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Peacemaker Episode 8 (HBOMax): Unfortunately, Peacemaker
has come to an end with an episode that is sure to stick in the minds of viewers until next season. Between the cameos from several major cinematic DC stars to a paradigm shift that upends the DC Extended Universe in the way that Captain America: The Winter Soldier upended the Marvel Cinematic Universe, there is a lot to chew on after this episode’s debut. It will be interesting to see where season two goes, but unlike some of the competition on Disney+, this finale feels self-contained, fulfilling, and not just set up for the next thing coming down the line. That said, there is an interesting multiverse tease to one of the movies coming out this year in a great scene towards the end of the show where it is more important to note who didn’t show up over who did.
The Cuphead Show (Netflix): In 2017, MDMR’s Cuphead
took the gaming community by storm as a run-and-gun/boss rush style game that was unforgivingly difficult, but left players with a satisfied feeling when they finally moved to the next level. It used beautiful hand-drawn animation, reminiscent of the old cartoons from Disney, Warner Brothers, and MGM back in the 1930s, with a soundtrack that matched. Now here’s the series based on the game. Like the game, it is beautifully rendered and a painstaking homage to the source material, but unlike the game there is no substance to what is shown. The plot of the video game is simple; Cuphead bet his soul to the devil and has to reclaim it by capturing the souls of other people who owe the devil. The problem is, like Uncharted the interactive aspect allows for some narrative misgivings to be forgiven because the entertainment also comes from playing the game. Just watching it played out in this format is less fun. Cuphead
(the game) is available for Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, PC, and PlayStation 4 and is definitely worth playing if someone has a lot of patience and wants a challenge.
jeen-yuhs: A Kanye Trilogy Part 1 (Netflix): Kanye is a bit of a divisive figure right now, from his treatment of his ex, and his ex’s new boyfriend, to his plan to release his new album on a $200 mp3 player in the year 2022, he seems to thrive on (mostly negative) news coverage. This documentary provides insight into the origins of his career. If one considers themselves to be a fan of this era of hip-hop, they will get a kick out of seeing historic moments play out in front of them.
You May Have Missed:
Slither (Starz): While James Gunn had written some movies before like Scooby-Doo in 2002, its 2004 sequel Scooby-Doo: Monsters Unleashed, and fellow DC director Zack Snyder’s Dawn of the Dead remake, he did not make his feature film directorial debut until his 2006 film Slither. It is a comedy horror movie with a massive body count that wears its B-movie inspiration and homages on its sleeve. While it may have been a box office flop in 2006 (it opened against Ice Age: The Meltdown
and V for Vendetta was still in theaters), it has garnered a cult following since then and is worth a watch by anyone who likes low budget horror films.
Van Helsing (Starz): There are movies that, like old houses, have “good bones.” If the movie’s general concept is kept the same but minor adjustments are made to things like the plot and characters and things of that nature, the movie could have been a hit. Van Helsing is one of these movies. That’s not to say that Van Helsing is particularly good, but the movie could have been. It is an interesting watch in the same way that Tim Story’s Fantastic Four in 2005 is an interesting watch; in a different era with better effects, it would have been a hit. Had Van Helsing
came out in 2017 when The Mummy did with some minor plot changes and different casting for Anna (maybe keep Sofia Boutella from The Mummy?), it probably would have been a hit and a better way for Universal to kick off their “Dark Universe.”
