Featured News: October 2016

Hello, and welcome back to Featured News. Okay, I think I’m going to change the format of this series, from where I went really in depth on one story, to three smaller stories. Anyways, let’s get to it.

---

The highly-acclaimed Marvel/ Netflix original Daredevil, as many know, has spawned an entire planned universe including Jessica Jones, Luke Cage (due out at the end of this month), Iron Fist, The Punisher, and the subject of this part, The Defenders. My sources tell me that the writers of The Defenders are currently in the midst of writing the second to last episode, which means casting and film must be close, but it looks like we won’t be getting the miniseries possibly until early 2018, which could push all the other shows back, including a third season of Daredevil.

The CEO of Time Warner, Jeff Bewkes, actually confirmed this week that the Batman solo film is about a year and a half away. That would make the release of it March 2018, which is actually when the Flash film will be releasing, so it realistically is probably on the October 5th, 2018 date that WB sent aside for a DC film after Batman v. Superman, which would be a perfect date for that film, considering it’s supposed horror movie feel and proximity to Halloween. The script is already finished, so all WB would have to do is sure up a director, whether Ben Affleck is helming or not, and round out the cast, and start film in mid-summer time to be finished a year before release, as all the DC films have been trying to do.

Luke Cage debuted to much avail on September 30th. It was truly fantastic, and you can check out my reviews on that after this. It would make sense that Season Two of the show would debut in 2018, after The Defenders, and after Daredevil and Jessica Jones get another season. I would hope it would debut earlier, but that is highly unlikely.

---

Welp, as always, this has been fun. Join me Wednesday when I go over my expectations for Doctor Strange, and Friday, you can check on my theories on said Marvel film. Anyways, see you later, and remember, have a nerdy day.

Character Of The Month: November 2016: Kaecilius

Please note, before I start, that picture on the front of the article is the only picture I could possibly find on Kaecilius not from the movie trailers or the movie prequel comic. I know it is the most ridiculous think you have ever seen.

---

Well, Kaecilius doesn’t appear much in comics, and is only listed as appearing in 12 times in any comics. In the comics, he’s always depicted as being a disciple of Baron Mordo, Doctor Strange’s ally. That is until Mordo betrayed The Ancient One and Strange to join the side of Dormammu, which is what most of his disciples did as well. After that, Kaecilius becomes more of a field agent for Baron Mordo. He actually ended up hiring a group of smugglers to follow Doctor Strange once, for sure unknown reason. And another time, Mordo full on possessed his ass, and Strange broke him out of it. For some reason, he stayed on Mordo’s side after that. Why? Why would you ever do that? Your boss was inside of you. I mean, I know that happens to a lot of secretaries, but damn, dude.

Well, Mads Mikkelsen will be playing the malicious magician in next week’s Doctor Strange, which is one of the most anticipated movies of 2016. Little is known about his role and backstory, but if you’re a bettin’ man, the smart money is on an updated, moderately modified version of his comic book origin.

---

Well, that’s all for now. There is only about three paragraphs I could find on this guy, and he’s gonna be the main villain in a Marvel movie. Which is exactly what YellowJacket deal was before Ant-Man came out. And on a somewhat related note, Iron-Man to be super, duper B-list in the early years of comics, so who knows? Maybe when they reboot all the MCU in about seven decades from know, Kaecilius is the new Loki, and everyone wants him to have his own spinoff movie, and twelve to fifteen after that, he finally gets it. And I swear to God if I have to spell ‘Kaecilius’ one more time, I’m going to put my head through a wall. Well, anyways, thanks for reading. See you next week for my theories on Doctor Strange so you can read them before you go to the movies. And remember, have a nerdy day.

My Top Five: Favorite Movies: 10 through 6

Before I start this article, I preface it with this, this just my favorite films. Why they are will be explained briefly in each entry. I DO NOT THINK THESE ARE THE GREATEST FILMS OF ALL TIME. Geez, why do I even try.

---

10. Captain America: Winter Soldier

Now I know that enjoying this movie this much (as in having it as a favorite) is a stereotype of many Marvel films fans, but I do really appreciate this movie. I enjoy how different it was from it’s direct predecessor. While The First Avenger was a decent film, it seemed bland and and paled in comparison to its neighbors in Phase 1, even against The Incredible Hulk and Thor. I appreciate that the movie made Black Widow a little more humanized from her other appearances in the MCU prior to this. And I can always appreciate Robert Redford in everything he does.

---

9. Last Action Hero

Now, this is why I have a preface. This was actual a pretty bad movie, at best a D+, but I have watched it so many times over Netflix, it’s grown on me, and I’ve come to enjoy it as a cheezy 90s Arnold movie, so much so, that it’s a favorite. Yes, even above The King’s Speech and Forrest Gump. I seriously have 30+ movies I boundlessly love.

---

8. The Martian

Seriously, was there anyone that didn’t like this movie, at least a little bit. Maybe Jimmy Kimmel didn’t, but mainly for Damon purposes. Please tell me someone else understands that joke. Matt Damon, what’s his name from Dumb and Dumber, Boromir/ Ned Stark, and Baron Fucking Mordo in Space Cast Away? It’s a great idea! With a fantastic cast and director. It was bound to be great from the beginning. I could probably quote about a sixth of the movie, right now. 20 solid minutes or so.

---

7. Batman v Superman: Dawn Of Justice

While a lot of people hated this movie, I loved it. I appreciated the darker-than-normal take on Batman, the far more sophisticated Bruce Wayne, no offense to Bale, Gal Gadot’s suprisingly fantastic Wonder Woman, and a interesting (to say the least) setup for the Justice League. Given, Superman was very dry, Luthor was very, let’s say dorky, among other things, and there were some very obvious plot holes, including the Martha thing. But overall, I loved it, but I understand why some don’t like it.

---

6. The Wolf Of Wall Street

This film is, in all seriousness, is great. Why do people knock it? What the hell? Great storytelling, great acting, fantastic composure of a true story. I know it’s said a lot, but Leonardo should have own the Best Actor Oscar for this, if not Revenant. He was great in Revenant, but he submitted a Pantheon performance here. And Matthew McConaughey, Jonah Hill, and Margot Robbie were just cherries on top. And this movie was the biggest factor in getting Robbie the Harley Quinn role in Suicide Squad.

---

Well, thanks for reading, I hope you enjoyed. The next half should be out next week, as I’m trying to fill a little time before Doctor Strange. And remember, have a nerdy day.

Luke Cage Review

(WARNING: Major spoilers for Luke Cage, Jessica Jones, and Daredevil. Possible spoilers for The Defenders and Iron Fist.)

Hello, and welcome to my newest article. This week, I’m going to be handing out my judgment on Luke Cage, and a few things on what they could do for next season. So, let’s get to it.

---

I’d like to lay out that I really enjoyed the show. While Daredevil Season One is my personal favorite, due to Daredevil being my favorite superhero, my hype for the show in general, and how much I enjoyed Fisk as a villain, I honestly think Luke Cage Season One was the best season of television I have ever seen. The storylines throughout the season (whether it was Luke versus Cottonmouth, Mariah, Shades, or Diamondback, or a combination of the villains fighting among each other) were incredible. The writers had a job to hurt Luke in any way possible, and they absolutely nailed destructing him on an emotional level. Killing Pops, killing Chico, destroying the barbershop twice and bits of Harlem really kind of hit Luke as hard as possible really hit him in his feelings, exposed him, and made him vulnerable to attacks. Which is what makes Cage such a great hero to watch: he truly loves the city and all the do-gooders in it.

The whole progressions of the villains throughout the whole series are absolutely stunning. Mariah Dillard’s evolution was by far the best, considering she was a villain the entire season, as opposed to Diamondback and the others, who were only one for about half the season each. Mariah went from a Hillary Clinton- type politician, to a vicious, blood-sucking, incredibly savvy crime lord that can see every single outcome at any time. She very skillfully was able to outmaneuver Luke Cage and Company at every single turn, which ended up actually sending Luke back to Georgia, and more importantly, Seagate Prison.

My favorite parts of the show were all involving Diamondback Erik LaRay Harvey was absolutely brilliant in the role. Personally, the biggest comparison in film I saw to Harvey’s Diamondback was actually Samuel L. Jackson’s portrayal of Jules Winnfield in “Pulp Fiction”. Quoting Bible verses, being extremely good with guns, among other things, it’s all there. He just conveyed a certain sense of holiness. He was essentially a much more evil and cunning Prodigal Son. It was truly interesting to see him and Luke’s dynamic as former friends and new brothers.

In all honesty, I truly appreciate Luke Cage and its writers for always being so great, and always being interesting. There was so much material in that first 13 episode season that would have been used over the course of three 23 episode from The CW. And it made it few so incredibly genuine, and that’s a huge reason why I like the show so much, because it wasn’t just three solid plot points, and the rest being love-story filler shit. So, from me to you, the production team on Netflix’s Luke Cage, thank you.

Overall, like I said, I really loved Luke Cage. It was all-engrossing, and I couldn’t stop staring at the screen. I cannot wait for Season 2. At this point, I’d say we’ll get another season in 2018, alongside Daredevil Season Three and Jessica Jones Season Two, due to Marvel releasing three Netflix shows a year from here on out, supposedly. Anyways, I give Luke Cage Season One 4.85 out of 5 stars.

---

Alright, thank you guys for reading. As always, I’ve had fun writing this article. Thank you for staying with me through these three weeks of Luke Cage magic. I’ll see you next week for my Favorite Movies: 10 through 6. Alright, guys, thanks for reading, and remember, have a nice day.

Character Of The Month: October 2016: Cottonmouth

Hello, and welcome to the next edition of Character of the Month, where I highlight a lesser-known character, and this week, we’ve got Cottonmouth. I do want to preface this that I know it is posting about a week early, and this is due to the fact that Luke Cage is debuting Friday, so I’ll be posting my theories then, and then my review the next week, so I decided to do it a week before to create a small primer for it. So, let’s go.

---

Cornell Cottonmouth, or as I like to call him “Snake Pimp” due to his teeth and profession, or “A Pimp Named Diamondback”, which references his profession, snake origin, and The Boondocks, is a heroin dealer, the reason Luke Cage ended up in prison in the first place, and because of that, indirectly the source of Cage’s powers. His only actual powers are superhuman strength, which is probably the most common power, and sharpened teeth, made to look at bite like a real cottonmouth snake. He also has an extensive knowledge of snake poisons, which is the lamest thing Wikipedia has ever listed as a ‘ability’. That pretty much sums his up as a comic character.

This television version of Cottonmouth will be played by Mahershala Ali, and will be named Cornell Stokes, with “Cottonmouth” as a street name. Really though, think about it, how seriously would you take a guy with the actual last name ‘Cottonmouth’, even if he was a snake pimp with a fu manchu mustache. His visual inspiration for the show, his hair styling, facial hair, and actions seem to be styled after Kanye West. He’ll definetly be a fantastic villain, especially being based off Kanye, the most villainous Kardashian of them all. Just kidding. I actually really enjoy his music.

---

That was really short. Join me next week for my first half of my top ten favorite films. Next week it’s 6 through 10, and then 5 through 1 is scheduled for November 18th. Anyways, thanks for reading, and remember, have a nerdy day.