Star Trek: Strange New Worlds

Summer picks: ‘Superman,’ ‘Strange New Worlds’

Posted on by earthtoshawna

Hey, sci-fi fans – let’s talk about “Superman” and “The Fantastic 4: First Steps.” How cool is it that we got both these movies in theaters this summer?

“The Fantastic 4” is a departure from the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s “Sacred Timeline” (also known as Earth-616).

Our fantastic superhero team lives on Earth-828 – in the year 1964. That’s why their 1964 looks so different and futuristic. They are the only superheroes in their timeline/parallel universe/whatever you want to call it. There are no Avengers there.

Once you wrap your head around that, you can sit back and watch their story unfold.

Their origin story is not the main plot, but it is given in the movie: Reed (Pedro Pascal), Sue (Vanessa Kirby), Ben (Ebon Moss-Bachrach), and Johnny (Joseph Quinn) acquired their powers after a space mission exposed them to “cosmic rays.” They’ve been fighting villains and protecting their planet for years when a supervillain named Galactus enters the picture.

It was entertaining and fun, but like “The Eternals,” it doesn’t feel connected to the MCU. I know it is going to be tied into future Marvel films, however, so I’m looking forward to seeing how that plays out. I’m not really a big fan of the multiverse plot lines, and it’s mostly for this reason that I enjoyed “Superman” more.

I had mixed feelings about director James Gunn switching from Marvel to DC. He made some of my favorite Marvel movies, but when he ousted Henry Cavill (Superman) and Gal Gadot (Wonder Woman), I was bummed out. But he wanted to take these characters in a different direction, so it makes sense to re-cast them.

Gunn gave the Guardians of the Galaxy humor and heart, and he’s brought that same winning combo to “Superman.”

David Corenswet had big shoes to fill, and he did an amazing job as the pure and good Clark Kent/Superman. A model of goodness, hope, and compassion is exactly what we all need right now.

I honestly loved everything about this movie – the characters, the casting, the special effects, the dialogue, and of course Krypto, the adorable mutt with superpowers. (Gunn modeled the dog’s mischievous personality after his own pup!)

I’m also loving Season 3 of “Star Trek: Strange New Worlds” so far. This series was well cast, and I especially love Ethan Peck as Spock.

I was so excited to find out Rhys Darby was added to the cast, but unfortunately, he was only in one episode.

We are halfway through the season, with five episodes left. The finale will be Sept. 11. Season 4 is already in production, and a fifth and final season is expected to begin filming later this year. “Strange New Worlds” is on Paramount+.

My hubby is a huge fan of the “Alien” movies, so we could not pass up an opportunity to see the “ad” for the new “Alien: Earth” TV series on the corner of Hollywood and Vine.

The display features a life-size alien xenomorph and billboards, containment units with buttons and door handles, and sound effects. Here are some of the photos I took when we were in Hollywood last weekend.

The new series, a prequel set two years before the events of the 1979 film, will premiere on FX and Hulu on Aug. 12.

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New: Saga, Ghostbusters, Boba … but where’s Grogu?

Posted on by earthtoshawna

After a four-year hiatus the award-winning comic book “Saga” is back! I got my copy of the new issue Wednesday at my local comic book shop, and if you haven’t read this title yet (and are 18 or older – it is rated Mature), I highly recommend you check it out. I have blogged about this comic before – multiple times – and it made my best-of-the-decade list. Here is my review from that post:

“Saga,” written by Brian K. Vaughan and illustrated by Fiona Staples, is the best comic book series in the past 10 years, and I’m guessing it made lots of people’s best-of lists. Its central characters are Marko and Alana, lovers from warring planets, and their daughter, Hazel. The family is chased across the galaxy by an assassin whose sidekick is a giant, hairless, lie-detecting cat; a TV-faced robot prince; and Marko’s ex-girlfriend. See my review of the comic here: ‘Saga’ leaves you wanting more but you’ll have to wait

I finally saw the new Ghostbusters movie, “Ghostbusters: Afterlife.” It’s set 32 years after the events of “Ghostbusters 2” and involves Egon’s grandkids (played by Finn Wolfhard and Mckenna Grace), who have just moved with their mother to his house, which they inherited after his death.

I liked that they did something different – focusing on kids this time around. I especially liked that it was the granddaughter who was the main brain of the story, and with her dark curls and glasses, she even looked like the late Harold Ramis.

I would have liked to have seen different ghosts this time; why did they feel the need to spin out the same spirits again? But it was fun to see the cameos from the original cast members – and Paul Rudd is always good!

Unless you’ve been living under a rock you’ve probably heard about the Netflix movie “Don’t Look Up.” I’m not sure why this got bad reviews. (Only 56% on Rotten Tomatoes? Really?) The plot lays out exactly how society would react if a comet was headed for Earth. Maybe it hit a bit too close to home for some viewers as it was intended as a satire of climate change deniers, but it could just as easily have been a satire about people thinking COVID is fake.

The film, written and directed by Adam McKay, stars Leonardo DiCaprio, Jennifer Lawrence, Meryl Streep, Cate Blanchett, Rob Morgan, Jonah Hill, Mark Rylance, Tyler Perry, Timothee Chalamet, Ron Perlman, Ariana Grande, and Scott Mescudi.

My favorite character was Kate Dibiasky (Lawrence), an astronomy grad student who discovers the comet. The dialogue struck me as very funny and I laughed out loud multiple times. It captured the absurdity of our politicians and media talking heads and was alternately heartbreaking and hilarious. I loved it and watched it twice.

How refreshing was Chapter 5 of “The Book of Boba Fett” (Disney+), with the return of our beloved Din Djarin? I mean, the first four episodes were okay, but this episode was a reminder of just how good “The Mandalorian” was. I loved this episode! But did I? Or was I just excited because for the whole hour, I thought we were going to get to see Grogu? Where’s Grogu??

Seriously though, it was nice to see Mando again, and also I love Amy Sedaris as the mechanic. It was a great episode (except no Grogu!) and I hope they put a little more of this energy into the rest of the season. And hopefully we will get to see Grogu next time!

I was sad to see the end of “The Expanse”! BUT. I read an article on WinterIsComing.net that explained why the producers ended it here, and apparently it was because the next book starts up, like, 30 years later. So. I think, and hope, and pray, that there will be a spin-off series after the events of this last series. Let me go find that story for you. … Here it is:

The Expanse producers “would love” to continue the show

I think that just about wraps up this post. Don’t forget to mark your calendar for “Star Trek: Strange New Worlds,” coming to Paramount+ on May 5!

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