Carnival Row

Marvel’s trip to the Quantum Realm could be more fun

Posted on by earthtoshawna

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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Anders’ novel optioned for series; plus news & reviews

Posted on by earthtoshawna

In cool sci-fi news: I recently read that open-uri20190219-15-r061tbSony Pictures Television has optioned Charlie Jane Anders’ book, “The City in the Middle of the Night,” for series development, with Sharon Hall, who is also an executive producer on “The Expanse.”

I’m super excited about this because Charlie Jane Anders is awesome, and because I love “The Expanse,” so I’ve got my fingers crossed that the adaptation is as cool as the novel, which is set in the future, on the tidally locked planet of January. Because one side is always facing the sun (like our moon), one side of the planet is always dark and cold, and the other is always light and hot. The inhabitants (descendants of humans who fled Earth) live in the strip of dusk between the light and dark sides of the planet.

The main character, Sophie, lives in Xiosphant, an authoritarian city with mandated sleeping hours and curfews. When she gets in trouble with the law, she is thrown into the dark and cold night, and left for dead. But she survives, and is changed by her experience.  There is a lot of crazy stuff going on; I couldn’t put it down. If you like dystopian sci-fi, check it out.

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Charlie Jane Anders

I also read and loved Anders’ other works, her novel “All the Birds in the Sky,” and her short story collection “Six Months, Three Days, Five Others.” You can read my review here:

https://earthtoshawna.com/2018/12/21/short-and-sweet-anders-six-months-and-saunders-fox-8/

No word yet on when we will see the new series. In the meantime, Anders is working on the adaptation of one of my favorite comics, Brian K. Vaughan’s “Y: The Last Man.”

The Vertigo comic centers on Yorick Brown and his pet monkey Ampersand. A plague has wiped out every other male mammal, and as far as Yorick knows, he’s the last man on Earth. The series is expected to premiere on FX next year.

Carnival Row

Oh “Carnival Row,” I had such high hopes for you! The Amazon Prime series is about fairies and other mythological creatures forced to flee their homelands to (some version of) Victorian-era London.

I do love cutie pie Orlando Bloom but watching him in his role as a detective is about as thrilling as watching paint dry, and he doesn’t have much chemistry with his love interest, played by Cara Delevingne as adorable fairy Vignette. I’m not sure who was in charge of casting but I suspect the series would be more steamy if they’d found a couple with a little more heat between them. (Is it just me?)

Vignette and Philo phone in the fairy romance on “Carnival Row.”

Don’t get me wrong; I did enjoy the premise of the show (despite the fact that it seems to have stolen Saga’s horns and wings) and it held my interest enough that I wanted to keep watching. There is a lot of mystery, political intrigue and multiple subplots, some of which are really interesting and others which are sort of meh. The big finale was not super satisfying but it seems to have set up a potentially better storyline for Season 2, so I’m still in. 

 The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance

THE DARK CRYSTAL: AGE OF RESISTANCE

The 1982 film charmed and terrified me when it came out in theaters. (I was 7.) The Netflix prequel series is also charming – and very dark. I guess Netflix is banking on nostalgia. The comical yet smarmy pleading of the chamberlain is here, as is the adorable dog-like creature (known as Fizzgig in the original). I like the Gelfling and Podling puppets. The new series is appealing for those of us who miss Jim Henson’s lovable Muppets.

It’s as true to the original as any  ’80s kid could want, but there’s a lot of emphasis on the “dark” in Dark Crystal. I’m sure this would be hard to avoid in any prequel series, though, as we know from the film that Jen and Kira were the last of their kind – and we know why.

I’m sure I’m not the only one who is a little disheartened by the creepiness and oppressive nature of the series. But I am trying to hang in there; I’m only a few episodes in, and I’m reserving final judgment until I’ve seen all 10. Stay tuned.

“Do you think I look Skeksi?”

The Boys

I wasn’t expecting to be so blown away by this Amazon Prime series, based on a comic book. For starters, the story – superheroes as villains – has been done before, in “Watchmen.” But “The Boys” is different enough that it still seems original, and I loved it. It’s (very) grisly, but it’s a binge-worthy thrill ride.

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Jack Quaid and Karl Urban are Hughie Campbell and Billy Butcher, two of the titular “boys,” enemies of the superheroes who turn out to not be so super.

mark-your-calendar-clipart-48 “Ad Astra” opens this weekend. Brad Pitt plays an astronaut who searches for his father in the outer edges of the solar system.

The TV series “Mr. Robot” will return for its fourth and final season on Oct. 6 (USA Network).

“Gemini Man” comes out Oct. 11. Will Smith plays an assassin who is forced to fight a younger clone of himself.

Two sequels will be released Oct. 18: “Maleficent: Mistress of Evil,” and “Zombieland: Double Tap.”

The new season of the sci-fi series “The Expanse” will air on Amazon Prime on Dec. 13.

And last but not least: “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker” will be in theaters on Dec. 20.

Credits: “The City in the Middle of the Night,” by Charlie Jane Anders, Tor Books; “Carnival Row,” Amazon Prime, “The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance,” Netflix; “The Boys,” Amazon Prime.

 

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