Not a “good” Samaritan; not a “bad” Samaritan; just a “wish it was better but I appreciate what it is” Samaritan. Continue reading
Tagged with superheroes …
“‘The Avengers’ Gave Us Marvel’s Peak, 10 Years Ago”
Pour one out for the superhero movie, which had a great moment once upon a time and has steadily lost that moment every year since. Continue reading
“Why ‘Glass’ Twist May Feel Unsatisfying”
The big twist of M. Night Shyamalan’s capper to his homegrown superhero movie? It’s actually an obnoxiously self-satisfied deconstruction of superhero tropes. Continue reading
“Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse Shows That Anyone Can Be Spider-Man”
True story: On first hearing of Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, I wrote it off and put it out of my memory, thinking, “this sounds like a pretty naked excuse to put a bunch of different Spider-Man variations into a single movie for the purpose of moving lots of ancillary product, and also most Marvel movies aren’t … Continue reading
“New Season Of ‘Jessica Jones’ Wants Us To Know That Superheroes Have Feelings Too”
Remember back in 2015, when I reviewed every single dang episode of the first season of Jessica Jones? A couple years later, here I am up at The ARTery, compromising by reviewing just the first five episodes of the series’ new season, which is available for streaming on Netflix now. Bad news: It’s not as good as the … Continue reading
The Defenders Proves That We Need Fewer Superhero Teamups
Maybe I’m the wrong person to write about superhero stuff in 2017. Guys, really: I just can’t watch superhero things without finding big philosophical flaws in their makeup and intent. I’m afraid to sit through the second season of Jessica Jones when it airs next year, even, though then again, Jessica is the best thing about The Defenders, … Continue reading
TV Review: Luke Cage, Episodes 1.11, 1.12, & 1.13, “Now You’re Mine”/”Soliloquy of Chaos”/”You Know My Steez”
Well: That’s it. Luke Cage‘s first season is over. It’s done. Finished. Complete. It went out well. I struggled with episodes five through seven, and I wish that the show had bothered to bring in Diamondback sooner; to use Stokes’ knowledge of Luke’s real identity against him; to pit Luke’s ideal of Harlem against Stokes’ and … Continue reading
TV Review: Luke Cage, Episodes 1.09 & 1.10, “DWYCK”/”Take it Personal”
At this point, I probably don’t need to say that I like Luke Cage, but I’ll say it anyways: I like Luke Cage. But I do wonder if there’s a more perfect version of the series lurking within the very good version we must content ourselves with, one where the fear explored in both “DWYCK” and “Take … Continue reading
TV Review: Luke Cage, Episodes 1.05 & 1.06, “Just to Get a Rep”/”Suckas Need Bodyguards”
So: Problems! Luke Cage hits kind of a standstill during its fifth and sixth episodes, mostly because it fails to appropriately pair its hero against a suitable villain. You can see how this is almost inevitable from the start: Stokes, a mortal man with a mean streak and delusions of Robin Hood-dom, uses bullets to get … Continue reading
Review: Chronicle, 2012, dir. Josh Trank
Chronicle director Josh Trank deserves unquestioned accolades if only for how deftly he weaves together two tired ideas– found footage narratives and superhero origin stories– and ends up with something fresh and engaging. Frankly, he cheats at both (though more at the former than the latter), but when your primary cast members can levitate the camera … Continue reading
From the Cinema to the Sofa: The Cape (ep. 1.1/1.2)
Holy awful, Batman. In fact, beginning any review of NBC’s latest original series (a term here that, you’ll soon see, I use very, very loosely) with a Batman reference feels totally apropos given how much the program owes to Christopher Nolan’s very solid interpretations of the classic hero. The Cape frankly reeks of Batman Begins … Continue reading
Review: Iron Man 2, 2010, dir. Jon Favreau
The sequel in a superhero franchise is generally highly anticipated for all the promise it holds. With all of the origin work out of the way thanks to the first film, the second entry in the series naturally possesses more room to maneuver and wow audiences without being stymied by a need to portray the … Continue reading
A Constant Visual Feast 