All posts by Eric Thompson

Film Editorials, Movies

Can Sony’s Cinematic Universe Work?

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It’s no secret that Sony has been trying to create their own cinematic universe. Their most infamous attempt was using “The Amazing Spider-Man 2” as a launching pad. When they began working on Venom, many just assumed it would crash and burn like Tom Cruise’s “The Mummy” being used as the start of Universal’s Dark Universe. But despite getting mixed to negative reactions from critics, “Venom” made a lot of money and seemed to be liked by general audiences. This lead to a sequel, a Morbius film, and 2 more connected films in active development at the time this is being written. I want to explore 3 questions in this post. How has Sony’s universe changed since inception? What are the criticisms of this universe? And what can be done to improve it?

It’s been said that when they began pre-production on “Venom”, it was going to be a legit Horror film. One that took after John Carpenter & David Cronenberg that would have been a true Body Horror, psychological experience. But when “Spider-Man: Homecoming” made a lot of money in 2017, Sony wanted the option of a crossover and altered the film that was more action focused with some Horror inspired moments. I can’t say with 100% certainty if that’s what happened, but that’s the rumor and it does sound on brand for the studio. Every film released so far still has several scenes where it does still have that Horror inspiration. Moments with a dark atmosphere that show the potential of what they could have been if allowed to fully embrace it.

And that leads us to looking at the criticisms of Sony’s universe. So these films ended up focusing on more action than expected. Not a big deal. The movie “Underworld” did that but it still had a unique feel. But unlike that movie, all of the movies from this universe are PG-13. Look, you can have good PG-13 films that lean in a more dark direction. “The Batman” was PG-13 and it had a lot of dark and psychologically interesting material in it. But Sony’s films have an issue of using general plots and outlines that were used by comic book movies from the 1990s and 2000s. In “Venom”, it was executed in a way where it can be seen as an enjoyable throwback. I can’t say it’s an authentic portrayal of the character, but people looking to have fun could say they found it. It worked a bit in “Venom: Let There Be Carnage” but it doesn’t seem to be helping “Morbius”.

If you combine this with the fact that Sony won’t let them be true Horror films, that makes them look kind of stupid. Sure, from a business perspective it makes sense. You have comic book characters you want to adapt, some of them not very familiar with general audiences. The PG-13 rating has worked for a lot of comic book movies and you want to try and make your money back. But this also makes them seem behind the times. The tropes used in Sony’s films feel dated when you compare it to what is being put out today. Hell, movies like “Deadpool” & “Joker” show that R rated comic book movies can be very profitable. And that’s actually one of the main reasons there are so many Horror movies in the first place. They tend to not have very big budgets and it’s almost guaranteed you’ll make a profit. I look at “Venom” & “Morbius” and I see how they can take notes from some of the old Universal Monster films. Sony’s Spider-Man Universe could fill the hole that people wanting more mature content from Marvel are missing.

And speaking of which, let’s actually focus on the Spider-Man part of their cinematic universe. For a while, it seemed like Sony was working on a way to bring Tom Holland’s version from the MCU to their own for crossover. That makes sense from a business perspective as well as pleasing the fans of that version of the character. It seemed like we were going to get that based on what “Spider-Man: No Way Home” was marketing and the when Venom was pulled into the MCU in a post credits scene of his second film. But no, that’s not what happened. Tom Holland’s version is still in the MCU, Venom ended up being pulled back into his universe just as quickly as he was pulled out, leaving behind a sample of the symbiote. The marketing for “Morbius” showed that somehow Michael Keaton’s Vulture from “Spider-Man: Homecoming” ended up in Sony’s universe. The way he ended up in that universe was fine if a bit confusing. But the after credits scene of him meeting Morbius not only doesn’t match how it was shown in trailers, but you can clearly tell it was done at the very last minute. With neither actor actually being on stage together, and their reactions not matching what the other was saying.

Look, we knew their Sinister Six build-up was coming. But it has no real weight in this universe. The Venom movies don’t address the existence of Spider-Man until the post credits scene of the second film, and even then it was for the one outside their universe. And since he wasn’t mentioned until the post credits of “Morbius”, we don’t really know what that character feels about the hero. We don’t know if they have any history together. Sony hasn’t decided on who is playing Spider-Man or even which version of the character their using. How can you call this the Spider-Man Universe when we are 3 movies in and we’ve had only two clear references to the character who hasn’t interacted with either of these two characters? It seemed like they were preparing for Tom Holland to interact with them. But “Spider-Man: No Way Home” made clear that wasn’t happening, even though one of the villains from that franchise is now in Sony’s universe. It’s clear the executives at that studio have no clear idea of what they want to do or what they want to build up.

And finally, we have to ask…what can be done to improve this situation? Right now, Sony has two more films in development for this universe. Kraven, which I believe is filming right now, and Madame Web. I don’t know much about her, but she might be a character that can do some multiverse abilities. Both of these films need to reference Spider-Man, during the main story and not just in a post credits scene. We need to establish there is a web slinger in this universe. We also need to determine which version of the hero we are dealing with. Peter Parker, Miles Morales, Gwen Stacey, Cindy Moon, doesn’t matter. We just need to establish which one and try and shine a light on what kind of history this hero has in this cinematic universe. It would be ideal for Spider-Man to actually show up in one of these upcoming films. Sony needs to make an actual commitment to something that will give audiences one of the things they have been saying exists for a while now.

And there is some work that needs to be done before we jump into a Sinister Six film. We’ll most likely get a Venom 3, meaning we need to use that film to actually address Spider-Man. Maybe a one-on-one fight, maybe build-up so that he can join other character to be a part of the Sinister Six. But we need to show they know he exists, how he views the web slinger, establish tension between them – at the very least. I’ll even go as far as to say we need a similar situation for “Morbius 2”. Yes, I’m advocating for a sequel to that film. The previous film showed he knows about Spider-Man in the post credits scene. For this sequel, we for sure need to have Spider-Man involved in the main plot to establish what kind of relationship the two of them have. If Sony does this – as well as actually address Spider-Man to a significant enough capacity in Kraven & Madam Web – the Sinister Six movie will have some actual weight to it.

Finally, Sony needs better writing for their films. So far, all 3 have just been all right. And they are relying on tropes from over a decade ago. Better writing and stories will get us more involved with these characters and actually get us looking forward to seeing them on screen. Fully embrace the dark atmosphere these characters – these super-villains – are known for. I also would like for them to include R rated movies, but I’ll settle for actually pushing the boundaries of what PG-13 can show. Make bold moves that leave some kind of impact, even if they don’t fully work. Because at least then I will remember these movies and start to actually care for them.

That should be everything. These are all of my thoughts on this cinematic universe, it’s problems but also the potential changes they can make. Hopefully something similar to what I outlined will actually happen.

Movie Reviews, Movies

Review – Morbius

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Marketing is very important for a movie. They can help ensure how many people are going to see a movie once it premieres. Back in the day, “Batman: Mask of the Phantasm” didn’t make a lot of money when it opened in theaters despite how great of a movie it is. But that can be blamed on the lack of marketing there was for the movie. Both in terms of how much there was and in the low quality of the film’s marketing. And the marketing for “Morbius” wasn’t exactly stellar. Of course the numerous delays didn’t help. But now it’s out and people are already tearing it apart. And now it’s time for me to see how well the movie ended up being and it it matched how I expected it to turn out.

Overall, this movie is…all right. I know that all the trailers and TV spots probably make this movie seem lame. And there is stuff to not like about it. If you were to read the script for this movie, it’s clearly underwhelming and bland. But the main reason this movie is elevated to it being fine is thanks to the performances. While Jared Leto tends to play eccentric characters, he is more restrained and actually gives a good performance. Nothing amazing, but he does what any actor should do and get us invested in the title character. All the actors in this film give the performances they should and end up being good or good enough. Of course, Matt Smith is a stand out as he is clearly having fun. His character, Milo, grew up with Michael Morbius and they shared the same blood disease. And early on it clearly establishes their connection and you do enjoy how they interact with each other before they eventually turn on the other.

So performances all around are good. The effects are hit or miss, with admittedly more misses. Morbius has this echolocation ability that does look kind of interesting when used. The effects used to show his more monstrous form is okay. Nothing particularly memorable but I’ve seen worse. And it does have a vague vampire-like quality to it. But whenever he moves fast or jumps/glides through the air, he creates this smoke around him. Or I guess you can call it mist, I’m not sure what it should be called. There’s really no reason in-universe why it’s happening, but I think it’s used to cover the bad effects used for the action scenes. But the action overall is also okay. I’ve seen far worse when it comes to action so this didn’t really bug me. The story outline is very similar to other comic book movies from the 2000s, but it again executes it fine.

And that’s ultimately the film’s biggest failure. That it’s only fine. If this truly was as bad as most people saying it is, I would have a lot more to talk about. If this movie had tried more to add something unique or even eccentric – regardless if it worked or not – I would have something more to talk about. But I really don’t. Outside of the post credits scene – which is a clear example of how Sony has the poorest organization skills when it comes to mapping out their cinematic universe – I just don’t have much to say. There are small moments and scenes that do show the potential it could have been. But it really plays it safe all things considered. Take that for what’s it worth. Maybe not good enough to buy a ticket, but good enough to rent it or check it out on streaming.

Movie Reviews, Movies

Review – Jay & Silent Bob Strike Back

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It’s kinda weird that Kevin Smith created one of the earliest modern cinematic universes. Yes, the Raimi Spider-Man films & the first couple of X-Men movies were popular around the time this film came out. But those were still just regular film franchises. Kevin Smith had movies that on the surface weren’t connected to each other. But a lot of the actors would pop up and reprise their roles from different films, maybe play multiple different characters in the same movie. His movies would reference events from those other movies as well, establishing it’s the same world. And of course, you got the two characters that back in the day showed up in all of those films – Jay & Silent Bob. It was only natural to give them their own movie.

Let me put it like this. Any movie that has a line where the woman yells “Call me Boo-Boo Kitty Fuck, bitch!” during a fight scene is doing something right. This actually might be my favorite film Kevin Smith has ever made. I always loved the characters he and Jason Mewes play and the dynamic that’s displayed on screen. I also like how their motivation is to stop a movie being made about comic characters based on them so that people online will stop insulting them and ruining their names. It’s surprisingly grounded. But make no mistake – there are scenes and interactions that could only have been produced by Hollywood back in the 2000s. Overall, the movie has a grounded approach. But it will also do some ridiculous goofy and far out stuff to get a good laugh. And it typically works.

There are a couple of jokes that have surprisingly gotten a little more relevant. Early on in the movie, the internet is described as a place where people can complain about movies and share pornography. The latter half is always relevant, but the internet has also kind of leaned into the former in recent years. The first trailer for the 2020 Sonic movie had a very different design for it’s title character. And people complained so much that the studio delayed the film so they could have time to fix the CGI for Sonic. That joke from this 2001 film feels all too true today. There is a scene later on where Jay thinks about pulling his thing out for the love interest of the movie. But the angel character that pops up makes a solid and surprisingly relevant argument about why he shouldn’t. Which is ironic because this movie was released by Miramax and Harvey Weinstein was a producer for some of Kevin Smith’s earlier films.

A lot of the jokes in this film go back and forth between being genuinely smart to being enjoyably stupid. But they all ultimately work, if to varying degrees. There are also a bunch of small & quick jokes you might not catch right away. There’s a scene where the Wildlife Marshall – played by Will Ferrel – makes a very quick joke about how he is only a man on the outside. It’s never addressed again and the context of when that pops up makes it so random and bizarre that you just have to laugh. This film is maybe the perfect example of how people should make a film that is simply a comedy. Doesn’t have to be a satire, doesn’t have to be really insightful and talk about hot topic issues. But it’s still smart and entertaining.

And the people in this movie! You got the Smith regulars like Ben Affleck, Jason Lee, Matt Damon & Chris Rock. But you also have George Carlin, Carrie Fischer, James Van Der Beek, Jason Briggs, Tracy Morgan & Mark Hamill. They all do a great job, regardless of how long or short their screen time is. Also, there is a shot of when Silent Bob uses his mind to pull a lightsaber to his hand and the way it is shot and played out, I swear that JJ Abrams copied it for “The Force Awakens”. We know from the opening of “The Disaster Artist” that he watches films like “The Room”, don’t tell me that’s impossible!

If I have to point out anything that could be considered a major flaw…I guess we should address the gay jokes. To be fair, a number of these gay jokes are used in a way that do end up being clever. And none of the jokes are meant to make fun of the LGBT+ community or are hateful in nature. It’s just another trait of it being a comedy from the 2000s, for better or worse. There is one scene though where Jay & Silent Bob try and escape the police and the Wildlife Marshall by pretending to be a gay couple and dressing an orangutan as their child. Will Ferrel’s character then freaks out because he doesn’t want them to bad mouth him to the “liberal media” as he puts it and lets them go. I feel like that could be used to describe a lot of dumb decisions that the government makes in order to get out of some bad publicity.

This movie is still one of my favorite comedies of all time. The performances are great, a lot of jokes that still hold up well, and scenes that are always entertaining. I would classify this as a must-watch film for everyone.

Comics

The Strange Story of Blossoms 666

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Archie was my first exposure to reading comic books. Sure, as a young kid I was into superheroes. But that was through other media & adaptations. Such as the Sam Raimi directed Spider-Man movies, or the various animated kids shows based on characters like the Justice League or the Teen Titans. My family used to have this cabin and there were some old collections of Archie comics I found back during the summer right before ninth grade.. There were a few of those large collections collecting various different issues. The most intense it got was Archie trying to figure out how to the movie theater while on two separate dates at the same time while Moose was trapped in roller blades and constantly running into other people. Fast forward to college when I saw the CW was making a Riverdale show and I was at first surprised by it’s really dark tone. But also kind of digging it for the first couple of seasons. This ultimately lead me to discover the existence of Archie Horror and the story in question.

The basic plot is that Cheryl & Jason Blossom are the children of Satan worshippers and one of them is destined to become the Anti-Christ. But it’s sort of like a contest/competition where the two of them are trying to out-evil the other by manipulating people in town. But wait! There is a third sibling that neither of them knew about – Julian Blossom. He arrives in town and now Cheryl & Jason are scheming together to get rid of their competition.

Right off the bat, I think the art work for this mini series is pretty solid. It takes a semi-realistic approach to how it depicts the characters and their world. And it has a variety of different of colors on display. All though it does lean towards the darker shades and of course red definitely has it’s fair share of page time. But I think some of more eye catching art you will find are the designs from the individual comic issues which are included in the trade. It embraces the supernatural aspect in a more flashy display.

As for the story itself, it is pretty solid. It does have a sense of fun and a touch of dark humor. Characterization for the main players are vaguely similar to how they are in the CW show with a few exceptions. Jason is more similar to Cheryl and their parents are surprisingly decent people, devil worshipping aside. But Betty and Jughead are still similar enough to their TV actors which would help bring in fans of that show. But even if you aren’t a fan of the show, they still work well in the context of the mini series. But there are a few problems that do kind of bug me.

Julian makes his surprise appearance at the end of an issue, which in itself isn’t bad. But it’s in issue two and this is a five issue mini series. It doesn’t give the story a lot of time to build tension between the three siblings. I think the thinking is that they waited on that reveal because they wanted to give us an idea of how Jason & Cheryl normally act in Riverdale and how Julian’s appearance changes life for them and the town. And the timing would make more sense of this was a six issue story. But it probably should have happened at the end of issue one. There are also a couple of cutaways to an unidentified dead body as well as an unseen person throughout the story. At the end, it’s revealed this is Julian after his siblings killed them. The implication is supposed to be that he came back from the dead and is now returning for revenge. But at first, I thought the story was implying a time loop where the events of the story play out over and over again. That could have just been my stupid brain interpreting it that way, but those cutaways do seem a little out of place at first.

Speaking of the story implying Julian comes back from the dead, the series also has another cliffhanger. Betty does investigating and digs into Riverdale’s dark past and Jughead gets s little too involved in Cheryl & Jason’s games. The two of them end up getting together at Pop’s diner and they try to come up with a plan of what to do with their information. But as far as I know, this story doesn’t have a sequel nor are there any current plans to continue the mini series. That combined with Julian resurrecting does feel anti-climatic when you come across that realization. And personally, I think it would be really cool to have the Blossom siblings use more obvious supernatural abilities. A little something to really show off that these are potential dark rulers of Hell with a wide arsenal of tricks and magical powers.

Having said that, it isn’t a bad story. I still find myself enjoying it. Though that could be me just being a big fan of Horror in general. It’s a more tame example of what the Archie Horror imprint has to offer. I mean, with other titles like Afterlife with Archie & Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, this does feel the most grounded. Think of it like a gateway to discovering a bunch of other cool Horror stories, whether it’s from Archie or elsewhere.

Movie Reviews, Movies

Review – Deep Water

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I’m a simple man. I see a movie starring two actors I really like, I’m going to watch it. Ben Affleck has always been an interesting actor to watch. Doesn’t matter if it’s a Kevin Smith film, if he’s Batman, or he’s just having fun like he was in “The Last Duel”. I want to see what kind of stuff he does. And Ana De Armas has been making a name for herself over the last several years. Sure, she’s been acting for a little while. But thanks to her roles in “Blade Runner 2049” & “Knives Out”, she’s becoming something of a big name. I was hoping that this movie would be a benefit for both of them, especially since it’s Ben Affleck returning to the thriller genre. But unfortunately, that isn’t the case.

Both of them do a good job in their performances. I don’t have any criticisms there. But the writing isn’t great, especially when it concerns Ana as Melinda. She is always coming off as the low-key villain in this story for me. I get what the movie is trying to go for, but it just makes her seem like she wants the events of this film to happen despite the emotion she gives in certain scenes. The writing for Affleck’s Vic is stronger. And despite everything that happens in the movie, I’m strangely always hoping he comes out all right. I guess that’s just the Affleck charm.

But I can’t sympathize with either of them in this film. The movie shows them as a couple who really only stay together because of their daughter. If I’m being honest up front, I’m not a relationship expert. I’ve never been in this situation, I don’t have any kids, and I understand the emotions between two romantic partners can be complicated. But if a relationship is only held together because of a child – and the relationship is BARELY held together like it is in this movie – that’s unhealthy and it needs to end. It may be hard for a child to watch their parents get divorced. But If these two just pulled the trigger on that process, NONE of the events of this film would happen. And they would quite honestly be happier because of it.

Even putting that aside though, this just isn’t a very interesting movie. Most of the supporting cast I completely forgot about. Hell, most of the supporting disappeared altogether around the halfway point. There is still one character who is doing his own investigation regarding the film’s plot, but it’s for selfish reasons so I’m not rooting for him. People have been saying that this movie was buried by going to Hulu after being pulled from a theatrical release and given minimal marketing. I can understand that thinking after watching this film. But…I can’t act like I’m not entertained in a sort of guilty pleasure kind of way. I do think the film does have good atmosphere. And like I said, the performances of the main leads are good.

Look, if you are looking to be entertained for two hours by an erotic thriller that isn’t that bad, then you can check this out. Just don’t be expected to be impressed by much of anything. But chances are you might still find something to enjoy about it or even laugh about.

Film Editorials, Movies

The Sexual Themes of Chasing Amy

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I think this might have been the first Kevin Smith movie I ever watched. This or “Clerks”, I do remember watching them in the same month. That could explain why I might be switching the viewing order. Either way, this movie is notable among Kevin Smith’s filmography for a couple of reasons. First, it takes a more dramatic approach to it’s story telling. Yes there is obviously humor. But it follows the relationships of the characters on a more serious level than most of Smith’s other movies. The second reason, the story of a straight white man trying to date a gay woman definitely makes this one of the more potentially awkward movies to watch in the modern era.

Yes, that’s the general plot of the story. It focuses on Holden (Ben Affleck) who is a comic book artist along with his best friend Banky (Jason Lee) and Holden is attracted to another comic book artist they meet named Alyssa (Joey Adams). But Alyssa is gay so they at first just become good friends. But Banky becomes resentful that Alyssa is seemingly coming in between him and Holden. And somehow, Alyssa decides she does want to enter a romantic relationship with Holden. But that intensifies the drama and the conflict starts to mess everything up.

It’s very easy to just read a plot summary of this movie online and assume it hasn’t aged well. Criticize it for having a “heterosexual narrative”. And to be fair, there was a brief bit on the show “How I Met Your Mother” where Barney tries to pick up a lesbian. So I totally see and understand where these criticisms are coming from. And the 1990s in general weren’t exactly the most insightful when it came to exploring LGBTQIA+ themes and characters. But I will argue that if you actually watch the film instead of reading about it, you do see that things probably play out different from what you are expecting.

Holden & Alyssa do take the time to actually build a friendship and get to know each other on an intellectual and emotional level. Once that groundwork has been established, you do get the idea that Alyssa isn’t exactly firm in identifying as simply gay. It can be argued that she is one of the first modern examples of a gender fluid character. You might even argue that she is more pansexual than just homosexual. Might have been an awkward line to write but I’m sticking with it. The catalyst that intensifies the conflict in the movie is the revelation that she once participated in a threesome with two guys. The evidence is there that Alyssa is more open about her sexuality, which is said to be generally true about women in the real world as well.

While the plot does revolve around what can be seen as a straight man’s fantasy, by the time you reach the end of the movie it becomes clear what the movie is trying to talk about. It’s about coming figuring out who you are and what you want out of life and relationships. Of coming to terms with your past and your partner’s and working together to find happiness. The title of this movie comes from a story shared by Silent Bob. Yes, the stoned dynamic duo of Kevin Smith’s cinematic universe return in this movie. He tells Holden how he used to have a similar relationship with a girl he refers to as Amy. But it ended when he couldn’t handle her promiscuity and later regretted breaking up with her. This is mirrored later on when Holden gathers Alyssa and Banky and offers that they all participate in a threesome.

From Holden’s perspective, Alyssa has an open approach to sex so he thinks she’ll say yes. And it’s clear to him that Banky is a closeted gay man, despite the various homophobic remarks he’s made in the film. But it’s important to note here that Alyssa easily refuses and ends the relationship with Holden. Just because she has had this experience in the past and she is the most sexually liberated person in the group, that doesn’t mean that’s all she wants. She’s a person that has emotional wants and needs, someone that should be given more thought and respect than what Holden’s offer implies. It’s ultimately Holden’s selfishness and lack of emotional connection with Alyssa that ends their time together. And it’s also what ties those themes of self-understanding and romantic equality together.

Look, I understand why this movie not be for everyone. There are still some scenes that do handle this subject matter a little clumsily. And it still has that 1990s feel and approach that could rub people the wrong way – pun unintended. But I do think this movie is about deeper emotional & sexual/romantic issues that are highlighted due to the lack of an expected happy ending – also unintended. Give it a watch and see if you can make that same deeper connection that we all aspire to find with our partners in the real world.

Movie Reviews, Movies

Review – X

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I still hate it when you have these reboot sequels that have the exact same film as the original. Blumhouse’s new Halloween film that’s a follow up to John Carpenter’s original is also called “Halloween”. Or how the Jordan Peele produced sequel to “Candyman” is also just called “Candyman”. But at least they had more than one letter in their title? All I know is that anyone looking for a review of this movie is going to have some trouble finding what they’re looking for. As you can tell this is a little more casual than most of my other posts but let me still try and give some insight.

This little flick comes from film studio A24. They’re the ones that are behind films like Spring Breakers, Ex Machina & The Witch. Basically films that embrace their weirdness but also turn out pretty good. And while this film has a little bit of weird, I can’t say it’s on the same level as the ones I mentioned. Without getting into spoilers, it’s about a group of people who set out to make a porn movie. There are a few actors, the producer, the director & the director’s girlfriend who does sound. They stay at this guest house owned by this elderly couple. The old man doesn’t know they are doing it so they try and do it in secret. But it turns out it’s the couple that has a secret and then the scares happen.

In case you were wondering, the “X” of this film refers to the X factor that makes someone a star. And that’s the main deal with the main actress of this film who believes she will become a star. But honestly, I don’t think she is that great. This is a movie with Jenna Ortega and yet their biggest name is more of a supporting character. She starts off as the shy girl they call Church Mouse. She kinda has a story of sorts but not really. But screw it, I’m using her character poster as the featured image of this review. Because she was the only one I cared about. It’s not because the protagonists of this film are horrible people. They might have a couple of moments that make them look like assholes. But they’re okay people. Which unfortunately means they just leave an okay impression.

And the scares are kind of hit and miss. A couple of jump scares that are obviously and just annoying. However there are a few moments that are pretty decent. The first kill that happens includes some audio of the song “Don’t Fear The Reaper” so I might be a little biased when it came to that scene. But I liked it. Looking on it now however, I think this film went in the wrong direction with it’s execution. I feel like this could have been a movie that should have been a horror comedy. Something of a satire. It has the potential for that. And while there are a few moments of dark comedy and chuckles, it’s hard to tell if those were on purpose or not. Or maybe they could have dropped the horror angle altogether and make it an insightful movie about the different views of sex & love between generations and various backgrounds. Again, it does have that material. A24 doesn’t always do Horror, they could have gone this route.

But nope, this is what we got. And it’s fine honestly. Nothing really obviously wrong with it. Some scene transitions that are weird is the biggest offense. At least I can appreciate this is something based off a new idea instead of being another sequel or reboot or remake or whatever. Nothing inherently wrong with any of those, but with so many of those being made right now, this is a little refreshing. If your a little curious about it, there’s no harm in checking it out.

Comics

Let Grief Run Its Course: A Look at The Crow

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Losing someone before your ready to say good-bye is a tragic event. And its one that happened to James O’Barr, whose fiancĂ©e passed away. His mind picked apart how it happened and blamed himself for who knows how long. That pain & anger demanded an outlet of some kind. And so, the story known as “The Crow” was first published in 1989.

In the story, Eric and Shelly were engaged when a group of criminals attacked them when their car was stalled. He was forced to watch as they physically & sexually assaulted Shelly until they were done and they put a bullet in his head. One year later and Eric has come back with one purpose – to seek vengeance against the ones responsible. Some readers might view Eric as a hero not unlike someone such as The Punisher. The fact this comic was printed in black & white does vaguely give it the impression that the world in this story operates in the same way in regards to moral judgement. The bad will ultimately be punished while the good are rewarded for their hardship and good deeds.

But this isn’t a story about a hero. Despite Eric’s resurrection having the makings of a magic-based superhero, that is not what the story is about. In between hunting criminals, we see Eric do a few other things. He talks to a young girl who is going through her own kind of suffering and connects with her. By the end of the story, he makes an attempt to make sure she has a chance at finding something better. But mostly, he loses himself in his memories. Remembering the woman he lost and wallowing in the grief he still feels. It is only after he finally kills all those he deems responsible that he is forced to confront that pain and find some sense of closure. Enough for him to finally find some rest and peace.

Some of you are probably most familiar with the 1994 movie adaptation. It is a great movie, no doubt about it. But there is one difference between the two version that does make the meaning of the story slightly less impactful. The movie gives him a limitation that he is forced to work through during the climax. A way for him to die before his mission is complete. But the comic places no limits on Eric. That is because Eric should be seen as the personification of Grief itself. All the pain, sadness, and anger that comes with it. It is a force of nature that can’t be stopped. A force that attacks everyone and everything in its path. The silver lining is that the people getting hurt are irredeemable criminals. But the bloodshed alone isn’t enough to bring peace to him. It’s only when he feels like he is ready to move on that he doesn’t feel as bad anymore.

Many people deal with grief in their own way. But it’s important that you don’t bottle it up. Later on, that can erupt and become more destructive than the story printed on these black and white pages. A color palette that doesn’t distract too much from the reader having to look at what is happening and reflecting on the events. It all clearly touched a lot of readers as many still read it or watch the movie version and find a connection to the emotion being depicted. There are a lot of quotes that are memorable from “The Crow” but there is one that feels most appropriately right here:

Life is lousy with hurt but it also shimmers with beauty. Don’t miss your chance to be a part of that beauty. You may not get another.

Comics

The Time Travel Issues of Flashpoint

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Hard to believe it has been over a decade since this event comic and the beginning of the New 52. While that era of DC wasn’t devoid of good stories, titles & characters, they tended to be the exception as opposed to the norm. But most people tend to be all right with the story that started DC on this path, “Flashpoint”. I wanted to take the time to air some of my frustrations with this story in regards to the time travel logic it uses.

Before I get into it, something we should discuss. The rules of how time travel can work varies a lot in fiction. Lots of different approaches to how to travel & how changes to the timeline work. One theory you might have heard about that was popularized by fiction is The Butterfly Effect. The general idea is that if you step on a butterfly in one part of the world while time traveling, an earthquake happens on the other side of the planet. I believe this…to an extent. I understand we are dealing with a type of fiction that plays with stuff like this on a daily basis. But I believe there should still be a sense of logic for how these timeline changes occur. And a number of them don’t really add up. So, the big change that happens in this story is that The Flash – Barry Allen – goes back in time and saves his mom from dying. This results in a lot of timeline changes that we see through the story.

With that being said – how does that cause Bruce Wayne to die instead of his parents? Barry is in Central City and Bruce is in Gotham. Hard to tell how far apart the two cities are supposed to be, but let’s assume it’s a fair amount. How does saving Barry’s man cause a mugger to shoot Bruce instead of his parents? Actually, now that I think about it…how old are Bruce and Barry supposed to be canonically? If Bruce is supposed to be older, chances are this origin already happened for him. Even if they are the same age, we again still have the issue of geography. As far as I can tell, Bruce’s origin shouldn’t have been affected at all.

And why does Barry’s time traveling act affect how Billy Batson’s powers work? In case your unfamiliar, Billy Batson is Shazam. He says the name and he is magically transformed into a superhero. But in this timeline, multiple kids have to say the name and then they all collectively become the superhero in one body. While an admittedly interesting idea, I doubt Barry’s mom has any influence on how Shazam’s power is supposed to work. This concept doesn’t even appear in the New 52 afterwards! Yes, Billy does share the power of Shazam with some people, but it’s still just one person turning into one person and not six into one. I know this is a smaller issue in comparison, but still something to bring up.

Back on track – how does saving Barry’s mom cause a war between Atlantis and Themyscira? I understand that in this timeline Barry doesn’t become The Flash. But would his existence as a hero really prevent this? But more importantly, I don’t think this would happen in the way this story chooses to go with. Arthur & Diana have an affair which leads to Mera getting killed by Diana and that leads to war. I think I remember coming across something how in the main DC Universe Arthur admitted to having feelings for Diana. Probably while under the influence of the Lasso of Truth. But I don’t think that means Diana would have the same feelings and go through in exploring them in that way. Even IF she did, she wouldn’t kill Mera! I’m not an expert on Wonder Woman, but I have read up on the majority of her comics post Crisis on Infinite Earths up to the modern day. And she is not written to be like that. She is in touch with her feelings, including empathy, and has too much respect for everyone she considers a friend to ever do anything like this. Would Barry’s time travel affect her very personality?

And how the HELL does Barry saving his mom affect where Superman’s ship lands?! I’m sorry, but this is a BIG one for me. Clark’s ship came from an alien planet many light years away and comes to Earth and – unless this is an Elseworlds story where the whole purpose is to fundamentally change a character – lands in Kansas. But in this timeline, it lands in a city and causes some damage and is secretly experimented on. But Barry’s time travel shouldn’t affect the speed of the Earth’s rotation! Seriously, that would be the only way how this new timeline could explain how Clark’s ship lands in a different spot. And that’s just nonsensical and illogical.

Last thing, this story is supposed to start the New 52, where all heroes are starting off and they don’t know each other yet. Except the ending of “Flashpoint” doesn’t establish that. The ending of the story has Barry talking to Bruce and they know each other to the point where they don’t need to wear masks around each other. There is no way this is supposed to start the New 52 if they aren’t supposed to even know each other yet. Oh my god, this story has so much that doesn’t make sense! But I guess that’s not uncommon for anything in the New 52, so I guess in that way it connects. Look, this isn’t an awful story. But I’m glad that we have recovered from the long lasting damage this story has brought to the DC Universe.

Comics

The Three Jokers: Was It Worth The Wait?

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Back when the DC Universe was still under the New 52 banner, there was a big Justice League Storyline called “Darkseid War”. At one point, Batman sat in the Mobius Chair. It’s basically a super advanced computer that can answer any question you have. He tests it by asking it who killed his parents. And then he asks a bigger question – who is the Joker? We don’t hear the Chair’s answer, but we see Batman’s shocked reaction. Later on in 2016, not too long after the end of that storyline, there was a special one shot that revealed the answer. There are THREE Jokers. The story going into this answer had been teased for years but kept getting pushed back. Until finally it came out in 2020, even though it was under an imprint that takes place outside the main continuity and the main Batman title never addresses this revelation again. But is it still worth reading?

The 3 issue story is written by famous comic book writer Geoff Johns. If your unfamiliar with comics and who he is, there is one important thing to know about him. He has written both good and bad stories, like anyone has – but one thing that is common in most of his stories is that he tends to introduce retcons. The reason he does this is to help support the story that HE wants to tell. Even if the retcons he uses might go against what has been established or well known characterization of favorite characters. One the one hand, this can lead to “Green Lantern: Rebirth”. After Hal Jordan turned into the villain Parallax back in the 90s and then died for several years, Geoff brought him back to life and retconned the reason why he turned bad. This lead to a huge expansion of the Green Lantern mythology that will help provide truly great stories. And it didn’t necessarily take away the importance of the other characters that have took on the role of Green Lantern. But on the other hand, Geoff’s style can also lead to “The Flash: Rebirth”. Barry Allen had a heroic death back in the 1980s that allowed his sidekick, Wally West, to take over as The Flash and develop his large fanbase. While Geoff might not have resurrected him in 2008, this story from 2009 pushed Barry Allen into the spotlight and pushed Wally West to the side. Wally would either become ignored by the DCU all-together or be completely mishandled in the following years. Point is, Geoff tends to use retcons to help tell his stories and the consequences can easily go either way in terms of affecting the quality of his stories or later stories.

Anyway, back to the story at hand. It is discovered in this story that while one Joker came into his own by himself, he ended up creating two other Jokers. Each one has their own nickname and it usually how they are addressed in the story. The Criminal is a representation of the Golden Age Joker who thinks and acts like a crime boss. The Clown is a representation of the Silver Age Joker who does some of the more over the top schemes. While also being the one who killed the second Robin, Jason Todd. Don’t worry, he came back as the Red Hood. And then there is The Comedian, the representation of the Bronze & Modern Age Joker. And the one who crippled & sexually violated Barbara Gordon AKA Batgirl. She also got better. As they gather once again, the plan seems to be for them to create a new Joker. And the choice they end up settling on is Joe Chill, the man who killed Bruce’s parents. It is up to Batman, Red Hood, & Batgirl to find and stop all the Jokers.

It was a smart idea to have Batman’s only allies in this story be the two that have suffered the most from one of the Jokers plans. It ties into the theme of trauma and how someone tries to move on from that experience. But there is more focus on Batman & Red Hood than there is on Batgirl. Jason goes through a variety of emotions and even ends up killing The Clown – the one who had originally killed him. But there isn’t a lot of exploration of what Batgirl is going through emotionally. You can make the argument that she has come to some sense of closure in her own title back in the main DCU and that since this only has 3 issues they need to cut something to keep it going. But considering Jason already aired out all of his baggage about his trauma back in mid 2000s and his feelings are plain and simple, it would be more interesting to see the complex thoughts Barbara has. Especially since in “The Killing Joke” – the story where the Joker crippled and violated her – her trauma was really just used to advance the story of all the male characters in the story, mainly the Joker’s. So to see her get less focus again is annoying.

Another issue this story shines on is the relationship between Batman and Jason Todd. As mentioned earlier, Jason came back as the Red Hood in the 2000s and he was a villain when first brought back. He used guns, he killed, he tried to get Batman to kill the Joker himself. Jason was angry, furious at Batman for not seeking vengeance against the Joker for what he did. But in the years since Jason Todd has come back, he has been transitioned into more of an anti-hero role that will sometimes be an ally to Batman. He still uses guns and keeps going back and forth on whether or not he kills. And yet when he kills one of the Jokers in this story and Barbara informs Bruce, he seems to want to forget it. Which is against how one of the most well known things about Batman is that his one rule it that he doesn’t kill. And makes sure any other vigilante operating in Gotham and allied with him also follows that rule. I think this is supposed to shed some light on why Batman has tried to bring Jason Todd back into the Bat Family since his resurrection. It’s supposed to be his way of trying to make up for what he sees as his failure for not saving him and him trying to not react & punish Jason for this murder ties into that. If so, it isn’t really explained that well. And it still goes against his one rule and how he is usually portrayed in the main continuity.

But on the other hand, this does also tie into one of the positives of the story. How Bruce is shown with some more humanity and emotion than he might normally be portrayed as. Which makes sense considering the inclusion of Joe Chill and how Batman ultimately has to choose to save him from becoming another Joker. We do get some insight into the history between the two and how he seems to have some closure about that trauma towards the end of the story. And we do get a good final scene between Batman & The Comedian – the last Joker left alive by the end. It isn’t groundbreaking but it does shine some light on how he views himself in their relationship.

One last issue to shed light on is the revelation that Batman has known the identity of this version of the Joker for a long time. And that his wife from before he transformed didn’t actually die but has been living in the Witness Protection Program with her son she was pregnant with back when she was with Joker. First of all, this goes against the established fact that he doesn’t actually know as show in the main DCU. Secondly, this does complicate how “The Killing Joke” is viewed. It kind of indicates Joker wasn’t the best husband prior to the transformation. Which might sound logical, but it goes against how he was characterized before he actually became the Joker. But I think this might actually balance out. That story wasn’t exactly the best in regards to handling it’s female characters. I already mentioned what that story did to Barbara. So actually having her survive and kept hidden so that they don’t get harassed by the press, Joker, or someone seeking revenge against Joker does give her a happy ending. Complicated as that revelation might be.

With all of that being said, where does the story stand quality-wise and is it worth the read? If you go into this story hoping to find something new and earth shattering, you might be disappointed. But it does play around with a cool concept that touches on the Joker’s entire comic history. There are some cool scenes and there is an emotional element to it that I think is well done. And the theme of finding a way to move past from past trauma is relevant. Yes, a couple of characters should have gotten more focus and some stuff that happens in the story goes against what has been established in the main continuity. But I think the advantage of it being published under a different imprint means it can be decided later if it is canon or not. Even though that means the main DCU just dropped one of it’s most interesting story teases in recent years. What I’m trying to say is that I was still able to enjoy this story. Maybe not as much as I wanted, but I think I was able to focus more on the good than the bad.