I saw the new Marvel movie “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania” a few weeks ago, but I haven’t had a chance to write lately. Let’s get started: I really like Paul Rudd, and the first two “Ant-Man” films are some of my faves in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. But if you watch Marvel movies, you know that even if Ant-Man isn’t your favorite, you’re still going to see this movie. In that respect, Marvel is really smart. They know that we are going to see all of the movies and series in this franchise because if we don’t, we are going to be confused.

Some of the criticism I’ve seen surrounding this latest sequel is of the “it’s confusing if you haven’t seen all the films” variety, to which I say of course it is. That’s their goal. The movies are meant to be viewed as an episodic series, a series with multiple characters – and directors.

The director of the Ant-Man films is Peyton Reed, a comedy guy, and he was great at making the first two Ant-Man films funny. Unfortunately, this one is not as funny. First of all, Michael Pena (Luis) was missing from this film. The director’s explanation was basically that there were already a lot of characters in the film and there wasn’t room for Pena, which seems strange to me considering the inclusion of some other non-essential characters (no offense, guy who plays Baskin-Robbins manager).

Also, even though the special effects were great, the Quantum Realm sort of veers into the territory of silly, with its Star Wars-y aliens. I know I should love that stuff since I write a science-fiction blog, but I think Marvel isn’t really at its best here. It almost felt a little … Sharkboy and Lavagirl.

I’m not thrilled about the direction the MCU is headed with this concept of multiverses. It seems like a minefield of plot holes. But maybe they can pull it off. We’ll see.

Having said all that, I didn’t hate it. It was still fun and funny, just not as good as the previous Ant-Man movies.

More Marvel news

I have higher hopes for the next “Guardians of the Galaxy” movie, which is coming May 5. This may be the last Guardians film, which I’m sad about because they’re my faves, so I hope they at least go out with a bang.

The release date for “The Marvels” movie has been moved yet again, this time to Nov. 10. Bummer! Disney is reining in Marvel’s output. It was originally reported that six (new and returning) Marvel series would be released on Disney+ in 2023, but that has changed. Even “Echo” and “Ironheart,” which have already wrapped, are being put on hold. Now it looks like the only ones we’ll see this year will be “Secret Invasion” and Season 2 of “Loki.”

According to a February article in The Hollywood Reporter, “The pullback on Disney+ is coming amid an industrywide shift in rethinking the best way to achieve profitability in streaming.”

So, it’s about money. (I know, it’s shocking.)

I already mentioned HBO’s “The Last of Us” in my last post. It was really good, and I recommend it, if you haven’t watched it yet. I liked that the zombies aren’t super scary – and I love it when sci-fi proves that the scariest thing of all is really other humans. Pedro Pascal is amazing, as always. Apparently, some people complained that there wasn’t enough zombie action but there was enough for my liking and like I said, it’s not about zombies – it’s about human nature, and it was very moving. I laughed, I cried, I immediately wanted more. Enough said. Go watch it. Just don’t watch it with your kids or they’ll probably be scarred for life. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.

The new season of “Carnival Row,” on Amazon Prime, is out now, and it’s just as terrible as the first season. Why is this show so bad? Well for starters, it doesn’t make sense. There’s so much illogical plot stuff going on, I can barely keep up. If I ever actually had sympathy for rich successful actors, it would be for the stars of this ridiculous show. I haven’t finished watching Season 2 but I’m not sure I will.

What can I say about Season 3 of “The Mandalorian”? Hmm. It’s better than the Obi-Wan show. Because Grogu. And Pedro. I love Amy Sedaris, and Katee Sackhoff. But the plot isn’t blowing me away so far.

The story with the other Mandalorians is sort of boring, and I am not sure what is happening with Dr. Pershing. Are we supposed to care about him? Am I just being nit-picky? Maybe it will get more exciting in the upcoming episodes.

Lately I find myself being annoyed by their helmets. Just bugged in general because wouldn’t your face get all hot and sweaty under there? And more specifically, I want to see Pedro’s face, and also, is Grogu going to have to wear a helmet? Because NO.

The second season of “Shadow and Bone” (Netflix) has been released but I haven’t had a chance to see it yet. I have heard it’s good, so I’m looking forward to it.

“Willow” fans disappointed to hear the show has been cancelled will be happy to hear that it actually hasn’t. It’s reportedly just on hiatus. (The full explanation can be found on writer/producer Jon Kasdan’s twitter.)

If you are in Southern California, the Original Renaissance Pleasure Faire in Irwindale is coming up, on Saturdays and Sundays from April 8 to May 21. The themed weekends this year are pirate and marketplace weekend (April 15 and 16) and RennCon™ weekend (April 29 and 30).

Please note that if you bought tickets during their “Holidazzle” sale, you may only use them through April 23.

The New York Renaissance Faire starts in August, and the Bristol Renaissance Faire (in Wisconsin) begins in July. Go to renfair.com for more info.

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