Daredevil SN1 EP10 – ‘ Nelson v. Murdoch ‘
After last week’s blockbuster episode, it should be no surprise that there would be a bit of a slower episode. “Speak of the Devil” ended on a HUGE cliffhanger and this episode has to pick up the pieces. Foggy has found Matt broken and battered from his conflict with Fisk and his men. A large part of this episode is a simple battle of wits between Nelson and Murdoch.
One of the highlights of this episode is that after being a secondary character, Foggy finally gets a little character development. He is rightfully upset as he feels his friend has lied to him for all this time. His reactions feel natural as he seems appropriately upset about a major bombshell being dropped, but is conflicted that it came from someone so near and dear to him. Foggy’s smart-alecky personality lends itself to featuring a little more comic relief in this episode – not exactly a laugh-a-minute riot, but the humor seems natural for how someone as sarcastic as Foggy would respond in this situation.
This episode reveals a lot of the backstory between the two. They were in law school together where Foggy was the joker and the girl chaser while Matt was the more serious student. They worked at a law firm but quit when Matt’s abilities gave him insight that their bosses were bilking people before starting their own firm. These scenes are effective on a few levels – Matt and Foggy have chemistry, plus showing them in this episode creates a great contrast between the friendship they used to have and how things have turned out.
B-plots include a story reveals a few more shades of Fisk’s personality as he actually shows a willingness to go legit… until something happens. Also, Karen and Urich are on the hunt for information about Fisk, eventually leading them to Fisk’s mother. The Karen Urich sideplot may be a side dish, but it’s welcome with the main entree.
Overall, this is a solid episode. It is one of the lightest on action – the only time we see the Devil in action is a quick flashback when he roughed a child abuser – but it is effective. Foggy becomes a little more fleshed out, as does his relationship with Matt. The B-plots are engaging enough while keeping the season’s story going.
WWE Battleground ’16 Review
Bayley and Sasha Banks vs. Charlotte and Dana Brooke
Not gonna lie – I kinda saw Bayley as the extra woman coming. This is one of those times where I saw it coming because it was a good idea. Considering the talented women in this ring, it should be no surprise that these four put on one heck of a good match. They kept the flow going without relying too much on the babyface in peril trope. All four women had chances to shine – these women make me wish the booking team was willing to give them the time the NXT gave them to have matches. Boxing them into less-than-10-minute matches limits them a bit. However, Bayley and Sasha got the duke when Sasha made Charlotte tap out to the Banks Statment. Seeing these two win was a satisfying opener
Overall Rating: 3.5 stars (Out of 5)
The New Day vs. The Wyatt Family
This match was a mixed bag. The first half was extremely slow, but the second half was was A LOT more exciting. (I can’t help but think how much better this would have been if the most talented Wyatt Family member Luke Harper weren’t out with injury.) Braun Strowman spent a lot of this match carrying things, and… Let’s just say I don’t think letting him be by himself on Raw won’t do Mr. Strowman any favors. The idea of Woods being intimidated by Bray was fun, and despite knocking it previously, The first half had a lot of slow punching while the second half featured a lot of mad scrambles with Xavier Woods needing to fight off most of the team himself. Big E performed his outside spear which normally I like, but after seeing him land RIGHT ON HIS HEAD, I’m starting to think maybe he should retire that move. Bray pinned Woods after a Sister Abigail. This was one of those matches where either team would have been acceptable, but I felt Bray needed the win just a little more.
Overall Rating: 3 Stars
Rusev vs. Zack Ryder – US Champion
Before the match, Lana cut an absolutely brilliant heel promo – seriously, who tried to push this woman as a babyface? This was very much an old school patriot vs. foreign enemy battle (which makes sense because Rusev is pretty good in his role as old school foreign villain). While there were a few too many rest holds, the match was overall solid – including a neat spot where Ryder performed a missile dropkick off the guardrail. The ending had a little storytelling where Ryder cost himself the match by trying to go for a top-rope elbow after hitting the Rough Ryder. Rusev won with the Accolade. Ryder may have tapped, but he at least looked like a champion. Also, Mojo Rawley came out to Ryder’s rescue. This was a pretty good balance between putting the right guy over while still making the fan favorite(s) look good.
Overall rating: 3.25 Stars
Sami Zayn vs. Kevin Owens
Zayn and Owens have been involved in a veritable blood feud (minus the blood) so this was a match to get excited for. The match started a little slow with some rest holds. But did it pick up? And how! There were some intense spots with Owens landing a pop-up powerbomb and Zayn just barely reaching the rope. We Zayn’s through-the-rope DDT, always a fun sight. Owens performed an impressive-looking frog splash. Zayn performed an absolutely insane-looking suplex onto the ringside (I’d worry about him, but I was still worried about Big E after falling onto his head). The ending was dramatic – Zayn performed the Helluva kick, but that didn’t knock Owens out. Zayn cradled his former friend, and realized what he had to do, perform a second Helluva kick and win the match.
Overall rating: 4.25 Stars
Natalya vs. Becky Lynch
Reading most of these matches, the right people went over in most matches. I guess the booking team was due to get at least one wrong. This was a decent match – as should be expected by two of the most talented women on the roster. There was a good combination of technical prowess and brawling. But sadly, Becky Lynch lost after tapping to the Sharpshooter. I like Natalya and all – she’s a hard worker who’s toughed out some pretty rough treatment. But I resent seeing Becky Lynch lose… again. Jim Cornette once said “Mad sells, but sad doesn’t.” Becky is a legit fan favorite so seeing her consistently lose doesn’t stir up the feeling that she’s going to eventually topple these foes, but just hammers home that it’s going to keep happening.
Overall Rating: 2.75 Stars
The Miz vs. Darren Young – Intercontinental Championship Match
Okay, the booking team was due for TWO misfires this evening. Giving the actual competitors credit, they actually did a decent job in the ring. However, the match ended in a double countout when Maryse started fighting with Darren Young’s manager Bob Backlund (who did NOT force anyone to recite the US Presidents in order). The two brawled outside, much to the delight of nobody.
Overall Rating: 1.75 Stars
Big Cass, Enzo Amore and John Cena vs. AJ Styles and The Club
Despite having a “This could happen on Raw” vibe to it, the match was pretty solid. There was some exciting action as the members of the Club confronted Enzo and Big Cass. Enzo was fun in his role as someone too brave and/or crazy to back down from a fight between Anderson or Gallows. All of these guys kept the flow going. Cena got the duke when he pinned Styles after an Attitude Adjustment. This feels like a necessity as everything about this opens the door for another one-on-one match at Summerslam.
Overall Rating: 3.5 Stars
Between this and the main event was the Highlight Reel featuring Randy Orton. As much as I dislike this sort of thing happening at PPVs instead of on TV, this was serviceable. I probably could have written about what happened without even seeing this promo – Chris Jericho taunted the crowd and Orton in the way only he can, Orton played his usual icy self (bookers wanting to get Roman over, take note: A stonefaced, icy babyface can get over with the crowd). Randy Orton hit the RKO – probably could have been done on Raw/Smackdown, but not bad either.
Dean Ambrose vs. Seth Rollins vs. Roman Reigns – WWE Championship
What we have here is a veritable dream match – all three members of the Shield facing each other in a triple threat match. With the Raw and Smackdown GM’s at ringside, I was nervous that this would turn into a schmaltz about them – especially since a big draw was the battle over which brand would control the World Title. With three of the best guys on the roster, three guys who showed their star potential when they were in a stable together, it should be no surprise they had an epic bout. All three men had moments to shine – Reigns powered out of the Pedigree in a way that needs to be seen, Rollins and Ambrose performed a double powebomb on Reigns through the Spanish announce table, Dean performed some outside dives, and Reigns did his dropkick across the bottom rope. The ending was a nailbiter where Reigns scored a spear on Rollins, then Ambrose scored Dirty Deeds on Reigns for the win.
Ambrose was the right guy for many reasons – In addition to being the fan favorite, Reigns and Rollins can resume their feud without the championship, and having the championship on Smackdown helps solidify that Smackdown is not just the B-show. Dean Ambrose being hoisted up like a hero by the Smackdown was the type of feel-good happy ending that WWE needs to do more often.
Overall Rating: 4.25 Stars
Overall, Battleground was a solid show. Sandwiched between two major pay per views, many matches had a TV vibe to them, but most of them were decent – with the IC title match and Becky Lynch jobbing (a… gain) being the only lowlights. The right people went over in most matches (I must emphasize MOST matches). The stellar triple threat and Zayn/Owens just missed the mark were worth the price of admission.
Daredevil SN1 EP9 – ‘ Speak Of The Devil ‘
This review does contain spoilers. You’ve been warned.
From the opening moment of Daredevil being hit in the face, this episode makes it clear that it will hit viewers head on and not back down. These fight scenes between the devil and a Japanese assailant are inter-cut between the main plot. Matt is facing another crisis – he knows he has to take out Fisk for the good of the city however he has another dilemma not just from a legal standpoint but from his faith. Murdock talking with his priest offer great emotional intensity and create conflict.
Matt tries to bring down Kingpin both in and out of costume. Ben Urich approaches them with an article that exposes Fisk. However, Murdock knows there has to be some validation or Fisk will have a libel case. So we do see scenes of Matt working undercover as Matt, which is a unique touch. The plot about Nelson and Murdock trying to tackle Fisk legally works because Karen and Foggy have a little more action after feeling like side characters in so many episodes. They have more emotional stakes as they are coping with the death of Elena, one of their first clients. She died because of Fisk’s poorly built houses which is giving them a little more legal standing. Unfortunately for them, Fisk is still able to put on his public facade.
Daredevil is in action. As the Devil of Hell’s Kitchen, Matt circumvents the law – as he does – to track down the men Kingpin is working with. This leads to the aforementioned BRUTAL fight. The assassin wields a weapon which tears Matt apart – plenty of blood is shown. We even see someone set on fire! Adding injury to injury, the Devil has his first one-on-one battle with Kingpin. This is not some climatic battle of honor – Kingpin mercilessly whales on the Devil in another gruesome battle with Matt just barely escaping after taking some serious hits. The cherry on the sundae is that after everything this episode ends on a huge cliffhanger with Foggy discovering Matt under the mask.
This episode is just the total package – great psychology and character development. The action scenes are intense and it builds suspense for the next episode.
Daredevil SN1 EP8 – ‘ Shadows in the Glass ‘
After a few high-octane, high-stakes episodes, Daredevil was due for a slower episode. It’s just good-storytelling. Pretending for a second Daredevil season 1 were a 13-hour action movie, people need a break from action. Even in movies like Die Hard and Speed, there are breaks in the action. This episode is largely an origin story for Wilson Fisk. Kingpin has proven to be such an engaging, dynamic character that he can carry an episode that’s a little lighter on action.
We learn about Fisk’s past in this episode. His father was a wannabe politician who was also abusive toward his son and his wife. The scenes of the abuse are uncomfortable, but in a way that works. After all, this is a touchy subject so if it were anything but uncomfortable, the people behind the scenes wouldn’t be doing their jobs. The scenes with the young Fisk are effective in explaining Fisk’s psychology. His dad was violent but had a unique honor system – he was running for mayor because he wanted to do what was right for the city, he wants his son to stand up for himself. However, he takes his ideals a little too far in the wrong direction. He even goes out of his way to rough up someone for bullying his son. And that is fascinating because that is the kind of man Wilson Fisk grew up to be. He wants to save Hell’s Kitchen, but he does so with violence. After all, the young Wilson had to overcome his father’s violence WITH violence.
The psychology in the episode is also fascinating because in most other media, someone who stood up to an abusive father and overcame them would be a hero. And that’s part of the brilliance – Fisk finally comes out to the open and presents himself as the hero. He presents himself as a hero who is trying to save the city from the Devil of Hell’s Kitchen. We already know how dangerous and violent Kingpin is, but this adds an extra layer to the character – he does these things but now has the trust of the city. Vincent D’Onofrio’s acting is brilliant as he plays someone still coping with the mental scars of his past. Even though he is not the focus, Murcock/The Devil still has a role in this episode. His scenes are exciting, but Kingpin is the real star of this episode.
Overall, despite being a little slower and light on action, this is an engaging episode from a psychological perspective. We delve deeper into the biggest villain of the series, learn a little more about why he is the way he is and just how much power he has.
Terminal (Short Film)
Check out the IMDB page: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3534090/?ref_=nm_knf_i2
Tarantino Talks Retirement
Quentin Tarantino is one of the most influential directors since the 90’s. However, recently, it sounds Tarantino may be winding down his career. The man has said that he will direct 10 films and then retire. Hateful 8 was in fact his eighth film, so if he’s good to his word, the man only has two more films left in him.
What does Tarantino’s retirement mean? Quentin Tarantino is a director who does not tackle projects in vein. While some directors seem to crank out a new film every year (at least it feels that way), QT is a man who doesn’t mind pacing himself a little. There was a six year gap between Jackie Brown and Kill Bill, with three year gaps often occurring between films. Tarantino takes his time with filming movies that he actually emphasizes the number of films in the marketing. Hateful Eight was sold as the Eighth film he’s directed. Imagine the pressure if a film were in fact marketed as the final film of Tarantino.
In a way, this may be the reason Quentin Tarantino wants to retire. To paraphrase the Dark Knight, it seems Tarantino wants to die a hero rather than live long enough to become the villain. Many of those directors who make films more often have made mistakes. Woody Allen – who literally has made a film every year since Annie Hall – is extremely hit and miss in his films. Ridley Scott went through a bit of slump after American Gangster before returning to form with The Martian. Steven Spielberg has shown his feet of clay with movies such as Always and Lost World: Jurassic Park. It seems that because Tarantino has been so choosey about his projects, he has very few blemishes on his resume.
Two of the films that are considered his weaker films are the aforementioned Jackie Brown and Death Proof. I actually enjoy both movies, but agree they are not Tarantino’s best. I think they suffer from being weaker for his standards. When a man’s report cards is filled with A’s, a few B’s tend to stand out. Oddly enough, both films suffer from opposite reasons – Jackie Brown was a little too familiar while Death Proof was too different. In a way, that is one of the commendable facts about Tarantino – a lot of directors fall down by doing the same thing over and over, QT fell on his face by at least taking a risk that simply didn’t pay off. Another blemish was the mediocre compilation film Four Rooms – realistically, that also can’t be held against Tarantino since HIS segment was good. We also can’t hold his first film My Best Friend’s Birthday against him since it was a first film – if anything, shades of brilliance were demonstrated early.
So what will Tarantino do after retirement? The man himself once said that he wants to be an eccentric old man who runs a theater. That sounds awesome on certain levels. Tarantino has also said he’s only going to DIRECT 10 films. It is possible he plans to work in other capacities. He has produced films such as Hostel, which has helped up and coming directors make a name for themselves. Tarantino hasn’t written a film he didn’t direct since From Dusk til Dawn in 1996. Tarantino has had a bad relationship with directors working on films he only wrote. Although they were excellent films, Tarantino was unhappy with the way they turned out. Still, times have changed so if Tarantino were to write without directing, he may have more influence. Even if he does not write full screenplays for other directors, he has done script doctoring on films such as Crimson Tide (and you can see his fingerprints in some of the dialogue). So that is one way Tarantino can influence directors if he does not want to direct anymore.
Also, there is another factor. When I think of retirements, I think of another director who never really did a bad thing – Hayao Miyazaki. Miyazaki also said he was going to retire several times, both before and after his magnum opus Spirited Away. However, his retirement did not seem to stick until The Wind Rises (a good film to go out on). Tarantino does not seem to be the kind of guy who would say he’s retiring just for publicity. Though perhaps if he has anymore ideas, memories of how his other scripts were treated will spark his directing bug again. Either way, Tarantino has won 2 Oscars and directed stone classics such as Pulp Fiction and Django Unchained. So if he does retire in the near future, he is a filmmaker of few regrets.
Daredevil SN1 EP7 – ‘Stick’
After the ante was raised in the last few episodes, Daredevil still has some high standards to live up to. The opening scene affirms that this show is still not pulling its punching. A Japanese gangster is running frantically only to be confronted by a man with a sword. The man unapologetically cuts off the hoodlum’s arm before interrogating him. Even after acquiring the info he needs, the man with the sword murders the Japanese gangster. This man, as the name implies, is Stick. Much of the episode is centered around him and shines some light on Daredevil’s origins.
Admittedly, I know little about Stick’s personality in the comics, but what works about this interpretation is how real this character seems. We’ve seen trainer characters before – there have been characters who are kind of gruff and bust the heroes’ chops and there are mystical characters who know these ancient fighting moves. Stick is a good balance between these common tropes. He shows off some great fighting skills, but he has a real world attitude – he jokes around with Matt (usually at Matt’s expense) and likes to kick back beers. He has a unique world philosophy where he feels his and Matt’s blindness are gifts because it gives them an experience of the world that most people don’t have, but at the same time has a bitter attitude that demonstrates how the world has hardened him. Veteran actor Sam Sheppard dons the role and his gruff, no-nonsense attitude makes this character feel like a genuine human.
Stick is not the only character who is fleshed out. This episode delves into Murdock’s origins. We learn how Stick trained Matt to hone his techniques – he does not just taste vanilla. He tastes the beans, the chemicals and what was on the hands of the man who scooped it. Stick and Daredevil are on the trail of Japanese gangster. There is a unique contrast in philosophy. Stick has been hardened to believe that killing is the only way while Murdock is violent but believes there are limits. The two have some impressive fight scenes. These are cleverly contrasted with scenes of Stick training a young Murdock. We see Stick capture Murdock in a hold then that is cut to Stick holding a young Matt in the same hold, where they discuss philosophy, which cuts back to Matt and Stick fighting in the present.
The fighting scenes are again intense. In the early scenes, we see Matt having a hard time holding his own against the more experienced Stick while later they know each other so well that they can match each other. The writers knew what cards to play – when Stick confronts the thug, it is appropriately violent. However, even though there are scenes where a young Matt is smacked around by Stick, it never feels excessive or made me squeemish. While continuity is present, this episode actually works as a good standalone story and an excellent origin tale.
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