’Supergirl’: ‘Resist’ Review

Supergirl kicks off with right where we left off last week as Rhea has started the Daxam invasion on Earth. Lena wakes up onboard Rhea’s ship, finding Rhea right next to her as Rhea tries to lie to Lena that Supergirl was trying to kill Lena. Rhea assures her that she meant what she said about Lena as she plans to take her care of her. Back in the city, Daxamite soldiers are attacking the citizens while Maggie tries to get away. Maggie calls Alex and tells her that she can’t find a way to escape before Daxamite soldiers teleport to the D.E.O. and starts attacking the agents. Alex manages to escape from the soldiers and jumps out from a balcony with Kara catching her.

Back on Rhea’s ship, Mon-El is still upset with his mother for causing this invasion. Rhea tries to convince her son that she is just trying to give him and the people of Daxam a new home. She tells Mon-El that he is the key to bringing the people of Earth and Daxam together while also revealing that Rhea plans to have him married with Lena in an arranged marriage. Elsewhere, Kara and the team are trying to figure out what to do next as Martian Manhunter is still down. Lillian Luthor emerges from the shadows as she offers to help the team, but they won’t trust her that easily. Mama Luthor proposes that they work together in order to save their loved ones. The team refuses to work with her as they don’t trust Lillian who warns them that Rhea’s ship has a Kryptonite canon on board, making it impossible for Kara to get in there. They still refuse and Lillian gets ready to leave before leaving Kara a cell phone to contact her, should she change her mind.

Back on the ship, Rhea gets contacted by President Marsdin who demands that Rhea stands down. Rhea mocks the President who is on her way to the city, but suddenly Cat Grant enters the room to join the video transmission to talk sense to Rhea. Kara and the team are managing to watch the whole conversation as Supergirl takes off to fly over to Air Force One which gets taken down. Cat falls out of the plane, but is luckily saved by the Girl of Steel. When they land, Kara believes the President is dead, but suddenly sees Olivia getting up…in her alien form as her secret is now out. Kara brings Cat and Olivia back to their hideout. Cat wonders why they are there, as Supergirl explains that they work with the D.E.O.

Olivia reveals her true origin as a Durlan and why she fought so hard for the safe alien registry. With J’onn currently out, Alex is now the acting director of the D.E.O. as Olivia needs the team to get back to stopping Rhea and the invasion. The president explains that they need to use the D.E.O.’s positron laser cannon to take down Rhea’s ship. Alex takes the President back to D.C. and when she gets back, the two Danvers sisters disagree about the President’s order. Kara steps out to get some air and finds Cat outside as Supergirl tells her that Mon-El and Lena are the ones that Rhea has taken away from her. As the Girl of Steel doesn’t know what to do, Cat comforts her and tells her why she left National City and where she went. Cat’s pep talk gets Supergirl motivated again as she flies away.

She goes to see Lillian and asks her how to get on the ship. Later on, Kara returns to Alex who isn’t happy that she brought Lillian and Cyborg Superman with her. Eventually they agree to team up and Lillian proposes that they get a hold of Superman’s Phantom Zone projector to teleport onboard Rhea’s ship. Once Mon-El and Lena are saved, Alex can fire the cannon at the ship. Cat offers to help them out by acting as distraction, as she and Winn head to CatCo. Supergirl, Cyborg Superman and Lillian go to the Fortress of Solitude to use the driver. Hank manages to activate the teleporter as they get teleported to Rhea’s ship where the wedding between Mon-El and Lena is about to take place. As she is about to complete the ceremony, Cat interrupts with a video transmission as she is sending a message to National City, to fight back no matter what. The citizens of the city get inspired to fight back while Rhea orders her warriors to and kill Cat. Meanwhile, Kara fights her way through the ship while Mon-El and Lena manages to take down the warrior escorting them to their cell. Eventually Supergirl and Lillian find them as they all get ready to take off.

Lillian, Lena and Hank teleport away, while leaving Kara and Mon-El behind as they can’t get off the ship. Refusing to do so, Lillian calls Alex to tell her that she can now fire the cannon at the ship as Alex begins to charge up the cannon. Lena demands that Lillian turn the teleporter back on, but Mama Luthor refuses. However, Kara was one step ahead of Lillian this time, as she had Winn managed to bug a device on Cyborg Superman back at the D.E.O. in case Lillian would betray them. Kara gets him to re-activate the teleporter and tells Mon-El to leave without her. Kara wants to try one last time to get Rhea to surrender and Mon-El gets teleported away.

Back on Earth, Winn and Cat try to escape a group of Daxamite soldiers, before Guardian shows up to save the day. When the fight is over, Cat calls James out as she knew he was Guardian.  Mon-El arrives at the Fortress as Lena wonders where Supergirl is as he gets in touch with Alex, telling her that Kara is still onboard. But the President is demanding that Alex fire the cannon at the ship, but something makes the cannon suddenly explode. Kara confronts Rhea alone as she begs her to stop the invasion, as the ship is being targeted. Rhea doesn’t care as she still thinks the game is in her favor. Rhea informs Kara that she was one step ahead of the Last Daughter of Krypton who is suddenly knocked down. As Kara looks up, she is horrified to see that it’s none other than her own cousin….Superman.

There was a lot that went down in tonight’s intense episode that we have to discuss. So let’s go through the top 5 highlights and important moments of the Supergirl Season 2 episode: “Resist”

#5: Cat Grant’s Epic Return

#4: Olivia Marsdin’s Origin Revealed

#3: Heroes & Villains Team-Up

#2: A Shocking Opponent Emerges

#1: Verdict & Other Thoughts

The post ’Supergirl’: ‘Resist’ Review appeared first on Heroic Hollywood.

’Gotham’: ‘Light The Wick’ Review

Gotham opens up with Arkham Asylum staff members escorting the insane Nathaniel Barnes, but he manages to take out the two members with the Mad Hatter watching from a distance. As Barnes try to get away, the Talon drugs him as Barnes tries to take him out before the drug starts kicking in. The Talon takes Barnes to Kathryn who wants to punish those in Gotham City that deserves it. Hugo Strange emerges out of the shadows as Kathryn explains to Barnes that they need the virus inside of him and that they are going to have to drain it out of his system.

Bullock gets a visit by Leslie who has her final death report on Frank Gordon ready for him. Leslie came to the conclusion that Frank’s cause of death was homicide as she doesn’t buy the suicide scenario. She lashes out at him, demanding that he opens an investigation on Frank’s death and that Bullock should question Jim. Bullock is stunned that she would think that Jim could be capable of killing his own uncle. Leslie thinks Jim had it covered up and believes that Bullock might be involved too. Bullock thinks that she is letting her judgement by clouded by her anger towards Jim for killing Mario as she leaves his office.

At the Court of Owls, Kathryn informs the members that Gotham’s judgement is imminent. Gordon waits for Kathryn to leave the meeting room to go and take a look at her Owl mask. He starts scanning for finger prints on the mask as another Court member walks into the room asking what he is doing in there. Gordon comes up with an excuse and manages to fool the Court member.

Ivy shows up at the Sirens club and meets Tabitha as Ivy is looking for Selina. Tabitha suggests that Ivy goes to Gotham Central as she heard that Selina was in “bad shape”. Ivy arrives at the hospital and goes to Selina’s room and finds her friend supposedly in a coma. A doctor walks in telling Ivy she can’t be in there, but she uses her perfume on her to get some answers. The doctor doesn’t know what happened to Selina as the cops found her lying on the streets. Ivy makes the doctor leave as she tells Selina that everything is going to be fine. She returns to Selina’s room at a later date with some plants that she thinks will help Selina.

Kathryn returns to Strange, who we find out is being held there against his will as he had been away taking care of Fish Mooney who Strange claims has been “saved”. She asks Strange if he was able to get the virus out of Barnes’ system. He demonstrates by trying it out on an inmate as it begins to kill him as he has succeeded in weaponizing the virus.

Bruce is still training with the Shaman and his opponent who Bruce is fighting with sticks. He struggles to defeat the soldier as the Shaman tells him that Bruce’s rage blinds him and prevents him from being in control. Later on, the Shaman tries to get Bruce to remember all that pain and rage from the night his parents were killed as he wants to help release Bruce from the impact that the emotions are having on him. Bruce asks why he needs to be Gotham City’s protector as the Shaman explains that the city and Bruce need each other. The Shaman gets ready to inject the memory needle on Bruce as he is taken back to his parents’ wake.

Bruce is guided by the Shaman to lock away the pain and that it will set him free. Back in the real world, Bruce passes out as the Shaman says that he has been waiting a long time for this and that together, they will make Gotham City pay. Later on, Bruce is fighting the same masked man and it seems like the Shaman’s help is paying off as he manages to get the upper hand. The Shaman asks Bruce how he felt while fighting his opponent this time around and Bruce admits that he felt nothing. When Bruce asks if he is free to leave now, Shaman asks if he really wants to leave this early when he has so much more to teach him. Bruce tells the soldier to get up as they start sparring again.

Bullock gives Jim a call to tell him that the DNA analysis revealed that Kathryn’s full name is Kathryn Monroe, she comes from one of Gotham City’s oldest families and reveals her address to him. Jim is going to break into her apartment to find out more about her secrets. Bullock tells him about Leslie’s death report on Frank and that she is still suspicious. He also tells Jim that something went wrong with the transfer of Barnes at Arkham last night. As Jim is about to head out, he runs into Oswald who brought Firefly with him. Oswald wants Jim to help him find Nygma as he was the last one to see the Riddler before disappearing. Oswald is also aware of the mysterious Court group, but Jim begs him to stay out of it. He hands Jim a cell phone and tells him that he has 24 hours to confess where Nygma is as he and Firefly takes off.

Jim is staking outside of Kathryn’s apartment, before he goes in to investigate and goes through her things. He finds a drawer with the Court logo on it and behind it finds a Wayne Enterprises access badge, before hearing Kathryn’s voice in the other room as she is still in the apartment. Jim tries to get out, but decides to improvise as he lets himself be seen by Kathryn who demands answers why he is there. Jim admits that Oswald is still alive and knows the Court is behind Nygma’s disappearance. He also demands that he gets a seat at the table, to be taken seriously as a member. Kathryn explains that Gotham City is infected and that there is only way to heal it from all its criminal activity. She will consider his request before demanding to get him out of the building. Jim calls Bullock to leave a message that he knows what their mystery weapon is, but unfortunately for him, Kathryn seems to overhear the conversation.

Back at the station, Bullock and Lucius find out that the Court is weaponizing the Alice Tetch virus. They start connecting the dots that Barnes was kidnapped by Kathryn in order to get the virus out of his system. Lucius has an idea of how to find out where Barnes is being kept at. Bullock and Jim go investigate at an abandoned lab where they find a dead scientist. They run into the infected inmate who is apparently the killer. He starts rambling before jumping on both Bullock and Jim who is almost strangled to death before Strange shows up to stop the inmate. Strange confesses that he was forced to help weaponizing the virus for Kathryn. Bullock tries to arrest him, but Strange warns them to not waste time on him when they should be focusing on the shipment from D9C. Strange proves that they can trust him as he hands over all his research and a sample of the weaponized virus. While not thrilled about it, Bullock and Jim let him go as they exit the building. Bullock takes the research and virus back to the station while Jim gets a call from Kathryn who informs him that she wants to meet him as she has considered his request.

Jim shows up at Kathryn’s requested location, but before he can go with her, he has to give his phone and gun to the Talon. Kathryn takes Jim to the view of a party featuring a bunch of socialites as she begins to tell him about her family. She then shows him a bomb featuring the Tetch virus, to show Gotham City its darkest self as she sets a timer for 15 minutes. The bomb will be placed in the middle of the room as Kathryn explains to Jim that she needs to see if he is ready for the Courts’ methods, when the time comes. Kathryn warns him that if he tries to stop the bomb, the Talon has been instructed to execute Jim immediately. Jim secretly calls Oswald who picks up and starts hearing Jim talking to someone about what “they” are planning to do with the Court. The Talon tells him to stop talking, but Jim keeps going on.

As the clock is ticking, Jim decides to take action and starts fighting the Talon, but that is easier said than done. Firefly shows up and starts flaming at the Talon before he gets pushed through a window and blows his cover to the whole party. Jim tells everyone to evacuate immediately and tries to go down to stop the bomb, to Oswald’s annoyance. He grabs a crying girl before the bomb unleashes and releases the virus into the whole room. Luckily, everyone had already gotten out so no one was infected.

Kathryn gets called by the Shaman who informs her that he has managed to get Bruce to finally believe in his destiny and is free from his pain. He tells her that he and Bruce will be leaving tonight while asking Kathryn for assurance that everything will be ready for them, which she says it will.

As Oswald is wondering where Ivy is at, the Talon manages to break into his home. Back at the hospital, Selina finally wakes up which gets Ivy very excited. Selina, however, wants to leave right away as there is someone at Wayne Manor that she has to kill, the Bruce Wayne clone.

Jim goes to see Leslie who has decided to leave the GCPD as she is done with Gotham City. As she is getting ready to leave the room, Jim brings up that the reason why he killed Mario was because he saw that Mario was going to kill Leslie who is still in denial about it. They start screaming at each other before Leslie finally takes off. Meanwhile, Kathryn discovers that the Wayne Enterprises access card is missing. Elsewhere, Oswald gets locked away in a cage next to Nygma who discovers that Penguin is still alive as the two former friends stare at each other. We cut to Kathryn having a conversation with Barnes who is strapped up as he is told by her that he needs to go after Jim Gordon for betraying the Court. Kathryn instructs him to kill Jim before he can expose the Court, as Barnes agrees to become Jim’s personal executioner before the episode cuts to black.

A lot happened in tonight’s episode of Gotham that we want to break down and discuss. So hit the NEXT button below and let’s go through some of the highlights and important moments of the Gotham Season 3 episode: “Light The Wick”.

#5: Selina Awakens…Already?

#4: Leslie & Jim Drama

#3: Shaman Up To No Good

#2: Penguin & Riddler Reunited

#1: Barnes Becomes The Executioner

The post ’Gotham’: ‘Light The Wick’ Review appeared first on Heroic Hollywood.

DCTV’s Arrowverse Episode Roundup: The Power Of A Connection

Welcome back to the DCTV Arrowverse episode roundup! This week in The CW’s superhero universe, our heroes dealt with a crisis of heroism, lost memories, and the sins of the father.

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

On Supergirl, Kara dealt with Rhea’s plan while James connected with a young alien boy, The Flash lost his memories and discovered Savitar is a time remnant, and Arrow dealt with the unveiling of secrets about Robert Queen and the continued Prometheus threat.

The unifying theme for the shows this week is that the power of an integral connection can go a long way.

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

The post DCTV’s Arrowverse Episode Roundup: The Power Of A Connection appeared first on Heroic Hollywood.

‘Riverdale’ Season One Finale ‘The Sweet Hereafter’ Review

On the Riverdale season one finale, the core four endured the fallout from the truth of Jason’s murder and took some significant steps in each of their personal lives. Other members of the town also had defining moments of their own, and something wicked indeed this way came.

As the episode opened, Jughead’s usual narration tells us that Clifford Blossom had been transporting heroin from Montreal on his trucks  – the true Blossom family business. And as the truth started to come out, a narrative emerged: That Jason learned about the drug running and it led to his murder; Clifford killing him to keep him quiet.

At the prison, Sheriff Keller is interested in the local components of the drug trade: Who’s funneling drugs on the south side of Riverdale? He presses FP for names and information about the drug trafficking in town but FP says he’s no snitch. The Sheriff then reminds him that he’s looking at 20 years with no leniency for his part in the cover-up of the murder, especially if he doesn’t share any helpful information now.

As Betty and Archie walk to school, Betty says it’s like her family is ignoring everything that’s happened, saying they’re pretending to be normal and perfect. She says if they don’t start dealing with everything that’s happened, they’re going to fall apart all over again. After they arrive, Mayor McCoy calls them into the principal’s office to say she’d like to feature them at the town’s jubilee, asking Archie to sing with the Pussycats and asking Betty to speak. She claims Betty and Archie are the kind of heroes Riverdale needs right now.

At the lunch table, Betty says she’s writing an article about everything since the mayor and others want to sweep it all under a rug. Before much more can happen, Veronica stands up and tells Betty she and Archie are together but Betty is okay with it – she’s with Jughead now after all. Later, Archie confronts Betty about the news about him and Veronica, wanting to make sure Betty is truly okay with it. As they’re talking, it sounds as if Archie begins to say that a part of him always thought that he and Betty would end up together but Betty cuts him off before he can say it, talking about how lucky they all are right now.

At the Riverdale Register, Betty shares her article with her mother but Alice says she won’t publish it because it’s “one version of the truth.” As Betty, Alice, and Hal talk, Hal reveals that there are attacks in Riverdale on the Serpents, as people in the town are upset with them over all of their alleged dealings.

At the Blossoms, Cheryl and Penelope are visiting the barn where Clifford hung himself and Cheryl’s having a hard time with it, but Penelope says that maybe Clifford had the right idea to get away from it all. Later at school, Cheryl reveals she stepped down from the River Vixens and hands the team over to Veronica. Veronica is shocked by this news but Cheryl claims she’s fine. Shortly thereafter, Betty and Veronica talk about Cheryl’s strange behavior. Betty then reveals that she’s publishing her article in the school’s newspaper, The Blue and Gold.

At Andrews’ Construction, Hermione Lodge drops a surprise offer from her and Hiram to buy Fred’s company out after she fires all of the South Side Serpent workers. When Fred seems noncommittal, Hermione confronts Veronica about her relationship with Archie. Hermione then asks Veronica if she could talk to Archie about convincing Fred to accept Hiram’s offer. Veronica is rightly appalled.

Josie and Archie talk about the song they’re to perform at the jubilee and Josie shoots down the song Archie wants to sing, saying it’s more about his friends than it is about the town as a whole.

That night, at the Andrews’, Jughead is introduced to a caseworker who claims she wants to help take care of him. Because of Jughead’s past DUI and Fred’s financial problems, Jughead can’t stay with the Andrews. The caseworker then reveals that a family on the south side has agreed to foster Jughead, but it means he’ll be in a different school district and will have to transfer by the end of the week. Archie then directly heads to the jail to talk to FP about Jughead’s predicament. FP won’t budge and flip on the Serpents, saying that the Serpents are his family and it’s important not to turn your back on family; that the Serpents will come through when it’s time. He says that Jughead will need Archie as Jughead will try to withdraw and will embrace the darkness within.

At school, Veronica and Jughead share lunch when Cheryl approaches them to apologize to Jughead. She gives Jughead one of her broaches so he can sell it to make some money. Before Veronica can really question Cheryl about her strange actions, Kevin grabs the group and tells them they need to head into the hall. There, Betty’s article is posted with a message smeared over it in pig’s blood: “Go to hell Serpent slut.”

At the Coopers, Alice jumps on Betty about publishing the article. Betty then confronts her mom about her own fears and lies. As Betty presses about the story FP started to bring up during their awkward dinner, Alice tells her that it’s none of her business. Betty then reminds her mother that Hal was keeping a secret that “almost destroyed us” and then asks her mother, “how many are you keeping?” Later on, Alice visits Betty in her room and reveals that the fight FP saw all those years ago was Alice and Hal arguing over the news that Alice was pregnant. Alice then decided to go away to the same place that they later sent Polly and the baby, a boy, was given up for adoption.

As Betty tells Archie and Veronica of the existence of an unknown brother, Jughead calls Betty to tell her he’s where he belongs – he’s now at South Side High. As music plays, Betty, Archie, and Veronica rush over tot he school to find Jughead, who seems to be making new friends. At the Blossoms, Cheryl is clearly preparing for something, laying out the white dress she was found in the day she and Jason took a swim in the river.

As Jughead and Betty talk outside the school, Veronica gets a text from Cheryl saying that she’s “going to be with Jason now.” The group then immediately rushes to the river, knowing what Cheryl is about to do. They get there in time to see Cheryl walking out on the frozen river and she turns to face them a moment before she plunges through the ice into the water. The group sprints out onto the river and find her floating below the ice. Archie immediately starts punching his way through the ice and reaches Cheryl, pulling her out of the frigid water. Archie then has to give Cheryl CPR until she starts breathing again.

After her suicide attempt, Cheryl recovers at the Lodge’s and Veronica brings her a hot drink. Hermione walks in and immediately disapproves, but Cheryl says she’ll go after she’s warmed up. Hermione then offers to take Veronica to the jubilee but Veronica calls her “Lady Macbeth” and says she has a ride with Archie.

At the Jubilee, Archie practices with his busted-up hand and Veronica confronts him about their relationship. Archie says he just wants to have the kind of relationship with Veronica that Jughead and Betty do. As the two kiss, the Pussycats arrive and Josie reveals she’s changed her mind about singing Archie’s song after hearing about what happened to Cheryl from Veronica. They then go on stage and start to perform Archie’s song, accompanied by Veronica.

While this is happening, Jughead visits FP at the prison to tell his dad he’ll be okay. He says he’ll survive. FP then tells Jughead he’s done some stupid and bad things and knows he has to answer for his part of it. He tells Jughead to be there for his mom and Jellybean. Jughead says he’ll do his best and FP says there’s no a doubt in his mind that that’s true.

After the Pussycats, Veronica, and Archie finish up to applause, Betty steps on stage to give her speech. Jughead walks in just in time to hear her speak. Betty then launches into her speech and says that they’re all Riverdale, calling out people by name. She then confronts the fact that, when things get tough and lies flourish, things will continue to be worse and horrible things will continue to happen. She then challenges everyone, saying “Riverdale must do better. We must do better.” An awkward silence follows but Jughead starts clapping, which inspires the rest of the audience to rise and applaud Betty’s words.

In the hall after Betty’s speech, Hermione confronts Fred about the offer and Fred says he’s not settling. He then says he expects Hermione to show up at work in the morning.

At the Blossoms, Penelope walks in to find Cheryl holding a candelabra and smells the floor covered in gas. Saying it’s the only way “they can truly start over,” Cheryl then sets the house on fire. Later, Cheryl watches the house burn as Penelope melts down.

At FP’s place, Jughead tells Betty he loves her. Betty returns the sentiment. At the same time, Veronica and Archie sneak into the Lodge’s for some romance. Archie and Veronica then have sex. As Jughead and Betty heat up, they’re interrupted by some Serpents, who tell Jughead that they’ve got his back, offering him a Serpents’ jacket for FP not turning them in.

The next morning, Archie gets up to leave Veronica to go see his dad at Pop’s – apparently Fred called and asked Archie to come over, wanting to talk about something. After Archie arrives, he goes to the bathroom to wash his hands. As Archie is cleaning up, a man bursts into the diner and attempts to rob the place. When Archie comes out of the bathroom because of the noise, he finds the man threatening Pop. When Archie looks like he’s going to make a move to intervene, Fred stands up and slowly approaches the masked man, hands raised. The man, toting a gun, turns toward Fred. When Archie realizes what’s about to happen, he tries to step in front of his father, but he’s too late … the man shoots Fred Andrews in front of his son. But as Jughead’s narration tells us, this shooting was no random act.

Continue on to read the review of season one’s thirteenth episode and season finale, “The Sweet Hereafter.” 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:

• Jughead and FP
• Betty’s Truth
• Cheryl’s Decision
• The Not-So Random Act
• The Verdict and Other Thoughts

The post ‘Riverdale’ Season One Finale ‘The Sweet Hereafter’ Review appeared first on Heroic Hollywood.

‘Guardians of the Galaxy’ Ride May Feature Grandmaster

Eagle-eyed fans may have spotted Jeff Goldblum’s Thor: Ragnarok character, the Grandmaster during the credits of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2. Not in a post-credit scene, mind you, but during the actual credits, during which he appeared alongside several characters from the film dancing along to the David Hasselhoff tune “Guardians Inferno.” But what was just a fun little gag in the credits could actually lead to a full on appearance in the upcoming Guardians of the Galaxy – Mission: BREAKOUT! Disneyland theme park attraction.

Speaking to Cinema Blend, Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige was asked why the character appeared in the credits when he was not in the actual film. Feige stated the following:

“We had footage of just Goldblum dancing and thought it would be fun to put it in there. And as you know from the comics, he’s The Collector’s brother. Keep an eye out at a particular theme park attraction opening soon, you’ll get to see a little crossover… It’s just a fun thing.”

Feige didn’t mention the Mission: BREAKOUT! ride by name, but it seems like a no-brainer that it’s the one he was referring to. The ride is scheduled to open May 27th, 2017.

Also read: Jeff Goldblum Reveals He Improvised Scenes In ‘Thor: Ragnarok’

Directed by James Gunn, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 stars Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Dave Bautista, Vin Diesel, Bradley Cooper, Michael Rooker, Karen Gillan, Pom Klementieff, Kurt Russell, Sean Gunn, Elizabeth Debicki, Chris Sullivan, Michael Rosenbaum and Sylvester Stallone. Here is the sequel’s official synopsis:

Set to the backdrop of ‘Awesome Mixtape #2,’ Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 continues the team’s adventures as they traverse the outer reaches of the cosmos. The Guardians must fight to keep their newfound family together as they unravel the mysteries of Peter Quill’s true parentage. Old foes become new allies and fan-favorite characters from the classic comics will come to our heroes’ aid as the Marvel cinematic universe continues to expand.

Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 is in theaters now.

Source: Cinema Blend

10 Cosmic Heroes We Want To See In ‘Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 3’

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It’s official: James Gunn has confirmed that that he will be returning to both write and direct the third Guardians of the Galaxy movie, which is just phenomenal news. Gunn has created something really special with these films. He took third-tier (at best) comic book characters that most fans didn’t yet know they needed to love and turned their story into not one, but two blockbuster movies that are major hits, both critically (Vol. 2 is getting mostly positive buzz on social media following press screenings) and financially (the sequel’s currently tracking at about $150 million for its opening weekend).

In his Facebook post, Gunn stated that Guardians Vol. 3 will “conclude the story of this iteration of the Guardians of the Galaxy, and help catapult both old and new Marvel characters into the next ten years and beyond.” He also made a brief mention of “some of the other forthcoming heroes” that could be appearing in the series. With these things in mind, we thought it would be a wonderful idea to explore some of the cosmic Marvel characters that fans might like to see in the third installment.

Before we jump in, a couple caveats. While it would surely be a lot of fun to see some of the Earthbound MCU characters mixing it up with the team in space, this list is only going to feature cosmic-based Marvel characters. The film will hit theaters after the Guardians’ introduction to Tony and Cap and the gang in Avengers: Infinity War, so we may still see that happen anyway. Also, I’m sure there are plenty of fantastic cosmic villains that would be great fits to antagonize the team in the third film, but we’re only focusing on the good guys in this list. Also, as amazing as it would be to see Silver Surfer or Galactus in the MCU, we’re not including anyone that Marvel doesn’t currently own the rights to, so don’t expect to see Agent Venom or Kitty Pryde or any of the other non-MCU characters that have served on the team in the comics on this list either. Also, it should be noted that I have not yet seen Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, so if any of these characters do appear, my apologies for the wasted entry.

Now, without further adieu, here are the 10 cosmic Marvel heroes we want to see in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. Hit the next button below to begin!

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VIEW IN GALLERY

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‘Alien: Covenant’ Review: In Space, No One Can Hear You Shrug

*Spoiler Free Review*

While en route to a remote planet with plans to establish a new settlement on it, the crew of the colony ship Covenant experience some technical difficulties that lead to them stumbling upon a previously undiscovered planet that they believe might actually be a better fit for their colonization purposes. When they send a landing party down to investigate a strange signal that appears human in origin, they soon discover that this might not be the place in which to start putting down stakes and getting their mail forwarded to.

While I liked Prometheus okay enough for what it was, I went into to this film really excited about getting back to the basics of the Alien franchise. Ridley Scott is the director that started it all with the 1979 Alien, my favorite of the series due to its horror slant. Of course, I also love James Cameron’s more action-centric follow-up, 1986’s Aliens. A return to form in either of those areas, horror or action, is what I went in hoping for with this film. Did it deliver on that promise? Read on to find out…

Also read: HBO Releases Preview For First Look At ‘Alien: Covenant’

First things first, let’s talk about the cast or at least the memorable members of said cast. Performance wise, Michael Fassbender is the clear standout, pulling double duty as both the returning villainous David (not a spoiler, as he does some pretty nefarious stuff in Prometheus) and newer model Walter, who bolsters an American accent that I found off-putting at first, but quickly got used to. I will say, though, that I wish the David character was written a bit better as he came off a bit too much like the moustache-twirly baddie, mostly due to some pretty terrible dialogue in places, but that’s not Fassbender’s fault. I’ve found that even in the worst movies (Assassins Creed, X-Men: Apocalypse), Michael Fassbender always delivers the goods and he does not disappoint in either of his roles here.

I thought Katherine Waterston was great as Daniels, our strong and resourceful female protagonist, a must for any Alien film. She has some great performance moments throughout the film, both emotionally and physically. From what I’ve seen of her previous work, I wouldn’t have thought she could pull off both as well as she did. I also loved seeing Danny McBride in a role that was a lot less comical than I’m used to seeing him in as the ship’s pilot, Tennessee. When he was first cast, I expected him to be the typical funny guy, throwing in a good one-liner every chance he gets (and he does occasionally, just not as much as I anticipated). While I wouldn’t have really had a problem with that, he actually got the chance to really act in this film and I thought he pulled those scenes off exceptionally well. I will say, though, I don’t know how he’s the most qualified pilot. Dude flies like sh– in the film’s third act.

Other cast members that I thought did solid jobs in their required roles were Carmen Ejogo, Demián Bichir, and Billy Crudup as the ship’s de-facto Captain, Oram. They performed their roles well enough, but I couldn’t really tell you more than a couple of words about any of their characters, if that. The rest of the cast, and it was a pretty large one, were mostly forgettable and really didn’t get a whole lot to do, other than to serve as the requisite cannon fodder. That’s not really a bad thing, per say, they served their purpose. Would I prefer a great horror film to reel me in a bit and get me invested in the characters before the bodies start dropping or at the very least get me hating some of them enough so that I can’t wait to see them meet their maker? Sure, but there’s just not enough time here for that kind of nonsense. Watching the prologues that were released online (The Last Supper and The Crossing) might help with that though, so maybe watch those before you see the film.

Also read: New ‘Alien: Covenant’ Promo Lists Reasons To Be Afraid

In some ways, I feel like this film worked a bit better for me as a Prometheus sequel more so than an Alien prequel. I really enjoyed most of the stuff pertaining to the continuation of Prometheus and where it left things off with David and Dr. Elizabeth Shaw (Noomi Repace). It didn’t go overboard in this regard either. There was just the right amount of connective tissue back to its predecessor that, even if you didn’t really like Prometheus, this stuff shouldn’t bother you. There is a flashback sequence about halfway through the movie that was horrifying to witness, but beautiful in its execution (as, in fact, most of the film is, visually-speaking), however, I would have liked a little more motivation behind why what we see in said scene is happening (it’s hard to explain without getting into spoilers, but when you’ve seen the film, you should know what I’m talking about). People who were big fans of Prometheus, though, might not take too kindly to this sequence. As someone who was just middling on it, this scene was just sort of a thing that happened that looked kind of cool.

When the film gets into the actual Alien stuff, the stuff I was on the edge of my seat the entire time in anticipation for, that’s where I had some issues. I don’t know, maybe I built up my hopes too high or maybe it was just the fact that this sequel/prequel had two jobs to do, but it kinda dropped the ball for me in a couple of ways. It touches on the problem of prequels in general. Just as George Lucas got carried away explaining things in the Star Wars prequels (uh, midichlorians), I feel like Scott too fell into some all too similar trappings. When you explain too much, you just lose all the magic. Some world-building is great, but too much can be detrimental. Again, it’s hard to go too much into this without venturing into spoiler territory, but some of my issues in this department are leftover ideas from Prometheus that were pretty minor in that film but continued on and were pushed even further in this film to the point that they just didn’t sit right with the Alien fan in me.

That all being said, there were some really fun action beats when the film finally got around to them. I was grinning like an idiot, shoving popcorn into my dumb face the entire time anything even remotely resembling a xenomorph was on screen. All of that stuff totally worked for me, especially in the climax. At the end of the day, though, this film didn’t really show me anything new in terms of alien-inflicted carnage and that’s what I was really hoping for.

The film’s super messy, and not just in the blood and gore department, which this film definitely does not skimp on and I actually found that to be one of the highlights of the horror/action bits of the film. However, at this point in my life, I’m tired of overused horror tropes and dumb decisions that lead to unsurprising deaths. “Hey, what’s that thing? Let me take a closer look.” Dead. “We should split up.” Dead. “Let’s have sex in the shower.” Wet and dead. It wasn’t really scary and in a few instances, it’s even a bit boring. Show me something new. Avert expectations. Make me scared. Make me feel something, anything. Also, at a much-appreciated two-hour and two-minute runtime, this film shouldn’t drag like it does in some of these scenes, especially ones that should be ratcheting the tension up to its fulfilling conclusion.

Also read: Ridley Scott Discusses Plans For ‘Alien: Covenant’ Sequels

Overall, I found the film to be just decent enough as a fun summer sci-fi thriller, but just barely. I wouldn’t say it’s bad necessarily (though it sure does flirt with it a couple times), it was just disappointing more than anything. Upon my first viewing of Prometheus, I was a little let down simply because I wanted more of a connection to the rest of the Alien saga, but that wasn’t what that film was supposed to be. This one, however, is supposed to be an Alien film (it’s in the title, after all) and some of its shortcomings in that department are what ultimately let me down. It’s just an okay Alien movie when I thought it could have been a great one. I ended up liking this film about as much as Prometheus. It certainly didn’t come close to touching the horror brilliance of Alien or the sheer ass-kickery of Aliens, but I would still say it’s a hell of a lot better than Alien 3 or Alien: Resurrection (low bar, I know). In that regard, I might even call this one a win, just not quite as satisfying as I’d hoped. While I left this film a little disappointed, I’m still down for the next film in the series. Just a sucker for the genre, I guess.

If you are looking for a fun summer sci-fi flick to waste a couple hours with, you might get what you’re looking for with this movie, but if you were hoping for the next Alien or Aliens, you should maybe lower your expectations. However, if you wanna watch two androids play the recorder for five full minutes, then this is definitely the film for you!

Score: C+

Alien: Covenant hits theaters Friday, May 19.

Top 10 Movie Trailers From This Summer That Will Fire You Up

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Every year, an avalanche of trailers, teasers, TV spots flood the Internet, trying to grab the attention of busy and overstimulated audiences. It’s gotten to the point where now, trailers are such a commodity, that the trailers themselves have teasers. There’s a reason: trailers, when they’re good, can be an artform all their own.

I love trailers, being the guy who is always rushing his friends and family to the theater early “so we don’t miss the previews.” Every summer, I make a YouTube playlist of my favorites that acts as my own personal radio station because frankly, sometimes, I vibe more to how the trailer is cut than the music in it or, in bad cases, the movies themselves when I finally catch them on-screen. It’s gotten to the point that I imagine and dream in a trailer format, with music setting the pace for a smash-cut of scenes that I want to write or just enjoy the fantasy of.

If you love a good trailer like I love a good trailer, this list is for you. Here’s what I consider the top 10 trailers for the summer 2017. Click Next to start!

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VIEW IN GALLERY

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‘Arrow’: ‘Honor Thy Fathers’ Review

Arrow opens up with Oliver finding out from Quentin that a judge has decided to turning over all of Adrian Chase’s cases since it’s now known that he is Prometheus. Oliver goes to his office where he finds a mysterious package that features the remainders of Henry Goodwin, a deceased councilman who disappeared many years ago for mysterious reasons. Oliver has Dinah and Quentin investigate and see what the connection could be. One of the criminals that end up going free is super-human Derek Sampson who Team Arrow has to deal with, which Dinah and Rene are forced to deal with throughout the episode.

Thea returns to town to be there for her brother after learning about Adrian being Prometheus. Quentin and Dinah arrive to tell them both that Robert Queen killed Goodwin 15 years ago, but Oliver doesn’t believe it as he thinks Adrian is trying to frame his photo. He asks them to get some evidence and avoid this from getting out to the public. Oliver gets ready to hold a press conference while Thea thinks it is a bad idea. He explains to her that this must be part of Adrian’s sick twisted game.  Felicity figures out where Goodwin died and Oliver goes with Diggle to investigate. But Adrian has already gotten steps ahead of them as he blows the floor under them and they get locked inside as concrete start pouring down at them. They manage to get out eventually as Dinah and Rene show up to get them out.

It is revealed that Adrian and Sampson have teamed up as Derek was stealing chemicals that Adrian’s dad was using to weaponized tuberculosis. Quentin arrives at the team’s lair and informs them that Adrian’s dad and Goodwin were represented by the same attorney. Oliver has the attorney brought in to city hall for questioning, but unfortunately Adrian got to him already. The attorney says Adrian told him to hand over a USB drive to Oliver. Later on, Oliver doesn’t want to play it and takes off when Felicity calls him.  Sampson and his men get surrounded by Team Arrow as Oliver tries to shoot him, but Sampson doesn’t feel any pain. As they get away, Oliver gets called by Felicity to go and see Thea who wants to talk to him about something.

Oliver returns to the office and sees that she played the footage on the USB drive and gets angry with her. Thea stresses that he has to watch it as it is security footage that their father got hold of. They play it as they see Robert arguing with Goodwin before accidentally pushing him into a vat of concreate. While Oliver still argues that it was an accident, Thea warns him that Robert still tarried to cover it up as Thea determines that their parents weren’t the best people.

Felicity and Curtis discover through the chemicals that Adrian could potentially create an even more powerful chemical agent that is far worse than what his father was trying to make. Oliver re-watches Robert’s last recording to him in the bunker as Felicity shows up and he admits that he feels ashamed how he never saw Robert’s darkness. Felicity discovers suddenly that the chemicals are being held at the Robert Queen Applied Science Center, and Oliver suits up as the Green Arrow to join his team members. As they try to get to the roof where Sampson is waiting at, Prometheus emerges as he and Oliver start fighting. Diggle and Curtis get to the roof and joins Dinah and Rene as they disarm the bomb with the chemicals.

Oliver and Adrian are still fighting while he tries to convince Oliver that they are very similar. While Adrian is rambling about legacies, Oliver breaks the truth to him that Daddy Chase was planning on disowning his son because Adrian is insane. Adrian doesn’t believe him at first, but starts breaking down as he surrenders and asks Oliver to finish him off. Oliver has no intention on killing him as he knocks him out. We find out later on that Adrian got locked up at Argus as the team celebrates their victory. Oliver gives Thea a USB that features Robert’s last message to Thea and apologizes that he didn’t give it to her sooner. Thea ends up watching it where Robert tells her that while Oliver is strong, she is stronger and that she will need to be there for her brother in life. Oliver shows up behind her and the two siblings realize that they can’t let their parents’ legacies continue to haunt their lives anymore. Oliver later holds a press conference where he addresses Robert’s crime, but also how he sacrificed himself to save Oliver all those years ago. Adrian is watching the press conference from his Argus cell and starts to smile, hinting that the war is far from over.

In the flashbacks, Anatoly and Oliver are flying back to Lian Yu because he needs to use it as a cover for why he has been gone for the last five years. As they arrive, they spot Slade Wilson’s old Deathstroke mask as he remembers the clash between him and Slade. They pay their respects to Diana and Robert’s graves where Oliver also explains why he needs to act as The Hood. Anatoly doesn’t agree completely though with him as he doesn’t think that a piece of clothing will keep the people he loves safe. Later on Oliver goes over his plan to get home when the time is right as Anatoly will get a couple of fishermen to go to the island where they will find Oliver with a fake beard and wig to make it look like he has been gone for years. Anatoly bids him farewell and leaves the island before Oliver gets hit shot by a drugged dart. Before he passes out, Oliver sees that Kovar and his men followed him to the island.

Quentin finds out from Rene that he has gotten a trial date set to possibly gaining full custody back of his daughter Zoey. Rene asks him if he can be there as moral support which Quentin agrees to. Later on, Rene freaks out when he has to testify to a judge about the night his wife was killed and thinks it will scar his daughter for life. Quentin convinces him that even if it might hurt a bit, it will be worth it if it means getting the daughter back. However, Rene never shows up at the custody hearing and loses his chance to get Zoey back.

With so much going down in tonight’s episode, there is a lot we have to discuss and breakdown. Hit the next button below and let’s go through some of the highlights and important moments of the Arrow Season 5 episode: “Honor Thy Fathers”

#5: Hilarious Setup To Concluding The Flashbacks

#4: Rene’s Struggles

#3: Thea & Oliver Find Closure With Their Parents’ Legacies

#2: Temporary Fall Of Adrian Chase

#1: Verdict & Other Thoughts

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