Gotham Episode 3 Review

Tonight's episode moved things forward for 'Gotham' in a big way. The main plot point of the episode is a vigilante who handcuff's corrupt members of Gotham's infrastructure to giant weather balloons and sends them aloft to die. The vigilante, labelled the "Balloonman" by the media, is intent on punishing the corrupt of Gotham, be they police or politician or businessman.

Gordon and Bullock are on the case, tracking down leads and eventually apprehending the culprit. A very straight-forward question asked by the vigilante to Gordon is "Who will you work to save?", a question that is sure to make an impact on Jim Gordon in his later years.

The episode once again focuses its attention on Bruce Wayne, and shows that Alfred is attempting to help the boy maintain a normal life, despite all that has happened to him. Coupled with that is Bruce's growing interest in the affairs of Gotham, something that will of course become part of his identity as Batman in the future.

A third major plot point is Oswald's actual return to Gotham. He finds employment at an Italian restaurant owned by Don Sal Maroni, Carmine Falcone's rival for control of Gotham City. Oswald manages to keep his head down, and even finds a friend in Sal Maroni. Here it shown that Oswald has a plan in mind on how to facilitate his revenge on both Fish Mooney and Carmine Falcone.

All the while, we also see Barbara Kean's continued support of Jim, despite Detective Renee Montoya's continued pestering that Jim isn't all that he appears to be, coupled with the fact that at one point Renee and Barbara were apparently an item.

 I enjoyed this episode because it showed Jim and Harvey engaged once again in actual police work, tracking down leads, compiling clues etc. Bruce is developing as a character and person, despite his young age, it is starting to become a tad too obvious of his intent to want to make a difference for Gotham City. The best character so far in terms of appearing genuine, cut from the same cloth as his comic book counterpart, is Oswald Cobblepot. Oswald had a specific quote in the first episode, that a war was coming. And it is now quite apparent, that Oswald will somehow be a major part in that war, with the intention of coming out on top as the new crime king of Gotham City.

Next week's episode promises to be a good one, since throughout tonight's episode, there were minor references made to 'the old Arkham place', which can only mean that the infamous Arkham Asylum will soon be opening its door again. And if the nut house is opening back up, that means the nuts will surely come in droves to Gotham. Probably not as bad as the future Rouges Gallery that Bruce will face as Batman, but certainly enough to give Gordon and Bullock a run for their money. So let next week's episode come, and with it, a brand new review.

Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Episode 2 Review

To say that 'Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.' is intent on making sure its second season sticks firmly in the minds of viewers is an understatement. Something to examine with the new show is that Coulson and S.H.I.E.L.D. have to contend with two forms of opposition, that of HYDRA and that of Glenn Talbot and his obsession with bringing the reformed and fledgling S.H.I.E.L.D. to book.

In the comics Talbot (created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby) was just as obsessed with catching the Hulk as General "Thunderbolt" Ross. While he is not cast in the light of straight up villain, he is here to stay as both an opponent for Coulson and his team, and as a foil. And he really scratches that classic Marvel Comics itch.

As far as villains go, we are not short of them. In addition to the Absorbing Man, there is also HYDRA superior Daniel Whitehall's right man Bakshi, who is determined to keep the team from maintaining world order.

One thing to note, is the continued hinting at the Kree (major Marvel alien race) and their involvement in the Earth's affairs. The writing that appears upon the Obelisk from episode 1 is clearly Kree. This, and the Kree corpse from Season 1, and any mysteries surrounding Skye and Coulson's 'abilities' brings up the possibility that they will become versions of the Inhumans within the confines of the Marvel M-verse.

Despite the dearth of villains that appeared in this episode, I enjoyed it immensely. There was a healthy balance of good writing with fast pacing, so I never once felt bored. As the season progress's, I look forward to each new episode and what it brings.

Gotham Episode 2 Review

For a second episode of a brand new TV series, 'Selina Kyle' hits the mark in terms of intense story and furthering character development.

The main plot of the story is thus: Gotham's homeless children are being abducted by a man and a woman, collecting them to sell overseas to a mysterious figure known only as the Dollmaker. Selina Kyle, in her usually clever way, manages to escape the clutches of these two vile persons, and aids Jim Gordon and Harvey Bullock in the detainment of them, and the rescue of the children.

One thing to examine from this episode is Jim Gordon's appeal to Gotham and her citizens as a 'hero cop'. Even the Mayor begrudgingly accepts Gordon's usefulness on the force, because Gordon generates good press for both the police department and his office. Despite the fact that there is a long way to go before Jim will attain the lofty position of Commissioner, here we can see the seeds being planted of his determination to make a genuine difference, for both the city and the department.

A secondary point to examine from tonight's episode, is the furthering of Gordon and Bruce Wayne's relationship. Alfred comes to Gordon to have him talk to Bruce, to try and help him get out of this mental quagmire of fear he is in. Gordon appeals to Bruce as a friend, telling him that there is no shame in being afraid, that it makes people stronger and better.

A third and final point in this episode, is the fate of Oswald Cobblepot since he was told by Gordon to stay away from Gotham. He is shown hiding out, recovering his strength, before he will begin his inevitable return to Gotham City, and begin to work making his own way in the city, starting his own empire of crime.

This second episode does well in furthering character development as previously stated. Jim, Bruce, Oswald, all of them are show changing in this episode, be it Bruce conquering fear, Jim attempting to conquer corruption in the name of change, or in the case of Oswald, conquering any self-doubt he would have had about his 'mission' to make Gotham his own.

This show never ceases to make me smile, with its writing, its pace, its characters and its obvious intent to help establish the people who will eventually become major figures in Gotham, be they hero or villain.

Agent's of SHIELD Season 2 Premier

Having just finished watching episode 1 of "Marvel's AoS" Season 2, all I can say is wow. Clearly they are going to be upping the, well everything. We open with Coulson and SHIELD (such as it is) struggling to maintain a foothold in the fight to take down the remaining HYDRA cells in the world, while getting themselves in order as what could be described as SHIELD 2.0. For Phil Coulson, that means taking on the duty given him to by Nick Fury at the end of Season 1, to be the new head of SHIELD. So far, since they can't risk taking out "The Bus" since it doesn't have cloaking technology, that means Coulson has to fly coach in his various around the world jaunts to recruit allies, gain new technological toys for SHIELD's agents, and also obtain intel about HYDRA's various placements.

Audiences are also introduced to a mercenary team headed by Isabelle Hartley (Lucy Lawless), who has been thus far working with Coulson and SHIELD. But they've got a mole on their squad. Marvel Comics supervillain Absorbing Man aka George "Crusher" Creel (Brian Patrick Wade), is in their midst, gathering intel for HYDRA, who seem to be calling the shots for the infamous bad guy. When word gets out that HYDRA is searching for another 0-8-4 artifact (just like back in Season 1 when everyone jumped on "The Bus" and flew to South America for some old HYDRA tech). But this isn't any old 0-8-4, its the FIRST 0-8-4 that was ever recovered by SHIELD, making it a prize worthy of HYDRA's attention. In the grand game of deception to infiltrate the military facility that holds the 0-8-4, Coulson and his team have to kidnap now Brigadier General Glenn Talbot (Adrian Pasdar), in order to obtain his voice patterns and fingerprints to play a little game of hacking to fly under the radar. The 0-8-4 of course turns out to be more then the team imagined, and sadly HYDRA gets away with the goodies.                          

For everyone who came into Season 2 expecting it to follow the same slow pattern that started Season 1, I hope you were surprised. Everything about this first episode made me smile, the action, the new characters, the return of old characters, the dialogue, all of it was awesome. I get the sense that Season 2 will be stronger in terms of all aspects, and I for one can not wait to see what new adventures everyone at SHIELD will face.

Gotham Pilot Episode Review

Fall is upon us ladies and gentlemen, the leaves will be turning colors, the weather will be getting colder, and the lineup of fall TV shows begins anew. And right out of the gate, Fox is hitting the nail on the head with 'Gotham', a show about Batman's legendary city, in the years before the Dark Knight and his colorful cast of secondary characters are running through its streets and across its rooftops.

The show starts off with one heck of a opening, the start to Bruce Wayne's long journey as the Batman, the death of his parents. After said murder, we are introduced to James Gordon, freshly minted detective assigned to the GCPD, Jim and his partner, Detective Harvey Bullock set out on the task of discovering who killed two of Gotham's wealthiest citizens, and along the way, we are introduced to the many other persons, who will one day become part of the Batman mythos.

Ben McKenzie steps into the role of James Gordon, and does it well. Focused, honest, wanting to make a difference in a city awash in crime. He sets the stage nicely for the man that Jim Gordon will become in later years. Stepping in a his partner and already corrupt Gotham PD Detective Harvey Bullock is Donal Logue, a man who is weary of the fight for law and order, and now only concerns himself with survival and looking out for himself.

On the other side of the law is small time crime boss Fish Mooney, played by Jada Pinkett Smith. Her character is created just for the series, but the way Smith handles her, with cleverness, tenacity and a vicious streak that surprised me, Fish Mooney fits in right at home in Gotham City, with her big plans to one day rise to the top. At her side is Oswald Cobblepot, played by Robin Lord Taylor, who honestly stood out head and shoulders above everyone else. He physically fits the character to a T, and the vicious streak beneath the gentlemanly manners brings the character to life in a terrifying way.

As for "neutral" characters, we have Bruce Wayne played by newcomer David Mazouz. While Bruce's character doesn't do much in the way of action, for plot he adds a lot of depth. This is the boy who will grow into a man, and will don the cape and cowl of one of DC Comics most well known and long lasting characters. For now, he is just a boy, his parents death fresh in his mind, and already he wishes he could have done something, made a difference. And so therein is the seed for justice sown.

Filling the role of Alfred Pennyworth, loyal butler to the Wayne family and confidant of Bruce Wayne, is Sean Pertwee, who plays Alfred as a caring, if slightly foul-mouthed Londoner who is the only thing to family Bruce has left in the world.

And rounding out the cast is Camren Bicondova as Selina Kyle, who after bearing silent witness to the Wayne's murder, starts to appear in Bruce's life, quietly, like a silent guardian angel.

All in all, the show does a spectacular job for its pilot episode. I for one cannot wait for what excitement it holds in store for everyone. I am being flat out honest right now, start watching this show, I feel that it will hold nothing but good things for all who Batman fans. 

Robin Williams: The passing of a legend

Today, the world mourns the passing of Robin Williams, arguably, one of the greatest comedic personalities and actors of several generations. For many, he was known for his great dramatic roles, such as Adrian Cronauer in "Good Morning Vietnam", John Keating in "Dead Poets Society", Daniel Hillard in "Mrs. Doubtfire" and Sean Maguire in "Good Will Hunting". And for others, myself included, he was the voice of the Genie in "Aladdin". 

But he was so much more, to so many others. He was an inspiration for what it means to be good at being funny, to be really good. He was also an inspiration for those who pursue tireless dreams and should not give, because things start out rough. If they want to be good at something, they should pursue it, become better at it. And there is no better example then being good at pursuing a dream then Robin Williams. 

I could go on and on about his work in film, in stand up, in just being an all-around amazing human being. But mere words can not describe this towering figure, this giant of laughter. If you want to look for the means to describe who he was, look to his films, and the roles he played and the characters he brought to life. There is the means to describe who and what Robin Williams was. And do you know what my description of him is? Comedian, actor, genius, bringer of smiles and purveyor of good times. But now, the good times are over. Because the comedian has told his last joke, and the actor has taken his last bow. It's time to say so long folks, and have a good evening, drive safe, and keep smiling.

'Guardians of the Galaxy' Review

If there is one word I can use to sum up Marvel's latest film "Guardians of the Galaxy", it is quite simply, amazing. This movie did for me, what no other film has done in a long time. It made me laugh, made me cry, made me grip my seat arms with excitement and anticipation. James Gunn does an outstanding job taking a film with characters from the Marvel Universe that haven't seen the big screen before, and blending them and their worlds together in a film that takes drama, comedy and adventure and mix it together into one delicious cocktail of excellent.

One of the things that stood out for me right off the bat was the acting and casting. Chris Pratt takes his role as Star-Lord and really owns it, making the character brave, stupid, roguish and sometimes downright annoying. In short, to me, he is like a young Captain James T. Kirk (the womanizing aspect doesn't need explanation, its prevalent alright). Zoe Saldana fits the role of Gamora, taking the character's serious, yet caring nature and bringing it to life along with her fierce fighting skills. As for Dave Batista as Drax, well while he starts off somewhat awkward in the role, he gets progressively better throughout the film. And last but not least, we round out the hero cart with Bradley Cooper providing the voice of Rocket Raccoon and Vin Diesel providing the voice and motion casting of Groot. Both do amazing jobs, even if Groots dialogue is limited to three syllables. But Rocket, well, there are times I wanna punt the little guy like a furry football, and times when you want to hug him and hope he doesn't scratch off your face and ruin the nice moment.

Lee Pace stepping in as Kree terrorist Ronan the Accuser is a nice touch, but the character is at times rather one-sided. He does have his moments though, as does Karen Gillan as Nebula, one of the mad Titan Thano's adopted daughters. Oh, and did I mention Thanos shows up as well? Yes, the legendary villain finally gets screen time, with his voice and motion capture provided by actor Josh Brolin (I was extremely terrified and excited when this scene played out).

As for the CGI, special effects and visual appeal of the film, there is no shortage of that. Sets like the Xandarian prison The Kiln, the space outpost Knowhere and Ronan's ship 'The Dark Aster' are beautifully done and incredibly elaborate. But part of me was left lacking by the fact that while the Nova Corps home planet of Xandar is shown, there isn't much detail about the people of Xandar and the culture, merely that it is the object of Ronan's evil desires. But I can excuse this because the battle scenes are quite literally out of this world.

Overall, this movie is well worth all the wait. It holds up, and goes above and beyond what I had even expected. It is the most unique of the Marvel films thus far, because it literally opens the possibility of bringing more to the table as far as movies go, literally taking audiences among the stars to new worlds. I am giving the moving four out of four stars for amazing acting, sets, CGI, story and above all, for making a guy like me feel like a kid again. It takes a lot for a film to garner that kind of reaction from me, and 'Guardians of the Galaxy' does that in spades.