Martial arts stand for different things to different people. For some of us, they’re a form of exercise, a gateway to philosophy, an art and a sport. They can be a vehicle for empowerment and self-improvement. But a self-governed activity … Continue reading Movie Reviews: The Art of Self Defense (2019)
Fiction has an inherent self-contained quality. Characters are meant to be people, with lives, interests, failings, but we only see a snapshot of their character. Sometimes it shines through in little moments, sometimes it is revealed in ways that affects … Continue reading Movie Reviews: Columbus (2017)
Volume 2 of X-Men Red picks up where V1 left off, and moves the story forward in short order. There is some mystery here, but our heroes and our antagonist need interaction. Frankly, there is too much at stake for … Continue reading X-Men Red V2: Waging Peace
(This will be mostly spoiler-free but use the tags in the comments as needed) Season 4 of Legends of Tomorrow began with a unicorn hunt and ended at an amusement park. Along the way, a hell of a lot of things … Continue reading Legends of Tomorrow S4 Recap and Rankings
I’d been giving some thought to rewatching Justice League for some time. Maybe not the first season, which is fine, but mostly underwhelming, if I’m being honest. (“Legends” is legitimately great.) Definitely the second season, which starts off very well with … Continue reading Justice League Season 2 Recap
One of the things that Justice League does especially well is to maintain its continuity. The episodes here are connected though not serialized; each one largely stands alone, but with respect to those previous. So when a storyline references previous … Continue reading Justice League, “Starcrossed”
When you commit to writing about an entire season of television, you even write about the holiday specials. That’s how it works. “Comfort and Joy” is pretty light fare, easily the least consequential episode of Justice League. I’ll probably leave … Continue reading Justice League, “Comfort and Joy”
The Joker is a Justice League problem. On one hand, he’s an iconic character, maybe the greatest DC villain. His DCAU voice actor has created a memorable, even distinctive take on the character. Plus, he’s a colorful lunatic, naturally suited … Continue reading Justice League, “Wild Cards”
This episode opens like so many episodes: villains assembling and developing a plot, a fight against the league, Kalibak badly losing a fight. I enjoy these fights, with the differences in strength and ability, but the opening is too straightforward. … Continue reading Justice League, “Hereafter”
Our Justice League is a happy family. Mostly. Sometimes Superman and Batman disagree, and Flash has a somewhat different philosophy than, say, Green Lantern or Hawkgirl. Occasionally Diana suffers from culture clash between her isolated upbringing and the world … Continue reading Justice League, “The Secret Society”
There’s a bonus feature on the third disc of the JL season 2 DVDs, “Justice League Declassified”, where Bruce Timm and the other creative staff talk about the differences between season 1 and season 2. One of the first things … Continue reading Justice League, “The Terror Beyond”
With the second season of Justice League, our superheroes are allowed to have some depth. Batman and Superman are largely established, and we’ve spent some time following Diana and John. Flash, though, is something of a mystery. He’s a mainstay … Continue reading Justice League, “Eclipsed”
There’s a story about Leonardo Da Vinci (I think), where his patron sent a messenger to ask for a sign of progress. Da Vinci drew a perfect circle, free-hand, and sent it with the messenger to show his progress. A … Continue reading Justice League, “A Better World”
The Green Lantern Corps are a mainstay of the DC universe. They’re a simple concept: light rings, willpower, good…most of the time, anyway. Those rings are formidable in the right hands. Even the toned-down DCAU versions still stand up against … Continue reading Justice League, “Hearts and Minds”
Even the Justice League deserves a softball once in a while. There are only so many great threats out there, even in the DCAU, who are capable of posing issues for the entire league. So it makes perfect sense that … Continue reading Justice League, “Maid of Honor”
A couple years ago, the ‘pitch bible’ for Batman: The Animated Series was released online. It’s black-and-white, some graphics, but the scans make it look like a typewriter document. There’s a lot of good information there, from the episode structure … Continue reading Justice League, “Only A Dream”
One of the challenges of developing a Justice League show is finding credible threats for the league. Some of this is accomplished by toning down the league’s powers; it also helps to allow Superman or J’onn a sick day here … Continue reading Justice League, “Tabula Rasa”
We start here. There is another entire season of Justice League, but this is where I feel the show becomes something great. And what happens in this season forms the foundation of the storylines that would drive Justice League Unlimited, which everyone … Continue reading Justice League, “Twilight”
Where do we go from here? This episode promised a clash, and it opens with a tremendous scene of David and Farouk, levitating towards each other, presenting a foreboding version of “Behind Blue Eyes.” And then, the promise is delivered. … Continue reading Legion, Chapter 19
As I watch these episodes, I take notes. Normally I tap out a couple pages of MS Word and then write the actual review almost immediately after the episode ends. This works out well for the writing process. But with … Continue reading Legion, Chapter 18
You are at a potluck. You arrived a little late, which was unavoidable. Everyone else has taken food. There is one main dish that hasn’t been picked over, some chicken. (For the purposes of this potluck, you are not averse … Continue reading Legion, Chapter 17
