Awix (3310 KP) rated The New Mutants (2020) in Movies
Aug 31, 2020
Interesting idea to do a horror movie using Marvel characters: the problem is that this one isn't very frightening (flat characters and too much bland CGI); the script and performances aren't strong enough to support the introspective tone and inert feel of the movie. Plus, the story is built around a conceit which is very, very easy to guess if you're familiar with these characters. A couple of half-decent performances and the climax (when it most resembles a conventional superhero movie) acquires a certain momentum, but it feels very drab and pointless. Maybe the corporate politics that have kept the film stuck on a shelf for years haven't helped, but I doubt this could ever have been much more impressive.
The World Needs More Purple People
Kristen Bell and Benjamin Hart
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Actress, producer, and parent Kristen Bell (The Good Place, Veronica Mars, Frozen) and creative...
Emoji Characters and Smileys Free!
Catalogs and Productivity
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The Frame-Up (The Golden Arrow Mysteries Book 1)
6.0
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By day she writes comic books. By night, she lives them. MG Martin lives and breathes geek...
Fallout: Lois Lane
10.0
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Lois Lane is starting a new life in Metropolis. An Army brat, Lois has lived all over—and seen all...
lois lane superhero superman clark kent young adult
Super Fun Sexy Time
8.7
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Cartoonist Meredith McClaren (Hinges) tells five short, sexy stories featuring superheroes,...
Erotica Superheroes
David McK (3880 KP) rated Shazam! (2019) in Movies
Apr 17, 2019 (Updated Jul 14, 2024)
I was also quite surprised by how dark/scary parts of this were for a child-friendly film, with it really only lightening up once the 14 year old Billy Batson gets his powers and transforms into Zachary Levis's adult superhero (but still with his child's mind).
With a subplot concerning family - one strand of which could probably have been handled better - and Levi knocking it out of the park (I'll admit, the TV series Chuck in which he starred is one of my favourites) as Shazam, this is one of the better entries in DC growing catalogue of movies.
David McK (3880 KP) rated Batman the Killing Joke in Books
Jan 28, 2019 (Updated Sep 26, 2025)
Commonly cited as one the best Batman stories (after [b:The Dark Knight Returns|59960|Batman The Dark Knight Returns|Frank Miller|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1327892039s/59960.jpg|1104159]), The Killing Joke is, in reality, an origin story.
However, rather than being the origin story of a Superhero, this takes the somewhat unusual idea of being that of a villain instead: in this case, how did the most Notorious (and deadly) of Batman's foes - The Joker - come to be how he is?
This also draws parallels between The Joker and Batman himself, depicting them each as, if you will, two sides of the same coin - both have had a very bad day, but each have reacted to it differently (or have they?).
Personally, I feel that the origins of The Joker would have been better left to mystery rather than detailed as in this story; however, that's not denying that this is a good (if short) read in its own right.
David McK (3880 KP) rated Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (2021) in Movies
Nov 21, 2021
We've had Origin stories (upon origin story upon origins story ...)
We've had 'fish out of water' comedies (see: Thor)
We've had outright sci-fi/sci-fantasy (see: Guardians of the Galaxy)
We've had political thrillers (see: Captain America: The Winter Soldier)
We've had team-up (see: The Avengers)
We've had crime capers (See: Ant-man)
Up until now, we've had no Martial Arts movies (sorry, Netflix's 'Iron Fist': you don't count as a movie).
We've also had no movies with a mainly Asian cast. Until now.
This also brings back the 10 Rings organisation (first name-dropped all the way back in 2008's 'Iron Man'), with the plot outline of the movie actually quite different than what I expected - lots of Martial Arts sequences (the fight on the bamboo scaffolding is a high-light), the usual Marvel musings on family, and one or two character inclusions that I wasn't expecting (but really should have been) ...