The Flash "The Darkness and The Light" Review

Is it me or does Flash have a habit of ending things with cliffhangers and then the revelation is just...fine? Never bad but just kinda disapointing in it's execution. In this case the revelation of Harrison Wells from Earth 2 and everyone kinda deals with it the way you expect, no one trusts him, everyone wants to kill him but he earns their trust or at the very least they know he ain't the guy that tried to murder them all and...that's it. Also Dr Light has appeared and it is actually Linda (Barry's Ex) from Earth 2.

So let's talk about Harrison Wells, now firstly i like that this Harrison Wells is played differently from the Earth 1 Wells...even though that wasn't the real Harrison Wells so of course they would behave differently, but regardless, it just goes to show why Tom Cavanaugh is such a brilliant actor and is most likely going to give us another memorable character, playing a similar role to the original Wells but tackles it in a different manner. Also we got some really good comedy from everyone's reactions to him, "Let me guess, i did something to hurt her aswell?" "You killed her fiance" "Oh..." I never thought a simple "oh" could be delivered so perfectly. Also Joe shot first, because of course he did, Joe's a badass. Actually speaking of Joe, he really didn't do much in this episode, he shoots Wells and gives Iris a gun and...that's it, he kinda disappears halfway through the episode and gets lost in the shuffle. I also appreciated Barry's attempt to listen to Wells, because while it's not the man who murdered his mother, you can't blame him for being sceptical in the slightest. Then the contrast between Harrison Wells and Jay Garrick, two men on the same side but have completely different ideas and values making them rivals, what makes it great is neither are in the wrong, Wells wants to strike fast before Zoom gets the chance to strike first while Jay wants Barry to train some more so when facing Zoom he'll be ready, both sides have good points to back them up and it makes for some good drama.

Speaking of drama, the villain of the week turns out to be...LINDA! DUN DUN DUUUUUUN...why? This is a twist that would work if she was, you know, a prominent character, but we haven't seen her since the first half of season one, and even then she wasn't very present or interesting, they brought her back just for this one episode because, i dunno, i guess the crew liked having her around. I will say Dr Light as a villain was portrayed very interestingly in this episode, i don't know if Dr Light has ever been female, as far as i'm aware that's a new take on the character and getting actual development from her is nice, she kills a man and is scarred by it, also the fact that they don't kill her off like they have will all their other problems makes for a nice change, but seriously writers, address the fact that Barry keeps killing his villains!

The final story of the episode is Barry's date with Patty, but uh-oh! He's temporarily blind and needs Cisco to act as his eyes! Wap Wap Waaaap. Seriously, could this be any more sitcomy? But while some might think that was a weak ass and cheesy plotline, i thought it was cute, mostly because Barry is the most adorable superhero ever, even if the chemistry between him and Patty is a little bit off, it's still kinda charming and I don't mind the romance in this case because being in comparison to other superhero show romances, being just a little bit off is a godsend.

Overall it was a good episode if not a little formulaic, but good nontheless, the A-Plot was gripping and the B-Plot was charming, that's a good combination to have. 7/10.

-Danny

Supergirl "Stronger Together" Review

We're only two episodes in and i'm already struggling to care enough to continue watching this show. I know that's not fair and I need to keep watching and giving it more of a chance, because afterall, it's not like it's doing anything horribly wrong, it's just about a million different little things all building up to me just, well, constantly being urked by this show. This is Stronger Together where Kara is trying her best to be the best Supergirl she can be, that includes getting physical training to, you know, actually know how to fight, but also improve her reputation with the people of National City.

Now this is something I actually really liked about this episode, the focus on Supergirl's reputation. She starts off by saving a plane and suddenly she thinks she can take on the world and of course when she does try and take on the big jobs she ends up screwing up immensely, so having her focus on the smaller problems that National City faces is not only a very Super-person thing to do, but is also a clever way to build up her reputation with the citizens of National City. It also firmly establishes the roles that Jimmy and Winn will play in the series, but i swear if they continue this awkward love triangle and having Jimmy and Winn bickering with each other constantly like they're 13...

So let's get to things that i didn't like about this episode, for one, Alex is still a total bitch. I understand that she's just looking out for her sister and trying to protect her, and yes Kara does still need training before she's ready. Ya see what i just did there? I empathised, i looked at things from the other perspective, maybe Alex should try that every so often! Always putting Kara down for every minor failure she does and giving no encouragement in return, you're a bad sister. And The DEO who are supposed to be so on top of the alien problem that they don't even need Supergirl's help, yet their plan for capturing this alien was to just...shoot at it...with pistols...from about 20ft away...while driving...god they're fucking dumb. Also Hank might be an alien...alright that's actually interesting.

Also we got a more formal introduction to the big villain of the season, Astra, Kara's aunt who is pretty much female General Zod. Her motivations seem weak at best, but it's too soon to judge her actual evil plan, literally all we know is that she's trying to "save" humanity. But my big issue with her is that she tries to do the cliched "join me and together we shall rule the galaxy" with Kara. Here's a hint Astra, when trying to convince someone to join your side, maybe don't open up with a bitch slap that sends them flying across a warehouse! Also they better explain why Superman ain't gonna get involved in this, it is his aunt as well, something tells me he might feel a bit of responsibility towards dealing with that! Speaking of Superman, the chances of him appearing in this show is unlikely, chances of him appearing this season are near impossible, and this show is trying to stand on it's own merits and achievements. So stop mentioning Superman every damn 2.3 seconds!!! How exactly is Supergirl supposed to stand as her own hero when your actively trying to replicate Superman in terms of actions, image and design? This feels more like the writers way of going "Hey audience! Don't leave! We have Superman! You like Superman right!? Here, we'll mention him some more!"

God this episode had so many things that irritated me, nothing insanely bad that made me want to shout at the scream, just a lot of little things that bug me. Also the action still sucks. 5/10.

-Danny

Mistaking Classic Games For Best

One of the major differences I see between videogames and other mediums is that more than likely, the classics are not actually going to hold up very well. Yes you get the odd movie or book that actually kinda sucks these days, lookin' at you James Bond!...For both of those platforms actually. But more often than not whenever I see people talking about the "objectively" best videogames of all time they frequently feature games such as Super Mario Bros or Space Invaders or Tetris, fucking Tetris! Now look, i'm not saying these games aren't good and they most definitely deserve their place as pop-culture icons and revolutionary for the time and can be enjoyed for generations with little signs of dating, provided you can find the right platform to play it on. But seriously people, in what world is Tetris the best videogame of all time? Take the nostalgia, iconic status and historical context out of the picture, say Tetris came out today, would it be considered the best videogame of all time? No. It's pressing left and right arrow keys to make a bunch of colourful blocks fit together, this is not impressive in means of gameplay, art style, story or anything that could actually be considered impressive!

I'm not saying you can't subjectively love this game and truth being told it's impossible to make an objective list of the best videogames ever but really analysing this, Tetris does not deserve to be seen as one of the best. You could make an argument for Super Mario Bros for it's simplistic yet charming nature, timeless style, catchy score and influential status but at the end of the day you're jumping up and down for a few minutes then it's over. I don't know any games that were inspired by Tetris, nor do i know anyone who gives a shit about Tetris. Now i'm not saying classic games can't be seen as some of the best, games like Sonic the Hedgehog, Final Fantasy III & Metal Gear Solid are outstanding and even if they're not my favourite games I could perfectly understand why they would be put onto a list like that.

Thing is, all of these games should be remembered, they came out in an important time in gaming's early history, are still fun to play and are pop-culture icons. But if any professional in the industry would actually say above Sonic The Hedgehog, Shadow of the Colossus, Portal, The Last of Us, Halo 2, Grand Theft Auto, Half-Life, Mass Effect, Minecraft, Chrono Trigger, Metal Gear Solid, Final Fantasy, Legend of Zelda, World of Warcraft, Red Dead Redemption, Metroid Prime, GoldenEye 007, Bioshock...that Tetris is better than any of those in terms of gameplay, story, art style, effort or anything that is actually important when discussing art then they do not deserve to be considered a professional. For the record i don't even necessarily like all those games featured in the ones I just listed, lookin' at you James Bond...Again. But if they were to be featured on a best videogames list, i wouldn't be shocked, nor would i really debate it. But i will if it's fucking Tetris.

-Danny

Ready Player One - Cheap Thoughts

Hm, first time reviewing a book, this oughta go well. Actually yes there is a reason behind why i don't review that many books (or any), it's because i don't really read that often. I read between 2-5 books a year on average, i would like to read more but i'm a slow reader and i'm already behind on the mediums i engorge myself in. With that being said, this is a book that is being adapted into a film by Steven Spielberg no-less and has been called Willy Wonka meets the Matrix, oh and is full of pop-culture references of the 1980s. Sign me up! So the plot of Ready Player One takes place in a dystopian future (How original) where society has all but collapsed and most people prefer to live in an MMO calles The Oasis, a system where people can live out their every day lives, go to school, get a job, meet people, play other games inside the game and also travel across planets, go into the realities of your favourite games and movies and use magic and sci-fi weapons to your hearts content...ahh videogames. But once the creator of The Oasis James Halliday dies, he leaves his entire inheritance hidden inside the game in a series of easter eggs and challenges, whoever finds them all and completes them will inherit his fortune. Several years go by and no one finds anything, that is unti. our protagonist Wade AKA Parzival an average (If incredibly dorky) teenager becomes the first person to find an Easter Egg.

So if you read my post on Shovel Knight we live in an age of 1980's & 90's nostalgia boom which often leads to the market being flooded and not to mention the simple exploitation of simply acknowledging products that you watched. A more basic way to sum up my problem with this system "Hey guys! Remember growing up in the 80's? Remember Family Ties? Remember Atari? Remember Contra!? Of course you do! Give us money for reminding you that you like these things!". Admittedly this story does it a little better than most, the game was created by a man who grew up in the 80s so it makes sense for him to stuff it with references to things he grew up with, i know that's what i'd do. Also the fact that the end goal requires you to have an extensive knowledge of 80s and 90's pop culture so it's more acceptable, but that doesn't excuse the occasions where it's a reference for the sake of having a reference, like acknowledging that Cowboy Bebop existed...because it existed and people like it, maybe it'll make people like me better if i allude to it.

Actually excluding the exploitation of nostalgia, this book does still feel like it has kind of a generic plot, well not necessarily a generic plot, but a generic structure to it. You know how it's going to end, you know the arcs all the characters are going to go through, what struggles are going to be made and all of that good stuff. So if i didn't enjoy the overall narrative and the individual iconographic elements that makes a story unique didn't impress me, why did i like the story so much? Honestly i think it's because even though Parzival's arc is predictable, where he starts off is actually an interesting place, yes the poverty stricken young adult with no chance of escape is a formulaic one but good god is this guy a nerd. And I mean that in the most positive sense because i too am a nerd. This guy spends all of his time referencing movies and playing videogames with his friend Aech while hating the idea of going outside, it that doesn't define half this generation in a nutshell. I don't really know too many grand epic stories of this calibre of popularity that actually have the main character being a dork. And i don't mean in the sense the same way the 90's portrayed dorks, but i mean one who is positively portrayed and highly likeable and respected for being a dork, that feels a lot more like a millennials portrayal of a dork, not an 80's thing which does contrast with the tone of the rest of the story but who cares, it works, i like Parzival and he made for a fun protagonist, even if his actions are predictable from time to time.

As for the supporting characters, they were all enjoyable. Aech, Parzival's best friend and the banter and dialogue between the two is enjoyable and entertaining but it's not until a certain...thing about Aech is revealed that i started to feel like the two were best friends and had an unbreakable friendship. I say thing because I wouldn't dare spoil it for you. Then there was Art3mis, my favourite character in the book, not only is she the toughest player out of the lot but she is laser eye focused on the goal and tries so hard to not let anything else get in the way. But actually my favourite portion of the book was when it focused on the romance between Parzival and Art3mis, yes, in a story about videogames, action and 80s sitcoms, it's the romance that i actually found the most interesting. Not only because it was very well paced and had lots of detail to make it feel like a legitimate relationship but also the set-pieces behind it, it felt as if Ernest Cline the author of the book felt like this was the most important part of the book because every time the two were together it felt like the entire world had stopped just to focus on them. Combine that with the characters' personal views on the relationship and you have an interesting dynamic going on here, the two are in love but Art3mis refuses to go down that rabbit hole because A: It'll distract them from the mission and that's not a risk they can afford and B: Without seeing each other in reality and the fact that their avatars could be incredibly misleading means it's hard to say how much of this relationship is based on feeling and how much is based on the shallow importance of looks, regardless of whether it's a conscious or sub-conscious decision.

Then there are the two brothers Daito and Shoto, who for the most part are likeable characters but didn't feel like they were that major to the story. The best way to describe the two are if Parzival, Aech and Atr3mis are Harry, Ron & Hermione then Daito and Shoto are the Dean and Seamus of the story. Though there is a big scene involving the two roughly halfway through the book and the best way to describe it without spoiling anything is to say...shit got real. The final character worth talking about is Sorrento, the leader of IOI, a corporation that dedicates most of their time, resources and efforts towards trying to solve the easter egg hunt, Sorrento being the leader of the hunt. How to i put this gently? He sucked. Firstly the fact that it takes forever before he even is introduced into the story, even after he is, he has one scene. Yes they constantly mention him and he does show up in the climax of the story, but he has no dialogue outside of his introduction scene and is given such little focus i question what the hell was the point of having him there, just have the faceless organisation.

Apart from that I...can't really think of anything else to talk about. See this is why i don't review books that often! I can't talk about visuals or acting or anything like that, i'm not used to reviewing books nor the specifics of the medium that make it unique so i can only talk about plot and characters, and that makes for a very limited review. But regardless, in terms of story the book is fine, personally the 80's nostalgia motif is redundant and irritating but this book handles it better than most while the plot itself is simplistic and predictable but enjoyable with some emotional moments. The characters are where the book really shines, especially the main trio each having something special that makes them interesting, memorable and stand out from other characters of this genre, or atleast books targeted at this kind of demographic. I'm giving Ready Player One a 7/10.

-Danny

Classic Movies of 2000

A lot of people consider the 2000's to be sort of a deadzone, the golden age of cinema is over and we've entered an age of mediocrity. To this I say nay. Fact of the matter is a lot of classic films came out of the 2000's that people will and have looked back on to say are brilliant and considering most of these films are over a decade old, they clearly stand the test of time. You'd be surprised how many films critics get wrong, just google Top 10 Films of 2000 and see what films no one remembers like Before Night Falls or Best In Show. I'm going to talk about the best films of the 2000's and thing is, I was originally going to do this all in one big post, but there are so many classic films per year that it's just not possible. So I'll be doing this year by year starting at the most obvious point. The 2000s. Also I should point out i'm not including any blockbuster franchises in this list...because obviously they'd become well known.

Before we get to the big contenders, let's start with the light-classics, these are the films that aren't necessarily that great but for one reason or another have become part of pop-culture.

How The Grinch Stole Christmas
Being perfectly honest I can't stand this movie, I think it's an ugly poorly written mess that completely misunderstood the message of the original source material and doesn't deserve to be remembered as a classic. But hey, that didn't stop it from becoming a new Christmas classic that people love and rewatch year after year. And while I dislike the film I can't deny Jim Carrey is really good as The Grinch, it's just weird to think that Ron Howard, the guy responsible for Apollo 13, Rush and Frost/Nixon would be most remembered for making a stupid christmas film...that and being the narrator for Arrested Development.

Dude Where's My Car
Actually i don't know that many people who have actually seen this film, nor does anyone reference it on a regular basis, but everyone knows the title and for a while there almost every TV Sitcom would have an episode titled "Dude Where's My ____" so technically this film achieved pop-culture status.

Now let's move on from pop-culture classics to the cult classics.

Battle Royale
This film especially has been achieving cult status over the past few years mostly due to The Hunger Games, apparently a bunch of Japanese kids slaughtering each other makes for quality film entertainment. Actually being honest I have no reason why this film is a cult hit because i've never seen it.

Unbreakable
Even though this film was forgotten about back when it first came out, it has seen a lot of success in the limelight recently, my theory behind this is one: Everyone wants to go back to a time when M Night Shyamalan made good movies and this is one of the ones that was good, thus in comparison to the pieces of shit he makes now it's brilliant. Also the rise and boom of superhero movies dominating the box-office making this film more culturally relevant as well as being a smart analysis of the genre being exactly what superhero films needed.

The Emperor's New Groove & The Road To El Dorado
I put these two together because they have a lot in common. The early 2000's is considered a deadzone for animation especially, even though I personally love a lot of the films that came out in that time period, but i can't include them because this is supposed to be an analysis on what society picked to be remembered. Fact is out of all the films in that time period, these are the two that are getting a lot more attention these days, my guess would be that the kids that grew up on them are now adults themselves and thus because they're the demographic that decides what's popular, they remembered loving these films as kids and felt they weren't getting enough attention. So yeah, if you've never seen either of these films, give em a try, they're hilarious.

Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
Again I won't have that much to say because I haven't seen this film, but I would actually say this film's reputation has actually stepped down since it came out. It was one of the films that was featured in everybody's top 10 list and now it's mostly considered a cult film. Like I said, i don't know why, i haven't seen it so there would be no point in speculating.

And now we get to the nitty gritty, the big films that have stood the test of time and are now considered by most people to be great films.

Gladiator
I am not a fan of this movie, i do not know why people like this film so much, i find it generic, boring and predictable...but hey, it stars Russell Crowe and is directed by Ridley Scott, so of course it was gonna be a big hit. But seriously, i have no idea why this movie is a beloved classic, let alone Best Picture Winner, but hey, i ain't here to argue, just address.

Cast Away
Now here's a movie i can talk about, starring Tom Hanks in a time where he could do no wrong and Robert Zemeckis who could...also do no wrong and you've got a winning combo. Actually as far as i'm concerned this movie is remembered for one thing: Wilson. I remember as a kid turning on the TV and this movie was on and it was the Wilson scene. I had no context behind this scene, i didn't even know what movie I was watching, but i was balling my eyes out when Tom Hanks started screaming for his pet volleyball. Seriously, how does a freaking volleyball have the power to create such raw emotion out of everyone who watches it? That is master filmmaking right there.

American Psycho
Even though this film was appreciated in its time, over the years its become a lot more popular, what with Christian Bale becoming a more famous actor so people go back and see some of his earlier works. Not to mention we live in an age of anti-heroes and psychopaths ruling our airwaves (Dexter comes to mind) so obviously a guy like Patrick Batemen would fit right in, combine that with a unique style and analytical splendor and you've got a modern classic on your hands. Also it stars Jared Leto so technically Batman kills The Joker in this film.

Almost Famous
Why exactly this film caught onto the masses is something unclear to me, don't get me wrong it's a fantastic film and i know why i love it, i just don't know why everyone else does. To the best of my reasoning I would say it's one of those transferable films of passion, by that i mean even if you're not a lover of music, if you're a lover of anything then you understand this film. You see why someone would go this far to follow a dream and how much it means to them to achieve it, why they would dedicate their time and even their life to the passion. If you love music or movies or games or fashion or science or inventing or books or poetry or people, this film gets it, just replace the term music with whatever applies to you and this film shows why you and anyone will love that thing.

Requim For A Dream
Haven't seen this film either, i have no idea why it's considered one of the best out there. Darren Aranofsky is a fantastic director, it has great actors and from what i'm told it portrays the affects and lifestyle of a drug user fairly accuratley while also being a distrubing watch, also it has a damn good score.

So those were some films of the year 2000 that 15 years on are still seen as amazing films and are now beloved classics. At some point down the line i'll talk about films of 2001 and onwards and i'll see you then.

-Danny

Arrow "Beyond Redemption" Review

Captain Lance for the longest time has been my favourite character because he was always justified in his actions, this season had set up that he was working for the bad guys which is not something i was a fan of, surprisingly this episode actually brought that around and gosh dang he's still my favourite character. In this episode we see Team Arrow take on a group of rogue cops who are taking the law into their own hands, Captain Lance teams up with the Arrow gang so they can take them down.

So the way they handled Lance's involvement with Darhk i thought was well done, initially he teamed up with him without realising who he was and by the time he caught on it was too late to back out, i like that. But more than that, the conversation between him and Oliver about their equally corrupt mortality, Lance has never trusted Oliver becomes he sees him as morally corrupt, someone who can behave irrationally and with the arrogance to take the law into his own hands...and Oliver agrees, but he's always trusted and liked Lance because he viewed him as morally incorruptable, a good cop in a bad city, someone that Oliver would want to be and looks up to. And while Lance isn't happy about his recent actions, he acknowledges that they are mistakes and is going to try and better himself and redeem himself by going undercover and spy on Darhk...oh god they're gonna kill Lance aren't they!? Also continuing to prove that Paul Blackthorne is the best actor on the show, when he goes to put down his daughter after seeing the vicious animal she's become, it was heartbreaking. By the way, Laurel actually telling her dad about Sara and not being stupid enough to keep that secret again, hey at least the writers are learning from past mistakes.

But with that being said we still have a fair amount of stupid to talk about, let's start with the cops, more specifically the lead cop Liza Warner played by the chick from True Blood (At least she's getting work). What's my problem with her? She's an idiot. She constantly goes on about how she's not the bad guy in this situation and is not a criminal, look, the best villains are the ones that don't realise what they're doing is wrong, but this woman steals, threatens, murders innocent people and takes the law into her own hand, in what court room would she not be convicted within 10 minutes? Also the Oliver running for Mayor storyline is still dumb, but they acknowledge that it's dumb which does give us a pretty funny scene, but you know what's better than making fun of your dumb storyline? Not having the dumb storyline at all!

So while there is plenty of dumb to go around in this episode, its saving grace is Captain Lance and especially the scenes between him and Oliver. 8/10.

-Danny

The Flash "The Fury of Firestorm" Review

KING SHARK! Sorry, sorry, let me compose myself...KING SHARK!!!! Okay, i'll get to that in a bit, for now, let's talk about this episode. In this episode Professor Stein's health is deteriorating fast and they need to find a replacement for Ronnie and find two candidates, Henry Hewitt and Jefferson Jackson. Henry turns out to be quite aggressive with his new powers thus Jefferson turns out to be the best candidate.

Now I will say to start off I like Jefferson "Jacks" character, the way they introduced him I thought was well handled, showing his backstory and even having him being a bit heroic before getting powers, warning everyone, helping his friend up, trying to close the doors, all subtle hints at his naturally heroic nature. With that being said, was his character arc in this episode cliched and predictable? Yes, and there were points where it felt like even the writers didn't want to write some of these scenes because they knew they were just filling time. As for Henry I found his initial excitement for being Firestorm and his interactions with Stein entertaining, the fact that he switches from nice to angry within a millisecond is where I have issues, and how convenient that they didn't notice he had a criminal record, also convenient that he knew where Caitlin was, by the way why was he going after Caitlin anyway?

Then there was Iris' Subplot, two episodes in a row where i don't hate Iris, this is one hell of a winning streak. She meets with her mother and straight up disavows her and for perfectly understandable reasons, you abandon someone for 20 years, they have no obligation to even try and fix things up with you. Also that shot of her mother trying to shake her hand but Iris keeps her hands tight was a very clever shot and just from that you instantly get where they stand with each other. But more than that, with the revelation that she's dying, Iris does some digging and finds out she has a brother (Nice set up for Wally West) that her mother is still keeping secret, Iris completely shuts her out, she doesn't care if she's dying, she hasn't done a damn thing to earn her daughters time and even now is still lying to them. Not only do i completely side with Iris here, but I actually prefered her story over the main plot of the episode, good god, it's like the writers actually listened to me.

Oh yeah, there was something else that I wanted to talk abou-KING SHAAAAAAAAARK!!!! I don't really know why i'm getting so excited, really i don't care about the King Shark character, but just the insanity of him showing up is enough to get me excited. At first I thought he was just a cute reference for the comic fans but when he actually showed up on screen i nearly squealed! We are at that stage where a giant humanoid shark can appear on television and not have it be the worst thing ever, god i fucking love this show! Also this leads to the biggest cliffhanger so far this season, Barry and Patty are saved from King Shark by...Harrison Wells!? Dun DUN DUUUUUUUUUN...whoa this is heavy.

Overall while the A-Plot was just kinda serviceable, the B-Plot is where this episode shined with its dramatic storytelling and, oh yeah, King-Motherfucking-Shark! 7/10.

-Danny