Friday, January 26, 2018

I Know What You Did Last Winter: Cripples, Bastards, and Broken Things

Game of Thrones, Season 1, Episode 4: Cripples, Bastards, and Broken Things




We are back this week as we get introduced to two new characters: Holder and Sam Tarely.
The plots and schemes in the capital continue, Ned makes a huge discovery, and we get the history of where the Dragons went.  Plus Jon makes a new friend, Tyrion begins a list a long line of punk outs of Theon, and Lady Stark makes a decision that has long range consequences.


Podcast also available on ApplePodcast and Stitcher

https://soundcloud.com/brothas-hutchinson/got-cripples-bastards-and-broken-things


Tuesday, January 23, 2018

Kitty and Peter Make it Official









Marvel announced this past week that long time off and on couple, Kitty Pryde and Peter Rasputin- better known as Ariel/Sprite/Shadowcat and Colossus are going to get engaged in X-Men Gold #20.


This relationship has been going on since the 1980's and each person has never really been able to get over the other.  Kitty Pryde even married StarLord and joined the Guardians of the Galaxy yet somehow found her way back to Peter


Look, if you have read or listened to anything we have done at Brothascomics in our almost 3 years of existence, you know that none of the founders of brothascomics is a fan of Kitty Pryde.  The character started off annoying and for some reason, the powers that be at Marvel keep pushing her to be something she is not.  From precocious teen, to Ninja, to all the name changes, to pet Dragons, to adult Kitty, to now leader of the X-Men, and now to once divorced woman, the character has never been interesting enough to carry my interest.








On top of that, there is even talk that Kitty Pryde may even get a solo movie by the people at Fox before the Disney overlords take over in 18 months.  Yep... you ready right... Kitty Pryde getting a solo movie before numerous other X-Men characters... most notably Storm.  It’s a joke, but it’s not funny at all.  I just don't understand it and maybe I am not meant to.  Maybe somewhere, deep in the tunnels of nerdom, there are people that are excited about this.  Maybe there are fans jumping up and down to see Kitty and Peter get married.  Or maybe, this is a big ass publicity stunt to sell some books.  And maybe her getting a movie treatment is further proof that Fox has no idea how powerful and popular Storm is......



So masoltov(sp) Kitty and Peter... Let me know what you want off your gift registry.  Hopefully that girl from the Secret World Planet don't come back to stop the wedding....


The Producer

Friday, January 5, 2018

Movie Review: I, Tonya











Lets take it all the way back to the Winter of 1994... the Producer from Brothascomics was in his last semester of undergrad, student teaching at a middle school full of racist children, and deep in a vow of celibacy that I will explain on a different podcast.




But alas, this was also the time of the Lillihammer Winter Olympics and I assure you, much like today, I am sure I didn't give a damn about it.  Except in 1994, an incident happened that captured the imagination of the entire world( well at least the United States).  In this time before the Olympics, figure skater Nancy Kerrigan had been attacked about 6 weeks before the games and it was speculated that her rival skater, Tonya Harding, was behind the attack.




This is the background of the movie, I, Tonya, starring Margot Robbie as Tonya Harding. I say this is the background because this movie really deals with all the shit that Harding grew up with before that fateful incident in 1994.  Harding grew up poor with a dad who left and a mother who was the absolute worse.  Verbally, emotionally, and physically abusive, her mom made her into a champion but hated her all the way doing it.  Tonya's rough upbringing, even tho she is a quality figure skater, does not make her embraced in the tempermental world of figure skating and this reflects in her scores and lack of admiration from those around figure skating.




As Tonya grows up, she meets a man named Jeff Gilooly, played by Sebastian Stan,  a local town man who really does not have much going for himself.  He works, hangs out with his best friend, Shawn Eckhart,  a man who is full on delusional about his self importance.  Jeff also continues the cycle of abuse with Tonya as their off and on relationship is volatile and physically abusive. 


In one of those good periods, Tonya has really reached her peak as a figure skater.  She becomes he first American woman to hit the triple axl and is now recognized as one of the best figure skaters in the world.  As the 1994 Olympics are coming, Gilooly and his band of idiots want to make sure Tonya wins and they concoct a plan to take out Kerrigan- who is considered her major competition to making the US Olympic team.




What started out as just some death threat  letters turns in the assault on Kerrigan and the 24 hour news cycle that led into it.  Really, 1994 is Ground Zero for the combination of celebrity and crime/events merging together to give us the version of the "news" we have today with much of it being speculation and hype over substance.




Not to spoil but Tonya's Olypmic dream does not work out- like at all and she suffers major consequences for her role in this sorrid affair.  To be honest, I was more interested in what happened to Tonya Harding AFTER all this went away.  How does a person who trained for one event their entire life have all that stripped away and become ridiculed by America- how does one person survive that?




Overall, this movie is excellent.  Margot Robbie plays this role well and really gives some depth and emotion to Tonya Harding.  Sebastian Stan also does a great job playing her husband and provides depth of character that I was not expecting.


Great movie!  It definitely deserves all the Golden Globe nominations it received!






The Producer

Movie Review: Jumanji (2017)












If you have listened to anything I have recorded on a podcast, you know that as much as I like the Rock as a person/personality/wrestler/entertainer, I have generally not been a fan of his movies.  I also tend to think he works "too much" (if that is a thing) and that being visible does not necessarily mean you are making quality work.


When I heard they were remaking Jumanji- and this was shortly after the death of Robin Williams, I was so against it.  Then when I heard the premise and the casting of Kevin Hart, I was even more against it.  Please believe me, I do not hold Robin Williams or the original Jumanji in that high of regard. I just didn't think that movie or many other movies need or warrant a remake- especially with the Rock AND Kevin Hart!


Alas, tho and Christmas break with children forces you to find stuff to do with them and I was off to the Cineplex to see Jumanji 2017. And to my surprise, this movie is actually very entertaining.  The plot revolves around a group of four high school students from diverse backgrounds( think Breakfast Club) who get sent to detention and discover the Jumanji video game adaptation and play it and get sucked into the game to play it to its conclusion.  Each of the main characters have to play out as their avatr-which of course is totally  opposite of their real life persona( MESSAGE).


The movie has all the Kevin Hart humor you could want and you get to see Jack Black do Jack Black things and Karen Gilliam is around to give you a bit of sexy.  But really, the movie is based around the Rock and his ability to charm playing the high school nerd turned tough guy in the game.  He plays the role well and of course crushes the action scenes.


There is a sub plot in the movie which is a throwback to the original but I will not spoil that!  Overall, a very good movie from the Rock et al.  This still doesn't mean I need or want to see Rampage, tho!


The Producer

Is it worth a Redbox: Ninjago







About five years ago, my son was real hot for Lego: Ninjago.  He watched the cartoon all the time and I spent a lot of money and time building Lego sets with him so he could really only play with the figures which is all he cared about anyway.  We even went to LEGOLAND: Orlando because they had opened a Ninjago ride and he was all about that life.  He even went dressed as one of them for Halloween( and he would straight murder me if I posted the pic #onhere) That was five years ago.


When we saw that they were making a Ninjago movie, I thought he would be down with this bit of nostalgia and make me take him.  He was like, "No thanks, Dad". I was kinda shocked.  I mean he really loved this show back then!  His thought process was that he outgrew it and he had no real desire to see the movie.  Then I thought- well I have not seen him play Ninjago recently and he for damn sure had not made me watch the tv show... I guess the Ninjago ship had sailed.


But Christmas breaks leads to many hours in front of the tv with my kids and its hard to find a show/movie that is appropriate for all of us- which leads us to watching the Ninjago movie.


For those who don't know, Ninjago is a Lego based show based around 6 ninja's looking for the Ultimate Weapon to unlock their special powers.  The Green Ninja, played by a kid named Lloyd is the most powerful Ninja of them all, but his father is actually the most evil person in Ninjago- Lord Garmadon.  The tv show is full on quirky and the jokes; although made for younger viewers, were layered so adults could enjoy the show too.  Each Ninja had his own personality and you could really find yourself in one of the Ninja's. The movie doesn't do that.


The movie focuses primarily on Lloyd and his role as the Green Ninja which is a secret to all people in Ninjao- even though everyone knows Lloyd is the son of Lord Garmadon- the villain of the movie who is constantly trying to take over Ninjago and who is constantly thwarted by the Ninja's. The extra focus on Lloyd and his relationship with his Dad pushes all the other Ninja;s to the back- taking away what made the show kinda awesome.  The movie plays out a little like the Lego Movie in a way of focusing on the one character and leaving everyone else in a supporting role of the heroes journey which is kind of a tired, old trope in my opinion.


Overall the movie is really just ok.  I was quite familiar with all the characters and their quirks from watching all the tv episodes with my son and even then, the jokes come off kind of stale and lame and it definitely does not have the biting humor of the Lego movie or the Batman Lego movie. 


Is it worth a Redbox: I guess... if you are really looking for something family oriented for younger kids( under 10) then this is your movie.  I can tell you tho, my 12 year old was not down at all!


The Producer

Thursday, January 4, 2018

Trailers Before The Last Jedi




The Last Jedi has been in theaters for a few weeks already and I forgot to write my review of the movies that are upcoming.

I saw The Last Jedi at my local Regal Cinema and these are the movies coming soon to a theater near you!

Tomb Raider( 2018)



I fell in love with Alicia Vikander from Ex Machina and a Man from U.N.C.L.E and when I heard she was gonna be the new Lara Croft I was kinda of intrigued.  The original Tomb Raider movies with Angelina Jolie were ass cheeks to me so a reboot is not surprising but from the looks of this trailer, the streak of bad video game adaptations will continue.  Thumbs down for me!



Samson




Hollywood loves Bible stories, but not the morality surrounding the book.  This is yet another example of that and full on looks of colorism with white looking middle eastern people. I am not sure who greenlit this or even asked for this.  No thanks!

SpiderVerse


The announcement of a Miles Morales Spider-Man movie threw Black comic book fans into a frenzy.  Of course Marvel tho would not give us a live action movie.  We get this Spider Verse movie with an animated twist on Miles Morales.  The movie looks gorgeous tho and I am intrigued with the handling of Spider-Man and the potential appearances of other versions of Spider-Man.  I'll be there opening night!

A Quiet Place


My Regal always drops in a horror movie even tho we are there for a family friendly movies like The Last Jedi.  If you have read or listened to anything I have done, you know I don't mess with horror movies at all.... But this one has me intrigued.  I am so curious as to the background of the movie and the characters.  I'm just not sure if I can actually sit through this movie, tho! I want to see this tho!

Jurassic World 2


I was out on Jurassic Park after the 2nd one. I did see Jurassic World and I sort of enjoyed it.  Seeing that it made all that money, you knew a sequel was coming and it looks like it suffers from all sequel tropes- including bringing little kids into the dangers of Jurrasic World. Ugh... plus the idea people are headed back to the island to save the dinosaurs... ninja please! Full Pass!


The Greatest Showman

I have been saying for a while that we have not seen the last of Hugh Jackman as Wolverine because his non Wolverine movies have not always been successful at the box office.  This movie will continue the streak. Musicals are a tough sell and the bio of PT Barnum... no one was asking for this tripe.  I am sure my wife will see this, tho. Not me!

A Wrinkle in Time


This Ava Duvernay movie has been anticipated for a few months now and this trailer is not much different from the teaser.  Either way, I am super excited for this movie! I am going to read the book with my daughter to be fully ready when this drops!  Thumbs way up!!

Black Panther

The most anticipated Black film of the year!  The trailer looks epic and we can only hope the movie is epic as well.  I hope it can come close to the expectations we as fans have placed on it!


Infinity War



And speaking of anticipated trailers... this trailer which debuted at San Diego Comic Con in July is the most viewed trailer of all time.  The site of all these heroes over the past 10 years fighting together against a villain introduced in the original Avengers.... just wow! It looks so good and the Russo's had best deliver! This movie is the Free Comic Book Day movie from Marvel and I'll be getting books in the AM and watching the Avengers in the PM.... great day! Already excited!

The Producer




















Jay and Silent Bob get Old Review




I have never been shy about my love for Jay and Silent Bob and Kevin Smith movies... well at least through Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back.  I actually enjoyed Jersey Girl, but all of his other offerings since then, I have not enjoyed or flat out have not seen. There is a point that I think I grew up and Kevin's movies didn't! And that is ok.  Just because his current fare is not for me, does not take away from the movies I enjoyed in my youth.

I follow Kevin on Twitter and I was even able to visit Jay and Silent Bob's Secret Stash a couple of years ago! But I don't follow him like I used to.  In the past, I would check out anything he did because I was a fan. I am not sure when that stopped- probably for the Porno movie.  So even tho I know about Comic Book Men and about him directing Flash and Supergirl, I just don't follow like I used to.



But when I heard Jay and Silent Bob were gonna be at Tampa Bay MegaCon and doing their podcast, Jay and Silent Bob Get Old, I was intrigued.  Brothascomics was fortunate to have gotten media credentials for Tampa Bay MegaCon, but I wasn't sure if that extended to the Jay and Bob event.  A quick email to my media person confirmed that media could cover their event and she placed three tickets for me at will call.



As someone who is in his mid-40's and enjoyed Kevin Smith movies in my 20's, I was curious as to how many people was still into his brand.  I mean, granted older heads like me can reminisce about seeing Clerks on video and having to search to find copies of Mallrats on DVD.  But these younger kids, would they have this fervor for Kevin Smith and Jay Mewes?  Well color me surprised, the line for the event was long... like really long!  VIP sections was full and us general admission folks were shuffled into a different holding pen.  The show was running a bit late because Kevin was hosting an auction with Stan Lee before his show began.

The non VIP Room


I really did not know what to expect.  I listen to many podcasts and had listened to some of Kevin Smith's older podcasts or when he has been a guest on someone else's podcast and as funny as he is, he is a grade a vulgarian and its hard to listen at work or in the car because I usually I have my kids.

The show started and the guys came out to raucous applause.  A lady sitting in front of me I am sure had an orgasm when Jay came on the stage.  And for the next hour or so, they told jokes in a very Regis and Kathy Lee like fashion about their lives and their families.  And me not knowing about the format for Jay and Silent Bob get Old- I thought this was it.  It was not!  This was just the warm up, folks!



For the next 1.5 hours was the actual beginning of the podcast.  You see I was not familiar with why they even do this podcast but Kevin Smith explained it plain and clear.  This podcast is a way to keep Jay Mewes clean!  What I know NOW, is that Jay and Silent Bob is really just a love gift between Kevin Smith and Jay Mewes. I had never listened to the podcast, but from listening, Kevin set this podcast up as a way to save his friend.  You see, Jay Mewes had a huge drug and alcohol problem.  The time around when they filed Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back, his addiction was really bad.  So bad in fact, there was even a moment where Kevin heard that  Jay had died and Kevin was contacted by People Magazine to get his thoughts on his best friends death.  Jay and Silent Bob Get Old podcast is a way for Kevin and all their fans to help keep Jay straight and sober.  The bits and the jokes all a part to help Jay remember his past, but also look towards the future he has built for himself with his wife and his daughter.  At the time of this review, Jay had been sober for over 7 years. And  as a reward for his sobriety, Kevin has agreed to make another Jay and Silent Bob movie for Jay.  This is true love and friendship!

That said, I probably wont see Jay and Silent Bob Rebooted.  I think that chapter of my life has closed, but I am in full support of the Jay and Silent Bob Get Old Podcast now! What a wonderful show of love between hetero-life mates!

Check out a joke from the show








The Producer