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Kill la Kill – If Only I Had Thorns Like a Thistle…

/ / Television Reviews
  • Title: Kill la Kill – If Only I Had Thorns Like a Thistle…
  • wiki: link

Kill la Kill - If Only I Had Thorns Like a Thistle... review

The first episode of Kill la Kill introduces us to the rigid structure of the Honnōji Academy whose student council and their supporters are clad in super-powered Goku Uniforms which are the envy of the rest of the student body. The arrival of a new transfer student, a talented fighter with half a scissor-blade sword, will show the students that there is a match for even the mighty power of the the school uniforms.

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Samurai Jack – Episode VI: Jack and the Warrior Woman

/ / Television Reviews
  • Title: Samurai Jack – Episode VI: Jack and the Warrior Woman
  • wiki: link

Samurai Jack - Episode VI: Jack and the Warrior Woman TV review

Throwback Thursday takes us back to the adventures of the time-displaced samurai and his never-ending quest to make his way home. While Jack (Phil LaMarr) lost many battles in his war with Aku (Mako), it’s rare to see him as defeated as he appears at the end of “Episode VI.” Nor can I think of any episode which relies so heavily on montage (to good effect). Learning of a magical jewel which can fulfill the samurai’s most fervent wish, Jack sadly doesn’t heed the warning from the shopkeeper about a looming ultimate evil gathering closer to him, nor does he notice the obvious signs that his new companion is not who she appears to be.

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Wonder Woman

/ / Home Video
  • Title: Wonder Woman (2009)
  • IMDb: link

Wonder Woman DVD reviewReleased on home video eight years prior to the character getting her own theatrical live-action film, the animated feature 2009’s Wonder Woman offers an origin story for Diana (Keri Russell) loosely based on the 80s comic reboot by George Perez following the events of Crisis on Infinite Earths. While the film may have not been the critical or monetary success DC hoped for, it’s held up fairly well.

As with the new theatrical film, Wonder Woman gives us the basics of Diana’s origins, the arrival of Steve Rogers (Nathan Fillion) on the island of Themyscira, Diana winning the right to be called Wonder Woman, and the return of Ares (Alfred Molina) who plans to wreak havoc on Earth.

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Wonder Woman

/ / Movie Reviews
  • Title: Wonder Woman (2017)
  • IMDb: link

Wonder Woman movie review

It took four movies, but the DC Extended Universe has finally delivered a true super-hero movie. With Wonder Woman, for the first time, DC gives us a protagonist who is actually a hero (rather than one brought up to be selfish about his gifts, a group of killers brought together for a good cause, or one obsessed with murder and vengeance). I doubt the limited input of Zack Snyder or the lack of involvement from David Goyer is a coincidence. There’s a lesson to be learned there, if anyone at DC or Warner Bros. is paying attention.

Credit goes to director Patty Jenkins and screenwriter Allan Heinberg in taking the best aspects of Captain America: The First Avenger and Thor and merging them into a film better than either of the two. Wonder Woman isn’t without its flaws. It drags on (especially during its CGI-heavy final act) and it can’t quite shake free from Snyder’s hard-on for slow-motion action scenes (although Jenkins is mercifully more adept and not prolonging or overusing the technique). What it gets right is its choice of stars and, for the first time in the combined DC movie universe, a willingness to give the central character heart (something sorely lacking in DC’s previous films).

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Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales

/ / Movie Reviews
  • Title: Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales
  • IMDb: link

Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales movie reviewHow does a movie based off an amusement park ride end up with four sequels? Taking a page out of the book of Star Wars: The Force Awakens, the latest entry into the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise goes back to the beginning to try and recapture the magic of its best film. Although it delivers not much more than a pale imitation of Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, borrowing heavily from every major plot point, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales is easily the least shitty sequel in a franchise that knows something about shitty sequels.

See if any of this sounds familiar: A man (Brenton Thwaites) with a pirate father and a woman (Kaya Scodelario) too independent for her time befriend the crazy pirate Captain Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp) while being pursued by a ship of undead cursed souls seeking a treasure that can save them and led by a captain (Javier Bardem) who hates Jack.

While all a bit too familiar, the choice to allow Jack to be more part of an ensemble rather than the central character certainly helps the film. Although even with less screentime the character grows tiresome at times.

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