ripper” gothic style and tone of the show is incredible. It’s only too bad that it took two years for them to finally air the new season.

Doom Patrol: Season 2

DOOM PATROL
hbomax.com

I bought Doom Patrol on Bluray when I saw it was on sale for $10. It’s a great show, and I am a fan of the original source material (owning a complete run of Grant Morrison’s Doom Patrol).

Unfortunately, no one is watching Doom Patrol Season 2… despite the fact that it’s now available on HBO Max and DC Universe. To make matter worst, Season 2 ended abruptly with Episode 9, because of the COVID-19 situation. There was supposed to be one final episode to wrap up Season 2, but unfortunately, at the moment, the series’ fate is up in the air.

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TV: Warrior Nun and NOS4A2

Still in lockdown here… Here’s another roundup of television shows I’ve been watching lately.

Read More Television I think the show’s title, Devs, is a bad one. I didn’t know what that title would imply, and it took a lot of recommendations from friends and family, before I begrudgingly decided to check it out. Spoiler alert, I really love Devs. …

WARRIOR NUN
netflix.com

Many of you know that I started collecting comics in 1985. At the height of my collecting days, particularly in the 90s, there were many independent publishers cashing in on the crazy comic book explosion. I remember seeing Antarctic Press’ Warrior Nun Areala by Ben Dunn hitting the market in the mid-90s. I thought the concept was silly, taking two mis-matching things and combining it. A fighter nun? It’s fun, like a fast-moving turtle.

I’ve picked up a few of Ben Dunn’s comics, Ninja High School (Eternity Comics) and the giant-robot series Dynamo Joe (First Comics), so I was already familiar with his anime/manga influence. What I liked about what he was doing was taking something from Japan and adding a Western flair. They even had a term for this type of mashup, calling it “Amerimanga”.

I suppose his creation Warrior Nun Areala is his biggest hit, considering that Netflix produced the television show Warrior Nun by Simon Barry. Although the show’s story is different than the original comic book, the television show did borrow a lot of concept of the Warrior Nuns mythology. You don’t need to know the comic book when you’re watching the show, as it’s almost two different entities.

The Warrior Nun show is about a long-running Warrior Nun order, defending the world against Hell, thanks to their training and a leader with the power of the Halo. In the pilot, their leader is killed and the nuns hid the Halo in recently deceased orphan named Ava Silva. The Halo resurrected Ava and, thus, her reluctant adventures with the Warrior Nun began.

The only Eastern-influence in the show seems to boil down to many of its fight sequences (which are actually really good). There’s something badass about nuns doing Kung-Fu and taking down groups of enemies.

The story is not amazing and its portrayal of the Catholic is unrealistic, but if you can look past the silly idea of battle/weapon-cladded nuns, you’ll have a good time.

NOS4A2
amc.com

I hate the spelling of NOS4A2. I can never spell it and I can’t really wrap my head on how it is supposed to sound like “Nosferatu”.

The second season just started on NOS4A2 on AMC, and I’m eager to see how the show will end. If you didn’t know, Season 1 of NOS4A2 was only the first half of Joe Hill’s novel. Season 2 is suppose to end the series (I do not believe there will be a Season 3).

If you’re not caught up, NOS4A2 is a story about Vic McQueen, a girl with the ability to travel anywhere using her “knife” and her Shorter Way bridge. She soon discovers Charlie Manx, who feeds on the souls of children using his Rolls-Royce Wraith, and is determined to stop Manx.

The title is a little misleading, as NOS4A2 is the license plate, and that Manx is not really a true vampire - at least not in the traditional way. His victim-children lives in “Christmasland”, and resembles nightmarish vampire-like children (complete with sharp pointy teeth)… but, again, not traditional vampires.

If you’re a fan of Locke & Key, I think you’ll enjoy NOS4A2. So far, only three episodes of Season 2 of NOS4A2 have aired. Some episodes are a miss for me, particularly the additional backstory of Charlie Manx, which was told in Season 1, but expanded for Season 2. I just had no interest in his life before becoming the monstrous Wraith character.

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International

Here are some foreign movies or television show you can watch if you’re in lockdown, as we are.

Read More Ghost in the Shell [15 Jan 2015] Origa (singer for Ghost in the Shell: StandAlone Complex anime), 44, lung cancer [15 Jan 2015] Kim Fowley (hated manager of The Runaways), 75, bladder cancer …

DOROHEDORO
netflix.com

My new favorite anime is Dorohedoro (ドロヘドロ), based on the Japanese manga series by Q Hayashida.

The series is about a lizardhead man called Caiman and his friend Nikaido. They try and uncover what happened to Caiman and how and why he’s a lizard.

I haven’t read the comic book, but looking at some of the art and pages online, I can tell you that Q Hayashida’s style is very unique and when they adapted it for animation, they had to streamline some things - even though the animation is still very detailed and very well animated.

As for the series, it’s action-packed. Genre-wise, it’s all over the place… from punk-rock to comedy to food anime to straight-up horror.

Although I did really enjoy the series, I do have some minor complaints about Dorohedoro. Despite being 12 long episodes, it still felt unfinished by the time you watch the finale - it was all to set up Season 2! There are way too many episodes that has nothing to do with the main storyline. For example, there is a cooking contest episode and a baseball game episode… out of left field, to use the phrase. There are also too many episodes devoted to each character - I don’t need to know the backstory to Noi. I think sometime it’s better to leave things a mystery.

Overall, I love the art and the action and the strange world’s rules.

You can watch Dorohedoro on Netflix. Netflix also has an exclusive to Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex 2045 (worst title ever), which is on my next watchlist.

About Dorohedoro:

Amnesiac Caiman seeks to undo his lizard head curse by killing the sorcerer responsible, with his friend Nikaido's help. In the Hole, that's a threat.

Read More Films Night of the Living Deb is a delightful "Zom-Rom-Com" (Zombie Romantic Comedy) film starring Maria Thayer as local camerawoman Deborah and Michael Cassidy as Ryan. …

CLIMAX (2018)
a24films.com

Gaspar Noé’s films are not for everybody. You have to keep that in mind, as you watch his latest film, Climax. The movie is just a very long dance sequence into hell. There is not much of a story here, just a long journey … told through dancing. They based the film on a true story, so keep that in mind.

The dance sequence (many of them as one-take) are amazing, and the intro soundtrack of a remixed Cerrone’s “Supernature”, is very catchy.

I’ve seen all of Noe’s film, except for his debut I Stand Alone, and can tell you that his films are for art house fans. It’s not feel-good or have coherent storyline. His films are all about raw, primal emotion… from sex to ultra violence. Love it or hate it, you have to admit he has a certain vision to his films.

The first time I heard of Gaspar Noe, was through his breakout international hit, Irréversible (which I own on DVD). The movie is told in reverse, but unfortunately, at the time, everyone said it was too similar or had copied Christopher Nolan’s Memento.

Anyway, if you want to watch Climax, it’s available to stream on Amazon Prime.

About Climax:

From director Gaspar Noé (Irreversible; Enter the Void; Love) comes a hypnotic, hallucinatory, and ultimately hair-raising depiction of a party that descends into delirium over the course of one wintry night. In Climax, a troupe of young dancers gathers in a remote and empty school building to rehearse. Following an unforgettable opening performance lit by virtuoso cinematographer Benoît Debie (Spring Breakers; Enter the Void) and shot by Noé himself, the troupe begins an all-night celebration that turns nightmarish as the dancers discover they've been pounding cups of sangria laced with potent LSD. Tracking their journey from jubilation to chaos and full-fledged anarchy, Noé observes crushes, rivalries, and violence amid a collective psychedelic meltdown. Starring Sofia Boutella (Atomic Blonde) and a cast of professional dancers, Climax is Noé's most brazen and visionary statement yet.

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TV: Devs and Star Trek: Picard

Still under relatively lockdown, and now with the George Floyd riots, I’ve been staying mostly indoors and watching long-form television shows.

With Scott Pilgrim vs the World returning to theaters for its 10 year anniversary in August 2020… Here are two recent Sex Bob-omb’s drummer Alison Pill’s Sci-Fi shows you can watch now… although I don’t recommend one of them.

Read More Movies The British horror film 28 Days Later came out at a time (2002) that there was a dry-spell in the Zombie movie genre. This film may have inspired the term “fast zombies” (all George Romero’s zombie films have always been slow-moving zombies)… …

DEVS
fxnetworks.com

I think the show’s title, Devs, is a bad one. I didn’t know what that title would imply, and it took a lot of recommendations from friends and family, before I begrudgingly decided to check it out. Spoiler alert, I really love Devs.

Going beyond the fantastic science fiction of a computer that can map the past (and therefore apply it to see the future)… the show is really about a love story. You don’t realize it’s a love story, until it hits you, and you noticed that all the clues were there.

All the actors were amazing, particularly Sonoya Mizuno as Lily Chan and Jin Ha as Jamie. Two Asian leads and they really carry the show.

I don’t think there will be a Devs Season 2, nor do I want one, as the ending to Season 1 is so good and wraps up the show nicely. Some shows shouldn’t go on more than one season, like Watchmen.

If you don’t take my word for it, take the writer/director/show runner Alex Garland’s body of work. He wrote: The Beach, 28 Days Later, Sunshine , Never Let Me Go, and Dredd. For the most part, I have enjoyed most of his films (particularly Dredd and 28 Days Later). I also own his directorial debut for Ex Machina.

P.S. Scott Pilgrim Sex Bob-omb’s drummer Alison Pill stars in Dev.

About:

In Devs, an FX limited series, a young software engineer, Lily Chan, investigates the secret development division of her employer, a cutting-edge tech company based in Silicon Valley, which she believes is behind the murder of her boyfriend.

Devs stars Sonoya Mizuno as “Lily Chan;” Nick Offerman as “Forest,” the CEO of Amaya; Jin Ha as “Jamie,” Lily’s former boyfriend; Karl Glusman as “Sergei,” Lily’s boyfriend; Zach Grenier as “Kenton,” Amaya’s Head of Security; Stephen McKinley Henderson as “Stewart,” one of the top minds working in Amaya’s secret development division; Cailee Spaeny as the young, brilliant “Lyndon;” and Alison Pill as “Katie,” the gifted quantum physicist and second in command at Amaya.

Alex Garland writes, directs and serves as executive producer of Devs along with Andrew Macdonald and Allon Reich of DNA TV, Scott Rudin, Eli Bush and Garrett Basch. The series is produced by FX Productions.

Read More Star Trek You know I love Star Trek, so it is a sad day when I saw that original Spock actor Leonard Nimoy is dead. Live long and prosper. ....

STAR TREK: PICARD
cbs.com

As many of you already know, I’m a longtime Trekker, and so, originally, I was excited about Star Trek: Discovery, you quickly realize this new Star Trek by Alex Kurtzman, is definitely not the Star Trek I wanted. It’s like whoever is making new Star Trek don’t understand the franchise creator Gene Roddenberry’s idea of a bright future.

ST:D Season 2 is one of the worst shows I’ve ever seen. You have characters saying “I like science!” to a bomb that destroys everything except for a “blast door”. It’s just stupid. Red Letter Media did a pretty good job making fun of it on their YouTube. You can tell they’re fans, who thought the new Star Trek so overdramatic and had terrible writing.

I gave Star Trek: Picard a chance, of course. ST:P is simply the worst Star Trek in my ranking… yes, even worst than Star Trek: Enterprise. Even though I didn’t love Enterprise, I still own the Bluray and DVDs, because I love Science Fiction and Star Trek. With new Star Trek, I just refuse to buy the DVDs or Blurays, because I’ve no interest in owning these depressing new Star Trek.

ST:P continues this dark universe, characters like Raffi is living as “white trash” trailer and addicted to drugs. Romulans can just teleport anywhere … why not teleport the characters out to their death prison or something? Plus, the most unforgiving thing about new Star Trek is that they say the F-word. Star Trek has always been all-ages. This new Star Trek is not for children.

Picard is just a bad show, I am not going to recommend it for Sci-Fi fans… and especially if you like Star Trek. If you like Star Trek, there is a show called The Orville, which is a Star Trek knock off… but they have an understanding of classic Star Trek. Or if you just want realistic Sci-Fi, The Expanse is an excellent show.

PS, Sex Ba-bomb’s drummer Alison Pill plays Agnes Jurati, an expert on synthetic life, is part of Picard’s crew.

About:

Star Trek: Picard features Sir Patrick Stewart reprising his iconic role as Jean-Luc Picard, which he played for seven seasons on Star Trek: The Next Generation. The new series will follow this iconic character into the next chapter of his life.

The series is produced by CBS Television Studios in association with Secret Hideout and Roddenberry Entertainment. Alex Kurtzman, Michael Chabon, Akiva Goldsman, James Duff, Patrick Stewart, Heather Kadin, Rod Roddenberry, and Trevor Roth serve as executive producers and Aaron Baiers (Secret Hideout) serves as co-executive producer and Kirsten Beyer as supervising producer. Hanelle Culpepper will direct the first two episodes of the series.

Vuart: Sheer F*** Hubris (2020)

vu ([email protected]) ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ facebook.com ♥ twitter.com/weheartmusic

TV: Penny Dreadful, Outlander, and Westworld

Read more Television.

Read More Television The pilot does an incredible job of setting the tone and style of the show. This was a police procedural crime drama with two parallel storylines: Detective Bosch on trial for the murder of an alleged serial …

PENNY DREADFUL: CITY OF ANGELS
sho.com

We first talked about Penny Dreadful in April 2014 and was excited about the television show and its concept of fictional characters like Frankenstein and Dorian Grey being in the same universe. I liked the show enough to buy the first two seasons on Bluray.

Instead of continuing the Penny Dreadful series, the showrunner and creator John Logan decided to do a spinoff show called Penny Dreadful: City of Angels.

The new show has nothing to do with the original Penny Dreadful series, so I’m wondering why bother keeping the name in the first place. Penny Dreadful: City of Angels instead focus on Mexican folklore and based in Los Angeles during the late 1930s.

Even though critics praises the new series, I found it really hard to watch the pilot and really understand the story.

About The Series

1938 Los Angeles is a time and place deeply infused with social and political tension. When a grisly murder shocks the city, Detective Tiago Vega and his partner Lewis Michener become embroiled in an epic story that reflects the rich history of Los Angeles: from the building of the city's first freeways and its deep traditions of Mexican-American folklore, to the dangerous espionage actions of the Third Reich and the rise of radio evangelism. Before long, Tiago and his family are grappling with powerful forces that threaten to tear them apart.

On another Showtime note, their fan-favorite series Outlander concluded on Mother’s Day (May 10). The series started off incredibly strong, and deservingly-so as the concept of a woman trapped in 17th century Scotland.

As the series continues, leaving Scotland and going to France and then America… it just felt like the later seasons were a completely different show.

While I will always love the first season of Outlander, I’m afraid I can’t recommend the later Seasons to anyone else.

I did tune in to watching the series finale, despite not having watched Outlander Season 3 to 5. I think if I had watched the entire show from beginning to ending, that I would’ve felt more strongly or satisfied by some of the character’s deaths.

Read More Westworld He recently worked on HBO’s Westworld, with bits from that score heard during the countdown to the main show starting. …

WESTWORLD
hbo.com

HBO has been struggling to find its new hit show since Game of Thrones ended (and it ended badly). Westworld potentially could have been the next-Game of Thrones, but unfortunately Season 2 of Westworld was not good.

What was compelling about the first Season of Westworld was the mystery of who’s a robot and who’s human. It was fun to guess and it was fun to see if we were right. Unfortunately, Season 2 decided to set itself in Samurai World and had a complicated three timeline story that ultimately wasn’t exciting or worthwhile.

Again, Westworld returned with Season 3, and again, the story is completely different from the original show. In Season 3, some robots escaped the park and is in the human world. Despite the Cyperpunkiness of it all, I found it hard to really like the show. I think it’s just the storyline.

If you were interested in checking out Westworld, I highly recommend Season 1 and just avoid the later Seasons.

vu ([email protected]) ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ facebook.com ♥ twitter.com/weheartmusic

Sci-Fi and Fantasy Television shows of 2019

Watchmen Read More Watchmen Anyway, I'll be taking it easy today, maybe re-read The Watchmen as I just saw the movie in theater over the weekend and was really impressed. As an old comic book fan (especially when it comes to the genius of Alan Moore), I loved it - …

Read more Television.

WATCHMEN
hbo.com/watchmen

HBO’s Watchmen Television show is possibly my favorite TV show of 2019.

The TV show expands on the influential Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons comic book… and it totally works. Instead of re-telling the story in a television format (like how the movie retold the graphic novel), what the show producers did was tell a different story – one set 30 years after the original event. And they honor the original work, by keep in the giant squid monster and going with that idea (in the movie, they changed the ending). It’s clear to me, based on all the homages that the writers all knew (and are fans) of the source material. It’s the love of those things that expands into their story.

One of the coolest thing they did in the show was give Hooded Justice an origin story. And you’ll never guess who and why he wears the hood! It’s unbelievable smart how they answered all the questions you may or may not have about the first “super hero”. In the comic book, they reference the original Minutemen, but you never really got much of a back story for any of those characters… so it’s very cool that the TV show explored Hooded Justice.

As a big fan of the graphic novel, I’m going to have to give it a big thumbs up. I love the comic book, and seeing that story taken to the next step, I love it. Unfortunately, I feel sometime that fans unfamiliar with the comic book (or have only seen the movie), might not fully enjoy all the little Easter “Eggs”, or somewhat complicated plot in the show. The show might be too clever for the average viewer.

I don’t think show creator, Damon Lindelof, should do a Season 2, there’s really no good reasons for them to continue this story.

Witcher Read More The Witcher I also picked up The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings, at Walmart, which came with a lot of bonus items like a DVD and Soundtrack (all at the normal cost of a game product). They are on the right track, I definitely …

WITCHER
netflix.com

Critics absolutely hates Netflix’s The Witcher. The reason is that they don’t generally love the source material (a series of fantasy books) and they don’t play the video games. Since they don’t know the books or games, there’s a disconnect and they’re just lost and confused. One critic was so bored, he or she skipped a few episodes to get the plot moving. One critic just cringed at all the nudity.

Sure, there’s nudity, and actress Anya Chalotra (Yennefer) is very comfortable in her birthday suit, but who cares? I didn’t mind it and I think it’s true to the Witcher universe.

I think the biggest problem I have with the show is that I might know too much about the world of the Witcher (via the CD Projekt Red’s games) and was very disappointed to see that the actress (Anna Shaffer) that played Triss Merigold isn’t a redhead (as seen in the game).

I also have a certain vision of Ciri (from the game) that didn’t entirely matched with actress Freya Allan. I know not everyone is going look like the video game, but c’mon, Henry Cavill, is a straight match for the video game version of Geralt of Rivia, even down his “hmph” and talking to Roach, his horse.

I guess it just comes down to if the actress is good, it shouldn’t matter what they look like.

Anyway, the wide divide of critics vs fans is obvious to me - this genre television is meant for fans and clearly not directed to “professional” critics. If you look at Rotten Tomatoes, this divide is also seen in The Orville (fans love it, critics hated it) and Batwoman (fans hated it, critics loved it). As a fan of the game and television, I would have to think that the critics just don’t understand.

Expanse Season 4 Read More The Expanse Song of the Show: "Heroes" by David Bowie BONUS: The Walking Dead: Season 6 (part one), The Expanse. …

EXPANSE
amazon.com

Possibly the best Science Fiction television show on air right now is The Expanse (no, it’s not Star Trek: Discovery). As I previously mentioned, I love this show.

In the world of the Expanse, there are three major factions: Earth, Mars, and the Belters… and the show is so smart (or rather the books it was based on is so smart), that it looks the long-term effect of living without gravity, etc.

Originally, SyFy produced the show. It was probably too expensive for the network and probably wasn’t worth what they were paying for their audience. The show looks fantastic, and the stories are amazing.

Admittedly, the show does take a little patience. The first three season of the Expanse is actually just the “setup” to what the Expanse is really about! It’s so epic, that it took that long to get to the point. Unfortunately, right when they got to the new worlds - SyFy cancelled the series!

There was a massive campaign, put on by the fans, to get another network to continue the series. Through a random chance meeting with the cast, Amazon’s founder Jeff Bezos, he decided to just finance the fourth season!

The fourth season sees our favorite crew, James Holden and his crew (Naomi Nagata, Alex Kamal, and Amos Burton) investigating this new planet. There’s complications, of course, Belters vs the Earths (Royal Charter Energy), and Holden caught in the middle.

My biggest complaint about Season 4 is that it seemed like a really short story. They’re basically stuck on this planet and eventually in these ancient ruins (built by the original creators).

My other complaint is the storyline with Bobbie Draper on Mars. It just felt like it wasn’t going anywhere… I know eventually her path will lead back to Holden, but it’s not in Season 4.

I love seeing Detective Joe Miller back, and I love the new villain, head security Adolphus Murtry. Although, if you ask him, he doesn’t think he’s the bad guy, he’s only looking to protect his crew.

Anyway, give me more Expanse!

Mr Robot Season 4 Read More Mr Robot After resisting the television show Mr Robot on USA Network, I gave in and watched the first season. It was pretty good, it did remind me of plot from Fight Club... and despite figuring out the “twist” midway into the first season …

MR ROBOT
usanetwork.com

I love Mr Robot. After a long two-year break, I was ready to get back into Mr Robot on its final season.

Unfortunately, I have not been loving Season 4 at all. I feel like maybe they kept digging a hole in the story, especially since they setup one lone hacker, Elliot Alderson against the Dark Army (a cyber-terrorist organization of hardcore killers and assassins). There’s no contest… and the only reason why Elliot is alive is that BD Wong (aka Whiterose) is allowing him to live.

I understand it’s just a television show, but I’ve always thought the story and characters were grounded in reality and I can relate to the interesting hacks that Elliot was pulling off.

With Season 4, the story appears to take place in the course of a day or two days - leading up to Christmas. In those few days, you see that Elliot does sleep or eat all day! There was that getting lost in a park in the middle of nowhere, the big police chase, getting kidnapped, and then the big White Rose hack. I mean, take a break from getting hit by a car and falling down a bridge!!! It’s just hard to believe.

The show also feels very different, starting with the episode with Darlene and Dominique. That ending of will they or won’t they make it on the plane is just awful. It’s like some bad romantic comedy.

Then there’s this alternate dimension episode, which felt really out of place for Mr Robot! I couldn’t believe it, and it just didn’t make any sense.

The final two episodes will air tonight (December 22nd), and, as of this writing, I have not seen it yet… but I’m not exactly looking forward to finding out how it will end.

vu ([email protected]) ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ facebook.com ♥ twitter.com/weheartmusic