75 years of Batman
Monday, May 26, 2014
Saturday, May 24, 2014
The Simplistic Reviews Podcast Batman 75th Anniversary Special
In honor of The Dark Knight's 75th Anniversary, the Simplistic Reviews Podcast got the whole gang together to talk about the legacy of Batman. Now you're probably wondering...what makes that different from any other show? Ummmm...not much. Although, the boys do hold an NFL style Draft of Batman villains who they think could kill the Caped Crusader. Afterwards the draft grades are given out by a very special guest arbiter brought in to class up and beautify the proceedings...Matthew's very own lovely wife Nicole Stewart. No, she does not show any favoritism. Yes, their marriage nearly comes apart at the seams. No, Justin, DJ, and Neal don't try to help matters. The boys discuss Batfleck's new Batsuit and also pick out their own favorite versions of Batman and Joker on a very special Simply The Best segment.
Grab your cape, your cowl, your shark repellant, and your Bat credit card and enjoy the show!
Show Notes:
Bat Shark Repellant
Batman Scares Deadshot
Batfleck Suit
Mr. Freeze Saying Nora
Trailer For Batman TAS Episode Over The Edge
Batman Rogues Gallery Pre-Draft Rankings
Music Notes:
The Best By Tina Turner
Batman '89 Theme By Danny Elfman
Batman Begins Theme By Hans Zimmer
Batman '66 Intro Theme By Neal Hefti
American Idol Theme By Cathy Dennis
Monday Night Football Theme By Johnny Pearson
Tuesday, May 13, 2014
Last Week Tonight with John Oliver
Last Week Tonight: Convalescing
When I first watched Last Week Tonight it was the night of the premiere episode. I liked it a lot mostly because its a carbon copy of The Daily Show, which I love. After the episode I wanted to write a review but something seemed off about the show. It seemed fast like the rock from Raiders of the Lost Ark was coming and they figured lets get this over with as quick as possible and get the hell out. John Oliver was good, seemed a bit frighten but hey who can blame the guy. But I feel the amount covered in the episode was too much for the time given.
So I figure I'd wait till episode 2, maybe something will change. Okay so I clicked on my HBO GO (greatest thing since sliced bread) noticed the thumbnail of a interview and clicked play. I'm watching it on my TV eating breakfast, its Monday, the morning after and I enjoyed it. But again something seemed off. The show was about to be over and Oliver says to go online and watch the interview, then the show ends.
Wait, what?
Yes the interview wasn't in the show, the interview thumbnail used for that very episode. I'm sure this is a simple mix up, okay shit happens I'll wait till episode 3. But damn I wanted to watch that interview, the one I was expecting in the very show I clicked on. I don't want to go online and watch it on my laptop.
Episode 3 is the best yet. It's getter better with each episode because it finally took its time and focused on less stories.
LWT is here to stay.
Here is the thing that is good about this show, its the format. The format works fantastic. Comedy Central knows this and HBO saw a opportunity and took it. Good for them, having the format and no rules to follow like CC has too is fantastic. Anything goes, cursing is allowed to show the stupidity of the world and this makes it even better. Like Oliver Said in episode 3,
"This isn't network television, this is HBO. This is the wild wild west of sex and violence"
By the way, Veep and Game Of Thrones is killing it this season.
When I first watched Last Week Tonight it was the night of the premiere episode. I liked it a lot mostly because its a carbon copy of The Daily Show, which I love. After the episode I wanted to write a review but something seemed off about the show. It seemed fast like the rock from Raiders of the Lost Ark was coming and they figured lets get this over with as quick as possible and get the hell out. John Oliver was good, seemed a bit frighten but hey who can blame the guy. But I feel the amount covered in the episode was too much for the time given.
So I figure I'd wait till episode 2, maybe something will change. Okay so I clicked on my HBO GO (greatest thing since sliced bread) noticed the thumbnail of a interview and clicked play. I'm watching it on my TV eating breakfast, its Monday, the morning after and I enjoyed it. But again something seemed off. The show was about to be over and Oliver says to go online and watch the interview, then the show ends.
Wait, what?
Yes the interview wasn't in the show, the interview thumbnail used for that very episode. I'm sure this is a simple mix up, okay shit happens I'll wait till episode 3. But damn I wanted to watch that interview, the one I was expecting in the very show I clicked on. I don't want to go online and watch it on my laptop.
Episode 3 is the best yet. It's getter better with each episode because it finally took its time and focused on less stories.
LWT is here to stay.
Here is the thing that is good about this show, its the format. The format works fantastic. Comedy Central knows this and HBO saw a opportunity and took it. Good for them, having the format and no rules to follow like CC has too is fantastic. Anything goes, cursing is allowed to show the stupidity of the world and this makes it even better. Like Oliver Said in episode 3,
"This isn't network television, this is HBO. This is the wild wild west of sex and violence"
By the way, Veep and Game Of Thrones is killing it this season.
Saturday, May 3, 2014
The Simplistic Reviews Podcast: April 2014 Late Edition
On this late edition of The Simplistic Reviews Podcast, Matt, DJ, and Justin try to catch up on the month that was April. They take their turn ridiculing soon to be former LA Clippers owner Donald Sterling then debut a new game called Simply Lying. The losers of this game will have to watch and review the 2004 film Torque. Yeah, they'd have been better off fighting to the death. We do get a pretty decent Terrence Howard impersonation from Matthew out of it and learn some of the lesser known criminal activities of Samuel L. Jackson. That, reactions to Star Wars casting, Julie's descent into HYDRA and much much more on this episode of the Simplistic Reviews Podcast.
Show Notes:
DJ's Hidden Princess Bride Reference
X-Men Days Of Future Past
Donald Sterling
Hail Hydra
Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome
Torque
Music Notes:
Birds & Brass By Sort Of Soul
Liar Liar By The Castaways
Lawyers, Guns, And Money By Warren Zevon
The Best By Tina Turner
FOR MATURE AUDIENCES ONLY.
Click HERE to listen to podcast
Simplistic Sneak Peek Ep. 4
On this installment of Simplistic Sneak Peek, Matthew, Justin and DJ take a look at trailers for upcoming television shows including Jack Bauer's 24 return, Damon Lindeloff's HBO show Leftovers, and Michael Bay's...(sigh)...new TNT show The Last Ship. And just for kicks, the boys keep it on a Michael Bay tip and look at the 2nd trailer for the upcoming Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie. I got a "tip" for Michael Bay...stay away from Thundercats, Gargoyles, and Centurions if you know what's good for you, nostalgia killer. Anyway, you can check out the links to these trailers below if you haven't seen them, then click the video above to see Matthew, Justin, and DJ's thoughts about them.
24: Live Another Day Trailer
The Leftovers Trailer
The Last Ship Trailer
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Trailer #2
Friday, April 25, 2014
The Raid 2: Berandal
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| PERSONAL |
The one thing that made martial arts films from the 1970's to the 90's was the practical nature in which they were filmed. You didn't need wire work, CG, or too many bells and whistles in order to make it awesome. Legends like Bruce Lee, Jackie Chan, and Gordon Liu didn't need CG to make their films amazing, and while I'm sure "The Raid 2: Berandal" needs a little help here and there, we are in the digital age after all, it's still a film that's in your face from beginning to end, and is extremely personal when it comes to it's action set pieces.
"Raid 2" picks up pretty much right where the first one ends. Rama (Iko Uwais) has escaped the apartment complex where the elite police squad he was apart of was all but wiped out. Thanks to his brother, Andi, Rama meets up with a small police task force determined on wiping out police corruption in Jakarta. With two crime families, one up-and-coming gangster with a limp, and corrupt police, things get mighty interesting.
Bottom line, if you were a fan of "The Raid: Redemption" the sequel is a no-brainer. It gives you more of what you loved about it's predecessor, but writer-director Gareth Evans fleshes the characters out just enough as to make them seem a little more than just fodder. We get inside Rama's head and see that he is actually a family man and has missed out his son growing up because of his commitment to justice. Whereas the first film was pretty thin on plot, and heavy on action, "Raid 2" is able to balance the two and create not just one of the best pure action films you'll see all year, but a new benchmark in martial arts film making.
Aside from creating a bigger world for characters to live in, the characters are also more varied and each have their own agenda, which raises the stakes for our protagonist. While there aren't really any surprises that you don't see coming and haven't been done in dozens of other kung-fu flicks, a hint, people get betrayed a lot, when they do happen you'll still be a little shocked. This goes double for the opening sequence of the film. It also seemed that there was a concerted effort to create memorable characters who had specific "gimmicks." While this might come off a little corny, I think it adds that little touch of levity. Sure it's cliche that the head of a criminal empire would have "super goons" but "super goons" that specialize in fighting with hammers and an actual baseball, is something special.
This brings me to the action scenes, which are brutal, but have a certain elegance to them. Using Pencak Silat once again as the fighting style of choice, the fighting scenes are ratcheted up to 11. There was also a welcome decrease in gunplay for the sequel. Sure, there are some scenes where guns are used, notably in the 3rd act of the film, but the reliance on more martial artistry and less bullets gave the film a more personal touch. As an aside, I have to give a shout out to whoever did the sound design for this film. You feel every torn muscle, broken bone, and head crack as if it was happening right next to you. There were numerous times where I squirmed in my seat when a killing, or in the very least, a disabling blow was delivered.
All in all, "Raid 2" is a more than worthy sequel and surpasses it's predecessor in almost every single aspect. Planned as a trilogy, it will be interesting to see what Evans plans to do since "Raid 3" will be a sequel, but apparently we won't be finding out any time soon. Regardless, my best advice would be to watch "Raid 2" over and over and marvel at one of the best martial arts films in quite some time.
Fun Fact: Berandal is Indonesian for "thug."
Thursday, April 24, 2014
Simply Animated: Son of Batman
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| LACKING |
When it comes to Batman animated films, there have been three ages, if you will. The first one started with "Mask of the Phantasm" in 1993, the second age includes classics like "Batman: Under the Red Hood" and "Justice League: Doom." That brings me to the third age, and so far it hasn't been pretty. Sure, we got "Flashpoint Paradox" but recently comic book fans had to sit through "Justice League: War" and the less than stellar "Batman: Year One" and the uneven "The Dark Knight Returns." To say the least it's been a bit rocky lately for The Dark Knight. Hopefully things have bottomed out with 2014's "Son of Batman," an animated feature lacking anything close to what made earlier films featuring Batman so memorable.
"Son" is the story of Damian Wayne, the child of Talia al Ghul and Batman, who seeks vengeance for the murder of his grandfather, Ra's al Ghul by Deathstroke and a squad of renegade League of Assassin members. On the run, Talia decides it is time for Damian to meet his real father; Bruce Wayne, aka, The Batman. The film also has cameos by Commissioner Gordon, Killer Croc, and Nightwing. "Son" is based on the "Batman and Son" comic run written by Grant Morrison.
My main issue, and there are many, is Damian Wayne. I simply don't like the character. I didn't like the character in the comics (spoilers, he dies), and this animated representation doesn't help the cause for me. He's a spoiled brat, and while that is exactly who he was in the books, just seeing it on screen and hearing an annoying preteen tell Batman, or should I say, order Batman, what to do, is extremely irritating.
Speaking of Batman, hopefully this will be Jason O'Mara's last film as the voice of The Batman. It makes me yearn for the likes of Ben McKenzie and William Baldwin's vocal interpretations. O'Mara, who I'm sure is a fine human being, just doesn't have the chops to voice the Bat. It all sounds like a bad rendition of Christian Bale's "gruff" Batman voice in the Christopher Nolan films. There will always only be one Batman voice, and that is Kevin Conroy, who is thankfully coming back for the upcoming "Batman: Assault on Arkham."
I will say that the storyline is at least coherent enough to be followed. Unlike "Justice League: War" the story is streamlined and not too chaotic. And if you happen to be a Damian Wayne fan I'm sure you'll enjoy his hijinks as he tries to walk the line between justice and revenge. I also enjoyed the Anime-inspired animation and the amount of violence that "Son" included. Normally. most DC Animated fare is reasonable tame, but it seems since Christopher Nolan's Bat-films, the cartoons have followed suit in terms of tone.
Overall, "Son" is simply a ho-hum animated feature with a few decent set-pieces, but substandard voice acting. Of course this could all be coming from my overall dislike of the Damian Wayne character, but I just feel like DC Animation is going in a direction that I don't find too interesting. If you want to do a kick ass Batman flick, choose to adapt "The Court of Owls" storyline or hey, dig in the vault and finally decide to adapt "The Killing Joke." Be edgy for goodness sake, shake things up and create something truly epic. One can dream, can't they?
Fun Fact: The first reference to Damian Wayne was in 1987's "Batman" Son of the Demon."
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