Into the DC Murderverse: "Suicide Squad"

 "Suicide Squad" (2016)

After the gritty, abysmal "Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice," it appeared that the DCEU was going to to into a completely different direction. The trailer for "Suicide Squad" showed a movie that felt bright, and zany and kind of psychotic, perfect for a squad of villains working for their government against their will. It would introduce Harley Quinn, one of the most popular characters in the DC universe. Even if "BvS" left a bad taste in your mouth, "Suicide Squad felt like the movie that would right the ship. 

Principal photography on "Suicide Squad" began on April 13, 2015 and concluded at the end of August 2014. The film stars Will Smith as Floyd Lawton/Deadshot, Margot Robbie as Dr. Harleen Quinzel/Harley Quinn, Viola Davis as Amanda Waller, Joel Kinnaman as Col. Rick Flag, Jai Courtney as George "Digger" Harkness/Captain Boomerang, Jay Hernandez as Chato Santana/Diablo, Adele Akinnuoye-Agbaje as Waylon Jones/Killer Croc, Cara Delevigne as Dr. June Moon/Enchantress, Karen Fukuhara as Tatsu Yamashiro/Katana, Scott Eastwood as "GQ" Edwards, Jared Leto as The Joker and Viola Davis as Amanda Waller. The film was written and directed by David Ayer. "Suicide Squad" was released on August 5, 2016.

A Long Time Ago, During the Clone Wars: "Bombad Jedi" & "Cloak of Darkness"

 Star Wars The Clone Wars

Hey, remember when the prequel trilogy came out and they made that big hullabaloo about the new fully computer generated "Star Wars" character? Then it came out and he was annoying garbage. The prequels ended and you thought, "Well, at least, I won't have to think about Jar Jar Binks again, or at least not have him be the focus of any sort of future 'Star Wars' plot." Um...

"In the Name of the Moon" Re-Watch: "Usagi's Joy: A Love Letter From Tuxedo Mask" & "The Summer, the Beach, Youth and Ghosts"

 Sailor Moon

If you are only familiar with the shoddy DiC dub of "Sailor Moon," you were probably a little surprised by the second episode in this post. A little sidebar here, I am a member of a "Sailor Moon" fan group on Facebook and members are routinely referring to Usagi and Mamoru by their English dub names of Serena and Darien and it's really hard for me not to be snooty and be like, "Those aren't their names."

"I Am the Night" Re-watch: "Joker's Millions" & "Growing Pains"

 The New Batman Adventures

You know you're in for a treat when you are getting ready to watch a Paul Dini Joker focused episode of TNBA and this is the first one of this new season. So let's get right to it.

"The Truth Is Still Out There" Re-Watch: "Space" & "Fallen Angel"

 The X-Files

Guess what, everyone?! Today, we are going to chat about maybe the worst episode in season one. Isn't that a tease? Aren't you just so excited to read what's coming up? I know you are. It's waiting for you. Right after the jump.

Re-Visiting the Marvel Cinematic Universe: Avengers: Infinity War

 "Avengers: Infinity War" (2018)

It's crazy to think that everything for the first ten years of the MCU was leading to this. Thanos and his search for the Infinity Stones and his confrontation with the heroes of the MCU begins its culmination in this film. I'm going to just say this from the start, this is one of my favorite MCU films. I prefer it to Endgame. I will die on this hill.

Principal photography began in January 2017 and wrapped in July 2017. The film stars Chris Evans as Steve Rogers/Captain America, Robert Downey, Jr as Tony Stark/Iron Man, Chris Hemsworth as Thor, Scarlet Johansson as Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow, Mark Ruffalo as Bruce Banner/Hulk, Don Cheadle as James "Rhodey" Rhodes/War Machine, Benedict Cumberbatch as Doctor Stephen Strange, Tom Holland as Peter Parker/Spider-Man, Chadwick Boseman as T'Challa/Black Panther, Elizabeth Olsen as Wanda Maximoff/Scarlet Witch, Paul Bettany as Vision, Anthony Mackie as Sam Wilson/The Falcon, Sebastian Stan as James Buchanan "Bucky" Barnes/Winter Soldier, Chris Pratt as Peter Quill/Star Lord, Zoe Saldana as Gamora, Dave Bautista as Drax, Karen Gillan as Nebula, Pom Klementieff as Mantis, Bradley Cooper as Rocket, Vin Diesel as Groot, Gwyneth Paltrow as Virginia "Pepper" Potts, Benicio Del Toro as Taneleer Tivan/The Collector, Peter Dinklage as Eltri. Tom Hiddleston as Loki, Idris Elba as Heimdall and Josh Brolin as Thanos. The film was written by Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely. It was directed by Anthony and Joe Russo. "Avengers: Infinity War" was released on April 27, 2018.

Into the DC Murderverse: "Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice"

 "Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice" (2016)

Man, I am a sucker. One of the major downfalls of being a huge fanboy is that it becomes easy to forget past transgressions when you feel like your fanboy ness is being catered to. This is exactly what happened to me when Zack Snyder announced "BvS: DoJ" at San Diego Comic Con. I completely forgot about the hot, shitty mess that was "Man of Steel," because icons were finally going to be on screen together for the first time. And if Batman and Superman weren't enough, they were going to introduce Wonder Woman. I'm a huge Diana fan so like, that was all it took. They released the trailer and it looked not bad. I wasn't sold on Jesse Eisenberg as Lex, but I was a Batfleck supporter. I was so gullible. Sigh.

Principal photography on "Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice" began in May 2014 and concluded in December 2014. The film stars Ben Affleck as Bruce Wayne/Batman, Henry Cavill as Clark Kent/Superman, Gal Gadot as Diana Prince/Wonder Woman, Amy Adams as Lois Lane, Jeremy Irons as Alfred Pennyworth, Laurence Fishburne as Perry White, Diana Lane as Martha Kent, Holly Hunter as June Finch and Jesse Eisenberg as Lex Luthor. The film was written by Chris Terrio and David S. Goyer. It was directed by Zack Snyder. "Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice" was released on March 25, 2016.

A Long Time Ago During the Clone Wars: "Rookies," "Downfall of a Droid" & "Duel of the Droids"

 Star Wars The Clone Wars

Have you been yearning for more R2-D2 during your "Star Wars: The Clone Wars" viewing experience so far? If so, then these episodes are right up your alley. Let's get to it.

"In the Name of the Moon" Re-Watch: "Usagi's a Model: The Flash of the Monster Camera" & "Shingo's Love: The Grieving Doll"

 Sailor Moon

Woot. Our first "Sailor Moon" recap of 2021. As far as the gals are concerned, it is business as usual, so let's go ahead and dive right in.

"I Am the Night" Re-Watch: "You Scratch My Back" & "Never Fear"

 The New Batman Adventures

New year, same "The New Batman Adventures." We've got a broodier Batman, a brattier Robin, questionable character redesigns and now we have Nightwing. Keep reading for Dick Grayson's first appearance as not Robin.

"The Truth Is Still Out There" Re-Watch: "Ghosts in the Machine" & "Ice"

 The X-Files

So, we have trudged through some mediocre "X-Files " episode the past couple of blog posts, but I have good news for you, dear reader. We are kicking of 2021 with one of the best episodes in season 1. So, woot!!

Re-Visiting the Marvel Cinematic Universe: Black Panther

 "Black Panther" (2018)

Watching "Black Panther" again to write this blog post was a bittersweet experience. As you are fully aware, Chadwick Boseman, the actor who played T'Challa, passed away from colon cancer in August of last year. It's a tragedy that this was his first and only chance to star in a solo film based on Marvel's most famous African American super hero. It was also a triumph. Objectively the best Marvel movie that has been released up to today. It was the first Marvel movie with a predominantly African American cast and with an African American director. It was critically acclaimed, landing on a number of year end "best of" lists for 2018. It is the only Marvel movie to be nominated for the "Best Picture" Oscar.

Principal photography began on "Black Panther" in January 2017 and wrapped in April 2017. The film starred Chadwick Boseman as T'Challa/Black Panther, Michael B. Jordan as N'Jadaka/Erik "Killmonger" Stevens, Lupita Nyong'o as Nakia, Danai Gurira as Okoye, Daniel Kaluuya as W'Kabi, Letitia Wright as Shuri, Winston Duke as M'Baku, Martin Freeman as Everett Ross, Andy Serkis as Ulysses Klaue, Forest Whitaker as Zuri and Angela Bassett as Queen Ramonda. The film was written by Ryan Coogler and John Robert Cole. It was directed by Ryan Coogler. "Black Panther" was released on February 16, 2018.