Hawkeye 02- Hide and Seek

 

This is a typical second episode.  Lots of talk and not much action, with Hawkeye and Kate getting to know each other.  He's playing the "lone archer" card... how many seasons of Green Arrow did Ollie do that?  I hadn't realized we also had met the Swordsman already, though I doubt he will be named that during the series.  Still, it's a nice touch.  I gotta say the Track Suit Mafia makes me laugh though.  They sure speak a lot of Russian.  Hmm, perhaps that is some foreshadowing?  I thought we might get an answer to that at the end of this episode, but we didn't.  They sure do talk about Tasha a lot, which is a nice bit.  I am happy to see Clint's family here.  

Guardians of the Galaxy vol. 2 (2017)

 

I don't think this is the same Yondu from the movie, but that's OK.  This one is from a slightly different future than the standard Marvel Universe.  He didn't threaten to eat Quill or even Vance Astro.  There sure is a lot of this movie I did NOT remember, I'll tell you what.  I didn't remember Yondu having a chat with Starhawk at the beginning of the movie.  That sure was important later.  It was nice sort of seeing the original Guardians of the Galaxy (I'm going to assume Nikki was there somewhere).  Martinex looked great, and I am glad that Michael Rosenbloom was his voice, since he's great.  Apparently he auditioned for Quill.  Kurt Russell as Ego, the Living Planet was so much fun.  And I was thoroughly surprised by Dave Bautista.  

Sven- The Devil's Rain (1975)

 

I've never been too much into devil movies.  They always seem to lack something, perhaps some kind of person  who knows the way to properly combat the demon or devil.  And they all seem to have to act like the Catholic Church is right about all this stuff.  So I have never watched many of them, aside from a few exceptions (Curse of the Demon, Equinox, to name exactly two).  This one sure has some star power in it- Bill Shatner, Ernest Borgnine, Eddie Albert, Ida Lupino, Keenan Wynn and some kid named Travolta has about two lines as well.  They do well, and there are some really cool makeup effects to help out, plus the whole gooey end.  But the script is all over the place and makes no real sense.  It's a waste of a good cast.  It's not bad, it's just... meh.

Thor: Ragnarok (2017) thoughts

I did not remember a lot of this movie.  Seeing it again reminded me how good the whole film was, overall, even if how the Hulk got to Sakaar was never fully explained.  I don't like that the Warriors Three were killed, but since it's comic books, they can return, since even Loki came back from the dead at least four times.  And Lady Sif was nowhere to be seen in this movie.  I hear she will be in the 4th Thor movie, along with Dr. Jane Foster.  Now, if that follows the comic books... well, that would be spoiling things, wouldn't it?

MOTW- Guesra

 

Poor Guesra.  It lives the dream of eating chocolate and cacao for sustenance. The beast came from South America and got mutated by polluted water in Tokyo Bay,  That caused it to grow large and dangerous, as it swamped boats looking for food.  This naturally brings the Science Patrol and Ultraman around to stop it.  The smuggler Diamond Kick (what a great name) is also around, along with three or four kids.  It all works pretty well in the episode.  Still, you feel sorry for Guesra, since all it wanted to do was eat.  It was not its fault it became a giant menace and had to be stopped.  Ultraman does this by ripping the feeler off Guesra's head.  This causes it to weaken and die.  It's really Diamond Kick's fault, since he fired on the monster, and loud noises make it violent.

Hawkeye 01- Never Meet Your Heroes

 

We take a small break from our MCU marathon to watch the first episode of Hawkeye.  I forgot it was starting yesterday.  I only watched the first episode, and it was fun.  It basically set up the origin Hawkette, or Ronin, Jr, or whatever they are not going to call her, for the rest of the show.  It's nice that she was inspired by Hawkeye from the first Avengers movie.  And the passage of time suddenly makes us realize that was over eight years ago.  I am really glad to see Clint and his family, and that he actually has a hearing aid.  One would think exposed ears around all those explosions would cause hearing loss in most superheroes.  Having read Hawk's first miniseries I know how he lost most of his hearing.  Is his wife named Bobbi?  That would be a nice touch.

Doctor Strange (2016)

 

I was wrong, it was this movie and not Spidey that came next.  So I will watch that a bit later.  I did see this movie in the theater, and have watched it once again.  This time I was really struck by all the multiverse talk by the Ancient One.  I thought the TVA was traveling through time to prevent that sort of thing from happening?  Perhaps they meant different dimensions, but at this point it is moo now.  This is really an enjoyable movie, especially knowing what is going to happen.  It's too bad Marvel doesn't have the rights to Namor, the Sub-mariner.  I think a true Defenders movie might be fun.  It sure has taken a long time for the good doctor to get a sequel, though I know he will be featured in the new Spider-man movie.

Civil War (2016)

 

I have never read the comic book version.  Just looking at the cover makes me think it has WAY too many characters in it.  One of the good things about this first run of Marvel movies is that they only had a handful of superheroes to use, whereas the comic books had literally hundreds of these heroes to put in any given story.  This movie uses most of the established characters, and adds T'Challa into the mix.  All the heroes get some good moments.  Baron Zemo- well, Colonel Zemo, is the only real villain (aside from that petok General Ross) and the story is more grounded.  We also get Spider-man's debut (along with Aunt Hottie) and that is great.  The best scene of all is Giant-man showing up in the middle of the day.  I loved that scene.

Sven- KING KONG VS GODZILLA (1962)

                                           As I have mentioned many times, this was the first Godzilla and King Kong movie I ever saw.  Sven has aired it before, but the last time the MeTV feed was somehow screwed up and we got to see Lone Ranger episodes for 90 minutes.  Sven didn't really tell me anything I didn't already know, but it's always fun to see giant monster movie on a Saturday night.

Ant-Man (2015)

 

Scott Lang steals Hank Pym's overly ornate Ant-man suit.  He needed a job, and ended up with one.  This is pretty much what happens in the comic book, though he showed up in the Avengers first, then we got the origin story.  Hank was in his Yellowjacket mode at this time.  The movie uses all of this, but adds Hope, the Pyms' grown daughter.  We don't see Janet van Dyne in this movie, but she will show up in the future.  It's a fun movie, and a lot more down to Earth than most of the previous movies, even if it does involve saving the world.  The cast is good, and there is a lot of humor in it.  There is bound to be a lot of physical comedy bits when someone is learning to shrink down and talk to various kinds of ants.  

Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015)

 

I really enjoyed this movie.  Of course, it has the Vision making his debut, and even though I wish they had said something about using Professor Horton's amazing android (see Cap's first movie) it all worked out just fine.  What struck me the most while watching it this time was all the foreshadowing that began here.  The whole "why can only Thor lift Mjolner" scene is really great.  There might by one other Avenger who can lift the hammer, but he wisely decides not to let anyone else in on it.  Heimdall referring to Hel showing up.   All sorts of things I missed the first time around.  I do wish that Hank Pym would have been involved in the creation of Ultron as well, but in the MCU he is a hero from the previous generation.

Guardians of the Galaxy (2014)

 

I didn't see this one in the theater either, and I don't know why.  the movie got rave reviews from a few of my friends.  I didn't think it was that great when I finally did see it.  Some of that was these Guardians were not the real Guardians of the Galaxy.  I had known of the originals for many years, and of course, not reading modent comic books I had no idea the group had been retconned to have a current line up, rather than the future/alternate reality line up.  I didn't know any of these characters, except for Drax the Destroyer... and Groot.  I knew Groot from being one of Marvel's monsters.  The Hulk had fought Groot and several other beasts as well, in one annual.  I didn't know the species had been reformed.

Ultra MOTW- Miroganda

This was the third and final episode of Ultraman I ever saw as a kid.  It is not the most exciting episode, but now I really enjoy it.  It's a mystery, and fun to watch.  This is the first plant monster an Ultra fights, and it won't be the last, though these sort of creatures are rare.  This one grows huge but really isn't a threat to Ultraman, who finishes it off with the Spacium ray.  But look at this set up- I love the miniatures and the way it is shot.  No wonder this show was such a hit back then!

Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014)

 

I'll admit it, I'm still salty about Bucky being alive.  I get it, no one ever dies in comic books, even if you see the body sometime.  Please tell me Uncle Ben is still dead.  That would ruin Spider-man completely.  Bucky's death is what gave Steve Rogers some character, rather than the happy go lucky soldier he was in the comic books.  It was a defining moment in his life.  OK, now that I have said that, I don't mind this Bucky being alive in the MCU, since it is rather different than the comic books.  And Sebastian Stan is just great.  And this movie is pretty great, though it's far closer to a mini-Avengers movie, and Natasha gets a great deal of time in the spotlight.  While she really deserved a solo movie (as solo as any Marvel movies can be at this time) long before she actually got one, this is really a co-starring role for her.

Thor: Dark World (2013)

 

I enjoyed this more than the last time I watched it, some eight years ago.  With the rest of the movies in hindsight, some parts of this are far more impactful than they were.  Of course, watching Loki get "killed" again is still ridiculous.  The end of the movie subplot was wrapped up in a hurry in the next movie, and was probably not where they were going to go.   Natalie Portman was better in this movie, but now, almost ten years later we haven't seen her since.  And then there is Frigga... Rene Russo is just great, so knowing Endgame it's even more poignant.  Also a plus is the plot lines all are tied together, rather than meandering all over the place.

Sven- Indestructable Man (1956)

 

I saw this many years ago, on Channel 2 KWGN of course, and haven't seen it since then.  They had aired the sort of similar Man-Made Monster (1941) either before or after this one, and it was similar enough that I was a bit confused, thinking it was the same movie.  Lon is Butcher Benton, brought back to life by a misguided scientist and his assistant (Joe Flynn, before he enlisted in McHale's Navy).  He goes on a killing spree before Joe Friday, I mean Dick Chasen stops him and gets the girl.  At least the movie has a small bit at the end to wrap things up.  They probably had to have that end part there, since the movie had a scant 72 minute running time.

Iron Man Three (2013)

 

This is the second time watching this movie.  I liked it more this time, even without any guest appearances from the other MCU superheroes (at least until the post credits sequence).  Pepper got to wear the suit for a minute or so, and she only sort of could use it properly.  Did the armor fit itself to her form?  She's not as tall as Tony, so the fit wouldn't work properly.  Here's a fun fact- after knowing Pepper for many years, I just found out her real name is Virginia.  It must have been said at some point in the comic books, but I never saw it.  The "Mandarin" is featured here, as is Aldrich Killian, the new head of A.I.M.  It's a misdirect, which works well enough the first time watching it.  Since the Ten Rings has reappeared for Shang Chi (since he can't be the Son of Fu Manchu these days) we eventually find out the Mandarin or someone like that is real.  It only took eight years.

Avengers (2012)

 

This was the first MCU movie that I saw in the theater.  There were a lot of reasons for this, but I had seen all the other ones, including The Incredible Hulk (2008).  And of course, I had read many Avengers comic books for most of my life.  I was looking forward to this movie.  I had been waiting most of my life to see the Avengers in live action.  It was a couple weeks after the release that I went, but dang, that was a great night, with the movie being pretty great as well- the cherry on the top of the sundae.

Thor (2011)

 

I did review this movie a while ago, and haven't seen it since that time.  I enjoyed it quite a bit more this time.  Goodbye, pickle! 

So the main point I didn't like from this movie, or the sequel, is the casting of Natalie Portman as Dr. Jane Foster.  Nothing against her, but the role was a not a good fit for her.   I did like her performance in What If...? so I have a slight hope that she will be better in the upcoming sequel.  But I ain't holding my breath.  

MOTW Ragon

This was the first monster from Ultra Q to be featured in Ultraman, Ragon would not be the last of these crossovers.  The beast went unnamed in the US dub, as many monsters did, but we would not have known about the earlier appearance, so it's OK.  It is human sized in Ultra Q, but in Ultraman is a giant, ray spewing monster.  It is a great looking creature, that is for sure.  Ultraman had to battle it to retrieve an atomic bomb that was attached to it's neck.

Iron Man (2008 ) and Iron Man 2 (2010)

 

I decided that I would watch all the MCU movies in release order.  I know there is also a chronological order, but I think it's more fun this way to see how things started and progressed, rather than how it ended up.  I have reviewed several of them here and there, so mostly this will be me finding things that made me happy about the movies, rather than actual critiques.  I did not see ANY of the Iron Man movies in the theater, though a few of the movies could actually be considered Iron Man movies in a way.  But I digress.  I enjoyed the first Iron Man movie a lot, even though I knew exactly who the villain would be almost immediately.  This happened a lot, even though I was never a big reader of the Iron Man comic books.  I was happy to hear the 60s Iron Man cartoon song adapted to a jazzy number as well.  It was a good starting point.  And of course, the post credits scene was great, especially Nick telling Tony he was NOT the only superhero around.  Since he had "already" met Ms Marvel, Ant-man and the Wasp, this makes sense.  Not to mention the whole world would have known about Captain America...

Zorro contra Maciste (1963)

 

This was made right after Hercules and the Masked Rider, and both star Alan Steel.  They also share some of the same scenery.  This one actually does feature Zorro, though it is not Don Diego.  Finding a decent copy of this movie was a chore.  Heck, even finding a bad copy was not easy.  I tracked down a version that had English subtitles, and it has a gorgeous picture.  I've enjoyed all 12 minutes that I have watched so far.  

Sven- Munster, Go Home! (1966)

 

The print Sven aired tonight was amazing.  It had to be from the Blu Ray that Shout Factory released last year.  That was my first reaction.  As mentioned earlier, I have seen this movie many times.  The Munsters were never my favorite comedy monsters, I always preferred the Addams Family.  I watched a lot of the episodes though, as both were aired all the time all over the country.  I also saw the movie a few times during summer kiddie matinee shows.  It was always a crowd pleaser with that particular audience.  When watching it on television it always seemed rather long to me, since the commercials had to be factored in.

Munster go Home

watch trailer here!

I saw this a few times in the theater.  I liked it fine, still do.  Never even noticed Marilyn was different.  This was a pain the butt post.

Xenorama #35 is on sale!

All that extra time during this unusual part of the century have paid off in being able to write a lot for the book.  Between the first Kamen Rider series and the first Sentai series I watched nearly 200 episodes of those first two runs alone.  None of the other series went beyond 52 episodes or so, thank goodness.  This issue does feature the proto-Sentai Strada 5 which I had never heard of before.  It features five members, four men and one woman, all of whom have a particular gift.  They do wear matching outfits and drive cool vehicles.  It's a short run, only 13 episodes, so it wasn't really successful, but it set the stage for Gorangers.  I really like the first two series, which is before the robots started showing up.  Jetman was a very pleasant surprise.  It really changed things for the genre, and for the better.

KING of the MOTW- Godzilla

 

I can't believe I have been doing the "Monster of the week" for almost ten years, and Godzilla was not the first monster, nor has ever been a monster of the week.  So it is fortunate that it is Godzilla Day that the King gets featured here.  I am lucky that I can remember the first Godzilla movie I ever saw, where I was, and where the movie was screened.  It also happened to be my first King Kong movie and my first giant octopus movie, so I got a great start.  There really isn't a lot to write about Godzilla, but that hasn't ever stopped me once. 

ha! Kaida the Destroyer

Yesterday, while doing whatever it was I was doing in the office, probably writing the next issue of Xenorama, I heard a crash.  Then saw a bit of black lightning zoom into the office,  I got up and looked into the living room, and there was a mess.  This is after I picked up all the pictures and everything Kaida, the polydactyl princess had knocked onto the floor.  There had been a runner on that divider, though it ended up on the floor with nine pictures (out of a possible twelve) and several candles as well as one potted plant.  That is the dirt that is on the ground.