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Samurai Jack – Episode XIII: Aku’s Fairy Tales

/ / Television Reviews
  • Title: Samurai Jack – Episode XIII: Aku’s Fairy Tales
  • wiki: link

Samurai Jack - Episode XIII: Aku's Fairy Tales TV review

Throwback Tuesday takes us back to the adventures of the time-displaced samurai and his quest to make his way home. The First Season finale of Samurai Jack is an unusual episode as it is presented entirely from the perspective of the show’s villain, Aku (Mako). Frustrated with the growing hero worship for Jack (Phil LaMarr), Aku gathers children together and tells them a series of fairy tales in an attempt to present himself as the hero and paint the samurai as the villain.

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Supergirl – American Alien

/ / Television Reviews
  • Title: Supergirl – American Alien
  • wiki: link

Supergirl - American Alien television review

There are quite a few takeaways from the Fourth Season premiere of Supergirl along with foreshadowing of where the series is headed. First, fans of Superman: The Animated Series should be happy with the introduction of Rhona Mitra as Mercy (who first appeared on the cartoon as Lex Luthor’s henchman). There was turmoil both inside the DEO and in the government, Kara (Melissa Benoist) made major strides at work taking on the mentorship of a cub reporter (Nicole Maines), and we also got a slight tease of the powerful Russian Supergirl who likely won’t make a major appearance for a few weeks. The bigger takeaway is that Supergirl isn’t shying away from political storlyines as the new alien citizens come under attack from other Americans (who are assisted in the anger and thirst for violence by Mercy and her brother) as the show will apparently take a hard look this year at a divided nation and a rise of bigotry and violence by those who view others as outsiders.

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Dungeons & Dragons – The Complete Series

/ / Home Video
  • Title: Dungeons & Dragons: The Animated Series
  • IMDb: link

Dungeons & Dragons - The Complete SeriesWhile fighting off a cold, I spent some time looking back at some 80s Saturday morning cartoons. I watched Dungeons & Dragons when it originally aired, but hadn’t given it much thought since. I had picked up the complete set on DVD a few years back and it had just been sitting on my shelf. It seemed like the perfect time to jump back in, and what surprised me the most is how well the cartoon has held up after more than three decades.

The opening sequence to each episode sets up the basic premise of the show: Six adolescents taking a ride on a roller coaster are magically transported to the realm of Dungeons & Dragons where they will spend 27 episodes attempting to find their way home. Armed with magical items that each fit a certain D&D class, the characters are befriended by Dungeon Master (Sidney Miller) who shows up to provide information about their latest quest (often speaking in riddles). Dungeon Master’s advice isn’t always easy to follow, but inevitably the information he provides the group will lead them several small victories (although not the road home).

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Samurai Jack – Episode XII: Jack and the Gangsters

/ / Television Reviews
  • Title: Samurai Jack – Episode XII: Jack and the Gangsters
  • wiki: link

Samurai Jack - Episode XII: Jack and the Gangsters television review

Throwback Thursday takes us back to the adventures of the time-displaced samurai and his quest to make his way home. “Episode XII” is an odd episode, even for Samurai Jack. Stumbling into a den of low-level gangsters working for Aku (Mako), Jack (Phil LaMarr) decides to join the group in hopes of being taken his enemy. Prior to getting there, the samurai will get an old school gangster makeover and will have to battle three elemental warriors for control of a gem that offers the user control over water. While not one of the shows’ most memorable episodes, “Episode XII” does offer enjoyable action sequences, the odd styling of Jack dressed in a pinstripe suit, and it’s the closest Jack gets to defeating Aku up until the show’s finale. Only the “help” of his new friends prevents Jack from destroying the evil that is Aku and thus forcing his quest to continue.

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Mission: Impossible – Fallout

/ / Movie Reviews
  • Title: Mission: Impossible – Fallout
  • IMDb: link

Mission: Impossible - Fallout movie review

Very much a sequel to Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation, Mission: Impossible – Fallout brings back both heroes and villains from the previous film. As we saw in Rogue Nation, the various other government agencies are still struggling to work with the IMF. This isn’t helped when three nuclear warheads slip through Ethan Hunt’s (Tom Cruise) hands in the opening action sequence and are about to be sold on the black market to a terrorist with delusions of grandeur.

Forced to work with CIA thug August Walker (Henry Cavill), Hunt and his team (Ving Rhames and Simon Pegg both return) accept their assignment, but, as usually happens, things don’t go according to plan. Rebecca Ferguson and Sean Harris both return to reprise their roles from the last film as a potential love interest for Ethan and a villain harboring and even bigger boner for the spy who put him behind bars.

Although Jeremy Renner isn’t present here, the latest in the franchise includes callbacks to several of the earlier films and in some ways feels like a final chapter to the series (while still leaving the door open if Cruise and company wish to return).

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