Wonder Man on Disney+ was a wonderful surprise. I knew it would be meta and weird, but I wasn’t expecting it to be so good. Having said that, this show is not for mainstream Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) fans. It’s best for comics nerds that love clever writing, lesser-known characters, and obscure references on top of obscure references.
Here are three reasons why I loved Wonder Man Season 1.
Continue reading “Wonder Man: The Last Vestige of the Old MCU Regime”My excellent colleague and friend Paul Semel dropped by to share his thoughts on Moon Knight on Disney Plus and Dr. Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. Although we both enjoy many of the same nerd things, our tastes also vary. With that in mind, I didn’t expect him to enjoy Moon Knight as much as I did. Although he said it was his least-favorite Marvel series on Disney Plus, he enjoyed it more than I expected him to.
Dr. Strange in the Multiverse of Madness was received similarly. Paul Semel also enjoyed, but not as much as I did. He tends to be more cynical about entertainment in general and doesn’t enjoy secondary comics characters as much as I do. For example, I thoroughly enjoyed the Starbrand and Nightmask comics, while Paul could not care less about characters at that…level, for lack of a better word.
Continue reading “RPadTV 3000 Episode 11: Paul Semel, Moon Knight, and Dr. Strange”After a hilarious debut in The Suicide Squad (the good James Gunn one, not the pile of garbage starring Will Smith), John Cena returns as Peacemaker on HBO Max. While the character was great as a supporting player in a movie, could he work as a lead in a prestige series? The answer was a resounding yes! To review and discuss Peacemaker season 1, I asked Tal Blevins (former IGN editor) and Paul Semel (former Maxim, Bikini) to join me for a very special episode of RPadTV 3000.
Tal Blevins, Paul Semel, and I talk about our favorite characters, scenes, music, and aspects of Peacemaker season 1. While we all loved the series and were floored by John Cena’s performance, we had different takes on it. For example, Paul and Tal believe that this was a star-making performance for Jennifer Holland. While I enjoyed what she did in the series, I wasn’t as impressed by her as my two esteemed (and smarter) colleagues were.
As for John Cena…
Continue reading “Peacemaker Season 1 Review and Discussion”Batman: Soul of the Dragon is a fantastic animated movie with a wonderfully unique tone. Going into it, I knew that the movie would focus on one of Batman’s mentors (O-Sensei) and his fellow students. However, I was not expecting its incredible 70s tone at all. The movie is a wonderful mix of great action, strong storytelling, and excellent character development.
In short, I highly recommend watching Batman: Soul of the Dragon. If you’re not convinced, here are five random thoughts on the movie. [Put on your spoiler cowl!]
Continue reading “Five Thoughts on Batman: Soul of the Dragon”Last week I caught a bunch of heat on N4G. This article on Final Fantasy VII Remake discussed a major event from the original FFVII. The kids accused me of being the “spoilers!” guy. Initially, I dismissed it as Internet people being Internet people. Then RPadholic G-Iceman asked an interesting question in the RPadTV Slack:
Continue reading “Coffee Talk #675: How Much Time Should Elapse Before it’s Okay to Reveal Spoilers?”“What is the appropriate amount of time that should pass before you can blurt out spoilers?”
Shazam is a delightful movie that’s full of joy and wonder. It has a lighthearted tone that’s deftly balanced by weighty consequences. It’s also the best film in the DC Extended Universe (DCEU).
Unlike previous DCEU efforts, Shazam isn’t hampered by dull moments sandwiched by great scenes (Wonder Woman). It doesn’t suffer from action that’s distractingly frenzied and Patrick Wilson yelling as if he graduated from Vegeta’s School of Melodramatic Screaming (Aquaman). The other DCEU movies…the less said about them, the better.
Shazam is funny, exciting, and captivating. It does very little wrong and does so many things right. You should see it. Now in the grand RPadTV of binary lists, here are some random thoughts on the wonderful Shazam movie. [Spoilers are about to strike like lightning. Preterite mode engaged.]
Continue reading “Random Thoughts on Shazam”The latest trailer for Avengers Endgame (embedded below) has dropped and it looks amazing. The upcoming Marvel Cinematic Universe film will probably be the nerd movie of the year and, more than likely, the highest-earning film of all time. Forget about all the for a moment. Today I’d love to hear your theories on how Earth’s Mightiest Heroes will get out of the dire predicament Avengers: Infinity War left them in.
Before we delve into Avengers Endgame theories, let’s take a look at the trailer. Be sure to turn your spoiler shields on (please)!
Continue reading “Your Avengers Endgame Theories”Iron Fist season two reminded me of how we used to make fun of the “Most Improved” award in high-school sports. My friends and I would joke, “Most improved just means that you used to suck.” The first season of Iron Fist was easily the worst show in the Marvel Netflix universe, but the sophomore season is worth watching. It’s not among the best Marvel Netflix shows and it still has the same core problem that the first season had, but numerous improvements have taken Iron Fist from “used to suck” to “reasonably enjoyable.”
Here’s a breakdown of Iron Fist season two in the traditional RPadTV binary style. Be sure to summon your chi and make a spoiler shield fist.
Avengers Infinity War is a brilliant movie…if you’ve been keeping up with the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) for the last decade. If you’re one of those nerds moviegoers then you’ll be enthralled by the film’s action, snappy dialogue, and complexity. If not then you’ll find it to be a strange and confusing mess. Since you’re reading this article then you probably fall into the former category. With your geekdom established, I humbly present you with 10 thoughts on Avengers Infinity War.
[If you don’t want spoilers then stop reading now.]
Danny Rand (The Defenders) and Brandon Stark (Game of Thrones) tell everyone that they’re the Immortal Iron Fist and the Three Eyed Raven, respectively. It doesn’t matter if the person listening to them is interested or not. They’re happy to share their exalted titles with anyone that will listen…and several people that don’t give a damn.
Now let’s play a game! Imagine that these two suave (not really) heroes are in a bar. Imagine that they share their fancy titles with the ladies they chat with. Which one is more pathetic as a pickup line? Saying, “Hi, I’m the Immortal Iron Fist,” or, “Hey there, I’m the Three Eyed Raven.” Kindly make your choice in the poll below.
Continue reading “Poll: Immortal Iron Fist vs. Three Eyed Raven”
