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We're back to cover another Marvel Disney+ show. But this is a first. All the previous Marvel shows, while introducing new characters, have largely revolved around diving into existing characters. Moon Knight however, is the first series based on an entirely new character. And what's even more interesting is that it's not an origin story. What really works with this first episode is that we the audience are in the same position as Oscar Isaac's Steven Grant. We have no idea what's going on just like Steven and we get plopped down into situations just like he does. It's a great way to introduce a character and get the audience to invest.

Marvel also continues its trend of bringing the heat when it comes to acting talent. Oscar Isaac always brings it 100% with his characters. It's what makes Fox's Age of Apocalypse such a travesty. How do you have Oscar Isaac playing Apocalypse and don't utilize that to his full potential? In Moon Knight, we get Isaac playing two completely different characters at the same time and it's a Master Class. It also helps that he's playing off of Ethan Hawke also does a great job. Add in F. Murray Abraham as the voice of the irritated and annoyed Khonshu and what's not to love?

Listen as Kriss, Ro and Dpalm talk about the first episode. Make sure you subscribe to MTR Network/Super Tuesday Recap so you don't miss an episode of our reviews.

 

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We're getting closer to the end of out Hickman Marvel series and things are starting to fall apart for everyone. In the two series we watch as Steve not only remembers what the Illuminati did to him but also becomes hardened in his decision that they are wrong and must be stopped. On the New Avengers side, we watch as the Illuminati becomes even more broken. T'Challa, Namor and Black Bolt are all Kings without Kingdoms. Dr. Strange has sacrificed everything. Reed has pretty much given up his family (and we saw in Hickman's Fantastic Four run what happens when Reed does that). Beast and Banner are facing a crisis of humanity. And Tony...well Tony is definitely broken but he also seems to be the only one that truly understands how all this is going to end. 

We will tackle Time Runs Out in the next part and we see that like before, All Hope Lies in Doom. 

Issues:

Avengers:  25 - 28

Original Sin 1 - 8

Avengers 28 - 34

New Avengers 16 - 23

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This episode of the Flash was a villain origin story. When Taylor destroys Allegra's life, just know, it was deserved. We appreciate that the show didn't smooth things over and make it seem like everything was okay. Nope. Allegra pulled a really terrible move (and Iris reenforced it) and so when Taylor burns down the Citizen, well...they had it coming. 

For the main story, it was nice to see how Barry was dealing with the emotions of his father's birthday. This episode didn't paint him as being completely irrational or compromised by his emotional state. Rather, it made him lean on his instincts and the evidence in the case to bring a different perspective. This storyline would have hit a bit harder if Jaco was a villain the audience had more of a connection to. It could have built the doubt about his innocence a bit better. It will be interesting see what they do with this new Meta and if it ties into a larger story.

Also, the Flash is officially coming back for season 9. Flash and Superman & Lois got the green light for their next seasons. We're still waiting to see what happens with Legends of Tomorrow, Naomi and Batwoman. In non-Flash news, the Morbius director decided that the best way to get people to see his movie was to...spoil it? Bold move Cotton...

Kriss and Dpalm record the Mailbag at the end of every month. If you want to send in your own questions and thoughts, email us: [email protected]

 

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This episode of the Flash was pretty straight forward. The show has figured out how to deal with a more mature Barry with a very elevated power level without completely breaking the show. We also have some thoughts on how this season/series might end with the mystery around what's happening with Iris.

We also talk about some of the upcoming comic events coming for DC & Marvel and the director of Moon Knight calling out the Director of Black Adam for not making the movie more diverse. 

Kriss and Dpalm record the Mailbag at the end of every month. If you want to send in your own questions and thoughts, email us: [email protected]

 

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We all know that movies and TV shows based off of video games have an uphill battle. To be blunt, most absolutely suck. But things are slowly starting to change. The Halo series on Paramount+ is a great example of this. Years ago this would have been a 100 minute movie that was nothing but over-the-top fan service with a terrible story that felt like a rushed money grab. Instead Paramount+ has decided to bank on drawing folks in with ultra violence, a familiar yet unique story and making this adaptation a mini-series that is already guaranteed to go 2 seasons so it has time to grow. It's a smart calculation that makes for an interesting show that presents more positives than negatives in the first 2 episodes. 

One thing should be made clear. This is NOT your kid's Master Chief.  If you have a problem with ultra violence then you don't want to watch this. The opening 10 minutes presents one of the best introduction of the main characters as Master Chief and his squad take out the Convenant that just massacred a town. And by "massacre" we mean killed just about every man, woman and child. As a matter of fact the first people killed in this show are some young teens that literally get picked apart. This series is definitely not just about showing violent alien deaths.  The backdrop of the UNC taking on the Covenant is the UNC's own violent campaign to put down a resistance from border colonies that want their own independence. It's very clear that this is a violent universe.

Pablo Schreiber makes a pretty solid Master Chief. Schreiber can be very dry and mechanical at times but that's exactly what his role calls for. The rest of the cast is a mixed bag with some feel perfect for the role while others may need a bit more time to settle in. This is mostly due to the story that takes pieces of existing Halo lore while still trying to make something unique. It's ambitious and it remains to be seen if they can pull it off both story-wise and with this cast.

The first two episodes of Halo are far from perfect. After the action packed opening of episode 1, things slow down a bit to try to fill out the world and set the scene a bit better. Halo feels like a mix of Starship Troopers and The Expanse. And that's enough to at least warrant checking out the full season.

Halo premieres on Paramount+ on March 24th.

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Reboots are a thing that happens all the time in comic books. But there are reboots and retcons and then there's what DC Comics did with the Legion of Super-Heroes. I take back what I said during part 1. The Legion of Super-Heroes might have the most complex and complicated history in DC. Yes that's over Wonder Woman and the Hawks. See, with the Legion, you take the confusion and complicated histories of Wonder Woman and Hawkman. Add in the time traveling of ALL the Flash characters. Sprinkle in some good ole "unnecessary DC Editorial decisions". Then...MAKE ALL THE HISTORY MATTER. That's the Legion of Super-Heroes.

There's at least 6 different origins, 5 of them unique. What's really interesting is that outside of the 5 Years Later/Glorithverse reboot (seriously, its terrible don't read it), all the reboots are pretty decent reads. This means you can find a team you like and have a decent run reading them. Sure they'll be rebooted for no reason sometimes but...come on...it's comics. That happens.

We cover each of the reboots (and some of the behind the scenes mess) in this episode. Don't know how we covered it all in two episodes but we did. Check out Part 1 here. We'll be back in a bit to head back to the Hickmanverse and the Avengers soon.

Issues:

* Original Team

* Superman Crossover

* Legion of Super-Heroes #37 & 38

* Superman #3

* Action Comics #591

* Magic Wars

* Legion of Super-Heroes #59 - #63

* Reboot 1 (1989): 5 Years Later - The Glorithverse

* Zero Hour (1994)

* Reboot 2 (1994 - 2004)

* Legion of Super-Heroes

* Legion Lost (2000 - 2001)

* Legion Worlds

* The Legion (1 - 38)

* Reboot 3 (2004 - 2009)

* Legion of Super-Heroes Volume 1: Teenage Revolution

* Legion of Super-Heroes Volume 2: Death of a Dream

* Supergirl and the Legion of Super-Heroes Volume 3: Strange Visitor from Another Century

* Supergirl and the Legion of Super-Heroes Volume 4: Adult Education

* Supergirl and the Legion of Super-Heroes Volume 5: The Dominator War

* Supergirl and the Legion of Super-Heroes Volume 6: The Quest for Cosmic Boy

* Legion of Super-Heroes Volume 7: Enemy Rising

* Legion of Super-Heroes Volume 8: Enemy Manifest

* The Lightning Saga

* Justice League of America #0, #8 - 12

* Justice Society of America #5 & 6

* Reboot 4 - Return of the Original Team

* Final Crisis: Legion of 3 Worlds

* Superman: Secret Origin #1 - 6

* Superman and the Legion of Super-Heroes

* Action Comics #858 -863

* Legion of Super-Heroes Volume 1: The Choice

* Legion of Super-Heroes Volume 2: Consequences

* Legion of Super-Heroes Volume 3: When Evil Calls

* Legion Lost Volume 1: Run From Tomorrow

* Legion Lost Volume 2: The Culling

* Reboot 5  (2019 - ) Bendis

* Legion of Super-Heroes Volume 1: Millennium

* Legion of Super-Heroes Volume 2: The Trial of the Legion

* Justice League vs The Legion of Super Heroes

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The only live action Flash we're getting in 2022 is back. With news that The Flash movie is delayed...again, that leaves Season 8 (and potentially Season 9) of CW's The Flash the only version we're getting. It seems like the merger between Discovery & WarnerMedia is leaving a lot of things in flux right now. Normally the CW shows are all renewed by now butt so far nothing really is. There is news that Grant Gustin is locked in for a Season 9 but no announcement that the Season is actually renewed.

So with that in the backdrop, we have the show returning after it's very long break after only 5 episodes. This episode focuses on the kids, Nora and Bart. We get to to see what this show would be like if it transitioned to new leads and you know what? Not bad. It was fun to see Bart & Nora working to restore the timeline, even though we know there is still something weird going on. The question becomes, whose making the time changes? Nora being the calm steady one while Bart struggles that he's not good enough to one day take on the mantle of the Flash was a great way to have some familiar beats with new characters.

With everything in flux this season is apparently being written as a series finale. We'll see how everything pans out.

Kriss and Dpalm record the Mailbag at the end of every month. If you want to send in your own questions and thoughts, email us: [email protected]

 

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Legends of Tomorrow hasn't been renewed yet for Season 8 but we hope it does. We really want to see how the introduction of Booster Gold goes on the show because there's so many fun things they could do. But even outside of that, this was a really great season that really did a great job exploring different aspects of the characters and letting them grow. Episode 12 could have served as a series finale in a way, giving the Legends a glimpse of what their lives could be if they moved on from being heroes. But in the end, the Legends show that if their individual happiness comes at the expense of someone else's, particularly a member of their family, they won't hesitate to give it all up to help.

For as silly as this show goes, it does a really great job of growing characters and completely embracing inclusion storylines. The moment when Sara doesn't even hesitate to call evil Gideon a fascist was a prime example. This show doesn't try to "both sides" the issues or sit on the fence. It constantly makes genuine stances and does it unapologetically. And for that, we love it.

Kriss and Dpalm record the Mailbag at the end of every month. If you want to send in your own questions and thoughts, email us: [email protected]

 

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Director: Domee Shi

Screenwriters: Julia Cho (screenplay), Domee Shi (screenplay), Sarah Streicher (story) 

Starring: Rosalie Chiang, Sandra Oh, Ava Morse

Cinematographer: Mahyar Abousaeedi, Jonathan Pytko

Runtime: 110 minutes

**

Turning Red centers thirteen-year-old Meilin (Rosalie Chiang) as she enters that in-between phase mother's insist on calling a "magical" time in a young girl's life, puberty. On one level, its an in-your-face allegory: Preteen wakes the morning after her first bout of raging hormones as a giant red panda. Tripping around to hide her shapeshift convinces her mom Ming, voiced by Sandra Oh, that she's gotten her first period. Cue hilarity, hijinks, and those horribly embarrassing moments that can break a mother-daughter bond if not handled just right. 

Shi's animation background ensures that Turning Red doesn't miss a trick. There's movement, action and important clues in every frame. Mei and her friends are smartly drawn and highly relatable. The story direction and character design keep things accessible for young viewers while still swinging for the emotional fences. There's vibrant color, and a pace-setting soundtrack that make for an engaging and enjoyable experience. The best part? The magical and the mundane are so intertwined a vivid picture of a family deeply connected to their personal history, culture, and one another unfolds in ways that makes the most of common experiences that play crucial part in growing up.

Mei's inner panda is part of a larger legacy that marks a true rite of passage for the women in her mother's family. In the midst of navigating school, learning to control her panda while and conniving to spend time with her friends, Mei finds a way to live her best life; but must pull away from her mother (and her expectations) to do it. And here's where Turning Red builds the quiet parts of this coming-of-age story into one revolving around generational knowledge, matrilineal power, womanhood, and choice. So on another, more subtle, level this semi-autobiographical story offers up more nuanced lessons about honoring family by choosing to honor yourself. Of course, those lessons come with a side of boy band mania and secret fundraising but that just means the jokes and laughs are plentiful. 

Thankfully, Turning Red, never forgets that the hard part of growing up is holding on to family without sacrificing yourself to do it. It's not just a primer for guiding a young girl through the emotional highs and lows of puberty. Pixar's tapped into what worked so well in Inside Out by letting director Domee Shi turns a Chinese Canadian girl's discovering she can turn into a giant red panda into a touching tale about legacy, friendship, and learning to love everything that makes you, you with charm, wit and a heavy dose of middle-school earnestness.

Listen as we get into the themes and reasons this beautifully crafted coming of age story is certain to resonate with the entire family. 

Turning Red premieres in select theaters and on Disney+ March 11, 2022

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Director: Sean Ellis 

Screenwriters: Sean Ellis 

Starring: Boyd Holbrook, Kelly Reilly, Alistair Petrie

Cinematographer: Sean Ellis

Runtime: 111 minutes

Sean Ellis successfully pulls off a film hat trick by directing, writing and serving as cinematographer of The Cursed and the result is a creepy and terrifying gothic werewolf tale that could give audiences nightmares. The Cursed produces a tight story in under 2 hours but also leaves enough room for the audience to want more. There are so many questions and aspects of this story that could be told but are instead left up to the audience to interpret. In other movies, that could be seen as a downside but for The Cursed it's a testament to how good the story is. It also helps that the real villain in this film isn't the hairless, terrifying werewolf-like creature but the more realistic greedy, rich and powerful French landowner that brings this terror onto his town and family due to his own horrific deeds. This is definitely one of those films where you're rooting for the creature. 

It helps that at no point does Ellis insult the audience's intelligence by going through the typical denial phase that happens in super natural movies like this where a significant portion of the movie is spent trying to convince characters that the threat is real. This isn't one of those films that hides the monster until the last possible moment. Ellis definitely uses anticipation extremely well to add to the frightening full reveal. The creature itself is a unique take on the idea of a werewolf with it also bending some of the rules typically associated with the creature. A creature that's not beholden to only appearing at night or the full moon adds to the level of sheer terror. 

2022 is shaping up to be a great year for horror films and TV shows. Listen as we talk about what makes The Cursed so good and why you should check it out. 

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