Thursday, 6 April 2017

‘Riverdale’ 1.09 ‘La Grande Illusion’ Review

Riverdale La Grande Illusion Review

Riverdale La Grande Illusion ReviewThis week on Riverdale, Veronica tried to be a better version of herself and attempted to befriend Ethel (Shannon Purser) while Archie agreed to escort Cheryl to her family’s maple syrup tree tapping event. Meanwhile, Hiram Lodge’s actions continued to haunt his wife and daughter and Betty desperately sought a way to connect with Polly after she abandoned Betty and her parents to live with the Blossoms. Needles to say, nothing went according to plan.

As the episode opened, the Blossoms and Coopers continued to scheme with Alice declaring she was going to write a scathing article about the Blossom clan and Cheryl approaching Archie to escort her to her family’s prestigious maple syrup tapping event (the Blossoms own the maple syrup trade). Thanks to intervention by Penelope and a promise of putting a good word in for Archie with Cheryl’s great uncle, who is on the board of a prestigious music academy, Archie eventually gives in and attends the event.

At the event, the Blossom board of trustees is circling, out for blood and Clifford’s head. Cheryl steps forward to take Jason’s place and taps the first tree of the season with Archie by her side. Later on, Clifford Blossom invites Archie to another Blossom family event – a banquet – as Cheryl’s escort.

That night, at the Andrews, Cheryl barges in with a thank-you gift for Archie, an ’84 Les Paul guitar, and gives Archie a peck on the cheek. Fred immediately advises Archie to give the guitar back and cautions Archie about the Blossoms, saying they’re using him – a sentiment Valerie also shares later when the two talk.

While getting fitted for a suit for the banquet, Archie talks to Clifford and asks if he can help Fred, and Clifford is impressed by Archie’s concern for his father. Clifford promises to talk about it after they get through the banquet.

At the banquet, Clifford pulls Archie aside and says he’s willing to help Fred out. When Archie and Clifford start talking about Cheryl, Clifford says that if Archie stays by Cheryl’s side, he can help create the right kind of picture for the board of trustees.

When dancing begins, Archie and Polly dance and Polly says Betty needs to stop asking about her. She reveals that she believes the Blossoms had something to do with Jason’s death and so she’s there to investigate, but she must act the part.

When Archie sees Cheryl and her dad argue, he follows Cheryl outside. Cheryl reveals that Jason was always the golden boy and her family basically hates her. Archie says he thinks Cheryl is “awesome” and Cheryl appreciates his kindness and candor and the two share a kiss before Archie pulls away and storms off.

As he’s storming off, Archie overhears the Blossoms talking about the construction deal, promising that Hermione Lodge would crumble. Penelope says to Clifford, “maybe you should have sent her to jail instead of Hiram.” Later, Cheryl catches up to Archie and confronts him about leaving, saying he’s “just like the others” because, in the end, he only attended because he wanted something from her parents (their recommendation for music school). But Archie can’t stick around to defend his actions and immediately sours his relationship with Cheryl.

Elsewhere, Archie confronts Valerie and reveals to her that her concerns about his time with the Blossoms were well-founded, but Valerie isn’t having it and says she’s done with Archie.

At school, Archie reveals what he overheard to Jughead and Betty and the two determine that Clifford sending Hiram to jail could be a motive for the Lodges killing Jason.

Elsewhere in the episode, Veronica reached out to Ethel and invited her to dinner while Hermione finally came clean with Fred about Hiram’s behind-the-scenes dealings that have been affecting his construction business.

At the Lodge’s, Veronica, Kevin, Betty, Hermione, and Ethel talk over dinner and Ethel reveals her parents might have to sell the house and that it’s crushed her dad. When Veronica happens to mention Ethel’s last name, it piques Hermione’s interest. Hermione pulls Veronica aside and reveals that Ethel’s father invested with Hiram and lost everything as a result. Ethel and her family were simply a victim of Hiram’s illegal dealings; a fact that doesn’t sit well with Veronica.

At Fred’s business, Hermione reveals the truth that his construction contract is due to Hiram’s dealings. Hermione also reveals that Hiram was the one who hired the thugs to take down his business. Hermione’s position in all of this doesn’t sit well with Fred at all.

Back at the Lodge’s, Veronica brings out some of her finest clothing and jewelry and offers them to Ethel in her attempt to make amends for what her father did to Ethel’s family. Veronica reveals that the pearls she wears are from Hiram. Ethel isn’t swayed by the gifts though; she’s just happy to have a friend in Veronica.

The next day at school, Kevin approaches Veronica and tells her Ethel’s dad tried to commit suicide, which sends Veronica into a spiral. She breaks down in the bathroom, ripping off her pearl necklace.

At the hospital, Betty and Veronica show up to offer their condolences. While there, Veronica comes clean to Ethel and her mom about her father and Ethel’s mom immediately turns on Veronica while Ethel hears of Veronica’s father’s involvement for the first time. Ethel’s mom challenges Veronica to tell the truth about her father and make sure he stays behind bars.

At home, Veronica reveals her interaction with Ethel to Hermione and says she is done lying for her father.

At school the next day, Veronica approaches Ethel and apologizes for everything her family did. Ethel says it’s not Veronica’s fault what her father did and says Veronica was there for her when no one else was and offers her a seat.

At the Coopers, Betty tells Alice the news Archie discovered about Polly; Polly is at the Blossoms to spy on them – she didn’t abandon them. Alice reveals that she was genuinely afraid that she had lost Polly for good. Jughead and Betty then ask Alice to come write with them at the school newspaper since Hal fired Alice from the Riverdale Register earlier in the episode.

At the construction business, Fred tells Hermione he is staying on the job but he wants a bigger share of the profits and says he and Hermione are over, they’re now just business partners and nothing else. Fred is tired of the Lodge’s meddling and he wants to do everything above board.

As the episode ended, we saw that Cheryl Blossom’s rage was ramping up and that she’s basically done with anybody and everybody. Look out, Riverdale, Cheryl’s coming for you.

Continue on to read the review of season one’s ninth episode, “La Grande Illusion.” It’s separated so you can tackle all of the juicy Riverdale drama in chunks and explore the episode’s key moments and highlights. Click Next to scroll through, or jump straight to the part you’re most interested in:

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Wednesday, 5 April 2017

‘Teen Titans: The Judas Contract’ Review: A Solid Addition To The DC Animated Collection

Teen Titans

Teen TitansTeen Titans: The Judas Contract premiered at Wonder Con on Friday night and I was lucky enough to be in the room. Warner Bros. Animation has been producing DC movies for 10 years now, and this is their 29th feature. It’s also the 10th film in the new continuity that was established after 2013’s Flashpoint Paradox. Don’t worry if you haven’t seen any of the other movies though, you can watch this and completely understand everything that’s going on.

The movie left me feeling split pretty split. The Teen Titans are one of my favorite teams in comics, and the Judas Contract is one of DC’s most iconic stories, but I can’t help but the movie a resounding “mehh.” It’s not a bad movie by any means and the animation is beautifully rendered. The voice cast is great across the board, and there are even a few moments in the movie where the visuals tell the story perfectly, meaning there are fewer cheesy lines than I expected.  I just had a problem wit how it handled some of the characters.

Teen TitansThe movie starts with a fun flashback scene that shows one of the first iterations of the team. As the Teen Titans go about patrol, they happen across Starfire, who is struggling to defend herself from alien forces from her home world. Even though she is fighting, the movie almost sets her up as a damsel in distress role I was really worried would stick to her throughout the movie. But as the movie progresses, and we see a five year time jump, Starfire comes into her own and earns her place as one of the Teen Titan’s fiercest warriors and best leaders.

Her relationship with Dick, which we see start in their younger days, provides the movie with a great sense of humor and heart. It’s nice seeing these two heroes slowly dedicate themselves to each other and handle the sexual side of their relationship in a classy, comedic way. Honestly, their relationship might have been my favorite part of the whole movie. Not only are relationships a lot to deal with and alien to young adults in general, but throwing a literal alien into the mix makes for some fun moments and a few burnt dinners. I hope the DC animated moves lean a bit more into the adult themes in the future because it was definitely Judas Contract greatest strength.

Teen TitansIn fact, the movie was at it’s best whenever it embraced the awkwardness of the heroes’ teen years and the tension and frustration, sexual or otherwise, that comes with it. I won’t say what, but there’s a hilarious scene with Blue Beetle in a pantry that I think will become a fan-favorite moment moving forward.

My least favorite character in the movie might have been Beast Boy.  I love Gar, but he just felt one-dimensional throughout the movie.  After the five-year time jump, we see that all of the Titans are in different places with their lives and have matured, but Gar is relegated to the perpetual juvenile role for some reason. I know he’s a joker who doesn’t take himself too seriously, but Gar is also a tested fighter who knows how to inspire hope in others. He’s constantly on his phone, checking “tweeter” and bragging about his online following.  There’s one moment where he and Terra have an emotional conversation and it really feels like we are watching a completely different Beast Boy in that moment. His monologue about pain feels like a 180 degree turn compared to everything he’s done up until that moment.  That can work in some movies, but Beast Boy never came across as a characters who was secretly deep, he just came across as a juvenile the entire movie until they needed him to act mature for a few minutes.

One of my biggest complaints was the fact that the Teen Titans only really fought as a team at the end of the movie. It’s only in the last battle scene that each of the characters actually seem to be playing off each other on the battlefield. It would have made thematic sense if no one really liked each other on the team, but since everyone- except maybe Terra- wanted to be there and be a part of the Teen Titans it doesn’t make sense that they were fighting separately from each other. I watch team movies to see people fight as a team, WB! But the fight scenes always looked beautiful and it never felt like there was too much happening on the screen at one moment.

Teen Titans(This might just be a pet peeve, but it’s almost comical how many characters have the initials “BB” in this movie. We got Beast Boy, Bumble Bee, Brother Blood, and Blue Beetle, so if you’re planning on taking notes during this movie for any reason like I was you might need to change your shorthand a little bit). There’s a great little cameo from a nerd icon that definitely made me smile towards the end of the movie. You’ll know it when you hear it! Also, the movie is packed with fun Easter eggs that hint at a few of the places the DC animated universe will go next. I even mentioned a few of the ideas here, in my editorial about 5 Teen Titans stories that should be adapted next, if you want to see for yourself.

Teen Titans: The Judas Contract is definitely worth seeing if you’re a huge DC fan, but don’t hold your breath expecting a faithful adaption to the classic story. I mean Damian Wayne and Blue Beetle are here, so clearly things are different. Unfortunately, Jericho is no where to be seen. So for all you fans waiting to scream “contact” while staring at someone in the face might have to wait a little bit longer before people understand what you’re doing.

Rating: 6.5/10

The movie is available on Digital HD starting on April 4 and available for purchase on DVD or Blu-Ray starting April 18. Have you seen the movie? Am I right or way off? Well sound off in the comments and share your opinions about Teen Titans: Judas Contract. 

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Tuesday, 4 April 2017

‘Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D.’ ‘What If…’ Easter Eggs And Other References

Hydra2

Agents Hydra2
Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. returns from its almost two-month long hiatus, and boy was it intriguing!

Continuing from where “Self-Control” left off, Daisy wakes up in The Framework, and this new reality is 100% different than anything she knows. Hydra has replaced S.H.I.E.L.D, Inhumans are hunted like criminals, and almost everyone attached to the Framework (except Daisy and Jemma) are living completely different lives. Plus, we get to see the return of Ward, who we haven’t seen on the show since season three. Both Daisy and Jemma feel like they’re in crazy-ville, as they not only have to avoid Hydra in this new reality, but they also have to help rescue their friends trapped in completely new (and nefarious) lives. You can check out our review right here.

Tonight’s episode had a few Easter Eggs related to Marvel comics, the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), and other things as well. Let’s take a look at a few of them. Click Next to continue….

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’Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D.’: ‘What If…’ Review

Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D. 416

Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D. 416Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. picks up right where we left off in “Self Control” as we see Daisy waking up in the Framework where she is shocked to see Grant Ward in front of her. She tries to attack him, but discovers quickly that she doesn’t have her Inhuman powers and that she is in a relationship with Ward who knows her as Skye. Daisy discovers that she works for Hydra which in this reality is in control and how Inhumans are discriminated here.

They get to the Hydra Triskelion as Skye is still taking everything in with this new reality. Skye tries to locate where Simmons is at in this world, but quickly discovers that Simmons is listed as deceased. May shows up and Skye tries to snap her out of it, but May has no idea what is up with Skye. Elsewhere, we see Simmons rise from a grave as she is still alive. Simmons discovers quickly that S.H.I.E.L.D. has fallen and tries to get back into the city as she gets a ride from a woman named Julia. Things get complicated though when they get to an Inhumans checkpoint which requires identification and Simmons only has an S.H.I.E.L.D. card so she decides to escape. She walks into a coffee shop where she tries to steal someone’s car keys, but is confronted by two Hydra agents.

Simmons identifies herself to the two agents who discover in their database that she is legally declared dead. She fights them and steals one of their cars as Simmons needs to find Agent Coulson. Simmons is next seen waiting in a park and hoping Daisy will show up, but she is nowhere to be seen. She goes back to the Hydra car she stole and tries to use the database to learn where everyone is in this reality. In this reality, Coulson is a history teacher at an elementary school. She drives over to the school and finds Coulson alone in the classroom, but he has no idea who Simmons is. She desperately tries to convince him that Coulson has had his memories wiped and that this is just a virtual reality. Coulson is still loyal to Hydra despite her efforts. Simmons finds a doll that reminds her about Coulson’s history with Tahiti and tries to wake him up by using the term “it’s a magical place”. Eventually Coulson forces her out, but Simmons promises that she won’t give up on him.

Back at Hydra, May is informing everyone about a new Inhuman subject that “The Doctor” wants examined and Skye recognizes the Inhuman as Senator Nadeer’s brother back in the real world. Ward and Skye begin to interrogate Vijay who has someone at Hydra helping him out. As Skye tries to get more information out of him, Ward knocks Vijay out. May walks in and wakes him up who manages to piss May off when he brings up the Calvary story. Skye manages to convince her to let him live as they still need him. May orders her to take him to The Doctor, but once Skye gets alone with Vijay, she tries to convince him that they are on the same side, but he tries to escape. The Doctor walks in and we discover that it’s none other than Fitz who orders Skye to follow him. Fitz puts Vijay through torture by using technology that can detect whether someone has Inhuman DNA or not. May walks in and informs Fitz that a girl has been causing some trouble at Coulson’s school and Skye realizes that it must be Simmons. Skye manages to find her in the park from earlier, but Ward catches up with them and questions if she is part of the Resistance. As Hydra soldiers approach, Ward shoots them and reveals that in this reality he is one of the good guys.

The three of them escape in a car while behind chased by Hydra and manage to shake them off as Skye and Simmons try to use the device to get out of the reality. Unfortunately, it’s not working and they are trapped in the Hydra reality. Fitz walks into the Director’s office and we discover that Aida is the head of Hydra, more specifically the Madame of the organization as she was the one that disabled Skye and Simmons’ escape device. Aida is also revealed to be romantically involved with him. The episode ends with Skye trying to reach out to Coulson and desperately tries to make him remember. Before it cuts to black, Coulson turns around to Skye and says “Daisy?” – Coulson has woken up.

Given everything that happened in tonight’s Season 4C premiere, there are a lot of things we want to discuss. With all of that said, hit the NEXT button below and let’s go through some of tonight’s biggest highlights and important moments in the Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Season 4 episode: “What If…”

#5: Agents Of Hydra

#4: Enter Grant Ward – The Ally

#3: Madame Hydra & Fitz

#2: Coulson Awakens

#1: Verdict & Other Thoughts

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‘Legends Of Tomorrow’: ‘Aruba’ Review

Legends

Legends

The Legends are going there and back again in the Season 2 Finale of DC’s Legends of Tomorrow, entitled “Aruba.”

Following their introduction to “Doomworld” last week, the Legends regroup to locate Rip Hunter (Arthur Darvill), who is currently about a centimeter tall inside the shrunken-down Waverider on Eobard Thawne’s (Matt Letscher) desk in S.T.A.R. Labs. Upon meeting back up, the team stages a heist at S.T.A.R. Labs to return their Time Master and his ship back to their proper size. They then take an unexpected journey back to World War I to get their hands on the Spear of Destiny before the Legion of Doom can get a chance to use it and create their own world. It’s gonna take two teams of Legends to get the job done this time!

There is so much to talk about in the season finale, so hit the next button below to follow along as we break down the highlights and critical moments of “Aruba.”

5. The Desolation of S.T.A.R. Labs

4. The Two Teams

3. The Battle of Five (Hundred) Reverse Flashes

2. Return of the Canary and the Black Flash

1. Final Thoughts

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Sunday, 2 April 2017

‘The Walking Dead’ Recap: “The First Day of the Rest of Your Life”

Rick2

Walking Dead Rick2
Last week on the penultimate episode of The Walking Dead, Sasha survived her onslaught on The Sanctuary, only to them be charmed by Negan into joining The Saviors. Rick and company kindly robbed Oceanside of their weapons in preparation for war with Negan and The Saviors. Over at the Hilltop, Gregory once again proved to be his usual cowardly self. The episode ended with Dwight seeming turn coating to join Rick and the Alexandrians.

This week was all about the confrontation between The Saviors and our heroes. Most of the story focused on Sasha and she was recruited by Negan to enact his plan of least resistance, even though he still is going to kill at least one person. Sasha, spending much of the episode in her own “black box” relied on flashbacks of her time with both Abraham (good to see Michael Cudlitz back after his departure) and Maggie.

The showdown has its share of ups and downs, but BOY did it get interesting! It seemed to be slow at first, but once it started, it was just as intense as the season premiere and there was most certainly people pacing back and forth watching tonight’s show as it definitely paid off! Everyone had a chance to shine in tonight’s episode as we are officially entering the “All Out War” arc from the comic.

In the aftermath, everyone regrouped and licked their wounds as we prepare for what comes next. The three communities are officially united as they prepare to take the fight to Negan, and he’s more than ready for what comes next!

Here are a few of the top moments of the episode. Click Next to continue (Spoilers obviously) …

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DCTV’s Arrowverse Episode Roundup: Getting Back What Was Lost

DCTV's Arrowverse Episode Roundup

DCTV's Arrowverse Episode Roundup

Welcome back to the DCTV Arrowverse episode roundup! This week in The CW’s superhero universe, our heroes dealt with alien royalty, a magician, and the disbanding of two teams (one in a new reality).

You can check out all of my previous DCTV Arrowverse episode roundups here!

On Supergirl, Kara dealt with the king and queen of Daxam, The Flash tangled with a magician from the future claiming to know Savitar’s identity, Arrow took on the aftermath of Prometheus breaking Oliver, and Legends of Tomorrow found themselves stuck in an alternate reality.

The connecting theme this week is trying to get back what you’ve lost.

Each episode roundup recaps the show’s main plot points, with a section for commentary.

Let’s get started! Click through the gallery to read through each episode!

Up next: Supergirl

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