Season Review: House of the Dragon

Game of Thrones holds an interesting place in television history. It wasn’t the first fantasy epic to premiere on the small screen, it wasn’t the first adaptation that had to wing it as it ran out of material from the series it was based on. And it certainly wasn’t the first television series to lose all good faith from the audience as a combination of poor creative choices squandered all of its potential and retroactively ruined all that was good in its earlier seasons. It’s just the most infamous example in recent history. The final season became so taboo that even the numerous planned spin-offs seemed dead in the water as faith in the world of Westeros evaporated.

So the fact that House of the Dragon was greenlit at all is quite the surprise.

House of the Dragon is the latest political fantasy drama from HBO and adapted from George R. R. Martin’s book Fire & Blood. Set almost two hundred years before the events of Game of Thrones it details the events leading up a time of political strife and eventual civil war within the Targaryen Dynasty known as “the Dance of the Dragons.”

It stars Paddy Considine King Viserys, Matt Smith as Prince Daemon, Emma D’Arcy and Milly Alcock as Rhaenyra, Olivia Cooke and Emily Carey as Alicent Hightower, Rhys Ifans as Otto Hightower, Eve Best as Rhaenys, Steve Toussaint as Corlys Velaryon, Fabien Frankel as Criston Cole, Theo Nate and John Macmillan as Laenor, Nova Foueillis-Mosé, Savannah Steyn and Nanna Blondell as Laena, Ty Tennant and Tom Glynn-Carney as Aegon II, Evie Allen and Phia Saban as Helaena, Leo Ashton and Ewan Mitchell as Aemond, Leo Hart and Harry Collett as Jacaerys, Harvey Sadler and Elliot Grihault as Lucerys.

It also features Sian Brooke, Bethany Antonia, Shani Smethurst, Phoebe Campbell, Eva Ossei-Gerning, Gavin Spokes, Bill Paterson, David Horovitch, Kurt Egyiawan, Matthew Needham and Graham McTavish.

Warning: Spoilers are to follow.

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Season Review: The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power

Like so many others before me, J. R. R. Tolkien’s works were my introduction to high fantasy. I was enthralled when I first read The Hobbit back in the fourth grade and it wouldn’t be long before Peter Jackson’s The Lord of the Rings trilogy would capture my imagination and not let go.

And so I’d like to bring up one of my favorite moments from the second movie, The Two Towers. During the Battle of Helm’s Deep, not long after the walls are breached and our heroes are ordered to fall back for safety. The elf Haldir is clipped by an uruk blade and for a brief moment is knocked out of his combat mindset and looks to see all of the other elves that had joined him in battle, all dead. The look of horror and disbelief at seeing his kin and comrades-in-arms slain on the battlefield is haunting and ultimately fatal for him as he’s soon struck down.

The thing is, none of this was in the books. No Lórien elves come to honor their alliance with men, no moment of tragedy as they gave their lives for a slim chance of victory, no Aragorn getting only a moment to mourn before he furiously throws himself at the enemy to avenge his fallen friend. And yet, I still love this scene. Not just because Aragorn socking a six-foot-something monster in the face was undoubtedly cool but because the preceding moment stays true to Tolkien’s writing of how terrible and grim war is, and how heartbreaking it is lose someone close even in the battle for life and freedom. It’s fan-created, but it honors the spirit of the story.

But let’s table that for later…

The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power is the latest series from Amazon Prime Video and created by Patrick McKay and John D. Payne. It stars Morfydd Clark, Charlie Vickers, Robert Aramayo, Owain Arthur, Ismael Cruz Córdova, Nazanin Boniadi, Tyroe Muhafidin, Lloyd Owen, Maxim Baldry, Ema Horvath, Markella Kavenagh, Megan Richards, Daniel Weyman, Cynthia Addai-Robinson, and Trystan Gravelle.

The series acts as prequel to The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings being set during the Second Age, before the crafting of the Rings of Power and the fall of Sauron during the War of the Last Alliance. It follows the personal quests of elves, men, proto hobbits and mysterious entities all over Middle-earth.

But how is it?

Fair warning, Spoilers are to follow.

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New In Review: Hocus Pocus 2

The original Hocus Pocus, while not a financial success, found new life thanks to airings on the Disney Channel. While undeniably a product of the early 90’s, it found its audience thanks to its ham-performances (Bette Midler in particular), simple but effective message, and Disney’s then bold attempts of sneaking un-PG jokes past the censors. Since then it’s become a staple of the Halloween season and a cult classic for the Millennial generation. And now twenty-nine years later, we have a sequel.

Hocus Pocus 2 was directed by Anne Fletcher and its story by David Kirschner, Blake Harris and Jen D’Angelo. It features the return of Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker and Kathy Najimy as the witchy Sanderson sisters Winifred, Sarah and Mary. Doug Jones also returns as from the original as Billy Butcherson. It also stars Whitney Peak, Lila Buckingham, Belissa Escobedo, Froy Gutierrez, Sam Richardson, Tony Hale, and Hannah Waddingham.

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Season Review: The Cuphead Show! Season 2

The Cuphead Show! returns to Netflix with another season of its trademark wackiness. Tru Valentino and Frank Todaro return as Cuphead and Mugman alongside Grey Griffin as Ms. Chalice, Joe Hanna as Elder Kettle, Luke Millington-Drake as the Devil, and Wayne Brady as Mr. King Dice. New additions include Keith Ferguson as Bowlboy, Jason Vande Brake as Captain Brineybeard, Natasia Demetriou as Cala Maria, Zoë Moss as Baroness Von Bon Bon, and Chris Kattan as Werner Werman.

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Season Review: Tekken: Bloodline

Tekken: Bloodline is the latest anime from Netflix and an adaptation of the fighting game series by Bandai Namco Entertainment and was directed by Yoshikazu Miyao. It’s English dub stars Kaiji Tang as Jin Kazama, Vivian Lu as Jun Kazama, Todd Haberkorn as Hwoarang, Faye Mata as Ling Xiaoyu, Jamieson Price reprises his role of Paul Phoenix as well as Dr. Bosconovitch, Jeannie Tirado as Julia Chang, Erika Thatcher as Nina Williams, Earl Baylon as Ganryu, Krizz Kaliko as Leroy Smith, Masayuki Hirai as King II, Judy Alice Lee as Ms. Miura, Bill Butts as Ogre and S. Hiroshi Watanabe as Heihachi Mishima.

The six-episode series begins as an interquel between Tekken 2 and Tekken 3 before the story moves into the plot of the third game. Acting as an origin story for Jin Kazama, it follows him after the death of his mother at the hands of the ancient spirit of battle, Ogre. Seeking revenge and the power to vanquish his mother’s killer, he trains under the cruel tutelage of his grandfather, Heihachi Mishima. Heihachi plans to create a new King of Iron Fist Tournament to draw out Ogre and use Jin as his means of studying the ancient evil. But at the tournament, Jin learns about the hidden depths of the other competitors, the dark secrets of the Mishima Zaibatsu, and the terrifying power within his own blood. And the battle between himself and Ogre may determine the path of his very soul.

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Season Review: The Sandman

The Sandman is the latest graphic novel adaptation from Netflix and is based on the DC/Vertigo comic of the same name by Neil Gaiman, Sam Kieth and Mike Dringenberg. It stars Tom Sturridge as Morpheus, a.k.a. Dream of the Endless, Kirby Howell-Baptiste as his sister Death, Mason Alexander Park and Donna Preston as Desire and Despair. It also features Kyo Ra and Eddie Karanja as Rose and Jed Walker, Razane Jammal as Lyta Hall, Sandra James-Young as Unity Kincaid, Gwendoline Christie as Lucifer, Boyd Holbrook as the Corinthian, David Thewlis as John Dee, Jenna Coleman as Johanna Constantine, Vivienne Acheampong as Lucienne the Librarian, Sanjeev Bhaskar and Asim Chaudhry as Cain and Abel, Ferdinand Kingsley as Hob Gadling, Stephen Fry as Gilbert, Patton Oswalt as Matthew the Raven, Mark Hamill as Mervyn Pumpkinhead and Charles Dance as Sir Roderick Burgess.

Acting as an amalgamation of the first two volumes Preludes and Nocturnes and The Doll’s House; after being held captive by a cult for over a century, Morpheus of the Endless finds his domain The Dreaming in complete disarray with dreams and nightmares let loose on the human world. Now he must rebuild his world, reclaim his sacred treasures, bring back his lost subjects to his realm. But the journey is long and difficult as he must contend with the forces of Hell, the machinations of his siblings, the victims and abusers of his lost powers, a phenomenon that threatens the very barrier of the worlds and his own personal demons.

Ever since the graphic novel came out in the late 80’s there has been some attempt to adapt it for live-action. But the dark, moody, and introspective comic isn’t exactly something that transitions well to the big screen as seen in the failed attempt to make it into a traditional superhero movie back in 2013.

So how did Netflix do?

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New In Review: Prey

Prey is the latest movie of the Predator film series, like its predecessors it’s an action/survival horror film. Directed by Dan Trachtenberg, it stars Amber Midthunder, Dakota Beavers, Stormee Kipp, Michelle Thrush, Julian Black Antelope, and Dane DiLiegro as the Predator.

Acting as a prequel of sorts, the film is about Naru (Midthunder), a young Comanche trying to prove herself as a hunter to the men of her tribe and especially to her elder brother Taabe

The Predator films have gone through a large case of ups and downs ever since the first Arnold Schwarzenegger movie premiered back in 1987. What ultimately made that movie such a classic was how seamlessly it shifted from a typical 80’s action piece to a sci-fi horror; establishing how badass Arnold and his crew are before throwing them against an unknowable horror that’s bigger, stronger, better equipped, and a better hunter than any of them. The cat-and-mouse game between the alien juggernaut and Arnie made it truly unique and in my opinion helped it endure the test of time. Unfortunately, the sequels that followed never seemed to quite get it; sometimes relying more on action, other times dumping so much exposition that it took out the air of mystery that helped create suspense in the original. And sometimes putting in so many nonsensical story decisions that it became impossible for the movie to be taken seriously, like in 2018’s The Predator.

So how did this one do?

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Season Review: Obi-Wan Kenobi

Obi-Wan Kenobi is the latest miniseries for the Star Wars franchise for Disney+ and was written by Joby Harold and directed by Deborah Chow. It features the return of Ewan McGregor as the titular character, Hayden Christiansen and James Earl Jones as Darth Vader, Jimmy Smits as Bail Organa, and Joel Edgerton and Bonnie Piesse as Owen and Beru Lars. Newcomers include Vivian Lyra Blair as a young Princess Leia, Grant Feely as a young Luke Skywalker. Moses Ingram as Reva the Third Sister, Rupert Friend as the Grand Inquisitor, Sung Kang as the Fifth Brother, Kumail Nanjiani, Indira Varma, O’Shea Jackson Jr., Simone Kessel and Michael “Flea” Balzary.

Set ten years after Revenge of the Sith, Obi-Wan continues his life in exile on Tatooine; living a solitary life watching over a young Luke Skywalker and avoiding the watchful eye of the Empire. But when a kidnapping plot forces him off-world, Obi-Wan is forced to battle his own demons and trauma even while being placed in the crosshairs of the Inquisitorious and his former apprentice, Darth Vader.

Warning: the following will contain SPOILERS

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New In Review: Chip ‘N Dale Rescue Rangers

Back in the late 80’s, animation writer and director Tad Stones pitched an animated series on The Rescuers to Disney. Since a sequel to the 70’s movie was already underway, the idea was reworked until it would feature Chip and Dale from the classic Disney shorts. Together with Monterey Jack (a boisterous, Australian mouse), Zipper (his plucky but mostly unintelligible fly sidekick) and Gadget Hackwrench (a sweet though kind of out-there inventor) the team solved mysteries and fought crime in the human world and the animal society that went beneath human notice. The success of the show alongside other shows like Talespin and Darkwing Duck helped create the Disney Afternoon programming, making another staple of the Animation Renaissance that went from the late 80’s to the early 2000’s.

This movie is nothing like that.

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New In Review: Sonic the Hedgehog 2

Sonic the Hedgehog 2 is the sequel to the 2020 live-action adaptation of the Sonic the Hedgehog video game franchise and was directed by Jeff Fowler. It features Ben Schwartz as Sonic, Idris Elba as Knuckles the Echidna, Colleen O’Shaughnessey as Tails and Jim Carrey as Dr. Robotnik. James Marsden, Tika Sumpter, Natasha Rothwell, Adam Pally, Shemar Moore, Lee Majdoub, Effina Luk, Melody Nosipho Niemann and Tom Butler round out the cast.

Picking up not long after the end of the first movie, Sonic the Hedgehog has settled in pretty well with his new family of Tom (Marsden) and Maddie (Sumpter) in Green Hills while occasionally moonlighting as a superhero. But when Robotnik returns from his off world exile thanks to a new antagonist Knuckles, Sonic will have to team up with Tails (seen at the end of the first movie) to defeat him and prevent the mad doctor from acquiring a mysterious relic that ties to both Sonic and Knuckles’ past.

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