TL;DR – A good start to a
season and a good promise for the things to come
Score – 4 out of 5 stars
Review –
It has been a long time since I have seen someone attempt a martial arts TV
series in the west and it not be mostly a disappointment. With that in mind, I
came into Wu Assassins with a little apprehension
but after watching the first episode I have some hope.
So to set the scene, we open in on San Francisco and Kai Jin (Iko Uwais) who
works as a chef at his friend Tommy’s (Lawrence Kao) place (well actually his friend’s
sister Jenny’s (Li Jun Li) place but it is complicated). Tommy is throwing a
party for his Triad friends and when something goes wrong Kai steps in to stop
one of the cooks getting attacked. This means that the Triad has to respond,
attacking Kai while he works in a food truck. As he is escaping he hits a woman,
instead of finding someone injured on the street, he finds a woman (Celia Au)
who gives him the power of 1000 monks to fight an oncoming storm.
TL;DR – While there has been patchy moments this season, I do think they stuck the ending.
Score – 3.5 out of 5 stars
Review –
Well, here we are, the final ever episode of Game of Thrones (if you don’t count the multiple prequels in
preproduction at the moment). I can still remember that day when I first
watched the very first episode as a group of men from The Watch go north past
The Wall and discover there was something worse than wildlings waiting for
them. A lost queen forced to marry into a barbarian horde to secure her ungrateful
brother an army to retake their throne. A drunkard ruling a kingdom though all
he wants to do is hunt and joust and fornicate with people who are not his
wife. A family of noble people trying to do what is right, especially when it
is hard, and being woefully unprepared for the mess they were walking into.
Also, the things we do for love. All of those years of story have been building
to this final episode, and I wonder can they stick the landing?
So to set the scene, during last week’s The
Bells a lot of things happen and a lot of people died. After the death
of Missandei (Nathalie Emmanuel) in The
Last of the Starks, Daenerys (Emilia Clarke) had become inconsolable,
and Missandei’s final word Dracarys sat in her mind so that even when she heard
the bells of surrender Dany decided to burn Kings Landing to the ground, not
really caring who or what got in her way. The complete slaughter of the capital
is something she has threatened since she arrived and finally showed what
damage even one dragon can do, insert the nuclear weapons analogies. The
capital is in ruins, Jon (Kit Harington) tried to do the right thing and
failed, Cersei (Lena Headey) and Jamie (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau) had their whole
worlds crash down on them, oh and Euron (Pilou Asbæk) is finally gone. We open
with the aftermath as ash and snow still fall in the ruins of Kings Landing and
the dead and dying lay among the wreckage. Here Tyrion (Peter Dinklage), Jon (Kit
Harington), and Davos (Liam Cunningham) walk and see the damage their actions
have wrought and the potential hell that they have unleashed. Now from here, we will be looking at the episode
as a whole, so there will be some [SPOILERS] ahead.
TL;DR – The rushed final
season is starting to show its issues … badly.
Score – 2.5 out of 5 stars
Review –
I have honestly been really happy where the final season has been going so far.
I liked how Winterfell and A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms were these
slow-burn episodes giving us some much-needed character development and
interaction. I found The
Long Night to be a really emotional experience as the dead came
and slaughtered. I was ever really jiving with The
Last of the Starks up until that last 15 minutes. It was like a
speed boat suddenly threw out its anchor grinding everything to a halt. This
means for the first time, I am coming into an episode of this 8th
season, and the penultimate episode at that, with a lot of hesitation and I
don’t know how to feel about that.
So to set the scene, last week everyone was celebrating their win over the dead
and the Night King (Vladimir Furdik) but there was still one big threat on the
horizon. Cersei (Lena Headey) still controls King’s Landing, and with it the legitimacy
of the throne. Just one problem Cersei captured Missandei (Nathalie Emmanuel)
and beheaded her in front of Daenerys (Emilia Clarke) and well that did not go
down well. So we begin today with everyone getting ready for the final push but
some people have reservations and one of them is Lord Varys (Conleth Hill) who
is finally caught out. Now from here, we will be looking at the episode as a
whole, so there will be some [SPOILERS] ahead. This week we are going to
do something a little different and focus our review on different character relationships
because it is through these relationships we see the very highs of this episode
and the real lows.
TL;DR – An episode of two
halves that don’t work together, but at least it nails the first part.
Score – 3.5 out of 5 stars
Review –
One thing that always resonates in a good show is an impact. When you change
the game what is the impact on the characters and the greater world. This is
one area that historically Game of Thrones
has excelled at, and this might be the biggest impact we have had so far. After
the battle comes a moment of reflection, but then what if there is no time because
there are still enemies on the board?
So to set the scene, we begin in the moments after the end of last week’s The
Long Night. At the end of the battle, Arya (Maisie Williams) was the
one who finally stopped the Night King (Vladimir Furdik) destroying all of his
minions. However, this was not before thousands of lives were lost, including
the leader House Mormont Lyanna Mormont (Bella Ramsey). It was a major victory
but also a stunning loss, one that might have set the scene for a safer world
but at the cost of putting Cersei (Lena Headey) in maybe an unbeatable position.
However, when you have gumption on your side (and also some dragons) anything
is possible, maybe. Now
from here, we will be looking at the episode as a whole, so there will be some
[SPOILERS] ahead.
TL;DR – The storm is here,
the storm is coming for you, the storm bites.
Score – 5 out of 5 stars
Review –
Have you ever watched a show where over seven seasons of story led to one
moment, thinking back for me only maybe Deep
Space Nine, or possibly Fringe
funnelled everything into one moment. Well, today we have another example to
add to the mix, with just about every single person left alive in Game of Thrones all in the same location
waiting for the oncoming storm.
So to set the scene, during last week’s A
Knight of the Seven Kingdoms we got a chance to sit back and revisit
all the characters that we had gotten to know over the last few seasons, which
would have been great if this didn’t have the feel of one last happy moment before
the end. Jon (Kit Harington) told Danni (Emilia Clarke) about who he was which
yep shocker did not go down well. Arya (Maisie Williams) made it with Gendry (Joe
Dempsie), Grey Worm (Jacob Anderson) and Missandei (Nathalie Emmanuel) plan out
their post-conflict lives and we get drunk by the fire. However, at every
moment there is the threat of death that will be with them before the morning.
Well, ladies and gentlemen, that time is here, and oh wow, just wow. Now from here, we will be looking at the episode as a whole, so
there will be some [SPOILERS] ahead.
TL;DR – A moment to catch our
breath before the onslaught is unleashed.
Score – 4.5 out of 5 stars
Review –
You know, Game of Thrones is known
for its sweeping storylines that explore events happening across continents.
However, there are times in the show’s history where a bunch of main and
supporting cast find themselves in the one location, and if you know anything
about the history of the show, that is never a good thing. Well today, we look
at an episode that is the calm before the coming storm, when everything is
still but you can see the dark clouds and cracking lighting on the horizon.
So to set the scene, at the end of last week’s Winterfell
a number of big plot bombs got dropped on us. There was the big news of John (Kit
Harington) finally finding out who his real mother and father from Samwell (John
Bradley). There was the growing sense that The North is not fond of being under
anyone’s rule again. After fleeing from the destruction of The Wall in The
Dragon and the WolfTormund (Kristofer Hivju) comes across the
dead ruins of the Last Hearth and also finds the survivors of The Night’s Watch
where they discover that the dead are on the move and heading straight for the Capital
of the North. In the final shot, Jamie (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau) arrives in
Winterfell only to find Bran (Isaac Hempstead-Wright) waiting for him, and this
is where today’s episode starts off. Jamie is fighting for his life after pretty
much betraying, or being at war at some point with everyone in the room. With
only Tyrion (Peter Dinklage), who no one cares about in this case, and Brienne
(Gwendoline Christie) who people do care about, standing for him. However,
while revenge would be nice, the dead are coming and they need every sword. Now
from here, we will be looking at the episode as a whole, so there will be some
[SPOILERS] ahead.
TL;DR – In the first episode of
the final season all the characters are moved into place, before the onslaught
of the coming doom.
Score – 4 out of 5 stars
Review –
And so it begins. When that first episode aired back in 2011 everything was different,
and it changed the television landscape in a way we are still feeling today. It
is with this that I come to the final season with a little trepidation. I don’t
know how the show will end, but I know a lot of the characters that we have
come to love over the years probably won’t make it and if any show has prepared
us for an unhappy ending, this is it. Well, today we delve into the first
episode of the final season as the growing disaster looms.
So to set the scene, at the end of The
Dragon and the Wolfall hell broke loose as the big bad used Daenerys’
(Emilia Clarke) reanimated dragon to blow a hole in The Wall allowing the
undead to march through. As we prepare for what is about to hit, armies are moving
into place as John Snow (Kit Harington) and Daenerys arrive in Winterfell with
their Unsullied and Dothraki armies … oh and two dragons. Word has reached Winterfell
of The Wall’s fall, so Sansa (Sophie Turner) has ordered all of her bannermen
to retreat to the capital as the last stand because that is where all the
armies, even the coming Lannister’s will go to, but then Cersei (Lena Headey)
has other ideas. Now
from here, we will be looking at the episode as a whole, so there will be some
[SPOILERS] ahead.
TL;DR – This does what any
good first episode of The Punisher
should, it shows Frank minding his own business until someone comes swinging in
to wreck his life.
Score – 4 out of 5 stars
Review –
Starting the episode for the first time provoked two very different emotions, the first is that I was not ready to see Stan Lee’s name even though I knew it should be there, and also the way things are going I am starting to watch the last season of The Punisher. You know you try to ignore any external factors when reviewing something, but whether you want to admit it or not, sometimes they barge in on you. So is this the last season of The Punisher, who knows, probably, well if it, if this episode is any indication, they are going down swinging.
So to set the scene, we open in on Frank Castle (Jon Bernthal) covered in blood racing down a street only to get cut off. Surrounded there is only one thing Frank can do, he pulls out a machine gun and removes the problem. Cut to two days earlier, and we see Frank enjoying the music in a bar in a small town in Michigan. He is laying low after Season One staying one night here and there, making sure not to get noticed. But in a moment of happiness, it all gets messed up. Now we will be looking at the episode as a whole, so there will be [SPOILERS] ahead.
TL;DR – Season Three pares everything back to the core and by focusing on our trinity and a truly phenomenal big bad.
Score – 4.5 out of 5 stars
Review –
So this is an interesting moment, I don’t think I have ever been halfway through watching a series and finding out that its two sister series has been canned, but that is what happened here. I was two episodes in and then bam bye Iron Fist and then three more and then bam bye Luke Cage. So besides inserting something witty about the Thanos snap, it should have ripped all the wind out of my sails to make it through the rest of Season Three. However, it didn’t, not even close, because Daredevil Season Three might be the best Netflix MCU series since … well maybe since the very first Daredevil all the way back in 2015.
TL;DR – This is a more quiet character driven episode than pilot episodes of the past, but all that means is that the actors get a platform to shine.
Score – 4 out of 5 stars
Review –
Well, we are back to where it all started, the very first entry into the Marvel world on Netflix was the first season of Daredevil all the way back in 2015. For many people, me included, that the first season is still the high water mark for the Netflix project, so there is both a hope and a trepidation when you start that first episode. Also, it felt like just last week we got a new Iron Fist, and I am wondering is it all getting a bit too much. Well, today we explore if Daredevil Season Three can be the touchstone that it was.
TL;DR Movie Reviews and Analysis 