New In Review: Skull Island

Skull Island is the latest animated series from Netflix and fifth entry in the ‘Monsterverse’ from Legendary Pictures and Warner Bros. Written and directed by Brian Duffield, it features the voice talents of Darren Barnet, Nicolas Cantu, Benjamin Bratt, Mae Whitman, Betty Gilpin, Yuki Matsuzaki, and Phil LaMarr. With additional voices provided by Ian James Corlett, John DiMaggio, Trevor Devall, Alejandra Reynoso, Sunil Malhotra, and Fryda Wolff.

Acting as an interquel between the events of Kong: Skull Island and Godzilla, it tells the story of two groups of explorers, one intent on finding proof of monsters and the other with more mysterious motives. When a monster attack maroons both groups on the eponymous Skull Island they’ll have to pull their resources together to survive all while trying to track down a strange teenager and her even stranger pet. And that’s not even getting into the giant ape that rules the island.

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New In Review: Extraction 2

Extraction 2 is the sequel to the 2020 action thriller directed by Sam Hargrave and stars Chris Hemsworth. It also stars Golshifteh Farahani, Adam Bessa, Andro Japaridze, Miriam and Marta Kovziashvili, Tornike Gogrichiani, Tornike Bziava, Daniel Bernhardt, Tinatin Dalakshvili, with Olga Kurylenko and Idris Elba.

Hemsworth is back as mercenary and extraction specialist, Tyler Rake. Despite almost certainly dying at the end of the last film, he’s back and is once again tasked with extracting a family of three from near-impossible odds. This time he’s not alone as he’s brought along Nik and Yaz Kahn from the first film as backup. And he’ll need all the help he can get as he’s pursued by ruthless gangsters through the depths of a Georgian prison and across Austria. Complicating things is both the large number of people he has to look after, the sheer relentlessness of the villains, and the fact that one of those he’s trying to rescue is his ex sister-in-law.

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Season Review: The Mandalorian Season 3

The Mandalorian returns for its third season and features the return of Pedro Pascale (along with body doubles Brendan Wayne and Lateef Crowder) as Din Djarin. Also returning is Katie Sackhoff as Bo Katan Kryze, Emily Swallow as the Armorer, Carl Weathers as Greef Carga, Jon Favreau and Tait Fletcher as Paz Vizla, and Giancarlo Esposito as Moff Gideon. It also features, Paul Sun-Hyung Lee, Katie M. O’Brian, Simon Kassianides, Mercedes Varnado, Marit Matulis, with Nonso Anozie and Ahmed Best.

After becoming an apostate in The Book of Boba Fett, Din Djarin must make his way to the devastated home world of the Mandalorians in order to find atonement and reclaim his place among his clade. But even if he succeeds and finds redemption, there’s still the matter of the disorganized tribes of Mandalorians wandering the galaxy, pirates harassing the Outer Rim, the ineffectual bureaucracy of the New Republic and looming threat from the remnants of the Empire.

Warning: The Following Will Contain Spoilers

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Pilot Review: Lackadaisy

The year is 1927, the place is St. Louis, Missouri. It’s the Era of Prohibition, the days of gangsters and rum-runners. A time of shifty politicians, roaring tommy guns, and illegal cocktails (whether drinking or of the Molotov variety). Amidst all of this, the recently widowed Mitzi May tries to keep her husband’s speakeasy, The Lackadaisy, afloat against the ever-encroaching rival, The Marigold. Aided by an eclectic band of misfits: the hyperactive Rocky Rickaby, his cousin the timid but frighteningly effective gunman Calvin “Freckle” McMurray, the surly Slovak bartender Viktor Vasko, the sweet but overly enthusiastic Ivy Pepper and the world weary saxophonist Dorian “Zib” Zibowski will try to keep the law and competition at bay. Easier said than done as The Marigold has scooped up many of Lackadaisy’s former employees like the bookkeeper turned hatchet man, Mordecai Heller and brought in new muscle to knock them out of the alcohol business and into the obituaries.

Oh, did I forget to mention that it’s cast are all anthropomorphic cats?

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Season Review: Critical Role: The Legend of Vox Machina

Watching the progression of Critical Role through their respective arcs is a fascinating thing; seeing the ups and downs through the players and the Dungeon Master’s experience provides new insights into how things worked. If the Underdark arc was about the players getting properly used to the 5th edition rules of Dungeons & Dragons, getting comfortable performing their roleplay for live online. Then the Briarwood arc was about taking everything they learned beforehand and immersing themselves into a dark tale of justice and revenge. But it was the third (and longest running arc of the first campaign) that not only showcased the actor’s skill as gamers and roleplayers, but also Matt Mercer’s skill as a storyteller. When a cadre of dragons utterly destroy the sovereignty of Tal’Dorei, decimating the city that had been the hub and home for our heroes, and completely annihilating the status quo, there was no doubt about it. The players and the multitude of fans watching at home were hooked.

Season 2 of The Legend of Vox Machina sees the return of Laura Bailey (Vex), Liam O’Brien (Vax), Travis Willingham (Grog), Marisha Ray (Keyleth), Ashley Johnson (Pike), Sam Riegel(Scanlon) and Taliesin Jaffe (Percy) with Matt Mercer filling in several other roles. It also brings in two of guest characters from the campaign in Will Friedle as Kashaw Vesh and May Elizabeth McGlynn as Zahra Hydris. Rounding out the other guest appearances include Lance Reddick as Thordak, Cree Summer as Raishan, Ralph Ineson as Kevdak, Henry Winkler as Wilhand Trickfoot, Kelly Hu as Dr. Ripley, Alanna Ubach and Tony Plana as the sphinxes Osysa and Kamajiori, with Troy Baker as Syldor Vessar and Billy Boyd as Garmelie.

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Season Review: Velma

Velma is the latest reinterpretation of the long-running Scooby-Doo franchise, in this case an adult animated series produced by Mindy Kaling and frequent collaborator Charlie Grady. It stars Kaling as the lead character Velma Dinkley, Constance Wu as Daphne Blake, Sam Richardson as Norville Rogers, Glenn Howerton as Fred Jones and Frank Welker as William Jones.

This show is without a doubt, a pile of hot trash. One of the most mean-spirited, disrespectful and grossly inappropriate (especially since the cast is supposed to be minors) shows I’ve had the displeasure of witnessing. This is less of an adult reimagining of a classic cartoon series and more of an excuse for Mindy Kaling to rant about whatever is eating her at the moment. It pains me that Warner Discovery automatically renewed this for a second season even while they hack up their animation departments like an axe murderer.

In conclusion: this show can die in the lowest abyss. Mindy, taking a beloved IP to work through your issues is a bad idea. And if you really want a dark but hilarious Scooby-Doo, just watch that episode from The Venture Bros. with the parody Mystery Gang themed around serial killers. At least that show was clever and funny.

There. Review over. Seriously, watch something else.

Season Review: The Witcher Blood Origin

The Witcher: Blood Origin is limited-series from Netflix and a prequel to The Witcher. Created by Declan de Barra and Lauren Schmidt Hissrich, stars Sophia Brown, Laurence O’Fuarain, Huw Novelli, Lizzie Annis, Zach Wyatt, Francesca Mills, Jacob Collins-Levy, Mirren Mack, Lenny Henry, with Joey Batey, Minnie Driver and Michelle Yeoh.

Framed as a story being told to the main series’ Jaskier, the story is set over a thousand years before the events of The Witcher, in the age before the arrival of humans during the waning days of the elf empire. A bloody coup forces a band of unlikely heroes to band together and both avenge their fallen friends and family and stop the villains’ machinations before it threatens their entire world.

Warning: Spoilers are to follow.

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Season Review: Andor

Andor is the latest show from the Star Wars franchise on Disney+ and was created by Tony Gilroy. It stars Diego Luna who reprises his role as Cassian Andor from Rogue One as well as Genevieve O’Reilly and Forest Whitaker as Mon Mothma and Saw Gerrera. It also stars Stellan Skarsgård, Adria Arjona, Kyle Soller, Denise Gough, Faye Marsay, Varada Sethu, Dave Chapman, Anton Lesser, Joplin Sibtain, Alex Fearns with Andy Serkis and Fiona Shaw.

Set five years before the events of Rogue One where Andor and his team of Rebels would complete their mission of acquiring the technical details of the Death Star at the cost of their lives. This series details the early stages of the Rebellion viewed from the perspectives of Mon Mothma’s attempts of reform within the Imperial Senate, her dealings with the shadowy broker Luthen Rael and Andor, a thief caught up in events bigger than he could imagine.

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Season Review: The Cuphead Show! Season 3

The Cuphead Show! returns to Netflix for its third and final season and once again features Tru Valentino and Frank Todaro as Cuphead and Mugman with Grey DeLisle as Ms. Chalice, Joe Hanna as Elder Kettle, Luke Millington-Drake as the Devil and Wayne Brady as Mr. King Dice. It also features the return of Gary Anthony Williams as Quadratus, Chris Wylde and Rick Zieff as Ribby and Croaks, Marcia Gay Harden as Sally Stageplay  and additional voices by Dave Wasson and Cosmo Segurson.

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