ALS Ice Bucket Challenge: Star Wars Edition

August 26, 2014 Jason Murphy

If you're alive and live in the free world, you've heard of the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge. Started to raise awareness of ALS and to raise money, nominated participants dump buckets of ice water over their heads, donate money to ALS research, and challenge others to do the same. This week we saw the cast of Episode VII take part..

4. PETER MAYHEW

Chewbaca himself gets drench all in the name of ALS research

3. MARK HAMILL

Luke Skywalker gets sensitive to the current drought in California... then doesn't. Let's hope that's just pool water

2. HARRISON FORD

Han Solo looks fully recovered from his broken leg incident a little while back.. and sounds a little hoarse. I refuse to accept this man can age...Now if only we can raise awareness for horizontal videos. Prevention of perpendicular videos is as easy as turning your wrist.

1. R2-D2

The best Star Wars ALS ice bucket challenge yet. I only wish 3PO did the dumping.

If you're interested in donating, please visit www.alsa.org for all the details. It's for a good cause and gives hope to those suffering from this horrible condition. Every cent matters.

Doctor Who: Deep Breath

August 23, 2014 Jason Murphy

Doctor Who- Series 8 premiered tonight... FINALLY. Its been a long time since we last saw the 11th Doctor (Matt Smith) regenerate into Peter Capaldi's 12th Doctor. With a brand new cycle of regenerations, I assume we have A LOT of the Doctor to look forward to. Here's a breakdown of the episode.. laden with spoilers

PETER CAPALDI

HE'S HERE. Capaldi has finally arrived as the 11th, 12th or 13th doctor. however you want to look at it.. Some Whovians will argue and argue. Lets just call it 12. Being the oldest Doctor to ever grace BBC it's a HUGE change from the last 3 Doctors that revived the series (Chrissy Eccelston, Davey Tennant and Matty Smith). Fresh off his recent generation, we get our first glimpse as he exits the the TARDIS after being puked out by a giant T-Rex in Victorian London. Greeted by Drax, the Doctor takes a few tries to grasp who is knocking on the TARDIS door. Once he fully emerges we get what most expected......the Doctor struggling with his new body, fuzzy memories and fresh new brain cells. He has trouble remembering Clara and what is going on until finally passing out. We can see a little Matt Smith bleeding through in his personality just as the 9th bled through into Tennant's Doctor, and the 10th leaked a bit into Smith's regeneration. This is all acting and each Doctor has done a great job impersonating their predecessor. As the episode progresses, Capaldi slowly climbs deeper into madness before revealing who were here to see... the 12th Doctor. His repertoire with an old alley scruffian is fun yet scary as the Doctor demands his give him his clothes. It's one of the first times I've seen a dark angry violent side to the Doctor which we can only assume was due to the regeneration as the Doctor struggles to dig for clues in this back alley. This leads to an eventual meet up with Clara for the first "real" time since his regeneration. Clara being confused, meets the Doctor for a mysterious lunch where they try to come to grips with each other. Unbeknownst to them, this lunch as a set up and sends them directly into the fire, the dwelling of some familiar clockwork cyborgs. The Doctor steps up gaining more and more confidence in his new self, until one scene where he seemingly leaves Clara to die at the hands of the enemy.

This new Doctor is IMMENSELY different from previous incarnations. Gone is the boyish whimsical Doctor in place of a vicious, almost mad Doctor who at times seems to show fear, which is far different from what were used to. Capaldi is a change, I'll say that, but it seems like a good one. We wouldn't want the same Doctor year after year in a new body now would we

Clara

I'll admit that I was not a fan of Clara in the beginning of her companion stint during Series 7. Only because I didn't want to see Amy Pond go. It was a very hard break up and I still suffer from post Pond depression to this day, but Clara eventually grew on me. She smart, shes cute, shes witty and shes exciting. All the same traits Amy Pond brought but in a different package. In 'Deep Breath' I can only get the feeling that Clara plays the part of 'the audience' coming to grip with a very different Doctor. Each line, each scene feels like it was written "solely" to help ween the viewers into Capaldi knowing that its a big change. Throughout the episode Clara blurts out everything I'm thinking in regards to Capaldi.. "I don't know this man"... "why is he so old?".. "Is he the same Doctor?".. "Should I stay?". each question is addressed with ease as to relax the viewer into sticking around for the ride with Capaldi at the helm and i must admit it works brilliantly as the first episode. We even get a phone call from the past. Smith's 11th Doctor calls Clara from the Battle for the town of Chrismas on Trenzalore, knowing hes calling her in the future, knowing shes struggling to trust a new Doctor, asking her to help him. Hes the same man underneath his old skin and needs Clara's help. He urges her to trust him, confide in him, and continue on with the adventures, even though Capaldi is a drastic change. I loved this relationship and story line and felt it was amazing. While the episode wasn't a "best of" as Smith's debut episode was, it was still highly entertaining and extremely well written.

Paternoster Gang

Madame Vastra, Jenny Flint, and Strax, known as the Paternoster Gang, are a trio of recurring characters in Doctor Who, portrayed by Neve McIntosh, Catrin Stewart and Dan Starkey.

The three characters first appear in the sixth series episode "A Good Man Goes to War". Madame Vastra (a Silurian) and Jenny Flint (a human) are a married couple. Strax, a Sontaran, is serving as their butler/nurse. They are all originally recruited by the Eleventh Doctor to help him to save Amy Pond in series 7, but despite the success of the rescue, Strax apparently dies in the battle. He is, however, shown to be awakened by Vastra and Flint a couple of days later in the webisode "The Battle of Demons Run: Two Days Later" and then became their butler in the 19th century.

They appear in Deep Breath and I believe they serve as a little bit of a "familiar face" to ease us into the new Doctor. Drax seems to have replaced the witty comic relief usually set by the Doctor, seeing as Capaldi isn't yet known for any comic relief. While Vastra and Jenny serve as the voice of reason. Their inclusion helps veteran Whovians in the transition, while newbies may be scratching their head as to who they are. Either way they add a bit of comedy, excitement and mainly insight into the episode. while they could have been left out, I think Moffat chose top include them, like i said, to serve as a familiar face.

The TARDIS

"Hey everyone.... check out my brand new TARDIS". The TARDIS is back and its been remodeled (Inside). Why do we never see get remodeled? It always just remodels itself. Oh well. It does look great as usual. A slight change from the 11th Doctor's whip, the new TARDIS has a bit of retro and classic architecture to it. It feels very "Capaldi-y". while its not a huge change from the TARDIS redesign in 2012/2013, they did add some cool new things... like BOOKSHELVES. It seems to fit as Capaldi seems to be more of the "studious nature". it also seems to have a lot of new Dalek inspired architecture which is A OKAY with me. check out this video published by BBC on the new ride.

Top 4 Star Warsy things...... this week

August 16, 2014 Jason Murphy

This week saw some Star Wars news and a few pretty cool Star Wars rumors.

Lets dive right in because I just ate a big plate of pasta, probably more pasta than one should normally eat in one sitting. If you're Michael Phelps or a marathon runner it's different, but I'm not them, I'm regular, so I'm getting drowsy.

4. Sylvester Stallone as Han Solo

Sly Stallone swung by the Tonight Show this past Thursday to talk with our pal Jimmy Fallon about Expendables 3. As the conversation turned toward Harrison Ford, Sly mentioned that he once auditioned for Han Solo back in the 70's. Sly talks about being rejected for the role and how he wouldn't fit in space with 'his face'. I have to agree, the 1970's Stallone wasn't much to look at. Go watch Rocky and try to not think how weird Sly looks in that movie. .... Watch the full interview here

3. Episode VII villain possibly revealed

The Latino Review... one of the utmost recognized sources when it comes to rumors..released some interesting news in reference to the villain of Episode VII. Take this info for what you will....

The Latino review writes:

The Inquisitors are the villains of Star Wars: Episode VII and the name of the main villain in Star Wars: Rebels. They seem to be loosly based on the now-deleted Expanded Universe Inquistors mixed with the hardened Sith look of Rebels' villain. The Inquisitors are defenders of the Sith Order and they've been around for a long time. Just how long is what turns Episode VII's story on it's head.

The rumor goes that Star Wars Rebels will be heavily involved in the Episode VII plot and will be setting up many characters including the Inquisitors. "Luke Skywalker will be missing in the beginning of the movie, because he's been captured by these Inquisitors. Most intriguingly, when he's rescued, the movie will flashback to a scene showing them serving Darth Vader, much like the Inquisitor serves the Sith in the Rebels cartoon."

Rumor news site 'Indie Revolver' also claims to know what the Inquisitor will look like

He's tall and thin and terrifyingly creepy, with glowing red eyes to match his red lightsaber. He's got some robotic upgrades, like Vader – but no mask. The cybernetic bits weave in and out of him. He's got a human upper lip, a steel jaw…

While most of this is all rumor its still very interesting. Only time will tell, and when it does, get ready for fanboys to start bitching and complaining, or rejoicing... either way they'll all follow suit.

2. Han Solo Episode VII concept art

Han Solo Episode VII possible concept art popped up on the web recently. While it's 'simply' concept art, it's been rumored that we'll likely see Solo in both get ups.

The first image looks similar to Solo's Endor fatigues from Return of the Jedi, while the second is familiar to any Star Wars fan as being a close match to Solo's Hoth snowsuit.

Are these real? We don't know. Is the Star Wars gang headed back to Hoth? We hope so. Did you just eat a huge plate of pasta? Probably not.

1. New look for Storm/Snowtroopers

This one is looking more and more likely. Images were leaked of possible Stormtrooper and Snowtrooper helmets. While personally I have no problem with them since i KNOW things WILL evolve over 30 years. Fanboys have been in an uproar stating that the Empire was disbanded and shouldn't have enough money to upgrade millions to billions of suits of armor. Really fanboys? You do know this is all fake right? There's no need to make up the dumbest theories known to man. PLUS you haven't even seen the movie, how can you have opinions about a backstory you're making up entirely!!??? GOD DAMN IT!! LOOK WHAT YOU DID!! NOW IM ALL HEATED. I MEAN, JESUS!! COME ON MAN. WHY AM I FAKE YELLING AT A COMPUTER??!! SON OF A BITCH

It seems like some are TRYING to hate everything this time around and will troll the hell out of anything Star Warsy they see. We enjoy the new look and feel that the 30 year evolve fits perfectly. Time for some ZZZzzzs. goodnight everyo............................................................

Summer of Marvel

August 10, 2014 Jason Murphy

While they may be produced by different studios, 4 Marvel Comics based movies hit theaters this Summer.

Guardians of the Galaxy (Marvel Studios), X-Men Days of Future Past (20th Century Fox), The Amazing Spider-man 2 (Sony), and Captain America: the Winter Soldier (Marvel Studios)

We just saw Guardians of the Galaxy last week, and already gave it it's own 4list. Seeing as there were 4 Marvel based movies this year, why not 4list them all into a MEGA MARVEL MOVIE 4LIST? It will give us a chance to revisit some of the Summer blockbusters from earlier this year with some RE-WRITES!! We know you love re-writes. Plus we can get more in depth since were reworking the 4 in 4list.

Enjoy some humorless reviews.

4. The Amazing Spider-Man 2

Easily the worst out of the four. While it wasn't as much of a let down as Sam Raimi's , beat poet, jazz dancing 'Spider-Man 3', 'The Amazing Spider Man 2' was a disappointment. It's very sad to see the state of Spider-Man movies in this day and age. Spidey is easily one of Marvel's most iconic franchises and one of Stan Lee's greatest creations. It makes you wonder what a Spider-Man movie would be like if done through Marvel Studios. The movie is chock full of villains and only eludes to more. It took the recipe of Spider-Man 3 and implemented it in a sophomore reboot. It would be one thing if these characters were entertaining but they're ALL duds.

Electro... where did this suit come from?

Jamie Foxx's Electro only serves as a means to end for Dane Dehann's Green Goblin. The transformation of Foxx's character from Max Dillon to Electro is also extremely poorly written. He goes from Spidey loving, nerdy super fan, to an evil jacked up lightning freak hell bent on killing Spidey in a matter of seconds with no explanation why (Apparently one is supposed to listen to the music for this answer. The music being the thoughts of Electro. He hates Spidey because he feels Spidey lied to him. Spider-Man said "there will be no more shooting" but then a sniper took a shot at Electro.. thus Spider-Man lied and deserves to DIE..... um... ok?)

One of the worst (or "so bad its great") moments in Marvel or movie history is the close up, often missed shot, of Max Dillon's gapped tooth being magically fixed by super electric eels during his transformation to Electro. I laughed out loud. Not because it was funny but because it was ridiculously stupid. The saddest part is he doesn't feel like the main villain at all. He's technically not but one would assume he should be.

The other major headache in this film is Harry Osborne/Green Goblin. Not only is he poorly acted by DeHaan (who is obviously trying too hard to be the next DiCaprio), the character of Harry Osbourne is extremely rushed and just plain boring.

-Harry returns to NY after being gone for 10 years. We learned Parker and Osbourne were friends when they were 10 years old. Upon Osbornes return, Parker has approxiately 6 minutes of conversation with him. He then explains to Gwen Stacey that Osbourne is his 'best friend' . WHAT? Where did that come from? The entire conversation between Parker and Osbourne felt phony and timid, how are they best friends? it just felt stupid.

Next we have Harry's transformation. I won't even get into the spider blood that could have saved Norman Osbourne (it's the reason Goblin hates Spidey). Harry visits his dying father, Norman Osbourne. Upon talking with him, Norman explains the 'Osbourne family' disease and how it will effect Harry too. IN THAT INSTANT, Harry begins to show signs of the disease. Seriously? That's a big coincidence. The rest of the movie we see Harry trying to find a cure, only to fully transform in the last 10 minutes.The twists and turns in this one are just horribly written.

The one 'up-side' of ASM2 is the relationship between Parker and Stacey. Typically the corny teenage love story is the worst part of a comic book movie but seeing as Andrew Garfield and Emma Stone are dating in real life, their "true" chemistry bleeds into the film in an amazing way. It doesn't work often in movies (Gigli being a good example of the complete opposite effect) but in ASM2 it shines. Too bad it was too little too late for this flick. I will also commend the writers for a great finale that was the only good adaptation of the comics in the entire film.

(SPOILER- With only two highlights that can't be seen in any Spider Man movies to come, its a shame we had to see this movie end like this. The death of Gwen Stacey was a staple issue of the Amazing Spider-Man series and I feel they should have saved that until the next film. Her death being the only true to the comic vision in this movie simply isn't enough to reverse all the wrong directions taken in writing. Now that Gwen (Emma Stone) is out of the picture, the only thing the series had going for it (Garfield/Stone chemistry) was ripped away. Not entirely, but a lot of the film felt like a set up for 'The Sinister Six'. A movie like the Amazing Spider-Man should rest on it's own and not feel like a spring board for a lesser brand. It's not a terrible film, but could have been much much better.

See this movie if you're a hardcore Spider-Man fan, or if you have the flu and are in bed for a few days. It should be out on Blu ray eventually so you can find it at Redbox at some point. Its wasn't worth the movie ticket price, but wasn't the worst Spider-man made, that title belongs to Spider-Man 3

3. Guardians of the Galaxy

I'll be the first to admit I never read the early Guardians of the Galaxy comic, but it doesn't matter because this movie was not based on those. I DID however read the Rocket Raccoon spin offs back in 1985. While I found them enjoyable, it was only my 10 year old self doing the early reviewing. I can't tell you what the comics were about being such a long time ago and only being 4 of them, but I can tell you what the covers looked it. There were cool space raccoons shooting everything. I was young and easily tempted by cool 'different' comics, and a space raccoon was definitely different. The same can be said for Guardians of the Galaxy. It's a much different entity than all other comic book movies and that's what gives it such great appeal. James Gunn did a phenomenal job with it and proves that it was a movie worth making.

While the first incarnation of the Guardian's in the comics was completely different, the movie is based off a 2008 reboot/reteaming featuring the characters we see in the movie today. This is what lead to a lot of people saying "whaaaaaaaa?" when the movie was announced seeing as it was such a new entity.

My first gripe with this movie is lack of character development . We get a semi back story of Star Lord/Peter Quill. Only the death of his mother, the presentation of a 'gift' ( a sort of set up for part 2) and his abduction by space pirates. As for all the other characters, there is no back story shown. An extra 20-30 minutes setting them up would have fit pretty well and made this movie whole. Without it I feel like you had to have read the comic first. It's something I can overlook, but I still desire that arc.

My second, and only other complaint is Drax.. not the character but the actor, David Batista. He was just a terrible actor. If he never spoke I would totally enjoy his portrayal but unfortunately he DID open his mouth, and when he did he sounded like a Pro Wrestler in his first acting role.. Hey, whaddayaknow.. he IS a Pro wrestler in his first major acting role. While he had some funny one liners, his delivery just wasn't what I wanted. Everything he says is just flat. He felt like a came straight out of a C movie, not a B movie.. "C"!!. Imagine if your uncle played Drax.. your NON ACTING uncle, and you'd get the same result. I've seen others praising him, but for me, he just wasn't my cup of tea for this role other than 'visually' looking like Drax with a tweaked color. To be honest I think Vin Diesel was wasted as Groot since he only said one line and was mainly CGI. I feel he would have made a better Drax. Think for a minute about that....A pissed off funky colored Riddick hell bent on revenge. I can only dream I guess.

Guess what though.... THAT'S IT!.. Everything from there on out is a fantastic ride. Direction, cinematography, CGI, story line, main and supporting cast (except Drax), are all great in this movie. Even the Gaffer and Key gripe demand an applause for their fine fine work , whatever it is they do.

Chris Pratt does a stellar (pun) job as Peter Quill/ Star Lord. His semi doofus personality is great to watch. It gives the movie something extra other than your straight lead actor. He can't be commended enough.

Being a 'space' flick, were introduced to a lot of alien species. Very unlike most comic book movies that take place on Earth. While Rocket and Groot undoubtedly steal the show with their tongue and cheek one liners (Groot LITERALLY has one line and its the basis for countless jokes throughout the movie) Karen Gillan and Michael Rooker do a terrific job heading the supporting cast. I'm a HUGE HUGE HUGE Karen Gillan fan. She played Amy Pond on Doctor Who and seeing her last year at San Diego Comic Con for the surprise Guardian's Panel was a treat. She is known for her gorgeous red locks. She came on stage as beautiful as ever only to remove a 'wig made from her own hair' and let everyone know she's serious about this acting thing..... head fully shaved for her role as 'Nebula'. Its great to see actors going the extra step for what they love, especially if its Gillan.

Rooker also holds his own playing yet another 'asshole'. He is typecast constantly, but it fits. He always plays a semi antagonist that you hate but 'sorta' like. Same holds true here in his portrayal of 'Yondu Udonta'. Space Pirate/Bounty hunter/mercenary responsible for the abduction of Peter Quill and only out to make a buck and kill anyone who crosses him in that pursuit. Seeing as Rooker does such a good job playing a 'dick' , he's the perfect fit for Yondu.

One last highlight of Guardian's and probably one of its greatest standouts is its soundtrack. Littered throughout Guardians is a great 70's mix tape owned by Peter Quill. We hear it throughout the movie and it rocks!.. I simply LOVE this soundtrack. It has to be one of the best for any movie out there to date.

1."Hooked on a Feeling" Blue Swede

2."Go All the Way" Raspberries

3."Spirit in the Sky" Norman Greenbaum

4."Moonage Daydream" David Bowie

5."Fooled Around and Fell in Love" Elvin Bishop

6."I'm Not in Love" 10cc

7."I Want You Back" The Jackson 5

8."Come and Get Your Love" Redbone

9."Cherry Bomb" The Runaways

10."Escape (The Piña Colada Song)" Rupert Holmes

11."O-o-h Child" Five Stairsteps

12."Ain't No Mountain High Enough" Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell

See this movie or at least buy it on Blu ray in a few months. Even if your'e not a comic fan you can appreciate this on a sci-fi space adventure level.

2. X-Men: Days of Future Past

Coming off the heels of one of my favorite movies, 'X-Men: First Class', we get Brian Singers return to the X-Men universe with 'Days of Future Past'. Being a huge fan of 'First Class' I was eagerly awaiting this movie. With a story line ripped directly from the comics, the actors and characters from 'First Class' reprising their roles as well as the cast from the earlier X-Men movies joining forces sounded PHENOMENAL. While it did impress tremendously, it did disappoint in areas too. I'm not hating on DOFP whatsoever, It's easily the 2nd best movie in the franchise and I HIGHLY recommend seeing it, but wanted to point out some things that left a sour taste in my mouth.

It just felt like you missed some movies....DOFP takes place in the 70's, ten years after the events of First Class. (the comics took place in the 80's but seeing as they wanted to relate to the events in First Class this is understandable) One of my favorite aspects of 'First Class' was the incorporation of 'true life events' (the Cuban missile crisis). It grounds the movie in a way that simply helps suspend my disbelief all that much more, and just makes it a more interesting and fun story. DOFP tries to do the same thing with the 'Paris Peace Accords' that brought an end to the Vietnam War. The only problem... who really knows about the Paris Peace accords? Most don't even remember it and it was such a boring aspect to center a movie around. The Vietnam War is one thing, the meeting to end it that nobody can really write a lot about is another. Granted it wasn't a huge aspect of the film, but it was there as a way to bridge First Class and DOFP. My main problem is between 'Last Stand' and 'First Class', you feel like you missed a few movies in the time line.

Apparently, Magneto is being held in prison for the assassination of JFK. Did we see it... No.. THAT would be a movie I'd love to see.... Another X-Men movie focused around another huge event in history. We simply jump from First Class to DOFP and miss what sounds like A CRAPLOAD of great story lines in between. I Know its a petty gripe but its a valid one. (There was an online element that was created to bridge this gap but few heard about it or saw it - www.thebentbullet.com)

The same goes for the animosity between Magneto and Mystique. What, why, how, when?. All we know is they went their own ways at some point between 'First Class' and DOFP (yet we know in the FUTURE they will be best buds again). So where did all THAT come from. Again, I feel like I missed a movie along the way. Mystique making the decision to join Magneto in the end of 'First Class' was a HUGE part of the movie and helped explain the evolution of Mystique. But causing this internal strife in DOFP, the ending of 'First Class' is negated. The same holds true to an extent for the future X-Men. We see a distant dystopian future where Charles Xavier is alive.... how? We know at the end of 'The Wolverine' he appears to Logan (to Logan's bewilderment). But are never 'officially' told how he came back. (we know about the body at the end of 'Last Stand' but how does he look exactly like Xavier? Twin brother? Why is he still in a wheelchair then? It's all speculation, WE WANT ANSWERS). Then we have the future we see in DOFP as well. It again feels like we missed a few movies between 'Last Stand' and DOFP. I do understand that the comic traverses in the same way, so this one can be overlooked a bit more, plus I know we won't be seeing the old cast return in their own full X-men movies, So I'm more easily willing to ignore this set back. But still, I'm left feeling like I missed out on something great.

On the other hand, there are PLENTY of standouts in this film. Bolivar Trask being one of them. Peter Dinklage has become HUGE lately (no offense) and its understandable why. He's a terrific actor. He brought Bolivar to life and gave him a sense of gravitas even though he's a little person. That's amazing. I only wish we saw more of him in DOFP. The realization and creation of his Sentinels is a highlight of this movie. (70's version... the future versions feel like a rip off of Thor's 'Destroyer')

Quicksilver was definitely a scene stealer in this film. Even though it was a short piece, Magneto's 'Prison Breakout' scene starring Quicksilver (Evan Peters) was breathtaking. Backed by an excellent musical choice (Jim Croce- Time in a bottle) it simply impresses. If you've seen the movie or plan to, you WILL remember this scene and hanker to see it from time to time. The visuals and music come together in a choreographed dance that demands appreciation. With all the negative feedback regarding Quicksilver once his wardrobe was revealed prior to the movie's release, its hard to think how this scene could be this good. Singer did an old school "switch 'em up" and threw in an amazing piece of film where everyone was expecting garbage.

As for the comic differences, they're easy to let go once you realize that writing a comic and making a movie with actual people (who may or may not be box office draws) are two completely different things. I will commend Singer for his choice of characters, especially Bishop. But the change from Kitty Pride to Wolverine is an easy one to forgive. While Ellen Page is a great actress, Hugh Jackman's Wolverine is why most people go to see an X-Men movie. Hes the only one to get his own spin offs so far, so its only natural that he take over the task. The surprising news is he's not the main character in this movie as he has been in all other iterations (except First Class which he only had a cameo in) Yes, he's there in a huge way, but you never really see him take the lead as you have in the past. Something I feel which makes the movie better as a whole. You don't have ONE definitive star. Some people hate this, other people like this. I'm part of the latter.

Definitely see this movie or buy it as soon as its released on Blu-Ray .

1. Captain America: The Winter Soldier

'THE' best Marvel movie of the Summer if not the best Marvel movie made to date. The Winter Soldier simply kills. While the first Captain America was phenomenal (we all know how much I love a period piece) the second does a good job of topping it.

The Winter Soldier is extraordinarily written, directed and acted. I have absolutely no complaints with this film at all and that's saying something. I'll bitch about anything.

Steve Rogers is back after his stint in the Avengers initiative. Hes adapting to life in 2014 and soon realizes something is amiss. This movie does a great job of crossing over it's dissemination of S.H.I.E.L.D. with it's T.V. counterpart, 'Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D'. Watching M.A.O.S might also help in making this movie rise above the rest. It just goes to show that they got some great writers on board for this film as well as Marvel's AOS and helps it feel like a larger entity than it is. Unlike X-Men DOFP, the Winter Soldier story arc isn't ripped directly from the comics. Instead its loosely based on several aspects from different time intervals in the Captain America universe. This isn't a bad thing. The writing and storyline for Winter Soldier is partly what makes this such an amazing film. This screenplay is simply fantastic! and does Captain America (very deserved) justice.

One of the biggest standout in the film is Samuel L Jackson's 'Nick Fury. One always knew he was the DIRECTOR of S.H.I.E.L.D, but as we learned 'everyone has a boss'. Fury's being 'Alexander Pierce' played by Robert Redford'. Pierce heads S.H.I.E.L.D as a shrewd businessman and head of 'Project Insight' with a hidden agenda.

(Spoliers)

That hidden agenda being the elimination of Fury, Capt. and anyone else to make way for the eventual uprising of HYDRA . The secret quasi-German organization featured in 'Captain America The First Avenger'. All had assumed the group had been destroyed, however brilliantly, it instead disguised itself in plain site by being the secret building blocks of S.H.I.E.L.D. upon its creation after WWII. Its internal factions are now poised to strike and reclaim world dominance using S.H.I.E.L.D.'s Project Insight. (3 huge Heli-carriers designed and equipped to locate and eliminate every human being.) Capt. America, Falcon and Black Widow must now be forced into hiding as they try to stop the world's newest threat.

This movie just runs on all cylinders for its entire length. Scarlett Johansson/ Black Widow shines in this one as she takes on a bigger role in every Marvel movie she is in.

Anthony Mackie does a great job introducing 'Falcon' into the Marvel cinematic universe. His 'wing harness' in the comics being replaced with a slightly more traditional 'flight pack' for the movie. This vision of the Falcon fits in perfectly in the world of Captain America. This movie ditched aliens and a lot of the hockey super human aspects of superheroes (e.g. Iron Man 3 2013, the Avengers 2012) to focus more on a practical, real life take (e.g. Iron Man 2008, The Dark Knight 2008). While CGI was still a huge part, we saw less "magical" super powers and more straight out 'fight scenes full of fists'. Iron Man 3's fire breathing, glowing super soldiers left me angry while Capt. 2 left me very satisfied. This grounds the film much like wrapping the story around actual events and it does wonders.

As for Chris Evans, he fills the shoes of Capt. Steve Rogers perfectly. Forever the goodie two shoe's, it's a perfect marriage. This being the complete opposite of Evan's take on Johnny Storm/ the Human Torch in the Fantastic Four movies. It just proves that Evan's, while being eye candy for the ladies, is quite a good actor.

Capt. America: The Winter Soldier tells a great story, even though its title character "The Winter Soldier" doesn't play as big of the antagonist as one would think, but more of a puppet for Redford's HYDRA, but he is big part of the movie's success. Most fans of the comics will know The Winter Soldier's origins even though he's fairly recent (2005) but it translates pretty well onto the large screen. Especially his timely realization in the end credits. It's always great to see aspects of comic book movies stay close to their comics book roots in a way that appeases their fans. 'Winter Soldier' does it well.

This is possibly Marvel's best work to date, you need to see this movie sooner rather than later.

SDCC 2014 ROUND UP

August 5, 2014 Jason Murphy

San Diego Comic-Con ended a week ago so that sucks. It flew by waaay too fast but I guess that just means we were having a fun. We got the bad little annoyances out of the way a few '4list's' ago so we can officially touch on the GOOD stuff. If you've never been to SDCC we highly recommend you go. Getting badges and hotels might be tough as shit, but it's worth it. Even if you can't get badges, there's hundreds upon hundreds of things to do OUTSIDE SDCC as well, like play cards with homeless people or just drink for 12 hours. So a trip to SDCC with no badges is still an amazing time.

Here's just a little 4list round up of my personal favs..

4. Cafe 21 and Basic Pizza

I got my 'eat on' in San Diego...words.

Two places I HIGHLY recommend are Cafe 21 and Basic Pizza. Both located near Gaslamp. Cafe 21 is terrific for brunch. We went on Wednesday morning since we don't have to be anywhere yet. Try their 'Cast Iron Omelets'. If you took a great omelet and crossed it with an even better omelet made by Brad Pitt in his very own kitchen while all his kids ran around screaming all while Angelina read a newspaper you'd be close to Cafe 21's omelets. They also have infused table water. I'm not sure what it's infused with, possibly stem cells, but it's good. Maybe San Diego water just tastes better. I'm used to New England tap water that tastes like someone's mustache. Ask them about their infused water if you're in there and let me know.

Cafe 21, 802 Fifth ave. San Diego, CA

Secondly go to 'Basic'. Part bar, part pizza place, part dance club. We just ordered take-out, but you could stay and dance with some locals, or get drunk and throw up in their bathroom. Their large pizza feeds about 40. Their small pizza is the size of a normal 'large' anywhere else, and feeds 2-3.. or just me after a long day at SDCC. . I ate one in about 8 minutes and was still craving another one (take that Kobayashi). If you like pizza, or eating or being cool, check out Basic

Basic, 410 10th ave, San Diego, CA

Damn I ate good... and no gas! Badges not required.

3. Paramount (Hall H- Thursday review)

This may seem like a joke, but I actually enjoyed Thursday's Paramount panel in Hall H.

Yes I was in Hall H Friday, Yes I left early to catch other panels because I didn't have faith in 20th Century Fox and from what I was told I was 100% right to skip it, and YES I couldn't get into Hall H Saturday by camping for 10 hours. But again, I was kept in the loop on everything in Hall H. Saturday sounded good, with some highlight but a lot of duds. WB and Marvel being the only two stand outs.

Well, I got to see Paramount and was PLEASANTLY surprised. I assumed a Thursday panel would be light and boring but it was fairly dopetasticalrific. (coined)

It kicked off with 'Sponge Bob Square Pants'...you know, that cartoon from 1997. I'll admit it, I wasn't paying attention to this one... Sorry Paramount, but then came TMNT, which actually looks decent. Ill watch anything with Megan Fox in it. No idea why she gets a bad wrap. She's actually a good actress and by good actress I mean I want to lick her face without getting arrested for being a creepy pervert. Will Arnett was there too I guess.

Seeing as I grew up with the Eastman and Laird comics, I'm looking forward to this movie. I'd rather it follow close to the comic, not the kiddie cartoon but oh well. But the panel was great. Seeing Fox and Arnett work the crowd was a treat seeing as the Q&A wasn't so kind to the TMNT panel.

This was followed by two big surprises.. First 'the Rock' popped out into the crowd all 'the Rock' like (crowd erupted) for a small 'Hercules' panel type thing where he invited everyone for a free screenings of his movie in Gaslamp then left. (I could smell what the Rock was cooking and it smelled like B.O. coming from the guy in front of me).

The Rock amplified the crowd. It felt like I was at a WWF wrestling match.. Yes, I know its WWE now but WWE is stupid. WWF was a better name and the wildlife sucks for making them change it after all those years.. F you wolves and whales and birds.

Next on stage was the first trailer for 'Hot Tub Time Machine 2' presented by that guy who's in everything but nobody knows his name, whoever he is. At first I was super excited because I had no idea they were making a part 2. The trailer looked hilarious.... until I noticed one thing.... NO JOHN CUSACK. This felt to me like Van Wilder 2, the Rise of Taj... or Caddyshack 2..You take out the main star and it just feels weird.. but hey, what they showed was good. Maybe its a better movie without Cusack. He has been going on political rants on Twitter lately, so that's annoying.

The last panel was the best surprise of all. 'Academy Award winner' Matthew McConaughey appeared with Matthew McConaughey's v-neck t shirt for 'Interstellar'. While the place went crazy, it wasn't until what happened next that surprised everyone... Christopher Nolan made his FIRST appearance at SDCC!! Introduced by McConaughey's mouth, Nolan came out to talk about 'Interstellar' and from there, McConaughey's face was an after thought. Nolan took the lead, was asked questions by the audience and nobody even heard from McConaughey or McConaughey's hair from then on. (Do you realize how hard it is to spell McConaughey?). It's very strange having a huge celeb like McConaughey and McConaughey's leather jacket on stage being completely ignored. Understandable though considering he hasn't done much in terms of nerd or comic culture.

We caught an extended look at the film and I STILL have no idea what its about, but I have a better understanding now than I did before. Life on earth has changed or something, its a dry boring, joyless place or something. McConaughey takes on the challenge of flying off to some other planets or moons or New Zealand for some reason with Anne Hathaway or something. More than I knew before, RIGHT?! Over all the Paramount panel was pretty 'high-fivey' and full of surprises. It's this type of panel you'd expect to see on a Saturday morning or Friday night but was quietly hidden on Thursday. Not bad for a panel you can just walk in to see. Not bad for a panel you can't!

2. Cosplay

Here's a crapload (basically only 0.001%) of Cosplayers at SDCC for you to look at instead of reading. Reading can be overrated

1. Saturday life without Hall H

I spent a Saturday far from Hall H.... not by choice, but I rather enjoyed it....Really. This one is gonna sound bitchy, but I assure you, IT WAS GREAT. It was pretty much a let down because I'm at SDCC to try and cover and review all the big panels in Hall H for our 4LIST reader's. We know most of you can't be there so were hoping to give you a breakdown of what you missed. Well..we missed Saturday too, but its not a total loss. Here, we will review and recap what we did 'instead'. We hope it makes up for the lack of reviews.

Our Saturday began on Friday night. We left to get into the Hall H line at 11:30 p.m. and didn't find the end of the line until about midnight. We slowly crawled for a while until being put into a grass park by Joe's Crab Shack around 1 or 2 am. While most people tried to sleep and have silly dreams, I was awake listening to some SDCC line guard say that 'sprinklers will come on at 3:30 or 4' and they'll 'move us soon' as well as some really loud snoring. After about an hour they did move us into the basketball courts that were oddly being used at 2 a.m. by late night hoopsters or hooligans, I'm still not sure which. I finally hunkered down and got a 3 hour nap.

We were then woken at 6 a.m. in a make shift YMCA by SDCC staff, and told "Hey misters and ladies, we ran out of wristbands days ago, why are you still here you fat idiots' or something like that, and we had to find something to do. I was awake now.......plus I soon realized the sprinklers never came on. Everyone in line saw that coming.

We ended up trying to find the Hasbro line. We were shut out on Preview night (you can read all about it in the 'Worst of' post) so figured we'd give it a shot on Saturday since we were already up early. First we found the end of the line to get into the Convention center. We asked Joe Shmoe line guard "Hey, how do we get into line for Hasbro?" He said "You have to go down to Hall A, that-a-way, the line for that is over there" as he points with his gothy emo finger down the back side of the convention center. We headed all the way around to the line at Hall A where we are told "This is the line for badges, you need to go see Joe Shmoe, he's the guy with the gothy emo like fingers" Luckily my friend was already packed for a trek, so we headed all the way back to Hall H to yell at Joe Shmoe. The line we COULD HAVE originally gotten in was exponentially longer now so we just hunkered down far from Joe, ate some 'chorizo burritos' from the cart outside the Hilton and waited.

We finally got into the convention center, made a B line (whatever that is) to the sails pavilion and were amazed to see NO Hasbro line, just a guy handing out 'tickets' (tickets???...KAAAAAHHHHNNNN). We snagged two that said "after 12pm" and headed to the line to get INTO the convention center. Here you're packed in like sardines into little queues. I literally had to stand still and not turn in any direction for an hour and a half. I think that made it more special. I got to smell a lot of people.

After finally being let in, we headed to Hasbro. They had a line set up against the wall. We asked "we have tickets for "after 12pm" do we get in line now?" and were told "Um..................................................................ok, yeah" . Game On.

After an hour or so we were sent to the Hasbro booth for some exclusives. Upon reaching it we are stopped by Hasbro personnel saying "YOU CANT BE HERE, YOUR TICKET SAYS 'AFTER 12 PM' GET THE HELL OUT'. After some negotiating (basically arguing that the first women said it was ok) we were let in and got some much sought after crap we were shut out of getting on Preview night. Ill be perfectly honest, this entire day so far has been a great ride!

From there it was back to the room to drop off our bounty, take a much needed shower, change our smelly clothes and head to Fulfillment. Fulfillment is where you pick up all your shwag from Panels if they handed out tickets. The fulfillment room was moved to the Manchester Grand Hyatt this year, a good hike from the convention center. Upon entering we were directed to the fourth floor, We find the fulfillment station and its very very entertaining and interesting line. They hand placed serpentine lines on the floor on one side. Even though there weren't many people there, we were forced to take part in this 'Bank line'. Around and around we went, never stopping, just snaking our way to the goodies. Slow down and you're immediately told to "KEEP MOVING". It was wild seeing a good 75% of this line all with their phones and video cameras held up high documenting this maze. We finally got the the front and from there figured out the color coded arithmetic. Each fulfillment ticket was simply a raffle type ticket you'd get anywhere. Small tiny and they were all identical except for their color. I originally thought I'd be screwed, not remembering which ticket was for what panel, but above each station was a blown up image of the raffle ticket. It made it sooooo easy. Last year saw pieces of paper with the Panel written on it. I will admit, at first I was hesitant of this new system but it worked beautifully! While most of the goodies were nothing to write home about, there are some standouts. Game of Thrones always giving a huge bag fully of GOT shwag including one of the GOT books and a T-shirt along with a ton of other promotional items. We're not complaining.

The rest of the day was spent walking the floor, grabbing lunch and drinks, hitting the 'Geek and Sundry' panel (which was terrific), grabbing drinks, waiting in line for Masquerade tickets, grabbing drinks, waiting in line to get into the Masquerade, and eventually falling asleep in the Masquerade. I thought my Saturday at SDCC would be ruined without Hall H but honestly It was a pretty enjoyable endeavor. If you can't get into Hall H, DO NOT PANIC. There's so much to do, you can really have some great experiences without having to pay for it.