The New Doctor

It took me a while, but I finally managed to see the first episode of Doctor Who with Jodie Whitaker as the good Doctor. In short, I loved it, and I really like Whitaker as the Doctor. She brings a brighter, cheerier mood to what was becoming a morose TV show under Peter Capaldi. I liked Capaldi very much as the Doctor, but he was saddled with some lame scripts, particularly in his last season.

I'm looking forward to seeing what the TARDIS looks like under this new Doctor's care. I really enjoyed Whitaker's more light-hearted take on the Doctor, and I hope she stays with the role for a good long time.

Lost In Space 2018

I watched the new Lost In Space on Netflix recently, and enjoyed it very much. It was a great reboot of the classic series that retained the fun and excitement of the original while investing in some much needed gravitas. It's not as silly as the original; it takes its premise seriously, and I really liked that. I'm looking forward to the second season.

The soundtrack for this new series is also fantastic. You can hear it in the clip above. It's a bold, brash revival of the orchestral score that really helps to give the series the epic feel that it needs.

And, on top of all this good stuff, there's even a little bit of barefoot bondage in the show. In one episode, Selma Blair--of Hellboy 1 & 2 fame--is left bound and gagged by her sister. The problem is that the scene is very brief, lasting bare seconds. Trust me when I say that you're seeing far more in the vidcap above than you would in the scene itself. Maybe we'll get something better in season two.

Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle

I saw Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle today, and enjoyed it...somewhat. I really liked the original Jumanji film with the late great Robin Williams. This version is a sequel in the sense that it pulls a group of teens into a video game version of Jumanji, whereas in the original, elements of the game spilled out into the real world.

The new film has a welcome sense of humor, with the Rock, Karen Gillian, Jack Black, and Kevin Hart all playing avatars of the teens in the game. And an inspired idea was to have one of the teen girls be represented by Jack Black, who's very funny.

It lacks the fantastical aspect of the first movie, and it's a long dull slog through the first fifteen minutes before the kids are sucked into the game, but I still enjoyed it, overall. This is a good popcorn film, if nothing else.

Star Wars The Last Jedi

I managed to see Star Wars: The Last Jedi last night, and I thought it was fantastic. I won't give away spoilers, as it's just opened this weekend, but this movie is very innovative and surprising, taking me in directions I never thought we'd go. A great, stirring ride that makes me want to see how this new trilogy will end--but at the same time I don't want it to. Good stuff; don't miss it.

Crisis on Earth X

I saw the first two episodes of the annual crossover of the CW DC superhero TV shows, where our heroes get invaded by Nazis! They're attacked by the villains--all dark side versions of themselves--from Earth X, which was subjugated by Nazi Germany, who won the Second World War. Somebody on the writing staff must be a big fan of The Man In The High Castle (at one point, Felicity even gives a shout out to this series).

Overall, I liked this one better than last year's team-up, which had badly created CG aliens as the villains. There's something to be said for having real flesh and blood villains right there on screen. And there even was a really nice scene between Sara Lance and Alex Danvers, who had a memorable one night stand. I've often wondered what would happen if these two ever got together, and thanks to the first episode, they did. Bravo!

At the end of the the second episode there's a bondage scene, but it's with both men and women (spoiler: our heroes get captured by the baddies), and they just have their hands tied behind their backs (and no gags). All in all, it's been fun so so far. I'm looking forward to seeing the second half of the saga.

Thor Ragnarok

I finally got to see Thor: Ragnarok over the weekend and enjoyed it very much. This version has a much lighter tone than the two previous Thor movies, and that may be why it's doing so well at the box office. The movie not only offers up humor, but it also has a great deal of eye candy, thanks to the visuals--both the effects and production design really pop here. See it if you can.

Now I'm looking forward to seeing Justice League, which comes out in just a few days.

I saw the Mummy

I saw The Mummy, the most recent version with Tom Cruise. I figured what better time to see the latest Mummy movie than a week or so before Halloween?

I liked it, in parts, but I could have done without Russell Crowe's Dr. Jekyll. It felt like a completely different film when he was in it, and the Mummy had to take a backseat in her own movie, which wasn't cool (she was pretty good, too). all in all, it wasn't great, but it's not a bad waste of time when it shows up on cable TV.

My favorite Mummy movies remain The Mummy from 1999 and its sequel, The Mummy Returns, which can't be beat for its Ancient Egyptian "bikini babe" action. You never knew that women had bikinis back in those days? Neither did I, until I saw The Mummy Returns.

Star Trek: Discovery

Warning: spoilers ahead.

I managed to see the first two episodes of Star Trek: Discovery, and I enjoyed them, despite being surprised by some things. The first to catch me off guard was the major re-design of the Klingons, with this version making them even more alien looking than ever before.

The second is how much more advanced things are for a series that's supposed to take place ten years before Kirk takes command of the Enterprise. But the really big shock for me was the betrayal that Commander Michael Burnham pulls on her captain--which pretty much goes against everything a Starfleet officer is supposed to stand for.

But this latest incarnation of Trek is supposed to be more darker and edgy than the others, and with Bunrham being hauled off to jail for life, the series is living up to that promise. However, the epic space battle in the second half was very enjoyable, and I'm interested in Burnham enough as a character to want to follow her exploits. So I'm going to stick with it for now.

I have a suspicion of where this story line might go, and I think we might wind up right back at the Battle of the Binary Suns at the end of the season through time travel. Of course I could be wrong. We'll see. That's part of the fun with Star Trek, anything's possible.

The Defenders

The Defenders is the culmination of the last several seasons of Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage and Iron Fist. All four of these heroes star in The Defenders, which is their version of the big-screen superhero team-up film The Avengers. I think The Defenders is just as good, if not better than The Avengers, because it has eight hours to tell its story, giving all the characters--even the secondary ones--their moments to shine.

I just finished binge-watching this, and I loved every second of it. Having seen all of the series that came before was a big help, because the Defenders continues many of the storylines from the previous series. I'm glad it's on Netflix, because I can re-watch it whenever I want, and I've got the feeling I'll be seeing The Defenders again real soon. I also can't wait to see what's next in this universe.

Atomic Blonde

I recently saw Atomic Blonde and liked it very much. The movie stars Charlize Theron in the title role, a spy working for the British intelligence service back in 1989. I had no idea the movie would be a period film, but it works very well--being set as it was in Germany at the time of the fall of the Berlin Wall, it only added to the tension, which really helped the movie.

It was directed by one of the directors of the first John Wick, and the fight scenes and stunt sequences were simply stunning to watch. I saw this in the theater but have already pre-ordered the Blu-Ray, because I can't wait to watch it again. Charlize was fantastic. A very enjoyable film overall.

Spider-Man: Homecoming

I managed to see Spider-Man: Homecoming recently, and enjoyed it very much. Like most people I was suffering from "Spider-Man fatigue", which was basically too many Spider-Man films in too short a time. Just when one version wrapped it up, a new version of Spidey popped up. Too much, too soon.

But Spider-Man: Homecoming doesn't bother retelling the origin story, which is an instant improvement of this version over the others. We've met this version of Peter Parker/Spidey back in Captain America: Civil War, and he's just as good here in his own film. Michael Keaton is superb as the Vulture, the film's villain, and the story was exciting without being a world-ending threat. A fun movie all around.

Alien Covenant

I managed to see Alien Covenant recently, and I enjoyed it very much. While it's not a masterpiece like the original Alien and Aliens were, it's still a very entertaining film that delivers the scares within a gripping story. I liked it so much that I was sorry to see it under perform at the box office. Director Ridley Scott wants to make more Alien films, and I hope he gets that chance. Maybe people will discover Alien Covenant on video.

Note: I just realized I misspelled 'covenant' in the title. It's been fixed. Damn these typos. :)

Logan

I had a chance recently to finally see Logan, which is reportedly the last time Hugh Jackman will be playing the X-Men character that made him famous. While I didn't see this in the theaters (I caught it as a video rental), I still enjoyed Logan a great deal.

With an aging Logan taking care of a feeble Professor X (Patrick Steward is also great in this), Logan is not your typical superhero movie, and it's all the better for it. Young Dafne Keen is superb as a mini-Logan, armed with her own claws and even the same ferocious disposition as Logan. A great, somber movie that's still filled with much hope.

Wow, with Wonder Woman, Guardians 2, and now this, 2017 is shaping up to be a fantastic year for superhero films. Now bring on Justice League and Thor Ragnarok!

Wonder Woman is a wonder

I saw Wonder Woman this past weekend and loved it a great deal. It's a superb origin story that's in the same league as the 1978 Superman. It's a wondrous, epic adventure with plenty of heart and real emotion, especially at the end. This was one of these movies that I just wanted to go on and on. But since it had to end, I want to see it again soon. Bravo to director Patty Jenkins, Gail Godot and the rest of the cast and crew. I can't wait to get this one on Blu-Ray.

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2

I finally got a chance to see Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 2, and I enjoyed it very much. The whole gang's back in a rousing adventure that also features Kurt Russell as a really cool character (don't want to give away who he is, though).

I also liked Mantis, but baby Groot really stole the show. He's adorable in how he's completely oblivious to the danger around him, as in the opening scene, where he's waving hello at Gamora (and I love how she says 'hi' back at him). A really fun film that neatly sets up a third movie. Bring on the third one; I can't wait to see it.

The Flash/Supergirl musical

I have to admit I'm not a big fan of musicals. The idea of people breaking into song in movies always seemed silly to me (I've no desire to see La la Land for this reason). But, having said that, I enjoyed "Once More, With Feeling," the musical episode of Buffy The Vampire Slayer. I enjoyed it so much I even bought the soundtrack album.

Side note: If you haven't seen this episode of Buffy, you should seek it out. The music is a mixture of contemporary rock, pop music, and old-school Broadway musicals. And all of the songs serve to advance the story, as well as reveal the characters' inner feelings. And it's also very funny in spots, too.

So I was willing to give this new musical a shot. It offered another team-up between The Flash and Supergirl, which I was eager to see. And both actors have singing experience from being on Glee (a show that I avoided like the plague, because, you know...it was a musical).

But, having now seen it, I have to say that while it was cute overall--there are some funny moments here and there, and the chemistry between Grant Gustin (Flash) and Melissa Benoist (Supergirl) is great, as always--it didn't grab me like the Buffy musical episode did. Unlike Buffy, which created all-new music, the music in the Flash/Supergirl show was a mixture of old and new songs, and it just left me cold.

While the show did resolve some personal issues for the main characters, it would have been nice to see them solve these problems on their own, without resorting to a hackneyed plot device like this.

Oh well, they can't hit every episode out of the ballpark, I guess. I'm still a huge fan of both shows, and look forward to seeing more (non-musical) episodes from them.